The Garfield Messenger: Volume 95, Issue 5

Page 1

January 27, 2017

Volume 95, Issue 5

An Open Forum for Student Expression


Supporters of The Garfield Messenger Benefactors Bridge Partners Susan Byrnes Patrons Anonymous (2) Beth Britt Ellen Chestnut Gabrielle Coulon Harry Cheadle Kim & Michelle Gould Tana Lin & Paul Holland Friends Anonymous (9) Ann Hollar Argeres Family Deborah and Keith Ferguson DeBody, LLC Elana Jassy Heath Foster Psychology Janet Gwilym and Bing Tso Jay & Alicia Edgar Joseph Hurley Julie Wohle and Rick Kolpa Karin Brooks and Simon Woods Kristen Rooks Laura Gardner & Hiroshi Matsubara Margaret Sullivan Nancy Sapiro and Lincoln Miller Phebe O’Neil Porter Family Shelton Family Theatre of Possibility Thury Gudmundsdottir Tracy Rowland and Larry Reid Trina Blake 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

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

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The Garfield Messenger 01/27/2017


Contents

Volume 95 Issue 5 January 27, 2017

NEWS

A&E

News Briefs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Lawrence’s Art Migrates to Seattle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

by Josh Chestnut

by Sydney Santos

Get To Know: Alma Salisbury. .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Garfield Throws its First Snowball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Womxn’s March on the World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

A Look Inside a Teacher’s Library. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

by Allani Seals

by Claire Boudour & Charlotte Gong

by Flora Taagen

by Claire Boudour

Finals First Aid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

by Alex Ferry

FEATURES

Haute Dogs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

Serving up Justice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

A Shift in the Spotlight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

by Kiki Manning

by Esther Chien

Upstander of the Issue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Messenger’s Oscar Picks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

by Sydney Santos & Cipher Goings

by Quinn Sullivan

by Bella Rowland-Reid

Obama’s Legacy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 by Lily Laesch

Meet Otieno Terry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 by Julia Lin

Just Justice? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 by Susana Davidson & Jessica Morales

SPORTS DUNK SZN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 By Emma Cooper, Josh Chestnut, & Bella Rowland- Reid

OPINION

Alternative Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Dear White People, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Play On! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Two Halves Make a Whole. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Pinning Down the Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

by Elena Orlando

by Delphi Drake-Mudede, Allani Seals, Susana Davidson, & Jessica Morales by Gabe True

by Julia Reguera by Ann Shan

Sports Round Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 by Emma Cooper

Writing Executive Bella Rowland-Reid Graphics Executive Cora Andersen Bicknell Graphics Editor Elliott Hoppe Section Editors Hannah Tacke • Quinn Sullivan Elena Orlando • Emma Cooper Business Executive David Willner Webmaster Miraya Horton Advisor Corey Allan Martin

Writers Alex Ferry • Allani Seals • Ann Shan Charlotte Gong • Cipher Goings • Claire Boudour • Delphi Drake-Mudede Esther Chien • Flora Taagen • Jessica Morales • Josh Chestnut • Julia Lin • Kiki Manning • Lily Laesch • Susana Davidson • Sydney Santos Photographers Freya Wiedemann • Peter Kubiniec Ruby Seiwerath Illustrators Brianna Kleckner • Ana Matsubara Business Staff Paulette Argeres • Julia Reguera

Finals First Aid pg. 14 Art by Brianna Kleckner

Cover photo by Carson Jones

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News Get to Know

News Briefs By Josh Chestnut

Alma Salisbury.

Transgender Bathroom Repeal in WA

W

hile many teenagers have crushes on celebrities like Beyonce and Shawn Mendes, senior Alma Salisbury looks up to people like Michael Phelps, Nathan Adrian, and Simone Manuel. Alma recalls being familiar with the sport as a little kid. “My dad taught classes with me and I’ve always been a water baby. I took swim classes and ended up liking it,” said Salisbury. As a member on Garfield’s swim team, Alma compliments her Photo by Ruby Seiwerath coach, David Johnson, for making swimming an inclusive space for everyone. “He gives us lots of manageable sets; He can make them harder for people who swim faster than me, or [easier] for people just starting out on swim team. He knows how to work with everybody.” Even though the team is cohesive in itself, Alma shared her struggles and privileges as a female swimmer of color. “When I first joined swim team, people were like, ‘Oh, I didn’t know black people

could swim.” I was like, ‘Yeah, there are some like that,’ but there’s also the fact I’m mixed,” shared Salisbury. “Managing my hair is easier than for someone that is 100% African American.” Outside of school Alma is a lifeguard a Rainier Beach Community Pool. “I really enjoy loving teach three-yearolds how to swim because they’re cute and ambitious. Watching the Olympics this summer inspired a lot of them to become pro swimmers and that’s really cool,” said Salisbury. Although swimming is one of her main activities, Alma said she doesn’t aspire to be a pro swimmer. “I can barely juggle schoolwork and swim, even though I manage to get to swim practice most days.” Nevertheless, her passion for swimming hasn’t ceased thanks to her little brother, Chukundi. “He’s on swim team too and he loves it. He wants to be like me, which I think is great.” -AS

The issue surrounding the use of public and private bathrooms continues in Washington state. The beginning of 2017 was met with a group called I Just Want Privacy, filing a ballot initiative in order to repeal the previous bathroom rule installed by the Human Rights Commission in 2015. The previous rule allows people in public and private places to go the bathroom in accordance to their gender identity rather than the sex they were assigned at birth. I Just Want Privacy, whose slogan reads, “no men in the women’s locker room” is currently racing to get the 259,622 necessary signatures in support of their repeal before the November general-election ballot of 2017. This group has faced intense opposition from various public leaders, businesses, and community groups who value the current law. However, Privacy hopes to enforce a new rule requiring restrictive bathroom use in schools where people must use the bathroom that matches the sex on their birth certificate. They believe that businesses can regulate this issue themselves.

2016: Hottest Year in History

The year 2016 was likely the hottest year ever recorded thanks to temperature data from NASA and the UK Met Office. This past year’s temperatures trumped those from 2015 and marked the third year in a row in which the temperature record was broken. Although the differences are slim and within the margin of error, these trends are concerning and many scientists believe it is brought on by a mix of global warming and the greenhouse gas effect. Keeping up with this trend, 16 of the 17 hottest years on record have occurred since 2000, as recording started in the 1880s. Overall, temperatures across the globe were 1.1 degrees Celsius above the pre-industrial average, putting us closer to the 1.5 degree warming goal set at the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

Terrorist Attack in Jerusalem

On January 7, 2017 a terrorist attack occurred in Jerusalem, killing four Israeli soldiers and wounding at least 15 others. The attack was perpetrated by Fadi al-Qanbar, a Palestinian man in his 20s that had previously spent time in Israeli prison. Qanbar used a truck to plow through innocent soldiers and Israelites in a vehicle that may have been stolen. This attack occurred in the midst of high tensions between the Israelis and Palestinians after Donald Trump’s plan to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. On top this, calls from Israeli ministers to annex parts of the occupied Palestine territories increased tensions. Still, no one has claimed responsibility for the attack that occurred at a scenic outlook looking over Jerusalem and the Old City.

TUTORING & TEST PREP Lessons by Chris Morris-Lent • GHS ‘06 • Columbia ‘09 Guaranteed gains:

+200 SAT • +4 ACT • 1 academic letter grade Chris possesses the qualities of an “inspirational and worthy tutor; and we highly and unequivocally recommend him to others! ” lucky enough to be Chris’ “I wasjournalism teacher on the —V. Nori, Redmond

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206tutoring.com • contact@206tutoring.com • 206-551-7843 The Garfield Messenger 01/27/2017


News

Womxn’s March On The World 4.6 million take to the streets. By Claire Boudour and Charlotte Gong

P

eople from all over the country traveled by bus, train, car, bike, and foot to gather in the streets - faced by the daunting Washington monument. Just the day before, President Donald Trump’s inauguration had been held in this very same place. But this was a new day. A roaring sea of pink flowed through the city, all heading to the same place: the Women’s March on Washington. This historical event, which attracted more than four hundred thousand people to Washington D.C. and over two million to sister marches worldwide, all began with a Facebook post. The night of the national election, a Hawaiian woman named Teresa Shook made an event page, quickly gaining local and national attention. By the next morning, she’d already received ten thousand responses. In the following weeks, it gained attention as people organized marches all over the globe for the same day, in 46 states and 17 countries. The march was preceded by a rally in the streets of D.C., featuring speakers like activist Gloria Steinem, mayor Muriel Bowser, and CNN commentator Van Jones, as well as many others. While these speeches covered a variety of topics and interests, there was one clear theme: Trump’s policies and appointed cabinet will not be accepted by the American people, and that activism has to continue past the current adrenaline and through Trump’s presidency in order to block his future actions. With an extensive and diverse list of re-

nowned speakers, each speech or performance sparked positive uproar in the crowds. The stage, set between 3rd and 4th street on Independence Avenue, could be viewed by large monitors placed blocks apart. Michael Moore, Academy Award-winning director and activist, spoke at the rally and pleaded the audience to take action beyond the march saying, “I want you to call congress every single day. Each of you have one representative in the house and two senators. And they have a phone number.” He then read the phone number to the Congressional Switchboard aloud, which prompted thousands of calls in the hours following the event. Kamala Harris, California’s newly elected Junior Senator, echoed the importance of continuing to stand up against oppression during her speech. “We’ve got our work set out for us and it’s going to get harder before it gets easier. This was a day for all of us to come together in our nation’s capital to be seen, heard, and felt. Let’s make today a beginning, let’s buckle in because it’s going to be a bumpy ride. [...] Let’s get to work,” said Harris. The importance of inclusion and intersectionality, the idea that multiple identities intersect to create a whole that is different from the pieces, were also stressed by many of the speakers. “We live and breathe the understanding that justice cannot be for just us. We cannot be free at each other’s expense or if any of us remain targeted. Our America

