VVolume 96, Issue 2
November 17, 2017
An Open Forum for Student Expression
High School Research Participants Needed! • If eligible, you could earn $80! • This is a paid research study on health behaviors through the University of Washington • All men and women who are between the ages of 14-17 in the Seattle area are invited to participate in a confidential 5-minute online survey that will help determine if this study is right for you.
• To complete the survey email: CadiganJ@uw.edu or call 206-221-4054
Catch up! Keep up! Get ahead!
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Executive Editors Flora Taagen • Julia Lin Photography Editor Ruby Seiwerath Art Editor Ana Matsubara NFO Editors Jessica Morales • Claire Boudour A&E Editors Susana Davidson • Sydney Santos Sports Editor Josh Chestnut Business Executive Paulette Argeres Advisor Corey Allan Martin
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Writers Abby Cooper-Drake • Carlin Bills • Delphi Drake-Mudede • Hailey Gray • John Volk • Kevon Avery • Lily Laesch • Patrick Walsh • Sav’ell Smalls • Tsion Belgu • Ula Jones Photographers Toby Tran • Peter Kubiniec • Freya Wiedemann Illustrators Emma Riddick • Arlo Van Liew • Kathryn Porter • Ariel Cook Business Staff Izzy Woods • Jefferson Ashby
The Garfield Messenger 11/17/2017
Editorial and Letter Policy The purpose of The Garfield Messenger is to present student perspectives on issues and events related to the Garfield High School community. The Messenger’s editorial responsibility lies not in presenting a particular viewpoint or agenda, but in representing a variety of opinions. Views expressed in publications by The Messenger do not necessarily represent those of our staff, supporters, or the Garfield High School student body and faculty. The Garfield Messenger welcomes responses to our publications as well as opinions concerning issues relevant to Garfield. Please send editorials, opinion columns, or letters to the editor to garfieldmessenger@gmail.com Contact The Garfield Messenger The Garfield Messenger Garfield High School 400 23rd Ave Seattle, WA 98122 Phone/Fax: (206) 252-2270 E-mail: garfieldmessenger@gmail.com
Volume 96 Issue 2 November 17, 2017 Cover by Gabriel Hopper-Manole
NEWS
A&E
In The News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Chandler Williams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Analyzing A.L.I.C.E. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Self-Love Playlist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Saying Another Goodbye. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Garfield Students Give Thanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Top Dawgs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Does Netflix Need to Chill?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
By Lily Laesch By Ula Jones
By Tsion Belgu
By Carlin Bills
FEATURES Protect My Trauma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 By Abby Cooper-Drake
What Are Our Phones Doing to Us?. . . . . . . . . . . 7 By Patrick Walsh
Opinion #MeToo.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 By Lily Laesch
About Black Friday.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 By Julia Lin
Explicit Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 By Susana Davidson and Jessica Morales
Callout Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
By Peter Kubiniec
Compiled By Sydney Santos
By Delphi Drake-Mudede, Freya Wiedemann, and Emma Riddick
By Kevon Avery
StudentVoices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Compiled By Sydney Santos
sports Looking To Go For Gold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 By Sav’ell Smalls
Winter Sports Preview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 By Carlin Bills
Fall Sports Recap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . .18 By John Volk
Fall Box Scores. . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Compiled By Josh Chesnut
Gym-back-sticks. . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 By John Volk
Mess Guess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . .19 by Josh Chestnut
By Hailey Gray and Delphi Drake-Mudede
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News Durkan is Seattle’s Next Mayor Sutherland Springs Church Shooting
7.3 Quake Kills Hundreds in Middle East
Australia Votes Yes on Marriage Equality
On Sunday November 5th, a shooter opened fire at First Baptist Church, a small community church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Twenty six people were killed and twenty others suffered non-fatal injuries. The gunman was Devin Kelley, who was prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms due to a previous domestic violence conviction while in the United States Air Force. The Air Force did not record this in the FBI Crime Database, which is used to alert prohibited purchases. The shooting was the deadliest mass shooting at a place of worship in American history.
More than 530 deaths have been reported following the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that hit the Iraq and Iran border region Sunday. More than 7,400 have been injured. The earthquake was centered around 140 miles northeast of Baghdad and 320 miles west of Tehran. The majority of the deaths took place in Iran. Electricity was lost and windows were broken in parts of the region. There are also many people predicted to still be under the rubble as well as many unharmed people waiting to donate blood. The earthquake is the deadliest of the year so far, surpassing the Mexico City quake in September.
In a historic referendum on Tuesday, Australia voted to legalize same-sex marriage, becoming the 25th nation to do so. Nearly eighty percent of the nation voted on the issue, with a clear majority of 61% voting yes. The decisive result followed a involuntary national survey, differing from the usual mandatory elections in the country. T The campaign for marriage equality grew tumultuous in the last few months, shouting matches often broke out at public meetings. The parliament is aiming to enact the reform by Christmas.
Analyzing A.L.I.C.E
Former U.S attorney Jenny Durkan beat out urban planner Cary Moon in the Seattle mayoral election to become the city’s first female mayor since 1926. Durkan led by 61% of the vote in Tuesday night returns. Moon did not immediately concede, as she believed late returns would help close the margin. However, later votes also went in Durkan’s favor. Durkan will take office November 28th.
Transgender Woman wins Virginia House Seat Former journalist and democratic candidate Danica Roem defeated incumbent Republican Bob Marshall, a fervent antiLGBTQ lawmaker. Roem will be the first transgender person to serve in the House of Delegates. Although Roem was forward about her gender identity when campaigning, she mainly focused on education, jobs, and traffic congestion.
Democrats Win Key Races Democrats won crucial gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey, giving the current minority party in Congress a much needed boost before the 2018 midterm elections. The election tested the Democrats’ ability to succeed in the midst of the Trump administration.
Does Garfield need to update their responses to security breaches? By Ula Jones In light of recent violence in America, many facilities around the country are looking into alternate responses to security threats. One of the most popular plans is a program called ALICE, which is inherently more complicated and situational than a traditional lockdown. Currently, Seattle Schools describes lockdowns as the ability of staff, students, and visitors to “be able to take positions in secure enclosures,” in the event of a security breach. However, as everyone at Garfield knows, the initiation of a lockdown procedure does not necessarily indicate dangerous activity inside the school. The incident on October 3rd, for instance, in which a drive by shooting on Cherry Street prompted a lockdown followed by a shelter in place, was one of these cases. “I found out about the situation before everyone else, and because the incident happened off campus, we locked down the building before we were actually told to lock down just for safety purposes,” said Keenen Allen, Garfield’s school security specialist. “I took it upon myself to make sure that our students were safe.” But in spite of these precautions, and with the recent Las Vegas tragedy still fresh in our minds, many students and staff members were nervous about the possibility of
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being targeted by a copycat shooter. Such events often bring up questions and concerns about our current procedure, despite there being many pros to this approach, which has been in place across the country for years. “For us it works effectively, because everyone usually abides by the rules that we have,” said Allen. However, over the past decade, some leading officials have argued that perhaps the policy of locking doors and huddling at the backs of classrooms may accidentally create vulnerable situations. Hence, other responses have been developed. The most common plan is an Active Shooter Response Training called “ALICE”. ALICE is an acronym for alert, lockdown, inform, counter, and evacuate. It was created by former SWAT officer Greg Crane in response to the Columbine shootings of 1999. According to the organization’s website, roughly a million people have been trained and over 4,200 school districts (31% of all schools) choose to participate. The course is intended to teach new decision making strategies to students and staff in different scenarios involving a security breach. For instance, instead of administrators staying silent over the intercom, they’re prompted to disclose the location of the
The Garfield Messenger 11/17/2017
threat. This theoretically allows people in safe areas to evacuate, while those in the immediate sphere of an active shooter should barricade classroom doors to discourage entry. However, drills conducted under this system would be complex and potentially triggering for certain students. And while Allen sees the potential for ALICE, he cites parental concern over their child’s location during a situational evacuation. “It is for safety reasons, but at the same time we wouldn’t know where each student is, to stay safe. That would probably be the only hard part about that,” he said. Furthermore, Garfield is particularly well protected. “Since we are one of the few schools with an active armed police officer who can deal with situations effectively, I’d say that what we have now at the school would work very well.” said Allen. “I can say that if we didn’t have an armed police officer in the school, then we may have some sort of issue.” So, while finding an ideal system to handle various possible threats is a challenging and sensitive issue, it’s clear why the overall value of ALICE is being noted by a number of districts. Better to be safe than sorry.
