Give Us the Placement Test! One International Student’s Call for Justice

I have always described myself as an academic, especially in mathematics and science, two of my favorite courses. When I was in Korean public school, I could not learn as much as I wanted since every student took the same curriculum. As a result, I invested most of my time attending a private academy, sometimes studying 16 hours a day. I gained most of my advanced knowledge in mathematics and science during this period, which has given me pride up to this day. 

After graduating from Korean middle school, I decided to study in the U.S. and got accepted to the Athenian School. For two reasons, I had a strong hope that I would finally be able to take any course I wanted as long as I was qualified and prepared. The U.S. is known for its meritocracy, as a place where people earn what they choose when they put in time and effort. Along those lines, I believed that the Athenian School would have more teachers and educational resources compared to those of public school, thus providing more opportunity for students to learn. 

However, when I was a freshman, I was placed in Geometry and Physics, which I had already taken in Korea. I suspended judgment since I understood that it is common for freshmen to take Geometry and Physics and that there is no way for Admissions to know the aptitude of students without a placement test. Moreover, as an international student, I understood how complicated the course placement might be because of a difference in Korean and U.S. report cards. For instance, my middle school transcript just shows as “mathematics” and “science,” not “algebra” or “biology.” So with patience I asked for a placement test in math and science to skip the materials I already know.

The answer from Athenian was that I coud only take the placement test for Algebra II  Honors, but not for Pre-Calculus, Advanced Physics, or Advanced Chemistry, since my transcript did not show those courses, and since the school provides placement tests only to students who had taken the courses. 

  As mentioned above, I learned most of the advanced materials of math and science from my private academy, which did not specifically show subject matter on the official transcript. Thus, with no placement test, I had no way to show the skills and knowledge I earned from investing three years of my middle school in subjects taught in high school at Athenian. 

At least my science classes had new skills for me to practice through experiments and lab reports. However, my math classes did not provide any new skills for me to learn. Since I wished to study new materials rather than reviewing the materials I already knew, I consistently contacted the Math department to find a way to get placed into a course where I could gain knowledge in both depth and breadth.

    Over the first semester of my Freshman year, I was able to prove my mathematical capabilities to the Math Department, and I asked to be moved to higher math courses since my goal was to take Multivariable Calculus in this school. However, their answer was that I would still be able to take Multivariable Calculus by doubling up in math in senior year, and taking Calculus BC along with it. In other words, they did not allow me to skip math courses. 

Since I have strong academic interests, I had been looking forward to other courses like advanced science, other math courses, and even art. Yet, because of high school’s four-year time constraint. I have to manage my timing well in order to take the classes I want to. Following the plan proposed by the math department has placed me in direct opposition to my goal.

I believe that a school must support students’ learning by placing them into courses in which they can best utilize their indivudal capacity. Athenian, for math and science, has provided me neither optimal course placement nor the opportunity to prove my capability. As a result, I did not make any progress in those two courses for two years, which were once my most proficient domains. I even lost some of my enthusiasm for math and science. 

My call to action is for Athenian to provide more equitable and accessible placement tests. Athenian should reform its course placement system so that students’ depth of understanding is closely and evaluated; it should provide the most suitable courses for each student; and it should encourage students’ learning. and fulfillment of dreams.

NFTs, and Three Other Fundamentally Worthless (Yet Wildly Successful) Products

Digital pixels, water, and rocks are everywhere, easily accessible and affordable for anybody to obtain. But what happens when the market decides that these items are worth something? As the demand for something inflates, so does its value, creating unbelievable market prices that may seem arbitrary to the item in question. By taking a look at some of the highest-grossing examples of these paradoxically prized products, we attempt to answer the age-old question: How are things worth the value that we’ve assigned to them?

NFTs

NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens), best recognized by their use in art, have recently taken the investment world by storm. Despite lacking tangible form, their outrageous price points (a collage of 5,000 artworks created over the past 13 years grossed over $69 million) have garnered the attention of worldwide media outlets. Thousands are flocking to online markets to purchase their own. 

An NFT functions as a unique, tradable collectible. Current formats that are popular include art, domain names, tweets, and original memes. The original doge meme, for example, sold for $4 million in June of 2021. The first tweet in internet history from Jack Dorsey, founder of Twitter, sold as an NFT for $2.9 million. In its first few years of commerce, NFTs garnered over $174 million. 

But with visual images of these digital pixels so accessible on the internet, anyone can download or screenshot them for free, raising the question of why essentially worthless digital art sells for so much money. Coinbase co-founder, Fred Ehrsam was quoted by Bloomberg as saying that “[90% of NFTs produced, probably will have little to no value in three to five years.” Essentially, their value is dependent on their exclusivity. The rarer or more popular the image, the more sustained the demand, and the higher the price it can command. Put into simpler terms: it’s worth a lot because people have assigned it that arbitrary value.

Bottled Water

Water is everywhere, falling from the sky, flowing through our taps, and gushing in natural rivers and springs. Even in drought-ridden California, drinking water is an abundant resource. With water so readily available for most Americans, how has a $217.66 billion industry been created from bottling it? Companies like Nestle, Fiji, and Poland Springs gain profit margins of 50% to 200%, meaning that with a little extra filtering, they can turn tap water into billions of dollars. Dasani and Aquafina, with gross annual sales of $675 million and $872 million, respectively, source their bottled water from municipal taps, the exact same water that flows out of the tap in your kitchen or bathroom. 

The water itself is worth close to nothing, because anyone can simply find water for themselves, but the marketing, packaging, and consumer agreement to buy this product have given the (essentially free) water that you already have, a price. 

The $1 Million Homepage

Synonymous with the header of this section, The Million-Dollar Homepage was a website that garnered one million dollars. In 2005, 21-year old Alex Tew was a college student looking for a way to pay his college tuition. His solution? Selling one million pixels of ad space on his website (www.milliondollarhomepage.com) for $1 each in ten-by-ten pixel lots. Within five months he had done it: all one million pixels on the homepage had been sold and were occupied with an ad, meaning that around one million people thought that a single pixel was worth a dollar. 

The Pet Rock

The creator of this national fad, Gary Dahl, reached millionaire status in the 1970s by selling one million rocks for $4 apiece. What gave these solid gray stones that you pass by on the sidewalk every day the value of $4? Was it the googly eyes glued to it? The instruction manual it came with? Or perhaps, the little nestling of paper scraps that the rock is packaged with? 

All of these examples go to show that value is completely subjective to the consumer. Anyone could pick up a rock and stick on googly eyes, then sell the idea, but in the case of the Pet Rock, one million people happened to share the same sense of humor as Gary Dahl during the Christmas shopping season, allowing this simple rock to quickly gain traction. His marketing definitely played a role in its success. By advertising it as a gag gift, people were more likely to buy a $4 rock because it was about the humor of it, not as much the product itself.

Today, you can buy an original Pet Rock for around $40, ten times the original price. But Is a decorated rock really worth $40? Is tap water worth paying for? And are pixels worth millions? It’s for you to decide.

Tensions Escalate Between Russia and Ukraine

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shocked the world. The Russians have many demands for the United States, such as a complete withdrawal of all North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO)   weapons from Eastern Europe and a guarantee that Ukraine will never be allowed into NATO. Experts agree these demands are not serious, with Russia aware that the U.S. is unlikely to agree to them. The intention behind this set of demands lies in Putin’s desire to re-establish Russia as a dominant player on the world stage. 

Where Putin goes  from here is anyone’s guess, but to truly understand what he wants from this conflict, it’s necessary to look at the last forty years of Russia’s relationship with the West.  In 1949, NATO was created to combat Soviet aggression in Europe. After the Soviet Union–Russia’s pact of communist countries–collapsed in 1991, the Warsaw pact dissolved as well. Ukraine, the historical heartland of Russia, separated and became an independent country. For Russia, this was humiliating.

This is the backdrop upon which Vladimir Putin rose to power, and he has made his views on Ukrainian sovereignty clear. Speaking with President George Bush in 2008, Putin stated, “Ukraine is not a country.”

