Garfield Messenger: Volume 98, Issue 1 by Garfield Messenger

OCTOBER VOLUME 98 ISSUE 1

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

Math • English • ACT/SAT • College Apps

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

“

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

”

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

“

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

“

”

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

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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

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

EDITORS

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

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

SUPPORTERS OF THE GARFIELD MESSENGER

TUTORING & TEST PREP

BENEFACTORS

Noel Treat Lisa Richmond and Steve Burke The Van Loo Family

PATRONS

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

FRIENDS

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

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

S TA F F

Simone Cielos Sophia Chrysanthakopoulos Téa Fortune Tova Gaster Wynsome Burke

TABLE OF

4 5

NEWS BRIEFS

Irya Bland

UNDER PRESSURE Téa Fortune

Angelina Lopez

DOORWAY DOOMSDAY Nat Beaumon

SPECIAL EDUCATION MOVES TOWARDS INTEGRATION

WORTHLESS WALKOUTS

POLARIZED POLITICS

AVA FIMMANO’S T-SHIRT BUISNESS

EXPLORING FRINGE THEATER IN THE CENTRAL DISTRICT

NFO

Corinna Singer

Sam Treat

SAY GOODBYE TO HCC? Simone Cielos & Corinna Singer

GARFIELD CLUBS Molly Chapin & Kai Craig

CHOIR

Kai Craig

STUDENT SUBS

JAZZ

YOU FAILED US

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

RANT & RAVE

Dominic Sullivan

THEATER

& 17

Annabelle Frockt

Izzy Lamola & Khassim Diakhate

BAD RESPIRATION, BIG ASPIRATIONS Tova Gaster

Caroline Ashby

Azure Savage

TOP DAWG

FRESHLETES

Liam Hyde

Matt Lord

ENTERTAINMENT

& 11

FORBIDDEN FRUIT FATAL FOG

AND

Liam Hyde

AT THE CORE

THE FOOT-Z CREW Annabelle Frockt

SPORTS

ARTS

5 6

Devon Ling-Efird

7 7

OPINION

DIVERSIFYING THE GREAT OUTDOORS

F E AT U R E

Cover by Caroline Ashby

SPORTS

NEWS

ISSUE 1, VOL 98

CONTENTS

THE DAWG POUND

Audrey Abrahams

Benjamin Thomas

Grace Chinowsky

NEWS DIVERSIFYING THE GREAT OUTDOORS How POST is moving towards equity.

By Liam Hyde

By Devon Ling-Efird

Hearthstone player banned for supporting Hong Kong Protests

I door Recreation, then you’ve probably f you’ve heard of POST: Student Led Out-

heard of POST: Clique-y White-dominated Camping Trips. Camping, hiking, and other wilderness activities have been historically filled with upper-class white participants. POST, an organization that focuses on such activities, is no exception. In the hopes of breaking this stereotype, POST has recently introduced a new trip called Intro to Camping. The brainchild of POST staff members Linda Phan and Sara Javkhlan, Intro to Camping was designed specifically to serve students of color and people from lowincome backgrounds. This outreach came after years of racial imbalance in Garfield’s outdoor education program. “When I got on staff sophomore year I saw a lot of issues with who would go on trips and who would come back on trips,” Phan said. “Staff and campers of color would go on a trip, but then they wouldn’t want to come back on any other trips.” Retaining and reaching out to new campers of color was clearly a major challenge for POST. “When I talked to campers about their experiences, I’d get the same answer where they didn’t feel comfortable,” Phan said. “And people who had never been on POST trips would say they’d never been in the outdoors before and were uncertain how it would turn out.” POST is something Phan loves a lot, and as a staff member, she is able to see how the program brings people together and makes them feel like they have a community at Garfield. “So how do we make POST more inclusive,” Phan said, “to people who’ve never been camping before or feel uncomfortable within the POST atmosphere?” Phan and Javkhlan decided to make a beginner level camping trip catered towards these people who had problems with POST. “Everyone would go camping, they would go on a hike, and also do some volunteer work,” Phan said, “I thought this trip would address some of the problems I’m seeing with POST.” The outcome was overwhelmingly positive. The vast majority of campers and staff on Intro to Camping were people of color. “I was really worried about how on less structured trips it is really easy for campers and staff to segregate themselves,”

ART BY SOPHIA CHRYSANTHAKOPOULOS

“HOW DO WE MAKE POST MORE INCLUSIVE TO PEOPLE WHO’VE NEVER BEEN CAMPING BEFORE OR FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WITHIN THE POST ATMOSPHERE?”

ART BY SIMONE CIELOS

Phan remarks, “but this trip was not like that at all. Everyone was really comfortable with each other, and I definitely think the [demographic] environment made a big contribution to why the vibe on this trip was so comfortable and inclusive.” For sophomore Wubwa Ibrahim, Intro to Camping was her first POST trip. “I hadn’t really been camping outside before so it was a new experience,” Ibrahim said. “We learned how to set up tents, cook outside, and we also hiked and pulled out weeds. It was fun and really nice bonding with everyone — including people who weren’t in my grade.” Intro to Camping also encouraged Ibrahim to go on future POST trips, including the upcoming trip to Lopez Island. Jessica Luu, another camper, had been on multiple POST trips prior to ITC. “Intro to Camping was very different than the other trips,” Luu said. “Since it was a big group of people of color, we were able to bond a lot more and it was a more memorable experience. I would definitely go on another trip like this.” Due to the amount of positive feedback from the trip, people have been expressing an interest in continuing what Phan and Javkhlan started. “Staff of color who are juniors have told me they want to run the trip next year after Sara and I graduate,” Phan said. “I really think this is something that could continue, which is great because a trip like this is essential if we want to dismantle the racist tendencies within POST.” In terms of long term goals, Phan hopes that every trip can have the same sense of community that she found on ITC. “The idea with Intro to Camping is to create an environment that’s perfect for these students of color or who come from a low income background,” Phan said. “We want these campers to continue with POST and bring that environment with them to other trips.” Phan’s goal would’ve sounded close to impossible a year ago. Now, with ITC breaking a 35-year streak of whiteness, POST’s future is looking a bit more colorful.

On October 6th, Ng Wai Chung, a professional gamer known as Blitzchung, competed in a live match of the online card game Hearthstone wearing a mask in support of the Hong Kong protests. After the game, as Blitzchung was being interviewed by two Taiwanese streamers, he shouted “Liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our times!” The stream immediately cut to a commercial break and the on-demand video was deleted. Blitzchung has been banned from professional Hearthstone and both streamers have since been fired by Blizzard, the company behind Hearthstone. Tencent Holdings Limited, a Chinese conglomerate, has a 5% stock in Blizzard entertainment.

President Trump abandons the Syrian Kurds In a shocking departure from the policy laid out by the United Nations, President Trump announced on the morning of October 7th that he would withdraw the 150 military personnel defending the Syrian Kurds from Turkey. Turkey has long viewed the Kurds as a terrorist threat, and has immediately moved to move military forces into their territory. The goal of Turkey is to establish a “safe zone” 20 miles deep and 300 miles along the Turkish-Syrian border for the remaining one million Syrian refugees currently in Turkey.

US Ambassador’s wife uses diplomatic immunity as defense Anne Sacoolas, the wife of the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom, has fled the country after killing UK citizen Harry Dunn in a car crash on August 27th. Though she initially agreed to comply with the police investigation, Sacoolas has fled the country and has claimed diplomatic immunity as her legal defense. The US embassy has refused to waive Sacoolas’s diplomatic immunity despite receiving a formal request from the British police. Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, has pledged to take the issue all the way up to President Trump to find a resolution.

