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July 2020
ISSUE I
1
cnxn.ca

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
O
ne cloudy day in the middle of
October, my preschool teacher
brought a laundry mesh bag full
of large, green shell-like objects. All of
the children, fascinated by the mysterious
new creatures, huddled around the
small table to sneak a peek of what was
inside. Most of us didn’t even know
what caterpillars were at the time, but
fortunately, that didn’t stop us from expressing
great enthusiasm about the introduction
of these new species into our
humble classroom. Every day, we’d help
each other feed the baby caterpillars.
During our free time, we would huddle
around the table and just watch them
wiggle all over inside the mesh bag . Occasionally,
we’d move the mesh net to
different spots in the classroom so we
could all take turns babysitting them.
The connections I made with my peers
even at the age of five made for plenty
of exciting days.
I hope that this magazine becomes your
caterpillar. A means of connection that
brings us closer to our peers and the
world. CNXN (kuh-nek-shuhn ) is an
attempt to bring about the same interaction
and fun, so essential to learning,
in our daily lives that we missed out on
because of the pandemic.
CNXN comprises of content catering
specifically to highschoolers
to bring interesting articles
from the fields of business,
mathematics, current events,
science, and much more. A
CNXN magazine will be published
every month and will include
many articles features,
and maybe even guest columns
from some of your favorite personalities.
I’d like to invite you to send your
work in the form of articles, features,
puzzles, and even art. Anything
you can imagine has a
place in this magazine. One day,
with the help of our strong community,
we can make this caterpillar
a beautiful butterfly.
As K.D’Angelo once said, “No
gardens truly bloom until butterflies
have danced upon it.”
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FOREWORD
W
e are immersed in a time where connections are few and far between as a
result of COVID-19 pandemic. Connections with family, friends and loved
ones are needed and CNXN seeks to provide that for high school adolescent.
Student voice is important in the transformation of education to
better serve the needs of our “clients.” I use the word clients because, after all, is education
not a service industry that caters to molding, influencing and educating young minds
to be future leaders? If we do not hear and, more importantly, listen to our students and
how they want to learn and how they learn best, are we not doing them a disservice? We
have taught our students how to follow instructions as early as kindergarten. We have
taught them how to read and write from a curriculum that has inherently been antioppressive,
anti-racist and discriminatory for many years. Connection is now a platform
for the “muffled” student voice to be heard in the most respectful and positive form possible.
High school students can now see the world in front of them with a clear lens and
discuss what is wrong systemically. I am excited to see through CNXN how respectful and
intriguing writing will be used as an outlet and a platform to highlight the great things
people, humanity and the world have to offer! I am equally excited at how CNXN will challenge
what is wrong with our world today and advocate for sustainable change.
“Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.”- John Dewey
The education of our students does indeed begin in the classroom but I want to thank
Anya for this bold step of continuing the education beyond the classroom for teens in
the GTA. Though this idea originated in your class, it was taken to new heights with
your initiative. I look forward to the positive growth that will occur as this form of positive
communication expands with the great students in the GTA.
Keith Johnson
Principal
3

Current Events
4

A Police Crisis:
How the killing of George Floyd will cost
America in ways beyond racial segregation
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*Picture from NBC

Current Events
*Picture from BBC News
On May 25, 2020, a white police
officer took the life of a
black man for allegedly using a
counterfeit bill at a local convenience
store. In a video posted
to social media, the officer,
Derek Chauvin is seen kneeling
on George Floyd’s neck. "I can't
breathe, man," Floyd can be
heard saying in the video.
"Please, let me stand. Please,
man." The four officers involved
in this incident were charged
and fired from the Minneapolis
police department.
The cruelty of Floyd’s
death sparked an international
uprising with protests and rallies
in the United States and in
countries around the world.
People took to the streets to express
their solidarity and demand
justice for Floyd. The protests
have led to civic unrest in America
at a large scale as protestors
violently demonstrate their outrage
with racial segregation inside
America’s police system.
Protesters burned a police precinct
in Minneapolis, torched cop
cars in Los Angeles and Atlanta,
and dodged plumes of tear gas
from Tulsa Oklahoma.
Unfortunately, these turn of
events are leading many police
officers to resign from their local
police departments over fears of
violent protests and protestors.
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Hundreds and thousands of people have
taken to the streets to demand the defunding
of the American police
f o r c e .
This movement was built on uniting
people against those who inappropriately
leveraged their power to
target people of colour. Now, it has
become a source of fear for the officers
that continue to put their life on the line
to keep the citizens of their country safe.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the aftermath
of George Floyd’s killing has only
aggravated the civic unrest in the United
States. Not to mention, the president
seems to be disconnected from the harsh
realities many of the country’s citizens
face. As one New York Times reporter described
it,
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“If the video was the match and the
coronavirus was the kindling, Donald
Trump provided the kerosene.”
Since Donald Trump’s inauguration in
2016, he has turned the Oval Office into
a hub of racial, ethnic and cultural
division. The spark of this uprising after
the killing of George Floyd during this
unprecedented time is a call for action
and change. It is a call to hold people
responsible for their actions and come
together as a nation to fight injustice
and segregation. Instead, an increasing
number of police officers are deciding
to leave the force in the name of fear,
effectively making the country less and
less safe for its citizens.

