Garfield Messenger: Volume 98, Issue 4 by Garfield Messenger

JANUARY VOLUME 98 ISSUE 4

EDITORS

Ava Klubberud Editor in Chief Mena Bova NFO Millan Philipose NFO Sara Javkhlan A&E Valerie Barreto Sports Jefferson Ashby Graphics Sophie Reichert Layout Clara Neville Business

Angelina Lopez Annabelle Frockt Audrey Abrahams Benjamin Thomas Caroline Ashby Corinna Singer Devon Ling-Efird Dominic Sullivan Grace Chinowsky Irya Bland

SUPPORTERS OF THE GARFIELD MESSENGER

These contributions help make the production and publication of The Garfield Messenger possible. If you would like to support The Messenger, please contact us at garfieldmessenger@gmail.com

BENEFACTORS

Noel Treat Lisa Richmond and Steve Burke The Van Loo Family

PATRONS

Delong - Johnson Family Helen Brophy Holly Batt Catherine and Scott Henson Elana Jassy Heidi Unruh and Steven Abrahams Tammy and Maureen Shadair George and Lisa Chrysanthakopoulos Phebe O’Neill Roger Tubby Carol Rava The Andersky Family Foundation Anonymous x3

FRIENDS

Mark Boyar Amy McCue Nancy and Joe Treat Zinta Smidchens Ilana Guttman Suzanne DuRard Law PLLC Portia Maisano-Torres Madolyn Frockt Dana Armstrong Wil & Patty Dutt Frank Lawler and Ann McCurdy Jorji Knickrehm and Jason Rich Cathy and Joe Frisino John & Susan Rava Mike and Prances Frantum Nancy Peterson Bev Reusser Penelope West Katharine Angell Janet Blanford Barbara and Gerald Klebe Mara Ferguson Margaret Sullivan Anonymous x8

Izzy Lamola Kai Craig Khassim Diakhate Liam Hyde Matt Lord Molly Chapin Nat Beaumon Ria Maisano-Torres Sam Boyar Sam Treat

S TA F F Simone Cielos Sophia Chrysanthakopoulos Téa Fortune Tova Gaster Wynsome Burke

TABLE OF

Simone Cielos

NEWS BRIEFS Kai Craig

GYV (GET YOUR VACCINES Téa Fortune

5 6

TRAIN TROUBLE

LET’S TALK ABOUT (SAFE) SEX

Khassim Diakhate

GARFIELD’S CIVIL RIGHTS TRIP Dominic Sullivan

WHERE IS EVERYBODY

WATER FOUNTAIN WONDER

THE WORLD ON FIRE

GO GREEN

Annabelle Frockt

Sam Boyar

RANT AND RAVE

Matt Lord

Angelina Lopez

Guest Writers; The Green Team

DROP, AND 14 K-POP, ROLL Audrey Abrahams

CELEBRATING BLACK EXCELLENCE

Corinna Singer

WAIVE P.E. GOODBYE

Nat Beaumon

SPORTS

FROM THE 16 LETTER MESSENGER

BOYS AND GIRLS BASKETBALL Irya Bland

REACHING THE SUMMIT Molly Chapin

ENTERTAINMENT

Devon Ling-Efird

OSCAR PREVIEW

WANDERING THROUGH THE WINTER WALTZ

SPORTS

Grace Chinowsky & Tova Gaster

13 LUNAR NEW YEAR

Benjamin Thomas

SPORTS

GROW UP, SEATTLE

Izzy Lamola

NOT AL IN 10 IT’S YOUR HEAD & 11 12 STUDENT SUBMISSIONS

OPINION

RECRUIT OR BOOT

F E AT U R E

4 4 5

Cover by Molly Chapin

AND

ARTS

NEWS

ISSUE 4, VOL 98

CONTENTS Liam Hyde

Wynsome Burke

18 TOP DAWG Kai Craig

19 ONE THIN ICE Caroline Ashby

19 SWOLE

Sam Treat

NEWS

RECRUIT OR BOOT

The military recruitment system in high schools. Article and graphics by Simone Cielos.

ou may be used to the military invading foreign countries, but now they’re invading our DM’s. In the past year, many Garfield seniors have been approached through Instagram and other social media by recruitment officers. These unorthodox tactics raise the question: how does the military get people to join in the first place? Contrary to popular belief, the military no longer has a mandatory draft. This system, retired in the 1970’s, was exchanged for what is now known as the Selective Service. All men must register for the Selective Service once they turn 18, and are no longer considered once they turn 27. Military recruiters have targeted many Garfield seniors. In a recent Instagram poll, 42 out of 75 seniors had been approached by a military official about recruitment. Even more surprising, 30 out of 78 seniors had received a direct message from a military recruiter. To focus their outreach, recruiters obtain students’ personal information directly from the Seattle Public Schools. Unless a parent or guardian requests otherwise, the school district releases student names and phone numbers to military recruitment. Through this information, recruiters can call, text and even find students’ social media. Exchange of personal information can be opposed by school regulation of army or military visits. Each district may set its own guidelines. Seattle Public Schools only allows two military visits per school year. “Some schools allow us to come visit every day in a week,” army recruiter Sergeant Cerda said. “We had a veteran working in

the Boys and Girls Club ask us to come visit regularly.” Some recruiters, like Sgt. Cerda, believe that the districts who limit recruitment presence are “doing a disservice to the students.” While it is the job of a recruiter to offer support for people thinking of joining the military, there is also a quota to fill: approximately 69,000 new recruits annually, as dictated by Congress. Some of those new recruits include students such as Javae Spears. Spears, a junior hopes to join the army reserves for opportunities and economic support. “If I get into the military then I will definitely be using the housing, get myself a house, and college,” Spears said. “I feel like it’s gonna open new doors for me.” However others petition against not only recruitment, but the war efforts that many recruits can find themselves aiding. Jonah Hillman, a member of the Antimilitarist Collective, is currently working to protest war with Iran through art and expression. “There is a huge nu m b e r of people who are getting recruited on the promise of getting their student loans paid off—it’s essentially risking your life to get your student loan debt paid off,” Hillman said. Although one may exempt themselves from the Selective Service on the grounds of

“I THINK THAT THE IDEA THAT THE STATE CAN FORCE YOU TO GO DIE IN A WAR IS BAD IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE, AND IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE A WAR IS NOT NECESSARY”

“I JUST DON’T THINK THIS GENERATION IS GOING TO ACCEPT A DRAFT.”

a mental or physical disability, many forms such as FAFSA require male students to sign themselves up in order to receive federal aid. This, much like the high recruitment presence often found in low income areas, is a way to gain access to low income communities, and people who may find themselves needing financial security. “If it’s either t h a t or just poverty your entire life, then I could definitely understand why you would do it,” Hillman said. “I think that the question of ‘is it a good option’ kinda over-simplifies the situation because there are so many structural issues contributing to why people join the military, like everything from poverty to the fact that recruiters can legally lie to you.” Whether you are for or against the military establishment, it is clear that a draft system is unnecessary. “None of us want a draft,” Sgt. Cerda said, commenting on the recent possibility of war. “We serve whoever is in office— people try to politicize it.” “I think that the idea that the state can force you to go die in a war is bad in any circumstance, and in this particular case a war is not necessary,” Hillman said. “I just don’t think this generation is going to accept a draft.” Wherever you stand on the military’s power and influence, it is important to stay informed.

NEWS BRIEFS By Kai Craig

9 DEAD IN HELICOPTER CRASH Nine people were killed in a helicopter crash on January 26th, including basketball player Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna Bryant. Investigators are still looking into the possible causes of the crash, but the foggy weather in Calabasas, California that day may have been the main problem. Bryant and his daughter were on their way to Gianna’s basketball game, along with two of Gianna’s teammates and their parents, serveral of whom were beloved coaches in their own right. The helicopter reportedly circled for 20 minutes before experiencing communication issues due to the low altitude before eventually crashing. Kobe Bryant’s death was mourned all around the country and many tributes were made to his legendary career in the NBA. Many celebrities paid their respects to Bryant, especially at the Grammys later that day.

HARNESSING THE WINDS Set to be completed in the coming months, a new massive offshore wind farm is coming to the eastern coast of England. Consisting of 174 seven-megawatt wind turbines, each over 320 feet tall, these turbines will supply nearly 1 million UK homes with clean energy by the end of the year. As more countries continue to make promises of climate action with no obvious efforts toward it, it’s refreshing to see the UK making strides to a cleaner and renewable future.

DOWNTOWN DISASTER Last week in the Westlake area, a dispute between two individuals resulted in the firing of an automatic weapon that killed one and landed eight others in the hospital. According to KOMO News, a witness “saw two men walking from Westlake towards 3rd and Pine and arguing, [when] the argument became violent when the men pulled out guns and started shooting”. Witnesses say that those who were shot appeared to be “innocent bystanders”. All surviving victims have reached satisfactory condition and are now recovering out of the hospital.

