WHS teacher female inspiration

JENNIFER WRIGHT

language arts dept. member

Upon reflection of what Women’s History Month means to me as a professional female, I have come to the conclusion that there was not a single female who motivated me to become an educator, but it was so many different women who exhibited an array of admirable characteristics I wanted to emulate or possess. Through relationships with coaches, teachers, and family members, I have witnessed the steadfast conviction of always holding oneself to the highest of standards; the significance and importance of surrounding

JILL COPPOLA

language arts dept. member

The question asks for professional mentors, but I am struggling to answer that. My ultimate mentor – and pillar of strength – is my mom. However, when I try to conceive of other role models, my mind does not automatically go to “professional” women. Instead, I have been most influenced by strong women rather than “professional” women. I heard an interview with a Ukrainian yourself by those who enhance your life, the resolve to finish what you start, and the necessity of providing a voice for those who may not have one. As an educator and as a female, I understand the significance of my role in society, especially with those I teach or coach. The most important standard I hold for myself is to be a woman of character. What and who I value matters, how I act and react matters, how I exhibit my convictions matters, how I care and love matters, and what I dedicate my time to matters. Through these elements of my moral compass, I hope to encourage my female students and athletes to be women of character. When we make decisions based on this foundation, we represent the value of women to a standard worth respecting and appreciating. possibilities available to women. Raising children, working full time, pursuing multiple degrees, single and married, and all the combinations therein; women in my life taught me that I really could be anything even if equality in the workforce was not represented in society. In college, my women mentors came from everywhere and I realized the importance of emphasizing those people in our lives. Seeing women achieving things I wanted gave me the drive to be like them. With these experiences came the desire to make a diff erence and make sure I was open and honest. I am far from perfect, but I want to share how I got where I am today. I cannot reveal all my mysteries, but I would love to use what I have learned to help you think about how many paths there are open to you, regardless of where you are now.

KATHERINE PUTKA

visual arts dept. member

It is weird to think of women mentors or role models I had growing up. I never really thought of them that way. But, I defi nitely know that the women who surrounded me demonstrated the wide range of

Women Who Inspire:

Five female teachers write about their mentors and what inspires them to teach the next generation. Photos by Ashton Dunlap, Mattie refugee this morning Dunlap and courtesy of WHS website who said it best. She said that the Russian attack on Ukraine has shown who is the strongest, and that is not Russia, but the mothers who are fighting to save their children. Strong, intelligent, resourceful, resilient women who never give up are those I see as role models. I do not consciously think about being a mentor or role model. I try do my job to the best of my ability and hope students see a person worth emulating. I hope they understand that knowledge Throughout my life, there is power. I hope they learn have been people that I have to explore their passions and looked up to and admired. speak their truth. I hope they These people have been learn that there is no shame in wonderful role models for making mistakes, and when a me, both personally and plan goes awry, they should not professionally. The one person be deterred. I hope they strive that has been such an influence to truly know themselves, in my life was my mother. and never underestimate their My mother was a Registered worth. Nurse here in Wooster for many

MIRIAM STOKES spanish dept. member years. She also raised three children and was able to juggle her job as a nurse and her job as a mother. Because of my mother, I learned that women can have both a career and family life. She encouraged me to have both. Personally, my mom always valued such characteristics as kindness, compassion, honesty and patience. My hope is that I can teach these characteristics to all the kids I have throughout the years here at WHS. I believe I can be a good role model for others because of the strong role models that I had in my life, like my mom. I am very thankful for her guidance and support.

DENISE BRODA

spanish dept. member

My professional mentors were my grandmothers. My maternal grandmother was an office worker, and I have memories of her dressed for work in a suit, pumps, and panty hose (ugh!), always looking polished and well-groomed. Her professional life gave her a sense of personal fulfillment, and she became more of the family’s breadwinner than my grandfather. My paternal grandmother graduated from the conservatory and earned her master’s degree in child psychology from Oberlin College. She owned and operated the first nursery school in Wooster and perhaps in Ohio, at least that’s what our oral history says. Later, she mentored a woman named Clare Adel Schreiber who became director of the College of Wooster’s nursery school. Both grandmas had strong networks with other women, and they balanced work and family (five and four children, respectively) before either was “a thing.” I learned the practice of a work ethic, the value of education and learning, the importance of helping others, a sense of humbleness, the willingness to take risks and break barriers, and a passion for music (my students will get this) from those ladies, and being a role model to female students means modeling the same behaviors and attitudes. I want them to be fearless.

Disparities exist in recognition of feminism

MOLLY SNYDER

feature editor “Feminism,” according to Oxford Dictionary, is defined as, “the advocacy of women’s rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.” Because of great policy strides within the last century, many believe that feminism is unnecessary in first world countries like the United States and many Western European nations. However, feminism is still needed in the most developed of countries because gender inequality goes beyond the ballot box and the workplace. Amber Garcia, a professor of psychology and women and gender studies at the College of Wooster, says, “... there are still many areas, including law, government, corporate management, and certain academic and professional fields where women are severely underrepresented.”

