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The Second Semester Of 12th Grade

The period of college application will be the hardest time of your school life. Everything will hit you at once and you will be buried with work. You will be in a constant loop of exams, projects, essays and many other things. Neither teachers nor students will fail to assure 11th and 12th graders that once the 2nd semester of 12th grade starts it will all be over. That’s the biggest lie to ever exist in the 25 years of Hisar. The workload won’t decrease, you’ll still run around trying to get things done. The teachers won’t go easy on you and colleges will ask you for additional stuff. 

New Year BLOGS, Begınnıng agaın in 2022

Greetings everyone! We will be continuing with our series of blog entries by our talented consultants. Guest writers are welcome!

Things I Wish People Told Me About The College Application Process

İlayda Karşıdağ

January 20th, 2022

Dear 11th graders! Hope you are all doing well. I know how stressful this year is for you guys. All the AP classes, SAT exams, ACT exams, the effort to keep your GPA up…. 


After this year, however, the process is not over! As much as you would like to believe that you finished everything after doing all those exams and tests and studying and working you still have to do more work. Isn’t that so much fun? I didn’t think so when I started this process. Imagine having to write how great you are and how great a university is. For. Every. Single. College. You. Are. Applying. To. Kinda really boring, right (unless you are arrogant and, in that case, this is going to be really easy for you, while the rest of us just cry in a corner)? Not to mention the weird and unnecessary questions that they ask where you have to be creative with your answer or else you won't get in. You have to present yourself well or else you are not going to get in. While all of these “or else you won’t get in” scenarios run around in your head, you have to write essays. 


I know, I know, what I have written so far sounds really scary. Yeah, you expected a “but” there. There is none because it is scary and you guys have to work really really hard. The stress of being obligated to do your best for each application takes a lot out of you, and you have to be prepared for it.


Essentially, what you are doing is trying to find an environment where you are going to surround yourself with for the next 4 years. That’s a very tough decision to make. At times, you are going to feel indecisive and confused. You might even doubt your decisions and yourself, which is completely normal. However, in the end, you know what is best for you, not anyone else. Not even your parents, your counselor, your friends, your teachers… no one. Only you. Sometimes people like to express their unnecessary opinions and gratuitous comments in order to force you to do the thing they want you to do. However, no one is allowed to make your decisions for you during this process because this is YOUR journey and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Do not follow the ideas and goals of other people. You only live once and you have to live this life the way YOU want to, not anyone else. Something I wish I knew while I was in that process…


It is also important that you know the difference between people trying to manipulate you into making you do something, and people trying to give you helpful advice for your own improvement and growth. You will know who these people are because they will be the only ones acting with genuine interest in your wellbeing. 


All of these are really anxiety inducing, I know. Having the weight of wanting to go to university and wanting to get a good education, a good life… All of these things are not going to be easy to carry. There are also other people’s expectations: your parents wanting you to go to an IVY League school, your teachers expecting you to go to an amazing university, the people around you thinking so highly of you… This is a really heavy rock to carry on your back. But does it REALLY matter what other people think? Who cares if you get into Harvard or Stanford or MIT or Yale if you are not going to be happy there or if you are burning yourself out to the point where you lose your will to go on? I am telling you: IT IS NOT WORTH IT! Not even a single bit. If you are going to lose yourself when you go to a prestigious university, then don’t go there. YOUR wellbeing is the most important thing in this process. If a choice you are going to make is making you unhappy now, it is going to make you feel even worse the next 4 years. Of course, this process isn’t easy and it requires a lot of work BUT it is not worth losing yourself for. 


So what do we do now? Do we start panicking? Do we need to go to an underground safe house to protect ourselves from the big, bad colleges? No, of course not. I, personally, have struggled with my mental health during this period, which I am still working to improve. It is going to feel like the stress, the anxiety, the negative thoughts are consuming you from time to time: it is bound to happen. However, the day you get your acceptance letter from the university that you really wanted to attend to is the moment that makes all of this process worth going through.









Peer helpıng Peers, with Pear

by Belin Mitrani

January 17th, 2022

PEAR or Peer Arrangement is a platform that enables high school students to support middle school students academically. Our school had its peer programs I participated in since 8th grade. What is the difference between the school’s past system and the new student-made PEAR platform? PEAR is fully trackable, online, randomly matched, and easily arranged. PEAR was made a year ago, but it has been upgraded for a better user experience. 


