the stentorian | ncssm
opinion
february 2010
15
Focus on grades, but
keep grades off Focus
Why young adults should read
Young Adult fiction
By Davis Goodnight
It can sometimes be hard
to adjust to the first C students
receive here at NCSSM. It can
take a while to realize that one
bad grade on one assignment
will not keep anyone front
graduating. But while students
eventually come to understand
this, it might be harder for
parents. The school is currently
considering requiring faculty
to maintain an up-to-date grade
book on Focus visible at all
times to students and parents.
Both students and parents
would be able to see grades
for every assignment in every
class they take.
This means that, for instance,
a student could do poorly on
a quiz and the parent could
know instantly. This removes
the interaction between parent
and child, allowing parents to
jump to conclusions before the
student has any possibility to
justify their grade.
Of course, the administration
is aware of the problems this
would cause. Parents would
be able to access course
expectations explaining the
grading policy and difficulty
of the course. A parent would
then know that a D on a piece
of homework is not as bad as a
D on a test or quiz.
Most students speak with
their parents about grades on a
regular or semi-regular basis—
at least enough for them to
know the general trends of
how the student is performing
academically. Allowing
parents to unceremoniously
eyeball grades at any moment
both severs a link between
parent and child and hinders a
parent’s ability to view grades
on a large scale, focusing
instead on small pieces of a
large puzzle.
Luckily for others who
share these concerns, the
situation might not progress
to this point. Steve Warshaw,
Vice Chancellor for Academic
Programs, said that while the
capability of showing grades
to students and parents alike
exists within Focus, this is by
no means a definitive step in
the future.
Warshaw said that, for
the. most part, “access to
information is good,” but he
agrees with concerns about
allowing parents to view all
grades. He says that at some
point, teachers will probably
have to display all grades
on Focus, though they will
most likely have the option to
share the grades with students,
parents, or both.
No decision has been
finalized yet, so there is still
room for change. It seems
that both parties will have
to continue voicing their
concerns in the coming months
to influence when, how, and for
whom grades will be visible
online.
By Tasha Samborski
At some point in time
we have all walked into a
bookstore and seen the section
completely devoted to teens.
Most of us do not think to take
a second glance and keep on
walking, as we seem to think ^
they are too young for us, or
are too much like our everyday
lives. The thing is, there is
a plethora of books in this
section to choose from that are
enjoyed by all age groups and
have so much to offer.
Their topics range from
'high school drama, high-
strung adventures, and
cliquey romances to the many
emotional issues that so many
teens face. They also act as
portals to unknown worlds,
just as books have promised to
do for years. The characters are
commonplace - they almost
feel as if they could be your
best friend, or arch-nemesis
- it is easy to relate to them
and find some semblance to
your own life.
As someone who is quite
familiar with this genre - I ,
have professionally reviewed
over 300 different titles as
a book blogger - 1 feel that I
■ can say that you should all try .
at least one good Young Adujt
(YA) book. You will see that
the authors try extraordinarily
hard to make sure that
everything, from the clothes
that the characters wear to
their facial expressions, fits in
line with our everyday lives. I
have also found that because
YA authors try so hard, their
books come out so much better.
Knowing that we young adults
are a tough bunch to impress,
YA authors bust their butts to
write a good book for teens
rather than a mediocre book for
adults, a much less selective
audience. Because of this fact,
YA books end up just being
better in regards to writing and
storyline. It’s like applying to
college - you know you will try
harder and consequently write
a better essay for Harvard,
Princeton, or "Tale, than one of
those easy-to-get-into schools.
Now many people have
reservations about reading YA
books as they are too focused
on teens, or they do not want to
read about a life they already
know about, but here’s the thing
- you get to see a new person’s
life in a different light. Also, a
lot of-the time, the only reason
why YA books are classified
as such is because their main
character is a teenager.
Take Megan McCafferty’s
''‘'Jessica Darling” series,
which starts out being about a
senior in high school and all her
calamities and then proceeds
to follow her throughout her
college years. Within the books
there is gossip, juicy scandals,
and oh so much more and
all of it has been enjoyed by
countless teens and adults alike
- and the only reason that you
would find it in the teen section
is because the main character
happens to be 17. Look at the
Twilight series. Many people,
both young and old, have
enjoyed these books and they
are classified as YA.
