Issue 5 2014-15 by David Cary

The Eagle George Washington High School 600 32nd Ave, San Francisco, CA 94121 Issue V. May 20th, 2015 Website: gwhs.co Instagram: gwhsofficial Twitter: gwhs_official

CONFESSIONS Teenagers face a variety of problems: body image issues, stress, depression, and divorced parents, to name a few. Washington students share their stories on pages 11 to 14

What’s Inside First base or home plate?

It is widely assumed that teenagers are all about that hook-up culture, but how far have teenagers ACTUALLY gone during their high school years? for more, see page 8

Teacher of the Issue: Karl Seyer-Ochi

Karl Seyer-Ochi has a reputation of being one of the best economics teachers in the nation (see photo above), but he didn’t always know he wanted to become an educator. for more, see page 6

College tuition: Is it really as expensive as it’s marketed?

photo by Winny Huang

In recent years, college tuition has increased exponentially, causing families to stress over the cost of attendance. But is the ticket price really what you pay? for more, see page 20

2 News

May 20th, 2015

The Eagle

Washington JROTC in Jeopardy of Being Shut Down

Newspaper Editor-in-Chief: Winny Huang

Website Editor-in-Chief: Talia Moore

Page Editors/ Designers:

Jhoselene Alvarado Nicole Bergelson Carolyn Hanson Lee Annie Lei Joyce Ma Donna Mo Maki O’Bryan Katie Whitmire Allison Wu Photographer: Andrew Chew

Mandy Yu

Graphic Designer: Stephanie Tam

Staff Writers:

Marie Baker Granger Balestrieri Anna Bernick Mary Cage Agnes Chen Young Cho Zoe Driver Samantha Lau Kevin Li Elis Lipinski Jesse Matthews Vivian Ouyang Erica Pan Cheyenne Rooker Hanaki Sato Deavon Smith Kevin Truong Kenneth Wong Jennifer Yip Melody Yan

photo by Mandy Yu

BY MARIE BAKER

“R

OTC is much more than a class; it is a second home to me and 100+ other students here at Washington. It’s somewhere I truly feel like I belong,” says junior Karbo Tam, who is the Command Sergeant Major and Flag Drill Team Commander at George Washington High School. Unfortunately, the fate of the beloved JROTC program at George Washington High School is up in the air. JROTC has been at Washington ever since the school opened in 1936, and has created a supportive environment where students can gain leadership skills and become better citizens through extracurricular activities and community service. In order for a JROTC program to exist at a school, it needs to meet two requirements: an enrollment of at least 100 students or 10% of the student population, and two JROTC teachers at the school. Washington has no problem meeting the first requirement, but the latter has been an issue for the past five years. Currently, the sole teacher of the class is Colonel Leo Nascimento. The bottom line is that Washington doesn’t have the money to pay for a second instructor, which means that the

“I have been in contact with my supervisor and we are brainstorming ideas. We are searching for grants and other funders,” Lovrin explains. Nascimento is also doing everything in his power to ensure the future of the program at Washington. He has talked to Lovrin about the situation and even presented the need for a second instructor to the School Site Council, an elected body that represents parents, students and the community in the school governance process. “I talked to Ms. Lovrin about money and being able to hire another teacher. She said she just doesn’t have the money for it because the school district allocates the money to all the principals for them to be able to do things with the money, to hire the staff, for resources, and she feels like hiring a second JROTC teacher is just something that she’s not budgeted to do. I also had the opportunity to talk to the School Site Council and tell them the importance of having a second instructor, but they felt that there are a lot of things that require money when you run a school and those things require a balance. So from their perspective, the school has done fine with one instructor because the program continues on, and the students are well served here. I think that there’s a thought that ‘they’re not really going

to shut down the program,’ -- that it’s kind of an empty threat.” The problem is that it is not an empty threat. In fact, Washington is not the only school in San Francisco whose program is at risk. Out of the seven JROTC high schools in San Francisco, Balboa and Burton are the only schools that have two instructors, and Lowell High School is currently in the process of hiring a second one. “This is definitely not something that is isolated to Washington High School,” Nascimento explains. “It just happens to be something that is across the board for all the schools.” The second instructor is a legal requirement but according to Nascimento, it is vital to the success of the program. “I think most people think ROTC just march around and wear uniforms and that’s it,” says Nascimento. “We do have textbooks, and I do teach classes related to things like first aid, geography and how to be responsible leaders. But we have a different curriculum for each of the four years that students take ROTC. So with only me, it’s difficult to do that kind of teaching. That’s why the government mandates two. You need to have two.” Although Nascimento, who served in the army for 23 years, continued on page 3...

Letter From the Editor

Advisor: David Cary Awards: First Class Newspaper - the National Scholastic Press Association (2013-2014)

Army can discontinue their essential funds to the program at any time since it does not meet the basic legal requirements. According to Principal Ericka Lovrin, for the last three to four years, the federal government, who helps fund the JROTC programs, has made her aware that the program is at risk of getting cut because it does not have a second instructor. Lovrin says, “It is feared this year due to increased budgetary constraints in the federal government that these threats may become a reality. I am not certain what will happen.” Lovrin is in charge of the budget and distribution of the funds at Washington, but she feels her hands are tied in this situation. “I am very much in support of JROTC,” says Lovrin. “I have always felt that JROTC has a program that incorporates a comprehensive curriculum that focuses on leadership and becoming a better citizen. The San Francisco Unified School District budget used to provide the resources to fund two instructors. Since Washington must allocate the resources now for a second instructor from our own budget, in order to do this there would have to be a reduction in one teacher in another area in the school.” Lovrin is currently trying to find alternative funding for the program.

Hey guys, Hope y’all enjoyed our last issue of The Eagle this year! It’s been a crazy journey with tight deadlines, extreme late night editing sessions, and the occasional teardrop shed here and there as the paper progressed. Since this is my second year as Editor-in-Chief, I already had a

sense of the flow of the paper and I was able to start every issue with a clearer vision of where I wanted it to go. I knew that I wanted every issue to have a common topic with multiple articles related to it, or to have a very serious topic that required extensive investigation. A couple of my favorite topics from this year include our feminist opinion articles (Issue I) and our grading disparity news article and spread (Issue IV). When it came to topics like grading disparity, our staff definitely had trouble gathering the information we needed to write investigative reports. As journalists, we often run into dead ends: Sometimes we are unable to find the right sources to ask; other times we struggle to get information from the appropriate people. And because of this hin-

drance, there were a few topics that we were unable to cover because a few particular sources were unwilling to cooperate with us. But as for the topics that we were able to cover, I applaud our class’s ability to obtain the information needed! There is one person that I would like to give a special round of applause to: our graphic designer, Stephanie Tam. Prior to this school year, The Eagle never had any other type of visuals besides photos and a few graphs thrown in from time to time. Thanks to Stephanie, we were able to incorporate graphics that conveyed messages that would’ve been difficult to present through pictures. Stephanie’s graphics added a new layer of content that I think has significantly improved the aesthetics of the paper. I cannot believe that this is my

last high school newspaper. It’s been an incredible experience and I don’t regret any of it. But at the end of the day, I hope people realize that The Eagle is not “Winny’s paper.” It is not “the journalism class’s paper.” It is Washington’s newspaper. What I really like about journalism is that it brings a sense of community to the school. We try to tie all our stories back to the students so that people can relate to what the writers are feeling. The Eagle is an outlet for all Washington students to participate in; whether you’re in the class, or you want to write a Letter to the Editor, there are ways to involve your voice in the paper. And with that, I wish the best to the upcoming Editor-in-Chief(s) and journalism classes. Good luck! -Winny Huang Editor-in-Chief

May 20th, 2015

News 3

The Eagle

New Schedule Changes Lead to Anger and Inconvenience to Washington BY MELODY YAN

“W

e’re trying to make a better environment for the kids, and we’re making it worse,” math teacher Larry Yee says about the new block schedule for next year. The block schedule has created a storm of complaints and confusion among students and faculty. The administration had proposed two schedules, the “split” and the “block”. Though many teachers voiced their opinions about neither of them being good, keeping the current schedule just wasn’t an option. The block days would undoubtedly affect first period teachers and students the most, since it would require them to have first period five days a week with a start time of 7:30 a.m. each day. For second period students, they would more or less start at the same time as they do now, except that on Thursdays it would be at 8:22 a.m. instead of the current start time of 8 a.m. Why this change is happening The main reason is because of transportation. Since we start at 8 on Thursdays, that does not give the buses enough time to drop the special education students off and then go back to drive middle schoolers to school. How the schedule was decided There had been three versions of the schedule worked on with input from the department heads and the union. The first version would have had 85 minute block periods and the “A” days would have 55 minute classes, and school would have ended at 3:29 for those with a 7th period. Because of the long periods, the second version had the classes cut down to 52 minutes on “A” days and the

block periods were reduced to 80 minutes. The final version that was decided on, which is the “split”, is almost similar to what we have now for class lengths. For block days, the only difference is that first period is split into 45 minute periods and early students will have to come to school every day. Second period students will have to get to school earlier than they do on regular “A” days, but what has Wednesday Block Schedule Time

LEngth of Class

1st

7:30-8:15

8:22-8:42

3rd

8:49-10:09

Lunch

10:09-11:00

5th

11:07-12:27

7th

12:34-1:54

Period

80 51

cial to the students. “We wanted to get second period students closer to what they have now, at 8:30,” principal Ericka Lovrin says. How teachers feel about this The schedule will impact teachers and their lesson plans, particularly science teachers. “We were really concerned that breaking up the first period was going to be a problem because a lot of us use the block periods to do our labs. It’s very difficult to do half a lab Thursday Block Schedule Period

Time

LEngth of Class

1st

7:30-8:15

2nd

8:22-9:42

4th

9:49-11:09

Lunch

11:09-11:39

6th

11:46-1:06

80 80

sparked the most complaints is the 30 minute lunch on Thursdays. Why the split schedule was chosen over the block The block schedule would have consisted of a 7:45 a.m. start time on Thursday. Not only would that have been hard for teachers, especially ones with children, but that would be difficult for students who have trouble getting to school by 8 a.m. as it is. When comparing the two schedules, the administration decided that the split schedule seemed more benefi-

one day and half a lab the next day, so we were definitely worried that could be a problem,” Science Department Head Rachael Spillard says. “When it comes to changing the way that activities are done, that’s kind of our job, and your job is to get here on time. So I think that we’ll find a way to make it work. I hope that consistency will make things easier.” Other teachers are frustrated with the new change, and while some say it would help the students, others, like Yee, disagree. “Some kids are going to have to travel at an earlier hour. Some of them are coming from across town,

JROTC Faces Shut Down Threat ...continued from page 2 describes being a JROTC teacher as his “ideal job,” it is an extremely time consuming commitment. In addition to teaching 123 students every day, Nascimento also serves as a mentor and chaperone for his students. He singlehandedly oversees the plethora of extracurricular activities that the JROTC students are involved in. He oversees the student-run special teams (Guidon, Squad Drill, Platoon Drill, Orienteering, Raiders, Drum Corps, Exhibition Drill Team, Flag Team), volunteers with students at the food bank once a month, and attends the many parades and competitions the students participate in throughout the year. Nascimento explains that Monday through Friday he is at school from 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM, and two to three weekends a month,

he is doing something with the JROTC students outside of school. Nascimento says, “At the family level, I have a wife and I have kids. So oftentimes my kids ask me, ‘How come it’s the weekend and you have to go do this and you’re not spending time with us?’ So I try to mix the two and I bring my kids to a lot of the events to try to engage them. But you really need two instructors, because it can burn somebody out.” “We are very lucky to have a great JROTC instructor, Colonel Leo Nascimento,” says Lovrin, “He works endless hours to assure that the JROTC students have a comprehensive, well run program.” Although Nascimento plays a huge part in the JROTC program, he emphasizes that the students play an equally important role. Nascimento says, “Without the student

leaders, there’d be no way that I could do what I do.” For example, junior Julie Mei, next year’s Battalion Commander, is one of the five Company Commanders, or class leaders. “I help lead and teach the class,” Mei explains. “Right now, I’m leading a class of 18 students.” The disappearance of Washington JROTC would have a profound effect on the lives of many of its dedicated participants. It is a place that Karbo Tam describes as a “home away from home” for himself and for many of his peers, including Mei. “JROTC has impacted my life in so many ways. I can honestly say that the people in this program are like a second family to me. I wouldn’t know what to do,” says Mei. “Words like upset or sad just aren’t powerful enough to express how I’d feel.”

