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Chance The Rapper

June 6, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Ella Petersen

Staff Writer

When I was invited to drive to D.C. with my best friend to go see one our favorite artists on Sunday, I couldn’t say no even though I knew I had a pre-calc test waiting for me the next morning, committed to babysitting Monday night, and had a benchmark due Tuesday. But it was so worth it.

The past couple years have been really big for Chance The Rapper. Last summer he released his newest album “Coloring Book” and this year he made real history at the Grammy’s, being the first person to win that doesn’t sell physical copies of their music. He’s unsigned to a label and he always releases his music online for free, he combines gospel and rap to form a new genre of music.

After three hours in the car we were finally there. Jiffy Lube Live, a venue right outside of DC, was packed to the brim with 23,000 people.

“I’m not used to performing in front of this many people,” Chance confessed to the crowd. “The fans that have been there forever know that I started out broke.”

He opened with “Blessings” definitely the most spiritual song on the album. “I’m gon’ praise Him, praise Him ‘til I’m gone.” He had the crowd repeat that hook for a good while and confetti poured over us. I knew that we were in for a great performance.

Chance is known for being a huge fan of Chicago, the city where he grew up. So it was no surprise that he had a huge Chicago skyline on the screen in the back of the stage while he performed “Angels” and “Summer Friends,” songs about his beloved city. He jumped around and danced while “CHICAGO” ran across the back screen. He explained that his favorite verse on the album was the second one on “Summer Friends” and had us help him sing it.

The mood changed when he performed “Juke Jam,” a song about going to the roller rink with a girl as a teenager and the whole stadium was lit up with phone lights. After that it was “Smoke Break,” a tale of two people who need some time to just stop and reevaluate what is going on between them.

He also threw some Kanye West songs in the mix. Chance helped produce Kanye’s most recent album, “The Life of Pablo”, so we were able to hear a few of his renditions that night. He performed “Waves” and “Father I Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” as well as his verse on “Ultra Light Beam” while pictures and videos of him and Kanye played in back of him.

“I’m gonna turn the lights off and when I turn them back on I want it to be a party,” he said. And then “All Night” came on, the most upbeat, party song on the album. The stage lit up with fireworks and smoke machines while colorful shapes played on all screens.

Finally, he played “Sunday Candy” and “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” two of his oldest songs on mixtapes he made before he was popular.

Overall, he really made me proud to be a Chance fan. The crowd was very happy and lighthearted; his really positive energy was extremely contagious. I am really excited to see where he goes next and so proud to see how far he has come.

How To Get Kicked Out of SLA

June 6, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Fatu Castillo

Staff Writer

According to the School District Of Philadelphia, the only way a student can be expelled from any Philadelphia school is by violating of the Code Of Student Conduct. In practice, it’s simple, a student violates one of the rules and they receive an expulsion referral from the school, easy. But not every rule in the Code Of Student Conduct can constitute as grounds for expulsion.

Different rules listed have different capacities for punishment, on a 1-to-5 level, with the 1 being In-School Interventions and 5 being Expulsion Referrals.

If a student violates Rule 1D, general unpreparedness, can only, in the worst-case scenario, result in In-School Inventions. However only four slots down on the list, Rule 5B or the inappropriate use of electronic devices, can constitute grounds for a student’s reassignment to a disciplinary school with expulsion.

It can be a blurred when deciding what level of discipline a student will receive when they violate a rule.

And with only XX cases of expulsions since it’s opening, Science Leadership Academy hasn’t had the opportunity to intimately learn the rules. But as a newer, less-traditional school, SLA has garnered a reputation for being less likely to turn to expulsion as a disciplinary method.

So, how does a student manage to get expelled from SLA? Most students asked didn’t have concrete answers or specifics.

Amanda Boli offered, “You’d have to do something really bad, like throwing things at a teacher or threatening another student, something like that.”

“I think you need to do drugs, or harass someone, or maybe hurt a teacher.”

Others agreed that SLA had a more forgiving attitude when it comes to expulsion.

“I think that you’d have to do something very extreme,” guessed Leon Finney, “Like curse at a teacher, perhaps a fight depending on the circumstances.”

Finney continued, “I think SLA gives students a lot of leeway, it’s really hard to get expelled, they’re give you multiple chances.”

