The Pelican Brief

ASP Mass Media profiled on SPS Website

2011-07-30T10:52:00.000-04:00

Visit http://www.sps.edu/podium/default.aspx?t=204&nid=606241 for the full article.

A Guide to Becoming an ASP Intern

2011-07-30T10:31:00.001-04:00

By ANDREW KNIGHTON

In addition to the 270 students studying here at the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) and enjoying the beautiful St. Paul’s School (SPS) campus, a total of 24 female interns and 15 male interns reside in the dormitories, teach in the classrooms, and lead extra-curricular activities. While all of them are doing roughly the same job here, the interns are a diverse group of people: they all have very different personalities, despite meshing quite well together; they all have different educational backgrounds, as some were SPS students, some are ASP alumni, and some had no previous affiliation with either the ASP or SPS. That said, there has been some curiosity about how the interns are hired and why they choose to work during the program’s five and a half weeks.

Michael Chen, from San Diego, California, just graduated from Dartmouth this spring with a major in ancient cultures and civilizations. Chen first heard about St. Paul’s School from a faculty member here at SPS, who was interviewing him about his enrollment at Dartmouth. He was looking for a summer job just as he finished his final year in college. “It was the first thing that popped up on a Google search when I was looking for a summer teaching job in New Hampshire,” Chen said.

Although Chen never attended the ASP, he expressed an interest in the World Religions class because of his deep background in the ancient world. He filled out the online application and was contacted in January by Michael Ricard, ASP Director. A phone interview took place and questions were asked about how he would handle dorm/class issues and, soon after, Ricard hired Chen for the position.

Unlike Chen, Jessica McKenzie has some experience on this campus not from previous time spent with the ASP, but from the four years she spent here as an SPS student. After graduating, she attended Barnard College, where she majored in English and also earned a minor in anthropology.

“The application process (for the ASP internship) was long,” said McKenzie. “I came to the campus to be interviewed my Mr. Ricard. It was the longest interview I have ever had. It took an hour, but he was easy to talk to and he offered me the job on the spot.”

Ashley Ardinger, a 2007 alumna of the ASP and rising senior at Trinity College, thoroughly enjoyed her experience as a student, but had even greater reason to return to the grounds this summer.

“The reason I came back was because my mom was an ASP student and came back to intern for a summer and loved every minute of it. She said it was more fun,” Ardinger said. “I filled out the application and emailed professors and coaches to write recommendations for me. Mr. Ricard came to Trinity to interview me face to face.”

Now a Writing Workshop intern, Ardinger said the interview was “pain free.” Although she has served as a student teacher in a third grade class and also taught special education completely in Spanish while she studied abroad for a semester in Argentina.

Ricard confirmed that potential interns indeed go through “an extensive application process.” They are required to submit a personal statement, as well as a transcript and recommendations, and many have an interview with Ricard. In all, Ricard reads over 150-200 applications before determining the group of interns each summer.

“Some classes are more popular (than others) and the language classes are tougher to find candidates,” Ricard said. He interviews as many applicants as possible by travelling to schools such as Bates, Bowdoin, Columbia, NYU, and Harvard or engaging in conversations via Skype, over phone, or in person.

In addition, Ricard tries to hire back four to five interns from the previous summer because he likes to have some experience back as well as give them a chance to try a new class. “They still have to reapply however; it’s rare that an intern has stayed in the same class as the summer before. They do not have to start in Writing Workshop either; it just works out that way sometimes,” Ricard said. On a final note, Ricard said, “I am very pleased with this intern group. They go above and beyond what they are asked. They want the best possible experiences for the kids and enjoy seeing them happy.”

St. Paul's Green Efforts Continue Through ASP

2011-07-30T10:27:00.000-04:00

By JOE TARR

Members of both the ASP and SPS communites waste electricity every day, which increases emissions to the atmosphere. The faculty and maintenance staff work hard to reduce the campus’ carbon footprint in a time where global warming remains a critical issue.

St. Paul’s Schoolhouse alone has a $5000 monthly electric bill. Little signs are posted above most light switches asking people to, please, shut them off. Some light switches state the Schoolhouse monthly electricity bill. House supervisors and interns enforce that students turn off their lights whenever necessary. The dorms use motion sensor lights in the hallways to ensure they are off most of the day. In most dorm showers there are sand timers of three to five minutes to encourage students to use less hot water.

The Ecology class is working on avoiding fertilizers with chemicals at St. Pauls by making a compost pile, which will create life for more earth worms and strengthen the quality of the soil. With the use of fertilizers, St. Pauls takes the risk of the chemicals being washed out into the many ponds on campus, killing wildlife. Every day at breakfast, lunch, and dinner students are asked to throw napkins and food into marked barrels so the Ecology class can put it in the compost pile that they have constructed. “The barrels are not anything new. Previous ecology classes have done the same process over the summer, taking the job of the hands of the cafeteria staff as they take control during the normal school year,” said Ben Henry of Goffstown, an Ecology this summer.

The ecology class also tests the water in Turkey Pond. The Ecology class came to the conclusion after many tests for oxygen content, carbon dioxide, alkalinity, conductivity, turbidity, and pH that Turkey Pond is safe for recreation. “Just not to drink,” said by Sarah Vivinetto, another Ecology student from Salem. The lake was tested in four different areas according to Vivinetto. “All around the pond, it is safe for recreation.” Vivinetto said. This was concluded after many “vigorous water tests”, added Vivinetto.

Saving energy is largely enforced in dorms too. Interns and house supervisors are required by Michael Ricard, the program Director, to encourage students to be green by turning off lights and fans during the day when they are out of their rooms. “Students are also not allowed to have personal air conditioners nor personal refrigerators in an effort to help lower electricity use on campus. This along with other small requirements, such as lights being turned off whenever they can be, help a lot with keeping the cost of electricity down,” says Ricard. He adds, “The maintenance department also tries to remind the students wherever there is a light switch by posting some kind of note above the switch. I agree that global warming is a crisis, and is something we take very seriously here at St. Pauls. We are trying to do everything we can to keep our environment clean.”

Talents Prove ASP Student Are More Than Just Smart

2011-07-30T10:15:00.000-04:00

By GREG O'BRIEN

On Saturday July 16th, the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) held a talent show in Memorial Hall for past and present students; and even for the interns. Between outrageous costumes, mind-blowing voices, and a folk story about Zelda, it was truly an interesting night. A few stood out amongst the crowd.

The talent show was hosted by Advanced Mathematics intern, Donny Dickson, and Marine Biology intern, Kate Shaper who improvised their entire performance. Dickson said, “All of the parts where we were singing, we were reading each other’s lips.” Their MC skills proved mediocre, but the improvisational factor added to their dynamic skits.

It is safe to say that the third act of the night confused everybody a little. Charlie DeBenedetto performed a finger-style guitar narrative combo about, well, what was it about? Some of those in the audience got back in touch with their inner nerd and immediately knew what was unfolding. For those of that were left wondering, DeBenedetto told the story of Link, a character from the Nintendo series Zelda. DeBenedetto said, “When I first learned guitar as a freshman, I always wanted to play videogame music.” When asked why he chose to play this song, he responded, “I feel like I have a very strong connection with the song and people would care more about the story than my voice.” He was absolutely right. The story intrigued the majority of the office and many wondered about its content due to their lack of knowledge about the topic and its strange appearance in a talent show.

Another shocker was the voice and piano performance of Chuck Neild. Neild roams around campus wearing a toga or casually strolls with his guitar. His leisure activity proved much more serious. Nield played “Mad World” by Tears for Fears on the piano and sang as well. Genuine surprise washed over the audience as soon as the first note rang. With nearly flawless piano playing, it may come as a shock that Nield has not been playing for years. Nield said, “I can’t say I play piano because I only know two songs, I just think it’s fun.” When asked why he chose the song, he said, “I only know two songs and that one sounds the coolest and it was different so I went for it.” Chuck also stated that he will be performing in the next Talent Show because “it is good to put yourself out there sometimes,” so be sure to see his talent for yourself.
Another puzzling, yet entertaining performance on the night of the talent show was the mock serenade performed by Jordan Dempsey, Eric Levenson, and Lauren Nevin, three students from the ASP class of 2010. They performed the song “Truly Madly Deeply” by Savage Garden. This “serenade” was nothing like any of the ones that have happened this summer. Between pictures of human ears, strange men with large muscles, cats with watermelon hats, and people running around with green suits and masks, it captured the audience’s attention with its quirky humor and delightfulness. The group was refused a spot in the talent show last year due to time constraints. When they auditioned this year, Dempsey said Michael Ricard , the program Director, had two things to say, “I wish it was longer, and how did you not make it last year?”

The night concluded with a miraculous performance from Betty Wallingford. Wallingford’s natural gift for music was first notably discovered by the ASP community at Chapel around two weeks ago when she sang an original piece while playing the guitar. When she approached the piano to conclude the night, the crowd sat quietly in anticipation for a performance that would top her previous one. And Wallingford certainly raised the bar another level by performing another original piece that amazed just about everybody in the building. There was truly no better way to end the night than with a roaring standing ovation from the ASP community.

Spotlight on the Arab World

2011-07-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

By ZACHARY BLANCHARD

In regards to his Conservative move to involve the U.S. in the Arab Spring revolts, President Obama said that America's current "short-term interests do not align perfectly with our long-term vision... But we can— and will— speak out for a set of core principles." These principles include freedom of speech, press, and religion, all of which are rights granted to Americans. In his address back in May, Obama makes it apparent that U.S. involvement in Arab Spring is not an expansion of war efforts, but rather an effort to offer the stability of democracy and freedom. What about America’s own stability?

There is bipartisan agreement in Congress that Obama should have received their approval before getting involved in Libya. It is not that everyone in Congress is against involvement; it is that they believe Obama was unconstitutional, violating the War Powers Act of 1973. Obama was quick to become involved in Libya, making Congress and citizens alike ask, “Why?” Obama’s quick reaction is reason to believe that his intentions could be more than just humanitarian efforts. Many see it as America sticking their nose where they don’t need to, once again.

President Obama authorized 25 million dollars in nonlethal assistance to the rebels and 53 million dollars in humanitarian aid. This added to the $1.2 trillion spent on the military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan already. All of which increases our country’s growing deficit. On top of that, Obama authorized that money without full Congressional approval, making us realize that not only are we in economic distress, but Democracy is too.

The intent is to supposedly aid the civilians while preparing for attack, in the event that Gadhafi doesn’t implement a ceasefire on attacks against civilians. We are spending all this money for a “just in case” situation. Meanwhile the U.S. and NATO are enforcing a no-fly zone that cost anywhere between 400 and 800 million just to initiate. It is not money that is being spent to protect our national security, but rather to aid a country that does not even really know what they are fighting for.

The U.S. involvement in Libya was initiated unconstitutionally, is increasing the national deficit, and is not in our country’s best interest. In an attempt to look good in the global spotlight, America is continuing their involvement while other countries such as Italy and Norway are withdrawing the troops and planes they provided for NATO airstrikes. With other countries reconsidering their decision, it is time for the United States to do the same.

ASP Presidential Candidates Square Off in Final Debate

2011-07-28T23:52:00.003-04:00

By RACHEL KRAMER

While the first ever Advanced Studies Program Twitter Presidential debate held two weeks ago was a scripted skit of near total agreement, the live debate held last Monday night might be considered a real dispute between the candidates, even without the promised boxing match. Candidates Carolyn Keyes, representing the American Solutions Party, and Molly Kepner from the Block party, went head to head in a front of a live audience in Memorial Hall. They debated issues that ranged in topic from abortion, Keyes as pro-life and Kepner being pro-choice, to the death penalty, which Keyes supported and Kepner did not.

Monday’s debate did not have anywhere near the amount of agreement on issues as the first debate hosted by the Mass Media class. Keyes said in preparation for the live debate that she worked with her team, splitting up the research so “everyone’s involved.” She knew her stance on all the issues, but practiced the question and answer style to become more comfortable articulating her answers. “We have no idea about the questions for Monday’s debate,” she said in an interview last Tuesday. When asked what she would change about the first debate if she could, she said she would have liked to “elaborate on [her] views,” to differentiate herself from Kepner because they agreed on the social issues in which they were allowed to pick their stance.

Many students are not aware that certain viewpoints were assigned. Keyes was assigned by John Phillips, the Law and Government Master Teacher, to be pro life, pro death penalty, pro welfare, and pro large government over small government. Phillips wanted to avoid having the candidates choosing their views so the debates would contain discussions of different ideas.

Kepner really wanted to “hammer home [her] values,” in Monday’s live debate. She also spent her time talking with Keyes and going over their views to make sure they have different opinions rather than give a repeat of the first debate. Yet in an interview prior to the live debate, Kepner said if she could choose her views, she would make choices that are “better for everyone else,” which is very similar to what Keyes said about her polices. Her preparation has been the same as the last debate, spending most of last week going over her policies with her team.

When Michael Ricard, director of the Advanced Studies Program, first heard about the plans for the Presidential election, he thought it was “really cool,” and although Phillips gave no specifics, Ricard told him to run with it. Over the nine years Ricard’s been a part of the Advanced Studies Program, an election like this has never taken place. The election process, he said, “is a great opportunity to force students to research issues.” Regarding the subject of the candidates being forced to defend a side on certain issues that they may not personally believe, he said that “the best way to learn more…is to defend that [other] position.” He said that it brings a “better understanding and level of respect” for the other side. Prior to the debate, Ricard sat in on Law and Government’s debate prep meeting, and he said he’s interested to learn more about Keyes because he hadn’t heard her views before that night.

The event held two weeks ago couldn’t be deemed a true debate. The candidates dressed in similar attire, and had similar views on nearly ever topic, from the right to die, to illegal immigration, to minimizing the country’s deficit. Yet preparation for the live debate seemed to have worked, and although the candidates both attended the live debate in floral patterned outfits, students are now going to have a hard time choosing which candidate to vote for.

Keyes believes that her “policies are what’s best for the United States as a whole,” and that’s why the students at the ASP should vote for her. From her stance of large government over small government, she says that the government should run healthcare because “healthcare is a right.” She wants her views to be what’s “best for everyone, not just the wealthy,” while still keeping in mind the deficit and “being efficient with spending.”

Kepner said that the students at the Advanced Studies Program should vote for her because she’s a “people person,” and “loves being a voice for a group.” As well as claiming to be “more down to earth,” she also believes that she “can communicate her views better than Carolyn.” She’s been the class president for her grade for the past three years at her school, while Keyes has only been president for two.

An Hour in the Life of a Crew Member

2011-07-28T22:21:00.000-04:00

By HALEY CIRKA

“Now, to square the oar, move your hands like this,” Jim Lauderdale, the head coach of the Advanced Studies Program crew team, demonstrated for me. “You do the opposite when you feather the oar.” My pulse quickened as his brief introduction to crew lengthened. I was not supposed to be in the crew boat. I only wanted to observe the practice and take a few pictures. But when they were short on rowers, I knew that I would join the other crew members as a fellow rower. “Crew’s the ultimate team sport,” crew intern Kate Shaper told me beforehand. I was about to find that out for myself.

Rowers carry the boat into the water

I heard stories that crew practices are “intense physically,” as crew member Tess Hamilton said. “It’s a full body effort.” Knowing this, I still had no idea what to expect. I followed orders to the best of my ability and tried to stay out of people’s way as we readied the boat. We moved the oars to an area by the dock, carried the boat, which is a lot heavier than it looks, out of the boathouse and gently lowered it into the water. We attached the oars, cautiously set ourselves into our designated seats, and pushed off from the dock. I took some deep breaths and thought encouraging words. “I can do this.”

We started out with some warm ups and gradually moved into a drill called Power Ten, during which we rowed ten, fast paced strokes. “Square the oar, Haley! Now feather it!” Lauderdale shouted at me from his speed boat. The foreign crew terms clouded my mind and I did my best to mimic the motions of the people in front of me. “Timing is everything,” said crew intern Matt LaBrie a few days previously. I replayed his words and tried to match the other rower’s speed.
After rowing for a good portion of the practice, I finally got the hang of it. Well, almost. I began to understand Lauderdale’s crew lingo. The commands “Hold water!” and “From the release” were no longer alien to me. And I started to match the other rowers’ time. “It’s incredible when everyone pulls together,” said Elissa Rodman. I must agree. We did not just row through the water. We glided across it. Lauderdale described this phenomenon to me. He said the crew members merge together so well that they “become part of the boat. They flow with the motion of the boat and learn how the movement affects the way it moves.”

This merging takes time to accomplish. Few people get the chance to experience crew, so they come to ASP with no former knowledge. As crew intern Elliott Munn said, “It’s an opportunity a lot don’t have in high school.” All of the crew members learn “slowly as a group,” he said. “It’s definitely a commitment,” Hamilton said. “Even if you’re the most athletic person in the world, you’re going to have some difficulty with crew.” Rowers must learn how to work together as one and time their movements perfectly.

The new knowledge that the crew members learn give them a quality in common that no one else has, allowing them to build strong community bonds. “Community comes with the territory,” Hamilton said. “In fact, it’s more of a community than a team.” The crew team spends both sport sessions together and practices are a half-hour longer than other sports. “You’re isolated at the docks together. You work out together. You’re always together,” LaBrie said. “Crew is almost like a cult,” Munn commented.

Even though I was a rower for only an hour, I felt that sense of the community. Each crew member watched out for the others. Ben Cares and several other crew members all whispered tips to me and translated Lauderdale’s instructions into English as we rowed. They looked out for the wellbeing of the entire boat and were not just concerned with their own personal performance. “We’re a family,” Rodman said. “You look out for everyone else.”

ASP Triathlon Pushes Students to Test Their Limits

2011-07-27T22:46:00.001-04:00

By HANNAH CUNNINGHAM

The Advanced Studies Program (ASP) students enrolled in the triathlon training group throughout the program’s recreation sessions will finally get the chance to prove themselves tomorrow (Thursday, July 28) by taking part in the on-campus triathlon.

This is the first summer triathlon training, which includes swimming, biking, and running, has been offered as a sport at the ASP for students who want something more rigorous than badminton or more structured than personal fitness. As Ecology student and triathlon trainee Kate Stover said, “I wanted to get in great shape while I’m here and stay active, but I’ve never trained specifically for any type of event before, so trying something new was another thing that got me interested.”

This desire for activity is the biggest portion of getting your body ready for the triathlon, and as Stover said, “it’s so much harder than [expected]. Doing all three sports uses every muscle but in all different ways, it really takes a lot of out of you.” While Biomedical Ethics student and fellow triathlon trainee Kyle Macey did the same workouts as Stover, he stated that “the training has been easier than (he) expected for swimming and biking, but running has been a challenge.”

These contradictory statements introduce the idea of whether girls and boys should be training together. Triathlon trainer, Ecology intern, and Wing House intern, Cianna Wyshnytzky said that “this is where strength in individual events should be compared. We have stronger students in each event (cross country runners and swimmers, for example), although the strength of our students is not dictated by their sexes.”

As for preparing the trainees, Wyshnytzky said that “given the different strengths of our students, workouts have been somewhat difficult to plan, but we have found a great way to tailor to all abilities.” Some days are devoted to an individual event, whereas others are conjoined days, combining two or three of the events.

Stover talked about the combination of the three events and said, “my favorite element is definitely swimming. When I was younger I swam competitively and being in the water is one of my favorite things to do. I find it so relaxing and it doesn’t make me as tired as the other two.” Macey agreed in saying “my favorite portion is the swimming, because I’m a varsity swimmer at my high school, so I have a lot of experience.”

Stover and Macey disagreed on their least favorite part of the triathlon. Stover said that “biking is probably (his) least favorite… biking (is) really hard for an extended period of time (and it) gets really uncomfortable, especially because it’s the part right after swimming so you jump on the bike soaking wet.” On the contrary, Macey stated, “I dislike the running section. I am fine with the cardio, but after a while my legs feel like lead.”

Hopefully Stover and Macey, along with the other Triathlon competitors, will not be uncomfortable or lead-legged during the race. This race, as Wyshnytzky described is either “a Sprint or Super Sprint distance, which are two internationally standardized races. Sprint distance includes a 750 m swim, 20 km bike, and 5 km run, whereas the shorter Super Spring distance includes a 400 m swim, 10 km bike, and 2.5 km run.”

Good luck to all of those who are competing in the triathlon; may the best man – or woman – win.

Studio Arts Students Earn Respect, Develop Talents

2011-07-27T22:29:00.001-04:00

By CHRISTINA WARRINER

The Studio Arts students are currently preparing for their exhibit tomorrow (Thursday, July 28) from 6-7:30 pm in the Hargate Gallery. As they arrange this culminating project to show off their work, much of the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) community is wondering what they will find if they attend. With many also unaccustomed to the course, some may also assume that the work undertaken by the Studio Arts students has not taken as much effort as their own courses have required. However, this is not true, and these students are being pushed to meet the same high expectations as all students here at the ASP.

This showcase represents just one example of the many unique experiences these students have taken part in. “It is very rare that high school students get to be part of something like this,” said Studio Arts intern Alicia Pacelli. Different from writing a paper or solving a math problem, the way Studio Arts students are learning is unfamiliar to many other students at the ASP. However, Pacelli and fellow Studio Arts intern Anna “Mackie” Sewall are adamant about earning their students the same amount of appreciation and respect as their peers.

Studio Arts students have jumped head first into a world of two-dimensional art while working through different mediums and styles. They have studied technical drawing, portraits, sketching, collage, painting with oils, landscape, and Photoshop among many other skills. They are developing a completely new set of abilities that connect hand and mind in a way traditional academics do not. They have also studied famous artists, art history, and have focused on the progression art has made throughout time.

“Anyone who believes that the Fine Arts are a less demanding discipline shows supreme ignorance and a lack of cultural understanding,” said Sewall.

