Raven Report Sequoia High School
Volume IX, Issue 7
1201 Brewster Ave. Redwood City, CA 94062
April 22, 2016
‘Shy but made of steel’: Eckford breaks barriers By PHILIP TYSON and ABIGAIL WANG Copy Editor and Opinion Editor Civil Rights leader Elizabeth Eckford spoke of her experiences in the Little Rock Nine, the first black students to integrate an all-white high school, during third period March 31 in Carrington Hall. About 800 students heard Eckford talk in her only California speaking appearance. She condemned bullying and encouraged students to be allies. “When you support someone who is being harassed you could actually help someone live another day. You could be the person who says, ‘I don’t hate you because you’re different.’ Anybody can support someone who is being hurt,” Eckford said. On the first day at her school Eckford was separated from the others in the Little Rock Nine, causing her to suffer more harassment and mobbing on her way to school. Despite the extreme opposition, Eckford and her counterparts attended the school
for the entire year. Almost sixty years later, Eckford still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), so students were taught how to applaud in American Sign Language. Eckford also explained her opinion on the n-word. “When an AfricanAmerican uses that language, even if you are joshing with your friend, you’re telling other people something you don’t realize; you’re telling other people you have racial self-hatred. Understand that,” Eckford said. Eckford concluded her question-and-answer session with a message about the future of a more diverse social climate in the U.S. “There’s a lot of anti-immigrant, antiMuslim, anti-Hispanic feelings, but whatever differences they have from you, understand that your predecessors had to overcome difficulties too, and America is always in the process of becoming its ideals,” Eckford said. “If you are open to new people, See ECKFORD, page 2
Dance Show Electrifies The 47th annual Sequoia Dance Show sold out Saturday, April 17 and all 801 seats in Carrington Hall were full. Dancers Brianna Rosales, Becca Schulz, Hannah Marcus and Sadie Rhen performed one of 29 numbers. Over 100 dancers in total performed under the direction of teacher Taylor White. —ABIGAIL WANG
Spring sports battle El Niño rains By BRIGHID BUGOS Staff Reporter Flooded fields, ruined equipment and cancelled games and practices are what many spring athletes associate with El Niño. Tennis has been the hardest hit with three matches rescheduled. “We try to get out on weekends if we have practices cancelled. We just try to make up what we can,” Love-
land said. El Niño occurs every two to seven years and caused Redwood City to receive 147 percent of average rainfall in January. Lacrosse, track and field and swim teams continue to practice despite bad weather. “With [the] rain, you’re wet and cold and it’s just not fun,” junior and lacrosse player Angela Banfield said. “You’re focusing on trying to get
warm more than playing the game.” “We go out and run a few miles,” freshman track and field runner Shannon Coan said. “We’re wet and your feet are all heavy because they are full of water.” For coaches, it makes scheduling difficult. “It’s definitely less fun in the rain. Practice turnout is way worse when it’s pouring. It’s hard to get See EL NIÑO, page 2
Students face lost cause after valuables stolen By BEATRICE BUGOS and BENJY JUDE Staff Reporters You finish practice and go to the locker room to grab your bag. You see pockets open. You frantically search for a prized possession. Your phone is gone. “I was freaking out,” said freshman Mary Grace Mylod-Vargas, whose phone was stolen during PE. Three phones and a MacBook Air were allegedly stolen during a PE class Jan. 20 when the caged area where students keep their backpacks wasn’t locked. Two other phones were allegedly stolen Feb. 22 dur-
Special: ‘What could happen to me?’: exploring discipline
ing sports practices when backpacks were police work alongside administration in the aisles of the locker room. when a stolen item is reported. After a theft is reported to the office, If the thief is found, he or she would be the victim writes a statement. The AVP arrested and suspended from school, actries to identify witnesses; if found, they cording to Kuliga. But this rarely happens. are interviewed for “The night [my any information that phone got stolen] I “I’ve come to realize that unfortuthey may have. Last- nately you can’t always trust people to had my iCloud page ly, the AVP looks for not be jerks.” open and kept rethe stolen item based —Lori Sibun Handler, freshing the page, but on the information. freshman nothing happened. It However, many times was probably gone,” phones are gone. freshman Isabel San“If we don’t track [the phone] down by chez-Foster said, whose phone was stolen the end of the day, then we never will,” in February. AVP Mike Kuliga said. Since this, the girls locker room is now This isn’t for a lack of effort. Campus locked before and after PE and a super-
Feature: Living with challenges, just chronically
visor has been placed to watch over the students because surveillance cameras are illegal in California locker rooms, according to examiner.com. Thefts have since decreased. Sequoia’s rule states, “Electronic devices and related items... are not to be visible during instructional hours,” based on the school’s ideology that if people don’t know you have it, they won’t go looking for it, according to Kuliga. “I’ve come to realize that unfortunately you can’t always trust people to not be jerks,” said freshman Lori Sibun Handler, whose phone and computer were stolen in January. “I don’t put my stuff in the cage at all [anymore].”
By the numbers
68
Percentage of Sequoia seniors polled who affiliate themselves with the Democratic Party