SHARING THEIR WHY
OPINION Just an ad?
Pg. 4
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Setting the scene for 'Geeks vs. Zombies'
Branham welcomes new teachers as it launches a movement.
BEAR
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WITNESS BRANHAM HIGH SCHOOL
SEPTEMBER 2018
BHSBEARWITNESS.COM
SEX EDUCATION AT BRANHAM
TEACHER CONTRACT TALKS
CHANGING THE SEX TALK
Union, district at odds over raise amount
Curriculum has evolved to reflect state mandates, smaller budgets
What freshmen want to know about sex The questions below are directly sampled from this year's freshman class (including spelling errors). During every class period in the sex ed unit, students submit anonymous questions into a bucket that are answered the following class.
MICHAELA EDLIN
C
Editor-in-chief
ondoms, birth control pills, IUDs, implants and other contraceptives were passed around during P.E. teacher Ron Smare’s fourth period freshmen class in early September. The objects were part of the school’s sex ed curriculum. At the end class, students submitted anonymous questions into a bucket that will be at the beginning of the following class. Sex ed teacher Sandra Sotiriadis, whose company, Health Connected, is contracted by the district, even showed students the implant she has in her arm. The candor of the talks hasn't always been like this. Sex education at Branham has faced many changes over the past five years because of California Education Code mandates and tightening of funds in the district, directly affecting students because learning about sex provides information that students can use at any point they are engaged in relationships of any kind, including sexual. The changes haven’t stopped. Next year the district will no longer be hiring Health Connected because of the cost. P.E. teachers from every school have been trained by Health Connected over the past three years, and will be leading the sex ed curriculum. P.E. teachers such as Ron Smare, who had taught health education when it was offered as a class, feel more comfortable teaching the curriculum the next year. However, there is concern for those who have never taught sex ed before despite their training. Sotiriadis of Health Connected said that a teacher’s prior personal experiences and beliefs may impair their ability to teach the curriculum as intended - judgment-free and respectful of others’ sexual identities and experiences. “They may have these biases or personal values that will conflict with what they are required to teach, so it may be challenging for
CHSTA wants at least 4%, district offers 2% ANNALISE FREIMARCK Managing Editor
ocial science teacher Tania Eaton, S a single parent and Branham’s 2016 teacher of the year, wakes up at 5 a.m., teaches six periods, and once a week heads to her second job where she teaches SAT prep. She said that she runs out of money by the middle of the EDITORIAL month. She is teaching an extra class in order Teachers are underto support her fam- valued and deserve ily, and considers it her second job; the a pay raise to keep SAT prep class, run them in district. by social science Page 4 colleague Brett Johanson, serves as “extra” money for emergency purposes. “(It’s) for tires that were dangerously low, windshield that is cracked all the way across, etc,” she wrote in a text message. She lives in a two bedroom house with her three children, two of whom attend Branham. Her rent takes out more than half of her paycheck. When the money dries out halfway through the month, she said that she has to start feeding her children macaroni and cheese and Top Ramen for dinner. Because of this, she has considered leaving Branham and moving in with her mom for a while. “We don’t feel valued,” Eaton said in an interview. SEE TEACHERS • PAGE 5
Comparing tardies in first five weeks
Editorial..........................................4 Bulletin Board.................................3
Art Director
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TIMELINE Major milestones that have influenced how sex ed is taught. Page 7
Campus briefs.................................2 News.............................................. 2
2018 369 tardies
ELIZABETH POSEY
Elizabeth Posey/Bear Witness
INSIDE
2017 933 tardies
Big tardy dip in first five weeks
SEE SEX ED • PAGE 7
SENIORS What did seniors wish they they learned in sex ed? Page 7
@bhsbearwitness
Science and Technology..................6 Science/Tech Briefs.........................6
InDepth...........................................7 Student Life....................................8
ranham has more than halved its tardies in the first few weeks of school compared to the INSIDE same period last year, due to a new Students debate tardy policy. Under the new whether later start rules, students who are less than 30 would help or hurt minutes late to first them in class. and fourth periods Page 3 must serve lunch detention to clear their attendance. If they accumulate five unexcused absences, they are placed under social probation, which means a loss of privileges such as dance attendance and sports participation. Principal Cheryl Lawton said that the previous policy did not effectively ensure that students arrived to class on time, therefore interrupting class. “We were having way too many kids late to class and nobody seemed to care,” she said. Lawton said that teachers who don’t start instruction to accommodate for late students indirectly promote a culture where being late is acceptable. “Part of that was students saying, ‘Well I SEE TARDIES • PAGE 5
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