SEA Demonstrations Escalate

"I Don't Want to Strike But I Will"

By Elma Gonzalez

For the past week, teachers at SOH have continued to push for a new contract. We see our teachers every morning passing out flyers, holding signs, and desperately trying to communicate to students and parents the importance of finally deciding on a new contract. Although the 'work to rule' policy has not had such a huge impact here at SOH, other schools like Montgomery have completely eliminated clubs and after-school tutoring programs. At MOH, clubs like MEChA, which is still running here, have lost their advisers and are now having to be run by the students themselves.

However, this seems to have not done much difference to the district, for there hasn't been much progress since Raiders Digest last reported on the issue. Head Union Representative at SOH, Linda O'Carroll, informs that on October 7, when teachers are out on vacation, a labor relations representative from the state of California will come together with both parties and engage in a process called fact-finding. This means both parties will present their propositions to the state rep, and he/she, having analysed all points, will advise the district on what to do. Although the fact-finder's decision "will most likely be pro-teacher," explains O'Carroll, " he/she can only advise the district since the teachers' contract only provides advisory arbitration, and therefore the district can refuse the fact-finder's advice."

After reading hundreds of flyers, students have finally begun to understand the teachers' situation. On September 24, a group of students -mostly of the MEChA club- joined the teachers in their daily morning routine and began to lend a helping hand in distributing the flyers. Daisy Garcia, a MEChA member states, "We are here because we don't want to be like MOH; we don't want our extracurricular activities and clubs to disappear." Holding posters, the students showed solidarity to the teachers' cause. With a reassuring, "We are here to stay," Ana de la Torre and the rest of the students marched in with the teachers just minutes before the first bell.

That same day during lunch, teachers had planned a 'silent walk' around the school as a display of teacher unity. They had planned to wear black -like every Thursday- and hold no signs or posters, which would have made the walk an actual protest. Alarmed by this, the district claimed it to be a protest and declared it illegal for teachers to do the 'walk' on campus. With a call to our school principal, the whole event was terminated. Undeterred, the teachers decided to make a real protest in front of the school instead. While being cheered on by the student body, they marched to the front of the school. Once outside, they stood on the sidewalk holding signs that wrote, " I don't want to strike, but I will." Hopefully, the district and the Union will find a solution that will prevent our teachers from having to do this.

*For more on this issue go to:
http://sohraidersdigest.blogspot.com/2009_08_09_archive.html
http://sohraidersdigest.blogspot.com/2009_08_23_archive.html
http://sohraidersdigest.blogspot.com/2009_09_13_archive.html

Some Leafy Advice

Got College?
by Martin Zazueta

It's that wonderful time of year again, when heads spin and nails are bitten over the anxiety high school seniors face over their college applications. The seniors' minds will be filled with thoughts of scholarships, grants, career paths, universities, tuition, distance from home, making grades, and meeting graduation and entrance requirements. Mr. Ben Leaf, one of Southwest High School's English teachers, took the time to give suggestions about college:

RD: Where did you go to college, and was it far from home?

BL: I went to Colorado College, in Colorado Springs. Well, since I grew up in New York, I guess you could say it was far from home

RD: How did the distance benefit your studies?

BL: It made me more independent and self-confident.

RD: Is there something you regret not doing during college?

BL: I regret not studying more.

RD: How would living in this area of the country benefit a student trying to go to college outside of San Diego?

BL: This area is unique because of its closeness to Mexico, and its this uniqueness that students must use to “sell themselves” to the universities.

RD: Would you recommend for students to go out state? Why? Wouldn't it cost more?

BL: Definitely, because the farther you go the bigger the adventure is, and schools from far away are more likely going to give scholarships to you for going there, for they want your uniqueness.

RD: What are a few things college-bound students should be aiming to accomplish right now? What about non-college bound students?

BL: Write a personal statement, look at scholarships and grants, and look at colleges that you've never heard of before and plan to go there. For the non-college bound students I will tell you that college is the best thing you can get.

RD: What should a student do if their family doesn't approve of them going to college? And if they do approve, but not far away?

BL: Well if they don't approve at all they should have a talk with their parents and have them realize that without college they will have few choices in life. If they do approve, but not far away I would say to be prepared to talk of the benefits and also of the dangers of studying at home, such as getting a bad influence from unmotivated friends, not feeling independent and having to rely on family and family having to rely on you.

RD: If there was anything else you would want the Southwest High student body to know right now about college what would it be?

BL That college is really FUN, partly because it's the last place where reading a book would be considered working.

So there you have it, some sound Leafy Advice. As October comes dangerously close high school seniors will begin the long nerve-racking experience of applying to college. GOOD LUCK SENIORS!