and instead of waking up at 5 o’clock, they’ll have to wake up at 4:30. And we’re expecting them to get here on time? This is no way to close the achievement gap,” Yee expresses. “This plan doesn’t serve the children. It only serves bus drivers.” How this will affect students Though this is something that will have the most impact on students, none were consulted about the change. “It was a very quick decision that we had to get to the district,” Lovrin explains. Many students have turned to social media platforms to express their views: “WTFFFFF WHY IS THERE FIRST PERIOD EVERYDAY NEXT YEAR? AND THURSDAY’S LUNCH IS SHORTER!” one student says on Twitter. “No more sleepin’ in on Wednesdays next school year…” “I don’t want first period every day what if I hate that class lol it’s good otherwise.” Junior Oasis Mpolo has put up a petition in the first floor lobby to revert back to the old schedule and it has been already signed by students. “We look forward to coming in at 8 on Thursdays, so now that will be taken away. Just because we have early doesn’t mean we want to come early everyday,” Mpolo says. Is there any way to stop the change? According to Lovrin, the schedule is set for the next year. VAPA teacher John Propster recommends taking action if you want to see a change. “Go to the school board and the superintendent and say, ‘Why are you making this a choice that we have to make? Why are we being held hostage by a bus company?’ That is what you need to appeal,” said Propster.

4 Features

Student of the Issue

The Eagle

May 20th, 2015

Blaze Guo: the Slumped Skateboarding Trail Blazer

photo by Mandy Yu

“I

BY ANNIE LEI

s Blaze your real name?” is a question that is asked too many times, according to senior Blaze Guo. Interestingly enough, Guo’s name actually originated from a baby book. His parents had a list of names chosen and “of those names there was Ace, Delphineas, and Blaze. I thank the good lord that I was not named Delphineas,” jokes Guo. Guo moved from Las Vegas to San Francisco permanently last year. He was actually born in Las Vegas but due to his family situation, he had always traveled back and forth between San Francisco and Las Vegas. “Since visiting [Las Vegas] last summer, it pained me to see what had become of my childhood friends who had become accustomed to drug use… San Francisco indirectly showed me how to accept what was given to me and to appreciate all that I have,” Guo reflects. Growing up in Las Vegas, Guo spent a lot of his time practicing Kung Fu with his Kung Fu master, whom he refers to as his “shifu”. According to Guo, his shifu was extremely patient and one of the kindest person he’s ever met. His shifu acted as a mentor to Guo, not only in Kung Fu, but also in the world; his shifu taught

him how to not get frustrated with life’s problems. Guo practiced Kung Fu for about 5 years and achieved the Purple Belt before he left Las Vegas. Guo still uses his Kung Fu lessons of patience when he feels stressed out and frenzied. “It helps me clear my mind and focus on what needs to be done,” says Guo. “Blaze is a ninja from Las Vegas!” says senior Jorge Ortiz, one of Guo’s best friends since middle school. “I would say me and [Guo] are like stepbrothers, from the movie ‘Step Brothers’. I am forever grateful for [Guo]. Blaze is a really funny dude.” Although Guo has only been at Washington for one year, he’s already made himself at home. Since Guo had free time between working at the Boys & Girls Club and going to school, he decided to create his own t-shirt line with his friends. Initially, the t-shirt company was a spontaneous idea which he always had doubts about. “I always expect the worse, but also hope for the best,” Guo explains. You may have even seen students and staff at school wearing his brand. His t-shirt design is a colored with cursive letters that spell out ‘Slumped,’ which was inspired by his own insomnia. “I’m almost constantly tired, so I’m usually taking a series of naps throughout the

day,” confesses Guo. According to Guo, his passion for creating custom t-shirts is an indescribable feeling. He has high hopes of further pursuing the t-shirt line in the future. “My company is a passion of mine, as much as a hobby,” says Guo. “I would like to open up a storefront and make enough to get by in this overpriced city. Then [I’ll] give back what I owe to [San Francisco] for making me the person I am today. Being able to make something that expresses my interests and to see other people enjoying the product of my work.” Guo’s t-shirt business has also found popularity in the Boys and Girls Club where he works in his free time. After his t-shirt designing really took off, he began using his workplace to help teach kids how to make their own t-shirts. “There are so many others who were never given the same opportunities as myself,” says Guo. For him, it’s an enjoyable feeling to help young kids have fun, and not have to worry about whatever problems they may be dealing with. “It’s literally in his nature to help out whoever he can. Blaze is that person who is willing to go that extra mile for his friends,” adds his pal Ortiz. Guo is also known around Washington

for being one of those skateboarding kids; it’s not hard to spot Guo at Washington amongst other skateboarding kids hanging out around the esplanade. Surprisingly, when he first began, he had trouble learning how to ride. “I was always up for a challenge, but I was thrown into a situation where my friends were so much better than me,” Guo remembers. “I kept on falling until I finally found peace with my skateboard and we acted as one.” His self-realization of his great passion for skateboarding actually lead him to begin lending out skateboards to people interested in learning how to skateboard themselves. “It began with me having an excess of old boards and spare pieces, so I took it upon myself, being the good person I am, to share my abundance of skill and natural talent to all of those in need,” explains Guo. Guo does not currently have definite plans for his future but he does know that he “just wants to skateboard and be happy.” “If there’s more money, there are more problems,” he says. After summer’s over, you can catch Guo skating down the rails of City College of San Francisco, where he’ll be attending starting next Fall.

May 20th, 2015

Features 5

The Eagle

POP POLLS: Teacher Edition We learn from teachers in a professional school setting, but along the way we grow comfortable with their personal quirks that make them unique. The senior class voted on which teachers stood out the most during their four years here at Washington, and the results may or may not surprise you! BY JENNIFER YIP

MOST HUMOROUS

BEST SMILE

MOST ATHLETIC

Alan Layug

Andre Higginbotham

Sophia Corbett

SASSIEST

BEST HAIR

MOST SARCASTIC

Patrice Thompson

Charles Brinton

Alan Layug

BEST TATTOOS

BEST FRIENDSHIP

MOST LIKELY TO LIVE A DOUBLE LIFE

William Sussman BEST DRESSED

Andre Higginbotham photos by Jennifer Yip and Annie Lei

Rudy Choy & Lawrence Tak BEST ADVICE

Alan Layug

David Ko MOST CARING

Michelle Kyung

6 Features

Teacher of the Issue

Karl Seyer-Ochi BY HANAKI SATO

photos by Mandy Yu

The Eagle

was assigned to write a profile on arguably one of the best teachers here at George Washington High School: Karl Seyer-Ochi. Many probably know him as “Mr. Ochi” but his legal name is Karl Seyer-Ochi. He says, “My wife and I hyphenated our names in order to screw up our kids with a complicated last name... Just kidding.” While walking towards his room, the first thing I had noticed was that there was a rope connecting the door handle to a doorstopper. I wondered: Why did he have this? He greeted me as I walked in with a simple, “Hey Hanaki.” His tone of voice seemed as if he was shouting at me, but in the politest way possible, if that makes any sense. I sat down, and he pulled a desk up right in front of the one I was sitting in. Seyer-Ochi was born and raised in San Francisco’s Richmond District and even attended Washington High School. “I grew up a real city guy, eating at a lot of places around the city, and you know, [getting to know] San Francisco very well. I still love it, and then I left, but I eventually came back,” says Seyer-Ochi. Seyer-Ochi left San Francisco to go study at Columbia University. On why he chose to go to New York and attend Columbia, he says, “When I lived in New York it was kind of the era of crack and graffiti on trains and all that kind of stuff. It was a pretty low time for New York City, and that’s kind of why I went there... Part of my rationale in choosing that school was that if this is a stereotypically dangerous intense place, then the people that go there, despite that, are pretty cool. And so I think that’s what drew me there.” Before teaching, Seyer-Ochi was a counselor for a year. “That was pretty hilarious; being super young and talking to kid’s parents about how they need to raise their children. It’s hilarious now when I think about,” says Seyer-Ochi. Seyer-Ochi says that he “didn’t always know” he wanted to be a teacher. “I was an economics major in college, and by the time I was a senior, the people I was surrounded [by] in economics were not the people that I felt any kind of affinity towards. I was not really hanging out with those guys. At that time... what I really [liked] to do [was] teach. So no, I didn’t always know I wanted to be a teacher.” He also adds that, “I had a few particular teachers that were really inspiring, and taught me a lot. And I think that’s definitely in some part, why I got into teaching.” Back in 2002, Seyer-Ochi was named the National Economic Teacher of the Year by the National Council on Economic Education and the NASDAQ Educational Foundation. He says, “My submission was a methodology for teaching economics via metaphors and analogies (which I still use). I was first chosen as one of five regional semi-finalists and then as the national winner. It was in the early 2000’s and was quite an honor.” Aside from teaching at Washington, Seyer-Ochi is also an adjunct professor at the School of Education in the University of San Francisco. “[The job] keeps me on my toes. I’ll find myself telling new teachers ‘You really need to think about blah, blah, blah...’ and then say, ‘Hey! I need to think about that too,’” explains Seyer-Ochi. Seyer-Ochi views teaching as a “performance.” He says, “I don’t want it ever to be that it’s through force that I’m getting people to pay attention... I feel like my number one goal, the thing I care about most, is engaging people. Because until they’re engaged, they’re not going to learn anything. If that calls for jokes or crazy stuff, or just trying to be entertaining, or doing stuff that people don’t expect, or doing things that aren’t typically done in an economics class, then I’ll do it.” Seyer-Ochi recalls this one time when he lit his hand on fire. He adds that, “Sometimes you have to do things just to keep students with you. I think most students feel if you make that effort to engage them, they’ll at least try to pay attention and be engaged themselves.” Josh Fung, a senior at Washington, who has SeyerOchi, says, “Other teachers will follow a conventional way of teaching laid out in a book but Mr. Ochi is different. He keeps things interesting by keeping students on their toes and wondering ‘What’s Ochi going to do today?’ He is also dedicated to his students and wants to see them succeed in the way the students want to succeed.” Other students feel the same way, such as senior Paul Luu. “I look forward to his class the most in the morning. I know if I’m having a bad day, Mr. Ochi will always have something funny to say that just cheers me up…” says Luu. “He demands a lot but at the same time, the students respect him so much as a teacher. Also, the entertainment factor is a huge bonus. I felt like I was at a comedy show almost every day. He wants to be a guide and helper to our

