Train of Thought - Banneker High School

Train of Thought
Volume 5, Issue 6
Benjamin Banneker Academic High School
June, 2012
Budget Cuts Mean Job Losses
by Brianna Little and
Lakshmi Premysler
ed to the staff at Banneker: an instructional coach and a part-time psychologist.
Principal Anita Berger said
that next year will be a challenge. “I
wish I could say that it’s only Banneker
suffering [from budget cuts], but it’s
happening all over the city.” She said
that “the staff next year will need to
utilize all their talents to make sure the
students do not feel the negative effects
of the budget cuts.”
Banneker teachers and administrators were unhappy by this latest
round of cuts.
Assistant Principal Ms. Janice
Hylton said she was very disappointed
to learn about the effects of the cuts.
“When you looks across the city at all
the positions being cut, you can see
Five teaching and counseling
positions will be eliminated or reduced
to part-time at Banneker Academic
High School next school year due to
District budget cuts that will affect all
of DC Public Schools.
Three teachers, the librarian
and a counselor will be affected by a 4
percent – or $156,000 -- cut to Banneker’s current budget, according to DCPS
press secretary Melissa Salmanowitz. One teacher will retire from Banneker and will not be replaced; another
teacher’s position will be reduced to a
half-time position; a third teacher will
be let go or “excessed,” as the school
system calls it. Banneker’s librarian
position will be reduced to half-time,
as will one of the counselors.
Two new positions will be add-
photo by Lakshmi Premysler
Budget continued on 3
SENIORITIS: Curse of 2012
by Cherrie Coachman
Wearing sweat pants every
day? Gotten lazy and assumed an “I
don’t care” attitude?
You’ve got the bug - the Senioritis bug, that is.
Graduation for the class of
2012 is around the corner and it feels
like schoolwork has doubled. Soon
to come: finals, clearance forms, and
more college preparation. Underclassmen may believe that senior year is a
breeze. Even though they have smiles
on their faces, seniors will tell you how
hard senior year actually is, especially
if you’ve caught Senioritis.
Senioritis is a crippling epidemic that affects high school seniors.
It’s easy to spot an infected senior. The
student’s entire personality changes
and the only topic of conversation is
graduation. Other symptoms may include:
• Laziness
• Excessive wearing of sweat pants
• Dismissive attitude
• Lack of studying
• Poor grades
• Repeated absences
When does Senioritis occur?
A majority of seniors say they’ve been
sick with Senioritis since Spring Break.
For some of them, the break never end-
Why
ARE These
guys
posing??
Find out why on page 3.
ed despite constant admonitions from
Mr. Darren Wilson, the D.C..History/
U.S. Government/Street Law teacher,
to his senior class. “Don’t forget these
classes after Spring Break! Don’t get
Senioritis!”
But some seniors have been sick
longer. Richy Carranza, who will attend Marymount University in Arlington, said “My “itis” kicked in the first
day of school.” Bianca Kersellius has
been suffering even longer. “I’ve had
Senioritis since the end of my junior
year,” said Bianca, who will attend
Illustration by Hagos Hagos
Penn State-Harrisburg in the fall. “But
it didn’t really hit me until I started receiving my acceptance letters.”
Once a senior gets the “itis,” it
doesn’t go away. Neither teachers nor
administrative staff can help ill students. “I don’t know why I got Senioritis but I just had an instant nonchalant
feeling towards school after experiencing so much during my years in high
school,” said Bianca. The mindset is “as
long as I don’t have three F’s and have
to go to summer school,” it doesn’t
matter anymore as long as there are
three passing grades in order to pass
the course.
So is there a treatment for Senioritis?
There’s only one treatment
for Senioritis and no, it’s not “Do your
work.” Senioritis is not curable until
the graduation night.
Banneker’s Class of 2012 will
graduate at 7 pm June 7 at the Blackburn Center at Howard University.
When all the students have had their
names called and they’ve walked across
the stage and graduation is officially
over -- at approximately 9:01 pm that
night -- Senioritis will be gone. Soon to
come for Class of 2012, will be college
and then a new epidemic will hit. Freshmanitis begins!