NEWS

FORBIDDEN FRUITY FATAL FOG Focusing on failing lung function. By Irya Bland

Within the last few months, it seems like vaping

has taken over every news platform. Every day there is another story about a teen in the hospital or a vaping product in the process of being banned. However, this isn’t the first time vaping or e-cigarettes has been in the news. Vaping first became popular in 2015 as an alternative for those trying to quit regular cigarettes. Instead of using a patch or chewing gum, e-cigarettes give the same feeling of smoking without some of the negatives like smell and terminal illnesses. Out of hundreds of e-cigarette manufacturers, Juul was immediately one of the most popular, due to their sleek, compact design and their wide variety of flavors. However, their fruity flavors started to entice not only those breaking their addiction, but also teenagers who had never smoked before. In response to the concerns of parents and teachers, the e-cigarette brand made news headlines in 2018 as they attempted to put a stop to teen vaping by discontinuing the fruit flavored nicotine pods in brick-and-mortar stores. However, Juul would continue to sell these flavors in tobacco and smoke shops, where one must be twenty-one and up to buy the products. Unfortunately, Juul’s attempt at preventing teen vaping failed. The epidemic continues to spread and new information about vaping related diseases and death is published every day. However, there are still many unanswered questions about this outbreak and what can be done

to stop it. Due to the lack of answers, many states, are beginning to take matters into their own hand. In the state of Washington, health officials have declared lung illnesses related to vaping a statewide outbreak. To date, there have been seven vapingrelated lung illness cases in Washington. Two of the seven cases have been teen patients and the rest have been between ages 20 and 39. All of them reported vaping prior to contracting the illness, but health officials have yet to identify a common vape product between all seven cases. In the United States, over 1,000 people have contracted a lung related illness due to vaping, including both nicotine and THC products. The illnesses differ from patient to patient, but they all have similar symptoms, such as coughing, nausea, chest pain, vomiting, difficulty breathing and shortness of breath. Because this epidemic is growing at such a rap-

id pace and none of the patients use the same products, doctors are unable to conclude what specifically is causing the illness. Recently, scientists and doctors discovered that, contrary to popular belief, the majority of the illnesses are a result of using bootleg or counterfeit THC vape cartridges, not e-cigarettes. Many bootleg cartridges include deadly chemicals such as Vitamin E acetate which is an oil used on the skin and can significantly damage the lungs when inhaled. However, this is just one suspicion and there are many other deadly suspected chemicals in these products. These cartridges are usually sold on the black market for a cheaper price, which combined with the lack of necessary identification needed, makes these deadly products more accessible to teenagers. To avoid these risks, the only

place those 21 and over should purchase THC products is at a licensed dispensary. As a response to this outbreak, Washington governor Jay Inslee has announced an executive order that will push Washington to take action by banning all flavored vaping products, including those containing THC. Eventually, Inslee plans on working with the health department on a legislation that will require e-cigarette distributors to include all of the ingredients in their products. “We are interested in ensuring that adults and young people have known and regulated ingredients in vaping products,” Gov. Jay Inslee said. “Everyone deserves to know what is in the vaping liquid they are inhaling into their lungs.” One of Inslee’s main goals is to remove the fruity flavors from e-cigarettes -- a feature that makes vaping more attractive to people under the age of 21. “We also want to make sure that no young people get hooked on vaping and one way they get hooked early is through flavors.” On a wider scale, President Donald Trump has also announced his plans to ban flavored ecigarettes. However, there has been no national plan so far to regulate THC cartridges. In the meantime, until there are answers, it’s important to stay safe and stay away from all vaping products. Especially if they don’t come from a licensed dispensary. Art by Sophia Chrysanthakopoulos

UNDER PRESSURE

Students forced into Running Start. By Téa Fortune Imagine being able to take courses in Amer- portunity to take courses that typically aren’t at ican Sign Language, vector calculus, and or- Garfield, and it gives students the option to get ganic chemistry before graduating from high extra credits which they might need.” school. For many juWhile most Running Start niors and seniors at students enter the program Garfield, these exotic “I UNDERSTAND GIVEN HOW FULL THE by choice, this year’s overclasses have become Garfield classes have CLASSES ARE AND [RUNNING START] filled part of their daily forced some students to routine. This path is WAS A WAY TO DECREASE THAT ISSUE, consider dual enrollment. called Running Start, such student is Camille BUT IT DIDN’T FEEL RIGHT THAT A One a program which alMaruceri, a senior who has lows juniors and se- HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELOR WAS PUSH- heard of Running Start, but niors to study for free never thought about signing at a local community ING STUDENTS OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL. up. college. “I was working with my “[Running Start] allows students to be out of counselor about my schedule and he basically the building [and] have the chance to see what changed my whole schedul with Running Start the college environment and atmosphere is filler classes and gave me a Running Start about,” said Mr. Willis, the Garfield counselor form,” Mauceri said. for Running Start. “It gives students the opWhile there have been new teachers

”

hired to help with overcrowded classrooms, many Garfield classes have simply been downgraded from giant to large. Garfield currently has over 1800 students, which is 200 more students Seattle Public Schools estimated. “We are getting some new teachers, but it doesn’t seem like it’s enough,” Maruceri said. “I understand given how full the classes are and [Running Start] was a way to decrease that issue, but it didn’t feel right that a high school counselor was pushing students out of high school.”

Art by Caroline Ashby

NEWS

SAY GOODBYE TO THE HCC?

Seattle Public Schools talk about dissolving the HCC Program. By Simone Cielos

he HCC program, along with other advanced learning programs, has been deeply ingrained into the Seattle Public Schools. Garfield’s status as an HCC magnet school has only made these programs more relevant to us. Inevitably the same question arises with each passing school year: What if the HCC didn’t exist at all? As of

high school ready for college, career, and life.” The Advanced Learning Task Force proposed what they call an “all-inclusive” replacement to the HCC program. Students would be served in mixed classes — a stark departure from the existing self-contained model. Director Jill Geary supports this initiative to abolish separate HCC classes. “We have to remember that first and foremost, all our students are general education students, and then they get certain services to support their learning,” Geary said. The Task Force also called for advanced math pathways at every middle school by the year 2023. 9-12th grade students in advanced learning would be expected to begin taking honors, AP, and or IB courses at an accelerated rate. For those seeking dual credit, Running Start would still be offered along with the in-school AP and IB courses. In an attempt to keep students within their neighborhoods, all students will be forced to attend their neighborhood school. The expectation is that each school will be able to offer the same opportunities, but some worry if the schools will stay true to these ideals. Currently with programs like HCC, many students come from elementary schools throughout the city into Washington Middle School or Hamilton. These institutions are some of the only HCC tracked middle schools putting a majority of the HCC pathway students within a bubble of their own. Thus, once these students move to their magnet high schools, they remain

“NONE OF US SHOULD WANT TO LEAD THIS TYPE OF EDUCATIONAL REDLINING” -SUPERINTENDENT DENISE JUNEAU

2020, the district may just be headed in that direction. It’s no secret that the HCC program serves a majority-white and East-Asian population. In the 2018-2019 school year, 59% of HCC students were white — even though white students made up only 48% of the district as a whole. On the other hand, only 1% of the HCC program was black, while the district enrollment of black students was 14.5%. Superintendent Denise Juneau voiced her concerns on the topic in a recent SPS Board meeting presenting the new plan. “One of the first stories I heard arriving here, was about Garfield High School: that some students there call it the slaveship or apartheid high,” Juneau said. “Since that time I have learned it is a generational legacy. This is unacceptable and embarrassing.” To respond to this legacy of division, the district has put together a task force with the job to propose a full-fledged replacement plan for the HCC program. The district uses two school policies as reasoning for the oncoming changes. One is Policy 0030, which states that it is Seattle Public Schools’ duty to make sure that all schools are “ensuring educational and racial equity”. The other is Policy 2190 which states, “It is the policy of the Seattle Public School Board that all students will be afforded the opportunity to reach their potential and graduate from

isolated from their non-HCC peers. When students are tracked they are completely surrounded by the same peers for over a decade, meaning that there is little incentive to meet other students. “Experts will tell you giftedness is not based on race; giftedness is not just found in white people,” Juneau said. “That means that we, the Seattle Public Schools, have intentionally created systems that are prohibiting some groups like African American males and other students further from educational justice from qualifying and receiving the services they need to thrive in our system.” With the proposed closure of the HCC program, some worry what this may mean for current HCC and Advanced Program students. According to the Task Force behind the program change, students will finish the path within the schools they are currently enrolled in. This is an important subject not only for current students, but for all future students and the future of public education in Seattle Although this issue won’t directly affect anyone reading this now, it is imperative to stay informed on this subject not just for yourself but for your younger siblings. It will have a lasting impact on the future of education in Seattle Public Schools.

“FIRST AND FOREMOST, ALL OUR STUDENTS ARE GENERAL EDUCATION STUDENTS” -BOARD MEMBER JILL GEARY

Art by Simone Cielos

NEWS

AT THE CORE

Garfield’s Congress of Racial Equity is getting a makeover. By Angelina Lopez

arfield’s Congress of Racial Equity (CORE) has long been a beacon of hope for the school’s racially diverse student population. The club’s quarterly retreats allow students of all backgrounds to openly discuss issues of race, gender, sexuality, family dynamics and more that are typically avoided in the classroom. For CORE, this year is marked by radical changes caused by administration turnover and financial constraints. All but one of last year’s CORE officers graduated in the class of 2019. Senior Shayla Stevens, CORE’s solo returning officer, is excited for a batch of new faces. “They have a fresh set of eyes [into the club] and they are going to offer new ideas and perspectives,” Stevens said. A turnover in staff allows the program to shift focus and connect to the community in new ways. Amarra Andresen, a new CORE staff member, is looking forward to getting seniors and people of color out onto trips in higher numbers than in previous years. “Having people of color be more involved allows for more conversations to be had,” Andresen said. To start, the club has made an effort to recruit a greater number of nonwhite officers. Under previous leadership, the retreats were

“HAVING PEOPLE OF COLOR BE MORE INVOLVED ALLOWS FOR MORE CONVERSATIONS TO BE HAD” comprised mostly of white students. Now, the club is being adapted to support and welcome students of color. Along with new staff and new trip-goers, there are also new issues arising with the program. One of those is that the club is struggling this year with their finances. CORE tries its best to make its trips available to every student. This means that low income students can get scholarships up to $200 in order to attend the retreats. Low-income students often overlap with students of color. “Since systematic oppression is so strong, people of color can’t pay for these trips,” said Stevens. However, the cost of these scholarships add up quickly, especially when many kids can’t afford the full price.

