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The Governor Editorial A Public Forum for News, Opinion, and Creative Thought of The Governor’s Academy Possible, Probable, December 16, 2010 Volume 52, Issue 4 Time Wasted E d i to r s - i n - c h i e f: A d v i s o r s : S taff A r t i s t s :: Katie Reilly ‘11 Ms. Sue Hofmann Kaylee Ryu ‘12 Nora Kline ‘11 Ms. Brenda Riddell Rory Burke ‘11 Dylan Binnie ‘11 David Lim ‘11 Emma Collins ‘12 P h oto g r ap h y m A n a g i n g E d i - E d i to r s : S taff W r i t e r s : Mr. John Halligan’s convocation is the model that the other convocations to r s : Michelle Gallipeau‘11 Tina McGrath ‘12 should follow. It excelled in every category, and I don’t believe there was a single Rachel Cabitt ‘12 John Damianos ‘12 Andres Saenz ‘12 student with whom Mr. Halligan’s message didn’t hit home. The story of his son Dylan Binnie ‘11 Christine Lee ‘12 Lauren Labrique ‘12 A. Okeke-Diagne ‘11 Rachel Cabitt ‘12 was a horrific story, but whose power left a lasting impression so that people m A S t h e a d : Ryan Kelly ‘11 are still talking about it, a week after the speech. It was not only because of Mr. Abby Matses ‘11 Kayla Jenson ‘11 Skylar Frisch ‘11 Halligan’s delivery, whose emotion and the poignancy of his position pushed Doc Bradley (Faculty) through his speech to make the entire audience want to give him a hug or some comforting gesture, but because of his message. The purpose of the convocations is to teach the student body something. Often these blocks are filled with the useless ramblings of people who have an Editorial exaggerated opinion of themselves. These people stand on stage and preach that the secret to their self-avowed success was “hard work, setting goals, and self- confidence.” The extent of their rhetoric is just the rehashing and regurgitation To Slide or Not to of clichés. These people call themselves “motivational speaker,” yet I doubt they have ever inspired anyone to brush their teeth everyday let alone change the entirety of their lifestyle. Telling me I need to be confident will not suddenly fill me Slide... with confidence. The speakers are not Moses—and if they think this is possible, they need to get their god complex sorted out. Nora Kline ‘11 The poignancy of Mr. Halligan’s speech came from the fact that he did not believe he was better than his audience. He did not attempt to preach, but in- As I started to open a suspiciously small envelope on the afternoon of De- stead to present you with the situation he was faced with, the mistakes he made, cember 17, 2010, I could not resist the final surge of pressure and stress that had and surrounding circumstances, and allowed his audience to draw conclusions undoubtedly overcome my body, along with those of my classmates, for the past of their own. The wisdom he espoused was not centered around clichés, but in- three months. Rather than handling the piece of mail delicately, since I may stead around a story—one that cannot be summarized in three sentences. have wanted to keep this particular envelope forever, I aggressively tore open the The most refreshing thing about Mr. Halligan is that he admitted to his defensive seal and ripped out the letter from Vanderbilt University. mistakes, but most importantly he did not apologize for them. He regretted I wish I could say that all my worries vanished and I no longer felt any stress them surely, and no will would ever contest that, but he admitted to them. He about schoolwork or applications, but that would be a lie. Of course I was ec- did not appear to be this monolith of morality but rather a human, just like all of static about the news this letter brought, and especially relieved, but in the back us. Mr. Halligan’s convocation is the only one I can remember where the entirety of my head I could not help but think about my performance on my exams that of the student body was silent upon its completion, instead of talking, they were week or the amount of reading I had to do in the Scarlet Letter over break. But contemplating the speakers words—exactly what the convocation periods are I suppose that was a change from the norm; those thoughts were in the back of suppose to provoke. my head, not banging around in the front. Without a doubt, I was still going I am not suggesting that the school’s only option for a quality chapel is to be the overachieving, uptight, and grade oriented student I had always been, to bring someone who has suffered a horrible tragedy every week, there is no regardless of the college acceptance letter in my hand. need to, if anything that would dilute the power of their words. Life lessons are I face the judgmental looks and side comments every day -- the “why are you called “life lessons” for a reason, in that it takes a lifetime to learn them. Most studying, you’re already into college,” remarks and the “you’re doing homework importantly, these life lessons are numerous enough to be taught arbitrarily ev- on a Saturday … really?” quips. As much as I want to “slack” and “senior slide,” ery week. I just can’t find it within myself. B ut I know longer feel the overwhelming pres- When I asked a student which convocation has had been their favorite or sure of high school transcripts, and perhaps this is the ingredient to success. had the most impact on them, the predominant response I got was “Mr. Hal- I will admit that I, along with the majority of my classmates, cannot help ligan’s, then the faculty meetings that replace convocations, because those free but shoot teachers judgmental glares when they give us the motivational speech blocks are really nice to have.” The school would better accomplish their goal about not giving up second semester, because motivation, at this point, is only of teaching these “life lessons” to the student body by concentrating on getting going to come from within us. We have the power to choose whether or not fewer speakers but of a much higher quality than its current system. we want to work hard and succeed. Since grades are no longer a daunting and crucial part of school for us, there is not much teachers can say or do to keep attention and focus high in a classroom full of seniors. But without the added stress of transcripts and college applications, it seems as if success is now easier to achieve than it was before. At the end of the day the only work we now face is schoolwork. We don’t have to make time to tweak our CommonApps or finish up the fourth draft of our college essays; we can simply just enjoy the lost art of Please Visit: learning for the sake of knowledge. Of course there are multiple perks to the notorious “senior slide.” Rather than studying for that calculus test, you can catch up on a Keeping up with the Kardashians episode you’ve missed or simply just sit in your dorm room star- ing at the wall as study hall passes. Instead of doing thorough annotations for English, you can just flip through the pages of the book and underline random www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org sentences minutes before class (the majority of you do that anyways). Yes, the senior slide is meant to cater to the lazy and the unmotivated. The people who show that they do not need grades or teachers to motivate them to work hard are the people who will feel the most gratification and achievement when graduation arrives. So, to slide or not to slide? You be the judge. to learn more about the negative impact of bullying. f e at u r e s T h e G o v e r n o r 3

