Mack Debaters Place (Again) in BAUDL Tournament

by Khristan Antoine

Move over, Warriors. McClymonds has a future in debate.

After a late start (at the end of September), a McClymonds debater has placed in the top 20 in two consecutive debate tournaments.

Danenicole Williams, a freshman, placed 18th out of 120 speakers at the Fall Championships held Saturday at Oakland Tech. Along with her partner, J’Mya Gray-Martinez, the young team came in 15th out of 60 teams in the novice division of the Bay Area Urban Debate League tournament.

“I feel pretty smart,” says Williams, flashing a smile. “I felt more confident in myself because of my experience [in the first debate].”

The collaboration was successful because both debaters worked hard. “We would write out each other’s arguments when we struggled with a point or an argument,” she said.

Martinez came in 24th, less than two points behind her partner. “It’s a great opportunity,” said Martinez, who plays basketball. “Most of my peers wouldn’t find debate interesting, but it’s intense and challenging.”

Martinez studied the evidence at home and wrote out her speeches. She enjoys collaborating with Williams, who has more bravado and a fast-talking style.

“We make it fun, even though it’s hard work,” she said.

In the September Season Opener tournament held at UC Berkeley, sophomore Anthony Beron placed 5th as a speaker. He and his partner Dazhane Labat, a freshman,  placed 24th.

Other debaters include Taeylor Barker, Taliah Scott, Sherry Ross and Ringo Buffin, all freshmen, Kardel Howard, a junior, and Anastasia Walton, a senior.

“This is a promising start for a rookie team,” said debate coach Pamela Tapia. “I expect them to do even better with experience. They’re hungry, motivated and nimble, just like our athletes.”

Engineers with Swagg: the New Mack Look

by Kardel Howard

McClymonds has a new class — engineering.  That means new toys, new tools, and new equipment that students can play with in their newly renovated $60,000 classroom, according to Lynn Baliff, educational consultant.

The new improvements start with the backpacks that were distributed to the Principles of Engineering class. The backpack doubles as a solar-powered cell-phone charger.  Its solar panel is sewn into the front of the backpack, and when placed under sunlight, absorbs the energy and transfers that to its solar-charged battery.  A USB cord plugs into the charged battery while the other side plugs into the phone; then it charges.

Other equipment includes a “master computer” that allows the teacher to monitor all the computer activity in the classroom.

The engineering class also has a 3D printers that turns  models that are made on the computer to become a physical form. The 3D printer creates the model onto the platform by melting plastic filaments into a shape, and keeps tracing the model until it is no longer amorphous.

“The class is advancing,” said Katherine Hall, engineering and math teacher.  In addition to the introductory course, Hall also added an advanced engineering course, Principles of Engineering.

“Next year,” she added, “there will be a third course for seniors.”

The engineering course counts as an elective and has a curriculum that encourages students to use their creativity and think more critically in using their mathematical abilities to solve equations.

There are 20 students total enrolled in the Intro to Engineering class and 15 in the Principles of Engineering class.  Students like Kelton Runnels, a junior, enjoy the new STEM curriculum. ” I believe this engineering class is now opening a lot more doors for us than sports,” says Runnels.

As he sees it, McClymonds is turning over a new leaf.

Only 15, covered, Muslim, and McClymonds’ first non-African-American co-valedictorian

drawing by Sana Saeed who prefers not to be photographed

by Khristan Antoine and Kardel Howard

At 15, Sana Saeed is McClymonds’ youngest graduate and the first valedictorian who is non-African-American, Muslim and covers her head.

As co-valedictorian along with Iakiriyya Karimushi, she addressed the class of 2013 and guests about Stars Can’t Shine Without Darkness.

Her smile is infectious, radiating gentle humor mixed with kindness. Yet, often hidden under her friendly exterior and her elegant head covering, stylishly modified with a gem or chic pin, Saeed argues fiercely, boldly tackles controversial issues — whether about immigation or gun violence — and fits into McClymonds High School as seamlessly as any other student.

