Features

Lauren Nicolella

Staff Writer

What happens to all those prom dresses after they have been worn?

Two students from Friends Select School, juniors Charlotte Kaplan, and Regan Loughran Moore are answering that question by planning a prom dress drive for area high schools.  

The collection will take place on Saturday, April 7th from 12-3 at their building located on 17th and Ben Franklin Parkway. An advisory memo will be sent out soon with more information to give interested students a reminder.  

The idea for this event was from Charlotte’s grandmother, who had an event like this at the high school she used to teach at in Massachusetts. She suggested that they create a dress drive, and include the neighboring high schools too.

“Our school’s service club, Helping Hands, planned a Coat Drive earlier in the year for people experiencing homelessness/low-income household,” explained Loughran Moore. “The Prom Dress Exchange will be executed similarly to the Coat Day, in which people come and experience a mini-popup shop in our school’s gym.”

With prom season slowly approaching, they have specifically opened it up to inviting neighboring schools and SLA was one of those granted access.

“We wanted to invite other schools so that we had more of a dress selection and so other girls had the same opportunity as our school,” Kaplan said.

Dresses that are donated will immediately be available for purchase, with the proceeds of the sales supporting a local charity. The organizers suggested $20 as the maximum cost of a dress.

There are requirements for those who are donating dresses: no big stains, lightly worn or new, all sizes are accepted, and no casual dresses are allowed.

As thoughts swirl around of what is going to be worn at junior or senior prom, the season is slowly approaching and it can be very expensive to buy what you want to wear. This event allows those who are interested to get dresses at a decent price and to also give dresses to the drive that will not be worn again.

Junior Alexandrea Rivera attended a prom last year and sold the dress she wore.

“I then used that money to buy my prom dress for the next year.” Rivera said she does not keep her dresses, and that her wedding dress would be the only one she would consider storing away. She also mentioned that she would use an app called Poshmark to sell a dress, or would talk to a friend about it.

Charlotte Kaplan and Regan Loughran Moore are super excited for the event to take place, and can’t wait to see if there are SLA students who will end up donating or finding a dress at their school. Students who want more information can contact the organizers at reganlm@friends-select.org or charlottek@friends-select.org.

 

Louisa Strohm and  Kai Bradley-Gutierrez de Teran

Staff Writers

Soundcloud has been the platform for many recent artists to rise to fame. Many artists have gone from rapping, singing or making beats in their bedroom with friends to performing concerts in front of thousands of people and signing record deals, including XXXtentacion, Lil Yachty, and Lil Uzi Vert. SLA students have definitely noticed the trend, and are using this free service as an advantage for their own creative output.

https://soundcloud.com/voiceless128

Junior Brendon Hall goes by the name of Voiceless 128 on Soundcloud. He says that ¨without music I’m voiceless.”

Hall is a Soundcloud rapper but he is not like what many first think when they hear of that genre. He seems to be more lyrically focused commenting on various topics in his songs and collaborating with other artists, one being SLA substitute teacher Kia Orian, better known as Mr. O.

He says that he became interested in music especially after watching “8 Mile,” a movie about Eminem and the Hip Hop world because he wanted to show the world what he had to say.  

He stands out in the way he promotes at SLA because he is very personal in his promotion, using word of mouth and contacting other artists to exchange reviews of each others music and help each other grow.

Hall says his music following is not that large, even though he has racked up 11.1K streams on Soundcloud. He said that the Soundcloud musician movement at SLA is “A fun and very positive movement.”  and that it’s “oriented on being independent,” something he thinks is important because it allows for people to create art and be themselves.

https://soundcloud.com/christian-techh-771895489

Senior Christian McCormac’s music fits the description of most Soundcloud rappers, quick ‘bangerz’ that are fun to listen to. McCormac’s Soundcloud name is Christian Techh. He said that the name was something symbolic to him as he came up with the name in middle school thinking it was cool. It seems to act a reminder of where he came from and who he was at that time.  

He says that he first became interested in making music in the 3rd grade and has recorded songs on his phone over the years but it wasn’t until the past year that he first went into a music studio to record his own songs.

Techh’s music has seriously infiltrated SLA’s consciousness, as he countlessly posts on Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter about his new songs. 

Why use the platform for his music? McCormac said that “Soundcloud rappers give people a way to express themselves.”

McCormac plans to drop a free EP, which are a bunch of singles put together in the next few months. .” It will be free because currently does not have to rights to the beats he uses. His long-term goal is to have his own beats and to be able to make a profit off of his music.

https://soundcloud.com/user-725552961

Sophomore Joziah Matos goes by ‘Sotam’ on Soundcloud,  his last name spelled backward. He produces beats for other artists to use and create their own music over. He originally started creating music because someone told him that he wouldn’t be able to do it and he wanted to prove them wrong.

“I tried it and ended up really liking it and I thought it would become my real hobby and maybe even a living.” He believes that creating music is helping the learning environment of SLA because he believes that you can learn greatly from listening to music.

He plans on continuing his Soundcloud career even after leaving SLA.

“It is a hobby now and it’s a part of me. I take this seriously like I am willing to spend hundreds of dollars on this.”

The Good and the Bad

SLA students have definitely noticed the trend, which means more attention for each of these artists. Hall says Soundcloud is beneficial to his creativity because it “Shows you how to promote yourself as a business and to plan for a job.”

However, there is the aspect of competition, which can be healthy and/or unhealthy. Matos says “I don’t see any competition and if there was, it must be really healthy because I haven’t heard about it.”  

Senior Christian McCormac expanded on how competition saying “If you’re always focused on the competition your gonna mess up, you got to focus on yourself.”