Govs’ SMART Team

By: Andres Saenz ‘12 For the last couple of weeks a group ten students, led by Mrs. Rokous, have ATTENTION! been doing research on two proteins and their structures: OpcA and IgG. This group of students is known as The Governor’s Academy SMART team (Students Modeling A Research Topic) The idea of this project is to model one protein and find it’s important components. The Wedding Singer Last week the SMART team went to the University of New Hampshire where they learned about the immune system from an internationally renowned professor and scientist, Dr. Tom Laue. Then the SMART team spent some time will be performed on in the UNH labs learning more about the structure of IgG, the antibody in which the project is based on. As one of the SMART team members, Ryan Kelly, said about the visit, “It was interesting, and unexpected.” On early April the SMART team will be going to the Annual American So- February 17th (7:00 pm) ciety for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology meeting in Washington D.C, along with many other SMART teams, in order to present their project. The SMART Team program started in 2001. Since then it has expanded February 18th (7:30 pm) throughout the nation. Mrs. Rokous brought the first SMART Team idea to the academy last year. According to Mrs. Rokous this project is a great way to in- volve students with actual science. They have the opportunity to work on a real February 19th (7:30 pm) lab and learn with the necessity of a book. This year’s SMART team is comprised of a variety of students from many different grades. They are Reina Arakawa ‘12, JaKyung Bang ‘13, Cheng-Wei by Chang ‘11, Ryan Kelly ‘11, Kwan Woo Lee ‘11, Jen-An Liu ‘11, Michael Rotondo ‘12, Noah Sherman ‘12 and Andres Saenz ‘12. This group of students is going to be the first Govs’ SMART Team to represent the academy in the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology meeting! The Governor’s Academy Drama Troupe.

Photo Credit: SMART Team Mike Rotundo ‘12, Noah Sherman ‘12, Andres Saenz ‘12

Review: The Fighter

By: Lauren Labrique ‘12

It’s Rocky with an Irish twist. Film makers have finally discovered the magic ingredient that can make anything better. It’s the story of overcoming adversity, working hard, and success. Yes, it’s The Fighter. Loyalty and family are key pieces of a film that North, South, and those unfortunate enough not to identify with either shore, feel an overwhelming sense of pride for. There is drama, inspiration, and accents that will transport you into the struggles of “Irish” Micky Ward. The true genius of this film is not just recognized by the bias fans who may remember watching the true story play out in Lowell about ten years ago. No, the critics have spoken, and the genius of this film is tangible to all. The only way to believe what everyone is raving about is to see it.

