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SLA CC vs Beeber: A Christmas Tradition?

January 11, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

screenshot-2017-01-11-at-4-12-55-pm — SLA Center City’s Benjamin Simon, 14, hits 3-pointer in 2016 game against SLA Beeber

Avi Cantor

Staff Writer

In the final minutes of the 2016 SLA Beeber vs. SLA Center City, SLA Beeber came back to grab their first lead of the game. No big deal. But when point guard Myles Nicholson sunk two free throws in a row, he put one finger up to his lips. Shock went through the crowd at that point and everyone knew it was over. All of SLA Center City’s momentum had been spent. SLA Beeber, in this David vs. Goliath game was well on their way to beating Goliath, even with minutes to spare in the fourth quarter. Finally, the game ended and Beeber students flooded the court and cheered. The Center City team and fans were stunned and disappointed.

But why was this game so astonishing? If SLA Center City had lost to another team, there wouldn’t have been this sense of astonishment or shock. And why is it more important than just a basketball game between schools? First, let’s look to the 2015-2016 season’s game against Beeber.

Last year, SLA Center City won 59-53, thanks to a 29 point performance by guard Benjamin Simon and a 16 point performance by guard Lewis Ford. SLA Center City held 5 of Beeber’s players to just 17 combined points. Beeber players Collin Shaw, Michael Vinson, Dashown McIntosh, Kevin Williams and Nick Anderson combined for 17 points, which was the same number of points as Shaelin Nixon-Mosee.

However, this year, even without Darvell Williams and Shaelin Nixon-Mosee, SLA Beeber managed to win 72-59. A big contributor to the outcome was Center City’s team total of 30 fouls and 19 turnovers. Beeber, on the other hand, had just 9 turnovers.

Myles Nicholson led the way, scoring 37 points, which were not only the game high for either team, but was also more points than senior guards Adam Cavalier and Lewis Ford combined. On top of that, Nicholson scored 10 more points than SLA Center City’s leading scorer on the year, Benjamin Simon, who had 27 points. But there’s more to this game than a surprising point differential and Beeber’s late comeback. As the newer SLA in Philadelphia, this game was a way for Beeber to prove themselves as a school.

SLA Center City student and basketball manager Becca Snyder argues that this game proves that Beeber isn’t just an extension of SLA. “I think that [the game] helped them prove that they’re not just an add on to SLA, which I feel like they’re seen as in a lot of situations.”

She went on to say,“I think we’re pretty even. I think that they’re seen as inferior but I don’t think it’s fair to look at them like that because we’re two different schools that have two different vibes. I don’t think one is less than the other…[Beeber] is just like any other school.”

Senior guard Benjamin Simon made an argument that strengthened Becca Snyder’s point. “I think that they deserve to be their own school,” he said, “and they should be able to have their own teams. They should be able to have their own school spirit.”

Beeber truly emerging as their own school is something that makes the Center City players optimistic. Both guard Benjamin Simon and center Hamidou Doumbia pointed out that this game has sparked a really great rivalry between basketball programs, bringing out the biggest crowd of the season for both this year’s game and last year’s game.

“I think it’s fun,” Doumbia explained. “I think that it’s a way for everybody to get to know each other as schools and to see what we can do under the pressure of all our peers watching, along with the staff.”

At this year’s game, there was a heavy alumni presence, and even Principals Lehmann and Gerwer attended. Three eighth grade boys, who are all considering Science Leadership Academy for high school came to the game. One of the boys noted that “the game was really fun to watch and it was really intense. It made me want to go the school even more, just to experience the rivalry.”

The School District of Philadelphia may be in the midst of an emerging rivalry. This rivalry is not ordinary, however. There’s no curse from a great player or a defining play that sets the teams against each other. This rivalry is fun, respectful, and builds camaraderie and a competitive spirit between schools. Even 21 days after the SLA Center City vs. SLA Beeber game, Benjamin Simon “stays motivated” by this loss and pushes for his team to win the division title. Last night against Bodine, Benjamin Simon and Lewis Ford combined for 47 points in their a 13 point win.

The Rockets play against Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School on Thursday, January 11th.

Photo: Benjamin Simon/SLAMedia

Ed Sheeran Returns

January 10, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Lauren Nicollela

Staff Writer

If you are a fan of Ed Sheeran, you most-likely have already heard the news. Not a fan of him? No problem. On December 13th, 2015 he put out a note on his Instagram page explaining that he would be taking a break from all of his social media accounts to set aside time to work on his new album.

Sheeran gained fame by playing around England and was discovered by Jamie Foxx after moving to LA. His fame grew more when he joined Taylor Swift on her Red Tour, being the opening act as well as being featured in a song. He performs with his guitar, having almost a folk tune with his acoustic sound.

Then, on December 13th, 2016 Ed Sheeran tweeted out a simple photo that was entirely the color blue. This was posted at the same exact time as the note on his Instagram page was the year before. Three days later he tweeted out a video that contained him holding up a sign saying: “New music coming Friday!” with a little wave. It’s safe to say that loads of people are super excited for his new release.

