Credits for Student Leadership
Student Council, Ambassadors and Restorative Justice have been the oldest and most active student clubs in Animas. From tours to setting up events, so far we can say these clubs have been very successful in increasing both student involvement and reaching out to the community, But for years students have participated in these clubs with no real reward besides the satisfaction of service to the school and another thing to add to their resume. This however is going to change, after multiple meetings and a lot of student advocacy. Starting next year students will be given elective credits for taking part in Student Council, Ambassadors and Restorative Justice.
This however is not a way to get easy elective credits as starting next year the 20% absence policy will also be adopted by these clubs. The 20% policy was adopted by Animas this semester as a means to stop students from skipping school often. According to this rule, if a student misses more than 20% of their class, they will not receive credit for that specific class. On top of that Animas became stricter about tardiness, 3 tardies is now counted as an absence. Although these rules have been contriversion, it has worked. If a student from one of these clubs misses more than 20% they will have to talk to the club's advisor and precautions will be taken accordingly. For students who are returning to these clubs, unfortunately credit won't be given for previous years they were active. Right now the number of credits has not been confirmed yet and is still being decided. We hope to see new student leaders stepping up next year and keep the culture of excellence alive.
This however is not a way to get easy elective credits as starting next year the 20% absence policy will also be adopted by these clubs. The 20% policy was adopted by Animas this semester as a means to stop students from skipping school often. According to this rule, if a student misses more than 20% of their class, they will not receive credit for that specific class. On top of that Animas became stricter about tardiness, 3 tardies is now counted as an absence. Although these rules have been contriversion, it has worked. If a student from one of these clubs misses more than 20% they will have to talk to the club's advisor and precautions will be taken accordingly. For students who are returning to these clubs, unfortunately credit won't be given for previous years they were active. Right now the number of credits has not been confirmed yet and is still being decided. We hope to see new student leaders stepping up next year and keep the culture of excellence alive.
Self Feature Story
As the First semester of Junior Zoell Lhomi is coming to an end, he has had his ups and his downs but through his journey he has not given up. With Zoell being the current Student Council co-president, running different clubs, having a job and doing other extracurricular activities outside of school, his plate has been quit full, “I have had a lot more responsibilities inside and outside of school which has been challenging but I try my best to balance everything out.” Says Zoell. Nonetheless his fiery ambition to learn more about journalism never died, taking on stories head on with everything he’s got.
Zoell was mostly involved in helping the quill with Instagram posts, the most notable being the student council election video. Alongside that he has also contributed with his weighing, although his writing skill is not his best he still tries his best, recently writing an op-ed about the advocacy culture in Animas. “If I have to be honest I really did not enjoy writing very much coming into this year but it has grown on me, even though it might not be my best skill I am learning and improving on it everyday” says Zoell. Although Zoell has come a long way he claims that there are still a lot of things he needs to improve on, “I struggle with procrastination and sometimes that lead to me finishing stories super late at night, this is something I have been trying to overcome but it somehow manages to get every time!” Zoell muttered. Maybe if he stopped watching Brooklyn 99 and started doing his work he might not have that issue.
Zoell who previously only joined journalism because one it was a humanities class and two because one of his favorite teachers was teaching this class but he claims that taking this class forever changed his view on journalism “I never expected journalism to be such an important thing in our society.” He mentions how he thought the news was for uncool old people but looking at it now he thinks that the news should be pushed more especially for his generation saying “We are the backbones of tomorrow and we must stay informed and a lot of social media influencers going news a bad rep is only going to hurt us in the long run; social media is a great tool to reach an huge audience and abusing that power is simply wrong!" He exclaims. He is now more excited than ever to continue his journalism journey into next semester. He is a young man with the world ahead of him and he is going to take on the world one story at a time.
“Looking back, I think I did pretty well, I tried my best, turned in all my stories, showed up to class but one thing I am most proud of this semester is that I came into the class with the willingness to learn!” exclaimed Zoell. I believe that Zoell has a lot of potential and am excited to see what he decides to do next. All we can do now is patiently wait and watch.
Zoell was mostly involved in helping the quill with Instagram posts, the most notable being the student council election video. Alongside that he has also contributed with his weighing, although his writing skill is not his best he still tries his best, recently writing an op-ed about the advocacy culture in Animas. “If I have to be honest I really did not enjoy writing very much coming into this year but it has grown on me, even though it might not be my best skill I am learning and improving on it everyday” says Zoell. Although Zoell has come a long way he claims that there are still a lot of things he needs to improve on, “I struggle with procrastination and sometimes that lead to me finishing stories super late at night, this is something I have been trying to overcome but it somehow manages to get every time!” Zoell muttered. Maybe if he stopped watching Brooklyn 99 and started doing his work he might not have that issue.
Zoell who previously only joined journalism because one it was a humanities class and two because one of his favorite teachers was teaching this class but he claims that taking this class forever changed his view on journalism “I never expected journalism to be such an important thing in our society.” He mentions how he thought the news was for uncool old people but looking at it now he thinks that the news should be pushed more especially for his generation saying “We are the backbones of tomorrow and we must stay informed and a lot of social media influencers going news a bad rep is only going to hurt us in the long run; social media is a great tool to reach an huge audience and abusing that power is simply wrong!" He exclaims. He is now more excited than ever to continue his journalism journey into next semester. He is a young man with the world ahead of him and he is going to take on the world one story at a time.