5 out of 5 Govs f e at u r e s T h e G o v e r n o r 4 Glamour at the Globes Want to write for (and a little bit of ghastliness too) Rachel Cabitt ‘12

The 2011 Golden Globes started the New Year off on the right foot, fash- The Governor? ion wise. On the evening of January 16, 2011, Hollywood’s most famous stars walked down the red carpet. Some looked glamorous while others looked ques- tionable. From the rookies, such as True Grit newcomer, Hailee Steinfeld, to the veterans, such as Angelina Jolie, all of Hollywood’s famous dressed to impress. Whether they actually impressed is the real question. The young ladies of Hollywood impressed the fashion critics the most. Lea Michele of Glee flaunted a long, ruffled, light pink Oscar de la Renta gown. Please email us at: Emma Stone, of Easy A, wore a modest, coral Calvin Klein gown that was simple yet modern. Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld dressed appropriately for her age in a long, elegant, distressed white Prabal Gurung gown. Another Glee star, Am- ber Riley, glowed in a one-shoulder, shimmery, metallic silver Oliver Tolentino gown that showed off her figure. These young ladies obviously knew how to dress themselves, or at least their stylists did. Unfortunately some other stars [email protected] weren’t so lucky… The less fortunate included Michelle Williams, Helena Bonham Carter, and Sandra Bullock. The Jenny Packham dress that Bullock sported was beyond gor- geous, but nobody could focus on the beauty of the dress because they couldn’t take their eyes off her out-dated hair cut! One’s appearance at the Globes isn’t Review: just about the outfit; it’s about the whole look! The next train wreck that chugged down the red carpet was Helena Bonham Carter. Everyone knows Carter to be an eccentric character but her ensemble at the Globes was just dreadful. Between the mismatched shoes, to the half-teased, half dread-locked hair, to the puffy Assassin’s Creed mix patterned dress, there was just too much ugly for one person to look at. The next victim, Michelle Williams, wasn’t as bad as Bullock or Carter. The only word to describe her look was “blah.” From the plain color, to the daisy print, Brotherhood she looked boring and out of place. Fortunately, there were some veteran stars who knew exactly how to dress for the Golden Globes. Ryan Kelly ‘11 One of these veterans was Angelina Jolie. The famous actress didn’t wear Following the success of Assassin’s Creed and Assassin’s Creed 2, comes black for once and instead wore a sparkly emerald green Atelier Versace gown. the new Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood. For those not familiar with the series, Catherine Zeta Jones also came out in green. She flaunted a gown designed by you play as Desmond, a man who must relive memories of his ancestry in order Monique Lhuillier, which had faded rose flowers embossed onto it. One other to divulge his family’s secrets and ultimately save the world. Like Assassin’s actress that deserves honorable mention is the one and only Anne Hathaway. Creed 2, the game centers around Enzio, an Italian assassin living in the Renais- The move star modeled a beige sequined Giorgio Armani Prive gown that is sance period. It’s essentially just a continuation of the previous game as the hard to pull off, but she of course pulled it off without a hitch. locale is the same, the same characters, and the same weapons. While this seems Now, in this paragraph I would usually talk about the men’s fashion at the like a bore for those that have played the old installments, there are some new Globes, but let’s face it, nobody notices what the men wear. Yeah, they might additions. Enzio now has the ability to recruit his own assassins. While there is throw in a velvet bow tie, big whoop. When an actor steps out of the robot black some maniacal joy that comes from watching enemies fall from unseen allies, I and white tux, then maybe he’ll be worth mentioning. Other than that, the fash- found myself relying on the crutch more and more, to the extent where some- ion at the 2011 Golden Globes was phenomenal and hopefully the Hollywood times I felt more like a supervisor than a trained assassin. starlets can keep their fashion act up for the rest of 2011. Also, there is now the new multiplayer system. In this new gameplay fea- Works Cited: ture, you are hunting a random online player while there is a player constantly http://www.elle.com/Fashion/Celebrity-Style/Gold-Standard-The- hunting you. It may sound exciting, but the core gameplay shifts quickly into 2011-Golden-Globes-s-Best-Dressed/%28imageIndex%29/9/%28play%29/ boredom. Essentially it boils down to this: you have a weapon. There is a bunch false of people just chilling in an open area. Now you walk around and your screen http://www.eonline.com/photos/gallery.jsp?galleryUUID=2824#107958 goes berserk because your target is now right next to you. You go in for the kill http://www.teenvogue.com/style/2011/01/best-dressed-golden- … and oh, hold on a moment. Did you not realize the guy walking behind you globes#slide=6 was actually following you? Too bad, you are dead. The multiplayer frustrated me so much that I actually considered shutting off the game and getting some fresh air. Crazy, right? Overall, the graphics are fantastic, the story is complex, and controls are near flawless, however, the game seems routine and familiar. I give Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood a 3.5 out of 5 because who wants more of the same?

