THE
MESSENGER
MARCH VOLUME 97 ISSUE 6
TUTORING & TEST PREP
Lessons by Chris Morris-Lent • GHS ‘06 • Columbia ‘09
Math • English • ACT/SAT • College Apps
Guaranteed gains: +200 SAT • +4 ACT • 1 academic letter grade
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Chris has a terrific sense of which colleges match which personalities.
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—Carl M., parent of Ben, accepted to Whitman and 2 other colleges
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Our daughter’s SAT score soared by 500 points! We unequivocally recommend Mr. Morris-Lent’s tutoring services to others.
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—Jyoti N., parent of Karisma, accepted to the University of Washington
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An absolute master at explaining difficult concepts. —Nate S., parent and software engineer
Learn more at www.seattlesbesttutor.com chris.morris.lent@gmail.com • 206-551-7843
FIND THE BULLDOG Somewhere hidden in this issue is this drawing of a tiny GHS bulldog. The first person to find it wins a PRIZE! If you find it, take a photo and email it to garfieldmessenger@gmail.com. There is no second place prize so snap a pic and send it quick!
ART BY ARLO VANLIEW
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Supporters of The Garfield Messenger Benefactors Nancy Chapin Real Estate Patrons Allen Cheadle John Hoyt and Aana Lauckhart Tana Lin and Paul Holland Carol Rava Jennifer Kerns and Greg Van Liew Phebe O’Neill Bridge Partners, LLC Elana Jassy Friends Catherine and Scott Henson Jill Hostetter Lisa Chrysanthakopoulos Avery Paddock Diana Peterson Allen Draher Jamie Katz and David Sharp Smidchens Family David Lundsgaard Heather and Chris Mefford Melanie Nalbandian Dana Armstrong Ilana Guttman Karin Brookes and Simon Woods Hannah Marshall Penelope West Kathleen Pape Sabrina K. Seward Anonymous x6 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
CONTENTS Cover by Molly Chapin
ISSUE 6, VOL 97
A&E
NFO 4
SNOW DAYS LEAD TO SCHOOL DELAYS Mena Bova
4 5
NEWS BRIEFS
7 7
Izzy Lamola
NO PHONES ALLOWED
Millan Philipose
#UNFILTEREDTRUTH Milena Haile
BUILDING LEADERSHIP TEAM Izzy Lamola
9
MARCH MADNESS BRACKET
12
STUDENT SUBMISSIONS
16
SPRING AWAKENING
18
ICED OUT
18
LACROSSE ACROSS GARFIELD
Various Students
13
Tova Gaster
13
DANCERS OF GARFIELD
Sara Javkhlan
6
IS THERE REALLY LEAD IN THE WATER?
15
Sam Treat
SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW
Valerie Barreto, Sophie Reichert, and Téa Fortune Ke’Von Avery
Simone Cielos
TREAT’S EATS
Ava Klubberud
6
SPORTS
18
BASKETBALL GIRLS STATE
Devon Ling-Efird
SPS LIBRARIANS FACING ODDS Camryn Soo
STAFF Arlo Van Liew Ava Klubberud Camryn Soo Cecilia Hammond Clara Neville Devon Ling Efird Téa Fortune Grady Canty
Hailey Gray Izzy Lamola Jaya Duckworth Jefferson Ashby Ke’Von Avery Mena Bova Milena Haile Millan Philipose
Molly Chapin Sam Treat Sara Javkhlan Simone Cielos Sophie Reichert Sophia Chrysanthakopoulos Tova Gaster Valerie Barreto
EDITORS
Julia Lin • Editor in Chief Lily Laesch • NFO John Volk • Sports Delphi Drake-Mudede • A&E Freya Wiedemann • Photo Ariel Cook • Graphics Izzy Woods • Business
NEWS
SNOW DAYS LEAD TO SCHOOL DELAYS Last day for all Seattle Public Schools pushed back by a week.
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By Mena Bova
y the time Seattle Public Schools students get out this year, the Fourth of July will be only a week away. Earlier this year, students throughout Washington State enjoyed almost a week off of school due to a record snowfall. The snow days arrived right before Seattle Public Schools’ mid-winter break, meaning that in the span of three weeks, students had a total of only two full days of school, and three days with an early dismissal or late start. At first, many students enjoyed the extra time off school. However, several were left wondering if make up days for the snow days would be instituted, and, if so, how many and when. On February 25, Seattle Public Schools announced that, as a result of the snow days, the last day of school for all students would be pushed back by a week. This means the last day for students in preschool through eleventh grade is now June 27 rather than June 20, and the last day for seniors is June 20 rather than June 13. However, while the last day of school is being pushed back, graduation is not being pushed back. This puts Garfield seniors in the position of still having to attend almost a week of school after they graduate. Many seniors have found themselves affected by this change, as several have plans for right after graduation which have now been put into question. Senior Magdalena Phillips has noticed this problem among the senior class. “It doesn’t end up affecting me too much, but I know there are other seniors who have plans for right after graduation who weren’t planning on coming to school for that extra week,” Phillips said. Some seniors also simply don’t see the point in going to school after they’ve graduated. “It definitely depends on who you talk to. My mom won’t let me skip those days, but I do know a lot of people who are just going to peace out after graduation, because they’ve literally graduated.” Phillips said. Seniors aren’t the only ones affected by this later release date. Many other students have plans based off the original last day. Junior Claire Torgelson is participating in a outdoors summer program which starts the week after school originally ended and made her travel plans based off that date.“The Monday before the new last day of school, the 24th, is when my flight is. I’m leaving at 6:30 that morning, and I’m gone for seven weeks,” Torgelson said. However, with the new last day of school and the possibility of finals moving to that week, Torgelson has found that her plans have be-
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come slightly more complicated. “Once I leave, I won’t have my phone and I’ll be backpacking and hiking and camping and I won’t have contact with even my parents, and so it’s just kind of stressful to go there right from school and not knowing about finals and stuff,” Torgelson said. The snow days have also caused in-school complications. The loss of class time caused many teacher’s lesson plans to get disrupted, meaning they had to work hard to catch their classes back up. For students in AP classes, there’s the added wrinkle that while almost a week of school was lost, the AP tests in May don’t move, so students in those classes have to work extra hard to get back up to speed. Phillips found herself affected by this time crunch. “I’m taking AP Gov, which is a semester class, so we’d only had a day or two of classes, and then we had a ton of snow days. That class is already so compressed that it’s really messed up our schedule, and I think we’re gonna get back on track, but I was already iffy about taking the AP test and now I’m definitely not,” Phillips said. Regardless of whether a class is AP or not, the question still remains of what teachers plan to do with the extra week. There is currently no decision about whether finals will be moved to the new last week or not. The Teaching and Learning Committee, which is comprised of all the department heads, will meet within the next two weeks to make the decision about if finals will be moved. If finals are moved, many teachers will find themselves needing to figure out the best way to adjust their lesson plans to this change, or simply continue on their original course and have finals on the planned dates, creating what basically amounts to an extra week at the end of the year. Ultimately, the snow days have added complications to the end of the year for both students and teachers. The uncertainty of what the end of the school year will now look like have left students and teachers with many things to figure out.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS BRIEFING By Izzy Lamola
Muslim Internment Camps The Chinese government has detained hundreds of thousands of Uighurs, a group of Turkish peoples and other ethnic groups who are majority Muslim, in hidden camps in the Xinjiang region of China. These camps are being called “re-education camps” by the Chinese government who have denied any accusation of internment camps saying these are “vocational schools” which are used to counter “terrorism and religious extremism”. Allegedly, these camps attempt to eradicate the Muslim faith and diminish Islamic culture.
