November 2019 Issue

November 8, 2019 VolUME Ix, EDITION II

Non-Profit Org. US Postage PAID Permit #19 Mercer Island, WA MERCER IS SCHOOL DIST 400

T e ac h e r

IN THIS ISSUE Features Gender Disparities in Upper-Level STEM Classes

PAGE 3 OPINIONS Conservatives Can Help Make America Kind Again

PAGE 8 A&E Joker’s Box Office Success Underscores Its Cultural Relevance

PAGE 10 Editors-in-Chief Ellie Gottesman and Annie Poole investigate the ethnic diversity of the MIHS teaching staff on pages 6 and 7.

The MIHS Islander

9100 SE 42nd St. Mercer Island, WA 98040 mihsislander@gmail.com www.mihsislander.org

EDITORS IN CHIEF

Online | Ellie Gottesman Print | Annie Poole Business Manager | Ethan Preston Managing Editor | Isabel Funk Front Editors | Ellie Gottesman and Annie Poole Features Editors | Annika Bhananker & Maya Virdell Spread Editors | Ellie Gottesman and Annie Poole Opinions Editor | Isabel Funk A&E Editor | Natalie Chen Back Editor | Kiran D’Souza Sports Editor | Ethan Preston Copy Editor | Annika Bhananker Cartoonist | Lena Hardisty Sports Columnist | Alex Levin Adviser | Chris Twombley Staff Writers Ryan Dallas, Morgan Dawson, Brooks Kahsai, Allison Hixson, Hannah Howison, Kyu Kim, Mia LoBosco, Braeden Nett, Kieran Rogers and Honor Warburg

A Letter From the Editors-in-Chief Hello Islanders! The decision to make our page deadline Nov. 1 may have been a slight oversight considering six of our seven page editors are seniors who all applied to college with Nov. 1 deadlines. If you walked into the editors room during production, you would be up to your knees in Yerba Mate cans among a severely sleep-deprived group of editors. Nevertheless, we are proud to present what both of us have nicknamed the “Voices Issue.”

Our staff has long been anticipating publishing an issue centered on diverse voices. Not only is our featured story about ethnic diversity amongst our teaching staff, but includes the voices of underrepresented groups in our high school, namely conservatives and women in STEM. We are proud that our new staff writers have stepped up to the challenge of tackling hard issues.

The process of writing an article on such a charged topic forced us into uncomfortable, but very important conversations. As two young white women, we are still learning the nuances of race and, ethnicity and are by no means experts on this issue. However, writing this article has pushed us – and hopefully will inspire you – to finally talk about why there are so few teachers of color at Mercer Island and what this means for our school culture.

So, as you read ahead, we hope you keep your mind open to having informed conversations surrounding these sensitive topics.

IN cASE YOU MISSED...

The top articles from our website

Photo courtesy Joe Gormley

ABOUT

THE MIHS ISLANDER | mihsislander.org

Unified team plays Flag Football in the stadium as Part of Unity Week

By Isabel Funk and Ellie Gottesman

Photo by Ellie Gottesman

INSIDE | NOV. 2019

2019 Playwriting Project: A Successful, Drama-filled Night

By Isabel Funk and Ellie Gottesman

Photo courtesy Joe Chen

2

Mercer Island Band Performs at Seahawks Halftime, Saxophonist Reflects

By Alex Levin

PUBLICATION NOTICES

Purpose: To provide news to the Mercer Island High School student body and members of the surrounding community in a manner that accurately reflects readers’ interests. The MIHS Islander is an open student forum, and the opinions expressed within do not represent those of the high school or district administration.

Ads: To print an ad in a future issue of The MIHS Islander, contact Business Manager Ethan Preston at mihsislander@gmail.com for rates and information.

Corrections: We pride ourselves on accurate, fact-based journalism. If you believe The MIHS Islander has gotten a fact or quote wrong, please contact us and we’ll print a correction in the next issue.

Privacy: All electronic mail messages in connection with Mercer Island School District business which are sent or received by this account are subject to the Washington State Public Records Act and may be disclosed to third parties.

Nondiscrimination Notification: The Mercer Island School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, marital status, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The Mercer Island School District offers classes in many College and Career Readiness Programs, admission to which is non-discriminatory. Lack of English-language proficiency will not be a barrier to admission and participation in these programs.

