Reinvisioning Homework

Reinvisioning Homework
on a
Global Scale
[ EVENTS ]
2
Celebratory Occasions
Concerts
February is Black History Month
Feb. 1: Bubble Gum Day
Feb. 5: National Pancake Day
Feb. 11: Clean Out Your Computer Day
Feb. 12: Mardi Gras
Feb. 14: Valentine’s Day
Feb. 19: Chocolate Mint Day
Feb. 23: International Sword Swallower’s Day
Feb. 24: Academy Awards
Feb. 28: National Chili Day
Scholastic Fantastic
Feb. 12: Marilyn Manson
@ Showbox Sodo
Feb. 18: Harlem Globetrotters
@ KeyArena
March 7: Alicia Keys
@ WaMu Theater
This Month in History
Feb. 18-22: Presidents’ Break
Movie Releases
Feb. 14: A Good Day to Die Hard
(Not yet rated)
Feb. 14: Beautiful Creatures
(PG-13)
Feb. 22: Snitch (PG-13)
Feb. 2, 1536: Argentina is founded
Feb. 4, 1789: George Washington becomes
first U.S. president
Feb. 4, 1913: Rosa Parks was born
Feb. 6, 1895: Babe Ruth was born
Feb. 11, 1847: Thomas Edison was born
Feb. 13, 2000: Last Peanuts comic strip
Feb. 16, 1923: King Tut’s burial chamber is
opened
Feb. 21, 1989: Corbin Bleu was born
Feb. 24, 1970: NPR was founded
Feb. 27, 1981: Josh Groban was born
Feb. 28, 1980: Tayshaun Prince was born
Letters
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Kyra Kaiser
Advisor: Hilari Anderson
Madison Kelly
Cover Design:
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Kendall Reonal and Amy Yang
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opinions expressed on these pages do not reflect the opinions of the Kent School District.
[ NEWS ]
3
In wake of Newtown: NRA
proposes arming teachers
By Matt Martin, Lead Reporter
The tragic school shooting that occurred
at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT last December left 27 dead, one
wounded, and the entire nation in a state of
shock. It also ignited a firestorm of controversy over gun control laws and the best
way to keep students safe.
The extent of this disaster was further
amplified following a year ripe with mass
murders that involved firearms, including
the highly publicized shootings at a movie
theater in Aurora, CO, a Sikh Temple in
Wisconsin, and the Clackamas Town Center in Happy Valley, OR – the last which
happened just three days before the events
at Newtown.
Although the Bureau of Justice reports
the rate of violent crimes as a whole are on
the decline in the United States, 2012 was a
record year for mass murders, and citizens
are torn over how to stop this disturbing
trend.
President Barack Obama, who teared
up in his address to the nation following
the Newtown shooting, proposed a gun
control bill that would increase bans on
assault weapons, require universal background checks, and place 10-round limits
on magazines.
Some students and teachers strongly advocate Obama’s proposal.
“I don’t think anyone should own guns
that are assault or military grade,” said
English teacher Patience Beales.
“I think background checks should have
to be done,” added Math teacher Peggy
Taimi. “I don’t see why people would need
to have those kinds of guns.”
In the other camp, Wayne LaPierre,
Executive Vice President of the National
Rifle Association (NRA), a prominent lobbyist group for gun rights, responded to the
Newtown shooting by saying that the best
way to ensure the safety of students was to
place armed security personnel in schools.
“We need to have every single school in
America immediately deploy a protection
program proven to work -- and by that I
mean armed security,” he said.
Others from the NRA have even advocated arming the teachers themselves so
each classroom would have direct access
to a means of defending students from intruders. Already bills have been introduced
Opposing and supporting views on arming teachers can be found online. Some
view arming teachers as a way to protect students (at right), while others fear the
misuse of guns in the classroom (below).
into legislation in South Dakota, Maine,
and Oklahoma that would allow teachers who are licensed gun owners to carry
concealed firearms on school grounds. Additional conditions in these bills would require teachers to undergo a training course
run by police and pass a psychological test.
Some students agree with the arming of
both teachers and security.
“It’s possible the teacher could prevent
harm to their students if security guards
weren’t able to respond in time,” said
Junior Lane Hansen. “If you’re a teacher, you should be able to apply to have
one.”
Senior Dominic Beretta-Senn disagrees
with allowing teachers to carry firearms,
but agrees security should have the privilege.
“I think we should provide guns
to the security guards who are trained
to use them, unlike everyday people like teachers,” said Beretta-
Senn. “They should give security guards a
better weapon than a can of mace,” agreed
Junior Cian Schlicte.
Senior Haley Miller counters that view.
“Why would they promote stopping
gun violence with more guns?” she asked. “You can’t stop firepower with more firepower.”
Although there is a potential benefit to
having armed officials stationed at schools
to provide first response to any intruders
who may pose a potential threat to students,
there also are a variety of drawbacks.
Beales raised several questions about
the logic of introducing guns to a classroom setting.
“If I had a gun, what would stop [students] from grabbing my gun?” she asked.
“How would the funding work for arming
guards and teachers when teachers have so
little money for materials for their classes
as it is?”
[ NEWS ]
4
Kent among King County School
Districts winning Race to the Top
By Matt Martin, Lead Reporter
The Kent School District is
among seven school districts in
King County that will share a $40
million grant that was awarded
by the U.S. Department of Education’s Race to the Top contest
early in December.
Race to the Top is a competitive grant program designed to
spur innovation and reforms in
education among “states that are
leading the way with ambitious
yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling,
and comprehensive education
reform,” according to the Department of Education.
Grants were awarded on the
basis of applicants meeting state
and nationwide education standards for teachers and students,
promoting innovative and progressive education strategies,
and focusing on STEM (Science,
Technology, Engineering, and
Math) curricula.
KSD Chief Accountability Officer Linda Del Giudice explains
this is because the district is “trying to make sure our students are
prepared for the future and can go
on in careers that include these
important subjects.”
This monumental grant will go
toward furthering the education
of 147,000 students across 261
schools throughout the districts. It
will fund efforts to promote early learning, increased academic
rigor in classes, and high school
graduation rates. The unofficial
motto for the districts’ plan for
the grant is to “Start Strong,”
be “STEM Strong” and “Stay
Strong.”
The Kent, Seattle, Auburn,
Highline, Renton, Federal Way,
and Tukwila school districts
made a joint application to Race
to the Top under the name “The
Road Map District Consortium,”
referencing their collaborative
project of the same name dedicated to improving education in
AP Chemistry is one of the classes that may be supported by
the Race to the Top grant, with its emphasis on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM).
Photo by Matt Martin
Sophomores go over their PSAT results in February. Part of the Race to the Top grant will continue funding this test for tenth graders.
Photo by Matt Martin
King County. They were one of
only two groups across the country to win the maximum $40 million grant.
Del Giudice believes the districts’ success was the result of a
community effort.
“We had support from community-based
organizations
and all of the teachers’ unions
in all seven districts,” she said.
“[It was] a great unity of people
speaking with one voice.”
Senator Maria Cantwell was
very enthusiastic about the grants,
according to the Road Map Project.
“This grant is a critical investment in King County schools,
students and educators,” said
Cantwell. “The future of our
economy and global competiveness depends on the quality of
our educational system. This investment recognizes the innovation of King County educational
leaders in providing students with
crucial programs like STEM education and early learning. These
programs are vital in preparing
Washington students to succeed
in the global economy.”
Students also have reason to
be excited for the grant. The increased budget will allow more
Advanced Placement (AP) classes to be offered and PSAT/ SAT
tests to be administered at no
charge.
“All College Board tests are
going to be provided to students
in the region,” said Del Giudice.
She also described how new
AP classes will be offered on
the basis of the results of the AP
Potential tool. This tool uses students’ PSAT scores as an indicator of their probability of succeeding in different AP courses.
“We plan on introducing AP
classes where we believe our students can be successful,” said Del
Giudice.
When asked how students
would choose to spend the grant
money, many believed the pathway to higher graduation rates
and educational success begins
with the teachers.
“I would find out how to help
the teachers help the students and
get what they’re teaching across
to them,” said Senior Jade Silvan.
One recommendation of Silvan’s is to “teach them how to use
technology better,” citing past
teachers she had who were unable to operate SmartBoards or
even PowerPoint.
Junior Susan Pifer agreed, saying that that grant money should
go towards “evaluating teachers
and making sure they’re effective.”
Del Giudice confirmed that
teacher training will be funded by
the grant; however, she said that
this training will “start with K-3
teachers to make sure they are
able to teach the foundations of
reading and writing.”
[ NEWS ]
5
Chargers say “I don’t” to religion defining marriage
Here’s how over 500 Chargers view marriage
By Glenn Ogal Hartman,
Veteran Reporter
With the recent passing of
Referendum 74, the thought
of marriage equality is fresh in
some Chargers’ minds.
In a recent Fleet Street survey
on KR views toward marriage in
general, 59 percent of 500 Chargers support a gender-neutral
definition of marriage, regardless
of their stated faith.