Venezuela Crisis
Venezuela has been described as a “country coming apart at the seams” under significant political and economic pressure, according to American journalist David Ariosto. Under the current Venezuelan president, Nicolas Mauro, Venezuela is experiencing a national food shortage with violent riots breaking out across the country. The second election of Maduro was seen as an unconstitutional, mandating the leader of the National Assembly to take position as president. Juan Guaido then took the presidency position on January 23rd, This national crisis has led to over three million Venezuelans taking refuge in other countries since 2014.
Fight for Equal Marriage Rights in Japan
Thirteen same-sex couples have filed a lawsuit against the Japanese government after being denied marriage rights with the goal to achieve equal marital rights for all of Japan. Identifying as LGBTQ+ is not nationally accepted under law and same sex couples have to to enact “partnership” ordinances as the Japanese law only allows marriage between a man and woman.
Brexit Update
ART BY SIM
ONE CIELO
S
Brexit, which refers to the process of the United Kingdom pulling out of the European Union (EU), has been approved to take place on March 29, 2019. Right now, British officials—significantly prime minister Theresa May—are trying to negotiate a deal concerning the borders between the country and the EU. In the last two and a half years since Brexit was voted on, major companies are moving out of Britain and the value of the pound has dropped by fourteen percent. When, and if, Brexit goes through here are worries of trade delays, economic decline, and empty shelves across Britain.
NEWS
NO PHONES ALLOWED
The story behind Garfield’s new cell phone policy.
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By Millan Philipose
n February 25th, 2019, Garfield High School launched an unprecedented crackdown on student cell phone use. Though a cell phone ban has technically been on the books for years, Garfield administration made the decision to step up enforcement by conducting spot-checks in classrooms and in hallways. This new style of enforcement has sparked high emotions and revealed fissures between Garfield administrators, teachers, and students. Junior Jade Peterson was one of the first targets of the crackdown. “Mr. Howard was walking in the opposite direction. He took my phone, he didn’t give me a verbal warning or anything,” Peterson said. “I feel violated. I want this policy to change.” Peterson, like dozens of other Garfield students who have had their phones seized by administration, complains that these sudden confiscations are stressful and unnecessary. Despite these objections, however, Garfield Principal Theodore Howard II believes that a strictly enforced cell phone ban is necessary to combat unhealthy smartphone addiction. “The first thing I ask students coming in to Garfield [for the first time] is ‘How many minutes are you on your phone?’” Howard said. “They go and they look, and they say ‘four hours already today.’ And I think, wow, maybe that’s contributing to them not getting where they should be academically.” Howard believes that much of this addiction problem stems from the
“HE DIDN’T GIVE ME A VERBAL WARNING OR ANYTHING. I FEEL VIOLATED. I WANT THIS POLICY TO CHANGE.” design of popular smartphone apps. “A lot of places students go [on their phones] use the algorithm of a casino,” Howard said. “They get
students hooked, and then students this lack of cooperation somewhat have to keep getting on their phones, frustrating. and they can’t put them down.” “It’s still happening where some In his visits to Garfield classrooms, teachers enforce policy, and some Howard has noticed that cell phones teachers don’t,” Howard said. “That, have robbed students of the ability to to me, falls to integrity around if focus deeply on a single task — a skill you’re going to do your job or not. that Howard believes to be essential If you’re not going to do your job to learning. because you don’t believe in certain “I watch students multitask five rules... how does that work?” different things at once [on their Howard’s attitude towards the cell phones], and they tell me that they’re phone ban has polarized the Garfield doing a really good job,” Howard faculty. Several opponents of the new said. “But when I ask them a thought- policy refused to be interviewed for ful question or a critical question and this article. Calculus teacher Jack have them go Waterman exfurther, they pressed construggle with cern about the that.” speed of the This observarollout, claimtion prompted ing that teachHoward to ers were given mandate an “zero notice” electronics ban before Mr. in every GarHoward anfield class. Cell nounced the phones, lapnew policy at tops, and all the February other electron15th assembly. ics are com“We were pletely prohibtold there was ited. going to be an In a controassembly, but versial step, we were not Howard insisttold what it was ed that the ban about,” Watermust include man said. “I Advisory. Many think officially faculty memthat was the bers have profirst time any tested the Adviof us received sory electronics word.” ban, arguing Wa t e r m a n that the class runs a flipped ART BY SOPHIA CHRYSANTHAKOPOULOS was meant to give classroom. Rather than delivstudents a time to study and relax be- ering lectures during class time, he tween academic classes. But Howard assigns custom-made online videos has stood firm in his position. for his students to watch as home“Teachers are saying that Advisory work. Because these videos serve as is supposed to be downtime for the useful reference material, Waterman students,” Howard said. “Well, if it’s believes that in-class smartphone use downtime, why are we giving you 0.5 can actually help students become credit for it? What standard is that?” better at math. The conflict over Advisory, among “It’s a huge help because it gives other issues, has thrown many teach- them the ability to watch a lesson ers into open revolt against the new in class,” Waterman said. “The bencell phone policy. In a direct contra- efit to having a video is that you can diction to administration’s instruc- watch it several times. Having that tions, some teachers have told stu- near you while you’re doing work is dents that they would turn a blind almost like having me teach you the eye when cell phones are used for ac- lesson as you work.” ademic purposes. Howard has found Not all teachers share Waterman’s
enthusiasm towards technology in the classroom. Spanish teacher Katie Hathaway, who has always prohibited cell phones in her classes, approves of the new enforcement policy.
“IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO DO YOUR JOB BECAUSE YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN CERTAIN RULES... HOW DOES THAT WORK?” “I think it’s great that admin is taking a stand against it,” Hathaway said. “I think that in certain classes it’s really been necessary, and I’ve actually noticed more engagement. Kids are talking to each other when they would normally be on their phones.” In addition to preventing students from conversing in Spanish, Hathaway sees cell phones as the source of an instant-gratification culture that can get in the way of certain types of learning. “Because we get so much information so fast—our brains are used to scrolling through Instagram—kids want everything to be entertaining and fun,” Hathaway said. “Sometimes you have to give information that’s a little dry.” Though she supports the ban, Hathaway acknowledges that the implementation could have been smoother. “The problem we’ve had—kind of like the dress code policy last year— is that rollout has not been the best,” Hathaway said. “At the same time, it’s happening, so I can’t be angry with it.” In the end, Howard hopes that the electronics ban will teach students to responsibly regulate their own cell phone use. “Where I’m at is: let’s educate you about it,” Howard said. “After we educate you, hopefully you’re not so dependent on pulling out your phone or looking at Kahoot. Your phone’s a great tool, at certain times, but we shouldn’t be so dependent on them.”
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NEWS IS THERE REALLY LEAD IN THE WATER?
Even though it tastes a little funky, the water is more than safe.
