Category Archives: Caleb Stuart

Caleb Stuart, Opinion

A Thank You Note to Aaron Sorkin

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To Kill a Mockingbird Reboot

By Caleb Stuart

On December 13, 2018 To Kill a Mockingbird opens on Broadway starring Jeff Daniels. The new script has been penned by Aaron Sorkin and I, for one, am very grateful that a reboot of the famous book and movie is finally occuring.

To Kill a Mockingbird is one of my all-time favorite novels but I didn’t really appreciate the movie. I felt that it did not do the book justice because it focuses more on the Tom Robinson trial and less on the actions of Scout, Jem, and Dill. That is not to say that the film is not good (Gregory Peck won his only Oscar for his portrayal of Atticus Finch) but it missed, what I felt to be, the central components of what made the novel incredible.

It has taken nearly 60 years for there to be a reboot and I cannot be more excited that it has been written by Aaron Sorkin. Sorkin is the writer of my favorite movie (A Few Good Men) and my favorite television show (The West Wing). He knows how to give even minor characters the characterization and credit that they deserve. Sorkin knows how to create a compelling courtroom drama while also showing what is going on when the lawyers are off the clock, which is something I find extremely fascinating.

It has been nearly 60 years and I assumed that we would never get another version of To Kill a Mockingbird. In today’s day and age, with the racial conflicts that we have, I think it something that we need and I excited that it Aaron Sorkin is taking the helm.

So, Aaron Sorkin, I say “thank you.”

Caleb Stuart

AP Calculus BC vs Calculus 3

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Which class is more challenging?
By Caleb Stuart

AP Calculus BC is the most challenging math class offered to students when they are in high school. Some may think that Calculus 3 is more challenging but Calculus 3 does not involve the AP test at the end of the year. AP Calculus BC involves the college test at the end of the year which means that students will have less stress when it comes to studying for finals.

The AP test that takes place at the end of the year is perhaps one of the hardest tests that a student can take.  It is a combination of a Calculus 2 and a Calculus 3 test. Students that take the test are given a subscore for both classes.

Generally, in class Mrs. Cynthia Henderson teaches one section of the book per day.  On top of this, students are given about thirty questions from the book as homework, every night.  If students fall behind on the homework, it will be a challenge to catch up, as new problems are assigned.

Calculus is a combo of everything that students have learned in math.  Students need to know the formulas for the area and volume of different shapes and objects from Geometry.  Also, students need to have an in depth knowledge of how to solve for variables when given an equation which they have learned in Algebra.  All of these things come together to create real world problems like “A rectangular swimming pool 16 m by 12 m is being filled at a rate of 0.9 m3/min.  How fast is the height h rising?”

AP Calculus BC is the most challenging math class a student can take as a high schooler.  It is remarkable for high school students to be in Calculus 3 but the fact that AP Calculus BC is a combination of two levels of math and it has the extremely challenging AP test at the end of the year.  These couple of things make AP Calculus BC more challenging that Calculus 3, even if Calculus 3 is considered to be the more advanced math class.