Photo credit: photobucket.com Photo credit: socialitelife.com Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at the Golden Globes f e at u r e s T h e G o v e r n o r 5

Bud Keene: Big Time, Real Deal

Kayla Jenson ‘11 We all have goals, ambitions, and hopes for our futures and what we decide On Tuesday January 11, 2011, Olympic Snowboard Coach, Bud Keene, came to do with them is in our hands only. When people like Bud, come to motivate to The Governor’s Academy as a guest convocation speaker. Mr. Keene has spo- and inspire an audience, we only take away what we choose. Bud emphasized ken to countless groups all around the world, including high school graduations, the important of perseverance. Things in life are not easy and it’s those who try colleges, Olympic committees, coaching groups and corporations. He came as and try again that achieve the impossible. As Shaun White’s coach, Bud has been a motivational and inspirational speaker, bringing countless photos, minutes of through many ups and downs with Shaun and he has seen what it takes to be never-before-seen footage, and hundreds of pieces of advice. Although he spoke the best. Throughout his speech he preached that a strong personality, self-confi- mainly from the point of view of a snowboard coach, he related his speech to dence, and a lot of courage are the keys to success. Although we may already be everyone in the audience with a goal. Along with many other topics, he spoke in high school, on our way to college, or even teachers with families, as George about goal-setting, personal confidence, sacrifice, and commitment. Eliot once said, “It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” In 2002, Bud became part of the coaching staff for the U.S. Snowboarding Halfpipe Team. In 2003, he was appointed the head halfpipe coach and in 2006 led the Olympic Halfpipe team to success in Torino. His team of eight athletes brought home 2 gold medals 2 silvers, two 4ths, a 6th place and a 10th place. Post Olympics, Bud was named the 2006 U.S. Ski and Snowboard Associations International Snowboard Coach of the year in addition to USSA’s 2006 Overall Coach of the Year. Four years later, in 2010, as Shaun White’s personal coach, Bud led Shaun to his second consecutive Olympic Halfpipe Gold Medal. With the hopes of defending the Gold Medal for a third consecutive year, Mr. Keene will head to Sochi, Russia with Shaun White once again in the 2014 Olympics and no one can say what Shaun might pull out of his bag of tricks. What many don’t know is that in addition to being a big time snowboard coach, Bud is a snowboarding pioneer himself having made many first descents on many international expeditions. He set a new world record for the highest altitude ever snowboarded in 1986 when he and few friends made the risky decent down Mt. Aconcagua, a soaring 22,000 feet. Bud also worked as the as- sistant navigator for Ned Gillette’s Voyage to Antarctica in 1986. The men on this expedition launched with the hope of being the first to row a boat from Cape Horn to Antarctica; 605 miles across some of the worst seas in the world via the Drake Passage.