May 20th, 2015 success and is willing to put his time and human capital on the line. Above all else, he’s a great teacher because he has the biggest PPF (production possibilities frontier).” I asked him about a rumor about how he would cut someones hair if they weren’t paying attention. “Ugh. I might’ve in my history if they fell asleep. I gave them a little trim,” Seyer-Ochi jokes. Something Seyer-Ochi found that he struggled with in high school was finding himself and figuring out who he wanted to be. Being Japanese American, he recognizes the struggles many students at Washington go through. He says, “If you’re Asian, Black or Latino, anything but White really, I think there’s an extra thing that you have to navigate in society, [and] that’s not being White… I think what I want for students and want to convey to them is that you choose to identify yourself however you want. Don’t ever feel inferior or that someone or somebody has some kind of superiority to you because of who they are… If you are White at Washington, you experience this school very much as how people of color experience the world… I think the thing that makes it powerful is that it’s not just one time -- it’s continuous. It wasn’t so much that I wished I was White, but I struggled with thinking about who am I and how am I supposed to be. And granted, I was born here. My parents were born here. I’m as American or more American than many White people and yet why is it that I will be perceived differently?” Seyer-Ochi holds high expectations from his students but he also tries to be flexible. “I think the one thing that I want students to do is to care about not just what they’re learning in class but to care about things; to be passionate about things; to find something that they really really love doing that they could do for the rest of their lives... My expectation for students is that they try to be interesting people and they work hard and all that basic stuff, but I want them to care about things. I want you to be interested in stuff that matters.” Outside of school, Seyer-Ochi enjoys playing music, swimming, cooking, building things, repairing things, and traveling. “I’ve spent a fair amount of time in Southeast Asia, Laos, Vietnam. I’ve been to Africa, Southern Africa and North Africa. I don’t think of them as crazy, but relative to our lives they’re very different,” says Seyer-Ochi. Seyer-Ochi has many interests, all of which he is passionate about. But he says, “I think one of the problems with our society is that you kind of have to do one thing. It’s not very easy to pursue multiple careers and at the same time have the stability by one career.” If he weren’t teaching he says, “I might be running a restaurant, or doing some kind of construction. I mean I love building. I love mechanical stuff: motorcycles, cars, metalworking.” This explains his DIY rope doorstop. “Let’s face it… doorstops get lost. I have found mine down the hallway. As I have told you, I love building and ‘making’ so this was just an obvious engineering solution to an annoyance. Not for strangling kids,” says Seyer-Ochi. Seyer-Ochi also has a love for pugs. “We just got another pug. We had a pug who lived almost 17 years but he died last summer. About two months ago, [we] got another pug... I think I like them so much because they have a lot of character; people say they’re a lot of dog in a little space or something like that.” Another thing Seyer-Ochi is known for is his tattoo on his right forearm. I had realized that it was the Milky girl: you know those sweet, small Japanese candies? Seyer-Ochi says, “My daughter looks a lot like that. And looked a lot like that when she was born; she’s Hapa. And the knives; well one of them is a Japanese style knife, hocho, and then this is a French style knife. I do a lot of French cooking, culturally western and eastern.” I figured he probably has more tattoos, just not ones people can see. I asked him if he had anymore and he says, “Ugh I don’t need to share that. But I’m not a yakuza [Japanese gangster] or something.” To which I wonder, is he? At the end of our conversation I realized that we had been talking for a little more than 20 minutes (this is not including the back and forth Schoolloop emails and the other interview I had with him that lasted 10 minutes). What I got out of these interviews with Seyer-Ochi is that he genuinely cares about what he is teaching, how he is teaching, and who he is teaching it to. He has lit his hand of fire, may or may not have cut someone’s hair, has been all around the world and yet he seems to never be taken aback by things, always keeping calm. On the exterior, Karl Ochi may seem like a badass guy, tatted up, riding a motorcycle, but really every day he goes home to his family and into the arms of his loving pug, Enzo.

8 Lifestyles

May 20th, 2015

The Eagle

How Many Bases Have You Touched? BY KEVIN TRUONG

Young love is a beautiful sight. There is so much drama, passion, and it is so pure. But how many of them have actually made it to home plate, or even first base. The base system is based off baseball and it goes: 0 base: You havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t kissed 1st base: Have kissed 2nd base: Making out with clothes on but sexually touching your partner 3rd base: Anything but sexually pleasing your partner with your genetalia Grand Slam/ Homerun: Sexually pleasing your partner with your genetalia.

2nd Base

3rd Base

13% of Wash students have reached second base

18% of Wash students have gone to third base

19% of males at Wash have reached second base

26% of females at Wash have went to third base

6% of females at Wash have reached second base

13% of males at Wash have went to third base

Home Run

12% of Wash students have hit a home run

1st Base 22.5% of Wash students have gone to first base

11.5% of females at Wash have went all the way

13% of males at Wash have went all the way

On the Sidelines aka Zero Bases 33% of Wash students have not gone to any bases

35% of males at Wash have been to zero bases

21% of males at Wash have gone to first base

25% of females at Wash have gone to first base

32% of females at Wash have been to zero bases graphics by Stephanie Tam

May 20th, 2015

Lifestyles 9

The Eagle

Travel the World Without Leaving California Traveling is not only a lot of fun but also a great experience! However, it can be expensive and time-consuming. So here are some ways to tour the country without even leaving California!

BY DONNA MO

Travel back in time to the Old West

See the Tuscan castle in Napa Valley

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The Castello di Amorosa is modeled after a 13th century Tuscan castle. The castle features a moat, a drawbridge, defensive towers, an interior courtyard, and a torture chamber that is said to have a 300-year old iron maiden brought from Italy. The great hall also features frescoes painted by two Italian artists. Fun fact: Castello di Amorosa literally translates into castle of love.

Check out how the

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Vikings lived in Lake Tahoe

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Visit a ghost town in Bodie, a former gold-mining town. Bodie is now a registered historic California landmark. Though you can’t go into the buildings, you can look through the windows to see what people left behind. You can even visit the Bodie cemetery.

Located in Emerald Bay in Lake Tahoe, Vikingsholm is a 38-room mansion built in 1929. Vikingsholm is one of the best examples of Scandinavian architecture.

See the aftermath of a volcano at Mono Lake

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You don’t have to go to Hawaii to see a volcano or cooled lava. California’s Mono Lake is surrounded by a volcanic landscape where craters still exist. Not to mention, the lake had a volcano erupt right in the middle of the it which created many formations that can still be seen today.

Botanical Gardens in San Marino Take a look at the

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Visit the Danish city of Solvang

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Founded in 1911 by a group of Danes, Solvang is a city located in the Santa Barbara County. This city is filled with a bunch of bakeries and restaurants that will allow you to have a little taste of Denmark. The architectural style of Solvang also reflects the traditional Danish style.

San Marino is a county in Los Angeles. Their Huntington Library contains different botanical gardens - the most notable one being the Chinese Garden (Liu Fang Yuan). It was created by artisans from Suzhou, China and is modeled after the scholar gardens there.

Hike through

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the terrains of Vasquez Rocks

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Since most of us can’t make it to an Australian outback, the rocky terrains of Vasquez Rocks is the next best thing. These rock formations were formed by rapid erosion about 25 million years ago and were exposed by activity along the San Andreas fault. Fun fact: Vasquez Rocks is often used as a filming location in movies such as Star Trek. graphic by Stephanie Tam

Take a trip to Old World Village in Orange County

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The Old World Village in Orange County’s Huntington Beach is home to numerous German restaurants. Not to mention, they also have Dachshund races (also known as wiener dog races) and Oktoberfest, which is a traditional festival held in Munich, Germany every October.

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May 20th, 2015

Special 11

The Eagle

Body Image Issues, Stress, Depression and Divorced Parents

A few of the most common situations and feelings that teenagers face every day

eenagers are often bombarded with hours worth of homework, family issues, peer pressure and overall negative feelings toward themselves during their time in high school. In this issue of The Eagle, we decided that we would touch base on common emotions and difficult situations that teenagers face on a day to day basis. The following four pages are on body image issues, stress, depression, and divorce. While they all have an underlying theme of sadness and negativity, I would like to point out that these issues do not have a

direct relationship with one another. For example, body image dissatisfaction does not cause depression, and vice versa. (correlation does not prove causation). The reason why we’re doing this special is to allow students to express how they’re really feeling to everyone around them. There’s this misconception that teenagers are immature, don’t have responsibilities to deal with, and have little to no experience with serious issues. The truth of the matter is that all teenagers have problems -- and we don’t take these problems lightly.

Social media is constantly throwing seemingly perfect models towards us, forcing us to believe that being slim and muscular is the key to beauty. Teachers are giving us piles of homework to complete, not taking into consideration the other teachers who do the same. Separated parents can make a child feel awkward when they force him/her to choose a side in a disagreement. Feelings of worthlessness and self-hatred can lead to depression that sadly affects teenagers more than adults think they do. Although these are some of the difficulties that teenagers face, this is not meant to be an exclusive list.

So the content in these pages is to show everyone that these situations and problems are in fact, real. The stories and quotes are all from high school students our age. And to those who suffer from these negative feelings, remember that you’re not alone. You’re not the only one fighting an uphill battle. There are people out there who understand how you feel, because they themselves are going through the same thing. So stay positive and carry on. With time, things do get better, as cliche as that may be. -Winny Huang Editor-in-Chief

All quotes and stories are kept anonymous out of respect for the students and for privacy reasons.

Student views

BODY IMAGE ISSUES “Honestly, even though people come up to me and tell me how lucky I am to be so skinny and look so in shape, I wish I had more curves to my body. Overall, I am pretty satisfied with where I am with my body but I feel that is only because our society seems to mainly appreciate those of a skinny frame, which sucks because it makes everyone feel insecure about themselves.”

“On a daily basis, I feel pretty bad about my body image. I like my “body type” but years of eating disorders have destroyed most of my confidence with how I look.”

“Sometimes I admit I do wish I had the body type of some of the other girls at school, but then I think there’s no point in judging myself like that. It’s just a lot of negative thinking that I can keep out of my life. When people comment on my body negatively, I just tell them “So what? This is how my body was made and I’m proud of it.”

“I was very down on myself because I always thought less of myself after looking at my friends’ and famous people’s bodies. Now, I workout to make myself feel and look better, but time will fix everything. I am now realizing that there is no “perfect” body type because everyone has their own opinions, and if someone loves the way they are, that is all that matters. Beauty is not defined by the size of your pants.”

National Views The body type portrayed in advertising as the ideal is possessed naturally by only 5% of American females. (The Renfrew Center Foundation for Eating Disorders, “Eating Disorders 101 Guide: A Summary of Issues, Statistics and Resources”) Almost 50% of people with eating disorders meet the criteria for depression. (Mortality in Anorexia Nervosa. American Journal of Psychiatry,) 47% of girls in 5th-12th grade reported wanting to lose weight because of media and other images. (Prevention of Eating Problems with Elementary Children, Michael Levine, USA Today, 2009) Large scale surveys concluded that male body image concerns have dramatically increased over the past three decades from 15% to 43% of men being dissatisfied with their bodies; rates that are comparable to those found in women (Garner, 1997; Goldfield, Blouin, & Woodside, 2006; Schooler & Ward, 2006). According to The Center For Mental Health Services 90 percent of those who have eating disorders are women between the ages of 12 and 25.

photo by Winny Huang

Over 80 percent of 10-year-old girls are afraid of being fat. (Andrist, Linda C. “Media Images, Body Dissatisfaction, and Disordered Eating in Adolescent Women.” MCN: The American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing 28.2 (2003).)

12 Special

The E

STRESS LEVELS AT WASHINGTON

S T R E S S

On a scale of 1-10, how stressed out do you feel during the school year (1=not stressed, 10=extremely stressed)?

We surveyed 70 students at Washington about their stress levels. Here are the results!