Graphic By Kathryn Porter
A L I C E
lert Alert is overcoming denial, recognizing the signs of danger and receiving notifications about the danger from others.
ockdown When evacuation is not a safe option, students are taught how to barricade themselves where they are until they can safely move.
nform Armed intruder situations are unpredictable and evolve quickly, which means that ongoing, real time information is key to making effective survival decisions.
ounter Counter is a strategy of last resort. It focuses on actions that create distraction with the intent of reducing the shooter’s ability to shoot accurately.
vacuate Evacuating to a safe area takes people out of harm’s way and hopefully prevents civilians from having to come into any contact with the shooter.
News
Saying Another Goodbye Lotus Thai Cuisine closed.
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By Tsion Belgu
s the bell rings for lunch, students disperse and go eat where they please, and one of those places happens to be Lotus. Lotus Thai Cuisine is a Thai restaurant located on E Cherry Street, right behind Garfield’s Playfield. Walking down the halls of Garfield you can sometimes smell the richness in the ground peanuts, green onion, turnip, bean sprouts, egg, and rice noodle coming from a white plastic bag. Lotus ranges from soups and salads to their famous curries and stir-fried noodles. There have been lots of rumors about this heavenly restaurant closing down and it is confirmed that these rumors are unfortunately true. Since this restaurant has closed down, there hasn’t been much information given out on why it was shut down or if they are moving to a new location. “I was sad when I heard that Lotus was closing down from a friend because that was my go-to restaurant during lunch
and I would’ve liked to know where they’re moving or if they’re moving so I can show them some more love,” said Adanech Muno. Muno is a sophomore here at Garfield High School and states that she has been a big fan since she’s heard about Lotus and always looks forward to going when she can. “All the workers are super nice and the food that’s brought out is always a 10/10, and I would recommend this to anyone who loves spicy food because they have the best spices,” said Muno. Not only was this restaurant a place for students but it has also had a huge impact on people who lived around Lotus. “I would come home from work and go to Lotus with my family to get takeout and it saddens me to know that a wonderful restaurant like this one is closing down,” said a person who chose to remain anonymous. There has been a lot of changes hap-
pening in the Central District and it has had a huge affect on the people living in this area. “I have been living around this area since I was a little girl, and it’s been hard for me to see these changes happening in my neighborhood because these restaurants and stores have grown with me,” said an anonymous person who lives in the Central District. It has also been said that the small businesses on 23rd and Jackson are also closing due to an apartment building being built. Some of these small businesses consist of Taco Del Mar, East African Imports & Restaurants, and Meti’s Hair Salon.
Sadly, it is said that near the end of December these stores will officially be closing. Lotus was one of a kind and will truly be missed in the Central District but luckily towards the end of December they will be moving to a new location in Columbia City.
Shania Williams:
While cleaning up the ocean, Williams encountered a surprising experience. “We went on boats so I got to ride on a boat for the first time. It was scary but it was pretty fun,” Williams said. The program helped Williams foster an accountability for the environment that many people lack. “I used to think I didn’t have to pick up trash because I didn’t spill it but now I’ve started picking up trash because I’m just trying to help the environment stay clean. It changed my perspective,” Williams said. The program didn’t just change the way Williams thought about the environment, it also impacted her ability to open up to people and make connections. “I learned not to be scared to try new things and to come out of my shell,” Williams said. Williams actions are the start to unleashing the youth lead movements necessary to create momentum for change.
Art by: Arlo Van Liew
Top Dawgs
Inspirational upperclassmen at Garfield. By Carlin Bills
Lily Baumgart:
the background and Matt Gano who was While many high school seniors are spend- one of the writing mentors was like “Lily ing hours writing and rewriting their Baumgart” and my initial reaction was just personal statements, fellow senior Lily to scream for no reason,” Baumgart said. “It was definitely a moment of Baumgart is spending her complete awe and shock.” time getting ready for her Being Seattle’s Youth book release this May. She Poet Laureate has opened has been writing since she up many opportunities for was a young kid, starting Baumgart.“It definitely means off with short stories. As I get taken a lot more seriously Baumgart grew older, she beas a writer which is always gan to experiment with other incredible. It’s a shame that forms of writing such as poyouth writers are just seen as etry. angsty poets,” Baumgart said. Sophomore year of high The biggest opportunity that school, Baumgart applied to comes with being selected the become Seattle’s Youth Poet Youth Poet Laureate is a book Laureate through Seattle Photos by Toby Tran deal with Penmanship books. Arts and Lectures. “I was on “I’ll have a book out next May, a collection the finalists cohort last year which is super fun because you get to do a bunch of work- of my poetry, which is very nerve wracking because it’s gonna be out there and I can’t shops together,” Baumgart said. She applied again this year and once again edit it or write it again,” Baumgart said. For those of you interested in poetry, keep made it to the finalist cohort. Soon it was an eye out for Baumgart’s book release this time for the reveal as to who the new Youth May. Poet Laureate would be. “We were waiting and there was a drumroll happening in
Would you dedicate your summer to picking up cellphones, candy wrappers and beer bottles out of the ocean? Garfield junior Shania Williams spent her summer picking up trash and practicing environmental justice through a program called Unleash the Brilliance. Unleash the Brilliance is a youth empowerment program that partners with environmental justice agencies in Seattle to provide youth with access to activities that are equally enjoyable and educational. “The program tries to keep kids in school so they won’t drop out [so] they graduate and go to college,” Williams said. Two of the main activities of the program were cleaning up parks and cleaning up the Puget Sound. After the Fourth of July, Williams and other program members returned to Gasworks park and spent the day cleaning the park and restoring it to its healthy state
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Features
Protect My Trauma
Making Garfield classes more trauma-friendly. By Abby Cooper-Drake TW: Mentions of sexual assault and suicide “I feel like my lungs are closing, like I’m in this tight space, and I start to sweat and shake.” It sounds like one of those nightmares you get during finals week, the kind that you can’t forget even when you wake up. But for senior Jane Smith (name changed for privacy), this was real life. It happened her sophomore year, when reading The Kite Runner in literature class. Although Jane had made it through the rape scene depicted in the book, she had not been warned about an attempted suicide that occurs towards the end of the novel. “It gives you flashbacks,” said Smith, “And when I get a panic attack, I have to leave class to sit in the bathroom and cry.” It is painful to imagine Jane having to go through this alone. But the even more upsetting reality is that this could be a regular occurrence in Garfield classrooms. Jane is not alone - in fact, she is among nearly 17% of Garfield students who have struggled with serious suicidal thoughts in the past 12 months, according to the Garfield Healthy Youth Survey. Let’s use Kite Runner, a novel that is mandatory in the 10th grade literature curriculum, as a model. Within this unit, the 17% of suicidal students must endure reading a suicide attempt scene; the 20% of students who have experience physical abuse from an adult must read through accounts of child abuse; the 13% of students who have been sexually assaulted must read a graphic rape scene. Combined, this is roughly 50% of students in every class who experience some sort of trauma-related triggering in reading this one novel. One of the main
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reasons why it’s so important to protect students from triggering is that the effects of re-traumatization can last a lifetime. According to ChangingMinds.org, even indirect exposure to traumatic material can trigger the “fight or flight” system, releasing
a rush of stress hormones. “You can’t just sit through that,” said Smith, “It’s so hard to have everything flood at you when you’re all alone.” The more frequently this stress response system is activated, the more likely a student is to incur permanent damage to their brain and internal organs. “I still think about that time in class,” said Smith, “It leaves you very unsettled for the rest of the year.” Increased exposure to traumarelated material also over-develops parts of the brain involving fear and anxiety, responsible for the paranoia that Smith described, and inhibits brain regions to do with logic and behavioral control. One of the most common solutions, issuing trigger warnings, is not a new idea to Garfield. However, a truly safe classroom environment requires this to become a more standardized and consistent practice. The most common type of trigger warning is simply a verbal statement to students, warning them of what traumatic subject will be encountered. However, as Smith points out, trigger warnings should also include specific details like page number or what time in class the topic will be discussed. “That way, I could prepare myself and read that part alone,” said Smith. Students who are triggered
The Garfield Messenger 11/17/2017
by this subject should have the option to leave, or the teacher could arrange for students to read/watch this portion in an environment where they feel safer. This goes for both teachers and students - if you’re planning on making a comment that involves a triggering topic, you are responsible for protecting your classmates by issuing a warning. Trigger warnings have been a controversial topic in college classrooms across the nation, as the debate between safe spaces and free speech rages on. Many people suggest that it is impossible to expect students and teachers to keep track of every single possible trigger, as everyone experiences trauma differently. However, the Garfield community should at least be responsi- ble for the most common triggering topics like suicide,
rape/sexual assault, and familial/domestic abuse. If there is roughly one student in every average-sized Garfield classroom who is recovering from a recent suicide attempt, we simply cannot afford to be lenient with our trigger warning policies. If students and staff all make a conscious effort to create more trauma-friendly classrooms, we can all learn safely and confident that no one is suffering silently.
