Monthly Archives: March 2009

For What It’s Worth

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  • There is no tradition at SKHS quite like SKpades. It has been taking place for over fifty years and multiple generations have participated in it. It has surely evolved with the times but the message remains constant. It is a chance to poke fun at the daily hilarity that can take place here at SKHS. The hectic week before is one of my greatest high school memories and I urge all underclassmen not to skip out when they have the chance.
  • Pitchers and catchers reporting for high school baseball? Give me a break.
  • The Bachelor highlights what is really wrong with our country.
  • Does someone who wins a guitar hero tournament really consider themselves a winner?
  • With spring training, NBA & NHL seasons coming down the stretch, and the NCAA Tournament, March is without a doubt the best month to be a sports fan.
  • Some sort of senior privileges would give seniors a reason not to quit on the last quarter of school
  • But you can’t actually give kids responsibility and freedom. That would be absurd.
  • Anyone have ideas for a senior prank?
  • Anyone who thinks that the economy is going to turn around any day now has another thing coming.
  • Ms. Morrison has made being an athlete or coach at SKHS ten times easier than before she was here.
  • Congrats to Kevin Sun, on winning not one but two events at the New England Championships, the best athlete who no one talks about.
  • I am very glad the Twilight craze is over because it got quite annoying.
  • Why do people still care about Lindsey Lohan?
  • El Fuego should be an exciting new addition to downtown Wakefield.
  • The new Facebook setup is incredibly hard to use. Why change a good thing.
  • Nothing means spring is here quite like Brickley’s re-opening for the season.
  • The immense amount of pressure on the boys’ tennis thing is not something that I envy.
  • I think President Obama has more important issues to worry about than his bracket.
  • What is with the construction paper blocking the view into the teachers lounge. What is going on in there that they don’t want us to see?
  • Two thumbs up to the SK theater department production of The Wizard of Oz. A spectacular performance by all, but Alisa Schrader stole the show.

Americans Swoon Over Twisted TV Love

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Imagine pitching this idea for a TV show to a group of people: A man chooses between 24 women who will eventually become his mate and help raise his child. The man will make his choice based on a variety of interviews, personal references from the candidates’ family members, and steamy hot tub experiences. The man then cycles through interviews and an array of experiences with these ladies, all recorded and broadcast to any American willing to watch.  Lastly, the producers of the show will choose the places, the times, the appearance, and almost all that is said on these televised excursions. And, of course, the producers will ask for more drama, to show more passion, to fake more love.

Is the perversity of The Bachelor falling on deaf ears and blind eyes?

Ten year old tweens across the country watch this show, hoping for either Naomi or Melissa to come out on top, married to the love of her life in a fairytale romance. Yet this ‘romance’ is set up in a controlled environment, with cameras coming in from all angles and microphones an arms’ length away. Every single nanosecond of these manufactured situations is caught on camera, where people have never been able to act themselves.

Somehow, though, The Bachelor’s fans believe that they are witnessing true love—and that’s the danger of it.

The true reason these vein of shows (including, but not limited to: The Bachelorette, Rock of Love, Flavor of Love, A Shot at Love, I Love New York) are the most poisonous on television is that they’re referred to as reality shows.

Reality? Take A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila. In what universe do bisexual porn stars invite a bunch of people to a house and make them compete in silly contests to improve their chances at finding their true partner, who of course must be the dear woman holding the contest in the first place? In what universe do washed-up rock stars judge who will make a better life partner by deciding who can pose for the most revealing CD cover?

During these shows, when the cameras are talking one on one with the character, it is wholly common to hear “I think I’m really falling for him.” Or, “I believe that we felt a real connection, and I think she’s the one.”

And that’s the saddest part: People watching the show, from six-year old Molly to fifty-seven year old Georgia, believe it. Because of these shows, Americans believe love is easy to find. That it can be obtained while conducting a series of mundane interviews on camera, that “romance” is saying “You mean so much to me” when the speaker has just finished making out with the last contestant.

And it is all accepted! These shows are a product of an American culture, an American lifestyle, that is responsible for the fact that between four and five out of every 10 marriages in this country end in divorce.

While manufactured love may yield money, the costs for America are much greater in the long run.

 

 

 

 

Lady Rebels Lose Heartbreaker to Bay View

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Lady Rebels basketball suffered a heartbreaking loss in a state semifinals match at the hands of the Bay View Bengals, 49-48, on Tuesday night at RIC. Led by junior center Allie Jones’ 16 points, SKHS led nearly all the way until Bay View guard Nichole Vargas hit the game-winner with six seconds left. Annie Lawler scored 12 points for the Lady Rebels and Katie Dufficy dropped six more.

NASCAR Falls Well Short of Legitimacy

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  NASCAR is not a sport. It never has been and it probably never will be. It is a glorified version of what I can do at Adventureland every Friday night of the summer. Yet somehow, millions of people enjoy this mind numbing drudge, and it is thus misclassified as a sport.

  First, just look at the definition of a Sport: n. 1.- Any recreational activity; specifically, a game, competition, etc. requiring bodily exertion.