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By Ava Klubberud
n February, Garfield bathroom walls were posted with signs warning students not to drink from the sinks, inciting a schoolwide panic over the safety of their drinking water. Despite fears, all drinking sources, such as fountains, are meeting standards. The reason that classroom and bathroom sinks are not up to code is because of the less frequent use that allows for more pollutants to leach into the water. “The longer the water sits in that pipe, the greater chance it will soak up the pollutants,” AP Environmental Science teacher, Dr. Rachel Finley, said. In 1974, the Environmental Protection Agency passed the Safe Drinking Water act as a way to define what pollutants were especially dangerous to human health. The EPA revised parameters for water quality for over 90 different types of pollutants
in 2015. For consumers, this means that water suppliers are being held to high standards. The federal amount of lead that is safe in water has been defined at fifteen parts per billion. The district’s level is defined as ten, five less than the national standard. Having the standard set at zero is almost impossible. Pollutants and other substances will be in the water no matter what. “It’s something to be aware of and these elements are going to be present naturally,” Dr. Finley said. Since lead poisoning only occurs via consumption of lead, the district feels that it is not necessary, or entirely realistic, to hold all sources to the same standard. According to district risk manager, Richard Staudt, it is a better course of action to provide a written and visual warning that sinks are not
a safe option for consumption. Sinks are also kept open to make sure that students are washing their hands, something that promotes sanitary practices in schools Besides lead, the district tests for significant levels of cadmium, copper, iron, and the presence of coliform bacteria. Garfield and other schools are not facing an immediate danger. Instead, it is important to keep in mind that over time plumbing systems can degrade and eventually the water quality will get worse. “Once our system gets older it will be time to act,” Dr. Finley said. Compared to other school districts, Seattle Public Schools’ water
supply is more than okay. Being aware of the risks associated with lead and other pollutants is important, but there is no need to panic. ART BY ARLO VAN LIEW
SPS LIBRARIANS FACING ODDS
District budget plan suggests librarian reductions.
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By Camryn Soo
I always say to myself it’s like the heart of the building,” said Mr. Manzin, Garfield’s High School’s librarian. The school library is a central place in the building the community can access resources. But with recent Seattle School District budget plans for next year, it is unclear if Garfield and many other schools may be left to function without the library always open. The new district budget suggests that librarians may be reduced to a part-time position. Although it’s not clear what this may look like, librarians would simply be around less to support the school. “I’m here as a resource all day for students, staff, alumni, community members, and I can’t imagine not being here available for them, especially during the school day,” Manzin said. “There are so many students that I know personally that don’t have the resources at home, like computers, and this is one of those places they have access.” Manzin allows students to check out laptops because he understands how students can’t always be in the library when they need to work online. “Without me being here assist-
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ing and helping them check out this equipment and circulate it, I’m not sure how some students are going to do going forward,” Manzin said. Manzin has been a librarian at Garfield for three years and has been
wider again because of not having the resources available to all of our students at all times,” Manzin said. “It really scares me to think that in a building with a huge homeless student population, there’s not going to
working to reduce the equity gap. But with resources potentially being limited, that progress could be impacted. “I think that what we are going to see is that those gaps start to open up
be a space that they know they can go to if they really needed to get help with schoolwork but even more than that, having a place to be.” Unlike teachers whose relationship
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with students require them to grade their work, librarians hold a special role in the building. “I’m one of the few adults that is really there to help and assist and I don’t come with any judgment,” Manzin said. “Education without a person in that role just becomes a classroom experience and there’s nothing broader.” The change wouldn’t just impact high schools either, it will affect middle and elementary schools across the district. Elaine Harger, Washington Middle School’s librarian, notes how students use the library for a variety of important reasons both academically and socially. “The library is where very important conversations take place. Conversations about social justice, eduction, community, and about the past, present, and future,” said Harger. “The library connects the school to the outside world.” Even when the future is uncertain, librarians will continue to do their best to support the school’s needs. “I can guarantee any librarian in any position is going to work that much harder to still make it a full experience for every student,” Manzin said. ART BY SIMONE CIELOS
FEATURES
#UNFILTEREDTRUTH MOVEMENT
An activist movement taking public schools by storm.
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By Milena S. Haile
arfield’s very own allumna Allani Seals and past Y-Scholars mentor Theresa Hardy have started their own movement to tackle racism in the classroom. “The #unfilteredtruth movement was started by Trailblazer black and brown students to give them a space to talk about their oppressions within education” says Seals. “It was really designed to shine light on institutionalized racism. Things that black and brown students encounter on a daily basis like being singled out and the zero-tolerance policy where you do something and the consequence is getting kicked out of the school --which can lead to the school to prison pipeline” said Hardy. “We’re really shining light on structural racism and once you acknowledge something and get it out there, the hope is that something is done about it.” The movement has been introduced to students across Seattle, “The Trailblazers program is a program that was designed to give students the opportunity to educate their educators, on topics including implicit bias, how to communicate with students of color, microaggressions, etc. “ says Hardy. The Trailblazers are black and brown students that attend Washington Middle School. “We’re only at Washington Middle School right now with about 28 kids but we’re hoping to expand to high schools and elementaries.” The Trailblazers are
mentored by Garfield students, many of whom are part of the Y-Scholars program. “I thought it would be a good opportunity for them to have mentors that look like them and could relate to them” said Hardy. “Washington came to mind because the population of black students is small--identical to what’s going on at Garfield. So we thought we could come and provide more support and leadership opportunities for black and brown students.” Allani Seals, the co-leader of the program, graduated from Garfield High School in 2018 and is now attending the University of Washington, “I chose to get involved because I had a lot of unresolved trauma and misplaced rage coming from high school. Being a Garfield alumni, I didn’t quite find my niche but now I feel like I have a way not only to give back to the community and school that I came from but also give back to the youth who are also going through similar things as me. I think it’s a very productive way for me to place my rage--it’s productive rage.” Seals is not the only one with this frustration. Many students of color attend and leave school with a feeling of helplessness and defeat towards the education system. Seals has used these obstacles as a tool to drive her career. “This program just works to support and empower at predominantly white schools like this.“It really is all
about practices and policies that are harmful for students that look like the Trailblazers. This gives them an opportunity to not get snatched up by the system.” Policies within a classroom often target students of color, specifically black and brown students, that disproportionately send them down a rabbit hole they cannot get out of. “Within our classroom we try to not perpetuate those inequalities. In terms of discipline, we try to not send kids out of the class or call security, or send them to the principal” said Seals. “We also give them a level of autonomy. I think overall our classroom is very different.” Lessons in the classroom include modern, historic, cultural and intellectual topics that educate and challenge these young minds, “Right now we’re really focusing on women’s history month. We started off class with a “her story” tribute. Everyone had to write down five women that inspired them and why. “We’ve made a kahoot for hip-hop pioneers, and then another for leaders in history that beat the odds.” “Sometimes we have more traditional lessons. Next week, I’ll be talking about women of color in history” explained Seals. “It’s pretty much a year long workshop on things they don’t learn in school.” The student’s first chance to educate their educators occurred a few months ago, with the topic being implicit bias. “That was the first time in
Seattle Public School history where kids lead a professional development during a staff meeting. It was a big deal, we had a 7th grade boy and a 8th grade girl actually lead the whole thing. The second one was “how to build healthy relationships from a student of color’s perspective” says Hardy. These students are taught skills many high schoolers still struggle with, but that are critical to master, “A lot of the mentors took the initiative to talk to the teachers with their mentee, so they’re modeling what it looks like to talk to your educator when your grade is not where it should be” says Hardy. “It really is about mentoring.” This program has opened up various opportunities for leaders and students alike, “I got the opportunity to speak at a conference. We presented on racism in college education at Minnesota state universities 43rd pan-african conference” said Seals. “It gives the students a chance to be themselves in the classroom. Because there aren’t any white students, they don’t constantly have to worry about that imposing whiteness, watching what they say and having to censor themselves. It provides the opportunity to talk about “taboo” subjects within life.” This program is single handedly unfiltering the truth. Layer by layer these kids are digging through the dirt and uncovering the truth that was buried years ago.
