By: Uma Ribiero and Julia Moyer

News Editors

Thanks to the planning of Ms. Danielle DuPuis and the support of the other SAGA club sponsors, Ms. Holly, Ms. Hart, and Ms. Reisman, Hammond will be hosting its first-ever Rainbow Conference on May 15, 2020 from 12-4pm. The conference will celebrate the pride among members of Howard County with LGBT activities and resources. Students and teachers from all Howard County schools along with family members and friends are all welcome to attend the conference, which will begin with keynote speaker Mikah Meyer saying a few words in the auditorium. After that, attendees will transition from the auditorium to their three previously selected sessions. 

There are currently eighteen sessions to choose from, with panels focusing on a variety of topics, from LGBT literature, games, and dancing, to behind the scenes of the LGBT movement, activism, and experience. The conference not only gives Howard County residents a chance to celebrate their pride, but also allows for lgbt students and other members of the community to gain important resources and learn more about the LGBT-based events and activities which take place within Maryland. The conference also gives allies an opportunity to learn more about how they can support their LGBT friends and family as well. Not to mention, free pizza and snacks will be distributed to attendees, and there will be opportunities to win prizes throughout the event. 

Ms. DuPuis, who has been organizing the Rainbow Conference and gaining sponsors, commented on what inspired her to plan this event. “Over the years at SAGA meetings, students would comment how they would love to meet up with other students from other schools, and also, as a sponsor, I was kind of like “I feel pretty in-the-know about a lot of things, but I was also learning a lot of new things from students, like things that were going on around the school, and I thought, wouldn’t it be cool if we had a conference that could bring students from other schools here, so other LGBTQ students and their allies could meet up, get together, and meet one another and plan, but also that would inform these students as well as other educators about LGBTQ issues in and outside of the school system. I feel like it’s one of those things that you don’t know what you don’t know and the more that we bring awareness to these things, the better. For instance, I had not even heard about non-binary genders until like two years ago, so…to be able to have other teachers and educators come and not feel judged for maybe not knowing proper [LGBTQ] protocol and be able to attend these sessions that are going to be offeredthat will help them in the classroom and just in like in general, I think is going to be good.”

Hammond students are already looking forward to the conference, which is only five short months away. Sophomore Kelly Kujawa comments, “I am really excited for the rainbow conference because it provides an opportunity for members of the LGBT+ community to be surrounded by members of the Hammond and Howard County community who support them!”

Ms. DuPuis is currently looking for Hammond and other Howard County high school students to volunteer at the conference. Some students have already signed up to help session presenters at the conference. Sophomore Jordan Galeone added on, “I’m looking forward to the rainbow conference in May because of the opportunities it holds for me. I signed up to help a session presenter with their panel at it, and I’m very excited!” 

There are still volunteer spots open to help session presenters throughout the event as well as to help with set-up for the conference, and service hours will be provided if needed. 

Along with planning and preparing for the  Rainbow Conference, Ms. DuPuis is working with two interns to advertise for the event and to create an LGBT-oriented literary magazine to be distributed to conference attendees on May 15. The magazine will be filled with writing, photography, art, and more created by Howard County high school students. Rainbow Vision Literary Magazine is currently accepting submissions of all types of writing, from poetry to essays to short stories, as well as photography, art, and song lyrics, with an LGBT theme until March 1st. All allies and members of the community are encouraged to submit to the magazine. 

Be sure to follow @hcpss_pride and @rainbowvision on Instagram for important updates regarding the conference and the magazine!

By: Jenna Kreh

Staff Writer

New this year at Hammond, the dress code has been altered to require only what many would call the bare minimum, allowing students to wear almost anything they would like. Hats and hoods are now permitted, as well as any size straps on shirts and tank tops (spaghetti straps) or no straps at all (sleeveless). This new dress code is beneficial to students, as it allows for a more personal self expression and less concerns for both students and staff as to what is acceptable to be worn in the school environment.

The new dress code asks only that students wear a shirt, pants, and shoes that cover their chest, midriff, pelvic/groin area, and buttocks. This change gives students much more freedom, and it takes the pressure off of students to think about whether their outfit is school-approved. It also allows the schools’ staff to focus on other matters in the school, since less students will need to be sent home or spoken to about their clothing.

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By: Isabel Berry and Sarah Meklir

Staff Writers

The Student Government Association (SGA) and Student Leadership Cadre (SLC) will be collaborating this school year to improve student life at Hammond. The first joint Student Government Association and Student Leadership Cadre meeting took place during Beartime in the second week of school. At this meeting the two groups discussed their plans for the year. 

Photo Credit: Avery Moe

When asked about the meeting, assistant principal, Mr. DiFato expressed his hopes for the two organizations. “I feel like it went well; we asked Dr. DiPaula to come in and speak to our student leaders about the importance of student voice. And he really reiterated that it’s their school, and we are here to help them do whatever they want to accomplish.” At the meeting, students shared their ideas for the upcoming school year with the intention of boosting spirit and encouraging communication between the students and staff.

Out of many proposed ideas, one involved implementing a new year-long extension of spirit week called “King of the Den.” Similar to the “House Cup” from the Harry Potter universe, each month there will be dress-up days and events to boost morale. Participating in these events will give each class the opportunity to earn points, which will be counted up at the end of the year. The winning class will receive a prize. 

