7. 03-27-2014

ratchet

THE

April Fools!

We’re more important than WHTV

Vol. 95, Issue No. 7 ∙

∙

April 1, 2014

Spies in our midst By ANANI MOUSE Staff Reporter On Mar. 14, WHS held its annual Blood Drive, and over 100 students signed up to donate blood. However, after the Drive began, nurses began to notice something odd: none of the WHS students at the event bled orange and black. The nurses reported the shocking discovery to administrators, who demanded that every student who bled something other than WHS’s school colors be immediately suspended. But even more shocking was the discovery of what color the students actually bled: red. Administrators and students not donating blood were in shock - how could so many of WHS’s apparent students contain the colors of AHS through their veins? A vast majority of WHS’s student population were not huskies; they were AHS eagles. Students and teachers alike are at a loss of words when it comes to understanding exactly how or why this incident occurred. “It was just really surprising,” junior Ima Huuhskee said, “It’s hard to imagine that so many of the

people you go to school with aren’t who you thought they were.” The WHS staff is working together to determine how such a large population of students were able to remain disguised for so long. “It just isn’t fair, you know?” a red-blooded traitor said. “This does not prove anything! #FreeTheReds!” Still, most students on campus agree with the way the situation is being handled. They believe it is better for our school to be rid of these traitors. Unnamed sources reveal that the red-blooded students who are suspended represent only a small fraction of the AHS students in our midst. Apparently the infiltration is all part of an elaborate plan devised by AHS to take over WHS. This has thrown WHS into a frenzy as students and administrators attempt to figure out a way to keep our school safe. “The huskies better watch their backs. We’re coming. Ca-caw,” was a message seen on the walls of the Upper E-Building girls’ bathroom. “The recent events have been a tremendous blow. It’s vital we enact measures solve the issue,” administrator Harri Potter said.

Washington High School ∙ Fremont, CA

Disclaimer: Everything

on this page is fake. Any resemblence to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Students Celebrate more Homework

Pg. 99

Student aspires to be bunny

Junior Honey B. Pi practices her craft. Pi wants to be a bunny when she grows up. “Being a bunny takes a lot of time and effort,” Pi said. “But I think I’m up for the challenge.” Photo by Red D. Fodis.

FUSD declares war on geese By SUE DOE NIM Staff Reporter

Freshman Greento Jam practices shooting the geese as Freshman Kat Wo Man snapchats her friends. Photo by Ishu Pics.

Look! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s ...a bird. Sightings of the oncenearly-extinct Canadian Geese have skyrocketed over the last decade. Thanks to the assistance of a naive but well-intentioned naturalist, the geese were granted immunity from hunters, taxes, and jury duty. Now, their population has reached pestlevel proportions. In light of such developments, FUSD has used its emergency powers to instate a new unit into the mandatory freshman Health class - Pest Management. “Students will be able to evaluate and analyze a particular organism and determine its threat level, and from there follow precisely a complex multi-step procedure while maintaining at all times the integrity

of oneself,” the new curriculum reads. The new Health unit will engage students in the art of war, as outlined in the Pests chapter in Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. Students will learn how to utilize chemistry skills to create toxins capable of giving the usually fecally productive goose constipation, which could reduce the continual residue of droppings the geese are held responsible for. Aside from fulfilling a civic duty in maintaining city cleanliness and public health, students will become well-versed in general pest psychology. Similar to criminal psychology, students will come to understand the reasons that dictate the actions of the common pest. Students will collaboratively research and create a program aimed at the reform of troubled pests. Recently, studies have revealed a disturbing

trend: Canadian geese are neither Canadian nor migratory. To assist with this identity crisis, students are required to understand the fundamentals of goose psychology. “I’m really looking forward to the new class. This menace must be put down, and we need the knowledge to combat it,” freshman Fay Kerr said. Nerf has agreed to sponsor this ambitious program, and as such will provide Nerf guns in hopes of alleviating the fears of animal activists demanding equal rights for the birds. In a recent lawsuit, Goose v. Nerf, Nerf and its parent company Hasbro won a landmark victory. The judge and jury ruled that although it may be illegal to shoot a goose with a real gun, just as it is illegal to shoot a person with a gun, if a person shoots one another with a Nerf gun, it is legal. Therefore, geese may be shot with Nerf guns.

Teacher arrested after students do math By TERRI AKI Staff Reporter On Mar. 25, chemistry teacher Semaj Egard was arrested and charged for the production and distribution of math.. Egard began making math in a rented trailer with former WHS student Jesse Greenman. They would travel out to Sunol on the weekends to do their business; and to make math as well. Overtime, Egard became more and more experienced with math.

