F CUSVolume XXXVII, Issue I October 20111101 City Avenue Wynnewood Pennsylvania 19096

Friends’ Central School

Peace. Awordrecognizedaroundtheworld,inmanydifferentlanguagesandcultures.Peacehasbecomesuchanimportantpartoflifeforeveryone.Allaroundtheearth,everyday,peoplestandupforpeaceinmanyways.Tenyearsago,theGeneralAssemblydeclaredanInternationalDayofPeace,afterithadbeencelebratedeveryyearsince1982withoutrec-ognition.NoweveryyearonSeptember21,theentireworldparticipatesinadayofpeace.Thisdaybringsrivalcommunitiestogether,enablesmedicstodistributefoodandmedicinetowarstrickenanddangerousareas,andhelpsbringtheworldtogetherasawhole. TheFriends’CentralcommunityhasbeencelebratingPeaceDayformanyyearsnow.Annually,somethingisplannedtocel-ebratethedayandraiseawareness.Forthepastfewyears,Friends’Centralhasbeenhostingassembliesorhavingclubstocontrib-utesomethingtotheday.Thisyearhowever,Mr.MacFarlaneandMrs.RichmondwantedFriends’CentraltomakeaspecialcontributiontoPeaceDayandhaveabiggercelebrationthanbefore.Theydiscoveredtheorganization,OneDayOneGoal,whichisanorganizationthatsupportsPeaceDayinoneofthemostuniver-salwayspossible:playingsoccer.OneDayOne

GoalhashadmanyeventsgoonallaroundtheworldeveryyearonSep-tember21. Thisyearaswell,wehadanopportunitytoconnecttoaSouthAfricanCommunitythroughtheCTC10foundation.Thisfoundationwasmadetohonorthememoryofaformerstudent,ChrisCampbell,whoseloveofsoccerandloveoftheworldstilllivesontodaythroughafieldinSouthAfricaandthecom-munitythatsurroundsit.Tosup-portourdayofpeacethisyearandthesoccerthatcorrelatedwithit,everyhomeroommadepeaceflagsbeforehand,andonSeptember21theywerehungallaroundthecampus.Therewerealsoboothssetupintheovalwhereyoucouldbuythings,haveajug-glingcontest,oreventakeashotatyourfavor-iteteacher.ItwasthebiggestPeaceDaythatFriends’Centralhashadsofar,becauseofits10thanniversary. WhentalkingtoMr.MacFarlaneabouthisviewofpeace,andwhyPeaceDayisimpor-tant,hesaid,“It’simportantbecauseitdem-onstrateswhatispossible.Itgivesaglimpse,averyrealglimpse,ofwhat’spossiblewiththe

combinedwilloftheworldtosolveourprob-lems.”Healsosaidthat“the10thanniversaryhasbeensomethingthatwe’vesetoursightson,understandingthatthe10thInternationalDayofPeacefellcoincidentallyinthesamemonthasthe10thanniversaryof9/11.”Overall,thisPeaceDaywasanamazingsuccess,agreatopportunitytoconnecttodifferentcommuni-tiesaroundtheworld,andawaytoshowwhatpeacemeanstous.v

Recently,Ienjoyedtheprivi-legeofmeetingwithournewheadofschool,Ms.JoanneHoffman.Icouldnotbehappiertohavehadthisop-portunity.Shewasverygenuine,easytorelateto,andintriguing.Webothsharealoveofteamsports;wehavesimilarhobbies,andevenhavesomeofthesamemusicaltastes.Iwouldencourageeverystudenttointroduceyourselftoher.ItwillallowyoutogetonthesamepersonallevelthatIdidwhenIconductedthefollowinginter-view.

FOCUS - Whatareyourhobbies?Ms. Hoffman- Ilovetokayakandca-noe.MyhusbandandIusedtowhitewatercanoeandrace.Wealsomoun-tainclimbnearourcottageintheAd-irondacks.Ireallyenjoysailing.Iplaythepianoandsing.Iwouldconsidermygrandsononeofmyhobbiestoo.Iadorehimandspendalotoftimewithhim.FC - Whichsportsteamareyouafanof ? HOF - Ilovebaseball.IknowthePhilliesarephenomenal;howevermy

teamistheBostonRedSox.IamacrazedBostonfan.I’vebeengoingtospringtrainingfortwentyyears.Ialsolovebasket-ballsoIamexcitedtoseeFriends’Centralplay.I’maPatriotsfantoo.I’mabigfanofallsports.Ifeelthatathleticscenteracom-munity.Itrulycareaboutteamsportsandthesamegoesforthearts.

FC - WhatC.Discur-rentlyinyourcarorwhatradiostationison?HOF -WHYYPhiladel-phia,publicradio.Ienjoyitbecauseitallowsmetolearnsomuchabouttheworld.Thetalksaremorein-depth.AsfarasmusicgoesIwouldchooseclassicalmusic.IloveBeethoven.OtherwisemymusicaltasteswouldleantowardsthebluesandalsoEricClaptonandJackJohnson.

FC -Whatwasthelastbookyouread?HOF -IamcurrentlyreadingTrain byPeteDexter.IreadThe Other Wes

MooreandIhopeeveryoneherewillreaditatsomepoint.TheFCSfacultyreaditoverthesummer.Iloveread-ing,andIusuallyreadmultiplebooksatonce.

FC - Haveyoueverlivedinanothercountry?

