Regent Review-- November 2016

The Regent
Review
Volume XLVI Issue 3 November 2016
West seniors vote for the first time
By Hadar Ohana
This November,
many seniors at West
will be voting for their
first time. Voting marks
an important transition
into adulthood
and West students are
taking their responsibility
very seriously.
Senior Valerie
Hellmer says that she
watched “all of the
debates, the nightly
news, Saturday Night
Live, and Rachel Maddow”
in order to be
informed for the election.
She believes
that it is important to
Student Council
President
p.2
“question the things
you hear” in order to
make an informed decision.
Hellmer feels that
West’s New
Teachers,
p. 3
in order to criticize the
government, one must
first exercise their right
to vote. Being a part of
Trick-or-Treating
p. 6
the election process
has made her felt that
Changes made to freshman advisory
by Maya Williamson Shaffer
Upperclassmen
and freshmen alike
have noticed several
changes made in
this year’s Freshman
Advisory-- most notably,
the shift from
three lunch periods
down to once a
week, Tuesday for
Van Hise and Regent,
and Wednesday
for Highland
and Ash SLCs.
Kelle Adams,
organizer and coleader
of the Freshman
Advisory team
cited a “lack of 11th
and 12th grade students
to be on the
A-team and teachers
to supervise”
coupled with “overlap
between West
HOUSE Connections
and Freshman Advisory
curriculums” as
reasoning behind the
switch.
Carla Oppenheimer,
a first year
advisory supervisor,
thinks it’s “harder for
students to connect
with one another and
their A-team leaders”
when they only
meet once a week,
but “fortunately,” the
same group of students
meet with one
another on Mondays
for West HOUSE
Connections.
Ms. Adams
agrees, but adds that
with the new system,
A-team members
teach lessons more
continued on page 8
than one time, and
therefore improve
the second time
they teach a lesson,
or are at least
able to talk through
some issues during
the class period.
Although
some upperclassmen
complain
about more crowded
lunch periods
or more opportunities
for freshmen to
continued on page 8
College
Application Advice
p. 7

Regent Review Staff
Co-Editors in Chief
Katie Buhman
and
Nell Williamson Shaffer
Layout Editors
Cailin Jordan
and
Hadar Ohana
Layout and Design Advisor
Ms. Engelbart
Faculty Advisor
Mr. Nepper
Page 2
Feature
Student council president reflects on her role
by Stella Rumble
I interviewed Bella
Bussey to catch up
on what the Student
Council has been up
to, what the Student
Council is planning,
and how people can
get involved.
What is Student
Council working
on right now?
We are in the
middle of running
a food drive for
Second Harvest
Food Bank. We
are also throwing
a charity concert
to fundraise and
give back to our local
Boys & Girls Club, and
we are also planning
Midwinter, and we’re
doing some teacher
appreciation.
How are you liking
being president of
the Student Council?
I like it. I like kind of
having the power to
delegate and get things
done. And I think that
this year is running
very smoothly.
What has Student
Council done so far this
school year?
We planned
Homecoming,
decorations and the
aud, and everything
that went along with
Homecoming.
What are you excited
to do in the future as
president of Student
Council?
I am excited to mostly
allow the whole student
body to have their
voices heard, and give
their opinions and ideas
for things they want
to see at West. And
also allow them the
opportunity to let them
help out and achieve
those ideas.
If a student wants to
help out with Student
Council affairs, what
can they do?
They can either join
Student Council,
anybody is welcome,
or they can voice their
opinion by putting an
idea in our idea box
that I’m going to setup.
Or they can come
in and ask us what
they can help with.
When does Student
Council meet?
We meet at lunch on
Mondays in room
2029.
Important dates: November
Nov 7 - Evening Parent-
Teacher conferences
Nov 8 - Election Day
Nov 11 - No school
Nov 15 - Deadline for
some college applications
Nov 17 - Half day of
school (Parent- Teacher conferences)
Nov 19 - Regent Resale
Nov 23 - No school
Nov 24 - Thanksgiving (no
school)
Nov 25 - No school

Page 3
Feature
Interviews with West High’s new teachers
by Stella Rumble What did you
do before you
Meet your new
came to West?
teachers! The Regent
I did a couple
Review interviewed
different things. I
some of West High’s
graduated from college
newest teachers to
in 2013. I was a server
catch up on their lives,
in a restaurant, and I
see how they’re liking
also had an internship,
West, and the advice
like many people my
they have for students.
age. It was at Literacy
Ms. Oppenheimer:
Network, which is a
What do you
non-profit in Madison,
teach at West?
it’s on South Park Street.