Furthermore, Putin has made a point of negotiating solely with the United States and refusing to negotiate directly with Ukraine, signifying that he views Ukraine as a pawn of the West instead of a legitimate independent country.

Photo: Shutterstock

However, this true takeover of Ukraine has proven difficult to the extent that many modern Ukrainans and Russians see each other in a favorable light. Nicolas K. ‘23, a first-generation American student at Athenian whose family is originally from Russia, reiterated this belief. “There is a lot of respect between Russians and Ukranians. We view each other as brothers,” Nicolas said. “Because of that, I don’t think a lot of people would be that happy about an invasion, so it would be difficult for Putin to hold public support.” 

However, many point out that Putin doesn’t operate under the same code of ethics as other world leaders. Lea Hartog, a humanities teacher at Athenian, expressed this view. “Putin doesn’t have to answer to the will of the people,” Hartog said. “There is no accountability if he makes a mistake or does something wrong, which emboldens him to make riskier moves. That’s why I believe the U.S. has an obligation to protect Ukraine—because we have to show that democracy will be protected around the world.”

But there are limitations to what Putin has the power to do, and this full invasion of Ukraine may have terrible consequences for his country. If Putin continueshandhexpands his invasions, a serious military counter-offensive by the West could escalate to all-out war, one Russia would almost surely lose, and would result in vast amounts of casualties for both sides. Because of the inevitable loss of life in that situation, the West doesn’t want to see this play out—something Putin can use to his advantage. No matter  whathPutin chooses to do next, his actions will be crucial to the future of democracy and to Russia’s relationship with Western nations in the coming decades. His decisions will hinge upon the degree to which he is willing to sacrifice his own agenda. 

  Taking over Ukraine will have serious consequences for his country in the years to come, as would any additional invasions Putin might think to carry out, but he appears set on being the man who took Ukraine back for Russia.

Virus Variants: Something To Fear?

In March 2020, most Americans assumed that COVID-19 would sweep through the nation and be gone within the span of two weeks. In the summer of 2020, those week-long predictions stretched into months. Would the virus be gone by Christmas? By 2021, worried Americans were beginning to wonder: how many years until this would all be over? So, why hasn’t COVID-19 disappeared yet? What’s taking so long? While there are numerous reasons why COVID-19 remains prevalent in the United States, much of COVID-19’s longevity can be boiled down to one key biological principle: viruses are always changing. 

Sometimes, these changes are minute and don’t affect the virus’s overall transmission rates or virulence. Other times, however, these changes are so significant that they are labeled “virus variants,” the infection rates and lethality of which can deviate from the original virus. Therefore, any conversation about viruses that lacks mention of variants would be incomplete. Virus variants are essential to understanding viruses and why they stick around for so long.

“A variant is where the virus has one or more mutations in the genetic code,” Dr. Jeffrey Silvers, infectious disease specialist, said. “With the incredible number of people with COVID in the world, the number of mutations that are occurring is enormous.” 

Put differently, due to the far-reaching spread of COVID-19, the virus is rapidly mutating, resulting in a multitude of variants. A given variant might become more commonplace if its respective mutations enhance its capacity to survive, infect, or reproduce. Occasionally, scientists can forecast which mutations might become problematic for human health. “A variant of interest is defined as a group of mutations that are predicted to reduce our ability to diagnose or treat the virus and may have increased transmissibility and virulence,” said Dr. Silvers.

Of course, certain variants, such as those which have a greater ability to evade the immune system or disrupt normal bodily functions, can complicate the process of combatting the virus overall. This dilemma can be framed in terms of the current pandemic. “Because there are so many variants, whenever we manage to get through one variant, like Delta, sometimes we right away get another, like Omicron,” Marianne Sekany, registered nurse, said. “The scary thing is wondering whether, after Omicron, there’s going to be another variant.” 

This worry that is shared by many medical professionals truly underscores the gravity of the current pandemic. While society may be on the verge of overcoming the current variant, it’s impossible to know if another variant awaits in the future. Moreover, this rapid succession of new variants can make it difficult to develop effective vaccines that curb viral propagation. This is partly due to the fact that vaccines stimulate the creation of antibodies, which are meant to inhibit viruses by binding to a specific component of their structure (in the case of COVID-19, the antibody binds to a part of its spike proteins).

“Some mutations in viruses can alter their three-dimensional shape,” said Dr. Silvers. “Certain combinations of mutations that can be very successful (from the virus viewpoint) can occur. These mutated viruses are able to more effectively evade our immune system.” 

In other words, these antibodies that are produced as a result of the vaccines are trained to inhibit the virus according to its original shape. Since variants can have shapes that differ from the original virus, the antibodies induced by the vaccine are often rendered ineffective. Given that variants present numerous obstacles to virus containment, it’s essential that medical professionals prepare for new variants ahead of time.

“The best way to prepare for new variants is through modern science,” said Dr. Silvers. “Genomic sequencing of enormous numbers of specimens from around the world has enabled us to determine and follow mutations. There are definite patterns to which mutations are worrisome and likely to get passed on.”

But this preparation is no easy task, and the incessant onslaught of new COVID-19 strains has placed serious pressure on hospitals, exposing certain issues that had previously underlied the healthcare industry. 

“Burnout and medical staff illness have been highlighted by the pandemic,” said Sekany. “Taking care of very sick patients and operating hospitals at full capacity can be utterly exhausting… Not to mention, many nurses and medical professionals really feared for their health at the beginning [of the pandemic]—we didn’t know what we were dealing with.” 

In short, virus variants can wield great power, and are sometimes capable of being even more infectious or deadly than the original virus. Therefore, in the face of Omicron, COVD-19’s latest variant, it’s more important than ever to adhere to the guidelines set forth by medical professionals. 

“Wear a mask, get your vaccine and booster, maintain personal hygiene, and just be careful,” Sekany said.

Colleyville and the Oldest Hatred

People Love Dead Jews. Not only is this a provocative declaration–it’s one that merits enough truth to serve as the title of Dara Horn’s 2021 novel. Horn’s book examines society’s eagerness to mourn Jews who perished in past atrocities, and its paradoxical refusal to coexist with them when they are alive. She arrives at this bleak conclusion through the analysis of antisemitic hate crimes that have occurred throughout history and into the present day. Though these violent attacks against Jews manifest differently, the nature of antisemitism remains the same; no matter where they go, Jews are accused of holding too much power, and simultaneously, of being subhuman, or unworthy of their societal standing. 

The events at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas are the most recent example of this phenomenon. On January 15, 2022, a gunman entered Congregation Beth Israel during Saturday morning services. While spewing antisemitic rants, he proceeded to take four Jewish individuals hostage, including the rabbi of the congregation. FBI agents and S.W.A.T. teams surrounded the small synagogue, and 11 hours later, all of the hostages escaped safely. 

Although the sleepy town of Colleyville seemed an unlikely setting for an antisemitic terrorist attack, the gunman, Malik Faisal Akram, specifically chose this synagogue because of its proximity to a federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas, where Aafia Siddiqui is being held. Siddiqui is currently serving an 86-year sentence for attempting to murder U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, and Akram was convinced that the rabbi of Congregation Beth Israel had the connections to orchestrate her release. This conspiracy-laden belief that all Jews are powerful, connected, and driven to influence the workings of society, is ancient in its origin.

At the turn of the twentieth century, in the antisemitic climate of Czarist Russia, a pamphlet called “The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” was created to incite hatred against Jews. This text detailed the “Jewish plan” to achieve world domination and enslave all of mankind. Yedida Kanfer, the Director of Programming at the JFCS Holocaust Center, explained this text and its significance.

“Antisemitic stereotypes are ancient, originating in the very early days of Christianity. A turning point was the publication of ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion’. This pamphlet argued [falsely] that Jews engaged in a worldwide conspiracy to gain power and economic control,” Kanfer said.