Sewall and Pacelli are disappointed when others do not consider their class as legitimate or challenging. “It is insulting to the students and teachers,” said Pacelli, adding that “we all should be smart enough to appreciate something other than math and science.”

Living a day in the life of a Studio Arts student is sheer proof of the rigor of this course. “We start our work at the beginning of class and work from after dinner through study hours. You just can’t rush art,” said student Beau Landis. Class begins with free drawing and is followed by thirty to forty five minute long critique sessions. Students constructively analyze their work and the work of their classmates under the guidance of their instructors. A lecture and work period for their current projects will commonly follow this, emphasizing that practice is extremely important for their artistic growth. “We learn as we do,” said Landis.

“There is not a precise answer,” said student Tess Hamilton, who is adjusting to a learning style she has never faced before. These ambiguous tasks have quickly increased students’ talent and have also taught them to be independent learners.

Pacelli hopes that she has shown her students the importance of leaving their comfort zones, while Sewall hopes she has taught them how to disregard their preconceived concepts of images so that they can truly see art. They respectively believe that art education is “crucial” and “essential” and hope that their students continue their studies when their time at the ASP is over.

“There is a definite use for art,” Landis said. “In any field you will find some use for it.”

Hamilton agreed, saying that “whether it is professional or as a hobby, (she) sees art as a part of (her) life for the rest of (her) life.”

Political Ads Cause Candidates to Carefully Craft Messages

2011-07-27T22:12:00.000-04:00

By CAITLIN HAEDRICH

To many students’ surprise, as they walked into schoolhouse last Tuesday morning, there was a large billboard on display in the lobby. Featured on the board was a picture of Carolyn Keyes, a candidate in the upcoming Advanced Studies Program (ASP) presidential election. Behind her was a Photoshopped image of a landscape, sky, and stars complete with the following caption: “She won’t reach for the stars. NASA will crumble under Keyes.” The quote is in reference to Keyes statement during the debate the other evening that, in order to reduce federal deficit, she would cut the NASA program.

The billboard was the first installment in series of advertisements by the Mass Media class for and against the candidates in the ASP presidential election. Throughout the past week, numerous other advertisements have popped up across campus. On the same day that the billboard appeared, the ice cream machines featured the flavors “Kreme de la Keyes” and “Molly K Cream” instead of the usual vanilla and chocolate. In addition, each side dispensed the same flavor (vanilla) making the statement that the candidates were both the same and bland.

Last Wednesday, students woke to find the sidewalks of St. Paul’s chalked with anti-Kepner slogans, while after lunch they had the opportunity to attend a “Block Party,” to support the Block Party, which is also the name of Kepner’s political organization.

The messages have sparked the interest and the ire of students across campus. Anna Spencer, a World Religions student, said that she “didn’t know that she (Keyes) wanted to cut NASA” and that she “(didn’t) think cutting NASA altogether is good.” Some students felt that the negative ads were a little too strong, as Amber Brooks, a Forbidden Fictions student said that she “hate(s) political bashing.” Carrie Brewster, an Ecology student, said that she “thought that if (someone) were going to spread negatives ads around campus, each side should get equal publicity. There are two sides to the story. The anti-Keyes ad was not as flamboyant as the anti-Kepner ads.”

For the most part, neither party did much in response to the ads. They appreciated the positive campaigning and, as Macy Howarth, crisis manager for Molly Kepner says, “It got her [Kepner’s] name out either way.” Carolyn Keyes even said that the negative ads “keeps it interesting” and that she “has no problem with negative campaigning as long as it is accurate.” The biggest setback they had with the ads was one they hadn’t anticipated. Carolyn said “The only issue we’ve had is with the negative campaigning against the other team. We’ve had people thinking that it was us. We don’t want people to think we are being unfair.” Kepner’s crisis manager maintains that this weeks debate will help set things straight. Hopefully, students with concerns or question about the statements made in the ads will be able to voice them during the open debate. In the mean time, Howarth says, “we chose not to respond.”

Interestingly, after both negative ads featured the candidates plan to cut NASA, both candidates retracted or restated what they had said at the first debate during the second debate held Monday. Responding to a question regarding her earlier statements and the ensuing controversy, Keyes said that she “never planned to cut NASA entirely.” Kepner defended her own comments by saying that she “(thought that) people misread what we said about NASA.” Their changes in stance reflect the impact the advertising campaigns have had on their respective campaigns.

Monday’s presidential debate all but concluded the formal campaign process as the election date continues to draw closer. Voting will take place this Friday during dinner where there will be booths for students to cast their ballots. Regardless of who wins, each candidate will certainly look to the effect that the various advertising campaigns had on their road to victory.

Helping Students with Problems - An Argument in Favor of Random Drug Testing

2011-07-26T22:48:00.000-04:00

By CAMERON STECKLER

In 2002, the Supreme Court ruled 5-4 in favor of allowing random drug testing in America’s schools; both public and private. According to this legislation, students involved in extracurricular activities, sports included, can be tested without suspicion. Random drug testing is an effective measure that does not violate any privacy concerns, is cost effective, and is successful in deterring students from abusing drugs.

The need for drug testing in schools is already present, but has yet to be filled. With increasing drug abuse among high school teenagers, solving the problem has become less a responsibility for the parents, and more one for the schools. The reason is because teens have learned how to better hide their drug problems from parents. A teenager will come home “high” so often that his parents begin believe this adverse behavior is normal and simply part of being a teenager. If the parents cannot detect their child’s drug issue, then the schools are the second best line of defense.

The main problem lies in the approach taken in helping teens overcome drug abuse. Drugs, illegal as they are, are commonly associated with punishment. For those who face drug problems, the fear of a punitive response only causes teens to hide their problems; they learn how to cope with the problem. Instead, it is important that teens be taught how to live without the problem. Most think of random drug testing as a plot to expose and punish student drug abusers; its real service is in finding teens with a problem who are in need of help, as well as to deter students on the edge of becoming faithful drug addicts. As Advanced Studies Program director Michael Ricard said, “If you test someone as a school and they come back positive, then you do need to have some level of punishment. Otherwise, why are you testing? But you better have a support structure in place. Whatever the response is, it should simply be non-punitive. That person is not going to get the help and support he needs otherwise.”

In order to classify the intentions of the random drug testing, the U.S. Department of Education stated that the practice “must be part of a comprehensive drug-prevention program in the schools served, and provide for the referral to treatment or counseling of students identified as drug users.” The key here is not punishment, but rather amnesty. A student who tests positive is removed from his extracurricular activity, given counseling, retested, then with a negative result returns to the activity. The furthest form of punishment lies in the temporary suspension of the student’s extracurricular activity. Law enforcement is left out of the picture.

The legal side of drug testing is one plagued by Fourth Amendment concerns. Is random drug testing an invasion of privacy? The short answer is no. Children are not granted Fourth Amendment rights. Their parents protect their privacy; therefore, the random drug testing should be carried out with parents having a choice of opting out. Since parents are viewed as the protectors of their children’s rights, this only makes sense. The parents are informed of the testing however the children are not, leaving the same level of randomness intact.

The effectiveness of the drug testing also makes sense. Cost-wise, drug testing has become much more affordable with advancements in medical science. For over five years, the Skagit County School District in Washington has been able to conduct the random drug testing of one quarter of its middle to high school students in extracurricular activities for $20,000 annually. For a district of 10,000 plus students, this is very affordable.

Federal estimates in 2002 put the number of schools doing random drug testing at somewhere between 500 and 2,000, or a top-end figure of about 3.5%. Moving forward to 2007, that figure increased to 7%. In terms of effectiveness, the drug testing gives students a powerful reason to say no to peer pressure. A student who is offered drugs among a group of friends can say “no” to the situation with the excuse that his school is conducting random drug testing. In this sense, random drug testing does more than just help students overcome drug problems; it prevents students from developing them in the first place.

It is not vital that random drug testing spreads overnight; each year more and more schools are implementing the policy. It is important that the parents, schools, and students all realize that random drug testing is to protect the children, non-punitively. If one of these groups of people do not cooperate, the drug testing will be rendered useless. What people realize after implementing the drug testing is that they are truly making a powerful change. The future of America is in its youth. It is time to protect both America’s youth and future with such health measures as random drug testing.

Privacy Concerns and Perceptions - An Argument Against Random Drug Testing

2011-07-26T22:37:00.001-04:00

By MARY LOCKE

After a Supreme Court decision deemed the practice legal, schools across the country have been administering random drug tests to students involved in extracurricular activities. The intent is to find student drug users, and expose them to counseling in order to “help” them kick drugs and stay clean, both for their own health and safety and that of others.

This practice in schools is an invasion of privacy. It should not be the school’s responsibility to determine who is using drugs, especially when there is a large chance that the drugs are not being used on school grounds. A student whom the school has no reason to be suspicious of cannot be victimized in having to be checked for drugs. If there is no apparent reason for the school to test a student for drugs, then the school should not be allowed to do so.

The consequences for the student would be ineffective. If, for example, the student is offered amnesty so as not to be punished by the law, yet receives drug counseling, it might not be efficient. If a student, especially one that considers herself/himself to be a “healthy drug user,” is caught and the counseling is not wanted, there is no way it can be effective. If a kid does not recognize the problem, there is no hope for a “recovery.”

Likewise, criminal punishment or involvement with the law seems like too large of a punishment for what could be seen as just a petty crime. There are so many different extremes in the drug realm that one definite consequence would not be fair, or successful. The issue is brought up between the punishment of students who are positive for heroine, and those students who are positive for marijuana. Even though in reality these drugs are on far different levels, they are classified similarly and the punishment, under this school regulation, would be the same. The student using heroine is in a more dire situation than the marijuana user, but they would be treated the same.

Along with the ineffectiveness of the ramifications, the costliness is simply not efficient. Instead of spending money on educational programs, or keeping kids in groups that promote healthy living (such as athletic teams), the school would be putting money into a program that simply recognizes the damage that has already been done. The money, if spent at all, should be used to support preventative measures to stop the drug-abuse before it even starts. Akin to health care, the easiest thing to do is to advocate prevention. A school really needs to think about where the money is most needed before implementing drug tests that can cost upwards of thousands of dollars per year.

Not all drugs are easily detected in drug tests. The most common means of screening for drugs is via a urine sample. Marijuana, which is a commonly detected drug among high school students, stays in an individual’s system and is able to be detected for very long periods of time. Other drugs, such as alcohol—also highly popular among high school students—can leave one’s system once oxidized. (In alcohol’s case, one ounce of ethyl alcohol per hour.) “Whether it’s an adolescent or an adult, if they want to partake in drug use. . .they are going to be as creative as they need to be to still use,” said Advanced Studies Program director Mike Ricard.

Schools should consider the future of their reputations before they implement drug testing. Anyone, including the parent of a potential student, could look at a school and wonder why that school needs to have drug testing. In a way, it could imply that the school has a problem. This could turn away many people from a school, or even a town if they are that affected by it. There is always the chance that a school could seem more responsible for this, but in general the effect is detrimental.

Breaking the Bubble series - Random Drug Testing

2011-07-26T22:21:00.000-04:00

Editor's note: This podcast marks the third in a series entitled "Breaking the Bubble" - the series aims to promote awareness of current events within the "bubble" of the Advanced Studies Program community. We will hope that you will join us for a lunch discussion on the topic of random drug testing in schools tomorrow (Wednesday, July 27) - keep checking back for more details.

Shakespeare Class Sacrifices for Their Craft, Succeeds on the Stage

2011-07-26T15:36:00.003-04:00

By JULIA MOREIRA

The Shakespeare for Performance class at the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) stands out each summer because its members serve not simply as students, but also as cast members.

In their roles as such, they must memorize two full length plays in five and half weeks: Macbeth, which premiered July 14 and played until July 16; and The Comedy of Errors, performed during the final week of the program. The students have ten days to memorize all of their lines, as well as understand them.

“The best way to start off is to write down all of your lines to get them in your head,” says Noelle Michaud, with the advice given by the master teacher.

For student Jonny Meehan, who played the part of Macbeth, this meant learning 700 lines of dialogue. He was not originally enthusiastic about the role, but according to fellow student Angeline Jacques, “everyone embraced their parts; no one was sore about the roles they got.” These were decided in the first couple of days of the program, in a “mass audition” where the interns and director could get a sense of how students reacted and composed themselves in various improvisation games. The course’s director, Kevin Gardner, made it clear that nothing the students had done up to that point mattered; for everyone, it was a new beginning.

Gardner, named by New Hampshire Magazine as the state’s Best Theatre Critic in 2008 is acclaimed by student Jake Simard as “brilliant; the best director I’ve ever had, hands down.” According to Michaud, Jacques, and Simard, Gardner’s familiarization with the plays is so prominent that he is able to detect when word order is confused, or when one replaced “the” with “thy.” The students say that he knows Macbeth by heart; it is the blood pumping through his veins.

Along with the constant drilling of lines, the members of Shakespeare also have rehearsal during study hours in addition to class time. This provides insight on how little the students are seen around campus in the evening, and why their relationships with each other may seem stronger than the ones they have with other members of their dorms.

Another difficulty presented by dedication of study hours to memorizing lines can be seen in the struggle to find time to complete their Writing Workshop homework. Students are busy on the stage, so they must try to accomplish other material in the morning, before sports, or after they check in to their dorms in the evening. Simard explains that it is difficult to change gears and transition from performing and memorization to writing essays.

There have been many positives for members of the class, though, including an improved ability to understand Shakespearean verse, truly appreciate it, and direct the emotion back to those watching. Intern Chris Gebauer says that “it’s not just words; it’s everything behind it. [The students] must have full control of the language and convey the meaning to the audience.”

Students arrive with no connection to Shakespeare except perhaps a brief encounter in their English classes, and leave with a deepened relationship to the text after five and half weeks. “Together we’re making something out of nothing. It’s very fulfilling, and it never gets old,” says Kevin Gardner.

However difficult this task may be, none of the students regret their enrollment in the class. For many, it was not their first choice, but that matters little now. “I can’t imagine my St. Paul’s experience without the people that I’ve met,” says Jacques.

Mysterious Reverend Tarr Receives Mixed Reviews

2011-07-26T15:16:00.005-04:00

By CHRISTOPHER PENNY

Shocked faces could be seen in every direction at Fruit Break last Wednesday following an overzealous performance by the politically charged, and self proclaimed, Reverend Tarr. The mysterious performance certainly gave the snack a curious aftertaste, but the effect that the event will have on the upcoming election remains uncertain.

Towards the second half of Fruit Break, a robed figure took to the pedestal upon which the statue of St. Paul sits. He introduced himself as “Reverend Tarr” and he delivered a politically charged sermon on the subject of the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) Presidential election. According to Ethan LaFrance, a student in Changing the World, the surprising event “caught everybody’s attention.” During his speech, the Reverend called for support of Carolyn Keyes, one of the presidential candidates.

Making announcements from his makeshift pulpit, Reverend Tarr attempted to sway voters towards voting for Keyes and away from voting for Molly Kepner, Keyes’s rival in the presidential race. In one particularly memorable segment, the Revered exorcised the influence of Kepner from one follower. Soon thereafter, he began a chant that rang “vote Carolyn Keyes,” and finished by asking his audience for an “amen. Reportedly, Reverend Tarr’s appearance was not directly linked to, or sanctioned by, Keyes and her campaign did not stage the sermon, though Keyes briefly joined Tarr by the statue. The Reverend was not asked to leave the event; the impromptu rally was completely peaceful in nature and was permitted to conclude.

Not much is known about the background of the elusive Reverend Tarr. He first emerged in the public eye during his self proclaimed “crusade” for legislation ensuring pelicans the same rights as United States citizens. The movement eventually petered out, but Reverend Tarr’s affinity for politics remains ever passionate.

“When I heard of Ms. Keyes’ entry into the 2011 ASP election, I knew it was time to step forward to show my support,” said Reverend Tarr when questioned about his motives.

Tarr claims that he was officially ordained as a reverend following an online course; however, he abandoned the traditional church service for his unorthodox routine. In an explanation of his methods, Reverend Tarr said, “there is a reason that I make a scene. I often feel that people ignore political issues because they can appear to be mundane, and so I bring them to the table in a way that adds a touch of spice to the arena.”

The candidates’ reactions to the event were mixed. Carolyn Keyes mentioned that she “appreciates the support,” but also felt that the religious aspect was “pushy.” As she is running on a platform that is moderate in terms of religious affiliation, Keyes mentioned that she wanted to avoid “brainwashing” potential supporters. Molly Kepner, who was present during the speech, stated, “Some will take [the performance] as good publicity. Some will take it as goofy.” The candidate also said that she “hopes it doesn’t hurt [Carolyn’s] campaign too much.”

As ASP election day draws nearer and nearer, there will be plenty of news to cover. Be sure to keep checking up on the Mass Media’s blog, as well as The Pelican Brief’s Facebook and Twitter profiles, in order to keep up with the latest developments.

Kepner's Closing Statements

2011-07-25T20:00:00.001-04:00

In Kepner's closing statements, she said, "I wont be wishy-washy with my views," and glanced directly at Keyes. Did Kepner also notice how Keyes changed her views constantly? Although, Kepner also changed her mind on a few issues, such as NASA, when compared to what she said during the last debate. But, out of the two of them, Kepner definitely stayed truer to her beliefs.

Why Keyes?

2011-07-25T20:00:00.000-04:00

She is focused on improving education, general wealthfare, and the economy. Keyes thanks all who participated and attended in this debate, especially the mass media class for putting it on. Her most passionate beliefs are on education and environment. She believes that education is "the foundation to a successful country." Keyes is confident and excited for the election. Vote Keyes!

In Closing

2011-07-25T19:58:00.001-04:00

By Cam Steckler, Mass Media Press

Cooper Waterman shut the books on the candidates with his closing questions in the debate. He sniped Kepner with his cornering of her views to stop illegal immigration without funding the effort. Impossible to most, but Kepner can do the extraordinary; make things happen without money.

The closing statements followed. "Why should we vote for you fro the president of the United States," Waterman asked. Keyes read off her script once again, wanting to improve the quality of life for all Americans. Kepner is candid with her requests for our votes. She "won't be wishy washy or cut NASA too much."

Keyes Stance on 'No Child Left Behind'

2011-07-25T19:54:00.002-04:00

On the issue of bridging the gap in unequal education according to wealth in our country, Keyes' goal is to help "everyone [schools] rise to the bar nation wide..." She is against punishing schools who are not doing well but rather focusing on how to improving them. Bush's 'No Child Left Behind' progam was rather unsuccessful in her eyes, and it is important to help both schools in good shape and those that aren't to get where they need to be. Keyes is confident in improving the education system in the U.S.

Kepner's Favorite Response

2011-07-25T19:53:00.002-04:00

Kepner brings up the right to privacy every chance she gets. When asked about random drug testing, she said it violates people's privacy. When asked about whether it is right for kids and teens to play violent video games, she said that what people do in their houses is their business. She also responded using the right to privacy when asked about her stance on gay marriage. So, when is it the government's business? Where is the line between what is private and what the government needs to know? Kepner needs to come up with a different response, one that is not recycled as an answer to every question.

A nice flow of questions from the audience

2011-07-25T19:51:00.000-04:00

By Cam Steckler, Mass Media Press

Mics open to the Audience prompted numerous questions, most of which stumped the amateur candidates. The public has the vote, and the right sense of how to make two teenage girls sweat.

Highlighted by participants were the flip flopping of both candidates in term of cuts within the space program. Keyes choked in explaining her position after write in candidate Kyle Zollo brought the inconsistency to attention. Keyes mentioned her intentions were never to get rid of NASA, but to simply cut a few trips to the moon. Devastating for the celebrities who already booked their lunar vacations.

Kepner was dazed and confused in voicing her opinion on legalizing marijuana. After a long pause she found the words to form her view against legalization. Kepner clearly had not thought of this issue before, or perhaps does not view it as pertinent.

Kepner and Keyes Have Changing Views

2011-07-25T19:41:00.000-04:00

When asked if there was certain cases when abortion is needed, Keyes said, "I am not a doctor." This response sounds very familiar. It's actually the same exact thing Kepner said during the last debate when asked her definition of when life begins. In the first debate, Keyes was very pro-life. Now, it seems that she's changed her mind. A lot. Keyes said that she supports abortion in certain cases, such as rape. This is the same view that Kepner had during the last debate. So, is Keyes stating her own beliefs or is she repeating what she hears from Kepner?

In the first debate, both candidates said that they would cut unnecessary spending and both candidates used NASA as an example of unnecessary government spending. Well, it seems that both candidates have changed their minds on this view and even stated that they never said this. Go watch the last debate and you'll hear both of them say this (the link is posted on this blog.) Keyes said that she was going to delay space missions while the nation recovers. This sounds completely different from what she said during the last debate. Both candidates need to stop changing their opinions and stick to their views.

There is No Greater Deterrent...

2011-07-25T19:39:00.002-04:00

"I don't see any greater deterrent than death" when it comes to the death penalty. In response to an attack on the difference between her views in favor of the death penalty, but against abortion, Keyes says that the main difference is that the unborn baby has not yet experienced life, where murderers and other criminals have. She believes that the death penalty is a crucial part of the judicial system.

A Pleasant Line-up of First Questions

2011-07-25T19:39:00.000-04:00

By Cam Steckler, Mass Media Press

How happy was I to see some actual bickering among the candidates. The line up of questions, and response by the candidates, was refreshing in this sense. As the debate starts both candidates face their differences, although I was disappointed to once again see the candidates both wearing the same thing; flowers.

Molly was tripped up by the first question, as she had trouble with the fundamental question of state vs. federal rights. She mentions a strong federal government, "as our founding fathers promoted." Check your facts Molly, the founding fathers were strongly divided among this issue. In fact, there would not be a Bill of Rights if it were not for compromised made between Federalists and Anti-federalists in adopting the Constitution.

