Announcements are made regarding the week’s field trips, schedule changes and birthdays. My fellow visitors and I are introduced as a respected but routine afterthought. Curious visitors are welcomed in, even expected, on a regular basis. A good portion of this curiosity can be attributed to the fact that the students aren’t being graded; not now, and not for the rest of their years at Puget Sound Community School.

PSCS, as it’s called by those familiar with it, is a Seattle private school based around the idea that academics shouldn’t be the main focus of school. There are no rows of desks, no lockers, no pink attendance slips. The school places the creation of an environment where students learn without the conventional goals of increased test scores, more AP classes, and higher GPAs. While these may be important to individuals, they aren’t part of the school’s general expectations for students. In fact, these general expectations include very little at all.

The only requirements for graduation from PSCS are that you attend school, and that you participate in the community. How each student completes this requirement of participation is up to them. Every student at PSCS is assigned a staff advisor to help connect their path through school to their goal for graduation; be it to get a Washington State diploma, to go to Stanford, or to start a pottery shop. At the school’s campus, underneath the Key Bank on 7th Ave. and Dearborn, this process is referred to over and over again by PSCS Administrator Steve Miranda as “turning passion into achievement.”

“Our goal is that they become mature, responsible people, because mature, responsible people want to live lives that are productive, and fruitful, and ambitious,” says Miranda. “It’s not our job to impose that ambition on them. It’s our job to create an environment in which that can happen.”

As the announcements at this morning’s check-in wrap up, the school moves into the second “slot” of the day. Most classes at PSCS meet only once each week, in one of thirteen possible time slots on the school’s scheduling board. Courses range from Stories of Adoption, to Medieval Europe, to Tea Certification, to debate, but students aren’t expected to be signed up for a class in each of the slots.

“Nothing gets on the board unless students prioritize it. We have no academic requirements here,” says Miranda. “We have a community requirement, which is that we ask you to come, but what you do while you’re here is really up to you; you choose what classes you sign up for.”

The scheduling board is created at the beginning of each year, and its content depends completely on the students. The process begins with students suggesting subjects that they would like to learn about, and teachers and volunteers pitching courses that they’re passionate about. As the two sets of possibilities come together, a set of classes are put together from which students can select courses that will hopefully have meaning to them.

Miranda is currently in his first year at PSCS. He previously taught sophomore journalism at Garfield.

“My experience as a teacher in a traditional school was that students engaged in the material to the extent that it furthered their short term goal of getting a good grade,” says Miranda. “That is not a profound experience.”

PSCS founder Andy Smallman had a similar experience. After teaching in traditional public schools that stuck to a model similar to the one Seattle Schools sticks to today, Smallman decided it wasn’t for him. In 1994, Smallman and his wife quit their jobs, and founded PSCS to create a place for those that didn’t want as much of an emphasis on standardized tests.

This move away from rigid structure and rigorous academic requirements is exemplified in an online course that Smallman organized and taught earlier in the 2009-10 school year. Starting in September, he began posting the first “assignments” of his Online Kindness Class. Every Sunday, through the middle of December, a post on his blog would ask the 250 people of all ages to perform some act of kindness in their daily lives. Students, such as Garfield junior Zan Barker-Aderem, are asked to write about their actions in the “comments” section of the class blog.

“The whole idea of assigned ideas for kindness really appealed to me,” says Barker-Aderem, “and it was different because though there were assignments, it was trust based, as opposed to the whole grade system that we have at school.”

Though the absence of letter grades and report cards is attractive to some, PSCS isn’t for everyone. According PSCS teacher Scobie Putchtler, the school aims to be thought of not as a last resort, but as a forefront educational institution.

“It absolutely can work for everyone, but you do need a family that supports what we’re doing here,” says Puchtler. The school talks about how, as they admit a student, their family also becomes part of the network support progressive education.

A common concern of prospective families and students alike is the ability of PSCS graduates to get into college. The process for college application from PSCS is potentially advantageous when compared to conventional schools, as teachers write a summary and reflection on each graduate’s individual accomplishments. This gives an in-depth perspective on who a student is, and how they work. Theresa Troyer, a PSCS high school student, is graduating the school early to attend Bellevue College before transferring to a school in Michigan. She views PSCS as completely adequate preparation for college.

“This year, five students took the PSAT, and about that many students took the SAT to get into college,” says Troyer. “It depends on the year though, some years we have more artistic kids.”

