Avi Cantor

Types of Universities and Colleges

May 13, 2019 by Avi Cantor Leave a Comment

Brendan Hall

Staff Writer

High schoolers around the country get the same message starting freshman year: the paths they choose after they graduate are crucial The seniors at SLA are no exception and prepare to make a life-defining commitment to a post-graduate program.

Aside from programs, location, and cost another important part of making the college decision is the type of college/university to attend. Varieties of these include private colleges, public colleges, trade schools, or community college. Knowing how to decipher between these types for the best possible result may be more difficult than it appears due to the benefits and shortcomings of each type of schools.

As a citywide admissions school, SLA prides itself on helping students get into elite schools with competitive admissions. But does this focus overlook the value of less prestigious, but more affordable schools?

“SLA college counselors and other teachers recommended me liberal arts school and I think that’s because a liberal arts school is most similar to SLA,” Senior Messele Asfaw said in response to what types of post high school education SLA recommended.

Asfaw furthered this claim by saying he believes those who chose a liberal arts school did it because they wanted a similar learning environment to SLA. In a follow up he believed that a problem could occur from a formulaic recommendation.

“There’s a stigma against community college that certain students and faculty members have against it despite that option being a reasonable choice for certain people,” Asfaw critiqued about the college counseling students receive. In the end, Asfaw decided to attend Stony Brook because the engineering and film program.

Another student confirmed Asfaw’s perception.

“In general I think SLA gives recommendations based on types of schools that resemble [where the teachers went],” Majd Bostani stated. Bostani believes they do this to inform students about an opportunity to learn in a manner that replicates project-based material. However he also expressed there was an inconvenience with this method because they tend to favor institutions which mirror SLA’s style.

“A student looking for guidance would likely find conflict with the type of schools recommended because it’s rare for them to recommend schools outside of a university,” Bostani claimed.

“I knew where I wanted to go based on my own research and parental guidance,” Sean DeSilva explained. DeSilva progressed his statement and said this tactic allowed to look aside from educational institutions which mirrored SLA’s ideals. DeSilva furthered this implying SLA had bias towards certain types of colleges.

“I think that looking over community colleges could potentially waste a reliable option due to the stigma around it,” DeSilva stated. In the end, DeSilva decided to attend LaSalle.

Another anonymous student described a past incident where her brother had an unpleasant confrontation about his choice to attend Community College of Philadelphia. This incident lead to her deciding to not ask the college counselor for guidance because of how attending community college was taboo for her brother.

Some seniors at SLA believe Community College is looked down upon by faculty members, and even their own peers. This could result in a lack of motivation for students who know they cannot attend a university due to cost or other factors.

“My job is to let students know about a wide range of schools,” Mrs. Hirschfield the college counselor asserted. She also explained that despite the stigma against community college a significant portion of SLA students have attended each of the past 4 years (10%).

“I think that there is a stigma, but I don’t think it’s exclusive to SLA,” she stated. This point was proceeded with her opinion, which is people do this because selective schools are valued more in a professional setting. For instance a Bachelor’s degree is more prestigious than an associate’s degree, but applicants overlook the option of transferring to a university.

Furthermore, she stated this stigma could result in a negative college experience for future students due to chasing prestigious validations. Hirschfield denounced the practice of automatically overlooking community options.

“If a student said they wanted to go to CCP I’d support the choice, it’s just I want students to be aware of all their options…maybe that’s where the misunderstanding comes from,” she addressed when asked about a student not coming to college counseling.

Through these interviews it was apparent SLA had a miscommunication with the types of colleges recommended. This misunderstanding stems from the difficult of balancing practical options and not wanting to sell students short of their potential.

Photo courtesy of Freepix.com

Is CCP a legitimate option for students who are serious about their education?

March 22, 2019 by Avi Cantor Leave a Comment

Lauren Nicolella and Avi Cantor

Staff Writers

Photo Courtesy of Community College of Philadelphia

At the beginning of senior year, my mom and I met with college counselor Karina Hirschfield. The focal point of the meeting was to figure out what kind of college would be the best fit for me.

By the end of the meeting, Hirschfield gave me a list of small, expensive liberal arts colleges, all of which were in small suburbs or rural outskirts of the bustling city.

Exempt from that list was the Community College of Philadelphia. At first thought, CCP may not seem like a considerable option for those who are serious about their education. There is no minimum GPA for admittance and you may not even need a high school diploma to go there.