We have 30 mentors from high school who have contributed to the academic lives of middle schoolers since the day we opened our platform around 2 months ago. As soon as the platform was available for students to apply as mentees, we luckily got a lot of applications. Even if it’s hard to keep up with being a mentor and their own academic duties, our mentors are beneficial, talented, and responsible. 


I believe that people should treat each other the way they want to be treated. Do you think that a helping hand would’ve gotten you through middle school a lot easier? In that case, I would most definitely recommend you become the helping hand you needed before to someone who needs it now. To become a mentor, you don’t have to be perfect at every lesson you take. You can choose as many classes as you want, though it is essential to select at least one that you feel comfortable and confident with. 


Mentoring is an important activity that needs and improves leadership and communication skills. I’m fortunate to be a partner of PEAR and to have co-created a platform that helps middle schoolers with their academic responsibilities and high schoolers with skill improvements. In addition, we have mentors that are also actively involved in the Writing Center. Our mentors improve themselves every day by combining the skills they already have with the skills they’ve gained through the mentor training at the Writing Center. If you think it is the right area for you and want to participate, we always have an open door. You can sign up through https://pear.hisarschool.k12.tr/. 


By Belin Mitrani







Last Minute Covid News/Blues-- by Deniz Uncu. 

November 1st, 2020

Due to the pandemic, every day we wake up to different news. Last Sunday, we learned that the Ministry of Education delayed the exams until the end of November… Sounds relaxing, right? Students will have at least 4 weeks more to study and they won’t be having a stressful week of exams where they come to school in masks and obey all the safety rules.


Think of it this way: You’re a 12th-grade student who is currently trying to work on his/ her applications. The early applications are due November 1st and the deadlines after that are mostly in December and January. This means you have to send your first semester grades in order to get reviewed and receive your acceptance. Putting this aside, due to the exam week changing places, all the deadlines for the assignments and projects are changed. You have to plan your weeks according to the new calendar, from the beginning, So, does this sound stressful?


For me, and who I’ve talked to after I got the news, it is stressful.


Even though I’m not applying to any of the US universities, I began putting together my application documents and the supplemental applications needed for the business schools. Because of the uncertainty, which causes stress, I experienced many problems with my family and friends. Especially with friends, because the stress took control of all of us.


I’m not an expert, but during this time I experienced a lot like most of you and had the chance to talk to many people, especially some experts. The recommendations I heard a lot were:



I know it’s nearly impossible to stay positive when our lives are all upside down, but it is for our best to at least try it, and don’t forget that we are not alone. 






Hisar's Winner of the Harvard Women's Empowerment Essay Contest -- Melis Seven

September 2020

Women In Technology in Turkey 

Once, our beloved leader Ataturk said  "There is a way we can walk more confidently and more accurately: to make the great Turkish woman a partner in our work.” 

   The word empowerment is defined as “the process of becoming stronger and more confident”. From the very beginning, women have put their power and capacities in the background because of the pressure coming from their environment. All around the world women have been struggling to empower their rights like health, protection, education, and having a say in society. Turkey is one of the countries that have made progress to accomplish women empowerment but still on many issues, most importantly like education Turkey needs to improve. There is technology developing directly proportional to the evolving society day by day. In this article, I will talk about what my country offers to empower women throughout their journey about expanding technology and science. 

   According to the Turkey Statistical Institute (TUIK) between October 2018 and October 2019, six hundred and thirty-two thousand women became housewives, and still, this percentage of non-working women is increasing day by day. In general, the recruitment rate for men is much higher than for women. In the technology sector, this ratio is incredibly low for women. In the 1980s, the proportion of women who chose computer engineering was 37%, today this has dropped to 18%. The main reasons for the decreasing ratio of women in technology are the need for role models, mentors, and gender inequality dilemmas which are on the rise. This sector brings with it some prejudices created by society coming from the continuing patriarchal perspective in Turkey since women are considered potential mothers, maternity leave is seen as a deficiency. Similar permits are given to men abroad to prevent this but in Turkey, this is a desperate case. Another minus point for women in Turkey is principally the preference of male employers, who are more in percentage when compared to female employers in technology, is to hire male employees, which leads women to feel insufficient. There are several active initiatives whose main targets are to empower women from the beginning and help them to walk on the right path by giving them the possibilities and opportunities that society avoids about their focus on the science and technology sector. 

