A&E

SLA breaks down “Breaking Dawn”

December 9, 2011 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2011-12-09 at 11.27.55 AM — One example of student reaction to the "Twilight" craze.

By Sam Lovett-Perkins

Staff Writers

For those who have lived under a rock for the past five years, vampires have become a huge trend in popular culture. Its spread has been caused TV sensations such a The CW’s Vampire Diaries and HBO’s True Blood, but the biggest contribution to this wildfire of bloodsucking is Stephanie Meyer’s Twlight series.

Most recently, the Twlight franchise has come out with their fourth movie in the series based off of of the book: Twilight: Breaking Dawn.

In this installment, Bella Swan is getting married to her vampire lover Edward Cullen. However, during the honeymoon, Bella becomes pregnant. The union of vampire and human angers a native Indian tribe, and so conflict stirs between the Indians and the Vampires.

Believability of the plot aside, there is a wide range of response from the Twilight teenage audience, going from enthusiastic die hard fans, or Twi-hards, to a negative reaction to those fans.

Freshman Betty Louis was nothing but thrilled about the latest film. “Ever since I read the book I have been very excited to see the movie, it was a great experience for me.”

Many students report having seen the movies multiple times, and sport Twilight t-shirts, buttons, and stickers in school.

Not all students are so excited, however. Senior Mike Dea had mixed feelings about the series. “I saw Breaking Dawn: Part 1, and had very low expectations, and it still could have done a lot better.”

However, he wasn’t completely negative. “It did have some redeeming traits, a fair amount of action…I guess it was a good laugh”.

As a teenage romance film it would make more sense that it would receive appraise from a female audience. While this might be obvious, there is actually a science behind the writing from the books that might make it that attractive.

English teacher Alexa Dunn, who has taught the first Twilight book in a senior english class, explained part of the appeal.

“We use Bella as the everyone girl, she’s made very general to make every teenager girl and Twi-hard mom to fit into Bella’s mind — so they too can live the fantasy.” After all, what is more enjoyable than being chased after by two attractive men?

While the movies might be geared towards girls, Stephanie Meyer and the filmmakers have stilled try to compensate for the other gender.

“ I think boys are drawn to it because of the werewolf and vampire thing,” Dunn said. “Those battles get more frequent as the series goes on. For the films there’s more CGI and each film has gotten better in its dramatic flair.”

With only one movie left to go, it is questioned is the next movie going to be similar to the Harry Potters finally or more of a Spy Kids?

Dea is doubtful that he will be going to the next film. “If I get shang-highed into it, but I wasn’t planning to.”

Ms. Dunn agrees. “ I’m not going to rush into the theater… this trend is starting to trend out.”

Student-Produced Videos Take to the Web

November 20, 2011 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Plenty of SLA students create entertainment for the rest of the student body — from music, to visual art, to video. Three groups of students are working on their own web shows this year — “Leftovers” by Stephen Holts, “The Good Friends” by Anna Roman, Shelby Harcher, Markia Johnson and Elisa Hyder, and “The Friday Afternoon Show with Justin Pullins” by Justin Pullins. Written by them, acted and recorded themselves, here are details about the show from the stars themselves. Interviews by Emilisa Lopez.

Stephen Holts, “Leftovers”What is your web show about?
Leftovers is about a group of individuals who are friends mostly because they don’t really fit into any other group. Throughout the show, they’ll be many cliques that the friends try and fit into, only to realize the only group they really fit into is the one they created.

Where do you get inspired?
Anyone that knows me knows that I LOVE The Office, last year that show was my entire life. This whole web-show idea really started off as a joke where I just inserted videos of my friends into The Office’s opening theme. From there, my group of friends (who I had already half volunteered) expressed interest in doing the show weekly and produce it on our own. Then, it was called The High School Office, but after a copyright fiasco with NBC, the show had to be renamed and reformatted.

How do you come up with ideas?
50% of the Leftovers’ material comes from my own group of friends and the hilarious things that happen to us everyday. Some are directly from real life, and some are things that happened that were a little twisted for the show. The other 50% are ideas that come from my co-writer and I.

What is the process like?
Last year the process was interesting. I had never done anything like producing a web-show before, and it was very stressful, plus my lack of experience in combination with my friends and I not trying to be too serious made the process made things a bit rough. Since then I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t, and this year hopefully will be the best year for the show so far.

Who helps?
Last year, the entire show was run by my friends and I, who were sophomores at the time. Abe Musselman and I cowrote and directed the show, and we also acted in it along with Ryan Harris, Sam Lovett-Perkins, Sophie Henninger, Jenn Wright, and Tucker Bartholomew.
This year, the main cast consists of seniors Douglas Wallace, Anthony Torrance, and Yadi Angeles. Also in the main cast is sophomore Imani Rothwell and freshmen Penelope DeOlivera, Ray Albarovhi, and Micah Getz.

Any other details you want to include?
This year will be an amazing year for the show. You can look forward to at least three episodes before school ends for the winter holidays, and hopefully many more when we return for the new year.

