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The Penguin PressIssue V aas.point@gmail.com 31 January, 2012

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With seniors an-nouncing with great en-thusiasm the conclusion of their TOK classes, and juniors preparing for the beginning of their own, this particu-lar IB course has been getting a lot of attention. But then, what exactly is Theory of Knowl-edge? Ironically these kinds of nebulous inqui-ries are characteristic of the class, however whether there will ever be a definite answer to such ponderings is rath-er doubtful.

According to the IB Cur-riculum outline: “The theory of knowledge (TOK) requirement is central to the educa-tional philosophy of the Diploma Programme. It offers students and their teachers the opportunity to: reflect critically on diverse ways of know-ing and on areas of knowledge, consider the role and nature of knowledge in their own culture, in the cultures of others and in the wid-er world. In addition, it prompts students to: Be aware of themselves as thinkers, encouraging them to become more acquainted with the complexity of knowl-edge, and recognize the need to act responsibly in an increasingly inter-connected but uncertain world.”

“As a thoughtful and purposeful inquiry into different ways of know-ing, and into different kinds of knowledge, TOK is composed al-most entirely of ques-tions. The most central of these is ‘How do we know?’”

Understanding the ways in which one compre-hends the world around them is undeniably a fascinating topic of di-cussion, a catalyst if you will, for refelction and newfound insight

into how it is that indi-viduals percieve their day-today experiences.

But then again, the means by which one person may intepret say a colour, texture, or smell, could vary vastly from the sensory experi-ence of another. Theory of Knowledge higlights the dangers of bias, making students aware of the interpretaive nature of knowledge, including personal ideological tendencies, regardless of whether,

ultimatley, these biases are retained, revised or rejected. ``“TOK also has an im-portant role to play in providing coherence for the student as it tran-scends and links aca-demic areas thus dem-onstrating the way in which students can ap-ply their kowlege with greater awareness and credibility” (IB Cur-riculum Outline).

The Big Question - What is Theory of Knowlege? - Xenia Rakovshik

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Worried that IB will kill you? Wondering if you’re going to make it through? Here are a few tips to make the process easier for you:

Don’t procrastinate. I know this has been rid-den into the ground. But what’s important to remember is that in IB, the assignments never stop. You always have something to do. So you end up working all the time anyway, more even, than you would if you were to get a head start on things.

Plan. With everything that will be going on: classes, the extended essay, CAS, IB assess-ments, college searches – you are inevitably bound to forget to do something. So just write everything down, use the school planner for once. Plan things out.

Study halls. I find that

I use study halls more efficiently when I do small assignments (i.e. worksheets or exer-cises, as oppose to projects) or work on my CAS reflections. You get the little things done, while not having to really concentrate as much, killing two birds with one stone. You’re not working to the max consistently all day long and you’re getting work that needs to be done, at the same time. Use your study halls, they are such wonderful gifts.

Do your CAS reflec-tions as soon as you’ve done the activity. Be-cause, believe me, the amount of reflections you’ll need to do will pile up and it will pile up fast. And one day you wake up and you have 20 CAS reflec-tions to do for 5 differ-ent activities, so you end up having to work a lot more than you could

have been. Don’t forget about CAS.

Sleep is your friend.

Don’t stress out at the beginning of the year when your grades take a depressing plunge. You’ve just been thrust onto an entirely differ-ent level of expecta-tions; it’s understand-able you’re not doing so well. At the same

time don’t just leave your problems be.

Learn from your mis-takes; put some extra work in the classes that require it. Your grades are not going to fix themselves.

Find the golden mid-dle between relaxing and working.

If you’re not in IB yet

and you’re choosing or thinking about your classes, just a little tip, choose classes you’ll enjoy. If you’re going to be studying these sub-jects for the next two years, you might as well be interested in what you are learning.

IB Column - Handy Tips- Sasha Parodi

February 16 from 5:30 in the Bolshoi, Malyy and Hall of Flags. Come and support the Arts and your com-munity! Friday, April 20th

The organizers of the fair are inviting all students to join and share their ideas on the planning committee. This is a great CAS opportunity for all IB students. For more de-tails, please see Mr.Assimakopoulos

Ping Pong Club is still active. Sign up, get involved and complete your CAS require-ments.

