The Falcon Flyer

With the temperatures ranging from 68 degrees to 70 degrees in school, students are shivering as they walk through the halls.

Students dread certain classes solely because of the temperature, with the new building as an example. With our goose bumps and our winter coats, we wonder, why is our school so cold?

Budget cuts. The district does not want to waste money on the heating bills of the many schools in the district. Maybe a colder environment would prevent students from falling asleep in class, while a warmer environment could be too comfortable.

Some students have problems concentrating when they are cold. They focus more on their shivering than the lesson, and when tests come, it is hard to concentrate.

Either way, it is about the students. The district focuses on student achievements and success. “The temperature settings were determined several years ago, based on research into the best settings for learning environments,” said Sean Kelly from the Kent School District Energy Education program.

The District needs to understand that the temperature is just too cold in our school. “If there is an issue with a room, staff members are encouraged to report maintenance issues to their custodial staff to be addressed,” said Kelly. Even if students or staff did report a complaint with the temperatures, the custodians cannot do much regarding the district’s rules.

If it means spending a little extra money on heating, the students and staff will be happy. Whether the district feels comfortable with the budget and temperature settings or not, they need to create an environment where students can be comfortable while learning

It is worth the few extra dollars to heat up the buildings so students can feel relaxed.

A hipster in its natural habitat, sitting at a table in a trendy, but not too upscale, coffee shop. Their hair is constructed perfectly to give off the I-just-woke-up-and-haven’t-showered-in-three-days look. They are wearing a T-shirt representing a deeper-than-underground band that no one has heard of, and sporting classic horn-rimmed glasses looking like they were taken straight out of a sixties movie.

MacBook in hand, these hipsters are ready to take on the world. That is, until “taking on the world” becomes too mainstream, then they are back to pretending to be bored with Coldplay’s new album.

Hipsters are a contradiction within a contradiction. Trying to defy the “cool” by finding what’s “cool” before it goes mainstream, is becoming popular to the general public within itself. These “Hipsters” put on a façade, acting as if they could care less what society thinks of them (Which is why most of them rarely wash their hair), when really they are putting an unnecessary amount of effort into trying to be unique.

Most people end up conforming to some sort of societal norm, whereas a hipster’s goal is to try to cross over this line of normality, and create their own standard. Take Lady Gaga as an example, creating her own level of insanity, which really ended up becoming normal for major pop stars following in her footsteps.

Things like American Apparel, Pabst beer, skinny jeans, Arizona teas, flannel shirts, and fedoras have melded together to become symbols of hipsterdom. These, along with many other behavioral and material symbols, are definitional factors of what society has deemed the hipster to be.

In reality, there are so many miscellaneous attributes that are considered “hipster”, that it is almost if these in-the-know people do not exist. Hipsters could be just another mindless label created by teens; a fad to soon pass.

However, there is some proof of hipsters existing beyond our time. The word hipster is not necessarily a new thing, just something rediscovered. According to Google News, the word was used in 1958 in “The Spokane Daily Chronicle”.

Whether it is a hipster in 1958 or present day, the word is as cryptic as it is meaningless. Calling a person a hipster has just about as much meaning a calling any person wearing a plaid shirt a farmer. It becomes insignificant, especially considering a true hipster will never admit to their being hipster.

The Pledge of Allegiance is a symbol of our freedom in America. Why would anyone choose not to say it? Or at least refuse to stand for it?

“We should say the Pledge because it’s America,” said junior Jared Mackie. Others would agree with that statement.

The fact that some people refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance “makes me question their loyalty to America; I also think it’s really disrespectful,” said senior Brandon Moate.

Regardless, some may not understand the true importance of saying it, and they may not be to blame for their ignorance. However, there are many others who just do not want to say it for whatever reason they may have.

“It’s their God given right whether or not they want to [refuse to] say the Pledge,” said sophomore Joey Ginther.

Students may not be aware of the fact that if a service man or woman were to walk into a class at any time and witness the refusal of students to say the Pledge, they may be offended. They sacrifice their lives for our freedom; the least we can do in return is say the Pledge of Allegiance.

“It’s not very American, and it seems like they’re not proud of their country,” said sophomore Courtney Leach.

The truth is, some people are either not proud of their country, or they do not understand the importance of the Pledge. Others are too lazy to stand, or they just do not care. What if our service men and women were too lazy, or did not care enough to do their job?

“You live in America, so support the country you’re in,” said senior Brittany Jacobsen.

There is not a law saying that all students are required to say the Pledge of Allegiance, because that would be contradicting the First Amendment. However, public schools in Washington are required to say the Pledge.