  This ends the all discussion. Driving is not a physical activity and anyone who says it is should have his head examined.

  Granted these people drive at close two hundred miles per hour but is that really a feat granted the “cars” they drive. The cars are meant to go fast, built to perfection by engineers, who get zero credit. So when the cars actually do I am not shocked.

  Another thing that has me truly perplexed is how people can sit in the stands for hours and watch a car go in a freaking circle. No right turns, only slight banks to the left, over and over again. A person could fall asleep for two hours, wake up and be watching the same exact thing as when he went to sleep. Imagine trying to do that while watching a football or basketball game. You’d would miss almost everything!

  It is not like the drivers constantly pass each other and there is a constant ebb and flow of racecars. Typically, one guy takes the lead and usually holds it for roughly a year and a half before someone decides to try to pass him and the new racer will then probably retain the lead until the end. Once he wins, he celebrates like he won the lottery and then drinks some milk. Hardly sounds like the way how I want to spend the entirety of my Sunday afternoon.

  And if this is supposed to be a real sport I think that we would be forced to call these overpaid drivers athletes. I don’t know about you but I usually admire athletes for their physique and amazing physical prowess. This being said go home and Google image to find a picture of Tony Stewart. He looks like a fatter version of Meatloaf. And there is absolutely no doubt that he would struggle to run around the track more than once. Actually that’s something I might pay to watch.

  Now NASCAR may not be is a lost cause if this so called sport, were to implement a few of the following suggestions.

   First, no more pit crew. They make things far too easy on theses “expert drivers.” If the car needs new front tires the drivers should be able to require the revelation to be shouted in his ear. When they get into the pits and get out of their cars, they should change their own tires and fill their own gas, like everyone else has to. This would make pit stops less frequent, more tactical, and quite comical.

  Next, I think there needs to be far more road courses on the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit. There are only two road course stops for the Nextel Cup in the upcoming season, while the other 36 others are ovals. Road courses actually require left AND right hand turns. These races are much more interesting to the casual fan and undoubtedly require more racing skill.

  Finally, and perhaps more importantly, the races need to be shorter. Anyone with an IQ above 100 can not sit and watch an entire race. Nothing could possibly be more boring. I would rather watch a four hour clip of Rebels field hockey highlights than watch an entire race. By shortening the race it would require drivers to make moves earlier in the race, which would result in more action.

NASCAR a sport? Absolutely not. But perhaps there’s hope.

 

New Secretary of Education Aims for Radical Reforms

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“It doesn’t just need a tweak. It needs a fundamental change,” says new Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

  Although everyone in the country has heard about Barack Obama’s commitment to reforming the educational system, many have no idea who or what his Cabinet pick for Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, will bring to the table.

  Duncan, the former chief executive officer of Chicago Public Schools, was quietly named the U.S. Secretary of Education on January 20th, 2009.

  What Duncan will do to reform the U.S. educational system is anyone’s guess.

  Duncan will inherit an educational program greatly affected by the No Child Left Behind Act, which many claim was a step in the wrong direction.

  The 44-year old Duncan grew up in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, where President Obama and his family have lived for several years, and also plays basketball on a regular basis with President Obama, according to Time Magazine. Duncan also graduated from the prestigious law school Harvard University, much like Obama.

  Post-graduation from Harvard, Duncan played professional basketball in Australia for four years before returning to his hometown of Chicago in 1992.  back in Chicago, Duncan proceeded to found a public school, called Ariel Community Academy (ACA).

  After ACA had gained a reputation as an innovative and successful institution and Duncan was tapped as head of Chicago Public Schools in 2001.

  Chicago has long been recognized as one of the most challenging school districts in the country, but Duncan has been able to oversee a rise in state test scores, as well as increase the graduation rate by six percent and open 53 new schools.

  The answers to Duncan’s rescue of Chicago schools, many say, lie in his policies. Duncan stands in opposition to a traditional educational system, which is governed by teachers unions and government standards for education. Duncan mainly stresses accountability, or in other words, rewarding the best teachers and firing the worst.

  More specifically, Duncan also supports performance based pay, a controversial issue amongst teachers. According to Duncan, teachers should be paid according to how well their students performed in a variety of tests. This issue is where Duncan has mainly drawn criticism.

  Duncan loosely supports the NCLB act. Duncan claims that “Congress should maintain the framework of high expectations and accountability”. However, Duncan also suggests that “it should also amend the law to give schools, districts and states the maximum amount of flexibility, particularly districts like ours, with a strong track record of achievement and accountability”.

  Critics contend that the NCLB, while raising standardized test scores, has basically forced teachers into a set curriculum in which students are taught a simple set of skills, only needed to pass a test rather than actually gain an education they can utilize in the future.

  The NCLB, critics claim, also punishes low-performing students for poor results on standardized tests. Critics argue that punitive measures push students who cannot perform at the necessary level out of school to increase test scores rather than encourage such students to complete an education and graduate high school.

  Higher level students are also being hit by the act, as schools push funding to core curriculum to make sure students meet a lowered standard and decrease the emphasis on honors and AP classes, according to the National Education Association.