Healthcare
COVID & GIS
*Source: ESRI Canada
Since the end of last year, more than 12 million cases of
COVID-19 have been reported worldwide. The coronavirus
pandemic has led to more than 500,000 deaths globally and
has caused global disruptions impacting the lives of billions of
people. According to scientists and researchers, the coronavirus
belongs to the severe acute respiratory syndrome
(SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). The
disease is causes leads to mild symptoms in the majority of
people, but as research has shown, can also lead to severe
respiratory illness.
In comparison, however, to SARS and MERS , the coronavirus’s
spread has been alarmingly quick. MERS took two and
a half years to infect 1,000 people and SARS took about four
months for the same number. The coronavirus had infected
1,000 people in just under 50 days after its first case.
With its deadly effects, researchers were forced to act fast to
limit the spread of the virus. GIS, or Geographical Information
Systems, became useful in providing valuable insights used to
help organizations respond to the crisis, maintain operations,
and facilitate the re-opening of businesses.
Maps and other analyses provide a frame of reference to compare
other data from around the world. Maps created through
the use of GIS can aid people in making better decisions and
gaining an accurate understanding of the disease’s spread
around the world. Location intelligence is used to provide real
-time information about the impact of the pandemic.
While the spread may not seem to be slowing down anytime
soon, GIS has helped many communities re-open safely. It
provides us with the technology to make well-informed decisions
to understand emerging concerns and implement systems
that integrates data, activities, and programs.
Today, leaders are extensively utilizing geospatial tools to react
to public health and safety implications of the COVID-19
crisis. Of increasing importance is the ability to stay updated
with the number of cases and the spread of the coronavirus.
The well-known 1918 flu pandemic was the most lethal during
its second wave of infections. Today, through the help of newer
technologies like GIS, we hope to be more connected and
aware with regularly updated maps and time enabled information
that will eventually help us save lives and fight the
pandemic.
8

Education
Universities Drop the SAT
In early June, the University of California voted to
phase out the SAT and ACT as requirements to apply to its system
of 10 schools. Many other schools have pushed to make
the SAT and ACT tests optional as a response to the coronavirus
pandemic for at least the fall 2021 term. In total, more than 50
US universities have chosen to go test optional for at least the
near future. These changes are a response to the growing pandemic
and the unstable situations many high school students
may find themselves in as a result
This change is likely to wane American colleges off of
standardized tests due to the concern that they’ve started to
give black, Hispanic, and poor students an unfair disadvantage
going into competitive college admissions. Students who may
not have access to test prep and private tutors are said to be
put at a significant disadvantage in terms of the scores they
receive on standardized tests. The College Board and ACT inc,
however, stand by their standardized tests, insisting that these
scores are a reflection of a student’s readiness for college. "ACT
scores are highly predictive of success in college," said Colby.
"They provide colleges with a standardized measure of academic
readiness that can be used to compare students from
different schools, districts, and states on a level playing field,
something that no other admission factor can provide." Students
who may attend specialized programs or private schools
are often subject to higher grading standards, often resulting in
lower GPAs. The SAT and ACT tests are ways that colleges can
accurately assess where a student falls in comparison to their
peers in other areas of the world.
However, an increasing number of students and advocates
have been joining the test-optional movement, arguing that
standardized tests aren't a true reflection of a student's academic
ability.
The college admissions scam of last year proved that some
wealthy families could buy their children's way into college.
According to a 2015 analysis by Inside Higher Ed, the
lowest average scores for each part of the SAT came from students
with less than $20,000 in family income. The highest
scores came from those with more than $200,000 in family
income. And when it comes to race, "Hispanic and African-
American students from comparable socioeconomic families
scored lower than their Asian-American and White peers,"
according to a 2013 paper titled "Race, Poverty and SAT
Scores." More than 1,000 accredited four-year colleges and
universities had implemented permanent test-optional or testflexible
policies prior to the outbreak. "What we have found at
Bowdoin [is that] test scores do not correlate to success on
campus," Claudia Marroquin, the director of admissions at
Bowdoin College in Maine, said at the Student Voice news
conference.
Although these tests have often provided students
with a way to display their readiness to competitive colleges,
in recent years, they have started to provide an unfair advantage
to those of a higher socio economic status. If schools
turn test-optional, it may become harder for colleges to
choose between prospective students and even for some students
to be provided with a level playing field. Only time will
tell what the future of college admissions will look like in the
wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the college admissions
scandal of 2019. Will competitive institutions continue to
make standardized testing mandatory or will they look the
other way to assess students by creating a more holistic view
of their application?
9

