January 2021

Lenny escapes, breaks mask mandate p.6

Ms. Williams Leathers moves on

Vol. XXX Issue 1 January 2021

Table of Contents Principal Williams Leathers Moves On Tonya Williams, her next move and what she's leaving behind

p. 4 Tissue Paper Flowers A tribute to Spanish teacher Claribel Andujar-Galarza

p. 12 New Pirates Board the Ship Meet Riverside's new teachers

p. 14 Joe Biden Visits Riverside President-elect Joe Biden holds invite-only event at Riverside

p. 22

The Pirates' Hook Staff Head Editors: Kaitlyn Busch, Fabian Hernandez, Ben Patton Section Editors: Maya Dulli-Ray, Eva Flowe, Dean Hunter, Emmer Rice, Ella Whithaus Staff Writers: Jakyies Evans, Ethan Haine, Jacob Hindman, Cynthia Martinez, Tyler McLean, Benjamin Meglin, Janel Perry, Jalen Poole, Emmer Rice, Jamel Rojas, Thomas Romano, Alexis Silvan Garcia, Genesis Smith Lopez, Angel Solorzano Arias, Cristela Vargas Delgado, Elizabeth Williams

Editorial: Don’t ignore double standards On Wednesday, January 6, hundreds of Trump supporters forced their way into the Capitol building, where Congress was certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election. Rioters broke through the West Front of the Capitol building and made their way towards the Senate chamber, causing the Senators to be evacuated. Then, the protesters waved flags through the Statuary Hall and attempted to enter the House Chamber.

In advance of the riots, Trump encouraged his supporters to march on the Capitol to “take back the country,” citing the “stolen election.” He and other Republicans have perpetuated the narrative that there was widespread election fraud since Biden was announced to have won. Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have temporarily suspended Donald Trump's accounts to prevent him from provoking further violence.

We noticed that it felt too easy for these rioters to breach the Capitol building. Police appeared unprepared and seemed to use limited force. There is an uncomfortable contrast with the way we watched law enforcement interact with Black civilians protesting police brutality this past year. These two groups are incomparable - one peacefully protested physical violence while the other used physical violence in an attempt to overturn the results of a fair election - and the way that law enforcement engaged with the two appears backwards.

We wonder how the rioters got into the Capitol building so easily and why the police appeared reluctant to use force. Will this make any Republicans change their stance on the election or their opinion of Trump? Many lawmakers who have condemned the violence supported Trump’s behavior and even contributed to the false narrative on election fraud that incited the insurrection.

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Muriel Bowser, the mayor of Washington, D.C., put a 6:00 p.m. curfew into place to try to stop the rioters. Police were brought in from Maryland and Virginia to help the D.C. police. Four people were killed in the riots. One was shot and three others died from separate medical emergencies. Capitol police made 14 arrests. D.C. police reported 68. Officers later found weapons, pipe bombs and molotov cocktails at the scene.

PHOTO COURTESY OF AP

Most importantly, we want Hook readers to know that what happened is appalling. People who spread inaccurate information about the election and voter fraud do not deserve their office or to be called leaders of the American government. These rioters should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the lawfor the destruction and violence they caused, as should the people who incited their actions.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHIP SUDDERTH

PRINCIPAL WILLIAMS LEATHERS MOVES ON

By Ella Whithaus After four years as principal of Riverside High School, Tonya Williams Leathers leaves behind a staff that wishes she could clone herself.

“I hope Mrs. Williams clones herself, and leaves the clone,” said World History teacher Alexander Groff, “[She] is easily the best principal I’ve worked with.”

Williams Leathers’ last day with Durham Public Schools is January 8. She will then transition to Johnston County Public Schools as the area assistant superintendent for high schools.

“I was not necessarily looking to leave Riverside at all,” Williams Leathers said. “My plans were to stay forever, but when opportunity knocks, you definitely should be open.”

In October, she was notified of this opportunity that she was

In October, she was notified of this opportunity that she was uniquely qualified for. After the interview process, she was approved by the Johnson County School Board on November 10. She announced it to the Riverside staff and community the next day.

“I’m not leaving because I was unhappy. I love Durham and the community,” she said. “I’ve been a principal for almost 13 years – elementary, middle and high school. I absolutely love kids, but 13 years as a principal is a lot.”

Williams Leathers managed over 150 staff members at Riverside, compared to her new position which will only involve supervising 11 principals.

“Being responsible for that many staff members and 1700 students and their families takes a toll,” she said. “And the higher you go, sometimes you can have a different impact. I’m hoping that I can have a super positive impact on that community.”

Williams Leathers will miss the students the most.

“Standing in the lobby in the mornings and during lunch time were my two favorite parts of the day,” she said. “I’ll miss the athletic games, I’ll miss the chorus concerts. I’ll miss going to visit Mr. Smith’s class to hear speeches, or going down to the PLTW hall to see the senior projects, or stopping by RPC (Restorative Practice Center) to talk to students.”

Williams Leathers even enjoyed aspects of her job one might least expect.

“Discipline is when you get to know a student’s story and when you can really try to help them, so I didn’t ever mind the discipline,” she said. “And being here until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. was never an issue for me either, just because I enjoyed doing it.”

During her time here, Williams Leathers took pride in helping everyone at Riverside feel a sense of belonging. She considers the strong sense of community that has been built to be one of her biggest accomplishments.

“We’ve seen more community members, parents, and students attending different events, and our spirit week last year was amazing with so many students participating,” Williams Leathers said. “When you walk the halls, you see all the Riverside shirts all the time.”

Another one of her successes was implementing SMART lunch last year, which created a single, hour-long lunch period and allowed students to better participate in tutoring and clubs.

“With our SMART lunch, we are able to meet the needs of our diverse population,” she said.

There were some things that Williams Leathers feels like she did not complete and wishes she could have accomplished, including raising Riverside’s academic ranking to a ‘B’ on the North Carolina school report cards.

“Last year, I felt confident that we were going to be a ‘B’ school’ but then COVID happened,” she said. “Even though we’ve exceeded growth every single year, which means that all of our students are growing academically at a faster rate than what’s predicted, I wanted to get us out of the ‘C’ zone.’”

Another goal of hers was to raise the graduation rate.

“We have too many [students] who drop out because they have to work, so coming up with other options for those students was something I really wanted to focus on,” she said.

“We do have a plan in place so I hope that the team continues that plan.”

Williams Leathers started her career as a middle school English teacher at a Chapel Hill Carrboro City School. Shortly after attending graduate school at NC State University, she took on her first principal position at a Wake County middle school.

After her time there, she turned to Durham, where she attended high school, to be the principal at Eno Valley Elementary.

attended high school, to be the principal at Eno Valley Elementary.

“I loved Eno Valley. Some of the students from Eno Valley go here so that’s been special to me to be able to see them,” she said.

Williams Leathers was then moved to Githens Middle School, where she was principal for four years until she was asked to come to Riverside.

Williams Leathers describes her first week at Riverside as apprehensive as she had only worked with younger students before and was worried high schoolers would not be open to her influence. Her skepticism disappeared when nearly every student smiled and said “hello” when they came through the door on her first day. She remembers calling her mom and telling her, “The kids are so nice at this school!”

“I think the one thing that I would like everybody to know is that the students at Riverside are top notch, A+ students – so kind and caring about their community; they would do anything for each other. That has been my experience the whole time I’ve been here,” she said. “The student body has always been super special to me. It’s going to be very sad for me to leave, even more so because I can’t personally say goodbye.”