61% of students have stress levels of at least 6

If you do feel stressed, what causes your stress?

Homework: 81% of students Social Problems: 23 students Family Problems: 25 students

Do you feel like Do you stress affects your feel like you are ability to study? In other stressed out more words, if you felt less stressed, than you should would you do better in school? be at this age? Do you feel like being 59% of students stressed out hinders you responded with a from doing better in “yes” school? 76% of students responded with a “yes”

STRESS LEVELS IN AMERICA A survey by the American Psychological Association found that nearly half of all teens — 45 percent — said they were stressed by school pressures. Teens report that their stress level during the school year (5.8/10) far exceeds what they believe to be a healthy level of stress (3.9/10).

42 percent of teens say that they’re either not doing enough to manage their stress or they’re not sure if they’re doing enough.

What Causes/caused your stress?

A N D photo by Winny Huang

als. my go oing g n i v achie not g ut not wrong and h I wanna o b a s s s “I stre thing I do i ere’s so muc them and y r Th e . v to do y el like That e e in anywa being able se I fe e u t a m o c n p e l ul b (lik to he ress about stressf hieve them t o s s I s t i u l c na .” do b choo ay I ca uture) why s that’s s the only w rmine my f “With this i rades dete co g up to $ lleges costin g 7 0 k a yea most im r, it’s a p o lssible f to be a or m bl other p e to pay for th y family res at past tw sing family m , on top of out s s e o a r t tte y t ears, m nosed w “I s t abou y fathe rs. In the s o i t m h r was liver n bly pain ev proba d school. I ot ery mo cancer, and it diagl n a a n come i track ions I put n. On t th when the has been a be t a o t u t f e i l x s e p enses, i op of that, m medical bills ys m both n d o y ncludin n startup ssure can a ct g the co dad’s busines c o of pre I possibly e m s p s p to an and tra le ex st vel, has y in internati f building a the be what peop stress ona be scary k the ond nowing en incredibly l countries go bey Sometimes ak down, e that he with an . re ’s in an xpensive. It’s illness, of me nt to b proving a o w t her c e b w m ec m hat’s go ti ing to h ause you nev ountry on’t makes ow I’m jus d I f i girl, I s n n hould n appen. As a 1 er know but I k nd that eve r hoped 6 year ot be o a f f o a l t mily’s h myse ell I want ay in ealth an worrying abo old k o e w b debt w ut my e do as ything will e may o d the thousa ys hav r n a r e d w v m s c l e o of a a , u y not b l ple of y so . I wil t me and e in in e d a n r s e . e Th r a going o o th ith n and i ere is so muc e supp h t’s peopl be happy w r to track o hard to keep learn fe no matte f it all.” my li what.”

INTERVIEW WITH OU MS. BOY

1. How does stress affect a stu Their behavior? How th Most students have good copin Examples include keeping a list them, managing one’s time to ma going to the Beacon to get hom teachers for additional help. Add time to sleep, have fun, and relax. those skills might be

2. What are common habits to trying to co I’ve noticed that most students h as talking to a trusted family m school such as their school couns Wellness Center. Sometimes stres someone listen without being criti port and a Wellness Center staff overwhelmed might be struggling to recognize that there’s a probl some situations, students don’t k

3. Is it bad if students do n of health Healthy stress, or “eustress” is help done. It’s rare that a student wou and most students would probab sonable deadl

Special 13

Eagle

UR SCHOOL NURSE: YER-CHU

udent’s performance in school? hey interact with others? ng mechanisms with school stress. t of assignments and prioritizing ake sure assignments don’t pile up, mework help, and asking peers or ditional examples include making . Students who haven’t developed ecome overwhelmed.

students have when it comes ope with stress? have good coping methods such member, a friend, or someone at selor, a teacher or someone at the ss can be resolved just by having ical. Sometimes it takes more supff can help you. Students who feel because they’ve waited too long lem, or don’t want to seek help. In know where to get effective help.

not have a certain amount hy stress? pful in motivating us to get things uld say they don’t have any stress, bly admit that such things as realines are helpful.

Depression at Washington Depression is characterized by depressed or sad mood, diminished interest in activities which used to be pleasurable, weight gain or loss, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue, inappropriate guilt, difficulties concentrating, as well as recurrent thoughts of death. But depression is more than a “bad day”; diagnostic criteria established by the American Psychiatric Association dictate that five or more of the above symptoms must be present for a continuous period of at least two weeks. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

We surveyed 155 students at Washington about depression. Here are the results!

17% of respondents have self-harmed before (i.e. cutting, bruising, breaking bones. all done purposefully)

37% of respondents felt like they’ve experienced depression before

What caused/causes your depression?

“The uselessness of oneself when that oneself can do better.”

“When I was 11, it was because of my sexual orientation. I felt alone. Now I’ve lost somebody that meant the world to me, and I’ve got nothing else to lose. I can’t live with my constant state of mind. I think it’s too much, and I want to stop.”

“Family issues and a poor relationship with my parents lead to loneliness and isolation.”

Depression IN AMERICA a depressive olescents have ad of t n ce er p omorbidity -About 11 the National C to g in rd co ac 18 t (NCS-A). disorder by age cent Supplemen es ol d -A ey rv Su

The Centers for Dise ase Control report ed that a survey of in grades 9-12 at sc students hools in the United St ates revealed “16 pe students reported rcent of seriously consider ing suicide, 13 perc creating a plan, an ent reported d 8 percent report ed trying to take th eir own life in the 12 months prec eding the survey.”

Serntal Health e M d n a e s three times bstance Abu re u a S 5 e 1 th e g a m t o ge 12. t girls a A report fr as girls at a n found tha o ” e ti a d o tr is is p in e e m vices Ad tates experi r depressiv S jo d a e m it “ n a U r e e suff -17 in th as likely to irls ages 12 g n ion. o li il m e of depress d o is p In 2011, 1.4 e n a enced The World M ental Health Survey foun those who su d that half o ffered from m f cluding depre ental health p roblems, inssion, first ex perience sym In high-inco ptoms at age me countrie 14. s, like the Unit than half of ed States, few adolescents er with a menta l health prob receive treatm lem ent. jor ation, ma iz n a g r O ong rld Health se of disability am o W e th au g to Accordin der is the leading c 44. r o 5 is 1 d e s age to n a ic r depressiv e m A

D E P R E S S I O N

All quotes and stories are kept anonymous out of respect for the students and for privacy reasons.

14 Special

May 20th, 2015

The Eagle

Divorced Parents

We surveyed 155 students at Washington about their parents. Here are the results!

Are your parents divorced? Yes: 23% No: 73% The Americans for Divorce Reform estimates that “Probably, 40 or possibly even 50 percent of marriages will end in divorce if current trends continue”, which is actually a projection. Commonly said, 50% of all marriages in the America end in divorce. 50% of all North-American children will witness the divorce of their parents. Almost half of them will also see the breakup of a parent’s second marriage. (Furstenberg and others -Life Course-)

Does having divorced parents have a negative impact on you? Yes: 11% No: 89% “I don’t get to see my dad often.” “Sometimes I feel emotionally unstable and unsteady at the thought of being loved by only one parent or none.”

Children that are living with both biological parents are 20 to 35 percent physically healthier than children from broken homes. (Dawson,-Family Structure and Children’s Health and Well-being, Journal of Marriage and the Family)

“I’m in the middle of all their bullsh*t.”

Do you ever feel neglected by one or more parent? Yes: 42% No: 58% Children from divorced homes suffer academically. They experience high levels of behavioral problems. Their grades suffer, and they are less likely to graduate from high school. (Nan Marie Astone and Sara S. McLanahan, “Family Structure, Parental Practices and High School Completion,” American Sociological Review) Because the custodial parent’s income drops substantially after a divorce, children in divorced homes are almost five times more likely to live in poverty than are children with married parents. (Sara McLanahan and Gary Sandefur, Growing Up with a Single Parent: What Hurts, What Helps (Cambridge: Harvard University Press)

A Personal Account on One Student's Family BY CAROLYN HANSON LEE

n the United States, 50% of marriages end in divorce, so it isn’t surprising to meet a kid who’s parents are split up. However, for one student of Washington named John Scott, divorces between his parents have occurred, not once, but twice in his last 15 years of life. John Scott is not actually this student’s name, but out of respect to this student’s privacy and anonymity, he has been given this pseudonym. The first divorce of John Scott’s biological mother and father drastically changed the path of his childhood, but the truly traumatizing divorce was actually the one that occurred just three years ago, between Scott’s biological mother and his stepfather. What made the second divorce especially shocking was that the events leading to it caused his stepfather to flee the state and his mother landed in jail. When Scott was still in his mother’s womb, his biological mother and father filed for divorce. So before he was even born, his life of split households, custody battles, and confusion had already been determined. According to Scott, the hardest part about the pre-birth divorce was the constant arguments over how he, still a young child at the time,

should split his time between his mother and father. At one point the disputes between his parents were so bad that a Child Protective Services officer took him out of his parents’ grasps and off to his grandmother’s house for six months. This took a huge toll on his mental health and he began hating himself, as if he was the reason his parents couldn’t get along. “It was really tough growing up and wondering why my parents could never get along,” says Scott. “I blamed myself.” But when it seemed that one failed marriage was enough, Scott was faced with yet another one. When Scott was around five years old, his biological mother married another man, and this man became an essential father figure in Scott’s life. Scott’s stepfather taught him many important life lessons and introduced him to a form of martial arts called Jiu Jitsu, that would later become a great passion of his. Although they were not blood related, Scott considered his stepfather to be a part of his family, which is not always the case with children and their step parents. “He always told me I wasn’t allowed to smoke cigarettes, which was ironic, because he was a big smoker and he always smoked cigarettes,” Scott says with a laugh, when remembering all the good times he had with his stepfather. “He took me

How different do you think your life would be if your parents had stayed together? “AWFUL!! THERE WOULD BE YELLINGG, SCREAMING, AND THERE WOULD BE A LOT MORE PEOPLE CRYING!” “It would “I wouldn’t feel more comhave cared about plete and maybe school.” even happier.” “It would have been worse, but I would be more supported.” “I might have been more normal and not as rebellious.”

graphic by Stephanie Tam

in as his own son, because he never had a kid of his own. He treated me like his kid.” This close-knit relationship between Scott and his stepfather is something that he misses to this day. It all ended just three years ago, when his mother caught his stepfather cheating with another woman. “My mom knew [my stepfather] was cheating with another woman and taking her on trips to different places. One night, before he came back from one of those trips, she texted him telling him not to come home. But he came home anyways, and they got into a huge, violent fight. He even said to her, ‘I’m going to kill you.’ My mom ended up biting his arm after he knocked her down and then she got away to call the cops. But when the cops finally came, they saw the bite marks, so they took my mom to jail for the night. I got home an hour later to find my stepfather acting strange and telling me that my mother was in jail for one night because her new medication was making her act funny. I believed him and didn’t think much about it because I still trusted him at the time,” explains Scott. After this nightmare of an event, his mother and stepfather began filing for divorce. His stepfather fled California to go live in the East Coast with his mistress and attempted

to maintain the father-son relationship with Scott. His stepfather constantly sent him birthday presents and gifts at Christmas, but Scott could never forgive him. “I hate him now. I think he still misses me, but I don’t miss him,” Scott says. “I think [the divorce] was for the best. I’ve realized how weird he actually was and how he had lied about a lot of stupid sh*t throughout the years.” When asked about how these two divorces has affected his opinion on marriage, Scott says he would be more cautious before having a child with someone, and to do his best to make sure that his child would have a stable home. “I’m still fine with getting married, I’m not paranoid,” Scott reassures. “But I don’t want my kid to go through a divorce when he’s old enough to know what’s going on.” Scott also reveals that his mother is still traumatized by the two failed divorces. Even now, she’s scared to date new men because of all the lying his stepfather had done. “But from my point of view, everything’s all right,” says Scott. “I’ve learned my own lessons from my mother’s two divorces and I’m a stronger person because of them. I don’t know if you can believe this, but I’m glad with the way I grew up. I like my life.”

