Features

Advisory Houses 2016 Update

January 11, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Staff Writer: Dylan McKeon

The SLA House System was established at the start of the year by senior Joie Nearn for her Capstone, in an attempt to bring more school spirit to SLA. However after the first two house meeting, the advisory memo has been absent of new house events or meeting. I sat down with Joie Nearn to ask about how the project is going so far and how she hopes to continue.

When asked about her feelings on how the House System, Joie is pleased with how it’s working so far.

“I’m really happy with how interested people are in it and I feel it is a great way to implement school spirit”.

The House System has not had any events recently, but Joie promises that will change soon. “My original plan was to have a meeting/event every month but their were a lot of problems.” she mentioned. “The biggest problem is finding a location that can hold everyone” she recalled “I’m also trying to get the Beeber campus involved which is also proving difficult.

However there is also a lack of support from some of the students who are uninterested in the house system.

“I don’t think anyone really cares about the houses anymore,” one senior says when asked about the project “a lot of people have forgotten about it and it wasn’t popular when it started”.

Joie has recognized this lack of support and is disappointed in the reactions some students have for the project. “I feel that we should have some more support from the upper classmen” Joie remarks “I feel that it would make things a lot easier and make for more school spirit”.

Despite this Joie is determined to press on and is hoping to bring more interest to the project in 2016 . “I am hoping to start some new events at the start of 2016, if all goes well we should get another dance or competition.”

Their was a similar project done back in the 2011-2012 school year, which was implemented by the SLA staff. However they ended up doing little with it and it ended by the next year.

“My hope is to find a student involved in this project now to carry on this project for next year” she mentions.

Is SLA the Safest it can be?

January 4, 2016 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Arielle Moore

Staff Writer

In the wake of all the terrorist attacks that have taken place all around the world, the country has gone into what seems like lockdown. You might notice that security measures are being increased almost everywhere and to most they seem almost unnecessary. In recent years, schools have become one of the top places where security was tightened due to the many attacks that have taken place. In such a secure environment where students are entrusted with the freedom to keep the community safe and weapon-free, the last thing we think about is an attack on the school and students. But is our trust enough? While SLA has never personally experienced threats to our school, we are still susceptible to many dangers. For this topic, I interviewed SLA’s co-principal Aaron Gerwer about how SLA handles this issue and also what takes place to keep the school safe. “There’s a bunch of stuff we do to make sure you all are safe everyday. I think the advisory program is the most important safety measures if that makes sense. Having an adult in the building who is an advocate and someone you can check-in with prevents a lot of issues before they begin,” he says. “Besides that, at the entry-way officer Byrd is checking to make sure that no intruders enter and that no one is bringing in anything dangerous.” Mr. Gerwer also believes that extreme security measures go against our safe and profile-free environment here. “Yes I do. That is why we don’t have metal detectors. SLA is generally considered to be the safest school in the district and we don’t have uniforms, hall sweeps or, as I said, metal detectors.”

After getting an adult’s perspective, I had to pick the brains of some students who had a bit to say about how they feel on a day-to-day basis at the school. Of all the students I asked, there was a universal feeling of safety in our building. Some felt as if we could be taking more measures to ensure total safety. “The front door should be locked and someone should always be at the front desk,” says Tamir Harper. When asked what measures we should be taking, Sydney Rogers added,“There are some risky behaviors taking place, but not really.” A junior responded, “We should be stricter about who we let into the school. Other than that, I feel safe here.”

Featured Image: http://www.pti-world.com/why-we-need-metal-detectors-in-schools/

SLA Interviews: Why we do them

December 14, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Chuckie Copeland

Staff writer

The months of November and December are very busy here at SLA. Over two weekends, 1,002 students from all over the city came to this campus and be interviewed as prospective students. The part of Interviews that students at SLA are really are eager for, is signing up to volunteer as a helper for those days.

According to english teacher Larissa Pahomov, SLA had a record number of student sign ups to help out with the interview days as floaters, interviewers, and other jobs. This was in part because SLA Beeber students who signed up as well. But why did a record number of students want to “waste” their weekend to help out with the future of the school?

For some like Junior Aldo Caushaj, Interviews bring back a sense of nostalgia. “ I remember my interview and I remember being so so nervous and the students in the writing room helped me calm down.”

When asked about his look on interviews Caushaj described it as, “a great experience, I actually like the interviews cause your getting a look at a student, and not a piece of paper.”

His reasoning?

“A student could have good resume, but where’s the personality. When you go work you have to communicate with others. I want to see the person who is going to be the new part of this school.”

Seniors Bella Mezzaroba and Osman Bangura wanted to make the whole process as stress free as possible.

“Interviews are integral to SLA, but they are tricky when interviewing stressed kids,” said Mezzaroba.

They agreed that when you interviewed a nervous candidate, it took away their time to shine as an individual and made the candidate feel more monotonous. The point of interviews is to make people comfortable and calm in a very stressful time, but it’s not just the students who play a big role in this process, the teachers are working harder than ever.

Her first interview process for this school was in 2008, and since then veteran teacher Larissa Pahomov has seen a lot change since then.

“The biggest change is that now we interview kids with students from both campuses.” The new SLA Beeber may have opened not too long ago but this is the first time that students from both places interview prospective eighth graders and it certainly is not the last year.