“Getting it right, getting it done,” is what propelled Saeed to a 3.85 GPA, said Dr. LuPaulette Taylor, who teaches AP English. “She’s up for challenges and never gives up.”

Junior Darlisha McGlothen describes Saeed as always curious and challenging.”Sana always answers a question with another question, usually pushing you to think more deeply”  McGlothen said. “In one discussion, I finally asked her, ‘Sana, what do you think?’ and she smiled and answered, ‘What do YOU really think?'”

Like her sisters, Saba and Esma, Saeed devoted much of her energy to academics. She is the first valedictorian in the family and the youngest to graduate, though Saba was 16 and salutatorian.  Sana is also the first to be involved in journalism, as a reporter and writer for macksmack.

Saeed researched scarves as her senior project. She was accepted to California State University/East Bay and plans to study nursing.

Earlier this month, Saeed received a $1,500 SuperStar scholarship from Burma SuperStar, which was presented by Oakland Mayor Jean Quan. She was one of two McClymonds seniors (out of five winners)  to receive the scholarship.

“This is so exciting,” she said at the time.

 

Some of Sana’s pieces:

From Stewie to Springer: Curse Words Pollute

Cyber High on Hold: Will College Coordinator Be Replaced?

Tougher Gun Laws Now:  Stop the Violence

 Is My Lipstick a Lethal Weapon?

Warrior Gets A Facelift

In and Out of Shadows: A Play About Undocumented Youth Hits Home

by Romanalyn Inocencio

Watching In and Out of Shadows at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco was like sitting in my living room listening to my Mom. The Filipina mother in the story threatened like my mother, giving you a choice of what household instrument you can get hit with.

It hit home because I’m Filipina and these life stories — focused on fears about the police, stress over grades and college — reflect the anxieties of my undocumented cousins and friends.

Some significant details are different of course. The stories of crossing the border into the United States from Mexico, when one kid had to be drugged because he could not learn his fake name,and another had to crawl through the sewers, are harrowing.

The musical builds on a familiar theme: college application.  In it, the undocumented teens are preparing their personal statements for an AB 540 conference at UC Berkeley (AB 540 allows DREAMers to attend California colleges at in-state rates).

 We meet Angel, who arrived in the US alone via a sewer when he was 13. And Juan who, as a determined six-year-old, had to be drugged with cough syrup during the crossing because he adamantly refused to take his cousin’s name as his own. We watch a newly urbanized “vato loco” (crazy dude in Spanish) teaching an undocumented Chinese friend how to speak street Spanish.

Running through the entire musical is the fear of deportation. Many families in the  play  have deceptive status – undocumented parents who lie to their children about their papers (often telling their children they have papers, when they don’t)  and who live in constant fear of separation.

Even under AB 540 or President Obama’s recent two-year deportation deferral program for certain undocumented youth, students who get to stay may suddenly be left alone with nobody to take care of them. The diverse group of young actors, many whom are directly affected by the issue, mix English, Spanish, Tagalog and other languages as they examine the unwieldy human effects of this messy political issue.

When Young Actors Tell Their Real Stories On Stage

 

photographs by Breannie Robinson

by  Breannie Robinson

“This is my real life,” said actress Deanne Palaganas, a 25-year-old who plays a Filipino mother who is arrested by police and jailed for not having her papers.

The actress talks about the prejudice she encounters, the judgments of people not accepting her because she has no papers even though she pays taxes.

Palaganas portrays an immigrant and single mother from the Phillipines in Gary Soto’s newest play, Living In and Out of Shadows, which played last month at the Marsh Theater in San Francisco.

To write his play, Soto read through the harrowing experiences of immigrant teenagers, gathered through interviews conducted by the Marsh Youth Theatre actors, living in Richmond and Pinole, and wove them together in an intricate compilation of stories and songs.

