3 Forum
Spokesman November 19, 2010
Editorial
Thumbs Up
Keira’s Cartoons
Identisys brings WHS both detriments and benefits District 214’s new security system, Identisys, will scan visitors’ state identification cards, licenses and passports to protect the schools from sex offenders and other criminals. Visitors who do not have any kind of identification cannot enter the building during school hours. Although the system has a beneficial purpose overall in protecting district students, it also brings some unfortunate disadvantages to students with parents or visitors that are unauthorized immigrants. According to <dhs. gov>, in 2009 an estimated 540,000 unauthorized immigrants lived in Illinois. In addition, Illinois ranked as one of the top five states with the highest unauthorized immigrant population in the United States. With such a large illegal immigrant population in the state, the fact that there are illegal immigrants in Wheeling is inevitable. For
WHS students with illegal parents, they lose both connection to school and educational assistance. One area that students will lose educational assistance is parent-teacher meetings during the school day. Outside of conferences, teachers and parents still meet often during school hours to discuss issues involving the student. In addition, parents meet for individualized education plan meetings as well as discipline meetings during the school day. Without the opportunity to take part in these meetings, parents and students lose an essential part of their educational experience. A parent’s citizenship status is rarely the result of a student’s action or decision. Students need not face punishment for a decision their parents made and how the government addresses the immigration issue. Another error in the usage of Identysis resulted from schools only using
it during the school day. Crime can still occur after school hours and students participating in after-school activities need protection for all hours in which they are at school. In order to remedy the errors the Identisys system brings about, Spokesman feels that parents should be allowed to enter the building when they are accompanying their own child. If that is not secure enough, the school can issue a new identification card to unauthorized immigrant parents or all parents to be fair. Spokesman also feels that the hours of Identysis usage should extend to cover all hours that the school’s doors are open in order to provide continuous protection. By adding a new parent or guardian identification card and extending Identisys hours, the system will still protect students through scans, and no student will suffer from that protection.
Congratulations to the WHS Technology Education program for being named the “Outstanding Technology Program” in Illinois by the Technology Education Association of Illinois.
Thumbs up to all the students participating in the variety show this weekend. Best of luck!
Choose your words wisely
In remembrance of those who serve our country Although Veterans Day happened a week ago, I wonder why we only leave one day a year to honor the men and women who risked Chris Schwarz their lives, and in many cases, gave Forum Editor their lives for our country. On Tuesday, Nov. 2, I had the honor of meeting a World War II Veteran while I was working at the election polls. His name was Irvin Lanier and he and his wife changed my life. It was around 2 p.m. when this elderly couple walked through the doors to the gym where the precinct was being held. I could immediately tell that they would struggle walking all the way across the gym to get to the poll booths. So, along with my coworkers at the precinct, I brought ballots and chairs to this couple, so that they could comfortably fill out their votes. When I was checking each of their voting registrations, I noticed that the man was 90 years old, and immediately I wondered if he had served in World War II. When he and his wife finished their ballots, they asked if I could help walk them to the car. I said “of course, I’d be glad to,” and we were on our way. After much mental debate as to whether I should ask or not, I had to satisfy my
curiosity and I asked, “Sir, did you ever serve in the military?” He answered “yes,” and explained to me that he fought in the Pacific during WWII for over three years. Imagine that. A man who spent three years fighting in the jungles of the Pacific, who is 90 years old and can hardly walk still came out to vote. That’s devotion. That’s commitment to one’s country. That’s something that each and everyone of us should admire and honor on a daily basis, not just once a year on Veterans day. Our country is struggling right now, we all know that, but at least we have our freedom. At least I have the right to speak freely, to believe in whatever I want, even the right to go to school. But without men like Mr. Lanier, we would not have those freedoms anymore. Our daily struggles are so minimal when we take into perspective what was done to secure and maintain our freedom. Today, thousands of young men and women, not so different from any student at WHS, risk their lives everyday to keep us safe. I ask the Wheeling community to honor these men and women more than just once a year. It doesn’t have to be extravagant; in fact, it should not be. But when you meet a veteran, simply say “thank you for serving our country.” That “thank you” will mean much to them, I know it did for Mr. Lanier. I will never forget what he and other soldiers did for our country, and I will never forget what he did for me.
Brianna Bitout Web Editor Walking down the halls of the school every day, I constantly hear the phrase “That’s so gay!” or some variation of it. Every time, I can’t help but wonder to myself: do people actually realize what they’re saying? Sometimes, I’ll approach the person, casually saying, “Oh I didn’t realize your (insert object here) had a sexual preference,” hoping they’ll get my message: it’s not okay to replace “stupid” with “gay.” Using the word gay when someone really means stupid is offensive to those that are actually gay. Instead of it merely representing a sexual preference, the word now has a double meaning. Being gay does not mean that someone is stupid or any other insult. Yet people use the word
gay instead and associate that negative meaning with gays. This association misrepresents the gay community. This misuse of the word gay is extremely offensive to those who are homosexual because it’s like slapping us in the face. I don’t want to be criticized or insulted because I happen to like people of the same sex. When I hear someone utter “that’s gay,” I want to shout at that person, “Why would you say that?!” However, I always feel as if the point would be moot; a complete stranger will not care what I have to say. Even worse, I sometimes am just plain afraid. I’ve seen people give me looks, sneering and snickering, sometimes even having the audacity to call me a “dyke.” I know that my life will never be perfect; every day that I wake up, I will have to face those that object to my sexuality, and so will others that are gay. I ask that the WHS community really think about what they’re saying when they say “That’s gay” because one never really knows who they could offend.
Thumbs up to Interact with Africa for raising over $1,000 through Hoops for Africa.
Thumbs Down
Thumbs down for the locker rooms being miniature obstacle courses. Mobs of sweaty people, crammed into a tiny space make exiting the locker rooms a nightmare.
Thumbs down to the lack of soap in the bathrooms. A sanitary school is hugely important as we approach flu season.
2010-2011
Spokesman Staff Editor-in-Chief Daniel Brount
Focus Editor Megan Jones
Associate Editor La Voz Editor Stevi Anderson Karen Rodriguez Web Editor Brianna Bitout
A&E Editor Gaby Najera
News Editor Krista Sanford
Photo Editor Jennie Alcantar
Forum Editor Chris Schwarz
Sports Editor Jess Musto
Feature Editor Rosalie Chan
Graphics Editor Jocelyn Torres
Newsroom Manager Staff Photographer Nicole Neumann Mike Ciavarella Brenda Hernandez Columnist Jesicca Livingston Solinna Chong Jes Martinez Dilsia Miranda Staff Artist Kristina Piamonte Keira Skenandore Valerie Westin
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Corrections-
Ulyana Nepokulchytska’s name was spelled wrong in the jumpline on page 1. Jon Prensner’s name was spelled wrong in the cutline on page 2. Heather MacIsaac’s name was mispelled in the corrections on page 3. Janet Delgado, Ezy Cruz and Maribel Aguilar were misidenitified in the photo on page 6. Mark Menich was not properly introduced on page 12.