Features

Sanaa Scott-Wheeler

Staff Writer

Science Leadership Academy is a school with the same set of core values but two different locations, Center City and West Philadelphia. Incoming students sometimes prefer one campus over the other, but the question is: Is there a strategy to get into one campus over the other?

Every year Science Leadership Academy gets over 1,000 applicants from all over the city. Current SLA CC and SLA @ Beeber students gather to do interviews for prospective students. When only the Center City campus existed, students were applying for only 120 slots each year. With the founding of SLA @Beeber, that number doubled.

¨ Generally, we get about 40% of the applicants to apply to only Center City, 45% applies to both schools, and 15% applies only to Beeber. We’ve done over 60 elementary/middle school visits, we do open houses and shadows. We work with the guidance counselors to make sure that students are aware of both opportunities,¨  said  Science Leadership Academy Center City founding principal Chris Lehmann.

“I was told most high schools only accept A’s and B’s on report cards but I chose SLA as my first choice because of the different teaching styles of teaching and the creativity, I fell in love with the school when I shadowed so I knew I had to go,” said Mackenzie Hopkins, a junior at the center city campus.

When applying to high schools I was told to get all A’s and have good attendance” Simone Marant an SLA junior stated during an interview, “both my brother and sister went to the center city campus so it was natural that I would go to school there”.

Inside the interview, current SLA or SLA @ Beeber students are paired with a teacher teaching at either campus. Each interview consists of set list questions, including ¨How can you make this environment a better place?¨

Students are also asked to bring in a project that means something to them. The interview is an opportunity to see who is a good fit for the school.

¨The interview allows us to find really wonderful kids,¨ Lehmann continued. He recognized that the most academically successful students are not guaranteed admission.

Few public schools in the district have the project-based learning model SLA offers or the resources and connections SLA has access to; Laptops, The Franklin Institute, Drexel scholars program. For students, SLA is more than just a school it is an opportunity for a better education.

“I love the sense of freedom. Everyone just does their own thing” said Kassie Thompson, a student at SLA Beeber, “It’s not an abnormal occurrence to see so much diversity and that’s so comforting considering we live in a society that rejects authenticity. I love that it’s a safe haven for LGBTQ+ people, gifted people, people of color, people who may not see their potential but have it, said Thompson. She continues by saying, “I think both campuses are unique in curriculum and student body within their own ways. I was really just interested in going to the school overall.

¨A student who has straight A´s and isn’t interested in engaging with us or the kind of learning we do would be better off at a different school. There is a better school for them. A student with a B average but comes in and wows us and shows that they understand what an inquiry-driven learning is, that matters.¨ Lehmann also emphasized that SLA believes deeply in seeing the whole person, not a student academically.

¨There is no hidden process to this, We look at the whole picture of the student and try to do the best we can to match them with preferences.¨ said Lehmann

I decided to apply to SLA CC because I wanted to be in the city atmosphere and the building and the teachers I had met seemed like the best fit for the person I am, Said Louisa Strohm a junior at SLA center city.  “I think they will place you where they think you would fit best”. Strohm finished by saying.

There is no strategy set in stone for how to get into one campus, however, good advice would be to only apply to the campus you would like to go to and present your knowledge of the core values of SLA in the interview.

Avi Cantor

Staff Writer

Imagine a mid-October day last year. A mob of students scuffles through the small doors of the SLA Center City campus. They have a wide variety of expressions on their faces:

Tired: a backpack lazily sagging off of their shoulders as the top of their eyelids droop down with minimal space between upper and lower eyelid.

Irritated: a private phone call made more public than it has to be is paired nicely with a 24 ounce Dunkin Donuts iced coffee. The coffee doesn’t fit the frigid 40-degree day in any way.

Satisfied: bits of cream cheese or bread crumbs clinging to the corners of their lips as the rose color in their cheeks spreads toward their ears.

In the midst of it all stands Co-Principal Aaron Gerwer, greeting everyone with a smile on his face. He shakes the hands of some, fistbumps others; interacts with all.

These kinds of interactions with the student body were a hallmark of Principal Gerwer’s presence at the school and created a familial environment that made students feel comfortable and safe.

However, these interactions unfortunately only lasted for so long. Mr. Gerwer decided to move on from SLA to join the String Theory High School staff as the principal.

But instead of being mad at him for leaving, many students are happy for him and wish him good luck. One of these students is Senior Zahira Tucker. Tucker had a very close relationship with the former principal.