And, despite their support
for marriage equality, 84 percent of Chargers surveyed feel
that religion should not define the legal status of marriage.
Studies show that young
Americans are the most open to
the idea of gender-neutral marriage.
According to CBS News, 72
percent of those ages 18-24 support gay marriage, and according
to the New York Times, “support [for gay marriage] among
baby boomers (ages 48 to 66)
has grown to 41 percent from 32
percent; among seniors (over age
67) to 33 percent from 23 percent; among Generation X (ages
32 to 47) to 51 percent from 41
percent; and among millennials
(ages 18 to 31) to 64 percent from
51 percent.”
Religions that generally oppose gay marriage typically fall
under the Abrahamic type, including Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam. A majority of these
religions do not support gay marriage, but that does not mean
that the individuals who practice
these religions do not support it.
Baptists do not accept gay
marriage, nor do Jehovah’s Witnesses, Methodists, Pentecostals,
or Catholics, though many Lutheran churches accept gay marriage, as do Presbyterians.
Religions that originated in
India, including Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism have less
clear teachings regarding homosexuality. For Hinduism, homosexuality is regarded as one of the
How Do You View Marriage?
Should Religion
Define Marriage?
possible expressions of human
desire.
For Buddhism, the determination of whether homosexuality is
acceptable for a person is not a
religious matter.
In 2005, a Sikh religious authority described homosexuality
as “against the Sikh religion and
the Sikh code of conduct and totally against the laws of nature,”
according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Simone Williams, a senior and
member of KR’s Gay-StraightAlliance, says that the KR statistics are “encouraging for the new
generation. I’m really excited to
see that people are more accepting of others.”
Sophomore Jordan King, a
Protestant, feels that marriage
should be between “anyone
who’d like to marry. Everyone
has the right to the pursuit of
happiness, as stated in the United
States constitution.”
“Marriage is when the law
recognizes that two people love
each other,” Senior Jade Silvan,
a Mormon, said. She feels that
“gender doesn’t define a person.
It’s not the reason you fall in love
with someone. It’s just a little detail about a person. Why should
that be the definition of the
law?”
Some, though, have a more
traditional view of marriage.
Sophomore Paul De’lean, a
Protestant, said he thinks marriage should be between a man
and a woman, with “no ability to
divorce,” a belief he attributes to
his European background.
Freshman Anthony Lord,
a Catholic, said that marriage
is “the bond between man and
woman.”
Lord said he holds this belief because “it’s the way I was
raised.”
[ NEWS ]
6
LDS students help demystify their religion
By Kiera Brunson,
Veteran Reporter
This year’s presidential election put the spotlight on Mitt
Romney, and by extension, the
Mormon church, of which he is a
member.
Many KR students are members of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints (LDS), also
referred to as Mormons, though
few non-practitioners understand
what the religion is all about.
Freshman Andrea Ostler believes that her religion is misunderstood.
“I think that sometimes people
can misunderstand our religion,”
she said. “Sometimes people
think our religion is very secretive, but really it’s not. We’re
open to share what we believe.”
Let’s start with the basics.
According to Mormon.org,
when Jesus came to earth, His
mission was to organize His
church, and His apostles were
to continue His work after His
death. This belief is in line with
mainstream Catholicism and
Protestantism, which comprise
western Christianity. To Christians, both Protestant
and Catholic, the Bible is the
Freshman Andrea Ostler is a proud Mormon. Ostler works on an assignment in Math teacher
Photo by Kiera Brunson
Brad McDowell’s class in February.
foundation of the faith. But for
Mormons, after the apostles died,
the ways of the church also died.
Mormons believe that the
Prophet Joseph Smith began to
restore the church in 1820 at the
behest of the angel Moroni (a
statue of whom sits atop Mormon
temples blowing a trumpet).
Mormons follow several different books that they call Holy
Scripture. Those books consist
of the Holy Bible, The Book of
Mormon, The Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great
Price. This is because, unlike the
Senior Jeremy Halversen works on his marketing project next to
Senior Matt Mead, a non-Mormon. Halversen plans to go on his
Photo by Kiera Brunson
Mission next year.
one revelation of Christ following
the Biblical tradition, Mormons
believe in ongoing revelation.
Senior Jeremy Halversen describes the Book of Mormon.
“We have the Book of Mormon, which is like the Bible, but
it’s another book of scripture that
no one else has.”
Members of the LDS church
believe that family is very important and should be a focus of life,
according to Mormon.org.
Some look at shows like Sister
Wives, which chronicles a fundamentalist LDS family containing
multiple wives, as an example of
mainstream Mormonism, when
in fact it is not.
“We don’t have multiple
wives,” Halversen said. “We just
value families, and that’s why we
often have large families.”
Mormons also believe in eternal life and that spirits move on
to the spirit world. In the LDS
doctrine, there are three different levels of heaven. They are the
Celestial Kingdom, Terrestrial
Kingdom, and Telestial Kingdom. The highest heaven is the
Celestial, then the Terrestrial, followed by the Telestial.
All races can gain priesthood,
according to the church, but that
wasn’t always the case. Until
1978, blacks were not able to
gain priesthood, and women (like
their Catholic counterparts) still
are not allowed to.
Senior Aaron Connell said that
his favorite part of his religion is
that it means the same thing everywhere.
“It’s the same all over the
world,” Connell said. “Nothing’s
different. Like, I could go to a
church in Africa, and it would
be like the exact same thing as
here.”
“I like that no matter what
you’re always welcome, and people accept you for who you are,”
Ostler added.
A big part of the Mormon religion is going on a Mission post
high school.
Halversen is going on a mission next year.
Missions for boys last for two
years, and for girls, they last a
year and a half. Within the church,
it is more common for boys to go
on Missions. While on a Mission,
the missionary can only call his
or her family on Christmas and
Mother’s Day. For six out of the
seven days of the week, missionaries share the Mormon religion
with the community to which
they have been assigned. These
missions may be either in the
U.S. or abroad. On the seventh
day, missionaries shop for food,
do laundry, and run other errands.
Halversen believes that it is
important to go on a Mission.
“It’s our responsibility to
share what we know with others,
whether they accept it or not,” he
said.
Senior Aaron Connell (right), a member of the LDS church, helps
Senior Jon Olson (not a Mormon) with an architecture project.
Photo by Kiera Brunson
[ NEWS ]
7
KR comments on The Book of Mormon
By Glenn Ogal Hartman,
Veteran Reporter
“Two by Two the Mormons
are coming!”
The Tony award-winning musical The Book of Mormon played
The Paramount Theatre Jan. 8 20.
This musical has raised interest and sometimes ire among the
members of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons), with provocative lyrics
and song titles, such as the song
“Spooky Mormon Hell Dream,”
as well as its crude humor.
The musical was written by
the creators of South Park, and is
about two 19-year-old Mormon
men sent to Uganda on their twoyear Mission. The show’s “takeno-prisoners brand of comedy
skewers homophobia, racist attitudes and cultural myopia in the
Mormon church, as well as many
other touchy targets,” according
to the Seattle Times. KR has a large Mormon community, and the musical’s presence raised mixed feelings.
The LDS church has welcomed the musical as having
increased interest in the church. The Church released the following statement concerning the musical that mocks their holy book:
“The production may attempt
to entertain audiences for an evening, but the Book of Mormon as
a volume of scripture will change
people’s lives forever by bringing
them closer to Christ.”
Junior Carter Sterling, a Mormon, feels that, without having
seen it, the musical is “offensive
and so irreverent that it becomes
disrespectful and completely condescending.”
Candace Willmore, a senior
and a Mormon, says that she
doesn’t “understand how it’s become acceptable for our society
to mock on religion, but not another. If this musical were called
‘The Koran,’ there would be riots in the streets, yet it’s become
OK to mock the Mormon church.
Yes, I’m a
Mormon
Mitt Romney
Jon Heder
How does that make sense?”
“It’s interesting that we now
live in a world where it is OK to
mock one religion, but not another,” Sterling added.
Some Mormons are withholding judgment.
“I don’t know much about the
musical, so I don’t really have
an opinion on it,” Senior Jeremy
Halversen said.
Andrea Ostler, a freshman and
a Mormon as well, agrees with
Halverson’s statement.
“I don’t know much about it,”
she said. “I just think it’s a crude
play that portrays my religion in a
mocking tone.”
Fans of the show include those
in the theatre community. Grace
Kang, a senior, non-Mormon, and
member of the KR Players Tech
Crew, has seen the musical.
She said that she “really enjoyed it. The songs are fun, the
actors are great, and it’s a wonderful production.”
When asked whether she felt
that the play could be offensive
to Mormons, Kang said that she
could “see aspects of the show
that could potentially be offen-
sive, but overall I don’t think it
was really that bad.”
Senior Caelan Creaser, a nonMormon who has performed in
KR musicals for five years, said
that she is “beyond excited for the
musical. The music is phenomenal!”