A Peace of Friends’ CentralBy SOPHIE MACFARLANE ‘15 AND ARYANNA POLLACK ‘15

In This Issue:

Kiwi vs Yapple: Take your pick

p. 5

Senior Door:A sophmore’s

perspective p. 2

FCS at CARNEGIE HALL???!!!!!

p. 2

Hoff In the Meeting HouseBy ISABEL NARDI ‘14

New Head of School, Ms. Joanne HoffmanPicture from http://friendscentral.org

Continued on page 3

Friends’ Central Peace Day Flag Photo by Bobir Atakhanov ‘13

Page 2 October 2011FOCUS

ProsPerspectives On Schedule Changes at Friends’ Central

By SAOIRSE HAHN ‘15

Withanewschoolyearuponus,studentsareadaptingtomanychangesatFriends’Central.Oneofthemostpredominantchangesthisyearhasbeenthenewschedule,whichnowincludesdoubleblocksofadifferentsubjecteveryday(sometimestwo),oneskipdayforeachclassperweek,aswellasnewadditionstotheschedule(WhiteandBlueblocks).AlthoughsomestudentsreturningtotheUpperSchooldon’tparticularlylikethechanges,manyfinditbettercomparedtotheprevi-ousschedule.Ironically,forfreshmenthenewschedulewasn’tquiteasdauntingasitwastomanyoftheupperclassmen.WehadallbeenusedtodoubleblocksandskipdaysfromourclassesinMiddleSchool,sothisschedulewasnothingnewforus. Oneofthethingsthatalotoftheupperclassmenwereafraidofwerethedoubleblocks.Althoughtheycanbetoughtositthroughatcertaintimesoftheday,asonestudentpointedout“itprovidesagoodtimefortest-taking,soyoudon’tfeelrushedandaregivenafairamountoftimeifyou’reaslowtesttaker.”Doubleblocksofstudyhallorfreeperiodsalsoprovideaperfectopportunitytomeetwithanyteachersforhelponanassignment,ortogetsomeworkdone. Asfortheskipdays,theyprovideachancetocatchuponanyworkthatyoucouldbebehindoninacertainclass,andalsogivesyoutheopportunitytowaitadaytodoanassignmentifyouhaveapar-ticularlylargeamountofworkfromotherclassesduethenextday.WhiteandBlueblocksseemtobegettingaverypositivereactionfromthestudents.Youcandoanythingfromquietstudy,hangingout,yoga,language/mathlabs,tovariousclubsthatnowhaveachancetomeetatanothertimebesidesbeforeschool,whichhadposedasaproblemforalotofstudents.Therearenewoptionseveryweek,aswellassomethatstayconstantthroughouttheyear.Personally,Ifindtheseblockspar-ticularlyhelpfulsincetheyareattheendoftheday,soifIneedtogetsomeworkdone(orlimberupwithsomeyoga)itprovidestheperfectscenario. JudgingfromthereactionsofFriends’Centralstudents,itseemsfairtosaythateveryonewillpreferthisscheduleoncetheyad-just.v

OurbelovedMr.Davisretiredasthechorusdirectorlastyear,butthisyearwehaveanawesomenewchorusdirector.Whilesheplanstokeepchorusthewayitwas,sheisalsoprovidingsomeexcitingnewopportunitiesforsingers.BelowisaninterviewIhadwithMrs.ZuckmanlastweekonherexperienceatFriends’Centralsofar.Mrs.ZuckmanmovedherefromLambertville,NewJerseytojoinourschoolcommunity.

Daniel Banko:Firstoff,howhaveyoulikedFriends’Centralsofar?Mrs. Zuckman:It’sbeengreat,I’vegottensomuchwelcomingsupportfromthefacultyandstudents.Mythreeyear-olddaughterisnowgoingtotheFCSPreschool,andIwasshockedtoseehownicetheotherthreeyear-oldsweretoher.Shewasreallyscaredandstartedtocry,buttheywereunder-standingandveryfriendly.

Q:DidyouknowMr.Davisbefore?Mrs. Zuckman:No,Ididnot.ThefirsttimeIspoketohimwaswhenhecalledmeforaninterview!However,IwasfriendswithMr.Ramseyinhighschool,andwestillsingtogetherinthePrincetonSingerschoir.

Q:Whatwereyourfirstimpressionsofourschoolandstudents?Mrs. Zuckman:Itfeltdifferentfromotherplaces,alotlikeafamily,althoughIknowthatsoundscliche.

Q:Whatdoyoulikeaboutthechorusrightnowandwhatdoyouplantochange?

Mrs. Zuckman:Ilikehowmanystudentsareinvolvedinit;it’ssomethingtrulyuniqueaboutthisschool.Rightnow,Idon’thaveanydramaticchangesplanned,Mr.Davishasdoneagreatjobwiththechorusthewayitis.Iwantourchorustocontinuetobeagoodambassadortotheschool,suchasatourupcom-ingconcertatCarnegieHall!

Q:CanyoutellmemoreaboutthisexcitingtriptoCarnegieHall?Mrs. Zuckman:Sure,afriendofminefromPepperdineUniversitynotifiedmeoverthesummerthatheisorganizingachorustosingattheworldpremiereofJamesEakins’Flowers Over the Grave of WarduringPresi-dent’sDayweekend2012,andheisinvitingmetobring20studentstoparticipateinthisevent!ThisisafirstforFriends’Central,andIhopeitisnotthelast!