The fact that students here do not say the Pledge every day like we once did, makes us seem like we do not appreciate those fighting for our freedom.

The home of the falcons is a great, energetic place to be during football season. Students dress with spirit to support the football team, friends attend the games to socialize (excuse me, to watch the games), and the football team kicks some tough grass across the field. Although this may be true, where are students during basketball season?

Besides on the court playing their hearts out, or sitting on the bench encouraging teammates over the larger crowd of opposing fans, where is the rest of our school spirit?

Whoa there, perhaps our fans got confused and thought that they were only supposed to show up once the team started winning again. It probably has not yet occurred to some people, that to win, support cannot be exempt from the victory equation.

Who has ever watched or passed by a varsity boy’s or girl’s basketball practice? There are probably not that many out there who have, but next time you are in the school during a practice, take a look. The determination, work ethic, sweat, blood, and physical endurance displayed is not far from incredible.

How many of you think they know the reason for the teams’ hard work? They practice the way they do to make the school proud. They play like they do because they want to win our school a championship. Unfortunately, our school lacks support and fans until football season swings back around.

Luckily for all the people reading this who might feel guilty right now, all is not yet lost. It is still basketball season and true falcon patriots can still help mend the wounds, and strengthen the confidence needed to grasp more victories. So show school spirit, attend the games to socialize and cheer our team on.

No matter what, if boys’ basketball or lady falcons still continue to lose, at least players will feel appreciated and the student body will know they did everything they could to prepare them for the battle.

For many students, school does not center solely on academics. Instead, they find solace in extra-curricular activities, such as sports or athletics. The availability of these activities is vital to keeping students motivated and on-track to complete their high school education, as they provide opportunities for them to partake in something greater than merely homework and projects. To the misfortune of students abound, recent price hikes have been introduced, forcing students to pay a hefty fee just to participate in what may keep them on the course to graduation.

Placing a fee on sports participation, no matter the price, ultimately cuts out many students from being able to take part. Of the 1,800 students attending Kentlake this year, almost one-third are part of the Free or Reduced-Price Meal program (in which meals at school cost less or are free), indicating their monetary hardship; this does not account for the other 6,000 students in the district. These low-income families are already going through hard times, and most likely are not capable of shelling out an additional $28 for ASB membership, let alone $100 to partake in a single season of sports (or more, as many athletes prefer).

It is worth noting that, for some low-income families, there are opportunities. Students on the Free-and-Reduced program are able to request a reduced participation fee, only 50% of the normal cost. For those who cannot pay that, there are also participation fee waivers available upon request. However, to go get either the reduction or the waiver, students must “review the waiver request” with school administration, and “determine a plan of action to assist the student to compensate for any fee reduction and/or fee elimination.” In short, students are not truly paying less for sports – something they should not have to pay for at all – as much as they are paying for it in other forms. Not only that, but having to sit down one-on-one with school administration and discuss personal issues (such as monetary hardships) could be a major deterrent to dignified students, dissuading them from participating in sports.

Fees on sports cause more harm than merely preventing student participation in athletics, too. Almost universally, extra-curricular activities are beneficial to students. They provide them with opportunities to connect with their peers and lead them away from potentially harmful influences (it is said, after all, that idle time is the devil’s playground). Sports, in particular, are especially valuable: they keep students physically active, get them involved in a competitive, team-based environment, and provide them with the motivation to succeed. Studies have even shown that sports participation helps students build habitual responsibility, and provides incentive to stay in school for longer. Stripping students of these opportunities is only detrimental.

Perhaps the worst aspect of this situation is that these fees were entirely unnecessary. Take, for instance, certain expenditures recently made by the Kent School District, such as providing incoming freshmen with brand-new laptops, or administering the Preliminary SAT/NMSQT to all sophomores. In comparison, the estimated $60,000 (in a worst-case scenario) it would take to ensure sports participation for every low-income family at our school appears to be next to nothing. Yet, here we are.

The administration at the KSD truly needs to take a step back and reorganize their priorities. While the budget may need to be cut back, we should not achieve this by dissuading low-income students – those most liable to drop out of school – from participating in what very well may keep them on the track to success.

Stalin’s Russia, Hitler’s Germany, China, Myanmar, North Korea, and Cuba are all countries with indefinite detention. On Dec. 31, with President Barack Obama’s signature, the United States of America was added to that list.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was passed with bipartisan support in the House and the Senate and signed by our president. The new law gives the President power to use the military to indefinitely detain citizens without access to legal representation or due process of law. It is a great threat to American civil liberties and effectively repeals our 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th amendment rights.