INSIDE this ISSUE
Budget Cuts-------------------------------------------------------------------------1
Senioritis----------------------------------------------------------------------------1
School Construction -------------------------------------------------------------2
Mr. Bowman Retires ------------------------------------------------------------2
National Latin Exam Results --------------------------------------------------2
AP Art History Trip --------------------------------------------------------------3
Prom Pictures ------------------------------------------------------------------- 4-5
Strange Interlude Reviews -----------------------------------------------------6
Softball-------------------------------------------------------------------------------7
Wattpad------------------------------------------------------------------------------7
Voter Registration Information ----------------------------------------------7
Student Artwork-------------------------------------------------------------------8
2
Train of Thought
Construction Work Continues
Throughout the Building
by Nnedimma Ugochukwu
Parts of the Banneker building
have become construction zones during the past few months, forcing some
teachers out of their classrooms and
creating aggravation for others.
Mr. Leo Bowman and Mr.
Jonathan Abraham have classrooms
that are near the ongoing construction. Dr. Andrea Samuels and Ms. Camille
France both had to move and are in
temporary classrooms in the former
computer lab on the first floor and the
teachers’ cafeteria, respectively, until
the construction is finished.
“The noise hasn’t been as bad
as the smell,” said Mr. Abraham, the
physical education and health teacher.
However, the construction noise has
made it necessary for him to speak
more loudly to students, and he said
it is sometimes difficult to get the students to focus and concentrate in class.
But he noted that some of the
photo by Nnedimma Ugochukwu
time his students get relief from the
distraction when they are in the gym
exercising. Mr. Abraham also compli- Temporary partitions near Mr. Jonathan Abraham’s basement classroom.
mented the custodial staff on the great
job they have continued to do in keeping the building clean in spite of the
construction. Mr. Bowman, who teaches
English on the third floor, said that he
is amazed at how well coordinated this
phase of the construction has been. For
him, the construction has not disrupted his class while he’s teaching and he
said he loves the smell of new equipment that has been installed.
Some of the construction is to
create science classrooms and labs that
are compliant with IB standards. Dr.
Samuels’ science classroom was moved
from the third floor to the first floor
into the former computer lab. She said
that she was unable to complete a few
student projects because some laboratory equipment has been stored away.
“But we work with what we
have,” she said, adding that the science
teachers often share equipment and
supplies. Dr. Samuels said her temporary classroom location has many
advantages, including more comfortable chairs, easier access to first floor
resources, and a closer fire drill exit.
Mr. Bowman Retires After 30 Years
by Nnedimma Ugochukwu
different cultures and backgrounds.
The 2011-12 school year marks He joined the Peace Corps and was asthe end of 30 years of teaching for Mr. signed to teach in Lai, Chad in central
Africa in 1973. Leo Bowman.
After he completed his assign
Mr. Bowman completed his ment
in
Africa, he moved to Washinguniversity degree and student teaching
ton,
D.C.,
where he began teaching at
in Massachusetts, saying he was influRoosevelt
High School. Mr. Bowman
enced to become a teacher by his sister,
transferred
to Banneker High school
who taught in the Philippines and later
in
1995.
in St. Louis. He said that as a young man, Although Mr. Bowman was
he wanted to become a Catholic Priest eligible for retirement before this year,
or a missionary, but changed his mind he stayed longer because of his love for
in high school because he realized he his students and fellow co-work- ers. could accomplish a similar goal by join- But he decided to retire this year partly
ing the Peace Corps. He said he wanted because of health concerns. However,
to see what life was like for people of he said the main reason he is retiring is because of the negative changes
photo by Nnedimma Ugochukwu
Freshman English class with Mr. Bowman.
brought about by the DCPS teacher
evaluation system, called IMPACT.
He said he believes there is too much
emphasis on standardized testing and
there is not enough emphasis on teaching in the classroom. “Banneker students have always shown a willingness
to work hard, research, revise, reread
and achieve mastery of a task at hand
all while keeping a sense of humor,” he
said.
Mr. Bowman said he has many
fond memories of working at Banneker, including reading circles in his
class, sharing his stories with his students, and coaching volleyball.