Starting Off on the Right NoteBy DANIEL BANKO ‘13

Continued on page 3

RememberMiddleSchool,whenthebackofthecafeteriawastypicallyofflimitsandwasprettymuchforhighschooluseonly?IwassoscaredoutofmywitsofthatplacethatIdon’tremembergoingbackthereonce.Thencamefreshmanyearandallofsudden,rumorsbeganswirlingaboutthisshortcutdoortothecafeteriathatonlyseniorsused.Fewdaredtousedit. StudentCounciltriedtodebunkthe“seniordoor”mythatthefirstassembly,butIstillwasn’tsoldonusingit.ItprobablytookmeacoupleofmonthstofinallyfeelcomfortablearoundHighSchoolandthat'swhenIsaid,heck,mightaswelltryusingthedoor.AssoonasIsteppedthroughthedoor,IthoughtIhadmadeamistake.TheseniorswerestaringatmelikeIwascom-mittingacrime;Ipracticallyranthroughthecafeteria.Soonenoughhowever,Ilearnedthatthe“seniordoor”wasjustadoor,nothingelse. Exceptwhentheupperclassmengiveyouthoselooks.v

Senior Door: An Underclassman’s

PerspectiveBy PETER DISSINGER ‘14

Mrs. ZuckmanPhoto by Bobir Atakhanov ‘14

By Marielle Greenblatt ‘13

ConsBy KEIRA SULTAN ‘12

Whilevocalgroupsingersandthetwentyfreshmanwhoracedpizzasfromthedininghalltotheirfoundationsclassonceaweeklastyearmayhavejumpedforjoyatthesightofcertainaspectsofthenewschedule,manyothersdidnothavequitethesamereaction.Butwhatisitexactlyaboutthesechangesthathavetriggeredthecomplaintsthatwerebeingmurmuredaroundcampusthefirstseveralweeksofschool?Isitjustadislikeofchange,oraretheresomelegitimateargumentsbe-ingmade? Whencomparingthetwoschedules,therearetwomajorchang-esthatimmediatelyjumpout,onebeingtheeliminationoftheLab/PEblocksinexchangeforblue,whiteandcommunityperiods.NineoutoftentimeswhenyouaskaFriends’Centralstudentorfacultymemberwhatthegreatthingsaboutourschoolis,atoptheirlistwillbethetightknitcommunity.Andoneofthethingsthatmakethisespeciallytrueisthestrongrelationshipsbetweenstudents.Notonlydoesthisrefertostudentsamidsttheirowngradesandgroupoffriends,butacrossallthegrades.Toanonlooker,communityblocksinthedininghallmayseemessentiallythesameasLab/PE’s,onlyalittlelesscrowded.Butinreality,whatwehavelostissomethingmuchgreater:theonlytimeinwhichalargemajorityofourstudentbody,fromacrossallgradescanallrelaxandintermingletogether.AllyWirshba,asenior,sharedherthoughtsonthischange.“Ithinkthenewscheduleistakingawaythefeelingofcommunityandcamaraderiewehadinpastyears.AsanunderclassmanIlookeduptothegradesabovemeandgottoknowalotofthemreallywell.Butrightnowit’shardtodobecauseofhowthescheduleisdividedup.” TheBlueandWhiteblocks,whichreplacedtheremainingtwoLab/PE’s,arecertainlyanexcellentwaytoaccommodateclubsandvocalgroups.However,theseblocksforteachersandstudentswhoarefreearefarlessideal.Whileteacherslosesomeoftheirfreetimetoworkandmeetwithstudentssincemanyofthemarenowsupervisingvariousactivities,studentsarefrustratedattheirlossofindependence.

Continued on page 4

Page 3October 2011 FOCUS

HOF -WhenIwasinmytwentiesIlivedinAmsterdamforaboutsixweeks.ThissummermyhusbandandIaregoingtoliveinParissowecanbeimmersedinthelifestyle.Thiswillgiveustheopportunitytobemorethanjusttouristspass-ingthroughtryingtocraminallthesightseeing.Wearecurrentlylearn-ingFrenchsowecantrulyenjoyourtimethere.

FC -Haveyouevermetafamousperson?HOF -I’vemetJudyCollins.ShewasagrandmotheratMosesBrown,whereIwasheadofschool,forafewyears.JudyCollinswasequivalenttoBeyonce.SoimagineyouwerewalkingoncampusandyouranintoBeyonce.That’showitwaswhenImetJudyCollins.ThenIreallygottoknowher.Shehelpedoutwiththechorus,anditwassoremarkablewatchingherworkwiththekids.Here’ssomebodyIlistenedtogrow-ingupandthereshewaswalkingoncampus.IalsohadtheprivilegeofbeinginArneDuncan’s(thecurrentSecretaryofEducation)cabinet.Itwasanincredibleexperience.

FC -Ifyouweretoinvite2famouspeopletodinner,whowouldyouinviteandwhy?HOF -ZoraNealeHurston.ShewroteTheir Eyes Were Watching God. Iwouldlovetojustbeabletotalktoherabouthermetaphors.I’malsoveryinterestedinherlifeexperiencesandhowshecreatedherart.IwouldalsoinviteLeonardBernsteinbecauseheissuchabril-liantmusicianandarisktaker.Hewastheclassicintellectualwhowasalwaysthinkingahead.