Palaganas herself was an undocumented teen, forced to live in secrecy even while attending college.

Like Palaganas, many of the actors were telling their own stories on stage. Others were portraying people they had interviewed.

The play refrains from stereotyping the immigrant look and experience.  Soto said his biggest fear was not including enough ethnicities, which is why he added a Chinese teen and added the stories of several of the Marsh Youth Theater’s undocumented actors from Canada, the Phillipines, and Mexico.

This is most noticeable when a young Chinese girl addresses the point, saying “they think only Mexicans and Latinos know the way [across the border] but we Chinese know the route, too. ” In the play, her Chinese family takes a plane ride to Peru, travels from Peru to Mexico and then crosses the Mexican-US border illegally.

Several of the interviews with Marsh Youth Theatre actors made it into the play, including a story from a young man who migrated to the U.S. illegally but told Soto,  “because I’m white, they don’t bother me.”  An Indonesian girl found it frustrating to have people refer to her as Chinese or Mexican.

Besides adding cultural diversity,  Soto made sure to include real details: for instance, a young boy had to re-cross the Mexican-American border through an underground sewer pipeline after he was caught by ICE the first time when trying to cross through the desert with his uncle.

Palaganas said her character reminded her much of her own mother, loud and passionate, outspoken and prone to alternating between rapid or soft Tagalog but never a mixture. “For many of us, this is our story,” she said.

“I’m allowed to stay here because Obama let me,” said Palaganas.”Not many Filipinos are open.  They train their kids to maintain their reputation, to say they have papers,” said Palaganas.

“To them [American-born] we are aliens,” said Palaganas.  She criticized the U.S. government for accepting taxes from undocumented immigrants, but refusing to acknowledge their contribution or pay any benefits. As for undocumented parents, “They tell us we have to act normal, act American,” said Palaganas, who was accepted to UC Irvine and San Francisco State but could not get a scholarship because she was undocumented.

“You just try to live your life normally and don’t tell nobody your status,” says Louel Senores, who plays Felix, the articulate, dancing, rapping Filipino high school student and activist in In and Out of Shadows.

Senores’ story is a bit different: he received his papers in 8th grade. He was able to attend UC Berkeley from which he graduated with a degree in engineering  For him, the challenge was professional: how to portray a jock when he was trained as a ballet dancer.

Although not in the script, he added his own line about being gay because he wanted to include LGBT in the production, as they are among undocumented youth.

“Filipinos from the islands are more conservative, they are not very open to homosexuality,” said Senores. 

After spending time with undocumented cast members, Senores feels fortunate. “I am an immigrant but I got my papers.  I didn’t think of it.  I didn’t realize they had it that hard.  That’s some f***ed up shit,” he added

“It was just a role but it makes you care,” said Senores. “As soon as you know someone who is going through that,  you care.”

Cyber High On Hold: Will College Coordinator Be Replaced?

copyright photo by Getty Images

by Sana Saeed

Matthew Mayne’s departure on January 11  leaves McClymonds High School without a college and career coordinator.  But the vacuum is even larger: Mayne taught a 6th period class and led Cyber High. About 1/3  of the 50 seniors need to pass a Cyber High course to graduate.

Student reaction ranged from disbelief to disappointment. Shannel Rix,16, a junior says, “I may have felt happy when he left, but I realize now that he was bringing me closer to my dreams. He helped us with college apps and getting us ready for college.”

“I had no intention of leaving McClymonds during the school year, but unfortunately due to some circumstances I knew that it was best to do so,” Mayne told macksmack.

Seniors say they turned to Mayne for help with college essays, scholarships, and community service hours needed to graduate. Dr. LuPaulette Taylor and Kim Neal are filling in to help seniors write essays and make sure they fulfill requirements.

 “I continue to work with McClymonds students,”Mayne said.  So some of the students who attend McClymonds are still getting help from him.