  Although Duncan mainly has bipartisan support for his ideas right now, he has drawn fire from a cornucopia of areas. Duncan’s detractors suggest that he is attempting to turn the school system into a “marketplace,” where schools compete for the best students and those institutions that cannot retain excellent test scores and grades would be subject to closings and/or mass firings.

  Duncan supports a plan called “Renaissance 2010” which he believes will increase the amount of good teachers and also “blur the line between public and private schools”. The plan will close low-performing schools and replace them with smaller, entrepreneurial schools. These schools, according to Duncan will be free from unions and select state regulations, allowing administrators to dictate performance-based pay and create schools that cater to newer technology.

  Overall, Duncan looks like a wild-card as Secretary of Education. Duncan could completely reform the American school system. While some believe Duncan will create an entirely new system in which unions would be broken and schools would focus more on student performance. Critics say he could also completely destroy what education in America is if he standardizes education and bases performance on test scores.

  Duncan’s original goal was to create “the best urban school district in the nation,” according to Catalyst Chicago. Now, Duncan has an entire nation to create the best school system in the world.

 

Art Schools Present Daunting Application Requirements

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During the first half of the school year, South Kingstown High School is filled with seniors scrambling to complete and submit their basic college applications.

  Among the admissions requirements are the common application, letters of recommendation from responsible adults in the community, official high school transcripts, SAT or PSAT scores, an essay explaining to the college why the student is a worthy of acceptance and a fee for the application.

  For a basic four year college, it seems many high school students go to the end of the world to finalize their applications. Yet I learned first hand that applying to an art school, the requirements are even more demanding.

  As well as the common application, letters of recommendation, transcripts, SAT and PSAT scores and the essay, students applying to art school must assemble components of a portfolio, which will exhibit their most advanced projects. Any college specializing in art programs such as visual arts, music, film, dance, theater, photography is considered an art school. In most cases, the mandatory portfolio must showcase students’ ability to utilize different art styles and techniques.

  Many portfolio’s are turned down instantly due to heavy competition.

  After impressing the office of admissions, a live audition or an interview is required. Senior Phillip John Bold recently auditioned for world renowned school Berkley School of Music in Boston. Many aspects of Bolds artistic capabilities were called upon him.

  “I had to show that I was able to improvise, sight read sheet music and be able to play multiple styles of music,” said Bold.

  “I had to be extremely versatile,” he added.

  On top of that, there are a slew of application, audition and pre screening fees.

  My own experience paralleled this process. I applied to a studio production program at a State University of New York. In my portfolio, I needed to include three recorded pieces.

  The point of this was to exhibit my aesthetics as sound engineer. In order to compose, record and mix these songs, I had to go through a series of equipment rentals. Among the equipment I borrowed were a handful of microphones, cables, effects pedals and amplification.

  With all of proper tools, I was able to proceed in the production of my pieces that I was to send for admission. After the final mixing was complete, I proceeded to write out a detailed chart which described my methods of recording and engineering. Also included on the chart was thorough list of every piece of equipment I utilized including brands and models of instruments, amplifiers, effects pedals and the program I used to master the whole project.

  When all is said and done, I am very proud of the pieces I have produced even if they are not worthy for admission. It was the most time consuming project that I have ever embarked on, claiming four months. Over those four months, any free chunk of time that I had was thrown towards the that project in an effort to create the most advanced composition and recordings that I could possibly make.

  There is a tremendous amount of work to be completed for students who wish to attend art school but believe it or not, the work load included in the application process for art schools is completely necessary. This is because applicants of art schools, unlike basic four year schools, must prove proficiency in a certain area of study eventually culminating into involvement in a specific program.

  All students applying to art schools must have a desired program listed on their applications. There is no general education option for art schools meaning you are unable to arrive at the school undecided about what you wish to study because the students are looked at more as performers than students.

  Although the work load is necessary, it continues to be very demanding on applicants.

  Bold has applied to Berkley School of Music, SUNY Purchase, The New School and University of Rhode Island. (URI offers art programs but is not an institution specializing in art)

  For basic four year colleges, the application deadlines vary. An application can be due as early as October or as late as March.

  The deadlines for art schools are similar but for most applications that require a live audition, the first half of the application is due in the earlier part of the school year for pre-screening purposes.

  With that factored in, the first part of the application process is similar to that of early action.

  So how can education in an art field help the individual later become an asset to an extensive art scene?

  Just like any other field, having a degree will prove an individual to be the absolute best for what ever position the individual is interested in.

  Most students who have opted to attend art schools not only want to exploit and expose themselves and their work but also to establish friendships, more importantly useful connections in any art style, venue, studio and or agency.

  One of the biggest challenges for artists applying for school is to keep a constant rate of progression and activity while applying to school. My best advice for that problem is to jump on the art portfolio as soon as a decision is made about applying for a school. The completion of my application brought a new kind of artistic improvement. With the application out of the way, I now have time for the progression that is essential if I am to attend art school.
  Bold completed his applications in a similar fashion.

  “At the same time as trying to fulfill the audition requirements, I’ve been working on a handful of my own projects,” explained Bold. “It will be a great relief to be done with the whole process so I can move on to more advanced things.”