Garfield Messenger: Volume 98, Issue 3 by Garfield Messenger

THE

MESSENGER

DECEMBER VOLUME 98 ISSUE 3

Lessons by Chris Morris-Lent • GHS ‘06 • Columbia ‘09

Math • English • ACT/SAT • College Apps

Guaranteed gains:  +200 SAT • +4 ACT • 1 academic letter grade

“

Chris has a terriﬁc sense of which colleges match which personalities.

”

—Carl M., parent of Ben, accepted to Whitman and 2 other colleges

“

Our daughter’s SAT score soared by 500 points! We unequivocally recommend Mr. Morris-Lent’s tutoring services to others.

“

”

—Jyoti N., parent of Karisma, accepted to the University of Washington

”

An absolute master at explaining difﬁcult concepts.  —Nate S., parent and software engineer

Learn more at www.seattlesbesttutor.com  chris.morris.lent@gmail.com • 206-551-7843

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

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

TUTORING & TEST PREP

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 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

Lessons by Chris Morris-Lent • GHS ‘06 • Columbia ‘09

Math • English • ACT/SAT • College Apps

Guaranteed gains:  +200 SAT • +4 ACT • 1 academic letter grade

“

Chris has a terriﬁc sense of which colleges match which personalities.

”

—Carl M., parent of Ben, accepted to Whitman and 2 other colleges

“

Our daughter’s SAT score soared by 500 points! We unequivocally recommend Mr. Morris-Lent’s tutoring services to others.

“

”

—Jyoti N., parent of Karisma, accepted to the University of Washington

”

An absolute master at explaining difﬁcult concepts.  —Nate S., parent and software engineer

Learn more at www.seattlesbesttutor.com  chris.morris.lent@gmail.com • 206-551-7843

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

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

TUTORING & TEST PREP

BENEFACTORS

Noel Treat Lisa Richmond and Steve Burke The Van Loo Family

PATRONS

FRIENDS

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

TIME CAPSULE

Molly Chapin and Téa Fortune

STUDENT SUBMISSIONS

PAY TO PLAY?

BULLDOG BOYS IN LEOTARDS

WOMENS SWIM RECAP

Tova Gaster

Wynsome Burke

Matthew Lord

AND

Corinna Singer

MEDIA MONOPOLY

BUILDING A MORE EQUITABLE SEATTLE

A BATTLE FOR BALANCE

ACT LIKE YOU OWN THE PLACE

Simone Cielos

RANT & RAVE FATHER STRETCH MY HANDS PT. 1 Nat Beaumon

Dominic Sullivan

Irya Bland

Guest Writer Lampton Enochs

YES, AND...

GETTING BACK THE BEAT

SPORTS

ARTS

UH OH! GOTTA GO!

10 &11 12

SPORTS

Liam Hyde

Annabelle Frockt

8 9

OPINION

5 5

TARDY SWEEPS

Izzy Lamola, Annabelle Frockt & Tova Gaster

COMMUTE COMPLICATIONS

Angelina Lopez

Kai Craig

ESPORTS TAKE THE WORLD BY STORM Ben Thomas

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Khassim Diakhate

ENTERTAINMENT

NEWS BRIEFS

Caroline Ashby

PUBLICATION ASPIRATIONS

FESTIVITES AND FAILS

SPORTS

GET TO KNOW: COURTNEY BRADLEY

NEWS

Cover by Sophia Chrysanthakopoulos

NEWS

ISSUE 3, VOL 98

CONTENTS Audrey Abrahams

Grace Chinowsky & Devon Ling-Efird

TOP DAWG

A STUDENT’S GUIDE TO RESPONSIBLE CHEERING

Izzy Lamola

Sam Treat

NEWS

NEWS BRIEFS

GET TO KNOW: COURTNEY BRADLEY Garfield’s new athletic trainer. By Caroline Ashby

arfield’s sports teams are known for being some of the strongest and most dedicated teams in the district. However, much of the support these athletes receive behind the scenes goes unnoticed. Enter the athletic trainer: a certified healthcare professional who assists athletes and ensures that they are properly taken care of. In a high school setting, an athletic trainer’s main job is to help manage and evaluate the injuries of the student-athletes and take preventative measures to avoid future injuries. Garfield recently welcomed a new athletic trainer to the team, Courtney Bradley, replacing the previous trainer, Carmay Jones-Isaac, who had worked with the school for many years. For Bradley, being an athletic trainer was something that she’s been interested in since she was young. “My homeroom teacher somehow knew what an athletic trainer was and recommended it to me,” Bradley said. Following this interaction, Bradley participated in a job shadow where she observed an athletic trainer at work. Immediately, she knew that this was something she wanted to do. As a high school student, she chose her college because of their athletic training programs. Before coming to Garfield, Bradley attended the University of Southern California for 2 years while she was getting her graduate degree. While there, she worked as an athletic trainer at USC Campus Recreation and then at a high school called Orangeburg Preparatory. “It just worked out that I never really changed my mind [about sports training],” Bradley said. Bradley’s interests don’t stray far from her profession, either.

“I WANT TO BE IN ALL THE DIFFFERENT PLACES WITH THE TEAMS AND ATHLETES AND I JUST CAN’T”

“People will be like ‘How do you watch sports when your whole job is watching sports?’, but I really do enjoy it,” Bradley recalled. Her dedication for athletic training and love of sports is what finally brought her here to Garfield. However, Bradley acknowledged that despite loving what she does, change is difficult and moving to Garfield from working at USC was a big adjustment both for her and for Garfield’s student-athletes. “Transition is always hard but everyone has been so nice about it,” Bradley said. Luckily, the adjustment was made easier by the fact that Bradley takes a similar approach in her training to the previous trainer. “I walked into a pretty good program — thank God!” Bradley said.

Bradley also attributes the easy transition to the foundation that the previous athletic trainer left. Bradley said she liked that the previous trainer made efforts to educate students about what it means to be an athletic trainer and actually make an impact on the students. Next year, Bradley hopes that she’ll have the chance to familiarize herself with more of the athletes so that the start of the year is smoother. So what is it that makes Bradley love athletic training so much? “I love being able to build interactions

By Izzy Lamola, Tova Gaster, Annabelle Frockt

“NOT EVERY ATHLETIC TRAINER IS PERFECT, BUT JUST KNOW THAT OUR MAIN JOB IS TO HELP YOU SO HOPEFULLY PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE TO GAIN ACCESS TO THEM IN THE FUTURE” with the athletes and teach them about themselves,” Bradley said. Much of athletic training has to do with educating students about their own bodies and wellbeing, and Bradley values being able to connect with the students that she meets. However, while connecting with students is one of her favorite parts of her career, it can also be the most difficult. “There’s only one of me and there’s a lot of athletes,” Bradley acknowledged. The amount of care that the athletes require isn’t always possible when there’s only one person in the entire school who can assist them. “I want to be in all the different places with the teams and athletes and I just can’t,” Bradley said. Bradley wishes that in the future, athletic trainers will become more common so that everyone has access to them, or at least knows what they are. Despite athletic trainers working in many different settings such as physical therapy clinics, hospitals, law enforcement, and the military, many people still don’t understand what they do. “People still ask me: ‘Wait—what do you do? What exactly is [an athletic trainer]?’” Bradley said. Bradley hopes to educate people further on the profession while developing lasting impacts on the students and families she works alongside with. “Not every athletic trainer is perfect , but just know that our main job is to help you so hopefully people will continue to gain access to them in the future,” Bradley said. Photo by Sam Boyar

ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST DONALD TRUMP House Democrats are preparing to impeach President Donald Trump in impeachment trials that are currently set to begin early January 2020. He will face two articles of impeachment: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. According to the articles of impeachment written by Democrats in the House of Representatives: “Using the powers of his high office, President Trump solicited the interference of a foreign government, Ukraine, in the 2020 United States Presidential election.” Trump allegedly used the Ukrainian government to investigate Joe Biden, his 2020 election political rival, and Biden’s family.

BRITISH ELECTION: BRITISH CONSERVATIVE Prime Minister Boris Johnson won by a landslide in Britain’s special election on December 12th. This decisive victory, which was predicted to be by a narrower margin, sets Britain on a path to Brexit by January 31st, 2020, and leaves the conservative party with a significant majority in Parliament. PM Boris Johnson’s victory has many Americans making comparisons and predictions about the upcoming 2020 election, as Johnson’s brand of radical populism bears similarities to Trump.

ISRAEL SPECIAL ELECTION Israel will hold its third national election in eleven months come March of 2020. This comes as a result of two previous attempts — in April and September of 2019 — that failed to produce a government. In Israel, the percentage of votes won by each party determines the number of seats they are alloted in the Knesset, the country’s governing body. Both the right-leaning Likud, led by current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the centrist Blue and White, led by Benny Gantz, failed to build a large enough coalition to form a government. This election process has been regarded as one of the most significant in modern Israeli history, centering around the issues of Jewish settlements in the West Bank, as well as the potential threat of Iran’s nuclear program.

NEWS

TARDY SWEEPS

Garfield administration removes stragglers from the hallways.