The following people have been designed to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator; Harrassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) Coordinator; Title IX Compliance Coordinator: Erin Battersby, Senior Director. (206) 230-6227, erin.battersby@mercerislandschools.org Section 504 & ADA Coordinator: Dr. Lindsay Myatich, Director. (206) 236-3326, lindsay.myatich@mercerislandschools.org

THE MIHS ISLANDER | mihsislander.org

FEATURES | nov. 2019

Gender Disparities Lie in Upper-Level STEM Classes ISABEL FUNK

Managing Editor

As a freshman, Nicole Hibi noticed a course called Engineering Tech and decided she would take the course before finishing high school. Three years later, as a senior, Hibi signed up for the class, now an aspiring architect. Two other girls are taking the class.

Hibi’s experience as one of few female students in an advanced class is not unique.

Many advanced MIHS courses in STEM are not gender balanced, matching the disparity in upper levels of related professions.

“The dynamic is a little weird considering I’m a cheerleader,” Hibi said.

“Sometimes I feel judged being in that class: ‘why is she here?

I don’t know if she actually knows what she’s doing, she’s taking it as a throwaway.’ I’ve never talked to anyone personally about that.”

The gender gap is most pronounced in the AP physics courses, with 25% female students in AP Physics C Mechanics and 38% female students in AP Physics 2. The entire student body is around 47% female.

“It can be intimidating,” said senior Mattie Lee, one of eight girls in AP Physics C Mechanics. “I’m definitely on the more confident side when it comes to speaking in class. I don’t mind raising my hand and giving a problem a try and being wrong, but I’ve also been in the situation where I wasn’t as confident. If I was in that situation and put into a class like that, I would just never talk, ever.”

3

entist has been important, and it continues to be.”

Although Noble said he has not seen any significant improvement or decline since he began teaching, Weston said there has been a “slow evolution.”

“When Einstein published his papers on relativity, initially he was working with his first wife, and they left her name off because they knew if her name was on it, it would not get published. There are letters about this between them,” Weston said. “They got divorced but he sent her part of the money because she had earned it. So if you go from early 1900s to now, there has been a huge change.”

Although Noble said he encourages his female students to take AP physics courses, physics as a profession remains heavily unbalanced, perpetually lacking female role models.

“Physicists in their training are not explicitly, but are implicitly trained to be sexist,” Noble said. “I would not wish physics and engineering on my worst female enemy. It is a really inhospitable environment and it is not a pleasant place to live and work. There are plenty of There are 8 girls and 23 boys in women who do it, but it is not something Mr. Noble’s AP Physics C class. they ever get to ignore, that they are female. It is always part of what they do.”

In the MIHS physics department, Noble said he and Brian Hampsch, another Photo BY ANNIE POOLE, Graphic by Lena Hardisty physics teacher, discuss the gender disparity annually to see what they can do ties and all skin types, they all have to be promoted to address the gap and encourage more balanced so that there are appropriate role models for every- classes. body in order to create that kind of supportive com“Part of the conversation that Mr. Hampsch and I munity,” Noble said. “They did that in biology.” have is, ‘Is it us? Are we scaring the women away Patty Weston, who teaches both chemistry and from signing up for our course?’ and we beat ourphysics, described STEM as a “leaky pipeline,” selves up about it every year, but short of becomwith fewer and fewer women progressing to higher ing other people, I’m not sure necessarily what we and higher levels of the profession, adding that stu- should be doing about that,” Noble said. dents are influenced by professional discrepancies Weston said she has seen more girls interested when choosing classes. in taking advanced courses in the 11 years she has “Students looking up and seeing 90% or 95% of taught at MIHS. the researchers don’t look like them or they can’t “People fostering a culture that is overtly sexist identify with them, that would be hard to look at or overtly racist is waning significantly, I don’t see and say ‘I totally see myself doing that.’ It’s dis- that,” Weston said. “I see more people not acknowlsuading if nothing else,” Weston said. “Visibility edging or understanding the impact of visibility, acof people who don’t look like a stereotype of a sci- ceptance, inclusivity and recognition.”

Not all STEM courses are majority male. AP Biology and AP Environmental Sciences are both 60% female. Physics teacher of 24 years Aaron Noble said students are more likely to go into fields where they have role models, leading to disparities in the high school that mirror professional imbalances.

“At some point, somebody has to make a decision that you have to promote all genders and all ethnici-

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FEATURES | NOV. 2019

THE MIHS ISLANDER | mihsislander.org

MIHS Coaches Reflect on How Their Sports Have Changed Alex Levin

Sports Columnist

Now

No MIHS sports team has remained exactly as it was 20 years ago, whether the changes have been physical or cultural, for better or for worse.

Some MIHS coaches played for their teams as teenagers, returning now in a new role, having witnessed the changes firsthand.

Math teacher and head wrestling coach Lee Jahncke is a key factor in helping current MIHS wrestlers today reach their potential.