Photos courtesy of Erin Byrnes

includes all of us in our beautiful diversity. [...] Our america needs us to build a better future,” said Zahra Billoo, a civil rights lawyer and activist who spoke at the rally. Billoo urged those who attended the protest to “interrupt racism,” “commit to take action every day,” and, “make resistance your lifestyle.” As the rally wrapped up, antsy crowds prepared to march. The masses turned around, and marched together toward the White House. Despite the event’s success there has been significant criticism of the Women’s March movement, as people have seen it as exclusionary toward womxn of color and trans or nonbinary individuals who will be equally, if not more, affected by Trump’s policies and those of the now-Republican majority congress. “Pink p***y hats”, worn by thousands of protesters, blew up on social media in the weeks leading up to the march. Los Angeles resident Krista Suh started the trend, for the purpose of making a statement while staying warm at the march. Soon, people across the country were knitting them for sale at coffee shops, boutiques, or for giving to their friends and family. Meant as a symbol of unity and a dig at President Trump’s comments centered around “grabbing women by the pussy,” these hats became divisive very quickly. “By making a vagina the symbol of this movement, they’re excluding so many people. Not all womxn have vaginas, and not everyone with a vagina identifies as female,” said one anonymous marcher who refused

to wear one, “This is typical white feminism, ignoring any intersectionality and only catering to the interest of middle class cisgendered white women.” Janet Mock, a transgender woman and author, touched on the importance of intersectionality in her speech. “I cannot survive on righteous anger alone. Our approach to freedom need not be identical, but it must be intersectional and inclusive.,” said Mock, “Just because we are oppressed does not mean that we do not fall victim to the same unconscious shaming and policing.” News reports have called this the biggest single day march in U.S. history. It still isn’t clear how its palpable enthusiasm will translate into change in the coming months - and years of Trump’s presidency, but this certainly was an important act of unity in the face of an uncertain future.

How to do more: - Visit Risenow.us - Call (202)225-3121 to voice your opinions to Congress

-Visit 100daysofresistance.org -Donate to Planned Parenthood -Donate to NAACP

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Features Upstander of the Issue

Meet Betelhem Muno. By Quinn Sullvan

Photo by Ruby Seiwerath

What is the Five Girl Powers Project? My mom and a group of other girls and women created this website that has stories, videos, and activities where you can try to create your own girl positive power culture. They are resources that people can access and use on their own. What are the five powers? They are power circle, power source, power house, power surge, and power play. *Go to their website (fivegirlspower.com) to find out more about what these mean! What is the goal of this project? Just trying to raise girls up. I think it’s helping the girls who use it to find their powers and allowing them a space to gain confidence and realize that could lead them to create change. I think it is there to help women create a foundation for themselves. If it’s actually used, it could help create women who are powerful.

Serving Up Justice

Seattle Youth Traffic Court. By Kiki Manning Got a traffic ticket? Instead of paying, teens have the chance to go through Garfield’s own peer led restorative justice program. Seattle Youth Traffic Court, founded in 2012, partners with Seattle Municipal Court, Seattle Police Department, and Seattle University School of Law to hold monthly hearings for young drivers. The program’s most prominent feature is the emphasis on restorative justice. Sophomore Jennet Mitikie serves primarily as a judge and believes that programs gives valuable networking opportunities to the students involved. “Let’s say you had a speeding ticket, instead of them having to pay the ticket and not think about it again and probably commit the same thing over again, we take the case into youth court,” said Mitikie. “It’s all about giving back to the community and putting the responsibility in their hands.” High school volunteers in the program work as various roles in the court such as bailiff, judge, and attorneys. The cohort meets twice a month, once at SU for training and case assignments, and then a second time at the Seattle Municipal Court downtown. Mitikie believes Youth Court fosters a sense of community between peers. “I love the people, I feel like I would not have met some of the people that I have if not for Youth Court. It meshes so many different groups together,” she said. Law students at Seattle University serve as mentors for the high schoolers involved, working with them on cases and facilitating the monthly trainings and hearings. “The connections are really valuable, we get to work one on one with Seattle University Law stu-

dents, they give us insight on going to school for law and pursuing it as a career,” said Mitikie. Junior Dahlia Gemmer is one of the high school student mentors, and was driven to join Youth Court by a personal connection. “My mom helped to create the Bothell Youth Court when she was in college and so I signed up when I found out about a similar program at Garfield,” said Gemmer. Seattle’s not the only city in Washington with a youth court, similar programs are found in Bellevue, Cheney, and Issaquah just to name a few. The courts come together annually at the Washington State Association of Youth Court’s statewide conference. As of this year Gemmer became one of the high school mentors, working more behind the scenes, she helps prep for the trainings and hearings. “I like the program because it has helped me tremendously with my public speaking as well as allowing my to become more comfortable in leadership positions that I had shied away from in the past,” she said. Both Mitikie and Gemmer agree that the group needs more members. With the low time commitment, and easy community service hours the duo hopes to entice more students to join. “We need more students involved. Every week it’s kind of a struggle to have every role filled in order to have a successful hearing, often leading to prosecution, bailiffs, and judges having to stay on 4 cases. While if we had more people involved they would be on 2 cases maximum.

What is your role in this project? I helped with interviewing and pictures for the website. I also wrote my own power story. We are trying to get more people to know more about it and to write their stories. I also do Young Women in Power where we brainstorm ideas that help with power and my mom kind of combined some of those ideas to create this website. Why did you chose to share your story? I feel like some people may relate to that story. That could help them feel less alone. They are all unique problems, but they are also all relatable. Why does this target women and girls specifically? I think men can be allies and I think they need to get educated too. But I think women need to find the power within themselves. When they do that, they can help men to see it their way. I think women can be the change for themselves, it has to come from within, not an outside source. What do you want all girls to do right now? Make sure they are living to their full potential. [We want] to make girls feel like they can do anything. To learn more about the Five Girl Powers Project, participate in activities, share your story, or contribute, visit www.fivegirlpowers.com.

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The Garfield Messenger 01/27/2017

Photo courtesy of Maragret Fisher

Garfield students Phillip Bates, Milena Haile, and Jennet Mitikie at the Washington State Youth Court confrence in November.


Opinion

Dear White People, Racism 101.

By AllanI Seals, Jessica Morales, Susana Davidson and Delphi Drake-Mudede

I

Reverse Racism

n 2014, president Donald Trump went to Twitter with an issue he had with the show Black-ish. “Can you imagine the furor of a show, ‘Whiteish’!” he tweeted. “Racism at highest level?” The idea of reverse racism isn’t new. However in recent years, it has become more popularized due to the use of social media. This argument is most often used by white people when racially oppressed groups call out discrimination, or create spaces for themselves. Examples of this would be the BET awards, Black History Month, or affirmative action. The myth of reverse racism has been debunked multiple times, but many still fail to grasp the fact that you can’t be racist to white people. Our capitalist white supremacist system was created to benefit white people, therefore white people are immune to being racially harmed by it. This includes stereotypes, generalizations, or labels. Being told you can’t dance, being told you don’t know how to season your food, won’t get you killed, it won’t disenfranchise you from opportunities you receive because of your white privilege - all it will do is hurt your feelings. Racism and feelings don’t intersect whatsoever. However, there are some who continue to believe that white people experience discrimination similar to what people of color experience.

a person through higher education. According to Inter Group resources, the indicators of structural racism are the inequalities in opportunities, power, and treatment. All other forms of racism (Internalized, Interpersonal, and Institutionalized) stem from structural racism. Although white people can be negatively affected by other systems of structural oppression like elitism and sexism, they cannot experience structural racism because there are no societal norms that are oppressive towards white people because they are white. Though most people and institutions do not consciously partake in structural racism, it is widespread and threatening to communities of color.

Institutional Racism

It’s also important to rebuke the neoliberal opinion (as put by Davis) that these men are locked up because of “their own private family upbringing and their inability to take moral responsibility for their actions”, and not the oppressive, classist and racist society we live in. Defying institutional racism seems intimidating because it’s the foundation of our society, but there are ways to challenge institutions around in the world. Support an institution that’s ran by a person of color, like a Black-owned bank. Instead of going to Forever 21, check out Etsy for unique and dope clothes designed by people of color; better yet, boycott an institution that regularly oppressing people of color. Be like Ruby Bridges and find the courage to question the validity of European history at the expense of by people of color’s narratives. Small acts like this can help dismantle institutional racism and create a more inclusive society for for the Black and Brown people who helped create it.

Structural racism in the US is the normalization of aspects of our society used to benefit white people at the expense of Black, Latino, Asian, Pacific Islander, Arab, and people of color. This would include the acceptance of the fact that Black and Brown people make up the majority of people living in poverty and those incarcerated in the US. At Garfield, it’s the normalization of AP classes filled with White and Asian students. The track for AP and Honors classes begin as early as kindergarten, and follows

Interpersonal Racism

Internalized Racism

Structural Racism

Art by Ana Matsubara

Although some believe that internalized racism remains within the brain of the oppressors, it can also manifest within communities of color. “It’s perpetuated by white people because of the enforcement, normalization and glorification of eurocentric qualities,” says senior Alina Parker. “Qualities like blue eyes and small noses.” You can’t get rid of the eurocentric beauty standards that have been practiced for centuries, but you can do little things to combat it in your everyday life. Start conversations, learn and form opinions. Love yourself and your culture, and don’t put others down because of theirs.