After he retires, Mr. Bowman plans on traveling to countries
in Europe and Africa, including Italy,
Greece, France Morocco, South Africa
and Tunisia.
Septum Discipuli Cum Honore Maximo Egregio
by Imani Pajibo and Natia Contee
Seven Banneker students were among
the 1,111 students nationwide who earned a perfect score on the Level One test of the National
Latin Exam (NLE).
Perfect scores were earned by seniors
Ayantu Beyene, Esohe Irabor and Michelle Porter and freshmen Olisa Azikiwe, Courtney Middleton, Mario Valasquez and Shakira Wilds.
In the District of Columbia, 1,248 students took the NLE, including 88 from Banneker. The 40-question multiple choice exam includes reading comprehension and questions
on grammar, vocabulary, mythology, culture,
Roman city structure, Latin phrases and derivatives.
Ms. Jessica Levknecht’s five Latin
classes of freshman and seniors worked hard to
prepare for the test. They reviewed grammar
photo by Nnedimma Ugochukwu
exercises and vocabulary lists and completed
quizzes every week. Ms. Levknecht assigned Forty gold medals were awarded to Banneker Latin students.
readings and activities about ancient Roman
In all of D.C. at all levels, only 27 students achieved a
culture, as well. Although there was much work perfect
score,
and Banneker students represented 26% of those.
to be done, she made it fun and easy to underOf
the
88
Banneker
students who took the test , 78 scored at or
stand.
above the average nationwide score of 28 out of
40.
“We worked really hard this year to
learn all of our important concepts prior to the
exam,” said Ms. Levknecht. “I am so proud of
my students. We have never had as many as
seven perfect papers and to have so many students above the national average is spectacular!”
Forty Banneker students scored in the
90th percentile, earning them a gold medal; 18
students scored in the 83rd percentile, earning them a silver medal; and 12 students scored
between the 78th and 82nd percentile, earning
them magna cum laude honors. Finally, five
students scored slightly above the national average in the 73rd percentile, earning them cum
laude honors.
The individual scores of students were
announced on May 7th and the award winners
were treated to cake, ice cream and punch in the
library.
3
Train of Thought
AP Art History Class Visits NYC Museum
by Cherrie Coachman
At 6:30 a.m. on a recent Sunday morning, Mr. Charles Fesser’s
AP Art History Senior Class went on
a long-overdue field trip to New York
City.
With yawns, coffees, and dark
sunglasses, each student in the class
except for one was able to make the
bus on time. They arrived in New York
City at 11:00 a.m., greeted by many
bright lights and clothing stores. The
clothing stores were tempting, but the
plan was to go straight to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The field trip was designed to
help the class study for its upcoming
classroom AP Art History test and the
official AP exam.
"I wanted my students to have
the experience of reviewing their year
in art. I can think of no better way of
reviewing their study right before the
exam," said Mr. Feeser.
Mr. Feeser gave each student
an itinerary to follow and specific
times so no exhibit would be overlooked. The exhibit began with most
of the students’ favorite: Egyptian
art. photos by Charles Feeser
“The Egyptian art was very
intriguing because in spite of the lack
of resources and technology, the artists and sculptors were able to produce
great masterpieces," said Hassan Ali,
who will be attending St. John's University and who will major in risk management. When asked if he would take
any art classes in college, the answer
was "definitely." As a class, the students said
they found it valuable to be able to walk
through the exhibits and know something about the artists, the dates and
the meaning behind the art.
"The trip allowed me to enjoy
the art in my book since I was able to
see it in person," said Tracy Abraham,
who will be attending Penn State-Erie and who will major in pre-med.
On May 8, the students took
the AP Exam at Howard University.
The test had numerous questions
about their favorite Egyptian art.
AP Art History students
Left: Supermarket Shopper
by Duane Hanson
Right: Student version of
“Shopper”
Expulsion of Adam and Eve
by Masaccio
Student version of “Expulsion”
Ugolino and His Sons
by Carpeaux
Student version of “Ugolino”
Budget Cuts Result in Fewer Banneker Staff
budget continued from 1
that education should be paramount.
The elected powers should provide
enough funds so that all students can
be educated. Our students are being
short-changed and it is not fair,” she
said.