May 20th, 2015

Being a Good Student BY NICOLE BERGELSON

ith my brows furrowed, I think about all of the classes I have the option of taking next year. Which classes will make me stand out to colleges? Which classes will look more rigorous to an admission officer? These are just a couple of the questions going through my mind as I think about the potential course load for my senior year. I don’t even consider taking classes that I’ll enjoy; I consider taking classes that will look more impressive to colleges. My parents don’t understand why I am constantly under so much stress because to them, having good grades and a good SAT/ACT score will get you an acceptance letter into any school of your choice. However, what many adults fail to realize is that it is much harder for today’s qualified applicants to get into top tier schools. With acceptance rates to the best universities in the U.S. rapidly shrinking each year, the college admissions process has turned into a rat race of high achieving students trying to out-achieve each other. AP classes, clubs, sports, volunteer work, and SAT/ACT scores are just a fraction of the things that high school students have to worry about. Just taking AP classes and performing at an average level in them isn’t enough; you have to stand out, be the “best.” Being involved in clubs within your school isn’t enough anymore either. To really stand out to colleges you need to have leadership positions. Oh, you volunteer at the library? Well there’s a kid who went to Africa last summer

Keep Students in the Loop BY ALLISON WU

Opinion 15

The Eagle

and helped build an irrigation canal. Being the slowest person on your varsity track team won’t help much either. If you want your spot on the team to be taken seriously by admissions officers, you have to be the fastest. Being “yourself ” just won’t do. If you haven’t found the cure for cancer by your freshman year of high school, you can take a seat in the back with the rest of us high-achieving-but-stillsomehow-average kids. There are more students applying to college now than ever before, and that shouldn’t be surprising since a diploma from a prestigious university is seen as essential to success. According to the Census Bureau’s “Current Population Survey,” college enrollment rates of 18 to 24 year olds have increased from 26 percent to 41 percent over the past three decades. The University of Chicago, ranked among the nation’s top four schools by the U.S. News & World Report’s Best annual college ranking report, had an acceptance rate of 8.8 percent last year. Just a decade ago, the university accepted 40 percent of its applicants. In 1988, the acceptance rate for Columbia University in New York was 65 percent, according to U.S. News & World Report that year. As stated in their most recent college guide, not even seven percent of applicants were accepted. This is a pattern for

Isn’t Good Enough

many of the most competitive schools in the nation. Schools that used to be seen as safety schools are now some of the hardest schools to get into. International students are one of the factors that can be attributed to the decline in acceptance rates. Since 2000, the number of international students in the United States has grown by 72 percent. With more students from other countries applying, students from the U.S. have a harder time getting in. High numbers of applicants tend to be blamed for shrinking acceptance rates. According to the Center for Public Education, “it was no more difficult for most students to get into college in 2004 than it was in 1992.” However, regardless of the reason, there is an increased societal pressure on students to get into a prestigious university. Lauren Riviera, an assistant professor at Northwestern, published a study on how top companies like hedge funds and investment banks only hire from “top tier” schools. Quite shockingly, her study concluded that there are only

ll teachers should be required to utilize School Loop daily to improve communication, inform students, and relieve teachers from the “end of the grading period madness.” School Loop has a feature called Loopmail that allows students to contact teachers beyond the limits of a classroom. Loopmail has been recognized as one of the greatest benefits, as there is always constant communication with teachers, even outside of school. Teachers who are active on School Loop have the advantage of being able to further aid their students by answering any classroom questions. Simple questions that come up during the weekend no longer have to wait over 48 hours to be answered, speeding up communication. However, teachers that do not utilize Loopmail on School Loop lose the opportunity to expand student-teacher interactions. Communication is key to academic success, and School Loop is an advantageous tool that should be utilized. A teacher’s responsibility is not only to assist students but also to comment on and inform students of their academic progress. When teachers do not publish content on School Loop, there is a great disconnect between students and their teachers. In personal experience, I have seen students struggle to maintain their grades because of their teacher’s lack of School Loop activeness. When students are confused about their

five “top” schools that these companies even consider hiring from. According to her research, graduates of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Stanford, and Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania are the only ones that these top companies recruit workers from. To these businesses, even schools like Columbia and MIT are considered second-tier. Back when our parents were in high school, a degree from any school was something to be proud of. And, of course, a college degree is still a great achievement; however, where a student acquires their degree has become much more significant. The pressure put on today’s students is astonishing. The American Psychological Association’s “Stress in America Survey” found that 30 percent of teens reported feeling sad or depressed because of stress and 31 percent felt overwhelmed. Another 36 percent said that stress makes them tired. On average, teens reported their stress level, on a 10-point scale, as 5.8 compared to adults’ report of 5.1. Much of the stress that teens experience comes from the added pressure to be the perfect applicant for colleges. If you don’t have a degree from a top tier school, it is a lot tougher to be affluent in our society. So the next time your parents ask why you’re so stressed out about getting into a good school, tell them that it takes a lot more than just good grades. There will always be thousands of students trying to out-achieve you when it comes to the college admissions race.

performance status, it can cause high levels of unnecessary stress into their already stressful lives. In addition, teachers often times complain about how students will scramble from classroom to classroom at the end of grading periods to try to raise their grades. The large amount of students asking for grade changes causes great stress among teachers. However, from personal experience, these are the teachers that do not update School Loop as frequently. Naturally, if a teacher does not release a student’s grade until the end of the grading period, there will be a lot of chaos when students find out their grades and want to improve them. Receiving the report card every six weeks to discover one’s grade in a class is simply not helpful. Instead, it evokes stress and anxiety among students, as there is then a limited amount of time left to change grades. If teachers consistently used School Loop, students would be more informed. Everyone benefits if teachers actively update School Loop. Students of Washington simply want to be more involved in their academic progress and evaluations from teachers. Monitoring School Loop gives students a chance to improve their grades before it is too late. However, this self-improvement cannot be entirely possible without the help of the teachers at Washington.

graphics by Stephanie Tam

16 Opinion

May 20th, 2015

The Eagle

The American Delusion or The American Dream?

DREAM

DELUSION

BY KEVIN LI

n his second inauguration speech, President Obama reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to the American Dream by saying, “We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American; she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own.” The American Dream is supposed to mean that if anyone works hard enough, they can hope to make it to the middle class or above. However, it is actually harder to move up in America than it is to do so in other industrialized countries. According to a study by Pew Charitable Trust, most Americans born in the lower class will stay in the lower class. In countries such as Japan, Germany, or Australia, you are more likely to rise above the class you were born into. The United States’ middle class was once the envy of the world, but decades of right-wing policies have made the American Dream just that — a dream. The American middle class, once the backbone of the country’s success, is no longer the richest in the world. The New York Times says, “While the wealthiest Americans are outpacing many of their global peers, a New York Times analysis shows that across the lower-and middleincome tiers, citizens of other advanced countries have received considerably larger raises over the last three decades.” The median per capita income in the United States has been stuck at around $18,700 since 2000. In Britain, the median per capita income rose 20 percent between 2000 and 2010, and 14 percent for the Netherlands. This tells us that middleclass Americans are in a rut, and it doesn’t look like they’ll be getting out of it soon. The American Dreams says that if we work harder we can gain more, but a stagnant economy and conservative tax policies are keeping us from doing so. The bottom line is, the American Dream today is just that, a dream. While many still think that anything is possible with hard work, for America’s poor, their aspirations couldn’t be farther from reality. How could a “world superpower” like the U.S. let such an ideal collapse? The answer is simple – we chose this path as a nation. Decades of right-wing policies have tilted the scales towards the most affluent of American society.

graphic by Stephanie Tam

Post-WWII America was defined by a wave of economic prosperity where jobs were well-paying and came with health and retirement benefits. Many Americans became homeowners and some relocated to the suburbs. Those in the lower economic ranks stood just as much of a chance than those at the top. It wasn’t perfect, especially if you weren’t a white male, but Americans today could only dream of the level of economic security that they enjoyed. In light of the post-Depression welfare legislation and the Great Society ideals of the 1960s, the United States created a welfare state that provided benefits for the poor and disabled, good schools, and job security. However, by the 1970s, a wave of laissez-faire policies promoting lower taxes, lower government spending, and less regulation, made a significant dent on the idea that the government had a role to play in protecting workers from plutocratic interests in the free market. Unionization rates in the United States lowered, and welfare and unemployment benefits became less generous in light of pro-business Republicans. University fees went through the roof, and funding for public schools declined. This means that you were already economically disadvantaged if you didn’t come from a rich family. The income disparity plaguing the United States today keeps lower class Americans from rising through the ranks and attaining their American Dream. It is the inconvenient truth that the Founding Fathers’ claim that “all men are created equal,” holds little truth in American society today. People are born into any class, low or high, and they stay there with little chance to navigate the social ranks. That is not equality. In light of report after report revealing how United States’ politics are so dominated by the power of a few affluent Americans, the United States is becoming less and less of a democracy. Wealth in the hands’ of the few, as in Russia in 1917 and France in the 1600s, always leads to crises. Our policymakers need to quickly aim to support everyone and revive the American Dream.

BY HANAKI SATO

t’s easy to look at your place in life and compare yourself to others who have achieved the “American Dream” and say “Ugh, the American Dream doesn’t exist. How could I ever do that, or do this, or get that, or get this?” People love to pinpoint everything that is wrong with their lives, but no one is ever determined enough to overcome tough obstacles and change their lives. It’s hard to work hard because most people want things to simply appear out of thin air without having to pull their own weight. Many people say the American Dream no longer exists. They say that it is no longer attainable. But that’s where it stops for them; the moment that they think there is no remote chance of achieving the American Dream is the moment they admit their defeat. You can never have something you don’t think is there, and you will never be living the American Dream if you think there isn’t even one to begin with. The thing about the American Dream is that we have to take responsibility to ensure our own future. We can’t rely on anyone but ourselves to achieve personal visions of the American Dream. If we truly want our own version of American Dream, we can have it. As Americans, we are accustomed to instant gratification, where we can go to Walgreens and find toilet paper or pencils in seconds. But the American Dream isn’t instant or mass produced. Unless our American Dream is to have pencils and toilet paper, we need to work for it, and it will take time and dedication. Suli Breaks, a spoken word artist, wrote a poem titled “American’t Dream” in which he says, “In my family we have a saying: it says, if you really want to grow trees, pray for rain, but don’t neglect to water your seeds.” If a person really wants the American Dream one can pray and pray

for it, but don’t forget to work for it too. We had a local sports anchor, Kate Scott, come into our journalism class last October. Scott spoke to us about how she wakes up at 3 A.M. every morning and writes all of her own material in order to pursue her dream career of starting her own TV show. Being a local sports anchor, she makes less money now than that of when she was a waitress, but she laughs it off with an optimistic view. People need to realize that they can’t just be lazy and expect the American Dream to happen for them. Kate Scott sacrifices her time and sleep and receives lesser pay in order to achieve her dream. She’s willing to give it up because this is what she wants. Do you think Beyoncé sat around drinking coffee to get to where she is now? I think Americans give up too fast and get discouraged even faster, which may have derived from their childhoods. When they were a little kids and couldn’t build certain toys they were trying to build, they probably just cried or got super frustrated and had an adult help them. In school, a majority of students aim to get all A’s, but maybe in one class they constantly get a B and think to themselves, “I’m just never going to get an A in this class.” They are constantly discouraged instead of being more positive with an “I can do this” spirit. I think anything is attainable if you never give up. Keep in mind of what you really want and never settle even if something seems easier or better at the moment. I remember once reading a quote on a user’s Instagram saying, “When things don’t happen right away, remember it takes 6 months to build a Rolls-Royce and and 13 hours to build a Toyota.” Maybe it’s just the super optimistic 17 year old girl in me that hasn’t been through enough, but I believe that the American Dream still exists and is alive today. And I hope by the time I’m 50 I still have the same mindset. We can talk about politics, history, and statistics, but while you’re doing that someone out there is working hard, coming one step closer to their American Dream. I truly believe that anyone who wants anything, regardless of age, gender, or class, can get it. It’s just up to them to make it happen. Life will test your willpower and determination, but it is up to you to work hard and achieve the American Dream.