“Looking back, I think I did pretty well, I tried my best, turned in all my stories, showed up to class but one thing I am most proud of this semester is that I came into the class with the willingness to learn!” exclaimed Zoell. I believe that Zoell has a lot of potential and am excited to see what he decides to do next. All we can do now is patiently wait and watch.
OP-ED
Are we Advocates or Assholes?
Zoell Lhomi
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,” stated Martin Luther King Jr.
Throughout history, people have advocated for the things they cared about. At Animas, students are given a space to advocate for the things we care about. Recently, rather than advocacy, it has turned into complaining and nagging. We advocate and expect our teachers to do something but do not provide a solution. We see only problems and do not try to open our minds to solutions. It is easy to see problems, but much more complicated to find a solution. It takes critical thinking, consensus building, communication, and an open mind to find a solution.
If we genuinely want to make a change, we would research, provide background and think of different ways to tackle the problem, but instead we “advocate” to get out of work. We do not do our work and look at the negative and let it get the best of us. We complain that our voices are not being heard and that advocacy does not work in Animas, forgetting that students in the past have successfully advocated and made big changes that can be seen today. An example of this is the change in our dress code policy. Before this change students in our high school were expected to meet outrageous dress code policies that were gendered, but a student who was passionate about changing it wrote an op-ed that pointed out the flaws and recommended solutions. And that writing managed to change it for the better.
It is important for students to understand that our school structure is multi-level and so we need to be prepared to understand and potentially address all levels. Talk to your peers, find support and be ready to defend your standing with evidence and solutions.
It is a privilege to be able to express our voices and have them heard, but that does not mean we act entitled. And if something we are advocating about is not approved, we have to understand that just because we are advocating about something it does not mean it is always going to be accepted.
On the other hand, just because students are advocating about something that a teacher is not very fond of, it does not mean that you do not listen to them; you have all the right to not approve or disagree with what we are advocating for but, the students have all the rights to know why you came to that conclusion. Advocacy is a chance to open up a discussion, and a good discussion starts with hearing one another out.
So what next? What can we do from here on out? Communicate with your teachers, and see what they can do to help you. Ensure that your expectations are clearly expressed and realistic. Remember even the smallest voices can make the biggest difference. Include all of your peers and do not outcast them for their opinions. It is important to take advantage of your differences in order to gain a unique perspective on a problem. As a result, you will be able to find the most suitable solution to the situation. Never forget, all for one, is one for all.
Zoell Lhomi
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter,” stated Martin Luther King Jr.
Throughout history, people have advocated for the things they cared about. At Animas, students are given a space to advocate for the things we care about. Recently, rather than advocacy, it has turned into complaining and nagging. We advocate and expect our teachers to do something but do not provide a solution. We see only problems and do not try to open our minds to solutions. It is easy to see problems, but much more complicated to find a solution. It takes critical thinking, consensus building, communication, and an open mind to find a solution.
If we genuinely want to make a change, we would research, provide background and think of different ways to tackle the problem, but instead we “advocate” to get out of work. We do not do our work and look at the negative and let it get the best of us. We complain that our voices are not being heard and that advocacy does not work in Animas, forgetting that students in the past have successfully advocated and made big changes that can be seen today. An example of this is the change in our dress code policy. Before this change students in our high school were expected to meet outrageous dress code policies that were gendered, but a student who was passionate about changing it wrote an op-ed that pointed out the flaws and recommended solutions. And that writing managed to change it for the better.
It is important for students to understand that our school structure is multi-level and so we need to be prepared to understand and potentially address all levels. Talk to your peers, find support and be ready to defend your standing with evidence and solutions.
It is a privilege to be able to express our voices and have them heard, but that does not mean we act entitled. And if something we are advocating about is not approved, we have to understand that just because we are advocating about something it does not mean it is always going to be accepted.
On the other hand, just because students are advocating about something that a teacher is not very fond of, it does not mean that you do not listen to them; you have all the right to not approve or disagree with what we are advocating for but, the students have all the rights to know why you came to that conclusion. Advocacy is a chance to open up a discussion, and a good discussion starts with hearing one another out.
So what next? What can we do from here on out? Communicate with your teachers, and see what they can do to help you. Ensure that your expectations are clearly expressed and realistic. Remember even the smallest voices can make the biggest difference. Include all of your peers and do not outcast them for their opinions. It is important to take advantage of your differences in order to gain a unique perspective on a problem. As a result, you will be able to find the most suitable solution to the situation. Never forget, all for one, is one for all.
Teacher Feature
(Mike)
1. Why Animas? (Why did you want to work here? What do you love about teaching here? )
-I've had my eye on Animas for a long time! I'm a big believer in project-based learning, and I've long admired the thoughtfulness and intentionality of both the teachers and ESPECIALLY the students. I got to work with Animas students a few times in my old job and I always wished I could be involved long-term.
2. What is your teaching vision? (What do you hope to bring to your students? What type of teacher are you looking to be?) -Above all, I always hope to provide a calming and safe adult presence. These figures had a huge influence on me growing up and I'd like to help students find some peace amidst the exciting but often turbulent backdrop of adolescence. Beyond that, I believe enormously in place-based education and having our learning apply directly to our own lives in relation to the land.
3. What is your hype song? (Theme song? What do you hear in your head when you are getting stoked?)
-It varies from week to week but this week it has been "Turbo" by Cory Wong. It's usually something funky, some very fast salsa music, or some very 90's hip hop.
Instagram posts I have worked on
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