On May 4, DCPS officials sent
“excess notices” to 333 members of the
Washington Teachers’ Union, a process that Chancellor Kaya Henderson
said is part of a “normal staff realignment” due to budget cuts, changes in
academic programs or school closings
or restructurings. Teachers or staff
members who are “excessed” lose their
current position at a particular school,
but do not necessarily lose their jobs
because they can apply for open positions at other schools. DCPS spokesperson Ms. Salmanowitz said that based
on past history, DCPS expects more
than 60 percent of excessed teachers
and staff to find jobs at other schools.
Ms. Salmanowitz also said
DCPS did not expect students to feel a
difference in their academic environment due to the budget cuts. “Class size
will remain the same,” Ms. Salmanowitz said in an e-mail in response to questions from Train of Thought staff. “We
expect very little, if any, interruption in
classroom instruction from these budget decisions.”
She said that DCPS was able to
avoid “dramatic reductions” to classroom positions because of Mayor Vincent Gray’s proposal to increase by 2
percent the per-student funding – or
the amount given to schools for each
student enrolled. However, DCPS officials have changed how funding is
allocated to pay for librarians and media specialists at small schools, such
as Banneker. “We expect to have 34
fewer librarian positions next year,”
Ms. Salmanowitz said. “It’s hard to believe an academic high school will only have a
half-time librarian,” said Banneker’s
librarian, Ms. Kathleen Brinkman.
“I am disappointed that it
seems that DCPS is not committed to
fully supporting successful programs
in our schools,” she said.
DCPS is holding a series of
transfer fairs throughout the spring to
help excessed staff find new positions
at other schools. Excessed employees
have until Aug. 15 to find a placement
for the 2012-13 school year. This is
the fourth consecutive year that teachers have been excessed from the DCPS
system. Last spring, 384 teachers were
excessed; in 2010, 373; and in 2009,
427 were excessed.
4
Train of Thought
A Night on the Nile
Photos Courtesy of
Nijah Armstrong
Ms. Jessica Levknecht
Mitzi Vivar
6
Train of Thought
An Eye-Opening Interlude
by Reniya Dinkins
Watching Michael Kahn’s lat- would think that after death, things which makes that one moment person- the illusion of happiness drawn out by
est play at the Shakespeare Theatre is could not possibly get any worse, but al to each individual. This makes the those who love us.
like getting caught in a whirlwind of de- they do. The events in the play continue play unique. Unfortunately, there were a
sires, love, life, lies, denial, and an odd to become worse for about three hours During this moment, I thought few things in the production that did
sort of happiness.
take away from
The audience is not
the magic. Most
released from this
of the play has an
whirlwind until the
overall sense of
epiphany moment
dreariness due to
of the main characthe drab-colored
ter, Nina (Francesca
clothing and ugly
Faridany),
where
patterned
furnieverything falls toture of set designer
gether, in a strange
Walt Spangler and
sort of way. Then
costume designer
again, the title is
Jane Greenwood.
Strange Interlude.
Although it does
For those
correspond
with
who do not already
the time period
know, an interlude
and depressing sitis a short dramatic
uations of the play,
piece, such as an init also made me
strumental passage,
grow a bit weary,
rendered between
and I found myself
the parts of a song,
checking the time
drama, or other
at some points.
types of entertain
I credit my
ment. Although the
lack of patience to
play is not short (a
the fact that I am
little over 3 hours,
a teenager, and the
Photo courtesy of Scott Suchman
with two intermisvibe that the play
Francesca Faridany and Ted Koch play Nina and Sam in the Shakespeare Theatre’s Strange Interlude
sions), it is defigives off reminded
nitely full of drama,
me of something I
complete with three
would learn about
tragic deaths and a love triangle.
until the very end when Nina has gray about the person I am and how much I in history class. For this reason, it does
The play tells the story of a hair and is standing at the grave of one allow my emotions to control my life.
