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Security and Safety Issues at CKM
The security and safety of students should be McClatchy’s number one priority, but unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like that’s always the case. CKM has gotten itself into many situations in the past that the student body feels could have been handled better.
Today, we live in a very dangerous world, and as we get older we realize that there are many people looking to hurt us. In the last 10 years, the recorded cases of gun violence in schools have effectively doubled.
That’s not the only issue. Previously, sexual assault in schools went largely unnoticed. Since 2017, when the #MeToo movement went viral on Twitter, schools haven’t been able to overlook harassment among their students like they used to. But even knowing all of this, McClatchy’s track record with handling these issues still isn’t totally in the clear.
Sexual harassment has been a recurring issue in CKM’s past, one of the most notorious instances being in 2016. A former McClatchy student came forward about her experience where she had been drugged and gang-raped at a party by her fellow classmates. When she approached the school about what had happened, rather than reporting it to the police, they suspended her for the duration of the semester and allowed her rapists to go on unpunished.
Similarly, in January of 2022, a walk-out was organized by students to protest CKM’s lack of awareness of the harassment taking place at their school. This was inspired by an Instagram account called “CKM Confessions” that shared anonymous statements from McClatchy students.
The Instagram account was later taken down by the school and the student behind it was suspended. After many posts mentioned cases of sexual harassment, students wanted to take action via a walk-out, which didn’t end up happening. The walkout was postponed after students held a meeting with Principal Egan wherein she promised to make teachers more aware of students that may be afflicted among other things. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like any obvious changes have been made.
The walkout was rescheduled for December 12, 2021, but came to a halt after CKM received a shooting threat. “I feel like this school doesn’t take into account security.” commented 12th grader Nataly Barreto.
According to EducationWeek, there have been 151 school shootings since 2018, 7 of which occurred just this year. As previously mentioned, in December of 2021, CKM faced a shooting threat of our own. An Instagram post was made by, presumably, a student, claiming they would bring a gun to school the next day. Students and families were only made aware of the threat during second period when the school went on a “soft lockdown”.
Students and their parents were reasonably scared and many were picked up from school early because of this. Being a student in America where gun use is largely unrestricted means that you’re constantly considering the possibility that your school might be next.
Students were reminded of last year’s incident when just a few weeks ago on Feb. 15, another threat against CKM and the district was made on social media. The email informing families was ambiguous when explaining the threat, leaving many worried about their safety.
The email sent out by Principal Egan states, “Overnight I was contacted by the Sacramento Police Department about a post on Facebook which indicated threats to ‘Sacramento schools’ and C.K. McClatchy High School. The Facebook account is nondescript and police are investigating the post at this time. School will remain open as this post is thoroughly investigated.”
That day at school, there seemed to be minimal security considering how severe something like that could become. This left a weird taste in students’ mouths. “What are we gonna do to protect all of the kids here today? McClatchy is a big school and anyone who already goes to our school can get in undetected. How can I help if one of my peers is hurt?” says 10th grader, Sophia Montoya.
The Facebook post was deemed not credible in a follow-up email later that day, the same as the Instagram post that had threatened to bring a gun to school in 2021. The email does not specify what “not credible” means or what brought them to that conclusion.
These only cover the major incidents, there are many more. The administration at McClatchy has made many promises about how they’ll change our school for the better, but it’s difficult to tell if there really has been any change. It’s unreasonable to expect everything to be made perfect, but at the very least, we should be able to feel safe at school.
On Friday, March 10th, McClatchy’s men’s varsity volleyball team played a riveting match against Mesa Verde High School. The players fought hard in this non-league game, winning with a score of 3-1 and Nathaniel Seale earned the player of the match for preventing a majority of the blocks from the other team and saving the ball from Mesa Verde’s master spikers. McClatchy will face the Grant Pacers in the next game in an attempt to better its 2-4 season record.
Afro-Latinos are the luckiest people, but also the most misunderstood and unheard of because they possess a unique identity. An Afro-Latino is an individual from Latin America or of Latin American descent who is also of African ancestry.
There are different types, like Afro-Brazilian, Afro-Mexican, Afro-Cuban and more. Another common term is “Blaxican” which is used to represent someone with a combination of Black and Mexican culture. There are over 35 million Afro-Latinos across Latin America and about 6 million Americans who identify as Afro-Latino.
To be connected and a part of two amazing cultures is awesome. I’m proud to be Mexican and proud to be black. I am thrilled to experience amazing food, music, and art from both sides; it is something indescribable.
My mom, before her tragic passing, was big on black culture and taught me the importance of being black. Like how to be comfortable in my own skin and to be proud.
Although, it can be tough being Afro-Latino, for being too much or too less of something. Because I am very connected with my Mexican side and I am so a part of the Mexican culture, this has resulted in things being said. I’ve been told that I’m not really black, or not at all, because I am also Mexican. I say I can be and am both.
What Afro-Latinos go through that need to be discussed more. Feeling the pressure from one or both sides to be just one or the other, can be stressful at times. Some may choose to be just one or the other, but to solely identify as one or the other is to disregard a part of who you are.
Quiero decirles a las personas quienes me dijeron ‘no puedes ser un negro, si eres un mexicano también’, pero hoy voy a decirles que soy una persona muy feliz y contento con quien soy. Estoy orgulloso de ser un mexicano y feliz de ser parte de una cultura muy linda. Sin ninguna duda tengo lo mejor de dos mundos, porque ser un negro y un mexicano es muy cojonudo y lindo. Si eres un Afro-Latino como yo, entonces siempre deberíamos estar orgullosos de ser Afro-Latino. Hoy, mañana y para siempre, recuerda eso.