“The Protocols of the Elders of Zion” cemented the antisemitic myth of Jewish world domination, and stirred a deep hatred and fear of Jews among its readers. This text has been widely disseminated since its creation, serving as a basis for Nazi ideology and even extremist hate groups today. 

 “‘The Protocols’ was essentially a bible for the Nazis,” said John Efron, the Koret Professor of Jewish History at UC Berkeley. “They took it literally. It’s still one of the most widely distributed books in history. And essentially, it became the blueprint for the extermination of European Jewry. And so the Nazis acted on that deeply held belief and perpetrated genocide in order to combat the [nonexistent] world Jewish conspiracy.”

The way Jews are depicted in “The Protocols” laid the groundwork for modern antisemitism, which Professor Efron describes as a unique form of discrimination.

“No other form of discrimination is based on a conspiracy theory,” Professor Efron said. “At the heart of all modern antisemitism is a profound belief that Jews control the world, control the banks, control the media, control the government. So, whereas most forms of discrimination are rooted in a sense of the inferiority of the other, antisemitism is different insofar as it’s a morbid fear of Jews.”

In the past decade, instances of hate crimes against Jews have skyrocketed. According to FBI statistics, antisemitic hate crimes account for 51% of all religious hate crimes in the U.S. This statistic is especially troubling considering that Jews make up less than 2% of the U.S. population.

The Anti-Defamation League, an organization that monitors antisemitic hate crimes in the United States, and that trains institutions to combat antisemitism, has tracked this alarming increase of attacks against Jews.

“Nationally, ADL reported over 2,000 antisemitism incidents in the year 2020, and that was the third-highest tally since we began tracking in 1979. We noted a dramatic increase in reported antisemitic incidents over the last decade, with the last four years being the most volatile,” Teresa Drenick, the deputy regional director for the ADL Central Pacific Region, said.

This rise in antisemitic attacks has had a direct impact on the ways in which Jewish communities function. Many individuals do not feel safe publicly expressing that they are Jewish, whether that is wearing jewelry with the Star of David or walking to synagogue with a traditional scullcap on. 

Rabbi Mark Bloom of Temple Beth Abraham in Oakland explained how his synagogue has had to modify its practices in order to ensure the safety of congregation members.

“We had to close many entrances to get into the synagogue. During services, I often had to start by announcing where the exits were. The employees had to take active shooter drill online classes. We hired security for services, not just for the high holidays,” noted Bloom.

So what does all of this mean? It means that one gunman in Colleyville Texas, charging into a synagogue with the aim to attack Jews and use their “connections” to his advantage, is not an isolated incident. In fact, there have been many “Colleyvilles” in recent years: the Charlottesville rally in 2017 when rioters wearing Klu Klux Klan robes chanted “Jews will not replace us,” the Pittsburgh Tree Of Life synagogue shooting in October of 2018 in which 11 Jews were killed, and the San Diego Poway synagogue shooting in April of 2019 when one Jewish congregant was killed and three others injured. When ancient conspiracies about Jewish influence and inferiority bleed into modern society and catalyze violence, these disparate acts can be recognized as symptoms of the same illness. 

As many in the Jewish community grapple with this surge in antisemitism, they may find that it is time to take action and pay homage to an ancient Jewish proverb: If not now, when?

Can Friendships Extend Beyond Boarders?

“I feel excluded from the day students, and I feel like they don’t want to talk to me because I’m an international student,” an Athenian junior boarding student said. This statement has been said not only once, but multiple times over the years. 

By contrast, a freshman day student expressed an opposing point of view. “I don’t have many chances to talk to the boarders,” they remarked. “First, I don’t really have any boarder friends. Second, I always think that they don’t really want to talk to day students.” This disparity in opinion is evidence that issues of inclusion and belonging are complicated ones. 

The question of how intentional (or unintentional) such exclusion might be was pointed out by a sophomore boarding student. “It feels like it’s more boarders staying together than not trying to interact with day students…when Main Hall is only open to boarders, boarders will tend to stay indoors and have lunch with boarders instead of going outside to mix.”

A 2020 alum, who was an international boarding student during their time at Athenian, agreed with this point of view.  “ I have to admit, it was quite difficult to jump into a new culture and environment and just branch out. Plus, a lot of the people in my grade went to middle school together, so there were already friend groups. Instead of trying to figure out how I could fit in…I found [myself] more connected with other international students who speak the same language as I do or share similar cultures.” 

A junior day student had deeper thoughts on self-isolation and the potential need for an adaptation period. “I think there’s an unstated division between day students and boarders. And that may be due to a language barrier or just different interests.”  

But not everybody has clear ideas on why this separation exists. “I honestly have a hard time figuring out why there’s a barrier,” another day student said. “My best guess is it’s a combination that boarders become friends in the dorm and feel comfortable with each other, and then day students don’t really go out of their way to get to know the boarders. And also I know there are pretty strict rules for living in the dorms, and, like, freshman year, when you get to know people, it might feel easier for day students to be friends with people who don’t have those restrictions.” 

       But could it be a simple misunderstanding to think that boarders don’t want to hang out with the day students? Maybe boarders tend to feel more comfortable talking to someone who shares the same cultural background as them. However, can anything be done to break this barrier?

“I don’t think there is a solution for this problem,”  a junior day student said. “We can’t force the day students to hang out with the boarders, as well as the other way round. I think the best we can do is to be nice to each other and treat the boarders like how we treat the day students.” 

A sophomore boarder agreed. “Honestly, I don’t know what we can do to break the barrier. It is hard for both boarders and day students. For me, I think it is fine that they don’t interact with each other as much. It’s their own decision who to hang out with.” 

While some international students may think that they’re being excluded, other international students may not really care about not talking to day students, since they already have their own friends in the boarding community. Day students may have similar ideas. 

Does this mean that day students will forever only be friends with the day students and the boarders will forever only be friends with the boarders? Hopefully one day this divide will be resolved. 

Student Life: Private vs. Public Schools

While public and private schools are clearly distinguishable from their price points, the precise differences in experience are sometimes difficult to pinpoint. Do students from both kinds of schools get the same opportunities? What are the pros and cons of attending public and private schools? Are private schools really “better”? 

“Public and private schools don’t provide the same opportunities,” said a sophomore who is currently attending a public school, Dublin High.  

As a common perception of private schools is that they are likely to be supported by high-income families, it is also common for public school students to perceive a disparity that they view as unjust.  However, some private school students refute the idea that private school opens more doors. 

“Yeah, we might have more interesting courses than public schools,” a junior at Athenian said. “But at the end of the day, colleges don’t compare us to them. So it doesn’t really matter.” 

These opposing viewpoints highlight an important distinction: some students only care about college admissions. Other students care about equal education. 

“Honestly, I don’t really care if there are pros or cons for both public and private schools,” said the same Athenian junior. As long as I get good grades in school and go to a good college, then my life is going to be fine.” 

A junior at Dougherty Valley cited social differences as another consideration. “I went to a public school because I wanted to go to a bigger high school with more people, which means more people to meet, and so you can experience more stuff,” they said. A sophomore from people, which means more people to meet, and so you can experience more stuff,” they said. A sophomore from Dublin High School agreed. “I would prefer going to a public school because they have better social networks, more freedom, individual thought, and less competition for colleges.”  

However, this is not always the case. Some private schools might have done a great job at balancing both maintaining a good social life and education for students. “I prefer private schools because they have smaller class sizes, so more attention on you, so better learning experience. Also, definitely more resources because we all pay. And the curriculum is much more flexible because we are not restricted by the government,” said a senior who’s studying at Bentley High School.

From the interviews, it is apparent that most of the public schoolers think that attending public schools can have a better social life, while the private schoolers think that attending private schools can have a better education.

What Can We Learn From Dyke Brown?

“It is not enough to be concerned with the scholarly excellence of our students alone. The values and purposes with which well-trained minds will be committed are of equal importance.” -Dyke Brown, the founder of Athenian.

