Debate Season Mixed: Tapia Wins 3rd Place, But Empty Trophy Case at Mack

by Pamela Tapia

The debate season at McClymonds ended on a high note, with senior Pamela Tapia winning third prize in the junior varsity division at the Bay Area Urban Debate League’s annual League Championship on May 14-15.

Tapia began debating just four months ago. Her strongest argument focused on how the war in Afghanistan served as a distraction for the structural violence in the United States.

Despite Tapia’s victory, Mack lost the largest trophy displayed in its trophy case to one of its rivals.

“It’s a shame we lost our precious trophy — our non-sports trophy — to Fremont,” says Tapia.

Last year, McClymonds’ Tanesha Walker (now a freshman at UCLA) reigned  as number one debater in the league, traveling to nationals to represent the Bay Area. Her victory brought the traveling trophy to Mack.

At a gala dinner Monday night at the Lake Merritt boathouse, students recognized their coaches and volunteers who helped organize practices and tournaments.

I’m Not Marching Anymore

by Bonita Tindle

Drills, precision, pomp, marching. Juan Rios quickly grew tired of it all at Oakland Military Institute.

“I thought I’d  find discipline,” says Rios, who transferred this year to McClymonds. “Instead, the experience was dull, dry, isolating.”

Green plastic strips added to the fence separated the school from the outside, making it impossible to see out or peek in. Rios’ jet black jackets with epaulettes, white button-up shirts and black dress pants had to be ironed perfectly.

“I hated wearing the uniform. They didn’t make the uniform in my size; it was tight fitting,” he says.

Unlike students at Mack, who have a choice in staying after-school,  OMI students were forced to participate in after-school programs –mainly tutoring, leaders of character and sports.

At Mack, Rios, 16 and a sophomore,  has more choices, participating in debate and journalism. He also can wear whatever clothes he wants.

Mack will close its law academy: end of an era

by Sarai Cornejo and Pamela Tapia

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(with reporting from The Oaktown Teen Times and The Oakland Tribune)

There will be no law academy at McClymonds next year.

The news came last week in a form letter from principal Kevin Taylor to Ina Bendich, who has been director of the Law Academy for 10 years.

“I knew that enrollment was down and that the academy would likely be closed.  With approximately 230 students, and two academies that both require 90 students to remain solvent, it seemed inevitable that one would be forced out.  I hoped that the tradition of political action  in West Oakland would keep us open.”

A total of 45 students are currently enrolled in the law academy, which focuses on legal issues and environmental justice. It sponsors this blog, a debate team, mock trial, an annual Yosemite trip, summer internships, restorative justice, youth court and a partnership with the Rose Foundation, which has trained students to advocate for cleaner air in West Oakland.

“It taught me a lot about the law and the constitution,” said Asia Hill, 16, a junior.  ”It means missing out on a lot of opportunities next year.”

It is unclear what will happen at McClymonds next year and whether the other academy, International Trade and Transportation, will survive.

The closure is part of a trend: small school or academies, which offer fewer AP classes because they are specialized, have lost financial support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (which began funding them in 2004)  and many are closing due to dwindling enrollment and lack of state funding.

At its peak, McClymonds had close to 800 students, while it now has under 300.

In 2008, McClymonds had the highest scores on the  California High School Exit Exam in the entire district. It was also ranked number 1 in the East Bay and Northern California as the high school with most football players attending Division 1 universities.

Three small schools at Fremont and three small schools at Castlemont High Schools will  be “consolidated  in the fall of 2012.”

The Oaktown Teen Times reported that Castlemont received an extra $700,000 to “just stay afloat.”

“The law academy has led the community  in fighting air pollution,” says Jill Ratner, director  of the Rose Foundation. Together with environmental groups, students at the Law Academy discovered a nearby polluter and began monitoring the air for toxins.  In its partnership with the Rose Foundation, the law academy also sent students to summer internships to learn more about environmental justice and advocacy.