  In recent years technology started to play a big and quite critical role in our lives, so the education that is given related to this area and the job opportunities are on the rise. There are active foundations in Turkey to empower women in technology like ISACA and W-tech. ISACA’s aim is to work towards increasing the visibility of the problems women experience in technology and to support the increase in the number of women employees. ISACA launched a movement to increase women empowerment in technology called The “SheLeadsTech”, which is functioning in eight regions where the foundation is active. Another foundation that is actively working and very popular is W-tech, which is based on empowering women who want to focus on science and technology. For example, to increase the participation of women in technology-related jobs, W-tech cooperates with the relevant public institutions and promotes education in mathematics, science, and physics in girls’ primary and secondary education. Detecting talent at a small age and helping girls in need to draw their career paths is a colossal development for women empowerment. If we if take a closer look, we would see that only 9.91% of women are actively working in the technology sector in Turkey. The existence of 

initiatives like ISACA, W-tech, and some leading companies like Turkcell and Vodafone which have projects to empower women in education are also helping to increase this percentage.

Empowering women in the science and technology industry is not at a satisfactory level in my country because even though there are growing, vigorous and functioning foundations who are working to improve and protect women’s rights from head to toe, the employment rate is much lower than it should be. Turkey, with its patriarchal approach, has become a troublesome place to live for women. The prejudiced perspective that society permeates, retains women from reaching their goals. For the technology sector, as said before this condition is starting to get a lot more serious because, judging by the values, the recruitment and promotion of men is higher than most of the women. We as females need more female figures that we can take as an example, more acceptance and respect from our environment to increase this percentage. 

     I want to finish this article with a quote that our honorable and respected leader Ataturk said, "If we need science and technology for our society, both men and women should acquire them equally." 


WRITING IN THE TIME OF COVID 19 -- 7

Writing in the Time of Covid19

By Deniz Uncu

In the first weeks of this global pandemic, I used to think about my summer plans, travel plans, volunteer work, and jobs, and get more depressed. The community services department and I had planned a project to help students in different regions in Turkey. One day when I was thinking about the Ağrı project that we were working on, that was going to take place in a middle school in Ağrı province in mid-June, I started thinking about the people who don’t have the same opportunities that we have. 


Our school has its own lesson program and special curriculum, and they planned everything smoothly, which lets our education continue without any obstacles. Like expected, there aren’t many schools like Hisar, even in Istanbul. Public schools are continuing their lessons from EBA, which is a portal both the students and teachers have some doubts about. 


So, I came up with the idea of tutoring kids in English speaking. So, what if we used online meetings to help the students who need education support?


I shared my idea with some of our teachers and we gave the project a start. After working on it for 4 weeks with three teachers, we selected our volunteers and took a week to get prepared. Right now, we have more than 20 high school students who are located in Ağrı and Adana, and 24 Hisar high school students who volunteered to work on this project. We are trying to reach out to many students as much as we can so that we do our best during this challenging time.


During these 4 weeks, I can say that this project was the only thing I enjoyed doing. We were all getting stressed about the AP exams, our teachers were trying to adjust our programs to these exams and the self-studies were not fun anymore. Like most of the people, I am starting to get tired of nothing being certain and not seeing the future clearly, so it feels good to work on a project that will have many benefits for both sides. 


Even though nothing really cleared up about our life in quarantine during this time period, this project is a comfort to accomplish something. Projects like this always change my point of view and make me view how being a Hisar student changed my life.


WRITING IN THE TIME OF COVID 19 -- 6

Writing in the Time of Covid19

By Hazal Kara

I’ve come to realize that COVID-19 has alerted us as to how both infinite and limited time is. 

To me, time is thick, like molasses. A day feels more like a week and every day blends into the next. With this mentality, I often tell myself: “I have plenty of time to get this done. I’ll do it in a bit.” I seem to overestimate how much time I have, taking on more projects and assignments. It’s something to fill the void of being in the unknown. 