Current students may only have a vague idea of what Athenian stands for. The school emphasizes ideals of experiential learning and the six Round Square Pillars. While all of these are valuable, none of them really continue the legacy of Dyke Brown. The Pillars represent six categories that the school believes are a good way to achieve its goal of “developing the full person”, but they are almost completely unrelated to the Mandala, Dyke Brown’s initial sketch for how the school should function. The details of Athenian’s original plans and are barely remembered today.

Dyke Brown

Dyke Brown sketched his initial ideas for the school in a model he called the Mandala. It was the founding document of the school, and while many people recognize its ideas as common sense now, it was seen as progressive at the time. It ingrained the ideas of experiential learning and developing the full person into the school’s psyche, but the document itself is barely discussed today. There is so much to Dyke Brown’s vision that much of Athenian has forgotten about.

The Mandala emphasized a multitude of areas that the school should focus on for its students. These goals were: bodily capability, rational capability, spiritual capability, understanding of nature, understanding of humanity, understanding of self and others, under-standing of society. Dyke

Brown defined “under-standing of society” as the study of power structures and freedom/authority, while “understanding of man” was seen as the knowledge of various cultures and traditions. 

The goals are grouped by capability and understanding. Capability is the ability to do something, and understanding is the development of our knowledge, which is tied to our being. Capability and understanding are related, and both help develop all aspects of a person. Dyke Brown had a revolutionary vision that is rarely emphasized today—to develop every single aspect of a student’s life. Rather than just teach students the academics and leave them to develop on their own everywhere else, Brown wanted to work on everything—which was eventually sterilized into modern Athenian’s goal of “developing the whole person”.

“The whole of what you do, 24 hours a day, is your curriculum,” Dyke Brown said at his 90th birthday party. To realize his idea of developing all aspects of life, Dyke Brown understood that the school would need to take up the student’s whole existence. Thus, Athenian was developed as a boarding school. However, being a boarding student today is probably different from what Dyke Brown imagined. Although it is freeing to not have a constant “curriculum” every second of the day, being a modern boarding student is more about the community and commute rather than being a way for the school to help the student learn in all aspects of life. 

Experiential learning was at the core of the founding ideas of the school. Even before official studies had been conducted on experiential learning, Dyke Brown knew that students would learn best if they were allowed to experience their curriculum rather than just being told about it. 

One thing that has been long forgotten is the emphasis Dyke Brown placed on the experiential learning benefits of field trips. In 1974, Dyke Brown wrote this list of the planned trips Athenian students would embark on in the next year: an excavation at Point Reyes searching for artifacts from the Sir Frances Drake expedition, a professional dig in Mexico studying pre-conquest Native American groups, a month living with Inuit people to experience a non-Western culture and study their environmental balance, a program in Washington where students interned in government offices, and a month where students lived at a Mexican clinic and helped the families there.

Although it’s probably unrealistic for the school to attempt to financially support that many trips ever again, it shows what Dyke Brown’s devotion to “experiential education” meant. He also had several ideas for classes that could even be applied to modern Athenian. Of course, it’s important to understand that these classes could have evolved past what he envisioned for them due to a variety of circumstances. But if it is now possible to hold these classes again, it could be an option worth considering.

In the 1970s, an “Urban Center” concept was introduced , wherein seniors could choose to live in a house in the middle of a city for part of the year. They spent their time doing unpaid internships in government agencies, organizations, political campaigns, and media companies. The students would read a variety of political science books about urban society in their free time. 

As Dyke Brown explained it: “The main goal was to provide a more realistic way of learning about the processes, problems and institutions of modern urban America. At the same time, the students were jointly responsible for food preparation and procurement, and the running of the house.” Though this idea may seem extremely ambitious, it seems like a relevant experience given a world in which cities and urban problems are growing in importance. 

Dyke Brown suggested two more good ideas: that the best way to have students learn foreign languages was to send them to households where only that language was spoken. Language immersion is now commonplace but was not at the time. He also wanted to show students in-person demonstrations of surgeries for medical biology. He also had many ideas about how building character could be done through manual labor, and thought that having students contribute to the maintenance of the school was a good way to incorporate this. Athenian students from earlier decades had a lot more on-campus duties, including dishwashing and gardening.

Dyke Brown was likely not correct about everything, and all founding ideas ultimately have to adapt to the times. Additionally, outside factors thwarted certain ideas and plans. For example, the school developed day student programs and expanded to include a middle school, which created curriculum and culture needs that Dyke Brown hadn’t outlined. Still, many of his unimplemented ideas could still be as relevant and important now as they were back when Athenian was founded. There are many things to be learned about modern day Athenian by looking into the past at Dyke Brown’s founding ideas and methods.

The Past, Present, and Future of Athenian’s Land

Very few students are aware of how much natural space Athenian has on its campus. The school’s land holdings total 75 acres, but central campus takes up only 23. The Tim Holm Trail and other trails that sit at high point on campus showcase the vast amount of undeveloped acreage. But what plans does Athenian have for its undeveloped land? 

The answer to Athenian’s future may lie in its past. This year’s convocation represented the first ever Land Acknowledgement Athenian issued since its founding. The school recognized that the land it occupies was once lived on by the Bay Miwok-speaking Tatcan tribe. As part of this acknowledgment, Athenian vowed to work towards correcting the injustices set in motion by colonists when they seized indigenous peoples’ land hundreds of years ago. However, there haven’t been any apparent changes that seem to serve this goal. 

Keith Powell, the school’s Chief Operating Officer, explained why development will not begin in the foreseeable future. “There’s lots of things in terms of wanting to think about the environment and thinking about water usage, noise, and lighting. All these things that the neighbors are concerned about,” Powell said, “And we usually have to go through an approval process that requires community input and community approval in order to build. When we did the project where we replaced the Main Hall, we probably reached the limit of the patience and support that people would have for us building more.”

While it is possible to push the boundaries set by the local community, Athenian would first have to consider the demand for changes that might utilize more of its land. Powell said that Athenian is satisfied with its current student population of ~540 and has capped class sizes for five years. It is safe to assume the school will not be needing to expand campus spaces any time soon. 

But the question still remains: what might the school eventually do with its land? It may seem like a natural solution to return the land to indigenous people, but Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice(DEIS), Sanjev deSilva, explains why this will probably not become a reality.

“I think it’s less about ‘give us our land back because it was taken from us’ and more about ‘where are we now in 2022, what has happened, and what can we do moving forward that will repair some of these relationships,’” deSilva said.

The Sogorea Te’ Land Trust is an organization led by people indigenous to this region that facilitates land return, cultural revitalization, and public education about indigenous traditions. While Sogorea Te’s website does profess its vision to be an organization that facilitates the return of Indigenous land to indigenous people, deSilva expresses that such a goal may be far in the future. 

“What they’re working on is more about education around the history and the legacy of the land and getting us to reimagine things,”deSilva said. “To reimagine the way we think about things like real estate, territory, things like this, ownership of land. Getting us to understand the different perspective that’s out there, and that’s the indigenous perspective.”

There are many ways to begin to right the injustices committed upon Indigenous people. Athenian is considering a seed bank program and an exchange program of sorts between indigenous tribes and Athenian students. Additionally, collaboration with Sogorea Te’ on an upcoming garden lab project seems like a likely possibility. 

Whitney Hofacker is the head of this initiative, which aims to build different agricultural projects around the campus for students to tend to and benefit from. Though no details have been decided, this could be a natural partnership–indigenous people could lead cultural revitalization via the opportunity to work on their ancestral lands; students could learn about indigenous culture and the products of the garden could flourish.

Another step that Athenian has recently considered is paying the Shuumi Land Tax. This is a voluntary donation that could be made to begin to repay for occupying stolen land. The Land Tax would go toward cultural revitalization for impacted groups and public education. But it seems that the best way to collaborate with Sogorea Te—to begin to correct the injustices of the past and improve the school’s relationship with them—could be through taking their guidance in cultivating and gardening Athenian’s vast amount of natural land. Theoretically, it could be a perfect relationship, allowing Athenian to retain the ‘green space’ so important to its mission and community while letting native tribes access land to perform traditional cultivation techniques that are so important to cultural revitalization. 

