Each of us has lived this one before: you check Backpack and see that a grade has suddenly plunged due to a poor test grade. Panic settles and worries flood our minds—what will my parents think? I bet I got the worst grade. Did everyone else fail? Normal thoughts, of course, but not necessarily the right thoughts. MyBackpack only displays grades, which are but numbers, representations of how much we knew the material. A number viewed on a computer screen doesn’t tell the student which questions we got wrong, nor does it encourage us to pursue the right answer for our own sake. MyBackpack, convenient as it is for teachers, parents, and students has taken away from the romantic, idealistic aspects of the teaching and learning cycle and process.

     Even worse, we spend so much time worrying about numbers. Certainly, grades are one of the many factors that can secure acceptance to a particular college, but it seems like we miss out other important parts of high school, like friendships, when we worry so much about grades with no explanations for the numbers. High school is a time for personal growth, not a time to develop obsessive preoccupation with grades. 

     Because MyBackpack is so convenient, it would counterproductive to get rid of it completely. Instead, teachers should return tests to us so we can see what we got wrong and ask questions before posting the grade on MyBackpack. That way, we’ll see the material we learn not as an obstacle but as a valuable tool we can put to good use in college and beyond.

     Let’s make our education mean more than a report card.

Invisible Children is an organization designed and built with the African children turned soldiers by Kony,  and those like him,  in mind.  These youth were taken from their homes by force and made to kill their parents in cold blood.  They were then marched far away where they were taught to become child soldiers.  These child soldiers make up the LRA or the Lord’s Resistance Army. Invisible Children uses film, creativity and social action to end the use of child soldiers in Joseph Kony’s rebel war and restore LRA-affected communities in Central Africa to peace

So far, there have been 87,273,879 views of the very popular 30 min video directed by Jason Russel l of Invisible Children, which presents a gruesome picture of Kony,  the head of the LRA, as he abducts, abuses and brutalizes African children.  The point of this video is simple.  The video basically wants to get its content out there and to have families around the world talking about this crisis.  They want people to be aware of the evils Kony has executed for a very long period of time. The idea is that if the world population knows about an issue that needs resolving, there is no way it cannot be solved with all of us backing it up.  Ironically, out of all those viewers, some have been critical of the authenticity of the group and even wonder how relevant this crisis is and how much of the money donated to Invisible Children really goes to helping them.

The crisis is ongoing and relevant.  Although there have been reports  that Kony may have died, he is indeed  alive and still active in DR Congo, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan.  As to Invisible Children’s use of fundraised money, 37.14% of the money goes directly to central Africa programs, while 25.98% goes to awareness programs and the remaining 36.88% goes to fundraising, media  and  film creation, awareness products, and management in  general.  Invisible Children can account for all the money donated to them or earned by them.

The mission for Invisible Children is to stop LRA violence and support the war-affected communities in East and Central Africa.  They also want to help the youth of the nation step up and make a noticeable difference in this world and protect the safety of the children affected by Kony.

In a world where social media is often criticized for its frivolity and self-indulgences, the video  Kony 2012” demonstrates the other side of the picture.

Abigail Fisher of Sugar Land, Texas applied to the University of Texas in 2008 but feels she was denied admission because of her race.

After going on to LSU, she sued UT on the grounds that the University’s consideration of race as a factor in the admissions process was unconstitutional. Though UT’s admissions process was upheld by the federal district court, it is now being reviewed by the nation’s highest court.

UT’s president, Bill Powers, says that the University is committed to having a diverse student body. Though the majority (about 75 percent) of UT students is automatically admitted because of their class rank, the remainder of the applicants is judged in a holistic review which involves consideration of race and ethnicity. UT’s president believes that the consideration of race will allow the admissions board to “have the flexibility to consider each applicant’s unique experiences and background.”

Ursuline students are following this case with interest as they formulate  opinions.

“I think it’s unfair that race and ethnicity are used in the admissions process. It doesn’t give everyone an equal chance,” said Emily W. ’12.

Others believe that race should not matter to admissions boards.

“There shouldn’t even be a place to indicate race on college applications,” said Jayne F. ’12, “Race shouldn’t matter at all.”

Still other students believe that the case shows how preoccupied people still are with race.

“We cannot eradicate racism if we continue to be obsessed with race, ethnicity, and skin color,” said Laura S. ’12.

     These laptops work well, although second semester is too early to know if it is just because they are new or that they really do function better. They have a 6-hour battery life, as opposed to the 3-hour (and shrinking) battery life of the upperclassmen’s Toshibas. Also, the new laptops’ batteries are made of Li-ion 20. This is not only recyclable, but the battery life is less affected by charging! So plug in and unplug at will, sisters, and watch the jealous faces of the upperclassmen with 5-minute battery life.

     On the other hand, the laptops make for cramped typing. Girls who typed extensively before high school found the switch to miniscule keyboards difficult, and using a normal keyboard is strange ( but I found myself right at home with the small keys, never having used a computer often).