Williams Leathers hopes she can come back for graduation, but she says that even if she is not there in person, she will be there in spirit.

“Seniors, I love you!” she said. “I just want the senior class to really focus on the fact that [the pandmeic] can propel them forward to make them a more resilient person and a more empathetic person because of all the circumstances that they’ve gone through.”

Students are not the only group who has been impacted by Williams Leathers; many teachers have expressed their grievance towards her leaving.

“She has a razor-like focus on equity and quality,” said Orchestra teacher Sara Moore. “I will always remember how she pushed our staff to always have the students’ best interests in mind.

“My memories of working with her will be her positive attitude and smile, her ability to stay calm when others are upset, and her authentic feedback when she observed my class,” said English teacher Mary Foster.

“She knows every student in this school, knows every teacher, and finds ways to help students and teachers shine. That’s rare and special,” said Groff.

Williams Leathers does not have any input in the principal selection process, but she hopes that besides being focused on academics, the incoming principal is visionary, organized, and an effective communicator. “[And] when you do it, you have to have a genuine love for people,” she said. “You can’t do this for any other reason other than you want to make this place better.”

EL PRINCIPAL WILLIAMS LEATHERS SIGUE Traducido por Genesis Smith-Lopez Después de cuatro años como Directora de la escuela secundaria de Riverside, Tonya Williams Leathers deja atrás un personal que desearía poder clonarla.

molestaba la disciplina” Williams contó. “Y estando aquí hasta las nueve o diez de la noche nunca me molestaba porque a mi me gustaba mi trabajo.”

“Yo espero que Ms. Williams se clone a sí misma, y que deje su clon,” dijo el maestro de Historia Mundial Alexander Groff, “Ella es la directora más fácil que he tenido con quien trabajar”

Mientras Williams estaba aquí, ella siempre se encargaba de tomar su tiempo para asegurarse que todos se sintieran bienvenidos. Ella considera el fuerte sentido de comunidad que ha sido construido como unos de sus logros más grandes.

El último día de la directora Tonya Williams Leathers con las Escuelas Públicas de Durham es el ocho de enero cuando ella va a trasladarse a las Escuelas Públicas de Johnson County.

“Yo no necesariamente estaba buscando irme de Riverside,” dijo la directora Williams Leathers. “Mis planes eran quedarme aquí para siempre, pero cuando una oportunidad viene, tienes que tomarla.”

En octubre, se le notificó de esta oportunidad para la que estaba especialmente calificada. Después del proceso de entrevista, ella fue probada por la Junta Escolar del Condado de Johnson en Noviembre 10. El proximo dia, la directora Williams Leathers anunció su despedida a la comunidad y personal de Riverside.

“Yo no me voy porque estoy infeliz, yo amo a Durham y su comunidad.” ella explicó. “He sido directora por casi trece años de escuelas primarias, secundarias, e intermedias. Yo absolutamente amo niños pero, trece años como directora es mucho.”

Williams Leathers ha manejado más que ciento cincuenta miembros de personal en Riverside, comparado a su nueva posición en el condado de Johnson que solo toma supervisar once directores.

“Siendo responsables por tantos miembros y mil setecientos alumnos y sus familias tiene su peaje,” ella explicó. “Y lo más alto que vas, algunas veces puedes tener un impacto. Estoy esperando que pueda tener un impacto positivo en esa comunidad.”

Lo que Tonya Williams Leathers extrañará más son sus alumnos.

Ella dijo, “Pararme en el lobby en las mañanas y en las tardes durante los almuerzos eran mis momentos favoritos del día. Voy a extrañar las competencias atléticas, los conciertos del coro, los discursos de la clase del maestro Smith, visitar la sala de PLTW para ver los proyectos de las clase superiores, y visitar el centro de clase restaurativa.”

A Williams Leathers también le encantaban aspectos de su trabajo que uno menos se lo esperaba.

“Disciplina es cuando tú tomas el tiempo para conocer a una persona y de verdad puedes ayudarlos, entonces a mi no me

“Hemos visto más miembros de la comunidad, padres, y estudiantes atendiendo diferente eventos como la semana pasada de espíritu escolar y fue una maravilla,” Williams Leathers dice.

“Cuando tu caminas por los pasillos de la escuela, tu miras las camisetas de Riverside todo el tiempo.”

Otro éxito de Williams Leathers fue implementar el almuerzo SMART el año pasado. El Almuerzo SMART es un periodo de una hora completa para que los estudiantes tengan mejores oportunidades en tutoría y clubs.

“Con nuestro almuerzo SMART, somos capaces de conocer y satisfacer las necesidades de nuestra diversa población” dijo Williams Leathers.

Hubo unas cosas que Williams Leathers siente que no completó y desearía poder haberlo lograrlo, como elevar la clasificación académica de la escuela de Riverside a una "B" en la escala de calificaciones de letras.

“El año pasado, me sentí segura de que íbamos a ser una 'escuela B', pero luego ocurrió el COVID. Aunque hemos superado el crecimiento todos los años, lo que significa que todos nuestros estudiantes están creciendo académicamente a un ritmo más rápido de lo previsto, quería sacarnos de la zona C.” Otra meta que tenía Williams era elevar los números de graduación.

Tenemos demasiados estudiantes que dejan los estudios porque tienen la necesidad de trabajar, otras opciones para esos estudiantes era algo en lo que realmente quería enfocarme,” explicó. “En este momento tenemos un plan y tengo la esperanza de que el equipo continuará con ese plan.”

Willians Leathers empezó su carrera como profesora de la escuela secundaria Carrboro City en Chapel Hill. Poco después de asistir a la escuela de posgrado en la Universidad Estatal de Carolina del Norte, asumió su primer puesto como directora en una escuela secundaria del condado de Wake.

Después de su tiempo allí, se dirigió a Durham, donde asistió a la escuela secundaria, para ser directora de la escuela primaria Eno Valley.

“Me encantaba Eno Valley. Algunos de los estudiantes de Eno Valley asisten aquí, así que ha sido especial para mí poder verlos,” explicó. “Yo no intente forzar mi salida.”

puede impulsarlos hacia adelante para convertirlos en una persona más resistente y una persona más empática debido a todas las circunstancias por las que han pasado.”

Después, Williams Leathers fue trasladada a la escuela media Githens, donde fue directora durante cuatro años hasta que le pidieron que viniera a Riverside.

Los estudiantes no son el único grupo que se ha visto afectado por la partida de Williams Leathers; muchos profesores han expresado su tristeza.

Williams Leathers describe su primera semana en Riverside como algo aprensivo, ya que antes solo había trabajado con estudiantes más jóvenes y le preocupaba que los estudiantes de secundaria no estuvieran abiertos a su influencia. Su escepticismo desapareció cuando casi todos los estudiantes sonrieron y dijeron “hola” cuando entraron por la puerta el primer día. Recuerda haber llamado a su mamá y decirle: "Los niños son muy agradables en esta escuela!"

“Tiene un enfoque fuerte en la equidad y la calidad”, dijo la maestra de orquesta Sara Moore. “Siempre recordaré cómo impulsó a nuestro personal a tener siempre en mente los mejores intereses de los estudiantes.”

“Creo que lo único que me gustaría que todos supieran es que los estudiantes de Riverside son de primera categoría, estudiantes A + - amables y preocupados por su comunidad; y que harían cualquier cosa el uno por el otro. Esa ha sido mi experiencia durante el tiempo que he estado aquí,” explicó. “El alumnado siempre ha sido muy especial para mí. Va a ser muy triste irme, aún más porque no puedo despedirme personalmente.”

