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SLAMedia is a publication of the news for the Science Leadership Academy community. Writers come from the student body in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. We work in unison to create a functioning paper with biweekly postings on a variety of events.

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Features

Chromebooks at SLA

January 7, 2019 by Lauren Nicolella Leave a Comment

Zoe Kwasnicki

Staff Writer

 

The classroom was quiet except for the sound of fingers hitting keyboards and sighs of exasperation when the Wifi lagged. There was no pen on paper or squeaking erasers scratching away wrong answers because there was no paper – only laptops.

 

Even though this picture paints a normal day at SLA, student laptops are still nonexistent in the majority of high schools across America. So why does SLA have them?

 

Principal Chris Lehmann founded SLA in 2006 and expressed his belief in the importance of a 1:1 computer program between students.

 

“Fundamentally I think it’s incredibly important that we create schools that reflect the era in which we live.” He continued, “We live in a moment where the tools of inquiry, the tools of creation and publishing, the tools of networking and basically all of our core values are enhanced when kids have access to the modern tools of technology – specifically laptops as sort of the primary example of that.”

 

The laptops were always a major part of Mr. Lehmann’s vision for the school. However the laptops that would actually be used were a point of uncertainty.

 

The laptops needed to last for four years while being used extensively and also be a reasonable, fundable cost. Multiple options were considered one of which was, to Lehmann’s dismay, a Linux laptop which is a painfully basic PC laptop.

 

However, after encouragement by the School District of Philadelphia, it was decided that SLA would operate on Macbooks from Apple. This encouragement was due to the fact that the Microsoft School of the Future was going to operate on a 1:1 program. Although they would be utilizing Microsoft laptops instead – the School District was excited about the opportunity to run an Apple-based 1:1 program and a Microsoft-based 1:1 program at the same time.

 

However where the School of the Future and Microsoft had a partnership, SLA and Apple did not. SLA privately funded the cost of laptops which was roughly $180,000 annually – no small sum for a public high school in Philadelphia. Macbooks were in use at SLA from 2006 to 2013 when, due to financial issues within the School District, the fundraising money went to securing multiple faculty positions instead.

 

At that point Mr. Lehmann stated that SLA was approached by Dell, “Dell approached us, and said, ‘We want to talk to you about using the Dell Chromebook,’ and you know it was a wonderful moment in time because we needed a better solution and one that was sustainable. And not only was it more financially advantageous long term but because Dell really was so excited about what we do here, we got the partnership, which paid for multiple years of the laptops where we weren’t even worrying about that as a budget item because Dell paid for it.”

 

The partnership paid for a few years of laptops and now SLA is back to privately fundraising for the laptops which is roughly $45,000 annually – a significant price drop from fundraising for Macbooks. However, that price could drop even further with added financial support from the School District. Mr. Lehmann stated that, due to continued interest in the 1:1 learning model, the School District provided the funds for this year’s round of laptops although it has not yet been determined if that is financially sustainable for the District itself.

 

With the funding of the laptops generally secured, the next question is how the laptops are protected. The warranty is folded into the overall cost of the Chromebooks each year and covers 4-years of non-physical damages. Physical damages are, as defined by SLA’s in-house technology consultant and fix-it man Mr. Stephen Jones, a damage caused by a student either purposefully or accidentally. For example, if you accidentally spill a cup of water on your laptop that counts as a physical damage and isn’t covered by Dell’s warranty.

 

On the flip-side, a non-physical damage would be your laptop suddenly shutting down without you tampering with it. However just because a laptop is not covered by the warranty does not mean it is out of commission.

 

“I can fix anything…So there’s not any type of thing I can’t fix, but there are things I don’t fix seeing as – when it’s under warranty – I can send it back – anything else I can pretty much fix – if I have the parts I can fix it,” Mr. Jones explained.

 

After 4-years of being in constant use by a student at both school and home, the majority of laptops are out of commission. Those that are still operational are used as loaners for students whose laptops are under repair. Lehmann explained that they try to keep a quota of around 75 loaners so that students always have a laptop to work on as the lack of a laptops at SLA almost immediately excludes you from participating in class. However as the loaners are no longer covered by Dell’s warranty, when they give out and are unable to be repaired they salvaged for parts by Mr. Jones which are then used for quick repairs on other laptops. Any laptops that cannot be salvaged are determined to be obsolete and are removed from the school. What happens to the equipment after that point is unknown.

 

But while Chromebooks are operational and in-use at SLA they act as an important tool that increases efficiency by improving on the teacher-student pipeline of information. As sophomore Isabella Torres said,

 

“If we didn’t have chromebooks at SLA it would make things a lot harder and I would be a lot more disorganized than I already am,” Sophomore Isabella Torres stated. “Having a chromebook helps me be organized because everything is on my laptop already. I can just pull up docs, I can do assignments on Canvas and stuff like that whereas if I had books and papers to turn in – it would be a complete mess.”

