Features

By Dinah Soloway, Sean Hogan, & Harper Leary

Like thousands of students across Philadelphia, students of Science Leadership Academy are back to in-person school after a year online. Unlike the rest of the city, the building they are learning in is still practically brand new to them. 

Previously located at 55 N 22nd St, the school moved due to asbestos concerns; SLA is now located at Broad and Spring Garden. The building has two high schools in it, which makes the situation unique. 

The block-long, six-story tall building was initially home to Ben Franklin High School, but was renovated to house both schools. That renovation focused more on the separate needs of the school: Each school has its own entrance, classrooms, and ‘side’ of the school. The only shared part of the building is a stairwell, auditorium, and a hallway where the school stores are located. 

How have the two schools adapted to life in one building?

School Profiles

Ben Franklin opened in 1939 as a neighborhood public school for sections of Center City and North Philadelphia. Opened in 2006, SLA is a special admissions school with students attending from every zip code of the city. 

These differences make for different student body demographics. 

According to the School District Website,  the student body at SLA is comprised of 35% of white students, 31% Black students, 16% Hispanic students, 10% Asian students, and 7% multi-racial students. 51% of which are female and 49% are male.

According to the Philadelphia School District website, Ben Franklin High School has 535 students. Their students are comprised of 75% Black students and 16% Hispanic students. The other 7% is made up of multi-racial, Asian, and white students. More than ⅔ of the student body is male. 

Daily Realities on Campus 

Safety is a big concern for both schools. Security officers with handcuffs operate metal detectors that the students go through to get into the building.

Tara Ryans, a current SLA staff member, and a past SLA parent, helps coordinate the relationships between Ben Franklin and Science Leadership Academy. “One way we communicate is through the walkie-talkie system.” Ms. Ryans explained, “Certain people have these walkie-talkies with them; safety officers, principals, the main office, the nurse, and there is always a walkie-talkie in Ms. Lehman’s office.” 

This system of walkie-talkies is always active. School safety officer Cynthia Byrd maintains communication with fellow staff members in the early morning and during both schools’ lunch periods. 

Chris Lehmann is always in close contact with the administration team at Ben Franklin High School. One of BFHS’ staff members, Dr. Canada, talks closely with Mr. Lehmann and other faculty to develop possible plans to get more students to interact with each other.   

Ms. Ryans is in charge of overlooking the school cafeteria. “It’s hard not to meld into both schools. I have had a relationship with them for years.” Working during lunchtime and sharing the space there gives a lot more chances to get to know the BFHS and what the student body looks like during non-class hours.“      

The cafeteria is split in half with doors and glass separating the schools. On some occasions, Ben Franklin students need to pass through the hallway to access their side of the gym or the school store.     

Earlier this school year SLA had participated in two school lockdowns. A quote from an earlier article about the lockdown on Dec 2nd,  “the SLA and BFHS campus went into lockdown. The lockdown lasted nearly 3 hours, finally being lifted at 11:45 am.” This lockdown was caused by a Ben Franklin student that was suspected of bringing something harmful into school property.  

Student Perspectives

SLAMedia sent an anonymous survey to gauge how connected SLA students felt with their sister school.

Out of the students who replied, 70% said they have no friends who attend BFHS, though more than half said they could see themselves being friends with someone from BFHS.

The vast majority of respondents said they have heard some negative comments about BFHS, whether rumors, gossip, or jokes. However, more than 75% believe that the schools should try to strengthen the relationship. Many of those who said this suggested connected clubs, shared spaces, and going to one another’s sports games. 

The words used to describe the relationship all had similar descriptions. One anonymous student simply wrote, “[The relationship is] racist, classist and overall segregated.” 

This opinion — that racial and social inequality impacts the relationship between the schools — is not uncommon. Other responses to the survey and conversations held in classrooms and friend groups bring up how race and socioeconomic standings have a part in the relationship. These differences all show the vast disparities within the public school education system in Philadelphia.

On December 2, 2021, there was a robbery of a BFHS student in a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority subway station. An investigation of the case lead to a suspect in the BFHS building and concern that the suspect had brought a weapon into the school. . The building went into lock-in mode while the police conducted a search. Students were stuck in their classrooms for more than two hours.

