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New Teacher Profile: Asha Francisco

October 20, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Mekhi Granby & Lauryn Lewis

Staff Writers

Spanish Teacher Asha Francisco, one of the several new additions to Science Leadership Academy’s staff this year, joins the school to replace Melanie Manuel, who taught Spanish for nine years at SLA.

Shaping Greatness

Ms. Francisco’s early life/background is an interesting one as she comes from a household in Hawaii with a father from the Philippines, a mother from Brazil, a brother four years younger than her. She noted that Hawaii was pretty diverse and how she became to master the English language from learning it at school and coming home to teach her parents, things such as grammar and pronunciation.

Ms. Francisco remembers speaking Portuguese with her mother at home and leaving her classmates curious and wondering what she was saying when they spoke it at her school.

“In high school, I was an ultimate nerd, I was one of those kids who got straight A’s, I took like 5 AP classes and I was president of a community service book club,” said Ms. Francisco.

“I wasn’t officially in student government but I helped with it because of my friends, I was really involved in planning for prom and other senior events. I was also in Nation Honors Society and Captain of the tennis team. I really needed to get into college!”

Exploration

No stranger to traveling, Ms. Francisco started her travels early. Before studying abroad, she left Hawaii to attend Oregon State University, and from there she took frequent trips with friends to Washington and California.

“I’ve been to Brazil multiple times because my mom is Brazilian, my dad is from the Philippines and we have traveled there as a family,” said Ms. Francisco.

She has also visited Portugal, England, Hungary, Turkey and other countries as well. For her, travel is also about much more than just sightseeing.

“My number one thing is to live in the country of the language that you’re studying. As a Spanish major, I studied abroad my junior year in college. I went to Oregon State and we had trimesters, so I did my study abroad for 3 months in Santander, Spain. My senior year of college I went back to Oregon. After I graduated, I went to grad school in Spain. I knew I had to come back and understand not only language but culture and different expressions that you don’t really learn in school because you’re just on the basics. I went to la Universidad de Alcalá de Henares and did a one-year intensive masters program. To pay for school, I worked as a native English assistant in an elementary school. After the master’s program was done, I decided to stay another year, so I continued to be a native English assistant, but this time in a high school.”

“Living in Spain trying to find an apartment, opening a bank account, dealing with bills, all in Spanish with people who don’t speak any English. This experience really enhanced my learning as well as being in the country I could see which career opportunities I could take,” said Ms. Francisco.

Current Life

Ms. Francisco is now a Philadelphia resident as of last summer. She lives in Northern Liberties and utilizes public transportation to get around. From a small island to a major city, Ms. Francisco admitted that she has some adapting to do.

“East Coast life is very different and it was a little shocking at first, in Hawaii, everyone is very… when you walk by somebody they’ll say hi. It’s like a family you know, really small. Here, it’s fast-paced, not everyone says hello to you when you walk by and I’m starting to get used to that. I don’t know, it’s just very different.”

Dealing with Distance

What was the most challenging experience of her life?

“The move from Hawaii to Spain, I was alone. I had to find a temporary place to stay, I had to find an apartment, get a roommate, it was really stressful. In the winter it was really cold and in the summer it was really really hot, Hawaii is in the middle, it never gets extreme in either season,” Ms. Francisco said.

So I had to get used to that, it was different. It was really difficult to have to go through all of that by myself with zero help.”

As for her professional life…

“The challenge is definitely the varying skill levels, I teach majority Spanish 2 and everyone is at very different skill levels. Some students are taking Spanish 1 here, some have taken it in different schools, and some have been familiar with Spanish all their lives. Trying to find a balance of making sure that the ones who’ve studied it forever are still being challenged while not going too fast for the people who haven’t studied it forever has been a little bit of a struggle,” said Ms. Francisco when asked about the challenges of SLA.

Qualities & Advice

Ms. Francisco hasn’t been teaching at SLA for very long as the school year just started, that doesn’t mean she hasn’t made an impact.

“She’s very persistent, she makes sure the kids understand what she’s teaching. She doesn’t move on until the kids understand what she’s teaching,” said Senior Mekhi Friend, who’s a student assistant teacher for Ms. Francisco.

Friend also had some advice for her students.

“Don’t chew gum in her class, come to class on time, and pay attention. She has an issue with students who tend to do the opposite of these actions,” he said.

