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February, 2012
Black History Month By: Tyler White Staff Writer
Black History Month is an important and memorable time of year. What originally started out as Negro History Week in 1926, changed to become the Black History Month we now celebrate in the month of February. Many African Americans have fought and protested for their rights and freedoms without discrimination. There are many important figures in the black history timeline. Rosa Parks was one of the many. She started the Boycott Act when she refused to give up her seat to a white person. She alone led many people to protest against the bus rules. Another very important leader would be Martin Luther King Junior who fought against segregation and was against violence. His words inspired many African Americans to also fight against segregation. “Black History Month is a time to be thankful for who you are and not the color of your skin,” sophomore Ramon Scarpino stated. “I feel Martin Luther King made one of the biggest impacts on African American history because he helped resolve segregation problems without violence.” Another very important figure is Thurgood Marshall. Marshall was denied admission to the University of Maryland Law School due to his skin color. Marshall was a Supreme Court Justice Lawyer who fought the case of Brown vs. Education for neglecting a young African American to their university. He wrote over 150 decisions including support for the rights of immigrants, limiting government intrusion in cases involving illegal search and seizure, double jeopardy, and right to privacy issues. Many people take these historians and their hard work for granted. They fought against those who were racist and turned them down just for the way they were born. Black History Month is a way to remind people about all of the brave things African Americans did to help shape America today. Source: chnm.gmu.edu
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Standardized testing: Is it really standard?
By: Jill Gunzenhauser Staff Writer February 7th and 8th holds the annual test, ITEDS. Thomas Jefferson High School students as well as other students around the country, dread the onslaught of the socalled “standardized testing.” The relevance of what students are tested on, has been debated for years as the students complain about the difficulty of the questions that appear on the test. They all wonder if the tests even contain material that will be used later in life. The question arises for students of, how standard are standardized tests? “We don’t even learn half of the stuff they put on the tests,” said senior Ashley Arnold. Some people argue that the tests can be effective if used properly. According to cta. org, properly is defined as using the tests to prove whether students are succeeding or not. They also believe that the tests have more benefits than they do harmful attributes. “Standardized testing provides students with better feedback about their own level of knowledge and skills,” said Colette Kemmering from Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She also ex-
plained the importance of teacher accountability. “Standardized testing motivates teachers to work harder and more effectively,” (astro.temple.edu). Professors and students from Michigan State University highlighted four main problems with the standardized testing we use now. These four issues include teacher evaluation, school funding, learning disabilities, and struggles with testtaking altogether (msu.edu). Schools put a lot of intense pressure on students to do well because the scores that students achieve do not only effect the students. Teachers are evaluated by the scores their students receive. “With the consequences of low performance on tests, lower salary and competency tests for example, it's no wonder that teachers feel like they are forced to do something about the scores,” this was the outcome of a 1990 study done by Haas, Haladyna, and Nolen. The school’s funding can also be effected by the scores. If students do poorly, funding for that school can decrease. Does this make sense, though? Schools that do poorly should receive more money for better supplies so that they have
the resources versity into acto improve. count. Too many That is what of today's tests school staff are written so members that only white, believe. middle-class, “Often English-speaktimes, after ing Americans getting test can succeed.” results, we Standardized spend more testing also intime punishcludes the SAT ing schools and ACT which and students can affect stuthat don't dents who are do well (by on their way federally to college. The taking over scores of the the school, re- Photo taken by Miranda Gibb. SAT and ACT moving resources, etc) instead directly effect their chances of of spending that time help- making it into a college. This ing those students and schools puts pressure on students, esimprove,” said Dennis Fox. pecially seniors, because it Students have a lot go- can make or break their future. ing against them in the tests “I was sure that I did reas well. Students who do not ally bad, but I actually got a have English as a primary lan- decent score. I felt so much guage, need help reading the better after that,” said Arnold. tests, or have other learning Because of the issues that disabilities are under the same the ITEDs provoke, students category as other students will always dread them, teachwho do not have these issues. ers will always hope for high Haladyna and Nathan also scores, and school adminisproved that the tests can be trators will push for excelvery difficult for a wide-range lence. So with the 2011-2012 of students. “One of the biggest test approaching, students will faults of standardized tests is be sent off with a hearty good that they often do not take di- luck, and fingers crossed.