FC -WhatstandsouttoyouaboutFCSsofar?HOF -SofaratFCSIhaveseenaverybright,eager,vibrant,intellec-tuallycuriouscommunityonbothsides-thefacultyandstudents.I’vefalleninlovewithMeetingforWor-ship.ThemeetingswehavehadareamongthefinestI’veeverseen.Theconnectionbetweenthestudentsandfacultyissocenteredonlearn-ing;notjustrotelearningonthesurfacebutknowingindepthaboutatopic.ThewonderfulprinciplesherearesoclearanddemonstratetheFriends’valuessowell.v

From Hoffman on Page 1

Q:Haveyoubeenachorusteacherbefore?Mrs. Zuckman:Yes,infactthiswillbemyninthyearteachinghighschoolers.ItaughtatLehighValleyCharterSchool,andIhavebeendoingprivatevocallessonsforalongtime.I’mstillthedirectoroftheUnityChorusofHopewellValleyinNewJersey.

Q:HowhasworkingwithMr.Ramseybeensofar?Mrs. Zuckman:It’sbeenlovely!Heisthesameguyyouseein-sideandoutsideofChorus,butheisnotasscaryorgrumpyaspeoplemightthink!

Q:Whattypesofmusicdoyoulikemost?Mrs. Zuckman:IlikeBluegrassandfolkstylemusic,butIliketolivebythesaying,“Thereareonlytwotypesofmusic:goodandbad.”

Q:Areyouexcitedaboutyourfirstchorusconcertthiswinter?

Mrs. Zuckman:Yes!Ihopethatitwillbeaconcertthatistruetothenatureofthechorusandvocalgroups.IalsoplanondoingsomethingthatmightinvolveAfricandrumming!Soitshouldbeexciting...

Q:HaveyoubeenintouchwithMr.Davisrecently?Canweex-pecthimatthenextconcert?Mrs. Zuckman:Hehasnotsaidsoyet,butIassumeso!IstilltalktohimeverysooftenaboutquestionsIhave.Some-timesIaskmyself:“WWJDD?”(whatwouldJimDavisdo?)Youmightbeabletoseehimaroundschool,asheworksintheFCSarchivestwiceaweek.

If you want to know more about Mrs. Zuckman, feel free to talk to her in her office! Also, consider joining Chorus! v

From Zuckman on Page 2

Everyyear,Friends’Centralbringsahumanitiesandasciencespeakertoourschooltotalkaboutherorhiswork.Thisyear,weareprivi-legedtohostEveM.TrouttPowell,aprofessorofhistoryattheUniversityofPennsylvaniaandJibreelPowell’s’(12)mom.Jibreelwasexcitedabouthismom’supcomingspeech.“I'mreallyexcitedabouthercoming,andIthinkherspeechisgoingtobegreat…I'mlookingforwardtoworkingwithherinaprofessionalcontextandinteractingwithherinadifferentway.Theworkthatshedoeshasalwaysfascinatedme,andIlovetolearnaboutit.” Ms.TrouttPowellisanexpertinhistoryofNorthernAfricaandtheMiddleEastandrecentlyhasbeenexploringtherolesofslaveryinthoseregionsoftheworld.ShehasgivenmanylecturesandwrittennumerouspapersaboutthisissueandonNovember9th,shewilldeliveratalkintheShallcrossauditoriumentitled,“OtherPeople’sHelp:ExploringSlavery&ServitudeinOtherCultures.”Additionally,a“coreteam”willbework-ingandpreparingwithherpriortoherlecture.ThecoreteamisagroupofFriends’Centralstudentswhochoosetostudyherpublicationsaswellasotherrelatedmaterialtolearnmoreaboutherareaofexpertise,inparticu-larthehistoryofNorthAfrica,theMiddleEastandtheroleofslaveryinthoseareas. Thisyear,thecoreteamwillbemeetingwithJimRosengarten(W-32),andanyonewhoisinterestedinjoiningshoulde-mailhimformorein-formation.EveTrouttPowell’sinsightontheMiddleEastandNorthAfricashouldbeespeciallyinterestingconsideringcurrentissuesgoingonintheMiddleEastandNorthAfricasuchasthe“ArabSpring.”Forherupcominglecture,shewillbespeakingabouttheroleofservantsintheMiddleEastwhich,asJibreelpointedout,willbeespeciallyinterestingconsidering“…

alloftheattentionthebookandfilmThe Helphasgottenrecently.” Ms.TrouttPowellreceivedherB.A,M.A.,andPh.D.fromHarvardUniversity.BeforeshestartedteachingatPenn,shetaughtfortenyearsattheUniversityofGeorgia.EveTrouttPowellhasbeenafellowattheInstituteforAdvanceStudyinPrincetonandattheRadcliffeInstituteforAdvancedStudy.Additionally,shehasreceivedfellowshipsfromtheSocialScienceResearchCouncil,theAmericanResearchCenterinEgyptandin2003shewasnamedaMacArthurFoundationFellow. Whenshe’snotteachingorgivingpresentations,“Jibreel’sMom”spendstimewithherentirefam-ily,whichincludesherhusbandandtwochildren,Jibreel(acurrent12thgraderatFCS)andGideon(acurrent4thgraderatFCS).Jibreeltoldme,“Shelovestoembarrassmebutshe'sagreatmom,soI'mconfidentthatembarrassingbabypictureswon'tshowupinthePowerPoint(presen-tation).”ThewholeschoolandFCScommunityisinvitedtocomeoutNovember9thforEveTrouttPowell’spresentationontheroleofservantsintheMiddleEast,andIencourageeveryonetoattendthisexcitingevent;eveniftherewon’tbeanybabypicturesofJibreel.v

