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.

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SLA Cross Country Team Travels to States

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By Deshawn Mcleod

Staff Writer

On November 4th, the SLA cross country team headed down to Hershey, PA for the State Championship. Junior Matthew Ferry, captain of the boys cross country team, qualified for the competition. Running a 18:14 at Belmont Plateau for the District XII Championships, he placed 11th.

Along with Ferry, other runners on the SLA cross country team joined to cheer their teammate on. Ferry had a test run on the course, but that wasn’t the first time he had stepped foot on the Hershey course. This was his second year qualifying for States.

Ferry commented that, “Belmont Plateau is a lot smoother that Hershey’s course. It was a lot difficult because there was a lot of people and I kept getting boxed in.”

Ferry also noted that, “I enjoyed the hotel stay, but I didn’t enjoy my race. I’m going to use it as a learning experience for the future.”

Sophomore Katherine Hunt was two spots away from qualifying for States. She also went to Hershey to support Ferry. “Well [the course] seemed difficult to an extent. I thought the course was beautiful and I wished I would have practiced on those hills instead.” She said if she would have qualified for States her preparation would be drinking at least 44 oz. of water everyday, get rest, and do speed workouts.

Junior Sasha Sapp, another member of team, said, “[Hershey] was beautiful, the scenery was tranquil and the trail was awesome.”

She also enjoyed the races. “I remember feeling the entire ground shake beneath my feet when we all lined up along the outskirts of the trail. That was deep. Especially towards the ends of the races, both divisions, girls and guys, watching the runner literally get themselves to that final hell hill. It made me what people are capable of. That last hill…. and then that last sprint out? That’s true will and sheer determination at that point.”

This year at States, Ferry ran a 18:58, which placed him in 219th. This is a significant improvement from last year running a 20 flat and placing 256th.

SLA Students Under-Informed About Code of Conduct

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A page from the 2011-2012 SDP Code of Conduct.

By Sam Lovett-Perkins

Staff Writer

At the beginning of each school year, students at SLA are given–and supposed to review–the Philadelphia School District’s Code of Conduct packet (COC). This code explains the district’s expectations for student behavior and consequences for when those expectations are not met.

The code is usually read an discussed in advisory. For English Teacher Alexa Dunn, this is a key part of students learning expectations about their behavior.

Zero tolerance items are most important because, “if kids violate them, SLA can not do much about what happens to you,” Ms. Dunn explained. “So every year in advisory we talk about examples of what would be zero tolerance and what happens to you when and if you decide to violate that.”

According to the code, student infractions are judged on a scale of severity and repetition of the offense. An example from the code of contact of a minor level once is a threat. This can result in short term suspension or an after school detention. An example of a higher offense, level 2 for example, could include the possession of a weapon or vandalism which can result in expulsion or a long term suspension of four to ten days.

These codes are placed to preserve the safety and security of a school environment. The COC also says what access students have such as “being treated fairly and honestly in the resolution of grievances and complaints.”

Unfortunately, many students are unfamiliar with the code or the details of the consequences.

When asked to describe what the Philadelphia school code of conduct requires, Senior Emma Hersh responded, “That you have to be respectful and your not allowed to fight, to have respect for school property.”

She thinks that students pay little attention to the code. “It’s too boring to read, they give it to you every year but no one wants to read it. I think if [students] knew the expectations they’d be less likely to do bad things.”

History teacher Diana Laufenberg described how does SLA tries to inform students about the code. “The three rules that we have are the manifestation of the Code of conduct the way we image behavior expectations of kids is to give them a broad expectations and use that to encourage a positive behavior.”

She explained that the “rules” at SLA are meant to make the ideas of the code more direct to students. “Respect yourself, respect the community and respect that SLA is a place of learning; those are really the essence of the Code of Conduct but are worded in a more positive manner.”

What the SLA guidelines don’t do, however, is explain what the consequences are for certain actions. For smaller issues, SLA can manage punishment on their own. For major infractions, however, they are required to report to the School District and must follow all protocols for disciplinary action–suspensions, hearings, and expulsions included.

If students don’t inform themselves about the harsh realities of school district discipline policy, it can give them a false sense of security about their wrongful actions.

Hallway Fashion: Halloween Edition

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Max Marton, Halloween 2011

What were you for halloween and why?
I actually wasn’t anyone for Halloween this year. I kind of got this idea to be androgynous and dark and I went with it. Eventually, my idea evolved into what I wore on Halloween. I guess there wasn’t really a reason why I did it. I was inspired, and I followed my inspiration.