As you can see, YA books
are not young, they do not
represent a genre that we have
outgrown - they are simply
books about teens, meant to be
enjoyed by all, but in particular,
enjoyed by teens themselves.
Just think: you have years and
years to enjoy the thousands of
adult books that are out there,
but only a few to cherish those
that have to do with you, right
now.
Tasha Samborsk’s book
blog can be found at http://
andanotherbookread. blogspot.
com/. • Photo courtesy of Tasha
Samborski
NCSSM Presents: Thoroughly Modern Millie
By Erica Venning
When set next to musical
productions of the past.
Thoroughly Modern Millie
stands out. NCSSM has an
arguably impressive string
of musicals, including The
Boyfriend, Anything Goes,
and Once Upon a Mattress
in the past three years.
However, many students cast
in Thoroughly Modern Millie
will tell you that this show is
going to be the best yet.
Strikingly similar to the
“Roaring Twenties” feel of
last year’s The Boyfriend,
Thoroughly Modem Millie
embraces the quirky, flapper
styles which originated in
1920’s America. Perhaps the
main difference in the two plays
is that last year, when songs
from The Boyfriend were stuck
in your head, you did anything
you possibly could to get them
out. Now, when songs from
Thoroughly Modern Millie
(TMM) are stuck in your head,
it is probable that you will
enjoy it. In essence, TMM is
simply a better written play
in both dialogue and musical
scores.
The first thing 1 noticed
when 1 read the script was that
TMM is legitimately funny^
The clichd jokes interspersed
in the dialogue never fall flat: I
find myself cracking up during
rehearsal every day. Also, the
jokes are easier to follow. They
flow better with the dialogue
and make sense with the plot.
In fact, the plot itself is a bit
of a big joke—not in the sense
that it’s a flop, however.
The play revolves around
the main character, Millie
Dilmount (Polly Tobias), who
moves to New York City in
order to become a tme “modem
woman”. In her mind, a modem
woman should not get caught
up with petty things like love,
and so her main ambition is
to marry well. As you may
have expected, Millie is
unprepared for the insensiti\ e
and unyielding populace of
New York.
.' Immediately qifter she
arrives, she is robbed and mns
into Jimmy Smith (Nathaniel
Swofford). Jimmy is a suave,
savvy individual who looks
down on Millie for her naivete
and optimism, traits not found
in many New Yorkers. Without
giving, away too much more
of the plot, I will tell you
that Millie longs to marry
her boss, Trevor Graydon
(Nick Sanford), gets caught
in the midst of a w hite slavery
ring headed by Mrs. Meers
(Ashley Teal), finds a friend in
Miss Dorothy Brown (Jessie
Brown), and in the end finds
love thanks to the guidance of
Muzzy Van Hossmere (Erica
Venning).
If the cuddly witticisms
found in the story line don’t
evoke some musical curiosity in
you, perhaps the choreography
or the song line-up will. Nearly
every day, Monday through
Thursday, members of the cast
are in the auditorium rehearsing
from 4:30-6:00 P.M. If the cast
isn’t blocking lines, they are
either in the dance studio or in
the music wing.
Thanks to Amanda Ackovitz
and dance teacher Kathy
Berberian, the choreography
in Thoroughly Modern Millie
is going to be some of the best
I’ve ever seen. I’ve witnessed
members of the ensemble, who
take part in the majority of the
numbers in the play, running
choreography down the halls
on the way to class. If dance
isn’t quite your cUp of tea, then
you certainly will enjoy the
songs. With fairly complicated
harmonies and challenging
notes to hit, the songs are
incredibly entertaining. As
theater teacher and director
Adam Sampieri’s lO* show at
NCSSM, Thoroughly Modern
Millie promises to be a lively,
enjoyable, and all around
impressive experience.
Students rehearse as the performance dates of "Thoroughly Moddern Millie" draw closer.
• Photo by Dustin Burleson