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Socializing at CATS

By: Nuray Salina (Lead Reporter)

Making new friends and involving yourself in a new social environment can be fun, but also intimidating. It is important to be willing to meet new people and have a positive attitude every day. As CATS students, who live in the dorms on campus, we spend a large amount of time socializing with each other. This interaction helps make us more responsible, open-minded, and adaptable now and for our future lives away from CATS.

Our school provides us with an environment to develop and grow through our interactions with caring teachers, coaches, administrators, and house parents. Despite the friendly environment, some students can have trouble adjusting to new people and new environments. My first recommendation is, don’t worry. It is normal to experience uncertainty in a new environment hundreds, if not thousands of miles away from home.  I have looked at the core of this problem and will give you my thoughts on how to get the most out of your social life at CATS.

An abrupt change, like leaving your home and your parents, has a big effect on everyone. Since most students at CATS are international, we had to leave our home-countries in order to study in the United States. I have noticed this can result in some students feeling lonely or homesick. There are many supports in place at CATS to help you adjust and feel like you are at your second home! Here are some tips to banish the homesick bug:

  1. Involve yourself in the school community. Try to join one of the school’s clubs or organizations, like the student government, or the school newspaper or consider becoming a peer mentor! In this way you can socialize with peers who have similar interests. Fun activities and group projects will help you to become closer to your fellow griffins. Another option is to join a sports team, where you will have fun playing a sport you enjoy while meeting new people.
  2. Try to be positive. Positive people are optimistic, very pleasant to talk with and easily attract new friends. Try to express positive energy everyday. Smiling is an easy way to do this and it makes people want to be around you!
  3. Find people with similar interests. For example, do you and a friend like playing the guitar? Go, and play guitar together. Seek ways to improve your performances together. I know you will enjoy it! Expand your group of friends and add a lot to your social life!

Lastly, know that you are never alone at CATS Academy Boston. There are supports in place at to help you adapt to your new surroundings and develop lifelong friends. Seek out Ms. Reihl, a teacher, house parent, or an administrator if you are having difficulty. They will all be there for you!

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How do you Select Your College Major?

By: Dmytro Zhuravel (Founding Member/Reporter)

Each one of us faces a similar question. What do we want to do with the rest of our lives? For some of us, it is a simple question, which we can easily answer. However, if you, the reader, do not know what you want to pursue as a future career option, here are some tips to help decide what you might want to pursue in the future:

  • Your interests. Some people decide their major by taking account their interests in their free time. In other words, which hobbies do you spend your time on? How might these interests relate to a career? Google it. Go to https://portal.masscis.intocareers.org/  and research career clusters.
  • Your abilities. If you do not have a favorite hobby, maybe your classroom performance can suggest a future major. Start by asking yourself the  question, “What is my favorite class is at CATS?” Are you good in Math? Science? Art? Literature? Social Studies? Maybe a career field related to one of these subjects is the answer to your future.
  • Future Employability. Another reason why it is important to start thinking about your future major in college is the importance of being able to find employment in your chosen career field. As most of you know, the world changes rapidly and the demand for certain career fields is constantly changing. Check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/ to research job growth in a field you are interested in.
  • Future Potential Income. How much money do I need to live a comfortable life? This is a personal question only you can answer. It is an important question for you to consider. For some it may be important to have more money to spend than others. So, if you plan to take exotic vacations when you start working, the income from the job should be enough to accomplish your goal. The BLS link above will show you the average income in your chosen field.

As a student, I understand how important the decision of what major to choose can be for us; it will influence our future life. However, it is your life and your own decision to make.  It is important to listen to your parents and close friends, but always ask yourself whether you are happy with your decision, it’s your future after all!

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Internships: Shaping Your Future

By: Anastasia Dvoryanchikova (Reporter)

What gives you a taste of real life? When do you get to explore the depth of your curiosity? When do you get valuable experience from your curiosity? The answer is simple: internships. Imagine a filmmaker who wants to launch a movie, keeping the concept in one’s head will prevent the project from materializing. A filmmakers project needs to undergo active filming at various locations followed by editing until it becomes a complete story. The same applies when we think about our future careers. Despite all hypotheses, preconceived notions about our interests, and research, we lack the practical application that can link our desires to our future path.

From the perspective of my recent experience in an internship, I want to emphasize how much they broaden your horizons. During our March 2018 spring break, I had an opportunity to work in an internship at CEG Cambridge. I brought my own passion for filming in working with the marketing department on upcoming projects. When you get to work with professionals, they can become your mentors, who provide guidance better than guidelines or textbooks. One day, while I was out in London working with a freelance videographer he provided me with greater clarity and many suggestions on how to be a visual storyteller. It was an amazing experience to gain knowledge and skill through mentored experience. My internship taught me to stay open minded about every opportunity and be a good back-up when people need you. Through my internship my ultimate goal of gaining valuable experience was achieved.