I have four different
They teach English to
classes that I teach,
adult learners, so adults
English 2, ESL English,
who are immigrants to
Creative Writing,
the US and are trying
to learn English. So
that was really fun. I
did that for a couple
of years, and I spent
this last year doing my
teaching certification
program so that I
can be here teaching.
Advanced English, and
English Fundamentals.
What grade do
you primarily teach?
It is all grade
levels. Because I’m an
ESL teacher I get a little
of everything which
is really cool to see.
What made you
want to become a
teacher or specifically
an English teacher?
I really enjoy
working with young
people, I think teenagers
are just in a really cool
time in your lives. It
may not feel that way in
the moment, but you’re
becoming the person that
you’re gonna be as an
adult. For me it’s really
exciting to a part of that.
So that’s sort of in general.
I specifically
wanted to teach English
and ESL because I did
some tutoring in college
and got to work with
people on their writing,
which is my favorite thing
to do, and so I decided
that I wanted to be able to
do it with young people.
Where did
you go to college?
I went to UW
Madison, both for my
under grad and then
also for grad school.
How do you
like West so far?
I think West is
great. I love the energy
here, I love the diversity.
I think it’s a really
interesting community
of different kinds of
people coming together.
Do you
have any hobbies
outside of school?
Yeah, I play the
cello. I’m hoping to
start doing more of that,
I haven’t in a couple
years, but I’d like to join
an orchestra. I like to
cook, and I like to play
with my cat. And most
days I bike to work,
photo courtesy of madwest59.org
which is kind of a hobby.
Do you have any
advice for kids at West
interested in becoming
an English teacher, or
going into a profession
related to English?
One thing that
I would say, is that
there are some amazing
resources here at West.
Both just here at school,
and because we are so
close to the university.
So something that I
do in my room is post
flyers for writers that
are coming to talk, or
maybe interesting things
happening on campus.
So I would say to just
take advantage of that,
so go to community
events, ask teachers for
help, ask teachers for
connections, because
sometimes we know
people that we can
set you up with. So
using those resources
is really important.
Anything else
you want to add?
I am teaching Drawing
1, and 2D3D, and next
semester I am adding
Drawing 2 to the list.
What made you want
to become an art teacher?
I wanted some sort
of job of service, where
I was helping people. I
was thinking about ways
that I was helped, and my
interests and ways that I like
to work with people, that
led me to teaching and art.
What did you do before
West that led you to
become an art teacher?
I’ve been teaching at
Memorial for the last few
years, and now I’m teaching
both here and at Memorial.
Do you have
any hobbies outside
of teaching at West?
I really like to
rock climb, so there’s a
Boulder’s climbing gym
on the East side, and I like
to climb at Devil’s Lake
and Governor Dodge,
and Colorado when I can.
Do you have any
advice for kids who are
interested in pursuing
a career as an artist?
I think with art, people
think that it has to do with
Go Regents!
Ms.Riedle:
What do you
teach here?
I’m an art
teacher. This semester continued on page 5

Page 4
Editorial
Homecoming Court: Tradition or Cutthroat Competition?
by Sophie Halverson
As another successful
Homecoming draws
to a close, parents, teachers,
and students around
the country are beginning
to wonder whether electing
a Homecoming court
is helpful or harmful to
the student environment.
How does West weigh in?
For time out of
mind, the Homecoming
parade, game, and
dance have been a quintessential
part of the way
West ushers in the new
school year. Homecoming
week draws large
amounts of student participation
in spirit days
and everyone looks forward
to the dance and
homecoming festivities.
Another valued
West tradition is the
homecoming court. But
as of late, some people
are beginning to wonder
whether the election of
the court is still necessary
or if the tradition has become
little more than an
outdated popularity contest.