Episodes will be posted on Leftovers’ YouTube page, and you can find it by going to http://www.youtube.com/user/LeftoversSLA.

Anna Roman, “The Good Friends”

What is your web show about?
So the web show is going to be like the View with a sprinkle of Ellen DeGeneres. Basically we are going to be talking about different events, within school, out of school, and whatever the students want us to talk about, only putting in our own view on it and such. We want it to shape around all the students so the show itself will be VERY student interactive. So even though we can’t have a gossip show (even though that would be awesome haha) we want to give the students what they want. So we are going to be trying to do that in a very reasonable way. It should be awesome.

Where do you get inspired?
Well I know last year there had been some attempts to make an SLA news show or student friendly show but kind of failed. Since they really only ended up making one or two episodes. So I really like the idea about making a show for SLA where students can really participate in it, look forward to watching it, and even pick up some good information from it. So my team and I really wanted to re-create the shows but find a way to make it successful. So we just started brainstorming about things we would want to see and watch and we are growing from there.

How do you come up with ideas?
Well, surprisingly, all of our ideas don’t come from ourselves. We actually ask around and ask our peers what they would like to see or for us to talk about. Since our first episode is coming out very soon, November 21st, we have been coming up with some ideas for it but actually had the idea to make surveys where the students can vote on the different choices they are given and really put some input into the show. So all of our ideas come from us but also from everyone else.

Who helps?
This whole show is made up of Markia Johnson, Shelby Harcher, Elisa Hyder, and myself.

What is the process like?
The process is split up between all of us equally, each of us have one main thing they worry about for the show. I am in charge of all the camerawork and putting the show together. Shelby gathers all the info we get and decides what is going to be on the show, so she basically organizes the whole shindig. Markia covers the health segment we will have on the show. And Elisa gathers most of the news that is going around in the school. But even though we all have one main thing we worry about, we all help each other out with everything so it works out nice.

Any other details you want to include?
Just that you guys should check us out. Our second promo should be up by 11/15/11, at the llatest, 11/16/11. And our first episode will be out by November 21st. So check us out but also take our surveys! We can’t make an interactive student show if no students will interact. And finally if you want to know what is going on with The Good Friends, or you just have some ideas for the show, you can email anyone of us on our SLA emails, check out our twitter which is @TheGoodFriends, or just come talk to us in person. But I think that is it for now. Thank you for taking interest in our show!

Justin Pullins, “The Friday Afternoon Show”

What is your web show about?
The Friday Afternoon Show with Justin Pullins” is a talk-variety-sketch show. I’ve really tried to be very loose in the genre of show; whatever I think would be cool to include as a segment in the show, I do. However, every episode of the show, I have a guest from our school. Whether it’s a teacher, a sports team coach, or a head of an extra-curricular activity, I talk to them about how they’re contributing to the school community.

Where do you get inspired?
A lot of things inspire me; I am a huge fan of cerebral comedy and comedians. Improv and sketch shows are great sources of inspiration of me, as well as underground and non-mainstream comedians that you can find on YouTube and College Humor websites.

How do you come up with ideas?
Great ideas just come to me through thought and weird conversations with my friends. Often times, things that bother or annoy me becomes the basis of a sketch. For example, in this new school year, I’ve noticed the weird things that our new freshman do, such as standing aimlessly in the hallways, blocking doors in the process. So, in the upcoming November episode, there’s a sketch for a fictional pill called “Fresh-pro-a-phil”, which when you take it, gives you all the qualities of a freshman, which includes the good things, like school spirit and vitality, and the terrible things as well, like nervous behavior and walking around aimlessly. This is one example on how one observation can lead to something great

What is the process like?
The process of making the show is monthly. Sketches and bits of the month’s show are shot throughout the month, whenever I have to time to do so. One of the great things about having full creative control is the ability to work on you own schedule. I never feel pressured to write or film anything; quality of the show and its segments are much more important to me than the quantity.

Who helps?
I have tons of friends who are more than willing to help. Allen Yang has been a great help with being a cameraman and all around go-to guy, Nick Manton, and Terrance Oliveri-Williams just to name a few. There are many people who I can depend upon for all of the production positions. However, I’ve always preferred to have complete, creative control of the show; I write all sketches and jokes, and I find all of the guests. However, I do have some friends who would be willing to help with the creative elements, should I want them to.

Any other details you want to include?
No details, just a shameless plug (I have no standards, whatsoever)… “The Friday Afternoon Show with Justin Pullins” November edition will premiere at the end of the month! Be sure to watch!

Student Plays Performed at Temple

November 20, 2011 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

By Natasha Ashby

Staff Writer

This year, two juniors, Manna Symone-Middlebrooks and Jenn Wright, had theatrical works showcased in the New Voices: Workshop Productions at the Tomlinson Theater at Temple University.

Both students had winning submissions in different Philadelphia Young Playwrights competitions, which they entered as sophomores through Mr. Block or Ms. Pahomov’s English classes.

The name of Manna’s play is “But, I’ve got my Fingers and These Ashes.” iIt follows the life of a family living in Sri Lanka at a sweat shop, the factory owner and an intern.