Due to the individualized nature of the school, expansion of their model quickly becomes an issue. PSCS students agree that their school’s model wouldn’t function the same on a larger scale. Troyer views the size of the school as a significant contributer to her success.

“The success of what we do depends on all the staff and students being able to know everybody,” says Troyer.

Another factor that makes PSCS unique is is the proportion of self-direction to structure in the school’s model. Though there are no required classes and no grades, the staff propose a large portion of the classes, construct the schedule, and make decisions regarding how their “curriculum” will change from year to year.

“There does have to be some amount of structure,” says Puchtler, “but we have to be very careful about how we inject it.”

The idea of giving students a more individualized education isn’t limited to PSCS, however. charter schools across the country are given public money, at either the state or local level, to provide families with a free option for education outside their school districts. They represent a possibility for innovation in our education system–to benefit both those that value the structure of traditional schooling, and those that seek the more independent, PSCS-style approach.

The first charter school in the state of New York opened in Harlem in 1999, and the burrow has since seen the movement grow to produce a total of 24 Harlem charters. A total of 7,700 students are currently enrolled the schools, with another 7,000 on wait lists. As the average African-American 12th grader reads at the level of a white 8th grader, New York’s charter schools are beginning to have some success in closing the achievement gap. A study released by Stanford economist Caroline Hoxby earlier this school year showed the African-American majority in New York City charter schools outperforming students in the city’s traditional schools on state tests. In addition, Hoxby found the scores from the city’s charter schools to be almost on par with state test scores from white suburban schools.

But New York City charter schools were found to be a more effective alternative only in terms of test scores. Opponents sight concerns with charter schools’ transparency, the possibility of taking funds away from public schools, and the issue of how to deal with special education students.

Washington is currently one of only 11 states that don’t allow a charter school option in their public school system. Charter schools were last proposed in Washington in 2004, when a bill was passed by the state legislature to establish 45 schools over the course of six years. That November, the bill was overturned by Washington state voters, and the issue hasn’t been on a ballot since.

Though charter schools provide a possible avenue by which progressive education can grow in Seattle, the district itself is already trying other alternatives. The new Student Assignment Plan will limit choice within the district, but the NOVA and Center Schools, as well as the new option school at Cleveland, give Seattle students fairly self-directed options.

Whether or not Washington passes a charter school law anytime soon, PSCS will continue its progressive model. The check-ins, soccer games, and scheduling board will keep students’ interest, uninhibited by HSPEs or grades, or bells or attendance offices.

Across the globe, men are plagued by constant, nagging insecurities. That Y-chromosome carries with it a continuous struggle for confidence, often surrounding such issues as the size of the man’s vehicle. A man’s car is traditionally viewed as central to his mighty testosterone-infused image, but women such as Garfield junior.

Summer Than challenge the importance of automotive courtship — a sign that we’re moving forward as a society, and away from stereotypes.

“Mostly the size of the back seat is what matters,” says Than. 

The junior’s feelings are echoed by many women; having room for group dates and backseat games of Yahtzee is viewed as a sign of commitment to a fun-loving relationship.

Men may also assume that, for lack of a burly love wagon, they must compensate by increasing the size of their swag and building up an attractive ego. Senior heartthrob Laura Munoz disagrees however, but admits that the size of a man’s swag is one of many factors contributing to a male’s allure.

“He should be confident, but not cocky,” says senior heartthrob Laura Munoz, “Sort of like my friend Desjuan’s [Newton, Garfield senior] tattoo. But really, any Ben Geyman-like quality makes a man attractive.”

This reporter sought out the formerly named Geyman in search of valuable advice, but was unfortunately unable to locate said spitter of game.

All is not romantically lost however, for those Homo sapiens that lack the confidence to so much as be in the same room as a prospective mate. For both men and women seeking some sort of humanoid company, it seems that the size of those two round objects still holds some stake. Indeed, Garfield junior Annie Plunkett puts a high value on the size of a man’s brain, and his resulting ability to conduct respectable conversation.

“If a boy has nothing to say then it’s no fun,” says Plunkett.

For those lucky individuals who wield a full set of desirable characteristics, it seems that the ideal mate remains easily woo-able. For everyone else, it seems that size need no longer be a point of insecurity, but you might consider looking to such generous charmers as Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, the frying pan guy, or Skylar Lindsay [full disclosure: that’s me!] for advice.