The PTSA and Garfield do not help with fundraising for the club. CORE receives only $2,000 annually from the PTSA despite trips costing nearly $15,000 each. With three trips per year this can total almost $45,000. Though CORE fundraises on its own, it is not enough to support the club’s long-term plans. With shifting demographics on retreats, fewer students can pay, leaving an unsustainable cost on the dwindling paying population. This year’s officers are looking for community

members to step up and donate on SchoolPay to support the club. CORE creates a space for many Garfield students to have life-altering conversations and realizations. The new officers are reinvigorating the program and the changes coming to CORE’s student makeup is promising. However, change can only come to CORE if the program can muster the financial resources to keep it afloat for the years to come. Photo by Devon Ling-Efird

DOORWAY DOOMSDAY Don’t blame the security guards. By Nat Beaumon

his September, many students were alarmed to find that the doors on the east side of Garfield had been blocked off. These concerns were elevated when Mr. Howard announced at the first assembly of the year that anyone who went through the doors would be given Saturday school. This has left many wondering what’s happening with Garfield’s security policies, but the answer may be more complicated than anyone imagined. Mr. Blanton, one of the assistant principals and one of the faculty responsible for deciding Garfield’s security policies, explained that the door policies have technically already existed for some time. “These policies are not new,” Blanton said. “At the start of this school year, we put up barriers so that students do not exit out the east side doors. We wanted to emphasize entering and exiting out the front door, so we can better monitor who is coming in and out of the building and keep us all safe.” As the Garfield librarian, Mr. Manzin has a close relationship with school security, and was able to offer some valuable insight about the subject. “I feel like the importance of security has el-

evated over time,” Manzin said. “A year and a half ago when an incident came up here at school, we were promised by the district to get security doors that would allow entry to individuals that were part of the community via a secured badge. That has not happened, so it’s really constrained our options in the building.” Without the key card security system, Garfield has been forced to close all side doors to both entry and exit. Manzin believes that the current stopgap solution has made it harder for faculty to

“WE WERE PROMISED BY THE DISTRICT TO GET SECURITY DOORS THAT WOULD ALLOW ENTRY TO INVIDIUALS VIA A SECURED BADGE”

do their jobs. “A lot of times when we’re just trying to come and go from the building it’s much more difficult,” Mr. Manzin said. “Access is pretty much denied after school hours even though the expectation of a teacher is that you work hours beyond the school day. It hampers teachers’ ability to get things done, [and] I also think it hampers having a wider community be a part of our building.” Though a keycard entry system would allow Garfield to reopen all of its doors, the district has repeatedly pushed back the installation date. “We are always getting promised that the security doors are coming.

The date was pushed back from October of last year to now, and we still don’t know when they will arrive,” Mr. Manzin said. “That has been a bit frustrating, and I think with the security doors we could see a lot of our other security issues be eliminated.” This puts Garfield’s security team in a difficult position, but Mr. Manzin is confident that they’re doing all they can. “I think the security staff is great, the way they interact with students is amazing,” Manzin said. “They have personal relationships [with students] which I think is the key to creating a safe environment.” “Every one of us in the building plays a role at keeping Garfield safe,” Vice-principal Blanton added. “We are a community that needs to watch out for one another. Report any threats or unusual situations to the appropriate staff member, and take all the safety drills seriously because you never know when we could be in a real emergency.”

Art By Sam Boyar

NEWS SPECIAL EDUCATION MOVES TOWARDS INTEGRATION

How Garfield is taking steps towards inclusivity By Dominic Sullivan

“O

nly in room 228.” This phrase — a nod to the unpredictable and unique things that happen every day in this special education classroom — perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the class. The atmosphere is playful, with a well-used kitchen and a bean bag chair in the corner. When it is time to work, the students go to their respective tables and study concepts ranging from resorce lab to sign language. Though the special education curriculum is wide-ranging, students are often put into general education classes in order to advance their learning. One such class is Ms. Anita West’s drawing and painting course. By bringing together two oftenseparated groups, West believes that her blended arts classes benefit all students — not just those with special needs. “It is really useful for other students to be around kids who have different needs,” West said. “It makes my general population more understanding and compassionate.” Janett Du Bois, head of the special education department, shares this emphasis on integrating special education students with the rest of the student body. “There needs to be more opportunities for different settings to get together,” Du Bois said. “There needs to be more opportunities to learn about differences, and how we should be more accepting of those differences and work together.” She believes that the mixed classes do more than teaching

people to be tolerant of others. “Tolerating,” Du Bois said while shaking her head, “that’s the word I don’t like. It doesn’t mean you are accepting, it means something is bothering you and you are just gonna let it happen. We want acceptance and integration.” The issue of integration has been a long standing debate surrounding the topic of special education. Some argue that mixed classrooms help specialed students. Others argue that integration is damaging both to special-education students and the general population. Some claim that isolated classrooms are better suited to the unique needs of special-ed students. Reaching different levels in the same classroom can be difficult for teachers and can slow down the education of the faster learners—a claim that

TikTok is the bootleg version of Vine, period. Vine was seven seconds and there was so much you could do with those seven seconds. Vine was accessible to everyone and everyone used it because it was funny af. Now all we’re stuck with Tik Tok that’s filled with e-boys and e-girls. Can we get some e-graduate? E-homework? -TF

know.” With more support, West argues, the special education students could feel more comfortable without detracting from the education of the other students. Ms. Du Bois understood this viewpoint, but disagreed on what the purpose of the special education teachers is. Instead of coming into other classes to help the students, Du Bois believes special-ed teachers should focus on training their students to succeed independently. “I think if we, as special-ed teachers, should focus on getting our students the levels they need to move to the next level they’ll be easier to integrate into a gen-ed class,” Du Bois said. “Then it wouldn’t be looked at as we are coming in to assist the teacher, it will be more like we’re always taking kids and moving them to the next level so that those gened teachers can take them,” Du Bois said. “They have the skills they need to progress in gen-ed.” In the end, however, Du Bois believes that the integration of special-ed programs is a laudable goal. “The only way to learn socially acceptable behavior is to be where that behavior is happening.” Du Bois said. “We can sit down and teach them how they should act, but if they actually interact with it [other people], then they see for themselves and adjust their own behavior.”

“TOLERATING, THAT’S THE WORD I DON’T LIKE. IT DOESN’T MEAN YOU ARE ACCEPTING, IT MEANS SOMETHING IS BOTHERING YOU AND YOU ARE JUST GONNA LET IT HAPPEN. WE WANT ACCEPTANCE AND INTEGRATION.”

came to the forefront when Garfield introduced Honors for All. Du Bois understands this concern. “That’s the whole issue with being able to have more integration in a particular classroom,” Du Bois said. “It gets very difficult to work with a lot of kids at a lot of different levels.” To prevent this, there are contrasting viewpoints on what should be done. Ms. West believes that the solution is to increase funding and hire more in-class support staff. “If the budget was big enough, you could get more assistants to go into the classrooms with [special-education students],” West said. “That makes it easier for the other students to welcome them, and for the student to not feel all alone, because they have a person they already

The Chinese government watches all your TikToks. Can I prove it? No. But you can’t disprove it either, and deep down you know I’m right: your biggest fan is some dude wearing a well-pressed black suit, stylish pitch-black sunglasses, and a badge like he’s from Men in Black. He also has a really cool alien space blaster. Remember when you remade that cringey “Hit or Miss” meme? Well, he watched you and thought you were very funny. -BT

TIKTOK EDITION Many discount TikTok for its utter ridiculousness and its overthe-top nature, but isn’t that exactly what makes it so enjoyable? Having this source to mindlessly scroll through, with no goal other than to be amused at the spectacle, is, in its own way, just what some people need. -AF TikTok is the newest variation of Musical.ly which… was horrendous. With tweenage boys shirtlessly flexing concave chests to a ten-year old audience, Musical.ly was, to put it lightly, an abomination. But with new branding, ownership, and content guidelines, TikTok has taken storm. As many call it the new Vine, TikTok has taken the opportunity to create Top Tier comedy. With any social media you’ll find flaws, I can admit, but TikTok has been the birth of so many priceless memes that you can say it has Vibe Checked meme culture (in a good way). -SC Our next topic will be:

ASTROLOGY

Have strong feelings about this topic? Send in your 100-150 Rant or Rave about the topic to garfieldmessenger@gmail.com by November 13 for the chance to be published in the next issue!