Corrina Gould, Co-Founder/Director of Sogorea Te’ Land Trust emphasized how important being able to interact with ancestral land is for native tribes: ​​“Sogorea Te’ Land Trust makes it possible for us to relearn our traditional methods of taking care of the land. We can begin bringing back some of our traditional foods, like acorns. With that comes ways of taking care of the land, such as prescribed burning. Burning also helps to bring back some of the native plants that were here before, so that we can bring back the basket weaving, we can bring back the medicines that were always here, we can begin to teach ourselves how it is that we are supposed to live on this land again.”

Even though Athenian has no plans to expand onto its undeveloped lands for the near future, that does not mean it cannot put the land to use in other ways–it could be used for the extremely important task of repairing the relationship between Athenian and indigenous tribes. 

How Well Do You Know the Beards of Athenian?

With the pandemic upon us, we’ve lost the ability to view each other’s mouths on a daily basis (sad, right?) Because of this, many of us have forgotten certain famous school beards. Now is the time to take your knowledge to the next level and see how well you remember these pre-pandemic days. Guess the teacher, but (plot twist!) the only information you have is their beard. 

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Beard 1: 

Beard 2:

Beard 3:

Level of Difficulty: Medium

Beard 4: 

Beard 5:

Beard 6:

Level of Difficulty: Hard

Beard 7: 

Beard 8:

Special Edition: The Mustache

Congratulations! You made it! Check out the answer key below.

PS: You won’t be able to imagine how awkward the conversations to get the teachers to agree to the article were. Sonya still has 15 pictures of beards on her phone. 

Answer Key:

1. Sanjev deSilva

2. Geoffrey Journeay-Kaler

3. Darek Cliff

4. Bobby Bardenhagen

5. Howard Kaplan

6. Gabe Del Real

7. Esteban Marotti

8. Adam Thorman

Special Edition: Bruce Hamren

How the Hit Show “Euphoria” Accomplished What “13 Reasons Why” Couldn’t

When season two of the HBO Max show, “Euphoria” released on January 9th, the hype surrounding the 2019 drama was immediately rekindled. As a show that centers around the lives of troubled high school students, the show tackles intense and serious topics, such as substance abuse, sexual violence, and depression. Unlike other shows that tried to discuss similar topics, such as the controversial “13 Reasons Why,” “Euphoria” is able to portray teen mental health in a way that doesn’t sugarcoat or glamorize the issues at hand.

“13 Reasons Why” focused on the lives of high school students after the suicide of a fellow classmate, Hannah Baker. Though the show brought up important topics, it received intense backlash for some of its portrayals. Most notably, the graphic portrayal of Hannah Baker’s death was removed from the show years later. Additionally, violent scenes of sexual assault and bullying were especially triggering for some viewers.

“Not everything needs to be shown, visibly, graphically, for us to know that it happened, so sometimes telling the story is as good as showing the story,” said Dr. Samira Rajabi, Assistant Professor in the Department of Media Studies at the University of Colorado, Boulder. After “13 Reasons Why” ignored this idea, the consequences were clear. 

According to the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, there was a 28.9% increase in suicides of teens aged 10 to 17 in the month following the original release of “13 Reasons Why”. Beyond the problematic suicide scene, the characters were never seen getting support after these experiences. “Representation of healthy coping mechanisms is important,” said Professor Rajabi. 

While “Euphoria” does portray drug use and mental health struggles, the show makes a deliberate effort to demonstrate the harms of unhealthy coping mechanisms and how to get help. 

When the main character, Rue, is on drugs or in the depths of withdrawal, viewers see her discontent. In the show, her addiction’s impacts on her life are almost exclusively negative, hurting her relationship with her girlfriend, her sister, and even her drug dealer. 

Even though Rue doesn’t want to get help, the people around her provide mechanisms of support. Her NA (Narcotics Anonymous) sponsor, Ali, for example, tries to help her realize the danger of her addiction. 

“You’ve got your issues and you’re gonna be struggling with those issues for the rest of your life. That’s a fact,” Ali said in a special episode between the first and second seasons. “The problem is, you look at sobriety as a weakness in the face of those issues and what I’m saying is, sobriety is your greatest weapon.” Balanced portrayals can start healthy dialogue and create feelings of comfort as long as they come with trigger warnings. 

“I think it’s the responsibility of media creators that if they’re going to show something that could be harmful, they also offer support to viewers and warn viewers of what’s coming so people aren’t blindsided.” continued Professor Rajabi. 

Prior to the release of season two, model and lead actress on the show, Zendaya, made an Instagram post addressing this very thing. “This season, maybe even more than the last, is deeply emotional and deals with subject matter that can be triggering and difficult to watch,” the post read. “Please only watch it if you feel comfortable. Take care of yourself and know that either way you are still loved and I can still feel your support.”

In addition, the Euphoria resource page links to organizations that can help viewers who might be struggling with excessive drug use, their sexuality, or sexual violence. The show also has a crisis line that viewers can text to receive immediate help from a crisis counselor. 

While showing topics related to abuse and mental illness is never easy, “Euphoria” is sure to show the harsh realities of living with these problems instead of glamorizing the idea of struggling or promoting unhealthy coping mechanisms. Though “Euphoria” isn’t perfect, it can serve as an example of how to portray heavy and painful content to a large audience.

26 Things Only Californians Have, Do, and Love

Have you ever tried a burger from the famous restaurant In-N-Out? Do you love the animal fries at this fast-food chain? Or maybe the protein-style burgers? Or maybe the milkshakes, the hot chocolate, or the dressing? If you have, cherish the privilege. Because, when you move out of California, you’ll be hard-pressed to find it in most states. 

But In-N-Out Burger isn’t the only thing Californians view as quintessential to the Golden State. Many insist there are things you can only find here. This is what Athenians said they loved most about California, or at least what makes it most unique.

Our Distinguished Surroundings

1. Sunshine and warmth (Meadow Davis)

2. Green, green, and flowers (Susie Childs)

3. Raging wildfires (Whitney Hofacker)

4. Eating outside (Becky Cebula)

5. People being friendly (Kimiko Sera-Tacorda)

6.  Houses that don’t fall apart  (Srikanth Surapaneni)

7. Highways without the article in front of them. E.g., Highway 580 vs. The 580. (Jamie Julin)

The Way We Speak

8. “Hella” (Stephanie Kim) 

9. “Dude” (Erika Argueta-Connor)

10. “Bro” (Tillie Gottlieb)

11. “Dinner,” not “supper;” “tennis shoes” not “sneakers,” and “lollipop,” not “sucker,” (Sydney Alvelda)

12. “Room,” not “rum;” “lobster,” not “lobstah” (Greer Slater)

13. “Soda,” not “pop,” (Jamie Julin)

14. Not “wicked” (according to Kimiko Sera-Tacorda, everyone on the East is constantly saying it)

15. “Turn off the lights” not “take off the lights” (Stephanie Kim and Jamie Julin)

Places and Things Nobody Else Has 

16. In-n-Out (Jamie Julin)

17. Significantly more Peet’s Coffee (Kimiko Sera-Tacorda and Becky Cebula)

18. Carl’s Jr. (Stephanie Kim and Jamie Julin)

19. More Philz Coffee than the East (Rebecca Cebula)

20. Napa Valley  and wine country (Whitney Hofacker)

Random Things You Wouldn’t Expect 

21. Bobcats and beaches (Tillie Gottlieb)

22. Surfing and skiing in the same day (Whitney Hofacker) 

23. Football games at 10 a.m. (Becky Cebula)

24. Overnight billionaires (Kimiko Sera-Tacorda)

25. Schools starting later (Srikanth Surapaneni) 

A Hilarious Afterthought

Apart from things that fit neatly on a list, the twenty-sixth and final insight came from Tillie Gottlieb, who had much to say about the etiquette of shoes. 