Art by Arlo Van Liew
Features
What Are Our Phones Doing To Us? Answers from a week of going phoneless.
By Patrick Walsh fter almost an hour of debate we finally decided to do it. Ana and I were going a week without smartphones, and we were terrified. Though both of us had lived the vast majority of our lives without such devices, to now live a week free of them felt daunting - embarrassingly so. However, such attachment is far from an anomaly, in fact, it’s normal. According to a 2016 national survey, 52% of teenagers feel they’re addicted to their phones and 60% of the general population admit that they would feel that they would be unhappy without their phones. Despite this strong connection, our relationship with our phones was no happy marriage, and as it is with relationships, our decision to “take a break” was no sign of love. My phone was a controlling partner, convincing me to spend time together even when I had other activities planned. For this reason, as well as our frustration with social media, we agreed to the phoneless week. In the last hours of our final phone day, my mind filled with doubts and worst case scenario’s. I texted Ana if she was sure about this “no phone thing”. Fortunately, I was promptly chided for my trepidation, and finally, I set my phone aside. The first thing I noticed was the inconvenience. Without my phone’s alarm I had slept in, and without my phone’s music I was now bussing to school in silence. iPhones and Androids didn’t take over the world for no reason; people, like me and Ana, bought them because they’re extraordinarily useful. Countless activities, from dating to driving, are now easier thanks to smartphones, and even more activities have been made more pleasant by having access to a music listening, game playing, video streaming device at all times.
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So, by losing our devices for the week we also lost many conveniences. Yet, while life was occasionally made more aggravating, it wasn’t, in the important sense, made any less happy. This makes sense. After all, if convenience resulted in happiness, our generation would be euphoric compared to our ancestors who had get by without electric light, refrigerators, or even Uber. To live comfortably and conveniently is helpful for happiness, but the factors which play a bigger role are how much control we have over our own lives, how connected we feel to those around us, and how much sleep we get. In each of these measures both Ana and I saw a shift for the better, making our phoneless week both pleasant and inconvenient. Unlike the other factors, sleep can be easily measured. As a result I know that in my phoneless week I got about half an hour
“52% of teenagers feel they’re addicted to their phones”
Art by Ariel Cook
more sleep than average; but, even more telling was how that sleep felt, which was, in
a word, good. My perverse bedtime ritual of spending the last thirty minutes of my day staring into the bright blue light of my phone, scrolling aimlessly through social media, finally came to an end, as did Ana’s impulsive social media check first thing in the morning. We both came away with the impression that going phoneless resulted in better sleep, suggesting that smartphone usage results in worse sleep. According to phone-use researcher Jean Twenge, that assertion is a statistical fact based on recent surveys. “Teens who spend three or more hours a day on electronic devices are 28 percent more likely to get less than seven hours of sleep than those who spend fewer than three hours”. It’s unsurprising that less screen time results in more sleep time, so while I appreciated feeling the extra Z’s, I expected it. Another thing I expected was that, now separated from social media, texting, and calling, I’d feel disconnected from my friends. Fortunately, I was wrong. The magnitude of social media’s insignificance was incredible. At the end of the week we checked back into our phones and added up the number of notable or important things we missed on social media. The grand total: zero. On top of missing nothing, going without social media meant more time for other, more useful activities(note). Furthermore, as our thoughts were freed from finsta drama and snapchat streaks, we found ourselves more engaged in every activity. Going without texting and calling was a little more difficult. However, despite a couple missed messages and some mild parental frustration, Ana and I, generally speaking, still managed to connect with friends and make plans. And, when we did connect, we were no longer drawn away from conversations by the incessant buzz-
ing of our phones. Ana described how, free from her phone’s notifications, she literally felt like she was on a vacation. For me, becoming less distracted didn’t quite convince me that 4th period calculus was Cabo, but I still felt a definite increase in my concentration. Underlying all of these benefits is a contradiction. If phones are, as I said before, tools to make life easier, why would abandoning your smartphone make you feel more connected, more concentrated, and as relaxed as you were on a vacation. Why is that so many people quit social media or switch to dumb phones, when other tools designed for our benefit, like the table for instance, are simply used as designed with no one switching back to its predecessor, the floor. The reason for all of this is that smartphones were not designed just for our benefit, they were also designed for the benefit of advertisers and app creators, both of whom would prefer it if you stay on your phone, whether you like it or not. Presumably, it is not innocent curiosity which has made social media and tech companies hire researchers who study habit formation and addiction. More likely, according to insider reports, as well as rationality, these companies are incorporating such research into the design of their products, tapping into our evolutionary urges to make using your phone truly irresistible. When we finally returned to our phones, we quickly learned that knowing that using your smartphone will make you unhappy is not enough to prevent you from using your smartphone and thus becoming unhappy. No amount of research or experience will give me the ability to resist checking my phone when it buzzes in my pocket. To try to outwill a device designed to addict you is as foolish as trying to quit smoking while keeping a cigarette in your pocket. The only way to live a life free from the phone’s temptations is to put the phone aside, maybe not for a week, but for a couple hours at a time whenever it’s not helping you. But before I live that life, I’ve got to check Snapchat just one more time.
“Smartphones were not designed just for our benefit, they were also designed for the benefit of advertisers and app creators, both of whom would prefer it if you stay on your phone, whether you like it or not.”
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Opinion #MeToo
Examining the shortcomings of the viral movement. By Lily Laesch TW: Mentions of sexual assault and abuse
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n mid October, many different spheres are affluent white actresses. While their of social media began to look very simi- privilege in no way invalidates or discredlar. Suddenly, friends, family members, its their own experiences, the root causes and celebrities were all suddenly saying the of what has now become a viral trend have same thing: #MeToo. On October 15th, ac- been lost along the way. tress Alyssa Milano tweeted “If you’ve been The campaign also presents conflictsexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me ing burdens for survivors. A life changing too’ as a reply to this tweet,” citing a wish and traumatizing incident, or multiple, for people to see the gravity of the problem. shouldn’t have to be summarized and repIt received twenty-five thousand retweets. resented by two words. In just the twenty four hours following, the “It wasn’t built to be a viral campaign or a hashtag was retweeted nearly half a million hashtag that is here today and forgotten times and started to gain similarly stagger- tomorrow,” said Burke in an October intering numbers on Facebook and Instagram. view with Ebony magazine. “It was a catchMany shared just the two words, with no phrase to be used from survivor to survivor additional details. Others added to let folks know that they were not their distressing stories: catalone and that a movement calls from strangers, for radical healing was unwanted advances happening and from bosses, and possible.” graphic acThe hashtag counts of sexalso perual assault. petuates a The grow“One Size ing moveFits All” ment conumbreltinues to la that provide equates unity and all forms strength of sexual for many violence, survivors. degrading A campaign and underof this magmining the nitude also has various experithe potential to creences of survivors. ate a domino effect that Furthermore, the amArt by Ariel Cook brings down accused perpeplitude of the movement trators, many of whom now face conseputs significant pressure on them to quences that they had managed to escape come forward and join a campaign that may in the past However, the movement also revive and exacerbate mental and physical has its fair share of drawbacks that inhibit pain. the progress of fighting sexual violence In months to come, the trend will pass, worldwide. joining the countless other fads that came Despite its recent acclaim and recogni- before it. But for survivors, their stories are tion, #MeToo didn’t start last month. The not a trend. Their stories are not a popular movement was created ten years ago by Internet phenomenon. They have no opactivist Tarana Burke, whose primary goal tion to rid themselves of the trauma they was to help young women of color who must embody for the rest of their life. We had been sexually abused or assaulted. Ten know that #MeToo has numerous benefits, years after a riveting and heartbreaking but we must continue to work to find ways conversation with a 13 year old girl who had to provide solidarity and support without been sexually abused, Burke created Just Be causing survivors renewed suffering. Inc., aiming to help victims with similar experiences. She continues to work to bring Contact the National Sexual Assault Hoattention to the exploitation that occurs tline for support, information and local disproportionally in marginalized commureferalls at 800.656.HOPE (4673) nities. Today, the faces of the movement
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The Garfield Messenger 11/17/2017
About Black Friday... The moral dilemmas of a 21st century consumer. By Julia Lin With the holiday season approaching, Thanksgiving brings some controversial guests to the table: Black Friday and its good friend consumerism. Consumerism, or society’s obsession with the acquisition of material items, makes us feel as if we need new things to be happy and the social norms that have developed around this system have convinced us to ignore that we frequently shop unethically. As consumers, we have become blind to stores that perpetuate negative practices, from child labor to reckless environmental policy. Urban Outfitters (UO), for example, has made countless questionable decisions from appropriating Navajo Nation patterns to releasing insensitive shirts regarding eating disorders, race, and more. UO has branded itself as a wealthy liberal wonderland yet Richard Hayne, the president of the same company that hangs pride flags on its windows in an act of performative activism, donated over $10,000 to homophobic politician Rick Santorum in the early 2000s. A few slipups can be understood, but when we continue to support businesses like this we become part of the problem. Another problematic, yet popular, brand is Brandy Melville, with their “one size fits all” motto. Based on the models on their website, the motto seems to imply that their one size only fits all skinny blonde girls. While one size fits all may seem like a progressive ideal that would be more inclusive and break the mold of categorizing people into set sizes or body types defined by society’s perceptions about what a body should look like, Brandy Melville makes little effort to actually represent different types of bodies and people. Slate Columnist Laura Bradley recently addressed this issue. “More than half of [teen girls] use unhealthy weight control methods, including skipping meals and purging, in obsessive pursuit of bodies that Brandy Melville implies ‘most’ people already have,” Bradley said. Now, I know I’m being hypocritical. I own clothes from both of these stores and they aren’t the only stores with problems; and, a few people not shopping doesn’t make a concrete difference. I am not at all against saving money or the gratitude and unity that are more often associated with holidays. There is no one size fits all solution to this problem but I hope that at Garfield, where the halls are full of these controversial brands but we still consider ourselves so aware, we can start a conversation about where to draw the line between material desires and moral values. Want to share your thoughts on this issue? Send a response to garfieldmessenger@gmail.com.