     Another aspect that brings plenty of criticism from students, frustrated freshmen and smirking juniors alike, is the bulkyexternal disc drive. Without it, how is a girl to listen to her favorite CDs, or watch movies while trying to remain awake during class? Not only is it bulky, but also conspicuous and easy to misplace. Whereas the old computers have an internal drive (which was probably never appreciated until this year), which makes watching a movie as simple as inserting the disk.

     So compactness comes with a price.

     All and all, these laptops are as good as were expected. Although the small size and external disc drive might outweigh the positive aspects of this computer for some students, I find the extended battery life and guarantee of its longevity more useful. This computer shows that Ursuline is moving ever increasingly towards a more efficient laptop.

     Antoine Jones, co-owner of a nightclub in Washington D.C. who was also a suspect in a cocaine-dealing business, was tracked by police through a GPS device on his car. He was eventually found in a “Maryland stash house”, as reported by the Huffington Post, where “police reportedly found cocaine, crack and $850,000 in cash.” The police then arrested Jones.

                Later, Jones filed an appeal that eventually reached the Supreme Court, saying his rights under the Fourth Amendment had been violated, as the police’s warrant was expired when they put a GPS device on his car, and they had not applied for a new one.

                In a recent  9-0 decision, the Supreme Court upheld that police needed a search warrant to monitor Jones’ movements, and that the police force had violated Jones’ rights under the Fourth Amendment.

                Granted, if police had issued a search warrant to place a GPS on Jones’ car, chances are Jones would not have continued with his illicit activities, knowing the police were tracking his movements. At least not in the car he knew was being monitored anyway.

Every citizen of the Unites States has the right to his or her privacy under the Fourth Amendment, but if the police suspect a certain citizen of committing illegal acts, they should be able to track their movements without having to notify them.

Crime rates have been dropping in recent years, which can be attributed to a number of causes, one of them better law enforcement by the police force. In order for the police force to continue its  fight to lower crime rates, they should be able to track crime suspects if, and only if, there are valid reasons for doing so.

                Jones was convicted and sentenced in 2005 to life in prison. The Supreme Court’s recent decision regarding this case has sparked much debate about privacy in America.  As GPS and other sophisticated technologies proliferate, more attention and hard discussions must be devoted to Fourth Amendment rights versus giving law enforcement enough “ammunition, ” of another kind,  to deter crime.

But are their rights truly equal?

The United States will not draft women, nor will it give equal combat roles in the armed forces to women.

Some people agree that women should be drafted, but not that they should be given equal combat roles. “Most military service, however, does not involve direct engagement with the enemy. In Israel, women are currently drafted but serve in noncombat positions,” Cathy Young, freelance journalist.

However is that truly equality? How can women expect to be treated equal in all areas but this one? Men and women will never be equal until they are granted the same rights and opportunities.

 “We live in a country that stresses equal rights for women and minorities. That should encompass all aspects of life. It is unfair for women to be discriminated against because of archaic values. If a woman wants to go into battle to defend her country, then she should be allowed,” Dustin Brown, 42.

Women are equal to men. With training, they can be just as strong and fit as men. However the government refuses to grant them equal opportunities in the military. Is that truly equality?

“Women should not be able to serve equal combat roles as armed forces because we need women in the world to do other things,” Fredrick Galvin, professor at the University of Columbia.

But why is it society’s choice what a woman does with her life? If a woman would like to give up her life to serve her country in the military, she should have that choice.

“When we as a society claim that all sexes are equal yet deny certain roles to women, we are not truly equal,” Felicia Clayton, 29.

     Dance has always been recognized as an art form, a celebration of life, movement and artistic expression.  In this day and age, it often takes a backseat to popular sports and games, such as football, basketball and soccer.  However, the exclusion of dance from the generally accepted list of traditional sports has been a debate between dancers and other athletes for some time.  Why are dancers, with their rigorous physical training and quest for perfection in execution and technique, not considered to be of the same caliber as other athletes?  Who are others to say that dancers cannot be considered true athletes as well as artists?  Why is dance not recognized both as an art and a sport?

     According to The Farlex Dictionary, the word ‘sport’ is defined as “physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively”.  Dance meets these requirements exactly; it is very physically demanding and requires precision in technique, strength, agility, flexibility and stamina.  Competitions are common among young people and professionals alike, at regional, national and international levels.  There is certainly a quest to be the best.

     Dancers face an increased risk for injury just as in other sports.  In addition to being incredibly physically straining, dancing often results in sore, pulled muscles, sprained ankles, hyper extensions, back, knee and hip problems, damaged feet and other painful injuries.  These problems are generally treated as ‘sports injuries’ by sports medicine doctors in the same way that an injured soccer player may be dealt with.

     In the summer of 2010, the Gatorade foundation officially recognized dancers as athletes.  Lauren Froderman, winner of season 7 of popular professional dance competition TV show So You Think You Can Dance, was featured as Gatorade’s first dancer athlete in her own print campaign.  This tradition was continued with season 8’s winner, Melanie Moore, who had her own Gatorade ad as well.