Williams Leathers espera poder regresar para la graduación, pero dice que incluso si no está allí en persona, estará allí en espíritu.

Ella dijo, “Estudiantes Senior, ¡los amo! Solo quiero que la clase del último año se centre realmente en el hecho de que la pandemia

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHIP SUDDERTH.

“Mis recuerdos de trabajar con ella serán su actitud positiva y su sonrisa, su capacidad para mantener la calma cuando los demás están molestos y sus comentarios auténticos cuando observó mi clase,” dijo la profesora de inglés, Mary Foster.

“Ella conoce a todos los estudiantes de esta escuela, conoce a todos los maestros y encuentra formas de ayudar brillar a los estudiantes y maestros . Eso es raro y especial,” contó Groff.

Williams Leathers no participa en el proceso de selección del director, pero espera que, además de centrarse en lo académico, el director entrante sea visionario, organizado y un comunicador eficaz.

“Y cuando lo haces, tienes que tener un amor genuino por la gente'', explicó. "No puedes hacer esto por ningún otro motivo que no sea el de mejorar este lugar.”

Photos courtesy of Chip Sudderth and Tonya Williams Leathers

Riverside family, By now you have likely heard that I will be transitioning to Johnston County in January as the High School Area Assistant Superintendent. I would like to thank you all for a memorable four years. It has been my greatest honor and achievement to serve Durham Public Schools for the past thirteen years as a principal at Eno Valley Elementary School, Sherwood Githens Middle School, and the best high school, Riverside High School.

As I look back on my tenure as principal, I will always remember Riverside fondly because the students were not only respectful and focused on learning, but they were genuinely nice. The teachers were not only competent and passionate about teaching, but they loved their community.

The parents and community members were not only involved and supportive, but they were invested in ensuring all students at Riverside experience success. What more could a principal ask for in their school community? I was blessed from the start and my love for the school community grew daily.

This school year has been tough on all of us because we are a community, and we thrive off the connections within our community. This has been true for me, as well. I miss you all something fierce and that will not go away because I am in another county. I have loved attending all the art performances, athletic competitions, academic competitions, but mostly, I have loved my day-to-day interactions with students, staff, and parents. While I will not have those daily interactions with you all any longer, you can be assured that I will be Riversides and Durham Public Schools' biggest cheerleader.  I look forward to seeing you all around Durham! Roll Pirates Roll!!!

- Mrs. Williams Leathers

Familia de Riverside, Probablemente han escuchado que voy a trabajar al condado de Johnston en febrero como la Superintendente asistente del área de la escuela secundaria. Me gustaría agradecerles por hacer estos cuatro años en Riverside memorables. Ha sido un gran honor y un gran logro servir para las escuelas públicas de Durham en los últimos trece años.Tiempo en que he sido directora para Eno Valley Primaria, Sherwood Ginthens Escuela intermedia, y de la mejor secundaria, Riverside.

Mientras miro hacia atrás en mis años como directora, siempre voy a recordar a Riverside de una forma muy querida. Los estudiantes no solo fueron respetuosos y enfocados a aprender, sino que fueron verdaderamente buenos. Los maestros no solo fueron competentes y apasionados de enseñar, sino que también amaron su comunidad. Los padres y miembros de la comunidad no sólo estaban involucrados y apoyando a sus hijos, pero también estaban asegurándose que todo los estudiantes de Riverside tuvieran éxito. ¿Qué más puede pedir un director la escuela de su comunidad? He sido bendecida desde el comienzo y mi amor por la comunidad creció todo los días que pasaba en ella.

Este año ha sido muy difícil para todos, somos una comunidad y nosotros prosperamos juntos con las relaciones que todos tenemos. Esta ha sido mi realidad también. Yo los extrañaré a todos, con una fuerza que no va cambiar solo porque yo estoy en otro condado. He disfrutado asistir a todas las presentaciones artísticas, competencias atléticas, competencias académicas; pero más importante, he amado todos los momentos de cada día como directora que se comunicaba con sus estudiantes, con el personal y los padres. Ya no voy a tener esas interacciones con ustedes de ahora y adelante, pero puedo asegurar que voy a ser la más grande admiradora de Riverside y de las escuelas públicas de Durham.

Espero verlos nuevamente en Durham, Roll Pirates Roll!!!

- Mrs. Williams Leathers

Happy (?)

New Year!

Online school begins

Sports shut down...and then start back (kind of)

Trump's impeachment (the first one)

Global Pandemic.

Yeah.

2021!

Trump gets COVID

Presidential Election

(about time)

COVID vaccine

Kobe Bryant's death

WW3 scare

California wildfires

2020: A TIMELINE Looking back on an unprecedented year

WHAT HAPPENED TO VANESSA GUILLEN? Soldier's disappearance alarms members of Riverside's ROTC

By Cynthia Martinez Vanessa Guillen was a 22-year-old soldier living at the Fort Hood base in Texas.

She was reported missing by her mom via Facebook and was later confirmed by Fort Hood.

Many Riverside ROTC members were worried she would never be found.

“I don’t think they were gonna find her, in a base like the military they hide a bunch of stuff,” said sophomore Bertha Sanchez.

“I didn’t know the person,” said Riverside ROTC Teacher Major Roger Bailey. “I can’t make an informative decision if I don't know her. I would hope that the military officials at Fort Hood would have.”

“I thought she went away for awhile and was gonna come back the same day, but they kept saying she was still missing so I lost hope,” said sophomore Ruben Vargas.

in a large box, which he was seen carrying out of the weapons room where he killed Vanessa.

Robinson didn’t act alone. His girlfriend, Cecily Anne Aguilar, planned to help dismember and burn Guillen's body, but before they could the police found her remains. Robinson killed himself before they could confront him. Aguilar was convicted on conspiracy to tamper with evidence. If convicted she will be facing a maximum sentence of 20 years.

Guillen's family was torn apart when they heard that their daughter/sister remains were found. In an interview with ABC News Gloria Guillen, Vanessa's sister called Fort Hood leaders “clowns in a circus” and said they lied to her. She also spoke about their sister's remains being found.

“She was taken from me in the most horrible way, yet they take it as if it was a joke,” said Lupe Guillen. “My sister is no joke. My sister is a human being just like, her, all of us.”

Three months go by and there is no sign of Vanessa but there have been a few arrests of people who probably had something to do with her disappearance but there’s no evidence to prove that they were the causes, but her mother has hope that she’s alive and well.

This isn’t the first time Fort Hood had to deal with either missing soldiers or murdered. Besides Guillen, Fort Hood has had 29 soldiers die this year from murder, suicide, and homicide.

After Vanessa’s story was shared many other women have spoken up about their sexual harassment experience in the military. There was a song written by Yariel Roaro about her called “Exigimos Igualdad”, which translates to “We demand equality.”

So far five sergeants and and two staff sergeants have said Fort Hood Has a toxic leadership culture that tolerates drug use, sexual harassment, and misconduct on base, and in some instances, has allowed service members accused of sexual assault to remain within their ranks.

The song starts by asking “¿donde esta Vanessa?”- “Where is Vanessa?” “Es la pregunta que se le hizo al gobierno y no nos dan respuestas” - the question we asked the government and we haven’t received an answer. “¿Será porque nos están escondiendo algo?” - Is it because they are hiding something from us. “¿O no les interesa?” - or they just don’t care.

