Features

By Kristi Bezhani and Mike Dea

Staff Writers

Most adults assume that because students don’t have to live in the “real world,”  with responsibilities like holding a full-time job or paying taxes, that their stress levels are minimal, if not non-existent.

For many students, this may be true. But as with many things at SLA, students attending SLA often defy this stereotype.

SLA is a place that invites the unique individual in and celebrates the differences the individual has. It is also a competitive environment — not because of class rank or grades, but simply because it’s a selective admissions school.

“We’re dealing with population who made an effort to not be in a neighborhood high school, have a system in place to enable them to go to SLA, and SLA is an environment that they aren’t used to,” said Health and Physical Education Teacher Pia Martin.

She acknowledged that, “overachievers tend to deal with a lot more stress than average.”

The independent spirit of the school is also uncommon for the School District of Philadelphia, which has a more standardized way of teaching students.

Ms. Martin conceded that SLA is “not representative of the majority of high schools in the city….When you allow students ‘flex space’ to be an individual, that increases stress levels,” she explained.

Stress is pervasive amongst both the staff and student population. In a school where presentation is a core value, students are constantly expected to perform, and have to learn to deal with that.

It’s a common practice among SLA students to help their classmates out when someone falls into crisis. Many of the students have either been helped by a fellow student, or have helped a friend through a tough time.

In addition to this, different teachers have different strategies in how to deal with students who are in crisis during class. Art and Technology Teacher Marcie Hull is one of the best teachers for this needed support from having experience in needing support.

“There is a reason I have a sofa in my room. I create a comfortable place for kids to take a time out. I can sometimes read a person’s face and body language and be able to tell they are in crisis but I do not usually approach them if I feel it is not life threatening or unbearably painful,” said Hull.

“I believe in giving kids space,” she explained. “They need to know they can come to you and then they need to come to you on their time and in their comfort zone.”

Even with all of the help from friends and teachers, sometimes their counsel is not enough to deal with the problem. Nikhail James, a senior at SLA, has given his share of help to his friends, but sometimes he’s not sure how to respond.

“Some problems are too advanced for a child to balance on top of school work,” James explained.

Most teachers would agree with James. When a situation goes beyond what a little tending loving care can provide, Ms. Hull and other teachers don’t hesitate to take the necessary next steps.

“I am what you call a mandatory reporter, every teacher is,” explained Hull. “when a situation is particularly bad and in need of professional intervention I have to go to the authorities and in SLA that starts with Mr. Lehmann and Ms. Siswick.”

Though we have a system in place for dealing with stress and mental health issues, it has room for improvement, just as anything does.

Counselor Zoe Siswick said that she felt the school could improve the education for the children.

“The school could do a better job of educating students as to how to effectively they deal with their peers’ mental health concerns,” she said.

Students need to learn how to “differentiate between the issues that a friend can help with — as opposed to the issues that require adult intervention.”

By DeShawn McLeod

Staff Writer

Although every high school student deals with stress, as with everything else at SLA, the situation here is unique. Here is an overview of the causes, symptoms, and solutions for stress at Science Leadership Academy.

The Causes

When asked what SLA stresses about, Senior Donna Survillo said, “Drama, then benchmarks, then home life.”

Unlike normal high school drama, SLA is a small community where news can travel fast. Having access to AIM at all times during the school day doesn’t help.

“It’s extremely odd and goes against the norm of high school drama,” Junior Manna-Symone Middlebrooks commented.

On the other hand, Senior Basheer Lewis explained, “I don’t know too much about the drama, but I’d have to say it’s kind of childish.”

No matter how one looks at it, drama takes time, effort, and emotions out of everyone.

When benchmark season comes around, SLA’s stress levels can fluctuate. Having a project based community, students are more pressured to devote time to large scale projects and papers.

“It depends on the project,” Junior Isabella Tognini said, ” and how much time I have to do it.”

Having a project due in five major classes isn’t easy, but SLA students do a well job of getting papers done and producing projects.

When asked about his stress levels during benchmark season, Senior Joshua Martin-Corrales commented, “[It’s] low, the way I see it, I’ve been taking benchmarks for four years, so it’s not any worse than when it started. I’ve taken more than 100 benchmarks.”

With everyone having a laptop in the school, there are a plethora of distractions that a student can encounter. From social networking to video games, all can create procrastination habits that can reflect on a student’s grades. This can amplify stress.

In contrast, MiddleBrooks said, “My stress level is through the roof and yet manageable.”

As for one’s home life, it sometimes can’t be manageable.

“The are other stressors that you can’t avoid, say if you lose your parents as a teen, it’s a life long tragedy,” School Nurse Onnie Kelly explained.

“There’s also the loss of parents through divorce or separation, that’s a life long pain. Now, the stressors of society and crime, those are all things that students have no control over.”