NEWS

GET YOUR VACCINES

Seattle Public Schools new policy around vaccines. By Téa Fortune

n January 8th, 2020, students across the Seattle Public Schools were barred from class due to lack of vaccination. This is the result of a new district policy that eliminated vaccine exemptions for personal or philosophical reasons. (Students with religious or medical limitations can still obtain a vaccine waiver.) This isn’t the first time a Washington school district has tightened vaccine requirements. In the spring of 2019, a large measles outbreak in Clark County affected numerous communities and schools, and reports show 71 cases occurred. The measles has since been contained, and in response, schools across the state started to implement new vaccination laws. Seattle Public Schools, the largest public school district in the state, turned away nearly 800 students who didn’t have proper vaccinations. Garfield itself had over 100 unvaccinated students. “Seattle Public Schools wants to make sure we have a more complete [vaccination] record because if someone comes into the building with measles, it affects everyone in the building, and we want to make sure that we’re doing our part to make sure

everyone is safe,” Garfield’s nurse Rebecca Dubin said. While students are now required by law to have updated vaccination records to attend school, staff aren’t included in these new laws. They are, however, encouraged to get checked and make sure they are also upto-date on vaccinations to ensure they are protecting themselves and their students. “I encourage staff to know what their immunization status is and be prepared to provide [vaccine] information in the

event that we do have a measles case at Garfield,” Dubin said. “People should know if they’re protected or not, but currently, no, there’s not a Seattle Public Schools requirement.” The measles is one of the most contagious diseases in the world, and once in-

troduced into an area, it’s very hard to contain. The best way to prevent measles is through a strong vaccine program. “This is very important to get vaccinated because we have vulnerable people in our community and people at Garfield whose immune system is compromised, or they can’t get vaccinated for medical reasons,” Dubin said. “These vaccines help prevent

these diseases and measles. If someone who has measles coughs in a room and then two hours later someone else comes in the room, then they could get the disease. Almost all Seattle Public Schools have school-based health centers that can provide students with MMR vaccines and refer students to free clinics around the area they live. If a Garfield student doesn’t know if they are up-to-date on their vaccines, they can go to the Teen Health Center at Garfield and talk with Nurse Rebecca, who can pull up their records using a state database. Additionally, she can also help students—with a parent’s consent—set up their own account on that database, so students can have their medical records at their fingertips. “Something students can do to help is to know their immunization information and really advocate for their medical needs,” Dubin said. “They can also support their peers and help them because there is so much information to know about, but it is important information because it’s helping keep their community safe.” Graphics by Sophia Chrysanthakopoulos

TRAIN TROUBLES

Sound Transit’s new changes to the Light Rail. By Khassim Diakhate

ound Transit kicked off the new year with major changes to their Link Light Rail system. Beginning January 4th and for the next 10 weeks, Sound Transit will go from two tracks going into downtown Seattle to one for their new “East Link Expansion” construction. This period of construction will increase travel times for Link riders across the system. Sound Transit’s East Link Extension will expand the light rail system as far as Redmond. The extension is projected to dramatically increase Link ridership when it opens in 2023. Due to East Link construction, all stations between Capitol Hill and SoDo will be closed on these two upcoming weekends: February 8-9 and March 14-15. When the downtown stations are closed, free shuttle buses will bridge the gap. “Once they started closing up train stations, it got super crowded and it’s a mess,”

said Garfield High School sophomore Ezana Yassin. “The amount of people hopping onto trains is getting way higher because of delays.” One of the most important changes lies in the frequency of light rail service. Instead of arriving every 6 minutes during peak times, trains will now arrive every 1315 minutes throughout the day. This has negatively affected Garfield students who ride the light rail. “The trains are coming super slow now, and it’s like 6 to 12 minutes [extra] now,” Yassin said. “6 to 12 minutes isn’t a ton but if you are running late to school or you have

a schedule to follow it’s going to be a problem.” Most students who ride the train must arrive early to account for longer wait times and crowded trains. “The 12 minute delay — it’s making me late to s c h o o l ,” junior Payton Fukeda said. Garf ield students have had many conversations about the effects of the light rail closure. Senior Xavier Weaver believes that train construction will disproportionately students of color. “African American inner city kids [will] have a hard time getting to school because

“6 TO 12 MINUTES ISN’T A TON BUT IF YOU’RE RUNNING LATE TO SCHOOL OR HAVE A SCHEDULE TO FOLLOW IT’S GOING TO BE A PROBLEM.”

they live in the south,” Weaver said. Bike riders are also experiencing the effects of the East Link extension, as bicycles are banned from Pioneer Square station. Aside from students and consistent riders, casual riders will experience a longer commute than they are used to. “It’s a lot harder to get [to CenturyLink Field] if they shut down the light rail system because hundreds of people take the light rail to Seahawks games,” junior Dylan Stepherson said. The temporary changes Sound Transit has made to the light rail raises the question whether they are going to be a reliable source of transportation for the next 10 weeks, and what the future could hold.

NEWS

GARFIELD’S CIVIL RIGHTS TRIP

Walking in the footsteps of the civil rights movement. By Dominic Sullivan hen Garfield faculty began to plan a trip for students out to Washington D.C, Selma, and Montgomery, their main goal was to connect some of the Garfield community to the civil rights movement. People interested in the trip had to complete an application that included short answer questions, a teacher recommendation, and a one-page essay. Based on this, certain students were selected to go through a college-style interview process. The group plans to visit the National African American Museum in Washington D.C, as well as the campus of both Howard University and Alabama State University, two prominent HBCUs. By talking to leaders of the movement currently and leaders of the past, such as a Freedom Rider from the 1960’s, they will bring back powerful memories when they return to Garfield as next year’s upperclassmen. As both Ms. Tiffany, the Work-Based

Learning Specialist at Garfield and Rossman, the Senior Program Direction of Y-Scholars at Garfield stressed, it is important to learn about history through real-life experiences. “It’s huge,” Rossman, one of the chaperones of the trip said. “It’s one thing to watch the Selma movie, or to read about it in a textbook, but when we are going and walking across the bridge, or talking to people who were involved or around at the time, I think it adds another level to the education.” Through the trip, Ms. Tiffany and Rossman hope to give students a more nuanced and rich understanding of African-American history. “It’s always important to see yourself reflected, to know where you come from, knowing that our history is not just one thing,” Ms. Tiffany said. “It’s not just slavery, it’s not just Black Lives Matter, there’s so many other dope contributions, and I don’t think students necessarily get a wealth of knowledge. This is

a way to get that.” As Rossman explained, the application was intentionally similar to that of a university application— which organizers hope will help students prepare for their senior year. The trip will also include a visit to the church where MLK was a pastor, requiring the students to dress up appropriately — a skill which they will practice in the monthly advisory meetings leading up to the trip. “[We’re] helping students understand how to navigate an interview process, helping them through workshops leading up to the trip, behavior, contracts, the way you dress, the way you represent an organization or school,” Rossman said. “A lot of soft-skills training in addition to the culture piece.” It will be a busy six days of journaling, doing reflections, watching documentaries, and participating in the plethora of events that come with visiting cities like Selma, Montgomery, and Washington D.C.

One of their destinations will be the recently created National Memorial of Peace and Justice, informally known as the National Lynching Memorial. Ms. Tiffany hopes that this visit will teach the students that America has not yet fully escaped its horrific past. “Even just last year a person was tarred and feathered in the south,” Ms. Tiffany said. “Knowing that is still a thing, and tapping into all the really dope stuff but also some really painful stuff.” To many, the civil rights movement seems a distant part in history — only loosely connected to the world of the Pacific Northwest. This can make people feel as if they are disconnected or not a part of the movement. That attitude is part of what Ms. Tiffany and Rossman hope to change with the trip. “Knowing and navigating history when it is geographically so far away — sometimes people can feel isolated from culture and those experiences.

LETS TALK ABOUT (SAFE) SEX, BABY

Peer-led sex ed. By Izzy Lamola

www! Grossss! A few of the painfully familiar sounds heard from a classroom of adolescents taking sex ed. It’s uncomfortable being told what transformations your body will go through from an untrained teacher, amidst a classroom of your giggling peers. Adequate sexual health education can teach a young person to be confident, feel empowered, and advocate for themselves and their body. “Sex, sexuality, identity, and relationships can become a core part of who we are. When we’re given the chance to control those things it gives us a chance to develop a sense of self and sense of autonomy,” facilitator of the South King County Teen Council, Eliza Davison, said. Seeking to educate their peers on sex ed, teens in the Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands on the Planned Parenthood Teen Council go to different public schools in their area and teach sex ed lessons on topics like consent, sexual health, decision making, and relationships. The teen council even takes sex-ed a step deeper by discussing intersectionality and advocating for reproductive health. “A lot of the times [sex ed in schools] isn’t inclusive and gets rushed through. I remember in elementary school we had F.L.A.S.H

[Seattle Public Schools’ elementary version of sex ed] for a week at the end of the year,” junior and member of the teen council, Lauren Chin said. “It felt like something that got forgotten about.” Sex ed lessons are often taught from viewpoints targeted towards heterosexual relationships, not including information on sexual health for those in non-heterosexual relationships. Learning about sex safety and wellbeing is crucial to an individuals sexual experience. Sex ed is many times taught by untrained teachers who haven’t learned how to talk about sexual health in a way that makes adolescents feel comfortable. The teen council hopes to not only make sex-ed more inclusive but to make it easier for adolescents to learn about these important topics. “I did not get good sex ed myself in high

school,” Davison said. “I realized how much access to information was withheld from people, especially young people, and how much a difference it makes in people’s lives to be able to make informed decisions.” Beyond teaching sex ed lessons, the teen council also has a subsection called the Advisory Board which advocates for Planned Parenthood funding and mandatory, medically-accurate sex ed in schools. “With the conversations that were being had about reproductive justice in society and hearing about all of these things that were going wrong, I wanted to be able to do something about it,” Chin said. Chin says being on the advisory board has helped her learn more about local government and the legislative process. “I didn’t go into it being an expert on any-

thing [sex ed related] and that goes for a lot of people who join,” Chin said. “I have basically been taking a sex ed class just not in school.” To join the council, no knowledge of sexual health is needed. Chin says being part of the council has not only taught her leadership skills, but also a deep understanding of sexual health. “It’s an amazing program for folks that want to build community, get involved in movement work, [engage with] folks their age, and build curriculum that will impact their peers,” Davison said. If you have any questions or want more information contact Eliza at eliza.davison@ ppgnhi.org, Lauren Chin at laurenrchin@ gmail.com, or Wynsome Burke at wynsomeburke16@gmail.com. You can apply for the teen council through the link in their Instagram bio @southkingteencouncil. If you are 19 or younger and in need of sexual health services including STI testing, birth control, or any form of sexual healthcare, visit or call any of the Planned Parenthoods in Washington state and ask for “Family Planning Services” as well as “Full Confidentiality” if desired. Graphics by Wynsome Burke

F E AT U R E

WHERE IS EVERYBODY?