At the same time, I think in some ways, the coronavirus has shown us how limited our time in high school is. We’ve already lost a whole semester and at best we (10th graders) have four semesters left. A whole semester of waking up at 6:30, of drearily walking into the school building, of stressing out over exam week -- gone. This may sound nice, after all, no student enjoys doing any of these things, but life seems odd without them. I suppose we just have to adjust to the new normal. 

I’ve come up with some analogies to describe the coronavirus situation.

Number one: It’s like going to Barnes and Noble - a bookstore chain in the U.S. The eerie atmosphere of driving into a large parking lot, walking over to the building and opening the glass doors. The feeling of being lost amongst the shelves of books of all genres. An incomprehensible vastness. The glaring, yellowish lights. I’m not sure why but the gloom of being stuck at home and the anxiety coming from reading the news gives me a similar feeling. One difference is that there’s nothing terrifying about going to Barnes and Noble, however, I am afraid of the coronavirus. 

Number two: Amidst the coronavirus, my existence feels surreal, like I’m a character in a video game. This is probably a thought many can relate to. Specifically, I feel like I’m in a game similar to “Life is Strange,” trapped in a town (in this case, Earth) where bizarre events keep happening and our actions can have massive consequences. To be honest, 2020 as a whole has given off this aura of peculiarity. Even in January, when the coronavirus hadn’t turned into a threat or pandemic yet, waking up was an unusual experience. It was as if I was still in a state of sleep, my body not responsive to the real world. Now, being quarantined, this perception is elevated. I suppose that, considering the circumstances, this isn’t too surprising. After all, aside from the daily news, and platforms such as WhatsApp or Google Meets, we don’t have a connection to the outside world. Also, can we all take a moment to acknowledge how much of a mess 2020 has been so far: The bushfires in Australia (remember that?), the threat of a war between the U.S. and Iran, the U.K. leaving the European Union, the disaster with the Iowa caucuses, and now, COVID-19?  

As this virus runs amok across the globe, who knows when we’ll return back to “normal.” In the mean-time, though, I’m going to continue coming up with analogies. 


WRITING IN THE TIME OF COVID 19 -- 5

The Latest News on the Novel Coronavirus

by İlayda Karşıdağ

As all of you know, there is a pandemic going around the globe. I wanted to write something about the subject because there is so much raw information on the internet and it is hard to really understand what we actually need to know. At the same time, there are so many people who are really scared and confused, so I wanted to answer the most basic questions on the subject.

What is the coronavirus? 

Coronaviruses are a type of virus that belongs to the “Coronaviridae” family. Some of the best known relatives of this virus are SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome). Viruses are just genetic material in a ball; not quite alive, not quite dead. In order to survive they need to replicate themselves and to do that they need to infect other living cells. 

The full name of this virus is, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Related Coronavirus 2, but everyone simply calls it “Coronavirus”. This virus is also known as the “Novel coronavirus”, which simply means that it is a new type of coronavirus, and that we have not seen it before because “novel” means new. 

How does the coronavirus spread?

In general, there are multiple ways that a virus can spread, but in the case of the coronavirus, there are two main theories. One is through respiratory droplets and the other is through aerosol. Let!s first understand what the two of these mean.

Transmission through respiratory droplets happens when someone is in close contact (1 meter) with someone who has the symptoms of a respiratory illness and is at the risk of spreading it. After we come in contact, if we rub our eyes, nose or mouth then the virus has a chance to enter the body.

Transmission through aerosol happens when the virus actually hangs in the air for a certain period of time. If we enter a room where someone sneezed, then there is a big chance that it can enter our respiratory system.

What are the symptoms of this disease?

The most common symptoms are fever, shortness of breath, and a dry cough. Some other symptoms include aches and pains, tiredness, and sore throat. 

Most people who will get infected will have relatively mild symptoms. However, there will be cases where the symptoms will get severe and will cost many lives. 

How can we protect ourselves from this virus?

All of you have probably heard this a million times but the best way to actually protect yourself is to wash your hands. Through the mechanical motions of washing the viruses are washed away. Also because the virus has an outer layer of fat, the soap breaks that down and leaves the virus unable to infect you. To properly wash your hands, you need to wash as if you have cut some jalapeños and you want to put in your contacts next. 

