Op/Ed

Harassment In and Out of The School Building

May 26, 2022 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Gabrielle Hart

Staff Writer

Since starting in person at SLA this year, my eyes have been opened to a new perspective on different aspects of the school community — But not in a completely good way.

My first year of highschool was virtual and there was little I could work with when imagining what my life would look like when we returned physically. However, that didn’t stop me from looking forward to meeting new people and understanding SLA as a whole. There are a lot of good things about this school — [list a few of them here] However,I also think some people here tend to use all of this goodness as a way to sweep the things that need to be improved, or at least openly discussed, under the rug.

One of these things is harassment, of multiple forms. I realize it’s not easy for the staff here to regulate issues amongst a school of 500 students, let alone two schools sharing one building. However, all instances of harassment issues need to be taken seriously. For example, There are many times where unwanted interactions in the shared stairwell or the first floor — unpleasant moments that I’ve since become immune to — have occurred not just with me, but with people, specifically girls, at this school.

I can recall a time where I was headed to the fifth floor girls bathroom on SLA’s side when a student from Ben Franklin High school came over through the doors to shout and pound on the girl’s bathroom door for me to come out. I wouldn’t say this situation scared me or made me feel unsafe and this is only because things like this happen all the time. But this did leave me questioning why this is something that me and other people have to experience and have become so accustomed to.

Whether it be catcalling, following, touching, or shouting this kind of behavior would never allow anyone to feel comfortable in a school environment. But despite the fact that these instances of harassment have been brought to both school’s attention, almost nothing has been done to regulate it. It would be safe to say that there is a mutual agreement that nothing can be done so us students have to just deal with it like we have been.

And while the instances of stairwell harassment seem to mostly be between the two schools, SLA students also turn on each other. Online bullying in the form of ‘jokes’ is another issue that I’ve specifically noticed at SLA. It seems like students are completely unaware or disregard when the line is crossed. This is definitely not what I imagined would come from any student at SLA — but I also think it’s precisely that mindset that gives some students the space to get away with this bad behavior It’s been bad enough this year the health teacher had to have multiple classes teaching us how these actions do entirely much more harm than good.

Column: The Impact of Student Walkouts

May 26, 2022 by Adrie Young Leave a Comment

Adrie Young

Staff Writer

Freshman Eliza Cucchiara speaks at student walkout

On Friday, May 13, around 150 SLA students, including myself, walked out of school to protest the leaked draft of the Supreme Court opinion to overturn Roe v Wade.

Philly Socialist Alternative organized the walkout alongside students from Franklin Learning Center, Masterman, and Friends Select. When freshman Eliza Cucchiara and I heard about it on the Thursday before the event, we knew we wanted to get SLA involved.

There was a lot of work to be done, including reaching out to the organizers of the walkout, coordinating with students from other schools, and assisting them with planning. But the bulk of our effort was spent spreading the word about this event within SLA. While social media was helpful in the process, we talked to a lot of students face-to-face as well. And one question people kept asking Eliza and me was “how will a walkout actually help?”

This question gave me pause because at first, I wasn’t quite sure how to answer. I’d seen that other schools were organizing this walkout, and I’d been so excited to jump on board because it seemed like the right thing to do.

But what would one school walkout do in the face of this national issue? We weren’t protesting anything going on in our school. We weren’t even marching to city hall to demand change from our government. So what were we doing?

Here’s how the event itself went. We marched down Broad street and met up with students from multiple other schools at Love Park. Many people carried signs saying things like “protect Roe” and “mi cuerpo es mio”. A microphone and speakers were set up at the front of the crowd and multiple students delivered speeches, including Eliza. People mostly talked about how Roe v Wade being overturned will affect us, and how it is up to us to call for change from our leaders. Some also called for better school funding, and for the school district to hire more nurses and counselors and create more inclusive sex education. 6abc covered the event in an article.

I think the most impactful part of a walkout is that it shows students that they can and do have the agency to make a difference and challenge people in positions of power. One of the goals of the walkout on Friday was to show people in power that we won’t participate in a society where we don’t have the right to our bodies, and to prove to people that we have the power to organize demonstrations like this, and that we can do it again.