What teachers really think of senioritis. By Annabelle Frockt

WATER FOUNTAIN WONDER Article and graphics by Sam Boyar

3RD FLOOR NORTH Lower A. 13 cm B. 100% C. 8.5 sec D. 57.7°f E. 29 NTU

2ND FLOOR NORTH Lower A. 10.75 cm B. 100% C. 11.8 sec D. 58.1°f E. 24.5 NTU

Upper A. 7.5 cm B. 90% C. 10.4 sec D. 56.3°f E. 27.3 NTU

that you have to do, and that leads to procrastination,” Harris said. “[The other type] is when it’s spring semester, and you’ve gotten into college, and it’s like you are marking time until the finish, and you really don’t want to do the work because you’ve already gotten in.” Although it can be difficult for seniors to stay motivated through their final year, behaviors such as skipping class and disregarding assignments do have a real effect on their classmates and teachers. “It’s disheartening sometimes, when it feels like students just don’t care about what you’re doing,” Harris said. For NK, inclass time spent having discussions or conducting simulations is essential. “If it’s a time when we have some readings and it’s ‘do these and then answer some discussion questions and turn it in,’ it doesn’t really affect my day if someone decides

An informational map of Garfield’s water fountains

CATEGORIES

fter my first day of freshman year, I went home and sobbed for half an hour straight. I was so mentally exhausted that the thought of repeating that day over and over for the next four years literally brought me to tears. For many students, this feeling of burnout and exhaustion only increases as the years pass. By the time they enter 12th grade, many have developed a condition commonly referred to as senioritis, which according to Miriam-Webster is “an ebbing of motivation and effort by school seniors as evidenced by tardiness, absences, and lower grades.” As seniors trudge towards graduation, it becomes easy to neglect the effect of their behaviors and attitudes on their teachers, whose job is to continue instructing them until those seniors take their finals and attend their last days of class. Garfield project-based government teacher, Jerry Neufeld-Kaiser (NK), clearly sees a “gradual building during the second semester of seniors finding it harder and harder to care.” So, “they skip classes more, they check out, and it’s harder to get them to engage during class.” “The amount of attention and rigor that they put into things goes down,” NK said. In Kristin Harris’ senior English classes, she observes senioritis that falls into two different categories. “[There] is the tendency - and it gets earlier and earlier in senior year - just to feel burnt out, and doing assignments for school starts to feel like this ordeal, it becomes this arduous task

to take Friday off,” NK said. “What gets harder for me is if we are having one of the simulation projects with my government class, and people are playing roles, and then they are just noshowing.” These attendance challenges have forced teachers to change lesson plans to avoid potential fallout. “I have changed my spring schedule so that the last six weeks of the year, I don’t try to do any role-play simulation stuff,” NK said. “Too many people are gone and it just doesn’t work anymore.” Harris, on the other hand, sees a benefit in activities that require collaborative classwork during those last few weeks. “[I] make it so that the classes are a little more freeform, and more fun,” Harris said. “And the students work in groups, so there is a sense of ‘you have to come to class to be accountable to your group,’ which

A. Height of stream B. Percent of 1000 mL Nalgene filled C. Time to fill one cup D. Tempurature E. Turbidity*

Graphic by Molly Chapin

3RD FLOOR EAST Lower A. 14.5 cm B. 100% C. 8.7 sec D. 56.4°f E. 29.7 NTU 2ND FLOOR EAST

Upper A. 7.5 cm B. 85% C. 20.7 sec D. 57.5°f E. 32 NTU

North A. 10.5 cm B. 100% C. 3.3 sec (For the water bottle filler, normal fountain took 17.1 sec) DISCLAIMER: All of the displayed data D. 55.5°f was collected on one day, 1/23/20, and E. 27.6 NTU may no longer be accurate.

helps [boost attendance].” As teachers like Harris and NK are well aware, senioritis doesn’t always start in the second semester. “[There’s a] pattern of students skipping class to do their college applications. That’s frustrating, but I also understand there is a sense of students just having too much to do, and there only being so many hours in the day,” Harris said. “I think that the stress of applying for college definitely takes away from attention spent on actual classes, but then there’s also the stress of needing to get good grades for the college applications, so sometimes those two things contradict each other.” As much as it affects their classes, most teachers are empathetic to how seniors feel by the end of the year. “I think it’s a long slog to get through that college application process, or to figure out what you want to do with your life,” Harris said. “I think people get tired, I mean I get tired at the end of the year. Teachers get tired too. I think that is a human thing, you just get exhausted.” “It’s a big time, it’s a big change. And high school starts to feel so irrelevant, even though you’re still in it. So I totally get it,” NK said. “I think [senioritis] is natural, and it’s okay. Seniors are finishing up. We should congratulate them, give them a handshake or a hug, and send them on their way.”

Lower A. 11 cm B. 100% C. 8.2 sec D. 56.6°f E. 26.9 NTU

*Turbidity is the cloudiness or haziness of a liquid. 0 would be distilled water, and 200

Commons Normal fountain wasn’t working on the testing day, the data below are for the water bottle filler B. 100% C. 3.4 sec D. 67.6°f E. 21.6 NTU

Upper A. 14 cm B. 100% C. 8.9 sec D. 57°f E. 17.5 NTU

Upper A.16.5 cm B. 100% C. 8.8 sec D. 56.1°f E. 40.4 NTU

Special thanks to Lampton Enochs and Dr. Finley

FTHEEWORLD ATONUFIRER E

GO GREEN!

Climate change in the Pacific Northwest and around the world.

By guest writers and club, The Green Team

Article and Graphics by Angelina Lopez

“I cannot do all the good the world needs but the world needs all the good I can do.”— Jana Stanfield

rom blazing forests to drowning shorelines, climate change is affecting regions across the world. With long, dry summers and snow-free winters in the forecast for the Pacific Northwest, fire season is expected to increase in duration and complexity as the impacts of global warming begin to be felt. The extent of climate change extends far beyond what is seen in the media or even felt by the public. The Pacific Northwest is experiencing a great shift in climate, along with the rest of the world, that has yet to be seen, but is happening nonetheless. An estimated 25 people have died in the Australian wildfires since they began burning in late December 2019, and over 25 million acres of land have been burnt in the blaze. Many factors have contributed to the size of the conflagration. “Australia’s wildfire resources are predominantly volunteer fire services which can be very challenging when they experience these extreme conditions,” Darian Davis, Seattle Public Utilities’ Wildland Fire Crew Boss, said. The relative inexperience of the people fighting the fires can lead to greater spread of fire and higher rates of property damage than if experienced firefighters were on the scene. However, the impact of dry summers and strong winds should not be overlooked. “Summertime fires are the direct effect of low rainfall and hot temperatures drying out the vegetation,” Eric Salathè, associate professor in the school of STEM at the University of Washington Bothell, said. Warmer seasons and decreased rainfall dry out vegetation. When fires start, the dry vegetation burns easier than wet, green plants. Here in the Pacific Northwest, fires are only a small piece of the growing threat of climate change. “There are a number of impacts that climate change will have on the region. These will not all emerge at the same time and with the same severity. Some impacts are

likely unavoidable due to the amount of climate change already committed by current emissions; some are avoidable if we reduce emissions,” Salathè said. The Puget Sound region can expect a multitude of changes on the social, economic, and environmental levels. “Snowpack in the mountains is clearly changing as the temperature warms,” Salathè said. Reduced snowpack means that Washington will receive less substantial snowfall and more rain in the winter, causing flooding and erosion. Additionally, Washington will receive too little rainfall in the summer, leading to drinking water shortages and decreased

“THERE ARE A NUMBER OF IMPACTS THAT CLIMATE CHANGE WILL HAVE ON THE REGION. THESE WILL NOT ALL EMERGE AT THE SAME TIME AND WITH THE SAME SEVERITY.” salmon migration. Decreased rainfall in the summer also indicates dryer brush and increased wildfires for the region. “Because the climate is continually warming, we are at risk of heat waves way outside the normal experience,” Salathè said. The Pacific Northwest is expected to have days over 90°F more frequently as the planet warms. When the temperature rises, at-risk populations experience higher rates of mortality. Most buildings in Seattle aren’t equipped with air conditioning or other sources of heat management, creating potentially dangerous situations for people with health issues and the homeless. Increased atmospheric temperatures

can also affect stream temperatures. This can be detrimental to Washington’s wildlife as salmon can’t survive and reproduce in streams over 68°F. Salmon are a critical part of the food web in Washington and without them many species such as birds, bears, and whales can’t survive. Washington is likely not going to be hit the hardest by climate change. Extreme weather events such as those in Australia and Venice will be more severe in other places due to their vulnerable natures. Washington’s mild climate insultes it from extreme deviations in temperature. Because of this, however, Washington is likely to become a safe haven from climate crises around the world. This could potentially cause additional stress to be put on the limited resources of the area, and could cause social conflict. “Our region is likely to be a haven from climate change as impacts are probably less here than [in] many places in the world. This could drive a lot of migration into the region and all the social and economic issues that come with it,” Salathè said. The climate crisis, as imminent as it seems, is not unstoppable. If people decide to take real action, the effects can be mitigated, if not completely undone. “We want to encourage people to do both individual actions and advocate for systemic change,” Dr. Rachel Petrik-Finley, Garfield’s AP Environmental Science teacher, said. If both individuals change the ways they behave (taking personal steps towards sustainability) and governments are forced to change the way they behave (creating meaningful climate policy), we can alter the trajectory of climate change around the world. “Every little bit we do to reduce emissions makes the problem easier to cope with,” Salathè said. The resounding consensus is that “it’s not too late to stop climate change, but everyone needs to step up to make it happen.”

While many of you are busy with school, work, sports, and more, there is always more you can do to be more sustainable. Here are a few tips to reduce your environmental impact and be good to Mama Earth! 1. Sort your trash and food waste properly. If you’re curious about how to do so, talk to a Green Team officer or reference graphics around the school and online. 2. Bring your own reusable water bottle wherever you go. 3. Bus, bike or walk to school and other places whenever possible. 4. Eat less meat and more plants! 5. Think before you buy—avoid impulse purchases that will receive little-to-no use. Try waiting a day, week, or month before you buy something to prevent unnecessary consumption. 6. Pick up trash wherever you see it! Littering hurts our earth. 7. Ditch fast fashion! Buy second hand (thrift stores, clothing swaps, etc.) and opt for clothes that are sustainable and longlasting. 8. Turn off or unplug appliances when not in use. The real issues are systematic and should not be the responsibility of the consumer. But you have power as an individual! You can still protest, vote, call representatives, engage in politics, and strive to make a lasting change! Xoxo, Your Green Team Officers P.S. Green Team meets Mondays at lunch in Room 235! P.P.S. All above is true, but also requires money and time—which not everyone has. We understand that this country has deep socioeconomic divides, and that some people will face greater barriers than others in following our advice on sustainability. But do what you can and remember that it takes constant practice. Don’t feel pressured into feeling guilty or personally responsible for climate change. Saving the Earth requires shifts in global perspectives that are beyond our control. What we can do is realize our own ability to make change, to rise up, to ferociously fight for what we believe in—whatever that means for you. Good luck out there :)

GROW UP, SEATTLE

OPINIONS I do not like finals. Sometimes they are hard, and that is not very fun. I hope that there are no more finals. That would be more fun. F-word finals. All my homies hate finals. -ST

It’s time to make this city taller. By Matt Lord

ith each passing year, Seattle becomes more and more unlivable. Housing costs are rising, the population is growing, and there are not enough homes being built to accommodate this growth. With such demand for high-density housing, developers should be eager to build new apartments across the city, yet they aren’t. The reason? Zoning restrictions. Currently, 81% of residential land in Seattle is zoned for detached single-family homes. This means that in the majority of Seattle, it’s illegal to build large apartments because of zoning restrictions. An idea that has gained traction lately is upzoning: the process of converting low-density neighborhoods into higher-density neighborhoods by changing zoning codes. In late 2018, Minneapolis passed their Minneapolis 2040 plan to upzone the city. Last year, Oregon legislators passed a bill that effectively removed singlefamily zoning entirely. In Seattle, the push for upzoning has had some success. Seattle’s city council passed a package of housing bills called the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) program in March of 2019. Along with other reforms, MHA included plans to upzone parts of Seattle. MHA has received harsh criticism from Seattle homeowners who don’t want their white-picket-fence ideal of housing threatened. This “Not in my Backyard” (NIMBY) crowd has raised complaints that upzoning will ruin their neighborhoods with loud construction noises and obscured views.