Opinion
Explicit Content
Navigating the separation between art and artist. By Susana Davidson and Jessica Morales TW: Mentions of sexual assault and violence
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Art by Ana Matsubara
ast month more than two dozen women came forward and accused Harvey Weinstein, American film producer, executive and co-founder of Miramax, of sexual harassment, assault, and rape. Weinstein’s pattern of abuse began in the late 1970s and has continued through today, thriving in a country that fails to take survivors experiences seriously. This behavior in the entertainment industry isn’t some sudden widespread phenomenon, it has existed since the industry’s inception In 2014 Bill Cosby was accused of sexual assault by more than 50 women. More recently, Casey Affleck, Kevin Spacey, Johnny Depp and Woody Allen have all been accused of a form of abuse. The only thing that separates current events from past conversations on sexual misconduct is that survivors, for the most part, are now receiving support from a community that believes Hollywood should be safe from the threat of assault.
This predatory behavior does not solely exist in the world of film, but is also present elsewhere, especially within the music industry. R Kelly, accused of underage sex, physical abuse and the possession of child pornography, Chris Brown, accused of domestic abuse and assault, and Robin Thicke, accused of physical and emotional abuse to both his ex wife Paula Patton and their child, are only a few of musi-
cians who continue to produce consumed content despite their crimes. One of the most recent allegations of domestic violence surfaced against 19 year old rapper Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, known by his alias XXXtentacion, two months ago. He was charged with witness-tampering, false imprisonment, domestic battery by strangulation and domestic battery of a pregnant woman. A 142 page transcript of the victim’s (name omitted) testimony showed the gravity of his offenses. “It’s like he’s going to like end up killing me or something,” she said. Additionally, rapper Dieuson Octave, otherwise known as Kodak Black, was indicted on October 9th of this year for first degree sexual assault, otherwise known as rape, of a teenage girl. He began attracting attention behind bars for a drug possession charge and he continues receiving support from fans who continue to ignore his charges. For example, his most recent mixtape, Project Baby 2, made it to Number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart within the first week. People today still enjoy watching the films and listening to the music of people like Weinstein or Onfroy, despite being aware of their crimes. Because of the continued consumption of their products, the question arises; where is the line drawn between art and artist? For some, there is no line. After all, what do these people’s crimes have to do with their creativity? Why should I have to stop enjoying their work? What harm am I doing? In truth, people who ask questions like these in an attempt to justify their support for these artists are just as complicit as lawyers who refuse to believe the testimonies of victims, agents who continue to represent criminals, and labels that continue to produce their art. “When we don’t hold celebrities to the same standards as everyone else, we feed into a culture that tells people that it’s okay to not respect others, as long as everyone thinks you’re better than them due to your unquestionable privilege,” said Visual Content Head at UDigital, Namaah Kumar, through Twitter. Celebrities are constantly given passes for being assholes, an attitude that has been normalized and accepted by both consumers and creators. Kanye West’s entire persona is built off of egotistical behavior and being rude to fans. Justin Bieber has been forgiven multiple times by his entire following for a pattern of continued disrespect towards his fans. The actions of West and Bieber are in no way the same as those of Affleck, Spacey, or any others convicted of abuse. Consuming the art of mean people is different than consuming the art of criminals. Abusers are more than just “problematic favs.” Their actions have harmed and continue to traumatically harm others, while problematic people’s actions have no serious impact on those surrounding them. Taylor Swift’s white feminism, though annoying and frustrating, isn’t putting anyone in danger or making them fear for their life. Her comments and internalized privilege hurt her reputation and ostracize some fans, not because of trauma she has personally caused them, but because of their personal opinions about her character and her work. It’s normal and understandable when individuals romanticize celebrities, however, celebrities aren’t gods, they have money and fame and people that adore them, but they’re
also people. They have chosen to put themselves in a position where they are able to receive this kind of support, but that doesn’t mean they get to escape prosecution. And because the public holds them to such high standards they inevitably become role models. We’re the ones who give them their platform, power they can take advantage of and abuse. If we continue to support those who have proven themselves to be abusers, we continue to give them the power needed to uphold their platform and continue producing work. Although indirect, watching a movie or downloading an album of a musician continues to put money into their pockets, and if those people happen to be abusers, then you are indirectly contributing to rape culture.
Rape culture is loosely divided into four stages beginning with victimization. This stage includes rape jokes, sexism, victim blaming and types of homophobia and transphobia. Then it escalates to degradation, shown in the form of cat calls, revenge porn, threats and stalking. The third stage is removal of autonomy and includes statutory rape, sexual coercion, covert condom removal and dosing. The final stage, explicit violence, involves the harshest crimes, crimes like rape, murder, battery and incest. The film and music industries continue to exhibit rape culture by excusing patterns of abuse, a behavior reflected in our society. Permitting criminals to continue to produce their work without any repercussions shows young people that it is okay to practice this type of behavior and simultaneously proves that the entertainment business remains an unsafe environment for those within it. Unfortunately celebrities are given the celebrity treatment both on the red carpet and in court. People see their talent in their respective field as enough evidence for their innocence or enough to assuage personal guilt for continuing to go see their movies and listen to their music. The status of celebrities cannot be taken into account during acquittal. After all, if you strip away the prestige of a director like Woody Allen, he is just like any other pedophile.
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The Garfield Messenger 11/17/2017
By Hailey Gray and Delphi Drake-Mudede
Performative Activism
Performative activism is the act of any person making a show about supporting for a movement or being against any particular injustice. Performative activism comes in many forms, from posting on social media about a cause you believe in to wearing a “Fight the Patriarchy” or “Black Lives Matter” pin. Often, when people are performative activists, they are silent in situations where blatant racism, sexism, homophobia or other forms of bigotry are present. Acts of performative activism are often empty and end up having no real impact on the causes they are trying to support or protest. Despite appearing as an “activist”, people frequently defend problematic or offensive friends or family members. “Last year I saw a lot of online activism [from Garfield students] after the Donald Trump protest, but it was mostly just a lot of
Art by Ariel Cook
white feminist activism and not a lot of people of color,” said Garfield Junior, Naomi Haile. The white feminist activism discussed by Haile, refers to a type of feminism from white women that typically excludes minorities and focuses more on the issues faced exclusively by white women. “There was a lot of calling things out, but not doing anything about it, I don’t know if you could call that activism,” said Haile. Despite some of Garfield’ performative activism, many students and clubs help to promote education based activism. Garfield senior Nikki Do is an officer of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and is adamant about issues regarding social justice and activism. “If an activist doesn’t call out when a person is being problematic, your silence is consenting whatever is happening,” said Do. In today’s society, there’s often pressure to display progressiveness on social media. Our posts have the potential to help us combat social injustices and feel as if we’re
showing support. Although these posts help to spread global awareness, many people lack the ability or motivation to participate in concrete action. “Without the rise of call out culture on social media, it wouldn’t have been accepted … But, social media has harmed it because, there isn’t true activ-
ism, it’s only for the hype or the trend,” said Do. However, there is a difference between posting online on a private account saying you’re combating social injustices and being an online activist. “I feel like [online activists] are making an effort, and it is not going unnoticed. A lot of people who are online activists are also spreading important information and they are making people aware of certain things they would not otherwise be aware of. But it is important to not stop there, continue to put your words into action,” said Haile.