Sophomore Sadie Squillaciotti has been waiting for this moment, since she was upset he decided to take a break in the first place. “He’s my favorite artist, and I really just want some new music.”

In the media, celebrities like Niall Horan and Shawn Mendes have expressed their excitement and feedback through tweets. Both artists (and many more, including those who aren’t famous) have gained some type of inspiration from Ed, and admire his talent and songwriting skills that produce such great songs.

So far, every day leading up to Friday the 6th, he has tweeted out 5 second videos with the same blue background. They contain lyrics and hints at song titles, and a preview of what the cover will look like, which lead to the name being quickly discovered.

Ed’s first two studio albums are titled Plus and Multiply, and the quick art had a flash of a division sign. Divide would be the title. Fans are assuming that he is sticking with the mathematical symbol theme for his albums.

Sophomore Lauren Brown was super excited, considering she’s been a fan since 2010. “Not a doubt in my mind that Divide is gonna be absolutely insane.”

Now that two songs have been released, “Castle on the Hill” and “Shape of You”, there has been positive feedback. Both of these songs are high up on the charts, and have become well-known by the outburst from the fans and how quickly it all spread on social media.

Sadie expressed a lot of love for both of the tracks: “Ed Sheeran always comes through. I was not disappointed, both songs are on repeat, and I cannot wait until the entire album comes out.”

Lauren had a different opinion. “Castle on the Hill sounds like a song for the ending credits of a low budget British romance movie that got rated two stars. I feel like he was only supposed to drop Shape of You (which I like) and then decided to throw in a second one for the fans.” She also explained how she’s waiting for the rest of the album, and saved the best songs for last.

Now with these two songs out, everyone else wants the Divide album to be released fully. There was such a long wait to receive music, and the new year became the perfect opportunity for Ed Sheeran to do so.

Here are the links to the new songs:

https://youtu.be/_dK2tDK9grQ

https://youtu.be/7Qp5vcuMIlk

New Project? Maybe You Need A “Benchmark Bae”

January 10, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Meymey Seng

Staff Writer

Have you ever been assigned a project and then realized that you have been paired with the same person multiple times? Maybe it’s a coincidence or maybe it’s just a little plan that the teachers have secretly created. Well, two sophomores at Science Leadership Academy came up with a word to describe this phenomenon, Benchmark Bae. The acronym “Bae” stands for “Before anyone else”. So, being paired with the same person often makes them come first when it comes to benchmarks.

received_398122097196635-1 — Sophomores Shana Bergmann and Majd Bostani present their benchmark in Ms. Pahomov’s English class.

Many students can relate to this, such as tenth graders Majd Bostani and Shana Bergmann, who were the creators of the term. They have worked with one another three times in the span of two quarters! Firstly, they collaborated on both their Spanish and World History benchmarks. Then, coincidentally for a benchmark in English class, they were the only two absent and were automatically paired with each other once again.

“We also found ourselves as tablemates in English class during both quarters, so I think Ms. Pahomov might be secretly planning something,” said Majd.

Luckily, they work well together, sharing the fact that they are both photographers. Even though there are little arguments here and there, which is normally expected when doing a project, working together so often has made their friendship stronger.

Another pair of Benchmark Baes are seniors Aaron Watson-Sharer and Jason Greene. Not only have they been paired with one another for a countless amount of times, they are the only students in the graduating class of 2017 to be in all the same streams with one another, for all four of their years at SLA. They enjoy working with one another because it has allowed them to have many successful benchmarks and also helped their friendship grow.

“We’ve had arguments. Times of incompetence and even mere silence out of frustration but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ve grown accustomed to Jason and I doing our work together and it’s something I value at SLA,” said Aaron.

Whether or not these Benchmark Baes are coincidental or intentional, something that the students can agree on is that it helps a friendship grow. Although group projects almost always have little disagreements and arguments, it allows the students to learn more about one another.

Movie Review: Rogue One Follows the Formula

January 9, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Aaron Watson-Sharer

Staff Writer

It’s no secret that Star Wars has been one of the greatest movie franchises of all time. In the past 40 years, each film has killed the box office and the 7th installment to the series netted over two billion. In 2012 George Lucas sold his company Lucasfilm to Disney for four billion dollars. Star Wars has been held to a very high standard as maybe the best science fiction series to matriculate. So did Rogue One hold up to the reputation of the franchise?

Star Wars Rogue One tells the story of Jyn Erso, a woman who joins the rebel alliance in order to find her father, Galen Erso to uncover the plans for the Death Star. The first thing I noticed was that this movie had no chemistry between its characters. In every Star Wars movie there’s a core group of characters who have a sense of trust with each other, even if it takes time to develop. I didn’t like how nobody could trust anyone. I had a real issue with the fact that the droid K-2SO was the only character who knew where his loyalties stood.