This year saw Garfield reclaim the title, and break into a whole new kind of swag never before seen in the routine of a Bubblin’ Brown champion.

The Bulldogs took to the gym floor dressed in costumes that not only kept the dancers’ bodies conservatively covered, but that also reminded many in the audience of the Wizard of Oz. In addition to elaborate costumes, Garfield’s performance featured a well-developed plot in which Garfield junior Otieno Stephens-Terry struggled past obstacles in a dancing quest to reach the Blue Wizard, played by Garfield senior Najee Siu-Chang. Needless to say, reactions were mixed.

Bubblin’ Brown has traditionally been filled with teams that perform in a predominantly hip-hop style, reminiscent of a topnotch Jason Derülo video. In what turned out to be a winning strategy, Garfield left this behind. Stephens-Terry views it as a necessary change for the future of Garfield dance.

“There was a standard that people had been at. They’ve been operating around the same criteria for years, but they haven’t been focusing on the art,” says Stephens-Terry.

Though vestiges of past pelvic gyrations still remain, head-coach Maxie Jamal and assistant-coach Jahon Brown have worked to incorporate a wider variety into the team’s choreography.

“What’s different is that we include other types of dance,” says Garfield junior and dance team member Hanifa Abdala, “from street, to ballet, to jazz.”

Not everyone has supported the change however. The unconventional nature of Garfield’s new dance team has brought them a sizable amount criticism, and many of the team’s peers long for the old style of Bubblin Brown domination.

“A lot of people around us have hated what we’re doing,” says Stephens-Terry.

Garfield junior and dance team member Warite Uke has encountered these same sort of reactions and ridicule.

“When it was announced that we won I actually started crying. We’ve been made fun of for so long, this was our statement,” says Uke.

Not everyone who was originally in support of the team has stayed with them though.

“A lot of kids have fallen off since auditions. Garfield hasn’t even been supporting Garfield,” says Jamal.

The panel of all-new judges may have also changed the nature of this year’s competition. To the judges, Garfield’s new approach was a welcome change.

“They took a risk in their performance,” says judge Toyia Taylor.

The risky move away from raunchiness paid off, however.
“There are a lot of times in which a group was codependent; some dancers would be glancing over at their teammates during the routine,” says judge Simeon Rhoden. “We’re looking for dancers that are independent and have style. Garfield’s routine made sense, and they were creative.”

With Bubblin’ Brown out of the way and conquered, Garfield’s team gets a well-deserved break. The hard, repetitive practices have stopped for the moment. They’ll no longer spend afternoons sweating through run-through after run-through. But the team plans to come at next year with renewed dedication, and maybe even the new costumes.

“We were talking about how, even if we didn’t win, we’d still be happy just because of how close we’ve become as a team,” says Wong. “We’re like family.”

It’s the spring break of dozens of soon to be tan and bikini-clad sophomore girls and boys, and thankfully, you won’t have to endure a moment of it.

As we know from “Ten Things I Hate About You,” Seattle in the spring is a gorgeous time to look for love as well as better yourself as an individual. And so, with those goals in mind, the Messenger has given me room to impart 700 or so words of Gandalf-caliber wisdom regarding your hyphy-as-possible spring break agenda.

Get a Job

Unfortunately for you, taking any potential spring time romances out for the time of their life isn’t going to be easy on the cash wad. The need for some sort of dolla flow is like encountering a lonely man on Chatroulette. Inevitable.

But be, as Taylor Swift says, fearless—a job can often improve your image in the eyes of a lover. Try for such professions as veterinarian, to show that you’re caring, or pick-up artist, to show that you’re serious about your future as a couple.

Anxiously await the finals of lunchtime March Madness

Never mind the results of any NCAA games, you know the Garfield gym is sporting more talent than most of those Scandinavians—I still can’t figure out why Norwegian Curling Alcoholics Anonymous is getting so much attention anyway.

In preparation for the finals, I recommend grabbing a few of your more athletic friends and heading to an empty community center to practice storming the court. Though we don’t allow lunches in the gym, obtaining some fake food to throw at the losing team is also a solid method of showcasing your spirit.

Practice for April Insanity

So your March Madness team didn’t do so hot. Maybe your team name wasn’t creative enough, maybe you were distracted by all the very attractive Messenger staff managing the games. Whatever you think it was, your team’s loss was most likely just due to your lack of an skill as an athlete.