“She is very creative, very personable and has a bright personality. She’s really creative and seems like a fun teacher,” said fellow Spanish Teacher Joselyn Hernandez.

“I think I’ve shared a lot with her already but one thing I would like to say to her is to take one day at a time, because each day is different.”

A Great Person

When asked to describe herself in one word, Ms. Francisco’s choice was caring.

“Once you’re under my wing as a student or a friend, I’ll feel very protective of you,” she said.

“If someone says anything or you don’t feel very well I’d like to make sure that you’re okay and that you feel better and that applies to a wide range of people.”

Students Meet to Establish Government

October 19, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Sara Frunzi

Photo Editor

On Thursday, September 14th, SLA had its first official 2017-2018 student government planning meeting. SLA students will have the opportunity to run for a student government position, or just to vote for a representative. SLA students will finally have a say in how they are represented, and hopefully will have changes made in our school for the better.

According to Science Leadership Academy Junior Kwan Hopkins, who called the meeting, A student government is something that the school really need.

“It’s one thing to say ‘I feel your pain students.’ It’s one thing to listen to a presentation the teachers are giving,” Hopkins said. But it’s another things to say ‘students, come to the table’”.

Hopkins came up with the idea for a student government and went through talking to History Teacher Dan Symonds to officiate it.

“I was student body president before,” at his old school, Hopkins explained. “We did a lot, but we didn’t get to do everything. I really just wanted another chance to share what I believe are talents, to talk about what I believe think are the issues, and I saw a lot wrong with the school”.

Mr. Symonds supports the process.

“Any activity that increases students engaging in democratic decision-making, any activity that raises expectations for what students can expect of themselves and of a political entity in the school is a good thing”.

The meeting on September 14 revealed some ideas of a purpose and function for a future government. Among other things said, some purposes mentioned were to get student representation, and more communication between the students and adults in our school. The student government not only wants to ensure that every student in the building will have their voice heard, but also to go above and beyond with being unique to SLA.

The understanding across the board at the meeting was that an organization at SLA would not simply do what other school governments do, such as plan dances and fundraisers, but also address what SLA directly needs. Right now, that may be in alignment with fundraisers or with the Spirit Committee. The idea of an SLA student jury was also put forth, so that an unbiased group of students would be able to have a say in school decisions and possibly disciplinary action of peers if deemed necessary. Students felt that sometimes punishments were too harsh or deemed unfairly, and that they wished to be able to do something about it.

Going forward, SLA’s student government has big plans. The function of an SLA student government was debated upon a bit, but boiled down to a few core things. There were three main priorities discussed: students having thorough involvement in our education, a student government running student activities, and finding ways to help build connections within SLA.

The student government aims to create a formal space where teachers and students are equals, and to give students the chance to share their ideas and pass legislation.

Students will be able to start running for positions this October, and should talk to their advisors about the nomination process to become a candidate.

District Proposes Ben Franklin Move at Meeting

September 18, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

By Tamir Harper

Members of the SLA Community during the small group breakout portion of Monday's meeting. Photo by Sarah Frunzi. — Members of the SLA Community during the small group breakout portion of Monday’s meeting. Photo by Sarah Frunzi.

Editor in Chief

On the evening of Tuesday, September 12th, Science Leadership Academy Center City held a meeting to announce that the district plans to co-locate the school with Benjamin Franklin High School at 550 N. Broad Street.

The move into the new building will happen for the 2019-2020 school year, which gives time for the district to complete a total redesign of Benjamin Franklin, for which they have budgeted 20 million dollars.

A powerpoint delivered by Principal Chris Lehmann explained that the redesign will seek to make SLA feel at home and also improve the building conditions for Benjamin Franklin High School students as well.

This week will be the start of that redesign, with design development happening this school year, and construction slated to start in July 2018.

In attendance were students, parents, SLA Staff and School District of Philadelphia officials like Spokesperson Lee Whack, Assistant Superintendent of the Innovative Network Christina Grant, the Chief Schools Officer and a few other of Superintendent Bill Hite’s cabinet members.

After the introductory powerpoint presentation, attendees split into small groups to discuss their concerns and brainstorm around their vision for the move.

Mr. Lehmann believes that, in some ways, the news was hard for the SLA community to hear. “We [the district] have to honor people process in coming to terms with that change.”