“Knowing that this could happen to anyone, knowing that there's more victims out there, would you let your child, your son or daughter, sign a contract with the Army knowing that their life is at risk?" said Lupe Guillen. "My sister deserves to be protected. Your child deserves to be protected. Don't let them recruit you until we get justice-- until Vanessa gets justice."

Many marched and protested in her honor. People hoped that Fort Hood officials would find her alive. Artists painted murals off Gullien in uniform with the Mexican and American flags in the background. People laid candles and flowers on the murals.

Guillen’s death hit the Hispanic community hard, not just in Guillen’s hometown but also over the United States. Riverside’s cadets worry it will impact the number of Latinos enlisting for the armed forces.

Then on June 30 remains were found near the Leon River in Bell county, Texas.

3 days later Fort Hood confirmed that those human remains were Gullien. As so many spent three months hoping Vanessa was still alive, she was in fact dead all along.

It turns out that on April 22, 2020, she confronted her Sargent, Specialist Aaron David Robinson about sexually harassing her. She planned to report it the next day, but her Sargent hit her with a hammer repeatedly, killing and hid her body

“I think it will drop for a little bit, because some are gonna stay and make justice about it and others are gonna say ‘nah’ and get out,” said Sanchez.

“I think it's gonna drop really bad,” said Vargas. “There’s a lot of racism that goes around the military and they are gonna do whatever it takes to not let us succeed.”

“I certainly hope not,” said Bailey. “I can't speak since I'm not Latino, I can only imagine. If this was going on I would be hesitant to join.”

Protesters march in a summer 2020 rally for Vanessa Guillen. Guillen was missing for three monts before her body was recovered. Photo by Joe Piette

Tissue Paper Flowers A tribute to Spanish teacher Claribel Andujar-Galarza

By Kaitlyn Busch Riverside special education teacher Frank Hayes held a flower made of tissue paper in his hands. Claribel Andujar-Galarza, beloved Riverside Spanish teacher who passed away in July of cancer, made these flowers to decorate her classroom, he said.

something that’s happening to me,’” Mugeni said. “And I was like, ‘You have such strength that I don’t think I would have. You’re taking this in a very positive way and even though it’s getting you down, it doesn’t show at all.’”

my other classes,” he said. “She was cool.

She wasn’t like the other teachers.”

Riverside Spanish teacher Ana Kistler refers to Andujar as “Riverside’s famous Hispanic.”

She was incredibly passionate about Hispanic heritage and students, Kistler said.

“Everything she did, she did it with love and she did it with care,” Hayes said. “You don’t find too many people like that. I took one of her flowers so that I can always remember her.”

Riverside principal Tonya Williams-Leathers loved to spend time talking with Andujar, who was a principal herself before moving to the U.S. from Puerto Rico. Williams-Leathers spoke of her attempts to convince Andujar to stay home from school when the coronavirus first became a concern.

It takes only a brief conversation with those close to her to see that these brightly colored handmade flowers are a perfect representation of Andujar’s gracious, giving spirit.

“She was like, ‘No, I have my Clorox wipes and I’ve got my Lysol and I’m not going to leave the trailer.’”

Andujar also loved to teach courses for Riverside’s native Spanish-speaking students.

Williams-Leathers said that Andujar had plans to resign prior to COVID-19, but because she was able to work from home, she stayed on staff.

“I was so excited about meeting her because she was a native Spanish-speaking teacher teaching Spanish,” Mugeni said. “That also made students comfortable as well, to know that they had a native speaking Spanish who understood their culture.”

Riverside assistant principal Chaundra Clay scrolled through saved text messages and pictures of Andujar’s grandson as she spoke about an interaction the two had just before this spring’s drive-through graduation.

“She was just talking about if we needed her to do anything for graduation,” Clay said.

“And I was like, ‘Ms. Andujar, are you going to be up to it?’ and she was like, ‘Well, are you praying?’ … So even while she was sick and going in and out of the hospital with pain, she still was trying to find a way that she could help us out during graduation.”

Everyone seems to have a story like this.

Hayes remembers when Andujar learned that he was moving into a new home.

“She gave me all of these crates,” he said. “I still have one sitting right here. It has her handwriting on it. I have another one that I kept my Christmas tree in.”

"She was just so committed to the students and making sure they had everything they needed."

Riverside family and consumer sciences teacher Teresa Mugeni cherished her time with Andujar at the coffee pot in the teacher work room each morning. She referred to it as being “infused” with Andujar’s “sunny personality.”

“She stayed through June to help the students and make sure that they had everything they needed,” Williams-Leathers said. “She was just so committed to the students and making sure that they had everything they needed. She would really take care of anything, both in school and outside of school, if they told her.”

Mugeni recalls one day asking Andujar if she ever just felt the need to scream.

Brandon Rigsbee is a former student of Andujar’s. He called her his favorite teacher.

“She was like, ‘Oh, no, no, no, this [cancer] is

“She used to always come check up on me in

“She definitely celebrated the Latinx population,” Williams-Leathers said. “She would organize Hispanic Heritage Month.

She would do the big presentation that was in our lobby every year.”

Andujar also worked alongside other faculty advisors to run Destino Success, a Riverside student club that celebrates Latinx culture.

She would use the refrigerators in Mugeni’s classroom to store food for club events. She also provided a valuable perspective for students who, like her, moved to the United States from another country.

“You had a base where you could actually go and speak freely, without any judgement, to any of those teachers, but especially to Ms. Andujar,” Mugeni said.

“She did all of this while battling cancer,” Clay emphasized.

Her colleagues agree that Andujar’s classroom was nothing if not a welcoming space.

“She had a refreshing spirit,” Clay said. “She knew how to win over kids. She knew how to build relationships with students.”

“There was a student here…he just called her mom,” Hayes said. “They respect her to the point where they want to please her, they want to make her happy. That was her.”

Photo courtesy of Chaundra Clay

Flores de Papel Tisú Un homenaje a la profesora de español Claribel Andújar-Galarza Traducido por Genesis Smith-Lopez

"Andujar siempre me iba a buscar en otros salones para saber cómo estaba,” dijo Brandon. “Era encantadora. Nada como los otros maestros.”

Frank Hayes, uno de los maestros de educación especial, sostenía en su mano una flor hecha de papel de seda. Claribel AndujarGalarza, amada por todos sus estudiantes, falleció de cáncer en Julio del 2020. “Ella misma hacía estas flores de papel de seda para decorar a su alumno,” dijo el Señor Hayes.

“Todo lo que ella hacía, lo hacía con cariño y amor,” dijo el Señor Hayes. “Es muy raro encontrar una persona tan apasionada. Tomé unas de sus flores para siempre recordarla.”

La profesora de español Kistler se refiere a Andújar como la “latina mas famosa.” “Ella era muy apasionada por la cultura hispana y por los estudiantes”, dijo Kistler

Photo by Elijah King

Solo toma una pequeña conversación con alguien cercano a ella para darse cuenta que La maestra Mugeni recuerda un día cuando ella le preguntó a Andújar si tenía momentos las flores coloridas son una perfecta representación de Andújar y su bello espíritu. cuando solo quería gritar.

La Subdirectora de Riverside, Chaundra Clay, con su teléfono en las manos, miraba los textos entre ella y Andújar mientras hablaba de la conversación que tuvieron antes de la graduación de primavera.

“Ella solo me dijo “O, no, no, no esto (cáncer) solo es algo pasajero en mi vida,” Mugeni contó. “Yo le dije que ella tenía una fuerza increíble que yo no creía poder tener. Le dije que ella tomaba todo con positividad y aunque a veces se cansaba, ella nunca lo demostraba por fuera”

“Solo me estaba preguntando si necesitábamos algo para la graduación,” dijo A la directora de Riverside, Tonya Williamsla Subdirectora Clay.