At the tender age of 6, Ruby Bridges became the first Black child to desegregate a white school in 1960. This event became exemplary in the Black community because it defied institutional racism: the practices of social institutions that disproportionately affect people of color’s abilities to access services or goods. Some of these institutions include government sects, courts of law, schools, banks and even hospitals. Education is an institution that everyone is familiar with. While schools today are integrated, institutional racism in education reigns: Eurocentric curriculum suggests that history of people of color is irrelevant or unimportant; even the achievement gap and lack of Black and Brown bodies in AP and honors courses is a result of institutional racism. It’s important to acknowledge that White people aren’t negatively affected by institutional racism in the way that people of color are. According to a passage in Angela Davis’s book The Meaning of Freedom and Other Difficult Dialogues, institutional racism is evident in our criminal justice system: 1 out of 9 Black men between the ages of 20-24 are incarcerated, and only 1 out of 60 White men of the same age range are incarcerated.

Developing habits takes a while. Teaching yourself to draw for an hour everyday, or make your bed before you leave the house in the morning may take days, even months to become second nature. Unlearning habits can be even harder, especially those that you have practiced for all your life. Racism isn’t part of human nature. It hasn’t existed forever. Although this may be some comfort to you, the fact is that the practice of racial discrimination has existed for over 350 years. Breaking a habit that has been around for this long will take more time to unlearn than biting your nails. “Internalized racism is a concept made by white people to make black people hate themselves,” says senior Kyara Jackson, senior. It is defined as our conscious or unconscious private beliefs and biases influenced by culture and history.

Interpersonal racism can be a bit more difficult to notice. This type of racism happens between individuals, meaning, having racial biases, negative attitudes towards different racial groups or cultures, saying racial slurs, and acting on hate crimes and racial violence. An example would be microaggressions, which is a subtle and indirect comment usually made to unintentionally discriminate against a person of color or marginalized communities. “I see it in the groups of black people at my school when they try to say that they’re better because they’re lighter or they’ll make fun of the darker people because of their features,” said Kyara Jackson. The microaggression Jackson is referring to is known as colorism. Colorism is usually done within the same racial group, it’s the belief that because one is lighter, they’re better. Feeling like your skin color is better than someone else’s, or you’re more intelligent and attractive because of your shade, is an example of internalized racism. However, when members of the same community join to come together and oppress others because of their darker skin, it is an example of interpersonal racism.

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Opinion

Features

Obama’s Legacy Two Halves Make a Whole A look back at the last 8 years. By Lily Laesch

+2.5

million deportations

-16%

drop in violent crime

X2

federal debt doubles

-5%

drop in unemployment rate

+134%

gun production spike

-12%

drop in CO2 emissions

+322%

New hope for carbon taxing. By Guest Writer Gabriel True

The presidential election hit hard, and the failure of Washington State’s carbon tax really packed the punch. At a critical point in international efforts to combat global warming, we have deepened our problems. Initiative 732 proposed the first carbon tax in our nation’s history. However, this bill was controversial among environmental activists, and thus did not pass in Washington State. It would have shifted our existing tax burden away from taxes on goods, businesses and families, and onto companies that produce carbon pollution. The intent was to motivate big carbon consuming companies to look for more reusable sources of energy. This carbon tax projected a contribution of 2.2 billion dollars to Washington State’s annual 21 billion dollar tax revenue. This revenue would also play out in the lives of many Washington State lower-income families, as they would have received tax refunds through WFTR (Working Families Tax Rebate). As companies would begin to cut down their carbon emissions, the tax would increase by a 3.5% inflation rate so carbon emissions would become more expensive to release each year. However, months before the vote, I-732 divided many activist groups around Washington. Carbon Washington, a nonprofit activist group lead by environmental economist Yoram Bauman, drafted the 1-732 but was unable reach out to communities of color. Bauman aimed to create a plan that would be more likely to pass by making I-732 revenue neutral (the income for the state from the shift in taxes would be equivalent). Carbon WA hoped the initiative would appeal to conservative areas, such as Eastern Washington and, at the same time, keep the bigger companies from moving out of state and taking jobs with them. The Alliance for Jobs and Clean Energy is a separate non-profit coalition of Washington climate activist groups including Got Green and Climate Solutions. However, The Alliance never drafted their own initiative, instead focusing on how to build consensus within Washington’s diverse communities. According to Senior Policy Advisor of Climate Solutions, KC Golden, The Alliance didn’t want to split the vote for a carbon tax by creating a second initiative. The Alliance criticized Initiative-732’s revenue proposal, predicting that it would have negative revenue and take safety net resources away from lower-income families in Washington. As the election drew closer, tension between activist groups grew with organizations like the Sierra Club and 350.org opposing I-732. Climate change deniers and general anti-tax people also voted against the initiative; thus Obamacare becomes a law and health care coverage is extended to millions.

March 2010

The President nominates his second justice, Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court.

May 2010

the first carbon tax of the country did not pass. A carbon tax system was established in British Columbia in 2008 and was successful, lowering the province’s carbon emissions by 16% according to The Economist. Since then, California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia have formed the Pacific Coast Collaborative (PCC) to pursue joint action on climate change issues, proclaiming that they will strive to take “bold action to achieve the targets set in the Paris Agreement” according to the Seattle Post Intelligencer. The Alliance is hoping to draft an initiative for the 2018 or 2020 elections, depending on whether the legislature can create their own climate action bills that will lower carbon emissions and move towards clean energy. The Alliance intends to continue to reach out to poorer communities in an attempt to understand their needs. When it comes to environmental issues, lower income families are notoriously the most affected yet least consulted. This is referred to as “environmental racism.” As for Carbon WA, Yoram Bauman spoke hopefully of the future. “We’re still trying to figure out what to do next… We’re not going to tackle climate change by doing nothing, so I’m eager to see continued efforts to put a price on carbon in 2018,” said Bauman. Last month Governor Jay Inslee proposed a new carbon tax policy to the legislature (“Carbon Pricing Plan for Washington”). According to the governor’s website, the revenue created from the tax would introduce new energy efficiency programs. Another development that is picking up speed is the federal and state lawsuits against the government for failing to take action on climate change. The lawsuit is lead by Our Children’s Trust, a program of youth that, according to their press release, is set on implementing “enforceable science-based climate recovery plans that will return atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration to levels below 350 ppm.” You can sign the petition to support this groundbreaking lawsuit at www.ourchildrenstrust.org. The failure of I-732 was a wake-up call that we need to unite our efforts against climate change. Global warming costs a lot more than any tax ever could. If we become the first state with carbon taxing, there is great potential that other states will follow. However, a carbon tax alone is not enough. Call on your legislators to protect our environment. Tell your family and spread the word that an improved version of the carbon tax initiative may appear on 2018’s ballot. Let’s spur the movement in our nation! Direct your anger from the election into good use! Obama gives the order killing Osama Bin Laden, the orchestrator of the deadly 9/11 attacks.

May 2011

Obama passes the DACA order, saving undocumented kids from deportation.

June 2012

spike in clean energy Statistics from The Annenberg Public Policy Center

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April 2010

The BP Oil Rig explodes, spilling more than 200 million tons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

November 2010 The Republican Party takes control of the House of Representatives.

August 2011 The last American troops depart Iraq.


Features Meet Otieno Terry

From bulldog to big time musician. By Julia Lin tieno Terry graduated from Garfield in 2011. As a young, local musician, Otieno shared insight on his path through Garfield and into the music industry.

O

What advice do you have for aspiring musicians at Garfield? Keep going. Really get into it. Stay present in your music, and your art and your craft. Stay humble and stay willing. Don’t stop practicing. That’s been tough for me because the business gets very heavy. The work around the music gets heavy so it’s important to stay connected to the inner child and the inner music and the reason why you do what you do in the first place.

What did you do after you graduated? After I graduated I went to school for a little while. I was a busser at a restaurant on Capitol Hill. I was going to Bellevue College for a year and then I wasn’t happy so I left Bellevue and quit my job. I went to Seattle Central and then I dropped out and started doing music full time. I might go back, but this is working right now.

Your song See the End with Sol addresses current social and racial issues. How do you use music as a platform to share your voice and influence others?

Were you involved in any music programs at Garfield? I was in vocal jazz choir with Ms.Burton. I was in the music room all the time playing piano or secretly recording.

I believe that through my art and what I’ve learned and what I’m passionate about, finding the courage to be able to speak about the things that I’m really not cool with (racism, sexism and all the -isms that are suppressive or oppressive). I use music as a way to challenge the way people think and feel. I’ve used music to bring people together. I feel like a lot of the issues come from us having apathy and not having the will to congregate or the will to tell people how we really feel. I would like for my music to inspire people to speak their truth, to be a part of the change they want to see.

How did your time at GHS shape you? It really gave me perspective on networking and the world. I didn’t know this until leaving but it helped me understand the importance of relationships. It disciplined me. It was very humbling. I learned a lot about the world that I’m living in now, seeing the systematic “-isms”: racism, sexism, seeing them here in a much smaller environment. It definitely gave me a foundation in being able to deal with it in the industry that I’m in now.

In 2014 you won the EMP music competition Sound Off! What kind of platform did that give you and how did it help get you to where you are now? What are you doing now?

What inspires your music? What impact do you want your songs to have?

It provided me with a band. I met my manager. It was a great platform and it opened a lot of doors and put a lot of eyes on my work. It really got a ball rolling for me and introduced me to the world of performing and being present in the music scene. I am full time music right now. I also teach. I do a lot of work through nonprofits like 4Culture and Arts Corps. Last summer I did a hip hop artist residency. I do a lot of youth mentoring when it comes to teaching young people about systematic racism and undoing the prison industrial complex.

My biggest inspirations are love, life experiences, fantasy, reality and science fiction. I would like to be able to say that, in the end, I help people feel. I hope I can challenge and bring up something, because often we hear things and we absorb things and they just kind of become a part of us and it becomes normalized. I’d like to have some sort of impact that’s different, that inspires some different way of thinking, some sort of change.

What songs do you think Garfield students should be listening to right now?

What challenges have you faced trying to make it in the Seattle music scene?