In addition to being a snowboarding legend and Olympic coach, Mr. Photo credit: radionowindy.com Keene is an ACF Certified Chef, an award-winning Master Ice Sculptor and has Shaun White and Bud Keene ridden his bike across the country. Bud has proved himself in many ways and we were thankful to have him speak to the school community. Alex Carpenter: Not Just a Hockey Phenom

Skylar Frisch ‘11 The Governor: What is your favorite thing about playing hockey at this level? Alex Carpenter was recently the youngest member of the 2010 U.S. Wom- Alex: My favorite thing about playing at the level is definitely the chal- en’s National Under-18 Team. As a senior on the Girls Varsity Hockey Team, lenge. Having to prove yourself to your teammates and coaches every time you Alex has already gotten a total of 155 goals and 136 assists for 291 points over step on the ice is always fun. You have to make a name for yourself when you three years. But off the ice, Alex is a great student, friend, and community mem- play at this level and the only way to do it is to face the challenges your coaches ber at Govs. put in front of you.

G: Where is the most exotic/farthest place you have traveled to because of hockey? A: Sweden and the Czech Republic were both probably the farthest places I’ve been to, both about 8 hour flights. They were also pretty weird places, weird as in very different from here.

G: Do you get to go sightseeing when you travel to these places? A: On our off days when we have no games we usually get to go into the city as a team. Two years ago we got a tour around Chicago and this past Janu- ary we took a bus tour and then got to walk around Stockholm, Sweden. It’s unbelievable how different everything is compared to here.

G: Do you ever feel like you’re missing out on the “high school experience” because of your time consuming commitment to hockey? A: Of course I do. I always have to tell myself that it is worth it though, what I have chosen to do. I get to travel around the country and the world with 20 other people just like me playing the sport that I love. I think that makes up for missing out on some of the high school experience.

G: What do you want to major in at Boston College? What are your academic areas of interest? A: I’m hoping to go pre-med, we’ll see how that goes. But I am enrolled in arts/ sciences and hope to go somewhere with science. After college I hope to be a physical therapist or trainer, hopefully one day for USA hockey.

G: What is your favorite thing to do other than hockey? A: When I’m not playing hockey I like to be at my lake house with my family and cousins. We used to go there every summer before hockey took over our Photo credit: Vaughn Winchell summers. It’s fun just to go there and take a week or two off from hockey and Alex Carpenter be able to do the things that everyone else does during their summer instead of chasing a piece of plastic around. f e at u r e s T h e G o v e r n o r 6 AP Classes: A Necessary Evil (from a teacher’s point of view)

Doc Bradley (Faculty) I have resisted teaching AP Chemistry for a long time. I once taught a history, than in others, like English. course called Advanced Chemistry, a half-credit course that averaged 10 to 12 Another problem is the loss of academic diversity. A student’s first oppor- students each year, had no lab, and met three times a week. (Mr. Long took this tunity to indulge their curiosity comes in the junior and, especially, the senior course and aced it). It was great fun. The students took it as an elective because year. From the perspective of faculty considering a senior elective, a particular they wanted to study more chemistry, I picked topics guided by what I thought teacher may be fascinated by the platypus, a period in history, or the history of would be useful, but also by what I thought would be fun. I remember that a pi; they come alive when they teach it, but if it’s not on the AP test there’s no student came to class one day to ask if we could study a chapter on organic time for it. The talented student won’t take it anyway; they need the APs on their chemistry she’d looked at near the end of the book. We finished what we were transcript. doing and started on this chapter. Having the flexibility to pursue a student’s The private boarding school has a unique opportunity to create an environ- interest is about as good as it gets. Academic freedom, the freedom to teach what ment of its own devising for its students. The intellectual life of the community must is on your mind, or your students’ minds, is too important in education to be start with the course catalog. Every AP course you put in place removes a spot for an shackled to a rigid syllabus. idiosyncratic course, informed by the whim of talented faculty, in favor of a course The beauty of this situation was that it produced a flexible academic en- vironment. The discussion could twist and turn as interest dictated. This some- times resulted in the sort of learning a teacher cannot anticipate, the sort that students might carry away from class because it was organically connected to something they already knew. A routine exposition of the unusual properties of mercury led to the following discussion: we may treat wool with mercury to make felt; felt is used to make hats; mercury is a dreadful neurotoxin; and the expression “mad as a hatter” (read Alice in Wonderland) may have nothing to do with the chemistry of mercury, or chemistry at all for that matter. But the conversation was interesting! My Advanced Chemistry class evolved into a course with a lab and 1.5 hours per week. But the number of students electing the course started to drop, and students started asking why there wasn’t an AP Chemistry course. One student commented that he liked chemistry but could not take the course if it was not AP. It finally came down to a matter of time, money and space, and wedis- continued the course in favor of AP Chemistry. The number of students electing the course shot right back up. The Governor’s Academy is a prep school. Its most important goal, argu- ably, is to get the senior class into college. A strong academic transcript is one Photo credit: westsidewired.com part of a student’s admissions profile, and the AP courses play an important role. Students at Another School Practicing for an AP Exam The original intent of the AP program was to give talented high school students the opportunity to place out of introductory college courses. Over the years, as designed by a committee which knows nothing off your school. The non-AP senior GPAs have risen, colleges have come to look at AP courses as an external mea- electives are marginalized as soft, or they vanish. sure of a student’s performance. The Governor’s Academy is under pressure The Governor’s Academy must have the courage of conviction. If we feel from prospective parents and ambitious students looking purely at the number that our commitment to learning, among the other values espoused in our mis- of AP courses offered as a measure of the quality of the academic program. We sion statement, is real, then we must recognize AP courses for what they are: currently offer 18. Faculty may prefer the academic freedom of a course of their an industrial strength intrusion into the academic life of the school, backed by own design to the manacle of an AP curriculum, yet we teach as many APs as we a company giving 3,000,000 of these tests a year for $87 a pop; backed by the can. There are problems with this. text book publishers who create AP texts and study guides, and the myriad of If you teach AP you teach to the test. Learning the material and enjoying groups offering AP prep courses. Some private schools with very strong aca- the subject is one thing, but getting a 4 or 5 on the test is more important. If I demic reputations do not offer AP courses. For the rest of us they are a necessary mimic the AP Chemistry test, my students will do better on it. Teaching to the evil to be used with caution. test is more of a problem in some AP courses, such as biology, chemistry, and Campus snapshots f e at u r e s T h e G o v e r n o r 7 AP: Application Priority (from a student’s point of view)

