Tiger Newspaper Vol. XCVII, No. I

Page 1

What a rush!

Drug dogs to visit campus

Over 70 clubs rally for new members

By Libby Rainey News Editor The South Pasadena Unified School District signed a contract with Interquest Detection Canines this past summer and formed a partnership with the detection and drug dog service. This program will make unscheduled visits to South Pasadena High School during the school year. The drug dogs can make up to two unannounced visits to school per month, during which time they will be accompanied by a trainer and school administrator at all times. If anything incriminating is found, including drugs, alcohol, or weapons, the dogs will sit down to signify that they have found contraband. School administration will carry out the same discipline policy that would otherwise be used if a student was caught with any incriminating items. In order to ensure that all students and parents will be fully aware of this addition to school security, there will be an assembly in late September in which the program will be explained and students can ask questions and state concerns. The PTSA is also holding an Informational Forum on Monday, September 27th in the library for all who wish to attend. Interquest Canines CEO Scott Edmunds will give a presentation on the program, and there will also be a demonstration with one of the dogs. Principal Janet Anderson fully endorses the Interquest Canine program, and emphasizes that the dogs are meant to raise awareness and prevent dangerous possession on campus. The program is not intended to catch anyone by surprise. “We want to create a distraction-free environment,” says Anderson. She hopes the school community will see the dogs as a positive improvement to campus life. Drug dogs will begin visiting the campus once all community members have been informed, and can be expected to continue random visits throughout the school year.

By Kelsey Hess Staff Writer

Courtesy of Joel Shapiro

LOS ANGELES COUNTY TEACHER OF THE YEAR: Veteran SPHS science teacher Paul Groves was named one of 16 LA County Teachers of the Year yesterday. Groves, chosen after close evaluation of applications, will now be entered into the next level of rigorous competition, consideration for California Teacher of the Year. Visit Tiger online for more information on Mr. Groves and this prestigious award.

Burmese performance provokes protest Brendan Perry Staff Writer

foolish and confused.” The protesters say Thein knows what she is promoting. “She is not just an unwitting part of Nazi Germany but a cog in the machine,” said protester Douglas Busby, comparing the dictatorship in Burma to the fascism in WWII Germany. The performers were unavailable for comment. The Burmese organizers attended the district board meeting on September 7th,

asking the district to reconsider allowing Thein to perform. After explaining Thein’s relation to the regime, they insisted it would be in the district’s best interest to disallow her performance, claiming it would be a black spot on the district. The district, previously unaware of the issue, looked into the matter and discovered that Thein and her musical group had valid permits See “Protest” on Page 2

More than 20 demonstrators lined up along Fremont Ave. to protest the performance of pro-Burmese government musicians in the SPHS auditorium on September 11th. Wyne Su Khine Thein, a celebrity in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) and the granddaughter of a former minister, is allegedly associated with the Burmese military regime. According to the protesters, known as the “LA Organizers for Burma,” Thein plays a large role in the dictatorship’s propaganda. Her role this summer in the governmentproduced film, “The Lotus Flower Budding at Dawn,” has angered the activists. Protester Mike Wolfberg says the film is “false, and mocks politically important Coleman Rainey events in Burma, while depict- LA Organizers for Burma protested the Sept. 11 perforing protesters like ourselves as mance of “The Lotus Flower Budding at Dawn” at SPHS.

Club Rush kicked off its first day of events during lunch yesterday, September 21. As students circulated the Tiger Patio, club representatives yelled at the mob of teenagers in attempts to recruit members. The clubs spanned a wide range of interests- everything from the Ghostbusters Club to various volunteer/charity clubs. Sidney Sekula (Ghostbusters club) explained what her club does. “We hunt, we dress up as Ghostbusterswe want everyone to be aware of paranormal activity.” Some students couldn’t get away from the commotion fast enough, while others embraced the chaos and exhilarating experience throughout the school. “This is my second Club Rushit turned out really well! It’s pretty much the same as last year. There are less clubs; that’s good though, the less clubs, the better- it lets you really focus on which clubs you want to be involved in,” said sophomore Laura Hill. Not everyone thrives off of crowds and a hectic environment, and some people have grown tired of Club Rush. “After four years, it’s the same clubs for the most part. It’s kind of boring, and you never end up sticking with half the clubs you sign up for- if any.” said senior Olivia Hulett. New students wander the Tiger Patio every year, and the freshman feedback is always the most optimistic. “It’s cool, Club Rush has a lot of opportunities to connect. I signed up for two clubs, WWF and Pique…I’m excited!” said Jackie Mejia. Regardless whether or not everyone enjoyed Club Rush, for years it has continued to give students the opportunity to involve themselves in their school and their interests. Said sophomore Cole Teague, “There’s much more energy - It’s even better than last year.”

For additional coverage, see pages 8 & 9.

Middle school renovations taking shape By Michael Abelev Staff Writer

Edmund Mandin-Lee

Project manager Paulo Lopez shows junior Michael Abelev the new SPMS gym construction site. The project is expected to finish in summer 2010.

Behind the sound of hammers and clouds of dust comes a brighter future for South Pasadena Middle School. Measure M construction is on target to be complete in the summer of 2011. Students passing by the construction site on Fair Oaks have seen the new gym and administration building taking shape. The new gym will be almost three times the size of its predecessor and will have locker rooms, bathrooms, showers

and coach offices. School offices will occupy the first floor of the new admin building. The new library will be housed on the spacious second floor, with room for a computer lab. Safety is the number one priority when it comes to process of constructing both buildings: “With all the inspections that are required by the state, schools are one of the safest places to be in an incident or any sort, especially an earthquake,” said Dr. Scott Price, SPUSD Asst. Supt. for Business Services. In addition to the two new buildings, Rollin Street

has been closed. This will allow for a new parking lot to be built with a drop off driveway. Middle school students have experienced some inconveniences from the construction, but excitement is high for its completion: “It’s really crowded now. We have very little room to eat, and it gets really dusty sometimes. But I am excited about getting a new library,” said 8th Grader Elizabeth Yu. “This is going to help unite our school. It’s been a long process but we see the end coming soon,” said SPMS Principal Dave Kubela.


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