Some NIMBY homeowners have made more absurd arguments against upzoning. Earlier this month, Dori Monson of Kiro Radio called upzoning “a Socialist plan to take away private property in Seattle,” despite the fact that it is actually reducing market regulation—the opposite of socialism. Anyone who lives in or around central Seattle has likely gotten used to apartments springing up around the neighborhood, but if you live in a place l i k e Ballard, Magnolia, or Ravenna, chances are

MAP KEY n Multi-family zoned n Single-family zoned that upzoning could drastically change the way your neighborhood looks. It’s understandable that some people might find this daunting; change is hard. But realize this: if you oppose this change you are making a statement that your neighborhood matters more to you than the growing number of people who have either left Seattle or become homeless because they have been priced out of living here. The NIMBY crowd is not the only group that is preventing progress on affordable

housing. Ironically, the MHA program itself includes a policy that is counterproductive to its stated goal. “Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) ensures that growth brings affordability,” says the official Seattle.gov page for the program. “MHA requires new development to include affordable homes or contribute to a City fund for affordable housing.” This statement is an oversimplification of what MHA actually does. First of all, “affordable homes” refers specifically to rentcontrolled units, which are problematic on their own. In addition, the alternative for new developers essentially allows them to avoid making their new units rent-controlled by instead paying a fee towards a mysterious fund “for affordable housing.” Developers who choose to opt out of rent limits will take a financial hit, making larger apartments infeasible. Developers who make their new projects rent-controlled will be discouraged from making improvements that they would otherwise pay for with rent increases, and the majority will find that it is most profitable in the long term to simply sell and convert these rentcontrolled apartments into condominiums. Regardless of whether new developers choose to make their units rent-controlled or opt out by paying the fee, this policy effectively acts as a tax on development, discouraging the very thing that MHA was supposed to promote. Another issue is that MHA simply doesn’t upzone enough of Seattle. 94% of single-family zoned areas are unaffected by the upzones. For comparison, the upzoning bills passed in Minneapolis and Oregon affected all single-family zoned neighborhoods, not just 6% of them. There’s no doubt that the Seattle City Council has good intentions, and the Mandatory Housing Affordability program is an example of a step in the right direction for Seattle. But if the goal is to make living in Seattle affordable, more must be done. We need to upzone everything. Seattle is a city hemmed in by two bodies of water. We cannot grow outwards; we must grow up.

To be honest, I don’t have a strong opinion in regards to finals. Being a senior, I have just accepted the fact that final exams are something that cannot be avoided. However, I will say this: I just want to give a huge shoutout to my freshman year health teacher, Mr. — . You have no idea the relief I felt, knowing I was going to get at least one question on the health exam correct: Pubic lice are now being declared as the United State’s national pet: True/False. Mr. —, it is teachers like you that remind me there are still some educators that do want their students to succeed. -GS

FINALS EDITION In my four years at Garfield, I have suffered through countless “fun” assignments. I filmed a game show for Spanish 4, drew a graphic novel for English 9, and built a website for AP Lang. In World Lit, I illustrated a poem and designed a book cover. In World History, I even built a 3D rendition of the Ajanta Caves in Minecraft. Project-based assessment is absurd. It forces us to waste time on art and design rather than thoroughly studying the material. It gives a direct advantage to wealthy students who can afford to buy fancy supplies. Worst of all, it opens the door to rampant cheating. In my Spanish class, for example, some students used Google Translate to skate through every project. To ensure that students are actually learning, teachers should assess their students through a good, old-fashioned final exam. In the exam room, students have no way to contact outside help, hide behind group members, or ask for an extension. So bring on the finals! Make them big and make them challenging. It’s for our own good. -MP Our next topic will be:

DRY CEREAL

Have strong feelings about this topic? Send in your 100-150 words Rant or Rave about the topic to gar fieldmessenger@gmail.com by March 18 for the chance to be published in the next issue!

IT’S NOT ALL IN YOUR HEAD

t’s getting to the time of year when getting out of bed can feel like an impossible task. The ‘winter blues’: a slow and steady loss of energy and motivation as the days get darker and colder. Officially diagnosed in more severe cases as Seasonal Affective Disorder (or SAD), the winter months can be a psychologically draining time. Researchers still don’t know the full cause or treatment, but many theorize SAD has something to do with the production and regulation of serotonin (the ‘happy’ brain chemical) and melatonin (the sleep hormone). Vitamin D, hormone replacement therapies, and small lifestyle changes are all recommendations from doctors to treat the issue that affects 6.8 percent of the US population. For teenagers, seasonal mood changes can be more noticeable than in adults due to the impact it has on academic and social performance. “Midwinter always starts to get really hard for me,” senior Elena Martinez said. “When it gets really cloudy and everything is always grey, that’s really tough. Last year when it was snowing, I literally stayed in my bed

By Grace Chinowsky and Tova Gaster Art by Caroline Ashby

for like 2 weeks. I took so many ‘sick’ days because it got really bad.” Timothy Zimmermann, a ninth grade humanities teacher, reflected on the patterns he’s noticed as an educator. “[After the fall] high school becomes school again,” Zimmermann said. “It’s not exciting, your teachers want you to do stuff, your classes get hard, and at the exact same time it gets dark all the time, so for sure the energy drops off.” In academic spheres, not completing assignments or falling behind is often attributed to laziness or bad work ethic. However, mental health can be a significant factor at play preventing kids from succeeding, which can be difficult for teachers to pick up on. “Sometimes kids may give off the appearance that they really don’t care or they’re not that engaged, but [school] is a huge stressor for kids,” Rosie Moore, a mental health specialist at Garfield’s Teen Health Center, said. “They want to be successful and they don’t want to let people down or seem like a failure.” This forces teachers to ask a tough question. “How do you know when a student isn’t motivated because there’s stuff in their life that’s causing them to

do that, versus when they’re just being lazy?” Zimmerman said. “I always assume that there’s some mental health thing...because there almost always is. If someone’s not turning in their homework, Adolescent anxiety, academic or otherwise, has been sharply increasing over the past decades. “I think mental health issues in general have shown a significant increase in the time I’ve been here,” Moore said, who has worked at the Teen Health Center for the entire 20 years it has been open. “Depression used to be the number one problem, but as of late it’s been anxiety and panic issues. I think students have a lot of stress and pressure, both in school and out of school. And just the general climate of uncertainty and worry.” Studies corroborate Moore’s experiences—in recent generations, there has been a significant uptick in adolescent mental health issues. Between 2007 and 2012, rates of teenage anxiety disorders went up 20 percent and rates of suicide and self-harm nearly doubled. Many people connect this trend to the rise of smartphones and their effect on teenagers.

“R E GA R D LE S S O F Y O UR RA CE , M E NTA L HE ALTH C A N B E A N I F F Y S U B J E CT F OR A L OT O F PE O PLE A N D T H AT CO N V E R SATION IS AL WAYS GO I N G T O B E U N CO M F OR TABLE, BUT I H AVE N OT I CE D A L OT O F T REND S W HER E WH E N W H I T E P E O P L E TA L K A BOUT IT , IT’ S M O R E A CCE P TA B L E T O B E G OING T HRO U GH TH ING S . ” AMARRA ANDRESON Amarra Andreson, a junior on CORE staff (Congress of Racial Equity), finds that phones act as both a light-hearted distraction and social outlet, but can negatively impact how people talk about mental health. “You know, like, going on my finsta [a ‘fake’ Instagram usually exclusively for friends] and ranting or posting on my private story and just like not doing anything about it so when people actually check up on me, I’m like, ‘oh, it’s okay, I’m good now.’ But, really, I need that physical support,” Andreson said. The internet also spreads information about current events. As Moore said, mental health difficulties can be traced to hereditary factors (for example, familial history of mental illness) or to individual traumas, but it’s also deeply impacted by broader societal issues. “The climate crisis...we’re all worrying about that because it’s what we have to plan our future around,” Andreson said. “Knowing about disasters going around the world, increase[s] in poverty, stuff like that... things that don’t directly impact some of us...they’re all being piled onto us to think about how we’re going to move forward.” All-encompassing issues like climate change and academic stress illustrate how mental health is relevant for everyone — no matter their race, socioeconomic status, or culture. But especially at Garfield, one of the most diverse high schools in the dis-

