Grad Nite Theft Means More Work
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Go for the Gold pp.8-9 Winter Olympics: past, present and future The Armijo Signal Armijo High School, Fairfield February 2014 Volume XVIII, Issue VI Grad Nite theft means more work December break-in leads to additional fund-raising for volunteers Teacher of the Year again By Caroline Newell Staff writer By Brittney Hietala Staff writer The members of Armi- jo’s Sober Grad Nite Committee The word is out! Armijo’s came back from the winter break Teacher of the Year honor has been to a rude awakening. Some- awarded to Mr. Joe Summers. Mr. one had broken into their stor- Summers has been at Armijo since age units on campus and looted 1986 and over the years has taught about $2,000 worth of prizes and German and Career Exploration and merchandise. now teaches Multimedia. He has also The theft of raffle prizes served as Teacher of the Year in 2011 and games may not sound trau- and was the student choice for Teach- matic, but prizes in the past have included cars, money, and other er of the Year in 2004. high-end, high-cost items. This Before he came to be a teach- is all accomplished by these er at Armijo, he was a student at Wi- tireless volunteers who work esbaden High School, in Wiesbaden, year-round making the decora- Germany. He then went to college at tions and fundraising in order Universitaet Greifswald, Solano Col- to accomplish giving the gradu- lege, and UC Davis. Aside from be- ating seniors a night they won’t ing a teacher, he has also been a car soon forget. This all makes one Volunteer Audrey Jacques inventories materials left behind mechanic, a theater projectionist, and feel somber in the face of recent after the December break-in. a fast food cook. news. Photo by Robinson Kuntz, Daily Republic. Used with permission Mr. Summers’ hobbies include The six storage sheds motorcycles, photography, camping, used by the group were burglarized. The buildings were moved to a space by the new library as construction is and hanging out with his grandson. underway in the parking lot on the new administration building. Burglars left the area a mess, stealing prizes that He also likes to travel, and goes all the way to Germany or Brazil every summer to see his friends and family. Continued on page 4 - When asked why he wanted Grad Nite Break-in to become a teacher, he responded with his usual humor. “My parole of- ficer said it was either teaching or the Restored walkway eases student congestion army,” he said. In reality, Mr. Summers Improvements in parking, more preclude postponed project completion was convinced by his high school English teacher, who he said was the best teacher he ever had. As a stu- By Tim Liu dent he was influenced by, of course, Senior News editor his parents, but also John F. Kennedy, The Three Stooges, and comedian At the close of the 2012-2013 school year, Armijo began construction of a new administration building and actor Rodney Dangerfield. located in the annex. This building, expected to be done by March, would replace the current main office and Mr. Summers passes his ex- would serve as the primary entrance to the school. However, as a result of the construction, both the student periences and advice onto his stu- parking lot and the walkway along the lot were temporarily closed. Students who used to walk by the parking dents by saying that if they want to lot were forced to take the only remaining path by the library. However, the library walkway was not designed become a teacher, they should go for to accommodate massive numbers of students; before the construction, students were divided equally be- it. “It’ll be the best decision you ever tween two paths. The library walkway soon became too congested, and the crowded conditions inspired many make…but first marry someone with kids to cross the muddy lawn instead. some serious money!” he said. The student parking lot was opened around Thanksgiving, although much of the lot was still fenced off Mr. Summers is a great teach- for construction. In previous years, there was only one opening to the lot, which served as both an exit and er who loves his job. He says that entrance. The narrow opening created significant traffic, and students had difficulty getting out of the lot im- Armijo students are the best, and the mediately after school. To remedy this issue, the parking lot was reopened with two openings; the old opening staff here is like family. Toward the end was designated a one-way entrance, while another opening on the other side of the semester, his name will be en- served as a one-way exit. The new setup has dramatically reduced traffic; Daniel TABLE OF CONTENTS tered into Liu said, “I can actually get out of the parking lot now.” the options The actual walkway remained closed for another two months; it, too, News 1, 3-4 for Teacher was supposed to be opened by Thanksgiving Break, but was delayed, first un- Editorials, etc. 2 til Christmas break and once again until the beginning of the new semester. of the Year People 5-7 Although many students have switched back to the more familiar parking lot at the dis- Center Spread 8-9 trict level. walkway, some feel more comfortable with the library path. Ryan Cook still takes the library path, saying that he “had gotten used to walking by the library every Senior News 10 The man, day.” Nevertheless, Armijo students now have two routes to choose from when Clubs 11 the legend. going to the annex; now we only wait for the new admin building, which should Sports 12-13 Photo by Lusadriana be completed by the end of the school year. Entertainment 14-16 Roche 2 Editorials, etc. Editorial Letter to the Editor Sochi 2014 Should public officials be The 2014 Winter chastised for bad behavior Olympics in Sochi, Russia are rapidly approaching. This choices? 22nd installment of theWinter Games will be held from Feb- While I can applaud the concept of this, the ruary 6th to the 23rd. A few reality is a different matter. Public officials need to be thousand athletes from 90 squeaky clean because they are elected on the hon- countries will compete in 98 esty, integrity, and ethical behavior on the campaign different mens’ and womens’ trail and their personal history in addition to the political events. These sports include positions taken. Anyone who thinks otherwise has not favorites like skiing, snow- boarding, and ice hockey, and really ever run for an elected office where the scrutiny also more obscure ones like on your past is vetted before anyone gives you money luge and curling. It will surely for a campaign. be an exciting two weeks to In the case of Mr. Rod Ford, Mr. Ford broke the see the pinnacle of winter law when he bought illegal drugs that he smoked. We sports, perhaps even a worthy follow-up to the Super Bowl. have had a drug smoking city councilman here in Fair- For good or for bad, what this Winter Games is known for is perhaps not its athlet- field who blamed another male relation for the crack ics, but the major social issues associated with Russia. Russian president Vladimir Putin pipe found in his luggage. The other person even ad- has made it clear that he deems gays and lesbians inferior. In addition, Russia’s long- mitted it was his to stave off the investigation that was standing dispute with its Islamic province of Chechnya has inspired Islamic militants and going on. A little later on, low and behold, that council- terrorists to take this opportunity to attack Russia during this time of worldwide scrutiny. man was caught with drugs, a pipe, and other things. Whether this is an effort to gain attention or is simply done in spite, sadly, this Olympics will be dangerous. Finally, there are allegations of corruption in the higher levels of the Russian Question? Should that person still be on city government, including embezzling Olympic funds. council? The city fathers are representing the best of It is our hope that not only will Team USA emerge victorious, but that all athletes and the best as are the teachers and any other public em- spectators will remain safe and undiscriminated against. ployee. It might be surprising for you to know that a teacher arrested for a dui during a holiday, summer, In defense of Dennis non school function, could lead to that teacher having By James Zheng their teaching credential revoked. Editor-in-Chief Anyone who is in a position of authority has the abil- ity to do harm to those around them under their care As many have undoubtedly heard, Dennis Rodman has once again emerged to prom- I.e.: teacher, policeman, elected official, doctor, dentist, inence. This time, it is for his recent antics in North Korea. Last year, after meeting with North ECT.. Needs to be above reproach in their dealings Korean dictator Kim Jong Un several times, Rodman declared Kim to be his “best friend.” with the public. If you are not in any of these profes- While it is difficult enough to imagine a flamboyant, tall, tattooed African-American man be- sions why should we care? Because, it set an example coming best amigos with a chubby but deadly Korean tyrant, it is even more shocking that for someone younger to follow in their footsteps and Kim has allowed an American in his country and let him back out, and that Rodman was brave we have enough bad role models as it is.