But as colleges and universities get more and more expensive, CCP’s reputation is starting to improve. One student who’s going to CCP is senior Lauren Nicolella. Her story is below:

Last year I made the decision that I would attend community college instead of a traditional four-year school. As I have progressed through high school, I’ve been torn about this new chapter of my life.

But after speaking to more adults about the college process and my future plans, I have been pleasantly surprised by their optimism.

I’ve been told personal stories about relatives and friends who have chosen the same path and ended up at a university that didn’t cost them nearly as much as it would have.

However, the stigma surrounding who goes to community college and who doesn’t still haunts me.

Throughout the past year, I’ve noticed the lack of work ethic, participation, and determination from the underclassmen. I’ve observed sophomores and juniors constantly letting their assignments and grades fall by the wayside.

To add insult to injury, the students who are exhibiting these traits are saying that they’ll just fail and go to CCP. This outlook really pains me.

During junior year, I worked hard no matter where I was going to go. I dealt with the loss of a family member throughout the year, but my grades always turned out good despite the issues I was facing.

I soon grew to realize that attending community college would be a great starting opportunity, and it should not be something to take for granted or be talked down about. I’m not completely sure of what I want to major in, but CCP is giving me a less stressful opportunity by providing the necessary classes I’d have to take at a four-year college. Unfortunately, not everyone sees it this way.

There are people who constantly bash community college, claiming that it is for “dumb” people, yet it’s starting to be recognized as a viable option for education. Given the state of America’s student loan debt sitting in the trillions, I’m trying to be as financially responsible as possible while also receiving a quality education.

I’m hoping the best for these upcoming students because I hope they realize that they won’t have the help from their senior assistant teachers to check them back into reality. I want them to be able to go to their desired college, and not freak out during senior year when they reflect on their poor work ethic.

I want people to see CCP as a financially feasible option for people who want to find themselves. The stigma is actively changing, and it should be an option talked about more in high schools as students are going through the application process. In the end, it’s my money and my life that I’m choosing for and it’s not fair to be judged based on those decisions.

Senior Trip to Baltimore

March 18, 2019 by Avi Cantor Leave a Comment

Sukainah Hasan

Staff Writer

For the third time in the 14 years that Science Leadership Academy has become a public school, SLA seniors are going on a senior trip to Baltimore. The person behind the planning of this trip is health and gym teacher, Pia Martin.

According to Martin, the choice of the trip being Baltimore was based off asking students if they think going to Baltimore would be a good idea. Some students were all for going on the trip, while others weren’t.
Senior Ashton Reigner is against the senior trip to Baltimore. “I don’t think going to Baltimore will be a fun place to go to,” Ashton started to explain. “Also, I feel as though the price that was required for us to pay wasn’t worth it.” Reigner didn’t think Baltimore was best for himself personally, which is why he is choosing not to go.

Also, senior Sashoya Dougan is all for going on the senior trip to Baltimore. “I think that this senior trip will be great, she started to explain. “This is a change for us seniors to get out of the state and hang out with my friends.” This shows that Sashoya is only worried about the experience she is getting out of it.

Even though students have an opinion on what their trip should be. In the end, it’s not up to students to make the decision.

“Not only did I ask the students about going on a trip, but the main part was getting approved by the School District,” Martin said when asked about the planning. Also, in the process of planning this trip to Baltimore, there weren’t any student organizers, because trip planning is not something students have the responsibility of doing; only the School District has the final say in where everyone can or cannot go. Since SLA is a public high school and it is under the School District, we have no choice but to follow their rules in what students can or cannot do.

In order to go on this trip, seniors have to pay $160.

“Seniors are doing a three-week fundraiser to get the money,” Martin explained. “They are going to selling things like cookies, cakes, pies, etc.” The more money that students fundraise for their senior trip, the more of a chance they and other students have an opportunity of going since it would lessen the amount they’d have to pay.

The trip to Baltimore is only a day. “We were originally going to come back to Philadelphia early in the morning, but according to the school district, we have to be back by 10 pm,” Martin explained.

The activities that seniors will be doing in Baltimore is going on the spirit of Baltimore, the aquarium, and Baltimore Harvard.

Planning trips like this are not easy, but, the point of going to Baltimore is to have fun with your graduating class, and spend the last days you have with your friends!

SLA’s Unexpected Early Dismissal

February 28, 2019 by Avi Cantor Leave a Comment

Sukainah Hassan

Staff Writer

Photo Courtesy of Teachers College Community School

“Omg, why is it so cold in this classroom,” students say this every time they walk into a classroom. They can be seen shivering as they go to their lockers to get their coats for the rest of the day.