By Liam Hyde n December 10th, with about five minutes left in lunch, Principal Howard announced over the loudspeakers that all teachers would be locking their doors as soon as class started. After the bell rang, security and administrators rounded up any students in the hall and sent them straight to the main office. There, students had their names recorded and were split into groups to be assigned Saturday school. This new policy of tardy sweeps is the latest in a long line of policies designed by Garfield administration to increase student attendance, especially during classes immediately following lunch. Vice Principal Blanton, one of the architects of the new tardy sweeps, wants students to know how this new policy will function. “We will be announcing to teachers that we will be doing a tardy sweep, and they will be locking their doors at that time. Administrators and security will be rounding up students to the main office who are in the hallways at that time,” Blanton said. While some students may feel this course of action to be harsh, Blanton insists that the

administration is not out to get them. “We’re trying to make sure all students are in their classrooms in a timely manner, not lingering in the hallways and missing instructional time. We haven’t pursued an aggressive policy of detention when students are tardy, and I think it’s kinda been abused by some students,” Blanton said. However, there is currently no intention of making these sweeps a daily part of the Garfield Ar t by Sam B student routine. oyar “We don’t have the capacity to do this daily, so it’ll be more of a weekly or monthly thing,” Blanton said. Senior Kyla Christianson was one of the

students caught in the hallway sweep on December 10th. “I was about two minutes late coming back for lunch, and after Mr. Howard’s announcement, one of the security guards directed me to the main office,” Christianson said. “Everyone there had their names written down and we were split up into groups with different administrators. Ms. Chen gave all of us Saturday school, and a lot of us said we

couldn’t make it because of other stuff going on then. She then sent us off to Mr. Howard who seemed pretty

mad about that and really wanted all of us in Saturday school. I ended up getting to my class about 40 minutes later.” When asked if her experience was going to lead to a change in her routine, Christianson did not give the answer Blanton and Howard likely hope for. “I think that if I ever know that I might be late again when getting back to school, I’ll probably just skip fourth period altogether because it’s not worth the risk of getting Saturday school and missing most of my class anyways in the main office,” Christianson said. Not only does Christianson believe that tardy sweeps fail to encourage attendance, she also believes that they are unfair. “Yesterday was the first time I ended up being late after lunch all year,” Christianson said. “It doesn’t seem fair to people who are normally on time but just get unlucky that a tardy sweep happens on the one day they are late. Administration has access to who is always late coming back from lunch. Why not just talk to them?”

OH OH! GOTTA GO!

Full bladders. Locked bathrooms.

By Corinna Singer f you need to pee 10 minutes before the bell rings, you’re out of luck. Security has begun locking all second and third floor bathroom doors 10 minutes prior to school ending. The first floor bathrooms remain open where faculty can supervise students. However, Howard made it clear that this policy was not set by the school. “[They shouldn’t be] locking them ten minutes before, they should be locking them right when the bell rings,” Howard said. The early bathroom closures are a byproduct of the switch to the new bell schedule. School security is run by the district, not by Howard. Members of Union Local 609, the union of cafeteria workers, custodians, and security in the Seattle Public Schools, had no change in their contract. “Normally we would have an hour after school and they could take their time clearing the school then locking the bathrooms,” Howard said. “So they jump start locking the bathrooms and and clear the school and they’re off work. It’s not a [school] policy, it’s part of their job responsibilities to lock up the bathrooms.”

Fred Wright, a security specialist at Garfield, has a slightly different take. “The policy came from Howard to lock the bathrooms,” Wright said. “There was an incident that happened after hours.” Contrary to what Howard said, Wright locks the doors early to align with the school hall pass policy, not to get off work earlier. “The policy is there are no bathroom passes [in the] first ten minutes or last ten minutes [of class],” Wright said. “So if I wait until the bell rings, I’ve got all of you rushing towards the door trying to use the bathroom.” Security and custodians have been locking the bathrooms for multiple years now. “It’s a safety issue,” Howard said. “We want our community to be safe, but people used to rob people in the bathrooms and do things that they shouldn’t be doing.” While

this may seem like a thing of the past, this year a similar event occured in the boys restroom; the student involved has since been displaced to another school. However, due to the new conflict in schedule, the first floor bathrooms are crowded — especially the women’s. Junior Joey Biehl said that she “tend[s] to go towards the end of school because all my teachers only allow a couple passes a day or like a semester or something.” Many students don’t have enough time to use the restrooms during the five minute passing periods. If their teacher follows the strict bathroom pass policy, it’s not uncommon to have a queue of students waiting to use it. That leaves lunch and the end of the day for students to use the restroom. Some mishaps have led to amusing incidents. Biehl was locked in the bathroom

with another student around 2:15 on a Wednesday. “It wasn’t a big deal but it was a little bit scary,” Biehl said. “A little bit embarrassing.” On a more serious note, senior Leif Griem was given two days of suspension for using an unlocked bathroom against the vice principal’s orders. Both Biehl and Griem agree that the rule seems excessive. “We should just be able to go to the bathroom,” Biehl said. “It’s pretty simple.” This is another procedure that has students frustrated. Students have been feeling an uptick in pressure from faculty and security. “Our punishment system at Garfield is set up to allow admin to power trip over very minor issues,” Griem said. A final word of wisdom from Biehl: If you find yourself locked in a school bathroom, turn the lock on the inside of the door. It might unlock. Art by Caroline Ashby

NEWS

COMMUTE COMPLICATIONS

Initiative 976 could have unintended effects for Garfield students. By Annabelle Frockt

n November 5th, Washington voters passed Initiative 976 — a ballot measure which cut car tab fees to a flat $30 per car. However, the alluring $30 car tabs may have unintended consequences for a group that has no control over their implementation: high school students. The initiative, brought forth by career anti-tax advocate Tim Eyman, passed a statewide vote with 53 percent approval. Yet in King County, which hosts the state’s largest and most utilized public transit agencies, the initiative only reached 40 percent approval. I-976 limits car tab fees to around $30, regardless of any additional taxes that have been previously approved by voters. As a result, the Washington State Department of Transportation is projected to lose 1.9 billion dollars in revenue over the course of the next six years. An official State Fiscal Impact Statement, published shortly after the election, determined that Sound Transit could lose 11 percent of its annual revenue, and that Seattle will have to cut around

110,000 hours of Metro bus service when the initiative takes effect. A November 6 briefing from the office of King County Executive, Dow Constantine, estimated that there will be “$100 million cuts to Metro services between 2020 and 2025.” The report also contained a map of the specific bus routes likely to face service reductions. These routes included the 3, 4, 8, and 48, all of which are highly utilized by Garfield students. Bus service itself is not the only aspect of students’ usage of public transit that will be affected by I-976. “Other cuts to programs that provide bus passes to high school students, and incentives to small businesses and nonprofits to provide ORCA passes to employees would also be included,” the briefing stated. The ORCA program, which provides free bus passes to Seattle Public Schools students, underwent a massive expansion in the past year and a half. As of the end of the 2017-2018 school year, the program

was broadened to make 16,000 high school students eligible for free or reduced ORCA passes. According to a Seattle Times article published in June of 2018, “The funding [for the program expansion] comes from $60 car tabs and a one-tenth of 1 percent sales tax, approved by Seattle voters in a 2014 ballot measure.” No current estimate in known of the total extent of reduction the ORCA program could face when I-976 takes effect and the revenue brought in by the car tabs drops. A potential ORCA program reduction for the 2020-2021 school year could have consequences for students beyond Seattle. This is due to the fact that the passes are a “regional effort because they are good on King County Metro, they’re good on Sound Transit, they’re good on the Ferries...” said David Jackson, a public information officer with Sound Transit. I-976 was scheduled to take effect on De-

cember 5, 2019 — exactly one month after the state’s election — but it has been put on hold pending a lawsuit filed by the City of Seattle and others. The date of effect remains unknown. Art by Annabelle Frockt

MEDIA MONOPOLY

How Disney+ shows the start of a major shift in entertainment. By Simone Cielos

treaming services have had a profound impact on the average person’s daily life. The advancement seen in this decade alone is enough to consider it a revolution in entertainment and media. However, the growth of streaming has come at a cost. Disney and Netflix have monopolized the industry, and in the process, they have transformed the way we consume our television. Since it was released in mid-November, Disney+ has boomed like a gold rush of nostalgia. In a recent poll of 65 GHS students, 24.6% claimed to use Disney+, and 92.6% of all 65 stu-

dents use another streaming service of some kind. Much like countless other streaming and platform services, Disney has spent their last few months purchasing franchises and expanding their reach in entertainment. Disney, a franchise which has control over countless cinematic “universes,” has the ability to appeal to a variety of viewers. One of the first streaming services, Netflix, came to rise in the early 2000s as a shipping service for DVD movies and shows. Evolving into a platform for inexpensive access to a variety of shows online, Netflix began to boom. In this recent poll, every student w h o uses a streaming service either uses or has access to Netflix. This popularity has led to a major shift in the way Netflix sourc-

es its content. Businesses previously offering shows on Netflix began to pull back in order to bring in viewers to their own streaming platforms. Netflix now stands on its own legs, building revenue from an array of original shows and movies. Services such as HBO, Starz, and more followed in Netflix’s footsteps. Each service offering a variety of shows on their own accord. In the recent poll, HBO Now stood as the fourth most common streaming service, reaching a usage rate of 15.6%. This may be attributed to the hit series Game of Thrones which had many flocking to their services. The show was only accessible on HBO Now and HBO’s specialized all access channel. Despite this inaccessibility, according to HBO, on the airing of the first episode of the last season of GOT in 2018, 17.4 million people were viewing. HBO proved that people will pay for subscriptions solely to watch a single show. The question must be asked: why are people willing to pay a hundred dollars a month for multiple streaming platforms?