OPINIONS

WORTHLESS WALKOUTS

Enough with the Instagram posts. It’s time to get serious. By Corinna Singer

POLARIZED

arfield students are tired of walkouts. I don’t blame them. Our walkouts are rising in frequency and diminishing in passion. They have transformed into selfcongratulatory parades which fail to get anything done. Take the recent Climate Change March: there was a clear goal of fighting global warming as well as a tactic of worldwide walkouts, but what did it achieve? How do these walkouts initiate change beyond “raising awareness”? I support the cause, but I worry that this movement is following a similar trajectory to other large Garfield walkouts such as the 2018 “March for Our Lives” or the 2016 walkout in response to President Trump’s inauguration: well-intentioned walkouts are planned and executed by large num-

bers of students, but the zeal withers within days. The cause that we rallied around remains unadvanced. The core of this issue is that no one stops to question whether our walkouts are actually creating change. In our polarized political climate, there is a big difference between a movement that riles up its own base and a movement that convinces other people to join up. Additionally, walkouts can hinder our ability to make change by devaluing our education. While this is not to dismiss youth led movements, if we continue to skip school, we dismiss the idea that our education and minds may be the best tool in solving these issues. Furthermore, by walking out of school, we demonstrate that we do not value our public school educa-

Art By Sophia Chrysanthakopoulos

arfield’s political climate is more polarized than ever. Compromise, bipartisanship, and unity have been replaced by identity politics, polarization, and discord. Politics have become binary; we view people as either with us or against us, with no room in the middle. This attitude undermines our school culture and prevents learning and growth from taking place. Garfield prides itself on being a school that accepts everyone, regardless of background, identity, beliefs, or culture. And to some extent, that holds true. Garfield is the most racially diverse school in Seattle, we have a history of social activism, and we boast many multicultural clubs and groups. However, Garfield has a political problem that is separate from the cultural and racial diversity we are right to be proud of. Garfield’s political environment has morphed into a battlefield, with two equally aggressive sides. On one hand, we have mainstream Garfield liberalism—socialmedia activism, surface-level comprehension of compromise, far-left ideas, and

tion. If we are willing to skip school in order to protest, shouldn’t we also be willing to make sacrifices outside of school? If Garfield’s walkouts consistently fail to make change, why do we continue to participate? Some students participate in activism solely for self-serving reasons; they want to be seen as activists by peers and college admissions offices, but do not care deeply about the issue. I think these activists are a small minority. Most people do care, but effective activism is tiring and often demoralizing. It’s easier to push systemic injustices to the back of our minds, especially if they do not impact us personally. Limited to preachy Instagram stories and routine walkouts, our student activism needs to change. If we want to con-

The problems with Garfield’s political climate. By Sam Treat

call-out culture. This group of students tends to vilify everyone who is right of the established, mainstream left. Identity politics takes hold, and labels are handed out at will: conservative, Trumpite, racist, bigot, and more. That isn’t to say there isn’t a problematic right-wing contingent at this school. Many Garfield conservatives seem to take pleasure in attacking or belittling liberal students. There is a tendency for right-wing students to believe that they hold an intellectual and moral high ground over their liberal counterparts. The conservatives of Garfield often habitually play devil’s advocate, seeming to disagree simply for the sake of disagreement. Both political sides are at fault for the condition of Garfield’s political climate. The simultaneous aggression of the two sides makes it nearly impossible to be a political moderate at Garfield. We leave no room for students who are undecided or uninformed. Instead, we force everyone to join one of the two political extremes. This is dangerous for a multitude of reasons.

First and foremost, high school is a place for growth. By not allowing people to explore different ideologies without being called out or labeled, we limit growth. The only way to expand or strengthen one’s beliefs is to have them challenged. Obviously, people will make mistakes. However, we should not “cancel” our peers. We need to be able to come together, educate one another, and become better people from our mistakes. Clearly, we should not overlook or allow hate speech in our school. There is no room for any sort of bigotry at GHS. But, by belittling or attacking students for expressing their opinions or ideas, we create a culture in which students are afraid to express themselves. By denying students the right to think and speak freely, we deny them access to a proper education. Second, we instill a long-lasting mindset of identity politics in the student body. Inevitably, we will all leave Garfield one day, and many will leave Seattle at some point. To head out into the world with the misguided idea that all people who vote

tinue with walkouts, we should reduce the frequency. Then, we should look to organizers like Black and Brown Minds Matter. Their walkout on the first day of school was a good example of an effective walkout, as they were protesting something directly related to schools and had clear demands. We should also take a cue from last year’s Garfield Sexual Assault Awareness Club which used non-walkout methods to initiate and direct a district wide overhaul of the dress code policy. We are at a crossroads: we can continue with “woke” Instagram posts, or we can choose to advance our causes through deliberate action. Garfield can live up to its reputation of being a school of activism.

POLITICS Democrat adhere to the same beliefs and ideas of Garfield liberalism is incredibly perilous. It is perhaps even more perilous to enter adulthood under the impression that anyone who does not conform to Garfield liberalism is a hard-line conservative. Viewing politics as a strictly two-sided coin as opposed to a spectrum does not account for the millions of Americans who do not fit into either of those sides. We must strive to be a school that reflects the reality of our nation— one with room between the two political extremes. We must create a climate that allows people to make mistakes, provided they learn from them. Garfield should be a place where people from all over the political spectrum can express their ideologies without fear of labels being placed on them. Our school needs to allow moderation in politics. We need to have a middle ground upon which real discussion and understanding can take place.

Sexual Assault Awareness Club (closed) Project pengYou (every other Th, 221) Somali Youth Club (every other Th, 221) Key Club (W, 234) GSA (W, 226) Jewish Student Union (M, 201) Taiwanese Student Association (Th, 234) ACLU (W, 224) Bulldogs Against Cancer (M, 321A) Traffic Court (every other M, contact Mr Snyder) Girls Who Code (M, 3:45pm, 115B) Dawgs Give Back (every other M, 318) Garfield Cares (closed) Intercultural Communications (F, 239) Women in Technology (T, 115A) Core (closed) Richards Rwanda Club (Every other Th, 330) Build On (T, 321A) Vietnamese Student Association (every other M, 207)

DECA Wed, rm 119 DECA is Garfield’s chapter of a national organization aiming to prepare emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high schools and colleges around the globe! specifically accomplishes this goal by providing seminars, events, and presentations on these topics to promote financial literacy, especially in communities where financial literacy is less prevalent.

Razas Unidas Mon & Thu, rm 236 Razas Unidas is a club that brings a sense of community to latinx students at Garfield. They talk about topics/issues that many don’t have the chance to discuss in class or at home. They hope to create a stronger Latinx community, and give Garfield to a taste of latinx culture.

Ouija Club Thu, rm 235 Ouija Club is a new and unique experience here at Garfield! They are very welcoming and want everyone to come to ouija club, regardless of their supernatural beliefs. The club helps people connect with the spirits and other supernatural beings through séances, tarot readings, ouija, guided meditation, potion making, and horror movie screenings.They will be hosting a ouija and supernatural-themed Halloween party as well as some ouija sessions on/around Halloween so keep your ears open for more info about our upcoming events!

Garfield Green Team Mon, rm 235

The Garfield Green Team works to educate the Garfield community about environmental issues and how you as an individual can can combat them. They do fun activities and games that make learning and talking about these things interesting! We are also partnered with YMCA Earth Service Corps, an organization that hosts leadership summits, hikes, restoration events, and more! Whether you’re an environmental enthusiast or you just like to hangout with friendly people and eat donuts we encourage everyone to join!

Youth Central Thu rm 232

Youth Central is a club at Garfield that is all about creating a safe and comfortable support system for all people. They hope to help people build their faith with God, and seek to create strong relationships with each other, with God, and have some fun. They want to be a community where people don’t feel isolated, which can often happen at Garfield. This next year they are hoping to do more community service and outreach to communities around Garfield.

The Pen Thu, rm 205

The Pen is Garfield’s literary arts magazine that showcases student writing, art, and photography. They compile student submitted work into an annual magazine that is released in winter and spring issues. Students interested in submitting work to be considered for The Pen, can email their work to garfieldhspen@ gmail.com.

By Kai Craig and Molly Chapin

Lion Dance Team Wed & Fri, rm 301

Fiddle Club (F, 219) Trivia Club (F, 320) Japanese Culture Club (Th, 239)

Lion Dance Team’s goal is to preserve the Chinese art of lion dancing and sharing it with the Garfield High School community. The team creates opportunities for everyone to practice, have fun, earn community service hours by performing, as well as learn social skills like leadership and teamwork . Look for them at the next cultural assembly!