I notice you dress up a lot, is halloween your favorite holiday?
Halloween is, in fact, one of my favorite holidays. It is one day where I can dress up in all sorts of outlandish attire, and it is expected. Don’t get me wrong, I love to dress up on days where it isn’t exactly socially acceptable, because I enjoy the shock factor. Halloween is special to me because I get more looks of intrigue and appreciation from people, instead of looks of revulsion or ridicule.
You outfit was homemade, where and/or how did you come up with this piece?
Like I said before, I got this idea for my costume, and I went with it. I wanted to take a suit, which is traditionally a masculine symbol, and feminize it by binding the waist with a corset and using a neck scarf instead of a tie. Not to mention the five-inch stiletto lace-up boots that I wore over a set of dress pants. I saved the drama and flare of Halloween for the hat, which I draped polka dot fabric and tulle over to create a veil, as well as affixing a blank mask on the brim, which created an overall creepy aura. I was very proud of my creation, and it served its purpose well, which was to push gender boundaries.
You remind me of Lady Gaga a lot, what do you think of the artist?
I like Lady GaGa, but contrary to popular belief around SLA, She is not my idol and complete obsession. I really enjoy her music and eccentricity, but it has been done before. I think that people like Grace Jones, Kevin Aviance, and Acid Betty were, and are still a little more interesting that Lady GaGa. Nevertheless, I commend Lady GaGa for bringing the unusual and niche performance elements that were previously underground, to the mainstream.

Interview by Nia Berry.

Student-Produced Videos Take to the Web

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Plenty of SLA students create entertainment for the rest of the student body — from music, to visual art, to video. Three groups of students are working on their own web shows this year — “Leftovers” by Stephen Holts, “The Good Friends” by Anna Roman, Shelby Harcher, Markia Johnson and Elisa Hyder, and “The Friday Afternoon Show with Justin Pullins” by Justin Pullins. Written by them, acted and recorded themselves, here are details about the show from the stars themselves. Interviews by Emilisa Lopez.
Stephen Holts, “Leftovers”What is your web show about?
Leftovers is about a group of individuals who are friends mostly because they don’t really fit into any other group. Throughout the show, they’ll be many cliques that the friends try and fit into, only to realize the only group they really fit into is the one they created.

Where do you get inspired?
Anyone that knows me knows that I LOVE The Office, last year that show was my entire life. This whole web-show idea really started off as a joke where I just inserted videos of my friends into The Office’s opening theme. From there, my group of friends (who I had already half volunteered) expressed interest in doing the show weekly and produce it on our own. Then, it was called The High School Office, but after a copyright fiasco with NBC, the show had to be renamed and reformatted.

How do you come up with ideas?
50% of the Leftovers’ material comes from my own group of friends and the hilarious things that happen to us everyday. Some are directly from real life, and some are things that happened that were a little twisted for the show. The other 50% are ideas that come from my co-writer and I.

What is the process like?
Last year the process was interesting. I had never done anything like producing a web-show before, and it was very stressful, plus my lack of experience in combination with my friends and I not trying to be too serious made the process made things a bit rough. Since then I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t, and this year hopefully will be the best year for the show so far.

Who helps?
Last year, the entire show was run by my friends and I, who were sophomores at the time. Abe Musselman and I cowrote and directed the show, and we also acted in it along with Ryan Harris, Sam Lovett-Perkins, Sophie Henninger, Jenn Wright, and Tucker Bartholomew.
This year, the main cast consists of seniors Douglas Wallace, Anthony Torrance, and Yadi Angeles. Also in the main cast is sophomore Imani Rothwell and freshmen Penelope DeOlivera, Ray Albarovhi, and Micah Getz.

Any other details you want to include?
This year will be an amazing year for the show. You can look forward to at least three episodes before school ends for the winter holidays, and hopefully many more when we return for the new year.

Episodes will be posted on Leftovers’ YouTube page, and you can find it by going to http://www.youtube.com/user/LeftoversSLA.

Anna Roman, “The Good Friends”

What is your web show about?
So the web show is going to be like the View with a sprinkle of Ellen DeGeneres. Basically we are going to be talking about different events, within school, out of school, and whatever the students want us to talk about, only putting in our own view on it and such. We want it to shape around all the students so the show itself will be VERY student interactive. So even though we can’t have a gossip show (even though that would be awesome haha) we want to give the students what they want. So we are going to be trying to do that in a very reasonable way. It should be awesome.

Where do you get inspired?
Well I know last year there had been some attempts to make an SLA news show or student friendly show but kind of failed. Since they really only ended up making one or two episodes. So I really like the idea about making a show for SLA where students can really participate in it, look forward to watching it, and even pick up some good information from it. So my team and I really wanted to re-create the shows but find a way to make it successful. So we just started brainstorming about things we would want to see and watch and we are growing from there.

How do you come up with ideas?
Well, surprisingly, all of our ideas don’t come from ourselves. We actually ask around and ask our peers what they would like to see or for us to talk about. Since our first episode is coming out very soon, November 21st, we have been coming up with some ideas for it but actually had the idea to make surveys where the students can vote on the different choices they are given and really put some input into the show. So all of our ideas come from us but also from everyone else.

Who helps?
This whole show is made up of Markia Johnson, Shelby Harcher, Elisa Hyder, and myself.

What is the process like?
The process is split up between all of us equally, each of us have one main thing they worry about for the show. I am in charge of all the camerawork and putting the show together. Shelby gathers all the info we get and decides what is going to be on the show, so she basically organizes the whole shindig. Markia covers the health segment we will have on the show. And Elisa gathers most of the news that is going around in the school. But even though we all have one main thing we worry about, we all help each other out with everything so it works out nice.