Pahomov stated that one of the greatest things about interviews is, “seeing current SLA students blossom” and taking interest in the future of their school. However one challenge that she brought up, and other students did as well, was “keeping interviews personal.” To crank out interviews in ten minutes is what she described as a “meaningful machine.”

Interviews are done for the year, but the effect of them will reach far into the future. Of the many students who interview, only 250 will end up coming to SLA Center City or SLA Beeber next year — so for most of the 8th graders who interview, this is their only real connection to the school. Making a good impression and not feel stressed about the whole interview process is very complicated when you are taught that your high school determines the rest of your life. So many students here care about each interviewee and their success of getting into this school which is only something that you can find at SLA.

Underused Character: Felipe Lobos

December 14, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Sean Morris

Staff Writer

Hello everyone, this is a new features column I shall be writing for. Essentially its purpose is to spotlight characters from the world of Film TV and other media have massive potential for exploration and deserve bigger roles than they currently have.

The popular Starz series Power is centered around James St. Patrick, a legitimate businessman and nightclub owner who is also Ghost, one of New York’s top drug kingpins, and is is hoping to break from the latter career. One of the main obstacles in his path is his crime boss, Felipe Lobos. In the series, Lobos is one of the main antagonists with a violent and vicious nature, and is the source of the FBI’s investigation into the drug ring that Ghost is a part of.

Despite the fact that he mentioned many times and has a few scenes- he’s never given much chance to show his dangerousness in person. He’s given a few moments like where he seems to be interrogating someone and is preparing to chop up people with a machete- but we never get see any of the “blood spilt” that he seems prepared to do. And the show doesn’t exactly shy from violence either- so it doesn’t make much to keep Lobos under wraps the way that they choose to. What I think the character needs, and seems to be going for- is a kind the violent, controllable criminal that characters like Gyp Rosetti (Boardwalk Empire), Don Logan (Sexy Beast), and Norman Stansfield (Léon the Professional) had perfected. I don’t know if it’s because the actor’s schedule simply limited how much they could do with them, but I feel as though the show’s next season will have some more opportunity to have him and I seriously hope they can take advantage of it. One thing I find unique about the character is his sense of style. The styles of his suits and shirts are bold, unique and interesting enough to make him one of the best dressed men on tv.

Another thing that I like about the character, at least from a personal standpoint, is that he is gay. I liked that I think it allows diversity into how gay characters are incorporated into current television. . Often it seems like most, gay characters are portrayed as more friendly– the gay boyfriend and whatnot–and, as a result, aren’t given much edge that seems to be coveted in today’s entertainment. Not everybody agrees with my wish on this — One reviewer complained that making the character gay is a bit homophobic as it’s meant to add to his “freakiness”, and certainly not helping the show is having notoriously homophobic rapper 50 Cent being its executive producer and co star. And while I do see their points, and at times wonder it myself, I can’t help but think that the overall character, or at least the potential of the character, offers some more flavor and diversity we haven’t seen much before.

Plot twist this character deserves: (write a few sentences describing the kind of plot that would give this character a chance to shine.)

Lobos escapes from prison and goes on a warpath on Ghost’s life. He blows up the club that Ghost has worked to bring up the entire show, brutally tortures his right hand man and close friend Tommy, goes after his love interest and FBI investigator Angela Valdez and starts the set up his old mentor and rival Kanan to take Ghost’s place as the leader of his New York distribution. This may sound pretty big, but when Ghost said that “Lobos goes scorched earth” I expect to see it.

Birth Control, Will New Laws Spread Like A Wildfire?!

December 10, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

By Vilma Martinez

Staff Writer

Birth Control Pill Container --- Image by Beathan — *Birth Control Pill Container – Image by Beathan*

Birth control pills will be over the counter?! When I first heard the news, I thought that was crazy, but apparently it is true. Oregon and California have recently changed their laws and are making the pill available over the counter, without a prescription from a doctor.

I understand that this might not concern people in Philadelphia, but eventually it will. . I say this because now that laws are changing, it won’t be long until oral contraceptives (the official name for birth control pills) become over the counter all throughout the U.S. Many women are involved in sexual activity and it is only a matter of time until everyone realizes that measure such as making oral contraceptives over the counter, is something that needs to be done for the benefit of all women alike.

This development is especially important for teenagers because up to 16% of teens are sexually active by the time they are 15 , 48% when 16 and 17, 61% when 18, and 71% when 19. It is important for teens who want to prevent pregnancy to know this information because they might realize the risks in avoiding birth control. Pregnancy is a serious topic and many teens alike find the idea of it horrifying. Taking oral contraceptives are probably one of the most comfortable ways of birth control for teen girls.

Believe it or not the U.S all together is one of 45 different countries where contraceptives are legal, but are not available OTC. Many other countries either offer them or do not have them at all. U.S needs this push because women need the medical attention when they need it without questions asked, but I also see where they are coming from.

When taking the pill you are exposing yourself to many health problems, such as migraines and high blood pressure. Though there are more severe problems. You have increased risks of cervical and breast cancer, heart attacks, and strokes. You also have a chance of developing Gallbladder Disease, liver tumors, and infertility. This list goes on, which is why they are taking their time on making the pill over the counter.

Birth control pills cost up to $600 a year when a woman does not have insurance to cover it. So what about those women who need the pill? Why should they lose a leg or an arm in order to obtain birth control? I think that the U.S is doing good by making moves like this. Which leaves me with the question of how long will it take for this to be spread throughout the entire U.S? And will the U.S continue to make smart moves like these?