Lehmann noted that many parents went through that process pretty quickly. “By the end of that meeting parents were like now what, what has to happen, how do we make it work, what does it look like and got to that next place.”

Throughout Monday’s meeting, Mr. Lehmann stressed how involved parents and students will be involved in this process. Parents and others will be able to sit on a building management committee to ensure that student and parent voices are heard throughout the design of the building.

Despite these assurances, some attendees of the meeting were not satisfied and felt blindsided by the announcement.

During the small group breakout conversations, Freshman and Senior parent Sharon Baker-Smith spoke with Chief Schools Officer Shawn Bird and told him that the move wasn’t smart or safe.

Other parents stressed concerns about climate and safety of their children during dismissal and in the possible co-mingling of spaces. But some were on board and wanted to see how the district can design an innovative space that would work for both schools.

But for those who weren’t on board, Dr. Bird tried his best to calm parents down and give them the reasoning behind the move, but he wasn’t very successful.

Another frequent question was about what the curriculum and culture at Benjamin Franklin would look like when SLA joins them at Broad and Spring Garden.

Officials from the district explained that Benjamin Franklin has a new principal, who is working to stabilize the culture at Benjamin Franklin.

Sophomore Horace Ryans attended the meeting and felt as though that the SLA community barely had say in it, but did not think anything can be done to stop it.

Regardless, he is hopeful. “What we can do is continue to love and care for each other like we already are because SLA isn’t SLA because of the location, it’s SLA because we make it this way.”

Some students and parents were concerned about enrollment dropping at SLA, but Mr. Lehmann believes that the school will still have a “vibrant population that is diverse and represents the entire city.”

Technology Teacher Marcie Hull, who has been with SLA since its first year, stated that some freshman are excited about the move and is ready to tackle this challenge. Some students have been worried about teachers leaving, but Mrs. Hull said she “will not be going anywhere.”

As proof of her commitment to the school, she is currently pursuing her Ed.D to become a Senior Career Teacher and grow in her position at Science Leadership Academy.

She wants students to know that “this is part of the progress that is going to create better opportunities for more kids in the city.”

Seniors who will not be directly affected by the move had some thoughts as well. Senior Ella Burrows said, “I feel hurt that this wasn’t more of a conversation, but we can all be hopeful and stick it out with each other and have faith that things will workout like they are supposed to.”

Burrows also shared that “things happen for a reason so I like to think of this as an obstacle just waiting for us to overcome.”

SLA Alumnus Luke Risher told me over the phone after hearing about the move, he “feels as though the district should be transparent and communicative because this is definitely a choice that blindsided us (the SLA community) that has given us very little process and time.”

Lehmann wants all freshman and sophomores to “be part of it, we are going to make this as transparent as we possibly can.” He wants students to voice their concerns thoughtfully.

As expected, on Thursday, Sept 14th the School Reform Commission approved the funding to renovate Ben Franklin high school for a co-location.

Upcoming meeting dates about the redesign will be shared with the community as soon as they are available via www.scienceleadership.org.

New Teachers Reflect on Their Old Schools

June 9, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Saamir Baker

Staff Writer

At the start of this school year, SLAMedia interviewed the four new teachers who started in September about their hopes and dreams for their new jobs.

But what about the schools they left behind? None of these teachers were new to the classroom, which meant they had something to compare their new environments with. Now that they’ve each finished their first year at SLA, we caught up with two of these brand new teachers to SLA to see what they thought of SLA compared to their old schools.

History Teacher Dan Symonds

Before teaching at Science Leadership Academy, Mr. Symonds taught at Munoz Marin Elementary school for three years. He even recalls his two journals he kept and wrote in, talking about his accounts at his old school.

While SLA is in the heart of the city in a neighborhood that evidentially has more money, Munoz Marin is the polar opposite in comparison. Based in north Philly, Munoz Marin has had many struggles with the most recent one being that majority of the staff, including Symonds, was forced to transfer schools. Despite the protesting that went on to prevent this.

One stark difference Mr. Symonds sees is that his old school there were more challenges to teaching than just having a lesson prepared, whereas at SLA where he knows that as long as he has a plan, students will follow it.

The most interesting comparison he made between students here and students at Munoz Marin.

“At SLA if you think of your friend who is having a rough day. Then think of it as five times as bad, and apply it to the half of class. That was what I had to deal with everyday.”