 

Because students rely so heavily on their Chromebooks they are starkly aware of how lucky they are to have them.

 

“Not everyone has that type of opportunity to get technology of their own to help their education,” Sophomore Cameryn Roach stated.

 

Filed Under: Features

Former SLA Spanish Teacher Melanie Manuel featured on “House Hunters International”

January 7, 2019 by Avi Cantor Leave a Comment

Lauren Nicolella

Staff Writer

Photo taken by Melanie Manuel

Students were diligently working on their benchmarks when a sudden chatter about former Spanish teacher Melanie Manuel flooded the classroom. Laptops flipped open and fingers raced across keyboards to find the video as soon as possible.

Melanie Manuel has a history of traveling to different countries around the world, but it was a shock when she had announced her new plans of moving to London, England. It was astounding to see that she would be apart of House Hunters International. Word of her appearance on the popular show spread like a wildfire among students.

Melanie and her partner Chris were featured on a 22-minute episode, featuring several housing options. After hearing about House Hunters from a friend in Philly, they filled out an application to be featured on the show. It was a way for them to explore their new city with great options and made sure that their answers would stand out among the many applicants.

The show’s producers expressed their interest about two months later with loads of follow-up questions and a video interview. They had to film themselves giving a house tour, to further their progress in securing their parts for the episode. To make sure they would stand out, they included quirky and witty responses on their application to showcase their colorful personalities.

“We wrote about how one of my partner’s favorite hobbies is growing his excellent beard,” told Manuel.  

Former SLA digital video teacher Doug Herman was staying with them at the time, and he helped film their submission video before the big move.

“It was very silly. We played ping pong in the video and made jokes as we walked through the space. It was not a polished piece in any way–we didn’t edit anything– but it showed our personalities.”

After the episode aired, SLA students pounced on the news of Manuel’s TV debut. The former Spanish teacher was shocked.

“I had no idea they were going to find out as quickly as they did,” Manuel explained Within 12 hours of it airing, I got emails, text messages, and photos from people at SLA.”

Information spreads very quickly at the small school, especially something as big as an airing of an episode. It was a shock on both ends, and many became interested in watching immediately.

“I hope SLA students enjoyed the episode.” The world traveler explained. ”We had a great time filming it. Really, it’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever done yet in London and I’ve done a lot of fun things since we’ve moved here.”

Senior Olivia Musselman was quick to hear about the episode and watched it because many of her friends were talking about it. She saw it within the first couple of days of it becoming popular among members of the senior class.

“It was really interesting to see her outside of a school setting, she hasn’t really changed much as far as her personality. Since I knew her in person, I could tell that it was scripted because I know she doesn’t actually talk like that,” Musselman explained.

Olivia’s older brother had Ms. Manuel when he attended SLA, and since they both enjoyed having her as a teacher, she was quick to say, “Abe! You have to see this!”

The experience has helped create interesting conversation starters, which seemingly became convenient for them living in a new country. The teachers she just met were just as excited to watch the episodes as everyone back in Philadelphia.

“Our head of school was thrilled when she found out we were going to be on the show, it’s one of her favorites. She wanted to host a viewing party at her house, but it seems like everyone had already seen it within just a couple day of the initial airing.”

Lastly, Ms. Manuel expressed her emotions regarding a huge Philly success that she didn’t get to experience first hand.

“I still can’t believe the Eagles won the Super Bowl! A pub called “Passyunk Ave”, a Philly-themed pub in Central London, hosted a Super Bowl watching party. We didn’t miss out on the fun or the Philly love. But we did miss out on being able to celebrate the madness with our city, in our city, for our city.”

Filed Under: Features

Controversy Towards Victoria’s Secret

December 17, 2018 by Jayla Wright Leave a Comment

Juliana Long

Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of Victoria’s Secret

Not all types of women are accepted in the fashion industry.

Many are outraged at a recent confession from Ed Razek, former CEO of Victoria’s Secret, myself included. Razek was asked in an interview if he would consider having plus sized or trans models in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion shows, to which he replied: “Shouldn’t you have transsexuals in the show? No. No, I don’t think we should. Well, why not? Because the show is a fantasy. It’s a 42-minute entertainment special. That’s what it is.”

The issue with Razek’s comments is tricky to navigate for some including myself. But after some careful analysis and deep thinking, I came to some conclusions about my anger. Right off the bat, he used the term ‘transsexual’ which is no longer an acceptable term when speaking of trans people. The umbrella of ‘trans’ or ‘transgender’ would have been entirely better. This could simply be a case of poor education on trans terminology, but nothing gets better towards the end of his comments.

He goes on to confess that he doesn’t think trans women should be in the fashion show because the show is a “fantasy”. This implies that trans women aren’t as desirable, able to be fantasized, or ultimately truly female as the cisgender models in the show.

The performer at the 2018 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Halsey, wasn’t happy with the CEO’s comments after her performance. She took to Instagram, posting a page long piece on why she was offended by Razek’s comments. She claimed that as a member of the LGBT+ community, she does not tolerate exclusivity and that people’s anger towards Razek should be redirected to organizations that protect LGBT+ rights such as GLSEN.