Powell to the PeopleBy BENJAMIN FOGEL ‘13

Welcometotheyear’sfirstinstallmentofCouncil’sCorner:acol-umnwhereyoucangetup-to-dateprogressreportsonthehappeningsofStudentCouncilfromyourstruly(Hannah).Stud-Councilhasalreadyputonarangeofassemblies;fromMinuteToWinIttoa….rave?WebroughtbackScreenontheGreenandhadanamazingturnout!Wehandledtherainfortheclubfairwitharecordbreaking48studentgroups. Additionally,weplantoholdmonthlytownhallmeetingsduringBlueandWhiteblockstodiscussyourissues,suchastheschedulechange,thedininghall,andthecellphonepolicy.OurhopeistohearfeedbackfromthecommunityinthosemeetingsandthenassesstheinformationinourweeklyStudentCouncilmeetings.InconjunctionwithREGROUP,we

wouldliketheseconversationstopromotethestudentvoice. Intheupcomingweekswehavethecrowdfavorite,Freshman-SeniorSiblingAssembly(October21st),FrenchDancingwithMadame(November11th),andmore! Ifyouhaveanysuggestionsforasemblies,topicsfordiscussion,orevents,pleaseletaStudentCouncilmemberknow!Makesureto“like”theFCSStudentCouncilpageonFacebook.StudentCouncilmeetsonTues-daysat7:45intheDramaRoom!Come!Wehavefood!Iknowthatthisisgoingtobeagreatyear,andIcan’twaittoseewhatwecando!v

Council’s Corner: October 2011By HANNAH ALBERTINE ‘12

Page 4 October 2011FOCUS

EachyearastheClubFairrollsaround,studentspreparetosignupforTheQuake,StudentCouncil,Focusandothermajorschoolclubs.However,thisyearsomenewclubstookcenterstage. First,theFoodClubenticedpotentialmemberswithdeliciousmoussesmadebyoneofitsleaders,JakeBessen.Whenaskedaboutthefutureplansforthegroup,Jakesaid,“Asaclub,weintendtodofoodtast-ings,takefieldtrips,sharerecipes,discussfood,andalsotrytogettogetherandhavehugehomemadefamilymeals.”FoodClubmeetsWednesday(althoughtheyarethinkingaboutchangingittoThurs-day)morningsinMike’sroom Soyouthinkyoucandance?MikeNguyen,co-founderofthenewclubSwagAttack,describestheclubas“adanceclubthatfocusesonteachingothersabouthip-hopdancestylessuchaspopping,lock-ing,isolations,boogalooandmore”.AddedMike,“Notonlyarewegoingtoteachthemovesthemselves,butwe’realsoteachingthehistorybe-hindthem.”SwagAttackwelcomes

allinterestedstudentsnomattertheirexperienceorskilllevelandmeetsMondaysduringCommunityblock. EventhoughMandarinChi-neseisnotanofferingofFriends’Central’slanguagedepartment,studentsnowhavetheuniqueop-portunitytobegintodeveloptheirChineseskillsthroughthenewMandarin-ChineseClub!“We'regoingtostartwithbasiclanguageskillssuchashelloandgoodbye,andthenwewillleadintolanguagepat-ternsandaddinvocabularies.MyaimistospreadChinesecultureandtohelppeoplelearnMandarin,”saysco-founder,EmmaXu.Mandarin-ChineseClubmeetingsareheldduringWhiteblockinMs.Morton’sroom.

If you are interested in start-ing your own club, contact Mr. Dankoff or Mr. MacFarlane. To learn about these new clubs and more, be sure to visit the Student Council Facebook page or your Google Docs for the complete club list. v

Club CrazeBy EMILIA WEINBERG ‘14

AnewfacilityatFriends’CentralthisyearistheMediaLab.LocatedonthethirdfloorofShallcrossHall,themedialabservesbothmiddleschoolandupperschoolstudents,provid-ingworkspaceforPhotography,MediaStudies,andMiddleSchoolmusicandMediaLiteracy.Thecollectionofequipmentandsoft-wareprovidestheopportunityforclassestocreatevarioustypesofdigitalmedia,varyingfrompho-tography,video,andmusiccom-position.Althoughthelabisonlyopentoscheduledclasses,itisavailabletootherclassesthatmaybedoingmediarelatedprojects. Friends’Centralstoppedusingthedarkroomwhenthepho-tographyclasswentalldigitallastyear.Thenextstepwastoconverttheemptyspaceintoadigitallab.AftertheideawasproposedbyteacherJoshWeisgrauhimself,senioradministrationdecidedthattheywantedtopursuetheideaingeneral.“Thedesignwas

thenmodifiedtoaccountforthingslikefirecodes,storageandofficespace.”Afterthat,itwastheresponsibilityofthebusinessanddevelopmentofficestofindthemoneytomakeithappen.Thedevelopmentdepartmentfounddonorstopayformuchofthecostandtherenovationwascompletedoverthesummer.WhileJoshwroteuptheinitialproposalafewyearsagoinconsultationwiththeartsandtechnology,themainte-nanceofthelabistheresponsibil-ityofthetechnologydepartment. ThereisalwaysthelibraryandtheFCCinwhichtousecom-puters,butwiththemedialabyouhavemoreopportunitiestofocusonprojectsofthemedia.Thelabwasnotcreatedforwordprocess-ingdocuments,soithasdifferentsoftwarethenotherlabsdooncampus.ThissoftwareincludesApplemediaprograms,Aperture,Photoshop,andNoteflight.Macsareusedinthelabbecausetheyareusedinproduction,andcould