“No one on the East Coast wears socks with sandals. Everyone just shows off their toes like a prize.”

Mask Accessibility for Bay Area Students

No matter where you turn these days, you see one thing: masks. They’ve been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), by some our families and many of our peers, by countless social media posts, and by our school, all to keep us safe from the outrageously contagious COVID-19 virus. 

However, some teens in schools can’t access them. In some cases, public school administrations can’t, or won’t, provide them for their students. Many of us have enjoyed access to hundreds of masks, but some haven’t had as much opportunity to choose their own desired level of safety. 

In the US, there have been upwards of 83,000,000 COVID-19 cases so far, with the rates for adolescents significantly lower than rates for adults. Many people are now vaccinated, and even boosted, but that doesn’t completely stop the virus from getting to people, and it is still extremely contagious.

Across Bay Area school districts, high school students have been performing sick-outs, the act of refusing to come to class to boycott the policy, or lack of, implemented to provide KN95 masks or covid safety measures offered to students. Students and even teachers have skipped school and instead rallied, protesting for free masks and routine COVID testing.

According to KTVU, a sickout in the Oakland Unified School District had 500 teachers out of class and forced 12 schools to close for the day. Some teachers went to a drive-through protest at the school district headquarters to demand more COVID protection policies like free masks and weekly PCR tests.

Licensed photo from Shutterstock

Some schools, on the other hand, like Chabot Elementary and Berkeley High School, have gotten free KN95 masks and routine testing. This contrast is intense, some schools receive masks while others in the same district receive none at all.

Still, the fight for safer COVID protocols has led to some change; many schools have begun more steadily supplying masks and providing testing to students, if not for safety reasons, for fear of widespread truancy.

There is also risk that protests and outrage over the issue will continue to spread like wildfire, with petitions, and the information-shaming of schools flooding Instagram with more stories that will reach farther out-of-district than the schools probably want.

Many schools now have free masks and testing provided – but some still don’t. So the question is, why don’t these schools provide masks and follow the lead of schools like Chabot and Berkeley to provide what the students so clearly demand? If masks help keep the student body safe, why not further that process the best they can? There may still be more questions than answers. Yet, even partial victories suggest that students may be their own best advocates for change.

Launching Lunch: How Athenian's Meal Plan Adapted To COVID-19

Arguably one of the best things that makes Athenian stand out from other schools is the lunch. So, when Athenian students returned to campus in October 2020 after monthslong closures related to the COVID pandemic, one of the biggest questions about how the school would function in the new “pandemic world” was how the kitchen would serve lunch safely. 

At first, students were sent home before lunchtime, but at the beginning of the 2021-22 school year, the kitchen staff was tasked with individually boxing lunches for over 600 kids. Though these safety measures made much of the Athenian community feel more comfortable, many people wistfully long for the pre-pandemic meals—which often included options such as hot soup, a sandwich bar, and other steaming-hot food coming from the kitchen.

With the current system, the kitchen staff is burdened with lots of extra work to provide quality meals for the students and faculty. 

“It takes much longer. We have to start earlier to cook the food because we have to have at least two hours to package everything,” Head Chef Miguel Aguilar said. “That’s the worst thing. We start making lunch around 7:30 and we’re still serving breakfast. We want to get it done by 9:00 so we can start putting everything in boxes at 9:30. That gives us a window of one and a half hours to two hours because we have to have everything ready by 11:30 for the middle school.”

Having to package everything has made pulling lunch together a very time-consuming and stressful endeavor for everyone in the kitchen. In addition, the kitchen staff is forced to restrict the diversity of meal options they provide. 

 “We also have to be very limited with the menu,” Aguilar said. “It’s very hard to give [Athenian students] more choices because we can only put so much in the boxes. Now we have opened the salad bar so that students can now get the choice of two things.”

As the year goes on, the school is doing more and more to give students a more familiar lunch experience. Earlier in the year, students were sent to different areas around the upper school to get their food and found places outside to eat. More recently, indoor dining has resumed.

“Since we have been back in the Main Hall, the food has been better and more like pre-pandemic food,” Miram M. ’24 said. “It’s fresher and warmer.” 

In addition to the quality of food, the number of food options that students are given is increasing.

“I do really like the salads and they’re doing a fantastic job providing vegetarian and non-kosher options, especially in these pandemic times,” Katie C. ’24 said. “I know they’re doing the best with what they have, and I’m very appreciative of that.”

These packaged salads have become loved by many, often more than the hot, boxed meals, because students feel that the packaged salads still provide them with nutritious and high-quality food. Regardless, many students are still hopeful that something resembling the old salad bar will return—largely because of its increased variety in toppings and dressing.

Within the boxes, the kitchen staff are working hard to ensure that students receive a wide range of good food on their plates. 

“I like that there’s work being put into having a selection of food,” Quynh-Anh N. ’24 said. “There are different segments. There’s the main meal and most of the time there are vegetables. The effort is made to incorporate a balanced plate.”

Luckily, it seems that these limitations that come with boxed meals and pre-packaged salads will not last much longer.

“There's, like, a few things that we need to buy, such as more plates, utensils, carts, and bins for dishes,” Bridget Guerra, Athenian Operations Manager, said. “And there’s also the staffing part of it and creating a plan that is still safe for COVID, because things can’t be super simple these days; you have to think about all the different components.”

Athenian is getting ready to move forward to the next phase of their school lunch plan. But this requires hiring more people to carry out jobs such as dishwashing, buying more appliances, and preparing to guarantee that everything runs smoothly. 

“I think what we’re hoping is that in a couple of weeks we’ll have all those things lined up so that when we get back from the break we can start with that,” Guerra said. “It's been hard, because we want to go back to normal and open things up. We’re just not there yet, and we’ve been so good about [staying safe] so far.”

Changing the Face of Discipline at Athenian

Though fear of Class A violations (defined by the Student Handbook as Athenian’s harshest recourse for a wrongdoing), tardies, and other disciplinary measures is ingrained into the Athenian psyche, the school’s student body is generally unfamiliar with the specifics of our current correctional policy. However, the confusion and taboo around this topic may not be present at Athenian for long. An alternative approach of restorative justice has begun to make its way into administrative conversations in recent months.

A restorative justice policy would stray away from punitive methods and instead create relevant steps that students can learn and grow from. The method focuses on addressing the harms caused by the infractions as well as the wrongdoing itself.

Rather than imposing seemingly arbitrary punishments upon students who face infractions, restorative justice ensures that students are not embarrassed or ridiculed for issues like cultural incompetence, but rather encouraged to recognize their ignorance and work towards a better understanding of the issue.

In his new role as head of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice (DEIS) at Athenian, Sanjev deSilva hopes to implement this method into the current disciplinary policy. DeSilva notes that this practice is in no way alien to Athenian’s campus, as the boarding community has already implemented restorative justice into their disciplinary processes.

“Within the boarding community, we've been doing restorative circles for the past two years,” deSilva said. “So when incidents come up that are culturally sensitive, or something that we need to address as an entire community, we have had these restorative circles.”

In his work with restorative justice at other schools, deSilva noticed the positive impact this method can have on the culture of a campus community.

“I've worked at different schools’ systems of discipline, and I've seen how that can transform a community, and help to heal a lot and repair a lot of damage that's done in these incidents, rather than just treating it like just punishment and consequences and moving on,” deSilva said. “It builds trust within the community because people know that when something happens, there's going to be authentic accountability.”

DeSilva believes that this practice could be the first step towards a stronger community at Athenian.

“What it'll do, hopefully, is break down the fallacy of ‘Athenian nice,’” deSilva explained. “A lot of it is smiling, saying the right things to people's faces. But then we go to different groups, and we're having a different conversation. So what it will do, aspirationally, is to make the community feel more authentic in terms of communication and understanding between different individuals and different groups.”

The first hurdle in bringing this progressive method to fruition is passing it by Athenian’s administration. Susie Childs, Dean of Students in the Upper School, is open to the idea of implementing restorative justice on the Athenian campus, and has been an active participant in preliminary conversations regarding the new method of discipline.

