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Editorial: Safety At SLA

January 10, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

When it comes to safety at SLA, we do things a bit differently here. Many Philadelphia public high schools use metal detectors to attempt to ensure that the students stay safe though SLA is built on trust- making sure that the kids are safe while letting them know that they aren’t expected to do anything harmful to another student.

Are we “privileged” or “deserving” enough to not have metal detectors? In some neighborhood schools, dangerous occurrences happen on a daily basis, while one might hear of it every couple years at SLA. This doesn’t mean that it couldn’t change, especially if the people that intend on doing harm to the school are aware of the lack of security.

What would be different if we had metal detectors? How would that make SLA students feel? Some students on our editorial board reported about attending schools with strict security policies, including metal detectors. They said it felt like being in a prison.

There is also the fact that students may live in unsafe neighborhoods. Some students have to bring items like pepper spray in their bags, not intending to use them as a weapon at school though having the weapon present can result in the student using it under overwhelming emotion.

This is on top of the fact that many people find it unsettling that anyone can walk through the front door without being greeted or stopped by security. Our office not being on the first floor makes managing the flow of people more complicated. Although there is a sign-in system at the front desk, it is not always used, and Officer Byrd does not always man the front door as she also has the responsibility of monitoring the other floors of the building — although we have also seen her turn people away from entry after talking to them.

We only have one school police officer in our budget whose primary job is to monitor, and isn’t meant to intervene in a threatening situation, but her badge represents an authority that’s still intimidating no matter what they are allowed to do.

Despite the anxieties that many people are expressing about safety at SLA, making it feel like a safer place doesn’t have to require a lot of work, and it doesn’t have to involve making SLA feel like a prison either. A few things that would make students feel more protected are:

Signs or directions leading to the office.
Having people check in when they enter the building. Whether or not there is a person staffing the front desk, there should be clear signage asking individuals to sign in.
Having more discussions on what is considered a “weapon.” Students may not know that items such as mace or pepper spray count as weapons according to the district code of conduct.
More security officers at the entrance.

Unsigned editorials reflect the opinion of the student editorial board.

Movie Review: Rogue One Follows the Formula

January 9, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Aaron Watson-Sharer

Staff Writer

It’s no secret that Star Wars has been one of the greatest movie franchises of all time. In the past 40 years, each film has killed the box office and the 7th installment to the series netted over two billion. In 2012 George Lucas sold his company Lucasfilm to Disney for four billion dollars. Star Wars has been held to a very high standard as maybe the best science fiction series to matriculate. So did Rogue One hold up to the reputation of the franchise?

Star Wars Rogue One tells the story of Jyn Erso, a woman who joins the rebel alliance in order to find her father, Galen Erso to uncover the plans for the Death Star. The first thing I noticed was that this movie had no chemistry between its characters. In every Star Wars movie there’s a core group of characters who have a sense of trust with each other, even if it takes time to develop. I didn’t like how nobody could trust anyone. I had a real issue with the fact that the droid K-2SO was the only character who knew where his loyalties stood.

The Force Awakens was a terrific movie overall, but it had one strong fault, it was too much of a reflection of A New Hope. Unfortunately, Rogue One failed to change that. Cassian was a proud rebel with hair trigger and it took him a while to come around towards Jyn Erso. He and his droid were a representation of Han Solo and Chewbacca. That’s the first experience Star Wars has had with a droid fighting for the rebels and making decisions by their own choice. Jyn Erso to me was shown as Luke Skywalker with a twist. It doesn’t take a Jedi to be a good rebel. A main issue I have with the new wave of Star Wars films (prequels excluded), is that we are fed a similar story again and again. Just a generation or two later.

Rogue One was a very entertaining film and I understood why we never saw any Jedi due to the Jedi Purge but WHERE WERE THE JEDI? The foundation of what makes science fiction movies like Terminator so popular isn’t that the storyline is pristine, but the ability to visualize something much greater than ourselves. To feed us fans our Jedi hunger, the writers implemented a blind but force-sensitive man named Chirrut Imwe. I liked this character, but he was boring. He was talented and of good heart, but that does not make for excitement. Assurance for him was “I am one with the force and the force is with me.” Hearing this 500 times was too reminiscent of Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy. The scriptwriters should have used their words more.