By JULIA STERN ‘15 AND JESSICA MILLER ‘15

Continued on page 5

A Tale of Two Countries Animportantaspectofhighschoolislearn-ingtobalancetheincreasedfreedomthatcomesalongwithgainingmoreresponsi-bility-askillespeciallyimportantinpre-paringforcollege.Sincethosewhoarefreemustnowbeconstantlysupervisedduringthosetimes,studentshavelostsomeofthatprivilegeandnolongerhaveasmuchofanopportunitytopracticetimemanagement. Itisnodoubtthatthegreatestadjustmenttothescheduleisthedoubleblocks-somethingthatdefinitelyhasitsprosandcons.Whilestudentscan’tcomplainabout80minutesoftheirfavoriteblocks,or4classesworthofhomeworkanight,thedoubleblocksdohavetheirsetbacks.Dr.Grahamexplainedtomehowasaresultofonlygivingfournightsofhomeworkaweek,breaksbetweenblocks,andtherulethatteacherscangivestudentsadoubleclasstocompleteatestbutcannotdesignatesttotakebothblocks,theteachershavelost20-25%oftheirteachingtime.Forexample,atthistimeintheyear,herpreviousModernEuropeanhistoryclasseswereabout1/3rdofthewaythroughstudyingtheFrenchrevolution,whilehercurrentclasshasyettostartlearningit. Fornow,evenforthemostadamantprotestersofchange,thereisnothingelsetodobuttoadapttothechangesofthenewschedules.Butwehopethatinyearstocome,certainconcernsamongtheteachersandstudentsthatwerelistedabovewillbetakenintoconsideration.v

Emma(XinyueXutoherfriendsandfamilybackhome)isanew10thgraderatFriendsCentralwhohasjoinedtheclassof2014.OriginallyfromBeijing,China,EmmaiscurrentlylivingwithHaleyPogachefskyandherfamilyandwillreturnhomeafterthesummer.EmmawillhavetheopportunitytoreturnbacktoPhiladelphiaandlivewithdif-ferenthostfamiliesoverthenexttwoyears,tocontinueherschoolingatFCSandgraduatewiththerestofherclass.

ThisyearFriends’CentralwasexcitedtowelcometwonewstudentsintoourFCScommunity:By BEN FOGEL ‘13

BobirAtakhanovhasrecentlyjoinedtheclassof2013.Bobir,orBob,hasonlybeenliv-ingintheUSAforthepasttwomonths,buthasquicklyadaptedtolifehere.HerecentlymadethetripfromhishometowninRussiaandcurrentlyliveswithhisUncleSharaf(’99).SharafgraduatedfromFriends’Central12yearsagoandiscurrentlyhostingBobirathishomeinHavertown.SharaforiginallycomesfromUzbekistan,whereBobirwasborn.

From Schedule on Page 2

Come See MIDDLETOWN!Friday October 28th and Saturday October 29th

7:30 PM Shallcross Hall

imedia: Friends’ Central Joins the Apple Craze

Page 5October 2011 FOCUS

benefitstudentsinthefutureifwelearnhowtousethemnow.Whendeal-ingwithmedia,itisreallyusefultohavethesoftwarethatisinthelabbecauseit“expandswhat[we]cando

inourclasseswhenwearedealingwithmedia.”So,thelabisneithermoreorlessofwhatotherlabsoncampusare,butitisbasedonmediaprojects.v

From Media Lab on Page 4

StaffmemberDwayneWilkersonhasbeenwork-ingatFriends’Centralforalmost10yearsnow,andhefeelsit’s“theplacetobe!”Whenhefirststarted,DwayneworkedintheLowerSchool,andafterayearheswitchedtotheUpperSchool.Hehasbeendirectingtrafficinthemorningforthreeyears,lovesworkingoutdoorsandlikesmakingtheoutsideofourschoolascleanasitcanbe.Toall,heseemsgenuinelyhappyeverymorningandwhenaskedwhathissecretwas,hereplied,“It’sjustme.Idon’thaveasecret.”Dwaynecouldn’timagineworkinganywhereotherthanFriends’Centralbecausetheatmo-sphereisgreat,thekidsarerespectfulandthereisarealsenseofcommunity.Inthemornings,Dwaynewavestoeveryonewhopassesandsayshi.Hesayshehopesthatthisbitofmorningcheermakespeople’sdaysgobyalittlebitbetter:“Iwantfolkstohaveagoodday!”v