Some seniors worked with Mayne to make up credits needed for graduation through Cyber High. Cyber High is a program that lets students make up credits for classes they missed or failed. It offers every class except for foreign language. Danny Sola, 17, a senior, took PE class through Cyber High under Mayne’s guidance. “Matthew won’t be there to open exams for me on Cyber High and I’m starting to fall behind on my work.”

“Matthew Mayne was an important contributor,” said Franklin Hysten, senior director of community programs. ” Matthew quit his job after having accepted a job at another agency,” he added. (He gave a month’s notice and has taken another job working with college-bound foster youth.)

Matthew also ran College Summit and led peer leaders. According to Hysten, he “helped make it a success.”

As second semester began, seniors said they were  struggling to complete college applications and scholarship essays. But mostly, Mayne’s 6th period class is a free-for-all, with little teaching or exam preparation.

Esean Kelly, senior, 18, said that  Mayne helped him with scholarships, college applications, and essays.  Kelly was also a member of the college summit peer leaders.

“We have begun searching for a replacement and the job description is posted on craigslist for anyone who is qualified,” Hysten said.

Since the posting of the job opening, two candidates have been screened by peer leaders.  Interviews will be held Friday, February 22.

“We are currently very close in the process of selecting a Cyber High provider,” stated Hysten.

Meanwhile, faculty members are helping students to complete Cyber High.  Colleen Piper, Spanish teacher, holds Cyber high sessions during 3rd period and lunch and Shelley Smith is covering Mayne’s 6th period college seminar.

 

Mack lures transfer students — with sports and community

by Anastasia Walton

Most transfer to McClymonds for sports, but others yearn for community, after feeling lost in the shuffle of students on bigger campuses like O’High, Tech or Skyline.

Some even come from afar: Vallejo, Manteca, or even San Francisco.

Jenero Rodriguez, sophomore, wakes up at 7:30  am,  gathers his backpack and books and heads for the door.  If he catches the 8:10 am bus from North Oakland he might make it on time for Spanish class.

Rodriguez is starting a new school year at a new campus with new faces, 33 of them (out of 265 students). After wearing a Bulldogs uniform for one year, he proudly dons a Warriors orange and black jersey.

According to the Oakland Unified School District’s student assignment office; there were twelve 9th graders, eleven 10th graders, three 11th graders, and seven 12th graders who transferred to Mack this current school year.

Like Rodriguez, Louis White, junior, 16, switched from Tech to McClymonds and to Mack’s Silver Bowl winning football team.

“The teachers at Mack really care.  They take the time to help you and make sure you get the material, unlike the teachers at my school [Tech],” stated White.

Who are these new faces you might ask? Well it was a question I was asking myself as well. I wanted to know whether the transition was easy and how they adjusted. The main difference, students said, was the encouragement from staff to prepare for college.

Jermaine McCann, an 11th grader said “The staff really pushes you and talks about college, where at my other school, they barely even brought up college.”  “Mack is  one big family,” he added.

Students who leave McClymonds are usually looking for more AP classes and more extracurricular activities, says Rolanda McGhee, Care Manager.

Fitting in at McClymonds may be easier than integrating elsewhere. Principal Kevin Taylor  said, “Students at Mack are very friendly and open so it isn’t hard for new students to settle in. As for the staff, I don’t really think they mind helping to teach a new mind.”

Power, Energy and Tea

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By Khristan Antoine

The work is not finished.

Or so we learned at the first annual Delilah Beasley Tea, which honored the first female African-American columnist who wrote for The Oakland Tribune from 1915-1934. She unearthed histories of African-American gold miners, lobbied for anti-lynching law and spoke out for literacy and voting rights. She fought against the use of the word “darkie” and the N word in newspapers.

We need that kind of energy today.

It was clear that Belva Davis  — also honored at the event — followed in Beasley’s footsteps in her political reporting. Congresswoman Barbara Lee called Davis “a true living legend.”  Davis charted the course for women in the whole country, said Lee,  paving the way for women in journalism.

