Wingate High & AISES

Engineering a future
On display: Wingate students show their stuff in Arizona AISES competition

Fort Wingate High School students (front, from left) Kyle Kyasyousie, Jerimiah Copi, Kimberly Becenti; (back) Shania Tom, LaToya Johnson, and Shayla Chatto recently took home honors in the Arizona Science and Engineering fair.— © 2009 Gallup Independent / Brian Leddy

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

WINGATE — Upon arrival at the Wingate High School, a display case congratulates six students who placed in the top four of the Arizona Science and Engineering Fair competition held March 21-24 in Phoenix.

The students, members of the school’s American Indian Science and Engineering Society, traveled to the Arizona State University Polytechnic campus to compete in the regional science fair. Jen Nichols, the AISES sponsor, said there were schools from six or seven states participating.

Though they didn’t know if they would be able to make the trip because of numerous challenges — including decreased funds — they worked on their projects for the past four months.

“We just kept plugging away,” Nichols said.

Jeremiah Copi and Kyle Kyasyousie, both juniors, took third place in the medical and health category for their project researching modern and traditional medicines.

“It was awesome,” Copi said about the trip to Phoenix for the science fair. “We had a lot of fun.”

Kyasyousie added, “We met a lot of cool people.”

For their project, the two hypothesized that most people they surveyed would use traditional medicine, but they found that modern medicine was used by many of those they surveyed.

“In our results, we found that oftentimes both types of medicine are used depending on the severity of the illness,” the report stated.

Shania Tom and Kimberly Becenti, both sophomores, took third place in behavioral and social science category. The two looked at the effects of different types of music on students’ reading and math test scores.

Tom said that they found that music was not necessarily a distraction for students.

About placing at the regional science fair, Becenti said, “We were surprised because there was a lot of other people.”

She said that they chose the topic because they thought it would be a lot of fun.

Sophomores Shayla Chatto and LaToya Johnson took fourth place in microbiology for their study comparing the effects of antiseptic mouthwashes in killing e. coli bacteria.

They found that Listerine provided the best antiseptic benefits among those they tested, which they had predicted in their hypothesis.

The two used ground beef, petri dishes and a control to test the effects of three mouthwashes by monitoring and recording bacterial growth.

Chatto and Johnson said that the field trip was fun and exciting.

Wingate High School AISES Vice President Britney King said she wasn’t surprised that her fellow club members placed at the science fair.

“I’m really proud of them,” she said.

Nichols said that academic field trips are important for students to connect their studies to the real world, meet new people and share new ideas.

“I think they deserve it,” she said.

Our Imagination

Jennifer Beals:

Pride:


No Doubt baby!

"Through our imagination and through exposure to the imagination of those we are constantly in the process of creating ourselves"- Jennifer Beals

Open Letter

"I received a letter from a young girl who just talked about how much the show had meant to her when she was coming out, and how there was nothing in her community and no one to talk to about who she was, and that the show was her lifeline, in so many ways. That really made me so proud of all of us..." -Jennifer Beals

At first I thought Jennifer was talking about me (wishful thinking), because when Jennifer and Laurel attended an L Word Convention in Blackpool, England I sent them a letter that was put together from the lovely staff of tibette.com (a Jennifer Beals and Laurel Holloman dedicated website check it out!). Here's an excerpt:

I have been watching The L Word since season three. I am so honored to have found The L Word and to have seen the work you two have both put into this. The L Word, Jennifer, and Laurel all have made a fine print in my life.

Since The L Word, I never knew that a show could have this kind of effect on me. This show has helped me discover who I truly am, it was one of the many factors that helped me come out as a lesbian. I started watching the show from season three. I will never forget the first time I saw it, it was the episode “Lifesize”, and from then on I couldn’t stop watching. When I continued to watch it, I found myself in a place where I felt so comfortable, so at ease, and most of all accepted, it was something that I cannot explain, but I knew it was where I belonged. That’s what The L Word and you guys, Jennifer and Laurel, have given me.

Jennifer, you have basically changed my life. You are such an inspiring woman who has made a huge impact on me. Through your strength, personality, what you have done with The L Word, with the issues that you care and have spoken about, and how you live your life so freely has helped me come out as a lesbian. I cannot express my deepest gratification for what you have given me; strength. Without you, The L Word, Tibette, and my strength to come out as a lesbian wouldn’t have happened. I will forever be thankful of you Jennifer.

Laurel, you are such an amazing actress and you complete Tibette. I could not see Tibette without you- I don’t think I could see The L Word without you. Your talent, your beauty, and all your hard work that you have put into The L Word, made Tibette what it is today. Thank you to the makers of The L Word, to Jennifer Beal’s most of all; who has given me the strength to be who I truly am, and to Laurel, for without you, Tibette would just be a country, but spelled wrong.

Sincerely,
A Tibette Shipper

To Love

"To love, to love to love, even when you think the heart is exhausted by anger and fear and hurt and disappointed and the latest presidential election. To love. That is the larger task which connects us all. That is the narrative to which I hope we all can strive." -Jennifer Beals

side note: JB said this when George Bush was elected

Homosexuality as a Mental Illness?

Here is a little project I conducted...

Homosexuality as a Mental Disorder?

