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OPINION PAGE FOUR THE LIGHTNING STRIKE SUMMER 2005 Return of Welker promises progress THE BOTTOM LINE: If he succeeds in his initiatives, new principal Matthew Welker will serve as a positive force in the life of the school. The appointment of Dr. Matthew Welker as our new principal not only brings a new face, but a new administrative policy. While former principal George Núñez did a fi ne job of maintaining Krop, Welker seems like the spark needed to raise the school to another level—to an A school, a healthier school, an aesthetically pleasing school or just a school with a highly spirited student body. Because, although Krop is recognized as one of the best schools in Miami-Dade County, better isn’t perfect; the school could always use a little maintenance. Welker recognizes this, and has begun the tuning process—proposing adjustments in all areas of Krop life. One of Welker’s primary concerns is the building. With close to 4000 students, and with about 200 more enrolling each year into a school designed for 2500, there is not nearly enough space for students to develop. Although he admits that there will be no structural relief for at least three years, when Krop takes over the Kmart-converted annex now used by Highland Oaks Middle, Welker is looking into possibilities for the future, such as adding more buildings. In the meantime, however, Welker will see that the buildings are repainted within the next year, a process that he has sped up three years. Another area that Welker will work on this school year is food and nutrition. Now famous, infamous among some Krop students, for removing unhealthy THE LIGHTNING STRIKE Visit us online at thelightningstrike.com Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Editorial Editor News Editors Feature Editor Spread Editor Sports Editor Entertainment Editor Business Manager Copy Editor Photo Editor Web Editor Adviser THE BOARD snacks and drinks during his previous tenure as principal of Nautilus Middle School, he plans to institute a similar plan here. However, instead of dictating this arrangement, he will listen to the views of a student committee to create a more sensitive policy. Also in regard to food, Welker is working on bringing in multiple vendors to school to serve lunch, including such companies as Starbucks. These plans, if instituted, will be appreciated by the student body. Welker comes to Krop with high credentials. As an administrator, he was recognized as Assistant Principal of the Year by both the county and the state. As a science teacher, he has over 10 years of experience. And as a student himself, he has no fewer than fi ve degrees. And, apparently, his connection with the students seems like nothing we have seen at this school. He can always be seen walking around during lunch, doling out his e-mail address (mwelker@dadeschools.net) and encouraging students to write to him, but, most importantly, he seems to make student concerns his priority. He intends to meet with student groups to understand problems with school from their perspective. Welker enjoys being in contact with his student body and claims that he will heed their concerns. Whether Welker will come through on all of his hefty promises and policies—that can only be seen in the future. But right now, he appears to be just what this school needs to be raised to the next level. An unsigned editorial, representing the opinion of the paper, will appear in this space each issue. Drew Lerman Ryan Sprechman Joshua Malina Nina Barraclough Eryca Schiffman Naomi Enzinna Logan Jaffe Ryan Bass Jacob Nelson Samantha Minski Alan Tarrab Katia Philippeaux Nicole Horwitz Marikay Sullivan EDITORIAL POLICY The Lightning Strike is a student newspaper published by the newspaper staff of Dr. Michael M. Krop Senior High School: 1410 Countyline Road, Miami, FL 33179; (305) 652-6808 Ext. 238. Opinions expressed on the editorial page do not refl ect the viewpoints or offi cial policies of the school. The Lightning Strike welcomes readers’ opinions on all topics. Letters must be signed. Please keep letters under 250 words and saved to disk if possible. Disks can be retrieved from 2-233. The editors reserve the right to reject, edit and condense letters. All letters should be turned in to room 2-233 or e-mailed to MKHSjournalism@aol.com. MATTHEW WELKER Homecoming: A Principal’s Message Each year high schools, colleges and universities throughout this country celebrate homecoming. It is a time punctuated by pep rallies, football games and fellowship. I recognize that for many people, homecoming is a time for fun; however, the event has a deeper meaning for me. I believe that homecoming is a time of refl ection and renewal. Seven years ago, I had the pleasure of being a member of the team that brought the dream of a modern high school in an area that was much like the wild frontier to reality for this community. I watched as the land was cleared and the walls were erected. I watched as the sod was laid and the trees were planted. I remember the days when the furniture arrived and teams of people were deployed with the precision of a military operation to ensure that everything was inventoried and assigned a location. I remember the day the doors opened and we welcomed our children as if they were prodigal sons and daughters. Readers, WELKER This newspaper is yours. You can keep it. You can write phone numbers on it, you can fold it into a paper hat, you can cut it up and draw mean pictures on articles you disagree with. Have a ball. And because The Lightning Strike does belong to you, it makes sense that you should have a hand in what goes in it. To allow for this, the editorial page serves as an open forum. We’re trying to deliver the truth