GSA: Making a Difference

GSA promotes a safer school through awareness

by Dwayne Codding

The Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) is a club open to all students, regardless of sexual orientation. This club has the intended purpose of educating students and staff on how to create and maintain a safe environment for everyone. This being just the 3^rd year of the club's existence on our campus, it comes as no surprise that some raiders to this day have yet to meet this club or find any reason for it even being around. To better understand how the club came to be, the results of a national school climate survey* illustrates what the club considers to be more than enough reason to be present on our campus. Considering that out of the gay community at SOH:ay community

• 86.2% reported being verbally harassed,

• 44.1% reported being physically harassed at school in the past year

• 22.1% reported being physically assaulted at school in the past year

• 73.6% heard derogatory remarks such as "faggot" frequently or often at school.

• 60.8% reported that they felt unsafe in school because of their sexual orientation

• 38.4% felt unsafe because of their gender expression.

• 31.7% of LGBT students missed a class in the past month because of feeling unsafe, compared to only 5.5% of a national sample of secondary school students.

• 32.7% missed a day of school in the past month because of feeling unsafe, compared to only 4.5% of a national sample of secondary school students.

These are just statistics of what has been reported, who's to say how much more goes on off the records.

In collaboration with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network(GLSEN), the GSA intends to change these numbers, promoting a more safe and comfortable environment to all students in our community. To achieve this goal, events such as the Day of Silence and National Coming Out Day are introduced to bring awareness of the underlying problems of bullying and homophobia, thus hopefully simplifying the life of the average teen here on campus.

(*The 2007 survey of 6,209 middle and high school LGBT students)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qjNQqUrGFk&feature=related

Chargers vs Ravens

Chargers' home opener a disappointment
by Bob Chan

The Chargers fought a rough game against the defense-strong Ravens, but Rivers almost single-handedly kept the short-handed Chargers in the game, throwing for a career-high 436 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, he also had two interceptions, and San Diego had to settle for field goals four times when it had the ball at the Ravens' 10 or closer showing how good the Ravens' red line defense was. Rivers tied Hall of Famer Dan Fouts for third-most passing yards in a game. San Diego was missing running back LaDainian Tomlinson, center Nick Hardwick, and right guard Louis Vasquezdue to injuries, and on Saturday put defensive tackle Jamal Williamson on injured reserve, meaning his season is over. The killers for the Chargers were their inability to score touchdowns and a bad decisions by Rivers.The Chargers got to the Ravens' 5, 2, and 1 in the first half, and had to settle for field goals by Kaeding each time. We play against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday without #21 LaDainian Tomlinson, who is still out. After going eight regular seasons without missing a game due to injury he sits out his 2^nd straight game

Peer Mediation's Social Experiment

"Why are YOU wearing THAT?"
by Martin Zazueta

It was an interesting day at SOH when the Peer Mediation class, taught by Mr. Rodriguez, decided to take on a social experiment of their own design. The purpose of the experiment was for the students to step out of their comfort zone and dress up in style that was the opposite of what they would normally wear. Then the students were to observe the student body's reaction, in order to understand the student body's sense of visual identity.

The experiment went well as most students were completely unaware of the student' motives for dressing differently and were thus able to get authentic responses. And not surprisingly the peer mediation class did receive reactions from the rest of the students.

The 'peers' had a mind-opening experience as their "friends" would say things like "What's wrong with you?" or "Are you acting out because you just broke up?", as if their friend had to be mentally delusional to want to dress the way they were. Also the 'peers' noticed that they were stared at a lot "even by the moms dropping off their kids". One girl even examined a 'peer' up and down with disgusted look. But not all reactions were mean or cruel: several 'Peers' were actually spoken to more by people who wouldn't normally have spoken to them. Also several of them had friends who complimented them for their attire, which got them to realize how true or untrue their friends were.

From this experience the 'peers' were unable to comprehend the extent of the student body's view of what people should be like (as in the movie High School Musical with the song "Stick to the Status Quo"), and their response if they "just change yourself a bit". When analyzing their results the 'peers', with Mr. Rodriguez's guidance, were able to deduce that the student body is very critical and cares too much about image, especially when "friends' attitudes change with your clothes". The 'peers' also wanted to point out that the group of people who try to start trends are the people who also try to start rumors because they have this need to have attention one way or another.

In the end the 'peers' learned valuable life lessons, learned "not to be afraid to be different" because they will be able to find their true friends that way and it would feel "good to get out of their routine". With these new life lessons the 'peers' now have more confidence and are more willing to do things such as this, and, more importantly, they will actively apply the ideas they learn from this class outside the classroom. From what it looks like this group of students represent, however 'lame' it may sound, how the Raider Way should be followed for all students and hopefully they be able to help others to have the same attitude.

