Masks at Fort 09. New Staff Part II

inside issue. this April 2022 let’s get social. 04.

Equity at Fort

We spoke with students at Fort Vancouver High School about equity and what they thought needed to change.

Student Poll: Masks

Hey trappers! The mask mandate was lifted on March 14th, PI day. Almost a month later, we checked back in with our students to see the ratio of how many are still wearing masks, and how many aren’t wearing masks. Luckily, we got some good data, and also some interviews with students.

Let’s start with the data. SCIENCE!

So yeah, it looks like the majority of our student population is wearing masks. We got information from 1/10 of the school, so I feel like this graph is pretty accurate.

Now, onto the student interviews. I interviewed students who said yes and no, and compiled the most popular answers. Let’s start with yes.

Fine Arts

Fine arts students have been putting out some amazing work. This month features art and photography students.

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Women’s History

March was Women’s History Month and Alexandria Ocasio Cortez has been making history since she stepped on the national stage.

ASB Corner

There’s so little school left, but the ASB has so many things for you to do and take part in.

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theRest

of the stories. 03. Masks at Fort 09. New Staff Part II 10. Between the lines 11. Russia & Ukraine 13. Recipes 14. Key Club

Students who said yes said that wearing masks made them feel safer, more focused, and they felt that they were able to focus more strongly on school work. Especially with more variants on the horizon, it gives them more peace of mind. A lot of them also agreed that, at least for them, they’re ok with taking off their masks in other areas, other than school, as long as nobody is nearby.

Students who said no stated that taking off their masks made them able to socialize easier, and they like seeing people’s smiles. A lot of them also said that they feel like when they had masks on, they felt that they couldn’t connect with others as easily, or see their emotions easier. They said that they didn’t like the inconvenience of having a mask on, but they also said they would remask if things got really bad again.

But, just remember trappers, no matter what choice somebody makes, always remember that others have feelings too, and it is a personal choice. Please don’t ever make someone feel like they have to abide by your opinion. In this world, we have to remember to stay together.

Keep in touch .

EQUITY

“NO SINGLE PERSON CAN BE FREE UNTIL EVERYONE IS FREE. NO ONE PERSON CAN PROSPER IF EVERYONE IS PROSPERING. NO ONE PERSON CAN BE TRULY FREE OF MIND UNLESS NOBODY IS SUFFERING.” ~ISAAC DENNETT, AUTHOR

Equity is always a problem. You can never fully pin down this problem, because it is very hard to control a population of people, and someone will always be mistreated. So, we asked you, the students, what problems you might be having with the school and several themes kept coming up: transportation, different opportunities, racism, and more. It’s not all bad, though, because students have things they like about this school, too. They feel like they usually have someone to talk to, and they feel that teachers are focused on helping students.

First, let’s talk about problems.

Different Opportunities

Some students feel like they aren’t getting the same opportunities as other students. This is actually backed up by an equity audit done in the district, which details many of the problems the students feel like they are having. Problems like lack of transportation, disabilities, and poverty. It states that in order to fix these problems, the Vancouver School District should increase the budget for lower class students to make them more included, like offering rides and buses for clubs in order to meet transportation needs, help students who are in extreme poverty and can’t afford to come into schools some days, and more.

Ideas for increasing the budget for these students include decreasing the amount of money that is being put into other resources such as the ‘Rainy Day Budget.’ It’s important to help students gain access to these opportunities before it’s too late for them to benefit from them.

It sucks because you can see the problem, but everyone else thinks it is normal.

Other Inequalities

What I can best see here is that sometimes, our school isn’t very inclusive. This problem is bad, and LGBTQ+ students get to live it every day. Like I talked about earlier, some students aren’t getting included in well when so many cultures exist at our school. A lot of you probably know a religion or culture a family member is in that isn’t very inclusive to some of the student population. I don’t really have a good answer for this problem either. It’s very hard, and right now, our schools aren’t the safe place for everyone they were promised to be. So talk about this trappers, what do you think the best way to solve this problem is?

Report System

I went to discover, or better understand the reporting system of our school, due to some complaints from students. This, in my mind, ties into racism and harassment. A student gave an example of something that happened to them. They said another group of students was harassing them constantly, and that when they went to report it, nothing happened.

So, I went out to go find out why our report and justice at school is flawed. I got some good responses. In an interview with some teachers and counselors, they said they do their best, but let’s start at the beginning. One, a student has a problem. They go notify a teacher or some other adult, and ask for help. If it’s more serious, they pass it up to the counselors, or to someone similar. This part wasn’t very clear on who deals with it. They follow through with the student, and they do an interview. This happens often, and because of this, there are a lot of problems. They can’t get to all of them with so much on their plate sometimes, and the unclear nature of what could have actually happened. How do we fix this?