Leathers le encantaba pasar tiempo platicando con Andújar, quien también fue “Le conteste y pregunte si ella estaba directora de escuela en Puerto Rico antes de dispuesta a hacerlo solo me preguntó si mudarse para los Estados Unidos. La estaba orando.

Entonces no importaba si estaba enferma o directora Williams habló de los consejos que le daba a Andújar para quedarse en casa con dolor, ella siempre estaba buscando maneras de ayudarnos a prepararnos para la cuando el coronavirus se empezó a multiplicar. graduación.”

Todos aquellos que hablaban sobre ella, siempre tenían una historia muy parecida.

Todas las memorias que contaban de ella eran muy reconfortantes.

A Andújar también le encantaba enseñar cursos para los estudiantes que ya saben el idioma español.

“Estaba muy ansiosa por conocerla porque su lengua materna era español y enseñaba español.” Mugeni dijo. “Era muy reconfortante para los estudiantes saber que estaba familiarizada con la cultura.”

Andújar también trabajaba con otras asesoras de facultad para ejecutar el programa llamado “Destino Success.” Este es un club de estudiantes que celebran la cultura Latina. Ella usaba el refrigerador en la clase de Mugeni para guardar la comida para el programa. También proporcionaba una perspectiva muy similar para estudiantes que, al igual que ella, se mudaron de sus países a los Estados Unidos.

“Ella me respondió que no, me dijo que tenía “Era un lugar donde podías hablar todo lo sus toallas desinfectantes y Lysol y que no iba que sentías sin que nadie te juzgara, especialmente con Andújar.” explicó Mugeni a dejar su ‘trailer’ (salón de clase)”

La directora Williams dijo que Andújar tenía El señor Hayes se acuerda de cuando Andújar planes de renunciar a su trabajo como maestra antes de el Covid-19. Pero como ella se enteró que él se estaba mudando a una iba a poder trabajar desde su casa, se quedó casa nueva. en el personal.

“Ella me regaló muchas cajas y todavía tengo “Andújar se quedó todo el mes de Julio para una con su letras. Mi árbol de navidad se ayudar a los estudiantes y asegurarse de que encuentra en otra caja que ella me regaló” tuvieran todo lo que necesitaban,” dijo la contó el señor Hayes. directora Williams. “Ella estaba muy comprometida con sus estudiantes y cuidaba La maestra Teresa Mugeni, compañera del colegio Riverside, aprecia el tiempo que tuvo que todo estuviera en orden, tanto en la con Andújar en la sala de maestros. Siempre escuela como fuera de ella” se encontraban platicando al lado de la máquina de café. Ella se refirió a Andújar como “infundida” con una “personalidad de alegría.”

“Ella definitivamente celebraba la población hispana,” dijo la directora Williams .

“Siempre se encargaba de organizar el mes de la Herencia Hispana. Siempre diseñaba la presentación que pertenencia en el vestíbulo.”

Brandon Rigsbee es un ex-estudiante de Andújar. Él se refiere a Andújar como su “maestra favorita”.

“Ella misma hizo todo esto mientras estaba luchando con cáncer.” Clay dijo.

Sus compañeros de trabajo están de acuerdo que el salón de Andújar era un lugar donde te sentías muy bienvenido en todo momento.

“Su ambiente era muy refrescante,” dijo Clay.

“Sabía muy bien cómo ganarse la confianza de los alumnos y al final siempre creaba una relación con cada uno.”

“Incluso, uno de los alumnos la llamaba ‘mamá’,” contó el Señor Hayes. “La respetaban al punto que solo querían complacerla y hacerla feliz. Así era ella.”

BOARDING

New teachers bring experience, enthusiasm Laura Brady embraces online learning

By Eva Flowe Laura Brady, a first year English teacher at Riverside, had to dive head first into online learning this year.

She attended undergraduate at UNC Chapel Hill, graduating in 2018.

She got her master’s degree at Duke, and graduated 2019. She is teaching English 4 honors, English 1, and mythology classes this year.

As she grew up in Wake county, Brady remembers coming to Riverside for sporting events as a high schooler. Her school color was also purple, like Riverside.

“My favorite season is wrestling season and I lose my voice at least once per season rooting for the best team in the land, Penn State!” said Brady on sports.

Facing a second year of teaching that is now completely online, there are new challenges.

“Adapting to a new platform has been very challenging, but worthwhile,” said Brady. She is excited to find new ways to use technology to connect with her students.

Brady is also a strong believer in the power of literature to connect people.

“I think English and teaching literature is a great way to develop empathy and learn about different walks of life,” said Brady. “I view books as a way to see the world and understand people.”

She wants her students to extend grace to themselves and use their voices to speak up for others, especially during online learning.

“There’re so many lessons to be learned about online learning” Principal Williams said in regard to this school year, “And in the end it will make us better educationally.¨

Photo courtesy of Laura Brady

“I think English and teaching literature is a great way to develop empathy and learn about different walks of life. I view books as a way to see the world and understand people."

- English teacher Laura Brady

THE SHIP

and unique interests to Riverside's faculty Emily Ericson brings passion for the environment to English class

By Ella Whithaus 12 years ago, Emily Ericson’s car broke down in Durham, NC. Now, she’s fallen in love with the community and is teaching English at Riverside.

“Ms. Ericson has already made her mark on Riverside” said Principal Tonya Williams, “She has shown herself to be a leader. When I interviewed her, I immediately knew that she was the perfect person as a lot of our visions align.”

Ericson was born in Florida but grew up in Illinois, where she went to Northern Illinois University to study English, history, and women’s studies.

She also got her masters in education from St. Ambrose University in Iowa.

Kate Mester, the Library Media Specialist, describes Ericson as intelligent, passionate, and excited. From the moment they met this summer, Mester has seen how much Ericson cares about kids.

“She came early to get a laptop and was already ready to jump in and start working,” said Mester, “She’s here. She’s dedicated. She wants to get a jump on it. That’s how she’s going to approach everything.”

Photo courtesy of Emily Ericson

"She came early to get a laptop and was already ready to jump in and start working. She's here. She's dedicated. She wants to get a jump on it. That's how she's going to approach everything."

- Media coordinator Kate Mester

Ericson taught English and creative writing at Northern High School for the last three years. During her time there she was also an intern for the EPA, where she focused on a project that created diverse outdoor spaces at Northern. Her project involved her partnering with the Hub Farm, an outdoor education center in Durham.

“With Northern being as close as it was to the Hub Farm, I worked to design an outdoor educational curriculum to get students, specifically students of color, outside,” said Ericson.

As a child she went camping a lot, so naturally, she grew up to appreciate the outdoors. Some of her hobbies include planting, hiking, and watching TV. Additionally, Ericson is the club advisor for the Environmental Club. Ericson was led to Riverside as it was often highlighted in the Durham community.

“I had heard amazing things about the administrative team at Riverside,” said Ericson, “and I heard really great She said she has never felt more welcomed, than the Riverside community has made her feel.

Like most teachers across the country, Ericson has had to adjust to online teaching this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

“It’s changed a lot because I love young people’s energy,” said Ericson, “But now with online teaching that is the biggest struggle.”

Elizabeth Wagner trades the beach for the Bull City

By Cristela Vargas Delgado This year Riverside welcomes new Spanish teacher Elizabeth Wagner.