The idea came from one of Mr. Block’s assignments last year.

“I watched a set of videos on PBS, which gave me insight on sweatshop and the impact it had on American culture. I chose a topic people could relate to easily, sweatshops, because we all wear clothes, shoes, underwear, so it all relates.

Manna’s play was actually a series of monologues. “I used monologues spoken by different people and put them together to create a story. I wanted the audience to see that there is more than one way to tell a story and that in order to get the whole picture you have to consider all the eyes looking at the story. Also we have to realize that what we do in America has an international impact.”

Jenn Wright’s monologue, titled “It’s Chuck,” told the story of a seventh grade boy trying to re-invent himself on the first day of school.

Her winning piece was actually written at the last minute, when she ditched the draft she had submitted in class. ” I had the other idea for a long time, and this one just kinda flowed out of me. It came very easily to me. The story was all in my head and it just came down to formatting it into a monologue and not a short story.”

Many students wanted their plays/monologues to be relatable so that the audience can truly understand the point of the pieces of work. “I didn’t write it to be a super hilarious monologue,” said Wright. “I did want it to have a sort of light heartedness to it, because a lot of the other pieces were serious and dramatic so I wanted mine to be different.”

Neither of the winners expected to get chosen. ” I was really surprised, I submitted it because it was a piece I enjoyed writing and I just thought if they liked it, they liked it, if they didn’t, they didn’t,” said Wright.

“I like to win, so I claimed the win before I win,” said Symone-Middlebrooks. I did not expect it to get chosen, but I kept telling myself, you got this, as a way of keeping myself in a positive state.”

Both students were pleased with how their work was portrayed on stage by the actors. “I think the interpretation they had was better than what I had in mind since they were the audience at first and then the actors”, said Symone-Middlebrooks. While Jenn just enjoyed working with the actors because she has not spent a lot of time working in theatre.

The work was presented on November 3rd and November 5th, and was performed by temple theatre undergraduate actors, with many SLA students, teachers, and families in attendance.

“I liked that Manna’s was not really a play but a set of monologue put together,” said SLA Junior Allison Patterson. “I liked that Jenn’s had a lot of energy, and it was awkward but a good kind of awkward.”

After being introduced to several plays/monologues last year in Ms. Pahomov’s class, Junior Sam Lovett-Perkins felt that attending this year was a must.

“I liked Jenn’s because it kinda reflected myself, so I could relate to her story and I thought it was creatively written. Manna’s was really deep and it touched on a very serious issue. But it was really special and the writing was amazing! I thought of it as a monologue project but it was actually a bunch of monologues shoved together which made a good story.”

SLA Slam Poetry triumphs in San Francisco

November 1, 2011 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

By Mike Dea

Staff Writer

Mr. Kay never expected that one of his students would win the San Francisco poetry competition. Up until the group started to advance in the rounds, his poetry team was just happy to be there. However, Philadelphia Youth Poetry Movement (PYPM) went on to win at the National Competition this past summer.
This was a big moment for Mr. Kay, who started SLA’s Poetry team at the school’s inception almost six years ago.
He created the poetry team for a simple reason: “I had a background in spoken word and wanted to share this passion with my students.”
Since its first year, the SLA poetry team has been growing. The group now stands at about 15 students who meet and practice on Saturday mornings. A handful of the team members are not even enrolled at Science Leadership Academy for high school.
The students who participate in the poetry team also find it immensely beneficial, enabling them to interact with their fellow students and create a sense of community.
Freda Anderson, an SLA alumni and former poetry team member, has learned how to talk in front of crowds and work through her nerves: “I just kind of forced myself to get through it in the beginning. And then Kay and my teammates were really supportive of me and that helped a lot.”
As time passed, the team began to change and evolve, growing to a league, an event offering students the ability to exercise their voice and teachers across the city the chance to network events dedicated to poetry.
These opportunities began last year, when Mr. Kay started up the SLAM League, which later became merged with PYPM, the winners of this past summer’s competition.
The SLAM competitions occur in the spring of each school year, attracting schools from across the area to recite poetry with fellow writers. Students participating in the SLAM competitions had originally recited individual pieces in its early stages, but as time progressed, the kind of poetry shifted from individual pieces to also include group pieces.
In the beginning, the SLAM League consisted of six schools, including SLA. However, within a year, the league jumped from six schools to 18. (possibly name well known schools)
In addition to the SLAM competition run by Mr. Kay, which focuses primarily on group poems, the poetry team has the option to compete in another sort of SLAM league, where they are able to read their poetry solo rather than in groups.
This league is more extensive than the group SLAM league, holding competitions across the nation, and holding a national competition where the best from across the country can compete against one another.

When asked what SLA poetry slammers do to prepare, Mr. Kay said the team members “practice various writing and performance techniques – sprinkle in some drama and work with emotional authenticity.”

The next big event for PYPM is participating in the First Person Arts festival on Friday, November 18th, 2011. The show is called 215: When Generations Unite, and will be at the Painted Bride Arts Center, located at 230 Vine Street.