Reflecting on my own experiences going to another school in North Philadelphia that was a neighborhood school, every comparison he made was right on the money with how I felt.

Math Teacher Victor Hernandez

Mr. Hernandez taught math at Esperanza Academy Charter School, before he taught at Science Leadership Academy.

A drastic difference he could make between the students here and the students there was that the diversity is here compared to there. At his old school the majority of students were hispanic but SLA is very diverse and hispanic students make up less than 10% of the total population.

While Mr. Hernandez did not experience a culture shock first visiting SLA he realized just how relaxed the environment was compared to his old school. Students roam halls without hallway passes, there are no hallway monitors and the biggest difference is there are no uniforms. Something that was very strictly enforced at Esperanza.

“The uniforms implied a high standard of behavior and compliance which resulted in a culture of higher behavior with less individual expression,” Mr. Hernandez explained.

While he thinks the compliance could have been organized in another way, he did see some positive benefits to the uniforms.

Looking Ahead

While Mr. Hernandez and Mr. Symonds walked two very different paths before coming to the same school, one thing that they had in common was the fact that they both wanted to make a change in children’s lives and thought that would best be done at SLA.

While both teachers are staying on at this school, they are still committed to their old communities and their former students. Both will be attending their schools respective graduations this year.

Students Protest Last-Minute Change To School Lease

June 9, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Maddi Etxebeste

Some of the SLA students who attended the SRC vote on the school's lease renewal. — Some of the SLA students who attended the SRC vote on the school’s lease renewal.

Staff Writer

Students at Science Leadership Academy have always known that the building in Center City would not be their permanent home. Since the building is not owned by the district, the School Reform Commission has to approve the renewal of the contract every couple years since the original lease ran out.

In the past couple years the school has been thinking of finding a new home, a permanent home, this time. The options would be moving to an empty school or even into the School District Headquarters at 440 N. Broad Street.

Last month, April 2017, a flyer of the Student Union was passed around the students at SLA. It was stated that the school was “officially” moving, and there were rumors at the school about being moving to the empty Vaux High School building in Lower North Philadelphia.

In late April, the district informed SLA that they would like to do a last renewal before moving to a permanent location. They said it would be a 2-year-lease, it would expire in June 2020.

The vote meeting was scheduled for last week, but it was re-scheduled and planned for May 25th. Then, a few hours before the meeting, the district communicated to SLA that they only would be voting for a 1 year lease, contradicting their words from a few weeks ago. Finally, that is what they got. The SRC gave SLA the 1 year extension for the lease of the building.

Last year, at the meeting where SRC and SLA discussed about the future of the school, the SRC said they would give the school enough time to find a new home, but with the duration of the lease being shortened, the time to find a new building is shortened to.

Finally, on Thursday, May 25th, the vote meeting which decided the future of the location of Science Leadership Academy took place. Some students left with the teachers from school around 4:00 PM to go together to the meeting place, at the School District of Philadelphia (440 N. Broad Street).

Junior Tamir Harper, who was at the meeting, said “The meeting was long, it was hard, and it also upsetted me, it went as expected.”

Co-Principal Chris Lehmann explained: “SLA kids made their feelings known. It was important that students were there. They always support me with a degree of passion and energy they have for the school that is amazing. The students there took the opportunity they had to speak out about how important it’s the school for them.”

Lehmann acknowledged that the vote is a complicated issue, and remains hopeful for the future.

“Even if the results were not what we expected, we understand it, because the SDP is in a difficult financial crisis, and our lease is very expensive. Though, I have a lot of faith in the community to make sure that no matter where we end up we will remain the same and we will keep SLA as the transformative place it is.”

Harper also said: “It was tragic, because didn’t get the outcome we expected, but they did what they believed it was right. Even if the results were not what we wanted, we are not going to give up, we will continue fighting.”

Harper was happy with how SLA showed up to the vote.

“There was a lot of support from students who went to the SDP, of course Lehmann went too, and so did many teachers like Hull, Pahomov, and Kamal. After the meeting, SRC stated that they would work with us.”

Junior Kaamil Jones was one of the students who attended the meeting, and was inspired to speak before the SRC and give testimony as to why the vote should have been postponed.

“I think the amount of students that were there could have been more but we were also told last minute and it was benchmark season. It was a great turnout. I was kind of upset because of the results, but I feel like everything we fought for and said they didn’t care at all about that.”