“We’re starting to talk to kids that are getting into any sort of trouble about what harm was done, who was the harm done to, how are they going to repair it,” Childs said. “The connective check-ins in all the advisory groups are similar to restorative justice circles that we would do. We’re learning the practice by doing it that way.”

While steps are being taken now, Childs stated that it will still take time to fully implement these new methods at Athenian.

“Next year, we need to do a lot of training with the faculty,” Childs said. “One of the things that would be really great is if some conflict happened in class, the teacher could stop it right there.”

With this prospective new system in the works, Childs has hopes that it will improve the school’s response time when issues arise.

“When you do a restorative justice circle, you can have feedback given right away that they can then react to or act upon,” Childs explained.

Restorative justice seems to be a viable and modern alternative to traditional disciplinary practices. Hopefully, as Athenian makes steps to adopt this policy, a shift to a more empathic and forgiving response to mistakes will become apparent on the school’s campus.

Mod-ifications to the Athenian Campus

It would be difficult not to notice the four portable classrooms situated directly behind the East Lawn. For those who came to the Athenian Upper School after COVID-19 hit, they might seem like a standard, expected feature of the campus, but for those who left in March 2020 and came back at the end of the year, they appeared to have simply sprung up with little explanation.

Most are aware that the reason these classrooms were installed on campus was to create more space to hold classes so that the number of people in each class is lower, and thus, safer in terms of COVID.

“When COVID hit, we had to reduce the class numbers to no more than 12,” said Gabe Del Real, Academic Dean. “In some cases, we could push it to 13 or 14, but only with some of the bigger classrooms…That's why we put in the Mods temporarily.”

Gabe is in charge of scheduling, which means he has to figure out where and when every class needs to happen. “The puzzle is to try to figure out where to put all the classes that we’re offering into spaces that will allow the number of students in those classes to fit, and will allow some consistency in terms of teachers having spaces,” Gabe said.

However, classrooms are not the most important consideration when it comes to scheduling.

“Classroom assignments, interestingly, are the last thing I consider when it comes to scheduling students,” Gabe said. “It's mostly about having classes in periods that will accommodate the students to get the classes they need. Then I find the spaces for them.”

Gabe further commented that the modular classrooms, or “mods,” are temporary. Discussions with Contra Costa County led to an agreement of a temporary installation that would last two years. Even when allowed normal class sizes, losing the mods will provide an extra challenge for the school.

“I'm anticipating that next year, we're…going to need to use rooms like the Urban Conference Room and some of the peripheral classrooms—House Three, House Four—for classes,” Gabe said. “And those classrooms really don't accommodate big classes as well as the Knolls, or certainly as the Mods. So that's going to be a challenge for us.”

Athenian had been changing on a large scale even before COVID with Phase 1 of what was known as the Master Plan, which involved building the Knoll classrooms, the new Kate & Dyke Brown Hall, Carter Innovation Studio, and Commons, as well as expanding the student body.

“In theory, the Knolls were supposed to allow us to stop using the peripheral classrooms,” Gabe said. “And to some degree, they have. We no longer use House 11 or House 10. We no longer use House Five, Six, Seven, or Eight. And even though the classrooms hold more [students], the number of sections hasn't been reduced, because the overall number of students has increased.”

The Mods also affect Athenian beyond just providing space to hold classes.

“[They’re] four classrooms that are close to the center of campus, and so it…does make the East Lawn more of an area of focus, which is nice,” Gabe said.

They were, however, by no means without their disadvantages.

“They ruin the viewshed,” Gabe said. “In principle, the reason why we built the new Main Hall the way we did was so that we would have this sweeping view of the mountains, and…through nobody's fault, we had to put these less-than-aesthetic buildings in there.”

They also have disadvantages in their functioning as classrooms.

“They're spaces, but a classroom is more than just a box,” Gabe said. “Most of what makes a classroom work well is the furniture in it. And so the space is great, but the accommodations in them are less than optimal.”

However, the amount of space has proven helpful to some instructors, like humanities teacher Marty Rubio.

“These classrooms are huge in comparison, so I can move desks around a lot into different formations…it’s easy to do that part of it,” Marty said.

For all their faults and attributes, overall, the mods have merely been a temporary adjustment to accommodate COVID safety protocols.

“I’m really impressed with the way the institution has handled these changes,” Marty said.

Evergrande Collapse: Top Chinese Real Estate Company Defaults on $200 Billion

Imagine the collapse of a real estate company that indirectly employs 3.8 million people and owns 1.6 million homes. In China, this isn’t fictional. The Evergrande Group, a regional real estate development company, has been deemed by some as too big to fail due to its importance in the Chinese economy. Regardless of speculation, Evergrande has defaulted on $200 billion in loans.

With millions of Chinese citizens and investors having purchases on real estate, and millions more relying on Evergrande for income, many are drawing similarities between this situation and that of the 2008 Lehman Brothers collapse. The collapse represents a fork-in-the-road moment for the Chinese government, one that may decide how free their markets will be in the ensuing decades.

The ensuing actions taken by the Chinese government will determine the future of China’s real estate market and the norms under which companies will exist. American economists are worried about the influence this meltdown will have on the U.S. market, with markets in recent months taking big hits.

The rise of Evergrande coincided with the economic advancement of China over the last thirty years. China has transformed from an agrarian society into an industrial powerhouse at a rate unseen before in history. Unlike other companies benefiting from this boom economy, Evergrande built its real estate empire through unchecked borrowing and mounting debt. As of October 2021, the company was $300 billion in debt. This is creating a horrific effect on the Chinese market because, in addition to Evergrande’s own instability, the company borrowed from Chinese banks. While some are worried about the ripple effect of destabilizing China’s economy via bank devaluations, others view this as a test of China’s economic strength.

“I don’t think they will let go of many of the features of a command economy because they have seen lots of benefits in standard of living,” Lea Hartog, Athenian humanities teacher, speculated. “But who knows, it could be indicative of them moving to capitalist structures.”

How China responds to this crisis will set an important precedent for determining how large of a role the government will play in the economy. If the government chooses not to step in and bail Evergrande out, they will set an effective warning to companies in the future that relentless and unchecked borrowing will have severe consequences. However, the immediate effects of China not bailing them out could be too much of a strain on their economy and the average working citizen.

Many view the collapse of Evergrande as a victory; unfair trade practices and aggressive actions taken in the South China Sea have many in the West viewing China as a threat to international peace.

“China is a major global threat, both morally and economically,” Jack L. ’23 said. “The fall of Evergrande is good because it will negatively impact the Chinese government.”

However the inevitable pain that will be inflicted on ordinary citizens is unavoidable.

“The collapse of Evergrande should not be viewed as a good thing regardless of international political views,” said Jack C., an Athenian boarder who lived in an Evergrande house when he was younger. “At the end of the day, it will be the ordinary citizens who had put down deposits on houses that were not built that will be hurt the most, not the government.”

Should You Get the Third COVID Vaccine or the Booster Shot?

With COVID cases rising among children as many schools return to in-person learning, it is natural to be fearful of transmission and a repeat of the events that unfolded in late 2019. With two different options—a third vaccine and booster shots—being introduced simultaneously, many are confused as to who is best suited to receive which specific vaccine.  

Dr. George Rutherford, pediatrician, Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, and director of Prevention and Public Health Group explained in an interview which groups of people should consider the third dose. “The third dose is indicated for a small group of people…2-4% of U.S. adults who have immune deficiencies, [people] born with them, or infected with [diseases] like HIV…[people] taking medicines that suppress their immune systems…or [people who] have various immune diseases, like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.  These people do not develop immunity anywhere near the same level [as people who are not immunocompromised].”

            The booster shot, by contrast, is intended for those who have received the first dose of their vaccine and are starting to lose small amounts of immunity. Studies have shown that, as time passes, the efficacy of the vaccination decreases.  Although some believe that once they are vaccinated, they can immediately return to their normal lives indefinitely, this is not the case.