Social distancing is also a key factor in protecting ourselves and everyone else. By staying at home we are sort of creating a “social vaccine” since we currently do not have a vaccine for this virus. If we avoid unnecessary social contact then we are helping ourselves and other people a lot.

Another important thing is to keep your body healthy by getting the right amount of sleep, and having a proper diet and exercise routine. This is especially important because we need to keep our immune system ready for any kind of danger. Studies have shown that the productivity of the immune systems decreases significantly with sleep deprivation. 

How long does recovery take?

Based on the knowledge that we have now it takes about 2 weeks to recover from this disease. For severe or critical cases it can take up to 6 weeks.

What are the possible treatments for this virus?

As I have mentioned before currently, we do not have a definite treatment or a vaccine for this virus. Antibiotics do not work for this virus and all viruses in general because they only work for bacteria. Although there are some drugs that are being tested as an optional treatment for this virus but there is nothing definite.

How can the community/non-health care providers help with this pandemic? What should the public be doing now?

Right now the most important thing that the public should do is stay at home and limit unnecessary social interactions as much as possible. If more and more healthcare workers get sick then the capacity of the healthcare system will decline significantly. If this happens then horrible decisions will have to be made on who gets treatment and who does not because there will not be enough doctors or equipment to treat everyone. 

On a global scale, there are quarantines in place. This could mean different things, from travel restrictions to actual orders to stay at home. When something like this happens we should respect it and listen to the instructions that the government is giving us.

There are two outcomes for a pandemic like this. A fast or slow pandemic. Fast pandemics start with a steep slope and end badly because the capacity of the healthcare system declines due to the rapid rate of infected patients. Slow pandemics start with a less steep slope and end a little bit better without overworking the healthcare system. 

None of this fun, however, this is only a very small price to pay in order to save millions of lives.

When will this pandemic end? When will we be able to go outside again?

With the information that we have now it is almost impossible to pinpoint an exact date as to when all of this will end in an ongoing pandemic. It is estimated that it will slow down in around June and have a rebound during fall. However, this is not a reason to panic because we still do not know if this true or not.


IMPORTANT: While reading this article bare in mind that all of this information is based on the knowledge that we have until April 15th, 2020. For further reading and updates check out the World Health Organization's (WHO’s) website:

SOURCES:

WRITING IN THE TIME OF COVID 19 -- 4

If somebody had told me that we were going to get a global lockdown because of a virus last year, I wouldn’t have believed it, but guess what? I am sitting at my kitchen table right now and the last time I went out was 29 days ago. 

The first week of self- quarantine, which was our Spring Break, was not a typical break for me. As a family, we were aware of the fact that coronavirus was a serious disease before we got a lockdown, but my sister, who was in Canada, kept telling us coronavirus hadn’t affected Toronto yet. She refused to come back to Turkey when they had the evacuation flights and stayed there. After a whole week of debates and comparing the cons and pros of her flight, Zeynep was going to stay in Toronto for the moment, while we were at our house in Istanbul.

The second week of quarantine, which was the week we started our online classes, was a disaster. We had a lot of assignments for our self-studies, and also our online classes. That week, I started to work-out at home because I started to feel overwhelmed. I, as a person who likes to go out and socialize, was not used to staying at home 24/7 (more than 7 days actually). That week passed very quickly because we, as my friend group, complained about our to-do lists every day. But the ironic thing was when I look back, I was actually enjoying having that many assignments. Yes, you may say that I’m a work-acholic.

In the third week, the number of classes we had increased and self-studies decreased. I was still working out 5 days a week for 1 hour. It was and is fun. You focus on your body and breath for nearly one and a half hours with some of your favorite music. You leave every thought or problem in your life in your room and spend some time with yourself. This week passed just like our third week in quarantine. It was okay. The only thing we had happen this week was my sister’s evacuation flight and her going in a real quarantine in Trabzon.