It’s only 15 dollars a month for almost unlimited access, right? As streaming services experienced meteoric growth, traditional media companies have taken steps to prevent the competition from profiting off of their content. A multitude of companies, such as Disney, have pulled their shows from Netflix and started new private platforms. As streaming services expand, people are paying for more separate platforms — like channels on cable TV, but more expensive. Streaming companies are consolidating and monopolizing the television industry. What does this mean for the future of entertainment? Without making any drastic assumptions, the way we view media is likely to keep changing in the same ways. As major business conglomerates become the only source of TV shows, Netflix and Disney will profit while quality will drop. If things continue the way they are, the viewer will be forced to pay more for less. Art by Simone Cielos

NEWS

BUILDING A MORE EQUITABLE SEATTLE

How Byrd Barr Place embodies the challenges of a changing Central District. By Dominic Sullivan

trong People, Strong Communities. This motto of the workers at Byrd Barr Place begins to tell the story of their mission to create a better and more equitable Seattle. As you enter the building, an old firehouse from the early 1900s, there is an inviting atmosphere where each client and visitor is greeted with open arms and a guarantee of assistance. The board in the main entrance details all of the programs and sign up sheets, while also showing the history of the building. Founded to fight the war on poverty, the organization was created as a part of a larger network with the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. Since then, they have served the Central District and the larger Seattle community by attempting to break the cycle of poverty. Their mission, said Operations Manager Laxi Becker, is to provide a more equitable Seattle through services and programs that enable people to live healthier, more prosperous lives. Basic human services even as small as a hot meal or immediate financial relief can give clients the push they need to rise out of the cycle of poverty. The work here is tiring and busy — they serve over 600 people a week — yet fulfilling.

“A LOT OF OUR CLIENTS THAT USED TO BE OUR NEIGHBORS ARE NOW TRAVELLING TO US, NO LONGER AN EASY WALK AWAY.”THE AMOUNT OF TIME I’VE BEEN HERE FOR THE LAST 4 YEARS, THERE HAS BEEN A HUGE SHIFT IN OUR CLIENT BASE,” BECKER SAID. “A LOT OF OUR CLIENTS THAT USED TO BE OUR NEIGHBORS ARE NOW TRAVELLING TO US, NO LONGER AN EASY WALK AWAY.” “The interactions on a daily basis with the clients, getting them the necessities that they need, and just seeing the aftermath of those clients once they have received those services — it’s very rewarding,” Becker said. With the holiday season here, the workload at Byrd Barr has spiked. Despite this, volunteers are keen to help during the coldest months of the year. “Volunteers are huge for our organization,” Becker said. “They are kind of the sustaining block of our food bank — we would not be able to function as a food bank without volunteers.” Winter brings challenges for those struggling with heating and electricity bills. For some, winter can be the worst time of the

year. “We definitely see more clients in the colder times with a higher heat burden in their homes,” Becker said. “Holidays bring desperate times for people and so we tend to see more people needing food.” As every new year in Seattle brings more clients to the doors of Byrd Barr, it also brings more displacements and as a result, fewer Black people. The Central District has seen huge changes in recent years. With the legacy of redlining, Byrd Barr — formerly known as Centerstone — has traditionally served a majority-Black population. However, as rising rent pushes people of color out of the CD, and often the larger Seattle area, the food bank has begun to serve a different

population. “Just from the amount of time I’ve been here for the last 4 years, there has been a huge shift in our client base,” Becker said. “A lot of our clients that used to be our neighbors are now travelling to us, no longer an easy walk away.” In response to this demographic shift, Byrd Barr has performed a census of the area to get a better understanding of the main problems people face. Instead of just looking at the CD, they have expanded their geographical reach and are looking out further to see other avenues to help the community in different capacities. In addition to providing food, Byrd Barr Place now offers a range of services including home energy loans and lessons in personal finance. Despite the holidays marking a low point for many people struggling to break the cycle of poverty, Byrd Barr has stepped up as one of the main resources that might just make the difference. As the year comes to a close and time for reflection begins, Byrd Barr continues to be a great place for those needing help — and for those who are able to give time over the holidays.

Local phone number: (206) 461-3222

2820 E Cherry St, Seattle, WA 98122

RESOURCES FOR THE HOLIDAYS 611 20th Avenue South Seattle, WA 98144

• • •

•

Walk-in program and home delivery program for people within 2 miles Programs for baby supplies, programs that deliver hygiene products, noncook items, etc. New Mobile Food Bank: food is picked up and brought to the Filipino Community Center, Casa Latina, Refugee Women’s Alliance, POCAAN, and other organizations Available groceries change every week, but every week there is a variety of meat, vegetables, fruit, dairy products, frozen items, canned goods, etc.

2500 NE 54th St. Seattle, WA 98105

• • • • •

Warm meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner Hygiene supplies such as showers, laundry, clothing, and lockers Afternoon drop-in services: activities such as tutoring, yoga, art, and cooking Case managers work with young people to set goals for long-term housing and stability Mental health services, case-management, on site clinic, legal aid, and addiction counseling are available

• • • • •

Links Seattle and King County residents to emergency mental health services 24-Hour Crisis Line provides immediate help to individuals, families, and friends of people in emotional crisis Can help you determine if you need professional consultation and give you connections to other organizations Mental health and substance abuse: 1-(866)-789-1511 National suicide prevention lifeline: 1-(800)-273-8255

•

YWCA has many intertwined programs; four main categories are Economic Advancement, Health and Safety, Housing, and Race and Social Justice Almost 900 units of housing, divided into four broad categories: Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, Permanent Housing, Homeless Services If you are looking for resources this holiday, check out the YWCA website or go to their numerous locations throughout the Pacific Northwest

NEWS

A BATTLE FOR BALANCE

How Running Start students manage college and a social life. By Irya Bland

unning Start is a program that a lot of Garfield students choose once they become juniors. It’s an easy and accessible way to earn credits and an Associates degree. The taste of independence and minimal amount of classes appeals to a lot of students. However, by choosing to study at the community college, Running Start students are forced to miss the spirit assemblies and social atmosphere of high school. For some the choice is easy. For others it’s difficult. Senior Marisa Viola: “I did think about [Running Start impacting my social life], but I weighed the consequences and thought it was worth it for a year.” When asked why they chose to do Running Start, it was clear that each person had their own reasons. Senior Marisa Viola: “I was really excited to do all my English and history credits junior year. Because they’re not really my strong suit.” Senior Ilesia Brown: “I always knew I wanted to do Running Start since middle school. I always thought of it as a way to get ahead and be independent.” Senior Alaia Robinson: “My AP World History class sophomore year was so difficult in the social aspect, so I decided that I needed a break from Garfield.” Junior Enovi Chandler: “I decided to do Running Start particularly so that I can graduate with my AA degree and my high school degree.” High school is known for drama, bullying, and cliques — among other things. For a lot of students, Running Start can provide an escape from that scene.

“IT’S LIKE ONCE YOU DO RUNNING START YOU ARE NO LONGER THEIR RESPONSIBILITY AND NO LONGER THEIR STUDENT.”

Senior Ilesia Brown: “I was getting really tired of the high school drama, and though it doesn’t go away when you go to Running Start, you aren’t constantly immersed in it all day five times a week.” While Running Start can provide a break for people like Brown, there are others who associate the majority of their social lives with high school. Running Start can interfere with that. Senior Marisa Viola: “The friends I didn’t have classes with — like the ones I would have lunch with — I didn’t see them as much. I could see them getting more distant from me and I was really sad about that.” Junior Enovi Chandler: “I was sad to leave because I knew I’d be away from

Art by Ria Maisano-Torres

Garfield a lot of the time. When you come back for lunch, you’re not going to be open to socialize with them because you have things to do and essays to write.” Running Start is a new world that many aren’t prepared for, but when they get used to their new, independent college lifestyle, it’s an odd feeling coming back to high school. Many feel out of the loop with what’s been going on at Garfield. Senior Ilesia Brown: “In a way you feel out of touch. You don’t always know about administrative things or changes to the school because they don’t do a very good job of sharing that information with Running Start students. It’s like once you do Running Start you are no longer their responsibility and no longer their

“I WAS SAD TO LEAVE BECAUSE I KNEW I’D BE AWAY FROM GARFIELD A LOT OF THE TIME. WHEN YOU COME BACK FOR LUNCH, YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE OPEN TO SOCIALIZE WITH THEM BECAUSE YOU HAVE THINGS TO DO AND ESSAYS TO WRITE.” student.” Junior Enovi Chandler: “I have the Garfield app. That doesn’t do anything. There’s no way to tie Running Start students to the information they need.” Some students may have almost two years worth of experience with Running Start and some may only have a quarter, but they all have pointers to help with balancing Running Start and a healthy social life. Senior Ilesia Brown: “Running Start can be hard. [Students should] make sure they want that independence in their life because that can change their flow and their mentality. If you want to commit to your friends and your social life, you will make the time. Since you have so much extra time you should also try to fill it with social things so you don’t spend your time alone.” Senior Marisa Viola: “Stay in clubs and activities at Garfield, specifically ones that your friends do. Try and meet people at Central too.” Junior Enovi Chandler: “Time management is huge. If you don’t have good time management, then you can’t interact with your friends at high school.” Senior Alaia Robinson: “Set specific days aside to hangout with your friends, so you still have contact with people you care about.” It may seem impossible to balance a social life and Running Start, but all it takes is a little bit of time and a little bit of effort.