Four months after full vaccination, the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine has an efficacy rate of 77%; Moderna has an efficacy rate of 92% after the same time period; the Johnson and Johnson vaccine has an efficacy rate of 68% after 28 days. If one has received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine—categorized as an adenovirus vaccine based on how it works in the body—Dr. Rutherford highly advises to receive an mRNA vaccine, one that works in the same way as the Prizer or Moderna versions.

            “Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended on Sep 23, 2021, that giving booster doses be limited to only older people, 65 or older, or to people who have underlying medical conditions… the ones that if you have COVID, it would make it much worse,” Dr. Rutherford noted. “[Also,] people who are occupationally exposed at high levels. Think of health care works, think of prison guards, teachers.”

            In many Bay Area counties, like San Francisco, restaurants and bars have been requiring proof of vaccination before customers are able to sit indoors. Although the CDC’s mask recommendations have been lessening and a higher percentage of community members are vaccinated, it is still crucial that one wears a mask while in close proximity to others. Even though schools may have limited seating in pandemic times, it is crucial for students to continue following school guidelines on COVID protocols.

While the present situation may seem devoid of the normalcy that existed in the pre-pandemic world, it is important that the public understands the differences between the third vaccine and the booster shot, and to receive a COVID vaccination if they have not already!

STEM Or Humanities: How Balanced Is The Athenian Curriculum?

In looking at the Athenian school based on surface factors–the course catalog, a driven set of STEM-interested students on campus, and a successful robotics team–Athenian may seem like a STEM-focused school. However, most of those on campus do not accept a binary view of the curriculum, rather suggesting that the school is a combination of both. 

Based solely on the course catalog, there are significant differences in the course offerings for STEM courses and their humanities counterparts. However, the basic circumstances for STEM and humanities classes are similar: both have required classes for underclassmen, both have very few AP classes, and honors classes are largely available to upperclassmen in both focuses. 

Many science courses (not honors) are required for students, and students are not able to skip any math or science courses through their years at Athenian. There are a few AP math courses offered, such as AP Calculus AB and BC, but none in science. And there are honors science courses offered to upperclassmen. However, since students cannot skip courses, they are not allowed to take all the honors science classes before they graduate. 

In humanities, there are not many AP courses available, with foreign languages as the exception, but there are various honors seminars available to upperclassmen. Ninth and tenth graders are required to take World and US Literature, along with World and US History. There are three world languages available at Athenian, all with AP courses offered.

However, at Athenian, a STEM course is never simply STEM-based and a humanities class isn’t always just literature, history, language, or the arts. Math may consist of writing, reading, and often, analysis that we learn from our own literature classes, and an arts class could very well incorporate scientific principles. 

Recently, students have been bringing up that the new math grading system for Precalculus and Precalculus honors has encouraged students to show their thinking clearly and completely in order to fulfill the “leaps of logic” criteria that evaluate a student's logical explanation on problems. This has shown students that in order to complete that requirement, students must write complete sentences explaining their thought flow. Chemistry and Biology labs are also weighted heavily and are composed of almost all writing. 

STEM ideas have also been incorporated into humanities classes, with scientific principles being applied to the Psychology seminar (a humanities course), the Current Events class (finding statistics through various news sources), and even the economics seminars analyzing numbers. This ideal continues throughout the curriculum, and does not leave one class as simply STEM or humanities, but rather, incorporates both, providing a plethora of thought diversity in the Athenian curriculum.

Gabe Del Real, current Academic Dean for 20 years and Humanities teacher, labels Athenian students as having access to a different type of education than other schools in the Bay Area. Previously, Del Real was The Dean of Curriculum and Academic Coordinator.

“Usually people see schools as the preparation for college and employment-like training,” he says “but [Athenian does not see their] students as functionary, but as a whole human being in process,” Del Real said.

He reveals that many people, including him, often see discipline–when referring to a field of academic study–as important to a student’s ability to function, but have largely different definitions of what it means to achieve this discipline, and further, what this discipline is. 

Gabe says, “People tend to consider academic disciplines as discrete and unrelated, whereas Athenian believes that these disciplines are all related.” 

Del Real suggested that providing a well-rounded education to students helps them build their character and their thought processes, while also shedding light on their futures and passions.

“Athenian’s fundamental vision of a human being makes Athenian different,” Del Real said. “Athenian has its own unique education goals.” 

By refusing to label itself as either a humanities-focused or a STEM-focused school, Athenian reinforces experiential and hands-on learning and demonstrates that learning here is different from learning at other schools. Athenian offers opportunities for students to follow through with their own goals, while providing a rigorous curriculum for each student to experience a well-rounded education. 

Dissecting AP Classes: Should Athenian Offer Them or Not?

On any given week in May, you’ll find dozens of Athenian students groaning about their upcoming AP (Advanced Placement) exams, lamenting  the College Board and their torturous antics. Some put incredible effort into preparing for these tests, toiling for hours at their desks to review concepts they’ve learned throughout the entire year. So what do they receive in return for their efforts? The answer is simple: a single number from one to five. No error analysis, no comments, no nuance. 

This standardization, whether it be in AP exams or other national tests, has washed the nation, and Athenian is left to consider how it ought to respond to this impending wave. Would a more standardized curriculum, replete with AP classes and exams, be beneficial for Athenian students, or does an Athenian education hinge on anti-standardization principles? 

Before diving into this inquiry, we must delineate the origin of AP classes. The AP exams started as a pilot program in the 50s, amid concerns that students in high school were not being adequately prepared for advanced coursework in college and graduate education. Note that their original purpose was to aid underprepared students in accessing higher education, not to supplement the coursework of already prepared students. This directly contrasts how AP classes are viewed today: as a way for high-achieving students to further challenge themselves and receive college credit. 

At Athenian, given that most honors courses already mandate either a high grade in a previous class or the passage of a placement exam, most students that would be taking a given AP course would already have to be prepared for the course content ahead of time. In this way, Athenian students are less so utilizing the AP coursework to prepare themselves, and more so attempting to demonstrate their ability to manage a “rigorous” course load in college admissions and earn college credits. In other words, AP classes being inserted into Athenian’s culture only serves to fuel anxiety surrounding college admissions for much of the Athenian student body, and it largely fails to aid underprepared students at Athenian, since most of the people taking these AP courses are literally required to already be somewhat prepared for the course content. 

The AP curriculum also presents a dilemma in terms of equity, a principle ingrained in Athenian’s foundation. To ace an AP exam, it is essential that the student understands the grading schemes and test organization. Put differently, while receiving a high mark on an AP test is somewhat indicative of one’s knowledge of the material, it is also a measure of how well a student was able to prepare for the exam. Herein lies the origin of the inequity: certain students simply have more access to resources and guidance that help them learn how to effectively prepare for AP tests than others. 

In this way, while AP exams do measure a student’s comprehension of a subject, they’re also testing how effectively that student can deconstruct and understand the test itself. Those students who have less access to learning how to master this standardized curriculum are therefore at a disadvantage in the testing process. 

As previously mentioned, these standardized classes and exams fail to provide students with the individualized attention that often facilitates effective learning. The AP tests, which grant a simple score of one to five to each tester, tell the student next to nothing about their exact comprehension of the material—it merely reflects how many questions were responded to accurately. This means that the student would have no way of determining which concepts they understood and which topics they made errors in. This leaves the student with no information to improve and develop their understanding of the material after having taken the exam. 

Moreover, by definition, standardized curriculums in AP courses do not account for individual circumstances and conditions. If a student was scoring low on their tests in an AP class, it would reflect that they perhaps did not perform up to a certain standard, but it doesn’t speak to how well the student was able to apprehend the material in the context of their learning environment. Athenian has long advertised its attention to individuals in the classroom setting—from small class sizes to frequent C&C periods. To maintain this ideal, Athenian should stray from standardization to grant its students a more comprehensive and nuanced learning experience.