He also wrestled for the team in high school for three years before graduating in 2000, giving him plenty of insight on how the sport has evolved.

“The biggest difference in terms of participation is that there are sig-

Then

Naylor competed for the MIHS track team in high school, and still enjoys running to this day.

Photos Courtesy Danny Naylor

“The expectations and the amount of time that athletes put in now is dramatically different than what it used to be ”

Photos Courtesy Danny Naylor

nificantly more female wrestlers who are now part of the sport,” Jahncke said. “When I was in high school, I think we had only one or two female wrestlers try out the sport.”

As well as wrestling, Jahncke competed in a selection of other sports, giving him a keen understanding of how athletics have changed as a whole.

“The expectations and the amount of time that athletes put in now is dramatically different than what it used to be,” Jahncke said.

Science teacher and cross country coach Danny Naylor, who graduated from MIHS in 2007, has been running for almost his entire life. He said the decision to come back to the cross country team was easy because he loves the sport.

“Generally the culture of the team being very inclusive and supportive,

[with] everyone working hard and helping out their teammates, [makes it] such a great team to be a part of,” Naylor said.

While Naylor agrees that the sport has changed since he was in high school, he said he doesn’t believe the change was for the better.

“There are more people doing the sport for PE credit than I remember,” Naylor said. “I think that has led to a little bit of a more relaxed and less competitive atmosphere.”

Although some things have changed, other aspects of the sport remain the same.

“There always have been and will always continue to be those who push themselves to their limits and those who do not,” Naylor said. “But there is still a lot of hard work being done and a lot of people enjoying the team.”

THE MIHS ISLANDER | mihsislander.org

FEATURES | Nov. 2019

International Students Explore U.S. Culture

5

Brooks Kahsai

Staff Writer

ng

ar di sty .

La

Mercer Island students are used to living in “I think the culture [of America] is difa community where everyone knows everyone ferent from France, but it’s not a really else, but we cannot forget that there are individbig difference; we’re all the same,” said uals who remind them of a bigger world.

Garnier.

Enter: the international students!

Langlois said he would love to return Each year Islanders host new stuto the U.S. as an adult to live and work dents from countries across the globe. one day, and hopefully make use of This year, students have come from his advanced English-speaking abilifar and wide to expand their academic ties. horizons in a new environment, often For Fleischmann, an avid golfer, the to master English. Cristobal Langlois opportunities for international tourand Matias Fleischmann, from naments in the United States greatly Santiago, Chilé; Emma Garniinfluenced his decision to learn er, from Thonon-les-Bains, English and join the internaFrance. tional program at MIHS. Langlois and Fleis“In Chile, [English] is not chmann, two Spanso useful, but when you ish-speaking freshmen, grow up it’s useful for proarrived in the United fessional sports or other States in September. [careers],” Fleischmann Both love Mercer Issaid. land, especially the Garnier had similar abundance of trees and motivations that influnature, and the kindenced her decision to ness of their peers and come to the U.S. teachers. In fact, ac“[I decided to do the cording to Fleischmann, program mostly] to imthe island is “really simprove my English and ilar” to their hometown, experience a different culmuch to his delight. ture,” Garnier said.

Emma Garnier arrived Like Fleischmann, Garniin the U.S. in October from er is seeking to improve her Mercer Island’s sister city inn English to advance her future France, and said that she has career. been wowed by the environment.

“I would like to be a surgeon in lo H is, a “It’s very different [on Mercer Isa poor country, so it will be useful to Fl n e is Le y land], everything is bigger, and there communicate with other English usch b ma ic nn ph are so many trees,” Garnier said. “It’s ers,” Garnier said. a r and G ai.

G ar s h very beautiful.”

The international program serves the pura nier, oks K from le ft to right. Photos by Bro Ultimately, all agree that Mercer Island is pose of connecting Mercer Island students welcoming. with those from other cultures. It also opens “All my good friends are in Chile, so it’s hard doors to these students to use their newly acto adjust, but everyone here has been friendly,” felt welcomed on the island, but doesn’t feel maquired skills to take an occupational path that jor differences between the culture of her homeFleischmann said. may or may not have been as easy to choose Garnier echoed a similar sentiment that she has town and Mercer Island. before coming to the U.S.​

The Numbers

What Is the Ethnic Makeup of MIHS Teaching Staff?

Editors-in-Chief

Mercer Island High School’s classroom teaching staff identifies as 89% white.

Of the four core subjects – math, science, history and English – hosted on the main campus, only two teachers of 41 identify as something other than white.

Chemistry teacher Shannon Sue, Japanese and Swedish, identifies as mixed race.