“The students’ work over the past years earned them national recognition and most recently, they were honored by the Environmental Protection Agency.  We have a lot to be proud of.  It’s been a great ride,”  commented Ms. Bendich.

Other teachers and administrators also received “consolidation” notices, said vice principal Karen Todd.

“If they’re going to treat you like this, Bendich,  you deserve better” said Lateefah Edmonds, an 18-year-old senior at Mack ,who has known Ms. Bendich since her freshman year.

Top debater — now a UCLA freshman — visits Mack

by B. Tindle and Miriam Neal

UCLA freshman Tanesha Walker, 19, came back to McClymonds Wednesday to visit the debate team, which she led last year.  On Tuesday, she spoke to the 10th graders about her experiences at UCLA and adjusting to diversity.

“I’m involved in community service, in building a stronger Black community on campus,” said Walker.

Walker has had to give up debate because the focus at UCLA is on parliamentary debate, not urban debate.

She plans to major in mathematics.

“Coming from McClymonds, you’re behind and you have to catch up,” she said.

Mack students apply for Obama to speak at graduation

by Pamela Tapia

“Obama at graduation!”

That cry rang through the hallway. Enthusiasm. Excitement, Hope.

“That’s what we need to keep us motivated as young Black men,” said Josh Walters, a senior at McClymonds.

Last Friday, McClymonds students worked hard on deadline to submit their official application to the White House to have President Barack Obama speak at the graduation for the class  of 2011 on June 16.

Students were literally speechless and astonished when a group of students announced that they had applied for President Obama to speak at graduation.

There is no official count, but at least 464 other high schools across the nation have applied. No other Oakland high school is believed to have applied.

The essays included a section on how teachers prepare you in academics, why your school deserves to win and how McClymonds prepares students for college and careers.

Students focused on their involvement in the community, which is predominantly Black and low-income, especially its advocacy for environmental justice. The school was featured in Newsweek Magazine and recently won an award from the Environmental Protection Agency. Senior Terranisha Nathaniel won the Princeton Prize in Race Relations in 2010 and McClymonds sent its top debater to nationals last year.

In the essays, students also mentioned the school’s consistently winning basketball and football teams. It noted that it is the only high school in the country with two living Presidential Medal of Freedom winners, Bill Russell and Frank Robinson.

“We don’t have the same funding as other schools in the district because of our small size,” the students wrote. “Yet we are the movers and shakers.”

Miami Dade College in Florida has already announced that it will host President Obama as one of their 2011 graduation speakers. Miami Dade’s press release about snagging the nation’s top official doesn’t tell how they did it, but states it is the largest higher education facility in the U.S., with more than 180 countries represented in their student body

Too Far Away to Hear Debate and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor

Commentary

by Pamela Tapia and Bonita Tindle

We were excited: we would see and hear the nation’s first Latina Supreme Court Justice live at Zellerbach. She was on the panel  judging the finals of the James Patterson McBaine Honors Moot Court Competition.

The place was packed — with many people turned away from the 2,000 seat auditorium. That morning, Sotomayor had paid a surprise visit to an elementary school in Berkeley.

But we were quickly disappointed. From our perch on the last balcony of Zellerbach Hall at UC Berkeley, we were too far away to actually hear the Moot Court debate or comments by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, whose questioning was superficial and low keyed.

What we saw (but had trouble hearing) was a lively hour-long debate between two Boalt students, Edward Piper and Thomas Frampton. They debated Busch v. Marple Newtown School District, a Pennsylvania case involving a kindergarten kid whose mother was barred from reading from the Bible at a show-and-tell day. The two students had written long briefs on the issue and in front of 2,000 spectators, they were interrupted often and answered questions from the judges, which included Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, California Supreme Court Justice Carol Corrigan and federal appeals Judge William Fletcher.

Although Frampton was declared the winner — by “a thin, thin slice,” Sotomayor said — Sotomayor praised both participants.

Since we were too far away, we had to READ her comments the next day: ”I do moot courts because, every once in a while, I need an injection of hope,” she said. “And I see performances like the ones you gave today and I have so much hope. You were magnificent.”