Before the lockdown, I was volunteering for 4 weeks. I even missed school in order to volunteer and I don’t regret my choice at all, but I regret one thing. I canceled my volunteer role in a tournament because it took 3 weekdays, which would make me miss classes for those days. If someone told me that we were going to get a lockdown on Friday that week, I would have taken the role and would have done my best. Besides that, at home, I had so much time to discover new music, complete some outside-school work on which I was procrastinating, plan some social responsibility project and more. I have many plans for the future, to reach out to students during and after the quarantine, and for myself, for my university plans.

I know that we are not used to staying at home for a long period while the weather is beautiful, but there’s nothing we can do. Try to think positively and spend more time with your friends. Call them, text them, plan a movie night… Talk to your friends who live abroad or the ones that you couldn’t find the time to talk to. It will make you feel better, it worked for me, I promise. 

By Deniz Uncu, 14.04.2020

WRITING IN THE TIME OF COVID 19 -- 3

Quarantine, I am sure, has been a very different experience for everyone. Throughout these few weeks, I have spoken with all of my friends on how they felt about the current situation in our country. I also spoke to them about the president’s decision to apply a curfew for members of the public under the age of 20 to help slow the spread of the virus. Many of my friends are still whining about the fact that we cannot go out and meet one another, but I don’t think they understand the severity of the situation. 


Since the coronavirus began in Wuhan I have been following the news very closely. So before the disease came to Turkey I was already very aware and scared of the results in China. I actually was very proud of Turkey for taking prompt measures and moving schools to online platforms. Personally, online school has been extremely beneficial to me. I live in Beykoz so waking up just before class (exactly 3 or 4 minutes :) ) has been incredible. With the increase in self-study time, I have seen that I have become much more practical and organized. It is much easier for me to manage my time because we all have an abundant amount of time to schedule ourselves and do projects and homework in the order that benefits us the most. 


I know this time has been hard for all of us and I know that some of my friends are truly struggling with keeping track of all of their assignments, but at the end of the day, I think these hard times will teach all of us to be more practical and cooperate with one another. I have seen that our teachers are becoming more understanding of our struggles with our adjustments to online school. I am extremely grateful for my family, friends and school teachers during this time because with all of this uncertainty going around they have kept me grounded, by constantly keeping me busy or asking me how I am. 


Although the quarantine is a scary time and it gets boring every once in a while, we should remember to take advantage of all of this free time. I personally have finished all of the missing work that I have been neglecting all year. I have also initiated a project with the Social Innovation Club and I am working with the school newspaper “Hisarın Sessi” and the student council “The Council” to develop new, fun and online activities for students. 


If you are also bored out of your mind in your house, thinking about ways to entertain yourself, other than going on Netflix, I can suggest you give back to the community. With all of the negativity going on in the world right now, there are thousands of people who are in need in this country. When you give back, you will feel much happier and in these times we need happiness in our lives. 

Defne Bahar

April 9th , 2020

WRITING IN THE TIME OF COVID 19 -- 2

When I first heard about Coronavirus in December, I was convinced that it would spread to the whole world. Earlier in 2019, I watched Bill Gates’ explanations of why we were not ready for an epidemic. After a few months, the people I know started discussing the virus daily and watched the news. 

I think my experience with COVID-19 has been a little different than others because, for a short period, I believed I had the virus. I was experiencing similar symptoms to the virus, and my family got concerned. I had flu for a week, and it got serious when I started coughing and had a fever after the schools closed down. When I told my dad about my symptoms on Saturday morning, he told me to pack my bag, and we were going to the hospital. An hour later, we were at the hospital. When my mom told the nurses about my symptoms, they seemed a little shocked. They injected a serum for the fever, took my blood, and ran a test. Of course, the test came back negative, but my mom almost had a heart attack because the doctor said, "You have a virus," and continued, "but it's influenza." 

After 10 days of staying at home, I realized the significance of enjoying every moment. As a senior, I believe my so-called “senior experience” has been ruined and university stuff got a lot more complicated. I went from staying outside most of the time and having a really good time with my friends to not going out at all. It’s the 19th day of quarantine and the only things that are keeping me busy are online classes and Facetiming with my friends. The biggest downside of this epidemic is nothing being certain. 