NEXT YEAR’S BUDGET CUTS
What’s going on with the budget deal for the 2019-2020 school year? By Izzy Lamola Last week, members of Garfield’s Building Leadership Team (BLT), figured out the budgeting for the next school year. This team is built up of various teachers, staff members, and student representatives, including our principal Mr. Howard. With Lincoln High School opening in the 2019-2020 school year, it is predicted that considerably less students will be coming to Garfield. In addition, HCC (Highly Capable Cohort) programs have developed in new schools across the district and
many students will do running start or take online classes. This means that Garfield will receive almost $1.3 million less in funding than last year. These meetings will try to form a model budget for next year to present to the district. “This year is very difficult. We haven’t had a cut this bad in 15 years.” said Howard. It is predicted that 15 or more staff members will be cut. Based on the reaction to losing just two beloved teachers at the beginning of the year,
this loss will be devastating. This is further complicated by the fact that often these firings follow a “first in, first out” basis which would mean many of the staff members who will be displaced are ones that were recently hired with the goal of creating a more diverse staff. “We need staff more reflective of our student body” a faculty member said. The team has weighed out multiple possible plans till they figure out the perfect plan with their limited
resources. Who will be cut? What is at the best interest for the students? These are questions that the BLT is forced to answer. Staff will be voting tomorrow (as this issue comes to print). Whatever decision is finalised, it will compromise others needs and “impact us wholeheartedly” said Howard. We will have more detailed information on the funding plan in the next issue.
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2019 A I R P O D S J U U L P O D S
Harambe’s Angels: Ariel Cook, Delphi Drake-Mudede, Mitch Battison, Micah Jessie This iconic trio of empowered women (and Micah) are everything you’re not. Their attitudes and petty aggression will ensure an undefeated win. Unlike other participants, these athletes aren’t playing because they love the beautiful game, they’re doing it for attention. Thomas’ Weight Watchers: Thomas Tolgu, Luka Bedalov, Jaya Duckworth, Sophia Balaski, Nick Bishop If this team can help Thomas conquer childhood obesity, they can do anything. A veteran team that’s hungry for more victory, TWW will devour opponents faster than they devour Domino’s Parmesan Bites. As Fergie once said, “Let’s eat.” Ooga boogas: Andrew Barnett, Levi Bauck, Finn Scully, Colin Bryant Just a group of gangly guys trying to make it in the basketball community. While their height may intimidate opponents, their skills are far from lacking. Clay Bennett still can’t move them.
2K generics: Finn Konsmo, Rowley Canale, Aarron Adal
x= -b+-√b^2-4ac/2a : Sam Treat, Donovan Jantz, Oscar Westneat Straight out of Algebra 1, these mathematicians are too a-cute to handle. Watch them kill the game with their pragmatism and belligerence. Be careful, they might be moist. Kolk’s Advisory Angels: Cecilia Hammond, Angelena Tran, Owen Averill, Sophia Chrysanthakopoulos Fresh out of Kolk’s advisory class, this multi-talented clan of Bulldogs are sure to bring their A-game to the court. Watch out, they’re well-educated, gossipy, and ready to win. Lightskin Ballers: TJ Joseph, Leon Neal, Jamari Howard, Darryl Coaxum, Charles Justice These smooth sons will blind you with their incredibly good looks and drippy ice. FrizBros: Alex Nelson, Cameron Houghton, Atkin Arnstein, Keaton Orser, Chander Boyd-Fliegel A gaggle of white lanky lads who are trying to transfer to a real sport. But don’t be fooled by their tiny stature and their pale appearance, contrary to popular belief they are incredibly bouncy.
With one short, one tall, and one mixed, get ready for these frosh to take the court by storm. You won’t want to lose to these newbies. That would just be embarrassing.
You Got Schooled: Ray Willis, Rob Jones, Nicholas Fell, Daniel Lee, Scott Deal, Bernard Israel, Tre Simmons, Eluid Gonzalez Yearly competitors, these teachers are ready to take out their anger on the students of Garfield. They’ve been training all year with the senior citizens team and finally feel prepared to leave their walkers on the sideline. Young Thug’s Best Out: Asad Tacy, Roan McCallum, Ben Ferry, Woody Manum, Sam Chotzen This group of big senior boys is ready to wipe out the competition with their tall heights. Competitors should be scared of this absolute UNIT of a team. Marinara: Sophie Reichert, Olivia Reichert, Ava Klubberud, Torgy These spicy sweethearts are everything you need in a scrumptious pasta sauce. Saucy, Spicy, and Garlicky they will flavor blast any opponent on the court. Little Italy, don’t get lost in the sauce. Calc Golrz: Sara Javkhlan, Mena Bova, Betsy Siegal Watch out boys, these women in STEM are ready to code their way through the tournament. No one can stop these quirky gals.
The Lyons of Pawnship: PK Kubiniec, Jack Graves, Matt Koplowitz, Jared Fix. Pioneers of chessketball and Song of the Day Club, this fearsome foursome has aspirations of dominance on the court this year after a disappointing first round exit each of the previous three years. Matzah Ballers: Micah Tratt, Shai Tratt, Zack Burpee, Spencer Ingram Annual contenders, the Matzah Ballers mantle is dominated this year by a proud collection of Jewish students led by brothers Micah and Shai Tratt. Team Draco: Joshua Davis, Quintavion Johnson, Henry Garrett This group of all star athletes is sure to make a splash in the tournament. As long as their skills match their egos, this team will be eternalized in the March Madness Hall of Fame. I’m the Captain Now: Jacob Neville, Jacob Orser, Finn Morrison, Trevor Ing, Conan Brkanac Can these GOATS rise to the challenge of winning March Madness, or will their spicy attitudes get the best of them? Stay tuned to find out!
NOTE: Teams check your emails daily for scheduling info and court assignments! Every team plays in the first round on Monday, March 18.
T I D E P O D S I S O P O D S
HARAMBE’S ANGELS THOMAS’ WEIGHT WATCHERS OOGA BOOGAS 2K GENERICS YOU GOT SCHOOLED YOUNG THUG’S BEST OUT MARINARA CALC GORLZ
x= -b+-√b^2-4ac/2a KOLK’S ADVISORY ANGELS LIGHTSKIN BALLERS FRIZBROS THE LYONS OF PAWNSHIP HIGH
MATZAH BALLERS TEAM DRACO I’M THE CAPTAIN NOW
Student Submissions You Don’t Even Know Me By Hawi Kadir
You see me in class,Of course, you notice me because I’m the main one talking. I play past the rules I’m young I’m pretty I’m African American So, of course you Think I don’t care about my grades. I’m black so of course you think I’m stupid EXCLUSIVE. My grades are the random, Poetry is my thing History is a breeze. When you said I should be happy going home with that C, I rebuttal education is a key. I’ve been wondering lately, Trying to figure out just how it could be that you’re around me soften and still don’t know a thing About me. You see me on Instagram fighting for my right, Telling you how my people are treated in this country. So there I am fighting for my rights Socially, Mentally, Physically, You see me every time you hit a social media app you see me On Facebook, Twitter and Snap and back at it on Instagram Yet you keep swiping down There I am again, Yet you just flick me off. But when you see me on the street you walk past me like you’ve just eaten a spider. Every time I try to make a change it’s always disturbed my hatred. C’mon stop being a hater and be a lover You see me anywhere cause I’m told same. I’m not just any ordinary girl I’m beautiful, Young, Oromo, I’m also a hijabe. Each time I raise my hand with a question the teacher is inferring I need additional support Digits might not be my thing but I know my history Even the ones that aren’t told. My people’s voices aren’t heard We fight for our rights We hold our fist up as if it’s a Black Lives Matter movement. You still don’t know a thing about me you figure out that I’m Oromo somewhat called Ethiopian You assume all we eat is injera. My mom buys all the recipes with a bargain price. Assumption running out my way, Just like how water goes down a waterfall. Flying into my ears all the dirty things you say about me Excluding me from my rights you put a NO! To my life. I’m always stereotyped.