As high school students, we tend to focus on our academics and theory rather than practical real life solutions to problems. When high school or college is over life moves on;  I, for one, do not want to be left behind the ongoing process of reality in the larger world. Everyone one of us is a filmmaker that needs to go beyond an idea and test how their personal interests and skill sets match with potential careers outside of the classroom. An internship is a great way to connect with the larger world while you are still in school.

In order to test our prospective career field, we need to try ourselves out, and one of the most accessible ways is through landing an internship. If you are eager to get a constructive feedback, have a glance into possible career paths, and rise above the school routine, it is highly recommended that you consider pursuing an internship.

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What to do Before Years End!

By: Nuray Salina (Lead Reporter)

May is one of the hardest and most important months in the school year at CATS. There some very significant upcoming events, like exams, projects, prom, and graduation; they all require a lot of preparation. Although all the upcoming events can seem overwhelming, they can be managed with success! I came up with the list of things we, CATS students, should to do before the end of the school year.

  1. Closely examine your grades. If you consider some of them low work to improve them before the year’s end. Be proactive on assignments and turn in ones that are missing. Ask teachers for recommendations on how to improve your grade average of you are uncertain how to proceed.
  2. Sign up for the SAT, ACT, or TOEFL exams. This is especially important for juniors and the college search process. These scores will often dictate the colleges we will apply to this coming fall. Prepare for the exams, you will do great!
  3. Start doing rough drafts of term projects. It’s never too soon to start writing our term papers. As soon as you get your projects, start them. You need to save time at the end of the year for finals preparation.
  4. Find an internship or summer program. One way for your college applications to look great is to try to find an internship or summer program. They will help you to enhance your skills and make you summer interesting and hopefully unforgettable!
  5. Stop stressing yourself out. Seriously, stop. Your worries sometimes take even more time than your actions. That’s why when you feel stressed out, stop thinking about the things you need to do and just start them. We all go through challenging times and our success directly depends on taking action not worrying.
  6. If you are a senior, keep your grades up to a B (or better). Otherwise, you will have to take final exams.
  7. On the lighter side, start looking for an outfit for prom or graduation. Check online shops where you can get access to see unique clothes, new collections, and special offers.
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How to Excel on AP Exams

By: Sasha Chernysehva (Founding Member/Lead Reporter)

As the 2017-2018 school year starts to march to a close, many students enrolled in AP courses are beginning to ramp up their preparation for the May exams. For some students who have never taken an AP exam, this can be an intimidating experience. Here are some tips to follow and excel on your AP exams:

  1. Start reviewing in advance. AP courses involve a huge amount of material, which is why you probably don’t want to start reviewing on the last weekend before the exam. Overloading your head with knowledge in a short time frame won’t maximize your potential for success.
  2. Be familiar with the structure of the exam. If you know what kinds of questions to expect, it will be easier for you to get the answer.  Studying the question types in advance will help save you precious time on the exam because you will know how to attack the question.
  3. Purchase a Barron’s AP textbook. This book series is designed specifically to help students familiarize themselves with the content and the structure of the exam. They offer a wide range of practice tests and a concise overview of the course that might supplement your knowledge. Also, they not very expensive.
  4. Read outside of class. AP exams are designed to test your analytical thinking and deep knowledge of a certain subject. Extra reading will help you get a better understanding of the course and deepen your knowledge.
  5. Don’t panic. Remember that if you did your work and paid attention in class, you will do a good job. Give the exam your best effort, and be confident when you start. Optimism is another key to success!

These are some of the proven techniques that helped me a lot when I was reviewing for my AP tests. I hope these tips will help you too! Good luck!

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I Heart Piano Concert Inspires

By: Helena Fauvel

On February 13th, the Fine Arts Department hosted their annual “I Heart Piano” Concert   as a tribute to Valentine’s Day and peace around the world. At the event students were allowed to secretly dedicate songs to their friends, admirers, and valentines! The class of advanced pianists led by Ms. Segal presented songs inspired by the themes of romance, love, and passion. The beautiful event, which took place in Salon B, was attended by over seventy students, faculty, and staff members.

Lilian Wang, a musician performing in the concert, is an example of how dedication and persistence with guidance from Ms. Segal can lead to the production of beautiful music. Although she began to play the piano at six years of age, she had to stop playing for eight years because of other time commitments. Admission to CATS Boston led to a renewed passion and she began to play again with the help of the lovely Ms. Segal.

During the concert, Lilian played a poetic French song called “Comptine D’un Autre Été”. “The song makes me happy and I wanted to make other people feel this way too by playing it.  I learned the song during the winter break and I thought it was a good fit for the Valentine piano concert,” explained Lillian.

Throughout the remainder of the concert, other talented students played songs written by famous composers, such as Ben Anderson, Davichi, Ning er cen, and Yiruma.  Overall the concert was a great success and displayed the tremendous piano talent CATS has to offer.  Congratulations to everyone who played at the event and a special thanks to Ms. Segal for making it all possible. We look forward to next year!