Science & Sports
How an Athlete Used Physics to
Break an Olympic World Record
Almost 50 years ago, the Olympic high jump was
changed forever on October 20 in Mexico City. Dick
Fosbury, a 21 year old civil engineer missed the opening
ceremony and spent the week following up to his
event driving around to see the pyramids, watch the
sunset, and reportedly sleeping in a van. During his
high school years, after being too unskilled for basketball
and too small for football, Fosbury tried his luck in
the high jump. His coaches encouraged him to use the
previously known scissors or straddle technique which
brought Fosbury little success in the sport. When he
wasn’t able to compete with the more experienced
players, he had decided to change his technique. Instead
of jumping facing towards the bar in the traditional
straddle method, he jumped with his back towards
the bar and was able to improve his record and gain
more than half a foot. In the 1968 Olympics, he won the
gold medal for the high jump and set an Olympic record
of 2.24 meters. By the next Olympic games almost all
of the high jumpers had adopted this new technique
known as the Fosbury Flop. How did he manage to do
this? The secret behind his technique lies in a concept
known as the Center of Mass. For every object, we can
locate the average position of all of its mass by considering
how the mass is spread around the object. The
center of mass of a rectangle of uniform density will be
the intersection of its two diagonals. In other words, the
center of mass will be located above the balancing
point of the object.
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Similarly, humans also have a center of mass.
When we stand up, the center of mass is
around the belly. However, when you lift your
hands in the air, the center of mass moves upwards
and continues to move based on the position
the body is in. The center of mass can
also exist in a place where there is no mass at
all, a strange concept to think about, but it’s the
average point where the mass exists. For example,
donuts and boomerang both have a
center of mass that is outside the object. In the
Fosbury Flop, the jumper runs fast to divert
their horizontal velocity into vertical velocity. As
the jumper’s body bends backwards over the
bar, the center of mass of the jumper remains
below the bar. With the old techniques, the
jumpers were required to apply enough force to
lift the center of mass above the bar at least by
a few inches in order to clear it. The genius behind
the Fosbury flop was that by putting in the
same amount of force, but raising the body
much higher than before, so high that even if
the jumper’s center of gravity isn’t able to go
any higher, the jumper’s arched body can. Fosbury
brought the sport to new heights through
his revolutionary idea and changed Olympic
history forever.

