OPINION
THE ISSAQUAH PRESS
Thursday, February 25, 2016 • 4
OFF THE PRESS
GUEST COLUMN
Forget the Academy Awards; Senior center leaders state their case watch these films instead
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rowing up, I enjoyed watching the Academy Awards on TV, a tradition that has fallen by the wayside over the years as family commitments and other interests have stolen my attention span. Of this year’s eight nominees for Best Picture, I’ve seen exactly zero. That doesn’t mean I have no interest in seeing them — Leo DiCaprio’s “The Revenant” looks very intriguing — but my flagging interest in the Oscars stems, in part, from the lackluster appeal of the theater. In honor of this weekend’s 88th Oscars, I thought it would be fun to share my top 10 Best Picture nominees. Depending on how you feel about these picks, send me either roses or rotten tomatoes. 1. “The Social Network” (2010): Some might argue it was too soon for a Mark Zuckerberg love fest, but I’d say the producers did a spot-on job of letting the viewer reach their own opinions of the Facebook founder. And I’ve been a fan of Jesse Eisenberg dating back to the lesser-known “Roger Dodger.” 2. “Inglorious Basterds” (2009): I will literally drop whatever I’m doing for a Quentin Tarantino movie. I thought about choosing 2012’s “Django Unchained,” but the things that win me over here are Brad Pitt’s brilliant acting and the clever alternate ending for World War II. 3. “Sideways” (2004): Read Rex Pickett’s book first if you haven’t seen this gem about two guys on a bachelor party through California wine country. To this day, my wife can’t get me to drink merlot. 4. “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy (2001-03): OK, so I cheated by putting three movies into one selection. It’s my list and I can do what I want. These were my favorite books as a boy and Peter Jackson brought them gloriously to life. 5. “Good Will Hunting” (1997):
Ironically overshadowed by the Oscar-winning “Titanic,” this was the launching point for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. Bonus points NEIL PIERSON for the inclusion of Robin Press reporter Williams in one of his most endearing roles. 6. “Jerry Maguire” (1996): Fact one – Tom Cruise is a nut job in real life. Fact two – he manages to make some mighty fine movies. I never really wanted to be a sports agent, but this film makes the job look awfully cool. 7. “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994): Another overshadowed film that likely would’ve won Best Picture had it been made in a different year than “Forrest Gump.” You know a movie’s ending touches you when you end up taking your honeymoon in the same locale of Zihuatanejo, Mexico. 8. “Field of Dreams” (1989): Still my favorite movie ever made. It hits all the high notes through baseball, road trips and fatherson relationships. One day, I plan to see the actual field outside Dyersville, Iowa, for myself. 9. “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979): Certainly not a happy-go-lucky story, but it strikes a personal chord as someone who came from a divorced family and is watching his own children deal with the aftermath of one. 10. “The Graduate” (1967): Dustin Hoffman for the win. An astute, accurate rendering of what it’s like to be young and confused. I would know, since I saw it when I was young and confused. Bonus points for helping me understand the ending of “Wayne’s World 2.” Contact reporter Neil Pierson at npierson@isspress.com.
TO THE EDITOR Education
Changing bell times a bad idea for Issaquah schools Currently our superintendent is deciding whether our bell schedules in the Issaquah School District should change, with middle and high schools releasing at 3:55 p.m. versus what is currently 2:16pm. Students, teachers and parents have voiced their opinions as to why releasing at 3:55 p.m. doesn’t work. A few reasons this doesn’t work is teachers wouldn’t be able to stay after school to help with homework or run clubs, teachers quitting based on the commute home to their families, students not being able to hold a job after school, students actually staying up later knowing they can sleep in, the traffic being even worse at this release time. The proposal has a current cost of $600,000. If we have this “extra” money, then we as a community should look at all options we might want to spend this money on, such as a 7th period like our surrounding communities have, to adding art in elementary schools or to bring back orchestra in the elementary schools A small group is asking for this change based on a sleep study. There are many studies that we as a district could try to abide by. Only 12 percent of high school students get enough exercise. Based on that study, should we spend the
money to have P.E. every day in school? Why just pay attention to the sleep study? We as a community have to make choices on how to spend our money and this is not a choice our district should be spending additional dollars on.
Jody Mull Bellevue
Retail
Groceries and firearms? They just don’t mix
Reading this Sunday’s Seattle Times with the front page note “Grocery giant newest store with small town vibe.” Yes, I was ready to jump in my car and enjoy the new store Main and Vine in Gig Harbor. It looks like a delight. But it has a parent company that is selling guns in my local Fred Meyer on East Sammamish Parkway. I haven’t been able to make myself shop there since I found that out. I hope they aren’t doing the same at Main and Vine. I ask Kroger to stop selling guns where people take their family to buy food, school supplies and household goods. Then, I and others I have spoken with can return to our local Fred Meyer, QFC and even take a jaunt over to see the new store in Gig Harbor. There is an old saying, “There is a place for everything and everything in its place.” Please.