“My being mixed helps me make connections with other mixed kids more easily,” Sue said.

While Sue can serve as an immediate connection for Asian students in his classes, he is only one Asian teacher in the core subjects for a 21% Asian student population.

“In some ways the lack of representation affects the way I see myself because it seems like the average kid at MIHS and the average teacher at MIHS is not me,” Jasper Geer, a Korean

Classroom Teacher vs.

Student Ethnicity

87%

69%

Students Teachers

21%

2%

Asian

4% 3%

latinx

WHite

1% 0%

Black

5%

7%

mixed race

it comfortable. But that begs the question, ‘Does that mean we should avoid it?’ In my opinion, a safe educational community is the best place to start having these conversations,” Laughary said.

Laughary’s teaching partner, Ed Puchalla, covers the history of slavery and its effects in America. As a white male history teacher, Puchalla feels qualified to educate his students on topics surrounding race, but understands his limitations to empathize.

“I can only imagine how difficult it must be to be in an environment where I don’t see people like me teaching or running the school or I don’t see many people like me in the classroom. Is it possible that it makes it more difficult to speak openly and frankly? Absolutely,” Puchalla said.

According to Associate Principal Henterson Carlisle, even though the Mercer Island student body is 69% white, a diverse staff is vital for students to learn how to work with people of different ethnicities.

“The students of Mercer Island are so smart and gifted and privileged. They are going to be the people behind the hiring desk,” Carlisle said. “I [came to Mercer Island because I] wanted them to have an experience with an African American male leader in school so that when they are interviewing people of color in the future, they are giving a fair chance to qualified candidates that don’t necessarily look like them.”

In recent years, Principal Vicki Puckett, a woman of color, has made goals to diversify the staff at MIHS. “When we have applicants that are equal and somebody brings the skill set of speaking a different language, or being from a different culture or a different race, then I’m going to select them over someone who doesn’t bring that to the table,” Puckett said.

Puckett has placed advertisements for teaching positions on a local African American radio station and in Spanish and Chinese newspapers.

LATINx WHITE

9

this data was collected by the MIHS Islander and does not necessarily reflect the entire MIHS staff.

While the classroom staff lacks ethnic diversity, two of the four MIHS Administrators are people of color. Puckett indentifies as Asian and Carisle identifies as African American. Photo by Ellie Gottesman

glish n E

10

gua n g a

6

9 1

mixed race

Teacher Ethnicity by the number

math

2

1

ience c s

other

11

19

1

Puckett hired Carlisle, who is black, to serve as an Associate Principal. He has become an outlet for students and parents of color on Mercer Island.

“I go to Carlisle and Kelly all the time because they understand what goes on outside of school,” Griffin said.

While MIHS has made progress toward hiring a more diverse staff that better understands the lived experiences of all its students, the overwhelming majority of applicants for teaching positions are still white.

“Teachers of color have to consider ‘If I go work at a school that lacks students of color, will I be singled out in my decision making more than other teachers that look more like the students?’” Carlisle said.

According to Carlisle, teachers of color are often drawn to schools with more ethnic diversity because of the innate desire to help students who can relate to their experiences as a person of color.

“I see a lot of white guys and a lot of white women,” Puchalla said. “If you look around the building and in the classrooms there hasn’t been a significant change at all in 20 years I’ve taught here.”

1 2

c r est

5 1

apro r pa

7 2

Responses from Natalie Chen and Annika Bhananker and the MIHS Administration can be found online at

mihsislander.org

s

-American student, said. “It is hard to feel normal.”

The lack of representation also impacts other students of color, namely the black population that makes up 1% of the student body. Discussing sensitive issues like slavery and racism can be isolating when neither the teacher nor the students can relate to the lived experience of black students.

“I feel like there are those weird stares when you’re reading a book like Huck Finn,” Black Student Union co-President Keshani Griffin said. “There’s the n-word and so people look at you. I’m not any different from you guys just because I have different color skin.”

English teacher Creighton Laughary teaches Huck Finn, a book that has become very controversial over its use of the n-word and perceived racist tropes.

“I don’t know if anyone could do a good enough job teaching topics like racism to make

ellie gottesman and annie poole

story i H

e

Diversity

Asian

l

Teacher

The Numbers

What Is the Ethnic Makeup of MIHS Teaching Staff?

Editors-in-Chief

Mercer Island High School’s classroom teaching staff identifies as 89% white.

Of the four core subjects – math, science, history and English – hosted on the main campus, only two teachers of 41 identify as something other than white.

Chemistry teacher Shannon Sue, Japanese and Swedish, identifies as mixed race.