May 20th, 2015

Opinion 17

The Eagle

Presidential Nominees: 2016 In the upcoming year of 2016, President Obama will be barred by constitutional term limits from seeking re-election. Therefore, Americans will have the chance to vote for a new man or woman as the next President of the United States. A large crowd of candidates will likely compete for the Democratic and Republican nominations, but we have rounded it down to the top two candidates per party. Voting for the next President of the U.S. can be a tough decision for citizens who haven’t learned their candidates’ strengths and weaknesses. But, have no fear! We’re here to help. NOTE: The views reflected on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of The Eagle. BY KEVIN LI

Rand Paul identifies as a libertarian (social liberal with laissez-faire economics) but is really another obnoxious wingnut. He has stated that he wished the Tea Party was a separate party from the GOP so he could join it. In foreign policy, he is the most extreme you could get. He calls for a moratorium on visas for citizens of ‘terrorist countries’ and for Guantanamo detainees to be tried in military tribunals. He also believes that Christianity is the basis of the American laws (someone hasn’t taken eighth grade history class). On same-sex marriage, he is personally opposed to it but says that it should be part of states’ rights. He once appeared on Glenn Beck’s show to say that gay marriage will lead to bestiality. He has shown himself not to be a true libertarian, but also that he is crazier than his father Ron Paul, a former congressman who ran for the Republican nomination in 2012. He also says the Americans with Disabilities Act should be abolished because it is unfair to businesses. Recently, he has asserted that vaccines should not be mandatory because they may cause autism (something almost all scientists say is false), despite being a medical doctor himself.

Objectively speaking, Clinton is part of the ‘centrist’ camp of the Democratic Party. However, if the Republicans are complete lunatics and the Democrats are people that make sense, to be a ‘centrist’ means to be half a lunatic and half a person that makes sense. Clinton is running her campaign with a populist agenda in order to appeal to the Democratic base. However, it would be foolish to believe her as she has taken corporate funding throughout her career. She was rather pro-war as Secretary of State, and may be more interventionist than Obama is in this respect. She voted for the Iraq War, and recently she also called for military action in Syria. Aides for Clinton have criticized Obama for not being as interventionist as Clinton would like, despite a sizeable portion of the Democratic base already hating Obama for many of his foreign policy positions. Although she is more sane on most social issues than any of the Republican candidates, she could be further to the right than Obama on many other issues, such as foreign policy.

Rafael Edward “Ted” Cruz, interestingly enough, was actually born in Canada. Ted Cruz is by far one of the sleaziest politicians ever. This senator from Texas has made no secret of his feelings on marriage equality. His opposition to the basic civil rights of LGBT people is so well-documented that The Advocate named him “Phobie of the Year” in 2014. Being a typical Tea Party wing nut on almost every social and economic issue, he became prominent in the Republican Party when in 2013, he led an effort to cause the US to jump off the fiscal cliff in an attempt to obstruct Obamacare, by reading Green Eggs and Ham and making Darth Vader impersonations on the Senate floor for 21 hours. Ironically, he and his family recently signed up for get health insurance through the Obamacare exchanges. Cruz seems to be woefully ignorant when it comes to science. Being a climate change denialist, he compares himself to Galileo, saying that climate change alarmists (99.999% of the scientific community) are the equivalent of flat-earthers. Amazingly, in 2015, he was appointed to oversee NASA, thus getting authority to tell real scientists what to do. graphics by Stephanie Tam

Bernie Sanders is a senator for Vermont and a member of the Senate budget committee. He is an independent but he has confirmed that he is running as a Democrat. His views are considered to be on the far-left in the context of US politics (which has shifted to the far-right in recent years). He is a true economic populist unlike Clinton. He has stated explicitly that he wants the U.S. to be like Scandinavian-style social democracies, and has said that college education should be free for everyone like in other industrialized nations. He calls for big banks to split up and supports increased taxes on the wealthy. His campaign focuses on reducing “obscene levels” of income inequality and substantial regulation of Wall Street as well as opposition to free trade agreements. I think he is the best candidate overall, especially since he is the only candidate not to have received corporate funding. He lacks the charisma that Obama had while campaigning, but I personally admire his blunt personality. He once made a 8.5 hour long speech on the Senate floor in opposition to the renewal of Bush-era tax cuts. Although his chances of winning the nomination are low, he could potentially cut into the Clinton juggernaut, especially if no one from the left enters the race.

18 Opinion

May 20th, 2015

The Eagle

BY KATIE WHITMIRE

iving in one of the richest and most advanced countries in the world, it’s easy to take for granted the many luxuries we have living in the United States. Running water, electricity, and not having to poop in holes are just some of the many conveniences that many in third world countries can only dream of. However, it seems that the one thing that Americans, especially teenagers, have a tendency to take for granted is education and, more specifically, teachers. Although our gross, graffiti-filled bathrooms may not reflect it, being a student at George Washington High School is an extreme privilege. According to U.S. News, out of all the high schools in the United States, Wash is ranked 485th. It may not seem like a big deal, however, it puts us in the top 2.3% of the high schools in the nation, which is a big accomplishment. One of the reasons why Wash is so highly ranked is because of its dedicated staff of teachers. During my three years of enrollment, I can only recall two teachers whom I would consider to be “bad teachers.” The others were all dedicated teachers who wanted to help each student learn the subject that they were teaching. To me, a good teacher has the goal of wanting each of their students to succeed in their class and to fully comprehend the material. A majority of my past teachers, I feel, had that goal in mind since day one. They taught in a way that was understandable and if I had questions about some-

Give Your d n u o R a s r Teache se u a l p p A f o

thing that I didn’t understand or needed some more elaboration on, I always felt comfortable asking them for help. These teachers always pushed not just me, but the rest of my class, to reach our full academic potentials: although that may have been through piles of homework or incredibly hard tests. As a student, I always knew I made sacrifices (i.e. studying instead of hanging out with friends or family, staying up late every night doing homework), but I never thought about the sacrifices teachers make. Many teachers live outside of San Francisco and have to commute every day; even a drive or a bus ride from downtown San Francisco is a commute. Teachers also stay up late into the night grading tests and essays and creating lesson plans. There are teachers as well who give up their time after school to coach sports teams and to sponsor clubs, all voluntarily. We also cannot forget how little teachers are actually paid. According to Glassdoor, teachers in the SFUSD are paid $56,000 on average in a city where, as KQED states, $84,133 is needed in order for a family of four to live comfortably. Teachers are obviously not doing their job for the money. Some students are also able to relate to their teachers outside of school or the subject they teach. Students are able to talk to teachers about a sports team they both like, a T.V. show they both watch on a consistent basis, or music both the student and the teacher are into. Teachers are people, not robots, and therefore can also relate to students on a personal level. I have had the privilege of knowing a few

really amazing teachers who I could talk to about a wide variety of topics that were not academic. Some of the best advice I have ever gotten has also been from the teachers I could most relate to. Although it may not seem like it, teachers want students to succeed. Every note on an essay is not just a way to improve an essay but also to improve a student’s writing in general. Many teachers stay after school and give up their lunchtimes to help students understand and to pass their class. In general, everything a teacher does is for the benefit of the student. Sure, we may not completely forget how great the teachers at Wash are however, we don’t think about it enough. As students, we need to show our teachers how much we do appreciate them and everything that they do for us. Just telling your teacher “thank you” at the end of the year or giving them an apple, a handshake, or a high five, will show a teacher that you appreciate them. We’ve all had bad teachers, but we can’t let the few bad teachers overshadow the good ones who have touched our lives and taught us something new, whether it was something academic or something about ourselves. graphics by Stephanie Tam

Perks of a Private Education BY CAROLYN HANSON LEE

elcome to America! In this country, we specialize in helping the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. As high income American families continue to send their children to elite private schools to help them achieve overall life success, everyone else gets forced into a type of hell on earth: the public school system. Although our nation insists on education for all, with “no child left behind,” the belief of ever creating a society where all children can receive equal education is artificial. In actuality, students from higher income families have the ability to buy higher quality private school education and to surpass their public school counterparts, which puts low income students at an appalling disadvantage. When children of low income families begin their academic journeys, they are almost always sent to public schools. Unfortunately, by doing so, these children are signing up for compromised educations and limited opportunities to advance, which leads to lower chances of succeeding in life. To be a povertystricken, poorly educated, public school student in America is almost a guaranteed set up for failure. The truth is self-evident, and can easily be seen firsthand in our own public school: George Washington High School. When looking at Washington, its statistics are associated with worryingly low accomplishments. Washington is supposedly the second ranking public school in San Francisco following Lowell High, yet our school’s statistics are disappointing. According to Washington’s website, in 2012, only 57 percent of senior students were accepted into four-year colleges, almost all within California. Our average SAT score for that year was only 1441, which is below the national average. Community college is currently the most common route for Washington students and

it’s extremely uncommon for students to be accepted into prestigious Ivy Leagues and other out-of-state private universities. Essentially, by enrolling in Washington, you may as well be accepting a preliminary community college diploma. According to the results of the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), private school students scored higher than public schools on average across all sub-

incomes have a greater ability to afford quality private education for their children, which helps the children get into good universities and obtain impressive, high-paying occupations. Due to financial limitations, low income households often find themselves with no choice but to place their children into low performing public schools in their areas. This disadvantage greatly affects how well poorer children can succeed when they are unable to receive an education equivalent to wealthier private school children. Low income children are then encouraged down the life path of going to community college and getting a low paying blue-collar job, and then being forced to

jects. The differences between Washington versus other Bay Area private schools are quite staggering. In 2013, 99 percent of Saint Ignatius College Preparatory students were accepted into four-year colleges, with 64 percent enrolled in out-of-state and 59 percent in private universities. For that year, Saint Ignatius also had a mean SAT score of 1830. This particular private school also has a total of eight National Merit Scholarship Finalists, one Semi-Finalist, and 15 Commended. While private schools are costly compared to free public school tuition, private schooling should also be considered a smart parental investment for improving and stabilizing their children’s futures. Given the financial opportunity, I would certainly place my children into private school. Households with higher

send their own children to public schools. And thus the cycle of poverty is continued, as the poor get poorer and the rich get richer. One major difference between private and public schools is the fact that public schools are inadequately financed by government taxes, which forces schools to follow the rules and regulations set by politicians. Private schools, on the otherhand, are privately funded by tuition costs and alumni donations and have the ability to set their own rules and regulations. This means that public schools will always be severely limited in funds for teacher wages, building maintenance, sports, arts, textbooks, materials, and technology, while private schools are not. Private schools give children a higher chance of excelling, with the school environ-

ment being much smaller and more inclusive. Private school students are also more likely to be completely surrounded by highly motivated, college-bound peers, which The Institute of Education Sciences suggests raises performance levels and improves grades and attendance. Private schools typically have a total of 300-400 students with an 11:1 student teacher ratio, while George Washington has around 2000 pupils and 30 students per class. Smaller classes not only allow students to develop stronger teacher relationships but also to receive more attention for individual needs and disabilities than a public school could ever provide. In “The Condition of Education, 2002,” it was found that, “Placing students in small groups tends to foster close working relationships between teachers and students, thus enhancing learning, particularly among at-risk students and those in the early grades.” With the number of kids being smaller per class in private schools, discipline is more reinforced, teaching methodology is better, resources are vast, and parents try to be more involved. Students that need extra guidance or assistance during their high school years are essentially out of luck, as public schools tend to be more in favor of “every student for him/herself.” Public school teachers cannot possibly nurture all of their students with 30 or more students in a period and five periods in a day. Without a strong sense of mentor guidance, many students become abandoned as their grades drop lower every day. Perhaps private school is not for everyone; many cannot afford it and others simply don’t like it. However, countless studies reveal the true positive effects of attending a private institution. Whether it be academics, sports, or arts, private schools offer a wider array of quality opportunities that public schools cannot properly afford. The price tag of private schooling should not matter if it gives students the opportunity to thrive in a challenging and supportive environment.