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A&E Bathroom Juulers By Peter Kubiniec Characterized by a herd of jittery sophomores sporting Bape hoodies and a strong odor of Mango, Mint, or Cucumber, a wild pack of bathroom juulers can be easily identified. Yet this new phenomenon is anything but innocent. Urgent bathroom-goers can expect to be delayed by hoards of vaping underclassmen—often as many as ten— blocking access to the urinals and stalls. The vape of choice is the Juul, a small, insidious device which, when combined with a fruit flavored cartridge, allows users to inhale clouds of vapor which disappear into the air after several seconds. Experienced users may perform tricks with their device, from balancing it on their nose to drinking small quantities of the vape fluid. For some, the Juul offers a reasonable alternative to the use of cigarettes but to others, it represents something much, much darker. This plague on our carefully maintained restrooms presents many hidden challenges. Participants are likely to be unresponsive to verbal requests for passage, generally a result of a singular focus on vapor maximization. Moreover, intake of secondhand Juul mist is unavoidable, particularly in the poorly ventilated second and thirdfloor bathrooms. So what should one do when halted by a pack of bathroom juulers en route to the stall? 1. The Impersonation One of the most popular methods of breaking up a pack of bathroom juulers is by impersonating a staff member. As you enter a bathroom that you suspect of being compromised, loudly jingle a set of keys to replicate the sound of Mr. Howard’s staff keychain. The results will be instantaneous. Suspected vapers will hastily flee, leaving the restroom free for your use. 2. The Howl A second option to get the attention of bathroom juulers is The Howl. Although vapists are often found with “Juul fever”—a state of stupor or temporary, Juul-induced paralysis—a ferocious battlecry can often return them to reality. In this short-lived revival, Juulers may become more responsive to verbal requests. Unfortunately, this method is not juuler specific and may strike fear in the hearts of honest bathroom dwellers as well. 3. The Double Agent Despite heightened risk, ambitious bathroom-goers might try this next-level tactic to gain access to the facilities. When entering the restroom, maintain a posture of apathy and confusion. Produce a device that resembles a vape (often a thumb drive or eraser will do the trick) and slowly make your way towards the stall. In the likely case that one or more vapers attempts to enter the stall with you for some private vaping defer to option 2.
A&E
SPRING AWAKENING
First look at Garfield’s PG-13 musical. By Tova Gaster Trigger warning: mental illness, sexual assault
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he play Spring Awakening was banned on the first night of its original run in 1891. It was put on again, and banned again, in the 1960s. Then it was rebooted into a rock musical. Now, it’s coming to the Quincy Jones Auditorium. For this year’s musical, Garfield theater takes us back to 1890’s Germany with a harrowing portrayal of teen life, set to catchy rock music. The story follows a cast of German teenagers navigating intense topics such as sexual awakening, abuse, and mental illness. Melchior, the male lead (played by senior Charles Whitson), is a free-thinking teenager who rebels against his rigid religious school. He falls into a relationship with Wendla (played by junior Aimee Lefkowicz), whose mother failed to teach her anything about sex. Meanwhile, their friend Moritz (played by junior Eli-Sadow-Hasenburg) is rapidly failing school due to pressure and anxiety. ”It’s about coming to terms with sexuality and adulthood while living in a really oppressive society that doesn’t want to talk about it, so [the characters] have no outlet,” said drama president and stage manager Julia Haralson. This conflict creates serious tension. “It’s based around the lack of sex education at that time in Germany,” said director and Garfield Theater teacher Stewart Hawk. “Issues that are touched on are suicide, incest, abuse, abortion, consensual or not consensual sex. There’s a lot of touchy issues and a lot of things to talk about and work through.” The consequences of adults not honestly educating kids about sex is the show’s defining theme. “The original play was written at a time when sex ed was not a thing,” said Junior cast member Sophia Mitchell. “That’s the reason that a lot of negative impacts for the characters happen.” Stating that lack of sex education leads not to abstinence but to unsafe sex is a stance that was radical then and is still controversial today. The debate around sex ed remains relevant: data shows that abstinence-only sex ed is correlated with higher rates of teen pregnancy--- a topic which is explored in the play. “I think we live in a time where we’re starting to get more honest about what it’s like to come of age,” said Eli Sadow-Hasenburg, who plays the character Moritz. “Talking about sex is really important and has historically not been something that’s been done at all and continues to not be done very well.” Since the play was written and set in the 1890s, repressive and patriarchal attitudes around sex and relationships shape the story. However, they also affected the attitudes of the original play’s author Frank Wedekind, giving the play severe flaws to the modern viewer. “The play was originally banned because there
was a lot of uproar over the fact that he suggested that there might be female sexuality,” said SadowHasenburg. While that was considered feminist and radical for the time, the way in which female sexuality is presented in the original play comes off to the modern viewer as sexist and non-consensual. ”It’s about putting the issues in the show into their historical context,” said Haralson. “Maybe [these] attitudes towards women and sex were feminist at the time but they aren’t feminist now, so how can we acknowledge it? It’s an ancient show in a modern time.”
ART BY CECILIA HAMMOND
However, what we’ll see at Garfield is a very different show than the original which debuted in Germany in the 19th century. When it was rebooted in 2006, it was transformed from a play into a musical, inserting modern music and emotion into an old story. “The dialogue is all really very strict and regimented because it was brought forward from the original play,” said director and Garfield Theater teacher Mr. Hawk. “But when we get to the songs, it’s the frustrations of the youth and the songs are pure rock and roll. It’s a very dynamic breakout of ‘here’s this rigidness of the [original dialogue]’, and then the inner self of the youth come out in song.” It’s these historical contradictions that make the show so tricky to pull off, especially given the show’s controversy throughout its evolution. ”We want the audience to know that it’s sup-
posed to be from that era,” said cast member Chloe Ingraham. “We want people to think ‘that is outdated’ but that these are things teenagers experience no matter where they are or when they are.” It’s important to critically acknowledge how attitudes have changed towards sex and gender dynamics since the 19th century. The explicit and graphic portrayals of sexual abuse and mental illness demand extreme sensitivity, which Garfield Theater appreciates. “We as a cast have spent a lot of time talking about it, and will spend a lot of time talking about it,” Sadow-Hasenburg said. “We’re bringing in experts in various fields, having really honest and safe conversations, talking a lot about trigger warnings. About how we can appropriately have people come in and watch this show that’s really important but also could potentially be not physically safe for some people.” The cast is setting aside time to ensure the space feels comfortable for the entire ensemble. ”Every Tuesday we have a discussion with the whole ensemble and cast, with a professional mediator,” Haralson said, “to talk about the difficult topics in the show and how we want to deal with them.” They’ve brought in experts including a sex ed instructor and a teen mental health expert to help them process what the characters they play are experiencing. They are also putting thought into making the show feel safe for audiences, considering measures including trigger warnings, posters in the lobby, and collaboration with the Sexual Assault Awareness Club to educate viewers and facilitate conversations. “We are trying to make this show as accessible as possible to make sure the Garfield community is comfortable,” Haralson emphasized. “If there’s anything we can include to make it accessible and a safe space, let us know.” Despite the risque elements of the musical, Mr. Hawk has no doubt that it’s worth the extra effort because Spring Awakening has an important message to communicate. “This show really puts it out there that we shouldn’t be hiding this stuff. We need to be educating our kids, we need to be proactive advocates for each other.”