For those who missed the musical, Parker and Stone have announced a film version is in the
works.
“The Book of Mormon is my
favorite musical,” KR Player, Senior Haley Poole, said. “I can’t
wait to see it!”
Katherine Heigl
(raised Mormon)
[ NEWS ]
Seeing double?
Perhaps you see twins!
8
were dressed alike as young
girls.
Have you ever mixed up iden- “Yeah, our parents always
tical twins? Many have.
dressed us up the exact same,”
Freshman Tyler Hager, twin Monica remembered.
to Mason, thinks that looking “My mom put us in these
alike can be hard and oftentimes super-cute clothes that were the
annoying. He remembers “look- same, but in different colors,”
ing in a mirror and being like, Junior Abby Klinkenberg said
‘It’s Mason’ ” to see if he could of her sister Lexi. “We dressed
trick himself.
like that until we could dress our “We looked so much alike selves -- haha!”
when we were babies, our par- Matt and Nick are truly alike;
ents had us wear beanies with they both said that their favorite
our names on them so they didn’t prank is to switch seats in Mr.
get us mixed up,” Mason added. McDowell’s math class. And,
“When we were kids I was they often are mistaken for each
always dressed in green, and he other in the hall.
was always in blue so people “Sometimes people think I’m
could tell us apart,” Senior Matt him, and I don’t know them, but
Fisher said of his brother Nick.
they just start talking to me about
“Nick dressed in blue as a kid, inside jokes and stuff,” Matt said. and I always dressed in green so “I just have to go along with it
people would know who’s who,” and laugh.”
Matt added.
Tyler thinks it’s funny when Seniors Crystal (left) and Monica (right) Keosombath often are mistaken for one another. They
Photo by Lizzy Wirth
Seniors Monica and Crystal Mason “calls me ugly, and I’m even switched classes back in elementary school, and nobody noticed.
Keosombath said that they, too, just like, ‘Dude, we look exactly
remember which one it was, but
the same.’ ”
“My girlfriend in elementary then she went around the parkschool was Zoey Golden, and ing lot holding one of us in the
we were in my room watching a air screaming if anyone had seen
movie, so it was kind of dark,” someone who looked like this.
Matt remembers about Nick. Yeah, we haven’t been there with
“She leaned over and almost her since.”
kissed my brother because she Crystal has a memory with
her twin, but it has nothing to do
thought it was me.”
Although Matt didn’t think it with being identical.
was funny then, he looks back on “So, I have this pond in my
it and sees it as just a good time. backyard, and I fell into this one
“Yeah, we’re into the same time,” she remembered. “And
kind of girls, so sometimes we she just stood there laughing. I
will be like out and see a girl that even thought it was funny at the
we think is hot and just whoever time.”
Monica’s best memory with
calls dibs first,” Nick added.
And just like the Fisher twins, her sister has everything to do
with being a twin.
the Klinkenberg girls do, too.
“Sometimes we like the same “In like the first grade, we
guy, but we never date the same looked so much alike, and we
switched classes, and no one ever
guy,” Abby said.
Abby remembered a time that figured out until we told them,”
being a twin caused her mom she said. “But, we never did it
again because I was too afraid of
quite a bit of anxiety.
“So this one time, my mom getting caught.”
took me and my sister to Wild If they end up apart after movWaves,” she said. “We must have ing on to college and adult life,
Seniors Matt (left) and Nick (right) Fisher still switch seats as a prank in Math teacher Brad Mc- been like 4 or 5. Ok, so eventu- Tyler says it will be “exciting,
Dowell’s class.
Photo by Lizzy Wirth ally she lost one of us, I don’t sad, [and] bittersweet.”
By Lizzy Wirth, Veteran Reporter
[ TECH ]
9
Social networking leads to loneliness
By Marisa Payton,
Veteran Reporter
People under the age of 35,
who just so happen to be the
“most prolific social networkers of all,” are feeling lonelier
than ever, according to Forbes, a
leading source for business and
financial news and information.
“These days we expect more
from technology than we expect
from each other,” says Dr. Sherry Turkle, a specialist in technology and society. “… Technology appeals to us where we are
most vulnerable. We’re lonely,
but we’re afraid of intimacy.
And so from social networks to
sociable robots, we’re designing
technologies that will give us the
illusion of companionship without the demands of friendship.”
According to new research,
the average 12-15 year olds have
never met one-fourth of their
friends on any given social network, said The Guardian, a news
site from New York. Other studies have found 55 out of 60 people would accept a friend request
from someone they don’t know
because they appear “friendworthy,” as reported by IvyWise.
com, a college counseling site.
“On Facebook I have 1,280
‘friends,’ and I do know a lot
of them from multiple things
I’m involved in, … but a good
chunk of them were added when
I first made Facebook, and I’m
not close friends with,” said Senior Vanessa Chukri.
The average 12-15 year olds have
never met one-fourth of their friends
on any given social network.
“I don’t know about 50 out of
100 [of my Facebook friends],”
said Freshman Nico Marin.
With these simulated friendships with near-strangers, there’s
no wonder why feelings of loneliness are rising.
Having Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, Pinterest, and Snap
Chat, we constantly are connected to our “friends.” These
networks reduce face-to-face
relationships because it’s easier
to control a friendship through a
computer than in person.
So, are we spending too much
time online?
“Sometimes I’m on a call on
Skype, and I don’t go outside,”
said Freshman Mitchell Hardin.
“I use social networks to
make plans,” added Marin.
With Instagram and Twitter, followers can be strangers
as well as friends. The average
person has more than double
the online friends than physical
ones, said Daily Mail, an online
newspaper in the U.K.
“On Instagram I have 509
followers, and followers can be
completely random, but plenty
of them are friends as well,” said
Chukri.
Reporters online, such as ones
from Times Health and Family
section, concluded that the lives
of those on social networks seem
joyful and cause others to feel
lonely and depressed.
“Researchers found that 29
percent of students’ bad experiences occurred in private, compared with 15 percent of the
good ones. And 40 percent of the
time, people deliberately concealed negative feelings. That
helps explain why other people
always seem like they’re having so much fun — they generally tend to be happier in social
settings, and they usually don’t
dwell on feelings of loneliness or
depression,” reports the Times.
This suggests that these profiles are false, since the difficulties of daily life are rarely broadcast. That means we only post
our most witty comments and
our most attractive pictures.
“I like to be a happy person,
and I really believe that things
on the internet can be interpreted
in many ways, so even if I’m
upset, I play it safe with a happy
post or I don’t post at all,” said
Chukri.
Where is the reality in our relationships?
“In person [is better] because
you can feel the person being
genuine,” said Hardin.
Senior Angela Giri uses her phone to text, though she doesn’t do
so often. Texting can lead not only to distraction, but to physical
injury.
Photo by Kylie Degrate
Texting: fun pastime,
or serious health risk?
By Kylie Degrate,
Veteran Reporter
According to consumeraffairs.
com, with over 152.7 billion text
messages sent per month in the
United States alone, people have
shifted their primary method of
communication from voices to
hands and fingers.
While complaints can be
signs of tired, overused hands,
these symptoms can also indicate
something more serious, such as
a repetitive stress injury, tendinitis, aggravation of arthritis or
sprains, and even carpal tunnel
syndrome, doctors say.
The phenomenon worries
physicians and psychologists,
who say texting leads to anxiety, distraction in school, falling
grades, injury, and sleep deprivation, according to The New York
Times. “I don’t text much because my
phone is crappy, but I’ve noticed
all of my friends who text all
the time are having some sort of
hand pain, but they say it’s nothing,” Senior Angela Giri said.
“I text a lot, but I don’t text
during school, so I don’t really
find it distracting,” Senior Aliyah Davis said. “When I cross
the street, I always think I should
put my phone away, but then I
get distracted because of a funny
text, and I forget.”
Knowing what’s going on, coupled with anxiety about being left
out of the loop, leads to the pressure of answering a text immediately. “It’s not worth failing my
classes, or being tired all the
time,” Giri said. “If somebody
wants to talk to me, they can wait
until the morning. My phone
gets turned off at night.”
“Sometimes my hands hurt after texting, but it was just a short
pain, so I didn’t feel like it was a
problem,” Sophomore Kelli Adams said.
Dr. Martin Joffe, a pediatrician in Greenbrae, Calif., recently surveyed students at two local
high schools and said he found
that many were routinely sending
hundreds of texts every day.
“I text a lot, but not as much as
most of my friends,” Sophomore
Brooke Wilson added. “I probably send about 200 texts a day,
maybe even less than that.”
Fewer tests? Less homework? Mo
Stories by Amy Yang,
Veteran Reporter
Schools in Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New
York, and Tennessee will be
adding 300 hours to school next
year in an effort to raise student
achievement on standardized
tests.
This news has received both
praise and criticism from educators. In Seattle, teachers at Garfield and Sealth High Schools,
and Orca K-8, have refused to
administer district standardized
tests
Andn in Europe, educators
are moving away from constant
testing.