Section 1031 of the NDAA allows “Detention under the law of war without trial until the end of the hostilities authorized by the Authorization for Use of Military Force.” The act defines people covered by this law as any person “who was a part of or substantially supported al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners, including any person who has committed a belligerent act or has directly supported such hostilities in aid of such enemy forces.”

It is shocking to see who is classified as engaging in hostilities against the US and is affected by this law. Since 2009 the Department of Defense has considered protesting as low-level terrorism. This means that under this law, Occupy Wall Street protestors could be labeled as terrorists and detained indefinitely. This law limits our constitutional right to protest by giving the President authority to throw protestors in jail.

In the next section, the act requires that the people defined in section 1031 be detained by the military. Through the use of clever language the act makes it seem like this does not apply to US citizens. It states “The requirement to detain a person in military custody under this section does not extend to citizens of the United States.” While the act does not require the President to use military detention on citizens, it does not prevent him from doing so.

When signing the bill president Obama said “The fact that I support this bill as a whole does not mean I agree with everything in it. I have signed this bill despite having serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation and prosecution of suspected terrorists.” It is clear that Obama understands the horrendous repercussions of this bill; however he still signed it in to law. The fact that he has “serious reservations” about the bill reinforces the concerns over its implications to liberty.

Congressman and presidential candidate Ron Paul introduced a bill to repeal the unconstitutional legislation. In a House floor speech Paul said “This is precisely the kind of egregious distortion of justice that Americans have always ridiculed in so many dictatorships overseas. [...] Is this really the kind of United States we want to create in the name of fighting terrorism?” He went on to praise the current constitutional justice system and its ability to convict individuals for terrorist and related activities.

Founding father James Madison once said, “The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become the instruments of tyranny at home.” His statement is an apt description of the NDAA. It is an act of tyranny on the American people perpetrated by an increasingly totalitarian government.

Learning a second language is an ever-increasing necessity in today’s world. Communication is the key to success, especially across cultural lines.

Sadly, though, many high school students do not appreciate language classes. They ignore the opportunity to learn and sacrifice a future of international communication.

It is nearly impossible to become fluent in a language after only two years of lesson, but the student should become familiar with the language at the very least. With recognition of another language, communication is eased

There are three language families offered to Kentlake students. The Indo-European languages (French and Spanish) help build understanding through the use of familiar sentence structure and cognates. In the Altaic languages (Japanese), a new system of sentence construction and symbol identification is needed to become proficient. And in the sign languages, grammar is nearly forgotten, but the hearing is done with the eyes.

All of this information boils down to this: learning another language is difficult. Each language has its challenges that are only overcome with years of practice. After close to a decade and a half of speaking English, many high school students are not close to proficient. So expecting to become fluent in a second language after only 15 days of class time is a ridiculous goal. (Fifteen days equals one hour of lesson for 360 school days.)

Homework and practice outside of class are the only chances to develop meaningful language skills. Many students, though, ignore extracurricular work. This leads to a poor understanding and poor grades.

But grades are the least of concerns. After high school graduation, nobody will give a darn what your grades were. This does not mean slacking off is justified. In the future, work ethic, employability, and punctuality will tell employers how high school shaped your experiences. And language skills are an important bonus; they will set you apart from the competition.

There is nothing that can be said to force a student to care about their language class; all the aforementioned warnings are moot to a narcissist. But learning, or becoming familiar, a second language is extremely important, especially in the future.

The English Wikipedia page on Jan. 18 participated in a blackout to protest SOPA and PIPA.

This bill was introduced in the House of Representatives by Lamar Smith, a Republican from Texas on Oct. 26. At the same time as SOPA is being debated in the House, the Senate is working on a parallel bill, entitled the Protect-IP Act. Both will have drastic consequences if passed.

Under SOPA, copyright holders would notify ad or payment companies that a website was violating their copyright. Ad or payment companies would be required to suspend their services to that website with no investigation into the claims. Another effect of SOPA is that the penalties for streaming video or selling illegal activities would increase to being a felony.

The problem with this proposed law is that it will affect more than just the United States. The ad and payment companies involved are not just US companies, and when they suspend their services and websites become blocked it will not just happen in the US.

Supporters of SOPA include the US Chamber of Commerce, Netflix, the Motion Picture Association of America, Viacom, the Recording Industry of America, and MasterCard. These all stand to lose money in copyright violations, which is why they support the bill. However, not all of them realize the far reaching ramifications SOPA will have.