This was not the first nor the last lockdown or lock-in at the school, and survey responses suggested that some SLA students have negative prejudice towards BFHS students as a result.   

“I don’t think it’s the best relationship,” one respondent wrote. “I think lots of SLA kids don’t like BFHS because they have caused multiple lockdowns. We’ve also been told to not walk down the middle stairwell to avoid negative interactions with them.’

The lockdowns have been equally frustrating on the Ben Franklin side, as both incidents were caused by students who had only recently been enrolled at the school and were not integrated members of the community. 

While the Ben Franklin perspective largely goes unheard on the SLA side, some SLA students recognized their limited knowledge.

 “I think it’s full of gossip and some fear because of the stigma that everyone there fights and gets arrested,” one SLA student wrote. “I think it’s a very single story, and that only the crazy incidents are ones we hear about, so it really colors our perspective of the school.”

Feelings According to SLA Student Body

There have been stories of interactions between the two schools’ students. 

One such interaction comes from senior Eric Casalena “It was during lunch, and I was walking about to go to the bathroom. When I was walking, … 2 Ben Franklin kids were around the water fountain next to SLA.” He recalled they were saying what color hoodie he was wearing like they were pointing it out. 

“His friend walked up to me, got in my face, and tried to get big. So what I did was straighten my posture, look down at the guy, and said ‘ahoy’ or something. They then both ran away saying, “Man, never mind man, he too big.'”

Sophomore Wiktoria Walska also got perspective from a conversation with a Ben Franklin student.

“At the blood drive [held at Ben Franklin], we were in line waiting to get our blood taken. One of the Ben Franklin kids came up to us and started talking about how we came to their school and took it over from them,” Walska stated. She then went on to talk about how the student said it like a joke, but it came off as he still meant what he was saying.

Growing Relationships

Before the schools attempted to co-locate in Fall 2019, there was a coordinated plan to bring the students of the schools together. Before that school year began, Ben Franklin and Science Leadership Academy participated in an ‘Outward Bound’ program, where according to Mrs. Siswick the point of the program was “to bring communities together in a positive space. It felt very collaborative and community building when we did it.” She also noted that the program has been used since.

One disrupted year due to asbestos, and another spent virtual due to Covid-19, postponed any such efforts. The only shared activities in the 2021-2022 school year are now limited to all sports besides boys basketball.

Mrs. Siswick, the athletic director and school counselor at SLA, gave us an insight into the shared teams. “All sports teams except boy’s basketball are cooperative teams, which means a student from SLA or a student from BFHS can join and play with students from the other school,” she explained.

“Some of them have just SLA students and a few BFHS students. Or the other way around. Or some teams have just SLA Students, and some have just BFHS students.”

“[Shared teams] have been quite successful. It’s been a nice way to have a collaborative relationship with sports and build friendships with students across the communities.”

Junior Joshua Hernandez plays soccer on the team for both schools and echoed Ms. Siswick’s comments.

“We only have one kid [who goes to BFHS] play for us, and he’s pretty friendly, so we became good friends.”

When asked about issues regarding having kids from both schools, he told us, “Usually the Ben Franklin’s that come play with us we all get along because we all have one goal, and it’s to win the championship.”

Other students have also pledged to help grow the relationship. SLA’s Black Student Union originally was started by a student at Science Leadership Academy and since then, Ben Franklin students have joined. 

Pia Martin, the health teacher at Science Leadership Academy, is one of the mentors in the BSU. It is not a joint club between the schools, she says her motto is ‘building bridges’.

Claire Powell

Staff Writer

Science Leadership Academy is located in center city, Philadelphia. At Broad and Green, we have many businesses less than a block away from our school. The broad street line also is less than a block away from SLA. We have everything at our fingertips, yet we are not able to exercise these benefits. I believe many students would support the opportunity to leave school, grab a quick lunch from the food trucks, and then head back to school.

       SLA’s lunch period is an hour and five minutes. This is actually the longest lunch in the school district of Philadelphia. Seniors should be able to leave, grab a bite to eat, and make it back with more than enough time to get to our next class. Back at 22nd and Arch, seniors were granted that privilege and I don’t see a reason not to bring it back. We are responsible enough, so why aren’t we able to leave now? 