Finland has decreased the
hours spent at school, gives fewer tests, and less homework. And,
they have proven their strategy
works, as students there have
ranked at the top for years.
Pasi Salhberg, an official with
Finland’s Ministry of Education
and Culture, visited Seattle at the
University of Washington in December to discuss Finland’s education success.
Finland was ranked first in
the world when its 15 year olds
scored at the top of an international exam, the Program for International Student Assessment
(PISA) in 2000, and the scores
have maintained that spot since,
whereas the U.S. is around the
middle, according to the Seattle
Times.
What is Finland doing that we
are not?
“Stop testing so much,” Sahlberg said during his visit. “Trust
teachers more. Give less homework. Shorten the school day.”
Fins start school later in life,
too. American children can start
school at age 4, whereas in Finland, children start at 7.
During his lecture, Salhberg
asked three critical questions:
Do we really need all the testing?
Should we do more to increase
students’ wellbeing? Should we
implement more vocational opportunities for students?
French teacher Noemie Hamon grew up in France, so she has a unique understanding of some
of the cultural difference that exist in education.
Photo by Amy Yang
So we asked: Do we need all
that testing?
“Testing has a function to
assess student learning,” said
English teacher Nathan SunKleinberger (Sun-K), who attended Sahlberg’s lecture. “But,
it should not be driving the train
of our education system. Right
now, we are over-testing kids.
Testing should support learning,
not drive our learning. Sahlberg
said ‘accountability is what happens when there is no responsibility.’ Testing has become the
‘accountability’ that has overtaken the ‘responsibility’ to effectively educate our children for
the future.”
Should we do more to increase
students’ wellbeing?
“Absolutely,” said Sun-K. “I think we don’t discuss this
enough as educators. There is a
tension between academics vs.
social issues. If we push social
issues too much, then the public
thinks schools are getting too political and get angry.”
Should we implement more
vocational opportunities for stu-
dents?
“Yes and no,” said French
teacher Noemie Hamon. “…
In a sense, it is nice because …
[students in] technical majors are
the ones that can’t handle what
they call harder classes, and at
the same time, it is called closed
doors.”
When students are older,
Hamon said, they may look back
and realize that they wanted to
study something other than what
they were steered toward.
According to the Times, Fins
value quality day-care and nursery kindergarten for aiding the
development of cooperation and
communication skills, such as
caring for one another, along
with fostering positive attitudes
to different cultures, people, and
the environment.
France is making similar
changes.
According to the Seattle
Times, French President François
Hollande announced reforms
concerning education. He has
proposed eliminating homework
for two years in elementary and
middle schools and to study the
results, arguing that class work
should be done at school and that
homework gives an unfair advantage to the wealthy because they
are more likely to come from a
better environment.
While giving less homework
may seem ideal for many students, it may not be the best solution.
“Getting rid of homework is
the symptom not the solution,”
said Sun-K. “We need to ask,
‘Why are we doing it? What the
function of the homework is?’
Not so much getting rid of it, but
there has to be a function about
it -- what are the pros and cons
of adding or subtracting homework?”
“I don’t think they should
have less homework,” added
Hamon. “… It’s just taking advantage of some kids that have
parenting support at home, which
I understand that, but at the same
time, I think we can put a little
more faith in kids who want to
do good in school. If you’re
only basing it on what happens at
home, then what are they going
to be expected to do at home?”
“Grade inflation needs to
stop,” she added. “…At what
point is too much? [In France],
there is no extra credit; you earn
what you earn on the quiz. There
is no such thing as make-up or
people begging for better grades. That just doesn’t happen. … In
America, it feels you owe a grade
to someone. It’s really; it’s the
student’s job, their job to earn a
certain grade.”
The French also have fewer
hours in school.
“French teachers do have a
lot less hours, that is true,” said
Hamon, who was educated in
France. “The way we teach in
the U.S., we get to know our kids
way more than French teachers
do. …
“That said, I really think in
America, at least in Washington,
that 180 days, it might be right,
but I think there aren’t enough
breaks,” Hamon added.
Senior Emma Bryant wants to
become a teacher after earning
English teacher Nathan Sun-Kleinberge
Education. He was intrigued by some o
ove to Europe
her Bachelor’s degree at Western
Washington University.
“I think school hours don’t
have to be less, but yes, students
are putting in seven to eight
hours” at school, she said. “Students are involved in extracurricular and volunteer work.”
Bryant also said that students
learn more effectively when they
are at their best physical and
mental health, and on a typical
seven-hour day, then it’s acceptable, but with all the extra work,
it might be too much.
Though few, some American
schools have instituted reforms
like those in Finland and France.
In Maryland, Principal Stephanie Brant of Gaithersburg Elementary School abolished homework, stating that worksheets
given to students do not help
them.
The experiment had mixed
results. Third-graders passing
the school assessment reading
test decreased from 76 to 64 percent, while the fourth graders’
stats stayed the same, and the
fifth graders scored three percent
higher than the year before.
Perhaps the best results will
come from a mixture of the European and American systems.
“Yeah, I think definitely kids
are given a lot more freedom
on what they can do and what
classes they can choose and they
have clubs,” said Hamon. “None
of this exists in France. We just
choose a major, and that’s about
it.”
“Can we do a mix of the U.S.
and France?” Hamon asked. ‘
“Like Salhberg said in his lecture repeatedly that Finland is a
successful education system, but
that doesn’t mean it would work
in America,” Sun-K said. “However, by looking at other nations, Fleet Street journalist Glenn Hartman takes a look at Science teacher Mitch Smith’s lecture online.
seeing what works, maybe it’s Smith has begun “flipping” his classroom, conducting lectures online and allowing for more work
Photo by Amy Yang
worth trying it as well. Maybe time in class.
there is something going on that
could work in the U.S.”
“I’m not sure if our nation is
ready for that [France’s and Finto get. And some students were
land’s education],” Bryant added. Change is occurring here at live lecture format.”
Smith said the results have concerned with the ability of in“…The change is we need to be KR
Science teacher Mitch Smith generally been positive. He con- teraction with the teacher.”
ready for that eventual change.”
is experimenting with the idea of ducted a survey in October and When asked if more class“The Flipped Classroom,” which reports that most students like it.
rooms should implement this
at its most basic form, is the prin- One of the comments was, method, Smith was unsure.
ciple that homework is done in “… You’re representing, you’re “I don’t know,” he said. “Every
the classroom, while instructional doing, you’re showing you’re teacher lives in their own asylum;
lessons are done outside of class learning too. You’re not just a each class is pretty much a selfonline through a podcast.
teacher, but you’re a student, too, contained kingdom. So our ability
“So for me, when I was pre- and you’re trying to bring your to have a discussion with someparing for the content test, I went instruction into the 21st century,” one else, even in our own departon the internet, and I found two Smith said.
ment, is very limited. I wouldn’t
individuals who are doing pod- His videos are doing more say mandate it; I think that’s the
casting that really worked for my for students than just those in his trend. You look at your learnlearning style,” Smith said. “One classroom since they are made ing, you look at online schools
of them was Sal Khan for Khan available on KR’s student drive. -- that’s definitely the trend going
Academy, and then the other one He has received comments from toward internet instructions. A
is Paul Anderson for Bozeman students that he never taught, and trend you’re not going to stop, so
Biology.”
they say they are benefiting from I decided that, well, I want to try
“If I could get value from his videos.
to be on the more leading edge.”
those resources, why couldn’t my “That’s a great spirit for teach- There are many different keys
students?” Smith asked.
ers, sharing knowledge without to success, and to continue to be
The idea is that this method barriers,” Smith said.
successful, we are going to have
levels the playing field, as stu- However, nothing is perfect.
to keep changing and adapting.
dents are able to work at their “There are some kids that who “If I’m trying new things and
own pace, not hinder anyone else, won’t do homework regardless,” not staying in a box, I want stuand ask questions in class.
Smith said. “… They’re still go- dents to feel they’re free to do
“I can pause it,” Smith said. “I ing to get knowledge from class, the same,” Smith said. “You can
er attended the lecture given by Pasi Salhberg from Finland’s Ministry of can fast forward it, and you can’t but they’re not going to get the only grow once you step outside
Photo by Amy Yang really do that with a teacher in a full breadth of what I want them
of the reforms instituted in that country.
the box.”
Flip the classroom? KR teacher does it
[ NEWS ]
12
We have survived the
end of the world, again
ran out of room on their rock.”
“A lot of people believed it; I
The predicted Dec. 21 dooms- just laughed at them,” said Junior
day as foretold by the end of the Alisa Abraham.
Mayan calendar was feared by She also is glad the world
many worldwide, but mainly was didn’t end.
“I had plans the next day,” she
humorous and fictional for KR.
Freshman Sophia Pinti didn’t added.
believe the world was going to “My friend Becca freaked
out,” added Pinti. “I just told her
end.
