Dec. '23, Week 18
By Students, for Students
Vol. 1, Issue 1
Dr. J—Exclusive Interview WISH Academy - On Friday, October 27th, Dr. Kimberly Johnson, WISH Academy Principal, sat down with The Aviary’s Nicholas Steinman for an interview covering her background and reflections on her tenure so far, as she begins her second year on the job. The following transcript has been lightly edited for clarity. What motivated you to go into education? I had a job that I really didn't like, and I got fed up. I was venting to one of my friends who was a teacher at that time, and she encouraged me to quit that job and think about substitute teaching. And that's how I got started. I started substitute teaching, and then I went straight into my Master’s Degree program and got my credential, and started out as a middle school algebra teacher. Can you talk a little bit about your career before you came to WISH? This is my 30th year as an educator. Over the course of those 30 years, I've either been a teacher or an administrator for every grade level, fourth through doctoral programming. Most recently, I was the assistant principal at Da Vinci Connect High School just before I started here last year; but prior to that, I worked at university level. I worked in [the] Santa Monica-Malibu District, [the] Culver District, Inglewood, El Segundo—and then I'm originally from St. Louis, Missouri, so I worked at a |
New Lunch Club Options 
The D&D club meets in K2 (Mr. Leggett) every Tuesday to play the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons. The tabletop games center around storytelling, where a group of people go through scenarios set up by the Dungeon Master (DM) or leader of the group. Each event is based entirely on player actions, determined by the number rolled on the dice. Currently, two campaigns are running, one with Mr. Legget as the DM and the other run by co-founder Dante as the other DM. Students are also able to create their own campaigns. On Tuesdays, Crochet Club runs in S7 (Ms. Kaura). Crochet is similar to knitting but uses one hook instead of two to create clothes, small animals, patterns, and many other designs. Just under a dozen people attend this club. Club leader Don said they want to do a donation drive with some of the creations they make by the end of the year. The LGBTQ+ club is held in D12 (Ms. Payson) on Wednesdays. Their overall goal is to create and build a welcoming environment for queer youth through events and other activities. Roughly a dozen people show up to this safe space weekly. Ms Payson says, “All are welcome to walk in.” Recently, the club hosted a showing of “Bend It Like Beckham” after school, a sports drama that deals with common LGBT themes such as hiding one's identity. They plan to create more club-sponsored fundraisers and pride events in the second semester. The last club to highlight is BBSU, or Black and Brown Student Union. Hosted by Dr. Johnson in her office, BBSU aims “to provide a safe and |
|
|
Library Open to Students 
out books from the library’s collection after submitting a signed permission form to the librarians. However, while the opening of the library brings many benefits to WISH Academy students, it remains to be seen whether the logistical issues of making the library a regular part of students’ class time can be solved. The WISH library occupies one wall of the library space; the |
Reader's Guide Read on to learn more about…
… and more!
|
|