“My being mixed helps me make connections with other mixed kids more easily,” Sue said.

While Sue can serve as an immediate connection for Asian students in his classes, he is only one Asian teacher in the core subjects for a 21% Asian student population.

“In some ways the lack of representation affects the way I see myself because it seems like the average kid at MIHS and the average teacher at MIHS is not me,” Jasper Geer, a Korean

Classroom Teacher vs.

Student Ethnicity

87%

69%

Students Teachers

21%

2%

Asian

4% 3%

latinx

WHite

1% 0%

Black

5%

7%

mixed race

it comfortable. But that begs the question, ‘Does that mean we should avoid it?’ In my opinion, a safe educational community is the best place to start having these conversations,” Laughary said.

Laughary’s teaching partner, Ed Puchalla, covers the history of slavery and its effects in America. As a white male history teacher, Puchalla feels qualified to educate his students on topics surrounding race, but understands his limitations to empathize.

“I can only imagine how difficult it must be to be in an environment where I don’t see people like me teaching or running the school or I don’t see many people like me in the classroom. Is it possible that it makes it more difficult to speak openly and frankly? Absolutely,” Puchalla said.

According to Associate Principal Henterson Carlisle, even though the Mercer Island student body is 69% white, a diverse staff is vital for students to learn how to work with people of different ethnicities.

“The students of Mercer Island are so smart and gifted and privileged. They are going to be the people behind the hiring desk,” Carlisle said. “I [came to Mercer Island because I] wanted them to have an experience with an African American male leader in school so that when they are interviewing people of color in the future, they are giving a fair chance to qualified candidates that don’t necessarily look like them.”

In recent years, Principal Vicki Puckett, a woman of color, has made goals to diversify the staff at MIHS. “When we have applicants that are equal and somebody brings the skill set of speaking a different language, or being from a different culture or a different race, then I’m going to select them over someone who doesn’t bring that to the table,” Puckett said.

Puckett has placed advertisements for teaching positions on a local African American radio station and in Spanish and Chinese newspapers.

LATINx WHITE

9

this data was collected by the MIHS Islander and does not necessarily reflect the entire MIHS staff.

While the classroom staff lacks ethnic diversity, two of the four MIHS Administrators are people of color. Puckett indentifies as Asian and Carisle identifies as African American. Photo by Ellie Gottesman

glish n E

10

gua n g a

6

9 1

mixed race

Teacher Ethnicity by the number

math

2

1

ience c s

other

11

19

1

Puckett hired Carlisle, who is black, to serve as an Associate Principal. He has become an outlet for students and parents of color on Mercer Island.

“I go to Carlisle and Kelly all the time because they understand what goes on outside of school,” Griffin said.

While MIHS has made progress toward hiring a more diverse staff that better understands the lived experiences of all its students, the overwhelming majority of applicants for teaching positions are still white.

“Teachers of color have to consider ‘If I go work at a school that lacks students of color, will I be singled out in my decision making more than other teachers that look more like the students?’” Carlisle said.

According to Carlisle, teachers of color are often drawn to schools with more ethnic diversity because of the innate desire to help students who can relate to their experiences as a person of color.

“I see a lot of white guys and a lot of white women,” Puchalla said. “If you look around the building and in the classrooms there hasn’t been a significant change at all in 20 years I’ve taught here.”

1 2

c r est

5 1

apro r pa

7 2

Responses from Natalie Chen and Annika Bhananker and the MIHS Administration can be found online at

mihsislander.org

s

-American student, said. “It is hard to feel normal.”

The lack of representation also impacts other students of color, namely the black population that makes up 1% of the student body. Discussing sensitive issues like slavery and racism can be isolating when neither the teacher nor the students can relate to the lived experience of black students.

“I feel like there are those weird stares when you’re reading a book like Huck Finn,” Black Student Union co-President Keshani Griffin said. “There’s the n-word and so people look at you. I’m not any different from you guys just because I have different color skin.”

English teacher Creighton Laughary teaches Huck Finn, a book that has become very controversial over its use of the n-word and perceived racist tropes.

“I don’t know if anyone could do a good enough job teaching topics like racism to make

ellie gottesman and annie poole

story i H

e

Diversity

Asian

l

Teacher

THE MIHS ISLANDER | mihsislander.org 8 Opinions | nov. 2019 Conservatives Can Help Make America Kind Again Alli Hixson Staff Writer

then dismissing the crazies on the right as racist, misogynist, insensitive, haters, etc. Thoughtful discussion requires respect, diversity of thought and an open mind.

First and foremost, respect. Every human being deserves it, along with kindness. Don’t worry; both sides have had their fair share of attacks. My idea?