“I didn’t see any environmen- it didn’t mean anything and the
tal or scientific effect that [the Mayans probably just stop writworld] would [end] or that the ing. I wouldn’t want to write calMayan calendar had anything to endars forever.”
Junior Lucas Canini is glad
do with it,” said Pinti.
Senior
Nathan
Butschli he still is here even though some
didn’t believe in a Dec. 22.
agreed.
“The Mayans don’t exist any- “I told them to put their faith
more, and NASA said nothing’s in it, and when it happens it hapgoing to happen,” said Butschli. pens,” said Canini. “Who’s to say
“There’s no evidence. They just when the end of the world is?”
By Madison Kelly, Reporter
It’s a jungle for girls
certain way when I am out and
about,” said Senior Carly Manning. “I think every girl compares
High school is filled with com- herself [to other girls] at one point
petitions, whether among sports, or another,” she added.
between classes, and even for ABC News posted a story
about the effect social networks
charity drives.
The same goes for the ladies. have on the competition among
Might the movie Mean Girls women. The article covered the
come to life, when it will be every story of female college students
who were struggling with their
girl for herself?
“Sometimes I compare my- images and the lengths to which
self with [other girls] because they went in order to match their
of looks and how they dress,” other female peers.
said Junior Sarah Roundtree. “Because of social networks,
“…I mostly compare myself to though, the field of competition
how [other girls] present them- has expanded dramatically,” ABC
reports. “Now you’re competselves.”
The United Kingdom’s fash- ing with the best pictures and the
ion website, MyCelebrityFash- ebullient status updates of every
ion.co.uk, did a study about girl you know. Among some of
the gender females think about Coleman’s [University] girls, the
when dressing in the morning. constant self-comparisons and
It showed that 64 percent of the escalating insecurities translated
women surveyed said that they into a pattern of food deprivation
care the most about what other and incessant exercise.”
Taken too far, this competition
females think about their outfits.
“Sometimes there are brands can be dangerous.
I feel I have to buy to ‘keep up’ “I do get jealous of girls who
with people,” said Junior Mimi are tall and can fit in a size zero
jeans,” Khuu added.
Khuu.
“I feel I need to appear in a With the New Year already
By Marisa Payton,
Veteran Reporter
underway, maybe it’s time for
women everywhere to become
comfortable in their own skin for
a change.
“Sometimes I feel like I don’t
measure up but at the end of the
day, I am who I am,” Manning
said.
“I don’t want to be a clone
next to everybody else,” Khuu
said. “Just wear what looks good
on you. Not every trend looks
good on you like it does on that
skinny chick in class.”
What do the guys think?
“I think that the reason girls
compete with each other is partly
guys’ faults,” said Senior Gurkamalpreet Sahota. “Especially
when a guy messes with a girl,
it causes her to start feeling insecure about herself,”
It’s not about being better than
other girls purely for the sake of
being the best, but because girls
feel that being the prettiest or the
most popular will grant them approval and attention from boys.
“It’s a vicious cycle with girls
trying to be the best, even when
each girl is unique in their own
way,” Sahota added.
Are you annoyed?
What’s in a “pet peeve”?
By Kylie Degrate,
Veteran Reporter
You know what they are, we
all have them.
Some have a long list of pet
peeves--boys who sag their pants
but have to wear a belt to keep
them in that position, people who
chew too loudly, slow drivers.
According to Wikipedia, the
phrase “pet peeve” had its first
usage around 1919. The term is
a back-formation from the 14thcentury word “peevish,” meaning
“ornery or ill-tempered.”
According to Getannoyed.
com, people can be annoyed by
almost everything.
“Booths or tables that look
directly at a bathroom -- Why
should I have to think about
people using the bathroom when
I eat?” one reader wrote. “When
couples sit on the same side of the
booth when there is nobody on
the other side,” another said.
“I don’t like when I’m using
the bathroom, and I know someone else is in there, and I hear
them walk out with washing their
hands,” Sophomore Kelli Adams
said. “It’s disgusting”
“There is nothing more annoying than loud people when you
have a headache, or quiet people
who just stare at you while you
talk,” Sophomore Alexis Kirk
said. “It’s creepy, and it makes
me uncomfortable.”
Here at KR, many pet
peeves also are school specific.
“I hate when people walk
slowly in the hallway, and then
change their direction to whatever way I’m trying to get around
them,” Senior Brenna O’Farrell
said.
“There is nothing I hate more
than freshmen blocking the hall,”
Senior Elona Fedoruk added. “If
you’re going to stand and talk to
your friends, move to the side.
Don’t stop in the middle of the
hallway.” [ FEATURES ]
13
KR’s favorite YouTube videos:
Laugh your way to 6-pack abs
By Jared Buxton,
Veteran Reporter
Freshman LeKai Tong shows off his iPhone 5. Some love it, and some don’t see
Photo by Gema Soto-Marquez
it as worth the money.
The iPhone 5: Is it worth it?
isn’t worth its price when compared to the
iPhone 4S, which is only $99 with a twoyear contract through AT&T. The differ The release of the iPhone 5 Sept. 21 has ences between the iPhone 4S and iPhone
spurred debate about whether its price is 5 are underwhelming; the internet speed
and Siri are barely any faster, and the batworth it.
Many Apple fans waited in long lines, tery life still is pretty similar. The iPhone
anticipating getting their hands on the new 5 also feels extremely fragile because of its
device. With a two-year contract agree- weight compared to other cellphones. ment, an iPhone 5 with 16 GB of memory Really, the iPhone 5’s overexposure is
is $199, 32 GB is around $299, and 64 GB just another tactic used by Apple to lure in
customers.
memory is $399.
Many who upgraded have been satisfied “It’s just another iPhone,” agreed Freshabout its convenient design. For example, man Sarah Boutwell. “I used to have an
many like how it is lightweight, and the iPhone 4, but it broke.” “It’s too small, and it feels like if you
screen has stronger color saturation. Other things that make the iPhone 5 drop it once, it’s done,” Junior Diamond
different from previous models are video Gadson added. recording and wireless features like face “It’s so small for the money it’s worth,”
detection. It also comes with redesigned Freshman Mireya Sonora agreed. headphones and a charger. The charger Freshman Lekai Tong disagrees.
changed its adapter from 30-pin to Light- “I own an iPhone 5,” he said. “…
[Compared to the iPhone 4] the internet is
ning.
Despite improvements, after a month, faster, it has a bigger screen, and takes betthere were complaints about the iPhone 5’s ter quality pictures and videos.”
similarity to the iPhone 4S and its iOS 6 Still, if you are looking to make an investment in a phone, you might be smart
software. Then there is the price. The iPhone 5 and wait for the iPhone 6. Are you bored at home?
Nothing to do? Sports not
happening, and you don’t
want to do your homework?
Well, distract yourself
with funny YouTube videos!
Things like Smosh’s
Pokemon or video games
in real life are hilarious. Or,
you could watch NigaHiga.
With his wacky antics and
randomness, he is sure to keep you distracted and laughing your rear end off.
Some of NigaHiga’s videos include
“Worst Boyfriend Ever” or his “Epic MealTime Impression” or even his “S#_t ___
Say.”
Some people around the school have
their own personal favorites as well.
“I like soccer fails or skateboarding
fails,” said Graphic Arts teacher Glenn
Walrond. He especially enjoys a particular
goalkeeper fail, but anything soccer related
is funny.
Analysis by Gema Soto-Marquez,
Veteran Reporter
Sophomore Tami Kalasika likes the video “She Ratchet!” Kalasika enjoys this parody of girls and
what they talk about – weird piercings,
baby-daddies, and celebrities they wish
would be their baby-daddies. #TeamChrisBrown.
Senior Miranda Lord loves the video
“Askin’ All Dem Questions!”
This video is crazy funny. If you love
depictions of how girls act about their
boyfriends when they are older, this is definitely the video for you.
Graphic Arts teacher Jami Weinbrecht
says one of her all-time favorite videos is
“Move Deer Crossing Signs.”
This video displays stupidity at its finest. If you like to listen to people sound absolutely ridiculous, or if you want to boost
your self-esteem, watch this video.
Another funny channel is FunnyOrDie.
Their videos are full of hilarious puns and
great play-on-words comedy. A recommended video to watch would be “Idiots”
with Zoe Saldana and Kate Bosworth. It
greatly demonstrates how looks can get
in the way of an attractive person’s intelligence. If the person is as dumb as a doorknob, then you should
definitely date him or her.
I also really like the Rap
Battle Parodies that DeShawnRaw posts. He has
five videos up and it just
makes fun of how actual
rap battles are. If you
have watched any kind of
“Professional” rap battle
before, you would find
these hilarious. These
videos cover from the ways the crowd reacts, the crazy bars that the rappers be spittin’, and also how weird and goofy some
rappers are.
These videos normally focus on one
rapper who does by ‘SupaHotfire’ or
‘GlassesJacketShirtMan.’ He claims in almost every video that he is not a rapper, yet
he raps in these battles and also has over
300 million wins and no losses.