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Filmmaker and Historian Presents Film on Vietnam

Film is a meaningful artform that gives its director a way to deliver creative content through both a visual and oral means. The creator is allowed to dig deeper into the content and create an emotional connection with the audience while making the topic come into a more focused view. This  method of film can be especially used when director’s create films based on historical events. On the February 16th, the power of film was displayed in full force when CATS Academy Boston welcomed a historian and filmmaker, Michael T. Barry Jr., who introduced his film The Universal Soldier: Vietnam. The film focuses on the nature of the Vietnam War while discussing both Vietnamese and American perspectives about the war.

How did you come up with an idea of making the film “The Universal Soldier”? Where did you get inspiration from?

The title itself comes from a protest song “The Universal Soldier” of the 1960s, which questions the whole idea of going to the war, since all humans share the same universal feelings and emotions. My collaborator, Karen Turner, professor at the Holly Cross, decided to develop this content with the material that she had collected over the years. Also, we wanted to reach out to the millenniums, who are so distant from the war, in the way that was both compassionate and intimate with those experience.

What is one thing you would like to highlight from “The Universal Soldier”?

Without any doubts, those conversations with veterans, who were going through all the struggles. At the same time, I was taken aback by how generous, kind and giving veterans were. Both Americans and Vietnamese. All these individuals were open minded and wanted to share with young people the continuous impact wa hadr on their lives, and what they have been through. Coming back to the question, I  don’t want to underscore the generosity veterans had in their approaches to people. I haven’t seen  this among many others individuals.

Besides the emotional part, your research involved factual information, which was based on the cruel reality of the war. Did you have any doubts about showing the devastation of the Vietnam War before the process of filmmaking?

        Yes, absolutely. At the beginning we were anxious to push young people away by talking about violence. We had to do it delicately, but it turned out that our audience was mature enough to embrace it. Another challenge for us was to deal with emotions. Our fear was that sensitive material might set some patriotic veterans off, which rarely happened later in process.

To reach your audience in the most accurate way, did you use filmmaking as a technology or more in an artistic way?

It was done mainly in an artistic way. The initial idea wasn’t to show the technological process in the film industry, but to let people speak out. It was purposefully filmed with small cameras and microphones, so that interviewees don’t feel pressure. We were aiming to get the most authentic stories with less technologies, as the oral historians.

As a historian and a filmmaker, what do you see as a goal for your career?

My biggest goal is to give voice to people whose stories were unheard and marginalized, especially by the government. As well I want to make both veterans and audience a part of these projects to integrate tolerance and acceptance in our community.

From Your own experience, what advice would you give to young filmmakers?

That’s a tough question. But I would say: be open. When it comes to interviews or any content that includes other people and their stories, it is important to stay respectful to their life-stories and emotions attached to them, so that they don’t feel embarrassed. To be a good filmmaker in this kind of genre is to stay collaborative.

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Forum on Race, Ethnicity, and Power of Friendship

By: Tova Turner and Sandrea Celestin

On February 9, 2018, several students organized a forum on race and ethnicity. Its purpose was to discuss the historical and current issues surrounding racial and ethnic social dynamics in the United States.

After the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960’s led by many African-American leaders, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, James Baldwin, and Malcolm X, our nation saw significant changes that improved the lives of Black citizens.  However, today, minority groups in the United States still face great racial and ethnic discrimination.

In our forum we discussed how the history of slavery and segregation affected the lives of Black Americans. Some of the topics we discussed were how Black Americans were harassed in the process of desegregation in the 1960’s, the evolution of use of the N-word, racial profiling, police brutality,  the Black Lives Matter Movement, the rise of White Supremacists and Nationalist groups. The forum was important because minorities still face injustice and discrimination today, and this is not talked about enough.

The intention of the forum was to start a conversation about how these issues affect our country, as well other countries where similar racist and xenophobic behavior takes place. Our goal was to inform our community about how social prejudice still exists today. We took on this responsibility with optimism, and we hope that honest communication and the power of friendship can help lead the way to a better society.

On behalf of the students who participated in the forum (Tova, Sandrea, Kate, Norah, Jet, Lexi and Jalyn) thank you to the students, faculty and staff for joining us in this important discussion.

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CATS Cafe Showcases Student Musical Talent

By: Helena Fauvel

The CATS Cafe is an event that happens periodically in our community.  It is an upbeat opportunity for students play and sing music they like – songs can be in English, Portuguese, Russian, Vietnamese, Spanish, Chinese, or any language.  The enjoyment of music any language is of course universal.

When CATS Cafe is held, it takes place during lunch and advisory time on Tuesday and Friday. If you want to participate, you will always be welcome. But, if you only want to watch, that’s ok – every performer needs an audience!

Come to the Cafe, it is a great opportunity to relax and have fun with your friends between class periods. It’s also a great opportunity to show your musical talent.

CATS Cafe will return after break to the Student Lounge, so watch for announcements about the next date so you can come and enjoy the atmosphere.

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