Raven Report Sequoia High School
Volume IV, Issue 7
Women of Excellence walk Sequoia hallways
1201 Brewster Ave. Redwood City, CA 94062
April 13, 2011
Teacher Dodgeball
By SARINA KOCHER GROSS Editor in Chief Junior Alison Logia and senior Jessica Esquivel were inducted into the San Mateo County Women’s Hall of Fame March 24 at the South San Francisco Conference Center. Out of the eight women that received the award by the Commission on the Status of Women, Esquivel and Logia were the only high school students in San Mateo County that were honored. “The Women’s Hall of Fame is a reminder of the wealth of talent and generosity women bring to our county communities every day of the year,” said President of the Commission Martina Tello. Women that receive the award are honored for their contributions to San Mateo County, either through their professions or volunteering. Several women from Sequoia have been inducted into the Hall of Fame in the past, including previous principal Morgan Marchbanks in 2009 for her work at Sequoia. The Women’s Hall of Fame was established in 1984, with the addition of the “Young Woman of Excellence” award in 1992. While many students have good grades and are involved in extra curricular activities, Esquivel’s and Logia’s commitment to their community sets them apart. Esquivel is dedicated to volunteering, a Co-Chair leader of the San Mateo County Youth Commission, and an advocate for LGBTQ equality and teen mental health issues. In addition to being a member of Upward Bound and in her fourth year of advanced dance, she has been a member of the San Mateo County Youth Commission since her freshman year. On top of her studies as a concurrent enrollment student at Cañada College, Go to WOMEN, page 5
The math team miscalculates their win during Key Club’s Teacher Dodgeball event March 25 in the small gym. Hundreds of students watched the 28 teachers play in the fundraiser and raised over $670 for Project Eliminate and for disaster relief in Japan. In the end, history won the war. Photos courtesy of Sequoia Yearbook.
Sticks and stones break bones, but words have power to dehumanize Blood drive By LAYNE DIENER Staff Reporter Bitch. Slut. Whore. Skank. Ho. Cunt.
No big deal, right? The argument is that these words are okay because when we’re good friends with a girl, she knows we’re joking. The argument is that we don’t really mean it; we just say these things because it’s how everybody else talks. The argument is that it’s perfectly acceptable to say this if it’s in a friendly manner. But at the same time, we call her those same “friendly” words when we get mad at her. We might even spray paint them on her driveway. We throw these words around to hurt people. This language isn’t just degrading; this language isn’t just hateful. This language is violent. That may seem like a stretch— words being violent—after all, we hear these words being thrown around in conversation all the time simply walking down the hall way and in class. In fact, in my group of friends we used to refer to each other
as “bitches” all the time. We even quoted the movie Mean Girls, and said, “Boo, you whore,” in response to almost anything. Until recently this didn’t bother me, because I didn’t think our words really matter or affect other people. But think about it: what does every act of violence begin with? A word one person calls another; whether it be “cunt” or “nigger,” it doesn’t matter. These words are just as violent as a punch in the face, and they were meant to feel that way when used against you. A lot of students have heard about a trip called Sojourn to the Past and assume it’s all about racism during the Civil Rights Movement. I thought the same thing until I went on the trip, and learned that it’s about so much more than that; a huge part of the trip focuses on our language. We met a woman who was a high school student during the beginning of the movement. She was called a number of crude things, mostly nigger, hundreds of times every day. Fellow students begged adults to lynch her. They kicked her Go to LANGUAGE, page 4
thrives, saves people’s lives
By LAUREL DEARBORN Staff Reporter You can save three lives without stepping off of campus. Being a hero takes less than an hour on April 13, when anyone 16 and above can donate blood. Spanish Teacher Evelyn Nadeau has given blood eight times in her life, and plans on making it nine at the upcoming drive. “I wasn’t able to donate [in high school] because I didn’t weigh enough,” Nadeau said. Unfortunately many also have this problem. In order to donate, one must meet the American Red Cross weight and height requirements: boys under 5 feet and girls under 5-feet-6 inches must weigh 110 pounds. At Sequoia you must be 16 with a permission slip and 18 without. Also, before, make sure Go to BLOOD, page 4