To check out these videos try going to
DeShawnRaw, NigaHiga, SpokenReason,
Emmanuel N Phillip Hudson, and Smosh.
You can find all the videos from before
and many many more!
[ ENTERTAINMENT ]
Is gossip news
really more
important
than world
conflicts?
14
By Madison Kelly, Reporter
Senior Ken Williams practices ripping off his costume to reveal a glittery dance
outfit beneath -- a classic Chat Boyz move.
Photo by Matt Martin
Chat Boyz keep
school spirit high
By Matt Martin, Lead Reporter
Nothing says school spirit quite like
scantily clad men performing electrifying
dance routines, at least that’s the philosophy of KR’s Chat Boyz dance team. And
yes, that’s Chat Boyz with a ‘Z.’
The Chat Boyz began as a parody routine of KR’s renowned Chatelaine’s dance
team in 2008, but over the years, their
wildly popular routines have allowed the
group to establish its own legacy. “It provides comic relief at assemblies,”
said Junior Nathan Rodland, a two-year
member of the team.
Senior Kyle Bige also sung their praises.
“They are a national treasure,” said
Bige. “They inspire the students with dancing.”
In recent years, the team has even participated in Chatelaines Kick It Up Competitions, a statewide contest that celebrates
high school dance performers. Rodland
said the Kick It Up 2012 Competition
was his favorite performance because he
was able to perform for “a stadium full of
girls.”
In order to develop their entertaining
and ridiculous routines, the Chat Boyz
work with the Chatelaines. Senior Vanessa Chukri, a member of the Chatelaines,
is one of those who oversaw KR’s Chat
Boyz.
“I went and supervised their practices
and helped them come up with moves,”
she said. “They are hilarious, and they are
crowd pleasers, and they are so fun.”
So what does it take to be a member?
According to ASB Secretary Treasurer
Ken Williams, a three-year member of the
team, a Chat Boy must “have confidence,
be able to strut their stuff, and be confident
in less-than-appropriate clothing.”
Williams, a senior, also recommends aspiring members “need to be able to rock a
pair of booty shorts.”
Senior Jared McAboy said he joined
because, “I wanted to get involved at the
school and figured, ‘Why not have fun
while I’m doing it?’ ”
“Don’t be shy,” he advises future members. “Don’t be scared,
and prepare to have a lot of
fun.”
“You need to be outgoing, be able to
shake your butt, and not be easily embarrassed,” said Rodland.
Although the team doesn’t take itself
very seriously, they’ve become a token of
Kentridge culture and an integral part of
school spirit at pep assemblies and beyond.
“I think Chat Boyz is something everyone can support,” said Williams. “We can
put a smile on everyone’s faces, and they
can enjoy some quality, quality dancing.”
Ok!, People, Vogue, Seventeen, Cosmopolitan – all magazines that are well known
for their popularity and read for their content, but why?
According to USA Today, technology
makes a huge difference when it comes to
whom we admire.
From tablets and online magazines to
advertisements featuring popular celebrities, technology entices readers to learn
more about celebrities’ private lives and
long to feel part of their families.
USA Today also said that divorce is one
of the main reasons people attach themselves to the ongoing lives of celebrities.
They want to fill the loneliness in own their
lives and occupy themselves vicariously
with the exciting lives of celebrities.
Has celebrity worship gone too far?
When Justin Bieber started smoking
marijuana, teenagers and young children
have reportedly started cutting themselves
as a form of protest.
“Cut For Bieber” originally started as
a joke by an anonymous user on the website 4Chan, but it’s gone so far that people
have committed self-harm, according to
Fox News. Even worse, some have become addicted to this form of self-injury,
and Bieber hasn’t responded to this horrific
situation.
Privacy also is vital in celebrities’ lives,
but is celebrity worship so extreme that it
reveals aspects of their personal lives that
are meant to be kept secret?
Jodi Foster, 50-year-old actress, expressed what she feels about her privacy
during her Cecil B. Demille award acceptance speech at this year’s Golden Globes.
According to CNN, Foster, who has
been in film since she was 3 years old, believes that it’s very important and essential to maintain privacy, especially when
you’re a celebrity.
“[I] value privacy above all else,” she
said to CNN.
Senior Alex Uth said that he pays more
attention to things that are going on in Hol-
“Kimye,” the term used to describe the
fetus of Kim Kardashian and Kanye
West, likely is known to more people
than the war in Syria.
lywood unless there’s a big issue occurring
in the U.S.
When asked if he knew what was occurring in Syria he said, “What the heck is
that?”
Freshman Emily Lu said that she enjoys
reading about Hollywood “because I get to
laugh at them, and when they get dramatic,
it’s really fun to laugh at them.”
Others disagree and feel that it’s essential to pay attention to what goes on around
the world.
Junior Onnaliese Noeske said she feels
it’s very important to stay up to date about
what goes on around in our world today,
and not just be focused about what’s going
on in Hollywood.
“Celebrities [live] normal lives, but
they’re just in front of the camera all the
time,” said Noeske.
Freshman Mireya Sonora agrees.
“I don’t really care about Hollywood
stuff,” she said “It’s a bunch of crap, and I
don’t really care who’s dating who.”
Still, it isn’t hard to admire celebrities,
especially when they have skills or talents
we hope to possess.
“I look up to Alex Morgan because I
want to play soccer and she’s really good
at soccer,” said Junior M’kenna Hayes.
“Shia LaBeouf, because I grew up with
him and he came a long way as an actor,”
said Junior Diamon D. Gadson. “I look up
to him.”
[ ENTERTAINMENT ]
15
Matthew? Emily?
Samuel? Jessica?
Is your name
popular at KR?
By Gabi Yokers, Reporter
Top boys at names at KR Every new year, newspapers
report on the top names of the
previous year.
According to Babycenter.com
the top 10 girls’ baby names in
2012 were:
1. Matthew- 26
2. Samuel-18
3. Zachary- 16
4. Nicholas- 16
5. Brandon- 16
6. Daniel- 14
7. Christopher- 14
8. Tyler-14
9. Nathan-13
10. Andrew- 13
1. Emma
2. Olivia
3. Sophia
4. Ava
5. Isabella
6. Mia
7. Ella
8. Emily
9. Lily
10. Chloe
The Top 10 boys’ names of 2012
were:
1. Liam
2. Ethan
3. Noah
4. Mason
5. Jacob
6. Jack
7. Aiden
8. Logan
9. Jackson
10. Lucas
Names at Kentridge are diverse but some are more common
than others.
At KR, the top girls’ name is
Emily, at 22. The top boys’ name
is Matthew, with 26 different
boys sharing that name.
Sophomore Pearl Woo, Senior
Riley Dulin, and Social Studies
teacher Chris Howard correctly
guessed Emily as the top female
name. Woo also correctly identified Matthew for boys.
Top Girls names at KR
1. Emily- 22
2. Jessica- 14
3. Megan- 11
4. Elizabeth- 11
5. Hannah-11
6. Sarah- 10
7. Amanda- 8
8. Anna- 8
9. Brittany- 7
10. Madison - 7
Senior Matthew Mead says he
feels “not very special,” knowing
he shares his first name with 26
other KR boys.
“I don’t feel like an individual,” added Sophomore Emily
Olson when she found out that 21
other girls share her name.
Sophomore Jessica Stefonowicz had a different thought.
“I don’t know. I think it’s kind
of cool there are so many of me.”
Although both of them didn’t
feel too special knowing this,
neither of said he or she would
change names.
Sophomore Samuel BigbeeHanson thinks so many boys
are named Samuel because “All
of the moms thought the same
thing.”
From left: Freshmen Sarah Monsrud, Simreet Sandhu, and Kerstin Westerlund wear trendy winter clothes, including jackets and a mix of girly and tough pieces.
Photo Gema Soto-Marquez
It’s all about
the coat this season
By Gema Soto-Marquez,
Veteran Reporter
and clothes. The positive thing
about trench coats with solid col Winter is in full swing, which ors is that they are versatile and
means it’s time to stock up our go well with almost anything. closets with glamorous and Another fashion trend inwarm coats and jackets, along cludes the use of leather. It’s not
with trendy accessories to make just leather jackets that are in, but
a fashion statement this season.
skirts, pants, boots, and gloves. Many winter coats have a There are many different
military vibe to them, and strong colors of leather, going beyond
jackets like these are balanced brown and black. However, it’s
out with a pencil skirt or scarf. not recommended to mix differTry combining tough and girly ent types.
articles of clothing together; this Leather may seem a bit tough
combo will create a better com- for some people, and if they want
position. to try this trend, pairing a leath Many coats this winter also er jacket with a dress is a start. lean towards a glam/rock vibe. Don’t worry about being a vegThey can be very feminine. A etarian or an animal rights advowhite trench, for example, is cate; there are many alternatives,
feminine and can be combined such as the artificial “pleather.”
with a variety of accessories Who can forget knits? Knit-
ted sweaters, scarves, and dresses have always been worn during
winter. They are perfect because
they keep people looking good
and warm during the cold season. Anyone can try this trend because there are different colors
and lengths for different tastes.
