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Commercialism Distorts Art (en français)
By Laura Drepanos, VI Form
Commercialism Distorts Art (en français)
Editor’s Note: This is a timed in-class essay in Advanced French. Following several weeks discussing the contemporary theme of aesthetics, the class was tasked with referencing texts and videos to determine whether society shapes art or art shapes society.
On doit noter que l’art joue un rôle important dans la société. Il y a des événements, des emplois, et des rapports qui sont formés par l’art. Mais, aussi, il y a un autre rapport entre l’art et la société; la société peut jouer un rôle dans la formation des arts. En considérant tous, parce qu’on ne peut pas contrôler l’interprétation de l’art, l’art est beaucoup plus une réflection d’une communauté.
La première preuve que l’art n’a pas beaucoup d’influence sur une communauté, c’est le fait que seulement 35% des canadiens visitent des musées des beaux-arts chaque année. Alors, si la plupart des gens ne regardent jamais les œuvres d’art, comment peuvent-t-ils former la société? De plus, d’après le même sondage, fait par Phoenix SPI, pas mal de gens voient l’art comme un moyen de s’exprimer, socialiser, et se sentir bien, mais pas pour communiquer un message. Alors, les arts n’ont pas un grand impact sur les croyances d’une communauté. (more…)
“Das Brotchen”: The ‘Flouring’ of Culture All Across the Globe
By Alan Gao, VI Form
“Das Brotchen”: The ‘Flouring’ of Culture All Across the Globe
“Das Brotchen.”
I remember learning this phrase in one of my first German classes. This word could be separated into two parts, “Brot” for bread and “-chen” for referring to smaller versions of things. “Das Brotchen” just refers to little bread.
Yet when my German teacher, Frau Wells, told my class that word, it seemed to carry much more than the simple meaning. She told us with great excitement about her time in Germany when the sweet smell of the roasted fresh wheat flowed over the streets and the bakeries presented their newest baked bread. As an American who had no family relations with Germany, she amazed me with her love and passion for German culture. At the time, I was surprised how this daily word created such a deep impact on her.
Before then, bread, or pastry, didn’t mean much to me. Although Shanghai is a very international city with chain bakeries like Paris Baguette and Lilian Cake, I never paid much attention to them and bought them only in times when I’m rushing down subways and hurrying to classes, paying no attention to their characteristics. (more…)
Herbst Musikvideo Projekt: 99 Luftballons
By Lukas Hanenberger, Syndey Howard, Cait Lochhead, Lucy Martinson, Hans Wu, Ryan Yang, and Justin Zhang, VI Form
Herbst Musikvideo Projekt: 99 Luftballons
CLICK IMAGE FOR GERMAN IV’s CLASS VIDEO or CLICK HERE:
Read below for assignment parameters in Mr. Daniel Mertsch’s class (auf Deutsch): (more…)
Examples of Experiences in Chinese Class
Examples of Experiences in Chinese Class
From Ms. Yuhong Xu: “My main pedagogical approach is teaching vocabulary, grammar, and speaking. I focus a lot on speaking, and my students are able to speak and communicate with a stronger confidence in and outside of class.”
On speaking by Caroline Sullivan (III Form): “Speaking is the most important part of learning Chinese. Although learning grammar and new vocab is essential to becoming fluent in Chinese, speaking and being able to communicate in the language is most important. If students only study Chinese grammar, they will never be able to make use of the language and communicate with their Chinese peers. By practicing speaking in class every day, I am making progress in mastering the language.”
Click on the image for a video of conversation in action.
Language Immersion Trips: A Must-Have For A Student’s Bucket List
By Paige LaMalva, IV Form
Language Immersion Trips: A Must-Have For A Student’s Bucket List
I have loved the French language ever since I was in sixth grade. My middle school French teacher, Mrs. Okacha, made French my favorite subject because her class was both engaging and interactive. When I was in eighth grade, I helped lead one of her younger classes because I appreciated and enjoyed French so much.
After arriving at St. Mark’s and hearing about the French language trip offered every other year, I wanted to pursue it. I still loved the language, and I was to speaking a lot more French with my teacher, Ms. McColloch. I kept telling myself, “I can’t wait to be a sophomore and communicate in a real-world scenario.” I was exhilarated to find out that I got a spot on the trip. My French education would be applied in a real-world setting! Reading and speaking French was going to be challenging, but I was ready to take it on. (more…)
Words, Words, Words
By Mr. Jonathan Golden, Systems and Information Services Librarian
Words, Words, Words
I love words. What’s not to love?
It’s amazing to think that nearly the totality of human knowledge and understanding is expressed through a set of squiggles. What’s even more amazing is that each of us, every day, hears or reads sentences that we’ve never heard or read before and we are able to understand them.
Come to the library and pick a random book, flip to a random page, and read a random sentence. Ludwig 
Wittgenstein did not hold words in such high esteem. He argued that words merely express facts and are therefore devoid of any sort of value. Everything other than facts, everything that we care about, and everything that makes life worth living must exist outside of language. Language, according to Wittgenstein, is insufficient to capture the meaning outside of pure facts. He concludes his famous Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus with the statement, “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.” It’s hard to take a bleaker view on words.
Collaborating on the Command Form in French
By Two French II Classes
Collaborating on the Command Form in French
Editor’s Note: French II students did a full class collaboration in which they made a video entitled, “How to survive at St. Mark’s: A guide for new students.” The video was designed to use the command form in French. The collaborative nature of this project meant that every student had a role in editing, filming, adding music, collecting videos, writing and revising the actual script.
Click here or above image for video by Frank Hua, Nate King, Luc Côté, Jovin Ho, William Osborne, Paige LaMalva, Emma Viens, Izzy O’Toole, Jonathan Noel, Daniela Martinez, and Julianna Gong.
Click here above image for video by Ainsley Dubose, Tucker Hartmann, Sam Leslie, Leann Li, Phoebe Macleod, Aidana Maitekova, Dom Mongillo, Edwardo Perez, Noah Robb, Robert Somme’s, Lindsay Strong, Benjamin Teixeira, Madeleine Wass, TianYu Zhao, and Lucy Zheng. (more…)
Asians & Asian Americans: A “Model Minority”?
By Ivy Li, IV Form
Asians & Asian Americans: A “Model Minority”?
On April 9, I participated in a conference regarding Asian identity and the impact of such on living in America: Asian American Footsteps Conference: Embrace Your Passion and Others’ Stereotype. Although we were not able to explore the topics thoroughly and deeply enough within small group discussions due to the limited time, I have two main takeaways:
1. Don’t Let Go Your Passion
2. Stereotype Is Motivation
1. “My mother wanted me to be a nurse just like she and other relatives did, but I always had this passion to write. So I quit and became a poet…” This was Keynote Speaker Tina Chang talking about her experience as a Chinese immigrant and the obstacles on her way of pursuing dream. (more…)
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