Fort Four Cards 06. GSA Club

inside issue. this December 2021 let’s get social. 04.

School Lunch

How do you feel about the meals at our school? Many students are unhappy and new studies show that better food could help improve test scores at Fort!

Jordan Massinger

The new Dean of Students at Fort has a lot of educational and coaching experience. Alee McQuaid stopped by to learn a little more about Mr. Massinger.

07.

08.

School Violence

School violence is a problem that Fort Vancouver High School has been dealing with for a very long time. Principal Scheidel is looking to make things better.

Fall Sports

The fall season was a successful one for athletes at Fort Vancouver. The biggest round of applause goes to our girl’s Cross Country team, which placed 4th at state!

12.

theRest

of the stories. 03. Fort Four Cards 06. GSA Club 09. New Staff - Part 1 10. Winter Break activities 11. Holiday recipes

Fort Four Cards

The Fort Four is something that is talked about a lot around school but isn’t recognized by many students. Now, Fort is bringing back something for the interest of all students. It is called the Fort Four recognition ticket and they will be given to all the teachers.

The teachers will hand these out to people when they see actions that are the definition of what the Fort Four means. When you get the card go to the security office to get a prize of a gift card and if you’re lucky, you can get picked in a raffle to get some Fort merchandise.

The Fort Four includes:

• Character

• Community

• Excellence

• Equity

We, (Isaac and Christian) interviewed Annie Wilkerson, the Discipline Clerk, about the Fort Four cards. She said to ask your teachers and see if they support the Fort Four cards.

Spread the word about these cards! There are many rewards you could get if you get drawn from the box of people who got a card at the end of the month. Take the card to the security office to get a chance to get drawn!

Keep in touch .

twitter.com/ fvhs_cis facebook.com/ fortcis google.com/ fortcis pinterest.com/ fortcis

BY ISAAC DENNETT

Opinion: The Problem with School Lunch

Special thanks to: Ms. Perroni and all the lunch staff for their hard work.

The food at schools in the Vancouver School District is not great, and some would say it’s unacceptable. The food doesn’t taste good, can be harmful and stale, and is a waste. What many people don’t know is that the substandard fare can affect student morale, may damage student health, and may do even more in the long run. meals. This can be problematic for some whose days go from amazing to awful in a matter of seconds. Many of you reading this article agree with me.

We have data from students, (https://forms. gle/HWyaard94UzpC8iL9). You can do that form if you still want to add your opinion.

An anonymous student had this to say about the food; “It sucks. I eat it cause I have to, not any reason else. And sometimes, I don’t even do that! Sometimes I just decide to throw it away. It’s not worth the suffering.”.

Honorable Mention

Before we get into this topic, I need to say some things. The lunch ladies do so much for us! They make the food, prep breakfast, clean things up, and even cheer your day up! This food problem is NOT their fault. It’s the fault of the system. The lunch people are overworked, underpaid, and they have to prepare all the food, package it, and more in the shortest amount of time imaginable. It’s the district’s fault for sourcing the food (finding the food for cooking).

I respect the lunch ladies for cooking, but I wish the food was sourced better.

~Anonymous Student

Other students want more vegan and vegetarian options.

Is the food harmful?

If the rice was dry, they purchased dry rice. If your apple is too cold, that is a refrigeration problem. It’s also not their fault the school doesn’t use much money fixing equipment. Do them a favor and GIVE THEM A THANKS! They will love it.

The Food

This isn’t a debate, it’s a simple criticism from the students who eat the school We have seen a few cases of what appears to be mold on some of the food products that people ate during this school year. This appears to be exactly what it sounds like, a fluke. But, this issue cannot be dismissed.

At least 11 people have had moldy food, and it always comes from bread. Our school system needs to evaluate and take a look at this before it becomes harmful.

The food is free

I mean, from the points above it is not the best food out there, but how is it getting paid for? From the official vansd.org website, we have; “Free meals will be available to all VPS students learning in person at school this year thanks to the United States Department of Agriculture.” This is a grant, a gift, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, giving the ability to get free food for all students. USDA is funded through the annual Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies appropriations bill. That means this food is being paid for by taxes. That means, even you, might be throwing away taxpayer dollars.

This is a big problem. It’s not your fault, the food is crummy, we all know. But, it’s a problem. We need a switch. We need better food that gives nutrients, improves student happiness, and fills hungry stomachs. Not the trash can. This is a problem that needs to be fixed, and you haven’t even seen the mindset part of it.

Good food could improve test scores

According to www.brookings.edu; “On average, student test scores are 0.03 to 0.04 standard deviations higher (about 4 percentile points). Not only that, the test score increases are about 40 percent larger for students who qualify for reduced-price or free school lunches..”

Maybe these school lunches are good enough. But, I think they aren’t. We need higher quality food. Right now, we aren’t doing this well enough. Right now, students are throwing food in the trash (roughly 75 percent of their food), and students consistently think the food is a two-star meal.

Scores here at FVHS have the potential to be improved. Student suggestions for improving the food (and potentially test scores) include:

• A district-wide survey asking for the favorite foods

• Higher quality

• Varied quantities of food (some need more, some less)

• Kids want more choices, and food diversity!

Thank you for reading. I want your help in trying to fix this problem! If we ask enough, someone will listen. Your test scores could be on the line! Help us fix this, and let’s get higher quality food! Thanks for reading Trappers!

Gay Straight Alliance

By Amy Nguyen

A growing body of research confirms that the presence of a GSA has a positive and lasting effect on student health, wellness, and academic performance. It can also protect students from harassment based on sexual orientation or gender identity, and improve school climates for all students in the long-term.