Wagner was born in Durham but raised in Raleigh. She attended UNCW and got her bachelor’s degree along with her teaching license.

“I feel like you can never learn enough,” Wagner said, “so being able to give that to someone else and increase their knowledge on a subject or topic that they don’t know so much about is one of the best parts about teaching.”

Wagner decided to work for Riverside because of her location and proximity to family and friends.

“I love the atmosphere,” she said. “It’s an inclusive school, and it’s a school where they take pride in their diversity, and take pride in supporting their students and teachers. It’s important to work in an environment where I feel like I will be supportive and Riverside did that for me.”

This school year is Wagner’s first year teaching, and she has to do it online due to COVID-19.

“Not being able to build connections and being able to see how your students are is the hardest part about teaching with this online teaching,” she said.

Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Wagner

During her free time Wagner enjoys watching TV shows on Netflix. She also likes going to the movies and is always on the lookout to see when new movies come out. She also loves concerts and music.

“I like a little bit of everything,” she said. “My favorite band is Maroon 5, but I don’t like country music. I try but it’s not my style of music.”

"I feel like you can never learn enough.'

- Spanish teacher Elizabeth Wagner

Grace Farley and Riverside fell in love at first sight Former student teacher returns as full-fledged Biology teacher

By Tyler McLean Grace Farley is a new biology teacher here at Riverside.

Originally from Fort Collins, Colorado, she went to Swarthmore college in Pennsylvania. Farley always wanted to be a scientist, so she got her undergraduate degree in biology.

To further her dream she spent two years at Duke, first spending time in a biology lab learning how animals move. While she was there she realized she wanted to teach biology.

After getting her degree in teaching a year later Farley spent the spring 2020 semester at Riverside working as a student teacher. She knew she wanted to work at riverside because of her fellow teachers, administrators, and students she taught.

“I love working with students,” she said. “Especially when they understand something they struggled with before.”

Photo courtesy of Grace Farley

A few of her largest supporters here at Riverside are the other biology teachers: Ms. Ruby, Ms. Malone, and Ms. Tweitmeyer. All around she is grateful of the support at Riverside.

Alyssa Putt finds her 'dream job' Even with the special circumstances, Riverside's new media center coordinator loves putting books in kids' hands

By Kaitlyn Busch Riverside’s newest media coordinator Alyssa Putt has always had a gift for putting the right book in the right hands at the right time.

harvested about 13 pounds of fruits and vegetables from her garden weekly.

“I loved when I would have kids come into my classroom and be While her first year as a media coordinator is obviously not what she like, ‘I hate reading. I don’t want to read. You’re not going to be able predicted, Putt is still looking forward to the year. to get me to read,’” Putt said. “And then I’d be like, ‘But what about this graphic novel?’ They would be like, ‘Oh, I love this series.’”

“I have kind of joked since the beginning that this is my dream job in, like, the worst moment in history,” she said. “While it hasn’t been the Putt taught English at Neal Middle School for four years before year I envisioned as my first year as a librarian, it’s been really inspiring leaving the classroom to pursue her Master’s degree in library just to see how dedicated kids are and how much they want to learn, science at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Fellow despite the fact that this is just really challenging time for everyone.”

Riverside media coordinator Kate Mester says Putt’s classroom experience is exactly what will make her successful in her new position.

“That background is invaluable because we are a teaching position,” Mester said. “I can’t train someone to inherently, passionately care about kids.”

Riverside principal Tonya Williams-Leathers describes Putt as someone with a great deal of energy, passion, and initiative.

“Ms. Putt is almost a mirror image of Ms. Mester,” she said, “and who wouldn’t want another Ms. Mester around?”

Putt herself says she was drawn to education because it is a space meant to serve as a great equalizer.

“She’s really equity-minded, as in not a buzzword, as in full-on purpose to make sure that every kid gets something,” Mester said.

Putt helped with freshman orientation and laptop deployment, created a how-to guide about school hotspots, and continues to be available to families who call the school with technology-related questions.

Outside of the media center, she enjoys gardening, propagating house plants, and studying plant identification. This summer, Putt harvested about 13 pounds of fruits and vegetables from her garden weekly.

Photo courtesy of Alyssa Putt

#LifeW Students share what they miss the most during the pandemic

My sister

By Elizabeth Williams

The biggest thing I had to live without during this pandemic was not being able to see my older sister, Kristina. She lives in Greenville and traveling down to Durham was a safety issue and a big precaution issue towards herself. I haven’t seen her since last Christmas and these have been the longest months of my life. Kristina is my rock and my best friend so going without being able to physically see and touch her is hard.

Going without Kristina means going without a regular summer.

Every summer I am usually out of the house, trying to find things to do or going on a vacation with my family, including my sister. This year I not only didn’t go on a vacation but I didn’t go anywhere at that unless it was a quick run to the store.

The stores started closing early and the idea of having a lot of people in them at once made you not want to go anymore. The malls weren’t opened until late summer and when they did open, there was a capacity limit in each store so you had to wait in a long line. I didn’t really even have ideas about what to do because you couldn’t really go anywhere. Places were either closed or just had too many people around.

Every summer I usually go to the beach with my household family and my sister and have a good time, but this year I only went for three days which felt like one, without Kristina. My short beach trip wasn’t like how it usually is. We didn’t really go into stores and we didn’t go on the boardwalk but for one brief time and that was when we were in a car. We weren’t able to really walk the beach during the day because it’s too many people out there together and with no face coverage. Most of all I didn’t have Kristina with me.

Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Williams

I’m extremely upset about how 2020 went. It was supposed to be one of those “New year, New Me.” types of year. March came around and all of those new beginnings were thrown out of the window. I’m still looking for a job and with the virus going around you kind of have to be aware of which one place you apply to. Instead of announcing the “new year, new me,” it’s “I forgot my mask…”

ithout My pretty face

I’ve had to go without a lot of things during the pandemic, and it’s been really stressful.

By Janel Perry

I’ve had to live without my school friends. They were the ones that gave me the motivation to come to school. They were the ones that kept me happy during school and pushed me to do better when I felt like I was going to fail. I didn’t have to worry about feeling like I was going to fail during the pandemic though because we didn’t have school. I couldn’t even invite them over because of safety precautions.

I can’t see my family, either. We’re kind of boujee, so everyone takes the six feet apart and mask-wearing very seriously and doesn't want to be around each other.

My uncle recently had a baby and I couldn’t visit. All of my other family members already live far away from each other, so it’s hard for us to see each other. The virus makes it even harder.

Most of all I had to live without being able to show my pretty face. It was unfair because I had to cover up my face with a mask and nobody could see or recognize me. The mask is what leads me to my next thing that I had to live without: clear skin.

My face started to break out from the mask sometimes because my skin gets irritated quite easily.

Photo courtesy of Janel Perry

The crazy part is I had to deal with it because no mask was okay for my face. This really made me upset because I was already going without being able to go places and do things, then the mask came and I had to deal with irritated skin. It was really bad for me but I made it through and am still making it through.

During the pandemic I learned how to go without a lot of things. One of them is the gym.

My dad and I would go to the gym every day after school. He would let me drive there and back so I could get as many hours as I could for my driver’s license. But because of Covid-19, a lot of places were closed and I haven’t gotten to drive ever since.

The gym was also one of the places me and my dad bonded. He works at the fire station, so I don’t see him every day. He would work a 24-hour shift, then go to his second job where he would check and make sure fire extinguishers work.