Despite Greenman doing all the math, their business grew. By the time of their arrest, they were in charge of a global empire, reaching as far as Mexico and even San Jose. According to police reports, Egard’s most recent math lab was his chemistry class at WHS. Egard had his chemistry students help with the process through several lab projects where math was secretly involved. After finishing the math, Egard planted it in the vending machines around campus. He would

remove the sliced apples from the machines and replace them with math, counting on students to not eat healthy. Greenman would then buy the “apples” and distribute them. According to police reports, he would occasionally buy some animal crackers as well. To math lovers, Egard was known as the Heisenberg. He even had plans to shave his head and grow a beard, however he could not find the proper hat. “I had the knowledge of

chemistry, I had the equipment needed, and I don’t have a detective brother in-law or an annoying wife,” Egard said. “There was nothing stopping me. Besides, I needed the money for my terminally ill Chihuahua.” By the time of arrest, Egard’s math empire was worth over 600 dollars. He planned to branch out to the selling of mushrooms and other produce as well. However that was all stopped when he was caught walking to a vending machine with two bags

of math products. Egard had tried to demonstrate that the math was in fact rock candy by eating it. He was taken into the police station high off math and screaming that he would knock on the arresting officer’s door. “It really was a surprise to us all,” freshman Loe Ko said. “Egard was such a nice teacher. And to find out that all along, he had a Chihuahua as a pet?! Those things are gross! And wasn’t he involved with math too? Seriously, nobody likes math, that is some bad stuff.”

INSIDE: Dam Bathrooms Overflow 2-3•Transgender Updates 4-5•Things People Don’t Care About 6-9•Harry Potter 10-12

2 ∙ NEWS ∙ The Hatchet ∙ March 27, 2014

Happy Multicultural Week!

- From, The Hatchet Congrats to Matthew van Sprakelaar for becoming the new Editor-in-Chief of the Hatchet!

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hatchet Telling the truth since 1916

Pg.12 - 13

High School Hacks pg. 4

THE

Dancing around the World

Vol. 95, Issue No. 7 ∙ March 27, 2014 ∙

Tardy

Washington High School ∙ Fremont, CA

Multicultural Menu Pg. 13

Party By TRINA BENAVIDEZ Staff Reporter The new tardy policy has resulted in 65% fewer tardies than last year. From the beginning of the school year to the end of February, there were 5,869 tardies. Last year, there were 16,250 tardies during this period. Teachers have felt the improvement too. “I agree with the policy because I believe students need to be accountable. Punctuality is part of accountability. Being on time is a life long quality you have to attain,” Film teacher William Harrison said. There were 1,877 excused tardies and 3,976 unexcused tardies this year. Last year, there were 1,120 excused tardies and 15,046 unexcused tardies. After school detentions are not assigned for tardies in second, third, fourth, and sixth period unless it is instigated by a teacher. The policy only enforces a punishment on tardies that occur during first and fifth period. “Because of the dramatic drop in unexcused tardies, it is having an effect on students that is a net positive. In the end, students have to want to be in class on time and that has to be our ultimate goal,” Assistant Principal Jeffrey Speckels said. At the request of this reporter and senior Sean Kinson, who were researching for their Art 1 assignment on infographics, Assistant Principal Jeff Speckels retrieved the numbers from the district office which records them on the School Max attendance program. With the Infographic project, students could make the project about anything connected to Washington. The data could come from anything associated with their lives at school. See Tardy Policy, page 5

Gone, but not forgotten

Marlene Lamar, Danielle Lamar, and Steve Lamar release balloons in honor of their daughter. Family and friends gather at the Sierra Lamar Bench Dedication on Mar. 16. Sierra has been missing since Mar. 16, 2012. Photo by Gautami Sharma

Congressional House candidate speaks to seniors ‘Khanna’ he get

to Congress? By ANACHRISTINA ARANA Staff Reporter

On Mar. 11, congressional candidate Ro Khanna spoke in the cafeteria to WHS students. Khanna is a candidate for the House of Representatives in California’s seventeenth congressional district, and is running against fellow Democrat Michael M. Honda, who has served seven terms. Both candidates in this election are trying to prove that they are the better choice for Silicon Valley’s technological economy and working families. When Khanna said that the biggest challenge in our country is finding a way to make the American dream accessible

to today’s generation Khanna told WHS because its constituents students that he have fewer opportunities believes that he has a to be successful. better understanding Khanna hopes to of Silicon Valley’s pave a road for the place in the global nation’s youth by making economy compared to higher education more another Democratic accessible and affordable candidate Mike to just about everyone. Honda, given that Khanna said that he aims he has worked in the to lower student interest executive branch with rates to two percent, the president and stop the 401K plan from Ro Khanna gives a speech to WHS has more economic affecting financial aid, experience and students on Mar. 11. Khanna is increase teachers’ salaries, running to represent the 17th expertise. He said that and ensure that schools District in the the House of Repre- digital proficiency are hiring only the most and an understanding sentaives. qualified educators. He of the global economy Photo by Caitlyn Brown believes that this can are essential to be done by cutting the being successful in defense budget and the economy of the increasing the federal education budget. twenty-first century. He wants mandated Khanna said that education is more crucial classes on basic coding, web development than the military is in our nation today. and design, entrepreneurial skills, and

foreign language in high school so that students can be better prepared for an expanding global economy. During his presentation, Khanna said that Congress today is disconnected from the lives of everyday people. He explained to students the six pledges he will abide by, if elected, in an effort to reform Congress and bring them closer to the people. Those six pledges are: to refuse donations from special interest groups, to refuse congressional pay raises, to buy his own healthcare, to end the congressional pension system, to never become a lobbyist and to never misuse public trust for personal profit, and propose legislation to ban trips paid for by special interests. Khanna concluded his presentation by encouraging the students to get involved and engaged in politics at a young age. Khanna explained to the students present that if young people are more involved in politics, politicians are more likely to pay attention to them and their issues, which can help bring forth change more quickly.