Let’s “Make America Kind Again.” That might be an impossible request, but it’s worth a shot.

Secondly, diversity of thought. There is nothing to be gained from a like-minded classroom. There is no point in holding discussions in an e c h o -

Conservatives are a rare commodity here on Mercer Island, but somehow, we are everywhere.

We infiltrate the back of your civics classrooms.

We Airdrop you edgy memes from across the lunch table. We silently prowl the fringes of the political conversation, carefully self-censoring our opinions, lest we expose ourselves. Funnily enough, we are also hard to spot; we don’t often don the notorious MAGA hat (and no, we don’t pledge our allegiance to Hitler because don’t like big government energy).

Republicans, Conservatives, Right-Wingers, Deplorables (whatever they call us) are not a “touchyfeely” bunch: we’d rather talk business and politics than emotions. For the most part, we like to keep our heads down and do our work.

However, let me tell you how we feel when our school talks about “inclusion.”

We chuckle when we hear that our liberaldominated school wants to add “inclusion” to its motto. Inclusion in and of itself is no laughing matter, but when teachers refuse to listen to our points of view or our peers reject us for our beliefs, we do not feel particularly welcome, even in the safest of spaces. The irony cuts us deep.

Schools are supposed to be places to share diverse voices and opinions, right? In the classroom, students should be able to engage in civil discourse without being afraid of “talked down” by peers or teachers. No student ever deserves to be bashed for thinking for themselves, right? Many conservative students find they want to raise their hand to say something but don’t because they might get a snide comment or a bad grade in return.

If we as a student body cannot overcome our biases and provide perspectives from all sides, we will never have meaningful conversations about inclusion.

At the same time, analyzing both perspectives does not mean hearing from intellectuals Graphic by Alli Hixson on the left and

for information about the Young americans for freedom club at mihs, visit room 202 3:00 p.m. on Mondays.

chamber where everyone agrees with everyone; there is no fun or growth in that. No matter what side you find yourself on, step into the classroom with the willingness to learn and possibly change your opinion. Learning isn’t merely advancing your own ideologies but entertaining the merits of other ones.

“But we can’t include racists and deplorables!” you cry. And you are right; thankfully, not all of us are racists or deplorables. Those are just the labels someone slapped on us. Personally, I feel very upset by these labels because they come from a place of misunderstanding. We the Conservatives have done our fair share of labeling too, and I am by no means justifying it. Labels aren’t cool. They degrade individuality.

In my own experience, I have found that the socalled “culture wars” are not necessarily split into left and right. There is a spectrum. Conservatives often disagree on certain issues within their own circles. “Conservative” and “liberal” are broad terms; having opinions that fall in both categories don’t necessarily make an individual one or the other.

Before you dismiss someone because you don’t like their metal straw that reads “BIG GOVERNMENT SUCKS,” think about how much you could learn from them and listen to what they have to say, maybe empathize a little and treasure their boldness. It is incredibly hard to be the odd-one-out.

Do something courageous: include them.

THE MIHS ISLANDER | mihsislander.org

opinions| Nov. 2019

Do I Honor My Heritage and Check the Right Box? Morgan Dawson Staff Writer

Growing up in a racially-mixed household, I never truly felt the need to explicitly define my race until the pressure of college applications came up. Like me, many other high school students find themselves faced with the decision of which box to check once they reach the “race” category.

While my father is half African-American and my mother is fully Caucasian, I identify as Caucasian.

Over the years, whenever someone learns about my family’s multi-racial background, their response is almost always something along the lines of “ No way, you look so white!” or “You’re so lucky, you get to put ‘black’ on your college application!”

I know they are often meant lightheartedly, but comments like this have led me to consider whether I should put down a race that is in my Graphic by Alli Hixson DNA, but not necessarily one I identify with.

If you were to look at me, you would see my pale skin, blue eyes, and light brown hair; you’d never guess that I am anything but white. Because I do not have my father’s darker skin, I don’t experience the same discriminative struggles that he does.

My father grew up in Kansas and attended a predominantly white high school.

“I definitely faced many barriers early in my life, especially growing up where I did,” he said. “The challenge that I faced was being between two worlds. I looked one way, but had been socialized another way, so I was expected to fit into two different groups, but didn’t really fit into either.” In my father’s life, his battle with establishing a racial identity played a major

role in defining who he was, whereas in my life, this aspect has not had such a grand impact.

Considering my dad’s lived experience, the decision became easy for me. I have not endured the same level of race-based prejudice that he has, so it is partially for this reason that I am choosing to solely check the Caucasian box.

But what about other students? Is there a clear ethical standard for how to respond to this question? The truth is that everyone’s justification is different.