Garfield Film Club Mon, rm 301 Garfield Film Club writes, directs, films, edits, and ultimately produces short films! This year, they’ve already won the 1st place prize of $300 from Defensive Driving School’s Annual PSA contest, as well as started up on two short film projects to be shown later this fall! They are always in need of Writers, Editors, Camera Operators, Recruiters, Budgeters, Prop Managers, Light/Sound/Special Effects Managers, Schedulers, Scene Locators, Costumers, and Snack Managers.

Girl Up Mon, rm 226

Girl Up is a United Nations Foundation campaign with the mission of empowering women to become leaders in their communities and make positive change. Girl Up discusses achievements that women have made in various work professions and cool opportunities for club members. On October 28th, they will have a guest speaker from Amazon who will share her story of being a women in technology and provide high school and college tips.

Black Student Union Tue, rm 204

BSU is a safe space for black students at Garfield to talk about life, social issues, and intersectionalities regarding black life. BSU meets on tuesdays and is featured with Mr. Hagopian as advisor. Non Black students are welcome to respectively learn and listen in BSU. BSU is also joining events with many other Seattle and beyond Unions made by students at all levels! They have connections to over ten different Unions and look forward for a year of growth and positive re-education.

Chess Team (T, After School, 320) Robotics (Closed) Engineering Club (W, at lunch, 115A) Debate Team (T & Th, after school) Recording Arts Club (W & F, 118) Francophone Club (Th, 215) Junior Classical League (Latin Club) (Th, 310) Dawg Pound Hype Team (W, 308) LGBT Arts Club (T, 203) Improv Club ( F, Black Box, 3:45) Gardening Club (W, Greenhouse) Anime Club (W, 239) Knitting Club (Th, 302) Kpop Club (T, 216) Orca Bowl (T, 339) Spanish Club (W, 236) Calisthenics Club (T, weight room) Kpop Dance Club (M & W, after school at flag poles) Model UN (M, 227)

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Student Submissions KILLER CLOWNS AT SCHOOL By Tyshawna Slack ‘23

By Anonymous

By Thea Flora ‘20

One day in sixth grade, I was playing outside with my classmates and all of a sudden, we heard the blaring sound of rusty chainsaws. We continued to play but then we looked towards the school and you wouldn’t believe what we saw. We saw three clowns who were obviously adults and were wearing identical face masks. I wasn’t super scared by this sight but I had no idea what to do; it’s not like they teach us in school on what to do if you see clowns at school. Then we heard police sirens. The clowns tried to run away and hide across the street from the school. One managed to escape but the other two were caught by the police. While all of this was happening, the school was on lockdown. After the lockdown, we resumed like nothing had happened. We thought the entire thing was a joke. But that same day, the fire alarm went off. So now the entire school is stuck on the school field. We thought this was an ordinary fire drill but then we heard more of the chainsaws and we all freaked out. We realized that the clowns were the ones who pulled the fire alarm and made us get out. But thank god there was a police officer there and they got them. We were all scared when we saw the clowns. We believed that the clown that pulled the alarm was the leader of the group of clowns because he was at school when we were playing at recess. And somehow, he managed to not get caught by the police. Before all of this happened, I remember seeing on Instagram that the clowns were coming to White Center. And my school was in White Center! My friends and I thought the entire thing was a joke. We were so shocked that they actually showed up. After school, my friends and I saw a door open to this creepy, blue house. We were stupid enough to go inside the house and as we walked in, we saw more clowns in the backyard, about ten of them! We went in a closet to hide and while we were in the closet, a pair of shoes fell down. We heard whispers and they knew that we were inside so we opened the door and we had to run for it. My friend tripped and the clowns saw us! So we had to run away from them. As we were running away, our backpacks got caught on this tree and it ripped our bags. An hour went by and we ended up at the Boys and Girls Club with our clothes soaking wet and shoes dripping of mud. We were so scared by what we saw. We didn’t know what was going to happen to us. We thought we were going to get in trouble for going into a random house full of clowns. We had questions and we wanted answers. The next day we went back to school and there was an emergency assembly about the clown incident. We found out that one of our teachers was the leader of the clowns. We were shocked to hear this because he was everyone’s favorite teacher at school. We would never expect—out of all people—him to be the clown. We refused to believe it at first. He told our principal that the entire thing was just a joke. But at the end of the day, it was not a joke to us. He eventually got fired and I don’t know what happened to him. Maybe he’s still running around chasing children.

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

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A NEW LEGACY

Get to know Garfield’s new performing arts department. By Kai Craig

T CHOIR

his year, Blake Saunders has transitioned from a full time choir and vocal jazz teacher at Washington Middle School to splitting his time here at Garfield and at Washington. Though few would be willing to sacrifice their days teaching middle schoolers, Saunders finds great joy in it. “Middle schoolers are so much more capable than people give them credit for,’’ Saunders said. Despite being known for the fact that he would never teach high school, Saunders enjoys the overall maturity of high schoolers. “I love the honest passion of high

Art by Wynsome Burke

By Annabelle Frockt

“Everybody’s really excited and passionate, so when we’re playing a song, and really getting into it and feeling that emotion, the audience can feel that too, and that’s something that I haven’t experienced anywhere else,” said Noah Mark, a Garfield junior who plays the drums. “I think that jazz, and especially jazz at Garfield brings people together.” Regardless of how Garfield Jazz fares in competitions or showcases, this “transitional year” as Sessink put it, promises to be one of growth, community-building, and energy. “He [Sessink] is as excited as any other student,” Mark said.

By Caroline Ashby

THEATER

his fall, Garfield welcomed a new theater director, Isiah Anderson. Anderson’s own passion for theater started when he was just 14, so becoming the director of Garfield’s theater program is significant to him. Before securing the position at Garfield, Anderson worked at a variety of schools in the district, including Washington Middle School, Meany Middle School, and Franklin High School. However, this position is the first he’s had as a full time teacher. “I am absolutely honored to be here,” Anderson said. Anderson plans to uphold the legacy of

Garfield’s well renowned theater program and maintain its foundation, but has some ideas for what he wants to change. “I want to expand the greatness of the theater program, open it up, make it more inclusive and have it recognized more in the community,” Anderson said. Anderson’s goal for Garfield theater productions is that they’ll have an impact on the audience. The Children’s Show, for example, is an annual production many elementary schoolers attend as a field trip. For this year’s Children’s Show, Anderson is putting on Phantom Tollbooth and wants the audience to walk away having gained something. “We want to show young people to ap-

Washington have been oriented towards White and HCC students in the past but Saunders and Sessink have been working together to change that. They saw success in making Washington’s music program more equitable. They hope to replicate that success at Garfield. “Sessink and I are [at Garfield] to bring significant change to the overall culture,” Saunders said. “Equity work is what we do, and we’re very strongly focused on that. Unapologetically so.”

JAZZ

here’s a new Jazz director in the dawg house. Meet Jared Sessink, a Michigan native who has known about Garfield’s distinguished jazz program since he himself was in high school. The continued prestige and widespread notoriety of Garfield Jazz has been the result of the work of Clarence Acox, who retired in June of 2019, after 48 years as the program’s director. Sessink comes to Garfield after three years at Washington Middle School, and he is devoted to maintaining Garfield Jazz’s excellence, something that

stems from the rigor Mr. Acox established in the program nearly five decades ago. Sessink has big shoes to fill, but is committed to making this year fulfilling for everyone.“I understand that I am the only director in 48 years that has taken on this role, and I see that, and I honor his [Acox’s] legacy,” Sessink said. “The way I’ll do that is by continuing to make sure that kids are getting a high energy and rigorous, great experience,” he added. The energy and passion that Sessink aims to bring appears to mesh well with the goals of the students in the band.

schoolers... the vibe of Garfield...the Central District. I fell in love with [it all],” Saunders said. Being a teacher in a vulnerable subject such as choir can be difficult, especially with younger students. Saunders focuses on giving all students a safe place where they can feel comfortable to learn and grow. “The goal for [my class] is that [it] should never be a stress in your life,” Saunders said. “It should be a place where you get to have fun for an hour,” Saunders said. While many would think that simply teaching hormonal teens all day is enough, Saunders and his counterpart Jared Sessink take it a step further. Music programs at Garfield and

preciate the things you have, appreciate the places you’ve been and where you are.” Anderson said. In this year’s fall play, Noise Off, his goal is to showcase the “dysfunction” of the behind-the-scenes of theater. “The theater world is a world of its own,” Anderson said. Anderson also wants students to know that he is more than just the theater teacher and can be a positive influence in people’s lives. “I’ll be sunshine on a rainy day, and I want them to know that they can always look to me to get something positive,” Anderson said.