INSIDE: News 4-5 • Opinions 6-7 • Features 8-9 • Arts and Entertainment 10-13 • Sports 14-15 • Photos 16

4 ∙ NEWS ∙ The Hatchet ∙ March 27, 2014

Hack my day, hack away By NISHTHA BHATIA Staff Reporter On Mar. 8, over 700 high schoolers in the Bay Area gathered in Paypal Inc.’s company headquarters in San Jose to compete in HS Hacks, a “hackathon” designed solely for high school students. Several WHS students attended HS Hacks, including junior Leon Eng and seniors Abirami Ganesh, Arshin Jain, Katherine Khuc, Yixin Lin, Vignesh Muruganantham, and Nikky Ranga. They worked in small teams to create a project they would enter in to the competition. A hackathon is an event where people meet to engage in collaborative computer programming and compete for prizes. Hackathons are usually aimed towards college students. This is what the founder of HS Hacks, senior Shrav Mehta from Monta Vista High School, aimed to change. “My goal in creating the hackathon was to make a new community of students, inspire new coders, and make coding awesome for them,” Mehta said. In order to put on HS Hacks, Mehta worked with a team of organizers and advocates consisting of various high school students across the bay, including WHS freshman Moksh Jawa. During the hackahon, Jawa worked with WHS freshman Sai Atmukuri to create a website called “Hack My Day” that would generate an itinerary and directions to popular attractions in any city in the world. They received a sponsorship award from Dropbox for their project. “HS Hacks was an extraordinary experience that taught me about computer science,” Jawa said. “It was extremely fun to stay up all night and make cool things.” Eng, Muruganantham, and Lin also worked together in a team to create a pathfinding algorithm that explores the concept of Artificial Intelligence. After being judged by employees from sponsor companies

Tardy Policy Continued from Page 3

“Trina and Sean were curious about the new WHS tardy policy and whether or not it was effective in reducing tardies. This is typical of the projects I design- I want projects and art to be relevant to people’s lives...The administration is now aware of the positive effect of the policy,” Art teacher Todd Elkin said. “So, ultimately, a project that began in an art class ended up making a huge contribution to the WHS community.” Students had complete freedom to make this art work about something they cared or were curious about. In the course of researching this infographic, this reporter and Kinson were able to uncover the fact that the administration did not yet know whether or not the incidence of tardies had gone down as a result of the new tardy policies. “Whether it’s fear or rules that get us to class on time, at least we have a functioning system,” Kinson said. This year there have been 1,134 detentions served, even though there have been 3,976 unexcused tardies. The 3,976 unexcused tardies are derived from first through sixth period, while the 1,134 detentions served are only a result of first and fifth period. There have been 186 Saturday School detentions served, and 148 SRC all-day detentions. With the detentions served, Saturday schools, and SRC all-day detentions there have been 1,468 total. “Getting to class on time is a sign of respect for teachers and students. Numbers are an indication that the focus this year of getting to class on time is something the students have embraced. I am proud of them. The tardy policy that is in place is effective,” Principal Bob Moran said.

like Facebook, Google, and Microsoft, they reached the HS Hacks finals stage that included only the top 15 teams. The event also included several workshops and demonstrations by sponsor companies to help those who didn’t have much experience coding. The workshops covered a variety of programming concepts like Microsoft Touch development, iOS game development, web design, and Android development. Jeremy Rossmann, founder of the website MakeGamesWithUs.

com, was also present to deliver an opening keynote speech to the HSHacks attendees. The event was extremely well received by students and sponsors, and had more than 700 people present. Of this, 550 students stayed overnight to compete, and more than 100 high schools were represented. HS Hacks is expected to take place again next year in February. “The fact that all of these high schoolers gathered together to do what we love doing made me speechless,” Eng said.

W h a t ’s

CHOPPIN’? News Briefs

Student election campaign week coming up Student elections campaign week will be from Apr. 14 - 17. Students running for class and ASB officers will be setting up campaign posters and distributing pins to their peers. They can also use social media such as Facebook and Twitter to encourage other students to vote for them. Candidates will have the opportunity to record a video message to show to their classmates.

New ASB website now online ASB now has a new website dedicated to Leadership activities and club announcements. The website has specific pages for each commission and officers, so that students and their parents will know exactly what commissioners do and who to contact about specific issues. There is a direct link for students who are applying for Leadership and want to know what each commission does. Students can access it by going to the WHS website or by simply going to WashingtonAsb.com.