As a whole, Soundcloud is a stepping stone for many musicians to make it in the music industry. It can be used seriously to advance oneself to fame and into the music industry or as a place to share music with others for fun.

Amelia Benamara

Staff Writer

September 2015. The tension in the air was thick on the yellow bus as it drove over potholes and bumps. There was a clear division between the players on the team.

There were a few things we shared, such as attending the same school and being teammates. However, there were differences between us as well, since we were all in different grades.

What makes up a successful soccer team? Here are the girls who played last year.

First, we had the seniors, they, of course, dominated the team. Not only were they the captains but they were also the best players. Then there were the juniors who got along with the upperclassman pretty well; almost always being the only two grades that laughed and sang along to the music the speaker spat out. That was understandable, both groups have been on the same team for years, forming beautiful bonds.

As for sophomores, we hadn’t had any on our team during that time. Then came us, a total of six freshmen, a pretty large population compared to the other grades. I had played… We were quiet on the bus rides, the opposite of the upperclassman. As the new kids, we hardly spoke to one another, considering that we just met that year and haven’t formed any friendships just yet.

Although most people would take offense to not being included, I, on the other hand, felt comfortable with the feeling of simply sitting solo on the booth as I listen to the stories being told in the back. I wasn’t a  part of the conversations, I laughed along anyway — feeling as if I was a popular senior myself.

But I wondered: would I  ever get a chance to earn the royal seats in the back of that yellow bus? The seats that would give me permission to share all the stories I have stacked for years now, waiting for a group such as this team to share with.

Now, as a junior,  I yearn the days when I looked up to the seniors who could run an incredible number of miles that no freshmen could at the time, the juniors who told the most reckless teenage stories anyone could laugh at, and the moments I would sit on the bench and cheer my team players hoping to one day achieve that same position on the field. I look back to our senior day where every individual shed a tear. Saying goodbye to the seniors of that year is incredible and emotional in so many different ways; not only are we losing such amazing players, but as well influential people.

After three seasons on the team,  it feels more and more incredible each year. My recent season had just wrapped up… the new people I met, the new teams we played, and the overwhelming feeling of celebratory as a team.

Yes, we might not be the most coordinated players on that field, but at the end of the day what I learned from the girls after all of these years is that a team is definitely not about winning, it’s all about the adrenaline you get from the love you experience with a team, a true team.

Mekhi Granby

Staff Writer

Exactly what do SLA students think about Narratives?

The feedback from teachers written towards students as individuals at the end of the first and third quarters of each school year garners some strong reactions from the student body. They’re often a love/hate thing, students either anxiously look forward to or barely acknowledge them (or both).

The overall consensus seemed to be that students feel narratives lose their value as students get closer to graduating.

For freshmen, the process is entirely new, and the write-ups make a strong impression. As quarter one came to an end, a number of incoming freshman posted photos of their narratives on snapchat with soft-hearted messages of appreciation inspired by the insightful and generous words from their teachers.

“All of my narratives so far were meaningful to me because I saw that all my teachers appreciated who I am in class and my work ethic, said Freshman Londyn Edwards.

“I pride myself in being a good student and to see that being appreciated was amazing and fulfilling to me.”

History Teacher Matthew Baird said, “It’s crucial that as a school we look at students as individuals and not just grades. My hope is that both faculty and students appreciate narratives as being part of that process.”

“It’s important that students get more than numbers for feedback, it adds different pieces to being a student and a learner,” said English Teacher Joshua Block.

Sophomore Horace Ryans agreed with this assessment.

“I feel like my teachers make an effort to communicate and express their concern to us. Transitioning from a freshman to a sophomore, my narratives have gotten better as my teachers obtain a greater understanding of who I am as a student,” Ryans said.

The upperclassmen interviewed, however, did not feel so rosy about the narratives.

“Not to call any teacher out, but I really hate it when teachers start talking about things that don’t relate with my academics directly. I feel like my narratives are about 85 percent accurate,” said Junior Messele Asfaw.

“I think the reason upperclassmen may be less interested or excited for narratives is because they’re used to reflecting on their own by now. It’s all information that they already know,” said Art Teacher Marcie Hull.

Junior Lucien Hearn affirmed this mindset.

“When receiving my narratives for the first quarter, I had little reaction because it was standard advice,” he said.

Students also get tired of being corrected.

“I think teachers tend to overreact about certain things because they have the power to do so. For example a student being on their phone a few times during the class, they make it seem like you’re always on your phone,” said Senior Imani Williams.

“Older students may care less because they see the process of grades and narratives of further defining who they are and they think it’s all been settled but in fact it hasn’t. They don’t see them as a tool to improve,” added Mr. Baird.

So if narratives feel less meaningful to upperclassmen, should they change in some way? A lack of personalization is a big complaint that surrounds narratives. What would make them more meaningful?

“Sometimes, writing them can be challenging. Due to the amount of students it feels like I’m saying the same thing but having to word it differently,” said Spanish Teacher Joselyn Hernandez.

“The most meaningful narratives to me are those that have included helpful criticisms from teachers on how to better succeed in class for the upcoming quarters because then I can set goals for myself,” said Senior Lotus Shareef-Trudeau.

Asfaw agreed with this statement.

“My advisor gave me one that was very meaningful. It contained what I did well, what I could do better, and what he likes about me as a student as well as what he likes about me personally,” he said.

Block revealed his working solution for narratives.

“I find it helpful when older students contribute to writing the narrative as they find it more useful for improvement,” he said.

More teachers have moved toward this blended-writing system in the past year, where the student contributes at least part of the narrative.

It remains to be seen whether this trend will continue or even grow. The next narratives will be written at the end of the third quarter, in late April 2018.