“If I wasn’t in Mr. Gerwer’s office at least once a week, then I don’t know what I would’ve done,” she stated. “With everything that was going on [in my life], Mr. Gerwer knew a lot about me and he definitely helped me get through a lot.”

The two became very close in between freshman and sophomore year when Tucker was having personal issues and wanted to find someone to talk to. She usually talked to school counselor Zoe Siswick about these issues but found that she wasn’t in school on a day that she needed someone to vent to.

She decided to approach Mr. Gerwer and the two went into his office to talk. Tucker felt really comfortable around him and found that he was “helpful” and “a very observant person”.

Tucker and Mr. Gerwer’s relationship only grew from there and eventually, Tucker would ask for a college letter of recommendation from him, even after word spread that he was leaving.

Even though Tucker was crushed by Gerwer’s decision to leave, she still hoped the best for him and will “miss him just strolling through the hallways”. This casual, but caring attitude is something that members of his new school are starting to experience first hand.

Students at String Theory are enjoying the energy and vibrant personality that Mr. Gerwer brings to their school. Senior Lamar Thomas was initially skeptical of Gerwer but now accepts him into the String Theory community.

“He’s pretty cool,” Thomas explained. “He lets us be free in the hallways and stuff but gets on us if we’re playing around too much. I think he’s gonna be a good principle for us.”

Despite Mr. Gerwer’s departure, members of the SLA community like Zahira Tucker understand what kind of impact he had on our community and wish him the best at his new job.

Photo Courtesy of http://philaschoolpartnership.org

Lauren Nicolella

Staff Writer

Frantically finishing essays, attending open houses, and reading statistics given in a booklet are some of the staples of the overwhelming high school application process. Families prepare to attend SLA so they can get a feel of the atmosphere and learning environment.

By the time they are accepted to SLA, prospective students understand that the school is different. But what are their impressions before freshman year? What ideas — both true and false — are floating around Philadelphia? That’s where Program Coordinator Jeremy Spry comes in.

In order to personalize their connection to prospective students, high schools gauge interest by visiting middle schools. Most of the staff members go out to schools to present information about the school, but Spry is typically the person who explains all things SLA. However, SLA can only do so much to inform prospective applicants about the school.

Based on interviews with current 8th and 9th graders, students’ perceptions depend on what their middle school is like. Teachers, counselors, and fellow students tend to inform others of what they hear, especially when it comes to interest in a high school.  

Science Leadership Academy is already a part of the minority, being a smaller project-based school with a large community, and it is one of the few high schools in Philadelphia to require an interview.

Current freshman Guy Bayan came from Stratford Friends School, which is located in  Newtown Square, PA. Given that Stratford Friends is about half the size of SLA, Bayan had to acclimate himself to a school that is much larger and more diverse than he was used to.

“I already knew that SLA was very racially diverse. Also, it was close to my home and because it is a science-oriented, project-based high school, it spiked my interest,” said Bayan.

He expanded further on what interested him, and how that influenced his decision.

“Some of the positive things I heard were SLA’s ninety-something college acceptance rate,” Bayan explained.

The active artist was pleasantly surprised by the teaching style of the SLA staff. He enjoys the way every teacher is able to engage everyone in the class, especially English teacher–among other things–Matt Kay. However, not everything he heard about SLA was flattering.

“The negatives I heard is that students did drugs,” Bayan stated.

He heard about this while attending camp, amongst the talk of Philly high schools.

Although the opinions of students who have already gone through the process were important, it was crucial to get the stance of a current prospective student.

Eighth-grader Lilly Squillaciotti is currently in the process of applying to high schools and has been considering SLA as one of her choices. She attends William M. Meredith Elementary School. Her teachers and counselors provided her with some basic knowledge about SLA.

“I’ve heard it’s a really great school if you’re creative and work well with others, but I’ve also heard it’s in an inconvenient spot and harder to get into,” Squillaciotti explained.

Squillaciotti also mentioned that Meredith tells the students that Center City is the better campus, but did not elaborate further beyond the expectations and criteria she’s heard about.  

Another student who ended up deciding on SLA Center City was freshman Yohanna Heyer. Heyer attended Masterman Middle School and described how it was a different scene compared to her old one.

“[SLA] felt more welcoming and relaxed than my previous [school],” she explained. “But I also heard it was easy. That stays true for certain things, but benchmarks do take up a lot of work.”

It’s always important to seek out your own opinions and ideas about somewhere, because it may turn out to be something completely unexpected. There are a lot of students who did not expect to attend SLA, figured out that it was one of the best choices they could have made for themselves.