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YOU FAILED US

Inside the Author’s Head. By Guest Writer Azure Savage

’ve been angry for a while now; angry at the racist systems in play within our society, and angry at how racism is unregulated within the education system. I’ve been in Seattle Public Schools my entire life, and I’ve watched these inequities play out for my entire life. The years I was in the honors program, I felt the struggle of being the only black student in the room. I’ve felt shame that other black students didn’t get the opportunity that I had to be in the honors program. I realized after a long time that neither were my fault because this is all intentional and systematic. The honors program is harming students of color in two ways: it pushes the majority into lower level classes where they are seen as inferior, and the few who are in the honors program are forced to assimilate to make it through. It was the winter of sophomore year when I knew I wanted to do something about it— and something big. I came up with the idea of writing a book that looks at the education system through the student of color

p e r s p e c t ive . an in-depth, I interviewed first-hand acstudents for count about months until the failures of I had enough the education information to system. I’m start piecing shocked that everything toI was able gether. I wantto write that ed to shed light story, and on the racism even more we face, and shocked that break it down I was willfor people ing to share who are unit publicly. able to see it. One of the The last part scariest parts that I realized of putting I had to do was my full story incorporate out there my own stowas that I ry because it was publicly would be powcoming out erful to give { For quesions, email contact.azuresav@gmail.com } as transgen-

der. I’ve known I was meant to be born a boy for a long, long time, but I never wanted to come to terms with it. After coming out, I’m comfortable with the gender identity I express to people for the first time. In August, I released my book, “You Failed Us: students of color talk Seattle schools,” and since then it has turned into something I didn’t imagine happening. I watched how my words gave people an understanding around the issue. Students of color came back to me after reading the book, and said that it made them feel heard, and validated the experiences that they’ve had. I’m seeing changes already because of the work that I’ve done, and I promise that I will continue fighting for it. I want to invite everyone to join in on this fight— we can’t allow the education system to fail their students of color any longer. Together, we are powerful, we are loud, and we will be heard. If you want to buy a copy, visit https:// tinyurl.com/youfailedus

AVA FIMMANO’S PRINTS

Ava Fimmano sells inventive T-shirt prints to Garfield students. By Audrey Abrahams

arfield sophomore Ava Fimmano has turned her interest in graphic design into a t-shirt printing business. She sells pre-printed t-shirts with her art for $7 and sells them at a discounted rate ($5) if you bring your own shirt. Fimmano sells shirts through her instagram account @avafimmano. Fimmano came up with the idea to start printing and selling t-shirts in September. “For a while me and my friends have been like, ‘okay we can draw, we can do art, how are we gonna profit off of this?’” Fimmano said. Fimmano started making prints of images she was familiar with drawing. The first print she created was a Garfield the cat head with the word “lasagna” written in block letters underneath it. The Garfield the cat design has become the most popular of Fimmano’s prints. “Garfield [the cat] is kinda my thing, like, I have a Garfield phone, Garfield sweatshirt, Garfield stuffed animals,” Fimmano said. Fimmano sells other unique designs. She

sells a print with the phrase “is that so…” written in Japanese below an image of eyes. Her latest print is the word “nasty” written in block letters which was inspired by the rapper Rico Nasty. Fimmano is even planning a design for Halloween. The process of making the shirts starts with her sketching the image digitally where she is able to reverse the image for printing. She sketches designs based off of what she would wear on a shirt.

“If I wouldn’t want it on a shirt then I’m probably not gonna make it,” Fimmano said. Fimmano would describe her art style as messy but authentic. “It’s constantly changing and in flux based on just how I feel” Fimmano said. Fimmano’s original art style is reflected in her prints. “My shirts are kinda like a piece of me. Every time I print a shirt I’m putting a piece of me onto this shirt that other people can wear,” Fi m m an o said. She then carves her designs out of printing blocks and hand-prints them onto the shirts.

Fimmano decided to do block printing as a faster alternative to embroidering shirts. The paint then needs to be cured before being washed. The entire process of making the shirts takes four to seven days. While the business is currently exclusive to Garfield, Fimmano hopes to expand it to other schools and possibly have other students work with her on the business. “My goal is to be like a popular business, and like an iconic thing,” Fimmano said. “I want it to be like, ‘oh that’s Ava’s shirt,’ like, that’s my design.” She says that the business is taking off and wants to get more exposure for her shirts. Her main customers are currently sophomores but she hopes to reach a broader audience with her art. “I just want it to be something that everyone can enjoy, cause I just think it’s like a cool idea and you know, other people might like it,” Fimmano said. Art by Wynsome Burke

EXPLORING FRINGE THEATER IN THE CENTRAL DISTRICT On the ground with the people who make fringe tick. By Ben Thomas Fringe. Off-Off-Broadway. Free theater. It doesn’t matter what name you choose, it doesn’t matter what preconceived notions you dragged in with you; all that matters is when you walked away you were sure that what you saw was weird and awesome. Experimental and innovative theater – whether the medium is acting, movies, shadow puppets or something else unexpected – plays a role in our communities and our self-expression that is often left unacknowledged. An exploration of the community isn’t complete without boots on the ground, so I visited two local venues to meet the cool people that make fringe possible, get to know them, and talk to them about their work.

CENTRAL CINEMA “I wish I could hit a magic button that tells everyone: ‘no, really, you should go see this one. It’s so worth seeing,’” said Doug Willott, Central Cinema’s program director. Last month, Willott would have used the magic button for Liquid Sky, an independent cult classic from the early eighties. “It’s a trip of a film,” Willott told me, “It didn’t sell great, but at the same time everybody who saw it had the same reaction: ‘oh my god, I had to see that this exists.’” For Willott, offering experiences like Liquid Sky is part of Central Cinema’s mission; lazing on your couch as you munch on pringles and binge Netflix stands aparts from going to the theater to enjoy something unexpected on the big screen with savory poutine or creamy crème brûlée. Willott said that Central Cinema strives to be a “good time theater,” and that the good time goes beyond movie selection. The venue is unique, even among other repertory theaters, for serving reasonably priced restaurant quality food to its patrons. The booths and tables contribute to a casual, diner-like feel. Like the food, the shows are well-selected and affordable, ranging from “Bargain $1.99 Shows” to $10 screenings. If food and movies aren’t your thing, Central Cinema integrates trivia nights and cool science into its schedule. For example, before screening Killer Klowns from Outer Space (“A delightful film,” joked Willott), a local scientist plans to visit Central Cinema to present on how society generates new group fears based on popular culture, like clowns, which first became “scary” in the eighties. In the same vein, when Central Cinema screened The Return of the Living Dead a scientist presented on the real world science of a zombie apocalypse. Weird, and also awesome.

Art by Ria Maisano-Torres

18TH & UNION “No single space can be everything,” said David Gassner, producing director at 18th & Union; “the strengths of the space come from the same thing [as its weaknesses]. This small size makes it so intimate, but that also means there’s certain kinds of shows where you think ‘you know, you really need a bigger space for this.’” The geometry – the size, shape, and layout – of a venue makes and breaks a performance. Artists have to adapt to the size of the stage, the distance from the audience, and the tech available to produce an awesome show. For the artists’ sake, cultivating the “vibe” of a venue matters, and Gassner has a vision in mind. “I like small, intimate theater. I love that sense as an audience that you’re right there [...] It’s kind of like having a theater that’s the size of your living room,” Gassner said. I was “right there,” in the front row, for the closing night of Amy Escobar’s We Go Mad. Escobar’s production combined on-stage acting with full-size shadow puppetry to unfurl a powerful narrative about love and abandonment, and to “interrogate this idea of women and madness,” Escobar told me in an interview after the show. “Even if somebody’s experience isn’t specifically and exactly the same, I would hope that me trying to be truthful in the telling of it would elicit that response, that other people feel like it was relatable,” Escobar said. We Go Mad’s narrative spoke truth, even through layers of allegory and metaphor, and I walked away moved: I had taken a front row seat to something powerful and unexpected. I had seen something weird and awesome.

