News

Student Spotlight: Nikki Adeli

March 26, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Screen Shot 2015-03-26 at 12.06.25 PM Dylan McKeon Staff Writer

A major belief that many students of SLA hold is the idea that standardized tests are an inaccurate judgement of a student’s intelligence. In 2014, this idea was presented to to the world through a TED talk presented by SLA senior Nikki Adeli. In her TED talk, Nikki talks about how most schools currently have a large focus on standardized tests rather than teaching students to become citizens and leaders.

“The value and purpose of the schools is to grow a citizen” Nikki said in the speech, “and this citizen is to be a multitude of personalities, it’s if someones open-minded, knowledgeable and someone who in the long run can give back to her community.”

To change this situation, she is working to link students with small businesses to give students a bigger role in the community. The project would allow students to volunteer or intern during the school week and help small businesses in Philly.

Unfortunately, Nikki also sees big barriers to her work.

“The way I see it is not the way we are going, as the majority of our funding is to testing and to make sure testing comes into play”

She points out that a major problem with standardized test is that they creates competition, rather than building students into leaders and citizens.

The biggest challenge as she puts it “is the negative mentality a lot of Philadelphians have regarding young people”.

She argues that “the most important thing for students to realize is that they have the capability to be the leaders of today, not always the “leaders of tomorrow” like many people say”.

This isn’t all Nikki has done in her four years at SLA. She has done much to advocate for youth educations, serving as a Youth Commissioner to Mayor Michael Nutter and also has Head Concierge for EduCon.

Currently she is looking for colleges that offer her a similar sense of public policy and have strong connections to the community.

Her Ted Talk can be found here

New Classes!

March 26, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

If If you’re a senior at SLA, good news –there are many new classes next year being introduced by the teachers for seniors core classes and electives. .

Engineering Teacher John Kamal, has background in space science, had worked at GE’s space division and had worked on a couple of NASA programs, like Galileo and Ulysses interplanetary spacecraft and the design of the International Space Station, will be sharing his expertise in a new senior science class, called Aerospace Engineering.

“I want students to learn about the science of how the universe works. especially the physics and chemistry. I want them to be able to use observations to have the experience of seeing those physical principles in real life and to also look at how humans have explored space and engineering that went into the exploration.”

Mr.Kamal has also planned some cool projects for next year. For example, he might have his students design spacecraft with a given set of objectives and constraints to perform a particular mission.

“I’m really looking forward to teaching it for the for first time, and also looking forward to energetic students to learn about how the world works.”

English Teacher Amal Giknis,will be teaching the new class called Being Human next year to explore the deeper values that we all share.

“I wanted to leave the title open ended as a way to explore different values of our society. To explore more and discover answers to unanswered questions such as, are these value absolute? If our society crumble do these what values continue to exist. etc?”

This year, Ms. Giknis took over the English courses that had previously be designed by Ms. Dunn — Reel Reading and Gender and Sexuality in Literature. For the new course next year Ms. Giknis made her class based on things she questioned and loved.

“I made the class based on things I have loved to read and questions that had remained with me for so much of my life, and things I enjoy thinking about. At first, I started thinking about books I liked and a lot of the different themes that are interesting to explore with young people, especially the seniors. I didn’t teach most of the books I explored, so it’ll be great to explore as a class”.

Ms. Giknis wants the class to read mostly modern literature.

“ I really want to explore into themes that make us who we are as individual and as a society. What divides us from the world?, Where did values come from? Why aren’t we animals? Why aren’t we zombies?

Ms.Giknis’ possible activities for class can be something like a project on apocalyptic, she does not have the details, but will be interested to see how students explore into things like the world coming to an end, and the chances of survival.

“I am really excited, it’s really a cool privilege to have, to be able to teach anything you want, and to choose what it will be and what students will like.”

A third new class, Gender Studies, will be offered as a two-day elective by Ms. Menasion, and will be open to everybody but Freshmen. The course will be a continuation of some of the themes explored in the Social Justice elective she is teaching this year.

Graduation Delays

March 9, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

images Dylan McKeon Staff Writer

As with the years before, the SLA graduation will take place in the Franklin Institute however the date of the graduation suffered a change. The year for this years graduation had to suffer a small date change due to another event happening at the Franklin at that time.

“The Franklin is made up of a lot of moving parts and another group received it for the day we had planned” said project manager Jeremy Spry “Because of this the graduation will take place on June 12th.”

Despite the date change, there is no changes to the seniors schedule otherwise.

“It’s still the same old graduation, there won’t be any changes to it or the schedule.” Jeremy explains, “It’s just been moved around and we apologize to those who’ve booked travel tickets in advance.”