The following question concerned national security. Carolyn outlined in the last debate that America is a protector of democracy and freedom throughout the world. She had trouble defending her position with the mentioning of her intentions to send no additional troops overseas.

Cooper Waterman threw a curve ball at Molly regarding her environmental policy. Molly supports a strict new policy for the enviroment, and dictates the ened to develop new clean energies and expand national forests as well as national parks. As a proponent of small government and supporter of state government, Molly stumbled through her response.

The last question from the moderators involved capitol punishment. While Carolyn supported the death penalty, Molly was against it. How wonderful to see conflict and disagreement among the cloned candidates. The candidates did their homework, and finally learned how to debate.

"Not the woman's right to choose death..." -Keyes

2011-07-25T19:33:00.000-04:00

"I would say that it is not the woman's right to choose death for anyone." In regards to abortion, she opposes Kepner's belief in pro-choice. In her opinion life does not start at birth, but earlier, and the mother does not have the right to kill an unborn baby. Carolyn stands by her belief that nobody has the right to chose death for someone else. She says that her religious beliefs do play a roll in this, but that is not the sole reason, it is her personal belief. In cases where women are raped and become pregnant she says that they have the right to have an abortion, showing that she does not necessarily stand firm on her original statement. She remains confident, opposing Kepner. Kepner indirectly hints that Keyes is "wishy-washy" on her beliefs when it comes to abortion. This after Keyes says that it, again, "should be a case to case basis," as she is not a doctor. Moving on to other issues, both Kepner and Keyes are accused of flip flopping on their opinions from Kyle Zollo.

Kepner Supports Gay Marriage

2011-07-25T19:26:00.000-04:00

Based on the rights listed in the Constitution, Kepner stated that she believes gay couples have the right to get married. The right to privacy ensures that citizens can live the way they want to, without any direct involvement from the government. Keyes agreed (surprise surprise.) This issue becomes more relevant each day, especially now that New York passed the same-sex marriage act. It's especially relevant here at ASP, where there have been several dinner discussions regarding same-sex marriage. Everyone at ASP is very open, so it only makes sense that the candidates would be, too.

Keyes Believes in Helping Other Countries

2011-07-25T19:17:00.000-04:00

Keyes finds it important when it comes to our country's security, that we act in our best interest. When we can help out countries in need diplomatically it is important. This contradicting her previous statement about withdrawing troops. However, she says that "it is something that needs to be considered issue by issue and country by country." Keyes also feels that America has a big influence in the world and that we should make use of that.

Kepner and Keyes Agree Once Again

2011-07-25T19:13:00.001-04:00

The first question of the debate dealt with how each candidate differentiates between state and federal power? Molly believes states should focus on things that affect it directly, such as education, and the federal government should handle things that focus on the entire country, such as war. Carolyn's response was pretty much the same thing, so both candidates agreed, yet again. I agree with both of the candidates, but where will the line be drawn between what affects the states and what affects the entire nation? Pretty much anything can affect both, so who has the power?

Presidential Candidates Showcase Similarities in First ASP Debate

2011-07-24T15:46:00.004-04:00

By HANNAH CUNNINGHAM

On Monday July 11^th in the Schoolhouse Reading Room, the two presidential candidates for the United States of America from the St. Paul’s School Advanced Studies Program, Carolyn Keyes from the American Solutions Party and Molly Kepner from the Block Party, went head to head in a debate.

“Debate” may not be exactly the correct term to describe this exchange, though. As the candidates stood in front of their peers in the Law and Government class, the Mass Media class, and the four cameras capturing their every move, Keyes and Kepner agreed on nearly every topic. The topics addressed ranged from the right to die to illegal immigration to minimizing the country’s deficit. In many aspects, the candidates’ views were as similar as their matching outfits.

After the debate Keyes said that she thought “(her) opponent did a nice job. Although we did agree on many things, we both agreed on bettering this country.” Kepner also admitted that the two candidates were surprisingly similar. The two candidates agreed so much that the time slots given to them for statements, rebuttals, responses, and re-responses were hardly ever filled.

When the slots were filled, it was often with scripted sentences, read aloud by a politically-correct robot of sorts. Perhaps this was due to nerves, or maybe inexperience, or perhaps these two candidates were too afraid to passionately advocate for their ideas. When asked about this potential reluctance, Kepner rejected the accusation when she stated that she “didn’t just read a script and that (she) got the emotion and feeling of the room.”

While Keyes and Kepner did agree on most topics, a few questions garnered unique answers. When asked “How do you plan to address the problem with illegal immigration?” Keyes responded by saying that “illegal immigration has a detrimental effect on American civilization.” On the other hand, Kepner claimed that “we don’t have the manpower to collect every illegal immigrant because we can use our resources better and the border patrol is good how (it is).”

This disagreement was a rare occurrence throughout the night. Addressing the deficit, Kepner said her solution is to, “reduce unnecessary government programs such as NASA. That money is good elsewhere.” Likewise, Keyes said she plans, “to work to make our government more efficient.”

In dealing with the right to die, both passive candidates replied similarly. Kepner asserted that “people do have the right to die. The First Amendment gives liberty and life and therefore the right to die,” while Keyes said, “[It’s] not the government’s choice to decide to let people die.”

As the so-called debate came to a close, the candidates each said a few cordial words. Keyes finished by saying that she “look(s) forward to talking to everyone soon.” Kepner closed her speech with that statement that “(her) main goal is to better this country.”

The two candidates will meet again tomorrow night in Memorial Hall for another debate and the voting for the election will be held later this week (details had yet to be finalized in time for this post).

For additional coverage of the first ASP Presidential Debate, please check out our video on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/26480369) and our compiled Twitter coverage on Storify (http://aspmassmedia.blogspot.com/2011/07/looking-forward-to-debate-heres-sneak.html).

Breaking the Bubble series - Same-Sex Marriage

2011-07-19T20:31:00.001-04:00

Editor's note: This podcast marks the first in a series entitled "Breaking the Bubble" - the series aims to promote awareness of current events within the "bubble" of the Advanced Studies Program community. We will hope that you will join us for a lunch discussion on the passage of the same-sex marriage bill in New York later this week - keep checking back for more details.

ASP Mass Media at WMUR Channel 9

2011-07-18T20:01:00.000-04:00

We had a great time today during our visit to WMUR Channel 9 in Manchester, New Hampshire - many thanks to all who welcomed us so warmly and especially to our tour guide, Kate Giaquinto!

Back on the Air! This Week at 90.5 FM WSPS

2011-07-17T11:54:00.001-04:00

Tune in this week and next to WSPS 90.5 FM (wsps.sps.edu), as tonight (Sunday, July 17) kicks off a series of great radio shows produced by the Mass Media class. Check the schedule below for a full list of dates and DJs and be sure to tune in!

Waiting to hear a song you really want to hear? Post your requests to The Pelican Brief page on Facebook or send a message to @asppelicanbrief on Twitter to get your favorites on the air!

FULL SCHEDULE
Sunday, July 17 -- Big G (Grant Edwards)
Monday, July 18 -- Special K (Kim Ndombe)
Tuesday, July 19 -- DJ K-T and Wicked G Haster (Caitlin Haedrich and Haley Cirka)
Wednesday, July 20 -- Pokey and Xtina (Rachel Kramer and Christina Warriner)
Thursday, July 21 -- DJ Locks and M-Lo (Zach Blanchard and Mary Locke)
Sunday, July 24 -- Lil G and Big J (Greg O'Brien and Joe Tarr)
Monday, July 25 -- DJ White Knight, C$, and DJ Stacks (Andrew Knighton, Chris Penny, and Cam Steckler)
Tuesday July 26 -- DJ Sly Bacon and DJ Jewelz (Hannah Cunningham and Julia Moreira)

CLICK the link above to stream 90.5 FM WSPS
LIKE The Pelican Brief on Facebook
FOLLOW @asppelicanbrief on Twitter

Live Twitter Debate - ASP 2011 Presidential Election

2011-07-15T21:21:00.002-04:00

Candidates Molly Kepner of the Block Party, and Carolyn Keyes of the American Solutions Party battle it out in a debate hosted live on Twitter. ASP asked the questions, here are the answers!

Live Twitter Debate - ASP 2011 Presidential Election from ASP Mass Media on Vimeo.

Looking Forward to the Debate? Here's a Sneak Peak!

2011-07-14T20:17:00.000-04:00

This Week on WSPS 90.5 FM

2011-07-09T11:42:00.006-04:00

NOTE: Due to technical difficulties, the schedule below has been put on hold. Please check back here next week for more updates.

Tired of that same old iTunes playlist repeating the same songs over and over and over and over?

Tired of advertisements interrupting your favorite Pandora station?

Tired of searching conventional radio stations for great music to listen to?

Then, tune in to WSPS 90.5 FM (wsps.sps.edu), as tomorrow night (Sunday, July 10) kicks off a series of great radio shows produced by the Mass Media class. Check the schedule below for a full list of dates and DJs and be sure to tune in!

Waiting to hear a song you really want to hear? Post your requests to The Pelican Brief page on Facebook or send a message to @asppelicanbrief on Twitter to get your favorites on the air!

FULL SCHEDULE

Sunday, July 10 -- Special K (Kim Ndombe)

Monday, July 11 -- Big G (Grant Edwards)

Wednesday, July 13 -- Pokey and Xtina (Rachel Kramer and Christina Warriner)

Thursday, July 14 -- DJ K-T and Wicked G Haster (Caitlin Haedrich and Haley Cirka)

Friday, July 15 -- DJ Locks and M-Lo (Zach Blanchard and Mary Locke)

Monday, July 18 -- Lil G and Big J (Greg O'Brien and Joe Tarr)

Tuesday, July 19 -- DJ White Knight, C$, and DJ Stacks (Andrew Knighton, Chris Penny, and Cam Steckler)

Wednesday July 20 -- DJ Sly Bacon and DJ Jewelz (Hannah Cunningham and Julia Moreira)

LIKE The Pelican Brief on Facebook

FOLLOW @asppelicanbrief on Twitter

Generating Positive Energy for Nuclear Power

2011-07-08T16:40:00.005-04:00

By CHRIS PENNY

Japan’s recent nuclear catastrophe shocked and reminded all of the perils inherent to nuclear power, but the world simply cannot afford to ignore such an efficient method of energy production as power consumption skyrockets with urbanization and population growth.

March 11, 2011 is destined to become a day so marked with tragedy that on Japanese calendars it will create a sense of national mourning that brings to mind the sorrow with which Americans remember September 11, 2001. An earthquake featuring a staggering magnitude of 8.9 struck off the coast of Japan, creating a tsunami that engulfed a large portion of Japan’s eastern coastline. However, the incident was doomed to become far more complicated as the natural disaster caused critical damage to both the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant and the Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant. A long battle was fought in order to cool the overheated plants, and radiation that escaped from the reactors led to evacuations.

Events like the aforementioned crisis, Three Mile Island, and Chernobyl have plagued nuclear power throughout its existence, but these freak accidents do not warrant abandoning the technology. Nuclear power is the most obvious answer to the daunting task of increasing energy production with demand, due to worldwide development and population increase, set to outstrip current output. While some look to renewable energy sources, such as wind or solar, these arenas alone will not be able to generate substantial production increases. Subsequently, other methods will have to match the increase, and, though sources such as hydroelectric and geothermal may help, the choice essentially boils down to a decision between using nuclear versus fossil fuels, natural gas, and coal. Limited to such options, nuclear power begins to seem increasingly palatable and far more realistic.

Clearly, there are many convincing reasons to move towards a dependence on nuclear power. For one, nuclear energy avoids dependence on foreign oil as an energy source, which would cause expansion in the energy industry and therefore create jobs. While nuclear power plants certainly produce a dangerous byproduct, nuclear waste is concentrated and controllable, which makes it far preferable to the greenhouse gases emitted by burning carbon-based fuels. According the Nuclear Energy Institute, current reliance on nuclear power avoids an incredible 2.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide production annually. Considering the increase in consumption, gaseous emissions would grow at an alarming rate and exacerbate the process of global climate change. Additionally, the cost of oil continues to grow, particularly as the Middle East continues to undergo a period of destabilization, thus leaving nuclear power as simply a far cheaper option.

In reality, the only real reason to avoid developing nuclear power is due to its reputation as being a menace to public safety. As the Japan nuclear situation demonstrates, nuclear disasters go a long way in holding back the technology, and one only need look to Germany, which announced that it will shut down all of its nuclear reactors by 2022, for proof of this phenomenon. However, a more critical look at the situation in Japan produces a simple explanation instead of nuclear hysteria. Fukushima I and Fukushima II were built in 1967 and 1969 respectively, and the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission filed a report in 1990 that warned of the possibility of issues resulting from seismic activity. Jun Tateno, a onetime researcher at the Japan Atomic Energy Agency, points out that it is “questionable that [the operators of the Fukushima plants] really studied the risks outlined in the report.” Many of the safety concerns could be negated with the installation of new plants using advanced technology. President Obama, whose administration is in full support of continued nuclear development, notes that “it’s important for [the U.S.] to…improve nuclear technologies to deal with additional safety concerns…”

As the most recent approval for a U.S. nuclear power plant was given in 1977, it is clear that safety features need to be improved. A recent review conducted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission supports this view, as the study found that an alarming 12 out of 65 reactors did not completely fulfill safety expectations. Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, spoke of new plant designs in an interview with Wired magazine, saying, “The difference between today’s designs and ones from the 1960s is night and day.” Nuclear power cannot be implemented successfully until the process of decommissioning dated plants and the construction of new plants begins. Only when this happens will the public accept nuclear, and embrace the most feasible solution to the needs of the future.

A Whole New World: Introduction to Arabic

2011-07-08T16:38:00.000-04:00

By CHRISTINA WARRINER

Along with the fresh faces on campus, Introduction to Arabic is new to the Advanced Studies Program this summer, giving a rare opportunity to twelve ASP students by educating them about a new world of culture and communication.

Michael Ricard, the director of ASP, had been considering adding a new course since the summer of 2009 and was very interested in creating a class that would compliment the languages already offered at ASP. He embraced the idea of offering an Introduction to Arabic course and never worried about it being successful. His guess proved correct, and the course saw the same level of interest as the Japanese and Chinese courses. He fully believes this success is related to the significance that the Arab culture holds in our present world, which has never been more apparent with the recent revolutions, wars, and religious unrest in the region.

So far the course is headed in a positive direction. It is moving at a fast pace, one which student Michaela Helble says is “super intense.” However, she is very excited to take part in the course and happy to take advantage of an opportunity she feels she couldn’t find anywhere else. “I didn’t expect to be able to write this quickly,” says Helble after only five days of class and adds, “Arabic looks like scribbles!” She and her classmates have flown through 250 pages of textbook and know the entire Arabic alphabet. The students are challenging their limits and showing excellent results.

Taught by Mohammed Defaa along with intern, Bronwen Callahan, the course’s main objective is not merely to teach the Arabic language. Ricard says it is aimed toward understanding the Arab world by “learning the culture and also in turn the language, which is very current in the world we live in today.” Ricard was impressed by Defaa and chose him to lead the course because he is a “good teacher who relates well to kids and gets them passionate about it.” Defaa is a native of Morocco and teaches at Merrimack Valley High School. He says teaching has, “changed the course of my life” and enjoys providing students with a “different perspective on what is going on in the Arab world.” Callahan is also extremely passionate about the subject. Initially picking up the language in college, she studied at New York University for two and a half years and lived in Beirut, Lebanon last year to experience the culture firsthand.

The course, designed by Defaa, focuses on Modern Standard Arabic. Callahan compares a person’s first exposure to Arabic as that of “a three year old coming up to you and saying ‘I’ll teach you my secret language!’” It is far from the structure of English and based on patterns and combinations of letters. Students listen to the dictations of words and use an audio CD to practice their listening and writing skills. They are also choosing current topics for a project, considering making native foods, while knowing a few surprises from their teachers are in store. Overall, the class strives to intertwine the language and the culture, which is very important to Callahan who says, “You cannot separate the two.”

Ricard is very enthused about the role the class is taking in the ASP community. “It brings balance and relevance,” says Ricard and is a “hot button topic in our country concerning international relations.” Ricard remains interested in adding new courses in the future, particularly a business and finance class to increase the ways that students can challenge themselves. It is certain that the Advanced Studies Program will continue to grow with new and diverse courses in the future.

Unlocking Trust: Lack of Locks Builds Bonds

2011-07-08T16:25:00.001-04:00

By ZACH BLANCHARD

St. Paul’s School could be defined as a boarding school, a society, a lifestyle, a bubble, or even a family. The most important aspect of a family, or really any of these definitions, is trust. As such, trust stands out as one of the most crucial parts of the entire Advanced Studies Program (ASP) experience, as it represents a product of both freedom and what some may call a lack of security on campus.

The most obvious test of this trust would be the absence of locks on doors in the school’s dormitories, but the campus is also open from the street and many of the school’s other buildings are open throughout the day. This lack of security could be shown as a negative or a positive aspect of St. Paul’s. Either way these issues pose the question of whether or not the campus is a safe place to be.

When asked if he felt safe on campus, Changing the World student and Foster House resident Ethan LaFrance said, “I know there are dedicated individuals focused on the security of this community, and plans in place to respond to any interruptions of that security.”

Campus security ranges from patrol officers on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week to an emergency warning system. Although it may seem small it terms of the size of the community, St. Paul’s School Director of Safety & Security George Pangakis said, “…we want [students and parents] to understand that safety and security is a priority of the school and plays a prominent part in the institution’s operations.”

ASP Director Michael Ricard reinforced that message when he said, “we have two security officers on duty 24/7, in addition to a house supervisor and interns in the dorm. Basically, no matter what activity you are involved in you have supervision. If any incident was to arise, the fact that we have that security 24/7 makes it as safe as it can be.”

Such sentiments reflect that the end result may not be a lack of security, but a greater sense of freedom. This freedom could quite possibly be what allows for trust among students and staff at the ASP. Overall, the campus has an open environment with the understanding that students will be responsible, a goal of the St. Paul’s School. This freedom shows that the faculty, interns, and administration trust that students. As a result, students are able to go out of their comfort zones and decide for themselves between right and wrong. In turn, this allows students to mature in ways that they probably would not elsewhere.

Shannon McQueen, a student in Changing the World and resident of Middle House, said, “I have a really good support system here and, even in a short amount of time, I have built strong connections.” This support system is what enables students and staff to trust one another, and feel safe in this environment.

The overall consensus is that students and staff feel safe on campus and that there is a sense of community and trust, thus leaving nobody at risk. This school, society, lifestyle, bubble, or family is comfortable and trusting; as a result, here at ASP, it is all about the experience. Even though it does not weigh on the minds of most in the community, both the “lack” of security and the general sense of freedom have created this familial bond and made the ASP a free, safe, and generally great place to live and learn.

St. Paul's Ponds: Oh So Refreshing? Or Oh So Deadly?

2011-07-07T21:03:00.000-04:00

By HALEY CIRKA

Imagine you are a student in the Advanced Studies Program and want to take a quick swim before dinner starts in fifteen minutes. Turkey Hill Pond is fifteen minutes away, so your only option is the Lower School Pond. It is right by your dorm, a perfect location. Its cool temperature and grassy beaches offer the perfect escape on a hot day. But, Tom Bazos, former ASP director, created a rule prohibiting swimming in the Lower School Pond in 2007. He did not want a repeat of what happened to Ashley Ardinger.

Ardinger attended ASP during 2007 as a student in the Biomedical Ethics class where she immersed herself in the St. Paul’s community immediately. “My friends and I were pretty athletic, so six of us decided to go swimming,” said Ardinger. They chose the Lower School Pond, which was, as Bazos said, “determined to be safe due to the current, depth, and accessibility.” This presumption would soon prove incorrect. Ardinger and her friends paused as they arrived to the pond. “It looked kind of cloudy and just plain gross,” said Ardinger. As she and her friends examined the water, “one of them decided to push her off the dock and into the pond,” said Colby Maldini, who also attended the program in 2007. Ardinger remembers feeling a “sharp pain” in her left foot that she assumed was caused by trying to kick back to the surface.

She continued to float on her back until she eventually noticed her friends shouting at her. “They kept yelling at me to get out of the water. I remember thinking ‘Oh my God, what the heck is chasing me in here?’” Her friends pulled her out and held a towel over her waist so she could not see her legs. “I knew something was wrong, but I just didn’t know what because I felt perfectly fine.” After help arrived, “security and a fellow student escorted Ashley to the hospital,” Maldini said. Along the way, she caught sight of her foot. “I could see the bone in my left pinky toe. It was just slashed open.” When Ardinger jumped in the pond, her feet, as Maldini said, “touched the bottom of the pond, where broken glass cut her foot open.” After spending seven hours at the hospital, Ardinger received 17 stitches before returning to campus.

Two days later, Ardinger noticed that she had a mysterious condition. “I had these red lines running up my legs. It looked like a weird sunburn.” Ardinger was not worried about her symptoms, but her friends convinced her that she needed to return to the hospital. Ardinger was admitted and diagnosed with acellulitis, an infection caused by bacteria from the pond. Had this infection gone untreated, it would have eventually reached her lymph nodes and may have killed her.
Despite her near-death experience, Ardinger remains positive. “It was fun. When I look back at my time at ASP, this makes me laugh. I remember my time here because this happened.” However, Bazos did not share the same view. To ensure the safety of future ASP students, he created a rule prohibiting swimming in the Lower School Pond and had, as he said, “the area by the docks dredged to avoid future foot injuries.”

This rule is still enforced today by the current ASP Director, Michael Ricard. Ricard “expects everyone will follow the rule. The information sent home before the program made what was expected as behavior perfectly clear.” This rule is especially important because the pond threatens, as Ricard said, “students’ safety. Also, the pond does not offer a high quality of swimming and there are plenty of other options available,” such as Turkey Hill Pond.

