Bengal Community
"Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Educations is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family."
―Kofi Annan
―Kofi Annan
Is it wrong asking, “Who is Valedictorian?”
By: Reylena Tsosie I was sitting in one of my classes when a teacher at Gallup High wrote a referral for three students after one of the students asked a simple question, “Who is Valedictorian?” One of the students that got written up told me that it also said, “ She can’t handle her voice and opinions.” It all started Wednesday, May 9, 2018. At the end of the hour a student asked a teacher, “Who is valedictorian?” That teacher began telling the class who it was. Another student that did not get written up said, “Do you know why _______ _____is not Valedictorian?” She then got mad and said, “ She didn’t meet the standards.” Another student defended that person and explained that she did meet the requirements. The teacher then gave the class a lecture. That was the end of that discussion. The next day in that class the teacher was absent and there was a sub. Three students had to go to a different class and write a five paragraph apology letter to the teacher. The students also found out that they got a referral. One of the students that got written up wasn’t part of that discussion. I asked one teacher if a student can get written up after asking that question. That teacher told me, “It was a question and that referral shouldn’t even had happened.” When that teacher came back to class one week later. She told the class, “I hope what happened last week doesn’t happen again and I hope those students learned their lesson.”
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Fall Sports Schedule 2018Uploaded by Editor-in-Chief/Associate Editor: Meche’ Williams ‘19
Inspire to Admire by: Reylena Tsosie 21' My column is called, “Inspire to admire” I chose this column so I can inspire readers to excel in school. This week’s Inspire To Admire is Jocelyn Sung. She was a student at Gallup high school. She was part of the Ambush staff and class of 2018. Jocelyn is a sixteen year old female. She moved to Gallup during the second quarter. Jocelyn changed many lives by describing giving up; she wrote “Gravity” for the Literature and Art magazine. I decided to interview her on how she graduated at the age of sixteen. The first question I asked was for her to describe herself. She answered by saying she was very quiet, but once she gets comfortable she can get very chatty. She described this year as a “unique ride.” She lived in California her entire life until she moved twice in the span of five months. Due to her graduation, I asked what her G.P.A was and if she was valedictorian. She began explaining that her G.P.A is a 4.1 and she wasn’t going to be nominated valedictorian. The reason why is because she wasn’t enrolled at Gallup High in August. I asked if this bothered her? Jocelyn said, “ I was disappointed at first. Then I started thinking about it, and the policy made sense. Without it, someone from another school that offers more AP classes could just slide in at the last month and take valedictorian or salutatorian from someone who didn't have the same opportunities. Anyway, the other two who are receiving recognition deserve it, and their parents are most likely really proud of them.” In the Art and Literature magazine, she wrote “Gravity.” I asked what inspired her to write this and she gladly answered. “ It's funny, because I didn't start out with anything particular in mind. I was waiting in the counseling office when I started randomly thinking about how gravity works and how it affects us on a daily basis. After the first few stanzas, it became apparent that it was both a reminder for myself and others that we shouldn't avoid pain because it's what help shapes us to be who we are.” Jocelyn also had advice to give to you, readers, “ I would say they should keep themselves open to new possibilities, experiences, and opinions. It's difficult to learn if you're resistant to change.” I would like to thank Jocelyn Sung for this interview and Congrats! New Club Week: M.E.S.A By: Reylena Tsosie "21
Do you like math, engineering, science, or learning hands on? If you answered yes, then I would highly recommend you to join M.E.S.A. The M.E.S.A program stands for mathematics engineering science achievement. You can join the class or the club. The club meets after school on Mondays and Wednesdays. The program is sponsored by Ms. Merrill and Mrs. Seslar. The M.E.S.A club works on many different projects. They even compete with other schools. The class works on many different projects such as the egg drop challenge, building robots, solar ovens, and solar cars. You can also go on field trips and you can get rewarded by a $1,000 scholarship. For more information about M.E.S.A, you can talk to Ms. Merrill in room C-206 or Ms. Seslar in room B-201. I am the New Editor