The biggest lure of this Star Wars installment was definitely the appearance of Darth Vader. My brothers actually went to the theatres twice just to see his scenes again. Darth Vader is terrifying. You hear it in his breath and even those most loyal to him are afraid of him. The way Vader moves and speaks, every action comes out with such conviction and that’s what I liked most about his appearance. We see the best character the Star Wars saga (and maybe also any movie franchise) has to offer.

All in all, this movie is reminiscent of the previous movies, with the same theme of a smaller, good hearted group trying to battle an ultimate evil. Rogue One had a great battle, the rebels first stand against the Empire that set the pace for Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia to become fictional heroes. In the end, Rogue One held true to a Star Wars caliber movie, but failed to exceed my expectations.

Freshmen, Sophomores plan their own “proms”

January 6, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Freshmen at SLA-Center City party at their exclusive dance on December 2nd, 2016. This was the first freshman-only dance hosted by SLA and was designed to look like a prom.

Maddi Etxebeste

Staff Writer

On Friday, December 2nd, the first-ever SLA Freshmen dance took place from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m in the SLA Center City cafe. This dance was for freshmen of SLA Beeber and Center City.

The event was primarily organized by the advisory of History teacher Pearl Jonas. They started organizing around the middle of October, and it was so exciting for Jonas’s advisory and for her as well, she confessed “It’s the first time I organized the prom!”

The event got a lot of positive attention from the class of 2020. A student of Ms. Jonas’s advisory, freshmen Jeremiah Butler said “Everyone got very involved in the project, there was even a student who linked SLA Beeber and SLA Center City and the organization in general worked very well.”

The theme being “Black & White”, everyone in attendance was dressed accordingly. The tickets cost $6 if bought in advance and $8 at the door. The remaining money, after investing most of it in the party, will probably be spent on freshmen needs such as materials and activities/excursions.

The freshmen were in charge of promoting the dance, and in the end approximately 140 people attended. The teachers provided drinks and food, including 23 boxes of pizza. “For the next time we should provide more drinks and less pizza!” said Jonas. There were also some electronic issues with the DJ, but that was resolved early in the evening.

Juniors and Seniors — Separate, Not Together

In May 2017, Senior prom will take place on the 19th floor of the Hyatt at the Bellevue on South Broad Street. Last year, the prom committee signed a contract for this year’s event.

“It’s a luxurious place, with a big room with the dance hall in the middle and very beautiful views.” explained Health Teacher Pia Martin, who is also a teacher sponsor for prom. She also said that all the seniors are going to attend it.

The prom will have a pretty hotel theme, being very classy. Attendees get to enjoy appetizers, a formal dinner and a dessert with it. Senior prom will probably be from 7 to 11 p.m. The ticket price depends on the current price and the money they spend organizing it, but Ms. Martin predicted that it will cost approximately $80 each.

Junior Prom will be held in April 2017. Spanish Teacher Joselyn Hernandez, the junior prom sponsor, is still working on some of the planning details.

Many schools of SLA’s size have a combined Junior and Senior prom. However, the very first class of SLA, who graduated in 2010, refused to share their prom with the younger students. Now the two proms have continued to be kept separate from each other.

Should sophomores have a prom as well?

Now that the freshmen have successfully had a dance just for their grade, there is a big debate around the proms and dances at SLA. With everyone asking:

Should sophomores have a prom like juniors and seniors (and now also freshmen)?

For many years, sophomore classes have attempted to organize an event, but they have never been able to get enough interest or commitment to make it happen.

Jonas explained that “I approved it, but students have to get involved in the project so they can organize the dance because it takes too much work.”

Jeremiah Butler agreed. “They should also have a dance or something, but not as big as a prom.”

Most of the Sophomores might not know yet, but some students are starting to spread the word. Announcing the possibility of organizing a dance for sophomores, knowing that it was the only grade without a prom or dance. It’s not certain, but if more and more sophomores get involved in this project, they will be able to realize it.

