MIR ROR 28 February 2018 Vol. 85 Issue 8
Loma Linda Academy News Reflecting on LLA since 1940s
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Briefs • Talent show - Monday, March 5 (upcoming event) • Pastor Mark Holm, following his stroke, returned home on Monday, February 19. He is in the process of recovering. Keep the Holm family in prayer! You can find the Pastor Holm Fundraiser at: www.youcaring.com/markholm-1056052/update/802884 • Junior Senior banquet announcement happened Monday, February 26.
A Month to Remember Rosa Parks once said, “Racism is still with us. But it is up to us to prepare our children for what they have to meet, and, hopefully, we shall overcome.” February is Black History month, and with this month we are reminded of those who were often forgotten. In 1926, Carter G. Woodson realized that African American heroes weren’t included in history and their only reference was as slaves. He proposed that education had to take the first steps in ending racial separation, and that it should include teaching of black history. Thus he chose the second
Photo by Ivanna Vargas
By Ivanna Vargas
week of February to be Negro History week, which would include the celebration of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass’s birthday. In 1969 it was proposed that February should be recognized as Black History month, but February did not become Black History month until 1976. President Carter recognized that actions needed to be taken in order to include African Americans in American History and make it so they were no longer neglected. In today’s world, one would think that there is no longer a need for this type of recog-
nition. However, in light of current events, it is evident that our country still continue to struggle with race and inequality. Now more than ever, we need to be reminded of the struggles that we have already suffered through, and the people that allowed us to get to where we are today. Black History month is not only about the African Americans that have helped to create the country that we live in now, but also for us to gain a better understanding of our world history as a whole.
• A college trip to PUC took place February 11-13. Students enjoyed attending classes and worshiping with PUC students. • • • • •
Winter Olympics 1st Norway: 39 2nd Germany: 31 3rd Canada: 29 4th USA: 23
• Lyle Goulbourne - Achieved the National Merit Scholarship
Gun Control and What We Can Do About It by Kaleo Smith
Chinese New Year
By Cheerleen Hu
Chinese New Year of 2018 starts on February 16th, and most of the celebrations can last until March 2nd. Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is the most important festival in China. It is a significant time for families in China to gather together celebrating the festival, but the ways to celebrate it are different among the southern and northern parts of China. In China’s north, people eat dumplings on New Year’s Eve, while people in the southern part usually eat “Year Cakes” (nian gao), “Soup Balls” (tang yuan), hotpot, and fish. There are special events such as lantern exhibition in Shanghai and flower fairs in Guangzhou. What is more special about Chinese New Year, is that it has its own zodiac animals - Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Everyone’s year of birth can be matched to one of the animals mentioned above. For example, this year is called the Year of Dog. On February 17th, many of the Chinese students had a gathering at Susan Bathke’s house. Chinese students had fun eating dinner together as a big family and chatting while having great food. At the end of
Mirror Staff Editor-inChief Ivanna Vargas
Design Editor Hannah Sitanggang
Photo Journalist Angela Jin
Photo by Angela Jin
the gathering, Bathke gave everyone a red envelope having money inside that stands for good luck in Chinese culture. It was amazing that Bathke put red envelopes on her Christmas tree, which was a creative and surprising way for giving red envelopes. “It is a great experience having the New Year supper together with my friends. Also, it gives me chances getting to know some new faces. Many of the international students do not have their parents living with them, so they may feel lonely sometimes. I believe this gathering brings them more joyfulness and happiness.” said Molly Liu (10).
Photo Journalist Grace Morales
Reporter Salomon Gallo
On Wednesday February 14, there was a school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida. It left 17 dead in its wake and raises the question, “What can we do about this problem?” America has a problem with school shootings, and many believe that not enough is being done to stop it. Many believe that mental health and gun availability are the main factors in these shootings. Some would like to place restrictions on what firearms civilians can own, some want stricter requirements for gun ownership and maybe even psychological evaluations for potential gun owners, some would like both, and others don’t want government regulations to be involved at all. It is a complex issue. The Mirror set out to find student opinions on the topic. Yuri Altemus (12) says, “I think background checks on people who own assault weapons should be more harsh. I don’t think that guns as a tool are the main problem, but are we going to just sit around and let a mass shooting happen every single month or are we going to try to look for a solution.” Izabel Rengifo (12) says, “I feel like it is caused by miscommunication between students in schools, so I think that is a disconnect that we need to work on. I feel like reaching out towards people who seem a little off could possibly prevent school shootings.” Harrison Mace (11) says, “I think the government should be doing something more about this, but I also think that having the second
Reporter Chloe Hegstad
P. 1
Reporter Cheerleen Hu
Reporter Noah Hernandez
amendment is important to this nation.” He continued, “I looked at gun rights in different states and in California, where it is hard to have a gun on you unless you have a permit for it, you can see the crime rates still up. I feel like there can be something done about it. I agree with making it harder for these kids to obtain guns, but also I think it is easy to use someone else’s gun, so it is very complicated. I think getting rid of guns in general is not the best idea, but it is an idea.” Jacob Guzman (12) says, “I think a way to prevent school shootings is to either arm teachers or have armed police officers at all schools.” There were also interesting solutions from the “other” box on the survey which included raising the age of legal gun ownership to 21 instead of 18, watching suspicious characters, adding more focus on social skills in elementary instead of standardized tests, and making social workers more available for youth who struggle socially. There are many approaches that can be considered. For the first 100 responses, the two options that had well above 50% approval were: stricter background checks and psychological evaluations. Although people may disagree on many different solutions, they can certainly work together to achieve what they do agree on as a start.
Reporter Kaleo Smith
Sponsor Danelle Taylor Johnston
Publisher Datha Tickner