Any other details you want to include?
Just that you guys should check us out. Our second promo should be up by 11/15/11, at the llatest, 11/16/11. And our first episode will be out by November 21st. So check us out but also take our surveys! We can’t make an interactive student show if no students will interact. And finally if you want to know what is going on with The Good Friends, or you just have some ideas for the show, you can email anyone of us on our SLA emails, check out our twitter which is @TheGoodFriends, or just come talk to us in person. But I think that is it for now. Thank you for taking interest in our show!

Justin Pullins, “The Friday Afternoon Show”

What is your web show about?
The Friday Afternoon Show with Justin Pullins” is a talk-variety-sketch show. I’ve really tried to be very loose in the genre of show; whatever I think would be cool to include as a segment in the show, I do. However, every episode of the show, I have a guest from our school. Whether it’s a teacher, a sports team coach, or a head of an extra-curricular activity, I talk to them about how they’re contributing to the school community.

Where do you get inspired?
A lot of things inspire me; I am a huge fan of cerebral comedy and comedians. Improv and sketch shows are great sources of inspiration of me, as well as underground and non-mainstream comedians that you can find on YouTube and College Humor websites.

How do you come up with ideas?
Great ideas just come to me through thought and weird conversations with my friends. Often times, things that bother or annoy me becomes the basis of a sketch. For example, in this new school year, I’ve noticed the weird things that our new freshman do, such as standing aimlessly in the hallways, blocking doors in the process. So, in the upcoming November episode, there’s a sketch for a fictional pill called “Fresh-pro-a-phil”, which when you take it, gives you all the qualities of a freshman, which includes the good things, like school spirit and vitality, and the terrible things as well, like nervous behavior and walking around aimlessly. This is one example on how one observation can lead to something great

What is the process like?
The process of making the show is monthly. Sketches and bits of the month’s show are shot throughout the month, whenever I have to time to do so. One of the great things about having full creative control is the ability to work on you own schedule. I never feel pressured to write or film anything; quality of the show and its segments are much more important to me than the quantity.

Who helps?
I have tons of friends who are more than willing to help. Allen Yang has been a great help with being a cameraman and all around go-to guy, Nick Manton, and Terrance Oliveri-Williams just to name a few. There are many people who I can depend upon for all of the production positions. However, I’ve always preferred to have complete, creative control of the show; I write all sketches and jokes, and I find all of the guests. However, I do have some friends who would be willing to help with the creative elements, should I want them to.

Any other details you want to include?
No details, just a shameless plug (I have no standards, whatsoever)… “The Friday Afternoon Show with Justin Pullins” November edition will premiere at the end of the month! Be sure to watch!

Seniors Chase Scholarship Money

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By Kristi Bezhani

Staff Writer

Students with promising and exceptional talent deserve the spotlight and a college scholarship. Many of this year’s graduation students need a future financial plan to cover the college bills.

There are many merit scholarships out there that students can apply for. However, students often don’t realize how much effort goes into the application process. Winning the money takes work.

One of the great and well known programs is the Gates Millennium scholars program. The application process involves using writing and public speaking skills to be selected. Each year, 1,000 students are selected. They must have a GPA of 3.3 or higher, be eligible for free and reduced lunch, and be a person of color.

A member of SLA’s first class, Shareesa Bollers, was the first student from the school to be awarded the scholarship. When applying for this scholarship, Bollers was also doing college applications at the same time, which made it hard to cope with when also applying for a scholarship.

“It was a very long application, 26 pages. I started early and tried to work on it a bit, for at least an hour after school every day,” said Bollers. The work paid off — Bollers now has a full scholarship to Bard College, where she is currently a sophomore.

Another SLA student that is currently pursuing scholarship money is senior Gina Dukes. She is currently a finalist for money from QuestBridge.

When asked about the process of applying, she said that, “because I had known for months that I would be applying for this scholarship, I was well prepared and informed of everything that I had to do.”

Dukes wasted no time in starting her application. It opened online in August, and Duke was already requesting letters of recommendation and taking care of her test scores.

Dukes found out about the QuestBridge program through an announcement on BuildOn’s blog . She decided to pursue the College Prep Scholarship, and was invited to an admissions conference at Yale. Now a senior, she is eligible for QuestBridge’s National College Match Scholarship, which is similar to the Gates Milinnieum in the way that it provides students with a full ride scholarship, only QuestBridge matchers students with a particular school.

Dukes does not think that SLA students are taking enough advantage of these kinds of programs.

“Not many people know about this great scholarship, and there should be way more people taking advantage of it. I tried to spread the word, (through Facebook and also verbally) but in many cases, people either had heard about it too late and couldn’t apply, or they didn’t want to put forth the effor

t required in the application. Questbridge for example asks for a lot, but it is worth it in the end.”

           The best way for students to find out about such scholars programs, are through councilors, and teachers with recommendations. Once students find out about programs such as Gates and QuestBridge, they don’t take as much advantage of them as they should. This is mainly because often when students seek or are nominated for a scholarship, they tend to be a senior, which makes life harder considering that students have plenty to scramble through on top of applying for scholarships.