UMI says by Mos Def (the whole album: Black on Both Sides) and To Pimp a Butterfly by Kendrick Lamar.

The scene here is like Garfield, it’s pretty cliquish. Not everyone wants to open their doors to the new kids on the block. My biggest challenge was overcoming my anxiety and insecurity in myself. It’s not always about what you are able to do but who you know and the relationships you have. I’m not always the best at getting outside of my shell when it comes to connecting to other artists.

The President is reelected with 51.1% of the popular vote.

November 2012

September 2012

The US consulate in Benghazi is attacked and four Americans are killed.

Airstrikes are authorized in Syria and Iraq against ISIS.

August 2013

July 2013

George Zimmerman is acquitted for the murder of Trayvon Martin. The Black Lives Matter movement begins.

Anything you want to plug? Right now I’m working on my first solo album, The Woods, which I started producing in the music room at Garfield after school. Photo by Ruby Seiwerath

Obama declares the end of combat in Afghanistan.

World leaders meet to solidify a climate change agreement.

Obama’s approval rating hits a record high of 58%.

December 2014

November 2015

September 2016

November 2014

The Republican party takes control of the Senate.

June 2015

The Supreme Court declares same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states.

June 2016

A shooter opens fire in Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, killing 49.

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The Garfield Messenger 01/27/2017


JUST JUSTICE? The new Children and Family Justice Center sparks controversy. By Jessica Morales and Susana Davidson

ABOUT On December 22nd, the King County Department of Construction and Inspections announced that, barring an appeal, construction on the 12th Ave and Alder new Children and Family Justice Center will continue. The center is scheduled to open in 2020. Upon hearing the news, many Seattle citizens took to the streets to protest what they call a Youth or Kiddie Jail. They accused Mayor Ed Murray of perpetuating institutionalized racism and the prison industrial complex. In other words, using policing and imprisonment as a way to solve social, economic and political problems. Formally recognized as the Children and Family Justice Center, the newly renovated building will theoretically house one hundred and fifty beds as well as a new and improved courthouse and office space, and increased accessibility to different services. “The idea is that instead of just giving a person the name of the organization that you need to contact, the organization would be on site,” said Judge Wesley Saint Clair, Chief Juvenile Judge for King County. “Whether it be housing instability, or access to the Department of Social and Health Services for medical coupons to receive physical or behavioral health services.”

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Judge Saint Clair stresses the importance of the new center. “King County is required to have access to a secure detention facility because there are times when folks need to be detained. Sometimes it’s mental health, substance abuse, or lack of family support in order to create alternatives. And sometimes it’s the nature of the presenting offense,” he said. Despite Judge Saint Clair’s positive outlook on the Children and Family Justice Center, there are those who believe that the center’s faults and flaws need to be fixed. Others suggest halting construction altogether. University of Washington law professor, Kimberly Ambrose, believes that a major flaw is the name given to the detention center. She believes that it falsely advertises the true nature of the building. “I think that people really don’t realize that juvenile detention is pretty much exactly like jail. In fact, if you tour that building it looks pretty much exactly like an adult jail would be,” she said. “Also, the thing about calling it a justice center is that some folks may not find it to be very just.” Like many other members of the Seattle community, Professor Ambrose believes that any cycle, be that criminal justice, poverty, or unemployment, whether intention

The Garfield Messenger 01/27/2017

al or not, is being perpetrated and continued by the law. Juvenile detention is no different. “I think that there is a general agreement that kids shouldn’t be locked up,” she said. “In fact, there are less than thirty kids in the center some nights. We’ve done this fantastic job of combating youth incarceration, so now it’s just a bad investment. They are talking about building this place with 150 beds, when they only need thirty, and were talking about not needing any more.” Although there seems to be two clear sides to this debate, both agree that the concept of institutionalized racism is extremely prevalent in the construction

one hundred and twenty seven white youth. These statistics are represented on a smaller scale within the justice center. “80% of the young people that are held there are youth of color, maybe even 100%,” said Professor Ambrose. Youth community activist Asha Heru agrees, but adds that black youth are criminalized even more so than other youth of color and especially white youth. “Black youth make up over 50% of the jail population and over 8% of the total city population,” she said. “I definitely believe that other youth of color will be next up on that list, but I think the numbers definitely

and mission of this new center. Both believe that the problems concerning racial oppression should be addressed immediately. “I would be about the process to eliminate institutional racism. I would be about the process to engage in conversations that talk about implicit bias, conversations that talk about privilege or lack of privilege,” Judge Saint Clair said. “The reality is that as long as we are treating what are deemed to be the weakest members of our society in the fashions that we do, we’re not doing a very good job.”

show that the city wants black youth out.” Heru is far from the only one who holds this opinion. On Tuesday, December 20th, protesters gathered outside of Mayor Ed Murray’s house to demand the halt of construction on what they call ‘Murray’s Kiddie Jail.’ Since then, activists like Angela Davis and Macklemore have spoken out on behalf of the protesters, expressing their frustration that a city that claimed to be a “hate free state,” is spending $210 million on youth incarceration. CORE member and Garfield senior Sydney Menjivar expressed her disappointment regarding Seattle politicians, saying, “There’s a lot of politicians who talk really big about being a liberal state and being a blue state and yet go behind closed doors and vote for a new youth jail. How do you have a hate free state or a sanctuary state and still plan to lock up over one hundred kids?” She and other youth in Seattle seem to have lost hope in politics and the government. “People’s ability to still be good in politics doesn’t seem to be possible, at least not in large numbers,” said Menjivar. The recent political climate and increased awareness regarding violence against people of color has disheartened many. By the same token, it has also increased the number of or

STUDENTS OF COLOR

The Children and Family Justice Center is meant to provide services to ALL youth. However, many claim that the jail is perpetuating internalized and institutionalized racism, which projects stereotypes onto youth who possess certain characteristics of an oppressed demographic. This can mean that some youth are more targeted than others. Studies show that this is especially common in the juvenile justice system where kids of color can be more likely to be incarcerated than their white counterparts. In 2010, six hundred and five African-American youth were in confinement, compared to


ganized protests and marches that are meantto bring awareness to the actions taken by not only state governments, but national government. More often than not, these actions are not meant to benefit people of color, and many feel that this new justice center is proof of that. “Most of the folks that are served, and I say

‘served,’ said Professor Ambrose. “But most of the youth and family that interact with that building are basically poor and of color. And I think that’s the thing that folks have a hard time understanding, is that building a nicer building to take people’s children away or to lock them up is not very comforting.” THE SCHOOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE The school to prison pipeline is a metaphor used to describe the path of youth, especially youth of color, from the education system to the juvenile and adult prison systems. This is usually a result of increased police presence in schools, as well as harsh, “zero

tolerance” policies. The two groups that are frequently targeted are youth of color, and students with disabilities. A study done by the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights proved that African-American youth are 3.5 times more likely to be suspended or expelled from school, compared to their white peers. This is highly

troubling considering that they only make up for 18% of students, but somehow account for 46% of those that have been suspended more than once. On the other hand, 8.6 percent of youth are classified as having a disability that interferes with their learning, these same students make up 32 percent of youth that are detained in juvenile detention centers. Students who possess both of these characteristics are much more likely to end up in prison. Additionally, one in ten high school dropouts end up in adult prisons. Professor Ambrose sees the correlation. “You can look at the suspension rates and the dropout rates and flip those and that’s who’s in detention centers. I read a report recently and every single kid that was detained had either been suspended, expelled or dropped out,” she said.

There have been many attempts to tackle the school-to-prison pipeline, but this can be as difficult as attempting to take on the entire issue of racism. However, Judge Saint Clair, along with others, have been working on implementing changes within the education system. “We are trying to embed mentoring programs [before] high school, high school is too late. Needs to be in elementary school, that’s where you get the action. Middle school, too late. Cliques have already formed. People’s mindset of interacting with people who look different [and] are different.” Whether you’re for or against the Children and Family Justice Center, the advice of many is to do all you can to learn and form your own opinions. There are a multitude of organizations who can provide you with information and resources.

FAST FACTS 70% involved in school related arrests are black or hispanic Students have been arrested for eating a pop tart in the shape of a gun

Students have been arrested for scribbling on a desk

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The Garfield Messenger 01/27/2017


A&E

Lawrence’s Art Migrates to Seattle

The Migration Series on exhibit at the SAM.

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By Sydney Santos

tarting January 21st, paintings by the acclaimed African-American artist Jacob Lawrence will be on display at the Seattle Art Museum to commemorate the artist’s 100th birthday. This exhibit also marks first time in two decades that the collection has been presented on the West Coast. The work being presented is called the Migration Series, a collection of paintings made by Lawrence between 194041. The art is based on an event known as the Great Migration, which saw the movement of six million African-Americans from the South to the North for the sixty years following World War I. Within that time, nearly half of the total African-American population

by Cora Andersen Bicknell

moved from rural regions to industrialized cities. Lawrence’s collection was so popular that it became the face of this move ment. The Migration Series is a history lesson of this time period, told by sixty chronological panels with short captions. Lawrence saw the collection as a collective unit, like a cartoon, and therefore every painting has the same color scheme. Part of the collection’s popularity was rooted in his powerful use of color. Lawrence juxtaposed the various shades of browns and blacks of his subjects with the vibrant colors of their clothing and the background. Although he died a celebrity, Lawrence had humble beginnings. Born in 1917 in New Jersey, Lawrence was placed in foster care at a young age. As a teen, he went to an arts-based elementary school . Teachers noted his promising talents and encouraged Lawrence to pursue them, so at sixteen, Lawrence started attending classes at the Harlem Art Workshop. His classes were led by notable African-Ameri-

can artist Charles Alston, who noticed Lawrence and helped introduce him to other influential Harlem Renaissance artists, like Augusta Savage and Henry Bannarn. A few years later Lawrence completed the Migration of a Negro, later known as the Migration Series, at just 23 years old. The Migration Series became so renowned that it was presented at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City the same year, making Lawrence the first African-American artist to be represented at the prestigious institution, gaining him national recognition. After living in New York for many years, Lawrence moved to Seattle in 1970 to teach at the University of Washington. He spent the last decades of his life in the Pacific Northwest before dying in 2000 at 82 years old. The exhibit is on display until late April, so be sure to visit the SAM before it closes (Also, if you are interested in seeing this exhibit but don’t want to pay the teen price of $12.95, check out teentix.org to grab tickets for only $5!).

