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June 2016
mihsislander.org
An interview with Obama’s sister Maya Soetoro-Ng by
Richard Chess editor in chief
Earlier this month, Editor in Chief Richard Chess was given the opportunity to interview President Barack Obama’s half-sister, Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng. She resides in Honolulu, working as a professor of education at the University of Hawaii. The Stanley Ann Dunham scholarship honors Dr. Soetoro-Ng and President Obama’s common mother by awarding a grant to “outstanding graduating senior women from Mercer Island High School whose idealism, academic achievement and volunteer experiences have made a difference in the lives of others in the wider community.� Dr. Soetoro-Ng spoke at the award ceremony on May 21, 11 a.m. at the Congregational Church on Mercer Island. Chess: Could you describe your journey towards becoming a professor of education? Soetoro-Ng: Well, I was one of the fortunate ones who knew very early on that I loved to teach because in my view, teaching was about storytelling and about finding a way to build connections with young people and community and so I was a
teacher for many years, more negotiation, mediation, alter- But, if I’m not mistaken, also than a decade in high school, native dispute resolution, fa- some middle school. She felt but found that I had ideas cilitation and so forth ‌ All of that Mercer Island was a about rigorous multicultural these non-violent communi- place that balanced the nureducation or peace educa- cation skills were skills that turing that she needed to feel tion but I wanted to amplify I taught in the high school brave and content with the and teaching was a good and then I was also teach- opportunity that allowed her way to do that. So, I moved ing it to teachers and gradu- to try out many things and to the College of Education ates, and in-service teachers. find community far and wide where I taught multicultural I moved fairly recently to and to imagine life and world education and pathways that and soextended quite far. cial studIt was a place that ies methwas full of converods for a sation, good books. number of Mercer Island alyears and lowed her to be a I enjoyed part of many difthat imferent clubs and mensely. she explored her I loved own internal layspenders, but also had ing time Photo courtesy Youtube conversations about in school President Obama with his sister Maya Soetoro-Ng the wide array of and with people. They spent teachers and students, but the Matsunaga Institute for some time with the UnitarI started increasingly want- Peace where I’m the direc- ian Church there and in sering to teach peace educa- tor of community outreach vice to the community. I’ll be tion, which I was fortunate and global learning and I doing a talk at the Unitarian enough to teach in the high feel pretty lucky every day. Church while I’m there. She school and college levels and I say to be able to do work had a tremendous amount of felt like increasingly peace that is in accordance with my fun and it was a good balance education was what was most cherished priorities‌ between small community, needed to make education that’s how I landed here. but also offered opportunities Chess: Tell me about for worldliness but I think useful. And by peace I mean mother’s experi- aligned very well with her many things ‌ social justice, your inclusion, multiculturalism, ence on Mercer Island. character and her desires. Soetoro-Ng: Mom went wellness, environmental Chess: You said that she stewardship, community re- to high school in Mercer Is(continued on page 14) silience, restorative justice, land, as you know, obviously.
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Volume V, Edition 6
Inside Exclusive interview with the founder of GambiaHELP Features > Page 3
Track and cross-country coach Erica Hill steps down after 20 years Sports > Page 7
An inside look on the bestHamlet Tag moments Spread > Page 8/9
Late start: best for kids or bait-and-switch? by
Hanna Puetz staff writer
Last year, the Mercer Island School District formed a committee composed of teachers, students, and community members from Bellevue and Mercer Island to discuss changing the high school start time, investigating whether later start times would enable students to sleep more and thus perform better in school. As quoted in The Islander’s November issue, school board member Dave Myerson said, “Districts that have implemented the change [in start times] find it to increase sleep, increase test scores, increase grades, reduce sleepiness, reduce depression, reduce suicides, reduce obesity, reduce traffic accidents, and reduce drug use.� Although pushing back start times five days a week could potentially yield improvements in student performance and behaviors, doing so could also result in undesirable consequences for stakeholders. Research supports that a late start can benefit students; however, MIHS’ unique environment,
given its heavy academic work load and active student body, render the school incompatible with the nationwide studies. Additionally, other schools that have implemented a late start previously began their school day as early as 7:20 a.m. If MISD decides to significantly alter MIHS start times, the change will make it difficult for students to obtain more sleep every night. A late start will ultimately fail to improve student sleeping patterns and student performance in school, which, according to the committee, is the main purpose of pushing back start times in the first place. On Feb. 12, MISD announced that “the high school will start at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesdays only� a validation of the Late Start-Time Committee’s study. Although only one day a week will start later next school year, latestart Wednesdays offer the District leverage for pushing for late-start five days a week if similar experiments in other districts, including Bellevue and Seattle, next year prove successful. In an MIHS faculty meeting on Feb. 3, Superintendent Dr. Gary Plano
addressed the issue, stating that he supported late start Wednesday but that there had been pressure to eventually transition to a late start five days a week, pressure likely from members of the School Board, like Myerson, who support the benefits of increasing student sleep. School Board member Tracy Drinkwater said, “I think it’s great that Dr. Plano has decided to go forward with latestart Wednesdays‌I think that will give us a lot of information, but of course one day a week is going to be different than five days a week.â€? Given that such a schedule change will heavily affect the student body, Dr. Plano and the School Board have talked with the MIHS Leadership class many times over the course of this school year. Despite the Late-Start Committee’s advise against moving to late start five days a week, the School Board has projected a more favorable position regarding late start during meetings with Leadership. “I mean, to be honest, [the School Board] kind of‌wants to eventually move to the full late start for every single day – not just
Wednesday but all days,� said senior ASB PR Coordinator Brian Oppenheim. Despite the Board’s position, late start and latestart Wednesday remain Dr. Plano’s decision. “It’s been discussed that it’s clearly in Dr. Plano’s court to make the decision,� said Drinkwater. Publicly, Dr. Plano has made clear that he supports latestart Wednesday because the change will resolve some of the scheduling and transportation conflicts with the opening of Northwood next fall. However, like the School Board, Plano has expressed interest in seeing how the late-start Wednesday plays out next year and is “openminded� to the idea of a late start five days a week. When talking to the leadership class, “[Plano] was more middle ground. He wanted to demo late-start Wednesday and then see from there how to move forward with late start the rest of the days, if at all,� said Oppenheim. Drinkwater confirms the purpose of late-start Wednesday. “I think it’s [late-start Wednesday] a kind of experiment, so it’s going to give us (continued on page 10)
Why mainstream media is taking over our lives Opinions > Page 10
Introducing MIHS perspectives Campus Life > Page 13
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