On January 22nd, SLA students and staff had an unexpected early dismissal because of how extremely cold the classrooms were. The school district decided this, after SLA principal, Chris Lehmann addressed the building’s dangerously low temperature.

“The school district helped with this issue by us having constant communication with both the assistant of the superintendent and the facility/operation team from the school district,” Lehman stated. According to Mr. Lehmann, classrooms were below 50°. Classrooms were at the same temperature as they were outside! Since this was the case, SLA had to close down for the day, so that the heating system can work in all classrooms.

“The school was in need of closing down because we knew that the heat wasn’t working, which is dangerous, and we need to have working heat in the building, Lehmann said. Eventually, the problem was solved. After the students and staff had an early dismissal, Mr. Lehmann called Philadelphia Management who addressed the heating problem.

With Philadelphia Management coming out to help with the heating issue, everyone was satisfied coming back to school the next day with no one saying “It’s too cold.”

Students Respond to Impact of Government Shutdown

February 25, 2019 by Avi Cantor Leave a Comment

Zoe Kwasnicki

Staff Writer

The government shutdown began on December 22, 2018, as part of negotiations between Congress and the President on funding to support security for the US Border with Mexico. And while the shutdown ended on February 15, 2019, the effect on government workers and their families has not disappeared. Specifically, at SLA, multiple students with relatives who are federal employees shared their experiences and fears during the shutdown.

The direct consequences and emotions surrounding the shutdown vary from student to student as the financial dependence on the federal government is specific to each employee.

For Sophomore Brooke Hill, this difference in dependence is stark between her aunt and father. Both are unable to disclose the exact nature of their jobs. However it is known that her aunt works at the Department of Justice and that is her only form of employment, whereas Hill’s father has multiple jobs outside of his government job such as recruiting basketball players and coaching them.

Because of this Hill is “praying” for her aunt who is currently living without financial support from a partner or any nearby relatives. By contrast, she is decidedly less worried about her more financially secure father.

Junior Sanaa Scott-Wheeler is in a similar situation. With both of her aunts currently employed by the federal government – one is a probation officer and the other is a judge – the shutdown is having an impact, although not a devastating one. But just because Scott-Wheeler has not been directly hurt by the shutdown does not mean she is not aware of its general effects on the Philadelphian population.

From government workers flashing their IDs in hopes of a free salad to a realization on the importance of an operating government, Scott-Wheeler had to say the following:

“Also while I was at work – I work at Sweetgreen which is this salad place – but yeah we had government workers show us their badges and at first I’m like “Oh my god that looks so cool – that looks amazing!” but then I’m like “Oh we have to give you free food”. And it’s like our company is losing money but then again you guys [government workers] don’t have money to begin with right now.”

Scott-Wheeler has seen a number of attempted interventions for government workers, with varying degrees of success.

“I remember seeing – I think it was in South Philadelphia? – where they had all the food laid out from corner stores for the government workers and they were like, “take the food” cause no one else is gonna give them free food. Because at Sweetgreen, our whole motto is we’re people who are giving food to people you know we’re not just a big business who wants our money, we are genuinely concerned about our customers. And I think it’s like that for some businesses in the city like everyone who’s giving out free food – their heart’s go out to the families and those government workers.”

Sophomore Elena Smith has dealt with an even more direct effect of the shutdown. Her mother works as a federal defender and, for the month of January, it was unknown whether or not her paycheck was secure.

“We started saving more and we started eating out less and I don’t know – we just tried to save money,” Smith explained. “We weren’t that worried because we always think in the end it will work out – so we never really try to prepare.”

Although Smith and her mother’s outlook was fearfully optimistic, there was a high chance that they’re only source of income would end due to the shutdown. Thankfully, during that period, Smith’s mother’s paycheck was extended to the end of March however it cannot be ignored that, if the shutdown had continued, they would be in a much more desperate situation.

And while the shutdown did not have a devastating effect on the students of SLA financially, it did have an effect on their trust within the government. Students worry about the possible shutdown continuation in February.

“I actually am. Seeing that it doesn’t affect me that much right now, I’m worried, but it worries me even more that our president can just say “oh the government is being shut down,” Scott-Wheeler stated.

“For my future career I want to be an immigration lawyer and if the president says ‘Oh we’re shutting the government down right now – you don’t have a job as of right now.’ I don’t know how to support myself.”