not seem like a play that teens would
group of close friends, who become of her lovers. Seems tragic, right? It “Eye-opener” is the one word enjoy, which is unfortunate because
somewhat of a family. This “family” actually turns out to be the “whirlwind I would use to describe my experi- the lesson that the play provides is one
includes Nina, Sam (Ted Koch), Ned release” or epiphany moment, which is ence seeing the production. At times that I believe would be a benefit to the
(Baylen Thomas), and “dear old Char- far from tragic. It is like watching dom- the characters’ thoughts were spoken lives of many youth.
lie” (Robert Stanton). The romances inoes continue to fall until reaching the aloud and could easily have been con- That lesson is not necessarily
and friendships among these four seem last domino, which miraculously re- fused with the dialogue. Also after a strange, but definitely unique. Unique
to be dependent upon Nina, the main mains standing.
while, Nina’s 1940s diva-like dialect Interlude has a ring to it.
character and the only female of the There is one moment when became quite annoying (“dahhhling”). Regardless of the title of the
group.
one finally realizes the point of the en- But my eyes were opened to the dif- production, when I left the Shake
The relationships between the tire play, the statement that O’Neill re- ferent ways people handle their emo- speare Theatre, I decided to make
foursome begin to form after the death veals to the audience. This statement, tions and the importance of happiness, some changes in my life all because of
of Nina’s fiancé-to-be, Gordon. Anyone however, is not the same for everyone, whether it is true happiness, or simply a woman named Nina. I could not ask
for more from a play than that.
Four Well-Spent Hours
by Brandon Holden
This season the Shakespeare
Theatre Company (STC) took a great
risk by showcasing Eugene O’Neill’s
experimental drama, Strange Interlude.
Many theaters fear taking this
risk mainly because of the four-hour
length. However, the STC tackled the
script and created an incredible production of O’Neill’s prize-winning drama, which was performed at the Sydney Harman Hall in April.
O’Neill created a masterpiece
that juxtaposed emotion and morality. Centering on the affairs of the main
character, Nina Leeds, played by Francesca Faridany, O’Neill introduces us
to a heroine faced with love and con-
fusion. Nina has fallen from grace after her husband died in World War I
and she has failed to consummate their
marriage. From this tragedy emerges
guilt, which forces her to join a coalition of Army nurses and please the soldiers the way she could not please her
husband. Nina then becomes involved
with three men, has a child, and comes
of age as she makes her life journey to
find true love and make up for what she
missed out on.
Michael Khan’s sublime direction truly showed understanding of
O’Neill’s modern test of emotion, drama, and comedy. Extensive use of soliloquy served as the medium of secrets,
love, jealousy, wit, and betrayal. The
directors and cast successfully worked
together to re-create the Pulitzer Prizewinning modern drama. Nina and her boys, Charles
(Robert Stanton), Gordon (Joe Short),
Edmund (Baylen Thomas), and Sam
(Ted Koch), were splendidly honest to the plot and characterization of
O’Neill’s original Broadway production. The company’s assemblage of actors and actresses acted out every scene
and, in turn, received a suspenseful and
edgy reaction from the audience. Truly
believable and involved in the characterization, the cast made the four hours
breeze by, against the wishes of the audience, of course.
The minimalist set and stage
design forced the players to highlight
the true messages of the play. Set with
a humungous white cube, the stage was
otherwise blank, and brought to life by
a projector that depicted the scenes of
Nina’s life. Bright, plain lights shone on
the actors’ faces and they wore simple
costumes of the time period. The simplicity of the set, design, and costumes
balanced out the power of the character portrayals.
Khan’s re-invention of Strange
Interlude is supreme. It was truly a tour
de force of witty American drama. The
audience, along with myself, laughed
at the affairs of Nina. Even though the
play was just over four hours, every
second was worth watching.
Reniya Dinkins and Brandon Holden were selected to participate in the Teen Critic Program
at the Shakespeare Theatre. This is the third of their reviews.
7
Train of Thought
Softball Team Wraps Up 2012 Season
by Whitney Wasso and Nnedimma Ugochukwu
Banneker’s girls softball team
ended their season 5-6 under the direction of the new coach, Mr. Darren
Wilson, who also teaches D.C. History
and Street Law.
After four years of coaching
the team, Ms. Jessica Levknecht and
Ms. Tiffani Jones stepped aside. Several players approached Mr. Wilson
and asked him to take over the team,
which he said he was “happy to do.”