So because I couldn’t go to the gym, I had to workout at home. I didn’t mind it, I just had to figure out how me and my dad could do something else together. I started helping him more outside the house and helping him work on cars more. We built a new trailer so when we cut down some trees in our yard we can take them to the dump.

Then we started fishing at the Eno River and Falls Lake. Some days we would go out running with my brother or play basketball outside.

When Covid-19 calms down and we are able to go back to the gym we plan to start back strong and push each other to do more than we were doing before Covid-19 started.

The gym

By Jamel Rojas

BEHIND THE SCREEN

By Jalen Poole Why students are supposed to keep cameras on

By Jamel Rojas and Jalen Poole After the first week of the fall semester, Principal Tonya Williams made a rule that students have to have their cameras on during zoom classes. But ten weeks later, most of them remain off.

A lot of students didn’t like this rule and were wondering why she made it mandatory to have cameras on. During a press conference with The Pirates’ Hook, Williams said wants teachers to see the student’s faces, and having their cameras on helps the teachers see who is engaged and who is not.

“The single most important thing for success in a classroom is for a student and a teacher to build a relationship,” said social studies teacher Robert Paton, “and it’s hard to do that when the video camera is off.”

Another reason Williams made it mandatory to have cameras on is because of Zoom boomers – people who try to get in another teacher’s classroom, often under a fake name, and disrupt the class.

“Obviously, this causes a disruption to the learning environment,” Williams said in her Aug. 23 phone message to Riverside families. “In order to combat this, students will be required to have their cameras on when they enter the Zoom session.”

Riverside has implemented new sign-in procedures to reduce the number of Zoom bombers, but most students’ cameras remain off.

For many, it’s because of internet issues. Students found that their audio lags too much when the camera is on, and it’s easier to keep up with class when it’s off. Others simply aren’t comfortable having their camera on. Many Riverside students are attending virtual classes from shared spaces in their home. They have parents and guardians working from home and siblings attending their own classes on zoom alongside them.

"If there is a unique situation, then the student and/or parent should directly email the teacher,” she said in her phone message.

“Other than that, cameras should remain on for the duration of the class period.”

The transition to digital learning has not been easy. Teachers are struggling to keep all students on task and focused. It’s already hard to keep kids focused on school grounds. But now they have to do it through a camera. And in school there are consequences for not listening, but at home so there is only so much teachers can do.

Some teachers use activities to keep students engaged and focused.

“I use breakout rooms to meet with students individually and for them to work together in groups,” math teacher Julie-Lynn Borquin said. “I play games with them and when I call on a student to answer a question, if they don’t know the answer I have them ‘phone a friend’ and call on someone else.”

But some teachers say that it’s hard because they can’t have a one on one connection with students like they could in person. Bourquin said it is easier to keep students engaged in person, but making activities fun online seems to help. Some students said it’s easy to get off task, but having a specific goal makes it easier to stay focused, especially since they can’t always get the feedback from teachers like they are used to.

Freshman Samantha Sutton said she answers a warm up question and talks to other students in her theater class every day, but it’s hard to act and produce plays through Zoom.

“Yeah it gets really hard sometimes to stay focused,” she said., “I’ve learned about some Greek theatre stuff, which was what I was interested in anyway, but the actual theatre part we haven’t even gotten into.”

RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT Men's basketball coach Brian Strickland plans for an uncertain season

By Janel Perry The Pirates’ Hook (PH): What’s it like being a coach during this pandemic?

Brian Strickland (BS): This has been by far the strangest year of my coaching career. For the first time in 17 years, there is no off-season, no summer circuit, no pre-season.

Even our season itself has been pushed back and in jeopardy of not happening.

So to say the least, it's been tough. I haven't seen my team since march 12th. It's been challenging absolutely.

Even with all of that, basketball is so far down the list of what has mattered over these last 8 months or so. If anything, it has hopefully allowed coaches like me, to take a step back and re-evaluate their program, drive, and vision.

PH: With schools being closed how do you communicate with your program?

BS: Mostly via text or social media.

PH: How often do you provide updates?

BS: I provide them as much as I can. At times, there are several updates and new information and other times, not so much.

PH: How do you feel not knowing what's going to happen?

BS: I have to come to peace with those feelings a long time ago. I can advocate for my team and my school, but outside of that the decisions are out of my hands.

PH: If you were in charge of the NCHSAA, what rules would you put in place for the winter sports season?

BS: That is why they pay the employees of the NCHSAA the big bucks, for them to make those decisions.

PH:What are you going to do if the season is cancelled?

BS: I will of course feel bad for my seniors and the rest of my program. I know how much these times mean to these young men and I hate to see it taken away from them.

PH: What’s been the most challenging thing about being a coach this year?

BS: Communication PH: Have there been any silver linings for you, your players or your program during the pandemic?

BS: for me, a breather from the grind. Enjoying more time with my wife and family. For the program, it’s a chance to re-evaluate and correct some things that have been troubling me for some time.

Men's basketball coach Brian Strickland reacts to a play during a home game last year. The RHS basketball team is 1-2 as of Jan. 19.

Photo by Janel Perry

"For the first time in 17 years, there is no off-season, no summer circuit, no pre-season. Even our season itself has been pushed back and [was] in jeopardy of not happening."

- Basketball coach Brian Strickland

Principal Tonya Williams Leathers meets President Joe Biden in the Riverside hallway. They talked about the importance of public education, and then she was introduced to his granddaughter who also attended the event. Photo courtesy of Tonya Williams Leathers

PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN VISITS RIVERSIDE On October 18, Democratic candidate and former Vice-President Joe Biden held an invite-only event at Riverside High School to encourage early voting.

To learn more about Biden's visit, check out the Tea Time Podcast

(top) President Joe Biden addresses a small audience on a stage built in Riverside's bus lot. Photos courtesy of Instagram (Bottom) spectators wait for Biden's motorcade to arrive on Rose of Sharon Rd. The event lasted approximately two hours. Photo by Elijah King

“I think he chose [Durham] because of our rich history especially in race relations.”

“Biden is really conscious of COVID-19 so that’s why we were doing a drive-in event. You had to have a mask to even get into the school.”

- Principal Tonya Williams Leathers

‘SAY THEIR NAMES’ A STUDENT’S LETTER TO JOE BIDEN

Dear President-elect Biden, Congratulations on your election win. You’ve named racial equity as one of your top priorities. I think you should start with the case of Breonna Taylor and the tragedy that occured in Louisville.

were NO drugs found in the home, and according to a New York Times interview of 12 neighbors of Ms.Taylor only one said they heard the police announce themselves one time and knock three times.

Many of us have seen Taylor’s name and face on social media and in news. The 26-year-old emergency room technician was shot and killed on March 13, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. Officers entered her and her boyfriend Kenneth Walker´s apartment that evening. The officers had a knock-andannounce warrant to enter the building but used a battering ram to enter. Upon entering, Walker fired one shot at Sergeant Jonathan Mattingly, who told investigators that he fired at least six shots in response. This led to an all out assault and the untimely death of Ms.Taylor, Walker’s arrest, and the endangerment of people in the adjacent home, which housed a pregnant woman and her child.

Taylor was hit six times and received no medical assistance for more than 20 minutes.

Let’s stop here. An hour before the raid LMPD sent the ambulance on standby away, which is not standard police practice. About five minutes after the shooting police noticed Taylor had been fatally injured. This was also after Walker had already called the police on the police to ask for help for his dying girlfriend.

My opinion on this situation is a lot like many of my peers’, classmates’, and much of the world right now. We want JUSTICE for Ms.Taylor and to see all of the officers involved in her death charged.