THERE’S A L AC K OF KNOWLEDGE ABOU T HOW TO GO ABOU T AC TU ALLY HELPING A KID. WHEN TE AC HERS WOU LD ASK, HOW C AN I BEST SU PPORT YOU , I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT. ” ELENA MARTINEZ

trict, it’s important to note how structural racism adds layers to the dialogue. Discussion of mental health can be especially taboo in non-white cultures, which makes it more difficult to begin conversations about it. “My dad is Mexican and my mom is Filipina. My dad definitely struggles with his own mental health but just doesn’t acknowledge it. He sees it like, ‘you kids are privileged, you have nothing to be sad about,’” Martinez said. “So anytime anyone is depressed and there’s nothing conceivably wrong in their life, he just sees it like, ‘that’s some white people sh*t.’” But it doesn’t stop there: data suggests that when people of color do seek help, it is far more difficult for them to actually receive care. According to the US Office of Minority Health, suicide was the second leading cause of death for black adolescents in 2017, yet in that year, white people were twice more likely to receive mental health support and/or medication than black or Latinx people. So within our own school, how can Garfield shift its culture to be more supportive and prioritize mental health — especially within stressful academic environments? A good place to start is our Advanced Placement (AP) courses. AP classes have a reputation for placing students under a great deal of pressure — not only from parents and teachers, but also from peers.. Elena Martinez noticed that AP classes

can exacerbate anxiety. “I felt like I was failing all the time in school even though I was doing well,” she said. “It wasn’t until I started legitimately failing school that I learned to get over that anxiety. I’ve gotten better at not beating myself up over every mistake I make.” How should Garfield address this problem? “The first step is for everyone to generally be more empathetic to each other,” Martinez said. “Before judging, [try] to understand and [help] each other out when you can. Just [check] up on each other, not being condescending.” When it comes to the classroom, teachers often find it challenging to identify and help kids that are struggling while staying on top of their curriculum and keeping control of the class. “There’s a lack of knowledge about how to go about actually helping a kid,” Martinez said. “When teachers would ask, how can I best support you, a lot of the time I didn’t even know the answer to that. I’ve had lots of teachers tell me I could come in and talk. I didn’t take most of them up on it, but just knowing that someone cared and was there.” Zimmermann had a similar perspective: it is often hard for teachers to know how to support struggling students. “The job in my life is to help people learn, but people learn best when they are mentally healthy, so I think of [trying to support

students mentally] as part of my job,” Zimmermann said. “I’m in no position to diagnose, no position to treat, but I do want to take the kind of care of people I can.” More well-known outlets for mental health support at Garfield come with their own complications. “There’s always that stigma around seeking mental health at school because one, people can see you,” Andreson said. “I personally feel like, I don’t want people to think there’s something wrong with me!” But according to Ms. Rosie, research shows that kids who have a trusted adult in their life do better in school and have better emotional wellbeing. “Counseling is important, [but] it doesn’t necessarily have to be a therapist,” Moore said. “It’s just finding an adult in the building that you can connect with.” There are a lot of things we can do better as a school. “[We need to have] conversations about mental health in a classroom setting in a way that doesn’t trigger people but also is more information and expands on resources,” Andreson said. Moore’s take was more specific. “The first thing is to get plenty of sleep,” Moore said. “Really, self-care. Hygiene, eat well, do some deep breathing. Just realize it’s not the end of the world even if it seems that way.”

fill out. All those confidential services are easily accessible and in walking distance from the classroom.”

Crisis Connections offers support for issues including mental health, housing instability, and substance abuse. Phone: 1-866-4CRISIS (24-hour crisis line)* Website: https://www.crisisconnections.org/ Teen Link is a confidential and anonymous help line for teens. Trained teen volunteers are available to talk with you about any issue of concern. Phone: 1-866-TEENLINK* Website: www.teenlink.org Center for Human Services offers mental health counseling with sliding scale payment based on income and household size.

Phone: 206-362-7282 Website: https://www.chs-nw.org/programsservices/family-counseling/ National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800273-TALK WA Warm Line is peer-to-peer over the phone counseling for people living with emotional and mental health challenges. Phone: 1-877-500-WARM * do not provide ongoing counseling

RESOURCES TEEN HEALTH CENTER Garfield’s Teen Health Center can be found around the corner from the main office, including the nurse’s office, free mental health counseling, psychiatric services, and free menstrual products and birth control. “Definitely come in and check it out, just to find out what kind of services we have! There are two types of consent-- we have a minor consent, so if you’re 13 and older you can sign your own consent form for mental health services, drug and alcohol, pregnancy prevention. You can get your sports physical here, which is a full consent that your parent or guardian wouldn’t need to

THERAPY AND HOTLINES Nami Seattle hosts free drop-in support groups, including a support group for black, indigenous and people of color living with mental health conditions, bipolar support groups, and eating disorder support recovery. Look here for a full monthly schedule: http:// namiseattle.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/ Support-Group-Schedule-December.pdf

Note: In Washington State, you may access confidential counseling at age 13 or above without parental consent.

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student submissions

UTOPIA

By Lily Tran ‘20

By Riley Perteet-Cantu ‘21 She held onto the railing of the subway, her yellow-spotted dress swept up by the locomotion. Beside her stood a portly man, seemingly unaffected by the state of the crumbling vehicle. His skin was fetid and jaundiced, his eyes seemed to be those of a lunatic, but his demeanor was one of a priest. He silently stood there, as if in the middle of a hymn to a perpetually silent god. She watched out the cracked window, the omnipotent sand wafted to and from her field of vision, taunting her, waiting for her. She thought about the hilarity of this subway. Why in the world would they name it that way? If they were trying to evoke nostalgia, a bus would have been a fine alternative… She watched the ever-flowing sand, the ebb and flow of the exsanguine land. Yet as she watched the warbling wastes, a flash of brown caught her eye. The sand immediately obscured the image, as if to conceal its long-held secret, a desperate attempt at consigning the notion to oblivion. The flash appeared once more, except larger, and seemingly more present, slowly escaping the sand’s wrathful grip. She blinked, and the image grew larger. What was once a speck in the hordes of dust, became a mountain, a beast, lurking closer to the non-sensical subway. The conductor, a large yet skeletal figure, reached out to press what was once a red button. History had long faded the object into a dull maroon, with tiny flecks of paint breaking off at each jolt that the subway took. He finally seemed to reach the button, after what felt like seconds, but could have possibly been minutes, perhaps hours…and quietly, she thought to herself, “Perhaps…days...” Everything on the journey to utopia took seemingly forever, so in reality, you had no idea which things took longer than others.

The subway lurched to a stop with a hollow wail as the corpse-like conductor managed to press the button to its fullest extent. A folding door on the side opposite of her opened with a rusty bellow. Sand invaded the subway like a flood of water, except it choked faster, swifter than whatever fluid could possibly attempt. A beastly hand gripped the door, cracked fingernails scraping the side of the subway with a desperate longing, “A longing”, she thought, “That I know all too well…” A walking cadaver stumbled closer to the doorway, his once beast-like appearance replaced with a shambling shell of a person. His likeness once bolstered by the sand’s mirage now stripped to its fragile core. For however biologically whole he was, his mind has surely since rotten away. In his other hand, he held an oblong bottle, it was most likely used to hold water in some far-off time, as evident by the smattering of sand encrusted inside of it. The conductor studied the frail being, his eyes immediately attracted to the bottle in his left hand. Finally, his voice creaked, “Get on.” The man would have cried if he had any moisture left in that withering sack of flesh, but he hardly had any energy left to take the step into the subway. He made a pitiful attempt toward a seat, yet immediately faltered to the steel grating. No one helped him up, to her surprise, no one even seemed to notice he was there. The conductor shambled over to the door, grasped the handle and slammed it shut. He trudged back over to wheel, pulled an arthritic iron lever, and the with an anguished roar, the subway was resurrected.

By Lampton Enochs ‘20

If you are a writer, artist, or photographer and want to see your work featured in the Student Submissions page, email garfieldmessenger@gmail.com!

Chinese Lunar New Year is an important holiday primarily celebrated in mainland China and communities across the United States. The actual date of the new year is usually between January 21st and February 20th. Decorations, advertisements, and general observance begins in early January while Chinese students finish finals and start their month long winter break a few weeks later. While family reunions, firecrackers, red envelopes, and lion dances are some of the more important festivities of the lunar new year, nothing tops the custom

HOW TO JIAOZI

NEW YEARS

By Devon L.E, Corinna Singer, and Simone Cielos of having traditional cuisine to celebrate the holiday. Starting with the annual reunion dinner on New Year’s Eve, food plays a major role in almost every aspect of the Chinese Lunar New Year. One dish in particular stands out: dumplings (jiaozi). Dumplings are said to symbolize money and bring prosperity to those who eat them, as they have a shape similar to gold ingots. Symbolism aside, they are a delectable and highly customizable dish that can be eaten at any time of the day. Here is one take on this famous dish that you can try yourself:

Procedure:

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1. Mince the napa cabbage (placing it in a blender is fine too), then place in a large enough bowl to soak. Add salt to the water. Let sit for about 15 minutes. 2. While the cabbage sits, prepare the meat in a large bowl. Beat the egg separately and then mix it in to the meat. Slice the onions and mince the ginger. Mushrooms, if wanted, can be prepared now too. 3. Remove the cabbage from the water. Then, squeeze the cabbage with your hands until most of the additional water is removed. Mix the “juiced” cabbage, tofu, ginger, onions, and optional mushrooms into the meat. 4. As you continue to mix, gradually add in the condiments in their desired amounts. Once mixture is complete you can begin wrapping (look up a video on how to wrap dumplings). 5. To cook, boil a pot of water and then add the dumplings. 6. Cook on medium to low heat for ten minutes. Enjoy your delicious creations with a mixture of soy sauce, vinegar, sriracha, and the company of others. 7. Any extra dumplings can be frozen and saved for later. 8. Cook these the same way you would cook fresh ones.

Ingredients: Ground Pork- 1lb Egg- 1 Chopped green onions- 5 Minced ginger- a good amount Minced napa cabbage- ½-1 head depending on tofu amount Tofu- ½-1 block depending on cabbage amount Sesame oil- at least 1tbsp Soy sauce- at least 2 tbsp Cooking wine- to taste Salt- to taste; depends on soy sauce amount Black pepper- to taste Sugar- to taste Dumpling wraps- two packets

New Years is a time of celebration: food, dancing, and parades have all brought joy and excitement to thousands of people globally. Chinese Lunar New Year has dominated the American perspective of “Asian New Year’s.” The Messenger hopes to go beyond this perception and bring to light the traditions that have originated in and are celebrated across Asia, many of which are observed by students at Garfield.

