SLA Media

SLAMedia is a publication of the news for the Science Leadership Academy community. Writers come from the student body in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. We work in unison to create a functioning paper with biweekly postings on a variety of events.

News

New ‘10% Time Project’ Shakes Up Spring Courses

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Project Timeline for Ms. Echols' Physics Class

By Jenn Wright

Staff Writer

A new semester-long experiment started in February for juniors in Physics and seniors in Anatomy.

Running for a total of 13 weeks, juniors and seniors choose a medium to present their learning in a topic of choice.

The inspiration for the program comes from Google and their “20% time” method, where employees can spend one day a week working on anything they want to enhance the companies’ services.

Quite fittingly, SLA has adapted this idea into science classrooms.

“It gives kids the chance to be creative and recess their mind,” Senior Amber Altomare said, “while still being graded.”

Teachers employing the project, like Science Teacher Tim Best, say that its purpose is “to learn about something you want to know instead of something I want you to know.”

The 10% Time Project is a badge of just exactly how SLA has been operating under its unique teaching style since the day the doors opened.

Mr. Best speaks to the fact that while it requires a lot of work, the project is nothing like the senior year-long project. He says, “I want it to be worthwhile and educational, but not too much like school work.”

There are few guidelines about how this can be formatted. The project description states the only requirement is that the final project be made public. That variety of choice is not an obstacle for the average SLA student, rather a preference.

Junior Tenzin Ngawang appreciated that freedom. “The teacher is not on your back about it,” she said.

Coincidentally, the announcement by Chief Academic Officer Penny Nixon from the school district about removing the mandated curriculum was announced around the same time the project was assigned.

Principal Chris Lehmann is a part of the School Autonomy Sub-Committee that took part in developing the idea of taking away the scripted curriculum.
Mr. Lehmann said he hopes the decision helps to “develop curricular programs that are more responsive to the communities they serve.”

So, does this mean that other schools will start adopting SLA innovations like 10% time?

““I hope so,” said Mr. Lehmann. “I don’t know that it will happen immediately, especially because it is already so late in the year.”

“I believe that in time you’ll see small scale experiments and implementation… that by school year ‘13 or ‘14 you’ll see schools really blow it out of the water. Some schools are eagerly awaiting this.”

Students tell Gov. Corbett to “Fall Back in Love with Public Education”

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Staff Writer

More than 400 people gathered in the Pennsylvania’s State Capitol House last Tuesday, Feb. 14th, to collectively express their feelings on the new proposed budget that would slice state aid across the board of public education.

Students, parents, teachers, and community members from across the state filled the steps of Capitol house’s Rotunda with the message telling Governor Corbett to “Fall back in Love with Public Education”.

According to Christin Clark, an organizer from the Campaign for Nonviolent Schools (CNS), “the rally was organized by students and student organizations from around the State.”

CNS is a coalition of youth organizations in Philadelphia that “aims to end all forms of violence in school without pushing students into the criminal justice system,” according to its website.

Clark says that the organization of the event was a labor of love.

“For months there were conference calls and trainings to prepare people to play all the rolls they needed to in the event.”

The event was co-organized and sponsored by the Philadelphia Student Union and JUNTOS from Philadelphia; Teenbloc from Pittsburgh, and Project Peace from Reading.

One week before the event, Governor Corbett made his budget address. For the School District of Philadelphia, the new budget would be translated into another $23.1 millions in cut for the next fiscal year. On top of that, The District has reduced opening hours of buildings, eliminating after school and sport programs to fill the gap of $72 millions deficit on this fiscal year’s budget, almost $40 of which remain to be solved before the end of this school year.

Many other school districts in Pennsylvania face similar issue with lack of funding. Chester Upland School district went bankrupt in early January as funding requests to the state were refused. Federal court judge had to order the state to subside temporary funding to help Chester Upland stay afloat. Another hearing on this case was scheduled for February 23rd.

“Students were asking the Governor to fund districts based on need, and to prioritize education spending in the budget,” Clarks commented on the purpose of the event.

“The rally’s purpose seemed pretty simple,” said senior Rashaun Williams, who participated in the rally along with a handful of other students from Science Leadership Academy. “[It] was to get Governor Corbett to change the policies on the current budget cuts on public education”

SLA has suffered from several rounds of cuts, from last Spring to last December. SLA’s spring sports season was able to be secured, despite the ongoing district deficit.

Last December, former Acting Superintendent Leroy Nunery paid a visit to SLA to discuss the budget and future of the current building. With the effect of last spring and last December cut, and the ongoing budget gap, next year’s budget seems to be more burden. However, it is remained to be seen how the new budget will unfold.