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THE FOOT-Z CREW

A new tap group brings a generational twist. By Annabelle Frockt Director and founder of The Foot-Z Crew, Cipher Goings (2019 Garfield Alum), describes the group as a place where “[we] mix our ‘Gen-Z’ flare with tap dancing.” Housed out of Northwest Tap Connection, Foot-Z fuses tap and hip hop together to create dance videos that they post to Youtube and Instagram. According to Garfield sophomore, Nia Davis, the creation of Foot-Z was inspired by watching videos of other dancers and dance crews, such as Willdabeast and the Syncopated Ladies. “Seeing as they are a different generation from us, [we thought] why don’t we start something for our generation?” Davis said. Aside from the generational aspect, there are few dance crews, let alone tap crews, that can blend genres in the unique way that Foot-Z can. “It allows me to use tap dancing, an art form I love, and create things so that people who don’t tap dance can have something they can relate to,” Goings said. While Foot-Z only released their first video this past August, Davis noted that many of the members grew up together, and have been dancing with each other for over ten years. These close bonds make the Foot-Z experience even more memorable, and this comradery is one of Davis’ favorite things about being part of the crew. “Being with the people that I care about and the people that I love, and making something that’s inspiring to other kids,” make the experience fulfilling for her. Goings is excited for the future of Foot-Z, especially with the amount of support they’ve already received. Right now, the main goal is to “keep building a following that loves the work as much as we do.” Find the Foot-Z Crew on Instagram and Youtube @thefootzcrew. Art by Wynnsome Burke

SPORTS

g”

tr yi

is year we’re

“ Th

N ROW

“We just be having fun, but we stay locked in because we know we have a big game” Brown states

n te, a a t s win

AN B TW

“Brings a lot of attention to the school, if we win a game a lot of people will know about Garfield” Brown says

ANTWAN

a lot of people wro rove p n d

F R I D AY N I G H T

FOOTBALL

The 2019 Garfield football team is more motivated than ever. This year, our determined Bulldogs believe their team chemistry will lead them to have a successful season. With their main goal being to win the state championship, they believe the changes they made to their work ethic will lead them into a deep playoff run this year.

“I work my butt off and try to get better, be better than my opponent and dominate everyone” Brown says

“It’s a lot of love, everyone is focused and locked in, were all on wan accord and that is to get the W” Howard says.

“Our number one goal is to obviously win state” Junior Wide Receiver Quinton Jordan says.

O WA RD

“The team bonding we’ve had for the past couple of months have been wonderful, everybody knows each other and has a relationship with each other, and that’s why we compete every single night and give it our all” Jordan adds. e ov

“Its lit, obviously we turn up the music, everyone is just fired up for the game. When it comes to game time we lock in and get ready for the opponent in front of us” Jordans says.

“Win state championship, create a brotherhood, leave a legacy before I graduate, and be first team metro defense” Senior Strong Safety Jamari Howard states. “It contributes a lot, the crowd pumps us up, it brings everyone together, and creates diversity” Howard brings up.

QU I N T ON

By Khassim Diakhate

JA M A R I

“A ll

of us are together, w

ll l ea

er ot h

”H

A VER Y

“Make it far in the playoffs with the team and I want to be the leading rusher for metros” Senior Running Back Avery Morrow says.

“The structure of the team, we got a new head coach so everything is a bit more strict, and we got weights in the morning and the way practice is ran, it’s a bit more organized” Morrow on how this season is different from the last.

“If we’re winning they’re usually there, but this year it’s been way better, the student section has been a lot better this year. Hopefully it can stay the same” Morrow states.

Photos by Sam Boyar

“Business, we got a schedule and when we go in there we got to get warmed up, make sure your muscles are warmed up and lock in because it’s game time” Morrow adds.

SPORTS 2020 marks the 100th year Garfield has participated in the spirit arising sport that is cheerleading. As an homage to this century celebration, new cheer coaches Adreana Hill and Ahmen Taplin aim to bring back the old spirit of Garfield while moving forward with new skills.

AU BRI “[We try to] make sure that school and life at Garfield is fun so that people aren’t coming to school and hating it.” said Junior cheerleader, Aubri McNeil. “This year, everyone is even closer. There are no boundaries or lines between the team,” said McNeil.

“ I want to put in as much work for cheer that I can. It’s pretty much my life now. I’ve wanted to do cheer for forever.” said Sophomore cheerleader Samiyah Allen. “When I made the cheer team it was such a big deal in my life,” said Allen.

A D R E ANA

“For the squad itself I basically want to make sure that they have a routine that incorporates not only uniting music with their routine but also uniting music with our history,” said Hill.

“Football season now is so much fun with the Dawg Pound coming.” said Junior cheerleader Aziza Alabe.

By Izzy Lamola

M A X INE “We have a new coach who is a Garfield alumni and she wants to bring back old cheers that we haven’t learned yet which is super exciting… We’re bringing back Garfield traditions.” said Junior cheerleader Maxine Embry.

“Cheer community is not just the cheerleaders but also the people around them that are there to support,” said Hill. “[Cheer has to be there] for the community as far as uniting people, helping, and being the face of the school. As well as making sure that they are the ones that are the leaders,” said Hill.

“As a team we’re very supportive of each other and if somebody ever needs extra guidance, there’s always somebody there to help you,” said Embry.

CEDAR

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“We want to make sure that even if we’re moving forward ourselves that we are still holding onto those traditions and pride that Garfield has,” said Cassidy.

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“It’s like a sisterhood. Everybody has their ups and downs, their good days and their bad days but we’re always there for everybody in the end. People have disagreements, people have arguments but we always come back together and figure it out. It’s like a family,” said Cassidy.

A Z IZ A

“The girls are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met in my entire life. They’re so understanding about so many things,” said Alabe..

“As a team we want to be known as the team that stands out,” said Hill.

“We’re trying to work more to be there for every team… So people know we’re here for you, we’re here to support, we’re here to make sure that everyone feels like their efforts that they’re putting into their individual sports and academic are being seen and acknowledged,” said Senior cheerleader, Cedar Cassidy.

LIGHTS

SA M I YA H

CHEER

SPORTS

BAD RESPIRATION, BIG ASPIRATIONS Athletes with asthma at Garfield.

T O P D AW G

irst, your chest tightens. Then, your lungs starts to wheeze. Suddenly, you can’t draw a breath. Now, run three miles. For many athletes at Garfield, asthma and other respiratory illnesses are a day-to-day reality of playing a sport. While asthma is often seen as a relatively minor illness, this chronic condition can have severe consequences, especially for competitive and cardio-heavy sports. Varsity cross-country runner Olivia Reichert has dealt with sports induced asthma for much of her high school athletic career. “My chest starts to get really tight when I run, which is ironic that I do cross-country, because I have breathing problems and it’s a cardio sport,” said Reichert. Cross-country is an especially difficult sport for people with respiratory issues. However, many bulldogs are not dissuaded. “There’s a surprisingly large amount of people on cross-country who have asthma,” Reichert said. “I used to make fun of the girls with asthma like, why are you doing crosscountry if you have asthma? But now here I am.” Asthma can also be triggered by high-pressure situations and adrenaline. For those with asthma, unrelated stress– such as nerves before a big athletic competition— can trigger or inflame symptoms. “It gets worse when I get nervous because it’s already like, your chest tightens up when you’re stressed, and then [the asthma] is on top of that,” said Reichart. “For Metros, it gets really bad.” Asthma symptoms can lead to their own type of anxiety. For senior Kiley Foster, an intense sprint workout at soccer practice once lead to an asthma attack, which ballooned into some-

thing worse. “I felt like I wasn’t breathing, which almost triggered a panic attack,” said Foster. “[Those are often connected] because it’s scary; you’re just ...not breathing.” Asthma attacks, wheezing, panic: now add a horse into the mix. For junior Sarah Elkan, asthma is a unique challenge in her chosen sport of dressage: what she describes as “fancy horse dancing.” “I have chronic lung inflammation

so my lungs at any given point only work at like 85%,” Elkan said. “It doesn’t give me asthma attacks, so I can always breath, but I can never breathe very well.” Unlike cross-country or conventional team sports, it’s not teammates or coaches holding the athlete accountable; first and foremost is their steed. ”I’m constantly out of breath, but the horses have lungs the size of a toddler, so they can always just keep going,” said Elkan. However, the individual nature of horse-riding has its benefits. “[With horseback riding] I don’t feel like I’m letting anyone down beside myself, so I can go at my own pace,” said Elkan. “The horse is never going to be more tired than you are.” Although

VolleyDawg Claire Becker.

laire Becker has spent all four years of her high school career with the Varsity Volleydawgs, and is looking to end it at the top of her game. Becker started playing at Hamilton International Middle School in 6th grade and has been playing at the varsity level ever since. Through all the intense workouts and extreme competition, bonding with teammates makes it all worth it for Claire. “In my freshman season, I met a lot of my closest friends for the rest of high school,” Becker remem-

bered. “The team vibe is super fun, especially this year. We have a lot of fun traditions like the seniors giving all the other members of varsity funny gag gifts at the end of the season.” However, Volleyball isn’t all fun and games, and the time commitment of being a studentathlete can take a toll on anyone . “With 2 hour-long practices and some games starting as late as 7 P.M. I tend to get home pretty late, which definitely cuts into my time to work on college apps and homework,” Becker said. “It’s worth it though, and it’s still definitely better than having to do early morning practices like last year.” This year, the team has had an excellent start