Clockwise from top left: The hackathon hosts classes on basic programming. Students code in the main workroom. Freshmen Sai Atmakuri and Moksh Jawa prepare for their demo. Seniors Katherine Khuc, Abirami Ganesh, and Nikky Ranga work on their web app. Seniors Yixin Lin and Vignesh Muruganantham and junior Leon Eng demo their AI. Photos by HS HACKS

Update: Victory for transgender law advocates By GAUTAMI SHARMA Staff Reporter On Feb. 24, California Secretary of State Debra Brown’s office released the status of Privacy For All Students’ petition to place the “transgender law” on November 2014 voting ballots. The referendum failed to collect the necessary 504,760 valid signatures. They instead had 487,484 valid signatures and 131,857 invalid signatures. Privacy For All Students has declared on their website that they believe some of the signatures rejected by the Secretary of State’s office can be challenged in court in order to validate the signatures.

Colombian students visiting The Colombians are coming to WHS on Mar. 30 and are leaving Apr. 7. For entertainment, they prepared a performance for the Drama and language classes. On Friday, Apr. 4, they will be going on a field trip to San Francisco.

Caps and gowns for graduation Graduation caps and gowns come in Apr. 29, the first day of Senior Days. They will be distributed along with other items.

News Briefs by ROHIT DHAR, TWINKLE KHANNA, KATHLEEN QUACH

GSA grant says YES to summit By GAUTAMI SHARMA Staff Reporter Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) Club received a $500 grant from the California Teachers Association to organize a Youth Empowerment Summit (YES) in Fremont. YES is an annual GSA leadership conference that takes place December in San Francisco. The event was first organized by the GSA Network in 2005 to help lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and pansex (LGBTQIAP) rights advocates in their ventures. YES is free and has workshops featuring topics like how to organize a gsa, how to launch campaigns, knowing your rights, LGBTQIAP history, art, and suicide prevention. YES is open to all LGBTQIAP youth who want to promote a safe and homophobic/transphobic-free environment for all students.

“[YES] was a really great experience for me to connect with like-minded peers on social justice issues,” GSA president Christine Larisch said. “I’m really excited that we can finally bring this to our school, connect on these issues, and bring people closer to us and to our cause.” Two years ago, previous GSA club president Robert Jensen wanted to bring YES to Fremont to localize the event for people who could not travel to San Francisco. The money from this year’s grant will be going towards Opportunity Unleashed, an event structured similarly to YES. It will feature workshops on religion and homophobia, gender 101, attraction 101, how to be an LGBTQIAP ally, how to run a great GSA, and the history of marginalized groups. The workshops and the event will be organized and carried out by students. Larisch is hoping to collaborate

with MECHA and the Girls Focus Group on the marginalized groups workshop. The $500 grant will be used to cover janitorial costs in order to have Opportunity Unleashed take place on the WHS campus, but the club is still hoping to gain support either through publicity or monetary means. GSA will have fundraisers and reach out to local food chains so that food will be available at the event. The club is also hoping to keep Opportunity Unleashed free and open to any students interested in supporting and understanding the LGBTQIAP community. So far, students from American, Irvington, and Kennedy have shown interest in attending the event. Opportunity Unleashed’s official date is yet to be determined, but GSA is hoping to hold it on May 17.

March 27, 2014 ∙ The Hatchet ∙ NEWS ∙ 5

Interact’s new rule By PURNIMA KASHYAP Staff Reporter Interact Club is adding a new membership rule for its members. Students will now have to take part in four events and two, such as the Fall Leadership Conference and the Paws for a Cause breast cancer walk, have to be for service hours. Other ways students can get their hours are by going to meetings, which are only worth half a service event. In return, students will receive a certificate and their community service hours. This new rule is aimed at the seniors who may be lying on their college apps. “Even if they attended one event, they put ‘dedicated to Interact,’” said junior Simon Lu, president of Interact Club. Lu also said that there is more

Top: The LaMar family and Activites Director Helen Paris give speeches to commemorate the bench dedicated to missing former WHS student Sierra LaMar on Mar. 16. Lamar’s closest friends were seated below the podium. Right: The plaque dedicated to former cheerleader LaMar and other missing children on the bench. The bench is around the “cheerleading” tree behind the amphitheater.

work to becoming a dedicated member of Interact rather than just writing it on a piece of paper. This year is a trial run for the new rule. Interact will be experimenting with these rules and the best ways to enforce them. The club plans to have everything ready to go for next year. Interact Club at WHS will be the first to enforce this rule. Interact members hope this new rule will not cause any loss of members, but rather that students will be more motivated to participate in events. Freshman Tiger Nguyen believes these rules are perfectly reasonable, and helps keep track of who is an actual member. “Students are getting service hours and making new friends along the way, making new memories all within the club,” Nguyen said.

Speech and Debate By LEMAR KARIMI Guest Columnist

Photos by GAUTAMI SHARMA.