Never fear though, there’s an opportunity just around the corner for you to leave behind all thoughts of sports, or the outside world. If you want to avoid being a rook’ in this lunchtime chess showdown (see Mr. Nomura for details), hole up in a closet—R.Kelly style—with nothing but a chess board and practice until you can get pieces to move like they do in Harry Potter. Remember that kid that beat you in the first round of March Madness? Prepare to smack that bishop.

Plan your April Fool’s Day prank

While your less responsible friends are off traveling the world for spring break, you’re left with hours of time to honestly commit to quality prank-planing. No prank is too big this year. Jell-O in the toilet. Fake prom invitations. It’s all on the table.

As April Fool’s lands nicely in the middle of break, you’ve not only got time to scheme, but also a few days to absorb the repercussions of said shenanigans. This is probably for the best, as most people’s parents will take a bit to come up with bail.

Stow Away on Hawaii

Yes, I’ve already denounced these marine bio shenanigans as far inferior to Seattle’s offerings. But there’s something, if only very little, to be said for gettin’ that early tan on with ’012, and in general, the more time you spend with Magellan, the filthier person you’ll be. Also, why get all the Hawaii drama second hand when you can catch it all up close and live?

Visit Colleges

Though this may seem the geeky option at first glance, there lies many a secret motive in that Tour de East Coast Colleges. First of all, you’re guaranteed an introduction to a whole new method of partying.

No more driving across town for a Cheeto run, no more hiding the Monopoly board when the parents walk in. As long as your school of choice is even worth the attention you give it, college dorms will revolutionize everything from those Dungeons and Dragons meetups to your Lord of the Rings marathons.

In addition, you’ll be granted “pre-frosh” status, which is more or less a FastPass for use on all college womenfolk (or menfolk) you encounter. In the event that this doesn’t pan out for you, just tell her you’re majoring in swag and you should be good to go.

Located in rural Vermont, Mountain School is an opportunity open to high school juniors that takes them away from the traditional school for a semester of organic farming and learning. They take many of the same classes that they would’ve signed up for had they stayed at their regular high school, but Mountain School also encourages a strong connection to both the teachers and the land.

Cerf heard about the school from a tutor of his and Garfield senior Addis Goldman. Pointed towards the program by rave reviews, the junior realized that Mountain School was just what he needed at this point in his high school career.

“It’s something different, away from the academic stress of 2nd semester junior year,” says Cerf.

Every afternoon, students at Mountain School have a two-and-a-half hour work crew period, during which they pursue everything from farm management to animal tracking and compass orienteering. After about a month at the school, the intrepid junior has found there to be more to the magic of this wild wonderland than just the presence of livestock.

“It’s a pretty sustainable place,” says Cerf. “We have animals, burn our own wood and grow our own food.”

As one might hazard to guess, classes at Mountain School are affected both by the tucked away setting, and by the fact that the school is approximately 37 times smaller than Garfield.

“We have a real close relationship with teachers,” says Cerf. “It’s not a Garfield student-teacher relationship, it’s more of a kid-parent relationship.”

Garfield junior Jonah Golden has chosen to pursue a similar alternative this semester, called Chewonki, which boasts a three-to-one student-reacher ratio. Golden pursued this opportunity away from GHS for a reason much the same as Cerf’s.

“I decided to do it because I wanted an adventure,” says Golden. “I wanted to have an urge to learn, but I didn’t at Garfield and my grades were suffering because of it.”

These institutions offer an education that’s not only more in touch with nature, but also in touch with an unconventional approach to teaching.

“In history we focus on not necessarily what happened,” says Cerf, “but more on why it happened, how it affected people at the time, and what the bias is in today’s history books.”

Students still study the same subjects and go to six hours of class each day, but Mountain School does education in a way that both adds to students’ responsibilities, and at the same time, “kind of feels like a summer camp.”

On January fifth, the original advocates of the case, led by Muhammad Shabazz Farrakhan, convinced the 9th District Court to overturn a precedent and rule in their favor, agreeing with the plaintiffs’ original claims. For those unfamiliar with legal jargon, such as myself, this court is one level below the U.S. Supreme Court.

The inmates claimed that revoking every felon’s right to vote violated the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which guaranteed equal voting opportunity to racial minorities. Central to the case was their claim that the state’s criminal justice system discriminated against racial minorities, to the point that a quarter of African-Ameican males in Washington are unable to vote.

