Features

Avi Cantor

Staff Writer

“Wouldn’t it be nice, when you first get your laptop as a freshman, that there is someone on the other end of an email saying, ‘hey, I’ve been through everything that you’ve been through. I’ll be here to answer all of your questions for four years.’”

– Larissa Pahomov

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Since the first class graduated in 2010, the SLA  alumni community has been engaged in projects with the school, but never one that sought to bring together  the alumni and current students. That changed when, in the fall of 2016, English teacher and Alumni Coordinator Larissa Pahomov and Co-Principal Chris  Lehmann decided to finalize a project they’d been working on for years—a project where alumni would mentor incoming freshman.  

“Two years ago, Lehmann and I actually surveyed alums and asked who would be interested in participating and we had over 120 people sign up,” Ms. Pahomov explained. And then we dropped the ball for a while,” she laughed.

“But this fall, we decided that we had enough alums. There were only fewer than 1,000 alums and we would need 120 each year. So we decided to roll it out this year.”

What’s the history of mentoring? In the Hindu and Buddhist religions, there is something called the Guru-Shishya tradition. In it, the guru (teacher) builds a relationship with the Sisya (disciple or student) based on mutual respect, commitment, devotion and the obedience of the Sisya. The origin of mentoring is unclear, but the word itself comes from ancient Greece, referring to the character Mentor from Homer’s The Odyssey. Odysseus left his son Telemachus in the care of his trusted friend, Mentor.

 

Dr. Susan Weinberger, a pioneer in the creation of school-based mentoring in the U.S. and an expert in the field says, “most people can recall at least one person who took the time to talk with them, guide them, give them good advice and become their number one advocate. Some young people find mentors on their own; others will never be able to do so unless we deliberately match them.”

Weinberger believes that, “In order to be successful in life, we need to be surrounded by multiple mentors. So your grandmother, parent, coach, teacher and formal mentors all make for a successful person.”

Weinberger is also a mentor herself. She was paired with her mentee Tasha when she was seven years old. They’ve maintained their relationship for twenty five years and talk on a daily basis. Weinberger’s mentee,“had been identified as someone who could benefit greatly from the support of an adult in her life.” There are a slew of different reasons why a youth may benefit from a mentor. Unfortunately, in Tasha’s case, she lost both of her parents at an early age, was disengaged in school and she really needed “someone to pay attention to her in a non-judgmental way.”

SLA freshman Cristina Valenzo appreciates that a mentor never judges you for who you are.

Valenzo is part of the first freshman class to experience this mentoring program. She explained that her relationship with her mentor was a vital part of her academic and social experience at SLA.

“With parents, siblings, and teachers, you can’t tell them certain stuff and I feel like you can tell your mentor and they won’t judge you for who you are,” she explained.

Valenzo  feels like she can tell her mentor anything. She is confident that the advice that she receives from her mentor gives her strength to conquer the problem at hand because her mentor has been through the same things as her . But this mentoring program isn’t just a one way exchange of helpful advice.

 

Mentoring is two directional. It is as beneficial to the mentor as to the mentee. Michael Dea is an alum of the class of 2012 who is participating in the mentoring program. He signed up for this program to give back to his community and to “offer guidance and advice to someone” based on their particular needs. Despite coming into the school excelling in the realm of test-taking, Michael blossomed in the project-based learning environment and learned how to apply what he was learning to real life, as opposed to taking tests to “climb higher in the academic rankings”.

 

He was eager to have his mentee thrive at SLA just as he did. His goal as a mentor was “to foster a relationship that can be a resource” for his mentee. But this program has served a much bigger purpose for him. He was not the only one who used the experience as a resource.

“One of the things I have learned from my relationship with my mentee is that there are few formulas for building a connection between two people,” Dea explained. “When we’re young, we make friends and meet people easily, building relationships that vary in closeness.”

“As we get older, we have a tendency to distrust others, even if it is a cashier in a supermarket or the postman. You might not want to befriend either of these people, but the relationship could be stronger because of the community you both likely share. I certainly don’t have a bad relationship with my mentee, and I am thankful for that, but the initial moment when you meet a stranger brings to the fore how much you forget about building a relationship with someone from your younger days.”