Ece Ertürk 

April 2nd, 2020

WRITING IN THE TIME OF COVID 19 -- 1





On Friday, March 13th, some teachers and I had drinks in Karaköy at an outdoor cafe. School had just been closed for the Covid 19 crisis, and we were calling our get-together the “Apocalypse Party.” We were flippant about it, joking, throwing about sarcastic comments, but when the waiter at the restaurant across from us slung the water out of his dirty towel into the street and the droplets struck our bare arms, we were generally alarmed. We stopped for a second and stared at each other. That first prickle of fright was a hint of what was coming, at least for me. The anxiety of a simple trip to the supermarket, or the gnawing fright when I see my family posting pictures of themselves online at parties and picnics, my 80-year-old mother in large crowds of people.

 

The closing of school had been announced the previous night on a Thursday. We were having an event at the Writing Center, The Night Against Procrastination, to help all our students finally finish the first draft for the book we are trying to publish with Columbia University’s Student Press Initiative. A girl got the news of the closure in a text from her mom and the whole room cheered. We all immediately stopped writing and everyone was full of questions, and pizza. "They only said it was for two weeks, do you think they’ll extend it?" "Does this mean our spring break is delayed?" "Where is everybody going for vacation?"


I, being the adult in the room, had to say, “You realize this isn’t for extra holiday. People are dying.”

 

I was booed for being a Debbie Downer, of course. Then, there was a long silence. It was dark outside and the halls were empty. Normally they would have been filled with the noise of students laughing, screaming, arguing, running, but now they were all quiet and shadow. We could have been the last people on earth. A 9th grader softly said, “It feels like we are in the middle of history.”

 

She’s right. We are. And we are the writers of that history, because we are living it. The story is ours to tell. So let us know. What are you going through? What are you feeling? What is life in the Covid 19 crisis like for Istanbul, you, and your friends and family?


April 1st, 2020. Jeffrey Gibbs

Why You Should Sleep?

As an eleventh grader, let me introduce you to the concept of sleeping. I am sure that you are also having a hard time trying to find some time to sleep. Don’t worry I feel that too. I will give you logical reasons why you should definitely get your good night’s sleep each and every day. But first, let me talk about where the concept of sleeping comes from. 

Thousands of years ago, Aphrodite the goddess of beauty was staring at the mirror, searching for her flaws. She realized that she adored and loved herself more than anything but there was one little thing that she could never get rid of. The dark circles under her eyes. Everyone had those disgusting things but she hated to be “like everyone”. 

One day Hathor the Egyptian god of beauty came to visit her. The minute Aphrodite saw her she got very furious. Hathor didn’t have dark circles. She asked her “Why don’t you have any dark circles?” Hathor replied “We have discovered that if you close your eyes for a while you lose your consciousness and when you open them back again a while later your dark circles disappear like they were not even there. “ Aphrodite was enlightened. She immediately sat to her thrown and closed her eyes. When she woke up her dark circles were gone. She immediately shared this news with Zeus but asked him not to tell anyone. Zeus agreed and named this action “to sleep” but Aphrodite wasn’t satisfied and named it “beauty sleep”. One day after, Zeus shared this amazing invention with every living creature.

So as you can understand the first reason why you should sleep is beauty:) Many students wander around school with dark circles under their eyes. Each minute you sacrifice from your sleep at nights, think about the dark circles you will find under your eyes in the morning. 

Secondly, there is a very obvious fact that after late hours at night your brain stops working and your productivity decreases tremendously even if you don’t notice it. So, try to get your things done before 1 am at night:)

Lastly, there is one more reason why you should sleep earlier at night. It’s actually the most devastating one… Late-night snacks. After a certain hour, we both know that you get hungry and innocently go to the kitchen to eat anything you find. We both know the results after your innocent visit to the kitchen. 

So, what I’m trying to say is that the last thing you should sacrifice in your life is your sleeping rights:)


by Iris Benardete


Night Agaınst Procrastination and day for 5th graders!

This was an eventful week for the Writing Center. In middle school we organized drop in classes with fifth graders where we did activities to help students understand how they could give detailed examples in essays. It was a fun and exciting exercise with cute, high-spirited fifth graders.  Also, all the Writing Center tutors and several students have been hard at work to finish their first drafts for the Columbia University Press Book origin stories. In fact tomorrow, the writing center is organizing a Night Against Procrastination event to finish up the first drafts of our origin stories. 