May 20th, 2015

Community Colleges Should Not Be Overlooked BY JENNIFER YIP

rom the second we enter high school, preparing for college becomes the main focus of our lives. We push ourselves to the extremity by participating in multiple extracurriculars, taking several AP classes, and training to take the SAT and ACT, all just to look good for college applications. Many students get lost in this process of trying to get into a big name school like UCLA, UC Berkeley, or Stanford, and it is often forgotten that going to a small community college can be equally as great. For students who enjoy a smaller campus and population, struggle financially, or are undeclared, it may even be the better choice. The campuses of four-year colleges can be overwhelming. While some people love being in a dense population of thousands of students, others would rather be in a more spacious campus. For those who aren’t as comfortable in crowded areas, community colleges offer much calmer and less populous campuses. “In terms of campus size and student population, generally speaking, most community colleges are smaller than a university. The teacher to student ratio is smaller,” says Chatree Touch, academic and college counselor at Washington. The smaller population also benefits students who prefer individual help from professors, whereas students at bigger colleges do not get as much of that one-on-one attention. As we all know very well, going to colleges far from home is costly and leaves many students in debt. “Attending a UC is about $33,000 per year, and that is high price tag, especially for those who do not receive grants and cannot afford to pay that each year,” Touch states. Fortunately, local community colleges are much cheaper, with tuition about one-third that of four-year universities and without the need for dorms. Having not fully explored their passions, many students are undeclared and have no idea what career

College 19

The Eagle

path they want to pursue. College is a time of self-discovery and can be one of the most life-changing times of a person’s life. The great thing about two-year community colleges is the freedom to take general prerequisite courses at low pressure and the opportunity to truly take the time to explore certain interests. After taking general education courses, community college students are allowed to transfer to universities. “After transferring, students can graduate in two years. If a student spends two years at community college and then transfers, that student can graduate from the same school at the same time as his or her friend who went straight to that university,” Touch explains. Meanwhile, at four-year universities, students must declare a major within two years. If it turns out that their school does not offer the major they want to study, they would have to transfer, which can be difficult because there is limited space for majors at other schools. They would also have a lesser chance of admission because community college transfers are prioritized and considered first. The idea of going community college has always had a negative connotation, but it is essentially the equivalent, less costly version of immediately going into a four-year university. In the end, going to community college does not mean that you will be less successful than those who went to four-year universities and vice versa. “Years after you graduate and begin working, where you attended school will be insignificant. Just as your history in high school will be forgotten when you attend college. I like the quote from Lou Holtz, ‘Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.’ Whatever school a student attends, it is how one makes most of the resources and opportunities there,” Touch clarifies. With that being said: seniors, do not feel discouraged if you did not get into the college you wanted, and juniors, don’t refrain from applying to schools other than four-year universities.

Where Are They Now? Charlie Yip BY ANDREW CHEW

The Charlie Yip Brand Charlie Yip is a George Washington High School alumnus who graduated in 2013. At Washington, Yip was involved in the football team, the drama department, and ASB. After graduating, he was admitted to the UC San Diego and is now majoring in economics with a minor in visual arts. Currently, Yip also works on his brand during his down time.

Q: What inspired you to start your brand? A: The brand started off with just a desire to create a meaningful gift for my dad on Father’s Day. I didn’t know anything about leather craft, but I thought it would be a cool skill to pick up and develop. Q: What is your source of inspiration for these products? A: What inspires me is all my experiences through life. There are a lot of products I make solely because I needed it at the time and thought it would look cool, but also many products that I base off how it represents our lifestyle of finding the importance in rituals and traditions. Those will be coming out in the near future. Charlie’s current inventory at his shop includes: key clips, cardholders, bi-fold wallets, tote bags, pouches, laptop sleeves, and belts. Q: Has your business been successful? A: It’s tough to measure success at such an early stage. Success depends on the perspective of the person. I’d say for the first year of the brand, I’ve achieved much more than I would ever have imagined this early on. For example, I’ve gotten the opportunity to become one of the 2015 designers for San Diego Fashion Week and also the featured cover website for Squarespace. There will always be more opportunities to come, but only if continuous work is put into it. So yes, I’m on the path to success. It’s not only about you truly believing in what you do for the right reasons, but also putting in the time and effort into pursuing your vision. Q: What was it like to be one of the designers for fashion week and to be featured on SquareSpace? A: It felt great to be a designer for fashion week. It’s nice to have people recognize my work because it shows me that my designs are speaking to others and that I’m on the right path. Especially for a well-known website like Squarespace.

graphics by Stephanie Tam

Q: What is your vision for this brand? A: My vision for the brand would be to become an international brand that represents more than just products but a way of life. [I hope to] open up my own store in the next few years and to get the brand out in order to make an impact/change on our fashion culture we have now.

Check out and support Charlie’s brand at: www.CharlieYipBrand. com

photos courtesy of Charlie Yip

20 College

May 20th, 2015

The Eagle

The TRUE Cost of College

The price of college can be frightening, or at least, so it seems. The advertised ticket price to college can be as jaw-dropping as $60,000 and above. But in reality, there are various types of aid, such as grants, scholarships and merit aid that can often significantly lower the price. Here, we take four colleges and compare their advertised prices to the net cost of attendance for students in three economic classes. Prices reflect a full time undergraduate student with a 3.5 unweighted GPA who lives on campus. Note that these numbers are purely based off of financial aid, meaning we have not added in any types of merit aid or outside scholarships.

BY JOYCE MA

Upper Class = Income: $600,000 Assets: $4,000,000

Middle Class = Income: $80,000 Assets: $40,000

Lower Class = Income: $40,000 Assets: $5,000

San Francisco State $24,640

L IA C D AN TE N N FI RA O N DG AI

AL I C D AN TE N FI RAN O N DG AI

federal

= grants

state

= grants

college

= grants

UC Berkeley $32,058

$24,640

L IA C D AN TE N FI RAN O N DG AI

$32,058

$24,640

$18,254

$12,440

$8,139

University of San Francisco $61,684

L IA C D AN TE N FI RAN O N DG AI

one money sack = $1,500 (approx.)

$61,684

$41,191

$39,961

Santa Clara University $63,666 L IA C D AN TE N N FI RA O N DG AI

$63,666

$39,582

$29,502

graphics by Stephanie Tam

May 20th, 2015

College 21

The Eagle

Easy Ways to Spice Up Your Dorm Room

Dorm rooms can be difficult to decorate. Not only are they extremely small, but you may also have to share them with other roommate(s). Saving space in dorms is already difficult but doing that and making your dorm look good at the same time can be even more difficult. So here are some tips to help you decorate your dorm room!

Decorate Your Wall!

D BY

Loft your bed!

M NA ON

One of the best ways to save space is to loft your bed because you’ll have a lot more room to use. Lofting your bed means that you free up valuable floor space where you could put a sofa or even your desk.

Plain white walls can get a bit depressing. Spice up the walls and brighten up your dorm with these ideas! • • • •

Cover your walls with pictures Hang paintings Use wall decals A world map with markings on all the places you’ve traveled to

Make a DIY projector!

Decorate your desk area!

Your desk area is going to be very important because that’s where you’re going to be working most of the time. You don’t want your desk to be extremely plain, but you also don’t want it to be extremely cluttered either. Here are some ways you can decorate your desk area: •

Hang a dry erase calendar to write down important dates. Organization is key during college! Bring some nature into your room by adding small potted plants.

•

Candles are great decorations because they’re small and they’re pretty. Add some fake candles by putting tea lights into a small jar. Decorate your pencil jar. You can spray paint it, draw on it, add some ribbons, etc.

Add a rug!

Usually, wood floors are cold and you probably don’t want to be walking with your shoes on all the time. Your solution? Get a rug. You can get a unique rug that will catch people’s attention or you can make one.

This is a great alternative to TVs.! All you need is a shoebox, a magnifying glass, and a smartphone. 1. First, you trace a hole on the box. Then, you cut that hole and attach the magnifying lens. 2. Once that’s done, you take a stand that will hold your phone up (you can make one out of a paperclip). Then, put your phone on it. 3. When you project your image or movie, it’ll probably be flipped. *For iPhones, all you need to do is go to settings, then general, then accessibility and turn on AssistiveTouch. Once it’s turned on, there will be a white orb. Click on the orb and go to device. Then, rotate the screen. **For Androids, all you need to do is download the Ultimate Rotation Control app.

Dorm Room Friendly Recipes C 1. hic ch Tu ke of op rn n n m m pe on oo 2. ixe inc d o th dl in W d ed ni e r e s ch 2 b hen veg ga on, ice ou in ick on th eta rlic 1 co p 3. g w en el e bl , a cho ok Le a b ess ing es nd pp er t t ter rot ch re wi 1 ed an he , a h ic di th cu c d C 1. hil ric nd con ke ent ½ p arr sau e 2 c ce n t s a tbs of ot te ric Ad i co u n hi re p fr , 1 1 2. e d ok ps tra gh s o oz tb 1 A co in t d er o te s, au f o en sp sa bs d ok 1 ru f n , 5 3-4 tee liv of uc p o in er lb n oo cu t d, e o e o r f 2 3. or , 1 t un f g fo dl ps bs a il c o e m Se ga tb m an f ro r a es o p dd o in t t n sp at s un f b of no r o h u o oi of o p f b a c d th te e t M ls er im ch as ea yc me 1. ac cy ili te, ns le at er an Tu an cl po 1 c of an on ch d rn d C e d u y w p th 2. ick u on he p ou l d e e t er of r tt o ad en in th e ric , a to ch he fo f sh d i st 2 e r se e n o r 2 re n oc cu ice d ma ic co 2 to e, Br ok 0 dd a c k ps co tb m e u e 1 o o s r p d . P ow in f p ke p f c o ut ch of oc ut nie as r f r1 es es w p o t o a 5 se ho 2. inc a, ¼ ¼ c w r 15 h an le ith m m St o c up d m 3. icr ir t f sa up o 1 in tu ilk ca ut A ow he lt o f fl rn a rt es dd a i in f w o Ba on nd on 1 ve ngr to at ur, 1 n 1 th .5 of sc fo ed a er ¼ . a e br Ad na oo r 1 ie m , 2 c tim cup o p m nt ug tb up of w d br s of in s er sp o 2. ba n 3 t ea ic ut tog of f su 3. M kin sug bsp d e cr e a eth ca ga ve Ad ix t g ar o ea nd e no r, 4. ge d i he sod , a f fl r m la 2 40 an 5. Co tab n 1 dr a, pin ou o oi tbs f y se d M m le eg y i an ch r, 1 l, p p c ic bi oi g ng d ou o u an o ro ne l, , 2 r a of .5 t nd t r d f b e i w a 1 d d pi ba s c t s ho a av ll tb ro ie n k p i n ic e th sp ps nt ch in of t e he s th e g s e in of m of v tog of s po ug m gr a a ug ed ilk ani eth lt i wd r, 2 fo ien , an lla er nto er, tb r 9 ts d ex a a p sp m in o 0- to 1 tra ug c f 18 g rip ct e 0 th e , 1 . h se e b tb co r an sp an o nd a. f s