here each month, and if you can help us do so, we want to publish what you have to say. As the paper’s distribution continues with the school year, you will be inevitably faced with an article you disagree with. Maybe even one you outright hate. Let us know. We can take it, and both the school and the newspaper will benefi t from your criticism. On the same token, if you see something that really hits home, let us know. A pat on the back here and there can give us the courage and motivation to keep it up. I had the pleasure of working here as an assistant principal for fi ve of the seven years. My last year was remarkable for many reasons. During that year, I had the honor of being recognized as the district and state Assistant Principal of the Year. I also had the privilege of being appointed as principal of Nautilus Middle School. Needless to say, I was very proud and yet, at the same time, I was sad. I felt sad because I, like the students and teachers, had grown to love this high school and the people who gathered with me each day to pursue one of the things I value most—education. So this year, I have the pleasure of celebrating a homecoming of my own as I return as principal. I am pleased that I have been given the opportunity to return to a place where I truly feel comfortable and appreciated. I believe that a school, like a home, has a spirit. That spirit is created by the people who come here to work and to learn. I believe that spirit is renewed each year at homecoming. Be proud of yourself and the school you represent. It is you—the students, faculty and staff—who represent the spirit of this school and I am honored to be back among you. The editorial page: an open forum In the eight-year history of this publication, only last year did we begin to receive a regular infl ux of letters to the editor. As a school of over 3,800 students, there’s no reason we shouldn’t be able to do the same again. The Lightning Strike reaches your classroom free of charge, and it can go two ways. We can put out a mediocre monthly paper with few readers and fewer opinions, published ultimately for its own sake; or we can work together to put out something really fantastic, something fresh that captures our lives and the world around us in a thoughtful and relevant way. The paper is going to show up every month one way or the other, so why not make it something you care about? The offi cial editorial policy is located to the left. Give it a read, and drop us a line. Thanks. THE LIGHTNING STRIKE STAFF
At this very moment, genocide is occurring in Sudan. This may come as a shock to many, but it’s been happening for nearly three years. The media isn’t shedding enough light on it, leaving people unawares. Not only is the media brushing aside Sudan, however—our own government is as well. On September 9th, 2004, the United States rightfully acknowledged that genocide was occurring but has since failed to take action. Perhaps when Sudan can produce “weapons of mass destructions” they will be brought into the public eye. The attitude President George Bush has seemed to take on international affairs is “no weapons, why bother?” EDITORIALS SUMMER 2005 THE LIGHTNING STRIKE PAGE FIVE SUDAN Overlooked: Genocide in Sudan By SARA ASHEY Staff Writer MEDIA wrong; what’s happening in Iraq is awful. But the only way progress can be made is through a c t i o n . T h e U n i t e d S t a t e s and the U n i t e d N a t i o n s m u s t decree a force to p r o t e c t civilians in Sudan. What is happening there is atrocious. We, as a nation, as citizens of the world, face a simple choice; we must act now, or witness another chapter of injustice added to human history. Do we really need public broadcasting? By ALAN TARRAB Copy Editor During summer vacation, I was working as a courier with no one to keep me company except the radio. Sometimes I would listen to private radio stations, but I also listened to NPR, National Public Radio. As long as it exists, I plan on getting my tax money’s ASHEY TARRAB worth, avoiding commercials wherever possible. NPR is a subdivision of CPB, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a government agency created in 1967 to administer government subsidized media. The federal government gives $100 million a year to public broadcasting while taxing its competitors (the private news Also, beside the genocide, for over two decades now there has been a civil war in Sudan. Christians in the south and government-supported Arab Muslims from the north, the Janjaweed, have fought over religious differences. In their wake, two million people have died. N o w t h e Janjaweed h a s t a r g e t e d civilians, rounding them up and killing them for the color of their Do you know about what’s happening in Sudan? NO YES 20% skin, and where they live. Approximately 400,000 have died, and that number grows every day. But almost all current news coverage has been based on the situation in Iraq and the “war on terrorism.” Don’t get me corporations pay corporate income tax). Why is it necessary to subsidize one specifi c radio station and TV channel while taxing the others? Running newspapers, radio stations, and television channels is profi table. Consumers will pay to buy newspapers and cable TV, and businesses will advertise in all forms of media to catch readers’ attention. Thus, in order to survive (and make money) the media need only keep readers interested through accurate, objective reporting, interesting feature writing and editorials that present novel points of view. The customers are the ultimate judge of what is or isn’t objective or interesting. Public broadcasting doesn’t answer to the people directly. Instead it must please the government. If the government gives public broadcasting freedom, the staff