Column: Why I Supported Trump in the Election

January 5, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Gavin Lane

Guest Writer

When the Presidential election was in its opening months, I did not support Donald Trump and I never thought I ever would. He seemed like a crazy, mockable meme of a man. On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton seemed like a corrupt warmonger, and Bernie Sanders a well-meaning progressive who had fought for civil rights in the past but now just seemed to be pandering to ultra radical leftist millennials. At the time, I did not and could not support any of these people.

So how did I end up supporting Trump?

By May of 2016, it was clear he was becoming a serious contender for the presidency, so I actually started looking at some of his policies. I listened to what he said and I read about him with genuine curiosity.

One issue I found I agreed with him on is immigration. While I have never agreed with concept of building “the wall,” I have become concerned with crime around our southern border.

We all know (or should know) that statistically the large majority of illegal immigrants come from south of the border, mainly Mexico and Central America. It is also true that not all Latinos or Hispanics are illegal immigrants from Mexico or Central America, and of those who are, not all are criminals. However, I think deportation is a useful method to help prevent crime in the United States. What’s more, President Obama agrees — in his presidency, over 2.5 million illegal immigrants have been sent back to their home countries.

there are illegal immigrants who do not commit crimes, and no heavy evidence that the immigration problem is causing more crime than usual in the United States. However, something that has helped the illegal drug market thrive is a weak border — and this is true for both Mexico and the United States. The more territory that drug cartels can grab in the United States, and the more population they have access to, the more powerful they become.

While I don’t recommend a wall, I believe something dire must be done about border control, and Trump seemed bent on a solution like no other candidate, so I found myself leaning toward supporting him.

Another thing that Trump proposed that I was drawn to is the maintenance of robust employment in the energy sector while making sure that environmental regulations are more helpful that hindering. For example, he is adamantly opposed to undue and expensive industrial regulation, which can have a crippling effect on our economy and put people out of work. I have known that there has been some controversy over the Carrier issue, where Trump made a personal intervention in a private business matter to save jobs, but in the end I think that what he did there benefits the American people more because you have more jobs staying in the country. At the time he discussed this, he also reversed his claim that the Chinese completely made up the concept of global warming. This is good for me, because it means that there is hope for climate talks, because I believe it is a real thing. Humans have both caused it and can intervene.

Once the primaries ended, my choice to support Trump was also a result of the fact that I could not support Hillary Clinton. Now, I had already heard the allegations of corruption surrounding her, but thanks to the many emails stolen from her campaign chairman John Podesta, I became more alarmed with corruption and cynicism in the the campaign. Just the thought of a politician having a completely different “public” and “private” policy, for example, seemed scarily shady. Finally, considering her support of a no-fly zone in Syria, I worried that by electing Hillary Clinton, this country could very well elect a warmonger, and the thought of a World War III, especially with a country like Russia involved, is scary. And of course, there was one more reason I became especially disenchanted with Hillary Clinton, and that was her involvement with “same old, same old” establishment politics.

Since Philadelphia and SLA are both very liberal environments, when I decided to support Trump, I did wonder how I would tell people. My close circle of friends and my family would be okay with it, but what about others? To an extent, I almost felt like I was coming out of the closet all over again. (FYI, I’m bi – and I don’t give a rat’s ass about Pence, although it seems even he has realized the ridiculousness of things like electro-shock “therapy.”) I have worn my Make America Great Again hat around school a couple times, and so far that’s been uneventful. One person unfriended me on Snapchat, I think, but that’s a low-key response.

Despite how I feel about Hillary Clinton — and I honestly hope Trump goes through with that FBI investigation of Hillary — I do respect those who supported her. She put up a good fight, and I don’t just throw away members of my community due to politics. I can’t predict exactly how his presidency will go, but I am hopeful because of this: Globalism and its international conflicts that it breeds are not good for any nation, and when it comes down to it, I am for nationalism over globalism.

Column: A Brief History On Our Vice President-Elect

January 2, 2017 by lpahomov 1 Comment

Chiara Nemati

Opinion Editor

Love him or hate him, President-elect, Donald J. Trump has gotten a massive amount of attention in the news.