Eco Faire every other year By YOSEPH LATIF Staff Reporter WHS’ Eco Faire will no longer be held on a yearly basis. Through multiple discussions the between the school’s administration and leadership it was decided that the event will be held every other year. This is due to a multitude of reasons, the main one being that this year the school will be doing its first annual WHS Hall of Fame which will honor outstand alumni who have either accomplished great things after high school or while they were attending. There will be a Hall of Fame dinner in May where these individuals will be honored. The dinner will be held at Swiss Park in Newark. People it will be honoring include Jess Jacinto, Scott Haggerty and David Carter. May was also to be the month of the Eco Fair. Holding two events as big as these two within days of each other wasn’t feasible and could interfere with each of their success. The decision was made that celebrating the Eco Faire every other year was in its own favor. With a

longer gap between in between each fair, students will appreciate the event more and there will be more time for better preparation as well as the fact that deeper, more interesting, and more original ideas will be given a longer amount of time to be thought out. “The Eco Faire seems to be a rather painless and costless event that has a positive effect on our community. Moving it to every other year simply weakens that effect,” said senior, Vignesh Muruganantham. The Environmental Club member, who are deeply involved with every years’ Eco Faire aren’t fans of the change either. “The Eco Faire conveys a great message to our generation that the little things we do help in the long run. We should be reminded of this message constantly because it is easy to forget,” said President of the Environmental Club, Alice Wen. Not all students find this change to be a bad idea though. “I think this was a smart move. This will keep the Eco Faire fresh and lessen its fatigue. Every other year isn’t even really that long, each class will still get to experience it at least twice,” said junior, Jacob Cyriac.

The importance of the skills involved in forensics debate has made an astonishing impact on my life, for the better. Forensics has produced many notable members of society over the years through a wide range of fields. Whether it is in the celebrity world with actors such as Brad Pitt and Adam Sandler or in the political sphere with people such as Steven Colbert, Glen Greenwald, or Nate Silver, it is clear the forensics has large degree influence. It is due to forensics, I personally and many others, gained positive net outcomes in regards to an increase social responsibility, academic success, and psychological multipliers. Whether it be the propensity to vote, the tendency to take part in social activism, or inclination to participate in social volunteerism, these factors have all led to more proactive approach to life for many participants of debate. Civic duty, the belief that one has an obligation to participate in political affairs, and civic competence, the idea that one can affect a government policy, are often underestimated by the majority of the people. The experience of debate inherently provides the ability of knowledge to an individual, which can be used to help benefit societal welfare. In regards to academic success, studies have proven that forensics is an enabler for future success. In a study by Contemporary Argumentation & Debate in 2005, more than 75% of debaters in graduate school had a 3.5 GPA or higher. Furthermore, there was a 50% increase in obtaining a job offers before graduation. From a psychological standpoint there is also evidence to prove a healthier mind set for debaters. In 2005 more than 40% of graduate students reported feeling depressed or having high levels of anxiety. Compared to the members in the forensics team, only 9% reported any levels of anxiety. When graduate students were asked if they were overwhelmed by any pressure, more than 22% responded yes, where only one percent of debaters responded yes. Iit is clear to say, that the experience of debate will undoubtedly help any individual if he or she desires.

Chinese Yo-Yo throws up good show at assembly By Tristan Borillo Staff Reporter

sophomore year, is dedicated to the learning tricks on the Chinese Yo-Yo. With no set meeting spot or schedule, the club usually meets when all the members have free time and meets wherever is available, whether it is behind the MPR, at the park, or in front of a classroom. The club began with Chan and Wen teaching the club members the basics to try and get everyone on the same skill level, but now they spend their time perfecting their tricks. The club uses the “Diablo” type of Chinese Yo-Yo, a European variant that has a bell-like shape and thinner axle when compared to the Chinese Yo-Yo. Chang also said that she loves the Chinese Yo-Yo and states that it is something she is good at and likes to practices frequently. “I’m going to keep practicing after high school,” Chang said. “I need to keep my skills up so that if I flunk out of college or something I can run away and Diablo for the circus.” Not everyone in the club has plans like Chang’s. Oliver said that she may only continue this as a hobby after graduation.

Club CORNER

The Chinese Yo-Yo Club performed at the Multicultural Festival Assembly on Mar. 26. Seniors Iris Chan, Evie Chang, Alice Wen, Kathleen Tan, and Beth Oliver performed complex tricks during the assembly using the Diablo type of Yo-Yo. The club had not performed at the Multicultural Festival before, but decided to perform this year due to this being their senior year and last chance to showcase their skills and talents. According to club member Chang, they have been contemplating the idea of performing in public before, but had never gotten around to do it until now. A Chinese Yo-Yo consists of two disks connected by an axle which is spun by two sticks attached by the string. The point of the Chinese Yo-Yo is to juggle the disks using the string to keep the disks spinning and using that momentum to perform any combination of tricks and stunts. The Chinese Yo-Yo club, founded by Chan during her

Seniors Iris Chan and Kathleen Tan perform tricks for the Multicultural Festival Assembly as part of Chinese Yo-Yo Club. This was the first time the club had performed in the assembly. Photo by Kasy tu.

6 ∙ OPINIONS ∙ The Hatchet ∙ March 27, 2014

THE

hatchet

Washington High School 38442 Fremont Blvd. Fremont, CA 94536 (510) 505-7300 [email protected]

The Hatchet is a forum for student expression and discussion of ideas uncensored by school officials. The staff seeks to ethically produce an accurate record of the news, sports, issues and people of the WHS community.

