LAUSD Counselors Visit Arcadia
Tuesday, 16 February 2010 14:19
Andrew Chang
For years, the counseling programat AHS has been a statewide leader in innovationand effi ciency. From winningthe H.B. McDaniel Counseling Award in2007—given to one school in the stateper year—to having our own Ms. SharonSandoval win a Counselor of theYear award,it’s quiteclear thatour school’scounselorshave a lotto offer. Forthat reason,on Dec. 4, ameeting washeld with theeight districtheads ofthe Los AngelesUnified SchoolD i s t r i c t(LAUSD),representatives from various otherschools, and our own counseling staff.The meeting was called to discussArcadia’s successful counseling methodology.According to senior counselorMs. Kathy Rapkin, our school does threegreat things in particular. First, the Counselorof the Day desk has made greatstrides: from the days when students hadto wait a week to meet with a counselorto today, to those that students can beseen almost immediately. Secondly, theSupport Personnel Accountability ReportCard is a document sent out to districtconstituents; by distributing collect ible data, the report allows our school toconsistently improve with the help ofthe community. Finally, parent involvementhas always been a trademark of theAUSD counseling program.The importance of allocating fundsto a successful counseling program cannotbe understated. When Senate BillSB 1802 was passed, it allowed enoughfunding to double the amount of counselorsat eachschool. Butwith the budgetdefi cit, thisfunding eventuallybecamegeneralized; themoney becamethe property ofCalifornia districtsto spendon education ingeneral. Arcadia,in spite ofthis, continuedto allocate thesefunds exclusivelywithin thecounseling program. And the success ofthat decision shows.Today, AHS stands as a school withone of the best counseling programs inthe state—but according to Ms. KathyRapkin, our improvement has not yetreached its peak. “I hope to improvevarious aspects of the system, includingmeeting with parents regarding courseselection,” remarked Ms. Rapkin. In theend, our school’s counseling programtruly represents Arcadia as a whole: simply the best, and getting better.
Kick A Ginger: Virtual Bullying Becomes a Reality
Tuesday, 16 February 2010 14:18
Ashley Chi
There is always a good and bad side to everything. Facebook, one of the most infl uential productsthat has come out of the technology wave, is unique in its ability to connect friends around the world,functioning as a meeting place for people through groups and pages and transferral of pictures andvideos to others who may be a thousand miles away. However, anyone can use Facebook to harass andemotionally abuse others, either through chatrooms or groups.On Nov. 20, several students kicked, punched, and harassed red-haired classmates or “gingers,”at a Calabasas middle school, encouraged by a Facebook page that had declared the day “NationalKick a Ginger Day.” The page, developed by a 14-year-old in Canada, was apparently inspired byan episode of the TV show South Park. The dark, satirical adult-comedy show had indeed aired anepisode labeling red-haired people as “soulless” and “evil.” Ironically, the underlying purpose ofdemonstrating such behavior was to satirize racial prejudice. Unfortunately, the message fl ew overthe heads of those in the Facebook group who did not process this deeper meaning, as they took theepisode literally and proceeded to target and attack redheads.Only one student, a 13-year-old who had posted a message on the Facebook page, has beencharged with a cyber-bullying misdemeanor. The other students who harassed their fellow redheadstudents were apparently infl uenced by the one cyber bully who had spread the word via the Internet.Freshman Wilson Lin said, “Cyber-bullying easily happens online, because of the protection you getfrom not talking to the person face-to-face.” But the emotional impact of leaving a hateful commentunder a person’s profi le is no different than that of watching someone getting taunted in real life.Though “Kick a Ginger Day” brought out the worst of human nature, it also brought out the coreof the human spirit—love. The tactic of fi ghting hate with love was what 17-year-old Andrew Cohen,an Agoura Hills High School senior, had in mind when he proposed “Hug a Ginger Day,” to counteractthe “Kick a Ginger Day.” The page, started a week after the “ginger attacks,” has garnered over3,000 supporters for redheads. Cohen hit it right on the nose when he proclaimed that the attacks were“a hate crime” and how “small acts of discrimination [can] elevate into a much larger problem.”Despite the gracious outcome with “Kick a Ginger Day,” let us not forget that it was a response tothe creation of a web page that targeted specifi c people. Whether it be chat rooms, social networkingsites, or texting, digital grounds are undoubtedly the easiest places for bullies to fi nd and attack targets and to infl uence others to do the same. Watch out, kids. There’s a new bully on the playground.