At GHS
At Garfield, performative activism has now transitioned to become the norm. Performative activism brings some support to movements, by people talking on social media and going to protests. However, this type of activism often halts there. “Callout culture at Garfield is just calling out so you can look
“There are so many issues that often times get silenced or ignored, because we are this so called liberal school that protests this and that… people will be suppressed or silence themselves, and let that sh*t pass all the time,” says Olivia Hicks, a Garfield senior on CORE staff. This idea of “woke culture” has spread rapidly through Garfield over the past year. Urban Dictionary defines “woke” as being aware, and “knowing what’s going on in the community.” The term was coined by the Black community and initially used in reference to the Black Lives Matter movement, following the death of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin. Since then, the meaning and usage of the word has been completely distorted. “At Garfield, saying you are ‘woke’ is like a status symbol now, and it is not so much about actually making a difference, and it doesn’t really say anything about what you actually believe in,” said Haile.
“ There is a fine line between people trying to just get fame and people actually trying to educate.” good, not because you actually care about the issue, because the same people who are calling things out are continuing friendships with problematic people and trying to excuse their behavior,” said Haile. Because Garfield is a school that is highly involved with local protests, political issues, and social justice, it’s expected that everyone display some knowledge on social justice issues. However, due to this, definition of activism at Garfield has become watered down.
Importance of Calling Out
Calling out can be a difficult practice, and takes a lot of courage to pursue. Often, marginalized groups may find themselves in a situation where they are uncomfortable, but are entangled in a mental debate whether to speak up or step back. Although calling out can create tensions between people with differing opinions and views on social issues, it’s important to educate people on their oppressive behaviors and tendencies.
In order to make active changes and support the lives of marginalized groups, we need to understand the history of racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia, and other forms of oppression. Failing to address these issues in our society only adds to the cycle of oppression that has been discriminating against and ostracizing people for centuries. The lack of recognition of the background of oppression and oppressive behaviors is continually excused for in our society. However, it’s not always up to the minority to confront these powerful issues. It simply adds to the imbalance of power that
ally, when calling out, ostracizing the person may not be the perfect solution. We have to recognize that everyone comes from different cultures, societies and religions that may influence beliefs on social issues. Additionally, at times, it’s necessary to invite people into a social movement, rather than pushing them away based off a single statement or action. “I think it is important to talk to the person directly, don’t just say ‘This is wrong’, tell them why it is wrong and who the people are that it is affecting and how it is affecting them.” said Haile.
said Hicks, “There’s a fine line between people trying to just get fame and people actually trying to educate.” It is important to remember apathy can’t entirely lead to societal change. While social media is an excellent platform to express opinions of politics and social injustices, we need to transfer the words from our posts, to the words we speak.
“If an activist doesn’t call out, when a person is being problematic, your silence is consenting whatever is happening” many privileged groups hold to not have to talk about social issues. It’s important to call out from a position of power, so it’s not always up to marginalized groups to defend themselves. “People tend to victimize themselves and don’t see the bigger picture.” said Hicks. Hicks expresses how many issues at Garfield are often suppressed, and calling out is often a platform used to get acknowledgement from the public. With this gained acknowledgement, it helps to educate others on these pressing social justice issues. Without educating, there would be little progression in activism. However, there’s not necessarily a wrong or right way to call out. It’s crucial to assess the situation to know when to say something or when it’s unsafe to. It isn’t always easy to call out, so always check personally to make sure you aren’t in danger when expressing your opinion. Addition-
What Does Activism Look Like ?
There is no definitive answer to what activism looks like. It’s shaped in many different ways, from peaceful protests to rowdy riots. However, despite the way activism is displayed, each type involves concrete action. Often in today’s society, we feel we can simply make a post on social media and end our activism there. For Do, activism looks like being an advocate for different groups. “Activism is advocating for other groups outside of yours….Advocating for a group, but not overstepping your boundaries because you don’t know what it’s like to be in that group,” said Do. Hicks has a slightly different view of what real activism is. “Activism is trying to promote awareness and a voice. Activism can also be educating and allowing the issue to become mainstream”
HOW TO CONFRONT: THANKSGIVING RELATIVES EDITION
1) Give one a chance to explain their perspective or opinion, as it is possible you misheard or misunderstood them 2) Tell them what they said that you feel is offensive or problematic 3) Be passionate about the issue, but try to withhold anger or frustration so the person you are confronting doesn't feel targeted. 4) Be willing to listen to others or allow them to rephrase their statement. 5) Continue to stand by your argument and educate on oppressive behaviors. 6) However, if their beliefs make you feel in danger, targeted, or just too uncomfortable it’s ok to leave the table or helpful to direct the conversation to a lighter subject!
A&E Chandler Williams
From the soul.
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By Peter Kubiniec
ince its founding in 1923, Garfield’s halls have been known for producing musicians who have gone on to have professional careers. From Jimi Hendrix to Quincy Jones, a legacy of skilled artists has been imbedded in the Bulldog identity. Singer Chandler Williams is the next in a long line of Garfield creatives. “I make R&B and soul music, as I would
ly write uplifting songs, encouraging songs, giving people hope,” said Chandler. “[I write about] various scenarios and standpoints of relationships.” He derives his inspiration for his lyrics from a variety of places. “I think of a scenario. I don’t necessarily have to be going through it, but it’s something that I see around me that I can write about and I think
Photo courtesy of Chandler Williams Photo Courtesy of Chandler Wiliams
Chandler performs for his fans.
classify it,” said Junior Chandlers Williams. This 16-year-old artist has gained regard for his vocals and compositions on Soundcloud, a popular music sharing platform. With some songs having over 25,000 listens, his musical career is quickly gaining ground. Chandler has a long history of producing his own songs: “I started making music at age seven...I had taken piano lessons before, sang at church, and I started writing and making chord progressions on the piano.” Not long after, he began working with Archers, an artist collective of seven Seattle youths that make hip-hop music. “I worked with [them] when I was young” said Chandler. “I was like 13 and I was just getting started working in a studio.” While working with Archers, he began to produce music independently. “Every song that I have out now was written and co-produced by me,” said Chandler. Chandler’s key to writing music is pretty simple: “I always start out with a chord progression; I sit down at the piano, play around with some chords and find some that I like. And I’ll just loop that and see what lyrics come out from there.” Chandler writes about personal memories from his own life as well as situations that others might be going through. “I most-
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people will relate to,” said Chandler. After writing it down, he records it in the studio. Chandler’s music is still evolving. After producing many singles, such as “Show You Off” and “Your Love,” he’ll be putting out his first full album in November. “I have an album that I am working on right now and it is titled From the Soul,” Chandler said. “I’m starting to experiment with other writers and sharing ideas which is something that I have never done before.” In addition to his upcoming album, Chandler has other ambitious goals for the future. “I’m planning to have a headlining solo of my own after my album comes out,” said Chandler. His last show, at the end of this summer, was performed with his former collective, Archers, as the group’s final performance. The concert was at The Crocodile, a downtown live music venue, and drew a crowd of over 200 people. “Those shows are so much fun, you get to see so much love from the fans,” said Chandler. To Chandler, his songs are about more than just singing what he believes in. “With my music I would love to encourage others who are trying to make it in music as well and try to use my platform to make it possible for anyone who is wishing for that goal.”