The next time you want to go swimming, do not simply settle for the closest water source. Take time to consider the potential risks. Despite the water lilies and beautiful atmosphere surrounding the pond, there could be something dark and dangerous below the surface. There is no way of knowing what is lurking at the bottom underneath all the muck.

Construction Causes Concerns on Campus

2011-07-07T20:59:00.003-04:00

By CAITLIN HAEDRICH

The construction of the new science building on the St. Paul’s campus is causing some concern among ASP students and faculty, though most agree that the building is necessary and will be a good addition to the campus.

Class disruption is a primary concern because many classes housed in Payson are in the center of the construction. Michael Ricard, Director of ASP, said, “There are some days I worry about the noise level.” But he remains confident “it won’t take away from the classroom experience.” The noise level has been a definite problem for some, as Kathy Lipshultz, a Marine Biology student in Payson said, “It’s definitely a distraction in class.” But for others, like Jen McGeoch, Lipshultz classmate, it is less of an issue. She said “[The construction] has not been that big of an issue.”

Jingya Qiu, a student whose Molecular Biology class takes place in the older Science building, recounts an incident a few days ago that clearly disrupted the class; “We saw this giant metal shingle fall from the sky and land right at the feet of a construction worker. It was a horrifying and traumatizing experience and I hope to never witness something like that again.” But Qiu also agrees with Ricard, “The construction has barely affected my life at all. The workers have all been very friendly, and I have nothing to complain about.”

Suzy Struckmann, an Ecology student in Payson, points out another issue: “It’s such a problem getting to class; the paths have to swerve-- and there are always random holes that we have to walk around.” Currently, the areas affected by the work are roped off, often blocking the paths that lead to Payson and the surrounding buildings. Makeshift routes have been demarcated to allow students and faculty to reach their classrooms. But, true to Struckmann’s word, they are often indirect and twisty. Mae DesTroismaisons, another ecology student, also admits, “[The construction] is definitely a little bit of a hindrance when trying to get around.”

The construction has also presented a unique nuisance to the Marine Biology class. The class often takes overnight field trips that require a lot of equipment. In previous years, they were able to back the bus up right up to the doors and load it close to the building. Now, the bus must park outside the construction so students and faculty are forced to carry all the equipment from the building, around the construction, and to the bus. Linden Rayton, an intern of the class, said “The fact that we can’t back up the bus right up to the door is definitely an inconvenience.” Katie Kelty, a student, agrees, “Maybe I’m just being lazy but, it’s really annoying.”

Rayton also interned last year at ASP in Payson when the construction began, so she puts this year’s interference in perspective. Last year at ASP, they were working on the foundation and main structure, which required a lot of loud heavy machinery. She says it was “noise all the time. All the time.” With this in mind, she said ““It’s been wonderful this year-- Totally not a big deal.”

Rayton isn’t the only one who thinks the construction could have been a much bigger problem this summer. Scott Betournay, the Molecular Biology teacher in Payson, said “The original schedule was to not offer some of the science courses this summer due to the tearing down of Payson. As the construction schedule was modified, it allowed Payson to be used.”

Another concern with the construction is maintaining a good relationship between the workers and students. When asked about the student-worker relationship, manager of the construction Mike Comer replied, “Workers are required to have no contact with students of any kind. If a student engages them in conversation we ask that the worker simply walk away. This has not been a problem though.” Later, he said “the students have never been a problem.”

The building, called the Lindsey Center for Mathematics and Science, will be an exciting addition to the St. Paul’s campus. According to the school’s website, it has long been part of the school’s master plan to enhance facilities that are no longer meeting the demands of the curriculum. The new building may also house many of next years ASP classes because it is air conditioned -- a welcome idea to most students who have suffered the warm mid-summer temperatures of the older buildings. DesTroismaisons strongly supports the proposal saying “I think it’s awesome!”

From Cottage to Campus: The Evolution of St. Paul's

2011-07-07T20:42:00.000-04:00

By GREBORY O'BRIEN

As an ASP student walking from your dorm to Coit Dining Hall, or from Coit to Chapel, do you ever wonder how and when your picturesque surroundings came to be? Believe it or not, this 2,000-acre educational haven began with a few men and one relatively small house.

It all started with Dr. Shattock, a successful Harvard graduate. Shattock wanted both od his sons to attend a school in a strict, but rural environment. To fulfill his desires, he created his own school. Shattock began by having the governor of New Hampshire approve a land charter in the winter of 1855.

After a dispute involving the process of choosing the first Rector of the school, the small school committee agreed upon Henry Coit. For his monumental role as the school’s first proctor and his gracious decision not to receive a salary, the school named the Dining Hall after him.

A year after the school’s opening, there were no more than twenty students. Henry Coit was the teacher, pastor, and father. This small home-style school all changed when the Shattock family donated fifty-five acres of land to the school. But how did this fifty-five acre piece of land with only a few local students turn into a 2,000 acre campus with students coming in from all over the world?

St Paul’s decision to join the Independent School League, the oldest independent athletic association in the United States, ultimately led to an increase in students who desired top-notch athletics.

One of the reasons why St. Paul’s has amassed so many international students today is because of Francis Crawford’s efforts in 1866. Crawford hailed from Italy, which caused quite a stir at the time, especially after Crawford garnered mass success and went on to write over forty books. The release of this news incited students from all over the world to attend St. Paul’s.

Another turning point in the school’s history is the academic revolution it underwent in 1910. Samuel Drury took over that year and saw flaws with the school’s priorities. Drury wanted to maintain their current status as an “athletic powerhouse,” but focus on becoming more academically focused. Upset students claimed that the school was starting an “oppressive regime.” As a result, the school created stricter rules and regulations. This included less seated meals and a harsher grading system.

In the years following this ordeal, St. Paul’s began to expand in terms of diversity. More and more students poured into St. Pauls’s from other countries due to its growing reputation. And eventually in 1971, girls were admitted to the school. Now, there is a fairly even distribution of males and females.

After St. Paul’s had proved its success in the regular school session, the school decided it would further its advancement in educational opportunity. In 1958, the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) was introduced to give the most academically focused students in New Hampshire an opportunity for more learning. The main attraction was and still is that the classes offered are generally not offered at students’ respective schools. Another reason for the popularity of the program is its reputation. In response to how the reputation affected his decision to attend the ASP program, Steve Hodgson said, “Yes, the reputation had a lot to do with my decision to come. I heard a lot of great things from people in my school that went and are graduated now and knew it would have a similar impact on me.”
To this day, the program is still expanding, especially in regards to classes. This summer, an Introduction to Arabic class was offered for the first time. The Writing Workshop class has changed its curriculum as well. Livingston Miller, an ASP alumni and intern this summer said when talking about the differences he noticed with the program, “the Writing Workshop class has definitely become more rigorous, and there is now more emphasis on reading.”

In the future, it is expected that the program will continue to grow. Keegan O’Hern, an ASP student here said, when asked if he would recommend the program to others, “Definitely. It is a great opportunity for those committed to bettering themselves.” It is truly amazing to see how far St. Paul’s has grown both intellectually and in size. St. Paul’s reputation remains solid as does the reputation of the ASP; it is inevitable that St. Paul’s will continue to evolve throughout the years.

From the Hudson to the Merrimack: Let Freedom Ring

2011-07-06T22:49:00.007-04:00

By JULIA MOREIRA

Two years after rejection of same-sex marriage by the New York State Senate, the Marriage Equality Act passed by a vote of 33 to 29 on June 24th and was signed in by Governor Andrew Cuomo, granting this long-awaited right to same-sex pairings.

Students, interns and faculty at the first Diversity Alliance meeting

Governor Andrew Cuomo, who had made same-sex marriage one of his top priorities as governor, rallied supporters and donors who focused on the issue as one of personal freedom. “Their love is worth the same as your love,” Cuomo said, according to the New York Times. These words and others spoken by the New York governor helped in legalizing same-sex marriage in the state on June 24th. Strategists, lawmakers and other political advocates assembled in sometimes secretive meetings to make the dream of so many New Yorkers a reality with the passing of the law. “I have to do this,” Cuomo told his father, according to the Times. The vast number of those who relied on him to accomplish his goal, including supporters who would wait on the streets in order to speak to the governor about the issue, set his determination. However, this goal had to be achieved by winning over the Republican majority in the senate. A small number of wealthy Republicans eventually joined the movement after a persuasion that conflicted with their usual political party stance on the subject, and the words by Cuomo were able to sway even unlikely candidates for support. New York, the original state where the national gay-rights movement began and gained momentum, is inspiration to other states to legalize same-sex marriage.

This issue has been essential to many organizations and movements across the nation. New York’s momentous decision shed light on the subject and displayed the amount of people who supported it. In New York, the legalization was not only a social or political issue, but also an economic one. Couples who are wed will have access to joint credit, shared health care benefits, and other forms of combined finances to increase economic security. In May of 2009, New York City’s Comptroller’s office held that the economy of the state could gain $210 million in the three years following the law by an increase in weddings, and consequently, purchases of services such as venues, flower arrangements, catering, etc.

For many, support has been justified by the simple idea of equality. The world is diverse, and those who differ from the present “norm” of society cannot be ignored or worse, denied their freedoms. The truth is we, as people, all come from different backgrounds, cultures, and lifestyles. These differences should not tear us apart, but rather, unite us.

The Advanced Studies Program embraces the idea of those with different perspectives and beliefs being joined together. Not only are the students at St. Paul’s unique, but there is also a Diversity Alliance to celebrate individuality and the ability to discuss topics that many often avoid, including sexuality. The first meeting was held on Thursday, June 30th in the lower room of the dining hall; a variety of students, interns, and faculty attended. Discussions included religious experiences, ethnicity issues, and common differences between individuals, as well as how to define diversity. As a present member of the alliance, I appreciated the insight gained on the unique aspects of members of ASP by sharing and examining the question of “who am I?” in a welcome environment. Aside from being discussion based, the group also made plans to actively engage the community in the future.

Legalization of same-sex marriage proved a huge leap in movements for personal rights and social issues because of the longevity of the movement. It proved that the hopes of a branch of individuals could be realized, as their uniqueness was no longer a means for constriction by the lack of the law. The world we live in today is not uniform; it is a mixture of different ideals and perspectives. We must learn to accept diversity and set it free.

A Change of Feed

2011-07-06T22:37:00.006-04:00

By RACHEL KRAMER

In the past, the nighttime serenades and feeds at the Advanced Studies Program at St. Paul's School were between male and female dorms, but a slight change has taken place this year. Starting this summer, feeds have become single gender parties, a first since the ASP started accepting girls back in 1961.

For many, the ASP is a fresh start, where people will not be quick to judge and are more accepting than their peers back home. At the beginning of the ASP, there was bonding within each dorm. Ecology student and Wing House resident Suzy Struckmann said, “All I saw on the first day was my own dorm; I had forgotten that boys even went here until our first ASP meeting with everyone at Convocation.” In past years, it was encouraged for dorms of opposite genders to interact.

Amidst all this heteronormativity, the students who identify with being gay, lesbian, or bisexual felt pressured; they were forced to interact with the opposite gender, and made to feel like this was the social norm that was expected of them. Last year was the first year this issue was very openly addressed, especially through the work of the Diversity Alliance. This group on campus meets to discuss “sexuality, sexual orientation, racial diversity, religious diversity,” said Kim Ndombe, an intern for the Mass Media class and one of the leaders of the Diversity Alliance. This concern was brought to the attention of Michael Ricard, ASP Director, as well as the program’s Assistant Directors. While the matter was initially brought up by some members of the ASP community that identified as homosexuals, Mr. Ricard, the Assistant Directors, interns, and rest of the faculty wanted a change to be made to help the students. “It’s our duty to open up and widen the opportunity for growth, both academically and socially,” said Kolby Hume, one of the Assistant Directors.

This opportunity for growth has manifested itself in the change of serenades and feeds. A serenade at the ASP is when one dorm is assigned a night and a dorm of the opposite gender to sing to. The dorm will decide on a song and sometimes make up a dance routine to perform for their appointed dorm. Typically mash-up songs are used, and the lyrics are frequently changed to pertain to the dorm being serenaded. The point of the serenades is to get one dorm to connect with another dorm, as well as for the fun of singing and performing. The initial connection presents another dorm with something that’s entertaining and fun, and the serenade hopefully creates a bond that will hold over the remaining weeks at the ASP, and even beyond.

Feeds, a much more organized social event than the serenades, are mini-parties where one dorm hosts another dorm to eat and socialize. They are a “fun, charming way to bring dorms together,” said Joel Iwaskiewicz, another of the program’s Assistant Directors. Themes are often used when hosting another dorm and Iwaskiewicz remembers a girl dorm hosting his dorm for a toga party back when he was a student here at the ASP.

Since the students make a lot of their own decisions about who they interact with, a change in format for feeds presented a great opportunity to move away from the forced heteronormativity. Students decide what class they take, what sports they play, and who they see in their free time, so with the control that the Assistant Directors have over events, they decided to make the feeds single gender. Doing so eliminates the possibility of “the middle school dance situation,” said Hume, with girls on one side of the room and boys on the other, and allows a chance for students to meet others of their gender. Master classes have all the same gender students living in the dorm with each other, and there’s little other chance to meet other same gender students. “Feeds are our chance to meet more kids at ASP who aren’t in our classes,” said Natalie Wingate, a student in The Quest and Wing House.

As for the talk that some feeds will be same gender, and others mixed, Iwaskiewicz said that the idea is “doable” and there’s “room for it to develop.”

Females are Taking Over ASP

2011-07-06T18:40:00.006-04:00

By JOE TARR

A large number of girls are attending the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) this year, following a pattern set in previous years, leaving the majority of the ASP community to wonder why there are actually a lot more females attending than males.

The actual ratio of female students to male students attending the ASP this summer is roughly two to one (2:1). To most, that ratio seems small but, when dealing with large numbers, it is not so minute. There are a total of 180 girls attending the ASP and only 90 guys enrolled this session.

When girls were asked why there are so many girls opposed to guys, the majority said it was because girls are more motivated and more willing to spend a whole summer participating in an academic environment, whereas guys are more drawn to summers filled with athletic activities. Others like Elizabeth Gosselin, a student in Studio Arts and a resident in Conover-20, simply said that “boys just feel like they are too cool for school.”

The question of girls having more academic opportunities and guys having more athletic opportunities did not have complete support from all of the female students interviewed. Megan Deschaine, a student in Introduction to Japanese and a resident of Warren House, disagreed, saying “I have the same chance of athletic opportunities of any male.” Deschaine’s class, like many others this summer, is mostly filled with girls, as it possesses a ratio of eight girls to four boys (8:4).

The acceptance of more girls than guys is not only true this year, but has also been true in previous years, according to Michael Ricard, ASP Director. In his three years as the head of the program, he has never had an acceptance rate of 50/50. This largely stands as a result of the students that apply to the program, as this year’s applicant pool this year had 502 applicants, 65 percent of which were females and 35 percent of which were males, according to Ricard. “Girls tend to be more mature at this age than guys, making them more apt to make sacrifices in order to spend a summer at ASP,” said Ricard.

Some teachers had different, but very different perspectives on why fewer guys attend ASP than girls. Writing Workshop Master Teacher Greg Lawless said that “the ratio makes sense because most of the classes are more aspects of humanity and this normally doesn’t attract guys.”

When asked for their thoughts on why more females get accepted to the ASP than males, a majority of male students simply responded that females just like school more than guys. While this certainly was not the response that all guys gave, Marine Biology student and Simpson House resident Pat Kennedy strongly believed that he spoke on the behalf of guys when he said that a lot of “guys just don’t like school.”

That said, even though greater numbers of females apply to the ASP and many males may not feel as strong a desire to spend their summers studying, females and males have an equal opportunity to be accepted to the program and will undoubtedly benefit greatly from their participation, either regardless or because of the lack of gender balance.

Presidential Election: Inaugurating Politics at the ASP

2011-07-05T23:07:00.010-04:00

By CAMERON STECKLER

Potential Presidential candidate Carolyn Keyes
and her campaign manager, Kevin Dolan.

Potential Presidential candidate Molly Kepner
and her campaign manager, Alex Roman.

In chapel on Monday, the Law and Government class announced they are conducting a student organized presidential election that will be headed by campaigns that reach out to the entire ASP student body.

They aim to provide an opportunity to experience the politics behind campaigns and engage students in contemporary campaigning, which involves the use of social media. "I really wanted to take the idea and run with it," said Cooper Waterman, intern of the Law and Government Class. Born out of a desire to incorporate more government based activity in class, this presidential election splits the class into two political factions that nominate a candidate to run for president. As Waterman describes, the candidates have been given mandatory policy planks. These consist of four positions: big government vs. small government, pro-choice vs. pro-life, death sentence vs. con sentence, and finally universal health care vs. privatization. The students will have to fill in the spaces in between. It is difficult to predict how partisan developments will take effect, as "we are purposefully not having the two candidates represent a major political party" says John Phillips, head teacher. Ultimately, Phillips hopes that the students will create their own party with a unique platform.

The focus of the project is primarily on the campaign process. It is uncertain whether the class, through their campaigns, will deliberately reach out to the ASP student body, or whether they will simply generate only the amount of publicity required to win the election. “I think we might see a bit of both,” said Phillips, “it is best to watch this develop.” One aspect that’s certain is the methods these campaigns implement. Both campaigns will develop through social media: Facebook, Twitter, as well as traditional forms of media: radio, television. As Phillips suggests, there is huge potential for campaigns through social media. President Obama certainly found much success with his identity on Facebook and twitter. Hopefully the candidates will do the same. Collaboration between the Law and Government and the Mass Media classes will allow candidates to get the most out of social media. It will also be crucial to see how the class takes advantage of polling. “Polling really tells you what the public wants,” said Waterman. As Phillips also explained, “just like any candidate, what you’re going to do with that information is crucial.”

There are currently rumors, confirmed by sources within the Law and Government class, that both Carolyn Keyes and Molly Kepner have created exploratory committees to run for president. We are expecting both candidates to make official announcements later this week. You can like "Carolyn Keyes for ASP President," and "Molly Kepner for ASP President 2011" on Facebook. The candidates have also released twitter handles: @carolynkeyesasp and @mkforaspprez.

The unofficial candidates were reluctant to share much information about their undeveloped campaigns. "We're exploring what the opportunity is for running, and if I'm capable to do it," says Carolyn Keyes. She mentioned her leadership experience, which includes acting as Class President for Bow High, as well as her involvement with the National Honor Society State Board. Although unwilling to reveal her political affiliations, she did mention leaning to the left in economics, as well as supporting big government and promising no tax raises. Keyes wants to express her concern for questions, and announced that her campaign headquarters is located on the third floor of Armor. Her campaign manager Kevin Dolan will gladly answer any inquiries.

Molly Kepner, joined by Press director Alex Roman, is geared up to explore her candidacy. Kepner states her intentions as president "to bring us together as a community. I really feel like that's one of the biggest things we're gonna take out of ASP." Kepner is caught up with this sense of community and expressed her hope to hold class reunions every five or ten years. She chose not to comment on political views; however, Kepner mentioned that she loves to be both a leader, and a voice. She ultimately can speak for everyone, and bring the community together as a whole. Roman believes their campaign group is "like a well-oiled machine." Like Keyes, they have reached out to the social media to broaden their campaign potential. Willing to answer any questions, the campaign headquarters of Kepner is located in the 1st floor of Brewster.

The official announcement of candidacy will be made later in the week. As campaigns start heating up, the Mass Media class will be hosting radio shows with candidates, as well as providing continuing coverage. In looking towards the future, the sense of reoccurrence is vivid in the minds of the Law and Government class. “In some way, this is sort of a snapshot of the current trend in politics,” says Phillips. The election could yield valuable insight for presidential elections to come. At the very least, it should be engaging for the entire ASP community.

ASP Headquarters Turning Heads

2011-07-05T22:57:00.008-04:00

By HANNAH CUNNINGHAM

Room 12: a place as mysterious as cafeteria food, as unknown as what teachers do after school, and as secretive as where babies come from.

While there have been a multitude of announcements during the first week of the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) about Room 12, which is located in the basement of Schoolhouse on the St. Paul’s School campus, no one knows exactly what happens there. Instead of asking an intern or teacher about the strange location, many students came up with their own ideas of the activities taking place in The Room.

Ecology student and Wing House resident Rebecca Maskwa said, “(I have) never been to room 12 because I don’t know where it is, and I don’t know what’s there, so I don’t know what I need to do there. Isn’t it like tech support and maybe like laundry cards? I don’t know.” Maskwa is not the only student who is unsure of what occurs in Room 12. Patrick Pike, a student in Advanced Mathematics and Foster House, also had a mysterious story about what happens in Room 12. He explained it when he said, “I currently have not been to room 12 because someone told me it was mad haunted.” When asked what it was haunted with, Pike claimed it was past ASP students who failed out of the program.

Hillary Paul and Kolby Hume, two of the ASP Assistant Directors and Room 12 occupants, had a few enlightening words to share about the space and its purpose. “We are the headquarters for (the) ASP. We pick up the random odds and ends,” said Paul. In fact, they do everything from planning events to dealing with crises, answering the phones, sorting mail, running errands, managing keys, and writing chapel announcements. While this may seem like it is all business with no fun, Hume disputed that, saying, “We dance here. We sing here,” while Paul clarified, “I was not the one singing to show tunes!”

Unfortunately, few kids know exactly how much hard work goes into running the program from Room 12. “A lot of stuff we do happens before [students] get here. We plan College Day and Parents Day,” said Hume. Paul added, “It’s really hard, but we get to see the enjoyment through [the students].” Thankfully, this is enough for Paul, Hume, and Joel Iwaskiewicz, who is the third Assistant Director.

While the Assistant Directors work to ensure the program runs smoothly, they also aid the interns, as Hume said that “(they) prep them for battle.” “(And) then (they) shift troops in the best way possible,” added Paul. In other words, Paul, Hume, and Iwaskiewicz keep track of the students’ whereabouts, make sure that dorm activities are well-designed, and keep the interns fully updated. With all this work, being an Assistant Director is a full time job.