After being criticized by many, Razek took to Twitter with a rather short apology, which didn’t charm me.

He pulled a classic “I’m going to apologize for your offense, not for being offensive” by apologizing that people interpreted his comments as transphobic. He then claims that trans women have come to castings but never made it, claiming it was “never about gender”. He digs himself an even deeper hole with this remark since it has even more transphobic undertones & implications.

Razek contracts himself by claiming to reject trans women in castings was “never about gender”, while simultaneously pointing out that they’re trans.  Just by categorizing trans women auditions as separate from cis women auditions means that that gender has something to do with it.

If gender had nothing to do with it, Victoria’s Secret shows would feature a mix of both cis and trans women. His comments claim not to ostracize trans women, but they still close them off from any opportunity to participate in the fashion show.

Victoria’s Secret is arguably the most popular lingerie company in the US, and it’s a symbol of feminine beauty, sexuality, and confidence for many women across the country. The company’s leader is now a known transphobe – so now these aspects of femininity have been revoked from trans women in a way. They’ve essentially been left out of one of the main symbols of beauty in the country. And until they start being allowed to participate in the VS fashion shows and other popular modes of representation, they’ll continue to get excluded from the definition of beauty altogether.

Filed Under: Features

How Snow impacts students commutes

December 17, 2018 by Avi Cantor Leave a Comment

Lily Bromley

Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of Gia Jordan

As a result, many students and staff had a complicated and potentially unsafe afternoon commute. Sophomore Mo Kelly had to walk home when her bus stopped running.

 

“If I was walking home it would usually take me 20 min but it was snowing and freezing so it took me half an hour,” Kelly explained.

 

Luckily, Kelly lives close to SLA, so her commute wasn’t unbearable. However, numerous canceled or delayed SEPTA transit options created a huge inconvenience for students who live farther away.

 

Northeast Philadelphia native,  Charnay Kirkland had an especially hard time getting home.

“It usually takes me about an hour to get home, but that day it took two hours,” Kirkland stated.

 

Kirkland takes the 20 bus and said that that day public transportation was extremely crowded.

 

Sophomore Shawn Golden said that due to the delays in public transportation, she had some communication errors with her parents and that Septa was late to pick her up.

 

“I had to wait an hour and a half for the train, and when it finally came it was packed,” Golden said.

 

Golden also noted that since the city had not put down salt, the sidewalk and roads were icy.

 

Some students expressed frustration that the school did not close early. SLA Principal Chris Lehmann explained that…

 

Snow forecasts in Philadelphia are notoriously unpredictable, so it’s hard for schools to decide when snow days or early dismissals are necessary. November was a perfect example.

 

Most students and commuters have adjusted to these inconveniences, and accept the reality of public transit.

 

“Every time there is a snow storm I just know not to count on Septa”.

Filed Under: Features

Seniors uninformed about Capstones

December 3, 2018 by Avi Cantor Leave a Comment

Sukainah Hasan

Staff Writer

 

Photo Courtesy of Teaching in Higher Ed

Seniors know they have to create capstone projects. But what does that really mean?

Seniors report that they know the basics: it’s a graduation requirement, and each student must pass both the class as well as a presentation portion of the project.

Apart from that, however, many seniors report on being completely in the dark about the expectations and direction that the capstone should take.

“There is no formal teaching to teach students what to do for their capstones,” explained senior Avi Cantor.  

History teacher Daniel Symonds and Science Teacher Tim Best are the capstone managers and responded to these concerns. “There’s a handful of deadlines designed to ensure that projects are on track and that every student is supported in their work. Lots more information on the overall process can be found here,” said Mr. Symonds.

The provided link explains the point of doing capstones, requirements, and tells students how to get the best grade possible. The second thing that students were unsure of was if they needed a mentor or not.

“Absolutely,” Symmonds responded. “A mentor is just a reliable sounding board for seniors to plan, discuss, reflect on, and improve their project.”

The third thing that students didn’t know was if they could do anything when it comes to doing their capstones.

“Figuring out what to do for a capstone project can be a challenge for some students, and that’s totally normal! The following guidelines are helpful: Their capstone should be something they’re interested in learning more about, framed around an inquiry question. Their capstone should address SLA’s core values, and since they’re released from classes for approximately 2 hours every Wednesday, the capstone should represent about 80 hours of work,” said Mr. Symonds.

The last question that students were unsure about was when they could start.

Mr. Symonds response was, “If there are seniors who don’t know what they’re doing, they should meet with their mentor/advisors by the end of November to sketch out capstone proposals and project first drafts. Everyone should have started by now, even if that means just selecting a mentor and sharing out some early planning.”

 

Seniors didn’t know any of the information that Mr. Best and Mr. Symonds shared for this article, which is why I specifically asked them these questions.

Filed Under: Features

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