The student news of St. Paul Academy and Summit School

The Rubicon

The student news of St. Paul Academy and Summit School

The Rubicon

The student news of St. Paul Academy and Summit School

The Rubicon

TABLE TALK. Students from the class of 2019 sit around a Harkness table during their World History II class. Nowadays, history classes arrange single desks in a circle.

Harkness tables: necessary or no big deal?

Catherine Hooley, The Rubicon October 26, 2022
As we slowly transition back to pre-COVID classrooms, should we bring the Harkness tables back? Does the school still need them in order to have productive in-class discussions?
TURN THE TABLES. Don’t knock it till you try it. The Harkness tables are a key part of the upper school Humanities learning environment, and they need to come back to the classrooms.

It’s time to bring back Harkness

Leo Sampsell-Jones, Chief Visual Editor February 23, 2022

Harkness tables are a cornerstone of the SPA Humanities experience. They’ve decorated classrooms for years, and have arguably been a core component of the learning environment. These tables are even...

Teachers work relentlessly to make sure everything is getting across over Google Meets... the least students can do is to actively listen and stay focused.

Cut teachers slack; they’re the ones holding the rope

Tommy Verhey, RubicOnline September 18, 2020
Distance learning is difficult for teachers as well and students need to understand that.
US English Teacher Vincent Cheng entertains his students with his witty jokes and funny stories.

Cheng auditions for Jeopardy in hopes of becoming… Pope

Will Schavee, RubicOnline December 6, 2019
US English teacher Vincent Cheng auditions to be on Jeopardy and shares his experience with funny and witty responses.
Head of School Bryn Roberts speaks at the opening assembly. “It is incumbent upon us, whether we are in an academic conversation or political conversation to learn to listen carefully with whom we don’t necessarily agree and to learn from that,” Roberts said.

Roberts calls for respectful and receptive conversations

Iya Abdulkarim, Editor-in-Chief October 11, 2017
Head of School Bryn Roberts elaborates on the importance of respectful discussions, especially when disagreement is inevitable.
Students at St. Paul Academy and Summit School must take action rather than just discussing a topic.

STAFF EDITORIAL: Students must take action on issues they feel passionately about

The RubicOnline Staff November 15, 2016
Students must try to not only discuss issues they care about, but also take action to make a concrete difference.

Judging peers on a lack of knowledge prevents the deepening of conversation

Mari Knudson, In-Depth Editor March 12, 2015

Students sit around a Harkness table, nervously glancing at each other in silence until a confident few speak up. However, as those few students finish speaking, the conversation dies off for lack of new...

Basis from a conglomerate of elements necessary to further discussion

Diane Huang, Online Editor and Chief March 12, 2015

It’s that kid again, the one that didn't do the reading yet insists on participating during the class discussion. Few will take this student seriously because they lack knowledge to form an opinion off...

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