Now that the mystery has been revealed, Room 12 should attract people who are supposed to be there, instead of wanderers who missed the bathroom or the tech support signs. Hopefully this is the case because as Hume said, “We love visitors.”

Goodbye Hometown...Hello ASP

2011-07-05T22:48:00.005-04:00

By ANDREW KNIGHTON

Students have mixed feelings about their transition of moving from home to the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) at St. Paul’s School. The students are enrolled in a five and a half week program requires them to eat, sleep and study at the St. Paul’s School. Over the course of this program students are only allowed specific times where they can leave campus.

The Advanced Mathematics students are struggling with their workload because of the “stressful problems, and the lack of sleep due to the length of their problems,” Pat Pike said, a student in Advanced Mathematics. This is the first summer for most in which they are enrolled in an advanced studies program is a new challenge because they are entering a new atmosphere where most of the students here are top of their classes. They have to give up their part of their summer to study a subject in an intense fashion.

“It is completely different from what I’m used to, I didn’t get four hours of sleep during the school year and especially in the summer. This is a totally new atmosphere for me,” Pike said. Pike is top of his class in his school in Gorham and he feels, “a little intimidated by how smart some of these kids are here at the ASP.”

It is tough for students to accommodate themselves to these new study habits. Most are not used to studying for three hours or more a night, it’s either easy for them or the teachers don’t assign as much work. They get to live away from home for over five weeks but they are actively involved in an intense program which requires more effort and time then they might have expected. “This is a new challenge,” said Megan Deschaine, a student in Introduction to Japanese. “It is a challenge that I can’t wait to face,” Deschaine stated. She has never taken Japanese before so she is only learning the basics at the time. Deschaine is really enjoying learning something totally new.

“This is an adjustment from my life at home. It has been difficult because I have never been away for this long,” Deschaine said.

As students move through this program, some students may become homesick and Michael Ricard, director of the ASP, said “That first (he) relies on the interns to try to help them through their time because they have the most face time with the students. They might need a little tender, love and care.” He also looks to the house supervisor to help the interns. “Some students just simply don’t transition well and this is the longest that they have ever been away from home,” Ricard said. As the director of the Advance Studies Program, he knows that there are some students that are different from others and need a little extra support.

“The advice I would give to the prospective students that are interest in the ASP would be that the ASP is a very supportive environment,” Ricard said. “If these kids plan on attending college,” said Ricard, “this is a little taste of what college is going to be like. You get to see how you can handle leaving home not being with your family.” Here at the ASP, everyone wants you to succeed. The teachers, interns and other students challenge you to your top capabilities.

“The transition here was fairly easy, leaving home was different, but I found it easier than I thought it would be,” said Carol Hall, a student in The Quest. Hall found the time to still talk to her family but, “the workload is larger for one specific class, but similar to an entire day of different classes and their workloads.” Hall is very excited that she got to come to such a wonderful program. She loves to be challenged and she loves to work hard to reach her ultimate goal in life, which is to be successful.

Transitions can be a hard thing for some people. They might become home sick or miss their friends. Thankfully the staff on board at the ASP is very supportive and you can go talk to them about anything. This transition to the ASP is a great experience because you will never, in high school, get a chance where you are studying with everyone that is just as smart as you or even smarter. They challenge you to become the best student you can be.

Dorms Develop Distinct Identities

2011-07-05T22:10:00.003-04:00

By MARY LOCKE

Walking through the campus of the Advanced Studies Program (ASP), it is common to see groups of students yelling chants or making coordinated hand gestures; in addition, there are poems, songs, and letters to go along with the different symbols of representation associated with each dormitory. These are just some of the telling signs of the growing feeling of internal bonds and kinship in houses; though not always tangible or definable, this camaraderie and group spirit are undeniably evident.

Elizabeth Cubberley, a World Religions student in Conover-20 commenting on her dorm’s somewhat inconspicuous sense of pride, said “We just don’t do the same things . . . but we all got ready for the square dance together. We just have a different way of showing pride than some of the other dorms.” And what she says really explains it: every dorm has a distinct way to express and build their identity and unification.

Many dorms work in a variety of ways to further their overall sense of togetherness. Cubberley said, “(One student) brought us popsicles and (another) brought us strawberry shortcake, which I think brings us together.”

Sean Themea, a student in Shakespeare for Performance a resident of North House, said, “we have Fidel (Rodriguez, the dorm’s House Supervisor), who’s pretty much the man; he brings spirit to the dorm. We definitely embrace the spirit of being part of North.” On the pride of the dorm, Themea said, “we became proud of who we are as a dorm because we became close.” Residents in Brewster believe that the capes that they all possess helped further their relationship as a dorm. Even without the capes, they believe that they would be close, but the common thread helps to develop a dorm identity connecting everyone.

Some argue that displays of dorm affection are simply meant to show off to other dorms, but Brewster resident and Biomedical Ethics student Noah Bunnell) said that, “in part that is true, but it’s less important than how it makes us feel.” Competition, though, plays a large role in life at ASP, especially among the male dorms. Tyler Johnson, a student in Ancient Greece and resident of Nash House, said that “it’s being young adults here that we identify with each other. We’re all the same age. We have a lot of testosterone running through our veins. We have this confidence and swag(ger) that makes us want to be the best there is.” ASP Assistant Director Kolby Hume said that, during her time associated with the program, competition has grown, sometimes even creating an environment with “negative interactions.”

A common thread running among the minds here at the ASP is that the interns really make the dorm experience. Hume said that “the interns are solely responsible for the community within a dorm.” Bunnell reinforced this point, saying that “the interns took the initiative to cultivate the right environment” and buy the capes, the feathers, and the glasses that the boys have adopted as their “uniform.” Interns have also encouraged the Simpson boys to make a flag and supported the Wing girls as they followed through with their flash mob. Hume rightfully believes that the interns want to make the experience for the students the experience which ASP was to them.

Various dorms have chants and sayings often used in the presence of others. Johnson said that Nash “keeps it simple” by chanting “‘Nash, Nash, Nash…etc.’” North, enduring a controversy over both their saying and catch phrase, does not currently feature a distinction beside their sword “that (they) carry wherever (they) go,” according to Themea. It is a common occurance to hear ‘Whaddup, Middle’ cheered by residents of Middle House, while Brewster identifies with the rooster and also started the bandana trend. Even in those houses where their dorm pride is not as conspicuous, the dorm identity remains solidly in place.

“I think it’s important for each dorm to have its own identity because it allows for them to come together. They can’t let a little friendly competition get in the way of other friendships,” said Bunnell. The dorms all certainly do have their own identities and ways, but it certainly shouldn’t lead beyond purely friendly competition, enjoyment for all, and the pride of being a part of what they are.

New Immigration Law May Spark Racial Profiling

2010-07-29T22:14:00.017-04:00

By ABIGAIL CRANE

Editor's note: This editorial marks the third (and last) in a series entitled "Breaking the Bubble" - the series aims to promote awareness of current events within the "bubble" of the Advanced Studies Program community. You can access the podcast connected to this topic by clicking on the heading and we will hope that you will join us for a lunch discussion on the spill this Friday (July 30th) in the Lowest dining hall.

On April 21, Abdon, a Hispanic truck driver in Phoenix, Arizona, was stopped and questioned about his commercial vehicle. He was then taken to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office because he failed to produce sufficient papers. His wife, Jackie, had to leave work in order to pick up the adequate documents.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer signs SB 1070 into law.
Courtesy: The Arizona Republic

“It's still something awful to be targeted. I can't even imagine what he felt, people watching like he was some type of criminal,” said Jackie.

Having both been born as US citizens, Abdon and his wife were very unhappy with the situation, as stated by AZfamily.com.

“It doesn't feel like it's a good way of life, to live with fear, even though we are okay, we are legal…[but] still have to carry documents around,” said his wife.

The SB 1070 law, signed in on April 23, 2010, is targeting Hispanics, much like Abdon. It planned to go into effect on July 29. Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed this law designed to arraign and deport illegal immigrants. The Arizona law declared that it is a crime to reside in Arizona as an illegal immigrant, and that law enforcement has the duty to demand proof of legal residence of those suspected of having illegal immigrant status. This is a clear infringement on civil rights, and would, in turn, cause racial profiling because it is targeting a minority.

This law would give authorities the right to deport anyone who fails to produce immigration documents. This right can be exercised when an office detains anyone for another infraction. The act of not carrying identification will become a misdemeanor. As officers enforce this law, hatred and distrust will build among Hispanics towards the government, the creators of the law. Despite the government’s good intententions, the law has yielded many bad consequences, including civil right breaches. Also, stereotyping particular races, in this case Hispanic, could cause backlash from the group.

On April 23, CNN.com stated that the number of state laws, regarding immigration, has increased in the recent years. In addition, Michael Hethmon, the general counselor who helped draft the bill, said that four other states are planning on taking the same action as Arizona, which would lead to further civil rights injustices across the country.

It comes as no surprise that the bill has come up against a strong force of controversy. The root reason for this is that people of Hispanic heritage have a part in the communities in the U.S. and especially in Arizona. Opponents to the bill say that the law will provoke racial profiling. Many, are outraged.

“It basically puts racial profiling into law,” said a spokeswoman for the Senate Democrats in the Arizona state assembly.

Senator of Arizona, John McCain, “[defended] his state’s newly passed law requiring local officers to investigate individuals’ immigration status,” as stated in The New Yorker. However, President Obama expressed major concern about the bill moments before it was passed because of its social justice implications.

“The recent efforts in Arizona…threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans,” said President Obama.

In response to the unconstitutional actions of present governor, Jan Brewer, a former Arizona state senator, Alfredo Gutierrez, said that, "this is the first step toward apartheid."

On July 6, the United States Justice Department took action. “The Obama administration filed a lawsuit to strike down a new Arizona law aimed at deporting illegal immigrants,” said the New York Times.

Heat over the lawsuit was immediately caused due to the lack of communication between Governor Jan Brewer and the Justice Department. According to the New York Times, the Governor said, “this is no way to treat the people of Arizona. To learn of this lawsuit through an Ecuadorean interview with the Secretary of State is outrageous. If our own government intends to sue our state to prevent illegal immigration enforcement, the least it can do is inform us before it informs the citizens of another nation.”

Despite Governor Brewer’s mild criticisms, an excerpt from the lawsuit clearly depicts the areas in which the Arizona law was at fault.

“Although states may exercise their police power in a manner that has an incidental or indirect effect on aliens, a state may not establish its own immigration policy or enforce state laws in a manner that interferes with the federal immigration laws. The Constitution and the federal immigration laws do not permit the development of a patchwork of state and local immigration policies throughout the country.”

The US Justice Department was clearly justified in its lawsuit due to the civil rights violations, as well as possibilities of racial profiling in the state of Arizona. The future of immigrants in the United States is still unclear; however, Arizona will not be able to exercise any unconstitutional principles any further.

ASP Cribs

2010-07-29T22:06:00.000-04:00

By MERIDETH TUMASZ

In this installment of ASP Cribs, we take a trip to Wing House and also pay the gals in Con/20 a visit.

Crew Program Launches Budding Rowing Careers

2010-07-29T21:36:00.004-04:00

By MEAGHAN MACDONALD

The Advanced Studies Program (ASP) provides students with the opportunity to be a part of a crew team, which is something that most people do not get to do on a regular basis.

The students that participate in the crew program have longer practices than those in other activities and are required to commit to a summer spent on the water, while other athletes get to switch half way through. Their five weeks of rowing culminate in a race contested in front of the entire campus.

At the end of the ASP, the athletes in the crew program have a significant level of proficiency in the sport of rowing. Many have expressed interest in rowing in college and the foundation that they have obtained here will allow them to do that successfully.

“One of the hardest things about crew is making the trek to and from the docks every day,” said Dalton Colen, a first time rower on the ASP crew team. All crew athletes are required to run or bike to the docks every day.

At the docks, rowers are given their boat assignments. Before getting on the water, the rowers need to organize the equipment. They bring the oars out to the dock first before they hoist the boats onto their shoulders and bring them in the water, which some say is the hardest part of the sport.

“I literally feel like I am being squished,” said Libby Wetterer, who is rowing crew for the first time this summer.

“It is very difficult to work with the weather sometimes,” said Elissa Rodman, one of the interns working with the crew team, “We only have so many ergs (ergometer machines) so it's challenging to get in the same work out.”

Once the athletes get into their respective boats, they head out onto the water. Each boat contains eight rowers and a coxswain, or yeller. All of them are required to row in sync with each other, while they listen to the commands and directions from the coxswain. The coxswain is in the rear (or stern) of the boat, and is the only one that can see where the boat is going.

“I am responsible for moving the boat through bridges and when we're going really fast it's really hard,” said Maddie Smith, a new Coxswain on the ASP Crew team. “I have to call out every stroke, so if I lose focus, I mess everyone up.”

After spending five weeks learning how to row, the crew team is ready to show the school what they have been up to. Tomorrow afternoon, the crew team will be putting their skills to the test in their end of the session crew race that will be attended by the entire ASP community.

Starting in the lower end of Turkey Pond and coming under the bridges to end at the docks, the race will be 1500 meters and will be exciting and fast-paced. The boats are very evenly matched, so it will be a very close race.

Becoming an ASP Intern

2010-07-29T20:38:00.020-04:00

By MEG JONES

For the 2010 session of the Advanced Studies Program (ASP), thirty-eight interns were hired to assist in the classrooms, dorms and athletic fields at St. Paul’s School (SPS). Twenty-one of the thirty-eight interns this year are ASP alumni and four of them are returning interns from last year.

The competition to be an ASP intern is fierce. Last year, there were thirty-nine interns that were chosen from a pool of 175 applicants. ASP Director Michael Ricard personally hires all of the interns.

“[A good intern is] someone of high character who genuinely cares about others- someone willing to sacrifice their personal life [to be at ASP],” said Mr. Ricard.

Mr. Ricard expressed that though it is good to have experienced interns, this opportunity is just as great for the students as it is for the interns. The internship at the ASP represents an excellent teaching experience for those considering a career in education.

The ASP internship also stands as a prerequisite for the St. Paul’s School Teaching Fellowship program during the normal school year. This August, two interns will transition from their time as ASP interns to work as Teaching Fellows; Studio Arts intern Elissa Rodman will spend this year teaching in the SPS Arts Division, while Advanced Mathematics intern Shylock Baloyi will serve as an instructor in the Math Division.

While some interns have pre-existing connections with either the ASP or SPS, some come to the program without any familiarity with the institutions. Ginger Tsai, an intern from Atlanta, Georgia, Googled “teaching internships” and found the ASP program. Her searches attested to the fact that the ASP internship is widely known and respected. Ms. Tsai is now interning in Introduction to Chinese and her interest for teaching is growing daily.

Brendan Cohen, currently the North House Supervisor, has been a student, intern, and teacher in the ASP. In 2000, Mr. Cohen participated as a student at the ASP, despite his initial hesitations.

“I actually didn't want to do ASP when I first heard about it,” said Mr. Cohen.

Then, in 2004 and 2005, Mr. Cohen was an intern in the Astronomy class. From 2006-2009, he taught the Astronomy class. This year, Mr. Cohen is supervising North House and technically an “intern” again in the Astronomy class.

Mr. Cohen said the most difficult thing about being a teacher was the challenge of how “to get the interns into the teaching process.” On the other hand, the most difficult part about being an intern was “finding the balance of being friends with students but still be an authority figure.”

Intern positions are popular for ASP alumni, even those not necessarily interested in teaching. Caitie Cotton was a pre-med student at NYU but, after interning in Writing Workshop last year, has decided she will pursue teaching this fall. All this comes after Ms. Cotton was an ASP student in The Quest in 2005. She even valued her ASP intern experience enough to return this year, as an intern in the International Terrorism class.

“[Interns] are in this really weird place between students and teachers,” said Ms. Cotton. “Interns do everything the students do and everything the teachers do.”

The perfect intern would be “someone who's into doing trust falls- you can't have someone who takes themselves too seriously,” said Ancient Greece intern Raquel Begleiter.

“[The perfect intern] is enthusiastic, selfless, passionate, compassionate, empathetic, wicked smaht, has a good sense of humor, and has the ability to withstand one-hundred-fifteen degree heat in the New Space,” said Writing Workshop intern Morgan Harris.

“He's the guy that becomes a friend and not like an advisor,” said student Nick Sullivan from Foster.

Macy Day from Ford described the perfect intern as “serious” but “funny”- they “would be willing to learn about me.”

“The perfect intern would always keep a positive attitude and seek to be helpful to the students in the classroom and also in their general needs at ASP,” said Ecology intern Reed Loy.

College Fair Offers ASP Students Opportunities, Insights

2010-07-28T22:55:00.001-04:00

By TAYLOR LEONARD

This past weekend, the students of the Advanced Studies Program at St. Paul’s School experienced a college fair unlike any other held at their respective high schools.

Sixty-six colleges attended and each provided information regarding their school and its atmosphere. Students were able to speak to the college representatives first on their own and then with their parents, which enabled many students to address their questions, comments, and concerns more effectively and efficiently.

After perusing colleges and talking with representatives in the spacious Form of 1952 Gymnasium, students and their parents also had the opportunity to meet with three schools of their choosing during information sessions. Each session lasted for thirty minutes and gave more detailed information about the college.

Many students felt that certain qualities helped to keep them interested in the college representative’s informational sessions.

“It helped when the college representative was enthusiastic about their college,” said Jeff Asselin.

“Being personable and having the representative want to get to know you [was helpful],” said Keanyn Blaisdell.

“[When the representative] told you something that was unique to their school [it helped keep me interested],” said Carolynn Johnson.

“It was nice to talk to alumni [who recently graduated] rather than a representative,” said Emily Dionne.

Several students felt that this college fair was better than previous ones that they attended.

“This college fair was better because the schools were better. When you talked to the representatives they were more helpful and not just trying to sell the school,” said Macy Day.

“Good colleges showed up; I have never been to a college fair before and it helped me find more schools and ask questions,” said David White.

Not only did students learn about the colleges that they had been previously been interested in but they also discovered schools that they might not have previously looked at.

“I found a couple of new colleges that I may be interested in [attending],” said Spencer Goossens.

College representatives were also thrilled to be included in the St. Paul’s College Day.

“(Our) institution has been coming [to St. Paul’s College Day] for a long time. The quality of the students is real high and here you get the most bang for your buck,” said Lauren Dennis of Wellesley College.

College representatives said that “[the students this year were] prepared with questions,” according to Jaime Caryl-Klika, one of two College Counselors at the ASP. She added that they were also ready to learn more about the different schools.

Chris Moses, the Forbidden Fictions Master Teacher and also a College Counselor at the ASP, said that over two hundred schools receive invitations to participate in the college fair. A lot of the schools that are represented at the fair are “regulars.”

However, one parent was not as pleased with College Day as others. The parent, who only agreed to comment on the condition of anonymity, said that “it was not as intensive as they described it to us early on. I felt that there should have been even more schools." She did add, though, that she felt that "the informational sessions were very helpful.”

Overall, College Day was a pleasant and educational experience for the students of the ASP.

“I always try to reach out to a few new schools each year and encourage them to attend, and to follow up when regulars can't attend or there's a particular school that has been of interest to a number of students,” said Mr. Moses.

He also mentioned that students often acquire information about colleges that they later attend through this particular fair.

“It's possible that they would likely go there anyway, but especially for places farther away, students can make a really valuable connection, find encouragement to visit or apply, and to try out a place they might not have known about before,” said Mr. Moses.

“There's a strong correlation between schools at the fair and places students attend,” said Mr. Moses.

Quick Response Diffuses Threat on Campus

2010-07-28T22:49:00.001-04:00

By JESS RAU

At approximately 5:45 pm on Monday, July 19, the St. Paul’s School (SPS) Security Department and Advanced Studies Program (ASP) Director Michael Ricard initiated a campus lockdown in response to a potential threat on SPS property. The Concord Police Department had just informed the SPS Security Department that they had reason to believe that there was a suicidal subject in the wooded areas on the outskirts of campus. Upon confirmation of this fact and quick deliberation, Mr. Ricard and the SPS Security Department activated the school's emergency alert system.

Using a vehicle description provided by the Concord Police, SPS Security personnel located the subject’s vehicle just outside the back gate of the grounds, but were unable to locate the subject. Using cell phone coordinates, the Concord Police confirmed that the subject was in the woods just off campus and then contacted the New Hampshire State Police when they were unable to determine his exact position. The State Police located the subject using a tracking dog and found him to be unarmed. The subject was compliant as he was led out of the woods to a police car.

“We didn’t necessarily think that the person was an imminent threat to ASP community members, but we didn’t want to risk their safety if he wandered towards or onto campus,” said Mr. Ricard. As a precaution, Mr. Ricard made an announcement to the ASP community that there was a potential threat on campus and it was necessary for all community members to stay inside, maintaining a lockdown until the subject was escorted off of the grounds by the police.

This marked the first time the SPS emergency alert system was used for an actual emergency, rather than just drills. Mr. Ricard said that he wished he could have gotten more information out to the community during the lockdown, but he indicated that “the issue was resolving itself quicker than anticipated and the information was continuously changing.”

“We were lucky that this situation corrected itself in about 25 minutes following the alarm,” said Director of Security George Pangakis.

“Had this incident continued longer into the evening, we would’ve probably made a decision to assemble our crisis management team,” said Mr. Pangakis.

The crisis management team consists of a group of school administrators that gather in a state of emergency who are assigned tasks in an effort to respond to the emergency. As the subject was soon brought into custody of the Concord Police, however, such steps were unnecessary and Mr. Ricard was able to send out an “all clear” message to the community.