The Symptoms

Having stressors from different aspects, may it be drama, school work, or one’s domestic life, people have different ways of reacting to it.

The effects of stress can be immediate and physical. MiddleBrooks said that, when she gets stressed, ” I get headaches, I’m hyperactive, and I can’t think clearly.”

Depending on the situation and it’s circumstances, everyone’s different in how they try to control their stress.

Kelly thinks that different genders have different ways of dealing with stress.

“Some of it is an example of their family, so if you’re from a erratic family, you can adapt that type of behavior,” she explained. “Some families bottle up their feelings and those families suffer from high blood pressure.”

“People deal with stress differently and often it’s a social example of their family and friends that teach them how to deal with stress.”

The Solutions

As students go on with the stress in their lives, here’s some ways to cope or relieve it. Just as there are many ways for distractions that can cause stress, there are also various ways to deal with it.

“SLA is a great place to experience and learn, but if students perceive school work as stress, then they need to revaluate what stress is,” School Nurse Onnie Kelly explained, “School is an everyday occurrence, you’re always going to have deadlines and demands made of you, the only way to relieve that stress, is to rise and get it done.”

Work wise, Math Teacher Erin Garvey suggests, “If they’re stressing out about procrastination, they need to get their work down when it’s assigned.”

Personal wise, Math Teacher Caitlin Thompson suggests, “Yoga, physical activity, productive and purposeful use of free time. For example students could allow themselves an hour to hang out with friends, watch TV, or do good for others.”

Martin-Corrales has a similar approach to coping with stress. “Whenever I do get stressed I breathe, do yoga, and then I relax.”

Senior Rashaun Williams suggests that students can relax “by finding their hobbies that make them independently happy.”

Sports, extra curricular activities, friend and family time, and self improvement are all healthy ways of coping with stress.

Stress tied to people can also be difficult. If the circumstances are possible, step away from those who can cause dramatic stress in life. It’s good to associate with people who are up lifting to one’s self image and others.

Having close friend circles can also help with stress. If one continues spread their business across a wide range of people, that’s how it can be spread to the whole community without the originator even knowing.

It’s good to concentrate on productive things instead of problems that can hinder one’s output in their academic, social, and home life.

It’s important to remember that stress can also have a good side.

“To a certain extent it’s a good motivator, it keeps a fire under people,” said Math Teacher Brad Latimer.

“It there was no stress, people wouldn’t be productive.”

By Isabela Supovitz-Aznar

Staff Writer

How far would you go to get a good education at a school you love? At SLA, it can take hours.

Because SLA is a school with city-wide admissions, students hail from every zip code in the city– and many of them have intensely long commutes to get to and from the school some of which can be dangerous.

Some students spend over an hour on their way to and from school, and the commute can be complicated. For Sophomore Nick Murray, it takes “40-45 minutes to get to school by bus.”

He values the choice he made, although there are risks.

“The commute is worth it because I love the school, but I once was on the bus and a guy was getting jumped in front of me. Luckily it got stopped.”

Many students have an equally long commute in the evenings; some do not get home until 7 or 8 PM, which can be dangerous because it is after rush hour, and the streets are dark.

Some students have experienced violence in the subways first hand, and have been scared enough to consider arming themselves–which goes against school district policy about weapons.

Junior Samantha Zeisloft who lives in Roxborough, has a troubling story from one commute home. “I once was on the bus going home, and a woman who had a baby in a stroller with her got in a fight with some guy in front of me. She literally pushed the baby’s stroller out of the way and continued yelling at the guy on the bus. There were a couple pushes and shoves, and my friend who was with me got hit by the woman accidentally, it’s not what you’d expect on a ride home from school.”

Zeisloft didn’t feel that she was personally in danger during the ride, but was concerned. “I’d definitely say it’s important to be aware when things like this happen so that no one gets hurt.”

SLA students continue to make the commute, however, because they are committed to a good education and a good school. They willing to endure possibly dangerous situations and long rides home on the subway in order to continue their education.

Sometimes, the commute can put a strain of family relationships.

“My parents try and get me to come home early because they don’t want me at risk since it’s been getting dark out fast,” said Sophomore Jamie Murphy, who lives in Sharon Hill.

The administration at SLA is aware of these challenges, and aknowledges the fact that kids have a difficult time getting home on some days. They try to help the students at SLA by being cautious.

Program Coordinator Jeremy Spry organizes internships for students, but sometimes comes across issues organizing them because of safety. “One of the biggest concerns for me is students getting to and from their internships safely because students have internships all over the city, and sometimes not in the best areas.”

Spry noted that ”especially in the winter, when it gets dark out sooner, it can be a little sketchy and parents get concerned, which is understandable but unfortunatly limits opportunities for students.”