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K-POP, DROP & ROLL

Garfield’s super supportive K-pop community. By Audrey Abrahams

t the Garfield K-pop Dance club, members channel their enthusiasm for the K-pop genre through dance. The wildly popular K-pop genre emerged in the 1990s and began gaining a mainstream following in the United States in the 2010s. One of the most recognizable and important characteristics of K-pop is Kpop dancing. K-pop dances are often made up of complicated repetitive movements that correlate to the lyrics of the song. That aspect of K-pop is what Garfield’s Kpop Dance club is all about. It was started last year by Garfield student Maddy Oak and has grown to include students at the Seattle World School, a high school for immigrant and refugee students in the Central District. Oak and her friends were all interested in K-pop dancing, and thought if they formed a club it could be a way to get a PE waiver, however, that didn’t quite work out. “We found out it wasn’t used as a PE

waiver, but then throughout the year we also found out that it was really fun to dance together and learn and then perform and so we kept it going,” said Tasia Tran, a club officer. Tran went on to describe the K-pop fanbase as a unique and supportive community, and her experience in Garfield’s Kpop Dance club is no different. “I myself get really anxious about being in front of people but [with] performing I think I’ve changed as a person, and being in a leadership role I feel more confident and I’m able to help others get over their stage fright,” Tran said. K-pop Dance club has recently been looking for more ways to showcase what they’ve learned. “We’ve been having performances at [the World School], and some schools have

been reaching out and having us go to their school assemblies,” Tran said. Despite their efforts to show Seattle what K-pop is all about, Oak feels there are a lot of misconceptions about K-pop and K-pop fans because it’s not in English. She also says people who do K-pop are judged for wearing make-up, so it’s especially important for Kpop Dance club to be an accepting and non-judgemental space. There are other misconceptions about what K-pop is. Someone may think K-pop only consists of BTS (a popular K-pop act), but the K-pop Dance club is actively working t o shed light on lesser-known artists and groups. “We don’t only do BTS dances. I feel like everyone thinks K-pop is all about BTS” Tran said. “We don’t just follow BTS, we

actually like to go and try out different girl group dances and mixed group dances and other ones that aren’t BTS.” On top of learning about more K-pop groups, the K-pop Dance club makes an effort to learn about how to thoughtfully represent Korean culture. Oak acknowledges that cultural appropriation is sometimes a problem in K-pop. “We don’t want to change who we are or our culture to be Korean or anything like that. That’s the main thing of K-pop. There’s a difference between respecting it and wanting to be it,” Oak said. If you are a K-pop fan or simply want to learn more about the genre, Tran said Kpop club is open to “anybody who finds it interesting or wants to try something new even if it’s not something you listen to.” K-pop Dance club meets Mondays and Wednesdays after school at the Seattle World School.

CELEBRATING BLACK EXCELLENCE A new mural for Garfield. By Benjamin Thomas

arfield’s Race and Equity team plans to honor Black Lives Matter week with a new mural which will be painted live by students and professional artists on the walls adjacent to the second floor balcony. Mr. Wray and Mr. Hagopian lead the project, in hopes to make this year’s Black Lives Matter week one to remember. “We wanted to tell a story connected to the topic of the month and week,” Wray explained, “the mural is going to be painted live Black Lives Matter week, with the intention of it being finished Friday.” This aggressive timeline presents students with a unique opportunity to watch the mural as it expands and progresses. Previous Black Lives Matter weeks haven’t left a legacy for future students, but a new mural presents an opportunity to create a long-lasting memorial to what Garfield stands for. Wray hopes that rather than be a time capsule, this mural will be something that, even in a decade, people can take something away from. “I wanted to focus on doing something,” Wray said.

In order to make this mural timeless, the artists plan to lean away from depictions of specific people or events and instead depict concepts that will always be contemporary. “It’s going to be a continuous mural, and the gap plays a role too,” Wray explained. “The wall on the western side will tell the story of the Black past and where the community has come from. The gap is the balcony, where everyone, especially a lot of Black students and students of color hang out. This represents the Black present. The wall on the eastern side represents the Black future,” Wray said. One of the most important questions is how to represent the “Black future.” What do Garfield’s Black students want Garfield’s future to look like?

“It’s not Afrofuturism per se,” Wray said about the Black future wing of the mural, alluding to the Black futures depicted in art like Janelle Monáe’s “Q.U.E.E.N.” or Black Panther. Rather, the mural will depict “visions of Black excellence and Black success.” “We live in a society where we’re very reactionary. We go from reacting to one tragedy to the next, and we rarely have time to create visions for ourselves and where we want to go. The Black future is an opportunity for people to engage in a conversation about what tomorrow looks like in an ideal world,” Wray said. That conversation is why it’s important to involve Garfield’s Black students in the project. Around ten students will be assisting in painting the mural, whose work will

“WE’RE VERY REACTIONARY. WE GO FROM REACTING TO ONE TRAGEDY TO THE NEXT, AND WE RARELY HAVE TIME TO CREATE VISIONS FOR OURSELVES AND WHERE WE WANT TO GO.”

be supervised by four professional artists and experienced muralists: Afro, Perry Porter, Talia, and Max. Wray described them as the “creative directors” of the project; they designed a working draft of the mural (which is not yet finalized), and they will help students implement the mural’s vision onto Garfield’s walls. To select the quartet of artists, Wray got together with students and brainstormed local artists whose styles the students liked, and reached out to see if they’d be interested in joining the project. Both Afro and Porter’s past murals have celebrated their communities, and they will celebrate the Central District in Garfield’s new mural. The current draft features the Red Apple, a local grocery store and Central District landmark that was demolished to make room for condos. The new mural will serve to create new visions of Black futures and Black excellence within the walls of Garfield. What will these visions look like? Check them out for yourself during Black Lives Matter week!

OSCAR PREVIEW 2020 By Liam Hyde

Little Women, 1917, Ford v. Ferrari, Joker, The Irishman, Parasite, Jojo Rabbit, Marriage Story, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Dark Horse: Jojo Rabbit, directed by Taika Waititi, has gone relatively unnoticed in the huge crowd of movies released this fall like 1917, Parasite, The Irishman, and even Joker. However, it’s easily one of the best films of the year, following the young Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis) as he navigates the world of Nazi Germany with his imaginary friend Adolf Hitler (Taika Waititi). While the film has caught some flack for the zany nature of how the source material of Nazi Germany is handled, it never gets to the point of trivialization. Going in, I wasn’t sure what to expect but Jojo Rabbit thoroughly impressed me with its heart.

Snub: The Lighthouse, a psychological horror film featuring two standout performances from Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson, is noticeably absent from the Best Picture lineup. The film follows Ephraim Winslow (Robert Pattinson) as he is sent out to work on the maintenance of the titular lighthouse under the supervision of the elderly Thomas Wake (Willem Dafoe). As the story goes on, Winslow has horrific dreams and visions and starts to lose his sanity.

Best Actor Nominees

Adam Driver, Antonia Banderas, Leonardo Dicaprio, Jonathon Pryce, Joaquin Phoenix Mess Pick: While it is confusing that Joker is leading the pack with 11 total nominations, Joaquin Phoenix’s performance was easily the best of the year. His performance as a mentally ill man thrown to the wayside by a crumbling city and abused by people from all walks of life manages to make you feel sympathy for the character. Then he makes you feel sick for the sympathy you gave him as he commits the horrific acts of violence later in the film. Overall, Phoenix gives a fantastic performance to rival Ledger’s in The Dark Knight.

Dark Horse: Adam Driver in Marriage Story heartbreakingly shows the effect of divorce on a person and family. His character Charlie faces the challenge of maintaining a relationship with his son, as well as with his former wife, Nicole (Scarlett Johannsen), through his divorce. Driver’s performance is undeniably fantastic and deserves much praise.

Snub: Back to The Lighthouse, Willem Dafoe’s performance as the old isolated man was one of the best of his career, which makes it all the more confusing that he didn’t get nominated. His brilliant portrayal of the solitary old man and his quirks and mannerisms, like refusing to allow the other wickie (Robert Pattinson) to operate the light, adds yet another layer to this fantastic film.

Best Actress Nominees

Cynthia Erivo, Scarlett Johansson, Saoirse Ronan, Charlize Theron and Renée Zellweger. Mess Pick: Due to the film being based off of the experience of the director’s own divorce, Charlie (Adam Driver) is portrayed as the main character. However, without Scarlett Johansson’s excellent performance as Nicole, Marriage Story would not have earned a Best Picture nomination. Nicole’s experience with the consequences of divorce, such as having to tell her mother that she can’t see Charlie anymore, makes the film even more heart-wrenching than thought possible.

Dark Horse: The biographical film Judy tells the life story of the singer Judy Garland (Renne Zellweger). Zellweger’s ability to depict the struggle of stardom that include substance addiction, family life, and pressure from millions of adoring fans, climaxes in a heartbreaking final performance to those fans.

THROUGH THE WINTER WALTZ

Best Picture Nominees Mess Pick: 1917 is the clear best film of the year. The film follows two young soldiers (DeanCharles Chapman and George Mckay) on a mission to deliver a message to stop an attack on the Germans who are much more prepared than originally anticipated. The film is edited with amazing technique to look like it was shot in one take, with a grand total of one noticable cut for the audience. 1917 shows the true heartbreaking effect of war on the regular people grabbed from their lives and thrust into action.

A & E WANDERING

Snub: Potentially due to her primary claim to fame as a performing artist and reality TV show judge, Jennifer Lopez surprisingly did not receive a nomination for her role as Ramona in Hustlers. Typically, whenever a performer who rarely takes serious roles excels in one, the Academy tends to give them a nomination for their efforts, however, Lopez received no such bone. Her performance as a stripper who steals from her Wall Street clients to create her own criminal empire was still as good as any this year.