To me, this walkout feels like an excellent starting point. It gave students the chance to take immediate action against this issue, and hopefully, it made people aware that there are things that they can do individually to contribute to a larger movement for change. But student involvement shouldn’t end with the walkout. Before getting SLA involved in the walkout, Eliza and I had plans to work with our peers to raise money for the National Network of Abortion Funds, an organization that assists people who may not have the money or resources to get an abortion on their own. We also have plans to organize two bake sales and hope to help keep SLA students involved in this movement.

No matter what happens with the Supreme Court ruling, we will work to make our voices heard and create change however we can, whether that be raising funds, educating people, or organizing walkouts.

I Almost Went to Central

May 26, 2022 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Maya Smelser

Staff Writer

I always knew I wanted to go to SLA. When I heard there was a school that gave out projects instead of tests, I was sold. I have always been the type of student who thrives with hands-on learning.

And yet, I still strongly considered going to Central.

Why is that? Most people from my middle school, including every one of my friends, planned on heading to Central. Going to Central, a huge high school with over 2000 students, would have been scary. But going to a school where I knew basically no one would have been scarier.

My elementary and middle school held about 500 students, with only 41 in my grade at the end of 8th grade. So Central would have been a big jump, even though lots of friends were doing it.

And Central never appealed to me. It seemed crowded and like a lot of work. I had been to the building a few times to see my older sister’s concerts and found the place intimidating. I had also seen how my sister’s personal life had disappeared behind her textbooks, especially after she joined the school’s IB program.

I had also shadowed at Central in the beginning of my 8th grade year. My friends left even more excited than before, while I left confused. I had almost been trampled in the halls by people triple my size. The classes were full of students, sat in rows, but crammed in tiny classrooms. Few people seemed like they actually wanted to be there.

Even with all this compelling evidence to deter me from Central, the idea of going to a school entirely full of strangers was a million times worse. I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to make any friends. I was terrified to be all alone.

Then, the day before I was meant to shadow at SLA, the news of the asbestos broke. I was crushed. Was the school I hoped for even going to be open to me next year?

I still got to do my interview later that year. It was, to date, one the most nerve wracking days of my life. I hated talking in front of people, especially if I didn’t know them. I put a lot of pressure on myself to do a good job because I knew how important it was.

Then the big day came. One Friday in early January, at exactly 5:00 pm, alone in my room, I opened my computer and checked to see what highschools I had been accepted to. I applied to four schools, SLA Center City, SLA Bieber, Central, and Palumbo. I had gotten into all of them except SLA Bieber. I was hoping the decision would just be made for me. No luck.

I decided to shadow at SLA Center City, even though they were relocated to the School District Building at the time. I loved it. The classes were engaging and the environment seemed so welcoming. I’ve always been a creative person and I felt like this would be the place where I would thrive.

It was nothing like the version of high school my middle school teachers had warned me about, where the teachers would be harsh and the students unfriendly. Which was great, because that sounded terrible.

A week after that time in my room, I had decided. It was SLA. It was always SLA. I wasn’t going to go to Central just because I was afraid.

I had no idea what would happen next — none of us did. But the fact that I overcame my fear about a big transition helped me when COVID hit. I knew it would all work out.

Now, I’m almost a junior and I am very happy with that decision. SLA was the perfect fit I expected. I’m glad I didn’t let fear make my decision for me.

I Don’t Fly to School

May 26, 2022 by Harper Leary Leave a Comment

Harper Leary

Staff Writer

Unlike all of my friends, I do not get a TransPass through school, yet I still take SEPTA every day.

The School District of Philadelphia’s Transportation Eligibility Guidelines states that “Students in grades 7 through 12 who live 1.5 miles or farther from school are eligible for free Student TransPasses.”

Now, when I read this at the beginning of the year, it kind of made sense. I could see why they had a distance requirement – it encourages students to get exercise during the day and not rely on public transportation if it’s not needed.