Katie reilly ‘11 Attend an information session, lecture or presentation hosted by an expert officers will tell applicants that they evaluate the rigor of the courses takenby on the college admissions process and one of the most common questions asked the applicant during his or her high school career. As a result, more often than of the speaker will undoubtedly be, “Is it better to take an AP class and earn a not, students take AP courses so they can showcase an impressive high school B or take a regular class and earn an A?” In response, the speaker’s answer will transcript, not so they won’t have to take U.S. History again during their fresh- almost always be, “It’s better to take an AP class and earn an A.” Thanks. We man year of college. It’s also important to consider that if students are cramming knew that. for tests and robotically memorizing material, their chances of retaining the in- For high school students, Advanced Placement classes are a source of formation long-term are slim, which means that, even though they took the AP stress, pressure and, when facing the predicament described above, confusion. course in high school, students just might need to take that course again anyway. Parents and college counselors will encourage students to take more of them. Today, there are more than 30 different AP courses offered in subjects rang- Students will stress about working to get into them. Teachers will worry about ing from World History to Macroeconomics to Music Theory. By the time I grad- adequately preparing students to excel on the exam. All in all, the courses take a uate, I will have taken seven of them. The courses have the potential to challenge toll on every involved party. high school students with college-level work involving interesting subject mat- The standardized curriculum frequently includes more material than ters. The problem isn’t the rigorous and demanding workload that comes with classes will have time to cover. As a result, material is taught quickly and stu- these classes. That’s to be expected and, for those who enjoy the subject matter, dents adjust to the fast-paced workload by cramming for tests and regurgitating even welcomed. Advanced classes will be effective only if students choose to the information. Not only is it tiring, but this memorization game is also a far take them. Unfortunately, with the competition surrounding college admissions, cry from what was intended when the AP program was developed years ago. enrollment in AP courses is not a choice, but a requirement. The real problem In the years following World War II, the Ford Foundation began fund- is that the Advanced Placement program no longer offers what it intended to. ing committees studying education, something that later grew into the College Until the courses become more about advanced education and less about college Board. The first study was conducted by three prep schools not unlike ourown admissions, there will continue to be a cycle of stress and pressure surrounding (Lawrenceville, Phillips Andover and Phillips Exeter) and three well-known AP courses. universities (Harvard, Princeton and Yale). In completion of the study in 1952, the committee released a report entitled General Education in School and Col- lege: A Committee Report. Essentially, the report argued that the curriculum during the first two years of college repeats much of what is taught during the last two years of high school. An excerpt from the report reads, “For well-pre- pared students this means boredom, loss of intellectual momentum, and serious waste of time in moving towards academic and professional objectives.” With the intention of making education more of a “continuous process” and giving high school students a chance to study college-level material and receive college credit for it, Advanced Placement courses were created. Ideally, advanced academic courses provide great opportunities for the aspiring physicist, linguist, chemist or historian to delve deeper into his or her favorite area of study. Advanced courses can give intellectually motivated and passionate students a challenge and a chance to jumpstart their college education. However, as professors are forced to “teach to the test” and as students lose hours of sleep over courses that they are taking for all the wrong reasons, it is safe to say that the College Board’s Advanced Placement program has come to lack the essence of the ideal and intended educational system. Ironically, the courses that were created in the hopes of bettering a student’s education have actually shifted the focus from the student to the applicant. AP courses have become less of a tool for furthering education and more of a pawn in the college admissions game, which serves only to intensify an already stress- Photo credit: superfuture.com ful curriculum. The driving force for taking AP courses tends to be admission AP and SAT Study Aids to college rather than prevention of a repetitive college education. Admissions Winter 2011 the back page T h e G o v e r n o r 8 Happy Birthday in January!