The Force Awakens was a terrific movie overall, but it had one strong fault, it was too much of a reflection of A New Hope. Unfortunately, Rogue One failed to change that. Cassian was a proud rebel with hair trigger and it took him a while to come around towards Jyn Erso. He and his droid were a representation of Han Solo and Chewbacca. That’s the first experience Star Wars has had with a droid fighting for the rebels and making decisions by their own choice. Jyn Erso to me was shown as Luke Skywalker with a twist. It doesn’t take a Jedi to be a good rebel. A main issue I have with the new wave of Star Wars films (prequels excluded), is that we are fed a similar story again and again. Just a generation or two later.

Rogue One was a very entertaining film and I understood why we never saw any Jedi due to the Jedi Purge but WHERE WERE THE JEDI? The foundation of what makes science fiction movies like Terminator so popular isn’t that the storyline is pristine, but the ability to visualize something much greater than ourselves. To feed us fans our Jedi hunger, the writers implemented a blind but force-sensitive man named Chirrut Imwe. I liked this character, but he was boring. He was talented and of good heart, but that does not make for excitement. Assurance for him was “I am one with the force and the force is with me.” Hearing this 500 times was too reminiscent of Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy. The scriptwriters should have used their words more.

The biggest lure of this Star Wars installment was definitely the appearance of Darth Vader. My brothers actually went to the theatres twice just to see his scenes again. Darth Vader is terrifying. You hear it in his breath and even those most loyal to him are afraid of him. The way Vader moves and speaks, every action comes out with such conviction and that’s what I liked most about his appearance. We see the best character the Star Wars saga (and maybe also any movie franchise) has to offer.

All in all, this movie is reminiscent of the previous movies, with the same theme of a smaller, good hearted group trying to battle an ultimate evil. Rogue One had a great battle, the rebels first stand against the Empire that set the pace for Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia to become fictional heroes. In the end, Rogue One held true to a Star Wars caliber movie, but failed to exceed my expectations.

Freshmen, Sophomores plan their own “proms”

January 6, 2017 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Freshmen at SLA-Center City party at their exclusive dance on December 2nd, 2016. This was the first freshman-only dance hosted by SLA and was designed to look like a prom.

Maddi Etxebeste

Staff Writer

On Friday, December 2nd, the first-ever SLA Freshmen dance took place from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m in the SLA Center City cafe. This dance was for freshmen of SLA Beeber and Center City.

The event was primarily organized by the advisory of History teacher Pearl Jonas. They started organizing around the middle of October, and it was so exciting for Jonas’s advisory and for her as well, she confessed “It’s the first time I organized the prom!”

The event got a lot of positive attention from the class of 2020. A student of Ms. Jonas’s advisory, freshmen Jeremiah Butler said “Everyone got very involved in the project, there was even a student who linked SLA Beeber and SLA Center City and the organization in general worked very well.”

The theme being “Black & White”, everyone in attendance was dressed accordingly. The tickets cost $6 if bought in advance and $8 at the door. The remaining money, after investing most of it in the party, will probably be spent on freshmen needs such as materials and activities/excursions.

The freshmen were in charge of promoting the dance, and in the end approximately 140 people attended. The teachers provided drinks and food, including 23 boxes of pizza. “For the next time we should provide more drinks and less pizza!” said Jonas. There were also some electronic issues with the DJ, but that was resolved early in the evening.

Juniors and Seniors — Separate, Not Together

In May 2017, Senior prom will take place on the 19th floor of the Hyatt at the Bellevue on South Broad Street. Last year, the prom committee signed a contract for this year’s event.

“It’s a luxurious place, with a big room with the dance hall in the middle and very beautiful views.” explained Health Teacher Pia Martin, who is also a teacher sponsor for prom. She also said that all the seniors are going to attend it.

The prom will have a pretty hotel theme, being very classy. Attendees get to enjoy appetizers, a formal dinner and a dessert with it. Senior prom will probably be from 7 to 11 p.m. The ticket price depends on the current price and the money they spend organizing it, but Ms. Martin predicted that it will cost approximately $80 each.

Junior Prom will be held in April 2017. Spanish Teacher Joselyn Hernandez, the junior prom sponsor, is still working on some of the planning details.

Many schools of SLA’s size have a combined Junior and Senior prom. However, the very first class of SLA, who graduated in 2010, refused to share their prom with the younger students. Now the two proms have continued to be kept separate from each other.

Should sophomores have a prom as well?

Now that the freshmen have successfully had a dance just for their grade, there is a big debate around the proms and dances at SLA. With everyone asking:

Should sophomores have a prom like juniors and seniors (and now also freshmen)?

For many years, sophomore classes have attempted to organize an event, but they have never been able to get enough interest or commitment to make it happen.

Jonas explained that “I approved it, but students have to get involved in the project so they can organize the dance because it takes too much work.”

Jeremiah Butler agreed. “They should also have a dance or something, but not as big as a prom.”

Most of the Sophomores might not know yet, but some students are starting to spread the word. Announcing the possibility of organizing a dance for sophomores, knowing that it was the only grade without a prom or dance. It’s not certain, but if more and more sophomores get involved in this project, they will be able to realize it.