The Garfield Messenger 11/17/2017
A&E
Garfield Students Give Thanks
Compiled by Delphi Drake-Mudede, Art by Emma Riddick, Photos by Freya Wiedemann
“I’m thankful to be able to hang out with these guys, my best friends”
Nick, 9th Grade “I’m thankful for Garfield. It is a new school and I love that everyone is super supportive and inviting and it has been really great so far” Elli, 9th Grade “I’m thankful for being able to be in the Garfield area because I really love this school and the people that are here and I got to meet Emily”
Izzy, 9th Grade
“I’m thankful for my family and my friends, especially the ones who give me food” Simon, 10th Grade
“My family makes me happy; my mom and dad, my brother, my two sisters, and my niece and nephew” Henry, 11th Grade
“I’m thankful for magic! Most people choose the bottom card you know” Cyrus, 9th Grade
“I’m thankful “I’m thankful for for my friends chess, food, wabeing there ter, Ben Ferry, for me and for and snow. I’m the all the awesome people most thankful for snow” around me”
AViva, 9th Grade
Sam, 11th Grade
“I’m thankful for milk” Trevor, 11th Grade
“I am thankful that everytime I come home my siblings come and say hi to me and they say ‘oh we missed you’ and I say ‘aww I’m so grateful for my big a** family’”
Egeljin,, 10th Grade
“I’m thankful for the opportu“I’m thankful for my family, nity to redo my and especially my sister. kitchen, I’m She’s off at college and really into that” I really miss her” that” Thea, 10th Grade Madysin, 9th Grade
“I’m thankful for me, myself, and I”
Lauren, 9th Grade
“I’m thankful for my puffy coat in the winter” Maya, 12th Grade
“I’m thankful “I’m thankful for my for Jesus...... friends and family, and my and I’m thankful that I mom” live in a great place Winter, 9th Grade like Seattle” Georgia, 10th Grade The Garfield Messenger 11/17/2017
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A&E
Does Netflix Need to Chill?
Teen Dramas Romanticizing Mental Health Issues By Kevon Avery TW: suicide, drug and alcohol abuse, self-harm
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etflix projects 13 Reasons Why and #RealityHigh are all currently in the hot seat right now. Why? The shows listed above have been accused of promoting illegal behavior, romanticizing mental health disorders and overall negatively influencing viewers. We live in a generation where pop culture and social norms are heavily influenced by television and streaming services. Many professionals have made the argument that numerous popular teen dramas like these on Netflix endorse and romanticize mental health issues and illegal behavior amongst teens.
#Reality High “As the title suggests, #RealityHigh pushes social media, modern technology and our image-obsessed culture to the forefront of the movies narrative and visual style” said James Prestridge from Prestridge Squared, a movie critique site. #RealityHigh has been labeled as shallow and accused of encouraging our generation to be self-centered social media addicts. “We never dig below these shiny surfaces to explore anything remotely genuine or engaging” Prestridge said. But is #RealityHigh just another over-hyped high school teen drama? For those who haven’t watched #RealityHigh, the film is set in California and centers around a shy, nerdy girl named Dani Barnes. Ever since she was little Dani had a crush on the swim team captain Cameron Drake. However, her ex-best friend Alexa Medina, a reality TV star, gets in the way of Dani and Cameron. Alexa eventually dumps Cameron and later on in the movie Dani and Cameron become an item. Alexa apologizes to Dani and they rekindle their friendship which becomes unhealthy as Dani slowly loses herself the closer she gets to Alexa. Dani starts drinking, ignoring the needs of her boyfriend and best friend, and throwing away all responsibilities. After Dani gets backstabbed during one of Alexa’s vlogs she comes back to reality. Dani makes a live video to correct her mistakes and in return
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she gets everything she needed, including Cameron. It is undeniable that the main gist of the film is about social media-obsessed Californian teens trying to live life in their last months of being high schoolers, but one huge criticism of the film was how the teens in the movie were shown drinking and smoking illegally. In California, recreational marijuana and alcohol are legal at twenty one, however in the film the users are of high school age. Critics have said that this encourages underage drinking and smoking, given the fact that no one in the film is legal. “I don’t feel like it’s necessarily promoting underage drinking and drug usage, in all honesty it’s just showing us a glimpse into what high school can be like” said Garfield Junior, Janelle Gary. Although the students in the movie are generally happy while they are consuming alcohol and smoking in one of the last scenes, the use of these substances is a huge red flag for critics and families. Common Sense Media, a forum for parents, encourages that adults should talk to their children about under-
alityHigh has two people of color as leads even more impressive. There have been a few high school movies in the past that do have people of color incorporated into the main plot but none of them did as well as #RealityHigh.
13 Reasons Why Katie Dhingra, a suicide researcher from Leeds Beckett University, provides criticism for 13 Reasons Why in her piece for independent source “The Conversation”. “It normalizes and legitimizes suicide by providing clear reasons why a person would want to take their own life, the series suggests that suicide is reasonable, given a particular set of circumstances” said Dhingra. For those who haven’t watched 13 Reasons Why, the show follows Hannah Baker’s best friend Clay Jensen and Hannah in her last days of life. Clay discovers 13 cassette tapes that circulated there way through the people that hurt Hannah.Hannah, as the new girl, faced a series of different con-
Art by Emma Riddick
age drinking and use of marijuana and if they feel that this was a true representation of the teen lifestyle. Despite this criticism, #RealityHigh was revolutionary in that it is one of the first high school movies to feature people of color as leads. Many movies set in the wealthy California high school social scene have white female leads making the fact that #Re-
The Garfield Messenger 11/17/2017
f l i c t s at her school. Hannah wascalled names by her ex boyfriend, betrayed by her best friend, raped at a party, stalked by a classmate, neglected by her counselor, the list goes on. Back in June, it was reported that two fifteen year old students from California, Bella Herndon and Priscilla Chui committed suicide following their viewing of 13
Reasons Why. The two young women went to the same school, died within four days of each other, and both watched the hit series. Following the tragic death of these two students, the father of Bella Herndon, John Herndon went to KTVU to express his feelings. “Stop this. This is wrong. You’re making money off the misery of others” said Herndon. Although 13 Reasons Why was intended be a suicide prevention tool, it showed no alternatives to suicide, something that has many parents concerned. The last scene can also be very traumatic and triggering; the main character, Hannah Baker, sits in a bathtub and slits her wrist with straight razors and bleeds out, a state in which her parents later find her. “The consequences of [Hannah’s] behaviors are not accurately depicted on television” said the National Center of Biotechnology. The best friend love story between Hannah and her classmate, Clay Jensen, was distracting from the primary message and many feel that it disregarded Hannah’s actions towards the end of her life. However, Garfield junior Umoya Mckinney didn’t really see anything wrong with 13 Reasons Why. “I honestly did like ‘13 Reasons Why’, it was very intriguing and showed me another side of life that I don’t get to see,” said Mckinney. Suicide is the fourth leading cause of d e a t h amongst adolesc e n t s ranging from age twelve to nineteen according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Because of this many people feel that having a show that centers around the life of someone dealing with depression and suicidal thoughts is commendable. “I didn’t really like ‘13 Reasons Why’” said Gary, “But I feel like it’s teaching us life lessons and what’s going on with people our age.”
A&E
Student Voices Showcasing the talent of Garfield students.
Compiled by Sydney Santos
The Messenger aspires to include a diverse group of voices and perspectives. If you have any artwork, photography, or writing you’re passionate about, email ghsmessengerae@gmail.com to submit your piece!
Op-Ed by J.E.
Art by Jerald Butler, ‘018 Poem by Lily Baumgart, ‘018
At the beginning of my sophomore year, I was sexually harassed by a boy in one of my classes. I went to see my counselor with my mom, and by the end of the meeting we had settled that my teacher would be informed and asked to “observe the situation” because switching classes would be too complicated. I was scared and disgusted and uncomfortable. I was forced to realize that my only choice was to do my best to forget about it and ignore him, which is what I did. This incident and others made me realize how real slut shaming and sexaul harassment are. As a little girl, I knew the world was going to be an inherently more dangerous place for me, but I didn’t yet understand the fear, disgust, and anger I would feel. At the end of my sophomore year, at an unsanctioned Garfield event, a boy who I was friends with grabbed me inappropriately. I was so high all I could do was laugh, even though it wasn’t funny, and I didn’t want to laugh. I was scared and confused why someone I considered a friend would think it was okay to grab me like that. In that moment, I understood for the first time why my mom worried so much when I went out, and discouraged me from doing anything that could influence my ability to say no, because in that moment - I couldn’t. I don’t know if he remembers what he did, but I do know that he still thinks we’re friends. I never said anything because I was scared of what would happen if I did, and now he smiles at me in the halls and I smile back. I know I’m not alone. I know many of my friends have had similar experiences with other boys at Garfield, so boys, please remember that your actions can be inexorably damaging and that the only rights you were ever given were to your own body and no one else’s.
Check out this piece on the cover!
Read more about Lily on page 6! Afterlife the ocean holds my desecrated heart
in its tidepools
riptides loneliness from each string, plucks hairs from my spine
holding me to the floor
I have felt resistance in my heels
gravity being the only thing
that has kept me here
has left me hollow, softly scooped out
my lungs with a wooden spoon
I think that this must be
what an afterlife feels like
a whole holy emptiness
an ocean of heart.