by: Reylena Tsosie 21' Dear Readers, Hi, my name is Reylena Tsosie. I am fifteen, a freshman at Gallup High School, and part of the class of 2021. I am the new Associate Editor for the school and community section for Ambush news. The school newspaper is informing others what’s happening in the world including New Mexico, Gallup, and at Gallup High. I highly respect our motto, “News student want, news student write.” As an editor you will read more stories from my section such as behind the scenes of the school and community. I am going to have two columns every week and a photo essay every month. The columns will be called “Inspire to Admire” and “New club week.” Every month I will have a photo essay called, “Memory board of the month.” I will be publishing many more interesting stories. I am extremely grateful to be an editor for the school and community section of our newspaper. I would like to thank Zach, Raechelle, Lucia, Derek, Sydney, and Sage for building up my writing skills. Also, Ms. Sweetwyne for helping me achieve my goal in journalism. Most of all, thank you for reading my stories and the newspaper. I hope to keep you more interested. Thank you, Reylena Tsosie Graduation PracticesBy Raechelle Sandoval '18 With Graduation a week away, the countdown is coming to an end. Seniors are finishing their class and getting their check-out slips signed. But it isn't over yet. Graduation practices have been set, and will be held as follows:
13th Annual Dance ShowcaseBy Raechelle Sandoval '18 Thursday, April 26th Gallup High Bengal Girls and Starlette Dance held their 13th Annual Showcase in the Kenneth Holloway Auditorium. The Showcase featured Jazz, Hip Hop, and Pom performances by all groups as well as, a variety of singer and decade themed performances, solos, a duet, and a parent dance. Seniors of the YearBy Raechelle Sandoval '18 Every year, each school in the region picks two Seniors to be Rotary Senior of the year, one boy and one girl. These students come from those who have been voted Seniors of the Month. Teachers will again vote for one guy and one girl from the Senior of the Month list. Then every Senior of the Month will write an essay and go through an interview to compete for Student of the Year. Once they are chosen, they will compete with the Seniors of the Year from other schools for overall Rotary Senior of the Year. This year, Lucia Kezele and Wacey Begay got GHS Seniors of the Year. Lucia went on to win overall Rotary Senior of the Year and a $6,000 scholarship, and Wacey got an Honorable Mention with a $1,000 scholarship. I asked both for their advice for anyone who hopes to get Senior of the Year in the years to come. “My only advice I can give is to stay involved. I was involved in multiple extracurricular at Gallup High School besides dance. I’ve been involved in the community for years as well. Just be confident and stay involved.” Lucia said. Last Week's Poll ResultsLast week we asked if you were excited that the school year was almost over, 100% said yes.
Senior DissertationBy Raechelle Sandoval As graduation approaches the seniors taking Honors Senior Research must do a dissertation. Here, they must present their portfolios they have been working on throughout the year to one of the principals. They also share their philosophies about life. The last thing they present is their bucket list for their lives. The principals also have the option to ask the students question about where they see their life going, as well as anything in the students’ portfolios. This is all in order to decide if they are prepared to graduate, if they fail they cannot graduate. Of course, this causes a lot of stress for the seniors that have to participate in this final test. Mr. Barreras has spent the year preparing his students for this final task, hoping they all pass. “It felt relieving,” Sydney Terran said after completing her dissertation, “because once it was over you realized this was it, we’re graduating.” Good luck to all seniors who have yet to go into their dissertations, and congrats to those who have passed. Attention Seniors!!By Lucia Kezele It’s here! Finally, after years of schooling we are almost done. All of us have been counting down so I don’t think I need to remind you that our last day of high school is next Friday, May 4th! Here are a couple things to remember as we approach our graduation date.
Remember to be safe and make smart choices! Graduation is a fun and exciting time but no one wants their night to be interrupted by a call from the authorities saying that a friend or family member was injured in an accident. Be smart, don’t drink and drive and enjoy yourself with the people you spent the last four years with! Congratulations Class of 2018!!! Last Week's Poll Results!!Last week we asked if you felt teachers spent enough time in the classroom: 67% of poll takers said that they don't think the teachers spend enough time in the room while the remaining 33% said that teachers do spend enough time in the rooms.