Garfield Throws its First Snowball

Garfield welcomes ALL students to the dance floor. By Flora Taagen

Striving to become a more welcoming place for all its students, Garfield has made numerous steps to increase inclusivity. From a push for gender neutral bathrooms and graduation gown colors, Garfield is working hard to make the school environment more embracing of the LGBTQ+ community. Most recently the ASB has decided to replace the alternating dances of Winter Ball and Tolo, with a new all-inclusive winter formal, Snowball. Junior ASB president, Tianna Andreson, reflected on the old dances, believing they excluded students outside the typical gender binary. “It was not necessarily equal or inclusive for everyone,” she shared. “I was thinking about how Tolo is girls ask guys typically and how a lot of students from the LGBTQ+ community had problems with that.” Although a group effort, Andreson was the first to propose the new dance movement to her ASB peers in October. Set aside until late November, the new dance, to take place on February 10th, has now been publicized to all Garfield students. Andreson, and many of her fellow ASB officers, wish to replace the gender constrained expec-

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tation of past dances with a new notion. “The long term goal is inclusiveness. All these heteronormative and patriarchal beliefs and stigmas around the dance have been embedded in our society for so long about who can ask who and what’s seen as manly or masculine,” said Andreson. Expanding the parameters of the dance is a step to make Garfield traditions less constricting. “We’re trying to break down this stigma so that in the long run it’s gone and opens up other events at our school and encourages o t h e r advisors to be more inclusive.” Though the steps taken to passing the new dance

The Garfield Messenger 01/27/2017

movement were in no way seamless, Andreson shared that the steps that followed presented just as great a challenge. “The hardest part was getting it passed and the second hardest part was telling everyone [...] It was a long process because there were a lot of different varying opinions,” she said. Despite inclusive intentions, the new dance has provoked student pushback throughout the school community. “There was backlash from a lot of students who thought we were taking away the girl’s right to ask someone to a dance when they usually aren’t able to do that,” said Andreson. Many female students at Garfield felt that Tolo gave

them an opportunity to assume a role that society doesn’t typically present to them. “There were varying opinions and a lot of people who didn’t want to do it, which is totally fine,” stated Andreson. “We respect that and it helps us think about how our decisions affect other people in the community.” ASB took this feedback as constructive criticism and used it to grow. The public informed them what was working with their new dance proposal and what fell short, allowing ASB to reform their ideas to represent the voices of Garfield students. “This year our ASB mission and vision has changed a lot to cater to a broader community rather than to the communities that have already been served.” Andreson and her ASB peers feel strongly about establishing Garfield as a safe place for all. This driven group of students have devoted themselves to breaking down gender constricting traditions, believing it to be a vital step in the long-term goal of establishing an all-inclusive school. by Brianna Kleckner


A&E

A Look Inside a Teacher’s Library Book recommendations from your favorite staff.

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By Claire Boudour

ccording to Garfield Social Studies teacher and track coach John Leslie, “A super important book is A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn. That was the book that kind of exploded my head when I was about 17 and it got me actually interested in history and gave me a broader understanding of the country I live in. It changed my perspective on how to look at the world and America.” From Zinn’s book, Leslie thinks people should learn to question everything, saying “I think a lot of times we’re expected to sort of believe everything we read and I think it’s important to be skeptical and to challenge preconceived notions about what we assume to be the truth. I think that this book goes to great lengths to offer alternatives or counterarguments to things that we have for a long

time just assumed to be true.” Although A People’s History of the United States was originally published in 1980, a 35th anniversary edition was published in 2015 that covers events up until the present and includes a new introduction by writer and activist Anthony Arnove. It offers an alternative history to the one taught in most high school classes, focusing more on the experiences of minorities and oppressed peoples in the land we now call America, as well as those colonized by the United States. Our current political climate is filled with discussions of systematic oppression and institutionalized racism, and Zinn’s 784-page masterpiece goes to great lengths to explain the history behind these issues.

Photos by Elliott Hoppe

Mr. Leslie strikes a power pose with his favorite book.

A new addition to Garfield’s staff this year, Bethany Lidgard is our favorite and only French teacher. As for what book she’d recommend? “Night, by Elie Wiesel. It talks about really important historical things in a very deep and moving way.” She hopes students would gain a “deeper understanding of the world,” from reading Wiesel’s memoir about his time in the Nazi German concentration camps at Auschwitz and Buchenwald near the end of the second World War. Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee called him a “messenger to mankind,” stating that through his struggle to come to terms with “his own personal experience of total humiliation and of the utter contempt for humanity shown in Hitler’s death camps”, as well as his “practical work in the cause of peace”, Wiesel had delivered a message “of peace, atonement and human dignity” to humanity. Although Wiesel passed away last year, the book has continued to be an important part of Holocaust remembrance and education. Published originally in Yiddish in 1956, the story was an\ epic of revenge and anger, meant for Jewish readers. Wiesel himself rewrote, rather than translated, the novel for French and English-speaking readers two years later, and those versions are much shorter and focused more on religion and the effects of trauma than anger or revenge. Night, which deals with incredibly difficult subject matter in a beautiful and emotional way, is read in several 9th grade Language Arts classes at Garfield. If your class never read it, or if you just faked your way through the assignments, it is definitely worth the read.

Ms. Rubstello’s pick, Cutting for Stone. Despite what one would expect from a Biology teacher, Dawn Rubstello says,“I mostly read fiction, I don’t read a lot of nonfiction.” She recommends the novel Cutting for Stone (by Abraham Verghese), and said that, “I found it really interesting, and it was written by a Stanford professor. I think its story would be really interesting for Garfield students. I read it about five years ago, and I think it was very well written.” Verghese’s book, published in 2009, tells the story of two twin boys growing up in Ethiopia, and follows the main character Marion well into adulthood. The novel’s adult characters are nearly all doctors, and it covers a wide range of interesting medical topics. If Cutting for Stone doesn’t sound like your cup of tea, even though it made it onto Barack Obama’s list of summer reading in 2012, Rubstello also recommends The Count of Monte Cristo, saying that it “is a great book, I read it recently as an adult and I thought it had integrity and ethics in it. I would definitely recommend both of those books, they handle some difficult life questions.” The Count of Monte Cristo was originally published in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas, who also wrote The Three Musketeers. The story takes place just before Napoleon’s return from exile, and deals with the story of a French man who is wrongly imprisoned, and builds a fortune in order seek revenge on those who put him in jail once he is released. A timeless epic, The Count of Monte Cristo is sure to keep any reader on the edge of their seat.

Madame Lidgard with her surprisingly nonFrench novel.

The Garfield Messenger 01/27/2017

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A&E

Finals First Aid

How to take finals down like a boss. By Alex Ferry

Your body’s a temple

Study Buddies For all of you social butterflies, studying with a group of friends may not be beneficial. Otherwise, studying with other people gives you the opportunity to use more than just your knowledge. If you need to put together a study guide, or figure out the answers to a review packet, the more brains you have, the merrier. Cocoa and Cram is a great option to study with your pals. And if you think you know it all, help your friends out! Teaching someone material can actually enhance your own understanding as well as theirs. Newsflash: Your teachers know what’s on the test! Grab that fat study guide from under your bed because your teacher did not just make that for threatening purposes. I cannot tell you how many times teachers use questions from the study guides on the actual test. Teachers are lazy and don’t want to make new questions, but you’re even lazier if you don’t do the study guide. Lastly, don’t be afraid to go and talk to your teachers!

Planning to pull an all-nighter to study for finals? Go ahead, but do it at least 3 nights before the actual exam. Succeeding on your tests depends greatly on cumulative rest. It can be more beneficial to get your eight hours of sleep than to stay up studying. Eating a hefty breakfast and lunch the day of your exams also play a much larger role than you could imagine. It can also be very helpful to participate in stress relief activities such as yoga, meditation, or any sort of exercise. Getting your mind off of studying will help focus you later. Reduce, Re-use, but don’t Recycle (your notes) Review your notebook! You didn’t sit in lectures moving your hand robotically for no reason. To make it easier on yourself, use an extra sheet of paper while you’re reviewing, and write down the most important points from your notes. Limit yourself to one sentence for each concept; not only will it be easier to look back at, but it will also be easier to understand in your own words.

Migration is the key to retaining information

Procrastination problems solved

Sometimes when studying at home it can be hard to stay on task with so many distractions surrounding you. If you can’t seem to stay focused, try choosing a new study spot. A coffee shop or restaurant near you are great options or you could simply change rooms in your house. Make some flashcards and try studying in the bath, or put a plastic bag over your study guide and review in the shower.

If you’re someone with a short attention span, try using the app “Forest”. This app locks your phone for a set amount of time so you can focus in on your work with no distractions. You can also try the app “Tide” which focuses on the Pomodoro technique, which is working for short intervals of time, and taking breaks to revive yourself. If you’re super hardcore, try “Cold Turkey”, which shuts off all functions on your computer until you’ve typed a given amount of words. Art by Brianna Kleckner

Haute Dogs

How to look hot when it’s cold outside. By Sydney Santos and Cipher Goings The Extreme Lumberjack Have too many flannels but sad you can’t find a way to wear them all at once? Cipher was brave enough to try, and succeeded! He is able to pull off this look by covering his body in nothing but flannels head to ankles. Pro tip: tie the flannels at the sleeves so they have a tighter fit on the body. The REI Raider

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Photos by Ruby Seiwrath

Just went on a shopping spree at an outdoor store and don’t know how to wear everything you bought all at once, including your biodegradable hand warmers? Sydney definitely knows how: wear fleece from head to toe, then accessorize with a sharp headlamp, gaiters multi purposed as chic sleeves, rope randomly thrown around the neck for an abstract detail, and hand warmers tucked into the pants for a pop of color. Pro tip: since it’s winter, be sure to whip out the wool socks instead of the classic cotton to go with your Tevas!