is unaccountable and may become biased, or they may discuss topics that don’t interest the public. Now the Janjaweed has targeted civilians, rounding them up and killing them for the color of their skin. SUPREME COURT CARTOON BY DREW LERMAN Supreme Court nominee unfi t for bench By BENJAMIN HYMAN Staff Writer As Sandra Day O’Connor steps down from the Supreme Court in June, and Bush and a majority Republican Senate choose her replacement, the nominee will be confi rmed to offi ce without any real opposition. O’Connor represents the woman’s vote along with Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Needless to say, the fewer women on the bench, the less pull women have in topics like abortion. O’Connor has been consistently pro-abortion and if Roe v. Wade is called into question again with a conservative in O’Connor’s place, we may see the end of legalized abortion. John Roberts, the nominee to replace O’Connor, has a terrifi c track record as an attorney. He attended Harvard Law, served under William Rehnquist in the early Regan years, and then Bush Sr. He then returned to law fi rm Hogan & Hartson as a partner and became the head of the fi rm’s appellate practice, and soon after became a D.C. Circuit Judge in 2003. Regardless of his impressive l e g a l b a c k g r o u n d , I am not impressed with his stances on key issues. R o b e r t s ’ s propositions are unfair and illogical. He agrees with prayer in federally funded public schools, but believes doctors r e c e i v i n g federal dollars shouldn’t speak to women about abortion. John Roberts represents a very 80% dangerous new trend in our culture He represents the new wave of rash conservatism. He represents how society is once again tolerating intolerance. The nomination of John Roberts vividly illustrates the devolution of our society into the dark ages. The Supreme Court was created to determine the constitutionality of laws. John Roberts’ own biases will prevent him from doing his job as a justice. His ideals clearly violate the tenet of separation of church and state in the constitution. How can a Justice of the highest court in the country be expected to protect the law of the land when he himself violates it? A moderate bench is the only answer. Justices should represent the population at large, not a small percentage determined by the president at the time of nomination. Why is it necessary to subsidize one specifi c radio station and TV channel while taxing the others? If the government imposes strict controls, the independence of the media is jeopardized. Part of the role of the media is to keep the government in check by exposing corruption, ineffi ciency, and abuse of power. A state-run media, as shown by experience in totalitarian nations, is not effective in its “watchdog” function. Any attempt at imposing “objectivity” can be perceived as imposing the current administration’s point of view; and too much freedom can lead to sloppy reporting. Either way, we lose. The best solution is simply to eliminate public broadcasting, letting the private media police itself. Any government attempts to insert itself into the media market is bound to fail. MEDIA The degradation of information A democracy is only as strong as its most ignorant citizen. I base this on the idea that people, with the information to do so, will actively and responsibly pursue the best interests of society. As technology in communication progresses, great strides are being made in the business of information acquisition—news gathering, essentially. Leads are developed quicker, facts are checked faster and the time it takes this information to get to the reader has been cut substantially. Ironically, at a time of such technological progress, the truth seems less clearly defi ned than ever. And it’s all the TV’s fault. As readership of newspapers declines across the country, Americans are attempting, in increasing numbers, to fi ll this gap with television news. LOST IN TRANSLATION If this were simply a change of format, if it was just the news packaged in a brighter, friendlier design, there would be no problem. But the conversion from print to broadcast media is anything but smooth. Detail and analysis usually associated with newspapers are often lost in the adaptation. Citizens relying exclusively on TV news are left with a cursory, fragmented understanding of events and occurrences around the world, clearly not enough to make a thoughtful decision. Ignorance is affecting our ability to rule the nation in a responsible manner. Ignorance of the effects of government decisions. Ignorance of world affairs and sentiment. For every new consumer attracted to the glowing, glittery appeal of TV news, another potentially informed voter is lost. ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT Such is the price of progress; something is lost by gains in technology. But it doesn’t have to be. Steps can be taken to improve broadcast media—to fi ll with value the 24 hours of news programming some stations boast. The control of huge news corporations can be restricted, whose bland coverage of world events offers little insight of the bigger picture. Fresh competition can be restored to the TV news arena. On the other hand, the internet and its new form of media—web logs, online newspapers—promises to take the place of print journalism in a positive way. But not every American reads their news online, let alone has a computer in their home. It will be some time before the internet eclipses the popularity of TV. The printed word is dying and there may be no way to bring it back. This is unfortunate. But when it goes, it doesn’t have to commit the more serious crime of taking the quality of information with it.
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