Stopping in With Dwayne

By ANNA SORENSEN ‘15

Currentlyapopularfoodtrendforteensisfrozenyogurt,morespecificallyYappleandKiwi.Wedecidedtotakealookintowhytheseplacesattractsomanyteensandwhatthedif-ferencesbetweenthetwoare.WhenwetalkedtotheemployeesofYapple,attheWynnewoodshoppingcenterandKiwiYogurtinHaverfordsquare,theybothsaidthatfrozenyogurtissopopularduetotheabilitytoselfserve,anditsnutritionfactor.Whilewewerelookingateachfrozenyogurtestablishment,wediscoveredsomedifferencesbetweenthetwoandalsosur-prisinglymanysimilarities.Wedecidedtocheckouttheseplacestofindoutwhatmadethisnewdeliciousfrozentreatsoirresistible. WhenwetalkedtotheemployeesatKiwitheysaidaround3:00to3:30smallerchildrenbuyyogurtwiththeirparents,butfromaround5:00to10:00collegekidsarethemajoritythere.WenotedthatnotveryoftendohighschoolersormiddleschoolersstopatKiwiYogurtasmuchaswethought.WhenweaskedYapplewhattheagerangewhichmostlycameintotheirshop

was,theystatedthataround3:00to3:30middleschoolersaremostlypurchasingyogurt.Afterthattimeperiodtheyseearangeofagesfrom14to21.Whenlookingateachoftheyogurtshops’locationswedecidedthatYapple’slocationisgearedmoretowardsyoungerkids,especially“tweens”,asopposedtoKiwithatseemstoat-tractcollegestudents.InWynnewood,whereYappleislocated,thereseemstobemuchmoreofavarietyofshopsandeatingplacestochoosefrom,whichhasalottodowiththeagerangethattheyexperiencethere. UnlikeWynnewood,Haverford(whereKiwiis)doesn’thaveatonofplacestogotooratwhichtoeat.Whenweaskedbothyogurtplaces,theyrespondedsayingthattheyhavefreshlycutfruitbeingreplacedasoftenaspossible.WhenweobservedthetoppingsbaratKiwi,wenoticedthatthereisn’tasmuchofavarietyasYapple,butthewaythattoppingsareservedismoreconvenient.Insteadofhav-ingeverysingletoppingscoopedoutofatin,thereareabouttenorsocontainersthatyouputyourcupunderandturnadialtodispensethetoppingsofyourdesire.Whilevisiting

thetwoyogurtshopswegottotastechocolatefrozenyogurtfrombothofthem.ThechocolateatYapplewasmuchricherthantheoneatKiwi;howeverKiwi’smilkchocolatewasverycreamy.Althoughbothchocolateswereverydelicious,itisdefinitelybasedonwhatyouprefer:darkormilkchocolate?So,tryKiwi...andYapple!!v

What’s All the “Yap” About? - Kiwi Yogurt vs Yapple YogurtBy HANNAH KAMINSKY ’15

and MARISSA GRATZ ‘15

Photo by Hannah Kaminsky ‘15

“YoOliver,doyouknowwhata‘Paloma’is?” “NoIdea”InanacademicallycompetitiveschoollikeFriends’Central,itseemspeoplewilldoanythingtogetintocollege.Thisofcourse,includesmanystudentschang-inghisorherFacebooknamesocollegescannotfindthem.MysistersandIoftenmakelightofthissituationandchangeourFacebooknamestoDeborahLeibel,thenameofourmom.Inadditiontochangingournames,wechangeourprofilepicturestowhicheverfamilyphotoDeborahhaschosenashers.Then,Rachel,Molly,andIwriteonherwall,pokeher,and“like”herpictures,sendingastormofnotificationsandemailstohersmart-phone.Whilegatheredaroundthefamilycomputergig-gling,wehearaseriesofloud,“Owws”fromDeborah,downstairs,receivingemailsfromFacebooksuchas,DearDeborahLeibel,

DeborahLeibelhascommentedonyourprofilephoto.SomeofourbestprankshaveincludedchangingDeborah’snametoRosaParks,sendingawaveofnotificationsfromherFacebookFriends,thanking,“Rosa,forallyoudidtoadvanceoursociety.”Inaddi-tiontothenamechanges,wesetDeborahupinaFacebookRelationshipwithSamSilver’sdog,Roxy. However,thesepranksseldomgooneway.OftenIcomehometofindthatDeborahhaschangedmyFacebooknametosomethingascrazyas“AuntPitty-PatHamilton,”ScarlettO’Hara’sfavoriteauntinthenovel,Gone with the Wind,andsheinturnhadupdatedmystatustosaysome-thingalongtheselines:“Thanksmom,forcontinuingtochangemydiaperseventhoughI’m16!” Letthisbealessontoparentsandchildreneverywhere,neverleaveyourFacebookpageuponthecomputer.v

PranksbookBy OLIVER GOODMAN ‘13

Perspective on VeracrossBy EMMA XU ‘14

VeracrossisSOOOOCOOL! Thisyear,ourschoolhasintro-ducedustoanewcomputersystem,Ve-racross.Althoughithascausedmanydif-ferentreactions,asfarasI’mconcerned,it’sagreatsystem. AsabrandnewstudenttotheFCSupperschoolandtothecomputersystem,IthinkVeracrossisasuccessfulorganizerforschoolinformation.AftersixweeksofusingVeracross,Ifounditconvenientandeasy. Onthefrontpageofthestudentportal,Veracrossgivesaclearviewofwhatwehaveforclassthatday.Wecancheckourhomeworkassignmentsac-cordingtoeitherthesubjectortheduedate,whichisquiteconvenient.Classresourcesandneededinformationarepostedbytheteachers,andwecancheckonthemeverywherewego.Infact,theteacherscanadjusttheassignmentseas-