By Wynsome Burke

n Sunday, January 19th, the Garfield Orchestra held its annual Winter Waltz at Benaroya Hall, a spectacle unlike any other school event. A longtime tradition kept alive by the passion of orchestra students, the Winter Waltz attracts a new audience for the orchestra and gathers support for the arts. This year’s waltz sported a “Moon River” theme, dazzling silver decor and waltz music for three consecutive hours. “We reconfigure [the three orchestras] and they all learn classical waltzes,” explained Jagger Aldrich, Garfield junior and violinist. Without a doubt, this is one of the orchestra’s biggest events of the year, attracting Garfield students, their families, and even outsiders to join in on the fun. No matter their experience level, everyone in attendance waltz. “There are people that have been dancing for decades [who] help people learn to waltz, but also clumsy high school students that don’t know how to dance,” Aldrich said. Chaotic and energetic, the Winter Waltz has a unique feeling of confidence and excitement. “It feels like a school dance, but where everyone is actually dancing and having fun,” said Natasha Wasniak, a Garfield senior and violinist. “There are people colliding on the dance floor, and orchestra students running around trying to find their instruments, so it’s kind of crazy, but so rewarding and enjoyable,” Aldrich said. ‘’There are so many different levels of dancing abilities, but people are confident and just go out and have fun, which I think attracts a lot of people to it.” Free waltz lessons are also held in the weeks leading up to the Winter Waltz. “[The waltz lessons] make people feel more comfortable on the night of the waltz… It helps people be more involved in the dancing,” Aldrich said. Besides being a social event where students and their families can dance and mingle, the Winter Waltz also serves as a fundraiser. All proceeds go to FOGO (Friends of Garfield Orchestra), allowing the orchestras to repair instruments and buy music. With the gracious support from the community, the Winter Waltz continues to be a memorable event for attendees, and especially for the student musicians. “It’s a whole Orchestra program bonding experience,” Wasniak said. “Orchestra students look forward to the waltz all year, and everyone really gets to learn what the orchestra program is about: supporting other musicians,’’ she added. Graphics by Sophia Chrysanthakopoulos

SPORTS

LETTER FROM THE MESSENGER

This is a potentially triggering topic. Mental health resources are listed on pages 10 and 11.

he Messenger was planning on publishing an article on locker room culture at Garfield. As reporting continued, we became increasingly doubtful that we could cover this story in a responsible way within the time frame of this issue. While we have an obligation to inform our community, we also have an obligation to minimize harm. Due to this concern and the inability to fact-check several accounts, we believe that publishing this story right now would be irresponsible. If and when we can publish this story in a way that carries less risk of harm, we will. The intention of this article was to shed light on a situation in order to better our community rather than to sensationalize or provoke malicious rumors. Corinna Singer with the Messenger

WAIVE P.E. GOODBYE?

The Messenger Guide to the new PE Waiver By Nat Beaumon

With another semester over, the time has come once again to fill out PE waivers. For many of us, this won’t be our first time doing it, but this year the waiver may look a bit different since it is now a unified form for all Seattle Public Schools. So, if you don’t want to fight through seas of people to ask a counselor about it, the Messenger has you covered.

Part 1:

Are you a TA? Do you have a free period? If you said yes to either of those, sorry, but you’re not eligible for a PE waiver for this semester. Exceptions to Part 1

Part 2: There are 5 “reasons” to waive PE on the new PE waiver:

y hics b Grap yar o Sam B

Remember, you need 3 PE credits to graduate, so if you have never taken PE, you’ll need to get a waiver for 3 semesters. Forms for this semester are due March 1st, good luck everyone!

2 3 4 5

Employment: If you work during school hours to support yourself/your family, get a note from your boss verifying that you work during school hours, and get a note on a letterhead* from a court/your parents confirming that you live independently or that you work to support your parents.

Religious Beliefs: Get a note from your religious leader saying that you can’t do PE because of your religious beliefs.

Physical Disability: If you have a physical disability, just get a note from an IEP or Doctor saying that you can’t do PE.

Directed Athletics

SPS Sports: Get a note from your coach saying you did it. Other Sports: Provide a log showing you did it for 80 hours during the semester, and get a note from your parents and a note from your coach on a letterhead*.

Other Good Cause (Academic Waiver): If you’ve had a full schedule for the past 5 semesters and you’ve passed all of those classes, all you need to do is write that in the “Please explain” section.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

markable history, each year the standards are set higher than the year before. With two college commits, the girls have a current winning streak of 9-0 and they have no plans of stopping. “I think the end goal for everyone is to win a state championship. But my own personal goals are just to do everything in my power to win every game.” Meghan Fiso said, one of three team captains. Working around the clock, the Lady Bulldogs have frequent practices to ensure success on the court. “Practices are pretty intense. We do a lot of conditioning to keep us in shape.” Fiso said . However, physical strength isn’t all the players work on. “Along with of

course working out every day and shooting, I’d say mental preparation has been huge for me.” When it comes to mentality and motivation Meghan looks to her teammates. “I have amazing teammates and coaches that are encouraging me to do my best.” The girls are all in this together. With many long hours spent playing and practicing, including some out of state, it’s clear that they’ve formed a strong bond with each other. “At first we were all a little distant with each other, but during our trip to Arizona, we really bonded with one another,” Fiso said.“What makes our team so close is that we all like to have fun but can come together in serious times and win games.” Team captains are there to encourage fellow team members and keep them motivated. This year, the team’s members have worked extremely hard to emphasize the importance of energy. “I always try to bring the most energy on the court so that if things aren’t going well, my teammates can feed off of my energy. I also like to acknowledge all the good things my teammates do like saying, ‘That’s a good shot!’ or ‘Great pass!’” Fiso said. While the players perform to the best of their abilities on the court, the team spirit is alive in the bleachers and in the halls. “It feels amazing [to have so much support]. I know some schools don’t have the support that we do and it’s just a blessing to be able to play for a school that has so much pride in its athletes.” Fiso said. With good performance, good mentality, and good sportsmanship the girls rightly deserve the success they all work so hard for.

he Garfield boys basketball team is a large part of the Garfield legacy. There are few games where the stands aren’t packed with fans of all ages. With the lineup they have now, including mtwo college committed players, the boys are on the road to sucess. With a strong start to the season, similarly, the boys seem to have their eyes on the prize. Tari Eason, team captain, feels confident about his team’s future. “I think the team’s season is going really well and I think we have really good potential to win state,” Eason said. As one of two captains, Eason encourages fellow team members to stay motivated both on and off the court. “As a captain, I tell them we have to be locked in every day. Work hard every day and bring it. At practice and in the classroom.” Eason said. Though their main focus lies in performance, the boys do enjoy having fun and joking around with one another. This is largely attributed to their previous playing history. “I think we’re a pretty close group of guys. A lot of the guys have known each other before high school. Just growing up with each other and playing together in middle school.” Eason said. When it comes to mental preparation the players are big on music. Without hesitation, Eason gives a look into what’s on his gameday playlist. “I listen to a lot of Youngboy… a lot of Young Thug. It really gets me pumped up and ready to go.” Eason said. With an impressive legacy to live up to, one can only imagine the

“AS A CAPTAIN, I TELL THEM WE HAVE TO BE LOCKED IN EVERY DAY. WORK HARD EVERY DAY AND BRING IT. AT PRACTICE AND IN THE CLASSROOM.”

pressure the players would feel. However, contrary to what some may believe, the boys seem to be doing well under pressure. “The only pressure a man feels is the pressure he puts upon himself, in my opinion,” Eason said. All in all, we’ve got two incredibly driven basketball teams here at Garfield High School whose hearts belong to the game. With great leaders guiding them in the right direction, their determination is sure to take them far this basketball season.

By Irya Bland Photos by Sam Boyar

BOYS BASKETBALL

ere at GHS we are far from shy when it comes to showing school spirit. From sports assemblies to sports games we make our bulldog pride known. The stands are flooded with students and adults alike dressed in both purple and white cheering on our Bulldogs. If there is one sport that students show up and show out for, it is definitely basketball. With both the boys and girls having a re-

SPORTS

Next Quad Night February 7 @ Franklin Girls: 7:00 pm Boys: 8:30 pm

SPORTS

TOP DAWG

REACHING THE SUMMIT

Taking a closer look at rock climbing.

By Kai Craig

Article and art Molly Chapin

t’s easy to join the school sports community here at Garfield, but some students find it valuable to branch out and participate in more unconventional sports. One such sport is bouldering and climbing, which has recently taken off in the Seattle area. Bouldering is a subset of rock climbing which involves climbing with specific shoes and sometimes chalk for improving grip, and is done mainly indoors. On the other hand, climbing involves ropes, and more often takes place in the great outdoors. As climbing has grown in popularity as a sport, more and more climbing gyms have popped up across the city, including Stone Gardens and Seattle Bouldering Project (SBP). For many, climbing might appear inaccessible, but as climbing gyms are becoming more convenient and the sport rises in popularity, it is no longer out of reach. “Bouldering in particular is so easy, all you need is shoes and maybe a chalk bag. Especially if you’re indoors, it’s cheaper, more accessible, and you don’t need all the knowledge of ropes and safety that you do for climbing,” Forest Tschirhart said, a junior at Garfield who has been climbing for as long as he can remember. Bouldering at places like Stone Gardens or SBP is a perfect way to train for bouldering or climbing outdoors, and living in the Pacific Northwest near top climbing locations like Leavenworth or Gold Bar opens a world of vast opportunities to climbers. “Having that just a two- or three-hour drive away is really great, you can just go on the weekends. To be a climber, you don’t have to move your whole life somewhere, it’s just right there,” Tschirhart said. As such an accessible sport, the bouldering community draws in people from all across the city, and continues to diversify. Junior Rylee

Bundesmann started her climbing career nearly four years ago, and is now a member of the Seattle Climbing Team through SBP. “They’re very different people than I usually hang out with, which I think is cool that we have this common thing, and it’s such a strong community that that’s really all we need,” Bundesmann said. Another junior at Garfield, Sam Halmrast began climbing just three years ago and is now the climbing team captain at Stone Gardens. For Halmrast, the climbing community provides out of school connections with a dependable and laid back group of peers. “My specific team is a couple people from each school around Seattle, mostly around

“DON’T START TO DOUBT YOURSELF, AND FOCUS. I THINK THAT’S WHAT CLIMBING HAS TAUGHT ME THE MOST, IS THAT YOU HAVE TO FOCUS ON ONE THING AT A TIME.” Ballard because that’s where I climb...It lets me connect to my teammates from different schools, and so I have some points of contact to other parts of the city,” Halmrast said. One of the pulls for new climbers is the versatility of climbing as a sport. While there is a lot of technique and strategy involved in figuring out each move to make, rock climbers also get creative license while climbing. “Different problems will have different solutions. Depending on your body type, like how tall you are, how heavy you are, how flexible you are, people can solve them in a lot of different ways,” Tschirhart said. “One thing I really like about it is that no two routes you ever climb are the same. There’s not one specific motion that you do repeatedly, like swimming for example. You’re building up a collection of possible moves you could apply to each route, and then you have to use them as you see fit,”

Halmrast said. At its core, climbing is based around adaptability, which, according to Bundesmann, allows for a much more even playing field than other in sports. “Climbs are all different and they all demand different things. You have to be really strong, and have really strong shoulders and back muscles and fingers, but if you have all of that but no balance or footwork you can’t do a climb,” Bundesmann said. “There are twelve year old girls on my team that can climb something that my coaches can’t, because they can fit into a smaller box or they can use the smallest holds.” Like any sport, bouldering comes with its own set of unique challenges. For both Bundesmann and Halmrast, who boulder competitively, there are a whole different set of things to keep in mind while climbing. “The trick to competing is figuring out exactly how to do every single move of a climb in 20 to 30 seconds so you still have enough time to actually try it two or three times,” Halmrast said. “Probably [the most important thing to keep in mind is] breath. It took me like two years to learn how to breathe while on the wall, because as you get to harder grades, with every single movement your entire body is tensed.” “Don’t start to doubt yourself, and focus. I think that’s what climbing has taught me the most, is that you have to focus on one thing at a time,” Bundesmann added. All in all, the rise of bouldering and climbing comes as no surprise. It has a thriving community, is accessible in the city, and allows for a lot of creative wiggle room. “It’s really fun if you’re looking for adventure, because that’s not really a thing anymore. All the places to explore have been explored,” Tschirhart added. “So, if you’re looking to do something that very few people have done, like summit a mountain that no one has summited, or get into an adventure, then bouldering and climbing is definitely one of the top options.”