Monthly Book Review
In 1959, on the side of a road in New Orleans,
a man who shined shoes experienced
a moment of déjà vu. He believed he had
shined these shoes before. That too, for a
man about as tall and broad-shouldered as
the one in front of him. But that man had
been white. This man was brown-skinned.
The man who shined the shoes said nothing
until the brown-skinned man spoke
up.
“Is there something familiar about these
shoes?”
“Yeah, I been shining some for a white
man—”
“A fellow named Griffin?”
“Yeah. Do you know him?”
“I am him.”
Written by John Howard Griffin, this book
offers an insightful perspective into what
it was like living in Jim Crow South during
the 1950’s as a black person. However,
there is one thing that stands out - John
Griffin was a white man. Being a journalist,
he had decided to “cross the colour
line.”
With the use
of medication
that included ultraviolet
light and the
intake of oral medication,
after 2 months,
he was able to darken
his skin. “Griffin was
one
of the most remark- able people
I have ever en- countered,” the
writer Studs Terkel once said. “He was
just one of those guys that comes along
once or twice in a century and lifts the
hearts of the rest of us.”
With its increasing relevance in today’s
time, this book is a must read. It provides
powerful insights and recollections
from the journalist highlighting his
times in one of the most racially segregated
cities in America during the time
of Jim Crow. Almost 60 years after its
publication, Black Like Me retains its
power and relevance. With his book,
John Griffin changed more than just the
colour of his skin. He changed the way
we think about racial segregation in the
time of Jim Crow and even today.
Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother, was written by author and law professor Amy
Chua in 2011. It caused a huge controversy around Chua’s “successful” guide to
parenting. In the beginning of the book, she explains that her daughters are
straight-A students and music prodigies, with the older daughter playing at Carnegie
Hall at 14. Anything less, according to her, would be a disgrace to the Tiger
Mom. She attributes the success of Asian kids to the Asian parenting style, writing
“There are all these new books out there portraying Asian mothers as scheming,
callous, overdriven people indifferent to their kids’ true interests.” She often reflects
on Western parenting styles , but believes that the tiger parent is the one
with the most successful children. However, her youngest child, Lulu, she later
explains, cracked under her mother's non-stop pressure. She simply refused to
obey. Worse, she openly challenged her mother in public, screaming: "I don't want
to be Chinese. Why can't you get that through your head? I hate the violin. I hate
my life. I hate you, and I hate this family!" Her defeat with Lulu made her pause
and take a step back. This is not just a book for parents, - it’s a wonderfully entertaining
book that really makes one think. After the publishing of the book, many
writers came to attack Chua on her ruthless parenting styles. In her book, she explains
that she did not want her children playing with toys, watching television, or
even participating in useless activities like painting—something a Western audience
may find alarming. Many critics seem to suggest that the pressure can take a
toll on the child’s mental health, making supportive parenting the way to go.
Chua openly criticizes western parenting, but admits she could learn from it too.
The book sparks a debate and sheds light on both cultures. Battle Hymn of the
Tiger Mother is an eye-opening exploration of the differences between Eastern
and Western parenting—and the lessons everyone can learn from it.
11

THE
NEXT
SPACE
RACE
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Science
The space race of the 1960s was a race between
only two countries—the United States and the Soviet
Union. Today, it’s not just about the United
States and Russia,. Many other countries have
joined the race including China, Japan, and China.
Moreover, many larger private companies have released
goals to put humans on Mars in the next 2-3
decades.
Today, SpaceX is one of a handful of powerful players—aspirational
billionaires and the world’s two
richest countries—competing in a race to set up on
the moon. In the 1960s, it was a two-party sprint
between the U.S. and the Soviet Union to be the
first to get a man on the surface of the moon. However,
this time, the United States finds itself in a
bigger, multifront competition with private companies
like Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue
Origin and international powers like China and Russia.
Much like the United States and Russia during the
1950s, China began using its ambitions to get a
start on the next conquest in space. Driving the
next space race is a mix of economic, technological,
and geopolitical motivations. There are fortunes
that could be made from space adventures. Space
based businesses contribute about $350 billion to
global GDP, a number that is predicted to rise to
$1.8 trillion in 20 years according to Morgan Stanley.
The moon is easily going to be the first target
for private companies and nations to colonize and
test equipment in. The current technology allows
for the expensive shipping of goods between the
Earth and the moon, but many predict that technology
will change rapidly and no one would want to
be left out of a potential gold rush.
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Science
Future benefits of space exploration include
the development of artificial intelligence, applications
for biometric sensors, and airtraffic
control. Colonizing a celestial object
only a few days away from the Earth is considered
the best way to test life support infrastructure
that would be vital on a far more
distant planet.
Nations and private companies alike, with
motives of sending missions to the moon are
all looking towards the same spot on the surface—the
South Pole. On the moon, the
South Pole is considered to be the fertile
crescent of the moon. The southern craters
are plentiful of deposits of water that could
be used to sustain humans and also for agricultural
purposes.
Many scientists seem to suggest that the
concept of a “space race” shouldn’t have to
exist at all, and international cooperation
would work better than competition.
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“With increasing tensions between the United
States and Russia, space station collaboration
has been an effective pressure-release
valve, especially when crew members have
to face problems together,” CNN suggests.
In a world facing borderless threats like climate
change and emerging diseases, cooperation
amongst private companies and nations
will become more and more important,
and space can be seen as a way to build trust
and work together.
Ultimately, politics are insignificant matters
in the far larger mission to make human beings
what they briefly were half a century
ago: a species of two worlds. According to
BBC, Michael Collins, command-module pilot
for Apollo 11, remembers being struck by a
refrain he heard over and over when he and
the rest of the crew were on a world tour following
the mission. “I thought that when we
went someplace they’d say, ‘Well, congratulations.
You Americans finally did it,’” he recalled
in a recent interview. “And instead of
that, unanimously the reaction was, ‘We did
it. We humans finally left this planet.’”
15

