Pioneer Valley HS
November 16, 2016
Issue 65 vol. 2
As we all know, Thanksgiving is an annual holiday when we get together with our friends and family to share delicious meals, such as the famous stuffed turkey with mashed potatoes, and vegetables along with several desserts like pumpkin pie as well as! Thanksgiving has been celebrated as a federal holiday every year since 1863, when, during the American Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of "thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens" to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November.
On Thanksgiving, we are able to exchange, among our family and friends, the things we are thankful for and most importantly, say grace. Many of us look forward to special holidays like these, not only because of the meaning behind them, but because of the amazing foods we eat!
"Mole with rice, smashed potatoes, and turkey on the side. I really enjoy this and it’s my favorite, because my mom’s cooking is the best and you have to try a little bit of everything since she’s a great cook!" -Lluvia Franco (11)
"My favorite food on Thanksgiving is a mixture of vegetables such as potatoes, the stuffing which consists of celery, cauliflower, corn, tomatoes, onions, bell peppers, different kinds of delicious homemade sauces, and of course, the ham and turkey we can never go wrong with those two." -Jenn Hernandez (11, right) "My favorite Thanksgiving food is a delicious, perfectly roasted turkey with a side of soft smashed potatoes with gravy and salad. Yum!" -Yadira Murillo (11, left)
“My favorite thanksgiving food would have to be the pie.” –Michele Marceleno (11th)
"Mole with rice, smashed potatoes, and turkey on the side. I really enjoy this and it’s my favorite, because my mom’s cooking is the best and you have to try a little bit of everything since she’s a great cook!" -Lluvia Franco (11)
-Crystal Barriga & Diana Valenzuela Garcia
Editorial: Xayda Gonzalez Tackles Affirmative Action
Affirmative action was initiated to bring equal rights to minorities. But is it actually equality for the educated? Actually, affirmative action is racism in action.
For instance, affirmative action is attempting to seek equality for all rather than simply ending discrimination. We continue to discriminate other ethnicities unconsciously. For example, colleges’ intention is to “help” minorities pursue their education.
Despite this sounding good for the minorities, one is blinded by the big picture. It’s actually still being resisted without meaning to. For one thing, if you are a minority, you have a better chance of getting into a college. But if you’re not a minority, it’s tough luck. To get accepted to a college or a UC shouldn’t reflect on your ethnicity, but rather on performing the tasks in your field.
For example, there are 16/100 seats set aside for minority students at UC Davis. Allan P. Bakke, an engineer and former Marine officer, didn’t get accepted. This angered him and believed his rights were being revoked. This man scored 468 of 500 points on the admission committee’s rating scale in 1973. His science GPA was 3.44 and overall was 3.46. In 1978 Allan P. Bakke applied at U.C. Davis but was rejected twice by UC Davis, because he was white. Bakke brought suit in state court. The US Supreme Court accepted the case.
Unfair isn’t it? That, my fellow reader, is “reverse discrimination.” It's racism against older, white applicants. Frankly, affirmative action in colleges is not promising their ideal of “equality." So yes, maybe we should try something new. And look at the big picture…EQUALITY. In the end, affirmative action leaves a bad reaction. Although it may benefit minorities, it leaves the others to a disadvantage.
"It should not be about the race or ethnicity, but the level of education of the student. There's so much diversity at a university now. There shouldn't be a cap right? They shouldn't put a cap on the Latinos, they shouldn't accept a set number of Caucasians or Asians and so forth. We are moving forward from that. Especially the Universities of California (UC) and California State Universities (CSU) are definitely moving away from that and focusing on their academic potential. You have dreams you have goals wherever you're going after high school." -Fatima Zarate (Early Academic Outreach Program)
"I think it is definitely a beneficial implementation into the college admission process that provides minorities an opportunity to go to school despite their lower social class. I know it could also be taken differently. Maybe people who are just as qualified and that are a far privileged race wouldn't be able to get into school when competing against a minority. It's not fair if someone over performs"
-Renzo Pulido (12)
"I do not support Affirmative Action the way it first was created in the 70's where it was solely based on skin color. I do agree with the Supreme Court that we should be able to use it as part of a whole and a different structure. In the sense that we need to look at the whole person to determine whether or not they should come to our university. But I think also there needs to be a way of looking at the school this person came from in contrast to the school that another came from. Are they at a disadvantage?" -Kevin Ilac (Social Science/AVID 2017)
-Xayada Gonzales
"All people are equal under the laws of the United States and should be treated that way. Affirmative action puts race as the main factor in admission procedures. Regardless of their race, the best people for that position should be the one admitted. Having different races in a university or workplace does not mean it's diverse." -Mariel Allyson Avelino (12)
in the endless
crawl spaces,
crafted in New York
apartments, the
only rat I know, is love.
a snake of Eden, maybe
destined to choke on
tears of an unwillingness.
a vigilante proven to cause
feelings of regret, and unworthiness.
an eagle of a man, he might
be a drastic lover, but my
god he loves you.
he sits behind a canvas
of shapes and his hair is
dried-crackling paint tips
of regretful women who
didn't wash his bristles.
but you write for him, you
used to love him, in conditions
of health too severe to love.
it was a mighty smell between
both the darkness and the light.
because a screen of a lover
may be plastered with pictures
to remember a surviving love.
-Zander Moreno
Last Week to Buy Senior Sweatshirts & T's
Seniors, pre-order sales for your senior sweatshirts and T shirts are going on now at the student store.
This is the last week you will be able to order your sweatshirt for $32 and your T for $10. Don't delay, sales will be closed after November 18th.
Sweatshirts will have this design on the front and all senior names on the back with a shadow 17.
Young Educated Latino Leaders (YELL) Conference
Attention PVHS males!
You are invited to attend The Young Educated Latino Leaders (YELL) Conference which will take place on Saturday, December 3 from 9:00–12:45 p.m. at Allan Hancock College.
The goal of this FREE event is to help empower young males to overcome challenges and succeed in both school and life. Motivational speakers, prizes, breakfast and lunch will be provided.
Sign up at hancockcollege.edu/yell (click this link)
Special guest speaker Carlos Balderas, champion lightweight boxer and U.S. Olympian