Should a homecoming
court still be elected,
in a world where the
world is making strides to
be more welcoming and
inclusive to all people --
and contests, by nature,
are designed to have winners
and losers? Or is it
nothing more than a timehonored
part of the homecoming
festivities that is
deeply valued by students?
For West students,
it seems to be a little bit
of both. While the court
is not outdated, it’s not
very relevant to today’s
students. It’s part of the
homecoming experience,
but not why people go.
With so many people in
each grade and over two
thousand people in the
entire school, there is less
pressure to be elected to
the court, and the competition
for the court seems
fun rathethan forced.
According to students
surveyed, the
homecoming court isn’t
something that West students
think about all that
much -- other than expecting
candy during
the Homecoming Aud.
Contrary to the cutthroat
portrayal of court elections
on television shows
and in movies, at West
the transition of power
is quick and painless.
West was in the
news last year for being
the first school in the state
to have a gender neutral
court -- something that
the school is still very
proud of a year later.
Making the court gender
neutral can also help to
ease the stigma associated
with it, by making it
more inclusive and welcoming
to all students.
The homecoming
dance is a fun and exciting
event that people in
all grades look forward
to -- and have fun at. As
time has passed the dance
has evolved too: the new
gender neutrality proves
that West can adapt with
the times while still keeping
things fun and relevant
-- which means that
we as West students can
be sure to expect more
fun Homecoming dances
for many years to come.
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New Teachers
Page 5
Feature
cont. from page
3
talent, how they were
born. But I think, based
on my experience and
my experience working
with people, it has a lot
to do with practice and
being determined and
trying. And I would say
if there’s an interest to
work often, ask lots of
questions, don’t assume
you have some sort of
certain amount of talent.
It can grow through
practice and work.
Do you have any
other advice for kids
at West in general?
I think as a student
the best thing you can
do is communicate a
lot with your teacher,
with your peers and
everything else. So
good communication,
asking lots of questions,
asking for help, all
those things are good
Ms. Gagnon:
What do you
teach at West?
I teach
Introduction to Drawing
and Design, which
is an art class. It is a
prerequisite for more
advanced classes.
What made
you want to become
an art teacher?
That’s such a good
question. I really didn’t
decide to do that until I
was in college. When I
was going to school, I
was a very bad student. I
got very horrible grades
and couldn’t wait to get
out of school, so I never
really thought about
being a teacher until I got
to college. And then I did
like a tutoring program
with little kids, and I
really enjoyed working
with that, and I’ve always
really enjoyed working
with art. So I kind of put
two and two together.
Do you do have any
hobbies outside of school?
Yeah, so last year I
taught at Beloit, and I did
Metals, and I had to learn
how to do glass and metal
work. I hadn’t done that
in some time, and I got
really addicted to doing
stained glass. I can’t do
it right now, because I’m
pregnant, but when the
kid’s out I would love
to try again because it’s
really addicting. Aside
from that I’m part of
the Madison Knitter’s
Guild, so knitting’s kind
of a thing, sewing is
definitely a thing during
the summer. I’ve got a lot
of little strange hobbies
that are very different, but
they’re all like art hobbies.
How do you
like West so far?
Oh it’s awesome. I’m
coming from Beloit, and I
know that West is big and
diverse, but I’m coming
from, I think, the biggest
school in Wisconsin in
square footage. So West
doesn’t seem as big and
scary as everybody says,
so it’s been really nice.
Everybody is really wellbehaved
here, everybody
wants to be in the class,
it’s just been a joy so far.
Do you have
any advice for a kid
interested in pursuing
a career in art?
There is more than
I knew about when I was
in high school. We didn’t
really have a lot of “this
is where you can take
this talent, and you can
go”. There are so many
resources now. There
is so much information
out there, where you
can do that. So I would
start thinking about it,
sooner rather than when
you just go to school and
get an art degree and say
“what do I do with this?”.
Ms. Hoenecke:
What do you
teach at West?
I teach Spanish 2.
What made
you want to become
a Spanish teacher?
Mostly because I
really got interested in the
Spanish culture. I really
liked it, and the more I
explored it the more I
wanted to stay connected
to it. So this is my way
of making a living and
staying connected to the
Spanish culture. And
now I really like the fact
that I can share all that
culture with students
that might not be very
exposed to it otherwise.
