WEST SIDE
STORIES June 2012
Superhero Special P. 4
• Wauwatosa West High School • 11400 W Center Street, Wauwatosa WI • Volume17, Issue 1 www.wauwatosawest.com
Recent Violence Raises Safety Concerns In light of tragedies, district and local police force proactive about school safety Mark Salamone g Website Editor
Caylin Rosene g Photography Editor
The Aurora, Colorado movie theater shootings. The Sikh temple shootings. The more recent killings near the Texas A&M Campus. These are the latest mass killings to occur in the United States. The stories of these shootings have been plastered all over newspapers, televisions screens, and the web for the past few weeks, as politicians and concerned citizens alike search for ways to stem the apparent tide of bloodshed. As a solution, the political left calls for an increase in gun regulation, but the right demands the loosening of that same regulation. Concern about the risk of a school shooting is relatively low amongst the student body of Tosa West. John Schmutzer, a junior, believes that the risk posed to the school by a shooting is minimal. Speaking of the Sikh temple and Aurora, Colorado movie theater shootings, Schmutzer said, “These were simply two crazy people acting alone and on their own accord.” However, some students don’t feel quite as sure, among them Davon Hughlett, a senior. “The world is crazy,” says Hughlett, “so there is no telling what can happen next.” The future may be a mystery, but the past lessons are crystal clear. On December 1, 1993, a former student of Wauwatosa West entered the building and fatally shot Dale Breitlow, West’s Associate Principal. Partially as a result of this, several mechanisms now exist to help the district and local police to reduce the likelihood of a similar event occurring in the future. These mechanisms include security cameras in the school, and a buzz-in system for the main doors, the latter of which is used when school is in session. The school has also partnered with local law enforcement in employing a School Resource Officer. The School Resource Officer is a police officer who works in the school, helping to ensure that order is kept in the school, and whose job it is to help coordinate with police in the event of an attack. In the 20112012 school year, the job was filled by officer Doug Braun, but for the 2012-2013 school year the job is being held by Officer Farris Griffin. Another product of Wauwatosa West’s coordination with law enforcement is an emergency response plan, says Griffin. “We have a plan that goes through steps of basic things,” he says, “like getting students to safety and helping the [police] officers.”
A Police vehicle driving towards Whiman Middle School in the simulated hostages situation on May 19th, 2012. According to Officer Doug Braun, the simulation was necessary so officers could if “what we had prepared on paper would work in a real crisis situation and to see what we need to work on and improve yet.”
According to Griffin, were an emergency to occur, with the plan “everyone would know their roles and responsibilities.” On Saturday, May 19th, 2012, students, police officers, firefighters, and faculty members staged a drill at Whitman Middle School that was intended to demonstrate events and situations that might actually occur in the event of an attack on the school. Though the drill was performed successfully, it was a solemn reminder of the district’s history, and the need for vigilance and preparedness in schools. However, in the past two decades schools have had to cope with the possibility of being attacked by gunmen. The high-profile murders at Columbine High School in 1999 and Virginia Tech in 2007 have elevated concern over school shootings to attention at the national level. In both instances, shooters were able to kill multiple victims in what had previously been considered relatively safe areas.
Dear Freshmen Advice from the West High community
Stephanie Eberle g Editor-in-Chief
Deanna Ross g Editor-in-Chief
Entering high school for the first time can be nervewracking. Figuring out your scheduling or finding somewhere to sit at lunch can be difficult at first. But one thing is certain; the vast rest of the population in this school has survived freshman year. So we asked them for some advice to help the adjustment to be a little easier on you, starting with the teachers. “Get involved,” Lena Patton, Associate Principal, Brian Hoffman, Guidance Counselor, and Kosta Zervas, a Student Supervisor, all offered as the same piece of advice. Candice Miller in the activities office, said to “Please turn in your forms for your athletic activities.” Jan Donahou, the new librarian, reflected that “Your freshman year is the chance to remake yourself. To be whoever you want to be.” Moving on to editors’ advice, Jack Wongtam, Layout Editor, shared, “Get to know your teachers. They can help you with more than just the class they are teaching you, and a lot of them have really
interesting stories.” Jennifer Flynn, Copy Editor agreed. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help if there’s something you don’t understand. And don’t blow your grades off--studying doesn’t have to be the center of your life, but you’ll thank yourself later if you keep your GPA up right away and don’t have to try to improve it to put on your college applications someday.” Caylin Rosene, Photo Editor, mentioned, “One thing to make sure you do before you leave high school is to enjoy all of the opportunities given to you. Also, have fun with the different spirit days (Homecoming). I know when I was a freshman I wasn’t sure how far people go with the spirit days. Needless to say, I have seen some interesting things in my three years of homecoming week experiences!” Mark Salamone, Website Editor, said, “Get wild on Homecoming week. If you like to wear crazy costumes, or want to have fun at least once a year, you simply cannot let this week pass you by.”