What is your spirit animal and why?

“A goat. I have a natural affinity with goats. I understand them. People think they are stubborn and foolish but they are actually sensitive, sure-footed, and loving.” – Tristan Bodle

“An elephant because they’re very maternal. The mothers all take care of the young, and my students are like my kids.” – Francie Salle

“Wolf. I don’t want to give a reason.” – Mary Buchanan

“Wooly mammoth because I’m fascinated by their Pleistocene.” – Doc Wing

“A monkey because they’re smart, playful, huggable, and they like to play tricks.” – Tahia Rosenthal-Cox

“A dolphin because they’re intelligent, they don’t abuse nature, and they work well with other species. They are also kind and caring. I have swam with dolphins four or five times without approaching them—they come to me.” – Sue Fox

(After Googling his totem animal and finding out it was a rooster) “A brown lab because what an easy life that would be.” – Rod Milstead

“A coopers hawk because my name is Cooper and I would love to fly.” – Cooper Clark

“Sometimes my wife thinks I was a dog in my previous life. I’d be a yellow lab.” – Brad Katuna

“A northern flicker. It talks to me in the yard and I talk back. I’m inspired by it.” – Cathy Sarkisian

“Cat. Obviously.” – Lori Martz

“Some kind of house cat because I’m not aggressive but I like resting, lounging and posing in pretty poses.” – Jolie Jacobs

“A lemur because lately I’ve been very nocturnal.” – Renee Ayala

“I’m way too mathy for that question.” – Susanna Nash

“A dog because I’m loyal to a fault.” – Judy King

“An owl because they are always watching. They are observant and they have few words.” – Linda Bonura

Administration Announces Dance Troupe Put on Pause

By Samantha Gilbert and Nick Seminerio 

Dance Troupe (DT), has been put on hold by administrators who are citing concerns with safety and the competitive selection process. The popular all-girl dance group has been a favorite among students, performing at rallies and other school events.

Troupe members are disappointed with the timing of the decision around the homecoming rally, where they were scheduled to perform. “We had our dances ready [for the homecoming rally], were ahead of schedule and really excited. It’s disappointing,” said co-captain senior Jannely Calmell.

Administration has struggled to support the troupe for years, according to Assistant Principal Eric Saibel. He said the problem lies between the definition of an official sports team and a school club. While DT is not a sport and is without a paid coach, it isn’t a club because it has a competitive selection process.

The selection process is at the root of the administrator’s concerns. Currently, potential dancers try out in front of current DT members, who then decide whether to accept or cut them. Now, the selection process has to be run by adults to reduce potential favoritism, and keep the students focused on dancing, according to Saibel. The adults selected to make these cuts are Patty Parnow, Jolie Jacobs, Amity Hotchkiss, and Linda Bonura.

However, the students leaders of dance troupe don’t think that the selection process is the cause of concern. “It was very fair. This is the most diverse team we have had in years,” said co-captain senior Mia Florez.

Although Saibel is looking to change things, he is also apologetic. “I have apologized to them. I understand their frustration. I have put their season on pause for now – we are hard at work to develop and put into place a tryout process that is fair and run by adults,” he said.

Saibel also emphasized that while “a number of lingering concerns” have been brought forth about the troupe, none of them are about the kids. He declined to give specifics on who brought forth the concerns, citing confidentiality.

While the troupe is put on pause for now, plans are quickly being made for a comeback. Administration, adult advisors, and student captains met to discuss next steps, which involve holding new tryouts with the adult panel of judges. Student members of DT will have no say in who gets a spot on the team, according to Saibel. Tryouts are being held as soon as possible, and information will be communicated to the student body. As for the homecoming rally, a performance is potential at this time, Saibel said.

Saibel is hopeful that these changes will impact DT for years to come. “We’re going to get it right so that moving forward, year to year, the right arrangement is in place,” he said.

In addition to the troupe, Cheerleading coach and math teacher Laurie Hailer has suggested the creation of Dance Team, a dance oriented team that falls under cheerleading, an official sport. Saibel noted that while Dance Team is not going to happen until after this football season, multiple avenues of dance involvement on campus is a positive.

We will update this story as we receive more information.

 

Volunteer Opportunities for Pet Lovers

By Lilly Jarrett

Students all over campus are looking for volunteer options, whether it is to build up a resume for college or spend time giving back to their community. Marin has unique organizations that help students seek out their passions, two of which include veterinary organizations, the Marin Humane Society and The Milo Foundation.
The Marin Humane Society is an independent organization, which helps with the rehabilitation and refuge of animals. They’ve helped thousands of animals in need with support systems and low-cost clinics. Dog training classes, foster care, and adoption are just a few of the services they provide.