Did you do anything
before West that
inspired you to become
a Spanish teacher?
I started taking
Spanish classes when I
was in 4th grade, just for
fun in summer school. So
I think that it was partly
because I had some really
great teachers that made
it fun to do. Before I
was at West, I taught at
Middleton High School
and I’ve taught in other
countries, and I’ve been
to a few different places.
How do you
like West so far?
I love it. I think
I like all my classes,
the students are really
great, when I have a bad
morning, before classes
even start, I know I can
go to my classes and they
totally cheer me up and
make me forget what
was bothering me in the
morning. So It’s been
really nice here so far.
Do you have any
advice for West students
that are interested in
Spanish, or pursuing
a career that involves
the Spanish language?
Travel as much
as possible to spanish
speaking countries. Or
even here in Madison,
get connected with the
Hispanic community.
There is a huge Latino
population in Madison
and Dane County, so it’s
not hard to find a place
to practice your Spanish
and find different cultural
aspects of the Latino
community, even here in
Madison. So I think that
if people think that they
are interested in pursuing
something in the Spanish
field, to improve your
language skills you
definitely have to speak
it with people who are
native speakers. So find
ways to connect that way.
Do you have any
other advice just for
continued on page 7

Page 6
Feature
How old is too old to trick-or-treat?
by Quinn Buhman
At what age should kids
stop trick-or-treating? We
asked this question to two
distinct groups of people:
high school students and
adults. Our informal
survey, conducted over
the past week, yielded
some interesting results
as seen in the charts
below:
As indicated by the
darker bars in the
adjacent chart, a majority
of students thought kids
could trick-or-treat until
they were 14 or 15 years
old, or even later. Adults,
on the other hand, tended
to think that students
should stop earlier – at
10 or 12 years.
Pie charts provide us
with another view of the
data:
Fifty percent of students
believe that you should
stop by 14 years, whereas
fifty percent of adults said
a year earlier – 13 years
old. Additionally, 10% of
adults thought children
should stop trick-ortreating
when they are
10 years old – essentially
after elementary school.
The earliest age mentioned
by students was 12 years,
garnering only 4 % of the
votes.
Respondents’ comments
also provide some color
on the topic:
“Anyone who is still a
kid at heart can trick-ortreat.
Old people want free
candy too!”
“…around age 13
because adults get weird
when high schoolers trick
or treat.”
“…I think it is
completely up to the kid
to make that decision…
I am not a fan of older
kids not dressing up and
getting candy.”
“I think kids should
stop at 8th grade.”
“I think kids should
stop trick or treating
once they can drive, so
16 years old.”
Several respondents
picked up on this
costume theme:
“As long as in costume,
there is not a limit!”
“Any age… you have to
wear a costume though.”
A final, fun fact: one
in five adult respondents
thought you never need
to stop trick-or-treating.
“No age limit… if they
are in costume and
participating in the good
spirit of the event, I
will give them candy/
encourage them to go
out.”

Page 7
Feature/Continued Stories
Counselors give college application advice
by Cailin Jordan
As the fall progresses,
many students
at West will find themselves
writing and submitting
college applications.
Although some
early deadlines have already
passed, there are
deadlines continuing
throughout the winter.
The Regent Review interviewed
West counselor
Karen Coombs to
find out a few quick tips
for how to improve your
essays and applications.
Ms. Coombs noted
that there are some
aspects of applications
that she receives general
feedback on from
admissions representatives.
This is especially
applicable to essays.
New Teachers
cont. from page
5
kids in general at West?
I think from what
I’ve seen in the first
few weeks that I have
been here is just that
the teachers really care
about the students and
want to help them. So if
a student feels that they
have something going on
inside of class, or outside
of class, to just reach out
to whichever teacher they
feel comfortable talking
to because the teachers
here, from what I’ve seen,
are just really concerned
with making sure that
students feel welcomed
here and connected and
want to help them succeed
however they can. So
it’s worth it to just kinda
stick your neck out there.
You know students don’t
always feel like they
wanna talk to their teacher
about stuff but I think there
are teachers who are
really understanding.
Ms. Sullivan:
What do you
teach at West?
I teach Creative
Writing, Writing for
Media and Publications,
and English 1.