The most popular knitted piece
right now is the crewneck sweater. This is most likely the case
because crewnecks can flatter
any body type and come in every
color of the rainbow.
If you want to try any of these
trends, there are many department stores from which you can
buy winter clothes and accessories. Whether your style is girly,
chic, or rocker, you can find winter essentials. [ SPORTS ]
16
Swim takes 2nd in Districts
Chase Bublitz leads the pack
your teammates and helping them achieve
the times they want by cheering them on.”
“Our team is one of the best in the
As a freshman, Junior Chase Bublitz SPSL,” Bublitz added. “… Unfortunately,
emerged from the swim scene and was in- we have been beaten in dual meets the
vited to represent Washington state at the past two years by Mt. Rainier, but I have
North America Challenge Cup in Puerto a very good feeling we will beat them this
Vallarta, Mexico.
year.”
Last year, Bublitz placed first in state in The swim team has proven itself with
the 50 free and the 100 fly and was invited capable and competitive swimmers other
to yet another meet.
than Bublitz.
“My time qualified, and I was invited to “Including me, there are two other guys winter Junior Nationals,” he said.
who have qualified for individual events: Just this year, Bublitz has broken the Dennis Liu and Nick Watson,” Bublitz
school record in the 100 freestyle during said. “We have a few others on the team
the dual meet against Tahoma, and he has that I feel have a great chance of making
placed 84th in the nation for all swimmers. state as well: Brenton Ho, Kyle Bige, and
He also is ranked 2nd of all swimmers in Aaron Connell.”
Washington.
Connell agrees .
Already with so many accomplish- “The senior group is overall pretty fast,”
ments, Bublitz still wants more.
he said. Connell’s 50 free time is 23.5, and
“This year, I definitely want to win two his 500 free time is 5.24.
more state titles,” he said. “In addition, I Connell said of Bublitz: “He is an aniwant to help our relays get up on the po- mal in the water. It’s really fun to watch
dium. I want to break as many school re- him swim, and as a person he’s the nicest
cords as I can, and then qualify for summer guy. He’s willing to help anyone who asks,
juniors.” and he is definitely a positive influence on
Though Bublitz may seem the star, the the team.” whole team is close.
“He isn’t just fast, he makes practice a
“We get along very well and are able lot of fun,” added Connell.
to joke around with each other,” he said. At West Central 4A Districts, the Ken“You also find yourself rooting for all of tridge team score was 272.5 which placed
By Lizzy Wirth,
Veteran Reporter
Junior Chase Bublitz is one of the top swimmers in the nation and has helped the
Courtesy Photo
KR swim team to be even more competitive.
them at second.
The 200 medley relay (Nick Watson,
Dennis Liu, Kyle Bige, Brenton Ho) was
timed at 1:42.82. Bublitz placed in the 200
free with a time of 1:43.01, and his 100
placed at 47.33. The team continued to rack
on points with their 200 free (Brenton Ho,
Ryan Tsing, Aaron Connell, Chase Bublitz) with an astonishing time of 1:31.72
With all of this success, Bublitz hopes
to move forward with his swimming career.
“My hopes are to be able to continue
to compete on the national level, and as
time goes by, maybe even the international
level,” he said. “I want to get a full ride
for swim to college and compete as long as
possible.”
Girls end basketball season with a winning record
By Gina Koopmans, Veteran Reporter
and Najay Hillard, Reporter
Girls’ basketball is having an even season this year, with a 9-7 record in the SPSL
North.
The team seems proud of what they’ve
accomplished this year, Sophomore Alicia
Dugan said.
“Our team made it to the playoffs, and
hopefully we will get to go to state,” Dugan
added. “Overall, we had a winning record;
we went from 8-8 last year to a 9-7 this
year. As a team we work well on defense
and helping each other out. Our chemistry
is way better this year.”
This varsity team is coached by Technology teacher Bob Sandall, who thinks
the team has done well this season.
“We have a lot of players back, and almost all of the girls worked hard summer
and fall,” he said.
When Sandall is picking players for the
teams, he looks for coachabilty and how
well they work together.
“We’re all girls, so we have moments
where we’re pretty feisty,” Junior Courtnae
Williams said.
“We’re like a family,” said Dugan.
Two freshmen made Junior Varsity this
year. “I just pushed myself and involved myself in a lot of the girls’ basketball activities
prior to the tryouts,” said Freshman Ariell
Garnett.
“There is communication but of course
not everyone gets along,” she said.
Not only are the Varsity and freshmen
teams doing well this year, but the Junior
Varsity has done extremely well.
“We played well,” Sophomore Marie
Ford said. “We only lost one game this
season; we ended up first in our league, and
our team plays very well together.”
Varsity basketball
continues to mature this year with
a 9-7 overall record
in the SPSL North.
Next year’s team
will feature many
seniors, and hopes
are that the team
will go to state.
Courtesy Photo
[ SPORTS ]
17
“It’s all about wellness, how you feel. It’s really how you feel and the longevity of your life.”
Sports Medicine Teacher
Denise Wiskow
Sports Medicine teacher Denise Wiskow says exercise is all about wellness, not
Photo by Amy Yang
overdoing it.
Exercise on the minds of
many at the New Year
By Amy Yang, Veteran Reporter
Goodbye 2012, and hello 2013!
A new year means new resolutions, and
one of the most common is to lose weight,
be healthier, and exercise more.
Some popular exercise trends for those
who are so inclined include CrossFit, yoga,
and Zumba.
CrossFit
CrossFit’s principle is pure fitness, and
to prepare the body, the practice encompasses the advantages of a variety of sports
and physical tasks. It focuses on strengthening the fulcrum (known in other fitness
arenas as the “core”).
“CrossFit itself is defined as that which
optimizes fitness (constantly varied functional movements performed at relatively
high intensity),” reports CrossFit.com.
Every day on their website, CrossFit
posts a Workout Of the Day (WOD). For
example, Jan. 9 was:
50 Box jump, 24 inch box
50 Jumping pull-ups
50 Kettlebell swings
Walking Lunge, 50 steps
50 Knees to elbows
50 Push press, 45 pounds
50 Back extensions
50 Wall ball shots, 20 pound ball
50 Burpees
50 Double unders CrossFit has attracted people, from athletes and police officers to regular folk,
who want to be healthier, stronger, and
who are aiming to increase fitness level
through “10 fitness categories: heart and
lung endurance, stamina, strength, flexibility, power, speed, coordination, agility,
balance and accuracy.”
“That’s really awesome about CrossFit
and the cross training, doing several different activities,” said Sports Medicine teacher Denise Wiskow. “When you go skiing,
you’re ready to go. When you go hiking,
you’re ready to go. When you go jet skiing,
you’re ready to go. You know any sport
you go out there to do you’re going to be
ready to go because of cross training.”
Yoga
The word “yoga” means “union” in
Sanskirt, and the practice originated in In-
dia. According to Aura Wellness Center it
originated 5,000 to 10,000 years ago. There
are many iterations of yoga, from anusara,
a purist form of yoga best described as one
with a sense of humor and best for mood
enhancement, all the way to Kundalini,
which involves constantly moving poses.
Yoga celebrates the union between
mind, body, and spirit. This calming exercise is not just about posing and breathing;
it takes hard work, but has a lot of benefits.
It’s effective at reducing stress, and according to Rodale.com, it improves balance,
flexibility, strength, daily energy level, and
social functioning.
“The thing about yoga, I think the whole
world should do it,” Wiskow said. “I think
it should be a prerequisite because not only
does it help you become stronger and more
flexible, but it helps to alleviate stress in
your life.”
Seniors Sarah Kuro and Johanna
Karn are co-presidents of the Yoga club,
which leads classes in Wiskow’s room on
Wednesdays after school. Both have been
doing yoga for the past two years.
“It’s really relaxing,” said Karn. “ …
It’s an easy way to exercising.”
Kuro said yoga is based on “focus,
breathing, control, strength, balance, flexibility, and relaxation”
There are so many benefits to yoga and
KR is fortunate to have it available to them.
“You should definitely do yoga,” Kuro
said. “At least try it.”
Zumba
Zumba is a Colombian dance fitness
program that has emerged at gyms and studios as a way to whip people into shape. Its
fun, exhilarating beats make for a calorieburning dance party.
According to Zumba.com, this form of
exercise blends “red-hot international music” alongside easy-to-follow dance moves
that make the exercise addictive. It’s fantastic because it’s for anybody, and participants have a blast all the while.
Senior Heidi Antrim does Zumba.
“I liked it because it worked muscles
I don’t normally use without it being just
a strict, boring routine,” Antrim said. “It
was just a really comfortable environment,
… at least where I did it. But mainly because it was a more exciting way to working out.”
Though getting into shape is generally a
positive experience, there is always a limit
to everything. When exercise becomes obsessive and only revolves around finding
the closest gym, running for 20 minutes,
weight-lifting for 30 minutes, eating dinner, then back to the gym (press repeat),
people may be suffering from exercise addiction.
