PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 34 NO 24
JUNE 6 – JUNE 12, 2015
FREE
HED Text » P. #
33 YEARS YOUR VOICE
Casting a spell ESPN makes the National Spelling Bee a high-stakes sport
JACL statement on Emilie Grace Olsen’s suicide
caption
Photo by
By Japanese American Citizens League
caption
By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly “Nunatak.” Any guess as to what the word means? More importantly, how do you spell it? For 14-year-old
Gokul Venkatachalam of Chesterfield, Missouri it meant either sharing the glory of being the champion of the Scripps National Spelling Bee with 13-year -old Vanya Shivashankar of Olathe, Kansas {see SPELLING BEE cont’d on page 15}
The Japanese American Citizens League (JACL) is deeply troubled by the circumstances and investigation surrounding the tragic death of Emilie Grace Olsen, a Chinese American student at Fairfield Middle School in Fairfield Township, Ohio. In a letter to parents in December 2014, Fairfield superintendent, Paul Otten, stated that bullying was not a factor in Emilie’s death. Since then, administrators for the Fairfield City Schools have failed to provide investigative information about the tragedy; instead, they have railed against so-called rumors and misinformation, particularly
in the aftermath of a May 13, 2015 investigative report by WCPO Television, which disclosed that emails, school reports, and a social media account did indicate that Emilie was bullied. According to the television report, Emilie’s father repeatedly contacted the school to complain about his daughter’s plight and even requested changes to her schedule to avoid being in classes with certain students, which the school accommodated. However, it appears that the bullying persisted and Emilie took her own life on December 11, 2014. The Fairfield City Schools have an obligation {see OLSEN cont’d on page 12}
A little bit of Seattle helps build a school library in Philippines
By Lara Underhill Northwest Asian Weekly
After a 2010 trip to the Philippines to reconnect with her family roots, Kimrick Soltanzadeh knew she wanted to do more for the rural community where her family was from. “I hadn’t been to the Philippines for about 10 years before that trip and during that time I became very involved with the local community in Bainbridge and realized the value of volunteering and giving back. I
caption
knew I wanted to do something for the community where my family is from,” Kimrick said. Soltanzadeh has been awarded a Volunteer Leave Award from Wells Fargo, and will receive her full pay while volunteering at The Herminio Maravilla Elementary School in the Philippines. While that is amazing in itself, the project that got her the award will really warm your {see EDUCATION cont’d on page 12}
The Inside Story NAMES People in the news » P. 2
■
COMMUNITY A salute to a hero » P. 3
LAYUP DRILL Seasons change, and so do sports! » P. 7
TRAVEL Rest & search in Vietnam » P. 9
412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 • f. 206.223.0626 • info@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com