Many major companies have expressed their dissent for this ridiculous bill, including Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Twitter, ACLU, and Tumblr. Even the Library Copyright Alliance and the American Library Association, who must deal with fair-use and copyright issues on a regular basis, do not support it.

Campaigns have sprouted up all over the internet urging users to contact their representatives and protest the unfair act. The website tumblr.com showed examples of censorship to drive the point home. A coalition of Facebook, Google, Twitter, and other internet giants put a full page ad in the New York Times against SOPA.

Mashable.com, among others, has begun a petition to send to President Obama that shows the amount of people who do not support SOPA.

There is absolutely no way that SOPA will benefit the American people, or the world. Please, if you want to continue to use the internet, visit fightforthefuture.org/pipa to send a message to your representative.

There is an ongoing crisis in education in the United States. It is one of the foremost problems facing our country. The U.S. once was a competitive player on the international arena in terms of education. However, in the past several decades we have been falling behind other countries.

On the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) test, the United States scored 30th in mathematics, 23rd in science, and 17th in reading. We score lower than the majority of European countries and many Asian countries. Considering 65 countries were tested, these scores are mediocre and far lower than what should be expected from a world superpower. Education in the U.S. is a failure; something must be done to improve upon these results.

From the PISA test we can see that American students are doing worse on the mathematics and science portions. Considering innovation in the 21st century is dependent on these two subjects, it is unacceptable that we are scoring so poorly. If we want to compete with China and South Korea in terms of technological advancement, we need to focus on math and science. This could be accomplished by teaching math at a faster pace and implementing higher level science options in secondary schools.

An issue is that there is too much pressure being put on students to go to college. Throughout secondary school the emphasis is on people to go to college, regardless of whether that is what they want and need. This leads to a surplus of people with degrees who cannot find jobs. Higher education should be reserved for only the brightest and most intelligent students.

However the less intelligent students should have an alternative that will allow them to succeed in life. In Poland, students can choose to go into a technical school after their second year of high school. This allows people to gain the necessary skills to prm various jobs right after secondary school. If we implemented something similar, there would be an alternative for those people who are not intelligent enouerfogh to go to a university. This would dispel the attitude that one must go to college in order to succeed.

A key issue in the education system is that there is too much emphasis placed on all students being equal. Teachers are forced to instruct based on the needs of the average student. However, this method is not effective for the students who fall on either extreme of the spectrum. Less intelligent students feel “stupid” and more intelligent students are held back. A system that takes into account the various levels of intelligence within a population of students will allows the top students to succeed at a higher level.

The education system should have more competition and a greater focus on results. Students should be motivated to score better than their peers. The students who score well should be praised and the ones who score poorly should not. Students should not be told “good job” if they obviously did not do well. This will inspire students to improve their results.

If we want to compete in the global arena, we need to force these changes in to the U.S. education system. We need to have an education system that focuses on the top students but also has a solution for the lower students. Dealing with them as one group will not work. The top students should be motivated to excel at mathematics and sciences. Only after we deal with these issues can we move towards an America that score first in all the categories.

Political correctness has been taken too far. The White House recently announced that its 2011 Christmas trees will be referred to as “Holiday Trees” and will not display ornaments comprised of religious symbols.

According to the 1989 Supreme Court case Allegheny County v. Greater Pittsburgh ACLU, the Christmas tree symbol is not associated with religion. The decision stated, “When the city’s tree stands alone in front of the City-County building, it is not considered an endorsement of Christian faith.”

We should not be forced to tiptoe around a nationally recognized holiday. References to the holiday are deemed inappropriate in most establishments and employees are instructed to stay away from the word “Christmas” altogether.

Merry Christmas used to be an acceptable greeting; it was simply a way for people to say something pleasant during December. The words “Happy Holidays” should not be offensive to Christians who celebrate Christmas, and wishing someone a “Merry Christmas” should not offend those who don’t. So-called political correctness has spoiled what was once a kind gesture.

It is not impossible to have confidence in one’s own beliefs while also respecting those of others; simply use common sense. Will saying “Merry Christmas” really offend someone? Possibly, but that miniscule percentage of people who find Santa and Rudolph intolerable should not be on the forefront of your mind.

In fact, political correctness is often more insincere than bending over backwards not to offend one another. In our efforts to appear like upstanding citizens, we try and phrase everything perfectly. It has become more about self-preservation rather than value of other cultures.

Christmas is a holiday celebrated by millions. So feel free to say “Happy holidays!” and cover Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, and whatever else. That is fine, but do not do so simply out of fear of the PC police. After all, “Merry Christmas” is not code for “Let me force my religion down your throat.”