Editors-in-Chief Amy McClellan Kathleen Norton Arts & Entertainment Editor Jenna Wu News Editor Subhiksha Raman Opinions Editor Kayla Nelson Features Editors Brenda Rivera Nishika Tripathi Sports Editor Emilio Ponce Photos Editor Kasy Tu Advertising Manager Julie Jeon Advisor David Skillings Staff Reporters Anachristina Arana Trina Benavidez Nishtha Bhatia Uma Bhatia Tristan Borillo Andrew Chen Rohit Dhar Trevor Fung Abirami Ganesh Ayeesha Hossain Purnima Kashyap Twinkle Khanna Yoseph Latif Michael Macabitas Vishesh Mani Raven Moorer Yasmin Neda Han Ngo Rohan Parulkar Kathleen Phan Kathleen Quach Alyssa Rosencrans Gautami Sharma Anjali Suthar Matt van Sprakelaar Jeffrey Yeung

Political Cartoon By Julie Jeon

Need-Aware may be blind to our needs

T

here is a lot about the college admissions process that is under the applicant’s control. They have been more or less in control of their grades for the past three years, they chose how much time to spend preparing for the SAT or the ACT, they selected which extracurricular activities to participate in, and they choose how much effort to put into their essays. Admissions decisions based solely on these criteria are considered to be merit-based admissions. But most colleges also judge an applicant on their ability to pay for the school. This is called need-aware admission. The highly selective schools that do not judge an applicant’s ability to pay practice need-blind admission. Needblind admissions are generally thought to benefit the lower-income applicant, as they cannot be denied for needing extensive financial aid. The problem with this is that experienced college admissions officers can undoubtedly tell, based off of a student’s extracurricular activities, roughly how much money their parents make. On the flip side, need-aware can allow an admissions officer to take into account a student’s financial hardships and look at

Staff EDITORIAL

Letters

to the Editor The Hatchet encourages public opinion through Letters to the Editor, which represent the opinion of the writer only. An editor must confirm submission of all letters with the writer. Writers may request that their letter be printed anonymously, but The Hatchet will not take letters submitted anonymously. Address letters to “the editor,” and deliver to Room E221, or email to editor@ whshatchet.com, or mail to WHS.

More “in-the-know” Hello, my name is Jaire Gipson and I am a senior here at Washington. I would first like to congratulate and thank you for your extremely well organized monthly school newspaper. Over

their high school career in that context. Many colleges are being forced to switch their need-blind policy to the opposite due to a lack of funds. Schools that are need-blind tend to also promise to meet one hundred percent of all admitted students’ demonstrated need, which can put a strain on endowment funds when an incoming class is especially needy. To compensate, schools have two options: switch to a need-aware policy or no longer promise to meet one hundred percent of need. Discontinuing to meet full need would negatively impact all students. Prospective freshmen would have to worry about extensive loans, and continuing students may be forced to transfer to a cheaper option. However, switching to a need-aware policy would have relatively low impact on students. With a need-aware policy, a school is able to balance their incoming class based on their own financial limitations. This way, if a student truly wants to attend a school and gets admitted, no financial issue will stop them from going there. In keeping with a need-aware policy and not meeting full financial aid, universities are essentially encouraging students to take out hefty loans to attend. While it is ultimately on the student to decide what makes sense to them financially, it is counterproductive for a college to not take need into consideration “helping” applicants and giving them an equal chance during admissions and then turning around and tell a poor student “hey, you can

the four years that I have spent at Washington High School, I have enjoyed every copy that has been produced and circulated. Over time, I have noticed the common format of The Hatchet and I was contacting you because I would like to make a humble suggestion and present a thought about the paper. Through the kindness of the Journalism class and students around campus, the Hatchet is oftentimes made available for students that do not have ASB. These students without ASB usually do not own a Husky planner either. So I have been wondering how feasible it would be to dedicate a page or at least half of a page for up coming events. This could be done in an actual calendar format or whatever seems appropriate for the Journalism class if this is something that is considered. Whether students without ASB

come to our school but only if you sell your soul to the banks first.” The defense for need-blind schools is that the policy promotes diversity. Statistically, it should ensure that there is an equal distribution of wealthy and poor students. However, as any AP Statistics student will tell you, there is absolutely no guarantee of this because admissions decisions are not drawn out of a hat. When wealth is not taken into account, the decision is based purely on academic merit. This invariably gives an advantage to high income students who have had access to SAT prep classes, AP tutors, expensive extracurricular activities, and private cello lessons. The low income student who had to take care of their younger siblings after school everyday and couldn’t afford to join DECA is at a disadvantage. Need-blind admissions are a sweet idea in theory. In an ideal world, everything would be equal and everyone would have the same opportunities. But this is the real world. If an admissions officer sees two applications, one with extensively impressive activities, and one listing only an after school job and a few school clubs, without any outside information, it’s pretty clear who will be selected. Need-blind admissions do not serve their purpose. When a decision is made affecting the next four years of a person’s life, it is only fair that all of the pieces of the puzzle are available to the official making the decision. Income, however big or small, should not be left out.

are not financially able to obtain Husky planners or any other cause, I believe that it would be greatly appreciated by them to see a print form of upcoming events of significance in the school. Again, over the years I have always enjoyed the Hatchet and hope to continue to see newspapers of the same caliber as my high school career comes to a close. I thank you for the work that has been put in to The Hatchet. It is shown through the consistency of the excellent papers printed monthly. Thank You, Jaire Gipson