Mr. Ricard noted the convenience of the time at which they were notified of the threat, as it came during a weekly meeting for all ASP interns, which made it easy to quickly inform all interns of the situation and establish a plan of action. One intern from each dorm was asked to stay in the dining hall with students and all entrances to the dining hall had an intern or faculty member on guard. Other interns were sent to go back to the dorms and make sure that all students were safely inside.

“We were very impressed with the response of the ASP community to our alarm and observations were made by our officers that ASP students responded appropriately and we were very appreciative of that,” said Mr. Pangakis.

Considering that it was the first time that SPS needed to activate the emergency alert system, Mr. Pangakis said that things went well. He also indicated that the SPS Security Department will be making some internal and logistical changes to “better facilitate getting this message out to more of the community.”

“The goal here is to communicate with as many people as you can in a short period of time,” said Mr. Pangakis.

Ricard Recalls First Year as ASP Director

2010-07-28T22:46:00.001-04:00

By JOSH PERREAULT

In his first full year as director of the Advanced Studies Program, Michael Ricard has worked extremely hard to assure that the ASP experience is a success for everyone involved.

Last summer, Mr. Ricard stepped into his role as director at the beginning of the ASP. It was his first experience being in charge of the system albeit taking the helm after the session had started.

“I hoped he would use the first summer as a learning experience,” said former director Mr. Thomas Bazos. “I was very pleased. He didn’t come in and make too many changes, the system works. He just fine tuned it.”

This year, Mr. Ricard not only runs the day to day summer life but also contributed tireless work during the winter to prepare for his first complete year at the helm of the Advanced Studies Program. He spent time reading every application letter, hiring every intern and teacher, and forming the schedule.

“[I] did the best to admit students who could handle the program,” said Mr. Ricard.

One crucial part of the Advanced Studies Program is funding. Mr. Bazos did a lot of work with enhancing financial aid, which Mr. Ricard has continued.
“I want to make the program self sustainable,” said Mr. Ricard. “The main way to do that is to raise money so that we can provide financial aid. The goal is to continuously reevaluate the program, find ways to improve it.”

Feedback from faculty has been consistent and helpful.
“[The teachers] give a lot of feedback, telling me what is going well and what things we could improve,” said Mr. Ricard.

One Assistant Director, Ms. Courtney Jackson, believes Mr. Ricard has done a “tremendous job”.

“He’s had a good presence. He went to every feed and serenade he could. He did a great job expecting excellence, and gives a lot of support for students to reach that. [He] Wants to challenge everyone.”

Mr. Bazos also feels that Mr. Ricard’s hard work has paid off. “I think he’s done an excellent job. [College Day] was the most complicated day. When I saw the students come into the concert, all dressed up and respectful after a very long day, I was impressed. He’s been able to make it work.”

All in all, the strain that is placed on Mr. Ricard is tiring. “[ASP] was lots of work to set up, and gets pretty darn busy when it’s in session. The days run from 8:00am until sometime around 9 or 11 at night. Even with all the work, he still loves his job. “I enjoy being the ‘go to’ person. I try to be an active part of the program, someone that people can approach with questions.”

“The hard work of these different groups [interns, teachers, students] makes the program what it is.” Like many great leaders, Ricard is quick to spread the success to all those involved. Mr. Ricard’s first full year running ASP will be one that will be happily remembered.

Astronomy Students Sacrifice Sleep, Set Schedule for Class Time

2010-07-28T22:42:00.002-04:00

By PETER ROBINSON

While Advanced Studies Programs students switch off the lights for bedtime at 11:30 pm, the Astronomy students begin their workday.

Most clear nights the astronomy students from North and Wing hike up to the Hawley Observatory located behind Coit where they spend roughly four hours observing stars, constellations, planets, and even galaxies. Typically when students observe at night, they begin in the Chart house, where they discuss the topics and goals for the night, before they pair up in groups to work in the big domes. Although the class mostly stays out until 2:30AM, depending on the night they can work at the observatory until 11:30PM or 4:00AM. When the students go back to their dorms at night, on normal nights they get to sleep for roughly six to seven hours before having to get up for class.

The astronomy students don’t mind this odd schedule that takes up most of their night; Dalton Colen, an astronomy student in the class said he likes it because “it makes you able to find constellations which are excellent romanticizing tools.”

At the observatoty the astronomy students primarily work with large domed telescopes equipped with CCD cameras controlled electronically within a dome; however there is also the Alumni Telescope, a 0.7-meter altitude-azimuth mounted reflecting telescope that was built and brought to SPS in 2004. The four domes are known as: Dome 2, Dome 3, Lowell Dome and Dome 5. Dome 3 is currently not functioning so the remaining three are used by the class of 13 split into two groups of four, and one group of five.

The class has had a few guest speakers and the speakers have helped the class in their learning about topics such as the celestial sphere and constellations, optics and spectroscopy, and most recently stars and a stellar revolution.

“My favorite lecture was when we had R.P. Hale as a guest speaker and he talked about the Mayan and Aztec calendars,” said astronomy student Morgan Matthews.

So while you may see papers on Coit’s doors saying, “the astronomy students were out late last night, please be quiet” and you may be angry at the fact that they get to sleep in, and play Top Gun and Super Mario during study hours, in actuality, they spend a lot more time learning and interacting outside of the four-walled classroom.

Musk Turtles' Disappearance Causes Big Stink

2010-07-23T22:30:00.002-04:00

By JAMES GRAHAM

Three days after two Ecology turtles were announced missing, fueling campus-wide speculation that they had made a daring escape or that the Marine Biology class had played a prank, their mysterious disappearance took a tragic turn. One turtle was discovered dead in the Ecology classroom and the other, which remains missing, is suspected dead. The turtles were reported missing on the Saturday of the end of the first week of ASP, and the first turtle was discovered on the following Tuesday.

Rick Pacelli, the Ecology Master Teacher, discovered the first missing turtle in a corner of the classroom. While only one turtle was actually found, the class believes the other may have crawled under the refrigerator in the classroom or to a small space inaccessible to humans. The ‘ninja turtles,’ nicknamed by the class, used a tall plant called a ‘picker weed,’ placed in the tank earlier in the week, to climb out of their aquarium.

Reed Loy, an intern for the Ecology class, said that the incident was “an honest mistake, and we all feel horribly that this happened.” Mr. Loy hoped that students would view this mishap as a cautionary tale regarding the possible ramifications of humans taking animals out of their natural habitat.

The two musk turtles, or ‘stinkpot’ turtles as called by the Ecology class, were originally caught near the dam by the post office.

“We were looking for macro-invertebrates with big nets, and when we checked our nets, twice did we have the turtles in them,” said Mr. Pacelli.

The turtles were then brought into the Ecology classroom and placed in an aquarium. Four days later, the class discovered the concentration of carbon dioxide in the tank’s water was abnormally high. To correct the imbalance the class placed a picker weed, the plant used in the turtle escape, inside the tank to absorb the carbon dioxide and, in return, give off oxygen.

Following the disappearance, a miscommunication between the Marine Biology class and the Ecology class led some students to believe that someone in the Marine Biology class had taken the turtles as a practical joke. Days before the turtles went missing, the Marine Biology class had borrowed a set of plastic turtles from the Ecology class. Marine Biology intern Keegan Runnals had put the turtles in his classroom and, When he was questioned about the turtles, he replied they were ‘safely’ in the Marine Biology room.

Upon further questioning, the misunderstanding between the real and plastic turtles was revealed. In this regard, Marine Biology Master Teacher Marla Jones said the communication error was “an honest mistake.”

The turtles were “to be used as an example…to classify organisms,” said Mr. Runnals.

ASP Cribs

2010-07-23T22:15:00.003-04:00

By JOHN RETTEW

In this installment of ASP Cribs, we take a trip to North House and also pay the guys in Manville a visit.

College Workshops Aim to Prepare Students for Application Process

2010-07-23T22:06:00.003-04:00

By ABIGAIL CRANE

Since the start of the the Advanced Studies Program, the program’s college counselors have held weekly, optional college workshops, met with mixed reactions from students.

Designed to be a source of information for students beginning the college application process, the optional college workshops have been held on June 30, July 6, and July 13. The workshops held thus far have consisted of intern interviews, a detailed explanation of the common application, and a mock deliberation of three applicants, where students posed as admission officers.

The college counselors believe the workshops have been successful. Attendance is up from last year’s sessions, according to college councilor Chris Moses. In previous years the college workshops “were not as developed as they are now, or as popular. [This year] and last year, students have made it part of their experience,” AD Hilary Paul continued to say.

College Counselor Jaime Caryl-Klika agreed. “I've been very pleased with the level of enthusiasm demonstrated by this year's ASP class,” said Mrs. Caryl-Klika.

Many students at the Advanced Studies Program have expressed a positive reception of the latest workshop (a mock admissions committee); however, the previous workshops were not as well received.

“I thought that the first two were not helpful, but the last one [was] because it helps [me] understand what to put on my application,” said Emily Kolocotronis of the Conover 20 dorm.

“I didn't really care much for the college workshops. I didn't really get anything out of the first one...and I quickly lost interest,” said Zacharie Dugas of the North dorm. He continued to say, “[The third workshop] was still an experience, but truthfully I would have rather put my study hours to better use.”

The climactic event near the end of the program is the College Fair, scheduled for Saturday, July 24, where approximately seventy colleges come to speak and interact with ASP students. The college counselors will hold one final mandatory workshop the day before the fair.

“We'll get to hear from a…well-experienced and compelling admission professional, Nicole Baron, the evening before College Day,” said guidance counselor, Chris Moses. This important guest will inform ASP students on selective college admissions.

The College Fair will allow students the opportunity to get answers to the questions they may have from a variety of schools and college representatives. The Fair also is an chance for students to establish a relationship with many colleges across the country, which otherwise could not be as easily contacted.

Heat Wave Torches the ASP

2010-07-22T21:17:00.001-04:00

By JOSH PERREAULT

From Monday, July 5 to Friday, July 9, the entire Advanced Studies Program (ASP) community combated a miserable heat wave that tied records in Concord and all around the state of New Hampshire.

Members of the Ecology class escape the heat by working in the shade.

High temperatures are usually a nice aspect of the summer season in the Granite State, balancing out the harsh winter temperatures the state sees annually. This year, however, the heat has resulted in ludicrous extremes throughout most of the state, as the temperature has only occasionally dipped below 90°F and has reached as high as 99°F, as it did on July 6 in Concord, tying a record set in 1911. With the humidity levels varying between a slightly uncomfortable 70% to a stifling 86%, the heat wave has hit the ASP particularly hard, making saunas out of most buildings without air conditioning.

“It felt like I was wilting,” said Caitlyn Brooks of Wing House. “It was difficult to concentrate in class, and it was hard to sleep. I took lots of naps.”

Lauren Jones, also a resident in Wing House resident, explained her coping method. “We put our fans directly on our faces to stay cool,” said Ms. Jones.

Mr. Tyler Ash of Manville House found this approach essential as well. “Without a fan you were out of luck,” said Mr. Ash.

The effects of the heat wave were not contained within the buildings of the ASP community, though, as they rippled throughout the entire community. Sports were shortened due to the intense heat, and the American Red Cross Blood Drive also ended sooner than intended. Fans were present across campus, and students were supplied water bottles and plenty of opportunities to rehydrate themselves. All in all, the response was quick and helpful to students and faculty alike. ASP Athletic Director Michele “Mish” Rogers made it clear that, in the summer, “weather is (her) nemesis.”

“We don’t know kids’ heat tolerances, so I instructed interns to give a lot of water breaks and to try to minimize heat exposure,” said Ms. Rogers.

There were a few “episodes” during house sports involving heat, so when weather of this magnitude came along, shortening activities was almost a no-brainer.

“I won’t put anybody at risk,” said Ms. Rogers. Both Ms. Rogers and ASP Director Michael Ricard’s efforts helped prevent the issue from becoming too severe.

“Just as with a thunderstorm or a winter snowstorm, (the heat) was just a general weather concern,” said Mr. Ricard.

Mr. Ricard said that his main concern was that students stay hydrated. The heat in individual classrooms was not as big of a concern considering that classes are held earlier in the day, when it is normally cooler.

When asked if he tried to plan ahead for the heat wave, Mr. Ricard said, “I definitely looked [at the forecast]. I’m always looking ahead. Our focus now is mostly on how warm it will get and the low for the night, when everyone is trying to get a good night’s sleep.”

Many students have rushed to spend time in the buildings that have air conditioning, such as Ohrstrom Library and the Athletic and Fitness Center, just to gain a bit of relief. Classrooms, student residences, and important gathering spots such as Memorial Hall and the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul are not climate controlled, leaving some community members asking why.

“The idea has been kicked around, not specifically to ASP but for St. Paul’s as a whole,” said Mr. Ricard. “The new science building, which should be ready by the summer of 2012, will be climate controlled. We’ll try to have as many classes in there as possible, math, science, or otherwise.”

The days following the vicious heat wave have been much cooler. Students and faculty alike can only hope that the comfortable temperatures continue as the Advanced Studies Program moves into its final days.

Traditions Bond Students, Alums to the ASP

2010-07-22T21:11:00.002-04:00

By KATIE KISSINGER

To those unfamiliar with the Advanced Studies Program (ASP), the terms feed, serenade and Playfair may sounds like gibberish, but these classic ASP traditions, that have lasted for decades, are often students’ fondest memories from their summer spent at St. Paul’s School.

Courtesy: Brendan Cohen

“We used to order pizza from a deli nearby, and throw big pizza and ice cream feeds,” said the Honorable Joseph N. Laplante, a graduate of the ASP in 1982 and a former resident of Conover 20. Although twenty-eight years have passed since he was a student at the ASP, Judge Laplante recalls many ASP traditions that continue on today.

“I remember the talent show,” recalled Judge Laplante. “Two other guys and I put together a three-piece rock band and performed songs by the Ramones.”

When asked about his favorite memory, Judge Laplante immediately responded: “There was lots of pranking, and dorm rivalries. One time, my dorm and I went on top of the roof of Drury House, which used to be a guys dorm, and spelled out Con-20 in toilet paper and shaving cream.”

Although such pranking is no longer common at the ASP, many of the old traditions still remain and are well received by students.

Courtesy: Brendan Cohen

“I liked Playfair the best,” said Jo Estevao, a current student in Forbidden Fiction. Ms. Estevao said she likes the ASP traditions because “they appeal to a wide audience, and put people out of their comfort zones.”

“If everyone is open minded, it makes them fun” said Steph Wright of Conover 20.

“When people aren’t willing to participate, and just sit in the corner, it’s never fun” added Jeff Asselin, David White, and Nick Sullivan of Foster House.

“Everybody likes to be part of something,” said Annie Trowbridge of Middle House. “They let you do something fun together.”

However, change is always inevitable when looking toward the future.

Courtesy: Brendan Cohen

“Most traditions will stay around,” said ASP Director Michael Ricard. “Perhaps (some) aspects will die out. Feeds and serenades will be closely considered [concerning heteronormativity] because it causes dorm bonding. We won’t eliminate (them) entirely, but there is no reason to make sure traditions are not as inclusive as possible.”

“I suspect that there will be changes as times go on,” said Brendan Cohen, ASP class of 2000 and house supervisor of North. Cohen commented that many different aspects of the ASP traditions have changed over the years.

“When I was a student at the ASP, dorms would choose which dorm to serenade, and they were much more spontaneous. This was changed though, because it caused problems because some dorms would be serenaded all the time, and some wouldn’t be serenaded at all,” said Mr. Cohen. He also added that there used to be a seated lunch twice a week, which was eliminated due to scheduling issues.

That said, whether it is serenades, feeds, Playfair, or even fruit break, the traditions of the Advanced Studies Program not only contribute to the fun of the program, but they also help members of the different classes and dorms to bond and will forge into the future.

I Scream, You Scream: ASP Screams for Desserts

2010-07-22T20:57:00.004-04:00

By MEG JONES

Many Advanced Studies Program (ASP) students have found themselves indulging in the large variety of desserts offered in the St. Paul's School dining hall. According to Larry Fischer, who oversees the day-to-day operations of the dining hall throughout the summer, the St. Paul’s School baker tries new items during the ASP because there are fewer students than during the normal year. This fact has not gone unnoticed by the students here this summer.

“I feel like there are more dessert options than regular food,” said Studio Arts student Elli Peterson.

“I feel like a lot of the soups are desserts - they're just posing as soup,” said Studio Arts intern Elissa Rodman.

Although many indulge, some students have managed to avoid consuming extensive amounts of dessert. In a recent survey about the ASP desserts, one student indicated they did not eat dessert at all, while another student said that they ate dessert only once a week.

“I really like the M&M cookies,” said Ecology student Ethan Emerson, after having recently trying the cookies for the first time at ASP. Jo Estevao, a student in Forbidden Fictions, said that she has eaten one or two servings of ice cream a week while at the ASP.

Of the students participating in a recent survey of students regarding their dessert consumption, 77% said that they eat dessert at least once a day. Many students said that they indulge in the desserts, eating more than they normally would at home.

“I eat dessert two times a day and I never eat dessert at home,” said International Terrorism student Jackie Ekins.

Part of this stands as a result of the variety of choices that the dining hall provides.

“The trifle is a big hit” and “[the] sundae bar is huge,” said Mr. Fischer; but “the soft serve machine is probably the biggest hit every summer.” The soft-serve machine was donated by the ASP about four or five years ago and has remained a hit with students, interns, teachers, and the rest of the community ever since.

Some students struggle with the all-too-frequent decision of which dessert (or desserts) to choose.

“Some days are soft-serve days and other days are pie days. It's like you're forced to eat it because what if they never serve that pie again?” said Ms. Peterson.

The silver lining in all of this indulgence is that the ASP community clearly enjoys the food prepared by the dining hall staff.

“I guess it's good if I'm eating so much of it,” said Ms. Ekins.

BP Must Pay for Damage to Local Businesses

2010-07-22T00:15:00.002-04:00

By PETER ROBINSON

Editor's note: This editorial marks the second in a series entitled "Breaking the Bubble" - the series aims to promote awareness of current events within the "bubble" of the Advanced Studies Program community. You can access the podcast connected to this topic by clicking on the heading and we will hope that you will join us for a lunch discussion on the spill this Friday (July 23rd) in the Lowest dining hall.

Eddie Kurtich is the owner of Eddie’s Quality Oysters in the Plaquemines Parish community of Port Sulphur, Lousiana. He has been the proud owner for the past 40 years and employs up to six people. Since the explosion that led to the oil spill, Kurtich hasn’t been able to collect nearly enough oysters to keep his business running as well as it previously did.

Courtesy: United States Coast Guard

Last June, Kurtich sold 40,000 sacks that consisted of 100 pounds of oysters each. This year, he expects to sell between 6,000 and 8,000 sacks. He petitioned BP for assistance, showing them the statistics that prove his lack of business. However, BP has not given him any payouts. Other business owners he knows have received $1,500 to $2,500, but, he said, “hardly anybody’s getting big money.”

Kurtich plans on selling a fraction of what he sold last year. BP must take responsibility for the downfall of Kurtich’s business; the company disregarded many warning signs, including a small blowout that occurred months ago, that could have prevented an incident of this magnitude. Logically, BP should have looked into how this happened and if it could happen on a larger scale.

When Kurtich went to BP and explained how they ruined his business, he asked for compensation from the $20 billion fund that President Obama mandated that they set aside for those affected by the spill. BP was incredibly slow to respond and Kurtich has yet to receive the compensation that he needs.

Businesses have been affected because the marine life isn’t as accessible and because tourists have not visited the Gulf Coast as much as in the past because of the impact of the oil spill on the region's beaches. To make matters worse, a national study conducted by the University of Minnesota and cited by the New York Times discovered that 44 percent of people surveyed refused to eat seafood from the Gulf of Mexico.

All of these problems, along with those that businesses like Kurtich’s have encountered can be traced back to BP’s gross negligence. There were multiple safety precautions that did not function properly in the well because they were not put in place. This includes an ultimate fail-safe deadman system which would have resulted in hydraulic pincers crushing the pipe shut, immediately cutting off any oil flow.

On July 14, BP performed a test in an effort to determine if the pipes could pressurize, therefore stopping the oil from gushing out. The pipes have indeed pressured, but at a much lower pressure than expected, which raises additional concerns. Even though BP has been successful in stopping the oil from leaking into the Gulf, the cleanup remains a large challenge and the full effects of the spill will persist for many years to come.

Clearly, BP should have been proactive, taking more precautions before this disaster occurred instead of waiting and hoping for everything to work out. Data showed that there was a chance this could happen and BP did not take sufficient action to regulate safety or to prevent the issue from happening.

BP has created a disaster and it will take most businesses a long time to recover. Many smaller fishermen deal mostly in cash; therefore, they do not receive receipts. As a result, they have trouble proving their significant losses since the spill, and BP will not pay these fishermen compensation.

BP is taking advantage of their situation; they have a lot of money and resources and yet pay little attention to smaller businesses as well as the environment. Their business is profits, and that is exactly what they took from small businesses in the Gulf. BP will endure this catastrophe, but the survival of the small businesses remains in question.

BP must take complete responsibility for their actions and do something to help the local businesses that are suffering as a result of their mistakes. While local entrepreneurs follow the rules, BP ignored numerous safety codes and would have continued to do so, if not for the spill. If BP doesn't take immediate action and provide relief for people like Eddie Kurtich, then Gulf Coast fishing may be shattered for a long time and tourism could cease to exist.

Focus and Fun Make for Success in Shakespeare

2010-07-21T22:55:00.001-04:00

By JESS RAU

Students bang on a table shouting “Hold thy peace!” in sing-song voices of perfect unison as the lights dim. Meanwhile, the director and some cast members intensely discuss the specifics of hat-wearing. Music is growing in the background, rising and falling as swords emerge from their sheaths for feigned battles between mistaken enemies. This is a typical rehearsal night for the Advanced Studies Program's Shakespeare for Performance class that is responsible for learning and performing two Shakespeare plays in a five-week span.