ily.(Mr.Morrisshowedushowhecanchangeadatefortheassignmentinclassoneday;it’squitefastforteacherstopushtheduedatesalittlefurther.)Veracrosslinksusupwithteachersandparents,leadingtobettercommunicationbetweenfamilyandacademics. IhadtroublewithVeracrossthefirstweekIgothere.Myscheduledidn’tshowupontimeuntilathreedaydelay,andIwasfreakingoutbecauseIwassonewanddidn’tknowwhattodoatall.ButassoonaseverythingwentonitswayVerarossbecameanimportantpartofmylifehere.Ithelpedmesomuchwithar-rangingmyfreetimeandIhaven’tforgot-tenasingleassignmentyet. Astimegoeson,Ibelieveevery-bodywilladaptwelltoVeracross.AndasVeracrossgetsintegratedintoourdailylives,wewillfindhowmanyadvantagesithas.v

Photo by Emma Xu ‘14

imedia: Friends’ Central Joins the Apple Craze

Page 6 October 2011FOCUS

Tess WEI, JUST A JUNIOR, IS A CAP-

TAIN ON THE

FRIENDS’ CENTRAL GIRLS’ VARSITY SOCCER

TEAM. THIS IS HER T

Phoenix in the Phast Lane & Artist in the SpotlightBy DAN YAHALOMI ‘14 and NOAH SILVESTRY ‘15

Yorito Nakata— Cross Country

Yorito Nakata, a dedi-cated runner, always workshard to improve himself andhis team. As captain of thecross-country team this year,Yoritohashelpedtheteamgetouttoa3-1record. Men’s Cross CountryCoach Ed Soto sees a lot ofpotential in Yorito. Soto said,“Yorito was appointed theteam captain this season byhis coaches. He has workedhardrunningyearround. Forcross country especially, heput in a lot of time over thesummer running lots of milesanywhere from 50 - 65 milesper week. He is dedicated toimproving himself as a run-ner and has begun running3 miles in the early morning

hours before school to get inextrawork.AlthoughYoritoisa very quiet individual he is averyimportantpartofthesuc-cessofthisyear’steam,asnotonly is he our top runner, butaleaderinhisactions.Herana season best time of 18:32 atBelmont Plateau a few weeksago. He is looking to improveon that time, as he will runthatcoursetwomoretimesforFSLChampsandagainforthePAISSA(IndependentSchoolsStateChampionshiprace.”

Coach Soto believesthat Yorito is a very talentedrunner and thinks that “if hepeaks at the right time, he isa candidate for 2nd Team AllStateandFSL1stTeam.”

FOCUS StaffEditors-in-ChiEf

SamiResnik‘12KeiraSultan‘12JamieUlrich‘12

nEws Editor

BenFogel‘13ComEdy Editor

OliverGoodman‘13Layout Editors

JordynKarliner‘14MaxLuzuriaga‘14

PhotographersBobirAtkhanov‘13MarielleGreenblat‘13

staff writErs

HannahAlbertine‘12DanielBanko‘13ZackBarron‘12MaxGinsberg‘14JackKornblatt‘13HildaNjanike‘13DanielYahalomi‘14

faCulty advisors

MarilynLagerStevePatterson

Tess Wei— Girls’ Soccer

Atenyearveteranoftheviolin,PaulaBurkhardt‘12isanexquisiteexampleoftheplenti-fuldiversityofartistictalentatFriends’Central.Paulabeganhermusicalcareerwhenhermotherenrolledherinasmallsummerartscamp.Sheplayspredominantlyclassicalmusic,andwhenthechancepresentsitself,sheenjoyslisteningtothecontemplative,profoundworksofFelixMendels-sohn.Whenapproachinganewpiece,Paulatriestoattachherselftotheemotionsandambianceofherwork,whileapplyingherselfandherimpres-sionofthecompositioninordertoachieveemo-tionalaccuracyandauthenticity. Paulabelievesthatmusiccanmakesome-oneabetterperson,andusesittoheradvantageinrelationtoacademics.Therigoroustoilinvolvedinperfectingamusicaltalentmakesschoolworkseemlessdemandingbycomparison.Inaddition,musichasgivenhertheopportunitytoopennewsocialdoorsthroughmusicprogramsandorches-tras.ForPaula,musicisbothapositive,eternalpresenceaswellasauniqueaspectofherlife.“Ican’treallythinkofanythingthataffectspeopleinthewaythatmusicdoes.” Ifpassionandawearewhatdefineatruemusicaltalent,thenthereisn’tanyonemoretal-entedthenPaulaBurkhardt.

FindusonFacebookhttp://facebook.com/fcsfocus

Paula Burkhardt— Violinist

By Marielle Greenblatt ‘13

TessWei,justajunior,isacaptainontheFriends’Centralgirls’varsitysoc-certeam.Thisisherthirdyearasavarsityplayer,playingthemidfieldposi-tion.Herspeedallowshertoblowbydefenders,whilehersuperiorballhandlingskillsaresomeofthebestintheleague.Thegirls’recordtodateis2-1-1butwithastrongcontributionfromTess,theyare1-0in

leagueplay.Co-captainBeccaDahlepraisesTessasshesays“Tessisgreatatsettingthetonefortherestoftheteamearlyingameswithher100%effortandaggression.”OutsideofschoolTessplaysonanextremelycompetitiveclubteamwhereshehonesherskillsallyearlong.TheFCSgirlsareluckytohaveTess...sodedicatedtothegame.