By Nicolas Ngo & Melissa Olivares
Staff Writers
Admin, ASBL adopt new election regulations
Administration and the ASBL Elections Committee released new campaign guidelines effective next election cycle following the recent senior class representatives election. The new rules prohibit use of private posts, campaign pages and endorsements by organizations, clubs or individuals.
Candidates in violation of these rules will be disqualified. If the general student body continues breaking the rules after being informed, they will face possible suspension.
A pair of candidates for senior president and VP released comments through both private messages and a public Q&A on Instagram on Feb. 25 implying that the other candidates were not people of color.
Merriam-Webster defines a “person of color” as “a person who is of a race other than white or who is of mixed race,” which includes people of Asian descent. Many of the other candidates are Asian American.
Multiple students publicly shared screenshots of these direct messages with negative voting recommendations. The pair of candidates informed admin of concerns of cyberbullying and negative campaigning.
In response, admin asked students to remove the screenshots from their social media platforms and began refining the election process and its regulations.
The ASBL Elections Committee and admin then rescheduled the senior class election to a special election on March 5 as a part of the bulletin in Friday’s curriculum lesson.
“It’s important to implement these changes so we can create a safer, kinder election campaign,” Assistant Principal Annie Hernandez said. “At the end of the day, every candidate is a Ram: we are all one school, one team.”
Language Dept. adds Heritage for Spanish Learners class
The Board of Education approved the implementation of the new Heritage for Spanish Learners class on Feb. 24 for the 2021-2022 school year. Current Spanish teacher Laura Torres-Rubio will serve as the instructor for the course.
The Heritage for Spanish Learners course focuses on the culture and identity of heritage Spanish speakers, and it aims to strengthen preexisting reading, writing and speaking skills.
Activities such as socratic seminars and analyzing novels written in Spanish are part of the curriculum. Prerequisites of the course include the ability to understand or speak Spanish.
The course is open to all grade levels and meets the A-G requirements, which are classes students must complete in order to be eligible to apply to the UC or CSU system.
Upon completion of the course, students are eligible to directly enroll in Spanish 3. Looking forward, Torres and Spanish teacher Breigh-Anna Cruz hope to add a Heritage for Spanish Learners 2 course.
“Our Hispanic population at school has been given a disservice,” Cruz said. “I felt we were setting them up for failure by making them take the regular Spanish classes. It was important to me that we have a level of equity at our school and that we are offering our students what they actually need.”
DMV reopens for driving tests
The Department of Motor Vehicles resumed behind-the-wheel driving tests as of Feb. 1, in response to relaxing safety concerns surrounding COVID-19. Starting in mid-February, the DMV is accepting mandatory online appointments for driving tests through the DMV website.
The process to obtain a driver’s license remains the same, with all applicants acquiring a provisional instruction permit and then completing a driving test issued by the DMV. To apply for the provisional instruction permit, applicants must pass a driving knowledge test, which is only available through walk-ins at the DMV. In addition, applicants must complete a California Driver’s License or Identification Card Application online and provide proof of completion or enrollment in a driving program if the applicant is under age 17 ½.
Prospective drivers are qualified to take the driving test after holding the provisional instruction permit for at least six months, completing driving education, finishing six hours of professional driving training and accumulating 50 hours of driving practice, including at least 10 hours of practice driving at night. Upon passing the driving test, the applicant will be rewarded with a driver’s license.
“The process of getting a driver’s license is long and tedious, especially with the added stress of COVID-19,” junior Anson Mok said. “However, I’m glad that the DMV is doing its part to keep drivers safe, even if it is frustrating at times.”