Land of the Free* rings true The author of “Land of the Free*: restrictions may apply” makes a poignant argument regarding the proposition of an essentially segregation-based law. America should be a land of freedom, and

its citizens pride themselves on that fact. As time passes though, it almost seems as if the people in the government are trying to restrict individual freedoms. Although there have been some successes for gay rights such as the legalization of gay marriage, there is still room for improvement. If the senate of Kansas had not stopped the law, America would have taken a step back instead of a step forward. The fact that the people proposing the bill used religion as the basis for their proposal is worrying though. They are misusing the free exercise clause and the establishment clause to suit their own needs. People should be aware of the political standings of their country because bills passed in one state can affect everyone. If the Kansas bill had passed who knows how it would have changed America? Thank You, Anonymous

March 27, 2014 ∙ The Hatchet ∙ OPINIONS ∙ 7

P.E. now exercises our writing By UMA BHATIA Staff Reporter Wonderful Wednesday, Tremendous Thursday, and Fantastic Friday. When students hear these alliterations, school becomes a nightmare. As much as we hate Wonderful Wednesday, P.E. is the only class where we can work our bodies instead of our minds. The new Common Core curriculum aims to change that. While the exercise portion of P.E. will remain, there will be more writing and science. P.E. makeups have already been changed to fit the Common Core standards. Integrating these subjects into P.E. might be helpful, but it will chain today’s children to a desk for an even longer time.

Science and writing will be tested in the P.E. curriculum. P.E. makeups will require the use of specific words to improve writing skills. With science comes math. Imagine trying to figure out the equation of the parabola a birdie makes in the air. Fun, right? Since English and science are desk subjects, the creators of Common Core curriculum should realize that P.E. is the one class which should not feel like a desk job. The purpose of Common Core is to integrate different subjects into each class, but P.E. is different. While all other classes challenge our mind, only P.E. challenges us physically. Instead of insisting on essay makeups, Common Core should force teachers to have students makeup their missed days by

worsen the physical condition of American students. Some say it is only fair we should integrate science and writing in P.E. since the same will happen with English, math, and science. What they do not realize is P.E. will not be integrated into other classes. The purpose of six classes is to give each subject an equal amount of time. If there is more time for other classes, it leaves no time for P.E.. Instead, Common Core should increase time for P.E.. Decreasing P.E. time would cause childhood obesity to increase. Common Core should help us improve our skills by challenging our mind and bodies. Common Core will instead be detrimental to the health of students.

participating in some physical activity. By doing this, Common Core can train our brains while alleviating America’s obesity problem, and help make students less stressed. Not only are Common Core’s changes to P.E. for the coming years completely absurd, but they would go against the purpose of P.E. as a class. Although many sports require an efficient use of strategy, P.E. is the one class that lets us be kids. P.E. gives us an hour to stretch and cool off. Without written makeups, students would be able to get their daily exercise and take breaks from the constant bombardment of information. By adding more instruction in P.E., students will be burdened with more homework. This in turn, will

With no money, they need compassion By HAN NGO Staff Reporter There are common stereotypes in society that people think of when they consider those stricken by poverty. These misconceptions are dangerous to those who are in need of help because they lead to avoidance of any communication. Negative connotations of the homeless exist because people fear what they don’t understand and instead of trying to understand, create unhealthy barriers. The common stereotypes are that homeless people are either drug addicts or criminals. Although it is natural human behavior when people fear what they do not know and stray away from the things they deem as “immoral,” in this situation,

it is something people need to overcome. Changing people’s perspective towards such an important topic will increase the likelihood of eliminating poverty and homelessness. This negative attitude of what is foreign to people’s everyday lives is a disease that the nation needs to fix. Many people believe that homeless people deserve the conditions that they are in. A great amount of people are on the streets because of unfortunate circumstances. This includes getting laid off of their job, veterans who can’t find work, mental and physical disability issues, and traumatic experiences resulting in loss of everything they have. Even if there are individuals who have made bad decisions, no one deserves to be on the streets. Instead of making judgments, people have to look

at the situation as a whole by considering all aspects, and understanding why those people are where they are. Some people may argue that there is no difference between not acknowledging, or interacting with, people who they encounter everyday and not acknowledging homeless people. This is not true. If the fear of interacting with those who are homeless is embedded in a person’s mind, then those who are facing poverty will not get the help that they need. The situation of those in poverty does not affect some people the same way it affects those who need the help. People need to change their perspectives and encourage others to communicate with those in poverty and help them as much as they can. This is one of the ways to end poverty in our country.

Rights vs. rules: to pee or not to pee

Arjun Sanyal, 10

Simrah Khan, 9

in the Halls

“Phineas and Ferb because Perry the Platypus is an awesome secret agent and Phineas and Ferb have amazing adventures.”

“SpongeBob SquarePants. I love SpongeBob’s laugh. My favorite characters are Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy.”

“Dexter’s Laboratory because he did crazy things and always chased his sister DeeDee.”