If you are interested, don’t forget to sign up for the Night Against Procrastination on Thursday, March 12. (There will be prizes, snacks and pizza!)

by Nina Ariti

Why You Should Become A Part of the Hisar Writing Center

At the beginning of the school year, many of our students got an email from Mr. Gibbs saying that they were the chosen ones to participate in Hisar’s brand-new student-run Writing Center. With that email, students started talking about the Writing Center. What was it? How was it going to work? How could they participate in it? After gaining information on the Writing Center, students selected the center for their elective classes and clubs. Going into the Writing Center I was expecting to improve my essay skills and help my peers struggling in writing. However, becoming a consultant and a part of the Writing Center was better than any of my expectations. 

The Writing Center provides consultants an experience where they gain valuable skills in leadership, collaboration, and entrepreneurship. Since it is the first year of the center everybody has the opportunity to observe and actually participate in what opening a small business is like. The staff gets the opportunity of designing the website, hoodies, and stickers, as well as thinking about strategies for marketing and public relations. Every consultant in the center has their own job that they participate in, making the Writing Center experience not only educational but challenging and entertaining. Writing Center consultants also get the opportunity to receive community service hours as well as regular class credit. Consultants receive an official consultant certification as well as receiving fun items such as t-shirts and hoodies. 

With all of these in mind, the most incredible result of becoming a part of the Hisar Writing Center is the chance of getting to meet incredible people from 5th grade all the way up to 12th grade. This way, the students get the opportunity to meet and support each other while learning new techniques to improve their essay writing skills. The consultants are able to help writers in any stage of their writing: prewriting, drafting, revising, rewriting. At the end of every appointment, the consultants are obligated to fill out a form to see what could have gone better and see what they can improve in their next session. The consultants can help writers with subjects such as research, brainstorming, grammar checking, structure organizing, etc. In addition, the Writing Center holds incredible competitions and fun activities that you can participate in. 

Overall, the Writing Center provides a home environment for students to engage with each other and further enhance their English skills. Even though it is the first year of the Writing Center, the center has helped about 200 students, held an after school to help 12th graders with their university applications, hosted 2 competitions and is currently working with the Columbia University Student Press for a book for the theme “Origin Stories”. Whether you become a consultant or writer the Hisar Writing Center welcomes everyone with open arms and I am certain that becoming a part will be one of the best experiences you have in school. 

by Defne Bahar

What to Eat Before Exams to Boost Your Brain? (Stressed Student Edition)

The hour is 4:00 PM and I have just gotten home.  My stomach growls, begging for anything besides coffee and açma from the cafeteria.  I stay up till the late hours of the night staring blankly at my computer screen trying to finish my work before the sun comes up.  If I'm not lazy enough, maybe I will get up and make myself instant noodles and add a little bit of spice to my day. Some people can relate greatly to my bland taste in daily nutrition.  However, can eating better improve my focus and maybe even raise my grades? I did a little bit of research and the answer is YES!

Did you know that there are certain foods proven by researchers to boost brain activity and improve memorization while studying?  Your brain is the most complex organ in your body and it almost never takes a break from working. If your brain isn't properly fueled, this can greatly decrease your productivity rate.  So now you're wondering, what kind of foods can I eat?

When people talk about boosting productivity and memory the first on the list is always fatty fish. These include salmon, trout, and any other fish rich in omega 3’s. Did you know that not getting enough omega 3’s can actually lead to learning impairments and even depression?  So next time you're out with your friends to study, maybe think about hitting up the local sushi restaurant for some salmon rolls!

If you are not a fan of fish there is something else you can eat while you are studying or staying up late writing a paper.  Blueberries. Blueberries have been raved about for being the number one quick snack to boost your memory while you are studying.  The antioxidants in blueberries are known to accumulate in the brain and improve communication between brain cells.

If you are not a fan of fish or fruits, there is something else you might be interested in and that's dark chocolate.  Dark chocolate contains brain-boosting compounds such as caffeine and antioxidants. A study backed by PubMed even states that they may enhance memory and slow down age-related mental decline.

In conclusion, there are many foods you can eat that will help you more in the long run whether you are studying, finishing up an assignment, or just want to have an active brain in general.  You can greatly improve yourself and your work ethic just by adding these foods in your diet.