Despite only transferring to Garfield this year, Senior Meghan Fiso has proven herself to be a valuable asset to the Women’s Basketball team. For her first three years of high school, Fiso attended West Seattle High, but was drawn to the community surrounding Garfield’s athletic rigor and spirit. “What drew me in whats the competitiveness and drive to be great [from all around]” Fiso said. Fiso believes that Garfield’s fanbase and publicity is truly something amazing, especially in the face of other Seattle Public School Women’s teams. “We have a lot of support from [both the school and around Washington] and it’s something I really admire,” Fiso said. Fiso has been playing basketball since third grade, and has loved it ever since. Prospects Nation, a program that ranks young female basketball players and connects them with recruiters, ranks Meghan in the top forty players of class of 2020. She also appears in similarly high esteem on other rankings. Additionally, via her participaiton in the 2018 Nike National, she recieved evaluation from ESPN scouter Dan Olson. Olson described her playing style as “agile” and “versatile...with a scorer’s mentality”. With a consistent winning streak this month, Garfield’s basketball players certainly have a lot to show for their hard work, and many have already committed to prestigious universities, including Fiso. In her junior year Fiso received and accepted a recruitment offer to attend University of Michigan and play on their team. University of Michigan is a Division 1 college that is also a member of the Big Ten Confrence. Their women’s basketball team is highly reputable, and Fiso is looking foward to attending in the fall, but until then she is ready to give it her all here at Garfield. Photo by Kayla Kelly

SPORTS

ON THIN ICE

Garfield students excelling on the rink. Article and graphics By Caroline Ashby

or most Garfield students, when we think of winter sports we might think of basketball, wrestling, or swimming. However, for some Garfield students, the winter sports they participate in are more unconventional. For Julia Wartman, a junior at Garfield, competitive ice skating has been a major part of her life since she was 9. Although she started later than some of her peers, Wartman realized quickly it was something she wanted to pursue competitively. “I realized I liked it a lot and wanted to move onto a more intense track,” Wartman said. Wartman went from taking group lessons with a single coach to taking individual lessons with a variety of coaches and practicing the sport year- round. During competitions, figure skating is scored on a variety of elements such as footwork, performance, and choreography. Although competition can be one of the most rewarding aspects of the sport, it’s also the most challenging. “I’ve never known a skater that enjoys com-

SWOLE

By Sam Treat Art by Sophia Chrysanthakopoulos

peting,” Wartman said. Wartman said that figure skating is unique from other sports in the range of skills that the skater has to master in order to be successful. “You have to have good technique and endurance, but you also have to have artistry and that can be just as hard as being able to land a hard jump,” Wartman said. For junior Bella McQuade, who plays hockey competitively, competition is one of the best parts of the sport. “It’s fun to be challenged,” McQuade said. Hockey games are very fast paced compared to other sports, as the players on the court are changed out every minute. “You’re skating really hard out there so you need the changes,” McQuade said. Working in a team as opposed to competing individually poses its own challenges, especially when a game isn’t going well.

“It’s hard to keep everyone calm and make sure everyone is being nice to each other,” McQuade said. The tensions on the court McQuade says are relieved in the locker room, where most of the team’s bonding occurs. Each practice, 30 minutes are dedicated to spending time talking about life and getting to know the teammates. “It’s usually the craziest part of the day,” McQuade said. Although hockey is a huge part of McQuade’s life now, it wasn’t always something she was passionate about. Coming from a family of skaters, with a sister who played hockey, she was encouraged from a young age to pursue the sport as well. “My dad can skate and my mom can skate, so they were like, ‘You should know how to skate as well’,” McQuade said.

Before playing hockey, McQuade was a figure skater. She attributes her proficiency as a defender to her background in skating, as many of the skills learned in figure skating are needed in hockey. “Skating backwards is an integral part of being defense,” McQuade said. When her sister began to play hockey, she reluctantly gave it a try as well. “At first I was like, absolutely not, but then I tried it and thought this is actually kind of fun,” McQuade said. McQuade claimed that many hockey players with a background in figure skating become strong hockey players because skating involves a lot of edgework and technique. McQuade wishes more people played the sport, but also said she enjoys that many people are surprised she plays an unconventional sport. “It’s always a cool feeling when you impress people,” McQuade said.

This article is meant to be a resource for anyone-- whether they are a weight room novice, or a bulked-up giant (like me). The workout below is compiled of exercises obtained from a variety of sources. Many of these exercises come from Men’s or Women’s Health, GQ, or FitnessAI, which are all great resources for anyone interested in fitness or weightlifting. However, getting big isn’t just about lifting weights. A proper diet is essential to being healthy. Protein builds muscles, so a protein shake recipe is included, as well. UPPER BODY: Hammer Curls (3x8) Hold a midweight dumbbell in each hand. Stand with the dumbbells parallel to your side. Bring the dumbbell up towards your chest by bending your arm at the elbow. Lower slowly and repeat. Your palms should face toward you the entire time. One set is 8 with each arm. Incline Bench Press (3x8) With heavier dumbbells in each hand, adjust a bench to be at about a 45-degree angle. Sit on bench, back firmly against it. Hold the dumbbells with your palms facing away from your chest. The starting position should be at about the nipple line. Push straight out, extend fully, then lower slowly and repeat. For one set, do 8. Bent Over Rows (3x8) Lower the bench to a flat position (180 degrees). Place your left knee and left palm on the bench, so that you are bent over, with your right foot on the ground for support. Hold a midweight dumbbell in your right hand, starting with it hanging away from your body. Slowly raise the dumbbell up to your chest. Your palm should face in towards your body, and when raising the dumbbell, keep your elbows in to avoid flaring out. Hold for one second, lower the dumbbell slowly and repeat. For one set, do 8 with each arm.

5x5 Deadlift Use a barbell with heavier weights, place the barbell on the ground. Line your toes up with the bar and position your feet about shoulderwidth apart. Grip the bar with one hand overhand and the other underhand, hands about shoulder-width. Squat your bottom down, bending at the knees. Don’t lift with your arms. Press up with your legs, and allow your arms to hang free while holding on to the bar. Press up with your legs, push your hips forward, and once you’re fully standing up, hold the position for a second, before dropping the bar. Repeat five times for one set.

your core, keep back straight. Once finished, walk the barbell back onto the rack, and duck under the bar to disengage.

LEGS: Weighted Lunges (4x15) Holding a heavy dumbbell in each hand, lunge in place, alternating legs. Do 15 to complete one set.

Leg Raises (4 x 12) Lie on the ground, legs straight. Lift both legs until they are at a 90-degree angle, perpendicular to the floor. Don’t touch the ground with your legs, but lower them back to about two inches above the floor.

Squats (5x5) Rack a barbell so that it is even with your chest. Place desired weights on both ends. Position the bar behind your head and on the tops of your shoulders. Grip bar with hands, evenly spaced. Step back from the rack with the bar on your shoulders. Position feet a little wider than shoulder-width. Lower bottom straight down, as if sitting in a chair. Stop when your legs make a 90-degree angle at your knee. Push up using your legs and engaging

Run or Bike (15 to 30 minutes) CORE: Power Plank (4 x 20sec) Do plank and engage every muscle. Squeeze fists, flex arms, squeeze glutes, and most of all, engage the core. Russian Twists (2 x 60 sec) Use a medium-weight medicine ball.

SMOOTHIE RECIPE: One scoop non-whey chocolate-flavored protein powder (plant or bone-based) One scoop peanut butter One full banana (peeled) 2/3 cup of plain greek yogurt 1/4 cup of cold water Handful of ice cubes Blend until smooth

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Ayo what’s up Bulldogs its ya boyz back with another issue. What we have here is Bingo. Many of you may be familiar with Bingo from the popular song “Bingo was his Name-o.” The way it works is you cross off boxes that apply to you and if you get 5 in a row (any direction) then Bingo is your Name-o. Share your completed Bingo boards with @TheGarfieldMessenger on Instagram to be featured!

Repeated a Shot a paper ball basketball cheer into a wastebasket more than 3 times #RIPKobe #RIPGigi

Attended every Skipped school class for an entire for no reason but week without called it a “mental skipping health day”

Stole a fish from a science classroom #justicefortropicalballs

Drew a penis on the field during a snow day

Solved world issues with Instagram “Activism”

Bought a Messenger sweatshirt :)

Blocked the hallway and got yelled at by a senior

Found or left ramen in a water fountain

Made awkward eye contact in the hallway with a teacher you used to have

Got caught in a hall sweep

Skipped 4th period so you wouldn’t get Saturday School

Free Space! Put a video of snow falling outside a classroom window on your story

Stole a yellow vest

Went out the side doors without getting caught

Found the Wore a POST shirt hidden Bulldog in more than twice in this one week Messenger

Hydrated throughout the day

Mooched off of someone else’s Ezells in class

Thought you were Spent two hours cute for using a scrolling through Used the word Paid $20 to go to purse instead of a TikTok instead of “Gurb”unironically Winter Formal for backpack studying for finals 15 minutes

Garfield Messenger: Volume 98, Issue 4

Articles inside

Turn off or unplug appliances when not

Pick up trash wherever you see it! Litter

Eat less meat and more plants

Sort your trash and food waste properly

Bring your own reusable water bottle

Bus, bike or walk to school and other