Have the times changed? Not really. Davis remembers when she had to use a typewriter and do research from journalism clips, articles cut out from the newspaper. But even now with Google and YouTube,  she says, “nothing is recorded in history without human interference.”

Interference means action. The CEO of Girls Inc, Linda Bossehecker, was part of the celebration and announced the opening of a chapter building in downtown Oakland at 510 16th street, one block away from the BART station. “We are expanding to provide nutrition, school counseling and fitness with greater accessibility.”

Girls Inc will do outreach to West Oakland girls in neighborhood schools.  Bossehecker said, “If Girls Inc can’t go to girls, they can come to us.”

At least one Oakland student agreed. Oakland Tech student Munirah Harris, 14, found the message “empowering.” “All these powerful women in one place give me hope.”

Girls in the West: Education Matters

by Angelique Villasana

 

It was an all-female event, but nothing like “Bad Girls’ Club” or Ru Paul’s Drag Race.

The focus was on literacy: reading, reading and more reading.

About 90 percent of the girls at McClymonds High School took part in the event. The three-hour event at McClymonds high school, dubbed “In The West We Read,” brought Mack alumnae back to the school to explain the importance of reading and education to current students.

In the fall, the boys participated in a similar program. The girls’ program was similar — with alumnae reading and talking about how hard it was to read when they got to college because they did not take reading at school seriously.

La’cole Martin, who graduated from McClymonds ten years ago, said that she had a hard time reading the material given to her every night and had to constantly use a dictionary to look up the “big words.” Her professors assigned her 100+ pages every night for homework and she spent hours on reading alone.

The girls were then split up into different groups and paired with an alumna and a place in the school to sit down and read with each other. Every alumna read the same book to their students, “Who moved the Cheese” then asked questions about the reading. The book dealt with changes in your life and mentors discussed changes with the students and shared their college experiences. They also talked about moving from high school into the real world, being responsible for their actions and taking control without someone there to guide them.

Later, they bonded over lunch while listening to music. The girls in the program picked up the importance of reading and taking school seriously. “More people need to read books or get together to study,” says Whitney Layne, a 12th grader.

One of the reasons for the program is the sharp hike in the drop-out rate. The female drop-out rate is 31.3 percent , which is not far below the 38.2 percent drop out rate for boys.

 

Mack Students Help With Bay Bridge Closure

Bay Bridge s-curve:  copyright photo by Benjamin Kimo Twichell

by Joy Scott and Harold Halcomb

They canvassed in downtown Berkeley and Emeryville. They stuffed and licked envelopes. And this weekend, McClymonds students were the only teens on Treasure Island, organizing and handing gear to construction crews working on the Bay Bridge.

Work progressed well. The bridge reopened ahead of schedule Sunday night.

“It was kind of exciting,” said Thoresha Branner, a senior at McClymonds, who canvassed in downtown Berkeley and near the campus for five hours and was scheduled to work on Treasure Island.

Wearing a yellow vest and name tag, Branner walked around and handed out flyers about the closure, answering questions. “Some people were surprised and didn’t know about the closure despite all the radio and TV news,” said Branner. “Others were relieved to know that BART would be running extra trains.”

Students at McClymonds were the only high school students from Oakland hired by Caltrans to canvas, stuff envelopes and work on the bridge during the closure.

Matthew Mayne, college and career coordinator at McClymonds, said that 13 students worked on the project after school. Students were paid $12 an hour.

“Caltrans was pleased with the energy and enthusiasm of our students,” said Mayne.

Over the weekend work, workers realigned and rapaved the approach from the toll plaza to the bridge, and connected it to a new detour to a widened incline section.

Workers also made cuts in a portion of the bridge deck that will be demolished to make it easier to remove.

The westbound lanes were closed at 8pm Friday and reopened at 7pm Sunday.

BART ridership was up 25 percent on Saturday.The bridge carries on average 270,000 vehicles a day.