The Garfield Messenger 01/27/2017

The Lowkey Baller Want to celebrate the basketball szn but also look suave? Be sure to try out this unique take on the athletic trend blended with comfy winter wear! Cipher is wearing two cozy sweaters and basketball shorts, complete with high socks and sporty shoes. Pro tips: double (or even triple if you’re fashionable enough) up on your sweaters-don’t just layer, add some dimension by styling as a cape. Also, it’s a little chilly outside, but you can still wear shorts-just pair with high socks so your entire leg is covered! The “I Have Practice at 5 But Snowball at 8” Is your style effected by your constant struggle to be an athlete and simultaneously have a social life? Don’t worry-with this look, winter formal won’t be another fashion disaster! Sydney is wearing a funky calf-length formal dress with sporty socks, one high heel and one running shoe. Accessories are key for this outfit: we use a traditional Garfield duffle here, but feel free to substitute with a rowing bag or swim backpack. Pro tip: if you want to truly embody this look, go for the one-pigtail hairstyle, it’ll really accentuate your dual lifestyle!


A&E

A Shift in the Spotlight

Messenger’s Oscar Picks

Diversity issues in acting.

By Esther Chien mong the numerous dilemmas Hollywood is notorious for, its issue of having not diverse casts is one that has been under much public scrutiny. In the early stages of its establishment, Hollywood would hire Caucasian actors to play people of color, frequently seen wearing blackface and yellowface to compensate for their part. Take the 1961 American comedy film Breakfast at Tiffany’s, for example, when Mickey Rooney played a Japanese landlord, or when Caucasian actor Alec Guinness played the Arabian Prince Faisal in the 1962 epic historical drama Lawrence of Arabia. While this practice was socially accepted 50 years ago, it has faced serious public backlash in in recent years. Many films produced by Hollywood today no longer use such offensive means of portrayal, but this problem of racial diversity from the 20th century is still as prevalent as it was before.

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Recently, The Great Wall, set to be released in February, has also demonstrated similar implicit racial themes. In this movie, two European mercenaries explore Song China, and help the Chinese defend their country. While Matt Damon does not portray an Asian man in this film, he is one of two Caucasian males in an otherwise entirely Asian cast. And it is no minor coincidence that the two Caucasians play the lead roles, while most of the supporting cast identifies as Asian. Fresh Off The Boat actress Constance Wu criticized the film’s underlying message in a lengthy Twitter post, claiming that “our heroes don’t look like Matt Damon. They look like Malala [Yousafzai]. Ghandi. [Nelson] Mandela,” and later continued to o address Hollywood’s problem with consistently “pointing out the repeatedly implied racist notion that white peopl are superior to POC [People of Color] and that POC need salvation from our own color via white strength.”

Here at Garfield, diversity issues are also prevailing. In the drama department, most of the cast members have been Caucasian in previous years. This year, drama director Stewart Hawk strove to increase diversity on stage, using In the Heights as a way to encourage more people of color to audition. In the Heights is set in Washington Heights, a neighborhood plagued by gentrification. It revolves around a series of Latino characters that struggle to maintain the cultural identity of their native backgrounds, while they themselves are in the process of exploring American culture. “It’s a wonderful story. It resonates with a lot of people here in the school, maybe from a personal standpoint or a historical standpoint of their own families and how they came to this country,” Hawk said. The storyline follows a series of Latino characters, so appropriate casting was more essential compared to previous years. In addition to the posters that were hung around the school, the officers of the drama department spoke to clubs such as Black Student Union, Razas Unidas, and Multiracial Student Union, to encourage people of color to audition. Morgan Gwilym-Tso, who plays Usnavi in the musical, was one of the people involved in outreach. “We made sure to be very clear; we do have a problem within Garfield’s theatre program of being almost completely white, and we explained that our goal was to show Garfield onstage,” said Gwilym-Tso. As with many musicals, whitewashing was a challenge the drama department sought to overcome. “In the Heights is a story about an immigrant community, and a non-white community in a gentrifying neighborhood. I think [that] in order to effectively tell that story and to portray how [In The Heights Playwright] Lin-Manuel Miranda wanted the story to be told, it is necessary for us to have people of color, and specifically Latinos, playing the roles.” Gwilym-Tso added. Another cast member, senior Lila Danielsen-Wong, explains why the root problem goes beyond people’s appearances. “It’s straight up whitewashing and you can’t have your little blonde girl singing about the barrio,” Danielsen-Wong said. “It’s specifically for a Latino community. In general, it’s supposed to be [about] stories of people of color.” Despite these obstacles, the Garfield drama department has already made notable progress in diversifying its casting choices. “It’s necessary to have POC on stage for this musical. For other musicals, there were a couple of characters [that were of color]. For this, the entire stage has to look a certain way to tell the story,” Gwilym-Tso said.

It’s official, folks: Oscars season is upon us. With the official release of the nominations for the 89th awards on Tuesday, here are the Messenger’s official picks for the coveted awards show. Best Picture: Moonlight Now, now, here me out: La La Land may be this awards season’s darling, but Moonlight is a modern masterpiece. The movie, which won best drama at this year’s Golden Globes, follows the coming-of-age narrative of a gay African American male in Los Angeles. Moonlight hits a multitude of notes: sexuality, masculinity, urban poverty, and what it means to be African-American in this day and age. Full of standout performances, tackling its subject manner in both raw and multi-faceted ways, Moonlight is only deserving of the Oscar’s highest award. Best Original Song: “City of Stars” (La La Land) “See the line where the sky meets the sea, it calls me…” Wait, sorry, wrong song. While Moana’s “How Far I’ll Go” is poised to take the cake for Best Original Song, La La Land’s “City of Stars” is by far the best composed song in this bunch. The sultry mix of instrumentals, paired with Stone and Gosling’s complimentary vocals, is catchy, but not annoying; syrupy, but not sticky-sweet -an irresistible two minutes and twenty five seconds. Still not convinced? Take it from the Messenger’s one and only backpage editor, Ms. Paulette Argeres: “I listen to the soundtrack every day. It’s amazing.” Best Supporting Actress: Octavia Spencer (Hidden Figures) Before a winner is even chosen, this year’s Best Supporting Actress nominees made history. The nominations of Viola Davis, Naomie Harris, and Octavia Spencer this year marks the first time three black women have been nominated together in any category in the history of the Academy Awards. And the standout performance between nominees? None other than Octavia Spencer in Hidden Figures. Spencer plays Dorothy Vaughan, a scientist and mathematician who was one of the three African-American women behind the launching of astronaut John Glenn into orbit in 1962. Throughout the film, which tackles racial and gender lines in NASA’s then-heavily segregated space program, Spencer is able to exercise both wit and emotion into her standout performance. Not only is her acting passionate, intelligent, and heartfelt, but paired with the all-around stellar acting and amazing true story behind the film, Spencer is the Messenger’s top pic for Supporting Actress.

Art by Ana Matsubara

The Garfield Messenger 01/27/2017

15


Sports Jaylen Nowell, Senior #5 You can always tell when senior

heart,”

Nowell.

Curtis Walker is one of the

offensive putbacks but driving

Jaylen Nowell is on the court.

Nowell first hit the court as

most consistent and com-

and taking the ball to the hole.”

Not by his average 20.5 points

a toddler, finding himself im-

petitive players on the Garfield

Walker prides himself as be-

per game or 6 foot 5 demeanor,

mediately drawn to the sport.

boys basketball roster. His

ing the player to bring the team

but by his natural leadership

claimed

Curtis Walker, Senior #13

“I watched NBA games [...]

job has been to play perfect

out of a rut. He values team-

presence.

and decided I wanted to be like

defense along with being the

work and togetherness more

“Jaylen’s a different type of

them,” said Nowell. “I don’t

big man collecting rebounds.

than the average player. “I find

leader,” said coach Ed Haskins.

want to do anything else.”

But Walker can do more than

myself very competitive. If my

“He leads by example [...] The

Earlier this year, Nowell

simply rebounding and defense,

team gets down, I always want

guys on the team respect him

committed to the Univer-

reflects Coach Haskins. “When

to bring them up as a leader.”

and know how good he is.”

sity of Washington. Despite

[Nowell] and [Davis] were out,

The 6’5” senior remains un-

and

demanding

Despite his gift for basketball

his success with the sport,

he stepped up big and hit the key

committed to any basketball

and team leadership, Nowell

Haskins claims we haven’t yet

shots for us,” says Haskins. “He

programs at the the collegiate

believes his skill is more

seen all Nowell has to offer:

scored in a plethora of ways,

level and claims that his focus

than just a flair for the game.

“I don’t think anyone

not just shooting the ball or

is on the state tournament.

“It’s not about talent, it’s

knows how good he can be.”

Daejon Davis, Senior #2 Rival: Nathan Hale Nathan Hale (15-0) is ranked #1 in the state, andis the consensus #1 team in the nation, according to the Seattle Times. When Garfield and Hale met at the Les Schwab Invitational in Portland, Hale beat Garfield 87-64. The rematch, on January 27th, is one of the most anticipated games of the year for Garfield. “If we can get to 100% health and if they’re at 100%, I like our chances,” said Haskins of the upcoming game. “I think that there’s some things that we can do that we are uniquely formed to do. I think we can do some things to compete with that end of it we’ll see

team and at the what happens.”