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D A N C E R S OF G A R F I E L D
by sara javkhlan PHOTOS BY JEFFERSON ASHBY
IRYA HIP HOP
“WITH HIP HOP, YOU CAN PUT YOUR OWN STYLE ON IT. NO TWO DANCERS CAN LOOK THE SAME.”
BLAISE BALLET
“DANCE IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ART FORM BECAUSE WHEN YOU’RE DANCING, YOU’RE A PHYSICAL REPRESENTATION OF THE MUSIC.”
SAM
HIP HOP/BREAKDANCE “I THINK DANCE HAS MADE ME MORE IN CONTROL OF MY BODY. IT’S GIVEN ME BETTER BALANCE AND STRENGTH.”
ANTONIA CONTEMPORARY
“IN CONTEMPORARY, YOU CAN EXPRESS THINGS THAT AREN’T PRETTY OR AESTHETC. YOU CAN EXPRESS SOMETHING DEEPER THAT COMES FROM WITHIN YOU.”
SOFIA TAP
“DANCING HAS BEEN EMBEDDED IN MY LIFE. IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE MY LIFE WITHOUT IT.”
A&E
TREATS EAT’S
A student’s guide to Garfield area eateries. By Sam Treat
Fish Guys 411 23rd Ave S
Fish Guys is located very conveniently, kitty-corner from the Starbucks on Jackson. While poké is not for everyone, those who do enjoy the raw fish dish will love Fish Guys. As you enter the restaurant (and fish market), the smell of the ocean greets your nostrils. The rice is well-seasoned with a salty, seaweed mix. The fish is equally well seasoned and very flavorful. My one drawback with poké is the texture of the raw fish, but if that is not an issue for you-- you’ll love Fish Guys! (Pro tips: ask for the student discount and try the Hawaiian Bread Pudding for dessert!)
Med Mix 2204 S Jackson St
This quaint Mediterranean establishment is right across the street from everyone’s favorite place-- Washington Middle School. Despite the fact it is adjacent to that garbage dump, the food is delectable. The family-owned business was previously located at the current location of another Garfield favorite-- Uncle Ike’s. The lamb-beef gyro is by far the most popular menu item, and for good reason. The combination of tzatziki, warm pita, and delicious meat is more than enough to make the gyro my #1 recommendation. If your budget allows it and you’re feeling adventurous, try out one of the homemade greek desserts.
Nate’s Wings and Waffles 1224 E Jefferson St
Whether you are a wings person or waffles person, this restaurant has something for you. The wings (get the breaded ones!) offer a threshold of flavor and texture unmatched by any earthly experience. For those okay with spice, the classic buffalo are delicious, though you may want to get a belgian waffle or garlic fries to help your mouth out. Otherwise, the chipotle barbecue wings are scrumptous. For a slightly higher price, the waffle-chicken sliders are the best of both worlds, and well worth the price. The one downside of this restaurant is that you will likely need every minute of your lunch to get the food.
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SPORTS
RHYS LAWSON LYRIC HARRIS
With spring sports peaking through classroom windows like the sun does on a regular friday, the men’s soccer team is ready to show out and win another championship for Garfield after taking home last year’s state title with a 2-1 victory over Roosevelt in the final. “Winning state was incredible, it was one of the craziest games of my life. It was like a dream,” said senior
Coming off of an exceptional season last year, when they made it to quarterfinals in the 3A State Championships, the softball team is dusting off their bats and cleats for their first game against the Edmonds-Woodway Warriors on March 13th. The expectations are high for the Bulldog players this year. Last season, aside from making the State Championships for the second consecutive year, they also had a historic 18-0 regular season, a 2nd place finish at SeaKing Districts, and their first ever win at State, giving them an overall 9th place finish. Nicola Simpson, pitcher and first
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Thomas Tolgu, one of the team’s captains this year. “[With it] being my last season I’m a little bit sad, but I’m super excited because we have all that potential aWnd I’m excited to see what we can do with the new group of guys.” The JV soccer team is also ready for another great season said Rhys Lawson, a junior on the team. “I’m excited [about the] community
baseman, wants to do everything possible to get the team in its best shape and playing to its fullest potential to make this season the most special one yet, especially for its seniors. Thanks to them, she says, the program has transformed into one of the most competitive teams in the Metro League. “It used to be like other teams wanted to play Garfield because they knew it was an easy game, and that’s not the case anymore,” Simpson said. The team has been working on weaknesses that have been identified in past games in order to fulfill the season’s optimistic expectations and
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around Garfield soccer,” said Lawson. “It gets me in shape which makes me feel a part of the Garfield community. Everyone is there to work hard and play soccer.” Last year, the men’s soccer team lost a lot of seniors so there has been some been conversations between students putting down the team saying they won’t be able to win another state title. “Based on the community
continue making Garfield history. Strengthening their offense is a top priority this year, catcher and shortstop Amelia Collet said, who’s also looking forward to being on the field with some fresh new players. Coach Ken Simpson knows, however, that the softball team has an intangible edge over every other team, along with their “strong pitching staff” and “powerful batting lineup”. “Our coaching staff believes one of our team’s greatest differentiators is… the incredible team spirit and energy our players, manager, and parents bring to each and every game.” Ken Simpson said.
the work that everyone puts in, I think they’ll be at that super high level and be really successful. There’s still a ton of talent and a ton of motivation.” The next match against Garfield and Eastside Catholic is on Monday March 18th.
SOFTBALL
Coach Simpson and the team are looking forward to a strong start to the season playing against some of the toughest opponents in Garfield history, such as Redmond, Stadium, and Kentwood. “We have a really competitive schedule this season, so playing better teams right off the bat will help us identify what we need to work on for the rest of the season,” Simpson said. The softball team has its first home game against Edmond-Woodway Wednesday, March 13 at 4pm.
SPORTS Webster said. “Bleached purple.” His goal is to secure a metro title for both the varsity men’s and women’s team. However, he feels this is more realistic more so with the boys than the girls. “The girls need a little more depth,” Webster said. Webster will be handling both girls and boys varsity teams, and last year’s JV coach, Stella McClure, will be returning. He plans to focus on character building as well as education. “My approach is that they are stu-
dent athletes, students first,” Webster said. “Get your education first and that will help open more doors than a tennis racket will.” Senior and captain Ben Ferry is also excited for the new season. “I’m looking forward to a fresh start with a new coach and possibly a metro title,” he said. Playing both doubles and singles, Ferry’s number one goal is to make it to state. “My number two goal,” Ferry said, “which is actually pretty much tied with my number one goal is beating
lakeside.” Along with that, Ferry is also looking to the future. “I also want to leave behind a reputation and a memorial for Ira and Jacquelene,” Ferry said. Former coaches Ira Moss and Jacquelene Morris both passed away this September and October, respectively. With a new coach and postive memories of Moss and Morris, the is team looking forward to the new season.