Patricia Martin
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ssaquah Valley Senior Center is being punished by the City of Issaquah. The elimination of the city’s annual grant funding is a direct consequence of our refusal to violate the laws of the state of Washington. The City of Issaquah is trying to create a political machine out of Issaquah Valley Senior Center for future partisan political purposes. City officials and self-appointed adversaries have been engaged in a siege against the center. Unfounded accusations, rumors, innuendoes and uninformed people created external controversies. The citizens of Issaquah deserve the real story. Issaquah Valley Senior Center is prohibited by law and under the terms of our lease from becoming involved in partisan politics. During the last two years, Issaquah Valley Senior Center leaders refused to endorse political candidates. We also refused to neglect our legal obligation to protect vulnerable seniors. These are the real reasons why the City Coun-
cil eliminated our annual grant funding. We have been subjected to a smear campaign much like a hostile takeover in the business world. The campaign to destroy us began in 2014 when the mayor reported anonymous complaints about the center to which he was “sworn to secrecy.” The mayor refused to disclose the complaint(s) or those who made them. Instead, the mayor investigated and found no merit to the complaints as he reported at our November 2014 board meeting. In June 2015, without notice to the center, the mayor ordered another investigation by the City Administrator. Instead, self-appointed adversaries were indulged beyond all reason and judgment to continue a barrage of false accusations, defamation, and misleading statements with intentional omission of actual facts against Issaquah Valley Senior Center leadership. It was on this fabrication of ideas and the created external controversy that the Issaquah City Council knowingly eliminated annual grant funding to Issaquah Valley Senior Center
in a closed January 2016 session, just 10 days after the center signed the third negotiated agreement to obtain city funding. Issaquah Valley Senior Center is an established 44-year-old organization that provides a wide range of senior services to more than 2,000 seniors each month. Services include health care and fitness, recreation, education and entertainment. The city’s sudden elimination of 44 percent of our annual funding will make it challenging to continue serving seniors. None of the false accusations against Issaquah Valley Senior Center have been proven. There is no justification to eliminate our City of Issaquah grant support. To our knowledge, we are the only nonprofit organization in the City of Issaquah that has been treated with such unfairness. We ask for your support. Courtney Jaren is executive director of Issaquah Valley Seniors. Craig Hansen, Carmen Llewellyn, Judi Schrager, Helen Smart and Ken Kenyon are members of the group’s board of directors.
GUEST COLUMN
Humanities fields just as critical as STEM By Joshua Schaier
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t is said that the graduate with a science degree asks, “Why does it work?” The graduate with an engineering degree asks, “How does it work?” The graduate with a liberal arts degree asks, “Do you want fries with that?” Well, that’s how the joke goes, anyway. However, our cavalier dismissal of humanities fields such as writing, social studies, and arts is no laughing manner. Though not quite as glamorous as STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields, humanities provides our students with a multitude of benefits that will serve them well not just in serving fries, but in all manner of careers, including STEM fields. Today, federal funding for the arts and humanities comes to around $250 million, whereas the National Science Foundation alone receives $5 billion every year. We must equalize these numbers. We must give humanities classes comparable prestige to STEM classes. In a recent survey conducted by market research firm Burning Glass Technologies, communications skills was the first- or second-most commonly sought skill by employers in all sectors. Communication skills do not just mean skill in speaking, but also in writing. That is where language arts classes come in. Only through constant practice can one acquire writing skills sufficient to impress employers in the new job market. Unfortunately, the skills taught to students are often inadequate, leaving them without any true comprehension of how to write professionally. It is therefore imperative that more emphasis be
placed into language arts so that students can be prepared for postsecondary life. Social studies must also be given greater emphasis than it is now. There are many lessons to be learned from our nation’s history — both its good and bad aspects. In addition to history, a renewed emphasis must be placed on civics, which is being de-emphasized or just plain not taught in some instances. In a 2012 survey conducted by Xavier University, 75 percent of respondents did not know the function of the judicial branch, 63 percent could not name one of their state’s senators, and, perhaps most ominously, 85% could not define the rule of law. Though no direct correlation can be made between poor coverage of civics and poor voter turnout, it is not unreasonable to assume that greater emphasis on civics can lead to increased participation in and enthusiasm for our democracy. Art and music classes are always the most ephemeral and questioned aspects of humanities. However, they should not be discarded so lightly. A 2014 study conducted by the University of California indicates that music study promotes creativity, social development, personality adjustment and self-worth. Arts and music classes may not provide successful careers to students, but the mental health benefits they provide can provide those in STEM careers the edge they need to accomplish great things. A 2014 study conducted by the Center for Public Education concluded that art classes are important for keeping high-risk dropout students at school. As more and more students drop out of high school, we should be taking steps to keep them engaged.
Moreover, skills acquired in the study of humanities fields are often necessary for STEM-based fields, and vice versa. Through humanities classes, students learn to approach problems creatively and flexibly. This can lead to great strides in the scientific fields, where true progress can only be made by those willing to expand the limits of the possible. Writing skills are critically important in STEM fields, whether that writing is writing an academic journal article or creating a speech to give to one’s colleagues. Similarly, the ability to think logically and critically based on careful observation is an extremely useful tool in humanities-based careers. Understanding a text or a legal brief or a bill of law can often only truly be accomplished through critical thinking, and the results can be extremely positive for our society at large. At the end of the day, our society is built on the accomplishments of both humanities based and STEMbased careers. Science, math, engineering and technology will solve great problems that society faces today, problems that endanger its very existence. Civilization, however, is equally imperiled by the diminishment of scientific progress and the diminishment of cultural progress. Those who understand why something works are just as important as those who understand how something works. Moreover, the learning experience of the new generation of students will be imperiled should they not be taught the full spectrum of education. We must bring humanities into the limelight where it belongs, and let it share that spot with STEM-based fields. Joshua Schaier is a resident of Sammamish.
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