      Our seniority should grant us the responsibility to leave the building. It almost seems like such a waste that we have Starbucks, CVS, Dunkin’, so close yet we aren’t able to go. I think that SLA prides themselves in the freedom of their students, but we aren’t able to use this to our benefit. Schools like String Theory, and Central, allow their senior class to leave the building during lunch periods. Those students are granted the right and they have not had any serious issues. 

      Many students rush out of bed every morning to head to school. They don’t have time to pack lunches, and let’s be honest, the school lunches are not quite filling. Being able to leave and get food would even benefit the students. They would be full after lunch, and therefore participate better in class. How are we Teachers would greatly appreciate this.

       As long as we can prove our responsibility, I believe we should have the option to leave the building during our lunch band. Students are able to get to school safely and get home as well. So leaving during the day wouldn’t be any different. The school officers are still on duty, we would have our ID’s, everything would be the same. And I believe students would really appreciate it.

      Students at this school have proven their responsibilities time and time again. Seniors have gone through almost two years of virtual school, moved spaces, and adjusted to the new building. This is our last year. I believe we have earned our redemption at this school. Many students are 18, this means they are able to vote. Many students can even drive, yet we aren’t even able to leave the school building for a short amount of time? Students at SLA are driven, dedicated, and intellectually creative. If the school were to grant us this opportunity, students would greatly appreciate it. 

Sean Hogan

Staff Writer

On November 13th, 2021, Nerd Street Gamers opened up The Block to the public. I was there at the grand opening. So let me give you the details of the business and what it offers. 

About the business

The Block is a place where you can go and play video games on high-end computers, retro and current generation consoles like the Wii, and the Nintendo Switch.

 They host tournaments of all types of games, fighting games, first-person shooters, and sports games. They have a small restaurant in the business as well that serves pretty good food like burgers, chicken, etc.

Pricing 

Prices are relatively cheap. Playtime is $5 for one hour of game time, which could be on the PCs, Arcade games, and or consoles run at the same $5 per hour price,  (you have to pay $2.50 extra if you didn’t bring a controller).  If you want more hours on the PCs, you can get another hour for $5 or you can get four hours for $17, eight for $30, and a whole twelve hours for $39. They are open on Mondays to Thursdays from 12pm to 10pm, Fridays and Saturdays from 12pm to 12am, and Sundays from 12pm to 10pm.

And you don’t have to spend all that time there, the time you have remaining if you leave early stays in your account so you still have that time to spend next time. Also, on Mondays to Fridays from 4-5 if you bring in your School ID you get a free hour of game time. 

The Grand Opening

On the first day in November, there was press everywhere, from the Inquirer to CBS News. They were giving away consoles and PCs to random people, and my brother won a brand new Nintendo Switch from a raffle.

 Everyone was screened by a security team because of the number of people that were flooding the line to get in. I was one of the first 250 people in line, so I got a brand new mouse pad for free. There was a tournament for Counter-Strike already going on the stage.

 I sat down on a setup and installed Half-Life on it. And I was playing that for a while. I had some computer trouble so they gave me a free hour extra. 

There were people everywhere, crowding around the stage, waiting for computers and consoles to open up so they could snag the seat. It was very chaotic, but it felt welcoming after being inside for a year and a half because of the pandemic.

After we attended the event, I asked my brother on his take.

“I think The Block was a cool place and I’d go again.” he told me. “I think The Block can introduce students to E-Sports to prevent kids from doing bad things.”

Nerd Street did not respond to an interview request.

Possible SLA Connections

 With The Block and SLA being so close to each other, there is the possibility for a New Club or an existing one like Smash Club being held at The Block.  Also, If students need to work on a lot of school work at one time you can benefit from using a fast computer with high-speed internet.

 Utilizing the free hour you get with your school id, you wouldn’t have to spend a dime! Or you and a group of friends can go and have a blast playing video games together after-school! 

Leticia Desouza

Staff Writer

The recent pandemic hit the SLA community in many different ways. During those times, to keep ourselves and those around us safe, students needed to stay home and isolate ourselves from the outside world. With this free time, people chose many pathways where they could kill time. One of the many ways people around the world chose to kill time was with technology.