Ji-ah Kang H. Precalc Teacher

“What is your favorite cartoon?”

Huskies

“Powerpuff Girls. I remember watching it with my sisters and the show was cool. I once dressed up as one of them for Halloween.”

book is a hassle. It is practically impossible to go from a class by the drama department to the bathroom and still make it to the E building in time. So, now you have a choice the next time your teacher says “no” when you ask to use the bathroom. Using the bathroom is a must in order to stay healthy. It is a human right. Eating, breathing, and using the bathroom are not privileges. They are rights. They are your rights, and nobody should take them away from you.

cause bladder infections and many other health risks. It is difficult to focus when you’re squirming uncomfortably in your desk. Some teachers argue that the main reason they have strict bathroom policies is to control kids who use the bathroom pass as a chance to escape class. Others feel that people should use the bathroom only between classes. However, we have to get from class to class in a very limited amount of time. Even going to your locker to get a

Justin Moore, 12

Using the bathroom is something we all have to do. It is a necessity of living, just like breathing, eating, sleeping. But several kids in elementary, middle, and high school have been told to hold it or wait till the class period was over. If you have a job or are an adult who attends school, labor laws say you can use the bathroom whenever you need too. It is illegal to keep someone

from using the restroom. So, if adults are guaranteed the right to use the bathroom, kids in elementary, middle and high school can’t be denied that right everday. It is actually illegal to keep a child from using the restroom, but many teachers ignore that law. Many teachers feel that it is a disruption to allow kids to perform bodily functions such as getting drinks of water or using the bathroom. It is a health hazard to keep someone from using the bathroom; it can

Morgan Flanagan, 11

By YASMIN NEDA Staff Reporter

“Garfield because he is so cute. The best thing about him are his eyes, I love them.”

A Bowl of Ramen Abirami Ganesh

New, but Improved? The SAT: The essay, the math, the long, arduous reading passages that have nothing to do with anything important but rather document the life issues of fair maidens in early twentieth century England. The SAT is infamous for the importance colleges place on it for admissions. And, of course, the terrible anxiety that culminates in the Saturday morning test date. College Board has caught on that their SAT is losing popularity to the ACT when, for the first time this past year, more students took the ACT than the SAT. To remedy the situation, the company has decided to change various parts of their SAT. The essay has been made optional and the three familiar sections have been reduced to “Evidence-Based Reading and Writing” and math.The reading and writing section will only include vocabulary pertinent to the “real-world” and passages that one might see throughout the course of a career. Meanwhile, the math section will test on “Problem Solving and Data Analysis, the Heart of Algebra, and Passport to Advanced Math” and some sections will no longer allow the use of a calculator. The grading scale will also move from 2400 back to the 1600 scale overhauled ten years ago. And, here’s the real kicker: in order to encourage educated guesses, there will be no penalty or negative points for wrong answers. For the most part, the changes to the SAT are positive. It’s important that standardized testing reflects students’ true intelligence and capability. Right now, the SAT just measures how well a student can take an test, creating a serious gap between students who can afford test preparation and those who cannot. Most students who get over 2000 on the SAT study for days on end outside of school hours, and usually go to additional test prep classes. After the changes, students will not need these classes because they are going to be tested on what they are taught at school—analyzing scientific and historical passages, reading graphs and charts, and simple algebra with no tricks. If students feel the need to study, College Board is partnering with Khan Academy to create comprehensive study videos and practice questions, all free and open to anyone on the Internet. No need to learn all the little tricks of the test . The redesigned SAT provides opportunity to all by aiming to level the playing field by testing in depth a few, important subjects that students already cover in school and by providing open source study help. Despite the negative feedback College Board has received on its decision, we can remain optimistic that at least the company is taking steps to create a test that quantifies education in a way that makes sense to both students and all colleges.

8 ∙ FEATURES ∙ The Hatchet ∙ March 27,, 2014

WHAT NOT

Letters H OROSCOPES TO DO Editors

Newspaper

in a

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March 27, 2014 ∙ The Hatchet ∙ FEATURES ∙ 9

According to Columbia Scholastic Press Association

Aries (March 21-Apr 19):

As a newspaper, The Hatchet is obligated to follow certain guidelines, like the ones provided by the CSPA. However, we feel like rebellious teenagers, so we are breaking a few of the rules. So, here are a few things that we are completely unqualified to do. -The Hatchet Staff

The Best Day Evurrr :D

I got up from my bed and went to the mirror. Ugh. I like totes had bedhead omg. I slowly went to my bathroom and took a shower. When I went downstairs, my mom had put frozen waffles on the plate. I was so pissed. My mom could at least have put it in microwave or whatever. She doesn’t do anything for me. >:( I decided to skip breakfast. I had to lose weight anyway. That stupid girl Barbie thought she was a size negative 2, but she was totally a size 0. Blech. Liar. I was walking down the sidewalk when I saw my boyfriend Ace. Wait? Who was that making out with him? O.M.F.G. IT WAS BARBIE. WHAT THE HECK. I immediately walked up to both of them and slapped them. I ran away. How could he? We were

u o Y w o n K ou Y To Go

Reality

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