One of the most important and well-known aspects of student life at Hammond is our Spirit Week. The President of Student Government, Malik Shuiab, expanded on a few ideas they had discussed, focusing on introducing the freshmen to Hammond’s famous Spirit Week and emphasizing its importance. “For spirit week this year, as I’m sure some of you guys have heard already, it’s going to be a bit different… SGA members are going to walk around to all of the 9th grade english classes and tell them what it means to be at Hammond, what it means to be in Hammond’s Spirit Week.” This approach would grant the underclassmen a smoother transition into all of Hammond’s traditions.

In addition to indoctrinating them into our culture, some feel Student Government and the Student Leadership Cadre should work towards improving programs that support both students’ voices and their mental health. Shuiab, a senior, supports this goal. “SGA means a lot to me because I care a lot about the school, and … I can [state] my opinion and have my voice be heard in decision making, in things that I wasn’t necessarily involved in freshman or sophomore year, and it’s really important to me. SLC is also really important as they give students a reason to believe their voice actually matters.” 

This new approach is also supported by junior Camryn Johnson. Johnson, who is both varsity soccer captain and 2021 Class President, is also involved with SGA and Tri-M Music Honor Society. Johnson spoke about the challenges that students face at the start of a new school year, “I think there’s a little bit of a mental health issue across the juniors and seniors. As it gets to be a little bit more difficult [workload-wise], as well as for the underclassmen because starting a new school is difficult.” She suggested involving students, administration, and student services in open meetings where students could share, “…the best ways that we can manage stress and how they could help us.” This could greatly assist students and could help take Hammond to the next level when it comes to mental health care for the student body. 

As classes ramp up and students adjust to new responsibilities, it is good to see groups like Student Government Association and the Student Leadership Cadre working together to provide a safe, supportive environment where students can learn to work positively and effectively with staff members. Dr. DiPaula, who presented at the first meeting, described his aspirations for the alliance between the two groups. “The premise behind this is for students to take the lead, and for the staff, adults, and principal to get them to do what it is that they want to do… The first meeting was good, but it was a lot of me talking, and I think in the future, it’s going to be more of the students talking.” They will be working together to create positive change. This year, their collaboration will benefit not only the student body, but the Hammond community as a whole.

By: Claire O’Rourke and Uma Ribeiro

Staff Writer

Revised for this 2019-2020 school, policy 8020.III.6 states: “Extra credit is not offered in Grades 6-12. However, students may be provided with opportunities to recover credit and demonstrate mastery through other relevant coursework. Opportunities should be given to students who are not passing whenever possible.”

The new extra credit policy was implemented this school year, stating that no students in middle school and up can receive extra assignments to boost their grades. The committee working on revising the HCPSS policies offered reasoning for this change in that students in the past had been skipping papers or other big projects banking on the less arduous extra credit opportunities to make up for their grades. 

An Example of an Extra Credit Assignment: Hester Prynne by Terra O’Rourke

The new policy brings both positives and negatives to the table, as students are now forced to complete larger and more in-depth assignments that are part of the core curriculum rather than skipping them and waiting for the easier extra credit work. 

Skipping those larger assignments take away the students’ ability to truly learn needed academic skills, such as those acquired when writing a research paper or lab report. However, the policy overall can mostly be seen as a disadvantage to students, especially to those in high school, as with full schedules packed with extracurricular activities, sports practice, and homework, honor-roll students are bound to miss or not perform well on a few assignments.

Teachers are also disadvantaged by this policy. Despite having effective teaching abilities, some students might not be achieving as high a grade in a class or two due to the new policy and overpacked, stressful schedules. Teachers also have to find new ways to give students “…opportunities to recover credit and demonstrate mastery through other relevant coursework” which can take away time from preparing main assignments and lessons. 

Math teacher Mr. Dicus expressed that while it makes sense not to give students hundred-point extra credit assignments for simple tasks, it does not make sense to prevent students from gaining a few extra points through extra assignments. “I agree that students shouldn’t be able to earn one-hunded fifty percent on something because [you cannot] demonstrate learning more than one-hundred percent of what you were supposed to learn. However, I do believe [teachers] should find ways for students to do enrichment [assignments] and earn credit when [needed].”

Hammond students have expressed their frustration at this new and sudden policy.  

Freshman Safi Hampton thinks the new policy inconveniences students. “[Extra credit] really helps [students] out at the end of the quarter and with midterms when you sometimes need just a couple more points, and now we can’t get those extra points and that kind of sucks. […] Since we have to be on top of stuff, and I guess we should be on top of everything anyway, now we really need to be on top of everything. Since there’s no way to get extra points now we have to get full points on every one of those assignments or else there’s no way of making it up.”

One junior commented, “I don’t like [the new policy] because [extra credit] helps boost grades sometimes. You used to be able to do extra work if you did bad on a big test, and now you can’t do that…If you’re not a good test taker, or if you just didn’t do well on a test then you no longer have a way to boost your grade…they should get rid of this policy.”

Meanwhile, sophomore Kelly Kujawa stated, “I think [the new extra credit policy] is an excessive attempt to control what [grade] people are able to get. I understand why they do it, however, it’s limiting those kids who really need it and it’s not giving them the opportunity to really strive for a good grade when they want it and are motivated to do it. When [students] are motivated to [change their grades for the better], they will take on the extra credit and that’s why I feel like it’s something that should be allowed to bump up their grade because they’re willing to put in that extra time and extra effort to get that extra good grade.” 

It is no secret that the American public school system does not cater to individual learning styles. While one student might ace tests and quizzes but not have the best work ethic, others might never miss homework assignments but be poor test-takers. Extra credit aided in helping all students, no matter their strong suits, and now that has been taken away. 

The lack of extra credit within Howard County this year is only making it harder for students to explore their individuality, as they will be even more concerned about grades. The worry over grades only lessens student creativity and curiosity.