Astrophysics

Henri Yoon (11)

Over the fall semester, junior Henri Yoon ran a mini-course on astrophysics. The class was separated into six units about stellar astrophysics, stellar remnants, weird stellar remnants, relativistic astrophysics, exoplanets, and astro-biology. Stellar astrophysics covers the lifecycle of suns, types of stars, and the composition of stars, while stellar remnants include the properties of dead stars and what they can become. Weird stellar remnants are the theoretical objects that emerge from dead stars, and relativistic astrophysics involve Einstein’s theories of relativity. Exoplanets are planets that orbit solar systems that are not our own, and astro-biology is the study of hypothetical scenarios of alien life and the theoretical behavior of these aliens. Yoon first developed an interest in astrophysics in sixth grade when he explored black holes for a class presentation. Class of 2020 alum Tovi Sonnenberg, who previously ran the astrophysics mini-course, and Yoon planned out the content for this year’s course over the summer. However, even with this detailed course plan, Yoon stated that it was very time-consuming to make presentations every class and kahoots every week to engage the students. He expressed that “teaching over zoom is really hard. Student reactions are muted, and there isn’t the same energy that comes with in-person classes to feed off of.” Yoon hopes that the students of his mini-course now have a good foundational understanding of astrophysics and are curious enough to continue this study in the future.

Self-Advocacy and Public Speaking in Business

Christelle Katalay (11), Luke Durkin (11), and Michael Marguiles (11)

In the fall, juniors Christelle Katalay, Luke Durkin, and Michael Marguiles taught a mini-course on public speaking skills and the business model canvas, a strategic management template for developing businesses. They hoped that students developed a greater awareness of minor issues that could be solved with a product or service and learned the basics of business, pitching ideas, identifying problems, and using techniques to market or advertise your product. A mini-course called “Entrepreneurship through Storytelling” that Katalay and Durkin took during their freshman year inspired the three students to design this class. Because of Marguiles’s expertise in debate, Katalay’s knowledge of marketing and advertising, and Durkin’s experience in business and entrepreneurship, the course was split into three distinct parts. However, they worked on each section collaboratively with Durkin saying that “while one person took a leading teaching role in each lesson, the other two would be active in supporting the main lecturer, which is super helpful.” At the end of the semester project, their students applied the information they learned by picking an issue, creating a business model, and pitching their product in a final presentation.

Asian American and Pacific Islander Short Stories and Poetry

Michelle Wen (12) and Diya Mehta (12)

In their spring semester mini-course focused on analyzing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) history and literature, seniors Michelle Wen and Diya Mehta hope to instill in students a strong understanding of the AAPI experience and the incredible work AAPI authors have done. Both seniors noticed a gap in the English and history departments where Asian voices were often underrepresented. Mehta and Wen adapted an Asian American literature elective curriculum that class of 2017 alumni Alice Chang and Mahlia Rizon constructed to accommodate the twice a week mini-course schedule, switching books to short stories and poems. They both believe that AAPI literature has a lot more to offer than just identity and should not be limited to people of the AAPI community. Working on incorporating AAPI works into Riverdale’s normal English and history curricula, Mehta explained, “we came up with this master list of all these texts of AAPI works that are worth looking at in a classroom setting, and we shared that with the English department.” She hopes that this mini-course will create a lasting impact on both the students, who will see AAPI literature as more accessible, and the Riverdale humanities curriculum, which will continue to include these AAPI texts.

Applying Philosophy to Contemporary Issues

Ishikaa Kothari (12)

In response to rising political intolerance and polarization in campuses and government, senior Ishikaa Kothari taught this mini-course in the fall to create a space for open dialogue and debates on social justice issues like immigration, abortion, and gun violence. She chose philosophy as a framework because it allows students to analyze arguments more objectively and think of their fellow peers as contributors in each other’s education rather than adversaries. Kothari cites her motivation in teaching this minicourse in a class, called “Applying Philosophy to Global Issues,” which she took at GOA (Global Online Academy), a school that Riverdale is affiliated with. She also took a college course on ethics and has conducted research on a philosophy called deliberative democracy. Kothari, even with her breadth of knowledge in this topic, expressed that “starting this minicourse as a unique learning experience, and teaching allows you to look at things differently.” The culminating project, where students picked an issue to analyze through different philosophical frameworks, served as a testimony to how much the students had learned during the course. This project sparked detailed and interesting conversations on problems like the death penalty, bioethics, and the broken criminal justice system.

Exploring Gender Studies through Film

Ishikaa Kothari (12)

Believing that Riverdale lacks sufficient education and discourse on gender, sexuality, and global feminist studies and thet LGBTQ+ voices are often overlooked, senior Ishikaa Kothari decided to create a mini-course for the spring semester to explore gender theories, including gender essentialism and cultural construction, and critique problematic representations of gender. By analyzing and discussing movies from around the world, like Moonlight and Pink, students examine feminism and LGBTQ+ movements as well as the intersection of gender with class, race, sexual orientation, culture, and ethnicity. When asked about whether Kothari decides to show more progressive or regressive films, she responded that she is still grappling with that question and understands the importance of portraying both progressive and regressive films. As a teacher, she likes showing progressive films because they illustrate a world that activists are working towards and scholars should strive for. However, she also knows that regressive films are valuable since they allow her students to pinpoint tropes and stereotypes that need to be changed.

Breaking Padlocks

Owen Reed (12)

In his spring semester course on physical lock-picking and cybersecurity, senior Owen Reed hopes that students will learn how to keep their property and data safe while also developing a greater understanding on what keeps us secure. Reed emphasizes that while “thinking like a hacker” has a negative connotation, different problem-solving skills and a unique lens of trying to exploit something can be very useful when tackling foreign problems. He is focusing the first quarter of the spring semester on physical locks, teaching students how to pick them using a demo set and discussing their history. During the second quarter, Reed will address online cybersecurity, particularly the current platforms and encryption methods that keep our data safe, along with the downfalls of each. Introduced to these interests in mini-course “IT Security: Defense Against the Dark Arts” during tenth grade, he has expanded on his lock picking knowledge by completing a “Coursera Google IT Support Professional” certificate, a main 6-week course that contributed to his cybersecurity knowledge.

Finance and Asset Management

Alex Hüggler (12) and Jonah Nir (12)

Covering the stock market and techniques used to become a successful investor, seniors Alex Huggler and Jonah Nir instruct their students about the world of finance and aim to spark in them a genuine interest and excitement for the stock market. In the first quarter of the spring semester, they are laying down the foundational terminology and frameworks for the stock market, which Nir compares to learning a new language that allows one to understand conversations between stock traders. The seniors are also running a market simulator with six teams of three students, each managing their portfolios and competing with one another. As teachers, they stress the importance of an investment thesis and sound reasoning to back every investment instead of the emotional, spontaneous buying and selling of stocks. As the year continues, Nir and Huggler will introduce more complex subjects like the influence of politics and news on stocks or interpreting certain patterns of candlestick charts.