College food no longer has to comprise of cup noodles and cereal. These recipes are not only easy to make, but they also don’t require a stovetop, oven, cake pan, or pot! Instead, they can be made with appliances that you’re probably already planning to bring to college. All you need is a microwave, rice cooker, coffee pot, and an iron. Easy, delicious recipes that can be made with applances versatile for your dorm room needs; what’s better than that? Try them out! BY AGNES CHEN AND YOUNG CHO

Rice cooker

Microwave

se ee ch ur d yo an e bl ith am ni H ani ssem ich t w il at n p A w r i fo th o 1. nd ve um ron ed ich e sa . Co in n i turn dw upl 2 um t a n an co al . Pu bee e s r a nd 3 s th o , a f ha o it es t t a of on W inu es of 4. f m a! ec e o l i pi iec vo n up p il ico e n a fo m u Ba in o m al an L n u r 1. aco in the nto fo s b um ld il i g ute y al . Fo fo pe nin in isp 2 m lo iro f m cr nu ve art le o get en St p u es 3. cou l yo iec a ti n p un aco b

Iron

graphics by Stephanie Tam

22 College

May 20th, 2015

The Eagle

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College Application Advice To all the rising seniors in Washington High School, college application season is soon approaching! Here are my “dos and don’ts” regarding college applications and choosing which colleges to apply to in general. Below are the “don’ts” and to the right are the “dos.” Enjoy and good luck! BY WINNY HUANG

College that I won’t apply to because it’s too expensive

when I get filthy rich

Problem: Washington students believe that private school is more expensive than public school, and therefore are not applying to private schools. Suggestion: Students should apply to private schools regardless of the tuition. While private universities may seem to be more expensive than public universities when looking at the sticker price, that is not necessarily true. “Sometimes private schools can be cheaper than public schools... because they tend to have these endowments [and] they provide all kinds of scholarships to students that meet income requirements,” says Jean Nanjo, math department head. An endowment is a fund that is made up of gifts/ donations that a university has to improve the school, which can be used for scholarships as well. This is why private schools can be cheaper than public schools. Private colleges receive more monetary donations than public colleges do, which are funded by the federal government.

*College does not exist because it’s not a UC*

none

Problem: Washington students do not apply to any other schools outside of the UC system. Suggestion: Don’t get me wrong, the UC system is a very good public school system, but there are also a plethora of colleges outside of it. According to economics teacher Karl Seyer-Ochi, “people are choosing UCs because it’s a known commodity... It’s hard to venture beyond that [and] into something that feels not so safe or is unknown. That takes a lot of courage but I think the end rewards is a lot greater.” College is a time for students to grow in basically all aspects of their lives. When they limit themselves to schools where they feel completely at home, just as they did in high school, it’s hard to expand their knowledge beyond what they already know. I suggest that students apply to colleges that are outside of their comfort zone since that is the best way to stimulate growth and progress, which is ultimately what college is for.

College that has high rankings

when I get into #14 instead of #15

Problem: Washington students believe that it is more important to get accepted into a higher ranked college than a slightly lower ranked one. Suggestion: Just because a school is #20 does not necessarily mean it is better than #28. Numbers do not reflect how fitting a school is to a student. Students need to understand that every college has its own specialty and that overall national rankings do not necessarily show that. I know people who rejected UC Berkeley and UCLA for lower ranked UCs. I also know someone who rejected Stanford University for University of Southern California. But if rankings are important to the student, I suggest that they apply to colleges with high rankings, middle rankings, and even low rankings just so that they have safety schools to fall back on.

College that my parents want to me to go to

when my mom/ dad says so

Problem: Washington students only apply to colleges that their parents want them to attend. Suggestion: This, I’ll admit, is a difficult situation to be in (I dealt with the same thing myself). What students must remember is that this is their college experience. Students are the ones who are going to be spending the next four years of their lives in institutions full of people they aren’t familiar with. What a student’s parents want is important, but I’m afraid it’s not more important than the student’s ability to succeed in a college that better fits him/her. What I recommend is that students talk to their parents in a calm and mature manner. To be honest, parents are probably just worried about their child’s safety. If they see that their child is able to take care of himself/herself, then they’re more likely to open up to suggestions. And if the decision comes down to the cost of the school, note that the sticker price is not often the actual price students pay for the university.

Instructions & Help Center Q: When should I start my college application process? A: As soon as possible. I recommend that you start during the summer because college apps take a long time to fill out. I would start on the UC app during the summer and start on the common app/supplements for private schools on the day they come out (sometime around August). Q: What is one thing I should take into consideration when deciding which colleges to apply to? A: Location. What kind of weather do you like? Are you an urban kid who likes living in a big city? Or do you want the traditional college experience in a suburb/college town? Q: What should I write my personal statement on? A: Something quirky. Basically something that sets you apart from others. Are there any experiences you’ve had that not many other people have? You want to stand out because you are only one applicant out of tens of thousands of others. This is also a good time to talk about any type of adversity that made education difficult for you. Q: Is going in with an undeclared major bad? A: I don’t think so. Statistically speaking, you are very likely to change your major once you get to college. And in general, it’s okay to not know what you want to do for the rest of your life. Take the first two years of college to decide what works well for you and pursue that for the last two years of your college education! Q: Should I do early decision or early action? A: Keep in mind that early decision is binding, and early action is not. I would only do early decision if I knew that the school I’m applying to is my top choice college and that I would have no regrets going to that school. Otherwise, I would choose early action. With early action, you can pick and choose from the other schools you got accepted to and you’ll also be able to compare your financial aid packages.

graphics by Stephanie Tam

May 20th, 2015

Sports 23

The Eagle

Washington Athletes Make All-City First Team BY JHOSELENE ALVARADO AND NICOLE BERGELSON

Being named to the All-City First Team is an honor given to athletes by all San Francisco coaches. The student athletes from Washington who made it competed with top athletes from other SFUSD schools, and were recognized for their hard work and achievements for their particular sport. (Baseball and Softball athletes have not been released yet.)

Senior Kiki Nakano Varsity Girls Basketball Shooting/Point Guard “Knowing that I can get closer and closer to perfection every day motivates me to try hard. I know I’ll never perfect the sport but I like knowing I have the control of how hard I can work. It’s something I’m passionate about. I like basketball more than people.”

Senior Ernest Moore Varsity Boys Basketball Center “When I heard I made first team I was filled with excitement because everything I put forth was noticed. It was a crazy feeling that lasted all day.”

Junior Chelsea Herrera Varsity Girls Soccer Defender

Senior Crystal Chan Varsity Girls Volleyball Opposite

Senior Darren Ho Varsity Boys Basketball Power Forward

“I had to ask my coach three times to make sure what she was telling me was correct. I really couldn’t comprehend it because this was my first year being a hitter and it seemed so unreal to be given that title.”

“I think my friends and family motivate me to try hard in basketball. I just want to play the best for them.”

Senior Jason Hung Varsity Football Running back/Cornerback

Sophomore Jessica Nakano Varsity Girls Basketball Point Guard

“Football has kept me away from trouble and brought my mom and I closer together. During the season, my mom would go watch every one of my games and we’d always get to hangout after the games were over.”

“Basketball has influenced my life in many ways, from all the coaches I learned from to teammates that challenged me and made me better. They have all taught me how to be a better person on and off the court.”

Junior Simran Kanwar Varsity Girls Soccer Goalkeeper *Due to time constraints, we were unable to get photos and quotes from the soccer girls.*

T R A MP OL INE PA RK

Junior Emilia Vedar Varsity Girls Soccer Center Midfield

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to hitting,” Coach Rob says. Fung says that Bakil has led most of the team’s offensive categories throughout the season as well as the pitching categories. Algahim’s pitching record was 4-2 with an impressive 2.65 earned run average. In addition, Algahim only made one defensive error the entire season. “He was an excellent defender in centerfield, [and] took a lot of hits away on defense,” Fung explains. Apart from leaving behind a great coach, Algahim will be leaving behind excellent baseball gear. Algahim has noticed that colleges like San Francisco City College don’t have as good enough gear as the Washington baseball team has. “Rob does a great job at having the best things for us out here,” he says. Algahim will also miss playing alongside his teammates. “I feel down because those guys are really fun to play with,” he says. However, he will be playing on a summer league with some of his teammates. “Bakil always works hard and pushes himself to be the best he can be all the time. His work ethic rubs off on others and makes us better as a team,” senior teammate Stanley Basin says. Algahim recalls last years playoff game against Lowell as his favorite memory. During the seventh inning the Eagles were down 3-1 with bases loaded. Sean Matthews, who graduated in 2014, hit a three run triple that gave the Eagle’s the 4-3 win. “That was, like, the most exciting thing to see,” he says. Although baseball has positive aspects, there are also some negatives. Algahim finds that staying focused for two and a half hours can be challenging at times. Also, finding the energy to get out to the field to practice is difficult. Algahim lives in Treasure Island which is far from a majority of his games and practices. Finding enough time to keep up with school and a decent amount of sleep is tough to Algahim. Algahim plans to play baseball at either Chabot College or San Francisco City College next year.

The Eagle

photos taken by Talia Moore

hen captain Bakil Algahim took the mound against the Galileo Lions for the second time, the Eagles were 2-4 and had lost to them 9-3 the day before. Algahim threw a one-hitter and Washington won 10-0, starting a seven game win streak that would vault the team into the playoffs. According to Algahim, the team didn’t start the season as successfully as they could have. “We made a lot of errors, we lost a couple of games because of errors,” he explains. But after they came back from a trip to San Diego over spring break, he says they “built great team chemistry and never looked back.” The Eagles finished the season in 2nd place after a 9-1 loss to Lowell in the championship, a game played at AT&T Park. Algahim had played at AT&T twice before, but going into this years championship game still felt special. “Playing at AT&T Park was the best thing I have ever experienced in my life. As Coach Rob Fung would say, ‘It’s every young man’s dream,’ [because] not many people get to play in a major league stadium,” he expresses. Knowing it was his last game made the moment even all more special and fun. “It was a special moment for me, knowing that I worked hard to get where I was at,” Algahim says. Algahim has positive memories from his baseball experience at Washington. “[The thing I’ll miss the most] is playing for Rob Fung, our head coach,” Algahim shared. He feels that Fung is the best coach in the city. “‘[Fung]’s the one that turned everything around for me. He’s like another dad to me,” he expresses. Fung, who retired after the championship, was the Eagles head coach for 20 years and led them to the championships 19 years in a row. Fung says, “Without Bakil, we [wouldn’t have had] the season we had.” Algahim ended the season with a .364 batting average. “[Bakil] was our most consistent hitter in the lineup after making an adjustment [to] his approach

BY JHOSELENE ALVARADO

Athlete of the Issue: Bakil Algahim

24 Sports May 20th, 2015