Most answers circulated this format, an SLA student would have to do something either violently extreme or physically bring drugs into the building.

Alicia Jones had a firmer stance than most interviewed, stating, “I think if they’re white then it takes a lot, I think if they’re black or any other minority then it takes very little.”

A clear answer was only given when Co-Principal Chris Lehmann “We try really hard not to expel students.”

Lehmann continued, “Generally, if you do physically injure another student, if you were start fights, if you were to make it unsafe for other students to be here in a way that is repeated and you were unwilling to work towards changing that behavior.”

Co-Principal Aaron Gerwer backed Lehmann in a separate interview, stating, “It depends on the situation, I think for me it’s when it’s not safe for someone to be here anymore, for the community.”

So while the answers students gave about expulsions at a district level may not be as descriptive as needed, they do alright with what can get them kicked out of SLA.

Even if the chances of them being expelled are slim.

Juniors vs. Seniors: What’s The Beef?

June 6, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Members of the Class of 2018 at their Junior Prom.

Deja Harrison

Staff Writer

As the end of the school year approaches, the current seniors at SLA are preparing to say their goodbyes to high school and their hellos to the real world. The current juniors on the other hand are preparing to embark on the journey of becoming seniors and going through the college process. I spoke to several current juniors about their opinions on becoming seniors.

“I’m really excited and nervous to become a senior. I can’t wait to apply to colleges and see where I get into,” said Junior Fatoumata Camara. “High school is coming to an end and I’m anxious to see what life’s like after it. I always hear people talk about how amazing their senior years are so I’m excited to start mine.”

Not everything between these classes is positive, though. There is a popular belief that the current seniors think that the current Juniors are not a very school spirited or appreciative class. As a member of the Class of 2018 myself, I thought it would only be right if I tried to discover how this controversy came to be.

For some seniors, the opinion is based in observations of the class below them.

“The junior class is like really selfish. They get everything pretty much handed to them and they don’t appreciate it.” said Senior Arsenio Gomez. He believes we have it easier than the Class of 2017.

“Their prom tickets were way cheaper than ours, they got their laptops before we did when they were freshman, the list just goes on and on.”

Senior Kia Dasilva believes that “They aren’t bad individually but together it’s like they can’t come together at all.” She believes that the problem with the Class of 2018 has a lack of unity. However, she does believe there is hope for the class in the future.

“I think that being a senior is a more independent thing and the junior class seems to do really well with that, so they might do a better job.”

Juniors had their own opinions on their persona as a class.

“I think the seniors see that things are changing for us, and they are jealous,” said Junior Tia Roberts when asked what she thought about the “selfish” claim. “They don’t understand that every year the school changes and each class is going to have more than then the last.”

Though not all seniors feel negatively towards the Class of 2018. Some of them are actually happy to be going and wish us the best. Senior Luke Watson-Sharer said that, “Some of them will do really good, some kids are ready to handle it some kids will not, I hope the class does good.”

Other seniors were oblivious to the supposed ill will.

“I’m not aware of any rivalry, but I hope next year you guys kill it with all the stuff you have to go through next year.” Senior Fatu Castillo stated.

Co-Principal Aaron Gerwer believes that the Class of 2018 is capable of being a successful and powerful senior class. “The Class of 2018 in the past did get into a lot of trouble mainly their freshman year but they were never really problematic. I think they will do good work next year.”

Based on the number of people who did not know anything about this “rivalry”, it seems like this whole Class of 2018 vs. Class of 2017 beef is made up.

Album Review: Harry Styles

June 5, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Lauren Nicolella

Staff Writer

Harry Styles released a self-titled album on May 12th that’s made its way up high on the iTunes charts right after being released. It contains 10 tracks, each telling its own story while introducing a more rock sound into mainstream music.

Admittedly, this is a bit of a biased review because I am an ongoing fan of One Direction. I am here to support each individual’s solo career and music because they are truly my favorite band of all time.

Those who did not previously enjoy Harry while he was singing in One Direction found themselves listening to his solo album and thoroughly enjoying certain songs. Sophomore Lucien Hearn had those exact feelings, “The vocals really shine through even though I haven’t liked them in previous years.”