Why is this important?
• Gays are people too and are just like the rest of us
• This affects all gay individuals
• Homosexuality is not a mental illness

The American Psychiatric Association claim
• In 1952 the first edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-I) classified homosexuality as a mental disorder
Why did APA classify homosexuals as mentally unstable?
• They say; mental health professionals and society had miss leading information about homosexuality, since most studies only involved lesbians and gay men in therapy
What convinced them?
• They examined data about gay people who were not in therapy, intense lobbying by gay groups, new scientific information from researchers, and disagreement from the psychiatric ranks,

“Much objective scientific research over the past 35 years shows us that homosexual orientation, in and of itself, is not associated with emotional of social problems”- American Psychiatric Association (APA)

What if someone was troubled by THEIR OWN gayness?
• The label is “sexual-orientation disturbance." This was NOT a diagnosis, says the board of trustees
Controversy
• Controversy rose when they removed the term “homosexuality” as a mental disorder because it went against the standard still used by the World Health Organization's ICD-10, the Chinese Classification, and Diagnostic Criteria of Mental Disorders and The Medical Council of India
• One person who was outraged at the new ruling was New York Psychiatrist Charles Socarides. He had been involved by circulating the petition demanding the unanimous vote.

"It is flying in the face of the one fact we know, which is that male and female are programmed to mate with the opposite sex, and this is the story of 2½ billion years of evolution and any society that hopes to survive."- Charles Socarides

• After they removed “homosexuality” as a mental illness in 1973, they replaced it in 1974 with a category of "gender identity disorder", which is a state of distress about a person’s sexual orientation, which is refering to transgendered or transsexual people. Although “gender identity disorder” is not exactly the same as “homosexual”, it is still assoiciated with the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, and transsexual) community
What the gay community/supporters had to say
• Gay activists claimed that gender-identity disorder should NOT be assumed to be abnormal, when it is usually an expression of healthy and normal pre-homosexuality
• They also thought the reclassification was much more than a matter of semantics. They feel that the mental-disorder stigma, which is a sign of social unacceptability, is the same reason and has long been used to deny them fair housing, child custody, employment, and immigration rights
• The author of the board's position paper on homosexuality, Psychoanalyst Robert Spitzer, supports their view

"One of the justifications for the denial of civil rights to individuals whose only crime is that their sexual orientation is to members of the same sex."- Robert Spitzer

Another supporter was
• Dr. Judd Marmor, a Los Angeles psychoanalyst and candidate for the American Psychiatric Association presidency, "It is unfair to label homosexuality in and of itself a mental illness, "That is a moral judgment."
The American Psychiatric Association changes it again!
• In 1980 the American Psychiatric Association again removed the category of “gender identity disorder” and replaced it with “ego-dystonic homosexuality.”

Other facts
• LGBT stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, and Trans-sexual
• Homosexuals today still are discriminated against
• Transgender means the person has not changed their reproductive organs
• For twenty-one years the American Psychiatric Association (APA) listed homosexuality as a mental disorder and in 1973 it was finally removed
• Transsexual means that the person has changed their reproductive organs

Where can I find more information?
• http://www.narth.com/docs/symposium.html
• http://www.psych.org/
• http://www.soulforce.org/article/643



“Whereas homosexuality per se implies no impairment in judgment, stability, reliability, or general social or vocational capabilities, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) calls on all international health organizations, psychiatric organizations, and individual psychiatrists in other countries to urge the repeal in their own countries of legislation that penalizes homosexual acts by consenting adults in private. Further, APA calls on these organizations and individuals to do all that is possible to decrease the stigma related to homosexuality wherever and whenever it may occur.” - By the Board of Trustees, December 1992

"ist"

Some little notes from what my teacher said which I find very funny, true, and just fantastic.

a) I had a project to do was inform the students when and why homosexuality was considered a mental illness(see above), and she said:

"Go straight, not forward!"

b) A book project:

"Everyone's going to be 'ist'" i.e. feminist, sexist, ist, ist, ist...

"Words = ideas"

Brilliant!

L - O - V - E

"Love is large, love defies limits. People talk about the sanctity of love...love is by definition sacred. Not some love between some people but all love between all people. How can anyone say one person's love is more sacred then another person's? If indeed it is love it is sanctified. If it is indeed live the right to marriage is not questionable." -Jennifer Beals

KC and Elka

KC and Elka, that's the name of a famous duo that podcast the popular show The L Word and are the dessert of The L Word. They are New Mexicans who have been commenting, pointing out the mistakes of the show, putting a sloppy smile on everyone's face who listens, and enhancing The L Word for four years. They started podcasting since season three of The L Word and have done some "off season podcasts" to tie over the fans of KC and Elka.

When you have listened to one of seventy seven podcasts, called their hot line 206-203-3552, or have become a member on their forum www.theplanetcast.proboards.com, then you are considered a "Kelkian." What is a Kelkian you ask? Well:

a) KC + Elka = Kelka
b) A devoted fan of The L Word
c) A more devoted fan of KC and Elka

So go watch any L Word episode (well any after season 3) and listen to The Planet Podcast with KC and Elka!

http://theplanetcast.blogspot.com/ (everything you need & more + its absolutely FREE)

Our Narratives

"I think from an early age we all see our life as a narrative and the narratives to which we are exposed often times shape the narratives we create for ourselves"- Jennifer Beals