Ping Pong

Eco Fair

Advertising Evening with the Arts Want to Advertise? This

space could be yours!

Contact us at aas.point@gmail.com

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What did you want to become upon leaving high school?I had absolutely no idea. I just knew I wanted to learn Russian. I also thought that I might study animal behavior and become some sort of environmental scien-tist (I really liked Jane Goodall).

As a high-school coun-selor what is the most common mistake stu-dents make in regards to college preparation?Focusing on the “name” of the university, rather than looking at the at-mosphere and really thinking about whether or not they would be happy in that environ-ment for 3/4 years. Also PROCRASTINATION. This process doesn’t happen TO you, it re-quires a lot of work and preparation over time.

How would you de-scribe your experi-ence as you applied to schools?I had an older sister, so I felt like I knew what the whole process en-tailed. My parents also pulled the car over into any campus we passed if we were travelling somewhere, so I saw A LOT of schools. I would say I could have done a little more “soul searching” before doing my applications, be-cause even when I had submitted everything I still wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted out of the college experience. The school I ended up going to (Haverford) was one

that my mother forced me to apply to (because it was on common app and I onlyl needed to make a photocopy of what I had already writ-ten) and it took me until spring of senior year to realized that she proba-bly knew what I needed and wanted better than I did. I cried twice when I opened acceptance letters--my first one (be-cause I was so relieved I would be going to col-lege) and Haverford. That’s when I knew I should probalby go there.

How does being in the counseling office help you understand stu-dents?My favorite part of the movie “Bowl-ing for Columbine” is when Michael Moore asks Marilyn Manson what advice he would have given Eric Har-ris and Dylan Kelbold if he had had a chance to talk to them before they started their kill-ing spree at Columbine High School. He said, “I wouldn’t say a single word to them I would listen to what they have to say.” (that’s word for word from IMDb). I think that is one of my favorite things about being in the counsel-ing office is having a chance to listen. Some-times there are things the counselors have to tell students too, but I like the luxury of hear-ing people’s stories and learning about their hopes and aspirations for the future.

What are some of your favorite things to do to blow off some steam?I like being outside and being active. In the summer I sail, swim, play lacrosse. In the winter I like X-country skiing, going for walks in the snow. I also re-ally like beer and have started to make my own (it’s usually better than Sibirskaya Korona or Baltika).

If you could do any oth-er job for a day at AAS what would you choose to do?I would be a lifeguard. I was watching them do a unit with ES kids in rub-ber rafts and it looked like a lot of fun. Basi-cally most things related to water are fun for me,

Where did you at-tend high school?Loomis Chaffee School in Windsor, CT (as a day student). Check it out: www.loomis.org (it’s pretty).

How would your teachers describe you as a student?I think they saw me as a good student. A few times my parents got the comment, “Bryn would be a great stu-dent if only she weren’t friends with....”, but for the most part I re-ally liked school and did well in class. At the end of 11th grade, my Pre-Cal teacher told me to “kick Chris’s butt” on the final (he was always getting some of the top grades in the class) and as a result I was the only person to ever get 100% on her exam. So I guess I rose to the occasion when I needed to.

What would you have done differently hav-ing the experience as a teacher you have now, as a student then?Not much. Maybe I would have worked harder? But I was pret-ty stubborn (and often lazy) in high school. I definitely would have taken Russian class when I wanted to rather than listen-ing to my advisor who said I shouldn’t take a new language late in high school because I wouldn’t get into a good university. I should have studied what I wanted to, not what I was told to.

so how great would it be to get to work at a pool all day??

If you could change one thing about the AAS high school what would it be?I wish we could have a sailing team... Can’t we do something about the short fall and spring?

Do you have any ad-vice for current high school students?You get out of this ex-perience what you put into it.