Iowa Court grants students free press
By: Kaylinn Taggart Editor in Chief Censorship in schools has been a big debate for many years. Due to the Iowa Court of Appeals’ rule on November 9th, 2011 in the case “Lange vs. Dierks and Allamakee Community School District,” students in Iowa and six other states have more freedom to write what they want compared to students in other states. “I think that generally high school journalists have always had quite a bit of freedom based on previous court cases. I think they should operate like other journalists and be free from censorship,” Principal Mrs. Lisa Dale stated. The new case restricts what the court case “Hazelwood vs Kuhlmeier” originally had set as student journalism guidelines.
In the Hazelwood case, an administrator deleted two pages of two articles that discussed a student’s pregnancy and the impact of divorce on students within the school. The pregnant students, who were only given initials in the article, might be identified and seemed inappropriate for younger students. The divorce article was deleted because of the student’s complaints about their father’s conduct and the principal felt that parents should be able to have a say and respond to being published. In the Hazelwood case, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the school saying that the principal acted reasonably in censoring the articles from the paper. In Lange vs. Dierks and Allamakee Community, Dierks and the administration said that the
people within their district were offended by the article and tried to restrict what was published. The students had created a fake newspaper for April Fools day discussing cheerleaders on steroids and a chemistry teacher running a meth lab. The edition came with a disclaimer to say that none of the information in it was true. The Supreme Court in this case ruled that “The content in the publications did not encourage the conduct specified in [Iowa Code] section 280.22(2)(c)”. These articles differ from the pre-Novmeber 2011 law, which stated that the First Amendment does not automatically apply to journalism students as it would professionals and other adults, the school paper cannot be seen as a “forum for public expression”,
and educators can have editorial control over style and content of student speech in school activities. These freedoms are important to journalism students because it gives them the basic freedoms that the First Amendment grants them. The school district cannot restrict what articles the newspaper, yearbook, or broadcast staffs produce as long as they submit to the guidelines above. “I know student journalists aren’t the same as professionals, but we should all protect freedom of the press whether it’s students or newspapers, magazines etc.,” Principal Dale said. “It’s a basic constitutional freedom that is what helps protect our Democratic society, so it’s very important.” See “Free press cont.” on page 2 for the rest of the story!
Valentine’s Day: As pointless as a broken pencil
By: Ciera Simbro Staff Writer February 14. Valentine’s Day. Ugh. Everywhere you look there is someone planning their evening or telling other people their plans. Happy couples parade around giving each other chocolates, flowers, and cutesy little stuffed animals to prove their “love” for each other.
There is an over abundance of PDA (public displays of affection), and everything is obnoxiously pink. It’s sickening. Valentine’s Day is a completely pointless “holiday” that originated in Rome as the festival of Lupercalia. Women would put their name in an urn to be picked by a man who would then become their spouse for that year. Today, it
is celebrated for the purpose of giving candy companies and flower shops our money. Until the mid 1890’s Americans still gave home-made sentimental cards, but then candy companies realised that they could make a profit and started producing sweets specifically for the holiday. It also creates the sense that one has to be in a relationship to be happy; something that is
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completely not true. There are plenty of happy, single people. Some may argue that Valentine’s Day does have a point; to show the one you love how much you appreciate them. If someone genuinely cared about another person, they would not express it only once a year, it would be an ongoing thing. While doing something Valentines-esque every day, would
get old and expensive fast, it is still important to do something more than once a year. Valentine’s Day is a complete waste of time and money, celebrated strictly for the benefit of candy producers. So, have a Happy Unimaginative, Consumerist-Orientated, Entirely-Arbitrary, Manipulative and Shallow Interpretation of Romance Day!