The upcoming track season will hold a team filled with both new and old faces. “One of the things I am looking forward to this season is all the new people …I walk around the halls all recruit all day everyday,” said head coach Kwajalein Griffin. She has some new plans for the season, namely creating a more cohesive team. This year, for the first day, she had everybody run together. “That gives everybody a chance and opportunity to bond,” Griffin said. For the girls, Griffin has big plans. “I’m hoping that we get the girlsback down to state in the sprint relays,” Griffin said. “This year I also hopefully want us to get a 4 by 400
relay.” Griffin also emphasized the importance of a multi-talented team to succeed. “We had some of everything, just like when we went with the girls last year,” Griffin said. “That’s what it takes to win state.” Distance coach Derek Lactaoen echoed the goal to have a more cohesive team “We are one big Bulldog family,” Lactaoen said, “kids at Garfield, students at Garfield, teachers at Garfield, our competitors, they are all going to see us show up as one team.” He thinks that the team this season will be one of the biggest yet. In terms of goals, Lactaoen does have
some of his own but he also wants the runners to formulate goals for themselves. “I think overall we are going to have to see how kids progress, how we move forward as a team, and encourage them to set their own goals for the season,” Lactaoen said. However, he does want Garfield to be represented on the state level for distance. “Last season we didn’t...have any distance kids qualify for state, on the boys and girls side,” Lactaoen said. Senior and triple jump champion, Lyric Harris, is also excited for her last season with Garfield. “I’m really looking forward to this season, especially because it’s my se-
nior season. ” Harris said. Like Griffin, she is also hoping for another state win in the triple jump. For the past two years Harris has also gotten second in the 200. “I definitely want to go back and try to win that,” Harris said, “that would be a big finale for senior year.” Sophomore and distance runner, Alyssa Tou, predicts a strong season for the distance runners. “I think in general we have some really strong freshman and the seniors are on top of it,” Tou said, “I can’t wait for this season, it’s going to be super fun!”
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A new season brings a new coach for the Garfield tennis team. Coach Eric Webster is a Garfield tennis alumni, and has an impressive tennis background. He played division one collegiate tennis at Columbia University and has also been ranked as high as number four in the country. Although he is new this year, he is not new to coaching at Gafied, as he coached in the 90s. “I was back here, enjoying life, and I decided to go back to the school of my origins, because my blood is purple,”
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You know it’s baseball season when purple body bags and wooden bats start standing out in the hallway rush. This year, the pressure is on. “The past two years we’ve been a game away from State, and we have a large group of seniors on the team [this year] who know we’re close, we’re right there,” said senior Trevor Ing, captain of the varsity team. Most of the players on varsity
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have been playing and growing together on the field for four years. Hungry for victory, they know how important playing as a unit is and are confident in the chemistry they’ve built this season. “We need to be more consistent as a team. Last year we sort of had a lot of good individual performances, but we weren’t quite able to all step up and have solid games,” Ing said.
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JV is alsoworking on their team chemistry and fostering a positive environment in preparation for an exciting season, which includes welcoming some freshman faces to the diamond. “I never really got a lot of help when I was on JVC, so I’ve been trying to help the new kids who’ve never played baseball in the outfield, teaching them how to hit, small things like that,” said junior
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Xavier Morada, who’s been on the team since 9th grade. With the team locked in and committed to meeting their high expectations, this baseball season promises to be a thrilling one. The baseball team has its first home game against the Highline Pirates Monday, March 11 at 7pm.
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SPORTS
ICED OUT
Winter sports championships get postponed.
T
By Ke’Von Avery
his past February, Seattle had a huge and semi-unexpected snow break. The entire city was buried in white, virtually shutting everything down— the roads, workplaces, and schools. Now for a lot of us, this snow break was a great time to catch up on sleep, bingewatch netflix, read a good book, and hang out with friends and family. On the other hand, our Garfield winter sports teams unfortunately had to postpone practices, meets and games due to the frigid weather. To combat the snow many of our athletes found themselves going above and beyond to make the best out of this ‘slippery slope’ of a situation. The womens basketball team had to postpone some of their games, but in spite of the weather, their rank and ability to go to the playoffs wasn’t affected according to Garfield senior and varsity player Jayla Howard. “For us it didn’t really matter because we were already ranked number one in Metro so we already had a spot, unlike some other teams who had to play to get a spot,” Howard said. While the snow didn’t necessarily deter the fact that the girls would make it to the playoffs, without the team being able to practice the girls were thrown off of their usual routine and conditioning. “It definitely affected us a lot because we missed a whole week of practice so when we came back we
looked and played really bad. We forgot some of our plays and we were also not in shape so when we played we didn’t look like the Garfield girls that usually come out to play together and execute,” said senior varsity player Sam Tolliver.
Even with the inches of snow blanketing the city, the womens basketball team stayed committed to their craft and ventured elsewhere to practice and work out. “We ended up having to go to the gym on our own time because we couldn’t practice at the school be-
cause they wouldn’t let us,” Howard said. It is a difficult thing to participate in a team sport when you have to go days without practicing with your teammates. Chemistry is really important in many athletics and even an absence of a few days can throw the team off of their game. “The snow delay was bad for us as a team just because we couldn’t work on things that we needed to work on as a team and get shots up but for me it was good because I got to sleep in,” Tolliver said. The Lady Bulldogs weren’t the only one affected by the mini blizzard. Our mens swim and dive team had similar issues with their meets and practices. “Snow days really messed with our practice schedules, especially with our practices already being limited to around an hour or so and being moved to the Rainier Beach Pool,” said Garfield high school senior Michael Duan. “Sadly the district meet was cancelled, so a lot of swimmers had an earlier end to their season. “If we were lucky and the roads were clear enough, we would occa-
sionally have a practice held. A lot of swimmers also went to club team practices like SMAC to get ready.” For some of the athletes, although they worked hard, the snow wound up cutting some athletes’ seasons short because they couldn’t compete due to meets getting postponed. “A few practices were cancelled because of snow days, but the main effect was that Districts were cancelled,” said sophomore swimmer Yatin Kukreja. “This meant that after Metros, the season was done for the vast majority of the team. This also meant that some of our swimmers we were expecting to make state didn’t get that chance.” Similar to the womens basketball team, while meets and practices were delayed or postponed the season still managed to wrap up on time. “I’m pretty sure the swim season finished as scheduled and wasn’t delayed,” Kukreja said. “Over the snow break, our team essentially had to wait it out, and hope for the best. Some people tried to swim on their own at pools that were open, but a lot of practices were cancelled due to pools being closed.” With that said, the snow was fun to look at and a great excuse to take a break from school and other things. But for many of our athletes, the snow break had lost a chunk of their season. ART BY SOPHIA CHRYSANTHAKOPOULOS
LACROSSE ACROSS GARFIELD
The womens lacrosse team joins Garfield sports. By Simone Cielos Purple flashes down the field, lacrosse sticks in hand, players feet pouding the turf. For the first time in Garfield history, the lax ladies are an official spring sport. Many students are gearing up and getting ready for a thrilling season ahead. For the past couple of years, the lacrosse team has thrived even before it was given the title of an official school sport. “Last year we had a really big turnout of people trying to sign up,” said Junior Zoe Tsaii, long time lacrosse
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goalie. Many students found the Lacrosse team to be a welcoming sport. “It’s a really easy sport to start because it’s relatively new to the west coast, ” Tsaii said. “It’s not like soccer where you need a lot of experience just to get on a team.” This was a possible cause for the huge growth of incoming players in the past couple years. When it comes to the team environment, it is all around fitting for most Garfield sports, competitive but friendly, and most definitely team
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oriented. “We are super supportive… it is a really positive environment” Tsaii said, “I have had a really good experience.” Although the sport has joined in on being an official garfield sport, little change outside of titles is expected for the team. “We are still managed kind of by parents so we are not a school sport in that regard,” Tsaii said. “But we are going to be able to participate in assemblies. But that is basically it.”