(Read in spoken word) Snow days? More like *pause* NO days, Coming in for extra *snap* summer days. Two inches of snow, and now I know I have to come in *snap snap* On summer break. Thank you. Basically, if you didn’t understand my poem, I don’t like snow snow days. They take perfectly good summer days, for what? 80% of the time it’s only like three inches. Places in the Midwest get feet of snow and still show up to school. I’m starting to think Seattlites are just weak. -SC

SNOW DAY EDITION Snow days are insanely lit. After three and a half years slog- g i n g through endless labs, block history lectures, and in-class essays, I am left almost completely numb to the sensations of the world. The only thing that can make me feel anymore is the cold snow melting on my skin. When I was a freshman, I bundled up and ran outside to make snow people with my sister. I would wait for hours for her to open the door so I could hit her with the biggest and iciest snowball I could make. Now when I wake up in the morning and see snow outside, the rush is gone. Instead, I strip down to expose as much skin as possible without permanently scarring my neighbors. I then go outside and lie in the snow. The snow embraces me like nobody else can. I feel the ice flood my pores like a million pins and needles. I feel alive again. When I go back inside I take an ice cold bath to reacclimate myself with the temperatures of regular humans. I then resolve myself back to the emptiness of the real world as the snow melts and I must return to school. -LH Our next topic will be:

FINALS

Have strong feelings about this topic? Send in your 100-150 Rant or Rave about the topic to gar fieldmessenger@gmail.com by January 22 for the chance to be published in the next issue!

n October of 2019, two months after the release of Young Thug’s first #1 Album, So Much Fun, BBC named him the most influential rapper of the 21st century. Seeing as we’re only two decades into it, and Young Thug began his career halfway into the second, is his influence really so great that he deserves the title? To put it simply, no. If we want to see who truly deserves it, we need to forget Young Thug for a moment, and look back to the beginning of the 2000s, when a producer from Chicago named Kanye West was on the come up. In a few short years, Kanye West went from idolizing hip hop legends like Jay Z and Nas, to working with them and surpassing them — not only commercially, but creatively and critically. In 2000, Kanye hit his breakthrough when he produced “ This Can’t Be Life” for Jay Z’s The Dynasty. He went on to produce hit after

their subsequent albums, The Blueprint 3 and Hip Hop is Dead, respectively. Hip hop wasn’t dead, but it was changing. On The College Dropout, Kanye introduced the world to his soul-influenced pop rap sound. With Late Registration, he refined it. Graduation redefined his style, replacing soul samples with poppy synths. This shift to electronic pop rap brought Kanye’s music into an even more mainstream sphere, making Graduation the final nail in the coffin of the hip hop of old. 50 Cent, one of the biggest rappers of the early 2000s, famously announced that he would give up rapping if his upcoming album Curtis was outsold by Kanye’s Graduation, which was released on the same day. Kanye did beat him, by a margin of over 250,000 albums sold. Even though 50 Cent ended up not retiring after all, he never recovered from his crushing defeat. Kanye, and the pop rap sound that he pioneered, was

OPINIONS

Kanye and his fiancée, Alexis Phifer, split up. Kanye was at the height of his career and his world was collapsing around him. Out of this heartbreak came a new sound, built around two things that would go on to become unfathomably influential: autotune and the Roland TR-808 drum machine. 808s featured virtually no rapping — instead, Kanye layered heart wrenching autotuned vocals over minimalist 808-dominated production. Kanye was by no means the first to utilize autotune or 808s, but his overwhelming use of the two devices coupled with his position as the biggest hip hop artist in the world brought them to the forefront of the public ear. Furthermore, never before had a rapper of Kanye’s stature so openly brought to light his emotional and mental issues. Had Kanye not done so, we likely never would have seen the rise of more sensitive rappers like Drake, let alone emo rappers like Juice

Kanye’s last album of the 2000s, and it was also his last hugely influential album. Though his subsequent albums were mostly as good — and in some cases better — Kanye’s role in hip hop had shifted. Kanye transformed from the Jay Z of the late 90s and early 2000s to the Jay Z of the later 2000s: still relevant, still revered, but no longer on top of the game. Like Jay Z, Kanye founded his own label, named GOOD music, and his primary influence on the hip hop landscape no longer came from his own music, but the music of the artists he put on, the likes of which include Travis Scott, Big Sean, Kid Cudi, Chance the Rapper, Teyana Taylor, and Sheck Wes. Kanye West began his career making beats for Jay Z, helping revitalize the hip-hop legend’s career in the process. Fast-forward five years to the release of Graduation, and Kanye had brought about a new wave of pop rap

FATHER STRETCH MY HANDS PT. 1

hit for Jay Z, including “Izzo” and “03 Bonnie and Clyde.” In 2004, Kanye released his debut studio album, The College Dropout. Even though ever yone had been telling him that it would flop, it quickly became a hit. Kanye was instantly transformed from a young producer with little public recognition to a hot new rapper who also produced his own tracks. More significantly, The College Dropout marked the beginning of the global hip hop scene’s transformation from gangster rap into pop rap. 2005 saw the release of Late Registration, Kanye’s sophomore album. Though it is a masterpiece, Late Registration is probably the least influential project of the first half of his career, simply because it was a refinement of the sound and style he pioneered on The College Dropout, whereas each of his subsequent albums were a complete reinvention of his style. It is worth noting that the album featured both Jay Z and Nas, Kanye’s two biggest influences, and outperformed

Who is the most influential rapper of the past two decades? By Nat Beaumon Art by Sophia Chrysanthakopolous

on top of the world, which is why his next release, 808s & Heartbreak, came as such a surprise. There were two major events in Kanye’s life that preceded 808s & Heartbreak. Less than two months after the release of Graduation, Kanye’s mother died from a heart attack following routine cosmetic surgery. Five months later,

WRLD (R.I.P.), Lil Peep (R.I.P.), and XXXTentacion (R.I.P.). With 808s & Heartbreak, Kanye redefined what it meant to be a rapper: no longer did they have to avoid rapping about their inner feelings. For that matter, they didn’t even have to rap. 808s is undeniably Kanye’s most influential album, and even though it’s been over a decade since it came out, it still sounds like it could have been released two or three years ago. 808s was

while simultaneously killing the style of the rappers he came up making beats for. Less than a year later, Kanye shocked world with the reof 808s & Heartwhich sounded ing like his prework but was ahead of 808s & break

t h e lease break, nothvious years its time. Heartbrought 8 0 8 s , heartbreak, and autotune to the forefront of mainstream hip-hop. Even though it took years for the effects of that to be felt, their omnipresence in today’s trap scene proves that Kanye West is without a doubt the most influential rapper of the 21st century. But, seeing as the century isn’t over yet, wouldn’t it be fairer to give Kanye the title of “Most Influential Rapper of the Decade” instead? No. That honor goes to Young Thug, and I’ll explain why in the second part of this article, which you’ll be able to find in an upcoming issue of the Messenger.

BY TÉA FORTUNE AND MOLLY CHAPIN

KEY Politics Big News Pop Culture

THE THE YEAR OF HOPE

2011

In November, an American actor who starred in the Fast and Furious franchise died in a car crash, right before the release of the seventh installment of the franchise.

At the 2013 Boston Marathon, two homemade bombs were placed near the finish line of the race, killing three people and injuring hundreds of others.

Black Lives Matter emerged as a prominent movement - The BLM movement helped shape the way we protest against violence and racism towards the black community.

Founded in June, Vine was a social media platform used for people to post seven-second videos. It brought a new way to entertain audiences.

201 3

A 9.1 magnitude earthquake hit Japan which then unleashed a devastating tsunami, causing nearly 360 billion dollars in damage. Over 15,000 people died and almost 7,000 were injured.

Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and creator of Apple Products, died in October.

In May, Osama Bin Laden, a terrorist who was the perpetrator behind the 9/11 attacks, was killed by Navy SEALs of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group. This operation was led by former President Barack Obama.

Friday by Rebecca Back - In March, a music video called Friday sang by Rebecca Black was uploaded to YouTube. The video went viral for its catchy lyrics and excessive autotune, gaining 166 million views.

In January, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit Haiti, killing 230,000 people.

The ascent of smartphones and digital media began as 1.7 million people buy the iPhone 4. The iPhone and first-ever iPad changed how the world uses technology.