By Tova Gaster cardio and fitness are important for a horseback-rider, success is a collaborative athletic effort between rider and horse. For cardio sports, coaches often downplay asthma as a mental block to be overcome, as opposed to the serious medical condition it can be. Junior soccer player Julia D’amico explained how coaches sometimes perceive asthma as an excuse to avoid hard workouts. Although asthma may not always be taken seriously, it can have disastrous consequences if athletes push themselves, or are pushed by others, beyond their physical abilities. “If I push myself too hard into an asthma attack I could actually stop breathing and die,” said D’amico. “So coaches shouldnt make people go past that, especially if they know their limits.” Environmental factors have serious effects on asthma. Asthma is also closely correlated to race and class, as marginalized communities disproportionately are often shunted near sources of pollution like factories and highways. Summer forest fires have clouded Seattle skies with smoke several times in the past couple years. While smoky air makes breathing difficult for everyone, for asthmatics, smoke and particulate matter in the air can be debilitating. ”When it’s smoky in the summer it makes my asthma really bad all the time,” said D’amico. “When I’m sitting down I can’t breathe, and when I start to play soccer I can’t even run around. I skip soccer practice when its super smoky because it won’t be good for my health.” Although this past summer was far less smoky than the two summers before, this is a problem we can expect to recur and even intensify if regional temperatures and pollution continue to rise. Summer/fall sports programs may need to adapt in the future for the safety of players, and look for indoor practice alternatives.

Art Above By Tova gaster Art to the Left By Simone Cielos

By Liam Hyde to the season featuring an undefeated district record and two other close losses. “Our eyes are always on State, and I think we have a good chance with how the season is going,” Becker said. “Volleyball is really interesting and fun to watch, and we’re actually pretty good, so you all should come out to support!” However the Volleydawgs perform down the stretch, you can be certain of one thing. Claire Becker will be dominating the opposition on the court with true Bulldog spirit.

Photo by Jefferson Ashby

FRESHLETES

SPORTS

Get to know Garfield’s newest Varsity athletes. By Matt Lord

SHAY CAMPLIN Women’s Swim

For Shay Camplin, swimming is second nature. She started swimming in the first grade, and she has stuck with the sport ever since. At first, swimming was hard for Camplin. “In my younger years, I wanted to quit almost every time I tried it. I did not enjoy it, but I stuck with it.” But with her attitude of persistence, as well as the support of her peers, swimming became the

passion that it is for her today. “One coach, her name was Maki, she changed my whole view of swimming, and I started going to practice every day and really working hard.” Camplin says the swim team is a very welcoming group of people. “Everyone tries to include everyone on the team regardless of [whether] they’re varsity or they just started out swimming.” Camplin would like to see some members of Garfield’s swim team make it to State, including herself. “[The] 100 backstroke would be my event,’’ she said.

Camplin feels the varsity swimming experience so far has been positive. “I was talking to some of the juniors and seniors, and they said [high school] taught [them] to have fun in swimming, and I think I’ve lost that over the years too”, she said, “but it was really refreshing to have a really nice coach, really nice captains, and just a nice environment.”

Photos by Jefferson Ashby

NOELLE NEAL Women’s Soccer

Noelle Neal has been playing soccer for almost all of her life. She started playing recreationally when she was four and began playing in leagues at a young age. “I was actually really young for my age [group] when I joined a team for nationals,’’ said Neal. “They had us do miniature games against each other since I was really young.” Starting soccer so early on put Neal ahead of her peers. She says that she frequently practices

LOLA DELONG Cross Country

T H E D AW G P O U N D

Lola Delong is a natural athlete. This is her first year playing cross country, and she is already playing on the varsity team. “I don’t really know [how it happened],” she said. “After the first meet, Coach Derek told me that I was going to be running the varsity meet on Saturday, so I guess that’s just how it started.” This may be Delong’s first time doing cross country, but she is not new to sports. She ran

on the same team as her sister—now a college freshman. Neal has big plans for the future. She says she will continue playing soccer in college, and that she is hoping to be recruited by the University of Washington’s women’s soccer team. Despite being the only freshman on the varsity team, Neal doesn’t feel at all intimidated. “It’s very welcoming with the girls. It’s very fun to play around with them. Just over the summer, I was playing against seniors, just to practice for tryouts, so it was the same environment.”

Neal describes the high school soccer experience as much more serious than middle school. “Middle school was more just for fun. Not a lot of girls were into sports, they were just in it for the fun of it. But for high school, it’s more serious.”

track throughout middle school, and currently does gymnastics, which she started four years ago. “[Cross country is] pretty different [from track], because I usually did sprinting in track,” she said. “It’s much more intense. In middle school, on track, we only had to practice a few times a week, but cross country is every day.” As the only freshman on varsity, she feels like she is under more pressure to play well. “It’s a little stressful, because I don’t really want

to let down my team, and I want to do well, but it’s very welcoming and it’s a lot of fun.” But when it comes down to it, there’s one thing in particular that keeps Delong coming back. “I like to run,’’ she says, “and the [cross country] environment is really fun and I have a really great time doing it.”

Introducing Garfield’s newest club that’s bringing spirit! By Grace Chinowsky

f you see a spirited pack of Garfield students waving signs and screaming at your next sports game, chances are, you have the Dawg Pound to thank. The new club, formally named the Garfield Team Support Club, aims to bring spirit to the high school athletics scene. Lampton Enochs, one of the club’s officers, explained that the idea for the club all started with his experience in JVC soccer. “One game, this certain group...they all brought out signs and they had all these cheers,” Enochs said. “Every time I heard [the cheers], it added a new layer to the game...I was like playing for something else.” From this experience came the club vision: a large group of students that show up consistently to support Garfield athletes with their best school spirit. The club officers choose two sporting events a week for the club to spectate that span across all

sports, genders, and levels. The club focuses on showing support for athletic events that tend to get very little attention from the student body. “I do track and field, and I feel like my sport is never represented,” said junior Maggie Lear. “I love support from my teammates, but sometimes just like having the same people at every practice, every meet... it just doesn’t feel special.” Their intentions are good, but how is the club going to promote attendance to these events? At their weekly Wednesday meetings, they discuss themes for games, specific cheers, and incentives for attendance, as well as keeping up the club’s social media to spread the word about upcoming sporting events. “My ideal vision is that people learn how fun it is to support people and how fun it is to be supported,” Enochs said. He hopes

that in time, the Dawg Pound will be synonymous with Garfield and all games will get huge turnouts. “I think that if it works out how its intended, by including all sports and all games, it will feel very inclusive and hopefully welcoming,” Lear said. So keep an eye out, Garfield, the Dawg Pound might be the next opportunity for you to show your school spirit and represent your fellow Bulldogs! You can attend the Dawg Pound Club in Ms. Miller’s room (308) on Wednesdays at lunch!

BACCPAGE

HOT NOT

Hello Garfield Bulldogs,

Welcome to the backpage, the best part of this entire school. Here, all of your worries will melt away and you can finally begin a day with a smile on your face. Let this page be a beacon of light in the darkness of the times we exist in. The backpage will attempt to make fun of everyone and everything that occurs at Garfield, but please keep in mind that we mean no harm and are merely trying to put a comical spin on the issues we experience as Bulldogs. So remember, be loud be proud-- oh sh*t that’s not right, uh, so remember, always read the backpage first. - Treaty 'N Fleety (Sam 'n Oscar)

The REAL Reasons for increased security

- Keenan wants people to listen to his mixtape in saturday school - Admin gets lonely on saturdays - Making sure the cross country shorts are fingertip length - The perpetual state of mint-based humidity emanating from the second floor lavatories - Leftover money from teacher cuts had to go somewhere… - Preparation for installing a mandatory “vibe check” at the front door - Benny did the job of 5 men

Cross Country Boy - Flow - Skinny boy “abs” - Nuun - Runner watch - Short-shorts - HOKA shoes (but anything that advertises lumbar support works) - Talk about how sore you are

Meme Wars Side Doors

Yellow Vests Getting Pressed Social Insecurity Garfield Security Vampire Capes Exploding Vapes The Earth Nothing soon :( #climatestrike Corruption in Ukraine Trump’s 2020 Campaign Trick o’ Treat Fetish o’ Feet Neville Longbottom Clara Neville Living in Seattle Living in West Seattle

L a s t M i n u t e H a ll o w e e n Costumes Garfield Edition

Football Player - Black Sweatsuit - Memorial @ 5 - Have the confidence of a team that is actually undefeated - T.O.P. - Watch Hudl - Have 3 different injuries (all of which need tape) - Act like you have a concussion (but don’t tell coach)

POST Girl - Patagonia Fleece - Stretchy Leggings - UE Boom - Yerba Matte - Blundstones - “Turn your forms in at the courtyard” - Leave No Trace!! (LNT Baby) - “aPpLy fOr sTaFf”