The GSA is a club here at Fort Vancouver. The club advisor for GSA is Ms. Svangren, she is in room 240. GSA meets on every Tuesday after school in room 240 and on Thursday during second lunch for those who cannot meet on Tuesday.

GSA is a club welcomed for all student’s no matter their race, sexuality, and religion.

GSA’s goal is to make Fort a welcoming and safe environment for LGBTQ students.

You can join GSA by contacting Ms.Svangren. What we discuss in GSA is how we can make Fort more welcoming for LGBTQ students.

LGBTQ Author

in school you’ve never heard of James Baldwin. You may be wondering, who is James Baldwin? James Baldwin, whose full name is Arthur Baldwin, lived August, 2 1924 - December 1, 1987, and was a Black activist and author

Baldwin is known for his book Giovanni’s Room about a man torn between his love for a man and women. Another one of Baldwin’s popular books is Notes of a Native Son which is ten essays by Baldwin, talking about racism in America and Europe.

Oldest of nine, Baldwin was raised in Harlem, New York. He spent most of his time outside of high school preaching in a small revivalist church (“James Baldwin”). Baldwin was influential because he wrote about racial issues and LGBTQ issues.

Learn more about james baldwin

You should check out some of James Baldwin’s books or articles about him, it’s always nice to see other LGBTQ acitivists that are people of color.

jordan massinger

Alee McQuaid sat down with the new Dean of Students at Fort Vancouver High School. He said he’s dedicated to helping students with whatever support they might need.

Alee McQuaid: Do you have a family? Jordan Massinger: I’ve been married to my wife Caitlin for five years. We have two children: Clay is my one and a half year old son; Arya is my four year old daughter.

AM: What are some things you do in your free time?

JM: My free time is pretty much spent on daddy duties. You know, yesterday, I had a full on fancy tea party with the earrings, the hairband and, uh, you know, whatever fancy clothes she bestows upon me. If I have extra free time, um, once in a while, we do the old fashioned date night; I think my wife and I have gone on two dates in the last year.

AM: What are some things that you’d want the students to know about you? JM: This will be my 14th year working in education. I’ve taught elementary from kindergarten up to sixth grade over the last 13 years. And I’ve coached sports from fiveyear-olds up to high school, varsity basketball and others. I’m very easy going. I understand that students in high school want to feel respected and I agree with that. So as long as we can find a mutual understanding from each other, I’m very reasonable. If any adults are on your case, I think it’s because they’re trying to do their best to help you students be successful. We don’t always remember what it’s like to be 14, 18, and we don’t always, um, you know, bring our best, most patient selves.

I’m here for the students if they need, but, uh, I think we’re just working on what that process looks like.

AM: Can you describe your occupation and what you do day to day? JM: I’m the Dean of Students, so my job is to support students. Whether they might need academic, behavioral or attendance related support. I call families on a daily basis. I worked together and worked for the administrative team to support their needs. They have things that come up, but also lean on them for a lot of support when I need it, which is pretty much all day, every day, um, myself and many staff, we try to keep kids in class for the safety and also for the wellbeing of their future, because we know that it’s all about on-time graduation.

Administration looking at violence at school

by: Paul Lopez-Martinez

School violence is a problem that Fort Vancouver High School has been dealing with for a very long time. It's a problem we all need to learn how to manage and one day stop if we want others to feel safe in Fort Vancouver High School.

Most of the students in Fort (or any high school for that matter) have not been able to adjust to high school life, most of us are still living in the middle school years and haven't learned to resolve issues without physical altercations. I find that many people are troubled due to the amount of time that they spend alone with their families. We all need to learn how to deal with our troubles in a healthy and non-physical way.

More often than not, fights on school grounds are a result of misunderstandings and problems in one's personal life. To slow the rising rate of fights in our school, we all must learn how to communicate better with one another and keep our school life and personal life separate. It can be tough but teachers and staff are here to help. You can see your counselor if you need extra support, and if you suspect a fight will happen (for any reason at all), tell someone you trust.

I took a few minutes to chat with Principal Curt Scheidel about how the administration might handle the situation at Fort Vancouver.

Q. What do you think is the best way to keep the School violence at bay? A. They believe the best way to keep the fight down is to give our students the feeling of being wanted and comfort during these hard times (aka Covid).

Q. What do you think is the reason for all this school violence that is going on right now? A. I think the reason for this is because most of our students are hurting because of what has happened with covid and the things that are going on at home and around them. This leaves them with a place where they need to let it go and most of the time they let it go at school. It’s something which they can’t do (or not allowed to do so) because this puts people (Staff and students) in the way of getting hurt.

Q. How do you feel about the current situation regarding school violence? A. The last couple of weeks have been hard/stressful. We have been in school for a couple of months now, kids just got back and their minds are in a different place because of how last school year was (remote learning). Many of our students are dealing with trauma that they received during covid and because of covid. Right now this moment, we are trying to find the right needs for each student, but it’s kinda hard right now since everything feels out of place this year. Let’s keep in mind that the number of students that use violence to solve their problems is low, but the number of students that are happy to be in school this year is quite high.

Q. How do you feel about this school year? A. I think this school year has been a bit hard since we have masks and emotions can’t really come across because our faces are covered.

Q. Is it true that most of the fights that have been happening are by freshmen/ Do you know what grade level has been causing most of the arguments? A. To be honest we are self don’t really know what grade level causing most of the fights, but what we do know is that are Freshmen, Sophomores, Juniors (Mostly F&S) haven’t really had the whole High School experience and maybe feeling a bit out of place.