Senior Rachel Blackman was recognized recently when she received the 2012 Marin Humane Society youth of the year award. She’s volunteered for the last nine years and created her own program, Jump for Joy, within the Marin Human Society. Her program focuses on helping kids with autism and learning disabilities through a six-week program. It enables the kids to work with the animals in a therapy-like setting, helping with their confidence and character, as they receive love from the animals.

Blackman commented on her dedication to the Marin Human Society stating, “If I can accomplish something here in my community to help children with autism, it will help bring awareness to the issue and that will benefit all families.”

The Milo Foundation is another non-profit organization right in San Anselmo on Miracle Mile. Milo, like the Marin Humane Society, rescues and helps animals find homes and creates sanctuary for those who are not adopted. Senior Griffin Kabus is currently fostering five kittens through Milo. The kittens will stay with Kabus until they’re old enough to survive without their mother, and hopefully, then be able to find permanent homes.

The Marin Humane Society and the Milo Foundation are great places for students who love animals and are looking for fun volunteer opportunities.

What is your biggest fear?

“I’m not really afraid of anything…but I fear seeing my students, my kids, and young people in general suffer or experience pain.” – Mr. Beale

“My students thinking I don’t know anything.” – Mr. Smith

“Snails.” – Ms. Salle

“Drowning. It’s a deep fear.” – Ms. Norstad

“Zombie Apocalypse. It’s coming.” – Mr. Boaz

“The New York Giants winning the Superbowl and making it through the next six years to retirement.” – Rich

“Not overcoming all of my fears is my biggest fear.” – Tanya Jaspering

“Getting seriously ill.” – Ms. Boston

“Letting my kids down.” – Mr. Ayala

“Violent acts happening to one of my daughters.” – Ms. Oleson

“Spiders in my water shoes.” – Ms. Nash

“Running out of money when I retire.” – Ms. Bonura

“Nuclear annihilation.” – Jasper

“Living a boring life.” – Mr. Varvil

“Something bad happening to my daughter.” – Martha Cederstrom

“Not accomplishing my goals before I die.” – Beth Cederstrom

District Unblocks Social Media Websites for Students

By Samantha Gilbert and Nick Seminerio

It’s no secret that social media is ingrained in everyday life, but until now, this has not been the case at our school. At the start of the school year, administrators decided to unblock four major social media sites: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Until now, the Tamalpais Union High School District (TUHSD) has been required to block these sites because of the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). It was created to shelter students from inappropriate internet content. Our school district must meet CIPA standards because students are minors.

However, many districts have found a middle ground between honoring these restrictions and the use of social media sites for educational purposes. The TUHSD content filter committee, headed by Tara Taupier, senior director of instructional technology, met with several teachers and district level administrators early in the school year to discuss the proper balance between social media and education. This led to the decision to unblock the websites.

Assistant Principal Eric Saibel, an undercover Twitter lover, uses a proficiency scale found on educational specialist George Couros’ website to determine how well our school is incorporating social media and technology in the classroom.

Saibel’s goal is to take our school from a one—“blocking social media sites and not worrying about a digital citizenship program in school”—to a four—“opening up social media sites and teaching skills for our students to use these sites appropriately,” according to Couros’ website.

“We want to tap into the potential of expanding the physical boundaries of the campus so that our students can learn globally, not just inside the school,” Saibel said.

However, Paul Grifo, ROCK Social Studies teacher, believes there’s a risk factor. “I have a very big concern of how much screen time our young people are experiencing. It’s not that the time can’t be valuable,” Grifo said. “It’s a question of [whether] this choice is valuable for the kids.”

Grifo said that he would also like to see proof that social media is beneficial to students, before transitioning it into his classroom. “I’m a late adapter, I like to wait and see what works, I’m appreciative of the pioneers, but I want to see some data that shows me that this technology leads to better learning. If that happens, I’m much more willing to adapt,” he said.

Only time will tell whether or not the unblocking of these social media sites will benefit our students, but administrators have high hopes. Saibel believes social media is a powerful medium for learning.

The websites have been unblocked as of Monday, Sept. 16. We will continue to update this story as we receive more information.

Fire Burns Above Redhill, Cancels Varsity Soccer Game

Story by Nick Seminerio | Pictures by Liam Brooks

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A one acre vegetation fire on Redhill above Memorial Park in San Anselmo started at 4:15 p.m. and was contained by 6:00 p.m., according to a tweet from the Marin County Fire Department. The fire came within feet of the batting cages at the base of the hill.