Founded in October, Instagram brought a new way for people to share what’s going on in their lives through photos and videos.

In May, SpaceX successfully launched the first commercial spacecraft to visit the International Space Station.

20 14

Musician Whitney Huston died February 11

On December 12th, a 20 year old went into Sandy Hook Elementary and killed 26 people, including 20 children.

On November 6th, President Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden were elected for their second term.

Minecraft became the game of the decade. A sandbox game created by Mojang allows players to create, build, and battle things in the game.

20 12

In April, China was hit with a 7.1 magnitude earthquake that killed over 2,000 people and left 12,000 injured.

20 10

The Lego Movie that brought everyone together with the featured song ‘Everything is Awesome’ made over 81 million.

THE YEAR OF CHANGE

THE TOUGH YEAR

THE YEAR OF DIGITAL ADVANCEMENT THE THE YEAR OF DISCOVERY

TIME CAP SULE

2015

The Me Too movement became mainstream.

A shooting in Las Vegas at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival became the deadliest in modern history.

From late January to February, a polar vortex traveled across the United States, breaking records as one of the harshest winters ever.

On September 24th, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump.

What began as a meme, soon became reality. On September 20th, people across the country mobilized for the Area 51 Raid.

2019

The U.S. bombed Syria.

Relations became tense with North Korea.

President Donald Trump was inaugurated on January 20th, signaling a new era in American politics.

Fidget spinners became the new reason middle school teachers hated their jobs.

2017

In Charleston, South Carolina, a mass shooting occurred in a black church.

2015 became the year of trans visibility.

Same sex marriage was legalized in all 50 states.

Black Lives Matter became a political force in earnest, especially after the shooting and death of Michael Brown.

The USA women’s soccer team defeated Japan and became the first team in history to win a total of three Women’s World Cup titles.

A major internet feud began over the color of a dress— which some saw as blue and black, while others were sure it was white and gold.

THE YEAR OF SOCIAL ACTIVISM THE DIFFICULT YEAR THE YEAR OF NEW BEGINNINGS

In February, a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Florida left 17 dead and 17 injured. Students from Stoneman Douglas came to the forefront as a new generation of gun control activists.

2018 began with a ballistic missile alert accidentally sent to Hawaii on January 13th. This sent everyone in the state and the rest of the U.S. into a panic especially in light of increased aggression from North Korea— until it was revealed that it had been an error.

Tide Pods became the world’s new favorite snack. In December, the federal government entered the longest government shutdown ever recorded, lasting 35 days.

20 18

Clowns ran rampant, and many feared for their lives in what seemed like a world-wide fever dream.

Deaths in 2016 included Prince, Alan Rickman, Muhammad Ali, Carrie Fisher, and David Bowie.

In June, a gunman opened fire in a gay nighclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 49 in the deadliest attack against LGTBQ+ people in the U.S.

In November, Donald Trump, a former businessman and television personality, was elected president, with Mike Pence as Vice President.

After a mix up at the Oscars, Moonlight was rightfully named best picture instead of La La Land.

In July, Pokémon GO came out, and everyone set out to try to catch ‘em all.

20 16

The myth of Slenderman influenced two girls to lure their friend into the wood and stab her 19 times as an attempt to meet the fictional figure.

In February, the largest Ebola outbreak spread through the world, killing thousands.

After the killing of Trevon Martin, the judge rules against sending the cop who killed Martin to jail, marking a shift in the BLM movement that had ripple effects through the decade.

THE YEAR OF STRANGE THE SURREAL YEAR

A&E

BY NICK BUKOVEC ‘20

STUDENT SUBMISSIONS

BY EDIE WRIGHT ‘22

BY TALIAH JOHNSON ‘21 IF YOU ARE A WRITER, PHOTOGRAPHER, OR ARTIST AND WANT TO SEE YOUR WORK PUBLISHED IN THE MESSENGER, EMAIL GARFIELDMESSENGER@ GMAIL.COM!

A&E

ACT LIKE YOU OWN THE PLACE

South Korean film Parasite is earning its place in the best picture conversation. Guest Written By Lampton Enochs

n an industry oversaturated with cut and paste Western plotlines and uniform film techniques, Bong Joon-ho’s newly hailed masterpiece Parasite serves as a breath of fresh air. Comparable to Jordan Peele’s 2017 debut hit Get Out in its surreal commentary, comedy and violence, Parasite tells the story of a lower class South Korean family as they methodically infiltrate the social ladder. In one of the film’s opening scenes, the father of the family, played by veteran actor Kang Ho-Song, tells his family to leave the window open so that the outdoor fumigation wafts in for free pest control. This minor comedic moment is just one example of how Joon-ho can introduce characters, conflict and plot with skillful situational arrangement. We can now see the family as he wishes: financially unstable, yet intelligently resourceful. These traits prove consistent throughout the film as the family begins to

establish themselves at various positions in a richer household one step at a time. All the while, the wealthy family already living in the household are oblivious that their new employees are all related. The film’s plot structure and atmosphere may leave the average Western moviegoer momentarily confused due to its many unfamiliar choices. For one, the movie ignores a traditional stepby-step plot structure, favoring fluid, realistic dialogue and sequencing. Furthermore, the entire film is in Korean with English subtitles. However, this warrants only

temporarily setbacks as you adjust to the foreign language film. Another refreshing feature of the film comes as Joon-ho successfully blends multiple genres to brilliant effect; Parasite could be described as a thriller, comedy, satire, horror or with a plethora of other labels. The film truly transcends genre to serve as an immersive, realistic and universal depiction of a struggling family finding their way. The incredible character and conflict development allows the storyline to provide various commentaries both on Korean class structure and human nature as a whole.

Parasite also refuses to give the audience a clear answer to many of the pivotal questions it proposes. I found myself overwhelmed with the endless possible interpretations upon exiting the theatre, and spent the remainder of my night analyzing possibilities with my friends and researching reviews. Parasite seems to be one of those occasional foreign films that pushes the boundaries of language and culture to create truly transcendental art. As awards season approaches, its resonance will truly be put to the test. Parasite seems to be faring well so far: in the Critics Choice Awards, the movie has been nominated for Best Picture, Best Acting Ensemble, Best Original Screenplay among four other categories. Hopefully in the pursuit of universally improving art, Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite can continue to prove the universal power of well-made art.

naments each year. Last year, the team won the Jet City competition. During competitions, the actors are judged based on several criteria and ranked against other teams. They are scored based on professionalism, cohesiveness, storytelling, and hosting ability, among other things. The team chooses the best games from their repertoire to play on stage and performs them, —as usual— completely unscripted. The two competitions that Garfield Improv Club participates in are both for high school teams, but are hosted by professional improv companies. This gives

the club access to critique from career improv actors. Like many other clubs at Garfield, Improv Club warmly welcomes anyone who wishes to try it out, regardless of experience. The group meets on Fridays after school and always accepts newcomers. Despite weekly practices, however, club officer Sean MacCarthy-Grant said that “you never really get over the stage fright.” This is because the performance can go in so many different ways that there’s no way to mentally prepare. However, he also refers to a special kind of excitement that comes from being “both the writer and the actor” simultaneously. Whether it’s asking for an occupation or connecting ideas with “yes, and…” GHS’s Improv Club is always looking for excitement. Their weekly meetings and frequent performances are consistently welcoming spaces that are brimming with creativity and laughter.

Art by Sam Boyar

YES, AND...

What is Garfield’s Improv Club? By Angelina Lopez

ow often are you applauded for making a fool of yourself? For the members of Garfield’s Improv Club the answer is pretty often. Improvisational theater involves interactive skits performed by actors without scripts or props that often follow instructions given by the audience. The lack of a script often leads to wacky plots and comedically charged subject matter. Everything that happens in their performance is done so spontaneously, so they have to build experience reacting to anything. “We have to practice getting used to saying ‘yes, and,’” club officer Nikko Johnston said. By saying ‘yes, and…’ they work on continuing conversations past the initial questions. They work to establish setting and situation just by elaborating on answers to often unrelated questions. At Improv Club, games are played to help familiarize actors with the rapid-fire style of improvised theater. The actors rehearse different improv games so that when they perform they can focus all their attention on the narrative rather than the game’s

structure. During performances, they play the games as they do in club meetings — but with real audience suggestions. Improv Club performs in several different shows throughout the year. They appear quarterly in Garfield’s Dramatic Paws, a series of student-directed one act plays, as well as a show on their own in late winter. Unlike Garfield’s mainstream theater performances, these tend to be smaller and more intimate shows. This allows for more audience participation and deeper connection between the actors and the audience. Additionally, the group competes in the Jet City Open and Hogan Cup improv tour-