SRC Chair Pedro Ramos Visits SLA

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By Jenn Wright

Staff Writer

On Tuesday, January 31st, the newly-appointed leader of the  School Reform Commission (SRC), Pedro Ramos, visited SLA for a tour and conversation.

His visit lasted two hours. For the first hour, he toured the school and observed classrooms with Principal Lehmann, then sat down with two SLA parents, Senior Tariq Smith, Junior Morgan Marant, Freshman Nikki Adeli, and several teachers.

“During the tour he seemed pretty surprised at the amount of kids in the hallway during projects,” said Marant. “He also asked a lot of questions.”

The visit was facilitated by a parent to give Ramos a chance to see the school. With no specific agenda, the discussion focused on how SLA does things and a wider scope about current education in general.

During the discussion, the parents spoke to the the reasons they appreciate SLA, while Lehmann spoke to the “ethic of care” that is established within the school. The adults in the room did the majority of speaking.

Ramos’ visit reflects the increased positive attention on SLA from the District. Other events include the December 6th evening meeting with now-former Superintendent Leroy Nunery and an all-day visit with a deputy superintendent.

The recent political unrest and mounting debt in the District has caused widespread changes and prompted reexamination of schools–and the hope that SLA could provide an example of what the District could do in the future.

Asking other schools to adopt some of SLA’s practices–or any major transformation–is not simple, however.

“Most District schools,” Mr. Lehmann said, “have never been given the time to develop a model.”

Ramos was in a hurry towards the end of his visit, leaving the discussion open. The dialogue is expected to continue as the District continues to reform.

Teachers featured in new iPad Product Release

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Principal Lehmann in the new Apple product video.

By Heather Campbell

Guest Writer
On Thursday, January 19, Apple unveiled their new product iBook Textbooks at an event at the Guggenheim Museum in New York.
SLA played a key role in the event. Principal Chris Lehmann attended the unveiling, and the school was featured in multiple ways.

“Yesterday was their big announcement, and we were lucky enough to be apart of it,” he commented.

Mr. Lehmann and Science Teacher Tim Best were featured in the product’s introduction video, which was filmed earlier this school year.

Mr. Lehmann attended the unveiling in New York. A quote of his from the  video was also featured on a wall of the museum.

“That was amazing. It was at the Guggenheim museum, that’s an amazing thing to see your words in one of the most prestigious museums in the country,” Lehman stated. “That’s profoundly humbling and amazing.”

Science Teacher Tim Best in the new Apple product video.

This new advertisement comes after Apple filmed a longer segment about computer use at the school last year.

Due to confidentiality reasons, Apple could not tell Mr. Lehmann and Mr. Best what they were filming for, or what product they were promoting.

“It was all secretive,” Mr. Best explained. “They were asking us questions, like theoretical questions, about textbooks.”

Now that they know what they were being filmed for, they feel honored to be apart of it.

Essentially, the iBook textbooks will eliminate the use of traditional textbooks and introduce interactive learning on the iPad.

“As a publishing tool it can change the way kids publish information. I think that’s always powerful. I think as a content consumption tool, I think it modernises the textbook,” explains Mr. Lehmann.

The iBook textbooks will allow teachers and students to create their own textbooks and resources and then share them with others. The application will feature interactive diagrams, photos, and videos; a highlighting and note taking tool with study cards; and a publishing program.

“It’s really sleek and really slick and has some unbelievable potential to change the way people both consume and create sort of traditional textbook information.” comments Mr. Lehmann.

However, not everyone is sure that iiBook Textbooks will make a large or positive change.

“They’re still textbooks,” pointed out Mr. Best, “They are a little more engaging and interactive but I don’t know. Since we already have laptops we don’t need to go this route.”

Although the Science Leadership Academy already incorporates the use of Apple’s MacBooks into their learning, certain features of the new iPad software do appeal to both Mr. Lehmann and Mr. Best.

“Every student at SLA could use iBook author,” Mr Lehmann theorized. “And as part of their senior exit interview they could create an ePortfolio, eText of their best work over four years and put that all electrically bound into a portfolio.”

Mr. Best commented that he would like to get a class set for playing around with to see what his class can do with them. But in a school that already has laptops, Mr. Best was unsure of the role the iBook Textbooks would play here.

While Mr. Lehmann has no intention on switching over to iPads from MacBooks, in the event that MacBooks cannot be funded, switching over to iPads would not necessarily pose as a disadvantage. For now, however, iBooks will not play a role at SLA.