I am proud to be who I am and if you’re an Afro-Latino, you should be too.
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CKM Crossword Puzzle
Sandwiches are a staple food that is open to creativity with the ability to have many different ingredients. Quick to make with various versions of sandwiches such as peanut butter and jelly, BLT, grilled cheese, and many others. Some sandwiches can last for a long time, allowing you to premake sandwiches and take it as lunch for school. A meal I regularly made for school lunch since freshman year, sandwiches are a quick and delicious food to make. Included with the ability to change the ingredients for the sandwich, you won’t get as easily tired by it when eating it repeatedly. Here is a recipe of the sandwich I have been making and changing up for the past four years of making school lunches.
Ingredients: 2 slices of bread, 1 egg(optional if you want to use a pan or not), 1 tablespoon of any oil, pinch of salt/pepper, ham (amount of slices is up to you), 1 tomato slice, pickles, japanese mayonnaise
Estimated Time: 5 minutes
| Heat up a pan with the oil on medium heat |
Crack egg on pan and let the whites cook and form around the yolk |
Flip the egg and sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper |
| After a minute, turn the heat to off and flip the egg again to sprinkle salt and pepper on the other side |
Have your two pieces of bread out and drizzle Japanese Mayo on both pieces |
| On one piece of bread, place your ingredients together in the following order to have the best stability and spread of ingredients:pickles, tomato, ham, egg, and finally place your other piece of bread |
Sandwiches can have multiple recipes to make many different flavors and variations. This variation lets your creativity and tastes show in making your own unique sandwich. Many changes can be made to the recipe of this sandwich and can be made with cheaper ingredients. Especially with the increasing egg costs that are currently happening, the removal of the egg will make the sandwich cheaper, and removes the need to use a pan then clean it. Sandwiches are open to creativity and are able to be made in the way you can enjoy while being a quick meal to make. As you can see from the images of the sandwich I made, I had different types of twists or changes such as the bread or the ham. You can always change the sandwich to your liking making it one of the best foods to make that is quick and easy.
Guess today’s word or phrase!
McClatchy students may have heard of the organization SYFA (Sacramento Young Feminists Alliance), a city-wide network of student activists that works to strengthen our community by bringing awareness to the causes of intersectional feminism at a local level.
SYFA was founded by Zelia Gonzales, Inga Mantecas, and Maiti King, all former CKM students, in 2014.
Founder Zelia Gonzales says, “Maiti, Inga and I…were inspired by all of the young women starting their own small feminist coalitions in high schools across Sacramento. We realized that all of those clubs were small and weren’t connected with each other…We decided we wanted to start something…to bring together all of the resources and brainpower of our clubs and support the starting of new coalitions.”
SYFA’s meetings are held at Sol Collective on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday’s of the month. During those meetings, events and fundraisers are planned, and lively discussions are held.
Anna Murray, a Senior at CKM, and current co-president of SYFA, emphasizes the importance of the organization, saying, “I think that some people think that we don’t really need feminism anymore…but there’s a lot of problems facing women today…and in order to move forward and be productive we need to acknowledge that, and I think [in the past] feminism hasn’t been doing that. So I think it’s important to change the connotation [of feminism] to something that acknowledges that.”
SYFA holds yearly events and fundraisers, such as dances, Open Mic nights, and an annual convention. All events are youth oriented and center on providing platforms for teens in Sacramento to raise their voices and get involved in the community .
The annual convention is one that builds community by bringing youth together, “I really like the bonding that the convention goers always have, there is a really strong desire for community and togetherness” says Murray.
SYFA is compiled of students all over the Sacramento region, from McClatchy, to Natomas Charter. Julia Benson is a Senior at Natomas Charter Performing and Fine Arts Academy, and an active member of SYFA. She heard of SYFA via a family friend, and says she “was looking for a bigger club outside of Charter. Plus I am passionate about civil rights and wanted to be more active in my community.”
“When everyone comes together, especially because Sacramento has a lot of problems, I think having a united front is really cool,” Murray says.
Reinforcing the practical purposes of SYFA, Zelia Gonzales explained, “SYFA is really about teaching young women leadership and project management skills through project management skills through feminist projects–and that is a feminist idea in itself.”
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The Importance of Hydration in Football
Water is the key to being a winner. Lately in Sacramento the weather has had a dramatic increase in temperature, causing it to be in the high 90’s low 100’s. Most people go home or hang out in a nice shady spot. Imagine, instead of going out and drinking an ice cold soda or a refreshing glass of water, you’re wearing shoulder pads, football pants, and more pads that cover your thighs, knees, and tailbone. Football players wear pads and practice in immense heat with easy access to water but is that truly enough? And is it enough not only to survive, but also to win?
According to a study made by the Gatorade Sports Science Institute the average American Football player can sweat around 1.6-2.3 liters an hour. McClatchy’s Head Coach Malcolm Floyd (a former NFL football player) hydration is an important aspect to succeeding in not just football but in any other sport you may be losing a lot of fluid in. Coach Floyd said, “Hydrating is important not just during practice but also after practice.”
Everyday during practice he makes sure water in easily accessible during practice so that his players can stay in a constant state of cognition and possess a stronger will to keep on pushing. Some symptoms of dehydration include; a dry mouth, headache, cramping of the muscles, dry skin, dizziness, being tired or sleepy, and a lack of cognition.
The consequences of not staying hydrated presented themselves at a recent game against Rio Americano. During the JV game that started at 5, about 7 of Rio Americano’s players fell down on the field with painful cramps. These painful cramps result from dehydration. It’s important to remember to hydrate, especially when you are exercising.