Art by Sophia Chrysanthakopoulos

A&E

GETTING BACK THE BEAT

A look into the revival of Recording Arts. By Kai Craig

ou may have heard of the class, whether through experience or via the butt of a joke about Garfield’s electives. Recording Arts was a class where students could learn the skills to produce their own music. Last year was the final time it was available as a class, but this year, passionate students have been working on a club where students can learn these skills and access the materials without the dedicated class. One of the creators of the club, Junior Ezra Ford, hopes that with more work and structure, the club can become a replacement for the class. “I wanted to create a space in which myself and others could continue to create, even without [the teacher] and the dedicated class,” Ford said. Recording Arts provides a unique opportunity for students to explore their creativity in a whole new way and without it, students lose access to making connections with the arts in new and exciting ways. Garfield students are certainly feeling the loss of the class, and Ford even said that his

decision to do Running Start was in part due to the removal of the class. The creation of the club is helping to keep Garfield’s musical legacy alive, while also continuing to provide students with valuable experiences. However, as with other clubs, resources can pose challenges. At the moment, there is access to the hardware (laptops, keyboards, etc) and

club officers are currently working towards getting the recording software onto more laptops. However, due to the loss of the Recording Arts teacher, coordination and access to supplies has proven to be difficult. Without a teacher to assist and meet students’ needs, there is no one to advocate for the club and work with the

administration to acquire supplies that are needed to keep the program running. Ford hopes to branch out further as the year goes on and have the club have more focus on creation and production, with space for budding musicians to support and inspire each other. For now, the club is pretty casual, with

folks hanging out, eating lunch, and making the occasional beat. They meet every Thursday and Friday: Thursdays are casual and Fridays are designated for music and equipment usage. While there is still more to come of the club, officer Cyrus Davies encourages people to attend whenever they can. “There are days where everyone is doing their own thing, but then we’ll notice someone has kind of a crazy beat going, and everyone will crowd around them and it’ll become a group effort. Those are the days you want to be there for,” Davies said. With more technology and collaboration between students coming in the near future, now is an excellent time to pop in and see if it’s your thing. Recording Arts Club meets Thursdays and Fridays in room 118 at lunch, so swing by! Art by Molly Chapin

PUBLICATION ASPIRATIONS

A guide to getting published as a teenage writer. By Audrey Abrahams

any of Garfield’s creative students enjoy writing short stories and poems as a hobby, and some are even interested in becoming a published writer. What some student writers don’t know though is that there are a lot of opportunities to have writing published as a high school student, especially in Seattle. As 2020 approaches, many organizations are re-opening submission applications so if you have some writing you’re proud of, it’s a great time to start looking into publications. Garfield is lucky to have many opportunities for teens to publish writing. One great way to share your writing with the school is to submit to The Messenger Student Submissions page. The Messenger is always looking for students who want to publish short stories, poems, or other pieces. Another great opportunity at Garfield is The Garfield Pen. Since the 1930s, The Pen has published student artwork and writing

to showcase the creativity of Garfield’s students. Carrie Huang, an editor at The Pen, says The Pen is a great way to submit work you are proud of. “I think [a submission] has to be impactful and move the audience,” Huang said. Huang encourages all students to submit and says it’s a good space to submit work you’re more hesitant about sharing. “We [the editors of The Pen] really love everything that we see.” Huang said. If you are looking for help editing work you plan to submit, Hugo House is a great resource. Hugo House is a Seattle-based organization dedicated to supporting writers through programming for youth, teens, and adults. Hugo House hosts a free weekly drop-in writing workshop where you can work on your writing in a supportive environment with the help of professional writers and fellow teens. Hugo House also hosts a competitive writing program called the

Young Writer’s Cohort. In this program, members spend 80 hours over the course of the school year working on their writing, going to events, studying contemporary writing, and submitting their work to literary journals. One option for publishing your creative writing on a bigger scale is to submit to an online literary magazine. There is an increasing amount of online literary journals specifically looking for teens to submit work. One such publication is the Canvas Teen Literary Journal. Run by a board of teen editors from around the world, the literary journal publishes the writing of teens ages 13 to 18. The issues reach audiences around the world through public libraries and online platforms such as Amazon. Another online publication is The Adroit Journal, whose website says, “We’re looking for work that’s bizarre, authentic, subtle, outrageous, indefinable, raw, paradoxical”.

The Adroit Journal will open submissions for the next edition in January of 2020. You can also enter your work in the competition for The Adroit Prize, a prestigious award that is given to two high school or college students every year for poetry and prose. Winning awards like this or having work published in prestigious publications such as the Adroit Journal look great on college applications and can open more opportunities for young writers to publish in the future. From writing your poem on a bathroom stall to winning a national writing competition, sharing your creativity can be a hugely rewarding experience. There are more opportunities than ever for teens to publish their writing, and every writer can find a platform that works for them.

A&E By Grace Chinowsky and Devon Ling -Efird Wintertime is a season full of tradition and culture, whether it be a time to celebrate your faith or spend time with family and friends. In this years’ Messenger Holiday Page, we reached out to the Garfield student body to capture the traditions that are not always represented. Unfortuntately (?), along with these wholesome traditions comes mishaps and disasters. We wanted to accurately portray both sides of the holiday season, so we curated the best selection of Garfield’s festive traditions and fails.

Anonymous

“Each year one day I take nuts/frozen peas and go out and feed as many bird as I can.”

Sofia Ruiz

“I have an advent calendar at my house where everyday you put up a different thing that’s from the nativity scene. No one in my family is religious but we still do it. It’s like a Spanish cultural thing, because in Spain everybody has one in their house. I’m going to be in Spain this year, and on the sixth in all Spanish cities they have a parade with the Three Kings coming into town.”

Anonymous

“Burnt popcorn. Duh.”

Gabrielle S tork

“It’s Korean tradition, we dress in traditional Korean dresses… A big part of Korean tradition is respect for your elders, so whether it’s your grandparents or your aunt or uncle, you [pay your respects] and bow, and then they give you cash...and depending on how big your family is, you can get a significant amount.”

Anonymous

“Glitter turkey statue from Cap Hill Goodwill. She was $9.99 and gorgeous.”

Anonymous

“Eat seven fish/seafood on Christmas Eve.”

Aviv Pinker

“The big Jewish holiday that happens in the wintertime is Hanukkah...it’s a super super fun holiday that doesn’t have a ton of super religious components... there’s not a lot of prayer or anything, it’s just a fun holiday to celebrate to hang out with family and eat good food.”

Anonymous

“Dutch Christmas on December 5th called Sinterklaas.”

S tefawn Todoran

“One year, I was on a long trip to Romania to visit my grandparents for the holidays. My grandparents live in a rural area, so the house has a really big amount of land surrounding it. On Christmas Eve, we set up a huge tree in our front yard, decorated it with shiny ornaments, the whole nine yards. The next day, however, I woke up and looked out the window and saw that the tree had completely been stripped of all the ornaments. A few weeks later, my mom and I were walking through the market and saw some Roma selling our ornaments to people in town.”

Anonymous

“I have this aunt who is disrespectful and on bad terms with the rest of the family, and she showed up as an uninvited member at a Christmas family gathering. This resulted in a fist-fight between her and another member of the family. Punches and food were thrown. It ended when my other aunt pushed her out of the house and she went away.”

Chander Boyd-Fleigel

“This was when I was four, my family goes to church on Christmas Eve. I used to get so bored during service, so I would always bring my toys to play with quietly during service. At my church we do this thing where we sing Silent Night at the end of service and we light candles for everyone too. My dad wanted me to participate so he took my toys and put the next to him. I wanted my toys back so I jumped across his lap, but he was holding a candle and my hair caught on fire.”

Autumn Henson

“I used to have a cat named Mr. Tickles. We used to have a 14-foot Christmas tree. We would just cover it in LED lights and they were the ones that gave off a lot of heat so the tree would get really warm. [Mr. Tickles] was always really attracted to warmth so every year, when he was a kitten, he was small enough that he could climb up into the tree and find one spot that was surrounded by LED lights and he would sit in there. One year, we didn’t fix the tree very well and he climbed up to the top branches and weighed it down so much that it tipped over onto our couch. It was the middle of the night and freaked out my parents.”

Art by Caroline Ashby

SPAYPTOOPLAY?R T S

How club sports influence Garfield teams. By Tova Gaster

p until relatively recently, sports were just something you would play with the neighborhood kids. In the last two decades, this has shifted: an industry has arisen around identifying and developing promising athletes starting at young ages. Instead of local leagues, young athletes are channeled into club teams, which offer more competition, specialized instruction, and exposure to college recruitment— but all of that comes at a cost. It then falls onto Garfield sports to deal with the question: how do we promote inclusivity and equity when the youth sports at large is becoming increasingly privatized? Senior swim captain Alice Johnson said that the divide between club and non-club Garfield swimmers is a noticeable one. “We really worked on that this year but it’s still an issue,” said Johnson. “There are exceptions, but most of our fastest swimmers do swim club.” When some athletes are coming into high school swim with the advantage of intensive training, it can be difficult for non-club swimmers to break in to swim at a competitive level. Tthe main Seattle swim club is Seattle Metropolitan Aquatics Club (SMAC). SMAC provides higher-quality coaching, but it’s expensive, which can perpetuate se-

rious equity barriers. “It costs a lot to participate, plus it’s the standard to be in these really fancy swimsuits that cost hundreds of dollars,” Johnson said. “And SMAC does offer scholarships, which is great, but there’s still a financial barrier.” “I think there’s an equity issue in terms of who can swim in general,” Johnson said. “It’s not particularly diverse, it’s a lot of rich people, a lot of white people, a lot of private school kids.” The divide between club and non-club swimmers impacts team environment. “All the fast girls all train together at practice, and they’re all club swimmers, so they stay in that bubble,” Johnson said. Still, Johnson and the rest of the swim team are aware of the issue, and make choices to promote team inclusivity and unity. “Something we really worked on is having a vibe that values all swimmers, not just the fastest ones,” Johnson said. “We really tried to make it not cliquey. At meets, we cheer for everybody, not just the varsity heat. I think the team culture has gotten

better because of that.” Garfield soccer faces a similar situation:the equity issues present in club soccer transfer to the high school season. Junior Sofia Valenta played keeper for JV and Varsity, and experienced a divide between athletes that played club vs. recreational soccer. “Everyone on varsity is pretty nice so I appreciate that, but there’s almost nobody on varsity that didn’t play club,” Valenta said. Many rec players who begin as freshman on the JV or JVC teams drop off before senior year. “None of my friends that did rec soccer are doing Garfield soccer anymore,” Valenta said. “From what I see, it definitely pushes [people] out.” This is a difficult situation because club players are generally more skilled, as they play at a more competitive and committed level, making it difficult for less experienced players to compete for spots on the JV and Varsity teams. Both rec and club players make up the JVC and JV teams, which are primarily underclassmen.