 

This program has the potential to be a defining feature of the Science Leadership Academy community. Dr. Weinberger praised the program saying “I would like to applaud [SLA] for deciding to establish an alumni/freshmen mentoring program. It can only benefit both at your school. I can assure you that freshmen will enjoy the friendship, guidance and advocacy and alumni will feel connected with the school from which they graduated, more engaged with SLA and improve their own morale and satisfaction.”

 

Both Michael Dea and Cristina Valenzo rave about the program’s success, and Mr. Lehmann and Ms. Pahomov plan to continue it for next year’s freshmen.

Meymey Seng

Staff Writer

 

Flickering lights around the school? Never fear, SLA has a new building engineer, Ikea Faust! Even though she had just started, she has already fixed all the broken lights on the third floor. When asked how this experience was, she responded with “I think it’s really challenging. Although I like this school in particular. I really like the atmosphere here, it reminds me of a college atmosphere. I will stay here for a long time.”

 

Background

Science Leadership Academy is Ikea’s first school building that she has worked on. She found out about the opportunity when her boss notified her of SLA’s need for a new building engineer. After hearing this, she immediately took the job. Ikea previously worked at a nursing home.

Current Work

Ikea’s work is not very visible to students — but there is a great deal that she does each day to keep the building functioning.

She comes in every morning to check the building, making sure there’s heat when it’s cold and cool air when it’s warm. She then walks the premises to ensure no one got in overnight, let students in around 6:30 AM, and makes different orders for needed supplies.

If there’s not many things that need to be fixed, the daily basis routine is to make sure that all the lights work, the ceiling tiles are up, and there are no leaks in the building.

A Positive Impact

When asked about the new building engineer, the staff of SLA were uniformly positive.

“We have somebody that’s always going to keep up the building and if we have issues then that’s the person that we can talk to,” said Spanish teacher Señorita Hernandez.

“When we came back from break, the ballroom was lit! Literally, it had lights and I never seen the ballroom so bright, so I was like wow!”

Excellence Coordinator Jeremy Spry said, “Ikea has been really helpful into making sure that this building remains a place that is well maintained and taken care of. It’s been awesome having a new building engineer to make sure that the building is looking good, well lit, things like that.”

Even though her work is not as known, it is what keeps this building functioning.

Kia Dasilva

Co-Editor in Chief

For many Sophomores and Juniors college is emerging as a concern. You know that you’ll probably have to take the ACT or SAT sometime soon and that you’re supposed to keep your grades up, but what else can set you apart from the rest? Here is one lesser-known way to show your special skills that, if you start early enough, could let you shine in college admissions.

Subject Tests

Subject tests and SAT IIs… you’ve heard of them, but what are they? They are a suite of 21 tests available by the College Board for college applicants to demonstrate mastery in specific subjects. You’d think, with 21 tests, there would be tons of choices. In fact, if you discount foreign language subject tests, there are only 8 options: Literature, Chemistry, Physics, Biology (Ecological and Molecular), Math (levels 1 and 2), US History, and World History. Foreign language tests offered are:

• Chinese with Listening
• French (and French with Listening)
• German (and German with Listening)
• Modern Hebrew
• Italian
• Japanese with Listening
• Korean with Listening
• Latin
• Spanish (and Spanish with Listening)*

*Some schools bar fluent or native speakers from taking a test in their language. Make sure to check with an admissions counsellor at each college to ensure that you won’t be penalized for taking a native language exam

Who requires Subject Tests?

Most Ivy Leagues and top research universities “strongly recommend” them, which indicates that you submit them. Specialty schools and programs, like MIT, Wharton, and many engineering programs, require specific subject tests (usually a STEM field). Some schools don’t require them if you take the ACT. Senior Imani Weeks chose to take the ACT instead of the SAT and didn’t submit subject tests because she “just didn’t want to”. Many students would agree that this is the path to take; why take more tests if they’re not required? Make sure to check the testing requirements of ALL schools you’re applying to. If a school requires subject tests, take them and submit them to every school! A good subject test score can only help you.

When should I take my test?