Farrakahan brought to the Court the statistics that, compared to whites, African-Americans are four times as likely to be arrested for violent crimes in the state of Washington, but are nine times more likely to be in prison. The plaintiffs asserted that taking away felons’ right to vote, while not inherently racist, is unequal treatment given our justice system.

No one has argued that the newly-highlighted institutional racism in our justice system doesn’t exist. Some Washington voters however, including Garfield senior Neil Hinnant, believe that giving felons the vote isn’t a valid solution to the problem.

“This is a societal problem that, at its roots, will not be solved by allowing felons to vote,” says Hinnant. “Society and history have created a socioeconomic trend that causes minorities to be more likely to commit felony offenses.”

Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna announced soon after the decision that he plans to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, or at least to a larger panel of judges. The district court responded by suspending their ruling until the appeal is considered.

Whether the case serves to spark an investigation into the discrimination in our justice system or to actually reverse felon disenfranchisement laws, Washington will be setting a precedent.

Garfield senior Sam Woestwin is one of around 20 students from across the city enrolled in Seattle Schools’ Automotive Yes program. Every day at the start of lunch, as his friends head off to Ezell’s and Bathroom Burger, Woestwin hops in the whip and heads down to the nearby Automotive Technology Lab and Facility for fifth and sixth period.

Located behind Washington Middle School, this is one of the most unusual classrooms in the city. Students spend their class time around cars instead of desks. Featuring three automotive lifts, as well as space for about five cars, this class exemplifies the study of a subject that’s immediately applicable in real life.

Emerging out of that swag-filled exhaust cloud pouring from Woestwin’s Porsche is a new set of skills.  The practicality of an auto shop class, in contrast with the conventional alternatives, led Woestwin to shift gears and dedicate two hours a day for two semesters to spending quality time with his set of wheels.

“It’s always been a fantasy of mine,” says Woestwin.

Every school day around 12:20, instructor Kary Schneider begins the afternoon session of Automotive Yes. Students spend anywhere from five to 30 minutes spent going around the class, discussing each student’s plan for the day. Following the relatively brief “hands-off” session, the students get their safety goggles on, head out to the shop, and set in on their projects of choice.

“You can ask to do whatever you want [in class],” says Woestwin. “You can check oil, fluids. One kid replaced an automatic transmission with a manual one.”

Woestwin himself took on the titanic task of removing and replacing a defunct door on his own automobile.

“It just depends on how much money you can afford to spend, and how much skill you have.”

Automotive Yes is far from a goof-off elective. Schneider doesn’t take automotive work lightly, and treats every day of work as a test.

“It turned out a lot harder than I had expected,” says Woestwin. “It’s almost impossible to get an A in that class. I’m good at jumping through hoops, and I know I [won’t get one]. I think only a few kids did last semester.”

In spite of the difficulty of achieving top marks, the class attracts attendees from as far away as Ingraham High, as well as Garfield seniors Andrew Bennett and Brian Veit. Grades pale in importance when put up against the possibility for real-world learning.

“All the classes at Garfield just aren’t any good,” says Bennett. “I wanted to learn something I’d actually use.”

The Automotive Yes program is offered through a partnership between the Seattle School District, and national organization Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES).

“AYES was started by GM as a way to build technicians from the ground up using a good foundation of education,” says Schneider.

AYES connects automotive dealerships and manufacturers to participating schools, with the intent of giving students internships following their junior or senior years. According to the AYES website, the partnership is “designed to encourage young people to consider satisfying careers in retail automotive service” as well as “prepare them for entry-level career positions or advanced studies in automotive technology.”

Automotive Yes isn’t the only program of its kind. Vocational programs in medicine, plumbing and carpentry are offerred across the district through Seattle Schools City Campus classes, which are open to all students over the age of 16.

After trudging through that next Truax assignment or studying for the next Marine Biology test, many a Bulldog will finish the day with only few more memorized facts to show for their hard work and elbow grease. But the noble mechanic warriors of Automotive Yes will drive off in control of their lives, their destinies, and everything else under the hood.

Across the GHS club scene, presidents and members alike have been peddling everything from baked goods to llama-blazoned sweatshirts in an attempt to escape the general lack of funds seen by many clubs at Garfield.