There are some who disagree and feel that the officers involved were within their ”legal¨ rights. And as the country is one divided, the line between police procedures and the public’s moral value gets blurred more and more as we continue to see this case through.

So I’m going to go over facts that explain why even from a ¨legal standpoint¨ this incident is not the fault of Ms.Taylor and Mr.Walker’s.

The officers involved were actually investigating two men who were selling drugs out of a house far from the home of Ms.Taylor. A judge had signed a warrant to enter Ms.Taylor’s home due to the officers’ suspicion that the men used her home to receive packages. Hours before the raid the judge turned the no-knock warrant into a knock-and-announce warrant, which means that the police have to announce themselves before entering.

According to police they did announce themselves before entering the apartment, but Mr.Walker disputes that claim and says they asked who it was amidst the loud banging on the door and they got no answer.

There is no way for sure to figure out who’s telling the truth here as police claim ¨there was no body cam footage,¨ which we have seen to be false as new footage is being released. What we can confirm is that there

So let’s be clear here: a woman laid dead in the hallway and none of the officers on the scene knew until it was already too late. They did not give her medical attention until 20 minutes after the incident occurred and, as we saw on the body cam footage, they cleared the house first. We see the officers step over her body and continue to neglect a dying woman they allegedly didn’t know was injured. This is blatant and clear disregard for HUMAN LIFE, as well as disregard for the laws and procedures put in place to combat these types of situations from occurring in the first place.

The police officers were negligent and abused their power in four different ways.

First, they sent the ambulance away beforehand. Second, they didn’t execute the warrant properly. Third, officers Hankison and Cosgrove neglected LMPD’s line of sight policy. And fourth, they gave Ms.Taylor no medical attention for more than 20 minutes.

Now, for those that say ‘Well, Mr.Walker fired his weapon,” that’s true. He shot one time, and didn’t cause a life threatening injury. He is also a licensed gun owner, not a trained officer but a civilian who at that time feared for the safety of himself and his family. And his charges for opening fire were dropped.

The aftermath of this tragedy is the real kicker. EVERY time we see a white officer abuse their power against people of color the officer is NEVER charged sufficiently. That’s the case here, too, as only one officer was fired and charged and the rest remain on administrative leave pending their criminal investigations.

And the officer who did get arrested was NOT charged for Taylor’s death but for endangering her neighbors. Let’s say that again: he was NOT charged for Killing Breonna Taylor, only for endangering her

neighbors. Hankinson received three counts of wanton endangerment. He could face 5 years in prison for each count and has a bond of $15,000, of which he only has to pay 10 percent. He pleaded not guilty and even asked in court could he keep his gun.

The AUDACITY of these men. Mattingly also sent an email to the LMPD. ¨ I know we did the legal, moral, and ethical thing that night,¨ he wrote. “It’s sad how the good guys are demonized and the criminals are canonized.”

A month later Mattingly told ABC News why he’s attempting to sue Mr. Walker and claims that he is the victim. ¨This is not relatable to George Floyd,” he said. “This is nothing like it. It’s not and Ahmaud Aubrey. It’s nothing like that.¨ He also said that he feels the police did their job in returning fire. ¨This is not us going hunting somebody down,” he said. “This is not kneeling on a neck.¨ Everything the officers did that night and moving forward stains everything America holds as ¨ethical and moral.¨ They know they mishandled the situation, and their blatant disregard shows that they are unwilling to take responsibility.

So, President-elect Biden, as you begin your work, do not forget to pause and say their names. Michael Brown. Tamir Rice. Eric Garner.

Freddie Gray. Ahmaud Arbery. George Floyd.

Breona Taylor. Jacob Blake. Alton Sterling.

Stephon Clark. Philando Castile. Atatiana Jefferson. Walter Scott. Sandra Bland. Rayshard Brooks. The names change and the circumstances are always different, but in each case, police officers demonstrate neglect and abuse of power.

My heart goes out to the families of Ms.Taylor and Mr. Walker. As this and many other cases continue to pan out I will be watching and hoping that JUSTICE is served.

Sincerely,

Jakyies Evans Junior Riverside High School November 10, 2020

photo courtesy of Pixabay

The Hook brings TV news to Insta

With the 2020-21 school year being virtual, two Newspaper students still managed to post broadcasts segments. Fabian Hernandez who is a senior and Ben Meglin who is a Junior. They would gather important topics to talk about in breakout rooms during class. Ben Meglin did sports segments and Fabian Hernandez covered hot topic news. With just the two of them they posted lots of episodes.

To see more videos visit @thepirateshook on instagram.

infographic by Ethan Haine

Best Sneakers of 2020 The Pirates' Hook highlights the coolest shoes of the year

By Angel Solorzano Arias From Nike to Adidas, the sneaker industry had a great year collaborating with multiple celebrities and fashion brands to create the most stylish footwear, so in this list we will present to you the most creative and innovative sneakers of this year.

Travis Scott x Nike SB Dunk Low Rapper Travis Scott collabed with Nike once again but this time he introduced his first official skateboarding shoe. It has a khaki color toe with a navy bandana style that wraps the shoe with rope style laces. The retail price is set at $ 150.

Nike SB x Ben and Jerry’s Dunk Low “Chunky Dunky” sneaker The ice cream brand, Ben and Jerry’s, created a creative skateboard show with Nike having an appearance of cloudy blue skies and green mountains with a black and white color way that appears as a cow. This sneaker sets at a retail price of $100.

Dior x Air Jordan 1 Retro High sneaker First ever collaboration with the brand Air Jordan, Dior, a fashion label, produced a sneaker with a color way of white grey and a Dior monogram print swoosh. There is a limited quantity of only 13,000 sneakers (which they gave 5,000 of to their top clients) and selling them with the retail price of $2000.

Adidas Yeezy Quantum Adidas creates a basketball shoe with a translucent sole composed of a grey rocky color, giving planet vibes. These Yeezy were being sold with a retail price of $250

Jordan 4 Retro Off-White Sail This Jordan 4 Women's shoe is a collaboration with a famous fashion company called Virgil Abloh’s, along with the Jordan Brand. The shoe is mostly composed of the color sail being sold with a retail price of $200.

Union x Air Jordan 4 Retro sneaker The collaboration of Union with Jordan brought a sneaker with an exciting and different color way not ever seen before Air Jordan 1 Retro High Dark Mocha with them as it is composed of black, white, With a Dark mocha, black and white color way, Air red, suede and rubber. The Union x Air Jordan released a perfect sneaker for the fall. This Jordan 4 Retro sneaker was being sold of a sneaker has a retail price of $170 retail price of $250.

Jordan 1 Retro High J Balvin Seen in the Super Bowl LIV halftime, Columbian singer J Balvin collabed with Air Jordan and released a colorful sneaker representing his new album, “Colores”.

Grateful Dead Bears Nike SB Dunk Low Inspired by Dead's iconic Dancing Bear mascot, Nike teamed up with them to give a green furry sneaker with a blue spiky swoosh. This creative sneaker sets its retail price at $110

Nike Dunk Low ‘Brazil’ Nike introduced a sneaker with yellow and green features representing the Brazilian flag. This sneaker released with a retail price of $100.

Air Jordan V Chicago Collaborators’ Collection by Virgil Abloh Virgil Abloh, a famous American designer, teamed up with Jordan once again to show off his Nike collaboration series of a black and white Jordan 5 selling with a retail price of $190.

RIVERSIDE

WRAPPED