But what about the Vice President-elect, Mike Pence?

The news channels dance around Pence and his past. But I am curious as to who we have elected into office. On the Republican ticket, Mike Pence was the only one with a political background. While Trump is our President-elect it is important to note that he will be getting a massive amount of help from his VP, who has been in the political circuit for sixteen years. As a result, we know more about what his political agenda might be like as the second in command.

Mike Pence began his political career in 2000 when he was elected to congress to represent Indiana. During his six terms in the House of Representatives, Pence moved up within the ranks. By 2008 he was elected to the GOP’s number three spot, Republican Conference Chairman. This position allowed him to create the Republican party’s message.

Interestingly enough, Mike Pence was encouraged by the Republican party to run for President in 2012. However he decided to run for Governor of Indiana.

While governor, Mike Pence passed a Religious Freedom Restoration Act, an Act that shook the country. In 2015 Pence signed an Act that allowed the business owners of Indiana to discriminate against the LGBTQ community. Business owners could use their religious beliefs as an excuse not to serve gays and lesbians. President Obama even took the opportunity to come at Mike Pence and the Act during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, “We’ve gotten so close that in some places in Indiana, they won’t serve us pizza anymore.” Obama said, jokingly suggesting that Vice President Joe Biden and himself were a gay couple.

Even though the bill was amended to explicitly say that it does not sanction discrimination, it is still an enormous part of Pence’s career and beliefs. Currently a bill for the ban of abortions on fetuses diagnosed with down syndrome is awaiting action by Mike Pence. This would take away a woman’s right to decide whether she is ready and willing to have a child. This bill outlines that the doctor may not perform an abortion if the woman’s reason is a diagnosis, race, sex, or nationality. All of the bills that Pence voted and will vote to pass or not must be looked at and analyzed by us, the citizens of the United States.

While there are many concerning attributes about Mike Pence and his career, it is important to recognize his upsides. While in Congress, Mike Pence was one of the few Republicans who voted against the No Child Left Behind act. If you are unfamiliar with the No Child Left Behind, it increases the amount of standardized tests. It’s goal was to help the U.S. thrive and solve the issue of failing schools. Instead this act attacks teachers, stresses the students, and does not get the intended results. No Child Left Behind, created during the Bush Presidency, caused an uproar in the education system. Many states have worked to reform it and cater it to their education system. In 2015, Obama passed a new version of the No Child Left Behind act that would reduce the role of the federal government. Using Indiana as a model, we can anticipate Pence’s general views. From this information we should be able to know which issues to hold a stronger stance on.

Just like it is our duty to push Pence on the issues that we care about, it is our duty to know exactly who is sitting in the White House aiding Donald Trump. Now more than ever must the American people be informed on politics. We must be informed about each election, whether that be for the House or for the governors of our states. We must be informed about the bills that the Congress will be working on. We must be informed on who Donald Trump’s cabinet will be, which currently includes Mike Pompeo as Director of the C.I.A., Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education, Rex. W. Tillerson, CEO of Exxon Mobil, for Secretary of State, and many more.

The Secretary of State pick Rex Tillerson has sparked much controversy. Rex Tillerson is the CEO of Exxon, a company which has many dealings around the world and most prominently Russia. Tillerson was even awarded the Order of Friendship from Vladimir Putin. With all the scandals that Russia has been involved in pertaining to the U.S. this should not come as a shock, yet it’s repercussions are causing many to worry, predominantly other nations.

The picks that do not require approval include; Reince Priebus as Chief of Staff, Michael T. Flynn as National Secretary Advisor, Donald F. McGahn II as White House Counsel and Steve Bannon as Political Strategist.

Just a friendly reminder as I continue to read about all the possible ways President-elect Trump could be impeached, remember who is next in line (Mike Pence). Read up on politics and exercise your rights as a U.S. citizen.

For those of us who did not have the opportunity to vote in this election, do not worry and do not give up. In the next two years we will have the chance to voice our opinions and elect into Congress those who will represent our beliefs best. Keep on researching, our time to speak will be here before you know it.