High School Stockholm Syndrome Bryn Will - Counseling Office - Xenia Rakovshik

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Music Review: Lana Del Rey

One of my biggest, and most shameful, winter discoveries in music is the Vevo-pro-moted andmesmerizing Lana Del Rey. Shameful because her first single from her new album, Born toDie, came out way back when in June 2011 un-der the name ‘Video Games’ and upon hear-ing it again in Decem-ber 2011 I suddenly realized I have heard this beauty somewhere before. In fact, for all those that follow TV shows with excessive zeal, you might’ve al-ready encountered Lana in early September. It’s a wonder that I let the piano ballad that “Vid-eo Games” is slip past tmy grasp when it was featured in the early Season 5 episodes of the coveted Gossip Girl itself.

Although her first al-bum is not due for re-lease until the 30th January, most of its con-tents have

surfaced on the Internet, creating much fanati-cism and even more ob-session. The combina-tionthat we are provided with is that of simple beats, repetitive piano chords, and an almost operaticinterpretation of the alto voice track. I cannot emphasize enough how little that sounds like

anyone’s cup of tea, but in reality it becomes ev-eryone’s favourite Earl Grey after two listens.The serenity with which Lana approaches her banal lyrics and limited instrumentals is whatmakes all of her songs so unique – if not quite similar. My personal favorites include ‘Na-tionalAnthem’ and ‘Lolyta’. A

- Olia Kuranova

bit of indie rock and the innocence of the vocals makes it all the morebizarre and incongru-ously beautiful.

With artists such as Del Rey, one must re-ally make sacrifices – a beautiful voice for a simplisticback track… And no live performances. If you don’t believe me,

check out her recent SNL liveversion of her second single ‘Born to Die’. Atrocious. Better keep this one in studio ver-sion only!Don’t miss the album release in late Janu-ary…

Bringing the story of a musical’s journey to the light, “Smash” illus-trates the ups and downs of the theatre life. Set in the present day, a duo of songwriters Julia (Debra Messing) and Tom (Christian Borle) come up with the idea of “Marilyn: The Musical” based on the life and style of Marilyn Mon-roe. A fellow producer (Anjelica Houston) sees this idea and she be-

comes enticed with it, providing a director as well as profits. Included in the story is the hard-ship of two actresses: Ivy Lynn (Megan Hilty) an experienced actress with shining talent, and Karen Cartwright (Katharine McPhee) a

TV Show Review: Smash - Alexander Rakovshik

waitress with a passions for theatre and looking for her a big break. With original music, plenty of laughs, this TV show doesn’t go over the top with the drama and keeps it real.

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Aquarius: Workload can be intense. Find the solution beyond the usual limits. There’s always time for relax-ation.

Pisces: You’re more powerful when you work with others. Be open to pleasant sur-prises. Try your best.

Aries: Find the beauty in everyday rituals. It’s right there. Let yourself be inspired today.

Taurus: Stand up for what you believe in. Others are right behind you. They love your passion.

Gemini: Whatever you

What’s Your 2012 Horoscope - Sophi Loge

put your weight behind has a good chance to-day. Find a sweet deal. Finish up old business to make room for new.

Cancer: Your peers are especially motivated.

Offer encouragement, and stay synchronized and balanced, and abun-dance is yours.

Leo: Follow a strong leader. Be respect-ful and ready to move

Crossword Puzzle: Exam StressAnswersAnxietyAptitude Breathing Counselor Examination ExerciseFocusGradeNervousNutrition PencilPrepared Questions RelaxReviewStandardizedStudying Teacher Tutor

quickly. Provide moti-vation and direction.

Virgo: You’ve taken ac-tion on a brilliant idea, and get farther than ex-pected. You’re gaining respect. Let it in.

Libra: Assume respon-sibility. Stand up for what’s right. It all works out.

Scorpio: You can ac-complish whatever you want today, especially in love, work or com-munication.

Sagittarius: It’s an intense, powerhouse week. Work faster. Be productive. Expand boundaries.

Capricorn: Improve efficiency by letting someone take the lead. Reaffirm a commit-ment.

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