Taking the Time To Make a Difference: An Ambush! News DocumentaryBy Raechelle Sandoval '18 Photos from Prom 2018By Meche Williams '19 Op-Ed: School Walkout: Stifled or Supported?by Sage Addington '18
Letter from student to Principal RomeroDear Principal Romero, My name is Jocelyn Sung. If you haven’t heard about it yet, schools across America have been planning a nationwide protest on March 14th, starting at 10AM. For seventeen minutes, students who would like to participate are supposed to step out of our classes to join in voicing our disapproval as Congress continues to dance around the matter of the school shootings plaguing our nation. The reason for this letter is to ask for your permission for the students and faculty of Gallup High to participate if they wish to. This is my personal reason why: I live in a society where school shootings have seemingly become the norm. I live under a government sworn to protect us and protect our freedoms, but what are they doing? They’re fighting against those who want stricter gun laws, but not fighting against the despicable people that are so ruthlessly slaughtering America’s youth. I go to a school to receive an education, but instead, I find myself constantly watching others. I often find myself looking over my shoulder during class to ensure my physical being isn’t being threatened. I should be looking forward, focusing on my school work, planning for my future. I shouldn’t be viewing my peers in such a negative and distrusting manner, yet I can’t help it. If that is the price I have to pay for the possibility of a few more seconds of living, then I will do so without hesitation. The entire situation is truly absurd. How many people immigrated to America in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries for education, for a chance to excel in life? How many people in other countries, in third-world villages and poverty-stricken neighborhoods, crave the many opportunities that are paired with education? The answer is this: too many for so many broken people to strike such horror and fear in the buildings where it is a child’s right to learn. Our proposal is this: for those individuals who wish to participate in this event, we will assemble in the Commons ten minutes before 10AM. During this time, we will both organize ourselves and sign a poster, of which will most likely display the protest’s hashtag, #EnoughIsEnough in bold lettering. Once 10AM strikes, we will march around the campus. Depending on the efforts of my younger brother, Brandon Sung, students from Chief Manuelito may also be joining us. We are planning to ask Gallup PD to escort us, ensuring our safety with their presence. Mr. Romero, we understand that it is ultimately up to the district to decide if they will allow GMCS to participate in this protest or not. We are asking for your permission, and if you are willing to give it, we ask that you help bring our cause up to them. You might have a larger impact from your position as principal of Gallup High. We are not simply high school students as of now; we are young adults, respectfully asking to do our part in making a difference in this nation. Please, assist us. Best wishes, Jocelyn Sung A few of my friends insisted they would walkout, saying, “F*ck that, they can’t suspend me for exercising my First Amendment right.” When it comes to a walkout you can’t get suspended unless you're already on your fourth or fifth offense, it’s against the handbook. But you can get in trouble for refusing to attend classes after arriving at school; it’s considered ditching.
The First Amendment, as worderd in the constitution, says: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Freedom of speech and expression doesn’t mean freedom from punishment. One has the freedom to assemble, but since it’s during school hours, one is still susceptible to misconduct offences. Students are having a hard time telling whether or not the walkout was being stifled or supported. When I walked outside one of my acquaintances was angry saying, “Dude, can you believe this sh*t?” and “They’re interrupting our protest.” I joked that the school could be supporting the walkout, by letting the entire school out, and she said, “No, they wouldn’t do that.” It is possible that since a large handful of students wanted to participate in the walkout, the school did not want to punish so many students. At 9:57 AM, three minutes before the scheduled walkout, the fire alarms went off and students evacuated the school. According to a second hour history student, Ms. Bonaguidi reportedly looked at the clock and said, “It’s early,” when the fire alarm went off. Word spread that the school was interfering with the walkout as Chief Manuelito, Gallup Middle School, Central High School, and Miyamura High School were also outside because of a fire alarm at the same time; students at those schools were also planning to walkout. Teachers, shortly after evacuating, were sent a text that said some staff were investigating a gas leak and needed 20-25 minutes to do so. 20 minutes to investigate a gas leak sounds a bit fishy to me, it should take longer. Three years ago, when I was a freshman, there was one full day where all the students were evacuated due to a gas leak. After the evacuation, it was a full hour until we got word that there was in fact a gas leak and we’d all have to be outside all day. Coincidentally, the gas leak investigation on the 14th started and lasted the entire duration of the expected protest. Was the school walkout stifled or supported? http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2018/02/19/national-school-walkout/ https://echalk-slate-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/private/districts/506/site/fileLinks/4009542c-704b-4392-abc2-6fb75ed9bd79?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJSZKIBPXGFLSZTYQ&Expires=1836609413&response-cache-control=private%2C%20max-age%3D31536000&response-content-disposition=%3Bfilename%3D%2215-16%2520STUDENT%2520BEHAVIOR%2520HANDBOOK%2520Final.pdf%22&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf&Signature=1IKmXJusyaHYcEDh4K9KvETaajA%3 |
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August 2018
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