My house falls right on the cusp of the boundary for SLA. When driving or biking, the distance from my house to school is 1.5 or 1.6 miles, depending on your route.

Student Fare Card curtesy of Leo Braveman. *Image by Harper Leary*

So why don’t I get a TransPass?

It’s because the distance is less than 1.5 miles “as the crow flies”, which is how my advisor put it.

This means in a straight line from their house to school; try visualizing a bird literally flying from one location to another.

Of course, I am not a crow, and neither are any of my peers at SLA (at least as far as I know). The logic of the rule is confusing. Let’s look at what transit to school looks like for our actual students.

If the student rides their bike to school, the rule doesn’t consider which streets have bike lanes or which direction each road is going. A student could live 1.3 miles away from school but have to ride their bike for 1.6 miles.

What’s more, as we all well know, Philly has a wide range of weather. Assuming a student walks or bikes to school rather than taking SEPTA, this ‘as the crow flies’ rule doesn’t consider unshoveled or icy sidewalks, a heatwave, rain, or any other factors.

What stood out to me was how non-inclusive this exception is. What if a family cannot afford to buy a TransPass and the student needs to help their siblings get to school? What if the route fastest to school has unsafe pavement or areas that the student needs to avoid? What if the student isn’t physically able to get to their location by foot and needs a TransPass but now can’t get one?

I could go on, but I hope you get the point.

My route to school isn’t particularly unsafe, and I can walk, yet I rarely do. Taking the bus means I get 20ish more minutes of sleep, and during heat waves or the middle of the winter, you will not find me walking to school. Fortunately, my family can afford a TransPass, which I use all the time, not just to get to school. When my internship is in person, I use it for the subway. For ultimate frisbee games, I use it to get home.

I have no problem walking to school when I need to, but others have reasons that are more urgent or dangerous than mine. Considering all of the factors that already keep students from getting to school and getting there on time, the School District should work with SEPTA to ensure that ALL students get TransPasses, despite how far they live from school.

Those who want to walk will walk. Those that play sports or have internships far from home will have a safe way to return. This small change will not only protect students, but it will also make the journey to school that much easier.

College, A Tough Topic

May 26, 2022 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Valeria Escobar Staff Writer

College is one of the most frustrating topics to think and talk about, at least for me. Most of the time I try to ignore this topic completely. “I’ll think about it when the time comes” I always tell myself. But every day that passes, that time when I actually have to start thinking about is getting closer, and I have even more options to consider.

In middle school I thought I had a pretty concrete college plan for the future. Even though in middle school I didn’t know what I wanted to study in the future, I had an idea of where I would like to study. The “where” part now became one of the most difficult aspects to keep in mind– and for me, that’s a much bigger question than just whether I want to stay in Philadelphia.

The majority of my family lives in Colombia, so for the longest time I thought I would just go to college there, so I could maintain a close relationship with my family. This seemed like a simple option, and basically the only option I had in mind, but now the “college talk” has been happening a lot more frequently, more options come up.

Even though I still like the idea of studying in Colombia, now I understand the difficulties of living there, such as the political problems happening right now, the economic struggles I would most likely go through, and the quality of education there is not as good as in other places.

My parents play a huge role in where I finally end up in college, so their approval is necessary for me. Currently, they are leaning towards me studying abroad in Germany, since it’s mostly free and the quality of education is also really good. Even though this seems like the best option for them, this is the option that scares me the most. College in Germany would be the opposite of what I had originally planned. It would be extremely far from my family, I also have to think about learning the language, and that I would basically have to reset my whole life there because I don’t know anybody, or their culture.

Obviously another option for me would be to stay in the U.S. and go to college here, but unlike my other options, this would be the most expensive, If I wanted to go to a good college.

The college I go to will ultimately depend on what I want to pursue in life, but since I have no idea what that is, geography and money are the biggest factors influencing my decision.

Hopefully inspiration or my passion will strike between now and senior year, which will make choosing a college, and where exactly that college is gonna be in, a little less complicated.