One club, the mentoring program, has been extremely limited by a lack of funding, to the point of being unable to expand.

“We want to give all mentors something to give to their freshman,” says Garfield Senior and Lead Mentor Zoe Kaiser. “We have a goal to make mentoring t-shirts, but there’s no money from ASB at all.”

Clubs at Garfield have a history of being mostly self-funded, but in order to be officially allowed to do any fundraising, the clubs are supposed to apply to the student government for approval. According to Garfield Senior and ASG vice president Michael Cunetta however, there is money readily available to clubs who pursue it.

“If they need funding, they’re always able to ask for money from the general ASB account,” says Cunetta.

The Garfield Messenger, a longtime fundraising giant and arguably the flyest club at Garfield, is especially poor. Due to loss of support from a range of sources, writers and photographers alike have taken to selling dozens of glazed Krispy Creme donuts and begging on the street for donations. If you notice a decline in the quality of life around school, there’s a good chance that the problem lies in the decreased number of issues the paper is able to produce this year.

Garfield’s Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the team behind the uniquely influential cultural relations retreats, has also recently entered onto the fundraising scene. Normally a financially stable club, trouble with payments from the retreat last spring left CORE in debt and unsure of how to get out.

“There’s ambiguity as to whether we can or can’t host retreats if we’re in debt and they’re our main source of income,” says CORE member Paloma Contreras. “We’ve heard different things from different people.”

Also fighting the restrictions of clubbin’ in the recession is Future Billionare Investors, or FBI.

“The whole point of FBI club is to invest money as a team,” says Garfield Junior and FBI president Gali Russel. “We need the money to invest; without that we don’t really have anything to do in the club.”

Russel voices the problems that a lot of GHS clubs bump up against when trying to expand.

“We’re just starting out and can’t come up with any creative ways of raising cash,” says Russel.

Heifer Club, on the other hand, exists mostly as an entity that raises money, which it uses to purchase farm animals for families that don’t otherwise have the means. In the past year, they’ve hit on one of the most successful fundraising ideas visible at Garfield.

The livestock club has recently finished selling their second batch of plain, pullover sweatshirts featuring the outline of an animal on the front. The current line features a llama on the front, and at 15 dollars a piece, the club plans to reign in a couple hundred dollars.

The newly reinstated club Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE) has come up with a source of funding less reliant on the generosity of the Garfield community.

“Fortunately SAVE has a good sum of money from the Mayor’s millions that he sent out in youth violence prevention,” says Garfield junior and SAVE co-president Emerson North.

SAVE’s goals encompass strengthening programs that reach out to disadvantaged youth, and reducing violence citywide. All of this requires at least some money to be feasible, but the Garfield Mentoring program needs to expand to improve their reputation.

“It would probably smooth over teacher-mentor relations,” says Kaiser. “They can’t really see the effort we put in just by reading an email.”

Garfield puts itself out there as a school where there’s a club for every kid. We advertise the diversity of student groups and the opportunities they hold for those who put in the time. This still holds true, though the club of your choice may be struggling to expand over financial fallout.

The shooter, whose name remains unreleased because he was tried as a juvenile, fled Garfield only to be arrested at a nearby park.

After she recovered, Thompson went on to found Garfield’s first Students Against Violence Everywhere chapter. As of their first meeting on November 16, Garfield juniors Emerson North and Troy Osaki are reinstating the peace-promoting club after its long absence from Garfield High School.

North and Osaki are putting together a student-led organization to build awareness about youth violence and ways of combatting it across Seattle. Their goal to “deteriorate the current rise of youth violence,” is fairly unaddressed throughout Garfield’s student groups, but not unheard of to previous generations of Bulldogs.

According to both North and Osaki, the SAVE group that existed in the ’90s tried to address violence at the earliest age that it appears in kids’ lives. Members went downtown on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, and passed out balloons with the words “Don’t buy your kids violent toys,” printed on them.

Osaki and North see the new SAVE as starting an assortment of projects, from holding community forums to sponsoring speakers, as well as holding benefit concerts.

“We think that by having this feeling of music, a community can come together against violence,” says Osaki.

Money from any concerts and fundraisers would probably be passed to local groups working to make mentors, college scholarships, tutors, sports and arts activities more available to kids who can’t normally access them.

Though they don’t have plans to spread their ideas to downtown shoppers as old SAVE did, both founders of the SAVE reincarnate agree that violent behavior is connected to the experiences people have before high school.

