The Olympian
New ASB and class officers elected By Fiona Richter Staff Writer
Though most CVHS students aren’t old enough to vote in the upcoming presidential election, we all did have the right and responsibility to choose our ASB and class officers on April 19 and 20. After narrowing the pool of candidates vying for office in the primary elections, students attended the ASB forum during their social studies class on April 18. Held in the CFA, the meeting consisted of ASB hopefuls’ convincing speeches on why they should be elected. “The forum was informative, but I wish we’d had one for class officers as well. All I knew about the people running came from their posters, and there’s really no info on those,” said junior Katelyn Averill. Junior Ariana Faizi, who was elected the next ASB president, committed herself to bringing therapy dogs on campus to relieve students’ stress during finals week, a crowd-pleasing vow reminiscent of current ASB President Jessica Yin’s campaign promise to bring food trucks to our campus. Faizi edged rival Carly Becerra in the election’s top contest. The only sure winner in the ASB election was Samantha Tong, who ran unopposed for secretary and outlined her goals in a short and sweet speech. Vadozzi Yasi and Monav Aulakh, aspiring ASB vice presidents, both ran compelling campaigns, with Yasi winning in the end. Sophomores Thomas Tran and Luka Uchiyama gave each other a
Fiona Richter/ Staff Writer
Ariana Faizi wows students with her amazing speech. run for their money in the race for ASB treasurer, with Tran winning the position. Freshman Liva Langer and junior Sierra Berg gave persuasive speeches to compete for the
position of ASB student body representative, the much needed link between the school board and the students. Berg won the office, and Langer may try again for this position in the future.
ASB President Ariana Faizi Vice President Vadozzi Yasi Secretary Samantha Tong Treasurer Thomas Tran School Board Representative Sierra Berg Senior Class President Karen Tam Vice President Gabbie Dionisio Secretary Jennifer Ng Treasurer Angelica Duarte
Junior Class President Peter Maina Vice President Maddy Thompson Secretary Madeline Albright Treasurer Melissa Ah-Tye Sophomore Class President Jenny Pham Vice President Nicolette Paredes Secretary Chloe Dionisio Treasurer Alexandro Olvera
Meet your new officers!
By Stella Ho Staff Writer
Minimum wage in California, currently $10, will rise to $15 an hour by 2022. The state will increase the wage by 50 cents every two years, then in 2018, increase the wage by a dollar yearly until it reaches $15 at 2022. This bill passed by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown has generated lots of praise and also dissents. The raise will hopefully improve the living conditions of lowerincome workers. However, that may come with a few negative consequences. California is known for having a minimum wage much higher than the federally required figure of at least $7.25 per hour. But California is also the most populated and expensive state where prices for food, housing, and other necessities are the nation’s highest. For people who need to support a family, for students working part-time, or simply just for
people trying to get by in life, the new wages will help a lot. There will be a lower turnover rate if employees are becoming more satisfied with their minimum wage job, which results in fewer expenses for hiring new employees. However, a ripple effect may be created for other industries and in society because of the raise. If a company has a tight budget, there will likely be more layoffs because the employer now has to pay more for each employee. As mentioned before, if people are satisfied with their jobs and pay, there would be less people dropping or quitting, hence fewer hirings. Also, prices for food or living conditions could go up because employers are trying to compensate for paying their employees at a higher rate. “Of course, in urban areas, the raise will have more beneficial results because the cost of living is higher there and the extra money will help them. But things might be different in more rural areas; there will be an effect on jobs and small businesses because they can’t afford to pay so much for their workers, so it might lead to more layoffs,” said economics teacher Ross Williams. We’ll see by 2022 whether the final outcome will have more positive or negative results on all of society.
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Teachers support bond for renovations By Stella Ho
California to raise minimum wage $15 hourly rate to take effect by 2022
May 13, 2016
Staff Writer Castro Valley teachers have unanimously agreed to support Measure G, the schools’ bond for renovations, repairs, and upgrades to the district’s 15 aging campuses, at their union meeting on April 20. “Measure G will allow Castro Valley Unified School District to better serve our students in safe and updated facilities,” said Alicia Gholami, a teacher at Chabot Elementary and president of Castro Valley Teachers Association (CVTA). “Our school facilities are aging,” said Jennifer Clyde, CVHS English teacher. “My own classroom sometimes leaks in the winter. I’m also in favor of adding air conditioning. Students have trouble learning when it’s hot inside the class.” A recently conducted facilities review on Castro Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) campuses revealed that many buildings are more than 50 years old and in critical need of improvements. School board members voted to place the $123 million bond proposal on the June 7 ballot.
“The school district wants to spend the money wisely for our students,” said Gary Howard, the board’s vice president. He explained the bond would be broken into three increments of about $40 million to be sold every other year. According to the Facilities Master Plan, the district plans to add or improve science labs, install air conditioning and heaters for more classrooms, create new music rooms and upgrade playgrounds at elementary schools. The plan also calls for improved school safety and security, technology, and increased space for special education students. If voters approve by at least 55 percent, Castro Valley property owners would pay an additional $60 per $100,000 of assessed value per year for 25-30 years. “We must pass this bond so students can learn in the best facilities possible,” said Sarah Burke, CVHS social studies teacher. “There’s not enough money in the general fund. This bond will help keep our campuses up to date,” said Mark Mladinich, CVHS social studies teacher.