Graphic by Lucia Perfetti

Although developing countries can have more oppressive issues, first world nations are not exempt from gender based discrimination. France has progressively restricted Muslim’s religious freedom since 2011. First, legislation banned Muslim women from wearing a niqab, a covering that covers the entire face other than the eyes, in 2020 Muslim women under 18 were banned from wearing the hijab, a covering for the hair and neck, according to a Times article written by Cady Lang on May 19, 2021. There are still incredible societal disparities between sexes. Being passionate was automatically aggressive, being told our bodies were too tempting for boys to control themselves in middle school, and even things as little as benign talked down to by male peers has shaped my perception of feminism and has solidified my beliefs in societal equality. It should also be noted that the race, ethnicity, sexuality, socioeconomic status and gender expression of women heavily impact how they are treated by society. In order to advocate for subgroups, intersectional feminism should be the starting point for first world feminism. PHOTO FAIR USE COURTESY OF OLYMPICS OFFICIAL SITE Pictured above is Eileen Gu, skier for team China in the 2022 Beijing Olympics. Gu was the fi rst free skier on the podium to win three events, as a female. Below, Maya Galindo Benson discusses how the media is male dominated in its coverage. She highlights athletics, and how there are inequalities in the coverage for female athletes. Galindo Benson also discusses how the Olympics have improved their media coverage.

Coverage of women in the media

MAYA GALINDO BENSON

staf writer With the conclusion of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and with the addition of new women-only events, as well as an increase in women’s media coverage, the importance of women having equal media coverage, especially in sports, has become apparent. In the past, women have been subjected to inequalities in media coverage, especially in sports. However, this issue has been brought to the forefront in more recent years, and people are stepping up to fi ght against it. It has been less probable to see women than to see men in the media, and this is due to a lack of coverage. As told by Aneeta Rattan on June 6, 2019, in the Harvard Business Review, “Women only appear in a quarter of television, radio, and print news.” Globally, women have fewer career opportunities in the media and are, therefore, not featured as experts in news stories as often as men. Coverage is not only aff ecting women who are part of media reporting, but has also become a complication for women who are professional athletes. According to research done by Cheryl Cooky and published in 2021 by Purdue University, “... coverage of women athletes on televised news and highlight shows, including ESPN’s SportsCenter, totaled only 5.4% of all airtime.” These statistics show a major inequality in terms of coverage, as women athletes are fully invested in their sports, but unfortunately, are shown less in the media as compared to men. However, media coverage has advanced in leaps and bounds over the past few years as exemplifi ed by women at an international level, with women getting more coverage than men in the 2021 Tokyo Olympic games. Emily Adams from USA Today reported on Aug. 12, 2021, “They [female athletes in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics] also set a record on television screens, taking up 59.1% of NBC’s primetime coverage of the Games.”). The 2021 Tokyo Olympic games held many milestones for female athletes, not only in sports, but also in media coverage. There has been a lot of progress made toward the empowerment of women and the goal of having equal coverage for both women and men in the media, however there is still a lot to be done in terms of having equality for women in media, and therefore this goal is yet to be reached. Women continue to fi ght.

WHS observes music in schools month

SHERIDAN SCHAUER

focus editor

March is the national “music in our schools” month that first started back in 1973. Winter Guard International states that music in our school’s month started in New York, leading this year to be the 49th anniversary of the national celebration of music in our school’s month. WHS band director Craig French states that music education is important because, “When you perform, it’s one of the few activities that engages your kinesthetic domain, your cognitive domain, and your affective domain.” French says that performing music is one of the only activities that requires you to use all three of the domains at once. When relative to the effects of music on a person’s education and the way that they learn, choral director Elyse Mason states that music provides an opportunity for collaboration that students may not learn elsewhere. “It is proven that music improves social skills, teaches students how to work together as a group and students that are involved in music score better on standardized tests,” Mason said. Mason also notes that WHS offers more opportunities in the music program than other schools, as there are opportunities for student participation in programs like Jazz Band, Symphonic Band and choir. French says that when thinking about how important music in our school’s month is, to, “Think about a day without music: no music in your car, nothing on your headphones, nothing in the movies, nothing in the elevator, nothing in the store, no music anywhere, and imagine what our life would be without it.” Jhon Fajardo (12), who plays in both Symphonic Band and Jazz Band, says that music is important to him because, “Music is a way to express myself, and it’s also really enjoyable to make music. It’s also part of my culture and my personality.” Music in our schools month is a tradition to bring awareness to the importance of music education and the effects it has on students’ education.