Seni o r s Juni o r s So ph omo r e s Fr eshm en Hyun Jin Lim...... 1/07/1992 Robert Bogart...... 1/11/1993 Cameron Laughlin...... 1/04/1994 Ma Jiacheng...... 1/18/1995 Tae Yoon Lim...... 1/07/1992 Todd Moores...... 1/25/1993 Rongbing Zhang...... 1/17/1994 Eddie Holmes...... 1/01/1996 Shaquille Bennett...... 1/02/1994 Josh Cronin...... 1/05/1994 Wotton Nicole...... 1/03/1996 Kwang Woo Lee...... 1/30/1992 Camden Means...... 1/03/1994 Conor O’Dea...... 1/11/1995 Richard Chute...... 1/21/1996 Austin Dubus...... 1/02/1993 Grant O’Brien...... 1/10/1994 Esther Tram...... 1/11/1995 Suraj Patel...... 1/22/1996 Cole Forbes...... 1/04/1993 Katie Rudolf...... 1/11/1994 Ariana DiCroce...... 1/16/1995 Anthony Sosa...... 1/22/1996 Madison Schneider...... 1/10/1993 Greg Duchard...... 1/12/1994 Kelly Callahan...... 1/23/1995 Sara Cook...... 1/25/1996 Robert Haran...... 1/19/1994 Colby King...... 1/28/1996 Alexa Balboni...... 1/15/1993 Aakash Patel...... 1/23/1994 Bria Ruffen...... 1/21/1993 Peri Schaut...... 1/31/1994 Carolyn Hoffman...... 1/25/1993

Govs on Twitter What we think Govs (actual) should “tweet”...

Four win coveted art show awards Two snow days in one year? Mr. http://bit.ly/dHH2ad Doggett is going out with a bang. 6:27 AM Jan 28th via twitterfeed 9:13 AM Feb 2nd via Web

Student Art Show, Secrets & Lies, in Mr. Rokous just drove to the dining Student Center tonight, 6-8pm. Come hall again... G3. support your talented friends! 7:34 AM Jan 26th via Facebook 3:04 PM Jan 27th via web Mr. Robertson is singing another song Less than a week until the February Fa- no one has heard of. ceoff begins - a competition between 10:02 AM Jan 31st via twitterfeed young alums in ISL schools!... http://fb.me/SiNQnZ0t Mr. Doggett has yet to let a class out on 12:52 PM Jan 26th via Facebook time. 11:58 AM Jan 21st via twitterfeed Alum Francois ‘04 headed to Super- Just when we thought Friday morning Bowl meetings could not get any more awk- http://bit.ly/hrXB3l ward...they let Thad on stage. 6:51 AM Jan 26th via Facebook 8:02 AM Jan 28th via Facebook Follow @GovsAcademy

Quotation of the Issue “Flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.” -Douglas Adams