A play that would normally take the students two months to prepare, they need to prepare in two weeks. For many, the task seemed daunting at first, but the group quickly grew into a community with a “strong team dynamic,” according to Intern Alena Allegrette.

The students have taken on this ambitious challenge with intense drive and lots of rehearsal time. In addition to regular class hours, the students rehearse together every night starting after dinner and continuing through study hours. They also spend much of their free time reading lines with their classmates and closely examining their character’s perspective to assess often the tiniest details, such as how their hat should be worn in each scene.

“We feed off of each other and also give to each other,” said Shakespeare student Sam Kilbride.

Students spoke of a loyalty to their cast-members, wanting to make sure everyone does well. “No one can be independent of everyone else,” said Ms. Allegrette.

The class has achieved a curious balance between an atmosphere of intense focus and one of constant jokes and laughter.

“I laugh way too much in here,” Ms. Kilbride said of the rehearsal space.

Student Martha Beard said of their jokes, “They’re generally hilarious and no one else ever gets them.”

It’s clear that the students love what they’re doing. “[It’s a] different kind of work,” said Ms. Beard.

The class’s first play, The Twelfth Night, debuted last weekend. The performance was overwhelmingly well-received.

“It was the best play I’ve ever seen by anyone my age,” said Studio Arts student Sarah Davidson.

The students are now working on their second play, All's Well That Ends Well, which will run the last weekend of the ASP.

Mishop Means Magic to ASP Students

2010-07-21T22:09:00.002-04:00

By MERIDETH TUMASZ

A totally new type of scavenger hunt filled the red barn at St. Paul’s School (SPS) on Wednesday, July 7. Adventures lurked in every rack and surprises were found on every hanger. With an eclectic collection of items ranging from hockey goalie pads to jumpsuits, the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) community was in for an interesting afternoon.

The afternoon marked the summer's grand opening of the Mishop, a thrift store run by the St. Paul's School Missionary Society. All things in the Mishop were either left behind or donated by the winter school students.

“Nothing is wasted,” said Ann Rettew, a key member in running Mishop during the summer.

With every item only a dollar, kids wanted to spend, spend, spend. The first Mishop during this summer's ASP was able to collect $730. All the proceeds from the Mishop go to the Missionary Society, which is the oldest and longest running SPS organization. They do a wide variety of community service projects throughout the winter school and the money they raise from Mishop goes to programs that help children and women in the greater Concord Area. The next opening will be held Wednesday, July 28, from 2-4 pm at the red barn across from Memorial Hall. What follows here is a sampling of what ASP students discovered during their adventures in the Mishop.

“If Jesus was a store, and it wasn’t The Gap, it would be Mishop.” This is how Manville’s Jordan Dempsey described St. Paul’s own version of a yard sale. “It was a crowded, sweaty, slice of heaven,” said Mr. Dempsey.

Mr. Dempsey was able to find: teddy bear pajama shirt, blue blazer, American Eagle cardigan, French girl t-shirt, rainbow toe socks, red jacket, sparkly cowboy hat, brown checkered shirt, black jean shorts, embellished New York shirt, and a pair of bright red corduroy pants, only for $11. All items purchased will be part of his everyday school attire at Bedford High School, he says.

As shown by model Tim Campbell from Brewster, there are always a few surprises at Mishop. A blue-mesh ripped hoodie is always a hit with the ladies!

Patrick Hart of Brewster was able to find floral tights, tweed pants (not pictured), a suit jacket still in good shape, and a chemistry textbook in Korean, just for fun. His strategy for finding the best stuff? Look where other people have not.

Armour resident, Amber Craghead, snagged a pair of J. Crew jeans with the still-attached tags reading $79.99. Ms. Craghead’s secret to success is “to not pass through a rack, take your time.”

In James Kiefner’s opinion, Mishop is “where dreams come true.” This Foster House resident was able to accumulate Under Armour shoes, a snazzy sweater vest, collared shirt, pillow, and a binder, all for five dollars.

Armed with the motto of “don’t be afraid to fight” David White of Foster won some sweet threads at Mishop. Three dollars later, Mr. White left with a jumpsuit, a collared shirt, and a t-shirt with “The Gun” written on the back. To him, Mishop was “worth every second.”

Students Run (and Walk) for Funds

2010-07-20T21:25:00.002-04:00

By TAYLOR LEONARD

The Advanced Studies Program community will engage in the second annual Fundraising Walk/Run, commonly known as the Fun Run, today to raise scholarship money for next year’s ASP participants.

The Fun Run, officially organized last year, represents one way for students of the ASP to give back to the program. Every dollar raised by an ASP student or staff member goes directly towards the tuition of a student in next year’s ASP class who needs financial aid.

Through the efforts of last year’s participants, two students received full scholarships for the current 2010 program, equivalent to a total of about $6,000. The students raised the cost of one scholarship through donations from family and friends and an anonymous donor contributed the funds for the other.

The anonymous contributor heard about the Fun Run last year and generously offered to match the monetary donations raised by students and staff. This year the contributor again has offered to match the amount of money raised by the ASP Community, up to the cost of a full scholarship, or about $3,250.

This year’s Fun Run course is two miles long. The course starts at the track near the Blass Club House, continues through the cross country course and ends back at the Club House. It will take place during the regularly scheduled athletic session from 3 to 4:30 PM.

The ASP staff try to make the run as fun as possible by playing music plays to energize participants at the beginning and at the end of the race. The track selection consists of “good tunes like the Rocky theme song,” said Courtney Jackson, Assistant Director of the Advanced Studies Program. At the end of the race, participants are rewarded with water and watermelon.

All ASP students and interns are required to be physically present for the event, but many hope that participation will not stop there.

“I want everyone in Con-20 to donate at least $25 dollars” said Lynsdey Colburn Conover 20 House Supervisor.

Donations are not required, but the dorm that receives the most donations will be eligible for an additional feed.

Students around campus are interested in giving back to the ASP community and the extra feed.

“My family donated money and I am excited to run; it will be something to do (to benefit the program),” said Jessica Root, a student in Ford House.

However, not every student is thrilled about participating.

“I wish it was optional. It feels like it will be a competition,” said Sam Leclerc. She felt that if the run was voluntary more people would be excited.

People might have been even more excited and participated more if they had enough time to accumulate donations. “I am probably not going to donate. There was no time to walk around the neighborhood asking for donations,” said Sarah Desrochers of Drury House.

Others, however, indicated that they succeeded in obtaining support for their fundraising efforts.

“I got money from my family and friends. It will also be cool to see the community come together and share a common goal,” said Steven Heck of North House.

Overall, the common goal of the ASP Fundraising Walk/Run is to gather the community together and help the community of St. Paul’s. “We want to create a tradition and pass along to the next class the culture of giving” said Geoff Edwards, Assistant Director of the Advanced Studies Program.

In addition to the Fun Run, the ASP maintains an Annual Fund, used for scholarships, accumulated through donations from alumni, past parents, and educators at St. Paul’s School. Typically, students are able to receive a full scholarship if their family earns $45,000 or less than a year. In the end, Mr. Ricard decides on the amount of financial aid the qualified families receive. Last year the fund totaled about $213,000, all of which went back to students in the ASP.

Alums and the ASP

2010-07-20T21:08:00.002-04:00

By ABIDJAN WALKER

Note: For a slideshow of pictures associated with this article, please click on the title above.

"ASP (the Advanced Studies Program) changed my life," said current ASP Intern Kim Ndombe, graduate of the ASP in 2006. Ms. Ndombe's ASP experience in the Mass Media course caused her to re-examine her interests. Before the ASP, she planned to follow the pre-law track and instead decided afterwards to double major in Television, Radio, and Film and Political Science at Syracuse University. Ms. Ndombe returned to ASP as a Writing Workshop Intern this year.

This past Saturday, July 17, alumni returned to campus to reconnect with friends and teachers, and celebrate their fantastic experience at ASP for Alumni Day. They traveled from around New Hampshire and beyond. Yet, some like Ms. Ndombe, Alicia Pacelli, and Becky Houran did not come from far.

Interns this summer along with Ms. Ndombe, Ms. Pacelli and Ms. Houran, also graduated from the ASP in 2006. Their program lasted only four weeks, due to a flood that damaged buildings throughout the grounds of St. Paul's School. However, they still had a wonderful time at ASP, a sentiment that is shared by many other ASP alumni.

Jeff Bereault, Conor Burke, Kevin McClure, Ali Grise, and Ali Vivinetto, all Mass Media students in 2009, remember how they often sat on the floor in class. Jay Jacobs, a 1981 ASP alum, remembers hanging out and studying in front of the old library in the shade of a tree. He also remembers when his dorm invited a girl's dorm over for a pillow fight. One of the pillows burst and one of his dorm mates covered himself with chocolate sauce so that the feathers of the pillow would stick to him.

Although the ASP is a memorable experience for many, it is not always an easy one.

"You're taking on a challenge when you come [to the ASP]," said Ms. Ndombe.

Many students do not realize the amount of work that is expected of them. "The bar is raised. [Students] are forced to do things in a way that they have not done before," said ASP Director Mike Ricard.

The ASP's ideal learning environment, in which students can have intellectual conversations with their peers both inside and outside the classroom, produces the best results. Mr. Bazos, former ASP Director, said that "[ASP] challenges you to reach higher in many ways. Many students [are] stunned by what they are asked to do." Writing Workshop teacher, John Bouton, said that for some students their five and a half weeks at ASP are harder than their senior year. And this is what makes ASP stand-out.

"We are different," said Mr. Kissick, the Chief Development Officer for St. Paul's School and member of the ASP Advisory Board. Mr. Kissick explained that ASP is philosophically different than other summer schools. Other private preparatory academies, such as Andover or Exeter, also have summer schools. But, their programs are over twice the cost of the ASP tuition. The ASP is offered to only a particular group of students: the best rising seniors from New Hampshire's public and parochial schools. In essence, the program was created to give back to New Hampshire.

Alums, in turn, give back to ASP, whether financially by helping to keep costs low and provide scholarships, or actively by acting as teachers, interns, house supervisors, guest speakers, or administratively, by conducting interviews. Now there are more ASP alumni than St. Paul's Winter school alumni and that will forever be the case.

"[The alumni's] enthusiasm helps the program stay as good as it is," said Mr. Ricard. There are about one hundred alumni in New Hampshire who conduct interviews for applicants. Alums also fund ninety percent of the ASP's annual fund, which "is instrumental in meeting the budget," according to Mr. Ricard.

"Without the generosity [of the Alumni] to the Annual Fund, it would be difficult to continue with the ASP," said Mr. Ricard. They want to share their special ASP experience with future students by giving of what they have. Mr. Jacobs gives five dollars for every year since he graduated from ASP. In this way, ASP alumni join together in their cause to support the ASP for life.

"You'll never leave the family," said Mr. Kissick.

An ASP alum never forgets about their connection to the program. ASP Alumni Erik Sharin, Mira Carey-Hatch, and Kye Ameden, all members of the 2009 Ecology class, remember their first day of class when one of their classmates flipped her canoe. Ms. Ndombe remembers her last night at ASP, when her interns allowed her dorm to go to the Manville common room late at night.

During one of the most important times in a teenager's life, the ASP changes lives. Mr. Jacobs said that ASP brings New Hampshire together.

"I think that there is a bond that ASP alumni have that is considerably stronger than that connected to other programs," said Mr. Ricard.

Mr. Ricard refers to ASP as a "transformative" experience. He believes that students learn a lot about themselves and what they are capable of accomplishing in and out of the classroom.

"[Students] are forced to extend themselves," said Mr. Ricard.

Despite the intensity of the program, Mr. Ricard believes that, at the end of it, students are extremely proud of what they have accomplished. As a result, alumni continue to come back every summer to reconnect with the place and the people that have meant so much to them and altered the course that their lives have taken.

Carrying the Weight of the Work

2010-07-20T20:26:00.001-04:00

By MEAGHAN MACDONALD

Now that classes are in full swing, the students of the Advanced Studies Program are feeling the weight of the work load.

Essays, readings, projects, and other general work consume a lot of time at the ASP, and pose challenges for all of the students in the program. With expectations consistently increasing, students have had to adjust and learn how to rise to the occasion.

“They expect so much more from us here than they did at my high school, and we have so much more work. Procrastination is not an option here and I really have to manage my time,” said Haley Scavotto, a student in Changing The World.

Time management is the key to dealing with the heavy workload, according to a student survey. Planning the amount of time necessary to complete all of the required work and then ensuring that it gets done stands as the core idea of time management.

According to a survey sent out to all the students of the ASP conducted by the Mass Media class, 54% of students spend between one and two hours doing homework outside of study hours. Clearly, most students need to find other time in the day to get work done so that study hours are not as stressful and they can be ready for class the following day.

Even when students believe that study hours will be enough time get all of their work done, it remains important to use that time wisely and not get side-tracked.

“You have to remove yourself from distractions,” said Linden Rayton, intern for the Marine Biology class.

Distractions are the worst for a student trying to manage their time management. It is hard to focus on doing work when there are other options that are more entertaining. According to the survey, 80% of students are distracted by Facebook among other social networking sites while they are working.

Although many students enjoy being in the library and common rooms while they study with friends, this can also pose significant distractions that are not always helpful. The survey showed that 50.6% of students think that people distract them from their work the most. At the same time, 45.3% of students admitted to frequently studying in groups anyway.

The Mass Media survey said that 39.5% of students spend most of their study hours in the library. This could be seen as a breeding ground for distractions, but Mr. Barry says that the students of ASP are using it very wisely.

“[The students] have demonstrated courteous behavior, and I've been amazed by their ability to focus on the tasks at hand,” said Head Librarian Kevin Barry.

Heavy work loads can be very manageable if they are taken seriously. Although different people have their own unique study habits, there are some methods that work for most people.

“When I was in college, if I knew that I had a lot of work, I'd start it as soon as possible,” said Ms. Rayton. In doing likewise, students can avoid leaving work for the last minute and hopefully save themselves from unnecessary stress and mediocre work.

Breaking the Bubble - Darfur Podcast and Discussion

2010-07-14T20:44:00.002-04:00

This Friday (July 16th) during lunch in the Lowest, members of the Mass Media class will lead a discussion on the situation in Darfur that will draw on the information presented in both the accompanying podcast (click the title of this post to access it) and editorial (found here: http://aspmassmedia.blogspot.com/2010/07/dont-forget-darfur.html).

Part of the "Breaking the Bubble" series, the larger goal of the discussion will be to encourage increased inquiry into the crisis, dialogue on the various issues surrounding the topic, and activism on the part of students and adults alike.

Future installments of the "Breaking the Bubble" series will focus on the BP oil spill and the recent immigration law passed in Arizona, so keep checking in with The Pelican Brief for more details!

Hitting the Airwaves

2010-07-12T16:24:00.003-04:00

Each night this week, the Mass Media class will broadcast their own radio shows live on WSPS Radio, 90.5 FM and online at wsps.sps.edu. From 7:30-9 PM, tune in and enjoy the musical selections of our very own DJs. To stream the music live, go to http://wsps.sps.edu/pages/listennow.aspx - the full schedule of shows is included below.

MONDAY (7/12): DJ Walker and DJ Jones - "Summer Lovin'" (summer songs - Abidjan and Meg)
TUESDAY (7/13): DJ Junior and Petey the Pob - "Ladies' Night" (female artists - John and Peter)
WEDNESDAY (7/14): DJ Crane and DJ Mac - "Hot Nights, Cool Music" (Disney music, etc. - Abigail and Meaghan)
THURSDAY (7/15): DJ Josiah and DJ Megadeth - "Fiesta For All" (Alt. Rock - Josh and Merideth)
FRIDAY (7/16): DJ G and DJ R - "Rock 'n' Roll Rampage" (Rock - Jess and James)
SUNDAY (7/18): DJ Pam and The Night Writer - "Sunday Night Special" (Oldies/Pop-Rock - Taylor and Katie)

Don't Forget Darfur

2010-07-09T17:25:00.006-04:00

By KATIE KISSINGER

Editor's note: This editorial marks the first in a series entitled "Breaking the Bubble" - the series aims to promote awareness of current events within the "bubble" of the Advanced Studies Program community and will feature editorials, podcasts, and follow-up discussions on three separate topics over the next three weeks.

On June 2, 2005, President George W. Bush stated that a genocide was happening in Darfur, becoming the first sitting president in United States’ history to speak out against an ongoing genocide. So why do we hear about it so little in the media today?

To find out whether or not people were informed about the current happenings in Darfur, I recently interviewed a select number of students and faculty taking part in the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) at St. Paul’s School. In gauging their knowledge about the issue, it became clear that a number of the students were not familiar with the topic as a whole, even mistaking it for a different problem in the world.

Those students who were slightly familiar with the genocide were still unable to identify some of key issues of the situation. Soon, however, it became clear that it was not the student’s fault they were misinformed, but it was the fault of the media.

“I could not find much media attention about it unless I searched for it,” said Geoff Edwards, an Assistant Director of the Advanced Studies Program, one of the few people who possessed a solid awareness of the subject. “With all of the current issues in the United States such as the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and the War in Iraq, it is not reported because we are too busy reporting on issues that directly effects us,” he said.

So with all of these problems currently facing the United States, why should we care about what is going on in Darfur?

Darfur is a region in the country of Sudan (the largest country in Africa) that borders the Sahara Desert, and used to be home to six million people. Currently, a civil war rages on between the Sudanese government and the rebel tribal groups of Darfur. In retaliation to the rebel attacks, the Sudanese government has been targeting civilians in the tribal villages of Darfur. As a result, over 400 villages have been leveled. According to amnestyusa.org, an estimated 300,000 people were killed between 2003 and 2005 and the death toll continues to rise daily.

Although the Sudanese government signed a peace treaty with one of the rebel groups in 2006, the fighting still continues, even between the rebel groups themselves. According to savedarfur.org, currently over 300,000 refugees from Darfur live across the border in the country of Chad, and 4.7 million of the inhabitants of Darfur are still currently being affected by the violence. On July 14, 2008, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir was charged by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.

If the current issues concerning the United States continue to push other global stories such as this out of the news, the responsibility to seek the truth in order to become informed citizens will fall to individuals in our society. As young people in the world today, if we apply ourselves and strive to become enlightened, we can have a phenomenal effect on how we want to shape the world. If we all work to seek out important information about global political issues and engage more in activism aimed at addressing the genocide in Darfur and other such human rights campaigns, we can make a profound difference.

If you or anyone else you know is interested in getting involved or finding out more about the crisis in Darfur, visit www.savedarfur.org or www.eyesondarfur.com for more details.

Construction Raises Concerns over Noise

2010-07-09T17:15:00.004-04:00

By JAMES GRAHAM

Advanced Studies Program students have expressed concern regarding the noisy construction, on the both the Schoolhouse and the new Lindsay Family Center for Mathematics and Science, and its affect on the classroom setting.

A primary issue is that the loud noises emitted from the heavy machinery and the construction vehicles are distracting and make class discussion and lectures hard to hear. Last week, a common sound on campus was the drone of a hydraulic hammer, used to pound holes into the ground.

Mike Derryberry, an ASP student whose Artificial Intelligence classes meet in the Payson Science Center said that the walls in his class would shake so much that keyboards from computers would start to shake, vibrations from the drill could be felt from anywhere in the classroom, and that when the noise from the hydraulic hammer outside got so bad, they had to move their class to the schoolhouse. When in the Schoolhouse, dust from workers on the roof would drift into their class through the open windows and cover their desks in dust.

Mr. Derryberry summed up his sentiments by saying that the construction “(is) annoying.”

“It’s noisy and hard to hold class, but it’s generally okay,” said Brendan Cohen, an intern for the Astronomy course at the ASP.

Mr. Cohen said he feels that the interruptions are worth it, labeling the construction “an exciting project.”

The construction will eventually give way to the new Lindsay Center, which will replace Payson and house the St. Paul's School science department, as well as the mathematics department, which currently resides in Moore.

Upon completion in September 2011, the math and science building will be equipped with a number of modern features, but currently students are growing more concerned about the daily interruptions they face during classes.

Construction begins every week day at 7:00 a.m. and lasts until 3:00 p.m., according to Mike Comer, Clerk of the Works for the construction project. Class time for the ASP begins and ends during this work window, leaving Saturday the the singular class day without construction noise.

The construction for the new building began in late April of this year and will continue on throughout the summer. Students of St. Paul’s School who return in the fall will face these conditions for the entirety of their school year, as will the attendees of next summer’s ASP.

Dorm Pride Unites ASP Students

2010-07-09T17:14:00.004-04:00

By JOHN RETTEW

“North, North!” yelled the crowd of boys emerging from the woods.

They were on their way to the square dance that marked the unofficial closing of orientation activities at the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) and everyone in the group was decked out with bandannas, flannels, and other ‘square dance’ clothes.

The boys were not just dressed up and shouting because they were excited for the dance, though: their actions and appearance were their way of expressing their pride for the dormitory in which they lived, North House.

Many teenagers arrive at the ASP having never spent over a month away from home. Almost all are placed in dorms with other unfamiliar kids that they are forced to get to know and learn to live with for five weeks. For many, the ASP can be hard to get used to, which is why interns, house supervisors, and assistant directors all work to encourage and foster a sense of dorm pride.

As soon as they arrive at the ASP, students begin to form a close bond with others in their house. Interns working with each house hang themed name tags on dorm room doors and they encourage students to come up with creative ways to bond as a house through social activities like serenades and feeds. These efforts aim to help students as they start to develop dorm pride, a quality that enables students to get to know each other and unite as a group.

This bond between dorm mates is also encouraged by ASP administrators as well, as it helps students establish relationships within their dorm and eases their transition into a new atmosphere.