Personal Finance
Tips From a Professional Investment Banker
According to the experts, I should’ve started investing in the womb
Many consider an early start the
secret to being a successful investor.
Stocks are risky investments but
carry a lot of potential that can help
maximize your earning.
Picking individual stocks that will
beat the market is a timeconsuming
process. While there’s
the chance of doubling or even tripling
your money, there’s also the
chance that the company you
choose to invest with goes under
causing tremendous loss of money
for investors.
As a high school student, starting
to invest today, even with modest
gains, you'll be getting a big jump
on where your finances should be
when you're an adult. Investing
early can not only help pay for college,
but also has the potential to
make you millions one day.
Although today there are headlines
of the stock market crashing and
uncertainty about the economy due
to the coronavirus pandemic,, a
downturn in the market is normal
and stocks are likely to rise after
the pandemic.
Sudarshan Sridharan is a North Carolina
high school student who made
headlines in 2016. He didn't become
famous for winning a science competition
or soccer championships, but rather
for making $17,000 by betting on
Tesla's stock rise. He also earned
about $15,000 by investing in Google
and an additional $6,000 on Netflix all
within the period of just two years.
By investing using a custodial account
that was opened and maintained by his
dad, he was able to successfully grow
and manage his money.
Younger investors have a tremendous
advantage working in their favor -
time. Just investing a small amount of
money today can lead to big returns
down the road.
Bonds and bank-type investments earn
compound interest. Compound interest
means the interest you earn each year
on your investments is added to your
principal meaning that the balance
continues to grow at an increasing rate
every year.
Let's say you start with $1,000 to invest,
add $100 per month to your investments
for 40 years, and earn 8%
interest on average annually. In 40
years, you'll have
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more than $332,000
saved.
However, invest for 30 years instead,
and you'll have nearly half that amount
- $146,000.
Investing in stocks is risky and returns
are never steady. This means that anyone
could lose a large sum of money at
any point. As Benjamin Graham once
said, “Success is about managing risk,
not avoiding it.” Many top investors recommend
diversifying an investment
portfolio. Diversifying can offer a broad
range of assets and market sectors,
which can reduce risk and potentially
boost portfolio returns." Concentrating
your investments in a few stocks, trying
to find the 'winner' - that's not strategic
investing. That's gambling," Henry
Kaplan says.
Investing in the stock market comes
with a lot of risk, but can provide great
benefits in the future. Warren Buffet,
the third richest man in the world,
made his money through investments
and bought his first stock at the age of
11 with just $100. Investing in stocks
may be a large commitment. However,
many online platforms (like ‘htmw’)
have brought the stock market to you
for free, so you can top the leaderboard
and see how much money you can
make.
As Warren Buffet once famously said,
“You can’t win, if you don’t play.”

Mathematics
From the days of Ancient Greece, calculus was developed and refined through history
until the time of Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. When it comes to
the discovery of one of the most hated high school subjects, however, both men take
credit for its development. It is an incremental development, as many other mathematicians
had presented parts of the idea. Newton’s teacher Isaac Barrow, said “the
fundamental theorm of calculus” was present in his work but somehow he didn’t realize
the importance of the subject. Earlier, Fermat had invented some of the early
concepts associated with calculus. The controversy went into full swing in the late
1600s and gained more traction by the start of the 18th century. Both men had
claimed to have unpublished papers and unannounced theorems, however, based on
the evidence, many experts accredit Leibniz with the invention of Calculus. While
Newton had come up with theorems and uses prior, Leibniz had published first. It is
Leibniz who deserves the credit for major developments in Calculus or rather it is
Leibniz who deserves the blame.
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“No gardens truly bloom until
butterflies have danced upon it.”
20