“Youth violence doesn’t just spring up; it starts with your toys,” says North.

The pair carry this theory to middle school, but think kids of that age can take prevention more into their own hands.

“We’d love to go to middle schools and talk, to have a forum on the cause of violence,” says Osaki. “Middle school is where a lot of violence starts. It’s where the actions get picked up.”

While the original instance of the now-national SAVE was first formed at a North Carolina high school in 1989, the catalyst for the current Garfield incarnation of SAVE came from ex-club-president Pam Eakes, a friend of North’s. Eakes’ suggestion to restart SAVE gave a tangible outlet to the ideas the junior already had about controlling violence among youth in Seattle.

“My real inspiration for starting SAVE was when Quincy got shot last year. I’d known him forever,” says North.

In early fall, as North asked fellow junior Osaki to help shape the club with him, the pair enlisted the efforts of Garfield counselor Samuel Labi as their advisor.

As a first public move, they settled on surveying Garfield students about their experiences with violence, with the goal of making the point that a hefty portion of kids are exposed to it in Seattle. Labi passed out surveys to students, with questions regarding what they’ve seen or witnessed, and what’s happened to them. The first official meeting was soon scheduled for November 16.

At their first meeting, well publicized via Facebook and word-of-mouth, around 22 students came to help decide how SAVE would work to prevent everything from hallway scuffles to violence on the scale of the deaths of Aaron Sullivan and Quincy Coleman. SAVE hopes to have future meetings every other week in a conference room adjacent to the Garfield counseling office, though they may move to a larger, more open space.

Though the methods and membership of SAVE are still being formed, everything they’re against is visible to most at Garfield.

On the day North, Osaki and I had set up to talk, we found each other in the commons halfway through lunch. A few seconds into a conversation, people began to rush over to the front hall as two girls exchanged punches, and the mass of the commons filled in around the pair. The two girls ran into the main office, followed by a running officer Bennie Radford, and faces press to the windows of the office only to be shooed away.

Mayor

As the absentee ballots flowed in on the afternoon of November 9, Mike “Bikes-everywhere” McGinn slid out ahead of fellow candidate Joe Mallahan to become victorious in a close mayor’s race. The scruffy-bearded McGinn will replace six-year incumbent Greg Nickels, but shifting gears is nothing new for McGinn as he intends to ride a bike to every event on the mayor’s schedule.

McGinn has run, or shall we say “biked,” a low-budget campaign based on listening to the people and for the first two years of his term, plans to bolster Seattle Schools and “put all of our available resources into helping our schools succeed.” He’s also made the less than earthshaking statement that, though he doesn’t support a tunnel to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct, he won’t interfere now that the city is legally bound to go through with the plan.

Referendum 71

As of this election, Washington has been tacked on to the end of the short list of states where gay couples have the same rights in a domestic partnership that straight couples receive in marriage. Though domestic partnerships have been legal in the past, partners are now granted the rights to family health insurance, to visit a partner in the hospital, and to receive paid leave in order to care for a critically ill partner. The bill was squeezed through on an approval of 53 percent for to 47 percent against. The victory is an impressive shift when you consider the way that the bill was rejected in a majority of Washington counties.

School Board

Whenever Garfield students find a problem with new rules and regulations infringing on our swag, chances are we’ve also found a way to blame the district. With this election, two new Seattle School Board members will be stepping up to a heavily loaded plate, and standing for the opinions of two neighborhoods well-represented at Garfield: central and southeast Seattle.

Representing central Seattle, Betty Patu, a school district employee of 32 years, is taking office with well aimed intentions and an even more impressive track record. Patu advocates for community involvement and equal quality education in schools but her true claim to fame is, according to an article in the Seattle Times, the time she once “talked a former student into handing over the gun he brought to Rainier Beach High School.”

Fashionably filling the Seattle School Board position representing southeast Seattle is Kay Smith-Blum. As CEO of Seattle clothing store Butch Blum, her ambitious campaign has suggested, among other things, that the public school day be extended to 5 p.m. in order to allow time for students to study art. She’s also a proponent of free preschool for low income children, and a crackdown on Crocs and “012 Runs GHS” sweatshirts. Expect to keep blaming the district for our problems, but don’t be too suprised if we see some major change as Patu and Smith-Blum’s plans are put into action.