When asked how dorm pride helped her adapt to the ASP atmosphere, Assistant Director and ASP alumna Hillary Paul said, “it’s nice to come into a place where everyone is in the same situation as you, and everyone is going to have the same problems that you are going to have, and working through those problems together creates a really great dorm bond.”

Ford House formed their bond by creating a list of words to live by that including respect, caring, unity, and friendship. The girls say that their dorm pride helped them all come together under the common identity of Ford, and helped the girls to get to know each other better.

“Dorm pride is crucial to establish relationships right off the bat,” said North House intern Nate Green.

Ford residents Ellie Rettew, Hayley Berg, Lauren Wingate, Victoria Bassi, and Lindsey Luker also used a spin on the Ford Automotive catch phrase to create their dorm motto: “Ford girls, built tough”.

Wing House resident Morgan Matthews fractured her toe at the beginning of the program and had to sit out of many of her dorm activities as a result. She felt miserable until her dorm mates recognized her suffering and rallied around her to cheer her up.

“On the second day, we felt like we had been together for the whole five weeks already,” Ms. Matthews said.

Dorm pride is a necessary part of the ASP because it allows students to gain friends through planning dorm activities like serenades and feeds together. It lets students becomes comfortable in an unfamiliar living environment that many of them have never experienced before.

Without a doubt, dorm pride is essential to surviving and thriving at the Advanced Studies Program.

Cancellation of Classes Creates Mixed Feelings Among ASP Students

2010-07-08T21:44:00.005-04:00

By TAYLOR LEONARD

After releasing the application for the 2010 session, the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) eliminated three major courses due to the withdrawal of Master Teachers.

A few teachers could not take part in this year’s program either due to other job offerings or because of commitments associated with sabbaticals. The ASP administration was unable to replace teachers in a timely fashion, resulting in the termination of three courses: Introduction to Engineering; Psychology; and German & Germany.

Some students found that their first choice of course was canceled, but only after initially gaining acceptance into the program and being placed in that very class. Jacklyn Clement was originally slated to participate in the ASP as a student in Psychology; the class was ultimately scratched from the program because of the teacher’s inability to return to the school this summer.

“The fact that I received my first choice and then it was canceled made me question attending the ASP with my (second-choice) course, Marine Biology,” said Ms. Clement.

Another student, Eliot Johnson, received his second choice, Artificial Intelligence. “I would have much rather been placed in Engineering; it would have been a better fit for me,” said Mr. Johnson.

The process of enrollment at the ASP depends on qualifications; students who qualify are admitted and then the selection of major courses occurs.

“We do our best to give everyone one of the choices they list on their application,” said ASP Director Michael Ricard. He continued to say that they “try to give each student one of their top three choices.”

The program created a second section of Molecular Biology in order to accommodate the qualified students who needed to receive a course from their top three.

A variety of students who selected more than three major courses on their applications found themselves placed in a course that was not one of their “top” options.

“I got my eighth choice, which was Intro to Chinese but when I am put in uncomfortable situations, it helps me to become a better person. Hopefully Chinese will do the same” said student James Kiefner.

The ASP will explore the addition of new courses in the coming years, which will hopefully lessen the need for these types of changes and arrangements.

“Different classes offer outlets to have unique experiences,” said Hillary Paul, one of the Assistant Directors for the ASP.

Moving forward, the program will investigate offering such courses like Arabic Language and Culture and Business/Finance, which might take the place of the Psychology and German courses.

“It all depends on the interest of the applicant pool,” said Mr. Ricard.

World Cup Fever Strikes the ASP

2010-07-08T20:59:00.008-04:00

By MEAGHAN MACDONALD

Living in a place with no familiar faces can be both daunting and intimidating. In an effort to overcome these feelings, the new students of the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) found the World Cup a common ground for bonding and making friends.

“The coolest part of the World Cup is that it is a common language that literally brings the whole world together,” said Courtney Jackson, a former collegiate soccer player and Assistant Director at the ASP.

Although this international tournament connects the entire world, it has also effected communities like ASP on a much smaller scale.

“Watching the games helped me to meet people,” said Evan Leith of North House. “I probably would have been in my room reading if I hadn't been with my friends watching the game.”

“Watching the game was the first opportunity I had to spend time with some of the other girls in the dorm,” said Sarah Wiggins, a student living in Conover 20.

The girls in Conover 20 congregated around the television in their common room during free time to watch the game between the United States and Ghana before they had to leave for dorm recreation.

The United States-Ghana game attracted significant attention from the ASP community. Ghana defeated the U.S. in overtime, 2-1, tallying a dramatic goal three minutes into the extra session.

Even though the loss eliminated the United States from the World Cup, many students still plan to watch the remainder of the tournament.

“A lot of people have connections to other countries. I am of German background, so I am routing for Germany,” said Ms. Jackson.

Watching the World Cup is a very popular event in the United States and throughout the world. The game not only provides entertainment and updates to those who are interested and connected to soccer, but also can provide a common ground that brings people together, like it has on the ASP campus.

The World Cup Final will air Sunday at 2:30 as Spain takes on the Netherlands. Neither team has ever won a World Cup.

The Scoop on Laundry

2010-07-07T18:56:00.014-04:00

By MEG JONES

Since arriving to the St. Paul's School campus some students in the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) have had difficulties with their laundry.

“These washers are really ruining my experience here at (the) ASP,” said Artificial Intelligence student Neil Oczechowski. Recently, Mr. Oczechowski attempted to put his laundry through the dryer. However, he accidentally pressed the incorrect buttons forcing him to pay more and add additional cycles to his dryer.

Similarly, Abidjan Walker, a student in Conover 20, paid before loading the washer and consequently ran an empty load of laundry.

Although Celia Honigberg and Ana Bealo, two residents of Wing, had no trouble with the washing and drying machines themselves, they expressed fear when describing the creepy hallway they must brave in order to get to the laundry facilities. Both described the laundry room as a place where they would expect a horror movie to take place. Ms. Bealo said she armed herself with her laundry basket on her way to the laundry room, expecting a monster to jump out from behind the pipes lining the hall. Thankfully, no student has yet been harmed in the process of doing laundry.

Two weeks into the program, some students still have not done their laundry. Studio Arts student Sarah Davidson admitted to leaving the white-plastic Automatic Laundry card she received on move-in day in her mother's car. Rather than going to Room 12 in the Schoolhouse and getting a new one from the ASP Assistant Directors, she waited for her mother to mail the card to her.

Foster resident Kaelan Hansson warns not to put one's laundry card into a steel wallet. “It fries the magnet in your card and you lose all your money,” Mr. Hansson said.

Both Joe Lanoie and Jo Estevao went to the Post Office to put money onto their laundry cards and couldn't because the machine “was frozen.” The Assistant Directors are currently trying to fix the Post Office debit/credit card laundry card loader machine. It is unclear when the machine will be up and running again.

Mr. Lanoie then found his way to the other laundry card loader machine on campus in the basement of the Freeman Center. His frustrations didn’t end with the second machine. “I couldn't make multiples of three dollars, so it was kind of hard [estimating how much money to put on the laundry card]” Mr. Lanoie said.

The machine in the Freeman Center takes cash only. After a long trial-and-error period, during which students tried inserting one dollar bill after one dollar bill, it was discovered that the machine takes only five dollar bills or higher.

Advanced Mathematics student,Victor Luu said he believed the price for an entire wash/dry cycle, $1.50 each or $3 total, is “too expensive.” Any money leftover on the laundry cards is non-refundable because the laundry facilities are run by Automatic Laundry, not St. Paul's School.

“It says I already have ten dollars on it,” said one student seeing his balance displayed on the screen, not realizing that the cards are reused.

Despite the disasters, many students have gone without laundry troubles.

“It's done. It was good,” said Brewster resident Avery Hymel indicating the clean shirt he was wearing.

“I don't have a dryer at home so it was really exciting,” said Astronomy student Morgan Matthews.

It's a Long Walk to Swim

2010-07-07T18:56:00.012-04:00

By ABIGAIL CRANE

Students in the Advanced Studies Program (ASP) have limited resources when it comes to swimming, and now only one option exists if they want to cool off.

To the dismay of students, Director of the Advanced Studies Program, Michael Ricard announced on Tuesday during the program's morning chapel service that using the Lower School Pond dock for swimming will be prohibited.

In addition to the closure of the Lower School Pond, students will not have access to the pool in the Athletic and Fitness Center because of construction taking place on the roof this summer. As a result, students are left with only one resource for cooling off: Turkey Pond.

Many expressed frustration, as demonstrated by the sentiments of the boys in North House.

“I don’t know the reasoning [for the pond closing,] but Turkey Pond is far away,” said ASP student Evan Leith. His dorm mate, Steven Heck, agreed. “This [situation] makes me extremely angry,” said Mr. Heck.

“It is pretty far. You would have to have a good chunk of time to enjoy it,” said Alex Coffin of Brewster House.

Other students don’t seem to mind the fifteen-minute walk.

“It is worth while on a nice day,” said Emma Wager of Wing House.

“I don’t mind the walk at all,” said Avery Hymel of Brewster House.

The administration deemed the pond unsafe for students because of hazardous objects on the floor of the Lower School Pond.

“Glass, [located on the pond floor,] has caused some pretty bad lacerations,” said the Athletic Director, Michele Rogers. In the past, students who have jumped off the docks have cut their feet on the sharp debris when reaching the bottom.

The lack of rain this summer also contributed to the closing of the Lower School Pond, according to Mr. Ricard.

“We haven’t received a lot of rain, [and] the pond is lower than it typically is, [causing] it to be less enjoyable,” said Mr. Ricard. Knowing that, he made the executive decision to close the Lower School Pond.

In addition to the closing of the Lower School Pond and the corresponding dock, the closed pool has been a disappointment to those students who eagerly awaited its use.

“In 2004, they finished the roof (above the pool), but it didn’t seal properly. It was structurally unsound,” said Mr. Ricard, explaining the issue further. The roof project will continue throughout the duration of the program. When asked if they would have used the pool at any point, many students claimed that they would have visited the pool at least three to four times a week.

“The [situation with the] pool is unfortunate. The pool would have been an easy way to swim without the long walk,” said Zach Dugas, of the North dorm.

Instead, students seeking relief from the heat and relaxation after a long day of work will have to trek down to the docks at Turkey Pond, which will undoubtedly become a haven for swimmers and loungers alike throughout the summer.

Meditation: A New Experience

2010-07-07T18:36:00.004-04:00

By ABIDJAN WALKER

"You have to let go of your sense of time," said ASP student Annie Trowbridge, referring to the first Wednesday afternoon weekly meditation session led by Rick Pacelli, Master Teacher for the Ecology course at the Advanced Studies Program. She said that she had taken yoga before and "wanted to try [meditation], to see if [she] could do it."

"[Meditation] is simple, but not easy," said Mr. Pacelli. A teacher at St. Paul's School for the past twelve years, Mr. Pacelli teaches Astronomy, Physics, Biology, and Robotics, and leads a similar meditation group during the school year. In addition to his work with the Ecology class, Mr. Pacelli will facilitate a weekly meditation session in the Chapel of St. Paul (also known as the old chapel), which is located next to the Chapel of St. Peter and St. Paul at the heart of the school's grounds; the group plans to meet each Wednesday afternoon during the ASP's five and a half weeks.

More than twenty-five years ago, Mr. Pacelli began meditating when he was working at the Covenant House in New York City, where volunteers work with street youth. Someone suggested that the volunteers try meditation, so Mr. Pacelli attended a talk by Father Thomas Keating, a leader in the realm of Christian meditation. That day, Mr. Pacelli took a chance on something new. He has continued to meditate ever since.

In order to meditate, one must let go of thoughts, let them come in and go out. Mr. Pacelli describes the meditation experience using the metaphor of trains leaving the station to describe these efforts. "It's as if you're in a train station. You sit there at the station and do not get on board," he said.

Ideally, one should meditate twice a day for twenty minutes, according to Mr. Pacelli. There are many ways to meditate and all of them work best when the participant is comfortable. The universal rule in meditation is to resist judgment, since a judgment is a thought.

Ironically, ASP student Jeff Asselin said, "[The meditation session] helped to collect my thoughts." He added that the session also helped him to "rest [his] mind in the middle of the day." Mr. Asselin, like Miss Trowbridge, attended the session to try something new, and liked it.

"I felt like I belonged," said ASP student Meg Jones, referring to the group dynamic. Mr. Pacelli believes that inside the heart of every person is divinity, which can be understood as the ultimate peace. Meditation is the way in which everyone can get in touch with his or her divinity. Meditating as a group, therefore, creates a central fountain of peace.

Miss Trowbridge said that she felt more relaxed at the end of the experience; as a result, she indicated that she plans on returning for the session next week, a sentiment shared by Mr. Asselin and Miss Jones. "If you are interested in meditation, you should give it a real chance," said Mr. Pacelli said. Taken another way, if you do it and do not like it, at least you can say that you tried it.

New Diversity Alliance Tackles Heteronormative Atmosphere at the ASP

2010-07-06T15:53:00.006-04:00

By JESS RAU

A gay-straight alliance/diversity discussion group (called the Diversity Alliance or DA) is being formed by Advanced Studies Program interns and faculty in response to concerns of a heteronormative atmosphere on campus, specifically regarding the tradition of serenades.

The group plans to meet Tuesdays, from 5:30 to 6:15 in the Lower dining room to discuss issues including heteronormativity, a societal view that assumes and presents heterosexuality as the norm.

Carleigh Beriont, one of the interns involved in the forming of DA, hopes that the group will help make students more comfortable with themselves and serve as a much-needed support group while also spreading awareness.

“Tolerance is something that concerns everyone so I hope it becomes a campus-wide discussion,” Ms. Beriont said.

Imagining the soon-to-be group as an open venue where students can comfortably express themselves and their concerns, those involved hope that the name doesn’t hinder the success of the group.

“It [the group] needs to be accessible and advertised so that it doesn’t sound like it’s just for gay people,” said Ancient Greece student Holly Zaharchuk.

The group more broadly aims to tackle issues that involve the entire ASP community, particularly heteronormativity on the campus and its origins.

According to Ms. Beriont, the ASP “has some traditions it wouldn’t hurt to reconsider.” One of the ASP traditions recently under scrutiny for heteronormative issues is the serenade, a process by which dorms of the opposite sex perform songs and dance for each other. Some students don’t identify the practice as a problem, while others see it as a definite issue and source of a heteronormative atmosphere.

The serenade policy “suggest[s] that we’re supposed to be wooing the opposite sex” and “has deeper meaning that do have a social consequence,” Ms. Zaharchuk said.

ASP Director Michael Ricard said that he could see how some people might view serenades “as a practice that promotes [heteronormativity]” and that the program is definitely open to change as the administration is always assessing their programs at the ASP. “It is 100% unintentional and is a policy that certainly could be reexamined going forward,” said Mr. Ricard.

ASP community members identified the heteronormativity resulting from a lack of awareness or knowledge of how it affects people. Many regarded the issue as a taboo subject in society and one that is not freely discussed.

“How heteronormativity treats and perceives homosexuals as people needs to be talked about,” Ms. Zaharchuk said.

While the Diversity Alliance will serve to start the conversation at ASP, Shakespeare student Julia Eyman noted its potential to make an impact even beyond the ASP campus. She suggested that students will take what they learn in the group and bring it back to their own high school environment to continue the discussion.

Summer Shortage Leaves Red Cross Desperate for Donors

2010-07-06T15:41:00.004-04:00

By MERIDETH TUMASZ

To most, summertime means beautiful weather, being outside, and spending time with friends and family. But for the Red Cross, summer is hardly carefree. People are least likely to donate blood during the summer months, leaving the organization scrambling to get donations in order to avoid blood shortages.

Many Advanced Studies Program (ASP) students said most commonly that low body weight and a fear of needles prevent them from donating blood. Although this reluctance to donate persists throughout the entire year, hesitations are bolstered during the summertime.

The Red Cross contacted the school earlier this year to schedule a blood drive during the Advanced Studies Program. The ASP provides an excellent venue for a Red Cross blood drive because there is a plethora of eligible donors.

“They [ASP students] are like a customer for life if you can lock them in early,” said Courtney Jackson, the ASP Assistant Director in charge of the blood drive. The Red Cross wants repeat donors, so it tries to encourage donations as early as possible.

“For an hour of their time, the patient [donor] can stand a little discomfort to save a life,” said Carolyn McNamara, a Red Cross worker who organizes blood drives at St. Paul’s.

Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood and more than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day, according to Red Cross statistics. By donating one pint of blood, a person can save up to three lives.

The blood drive will be Wednesday, July 7 at Gordon Rink, located on the St. Paul’s School grounds, from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m.

“It’s a great way for people to have easy access to donation services,” says Linden Rayton, the marine biology intern for the ASP.

“[The blood drive] serves a really great purpose, it’s very organized, and it’s a great way to get the community together,” echoed Hillary Paul, an assistant director for the ASP.

If you are interested in donating or volunteering, there will be signups on Monday July 5th, and Tuesday, July 6th at lunchtime in the Coit Common Area. You can also email Ms. Jackson at cjackson@sps.edu or stop by Room 12 in the Schoolhouse to sign up. Please include what time you would like to donate or volunteer in the email. According to the Red Cross, the full donation process will take about an hour and 15 minutes, so plan accordingly. And if you would rather volunteer, the time slots are about an hour.

If you are 16 years of age, you need to have a parent release form signed, which can be picked up in Room 12.

If you do decide to give blood, here are a few helpful tips in order to prepare you for your donation:

* Make sure to have lots of iron in your system in the days approaching the drive.
* Get a good night’s rest for the couple nights before and drink plenty of fluids, especially water.
* Try to eat healthy foods
* Remember to bring your donor card, your driver’s license, or two other forms of ID.

If you have more questions, feel free to check out the Red Cross’s website: www.redcrossblood.org

Injuries Strike, Yet ASP Students Persevere

2010-07-06T14:15:00.016-04:00

By PETER ROBINSON

Since the beginning of the Advanced Studies Program (ASP), six students have injured themselves during various activities, yet many students do not think that these incidents will affect their everyday activities, as they maintain that it is natural for people to do so.

While on campus thus far, members of the ASP community have sustained injuries varying from a laceration of the brow to a sprained ankle, a fractured toe to a mild concussion. Students here at the ASP have participated in many ice-breaking activities, have taken part in dorm recreation, and have now engaged in their first session of organized athletics; with each new event, more students injure themselves.

In the past, actions have been taken to reduce the number of injuries. Most notably, Ultimate Frisbee has switched from a co-ed sport and divided into two gender-specific groups. While an injury may deter some students from competing in sports, the majority of them are not affected by the number and severity of the injuries that have occurred here on campus.

When asked, many students replied that it is not the sport that is dangerous but the art of playing. This statement is at least partially true, as evidenced by the sprained wrist suffered by ASP student Criag Paggi during a kickball game on a rainy day; in his case, the adverse weather conditions represented an additional hazard.

To date, four injuries from men's Ultimate Frisbee have occurred within less than a week, a far greater number than any other sport or activity. While sports may cause injuries, students have consistently responded with the same belief that they will not limit their participation despite the amount of injuries that occur.

Many students persevere despite their personal setbacks. "[You can't] let your injury handicap you; there's always an alternative way to have fun," said Morgan Matthews, an ASP student who sustained a toe injury during Playfair. Instead of not participating at all, she had her toe bandaged and was informed that she had to switch out of women's Ultimate Frisbee. Undeterred, Ms. Matthews has not let her setback affect her spirit and plans on tackling Personal Fitness with the same eagerness as she would Ultimate Frisbee.

A student in a similar situation, Tyler Carlisle, Landed awkwardly, resulting in a sprained ankle. "[The sprain] should be better by this weekend unless I re-hurt it," Mr. Carlisle said. The recovery time for the injuries endured by students has ranged from a few days of recovery time to up to two weeks.

Some of the injured have been required to switch their assignment for the first session of athletics, while others have been told simply to take a break until thy recover. Some injured students are affected in more ways than just sports, as injured students Mr. Paggi said that his injury "does not hinder [his] recreation and studies that much," but does prevent him from playing the piano.

ASP Athletic Director Michele Rogers, a certified athletic trainer, said that she has seen worse injuries on the st. Paul's School grounds in previous years. in addition to the expertise of Mrs. Rogers and the staff at Clark House (the school's health center), all interns have some basic training in first aid and the school's Security officers have more detailed understandings and experiences with First Aid. Lastly, although the number of injuries thus far compares favorably to those recorded during past sessions, Mrs. Rogers still wants all community members to be careful and especially cautious when fields are wet.

Square Dance

2010-07-06T14:12:00.000-04:00

Coming soon!

Playfair

2010-07-06T14:10:00.000-04:00

Coming soon!

ASP Move-In Day

2010-06-30T14:00:00.006-04:00

On June 25th Move-In Day kicked off the Advanced Studies Program. Students expressed a mix of excitement and nervousness as they checked in and moved into their dorms.

Uninhibited, Robust, and Wide-Open

2010-06-26T08:18:00.000-04:00

As the title of Lee Bollinger’s text on the First Amendment and the future of the Freedom of the Press indicates, the blogosphere represents a veritable Wild West of opportunities, especially for those typically precluded from engaging in the journalistic process. It also stands as a harbinger for the future of the media; an ever-present reminder that the change isn’t right around the corner…it’s here…now.

The Pelican Brief has long served as a major media outlet for the Mass Media class at the Advanced Studies Program, presenting news stories and feature articles as the primary print publication produced by students in the course. This year, The Pelican Brief migrates online, moving to a weblog (or “blog”) platform that will not simply allow for instantaneous presentation and distribution, but will also enable its contributors to interact more readily with our audience, in an effort to make the media a truly interactive experience.

That said, keep logging on to The Pelican Brief (located online at aspmassmedia.blogspot.com) throughout the summer for articles about happenings on the grounds, stories about the ASP community, updates from outside “the bubble,” and much, much more!