Why Mack is Failing Us — Four Students Speak Out

By: Lateefah Edmondson    Pamela Tapia

Bonita Tindle      and          Sarai Cornejo

What do you need from high school to be successful in college?

Usually high schools are classified based on factors ranging from class size to parent involvement.  That’s not enough. High schools, like homes, have an obligation to provide students with the mindset to succeed in college.

At McClymonds, we should begin by confronting home-related issues, such as poverty, alcoholism, drug abuse, and lack of parenting.  We need to feel safe, healthy, engaged, and committed to our future. We need to have more options in classes, more career paths to explore (in the arts and sciences) and more qualified teachers, who are specialists in their academic area.

After McClymonds split into two small schools, the aftermath of the school board’s decision had an overbearing effect on the students, parents, and staff.  The schools were forced to reduce their enrollment leading to cuts in funding.  Students had to travel outside of the only school in West Oakland to attend other schools.

“ Most students need motivation,” said Asia Hill, 16, junior.

Students at McClymonds seem to lack the most critical requirement of all: motivation.  The lack of motivation causes insecurity in students thereby increasing the possibility of not going to college or dropping out of high school.  According to a group of McClymonds students, adults in their lives, including teachers and parents, don’t provide them with motivation or assurance of their success in their future, making it difficult for them to believe in themselves.

In West Oakland, where violence is present every day, making the surrounding environment unsafe, the fear of losing a loved one to gang violence threatens students’ academic success because it distracts their concentration. In the very first days of 2011, one student’s brother was already gunned down in front of a corner store just one block away from school.  Students mourning the 22-year-old man’s death created a disruption in learning for many students who have a relationship with the family.

Outside of failing to provide moral support, Mack fails to provide advanced classes that will give students a head start in college.

“ We need more advanced placement classes so I can be more on a college level,” said Kenya Lee-Fletcher, 18, senior.

Mack offers only one AP class — in English — compared to Oakland High, which offers AP classes in almost every subject.  Students who take the only advanced placement class at McClymonds all feel that the class is taught at the same level as a regular non-AP class at other highly funded schools.

McClymonds high school needs an immense amount of support and funding to provide help to its students. High schools provide essential skills and tools necessary to foster a successful college experience. Schools like McClymonds should lay the groundwork by giving students the necessary tools to succeed in college and in their professional careers.

Why Guns Should Not Be Allowed

The shooting in Arizona that left 6 dead including a federal judge,
congressional aide, and a 9-year-old girl is a perfect example as to
why guns should not be allowed to the public.
Some people believe that the second amendment to the constitution
gives them the right to carry guns.  I believe that this is a
misinterpretation.
People should have no right to guns unless they are soldiers fighting
for their country.  For those who argue that guns are a form of
protection, they should know if there weren’t guns in the possession
of criminals, there wouldn’t be a need to purchase guns for
protection.
I think it’s great that a pizza place in Tucson banned guns. That’s a
beginning.

Lisa Boyakins, junior, McClymonds

Lisa Boyakins, junior, comments about Arizona shooting

Vance Wins First Place

1. 
   

   winner at debate

   by David Michael

   Stephen Vance, 16, a junior at McClymonds, won first place at the novice Bay Area Urban Debate League on December 11-12.

Vance, who went maverick (or solo), entered the two-day weekend tournament at Balboa High School in San Francisco. More than 30 debate teams attended the tournament, ranging from San Francisco, Oakland, and other East Bay cities. Other Mack debaters included David McNeal (11th place individual speaker in varsity division), Maria McClain and Lateefah Edmondson (in novice division).

On Saturday, Vance faced three teams, and recorded three victories. He won the 9th place speaker trophy and qualified for Sunday’s final rounds.

In Sunday’s final rounds, Vance competed against the remaining top four teams. His winning argument was that the collapse of Aghanistan was tied to Pakistan’s nuclear weapons arsenal getting into the hands of terrorists.

“I just wanted a bigger trophy for McClymonds,” said Vance.