     Most importantly, dancers are equally as dedicated to their passion as other athletes are to theirs.  Mastering technique and training take years to accomplish.  Although there is never really a way to reach perfection, dancers are always learning from each other and strive to improve, just as other sports players do.

     Dance is a sport and an art, and dancers are both athletes and artists.  Much is expected of those who dance, for they must have precision, strength, dedication and, most importantly, immense love for what they do.  In fact, they even do it in tutus with buns on their heads, ribbons on their feet and smiles on their faces.

Project Based Learning (PBL) was first used in the late 1990s by the Buck Institute of Education;   its popularity has grown since.  The program was first designed for Economics teachers in California who did not have a lot of supplies with which to work.  Then, the idea branched out to other disciplines and has flourished since then.  In the current school year, Ursuline students are becoming increasingly aware of the introduction of this method into their classrooms.  As in all change, first reviews and reactions are mixed.

“I don’t see how this approach can be applied to math,” said Pia F. ’12.  “Math relies on heavy repetition.  But I am hearing that some math teachers are presenting projects which incorporate math into everyday life.”

One such teacher who has successfully done this is math teacher, Mrs. Angelina Che.

“A girl from last year’s Algebra I/Geometry Year 2 class just recently e-mailed me and told me that she used the Fibonacci sequence to create a mask to see perfect beauty based on the idea of proportions,” said Mrs. Che.  “The student then placed that virtual mask on the new Miss America and saw how close she came to ‘perfect beauty,’” she said.

Through the study of faces and plants, some students from  last year’s Algebra and Geometry classes studied the Fibonacci sequence.  The Fibonacci sequence is a set of numbers that starts with a one or a zero followed by a one, and proceeds based on the rule that each number is equal to the sum of the two preceding numbers, 0 1 1 2 3 5 8 etc…where 0+1 = 1, 1+1 = 2, 1+2 = 3, 2+3=5, and so on.

These numbers are of interest to biologists and physicists because they are frequently observed in various natural objects and phenomena.  The branching pattern of trees and leaves, for example, can join the face and body of the new Miss America as examples of Fibonacci sequence.  Pradeep Mutalik, editor of The Crossword Blog for the New York Times, explored many relationships attributed to the “golden ratio” in a Sept. 12 blog, “Numberplay:  Phi—The Magical and the Mystical.”  Among other true-false statements, Mutalik asks, “Did Leonardo da Vinci use the golden ratio in the Mona Lisa and other paintings?”

In other classes besides math, teachers have started teaching in a way that seeks to have girls apply the material instead of through straight memorization.  With this change comes some frustration that the teacher is not teaching content to student in “the old way” and some ask, “How does she expect us to learn?”

“My concern is that some of these projects may not prepare me for a college level course,” said Lila L. ‘12.  Isabel F. ’12 expressed her apprehension about being prepared to go into the field of medicine “If I want a career as a vet, shouldn’t I come to vet school with a memorized list of bones and placement?” she asked.

Ms. Rhonda Bush, Director of studies in math, science and computer science, put some perspective on the concern.  “This isn’t the only way to teach content, research skills, communication skills, lab skills, etc…in the discipline,” she said.  “But, when a project is appropriately chosen and developed, learning the skills by DOING the skills allows students to gain more than content knowledge.  Student driven learning in the daily classroom allows for more integration of content with 21^st century skills through a real-world application

Computer science teacher Anna Houston has been utilizing PBL for years, although she may not have specifically called it that.  One of Ms. Houston’s classes, e-serviam, lets students construct websites designed to help one or more non-profit agencies who need to establish or upgrade their websites for maximum community impact.

“Through building these websites, my students refine their computer skills, and  get really excited about the prospect of actually helping others serve their communities,” she said.

Experts in the field of education say Project Based Learning teaches 21^st century skills as well as content.  These skills include communication and presentation skills, organization and time management skills, research and inquiry skills, self-assessment and reflection skills, and group participation and leader skills.  Obviously these are skills necessary in that “real world” our elders keep making reference to.

“School, along with PBL,  is just getting started this year, so I am trying to withhold judgment about PBL,” said Zoe G. ’12.  “I just don’t want to feel like we are back in middle school making a diorama for a book report.”

(Ursuline educators do not want this feeling of “project for project’s sake” either, and are devoting many hours of in service instruction and have even attended summer and Saturday instruction in order to learn how to implement projects that meet today’s standard for accountability and teach students the academic content and the 21^st century skills they need for life success.

“This does not necessarily mean current classes are 100% project driven, just that there will be more learning through the completion of a application based project than in the past,” said Ms. Bush.

Finally, Academic Dean Birgitt Lopez encourages students to speak with their teachers and with each other about classroom learning.  “We are all here for you,” she said, “and want to do whatever best promotes your learning all things you need to know to prepare you for college and for life.”

PBL may well be part of that equation and deserves a chance.

For a more detailed look at the process and its effects in specific schools, check out the following websites:

• NewTech Network (Charter Schools) – http://www.newtechnetwork.org/
• ISSN network (through Asia Society) – http://asiasociety.org/education/international-studies-schools-network