Art by Gabriel Hopper-Manole, ‘018
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The Garfield Messenger 11/17/2017
Sports Going For Gold
The revamped 2017-2018 basketball team. By Sav’ell Smalls
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There are many reasons why this may be your favorite time of the year. But if you’re a “true dog” there’s one reason, and one reason only. Basketball. Legacy is a word you see surrounding the Garfield boys basketball team, whether it’s on T-shirts, or on social media. With over a dozen state championships, and two since the start of the decade, the program has undoubtedly been a powerhouse. The 2017-2018 team looks to continue the dominance. With the departures of seniors, Jaylen Nowell, Daejon Davis, Jelani Howard, Curtis Walker, and head coach Ed Haskins, it was looking like Garfield would begin a rebuilding phase. But with time, new additions came in, and the team is loaded. One of these transfers was senior Ed Chang, who hauled all the way from Nebraska. “The new coaching staff is pretty good, and I like coach Roy,” Chang said. “He’s a good guy. The way he acts you would never know he was a former NBA All-Star.” Although Roy is one of the humbler former NBA stars, Chang still wants to be able to pick his brain on everything he learned during his four years at the University of Washington (which the is the school Chang is committed to), and his seven years in the NBA. “I want to learn how to be a better player and person,” Chang said. “He did a lot, so I just want to get as much as possible from him.” But, Chang knows that with a new talented team, and a coach who just came off of a national championship at another school, that anything short of a championship, will be frowned upon. “We have high expectations this year,” Chang said. “We’re looking to build together as a team, and get everybody better as players. We’re looking to do big things, and one of those is to win a state championship.” Along with Chang, returning senior point guard, Ed Turner has his sights set on a state championship. “As one of the returning players from last year, I have to be a leader for the new guys,” Turner said. “I’m going to bring scoring and defense to the team. But I also have to show t h e newcomers the tradition, so we can carry on the legacy at Garfield, and win a championship.” Being a player who started under
The Garfield Messenger 11/17/2017
Ed Haskins and his coaching staff, Turner said he has enjoyed the transition to the new staff. “It’s been real smooth.” Turner said. “The returning players have been working with the new coaches to make sure that everything is smooth, and that everybody gets acclimated to the change as quick as can be.” The smooth transition has been facilitated by these new coaches. “They’re very easy going, but they push us to work very hard, harder than last year” Turner said. “They’re showing us what won them a national championship last year so we’re all bought in.” With a new attitude, and new players, Turner thinks it’s scary how good they can be. “We have better players down the table than we did last year,” Turner said. “If we can all play together we’ll reach unimaginable heights.” It’s not shocking to see how optimistic the players are to play under Roy. But out of everybody in the program, only one of these players have experienced being coached by coach Roy and that is Marjon Beauchamp. A four star recruit who won a national championship under Roy at Nathan Hale, Beauchamp echoes the thoughts of his teammates.
“It’s fun playing under [Roy],” Beauchamp said. “He knows a lot about basketball, so I like learning from him.” However, with this extremely talented team, Roy isn’t the only person he’s excited to be around. “I’m excited to play with all these guys like J’raan [Brooks], a four star recruit, Ed Chang who’s committed to UW, and all these D1 bound players.” With a whole new coaching staff at the helm, and a plethora of talented players, such as Pierre Crockrell, Tari Eason, and more, the 2017-2018 team has a chance to go down in the books as one of the best teams Garfield has ever had.
Graphic by Toby Tran
Sports
Winter Sports Preview
A sneak peak into this season’s athletic prowess. By Carlin Bills Photos by Freya Wiedemann
Girls Basketball: The final second ticks off the clock, a sea of purple and white storms the basketball court and the arena fills to the brim with school spirit. Garfield students have become accustomed to this moment following the boys basketball team winning state. However, this year it’ll be different. There’s another basketball team to look out for: Garfield girls basketball. The final second ticks off the clock, a sea of purple and white storms the basketball court and the arena fills to the brim with school spirit. Garfield students have become accustomed to this moment following the boys basketball team winning state. However, this year it’ll be different. There’s another basketball team to look out for: Garfield girls basketball. “I think we’re probably gonna win state this year,” said Brundidge, a four year Varsity player. The girls basketball team has been talented in years past, however this year’s team is poised to make a deep run into playoffs (and to finally gain the recognition they deserve). They have an incredible bond both on and off of the court. “I think we’ve grown a lot closer, we’ve built a sisterhood between one another. I feel like I can really trust these girls,” Brundidge said. Part of the reason this year’s team has such a strong bond is because there’s a core group of five seniors who have been playing together since freshman year. After four years of learning how to work together, to support themselves through tough losses and to celebrate the tenacious wins, this group of seniors have their eyes set on a ring. However, this team understands it won’t be easy to win a title. “We’re really all going to have to step up and play our role. We’re gonna have to all take it really seriously,” Brundidge said. As the team prepares themselves for their journey this season, they have a message they want their fellow Garfield students to hear. “You guys should come support us. When we’re up you guys wanna be up with us and when we’re down you guys should be down with us. That’s the Garfield Way,” Brundidge said.
Wrestling: Wrestling is a unique sport for many reasons. It’s the only sport at Garfield where both practices and competitions are coed, unlike Crosscountry whose practices are coed but competitions aren’t. This means that, up until post season, weight classes and skill determine who your opponent is during a match, not gender. Alexandra Johnson, senior on the wrestling team, is thankful for the coed nature of the sport. “Being coed is so importantly to us, and we really like it!”Johnson said. The coed nature strengthens the team as well: “If you only have guys [or] you only have girls [on the team] you don’t learn as much as you could.” However, once the match starts there is no focus on the gender of your opponent. Only one thing matters: winning. “Once you get on the mat you don’t really think about whether you’re wrestling a guy or a girl. You just think about how their body shape affects what you’re gonna do. It’s still the same goal, just how you’re gonna most effectively take them down,” Johnson said. This unique sport has drawn in many newcomers this year. “We have a lot of new people coming in which I’m really excited about, because even if our team isn’t as good as it could be this year, In future years we’ll have people who have been wrestling for longer and they can build up the skill that they need to teach other people,” Johnson said. After losing almost half of their team last year to the graduating class, the team’s main goals for this upcoming season are to develop many of these younger athletes. “I think our goal this year is to build the team going forward,” Johnson said. The team even hopes to get more new wrestlers than have shown up to preseason. “We’re always looking for new wrestlers and we love getting new wrestlers. The season hasn’t started yet and you can still come out and join, especially freshman,” Johnson said.
Boys Swimming: While the boys swim team may brand themselves as spirited and funny with their yearly speedo dance (freshman - look out, you’re in for something special), many of the swimmers, especially this year’s seniors, take their individual performances extremely seriously. This years team is hoping to bring back the goofy tradition that is the speedo dance, for those of year that were concerned with its absence last year, since it is the epitome of the boys swim team’s spirit. Senior captain Andrew Woodworth enjoys this one of a kind spirit. “It’s very fun. The boys swim team has a very unique vibe to it. It’s just a bunch of boy’s kinda being dumb together. Its really funny,” Woodworth said. Despite the boys swim team’s funny and light hearted exterior, the team is serious when it comes down to working hard in b and competitions. The team has a core of driven and hardworking seniors who have their sights set on making it to state this year including Andrew Woodworth, Sam Bert, Ian Scott and Andrew Osborne. However, the team isn’t just veterans, it will also include a lot of inexperienced swimmers this season. “As a whole we have a lot of new swimmers this year and there are some upperclassmen joining that haven’t been swimming. We lost a lot of seniors last year so hopefully we can keep a lot of people on the team and keep the spirit,” Woodworth said. One of the main goals of the team this season is not only to keep the boys swim spirit alive but to make the year memorable. “I want our senior year to be a year that people try to one up every year. I want us to keep on getting better and for it to be a challenge next year to be better than us,” Woodworth said. The other goal of the boys swim team? To get more fans to come watch their meets this season. “Come out to the swim meets.” suggests Woodworth. “They’re really fun.”