Towering over his opponents at 6

While he may have been ranked

foot 4, point guard Daejon Davis

second in Washington State’s

is not one to be overlooked. The

2017 top basketball recruits,

senior is said to be one of the most

head

versatile players in the country

proves Davis is more than a

-- a claim Davis does not dispute.

scoring and rebound machine.

“Even before I played point

“[Davis] is the emotional leader

guard, a lot of people saw me

of the team,” praised Haskins.

as one,” said Davis, who played

“I never question his work

on the wing before switching

ethic. He will always give

positions.

you the work. He’ll

abilities,

“My my

playmaking passing

abil-

coach

Ed

Haskin

By Emma Cooper, Bella RowlandReid, and Josh Chestnut

rally the troops. He

ity, and my ability to score[…]

always want to

from the wing made me able to

get it right.”

easily switch to point guard.”

Jamon Kemp, Sophomore #1

J’Raan Brooks, Junior #33

16

J’Raan Brooks was offered a

Brooks’ love for the game

full ride by University of Wash-

doubtlessly

ington during his freshman

strong work ethic and com-

year, and has since received

petitive nature, which are

offers from Stanford, USC,

assets for Coach Ed Haskins.

Washington State, Oklahoma,

“I think J’raan been our

and

ironic

rock all season long,” said

part: he only began playing

Haskins. “He’s been another

basketball at age 11 because

very hardworking kid [...] Up

his brother convinced him.

until yesterday, he’d come

“I only played baseball at

in early to practice to just do

the time,” reflected Brooks.

more. When guys were hurt

“He just made me play and

he was always the one to carry

I just started to love it.”

us and put us on his back.”

Montana.

The

The Garfield Messenger 01/27/2017

encourages

his

Jamon Kemp flies around

usually the best on the team,

the court like a blur. If you

but I’m a sophomore and Jay-

blink, you might miss him.

len and [Daejon] are seniors

Over the past year, many

but they are great mentors and

have seen Kemp improve, but

help me get better,” says Kemp.

none more than his coach and

mentor,

Ed

However there’s a whole

Haskins.

other side to Kemp, attrib-

“I’ve seen him progress with his

uted to being the son of former

confidence,” said Haskins. “Af-

Sonic and NBA All-Star Shawn

ter working tremendously hard

Kemp. “I like being his son

on his shot in the offseason, his

because I can create my own

shooting range has improved.”

name for myself,” said Kemp.

On top of this, Kemp has had

“I used to not want people

to adapt to being less dominant

to know I was his son, but

on the court than usual. “I’m

now I don’t care too much.”


Sports Samaiyah Tolliver, Sophomore #23

Emani Turner, Junior #14 Junior Emani Turner describes

bad body language, and bad

where to go or anything. And

herself as the backbone of

facial expressions, and it would

also, to help them on their

the girls’ basketball team at

rub off on my teammates.”

iver of the girls’ basketball

school work and if they’re

Garfield. She has been on

Turner decided to improve her

team. “We love each other,

struggling I can to help them

varsity since freshman year,

attitude this year, and she con-

and keep them on track.”

and has been team-elected

tinues to improve as a leader.

ourselves

Her leadership on the court

captain for the past two years.

“Another goal for me was to

positive towards each other.”

is always accompanied by her

As a leader, she impacts the

be more of an open leader,”

Tolliver is only a sophomore,

bright and playful personality.

team with her attitude and

said Turner, “When I say ‘open

“I’m very cocky, like I talk

her teammates feed off her

leader’, [I mean] where my

to lead her sisters, with the

a lot,” said Tolliver. “It just

energy. Last year, this strength

teammates can feel like they can

encouragement of her coach.

motivates me, and I feel like if

was a challenge for Turner.

come to me and talk to me about

I talk to other players, it gets

“If a game wasn’t going my way,”

something that they wouldn’t

and help a player if they

them mad or frustrated and it

Turner recalled, “then I would

feel comfortable about talk-

don’t know what to do or

takes them out of their game.”

get mad and have a bad attitude,

ing to one of the coaches.”

“Our

sisterhood

is

very

tight,” said Samaiyah Toll-

we love playing with each other,

keeping

but she is already beginning

“My role is to lead the team

Juanita Agosto, Senior #11

Photos by Elliott Hoppe

in sixth grade, recently com-

Garfield’s biggest public school rival, West Seattle, stands

pable”

dictionary,

mitted to Eastern Michigan

at 11-5 and is ranked first in the Seattle Times’ Metro Sound

they’d be looking at a picture

in

University. While the school’s

Division. Lead by captains Izzy Turk, Jenna McPhee, and Jazz

of senior Juanita Agosto.

basketball program is rela-

Gayles, the team is characterized by their speedy defense and

The

shooting

tively unknown, Agosto is

shooting precision. However, Garfield is not far behind the

guard is no doubt one of the

excited to make a name

Wildcats in terms of skill -- their last matchup, January 6th

most talented on the court

out of the Division I team.

at West Seattle, counted as only a 62-58 loss for the Bulldogs.

-- but she doesn’t let that

Until then, Agosto is fo-

In order to get the most out of future matchups, Bulldogs must

take credit for her success.

cused on leading the Bull-

buckle down and minimize first half scoring. In their January

“It’s all about who puts in

dogs to state. How will she,

matchup, the Wildcats outscored the Bulldogs 34-29 first half

the most work,” explained

you ask? Agosto’s plan is

- despite trailing 29-28 in the second half, West Seattle proved

Agosto. “I always joke around,

boiled down to a sentence:

the damage had already been done. While the Bulldogs may

but I’m super aggressive

“Play

way:

have taken the loss earlier this season, some shutdown de-

and positive [on the court].”

smart,

fast.”

fense and quick passing and shooting movement on the court

point

the

and

the

Bulldog

aggressive,

Agosto, who began playing

Leilani Williams, Junior #1

is sure to outmatch West Seattle’s scrappy offense and speed.

Apraisjah Gee, Senior #40

With sky high jumps and

provement from where she was

large plays, 5’5 junior Leilani

in the beginning of the season.

One of the worst parts of or-

there and battles for rebounds,

Williams is no small pres-

“I would like to see is her

ganized sports is injuries, and

offensively and defensively.

ence on the court. While the

being a bit more aggressive

senior leader, Apraisjah Gee

She’s probably undersized to

wing boasts an average 5.2

offensively, but she’s been

has been forced to deal with an

play the post but with her lack

points per game and 2.5 steals,

growing into that the last

untimely one in the midst of

of size, she makes up by being

her skills go beyond stats.

couple games,” said Adams.

her last year at Garfield. Over

tenacious

“Leilani has been great for

Williams may only be a junior,

winter break, she sprained her

Currently, Gee uses the sport

us,” said head coach Lee

but her skills put her years

ankle and broke a bone in her

as a healthy way to navigate

Adams. “She’s kind of the

ahead.

mentorship

foot, but she hopes to be back

through high school and life.

another

of her Garfield teammates,

in the next couple of games.

“I play basketball because

all

around

one

of

player,

Under

and

aggressive.”

playmakers.”

coach Adams believes Wil-

But when she’s on the court,

it takes my mind off a lot of

While this is only her second

liams will continue to grow.

Gee is deadly. “Apraisjah is one

things

year on varsity, Adams believes

“We haven’t seen the best of

of our energizers,” says head

out,

Williams is already showing im-

what Leilani Williams can do.”

coach Lee Adams. “She gets in

keep me focused,” says Gee.

our

Rival: West Seattle

If one looked up “unstop-

when like

I’m

school,

stressed to

help

The Garfield Messenger 01/27/2017

17


Sports

Alternative Athletics

A look outside of Garfield’s sports program. By Elena Orlando Carlin Bills, Powerlifting My deadlift single is around 24o pounds.” Known for her integral position in the midfield of Garfield’s girls soccer team, Junior Carlin Bills’ newest sporting venture involves a stylish singlet and a new viewpoint of competition. “I’ve never played an individual sport before, so I really enjoy that fact that it’s all based on my mental strength and determination…It allows me to push myself” said Bills. The individualism of powerlifting has also given Bills a new appreciation of her body. “There’s so much stigma, especially for high school girls about looking a certain way [...] being around a community of such strong, empowered women has made me realize how much my body does for me.” Weightlifting competitions are divided into weight

Courtesy of Carlin Billls

class and age division,with each competitor “Last year I got the opportunity to go to having three attempts for squat, bench, and US nationals with my entire club for a group deadlift. For each lift, the competitor has to competition. We placed 6th in the counget three white lights from the judges for it try and it was an amazing experience!” said to count towards their total. Garg. This past December, Bills entered her first Garg likes to think of figure skating as “the weightlifting competition, winning two closest thing ex- treme sports can get awards. to beauty pageants,” “I got an award for my weight and age class and has scaled back her specifically and I actually got a involvement this year to besamurai sword, which is given to come more present at Garfield. Courtesy of the best lifter “When I competed it was my Zoya Garg in the entire age division life. I did skating and school, and regardless of weight.” literally nothing else,” Garg disclosed. Zoya Garg, Ice Skating Despite the hours of strenuous With the sparkly costumes and rhythmic work and little time for anything music, it’s easy to forget that figure skating else, Garg’s favorite part of figure isn’t easy. skating is when that practice yields Sophomore Zoya Garg knows just how success. demanding figure skating is, saying “I wish “It’s like passing a test, but a test people knew how absolutely intense and you’ve studied for every day for the crazy it really is. It’s not a half in type of last three months,” said Garg. thing, either you’re all in or you’re not.” Garg began figure skating when she was Lily Baumgart, Trapeze eight and up until this year she trained up to Defying gravity is a regular activity for Junior five hours every day in addition to partici- Lily Baumgart. ‘Flying,’ the action of doing pating in figure skating competitions. trapeze, is something Baumgart has been

doing since she was eleven. Photo by “I loved it imPeter Kubiniec mediately, I mean it was terrifying for sure at first, but I loved it after that,” said Baumgart. Baumgart flies at SANCA (School of Acrobatics & New Circus Arts) in Georgetown performing there twice a year to raise money for scholarships. Baumgart said her favorite part of trapeze is doing a trick without safety harnesses for the first time. “When you get to take a trick out of lines it’s like going for the first time again because it’s a little scary...and if you mess up you’re responsible for that. It’s super exciting when it’s over. You feel really accomplished,” said Baumgart. For those interested in trying trapeze, Baumgart says that “Trusting yourself is really important because if you don’t trust that you can do it right...that you’re in control of the situation, you can mess up the timing of it all.”