The sports introduction into the school will also be beneficial because it will allow for in school advertising of games and try outs. As spring season approaches and the team starts official games, the sport will start to become full swing. If you ever feel the inkling, come down and support our Lady Bulldogs.
SPORTS
VICTORY AT THE ORCA BOWL
Garfield blows the competion out of the water.
By Devon Ling-Efird hoy! Sporting tricorne hats, fearsome bandannas, and the skull and crossbones, the Garfield Bulldogs swashbuckled their way to victory at this year’s Orca Bowl. Over twenty high schools compete in this regional marine science bee, but only one team brings home the victory plaque. This year, the state championship goes to Garfield team members Malini Williams, Magdalena Phillips, Aviv Pinker, and Spencer Hulsman-Wells who have all been invited to nationals in Washington D.C. The Garfield Orca Bowl team isn’t just four people, though: functioning much like a club, there are weekly lunch meetups where all ten current members will prepare for the yearly competition. Magdalena Phillips, a senior on the team, says that even if preparation can be a bit informal, it is nonetheless pretty extensive. “There’s a theme for each year, so we each get a topic based on that
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theme” Phillips said. “My topic was ocean policies, so I made a presentation on that and presented it to the club. If an ocean policy question comes up, it’s my job to know how to answer it.” Originally started by Walter P. Spangenberg in the late 90s, the Garfield Orca Bowl team has since been supervised by Jonathan Stever for almost twenty years now. Despite being the team’s coach, Stever says that the club is run mainly by the students. “I give them all the responsibilities, I pass on all the emails to them, and they do all the registration and the paperwork” Stever says. “It’s really
fun actually, these students are really interested in a field that I’m passionate about so it’s fun to support them.” Even after all their practice and preparation, winning the Orca Bowl is no easy task. Some of the teams come from high schools such as ORCA (Ocean Research College Academy) whose curriculum is based solely around marine science. Malini Williams, the team captain, says they were certainly not expecting to win much less make it past the first eliminations. “We had no expectations and we thought we’d be lucky to get out of the group stages” said Malini. “But after the single elimination we went
MESS GUESS
9th Grade: Tyrail Minor
Ria Maisano-Torres
New Marshall in Town
(9-6)
(7-8)
NBA: Portland Trailblazers vs. San Antonio Spurs
Trailblazers
NHL: Washington Capitals vs. Tamba Bay Lightning
10th Grade:
11th Grade: Iris Seiwerath
on to beat on of the best teams and we then really committed ourselves during the double elimination.” Despite the fierce competition that occurs at the Orca Bowl, Malini stills enjoys the environment and interactions between the teams. “All the people on the teams were all really friendly with each other, and I knew a lot of them through working at the aquarium and having been at the competition in the past” said Malini “and so that atmosphere at the orca bowl is always very nice.” Although Garfield has been invited to participate in the national marine science competition, none of the team will be able to go. Not expecting to win the Orca Bowl, all four members had scheduled other plans during spring break which is when the competition occurs. However, as state champions, the team members will be able to take part in an enriching hands-on research cruise. PHOTO COURTESY OF MALINI WILLIAMS
12th Grade: Lauren Guthrie
Staff: Mr. Sample
(8-7)
(8-7)
(9-6)
Spurs
Trailblazers
Trailblazers
Trailblazers
Lightning
Lightning
Capitals
Capitals
Capitals
MLS: NYCFC vc. LAFC
LAFC
NYCFC
LAFC
LAFC
NYCFC
College Softball: UCLA vs. UW
UCLA
UW
UCLA
UW
UW
AFL: Collingwood Magpies vs. GeelongCats
Cats
Magpies
Cats
Magpies
Cats
WEEK 4
As we head into the second half of the season, a wild Week 3 of Mess Guess featuring an unprecedented perfect 5-0 record for first time guesser Ms. Marshall brings a big shakeup in the standings. Mr. Sample tries to ride the hot streak for the staff while Tyrail Minor attempts to regain sole possession of the lead for the 9th graders. The year-long tie between the juniors and seniors continues with Iris Seiwerath and Lauren Guthrie battling to get their class ahead. Meanwhile, Ria Maisano-Torres does everything she can to get the sophomores over .500. The Garfield Messenger 03/15/2018 garfieldmessenger.com
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The Backpage by Jaya, Sam, Ariel and Delphi
GARFIELD purity test Got your phone Grafittied the Got your bellybut- Peed next to a Set off the fire alarm in robotics taken by Howard bathroom stall ton pierced in the teacher 20 points
bathroom
30 points
club
2561 points
57 points
7650 points
Below 0: the WOAT
0-100: The Bullpup
Embezzled money from the school
Gotten lead poisoning
Taco Time and Chilled
Made a soundcloud diss track
Gotten dress coded
200,000 points
250 points
95,768 points
105 points
43 points
Forged a sick letter
Had a teacher who left after 6 weeks
816 points
5 points
70 points
Bullied private school kids
Ate in the library
Made a bong in ceramics
65 points
420 points
Continued a basketball cheer after the three times are done
1 point Stood up at an assembly before you’re a senior
15 points
–2020 points
15 points
Cheated on a test — 30 points
Snitched on Gotten freaky in someone for the orchestra loft cheating on a test –160 points
Fell down during Stood for the the senior run out national anthem 167 points
–16,000 points
Got a concussion Been under FBI from powderpuff Investigation 740 points
–200,000 points
You Got Schooled
- walks like they’re on an elliptical - gets more time in March Madness than they ever did in high school - dunks on students who haven’t scheduled their 10th grade meeting yet
Got mono
You’ve got decent school spirit, but you still have a long way to go to gain the full GHS experience.
100-1000: The Bulldog
You’re a bulldog through and through. You’ve been with GHS in sickness and in health and will be till death do you part.
Above 1000: TRUE DAWG
You live and breathe GHS. You will forever be eternalized as a bulldog legend. #BD4L
- JV rejects - sent AW productions their March Madness highlight reel - out of the tournament quicker than you can say “We up next”
Matzah Ballers
-sorry Micah
-biggest egos -Meredith Matthews YMCA -if boat shoes were people -lost to the marauders -GHS Libertarian
Absolutely zero school spirit or clout.
Lightskin Ballers
Harambe’s Angels Young Thug’s Best Out
Add up your score to see how much of a true dawg you are. Make sure to share your scores!
Lyons of Pawnship High
-should just stick to chess -Mr. Nomura stans (sorry for when we gassed your god) -brought a Post Malone song to Song of the Day Club
- lost in the first round every year since 1670 AD - still plays Subway Surfers - lactose sensitive