Coach Wilson said that, although he has never played softball before this year, he has coached a Little
League team, and he played baseball in
college.
A lot of players came out which
Coach Wilson said was very good for
the team. What he would have done
differently that he didn’t have the opportunity to do, he said, was to train
more pitchers because it was a disad-
vantage at times to have so few.
Coach Wilson said he put a lot
of pressure on the Banneker team, and
“the best moment was when we won
our first home game against Dunbar
after losing our first two games.”
Most of the funniest moment
happened while they were riding on the
bus on the way to the games. They were
“good times.” He praised the players
because, he said, “everybody was will-
ing to learn, was very encouraging to
each other and got better.”
He said he thinks the players
need to work on staying calm under
pressure. His advice: “Don’t be afraid
to try, but enjoy it.”
He said the team made progress through the eleven games of the
season. Mr. Wilson said that he would
coach next year if he could.
Pass the Library, Go Straight to Wattpad
by Reniya Dinkins
Those days back in middle
school where reading for pleasure
wasn’t such a foreign concept seem
to be so long ago for the average Banneker student. Spare time equals naptime for many, but now that summer
is approaching full of long lazy days,
it’s about time that Banneker students
become re-acquainted with their old
middle school selves, the ones that had
time to voluntarily read books without
comprehension questions attached.
Wattpad.com is a website that
has become quite popular among students. It is a website that allows people
to read free books by unpublished authors. Members can create their own
unlimited libraries. People can also
post their own novels, stories, and po- the Kindle Fire or any Android or Apetry.
ple device.
Genres available include ro- “That website is the best webmance, teen fiction,
mystery,
humor,
sci-fi, fantasy, adventure, horror, historical fiction, short
story, fan fiction,
thriller, non teen
fiction, paranormal,
and poetry. The Aspiring authors might want to share their work at
wattpad.com.
books are works in
progress and are
updated by the author on a regular basis.
site ever! It takes you to another world,”
The site is also a free app that said sophomore Camisha Howard. can be downloaded on Smart phones, Another sophomore, Shawna
Darden, said, “I can’t stop reading it!
It’s addictive. Right now, I’m reading
Enjoying the Chase.”
Get ready to sit back and enjoy those lazy parts of the summer
with a good book, without even having to stop at the bookstore or library.
Maybe you can become the next most
popular author on Wattpad. It may be
your opportunity to become discovered
or your opportunity to discover something amazing.
Required summer reading for all
Banneker students can be found at
http://teacherweb.com/dc/banneker/
library.
THE PRESIDENTAL ELECTION IS SCHEDULED FOR NOV. 6, 2012
AND YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
Did you know that District residents may preregister to vote at age 16? Online registration can be completed on the
DC Board of Elections and Ethics website at
https://www.dcboee.org/voter_info/register_to_vote/ovr_step1.asp
Preregistered voters will not receive a voter registration card or be eligible to vote until they are at least 17 with a date of birth
indicating that they will be 18 on or before the next general election in November.
For further information, see the website or contact the Board at:
DC Board of Elections and Ethics
441 4th Street, NW, Suite 250 North
Washington, DC 20001
Tel: (202) 727-2525 | TTY: (202) 639-8916 | Tollfree: 1-866-DC-VOTES
Train of Thought is a student publication. The views expressed are those of individual writers and do not necessarily represent the views of DCPS, the
school, its faculty, or its students. Train of Thought welcomes comments, letters, queries, and contributions of work.
Please e-mail us at : bbtrainofthought@gmail.com.
STAFF
Reporters for This Issue:
Cherrie Coachman, Oni Crawford, Reniya Dinkins, Hagos Hagos, Brandon Holden, Brianna Little, Olayemi Olugbuyi, Imani Pajibo, Lakshmi Premysler, Nnedimma Ugochukwu, Yolande Zagre
Layout Editors:
Mitzi Vivar and Nnedimma Ugochukwu 8
Train of Thought
Senior Artwork Corner
By Olayemi Olugbuyi
By Yolande Zagre
Goodbye to the Class of 2012 Achievers
May you find success wherever you go!