BULLDOG BOYS IN LEOTARDS

“It seemed like a lot of people knew each other from club, so on JVC you had the rec girls as a friend group and the club girls as a friend group,” freshman Sabina Kamila said. “There’s some friendships between, but not much.” Since many club players have been playing together for years, it’s difficult to createteam unity out of preexisting social groups, especially in the two short months of the high school season. It’s not necessarily the fault of players who choose and are able to play club — for athletes who want to play in college, it’s difficult to reach the necessary skill level or the exposure to college recruiters without it. This is the result of a vast restructuring in American youth sports, funded by professional leagues in the interest of spotting talent early, and by sports gear companies like Nike who profit from sponsorships. So besides encouraging inclusive team environments, what can high school teams do to combat structural inequalities in youth sports? “At high school swimming we’ve been very conscious about not causing financial barriers,” Johnson said. “High school swim is working towards not having the same equity issues as club does.” Art by Sophia Chrysanthakopoulos

Being a male high school gymnast. By Wynsome Burke ymnastics, a winter sport that returned to Garfield three years ago, prides itself on being open and accepting to all, welcoming people with a large range of athletic experience and backgrounds. The number of boys participating, however, is low. Gymnastics is a physically demanding sport attractive to male athletes around the world. Why are Garfield boys so underrepresented in the sport? The first barrier is the classification of the sport. Although it is listed under the ungendered title of “Gymnastics” on the Garfield website, the sport is officially a girls’ sport according to WIAA (Washington Interscholastic Activities Association). Raymond Tsang, the Garfield and Franklin

High School gymnastics coach, explains “I’ve heard a bit of differing information [about boys on the gymnastics team]... I looked at the rule book and there was no specific rule stating that the team was for female athletes only”. Ben Mefford, a previous member of the Garfield gymnastics team, chimes in saying, “It’s strange that we’re being told [boys and girls] can’t practice in the same setting solely on the basis of gender.” Social pressures also push malepresenting students away from the sport. “Not only WIAA rules, but also perceptions from students and staff see gymnastics as following stereotypical female qualities,” says Tsang. “Some guys find it uncomfortable to join a female gymnastics team, as they don’t want to be singled

out as the only boy,” Mefford says. Not only do these regulations reinforce gender roles, they also fully neglect gender non-conforming students. These inconsistent expectations are deeply rooted in patriarchy. Girls are praised for presenting in a typically masculine manner, as masculinity is perceived as strong, whereas boys are told not to express femininity, as it is related to weakness. Mefford also notes that the sport is dominated by the culture created by the women’s USA Olympic Gymnastics team, saying “The women’s national team is more internationally recognized for their sport.” Tsang continues, saying “The sport is currently so divided by gender, and stereo-

types of what it means to be female/ male. A lot of the Olympic events heavily enforce gender roles, and I think that a lot of that is brought into high school, because it’s based on Olympics too”. To boys interested in joining gymnastics, Ben Mefford says “if you want to, take a risk and go for it. It’s super fun. ‘’ Practices are Monday through Friday mornings at Franklin, and Monday, Tuesday and Friday after school at Roosevelt. “There are a lot of boys that want to join the gymnastics team,” Says Tsang “and if they want to, they should”.

SPORTS

WOMENS SWIM RECAP

Womens swim breaks Garfield records. By Matthew Lord

he Garfield womens swim team ended last season with astounding results. “This is honestly the best season we’ve had since I’ve been coaching here for the girls team, in terms of overall team community and team performance,” said David Johnson, who has been coaching the team since 2010. “We placed the highest at Metro that we ever have, at least in ten years. According to Johnson, this is also the first year that members of the team that qualified for district and state did not all get in. “To go to districts and state, you can only have four entries in each event … so the competition of those slots was much tougher than it has been.” One major challenge the team had this

year was a change in practice location. “We had the big disadvantage this year of Medgar Evers being closed the whole season,” Johnson said, “so we had to train down at Rainier Beach in the afternoons, only one hour a day, four days a week, and we overcame all of that and had a great season.” The strong sense of community on the team led them to their success, despite this challenge. “I think seeing people show up to those practices was a really strong indication of how strong our community was; that people were willing to make that effort to come out,” said Natasha Wozniak, one of the two team captains.

“It’s a great community, and a great factor is that we’wve built up traditions each year. Each year we try to make the community do things to make the team better; from the community aspect, from the technical aspect, from the performance aspect; and not just at the top level but the whole range of abilities on the team,” Johnson said, “ So we want our slowest people to get better, we want our average people to get better, and we want our best people to get better, and that really happened this year, across the board.” The team captains, Natasha Wozniak and Alice Johnson have been essential in the team’s progress. “Together I think we’ve worked really

hard to make sure that everyone understands what an important part of the team they are,” Wozniak said. “Our almost ten state swimmers, of course they are very important, but everyone on the team makes the community … I think building a community where everyone feels valued is really important.” This is Wozniak’s last year swimming for the team, but she has high hopes for the future. “They’re headed into a great year next year. We had a junior class this year that was so strong. There’s like almost ten of them I think and they’re all very good leaders, they’re very strong, they’re very spirited.”

ESPORTS TAKES THE WORLD BY STORM

New sports, new opportunities, new challenges. By Ben Thomas n August 25th the European team OG won $35 million and became the first repeat winners of the Dota 2 International Championship by beating Team Liquid, the 2017 champions, in a 3-1. In every respect, esports has been growing at a breakneck pace. This year, the esports industry earned over $1 billion in profits, a 26.7% increase from last year, expanded to an audience of over 450 million, and made headlines when ESPN incorporated esports into their broadcast schedule. In the view of Chandler Murch, technical director at Valve, company known for its “Steam” platform and games like Half-Life or Dota 2, esports teach players the same lessons as traditional sports. “There are a lot of positive lessons you learn, anything you’d learn in a ‘regular’ sport about teamwork, focus, and discipline,” Murch said, “the teams that practice in a thoughtful and mindful way are the ones that get better and win. It’s not just playing a video game over and over. It has to have mindfulness to it.” Esports also resembles traditional sports commercially. OG is sponsored by Red Bull, much like how the Sounders were sponsored by Xbox. Since OG doesn’t have a stadium or uniforms like the Sounders, they display the Red Bull logo on their team insignia. Like sports teams, esports teams are usually privately-owned and operated for profit. Because prize money usually goes to the players, the teams make money from sponsorships, advertising, and

merch. Unlike traditional sports teams, esports teams often don’t limit themselves to one game, entering players in tournaments for Dota 2, League of Legends, Fortnite, and a host of other games, something like if the Seahawks played football, basketball, and baseball. In some sense esports are also more egalitarian than traditional sports. “There’s lower barriers to entry. You can play so many of these games on a wide range of computers or mobile phones for very low costs at any time of day,” Murch said. Beyond that, body type is a non-issue. If you’re under six foot, a basketball career is out of the question, but in esports playing at a professional level is unrestrained by physical factors out of your control. However, professional esports culture isn’t without its own problems. Esports is “known for being intolerant to outsiders,” as described by Murch. In particular, Murch thinks this “toxicity” – what

the esports community calls this exclusionary behavior – provides a barrier to entry for young women. Top level esports teams are almost entirely male, a major gender equity issue in an arena that, in theory, should be gender-neutral. “[The root of the gender disparity] probably follows the history of gender disparity in video games,” Murch said. Stigma about women in gaming extended into esports, which combined with the smaller pool of women interested in esports because of the stigma to lead towards a male-dominated space. Luckily, the esports community is improving. “Over time [the gender disparity] has changed and we’re closer to parity in some demographics,” Murch said, “there have been leagues that have sprouted up to cater to female competitors.” One such league is the Female eSports League (FSL), which hosts tournaments around the world for female competitors. Other issues arise

from esports’ large international audience. “Any company that does business in countries that have different standards, countries like China, Korea, or Germany, which has long had restrictions on violence, has to abide by local standards and rules,” Murch said. That’s challenging when those standards aren’t politically neutral. In a scandal earlier this year, Activision Blizzard suspended pro Hearthstone player and Hongkonger Ng Wai Chung (Blitzchung), confiscating his prize money after he spoke up in favor of the Hong Kong protests. Earlier this year, a number of NBA teams faced severe reprisals from China after athletes expressed their support for Hong Kong, leading to speculation that Blizzard was attempting to avoid similar Chinese backlash. After an outcry of support for Chung, Blizzard ultimately returned the money but left Chung’s six-month suspension in place. The situation demonstrates the complexity of organizing a growing, global industry in a complex world. “[Companies] have customers everywhere, so [they’re] trying to balance against two opposing forces that are in contention with one another. I don’t think there’s a simple answer to it. It’s a big world,” Murch said.

