The Matador March 15, 2018 Issue 7

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VOL. 63 ISSUE7

THE MATADOR 801 S. RAMONA STREET, SAN GABRIEL, CA 91776

SAN GABRIEL HIGH SCHOOL

WWW.THEMATADORSGHS.US

THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2018

San Gabriel walks out in solidarity BY SELINA HAN AND BASTIAN MENDEZ

Students gathered by the Pancake yesterday as part of a national school walkout affiliated with the Women’s March organizers. The event’s goal was to protest inaction from lawmakers on gun control legislation and to honor the 17 victims of the recent Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida. Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD) released an open letter informing students and community members of the upcoming protest. Since then, student activists

“We are the next generation and we should be responsible for taking care of what happens in the future.”

PHOTO BY AHYOUNG NGUYEN

Walkout organizers give brief statements about the 17 lives lost in the Parkland shooting on Feb. 14.

held meetings to plan the event. After gathering at the Pancake, the students who planned the walkout

gave brief speeches about the victims. An orange balloon was released for each victim after their description and a moment of silence. “I’m really glad that we actually got people to stay silent as we are high schoolers and tend to be kind of loud in situations,” organizer junior Esperanza Gomez said. “I’m really glad that everyone stood there in silence and actually thought about the lives that were lost and how

unnecessary this [shooting] was. The victims were stripped of so many opportunities and all of their goals for the future.” The student leaders encouraged attendees to wear the color orange to the walkout to show solidarity. Handmade signs and orange ribbons were distributed to the crowd before the speeches began. The signs contained messages that condemned gun violence and called for student action. “I want to say that more than 200 [students attended],” organizer senior Patricia Escamilla said. “The Pancake was full, as well as the quad. People were standing over the other students.” During lunch, the students partnered with the Associated Student Body (ASB) to host an open mic at the Pancake. Many of the speeches and poems revolved around voting, gun violence, and gun law reform. “A lot of us can’t vote right now, but those that can and will, I urge you to vote for gun control,” senior Sydney Tran said in her speech. “We all know that what happened in Florida was a tragedy, but the real tragedy is if we don’t take initiative.” continued on pg. 2

CSEA president calls for extended working hours for health assistants

PHOTO BY BASTIAN MENDEZ

School nurse Louise Tsoi assists students with various medical concerns and needs. BY EILEEN ONG

When senior Michelle Ho pulled her leg muscle, her teacher called for a wheelchair. However, because the nurse was preoccupied with other students, Ho decided to walk to the health office after waiting about 15-20 minutes. Prompted by similar incidents where overwhelmed nurses could not immediately attend to all students, Craig Proffitt, California School Education Association Alhambra chapter president, requested that the Alhambra Unified School District (AUSD) extend working hours for health assistants at an AUSD board meeting on Feb. 20. Each high school gets assigned one nurse and, depending on the needs of the specific school, there can be one or two nurses at the K-8 level. Each school site also has one health assistant to work with the nurse. Nurses are on campus fulltime, typically from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. while heath assistants work for five hours. With around 50 students coming into the health office every

OPINIONS pg. 4 5

day, San Gabriel High School’s health assistant Linda Gonzales said it would be helpful if they had another nurse or health assistant to help lighten their workload. “I see you don’t have [enough] nurses, but why isn’t there health aides covering that office from the time that bell rings to the time that bell rings at the end of the day?” Proffitt said. “It’s important. Is it going to take a lawsuit for this district to open some eyes?” According to Proffitt, there were several incidents in the district where the office staff had to provide medical care to a student. A health assistant was not present when the school nurse was out of the health office dealing with a student on the field or in a classroom. “I’m asking for the health assistants to have more hours so they can be there when students are at school and the students will not have to rely on office staff [who are] not CPR and First Aid certified,” Proffitt said. Director of Student and Employee Welfare Lindsey K. Ma said that when the nurse is not in the health office, there is a protocol procedure in the event that a student needs medical attention. “[In that case] the administration in the school is the one in charge,” Ma said. “But again, minor or major, if the situation is imminent, if they feel the resources at the school site are exhausted, anyone can call 911.” In search of district action to prioritize student safety, Proffitt has brought this matter up to the AUSD school board multiple times and hopes to see steps taken to address this issue.

FOCUS pg. 6-7

PHOTOS BY BRIANNA HUYNH-TONG AND AHYOUNG NGUYEN

Students surround the Pancake on March 14, protesting for gun regulation while also honoring the lives of the victims of the Parkland shooting. Students wore orange in a display of solidarity with Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

LIFE & ART pg. 8

SPORTS pg. 9-10

FEATURE S pg. 11


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