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 a6 | New Lunch Club Options Nathan Valdivia WISH AcademyWith the end of Semester 1 upon us, lunch clubs have been in full swing this semester. Let’s check in on four of our newest clubs that were formed earlier this year! 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 and4
Library Open to Students Nicholas Steinman WISH AcademyOn Monday, October 2nd, WISH Academy students filed into their campus library with their English classes for the first time in over a year. The library, located between the E Building and the Hastings parking lot, is now open to Academy students all day on Mondays, and during lunch and nutrition on Thursdays. The library serves as a quiet space for reading or study, and offers a wide selection of fiction and nonfiction books reflecting a great diversity in experience, style, and reading level. Students are welcome to come with their classes or during free time such as lunch and nutrition breaks, and can check 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; the4 | Reader's Guide Read on to learn more about… The LAUSD School Board's controversial decision The dangers orangutans face from deforestation Hispanic Heritage Month A famous American painter Exclusive insights from Principal Dr. Johnson and the head of the Theater Department, Ms. Landon A student perspective on video games … and more! Brackets [] are added in quotes when words are added or inferred for clarity.

Dec. '23, Week 18 Page 2, Vol. 1, Iss. 1

Hello, World! Nicholas Steinman WISH Academy - This is a test article. Do you like my article? Do you know the way to San Jose dolor sit amet | 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 6 | Video Games: Worth It? Dante Gutrecht It has been a longstanding tradition of adults to worry about the overuse of gaming as a leisurely activity. Their fears are not without reason, of course. While these are valid concerns, studies have also shown gaming can do good as well, often outweighing the potential concerns. Playing as much as 22 hours a week can even positively affect your cognitive abilities. Many argue that video games can become an addiction, even causing you to lose interest in other parts of your life and creating self-control problems. However, there is more to the truth; In a 2022 study conducted by Dr. Bader Chaarani from the University of Vermont, he compared 1278 “NVGs” (people who played 0 hours per week) and 800 ”VGs” (people who played more than 21 hours per week). According to the an interview with Dr. Chaarani himself, they concluded that “compared with NVGs, VGs were found to exhibit faster reaction times in measures of cognitive performance involving response inhibition and working memory and differences in fMRI BOLD signals in key regions of the cortex responsible for visual, attention, and memory processing.” In Layman’s terms, this means that the amount of blood and oxygen you get to your brain, two things necessary to even function, is increased when visually processing video games. This benefits your ability to distinguish different objects while multitasking with improved self control, allowing you to both absorb and recall information better with a stronger memory. Many jobs require the consumption and analysis of large sums of data, meaning improving these areas of your brain boosts your work, focus, and efficiency when doing tasks. Not only are games increasing your self control, but they also give you essential skills for your future. Video games can also help the medical world. For example, study by Glenn Platt (PhD) from the University of Miami in Ohio states that videogames can help alleviate stress and anxiety, especially because of their ability to ward off isolation as you meet like minded people on messaging sites like Discord. This is contrary to claims that video makes people lose interest in real life, as this shows that gaming can be used to make friends to be excited about. While supported by data, I don’t think you even need a study to find gaming’s main benefits. To me, gaming is a source of fun and community,4
Illustrated News!!! Emma Petersen I took this image on my GoPro while I was meant to be in math class. 'Twas a dark and stormy night - And our hero, Bohemian painter, intellectual, and junior forestry management staffer Hector D. Smith was beginning work on his magnum opus, ... |  |
Big Headlines for Big Ideas! This is an image of my dog, Salamander. Blah blah blah blah blahh. Azariya Ermias Hello Greetings, my fellow Americans. |