Experts say that since exercising produces endorphins, “exercise addicts can
experience a ‘high’ similar to drug and
alcohol addicts,” according to David J.
Linden, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins
University who spoke to Fox News. He
says exercise addicts can also feel cravings
and withdrawal.
“It’s going to do nothing but harm to
you if you over exercise,” Wiskow said. “It’s too much harm in your muscles. Your
muscles need time to rest; you need to take
a break once in a while. … It’s not healthy,
like too much of anything or not enough of
something.”
Instead of overdoing it, develop a wellbalanced schedule with planned workouts
and give your body the rest it needs. According to GoodHealth, people should exercise for 30 minutes on five or more days
a week.
“It’s all about wellness, how you
feel,” said Wiskow. “It’s really how
you feel and the longevity of your
life.”
People must always remember that exercising is for wellness and not always for
the aesthetic value
“Realize that this is a lifetime commitment,” Wiskow said. “You have to realize that, it’s not ‘Oh I’m going to lose 20
pounds’ and then be done. It’s a lifetime
commitment.”
Wiskow has been exercising for the past
30 years and has experience as a sports
trainer, director, and teacher.
“I truly believe in the 30 years I’ve been
doing this, that to be in the best shape, you
need to have a variety,” she said.
[ OP-ED ]
18
ing to create a society full of narcissistic
anorexics.
Most of us worship people for looks
alone, but have you ever actually seen the
person in real life? For instance, Whitney
Houston wore a wig and dentures to hide
her rotting teeth and her balding head. And,
Taylor Lautner wears a massive amount of
make-up to suggest his skin is perfect.
Think about the amount of time spent
on Photoshop to manipulate bodies into
the perfect human specimens. These celebrities do not look like they do on a maga-
Celebrity
Worship ...
Puhlease!
By Kiera Brunson
OK, so first of all: What is the point of
even obsessing over some actor who probably is self-conscious, has an eating disorder, drug addiction, depression, and a need
for attention?
Are these the kind of people that we
should look up to?
Simple Answer: No.
I understand that some celebrities are
great people who do even better things,
but most popular celebrities, the ones who
make the news, aren’t the best role models.
Look at Kim Kardashian, for instance;
she became famous because of a sex tape. She did nothing to better society and has
no talent worth mentioning. Do we really
need to “keep up with the Kardashians”? I
will give you the benefit of the doubt that
they are entertaining because of their stupid (and scripted) drama, but shouldn’t we
be promoting substance?
We are told when we are young that we
are supposed to care more about the inside than what’s on the outside, but then
our self-consciousness comes from caring
more about the outside than the inside. I
hear things like “I feel fat” or “I have this
nasty zit on my face,” but I have never
heard, “My personality sucks,” or “I’m so
self-centered.”
Where does this all come from? Our inability to realize that the special celebrity
we obsess over, and who seems to have
everything going for her, in reality is help-
Art is
undervalued
By Kyra Kaiser
With the work world advancing with
the increasing demands of our tech-savvy
society, our school district has sought to
“successfully prepare students for their
future” through technology levies that provide classrooms with SmartBoards and stu-
dents with laptops. Meanwhile, the focus
on art has diminished, and over the years,
art classes have been repeatedly threatened
due to budget cuts. Likewise, many kids share a careless attitude towards art. Some view art as a joke
zine cover or in a commercial. Between
the make-up, lighting, and photo enhancement, these people are transformed into
props.
We should be celebrating the people
with real beauty -- the hard workers around
the world.
When does the single mom who spends
her time giving to others get to be a celebrity? When does the boy who is working
after school to help pay the family bills get
to be a celebrity?
We are looking up to the wrong people.
Let’s give respect to people who deserve it, like mothers from Newtown, CT, and
not to celebrities.
or study hall, and often take the class only
to meet the one-credit requirement or get
an easy “A”.
It shouldn’t be that way.
Granted, technology and core subjects
are necessary prerequisites for the work
world. But if you want to build a creative
society, you need to support creative classes.
The pressure for out-of-the-box thinking is increasing with the rise of new technologies, such as 3D printers, immersive
mobile environments/augmented realities,
and other gadgets, including the iPad. The
possibilities and applications of these devices are truly only limited by our imagination -- imagination that should be fostered,
stretched, and grown.
Art offers more benefits than students
appreciate. Art is not solely for teaching
creativity or educating future musicians,
painters, and designers; the benefits extend
to other subjects.
According to Gay Lynn Smith, regional
assistant dean for the University of Phoe-
nix College of Education, “when mixed
together with other disciplines, students
involved in the arts tend to have a higher
level of development and a faster ability
to learn and retain ... It exercises the entire
brain.”
The positive effects of a liberal arts education have been shown repeatedly, even
through SAT scores. According to the 2010
College Board Data, students who took
arts/music classes all four years in high
school scored an average of 102 points
higher on their SATs than those who took
no more than a semester of artistic classes.
Taking art throughout high school could be
the difference between being accepted into
your desired college or not. I am proud of Kentridge for offering
an amazing diversity of creative clubs,
but the statistics clearly show that art during the school day needs to be taken in the
same serious but positive light. We need
to change our attitude towards art classes,
while encouraging more innovative thinking in fundamental classes, too. [ OP-ED ]
19
The Last Word:
Who will Taylor Swift’s
next boyfriend be?
You’re perfect;
society is ugly
By Gabi Yokers
Marilyn Monroe, the icon of
beauty, was a size 12 in her day
(which is today’s size 6). She
once said: “To all the girls that
think you’re ugly because you’re
not a size 0, you’re the beautiful
one. It’s society who’s ugly.”
I remember being 11 or 12
years old and flipping through
magazines, seeing all the skinny
girls whom I thought were beautiful. I wanted to look just like they
did. Don’t get me wrong; these
girls were gorgeous, but they gave
me the idea that I wasn’t skinny
enough and needed to look like
they did -- meaning thin.
I hear thin girls say they wish
they were skinnier, or who complain about the way their bodies
look. Teenage girls obsess over
perfection. Some even hurt themselves by not eating, by binging and purging. According to the South Carolina Department of Mental Health,
it is estimated that eight million
Americans have an eating disorder, and nearly half of all Americans know someone with one.
This is sad to me, that so many
people across America are putting themselves in harm’s way to
achieve the impossible.
Here is something to consider: According to Kidzworld.com, the
average American women is 5’4”
and weighs 140 pounds, while the
average American model weighs
117 pounds and is 5’11”.
Society has left girls feeling
self-conscious; we have been exposed to social pressures. In the
United States, thinness has positive connotations.
Thinner models are used because we find them attractive,
and runway clothes look better
on models whose bodies don’t in-
Freshman
Veronika Shchervina
Sophomore Devante Archie
“Me.”
“Probably Taylor Lautner.”
A curvy and beautiful Marilyn Monroe
terfere with the way the garments
hang.
It also is thought that being
thin can lead to success. Obesity
is obviously an issue in America,
with more than one-third of the
U.S being obese, according to
the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC). People who are overweight might be discriminated
against in the workplace because
of their weight. (Let’s be real,
you hardly ever see an overweight
person working at Nordstrom.)
I’m not saying that eating a bunch
of crap and being overweight is
okay; I’m saying that if you’re
eating healthfully and are a normal weight, then you shouldn’t be
worried about losing weight.
As I’ve become older, I realize that my body is fine the way
it is. I’m healthy, and stick thin
isn’t only in. These women and
magazines don’t REALLY look
that way. They’re airbrushed and
not even they can look that good.
If you’re healthy, you shouldn’t
hurt yourself over wanting to look
like people in magazines. Girls
and boys should stop fantasizing over having a picture-perfect
body and be confident in the way
they are.
Junior Tara Hesson
Senior Lorann Fulton
“It’s gonna be everyone.”
“At this rate she’s going, probably the rest of the planet.”
Math teacher Deann Anguiano
“I was just wondering if she’d go for
Prince Harry. She’s going for everybody.”
We are Never Ever Ever Getting
BAck(Page) together
By: Glenn Hartman & Kiera Brunson
Guess the KR staff
behind Taylor Swift’s songs.
(Hint: look at the last
names next to pictures).
Harry Styles
Zac Efron
John Mayer
Taylor Lautner
Eddie Redmayne
Toby Hemingway
Garrett Hedlund
Lucas Till
Conor Kennedy
Chord Overstreet
Jake Gyllenhaal
Corey Monteith
Joe Jonas
Harry Styles
Fleet Street Newspaper
Kentridge High School
12430 SE 208th Street Kent, WA 98031
Conor
Kenarry
John
Chamayer
Taylor
Swift
Joe
Jonugent
Jake
Smithenhaal
like
or dislike
what
you
something
see? want to see
else in the
paper?
give
us
your feedback or ideas.
Harry
Styligan
Phone: 253 373 4386
Fax: 253 373 4422
Email: [email protected]