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Sports By John Volk
Photos by Toby Tran
On the fast track
Girls soccer rocks ribbons During a playoff game on October 20th, something was a bit different about the girls soccer team, or rather their cleats. Each athlete had a teal and purple ribbon tied around their laces to raise awareness for sexual assault and domestic violence respectively. Engineered by senior and captain Elise Morris, as well as the Messenger’s own Carlin Bills, the team was out to make a powerful statement. “The message we were trying to send out was that we as a team went through the SLAY program,” Morris said. “ And we were really committed to being unified in our stance against sexual violence and domestic abuse.” The SLAY program (Student Leaders and Athletic Youth) started at Garfield two years ago with the girl’s sports teams, alongside Coaching Boys into Men for the boys, both with the goal of preventing gender based violence. “This all started because of SLAY
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and now that’s becoming a nationwide program. We’re spreading it to six other states all around the country,” said Morris. “Not a lot of people know this but Garfield was the first school to make SLAY happen.” For girls soccer, these ribbons were something they were able to rally around. “When I mentioned it in the group chat people automatically had an overwhelming positive response like ‘yeah this is such a cool idea, I’m 100% for it,’” said Morris. “We weren’t gonna do it if it wasn’t a unified team thing.” So what can we do to help? “What people can do at Garfield everyday is check their language, especially athletes who hold more reputation,” Morris said. “It is very powerful [to make] sure you’re checking you know where you stand at this school and how you’re impacting others.”
The Garfield Messenger 11/17/2017
competing against other people,” said Nguyen, her trademark smile stretching across her face. “I just wanted to have the need for speed I guess.” At first it was difficult for Nguyen to get in the groove of things but she has come to find a welcoming cross country community. “I was just too scared to socialize with other people and I was too afraid to go to their pasta feast because I was still very shy to meet new people,” Nguyen said. “But I knew I had some friends on the team, so I didn’t really feel left out even though I was the only person with a disability on the team.” Nguyen has a very powerful message for anyone hesitant to give a new sport a try. “When I challenged myself to do cross country this fall I knew that it was going to be a tough path,” Nguyen said. “ I would say they can participate in any sport they want to, they just gotta put their mind to it.”
GHS vs Seattle Prep (L) 0-3 GHS vs Ingraham (W) 5-2 GHS vs Roosevelt (W) 1-0 GHS vs West Seattle (L) 1-2 GHS vs Holy Names (T) 0-0 GHS vs Chief Sealth (W) 6-0 GHS vs Cleveland (W) 7-0 GHS vs Ingraham (W) 2-0 GHS vs Lakeside (T) 0-0 GHS vs West Seattle (L) 0-1 GHS vs Ballard (T) 0-0 GHS vs Cleveland (W) 8-0 GHS vs Chief Sealth (W) 2-1 GHS vs Nathan Hale (W) 2-1 GHS vs Seattle Prep (L) 0-4 GHS vs Eastside Catholic (W) 3-1 GHS vs Ingraham (L) 0-1
GHS vs Archbishop Murphy (L) 37-18 GHS vs Bellevue (L) 16-34 GHS vs Nathan Hale (W) 55-13 GHS vs Seattle Prep (W) 46-34 GHS vs Eastside Catholic (L) 8-43 GHS vs Rainier Beach (L) 12-27 GHS vs Roosevelt (W) 59-15 GHS vs O’Dea (L) 13-28 GHS vs Everett (W) 41-0 GHS vs Lincoln (W) 44-41 GHS vs Eastside Catholic TBD
Football
Josephine Nguyen might not look like your traditional cross country star. Her wheelchair and hot pink crutches most likely wouldn’t immediately tip someone off that she is a member of Garfield’s state winning girl’s track team or their fourth place finishing girl’s cross country team. But don’t be fooled. Behind her warm and bubbly personality lies one of Garfield’s hardest working and most inspirational competitors from the fall season. After being placed in theater her freshman year, Nguyen found that the stage was not for her. She knew she had to shake things up the next year. “What drew me into sports was I wanted to try something different,” Nguyen said. “I wanted to be a part of something, like a club or an activity, just to get a [greater] sense of high school and being a part of a team.” And it couldn’t be just any sport. “What really drew me into running was I like to race people. I like the feeling of going fast and
Girls Soccer
GHS athletes making an impact.
Fall Box Scores
Volleyball
Fall Sports Recap
GHS vs Federal Way (L) 1-3 GHS vs Eastside Catholic (L) 0-3 GHS vs Lakeside (L) 0-3 GHS vs Curtis (L) 0-3 GHS vs Chief Sealth (W) 3-0 GHS vs North Creek (L) 0-3 GHS vs West Seattle (W) 3-0 GHS vs Ingraham (W) 3-0 GHS vs Rainier Beach (W) 3-0 GHS vs Cleveland (W) 3-0 GHS vs Franklin (W) 3-0 GHS vs Nathan Hale (W) 3-1 GHS vs Ballard (L) 0-3 GHS vs Roosevelt (L) 0-3 GHS vs Seattle Prep (L) 0-3 GHS vs Cleveland (W) 3-0 GHS vs West Seattle (W) 3-1 GHS vs Ingraham (W) 3-0 GHS vs Bishop Blanchet (L) 0-3
Cross Country Girls won 1st in Districts Boys placed 9th in Districts Isabel Schmidt placed 15th overall in State Girls placed 4th in State
Sports
Gym-back-stics
Gymnastics team returns to Garfield.
I
By John Volk
n February of 2012 the Garfield gymnastics team rolled up the signature purple floor and competed for the final time, with their hopes of future years shrouded in doubt. However after a lengthy five year hiatus, flips, flyaways, and back handsprings are returning to Garfield. When athletic director Carole Lynch arrived at Garfield earlier this year, she had the same reaction most new students have. “I was like ‘what do you mean we don’t have a gymnastics team?’” Lynch said. “With 1800 students here, we have enough students and probably enough gymnasts out there.” Lynch, determined to fix Garfield’s lack of a gymnastics team, found a group that had already gotten this process started. “I knew coming in I was gonna try to bring back a gymnastics team,” Lynch said. “Little did I know there [were] students out there that were like ‘let’s try and get the gymnastics team back.’” The student at the helm of this movement is sophomore Margot Morris. Having spent most of her life in the sport, Morris now wants to compete alongside her classmates
MESS GUESS
in a Garfield leotard. “I thought it was a bummer that we didn’t have [a team] anymore,” Morris said. “We have a lot of interest and a lot of people so I just don’t see why we didn’t have one.” Lynch and Morris combined forces and held a meeting to discern the next steps to get a team. The meeting attracted twenty students, and five more said they wished they could have made it. “Things that we need are at least 12 people to turn in their gymnastics form [and] we need a coach,” Morris said. 9th Grade: Otto Sapora
“And then the third thing we discussed at the meeting was [that] we can’t practice
at our gym because the way the floor is built, [so] we can’t put any equipment on it.” As of now, eight students had submitted their paperwork with eight days to go before the deadline. Getting a new Art by Kathryn Porter gym floor and finding a coach for Garfield, however, was highly unlikely. Lynch decided to improvise.
10th Grade: Clara Ne vil le
11th Grad e: S aad i a Tr u th
“I put out to the league, I said ‘my school wants to have this gymnastics program again. Is there anybody who will combine with us?’” Lynch said. “One school in particular stepped right up to the plate and that. So what does that mean for Garfield gymnasts? “So we are going to be combining with [Roosevelt], however, Garfield will be its own program,” Lynch said. “So our girls are wearing Garfield and representing Garfield and compete as a team but right now they’re going to be coached by the Roosevelt coach until we find a coach.” After enduring five long years without gymnastics, Garfield’s gymnasts could not be more excited for this team’s future. “We’re getting more people to sign up and trying to get as big a team as possible,” Morris said. “We might not have the most enormous team this year but I think once people start hearing about it more next season we’ll be pretty big. [Gymnastics] is just super fun.”
12th Grade: Aidan Ewing
Staff: Keenan & Valentino
UW
UW
WSU
UW
UW
Sounders
Sounders
Sounders
Sounders
Sounders
NBA: Warriors vs Thunder
Warriors
Thunder
Warriors
Warriors
Warriors
EPL: Tottenham vs Arsenal
Arsenal
Tottenham
Tottenham
Arsenal
Arsenal
UCLA
Baylor
UCLA
Baylor
Baylor
Apple Cup: WSU vs UW MLS: Sounders vs Dynamo
Women’s College Basketball: Baylor vs UCLA
Debuting, the new and improved Mess Guess! This version features a grade war with each grade being represented by a student in their class selected by a random name generator. On top of this, the staff will be competing in hopes to flaunt their superior sports knowledge. Win totals will be tallied at the end of each issue and compiled at the end of the year to convey the sportiest grade. If picked, the weight of your grade is on your shoulders, so pick wisely.
Tally: 9th:0-0 10th:0-0 11th:0-0 12th:0-0 Staff: 0-0
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HALL QUOTES @GARFIELDHALLS