|
Cultural Exchange: Japanese Consul
Tuesday, 16 February 2010 14:17
Alex Ethridge
To many members of our generation, Japanis merely the producer of pop culture phenomenasuch as sashimi and Gwen Stefani’s back updancers, not to mention the creator of some significant parts of our lives, likevideo game consolesand rice cookers. Itappears that we asa school do notknow enoughabout the nationto fully appreciateits culture.Working todispel this ignorance,the JapaneseConsul paid avisit to the Japaneseclasses at AHS toshow that there’smore to their nationthan manga andHello Kitty.On WednesdayDec. 9, Yoshimasa Tezuka, Deputy Consul General,accompanied by Julian Ely and JenniferUsyak, two members of the Japanese Consulate,visited AHS’ Japanese classes to discuss theculture of the nation and the history of its bondwith America. From the very beginning of thepresentation, Ely and Usyak’s words revolved around the central theme of Japanese-Americanrelations as they opened with self-introductions.Ely and Usyak then asked students about howtheir lives were integrated with Japanese culture,reminding us that we are a nation of diversityand how important it is to keep these goodrelations alive.Multiple videos were played during thepresentation to demonstrate the unique cultureof Japan. One detailed the country’s societythrough the seasons, displaying rich sceneryand energetic festivals, while anothertraveled through history to the beginningof the relationship between theU.S. and Japan, covering battles and alliances,all leading up to the friendshipbetween the nations today.This visit to the Japanese classeswas in honor of the 150th anniversary ofthe fi rst Japanese embassy to the U.S. andto promote good relations by instilling positiveideals in America’s youth. Usyaksaid, “We value the good relations betweenAmerica and Japan, and are happyto see so many kids continuing to buildthe bridge between the nations.” By presentingthe beautiful culture and vivacityof Japan, “We are encouraging these students tocontinue their studies and hopefully give them a new perspective on Japan,” said Ely.
Believe It...Or Not
Tuesday, 16 February 2010 14:16
Andrew Lin
1. A new wave of burglaries has SouthAfrican authorities scratching their heads.However, what’s most intriguing is the factthat the burglars are baboons. These cutemammals travel in gangs of around 30 andhave recently become more aggressive, accordingto local police. As tourists and manylocals report, the baboons break into cars andhop through windows in groups in search ofsnacks. Local authorities have identifi ed theleader of one gang as “Fred.”2. In Australia, a man and his dog wereattacked by a kangaroo. After chasing thekangaroo into a pond, the dog was pinnedunderwater by the ingenious kangaroo.When the man went in to rescue his dog, thekangaroo turned and beat the man as well.The dog and man were injured, but ultimately,everyone was all right.3. Just as Winston Churchill dreamed ofa world free of the Nazi threat, he also envisioneda world in which chicken could begrown without real chicken. Scientists haverecently been making strides in synthesizingmeat in labs. They argue that it could addressthe rising demand for meat around the globe,help lower incidences of meat-borne illnesses,such as salmonella and mad cow disease,and also curtail greenhouse gas emissionsproduced by livestock, a major source ofgreenhouse gases ahead of cars.4. Late November, a group of Utahteens who rapped their order at a McDonald’swere given a citation for disorderlyconduct by the police. The teens claimedthey were just copying a popular YouTubevideo. One of the teens is challenging the citation,and the hearing is expected to occurlate January.5. A Canadian lawmaker was recentlybooed by the media when she called a fellowmember of Parliament fat on Twitter. The accusedstood up during a session of the Houseof Commons and said, “I apologize that I’mnot perfect and perhaps my stature doesn’tmeet the criteria that some members of theHouse might set but I have actually battledthat problem since birth.”6. On Nov. 16, Seattle police found aman dressed as a ninja stuck on a fence. Officers suspected the ninja was involved in anearby assault case, but the ninja insistedthat he was just scaling fences.7. Late November, a Massachusettswoman found a picture of Jesus on the bottomof her iron.8. Last month, a group of 6,000 camelsattacked and half-destroyed Docker River, asmall town in northern Australia, 310 milessouth of Alice Springs. According to authorities,the camels stormed into people’s houses,broke into outhouses, and tore up waterpipes in search for water. Locals speculatethe recent infl ux of camels to have been a resultof the increasingly dry conditions in thesurrounding area. To address the solution,the state government is planning on corrallingall 6,000 camels and then shooting them via helicopter.
|