These tests are no walk in the park. In the words of senior Luke Watson-Sharer, who took Math 2, US History, World History, and Spanish, “I didn’t feel prepared because especially the History ones were based off of the APs and we never took AP courses”.

Senior Isabel Medlock, who took Literature, Biology, and Math 2, concurred, adding that “I hadn’t taken precalc for a year so I wasn’t that prepared [for Math 2]. For the other two tests I didn’t feel very prepared by SLA courses”

Both students wished they had taken the tests immediately after completing the courses covered, like taking Math level 2 after finishing Precalculus, or Ecological Biology after sophomore year. As long as you take the tests during high school, there’s no expiration date for the scores, so take them early! You can take up to 3 tests in one sitting, so make the most of each testing day. For a list of dates and deadlines, click here. Be careful! Language with Listening tests are only offered on select dates.

What should I do to prepare?

In addition to your coursework, you’ll need time and effort to do well. Isabel recommended that you “choose a test that plays to your strengths, buy practice books and study at least a month, and take plenty of practice tests.” Senior Michaela Peterson, who took Ecological Biology also recommended practice books and quizzes adding that SLA students should practice “rote memorization. Lots and lots of rote memorization.” Whatever study method works best for you, make sure you dedicate time to it! A good score can’t be achieved in one night of cramming. Make the best of SLA resources as well- this year the National Honor Society is starting a test prep tutoring service.
Good luck!

Ella Petersen

Staff Writer

Sometimes students can forget that teachers have a life outside of school. That’s why principal Aaron Gerwer’s band has been big news floating around SLA. A couple students are even some of “Chimpgrinder’s” biggest fans.

What is the Band Like?

Chimpgrinder is a band consisting of Mr. Gerwer and a few of his friends that started in 2011. “I had a friend who joined this band and they had booked a show in Brooklyn but they didn’t have a singer so only two weeks before they asked me if I wanted to come sing with them and play the gig. We only practiced twice before we went on stage,” Mr. Gerwer explained. Though he only sings in Chimpgrinder, he has played the guitar, bass, and drums in bands since he was 13. “I don’t play other instruments in Chimpgrinder because for this kind of music you want your singer to be able to run around and get in people’s faces and all that kind of stuff.”

The band’s music genre is called ‘sludge.’ “It’s like a mix of punk rock and black sabbath-type metal,” Mr. Gerwer clarified. He writes the lyrics while the other members of the band write the music. They will often play him songs first so that he can figure out what the lyrics should be based off of what the music is making him feel.

The members of the band are a software designer, an engineer, an HVAC worker, and of course a high school principal, with the eldest member being in his 40’s. They mostly play 21 and over shows. Their most frequent venue is “Kung Fu Necktie,” a place for food and live music on 12th and Front street. While they mainly play in center city Philly, they have also done shows in Brooklyn and Delaware.

What is the Inspiration for the Name?

The inspiration for the name Chimpgrinder came from the first place that they practiced. “[It was] this old space…a preparation research facility. They had one of those big centrifuges where you get in and it spins you really fast to prepare you for space. The place where we were practicing was where they used to train the chimpanzees for outer space, our room was actually on the old animal wing. It had tiled floor with a drain in the middle so it was probably a place where the chimpanzees would actually be,” Mr. Gerwer recalled. Since then, many songs for Chimpgrinder have told stories of a Chimpanzee who travels through different dimensions.

What do Students Think About It?

Sashoya Dougan and Meeghan Kersten, 10th graders at SLA, are some of Chimpgrinder’s biggest fans. “One day a bunch of my classmates were talking about it and just as any other curious student would, I looked up the band and thought it was pretty cool,” Sashoya recounted, “It’s a bit different, but due to the vast genres that I listen to, I quickly became accustomed to it and ended up enjoying it.” Sashoya and Meeghan bought the Chimpgrinder t-shirts and record and took a picture with Mr. Gerwer the day they wore them.

As for Mr. Gerwer, he appreciates that students can connect with the music, but he’s not sure how this will affect the new music going forward: “When we produce a new record, I’ll know in the back of my mind that there are students listening to it so I’m interested to see how how that’s going to change things.”