“Your problem is buried among the hundreds of other students the counselors talk to.”

I asked several people what they thought the best answer was, and it was unanimous. Get more people to deal with the problem. In fact, I don’t know why they don’t do this already. We need more counselors, that way they can have a more personal connection with the student, instead of having 400+ on their plate. I bet you half of you guys don’t even know who your counselor is, maybe more. This could majorly solve the problem, because they could know the student better. Right now, this is kind of a teacher job, and that’s fine, but students should have more places to go in a time of need.

“Our school is flawed but I think we can still fix it.”

So, that’s what I noticed while asking my own questions about equity. I noticed several flaws, and the potential of our school if we fixed them. All of them boiled down to this. Stop saving away, and start using the money to benefit the students who need it the most. But, students otherwise think that they can manage going to school, as long as we fix these problems, as one said. So, try to discuss this, and keep learning trappers.

Fine Arts SPOTLIGHT

This showcase highlights the pieces of student artwork that we thought were really good and should be shown to more people.

The students that make these pieces put a lot of time and effort into what they made. All of these amazing creations were made by fantastic students at Fort.

More photos on the back cover!

Ashanti White

Anneliese Heberle

Angela Mohanan Angela Mohanan

Britny Diego Evan Stubbs

Women’s History MonthBy Amy Nguyen

For March, we’re featuring Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio Cortez

Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, also known as AOC, is a democratic congresswoman and represents New York’s 14th district which is made up of parts of Bronx and Queens..

AOC was elected into the House of Representatives in 2019, being the youngest to be sworn into the House of Representatives at the age of 29 which also makes AOC the youngest woman to be elected into the House as well as being the youngest Latina to be sworn into the House. AOC was born and raised in the Bronx and is of Puterican descent. AOC graduated from Boston University and has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and International Relations.

AOC had an internship at the office of Senator Ted Kennedy during the Congresswoman’s internship she saw the heartbreak of families being separated by ICE, this lead the Congresswomen to organize Latinx youth in the Bronx and eventually in the U.S, which also lead to AOC working with the National Hispanic Institute and worked as the educational director. Before running for congress, AOC worked as a bartender to help support her family.

AOC also worked as a volunteer organizer for Bernie Sanders during the 2016 election. While volunteering, AOC expanded her activism and electoral skills. AOC ran for congress in 2018 and was sworn in in January 2019.

AOC has done many things that have made a change, one them is the Green New Deal which would be a ten year plan, gives millions of people a job opportunity which has good pay, union jobs, reducing air and water pollution, and fighting the climate crisis, which today has over 115 co-sponsors. AOC also introduced over 23 legislations.

The congresswomen is very popular for firing questions in committee hearings. In September floods hit the congresswoman’s district, AOC worked with President Biden to get one of the fastest FEMA declarations. In October of 2020, AOC played Among Us with Congresswoman Ilhan Omar live streamed on Twitch which has over 400,00 views.

Learn more about Women’s history month

Women’s History Month is an annual declared month that highlights the contributions of women to events in history and contemporary society. It is celebrated during March in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, corresponding with International Women’s Day on March 8, and during October in Canada, corresponding with the celebration of Persons Day on October 18.

JANET CONSTANTINO - MR. CONSTANTINO - ALGEBRA 1

”Learning math relates to the snowball effect. The hardest part is getting the ball rolling but once you do it rolls easier and easier after that.” - Mr. Constantino Favorite Color: Dark Blue Favorite Food: Sushi and Pasta Favorite Treat: Chocolate Ice Cream Favorite Hobby: Reading In Spanish I’ve been a teacher for seven years. My first two years as a teacher were in Northern California, then Portland, taught a year and a half in Beijing but online due to Covid. I like the instinct feedback you get from math. You can know right away if you are getting it or not and this can be gratifying. NEW STAFF MEMBERS - Part 2

AARON JENSEN - MS. JENSEN - ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE BRAN BEARAK - MR. BEARAK - HISTORY & ENGLISH TEACHER

This is my third year as a teacher. Favorite Color: Sky Blue or Lime Green Favorite Food: Tuna Fish Sandwiches

I worked at skyview, Hudson’s bay, and was substitute teacher for three years.

My favorite subject is geology “I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” - Thomas Jefferson

Favorite Color: Green Favorite Food: Breakfast Foods Favorite Subject: Geography

Mr. Bearak is a new teacher to Fort however he’s been teaching for 19 years. He teaches History and English. When he was working in New York he wanted to positively impact the community so he decided to teach.