On the other side, the fire burned on the hill above Red Hill Park, where Drake men’s varsity soccer had a game against Rancho Cotate. Drake Senior Richard Swigart, a member of the soccer team, shared his account with the Jolly Roger.

“We could see and smell smoke as we were warming up but didn’t think much of it. Just before we started the game, we could hear sirens and see flames on Redhill. The referees cancelled the game as soon as the smoke began to swirl around the pitch. Soon after, multiple fire trucks showed up and probably about 15-20 firefighters marched up the hill in a line. As we were leaving the field, they began dropping fire retardant from the planes,” he said.

UPDATE: Sept 13, 10:00 a.m.

A homeless man was arrested yesterday on suspicion of recklessly starting a fire on public land. According to a Marin Independent Journal interview with Central Marin Police Sgt. Julie Gorwood, Douglas Hall Shumate, 52, was living on the hill and disposed of a match improperly.

What’s been your most embarrassing moment at Drake?

“For two years I had to carry around a mini schedule in my pocket because I couldn’t remember the schedule. I was a part time teacher until this year and I taught in more than one classroom. I still have nightmares that I’m in the wrong place at the wrong time.” – Judy King

“One time I left a container of food on one of the shelves in my office. The next morning I had a parent meeting and my office smelled really bad. During the beginning of the meeting the parents thought I smelled bad and I thought the parents smelled bad until finally I remembered I had leftover food and we realized it was the food that smelled and not us. But it was definitely an awkward ten minutes.” – Kyle Kassenbaum

“This is back when I first started teaching. There were always two goofy guys that sat in the front of the class and one day when class started the two guys whispered to me that I had something in my nose. I considered believing them but then remembered that they were class clowns and told them to stop messing with me. After they whispered this two more times I decided to be cautious and check it out. I looked into the mirror I had in the cabinet and sure enough I had a dangler in my nose. By this time the whole class was staring at me so I quickly ran outside to get rid of it but the class thought it was hilarious and remembered it the whole year.” – Dan Freeman

“When I went to high school here I was crowned homecoming queen which was totally unexpected and embarrassing. I was not that kind of girl.” – Chizzie Brown

“It’s embarrassing when I’m teaching cheerleading practice and the football players come over and ask me for MY number. They should be embarrassed but they’re totally not.” – Laurie Hailer

“I was demonstrating buoyancy to my class with a helium balloon because we were studying physics. I was trying to figure out how I could get the balloon to sink so I tried throwing it hard to the ground but instead it just rose to the ceiling. The students really enjoyed watching their teacher do the experiment wrong.” – Brad Katuna

“Back when I taught chemistry, we were taking chunks of metal sodium and trying to burn it in water. It’s supposed to make a popping noise, but it wasn’t popping so I kept putting more sodium in. Finally, it exploded and sprayed molten sodium on all the desks and knocked down the covers of the hanging ceiling lights.” – Barton Clark

BREAKING: Missing Ninth Grader Home Safe

By Samantha Gilbert and Nick Seminerio

Missing Drake freshman Abigail Campana is home safe, according to a Facebook post from her mother Jennie Campana.

Jennie Campana thanked the community on Facebook for their concern and support early this morning. “Just wanted to thank everyone for their posts and support!” Campana posted.

Abigail was last seen at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6 and returned home late at night yesterday, Sept. 10.

BREAKING: Drake High School Freshman Reported Missing

by Nick Seminerio and Samantha Gilbert

The news about a missing Drake freshman spread quickly on Facebook Monday. A photo posted of the missing girl has been shared over 1,000 times.

Abbie Campana, 14, was last seen at her home at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6 by her mother and mother’s boyfriend, gave permission to the Jolly Roger for her name to be published.

Her parents say they have not seen or heard from her since.

According to the San Anselmo-Fairfax Patch, who interviewed Central Marin Police Authority (CMPA) Officer John Garretson, she is classified as voluntarily missing, or in other words, a runaway. Police think she could be in San Francisco, Marin, or Sonoma County.

Campana left on her own accord and is not believed to be in any imminent danger, according to the CMPA.
If you see Campana, police say to call the local police department. We are not able to post a photo because the CMPA isn’t able to release one at this time. EDIT: See update below

This story will be updated with more information as we receive it.

UPDATE 9/9/13 – 8:00 p.m.:

Courtesy of Jennie Campana via Facebook

What question do you want answered by your teachers?

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