There have been no major issues with families having made plans for the graduation and being inconvenienced by the date change.

Three year ago a similar issue came up with the graduation date.

“We switched the date for President Obama, it was much more of a last second thing and I’m sure that families were inconvenienced.” said Spry “Most families in that case understood the last second change, as its not everyday that the President of the United States speaks to a high school.”

The new date for the SLA graduation is June 12, 2015 at the Franklin Institute.

Technology Status in Cuba

February 12, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Ella Donesky
Staff Writer

As of January 2015, the United States has expressed a desire to open a dialogue with Cuba and travel between the two countries has become more accessible. Together with travel, President Obama has put new rules into action, allowing the transport of money and the exchange of business.

New relations suggests the potential for new access to technology. Thanks to strict government controls, social media and the internet are commodities Cuban citizens have not had much access to. While we’re hoping to find evidence of this new type of market opening up between the United States and Cuba, for many years, Cuba has been providing their own, somewhat amateur solution.

How do they do it? An NPR article details the distribution of internet and television access in a town outside Havana, Cuba. The article is titled “Lacking Internet, Cubans rely on ‘The Package’ for Entertainment.” The way this works is, one man obtains tv shows, movies, apps, video games and software updates through a satellite download, which is then passed to a middle man (who goes by the name of Iyawo) through a thumb drive, the contents of which are sold and passed around citizens of the town.

There are many vague restrictions to this sort of activity, meaning, legalities aren’t clear. While owning a laptop in Cuba is legal, Iyawo’s enterprise is not. However, according to NPR, “The package doesn’t include anything political or pornographic, that’s why he [Iyawo] speculates the government permits it.”

Within the last few years, internet access has become more widespread, progressing to availability in cyber salons, computer clubs, post offices and offices, though it usually comes with a fee and viewer censorship.

An interview with Robert Muse, published in Scientific America, provided interesting information with regards to the United States’ role in Cuba’s increasing internet availability. Cuba isn’t obtaining the technology from the US, in fact, they’re doing so with the help of countries like Venezuela. In his words, “there’s nothing they specifically need from the US.”

Regardless of whether Cuba believes they need anything from the US or not, as of four weeks ago, devices and software were beginning to be transported to Cuba.

The newly opened relations between Cuba and the United States may allow for a more flexible exchange of technology, access to internet, and a less censored form of access, at that. In the future, it may even promote a larger presence in trade for Cuba.

For more information about Cuba and the United States’ relations and hear students’ perspectives, check out “Teachers, Students React to New Relations with Cuba” published in early January.

Image courtesy of NPR

Mr. Kamal on joining the teachers of SLA.

January 28, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Dylan McKeon

Staff Writer

As many people in SLA know, VK has left to go to Drexel University to help with a new STEM education program. Teaching Engineering, Robotics, and Chemistry in his stead is John Kamal who some students might recognize from being Ms. Echols’ student teacher earlier this year in Physics.
Although he only started as a full-time teacher this month, he has already made his mark on the school. Anyone who has visited Room 304 since winter break will have noticed that is much cleaner than it was earlier in the school year with most of the lab tables cleaned off and signs welcoming you to the room. Additional there are plans to alter the typical curriculum he will be teaching, so it’s clear a lot more changes will be happening in 304. To learn more about him and his arrival at SLA, an interview was set which you can read below.

Interviewer: To start, Where were you before you came here to SLA?
John Kamal: “I was working at WAM systems a company I co-founded and worked at as Chief Operating Officer for twenty-five years. We developed supply chain planning software and provide consulting services to large manufacturers.”

Interviewer: Why did you leave to come teach at SLA?
Kamal: “I decided to change career after the sale of the company to Triple Point Technology and I wanted to teach science and technology.”

Interviewer: How did you learn of the job and why did you decide to work here?
Kamal: “My son Nathan went to SLA and graduated in 2012. I also knew Mr Lehman and Mrs Echols from my time as a parent of SLA.

Interviewer: So far how has your teaching experience been here at SLA?
Kamal: “ I love it, everyday I have fun and I really enjoy the students energy

Interviewer: You started out helping Mrs. Echols, was the plan always for you to take over for VK?
Kamal: “ I was a member of the Philadelphia Teacher Residency program, I wasn’t thinking about staying at SLA but when VK’s job opened up it was a great fit.

Interviewer: How do you feel the students are taking to your replacement of VK.
Kamal: “Well change is always hard but each new person in role can add new things to a program”

Interviewer: What challenges have you face in fitting in?
Kamal: “Well I’m the oldest teacher in the school but I think thats a positive as I can provide a historical perspective.”

Interviewer: Anything else?
Kamal: “I feel so fortunate to have this opportunity and to work with such an incredible community and to have so much support.”