Meet Me in the Hallway

The beginning of this song is mellow, with very soft and almost gloomy vocals that lead into a louder chorus. There is something about the first 20 seconds of the song that makes me feel so pleasant and want to look out of a car window dramatically. I can’t picture another song to open up the album because it is the perfect sound in preparation for the upcoming tracks that portray different styles.

Sign of the Times

I already did a review of this song on SLA media, check it out here!

Carolina

My only words I have to say about this song: what a bop. After having slower and sadder songs to begin with, Carolina is the perfect upbeat song to sing and dance to. An interesting story is being told, about a girl who moved to the west coast after living in Carolina. Every time it comes on shuffle, I want to get up and shout out the lyrics because the chorus is so fun and catchy.

Two Ghosts

I imagined this to be a super sad song based on the title, but instead it sounds a bit more upbeat. Although, the lyrics talk about how two people, who were possibly friends or in a relationship, are “not who they used to be”, making listeners face the reality that they can relate to what is being sung.

Sweet Creature

When I first heard this song, I did not like it. I don’t know what I had against it because after listening to it a few more times it eventually grew on me. It is a very sweet song, it makes me want to drink lemonade on a nice summer day while sitting on a porch or something.

Only Angel

The beginning of this song has an incredible gospel harmony, mixing in the piano from Sign of the Times. It sounds like you are floating up to heaven, ready to enter the gates. Then suddenly it stops and rock music intrudes. Harry screams a “hey, hey!” grabbing my attention instantly, and that’s when I claimed this to be my favorite song off of this album. To have that buildup and have the song completely change was super unexpected, but also the greatest thing ever. I imagine this to be a song that Harry opens his concert with, or hopefully mixes it into his performance of Sign of the Times.

Kiwi

I was hoping that Harry would make a song like this and I am completely satisfied with it. When I previously mentioned how Harry is bringing rock back into mainstream music this is exactly the song I am talking about that is doing so. When you have a line like “I’m having your baby, it’s none of your business” how can you not be intrigued to take a quick listen? I love listening to older rock songs and imagine that I am magically able to play the guitar, which is exactly what I do with this song because I get those old rock sounds.

Ever Since New York

I heard this song when Harry performed on Saturday Night Live a few weeks before his album was released and I could not stop watching. I do prefer it live rather than the studio version. The chorus is insanely catchy with its repetitive “Oh, tell me something I don’t already know”. Seeing Harry play the guitar made me want to scream (in a good way, of course), because he is truly becoming a rock legend whether people like it or not.

Woman

One thing I noticed about this album by the time I reached the eighth track: there are some great bass lines throughout these songs. This was one of those songs where I could hear the heavy rock influence, because the guitar solo at the end had me feeling major Pink Floyd vibes. There is a sound made by Harry that replicates the quacking of a duck, and I absolutely love it; it makes the song a bit more unique, in my opinion.

From the Dining Table

If you have access to headphones, I am asking you to please wear them while listening to this song. It sounds like Harry is right at your ear. This slow song sadly ends the album, explaining how “comfortable silence is overrated”. The harmonies and very light strums of an acoustic guitar set the perfect tone for a dramatic rainy day scene.

Overall Album Rating: 9/10

I strongly encourage everyone to take a listen to this album, Harry should not be ignored since he is apart of a boyband. He was talented while being in One Direction, and is pursuing his own personal music taste, still having a large amount of talent. Sophomore Meymey Seng expressed her feelings towards that statement. “I hope that people will gain an appreciation for his voice when One Direction comes off of their hiatus and start producing new songs, because it is still his voice no matter what the song is.”

The Challenge of Finding Baseball Fields in Philadelphia

June 4, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Benjamin Simon

Staff Writer

When you first step on the baseball field at Vare Recreation Center, it’s clear that the space needs some work. Whether it’s the dirt bike tracks ripping the outfield or the stunningly short right field fence, the field is not ideal by any means.

But Vare is the home of the SLA Rockets’ baseball team, where they take the 20 minute ride on the 7 bus almost everyday of the week. It’s where the seniors on the team have been since their freshman season. Over those four years, the team has compiled back-to-back undefeated regular season records, earning them a chance to compete in the A division during the 2016-17 season. Their home games at Mt. Airy Playground on Germantown Avenue equate to a 30 minute drive.