16 de Septiembre Assembly

Raiders celebrate Mexican Independence Day

By Elma Gonzalez and Martin Zazueta

On September 16, 1810 a priest named Miguel Hidalgo called together a mass in the town of Dolores for the purpose of fighting a war against the oppressive Spanish Vice-Royalty. This call to action had set off a planned uprising that had been organized months before, but was forced to start early. In short it was on this day that the War for Independence [from Spain] began.

For those who may not know or are unsure between the different Mexican holidays let me clarify; September 16 is Independence day, the U.S. equivalent would be the Fourth of July. Also do not get confused between the Independence war and the Revolutionary war which was 100 years later in the 1910's and 20's, (the struggle in which folk heroes like Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata took part in) that struggle was basically a civil war against a tyrant.

But most importantly, probably the greatest source of confusion is the Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) celebration. This has nothing to do with either the Independence or Revolutionary Wars, in was a battle against the French in the 1862 in the town of Puebla.

And every year Mexicans from all over gather and celebrate with pride their Independence Day and SOH we had a special way of celebrating it.

On Wednesday September 16, SOH MEChistas arrived to school at 6am to prepare for the '16 de septiembre' assembly. After weeks of planning, everything was ready to deliver a great assembly.

With a huge turnout, the assembly took place during second period. Although it was difficult to control the crowd the first few minutes, overall the student body showed their respect for the Mexican celebration. It began with the pledge of allegiance to both the American and Mexican flags; then it move

d on to a short video on the historic significance of September 16th. For the rest of the assembly, the crowd engaged in several fun activities consisting of: trivia, jumping rope, and dancing. The Mariachi gave the first performance with Mr. Rodriguez, who dedicated the song to Marcos Ramirez, as the leading vocalist. Then they performed with the Folklorico. Julio Barajas, a former Raider, made a surprise performance that was extremely well received by the student body. When the Nutrition Bell rang, the students left the gym wanting more.

In the end, most students agree this assembly was one of the best MEChA assemblies. "It just had much more activities than past years," explains Enrique Gonzalez (Junior), "The only thing I didn't like was the sound, it seemed like the mic wasn't working very well." Fortunately, this minor problem did not degrade the quality of the assembly as a whole. Overall, the assembly reflected the numerous hours of hard work put in by MEChA students and advisers.

Southwest Raiders Vs San Marcos Knights

SOH football: down but not out
By Bob Chan

It was a chilly night in downtown Nestor where our raiders fought against the Knights in another devastating loss. The crowd was full and even San Marcos had a good amount of people there. Both cheerleading teams had worked together to put on a show. The game started out with the Knights scoring on their first possession and later in the first they scored again but Lamar Weston made a touchdown pass to Maris Boldridge which made it 14-7 and senior David Leon had made an interception with a minute left in the 1st quarter. After that it went downhill from there and the Knights scored 4 more touchdown and missed an extra point in the 2nd quarter. The final score was 41-7. The JV team also played earlier and had suffered another loss, this time a shutout,34-0.

Women's Golf

Lady Raider leads golf team

By Omar Arce

Many people at school believe that golf is not a team sport, perhaps because golf practices and games never take place inside the school. Golf like any other sport requires ambition, deidication, and a spark of talent.

Raiders Digest had the opportunity to talk to Elma Gonzalez this year's women's golf captain.

RD: Why did you decide to play golf?
EG: When I was in middle school my PE teacher got me into it.

RD: How much do you like golf?
EG: I know that when I'm old and retired, all I'll want to do is play golf. That's how much I like golf.

RD: How did you become captain and what does it mean to you?
EM: Well, when I first joined there weren't many players on the team, so I automatically became the captain. But now there are about 9 players. I think I was chosen as the captain because I have the most experience. Being captain means a lot to me. This is one of the few leadership positions I hold at school and I'm just glad it's something I enjoy so much.

RD:What is the most difficult thing about golf?
EG:Many people think that its just hitting a ball with a club, but there is an appropriate posture, and you have to focus at looking at the ball when you hit it. So you really have to concentrate.

RD: How many players do you have this year?
EG: We have about 9 players, more than we need which is good.

RD: How much do you practice?
EG: We practice 3 times a week for an hour and a half.

RD: Do you have a good chance at getting a banner this year?
EG: We do have a good chance. We have a lot of people with experience.

RD: What would you say to people that do not recognize golf's credibility?

EG: Golf is a very difficult sport. It requires everything other sports require, and I think people should realize that.

As the year advances, Elma will contnue to lead the team in their quest to win matches, a banner and a reputation for the Women's Golf team at SOH. Raider's digest will continue to cover the golf team.