This was especially true for the Class of 2024, who started their high school experience entirely online. Whereas other grades at SLA had a chance to meet in person before being forced online, last year’s freshmen only had online interactions to connect. 

Sophomore Eric Perez — connected with many people with activities like zoom calls and online games.

“I think that’s what made it fun, I’d stay up all night with friends and play video games. There was a lot of time for that which made me feel closer to friends.” Stated Perez

It seems that the freedom people across the world have with the internet allowed them to be less lonely during the cruciating moments of the pandemic. 

“My relationship with most of the people I met online didn’t last long. If it did last, it was because we had something to connect with,” continued Perez. “For example, we both had the same interests or they were really funny.” 

While some students had many experiences with the broad platforms in technology, other students mentioned their experiences during their time in online school.

Sophomore Shuhd Abdalla and Sophomore Auris Espinal shared some of their experiences with trying to build connections with other students at SLA during their online freshman year.

“It was a lot harder to make friends. I was really excited to make new friends but the pandemic has really made it difficult. Especially since everyone on zoom was over the pandemic at that point and sad about schooling being online that no one really tried to make lots of friends and stayed in a tight friend group.” Abdalla explained.

“I didn’t really get to connect with people mainly because I didn’t know anybody and they didn’t know me. When online classes first started I was very excited because I would get to see and talk to other students that were my age.” stated Espinal.

For all these reasons,  Sophomores seemed to have difficulty creating a bond with their classmates. This made their experiences with the recent pandemic feel lonely. 

After a while, things began to go back to normal after spending almost two years in quarantine. People began going back to their normal routines like going to work or school. This made many interactions and friendships made during the quarantine period start to fade. 

“Sometimes I saw how we got distant from each other, but it never really bothered me. If there was a bad change, then I would simply block them.” Added Perez.

With the diversity of the sophomore SLA community, there are many other experiences recent 10th graders were able to experience during their time in the recent quarantine. Though with time only moving forward and with technology improving each day, online connections will only continue to grow. The recent pandemic allowed many people across the world to explore a world that they weren’t familiar with, allowing them to wonder and discover what is more to this unfamiliar world.

Harper Leary

Staff Writer

Many students’ first in-person benchmark season came in full swing towards the end of October. This was a typical start of the school year – except that more than half of SLA students did not know what to expect after being online for more than a year and a half. 

As a result, each student has had to find their way in this new, old normal.

Sophomore Elijah Lopez expressed his opinion on the first quarter’s benchmark season, comparing it to last year’s, which was almost entirely online. 

“I think they are [in-person benchmarks] easier [than online benchmarks], cause the teachers are more accessible in person, and the checkpoints that they gave us were a lot better this year than we got last year.”

“For sophomores, it was their first time doing an in-person benchmark, so it- sometimes we say that for the sophomores, ‘it’s like you’re having your freshman and sophomore year simultaneously.” 

English teacher Larissa Pahomov said. “It was unique because we were expecting academic work that was beyond what we would expect from freshmen, but in terms of the scaffolding and support in getting a benchmark done, I think we, meaning the teachers, had to put more effort and more steps in to make sure students were supported.”

Some students had mixed opinions on the topic.

Junior Katelyn Chen had her entire sophomore year online, meaning this is the first time she has been in person since freshman year. 

“Honestly, it depends because I feel like online they were more laid back, but like in person, it’s easy to work with people,” Chen said. 

Senior Shay Deanna seemed to agree.

 “I can focus better [online], like my focus in class gets messed up when I’m around a bunch of people. On virtual school, it was easier because I could just focus, and I can get it done when I wanted to. And then I had the whole day to get it done because we finished school at like 12.”

While opinions about the return to in-person workloads were mixed, all three students interviewed emphasized that they are glad to be off Zoom. 

Ms. Pahomov pointed out the positives of teaching in person again. “I’m definitely appreciating the chance to check in with people in person,” she said.

“I think that valuing and maximizing the time we have face to face has become even more important. Because that was the biggest hurdle, I mean there were ways to check in with students one-on-one, but it was so much slower with Zoom that you just couldn’t provide the level of feedback that we were used to.”