“It depends on the person,” Sareen Mokha said. “For some people, it’s about their blood, for others it’s the way they grew up.” Mokha identifies as Indian and plans to check “Asian” on her applications.

“I think that if you’re over 20% of a race, then you could be allowed to claim it,” said Alex Espinosa, who identifies as Hispanic.

Chris Clark plans to check the “other” box on his applications. “I shouldn’t be forced to choose just one race.” From his perspective, college applications can be too confining. Chris’ father is African American and his mother is Asian, and he identifies with both races.

In search of statistics, I called the admissions departments of a number of colleges and universities, and came to an interesting conclusion; there is no

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minimum percentage that qualifies a student to claim a minority race on their college application. This is where the lines get blurred. Although students might be tempted to fabricate a race, it is not as simple as checking a little box. By doing this, students decrease the number of slots available for applicants of true minority status.

In 2003, the U.S Supreme Court ruled that the use of race quotas in the process of vetting students was unconstitutional, but also ruled that schools could continue to use race as a factor in admissions decisions.

According to the Washington Post, schools can no longer set aside a specific number of slots for students, but often have a goal for the racial makeup of their entering class. If a student falsely reports their identified race when applying, they risk taking the place of another deserving minority student.

Upon learning this information, I decided to ask my father--a person of color and a parent-which race he would advise me to claim.

“Check whichever race you feel most comfortable with, knowing that you would have to justify it,” he said.

His advice seems to perfectly sum up my internal debate. For me, even though I am a quarter AfricanAmerican, I wouldn’t feel right checking the “black” box on my college applications, when I haven’t experienced the struggles associated with being black in the United States. I still embrace my heritage and I am not neglecting a part of who I am. My decision is out of respect, knowing that because of my appearance I have experienced privilege. To make someone narrow down their racial and ethnic background to one category, is simply a lot to ask.

10 A&E | nov. 2019

THE MIHS ISLANDER | mihsislander.org

Joker’s Box Office Sucess Underscores Its Cultural Relevance Kyu Bin Kim Staff Writer

Warning: Spoilers for the film are in this article if you haven’t seen the film please watch it first.

Todd Phillips’ Joker portrays a mentally ill man trying to survive in the destitute city of Gotham; that is, until he reaches his breaking point and sparks a violent revolution against the city’s oligarchs.

Joker’s sympathetic depiction of a murderous sociopath has spurred controversy among critics and movie-goers alike. The film can be seen as a twisted coming-of-age story of a troubled man castigated by society, who, by the end of his character arc, accepts who society has made him into: the Joker.

Arthur Fleck, portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix, works as a street clown aspiring to be a comedian to support his ailing mother. He strives to bring joy and happiness to the world. However, Fleck is constantly beaten down by the cruel inhabitants of Gotham. It is only through episodes of delusions in which others are kind to him that he finds solace. When it is revealed that Arthur is in fact adopted by his mother and abused by her boyfriend, Arthur kills his mother and spirals into a chasm of chaos and violence.

There have been many incarnations of the Joker from the last fifty years, ranging from Cesar Romero’s campy Joker from the 1960s to the dark and anarchist Joker portrayed by the late Heath Ledger.

Phoenix’s Joker breaks from past interpretations of the comic character; interestingly, his Joker is the first time we see the character developed separately from his antithesis: Batman. The absence of a foil allows for Phoenix’s Joker to be more of a character study of society’s poor treatment of its “have nots.”

Phillips connects Gotham’s class disparity to the increasing financial disparity that exists in contemporary global society. In 2018, the tax rate for the top 400 families in the United States has declined

to approximately 22%, lower even than the tax rates of its poorest citizens.

While Joker tackles themes such as class disparity and cruelty of the affluent in the United States toward the poor, on the other side of the world in South Korea, Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite unnervingly quarrels with similar conundra.

Joker is not a mere political message or reflection of a select few countries’ struggles. Hong Kong, Leb- anon, Chile, and Iraq are amidst a major period of turmoil where people are taking to the streets

to demand economic and social justice.

The Joker’s fight has inspired these protesters to wear the character’s face make-up as they take to the streets.

Despite the controversy surrounding the movie regarding violence, disturbing images and blood appear sparsely throughout the movie, only utilized after Arthur’s realization of his false origin story.

Throughout the film Arthur has delusions of grandeur. The ambiguity of A r t h u r ’s reality is

masterfully controlled by Phillips’ manipulation of tone. Joker conveys a sense of uneasiness when Arthur is in reality, where people treat him like “trash” because of his uncontrollable laughter. When anyone does treat Arthur with consistent kindness and sympathy, the scenario is clearly manufactured by Arthur’s imagination.