This long commute is the reality of public school baseball, especially at SLA, where the school has no athletic facilities attached to the building. Finding suitable space has been a constant struggle.

At first it was the job of Athletic Director Matt Kay to find these facilities for sports teams. But about “4 or 5 years ago,” Kay decided that it would be best for coaches to find the fields themselves.

Head baseball coach, Doug Herman, was responsible for the search to find a field at the beginning of the program.

“When we officially formed our team in 2009 the Public League didn’t provide us with a field,” he said. “When I asked they said it was our responsibility to find one. I politely pushed back on that and the PIAA Baseball Chair at the time secured us a field.”

That field, located in Northeast Philly, was almost an hour and a half away during afternoon traffic. There was no way to check if the field would be playable or not after a night of rain. Without any way to check the condition of the field, Herman had to pass on the offer and for the first four years of the program, SLA was field-less for games and practices.

The public league holds around 45 baseball teams and almost one new team joins each year, making the need for fields is abundant. Still, 6 of the 13 teams in the Public League’s top division, the Independence Division, do not have fields at their school. The number just lessens as you descend upon the divisions, where it is even tougher to secure a field without a historic program.

Barry Strube, the District 12 Baseball Chair, commented on the rules for securing facilities, saying, “Neither PIAA nor [Philadelphia Public League] has anything to do with finding fields. The PPL provides supplies to assist in maintaining and lining fields but getting them is up to each individual school.” However, he did add that, “the school district and Philadelphia Department of Recreation have a partnership where each allows the other to use their facilities without charge.”

So, as a result, in the subsequent years, the team practiced at multiple locations, trying to find any patch of grass they could use to get the proper amount of work in. The third year called for celebration, as Herman finally earned a permit to use the Von Colln Field at 22nd and Parkway from the Fairmount Park Association baseball league.

Unfortunately, when the season started, Herman and the baseball team were met with anger. The Hallahan softball team had been using the fields.

“They claimed our permit wasn’t valid because we were a new team,” Herman said, “and that any team that had used the field prior has ‘right of first refusal.’”

Herman and the Rockets were denied the right to the use field and as a result, were field-less for the first four years of the program. In the meantime, they would sometimes use fields in South Philadelphia like Smith Playground and Marconi Plaza, until Herman crossed paths with Dan Winterstein, a retired high school teacher and baseball coach. In addition to agreeing to be the JV coach, Winterstein offered allowance to the use Mt. Airy baseball fields on occasion. Those fields have now become the home field for the Rockets.

With a home field secured, Herman turned to the issue of where to practice. Through connections, Herman scratched up the South Philadelphia field at 26th and Morris. While the baseball program has significantly improved resources since 2009, it still not at the place that compares to other top teams.

The question is, with more and more schools being founded, how can enough resources be provided for teams like SLA for the future?

Kay recognizes that athletic facilities have not caught up with the trend of smaller schools.

“How it’s set up now worked fine in an era of big neighborhood schools. All of them were self contained with their own fields and gyms,” Kay said. “But [not] with all of the SLA’s, Constitution’s, and the 4 billion charter schools that are in office buildings. You no longer have 4,000 kid schools, [which] were built to give kids all of the things they need.”

Kay dreams of a world where the school district would create more athletic “supersites.” There are a couple in the city, including the Gratz Supersite and the South Philadelphia Supersite, where the Rockets played in their Final Four game two years ago.

“I think we could put 2 or 3 of them in the city, especially when I think about the stimulus money and other money that was wasted on other stuff,” said Kay. “That’s now gone and there’s no results and you played staffing and and then you have to fire those people with temporary money, it was all stupid. If we would have used that stimulus money and any other money to build two or three Competitive Edge style supersites where three or four schools could have home gyms there.”

In the meantime, Herman hopes that the baseball team can secure some of the fields of local college baseball teams when they aren’t playing. He cited Temple, Penn, and Drexel as possible landing spots specifically, as Temple destroyed their baseball program a few years ago and Penn and Drexel are a less than 15 minute walk from SLA.

It may not be right in the school’s backyard, but it’s more than a big improvement from not having a field just 5 years ago.

Photo courtesy of Doug Herman