SPORTS

TOP DAWG

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

By Izzy Lamola

GHS Athletes Who Went Pro. By Khassim Diakhate Garfield High School has had a long history of athletic excellence, evident even beyond graduation. In recent years, Garfield has produced a significant amount of professional athletes that have made their marks in the college and professional sports scene. With the success of its basketball program, Garfield specifically has had many notable basketball players that perform at a professional level.

BRANDON ROY As one of the most notable Garfield athletes that played professional basketball, Brandon Roy attended Garfield in 1998. At Garfield, he was named one of Washington State’s best high school basketball players and was a prospect for the 2002 NBA Draft. As a senior, Roy was considered a 4-star recruit and was listed as the sixth-best shooting guard in the nation. In 2002, Roy played for the University of Washington. Roy stayed all 4 years at the University of Washington and was named Pac-10 player of the year, receiving AllAmerican Honors for his contributions to the team. In 2006, Roy entered the 2006 NBA Draft and was selected 6th overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves then was immediately traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. Roy became a substantial piece to the Trail Blazers during his rookie season, averaging 16 points per game and winning NBA Rookie of the Year. Roy continued his success on the Trail Blazers becoming a 3-time NBA AllStar and a 2-time member of the All-NBA Team. Injury unfortunately ended Roy’s career early. In the beginning of the 2011 season, Roy announced his retirement from the game. In 2012, Roy made his NBA comeback and signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Roy suffered an injury during preseason. 5 games into the season, Roy underwent a season-ending knee surgery that would ultimately end his NBA career. In 2016, Roy Coached Nathan Hale boys basketball team for one season before leaving them to coach Garfield in 2017. Roy helped Garfield win the Washington State Championship in 2018 and continues to coach for Garfield today.

JAYLEN NOWELL Jaylen Nowell started his freshman year at Garfield in 2013. Nowell made his biggest improvements during the first two years of his high school career. Nowell went from averaging a little under 6 points per game his freshman season to an astonishing 23 points per game as a sophomore. This success continued throughout his sophomore season as he helped Garfield win the State Championship in 2015. Nowell committed to the University of Washington in 2017 and stayed there for two seasons. He was named Pac12 Player of the Year his sophomore season. To add on to the achievements, Nowell led the Huskies to victory, helping them win the Pac-12 regular

season championship in 2019. After his sophomore success, Nowell entered the 2019 NBA Draft and was selected 43rd overall by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Nowell is currently in his rookie season in the NBA.

TONY WROTEN Tony Wroten attended Garfield in 2008 and found instant success in its basketball program. He was awarded 2009 All-Washington State Class 4A first team, becoming the first freshman to be named first team. Wroten didn’t limit himself to just basketball: he was a multi-sport athlete and expanded his arsenal to football. Unfortunately for Wroten, he had suffered an ACL injury and was forced to sit out his junior season. Wroten bounced back his senior season, becoming a five-star recruit and receiving an invitation to the Jordan Brand Classic game, a prestigious basketball game held annually exclusively for All-American athletes. Wroten stayed close to home by committing to the University of Washington. As a Husky, Wroten was Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and was named All Pac-12 first team. April 2012, Wroten entered the 2012 NBA Draft and was selected 25th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies. After playing for one season with the Grizzlies, Wroten was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in 2013, where he would enjoy the peak in his NBA career. Wroten would play in the NBA development league in 2015 and later would be signed by the Estonian Club in the Latavian-Estonian Basketball League in 2018. Currently, Wroten is playing for the Anwil Włocławek basketball club of the Polish Basketball League.

Senior Natalie Clemans has found herself at a stage in her life she has always dreamed of — committed to row for Stanford University. “Sometimes I just need to take a step back and say ‘Wow, five years ago, this is where I wanted to be right now,’” Clemans said. Clemans has rowed for Mount Baker since the summer before her eighth grade year, a senior in high school now. Before crew, Clemans did dance, but it was unable to provide her with the emotional support that crew later provided. Doing crew provides Clemans with opportunities to travel as well as strong relationships with her fellow rowers. “[Crew has] brought me a big friend group and it’s been the place I’ve become who I am now,” Clemans said. “[It has] given me so many opportunities to travel and meet new people from all over the country.” Community is an important aspect in crew, like any team sport, and Clemans is thankful for the community around Mt. Baker rowing. “Baker is a really cool community. Our team is pretty small this year so it’s really tight-knit. In past years, it has been bigger but it still has been a very nurturing community where I’ve really been able to grow,” Clemans said. As a hard-working athlete, Clemans has faced many challenges throughout her career. When she first started rowing in her freshman year, she found herself feeling stuck and not improving as fast as she would have liked. Clemans learned that improvement is not always linear and realized she had to let these obstacles happen in order to grow as an athlete and achieve her goals. Clemans has learned to apply a lot of the lessons she has learned through rowing into her life. She knows that improvement requires a lot of practice, which she sees as a constant learning experience. “I think of whatever training I’m doing right now and I use that for practice for something that will happen later, even if I don’t know what that is. [I use it] in rowing but also in life,” Clemans said. Clemans wants to continue rowing for as long as she can and has plans to row after college. Rowing does not have a professional league, but Clemans’ love for crew will stay just as strong in recreationallike teams called Masters teams. Natalie Clemans has bright plans in her future and is an inspiration to any athlete who strives for success. “Don’t get too bogged down on little things,” said Clemans, “and make sure you can see the long term.”

How to best represent Garfield this season. By Sam Treat Fall has ended and the cold weather has pushed Garfield sports fans indoors to witness greatness on the court, mat, and in the pool. Winter sports season is upon us, and that means it is time to revisit how to properly support Garfield student-athletes. In an effort to provide accurate information, I talked to GHS Athletic Director, Ms. Lynch, about the dos and don’ts of cheering. Now, it is important to remember that the rules below are not Ms. Lynch’s rules. These rules come from the governing bodies that dictate the rules for all of our athletics. “A lot of times people think its the Garfield rule or the Ms. Lynch [rule] or the Mr. Howard rule… but our rules come from the WIAA, Sea-King District Rules, Metro League Rules, SPS rules,” Ms. Lynch said. And that final point is important. If these rules confuse you or you feel like you have a lot of hypothetical situations in which you could break the rules, just resort back to what Ms. Lynch says: “In a nutshell if you are showing good spirit... nobody is coming for you.” Another important thing to keep in mind is that the game is about the players, not the fans. Our job as fans is to support our team so that they can play as well as possible. “Garfield has the best fans of all, but students need to know that your role is to cheer on your team. Your role isn’t to battle the other student sections. The game isn’t really about you, it’s about the athletes and winning. It should not be a war between the fans.”

SPORTS DON’T: - Chant about the score or other teams at all in blowout games - Use profanity - Call out opposing players names/ numbers - Name Call - Use mascot or school specific insults - Go in and out at games - Sit in the student section if you don’t plan on standing or cheering - Make signs that taunt the other team or its fans - Do “Free Education” chants - Storm the Court - Throw anything

DO: - Cheer along with the cheerleaders - Encourage bench players - Bring signs supporting our players - Stand the ENTIRE game - SIT MIDCOURT - Wear school colors/gear - At home games: use common sense and CHEER ON GARFIELD - Follow Dawg Pound themes - Get your ASB sticker (phone receipt does not count) - Be careful about you say to officials-- our team can get a technical foul for our fans’ actions - “Stand up” for Garfield if needed at away games

By Sam Treat

Wow, the 2010s are almost over… and what a decade it was. Obviously, with such a historic decade about to go into the books, it seems like an appropriate time to look back at what made this decade so special: memes. It was no easy task, either. As it turns out, many of us didn’t even have internet access in the earlier 2010s; I mean freshmen weren’t even born until 2011 (right?). That didn’t stop us from going back in time and scouring the internet for the best memes of each year. Once we found the right meme format for a year, we made a Garfield-centric meme in that format. Hopefully, these memes inspire some memories and some laughs going into 2020!

2010: Bad Luck Brian 2011: Rebecca Black’s Friday 2012: Grumpy Cat 2013: Doge 2014: Confused Nick Young

2015: Hot Line Bling 2016: Mr. Krabs 2017: Unfaithful Boyfriend 2018: Car Exiting 2019: Baby Yoda