Play On!

Garfield alum creates futsal organization. By Julia Reguera Garfield alum Gabe Rapier is working relentlessly to bring the unique culture of futsal to the United States, starting here in the Central District. Futsal, which originated between Uruguay and Brazil in the 1930’s resembles street soccer but has a heavier ball, only five players per side, and is played on any hand-ball sized court. Ever since Rapier fell in love with the sport in 2006, he has been working to unify all different kinds of people and players with his organization, Puget Sound Futsal. When I sat down with Rapier, he described his journey and explained how Garfield helped to shape it. How did you start playing futsal? My co-founder Evan Hoss, who grew up in Paraguay, introduced it to me. Futsal is extremely popular in Central America, South America and Europe. Did you play any other sports growing up? Soccer was my favorite sport, however it was so expensive to play on a team so I ended up playing basketball because it was all free. Soccer also wasn’t as culturally available to me as basketball was because basketball was just the sport the African American males played. Now I want to change that status quo

18

Photo by Freya Wiedemann

so that futsal is all inclusive of all like it is in many European countries. How did your experiences at Garfield shape your inspiration to start this organization? My high school basketball team gave me pride and skill, but it also taught me about commitment, which transferred over in my drive to spread futsal and its culture. I had

The Garfield Messenger 01/27/2017

great mentors and coaches that taught me that sense of grandness that I need. What I mean by grandness is that I never thought small time with futsal, I always thought how can we spread this even more and have my passion rub off on others so they grow to love the sport. I have great memories here and am a Bulldog for life. Since you are a talented ex-Garfield

basketball star, what specifically attracts you so much to futsal and its culture? Futsal was very familiar to me. It has the same intensity, rigor, commitment, and fast pace as basketball. It’s just such an exciting game, there’s no time outs, no substitutions, no off sides. I love how it has casual, simple rules but is also intense. I also love how it brings all kinds of people together and I just love soccer. Why are you picking Seattle and the Central District in particular to spread this sport and culture? I’m basically dedicated to giving back to my community. We named our organization “Puget Sound Futsal” not “Gabe’s Futsal League” because we wanted everyone in the community to be able to get involved with this. I believe in the term “think globally, act locally” and locally is here in the central district. We want to bloom where we were planted and act where we have ties but also have goals to expand on an international level. If you are interested in playing futsal, you can go to the Puget Sound Futsal Facebook page for more information or contact Gabe at (206) 579-4163.


Sports

Pinning Down the Basics A peek into high school wrestling. By Ann Shan

T

here is not a wrestler out there who would tell you that wrestling is a comfortable sport. It is both physically intense and mentally exhausting; warm ups begin with a mile run, and can take an hour or more. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Garfield’s wrestlers this year are motivated and full of determination. As the wrestling coach who is primarily responsible for the team’s conditioning, Coach Hamilton asserts that being in good physical condition is essential. “Wrestling is six minutes of extremely intense activity, assuming you last the full six minutes,” Hamilton said. “It’s very possible that wrestling might be the most physically

demanding sport that we offer here at Garfield.” And yet newcomers to the sport often underestimate just how rigorous and taxing wrestling really is. While some of the toughest parts of practice such as calisthenics and conditioning are to be expected, elements such as sprint and suicide drills in a sport that contains no running are often more than they bargained for. In addition, wrestlers must stay within their weight class; being just a half pound over the limit could pit you against wrestlers ten pounds heavier. Senior captain Henry Conner was one such newcomer who learned his lesson the hard way.

“When I first started, I knew it was going to be quite literally rolling around on a mat with another person, trying to pin them on their back,” Conner said. “But I did not expect it to be as physically intensive as it is.” wouldn’t know otherwise,” captain Conner said. “I feel like more so than any other sports team, we’re the closest to a family.” This kind of community building is at the root of why wrestling is fundamentally a team sport, and it’s part of the reason why sophomore Kosimo Tonn is drawn to wrestling. “It’s a common misconception that wrestling is just [an individual] sport,” Tonn said. “You have only one person on the mat, but

you have your whole team cheering you on the sideline.” And perhaps one of the most attractive elements of the sport overall, the supportive and fun team environment wrestling offers is also able to overcome social boundaries such as gender and race. “A lot of people have also addressed the gender issue, with when girls wrestle guys: do they go easy? Or is there a difference?” captain Wu said. “It’s just an opponent, there’s no gender or race or anything. You’re just wrestling another person.”

Wrestling 101 To the undiscerning eye, wrestling matches often appear as a knot of tangled limbs rolling around on a mat. Here to bring order to it all, a brief overview of how it all goes down: Matches are divided into three, two minute rounds with two main ways to win. The first and most immediate way is to pin the opponent on their back at any time during the three rounds, thus ending the match. For it to be considered a win, both the opponent’s shoulder blades must be touching the mat for a full two seconds. It’s also possible that neither side is able to pin the other within six minutes, which brings us to winning method number two. Different moves in wrestling are worth set amounts of points. If no one is pinned by the end of six minutes, whoever racks up the most points during the three rounds wins.

Sports Round Table Calling all sports lovers. By Emma Cooper

Do you love to talk about sports? Spend hours obsessing over your fantasy team? Have vivid dreams about a perfect March Madness bracket? After twenty seasons, Mess Guess is being replaced by a roundtable-style discussion of current sports news led

by Garfield sports lovers! Each issue, selected members will provide short opinions in response to a few sports questions, and their answers will be published in the sports section. Are you interested in participating? Here’s how to join:

Here are some examples of point earning moves: Takedown (2 points): Moving from a neutral standing position to take your opponent down to the mat. Escape (1 point): Breaking away from a position on all fours under the opponent. Near fall (up to 3 points): Getting the opponent’s back less than 45 degrees from the mat. The longer it’s kept, the more points are earned. The best way to learn more about wrestling, though, is to watch or experience it firsthand. Videos of Garfield’s wrestling matches can be found on their Youtube channel Garfield Wrestling. Better yet, come out and support the team during their home matches! Photos by Peter Kubiniec

1. Write down your name, grade, phone number, and email 2. Tell us why you want to be included in the roundtable 3. Explain who is your favorite team (in any sport) and why 4. Give us a gutsy opinion about a current team and support it with logic and evidence Optional: submit a name for the roundtable! Put your application in the folder labeled “SPORTS ROUNDTABLE SUBMISSIONS” outside of 203a or give it to Emma Cooper. The deadline for applications is February 3rd, 2017. After you turn in the application, you will be contacted with more instructions! The Garfield Messenger 01/27/2017

19


The Backpage Horoscopes Gemini

Taurus

April 20 - May 20 The time of waiting for love to find you is over. This invisible string that is keeping your heart reaching out need to go. Honestly, I think no strings attached could work for you.

Aries

March 21 - April 19 This one’s a toughy. Let’s just get straight to it. Your impatience and confusing ways are are blocking you achieving a connection the stars want you to realize. Look into your inner Mars, and let the planet inside you guide you away from your childish ways. We’ll be waiting.

Pisces

February 19 - March 20 Though you may not be the most exciting sign, you are definitely a nice person. The cold hard truth of the matter is that from the outside your life appears to be lacking. It’s time to add some seasoning and spice to this fish.

May 21 - June 20 It is no secret that the Gems are slaying the scene day by day, so it’s impossible for their love life not to thrive. Putting aside their obvious superiority over all other signs, their adventurous personalities and lovable quirks are infectious to any probable lover. Advice? Just sit back and let all the star crossed lovers come to you.

Leo

Curious about your future lover? Stressed about your unrequited feelings?After searching through the galaxy of love, the stars have aligned and we have the answers.

July 23 - August 22 It’s no coincidence that your element is fire when everything you touch turns to ashes. We think it’s time to turn down the heat on your ego, and focus on finding a spark within someone else and kindle a fiery relationship.

Virgo August 23 - September 22 Ah, a fellow mercury soul. Curious about why your relationships cease to thrive? You are too controlling! Sometimes you just need to take a deep breath and let fate take its course instead of constantly trying to rearrange the stars.

Libra

Aquarius January 20 - February 18 It’s time to do some soul searching because a makeover is LONG overdue. You need to start experimenting with new things while keeping your best interest in mind. If you’re feeling like every day is the same and you’re trapped in old habits, take a few risks every once in awhile ;)

Capircorn

Love,

Cancer

June 21 -July 22 It’s important to understand you can’t always be the boss in a relationship. Sometimes you need to take a step back and let the elements lead you.

December 22 - January 19 Irrelevant.

Paulette and David Your fave Geminis ;)

September 23 - October 22 It’s time to stop thinking about your status, and get real. We can’t handle your indecisiveness and unemotional ways any longer. If you really want to experience a genuine relationship, you might have to put others first.

Sagittarius November 22 - December 21 Oh Saggy….you can be one crazy lover! is exciting. But we all know you are a bit flaky on commitment. Let’s take it from a 10 to a 1 and start to get serious.

Scorpio October 23 - November 21 What comes to mind when you think Scorpio? Loyal? Passionate? Wrong. The truest traits are manipulative and obsessive. Want advice? Just chill out bro. Y’all be acting like Mars is in retrograde 24/7!


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Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.