Thus, because the audience sympathizes with his underdog status, viewers feel uncomfortable when Arthur is in reality, preferring his delusions. Arthur tries his hardest to be a normal person, to get to a point where he doesn’t need to dream anymore.

The moment Arthur puts on the suit and paints on the clown face he breaks off his metaphorical childhood radiator; he is no longer Arthur Fleck--he embraces the dance, laughter and subversive disobedience of the Joker.

“Joker” is now the top-grossing R-rated movie of all time, surpassing “Deadpool.” With the explosion of discussion on class disparity and Joker’s influence on current protests in multiple countries, Joker inspires all the mistreated, overlooked and underserved to stand up not take it.

“Joker’s” fictional spark has lit the world on fire.

TO READ A Q&A with thomas Short about the movie, visit mihsislander. org

Graphic by Lena Hardisty

THE MIHS ISLANDER | mihsislander.org

A&E | nov. 2019

Following | For You

TikTok Takes Over Teenage Media Consumption Honor Warburg

Staff Writer

Senior Natalie Smith made one TikTok with her cousin, and the next day, her video had 1.3 million views.

With over 500 million downloads, the TikTok app has surged in popularity in 2019. For many, TikTok fills the void left

by Vine, another app popular known for its short video format.

TikTok provides a platform for users to share homemade videos that highlight creativity and humor, growing into a Gen-Z pop culture phenomenon. For example, the popular song, “Old Town Road” by rapper Lil Nas X originally played on TikTok, generating thousands of videos with over 67 million plays.

Millions of TikTok views comes with a connection that transcends national culture.

“I was also surprised to see that the TikTok had made it to parts of Europe and how different languages started appearing in the comments. It’s cool how universal TikTok has become,” Smith said.

“Now the video has over 12 million views, which is crazy. I honestly don’t know how that happened.”

Besides connecting users online, TikTok has become part of everyday conversation.

“It’s made my life better because so many people know all the jokes from TikTok now,” junior Casey Amico said. Amico, a student at MIHS, garnered 10 thousand likes on one of her posts.

“I was kind of surprised to see my one video get that much attention,” Amico said. “I started by making one video and since I was having so much fun, I just kept making them.”

TikTok, in particular, has been thought to be more time consuming than other apps because of the expectations to respond to other users with the use of features such as “duets.” Duets are videos that allow users to create content featuring an initial video, with both videos appearing side by side on a screen.

TikTok has been influencing the face of teenage interactions, between common dances to Old Town Road and viral jokes such as Danny How You Feel, which is a song that went TikTok viral and has become common in teenage slang.

However, teenagers are not the only ones talking about TikTok. The addictive nature of the platform raises concerns and two US Senators have even claimed that it was a national security threat.

TikTok may just be a phase that dies off like Vine, but for now, it is dominating teen culture.

Photo Courtesy Casey Amico Amico’s most popular TikTok has reached 96 thousand views

Photo Courtesy Natalie Smith

Viewers from all over the world comment on Smith’s TikTok

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12 BACK | NOV. 2019

THE MIHS ISLANDER | mihsislander.org

Do You Think You Can

Dance?

Photo by Mia LoBosco, Graphic by Lena Hardisty Mia lobosco Staff Writer

This year MIHS added a new dance choreography class, allowing students to express their love for different types of dance and creative movement.

Daniela Melgar designed and instructs this new course, seeing an opportunity to instill a love of dance and movement in her students.

Students do not need prior dance experience to enroll in Melgar’s course because it is also designed to honor a broad range of skill sets, including many students who have never taken a dance class before.

“In dance class, we move almost the entire time,” Melgar said. “Body awareness is important to everything that you do.” Given how many hours students spend sitting at desks every day, Melgar’s vision is also an antidote to the drudgery of the everyday grind.

The class offers something for every student’s dance interests. Class time focuses on learning many different types of dance: contemporary, jazz, ballroom, ballet and salsa.

“I really enjoy contemporary and lyrical; it’s more of an expressive style of dance,” said freshman Sofia Tubach, an experienced dancer.

In addition to learning dances choreographed by Melgar, students work in groups to create their own

routines in different styles of dance throughout the year.

At the end of the year, students will put on a show and perform for friends, family and the community. The students will manage, produce, choreograph and perform the show by themselves.

“They’re doing all the work, including choreographing and performing pieces that they have created on their own,” Melgar said.

The dance choreography class is an outlet for student expression.

“It helps me express what I am feeling, and I love how free I feel when I dance,” freshman Priya Bhananker said.