What made you
want to become an
English teacher?
So, when I was a
freshman in college I
wanted to be a psychologist.
And then I got a D in Intro
Psych, so I totally had to
“Kids being really
careless” about their
essays was something
she specifically noted.
This can include using
part of an essay written
for another college
and leaving in its name,
or other similar errors.
Even simple errors
in grammar or
spelling could mar an
application. Coombs’s
advice? “Proofread.”
Other issues pertain
more to how the
essays are actually
written. Something she
hears often is that “kids
don’t actually answer
the question.” A way to
avoid this would be to
look back at the question
after the essay has been
written to make sure everything
matches up.
Sometimes issues
start even before
the essays are written.
Ms. Coombs noted that
writing a first person
essay, often bragging
about yourself, is difficult
for many students.
“Don’t write
about other people,”
she said. While stories
involving other
people may be easy
to write or emotionally
engaging, admissions
officers are looking
to learn about you
through your essays,
so don’t be afraid of
writing about yourself.
Ms. Coombs’s
most important suggestion
for college
apps? “Have some-
reevaluate everything I
did. So I took classes all
over the board, because I
wasn’t sure what I wanted
to do with my life, and
all of the classes that I
was doing really well in,
and that I really enjoyed
were literature courses.
So, I graduated first with
a degree in English with
a focus on literature, and
then my intent was to be
a lawyer. Actually, a lot
of lawyer’s undergraduate
is English because there
is so much reading and
writing involved in being
a lawyer. And then I met
my husband, and we got
married, and I decided that
I wanted something that
would be more conducive
to having a family, so I
one look through everything.”
Friends and
teachers are good people
to ask for this. She
suggests having one
person read for spelling
and grammar errors
and another check
that the content of the
essay makes sense and
answers the question.
These tips are just
a few suggestions for
how to create a better
college application
and essay. If you have
more questions you
can schedule a meeting
with your counselor to
go over questions about
specific applications.
became a teacher. I became
an English teacher,
because I love books.
Do you have any
advice for students that
might want to pursue
a career involving
writing or English?
I think a lot of
students, myself included,
for a really long time, even
up in through college, I
really felt as if writing
was sort of this divine
inspiration and like you
just sat down and genius
flowed on the paper. And
you were either genius
or you weren’t. And
as I got further into my
writing career, I guess I
realized that writing is
continued on page 8

Page 8
Continued stories
Voting
cont. from page
1
she is an adult member
of the community.
As expected,
West students are veering
liberal in this especially
divisive election.
When asked why
she supports Clinton,
senior Arwed Sadler
cited the democratic
nominee’s experience
and expressed dislike
towards Trump’s discriminatory
campaign.
Students are generally
accepting of the
age restriction on voting:
Justin Reames,
who will not be 18 by
November 8, says that
many people are not
mature enough to vote
New Teachers
even later on in life.
Social Studies
teacher Amy Cassiday
explains that voting less
of a responsibility and
more of a “privilege to
have that right.” She
argues that understanding
the history of our
nation and the world
provides a context for
today’s problems. Cassiday
explained that
the largest cause of the
American Revolution
was a lack of representation--voting
is a “pillar
of our nation” sought
after by the founding
father and fought
over for centuries.
In reference
to gender, Cassiday
pointed out that a win
for Clinton would cercont.
from page
7
rewriting and rewriting
and rewriting. And it’s
really hard, because all
you’re doing is rewriting.
So I think anybody can
do it, it’s just a matter
of putting the work in,
putting the effort in. So I
guess I would say, not to be
disheartened if they don’t
feel like they’re creative
enough or they’re good
enough, because it’s just
reworking and it’s a skill.
It’s just reworking and
reworking and reworking.
How do you
like West so far?
I like it! I mean
I’ve only been here for
about three weeks now,
but it’s nice. All the kids
are really nice, everyone
seems really nice. I love
the English department,
they’re great people.
Do you have any
hobbies outside of school?
I have two kids,
and they’re three and
one, so they’re sort of
my full time hobbies
right now, because it’s
a lot of work parenting.
But I love movies, I love
books, obviously. And I
teach people how to wear
their babies, which sounds
weird to say it that way.
But I teach people how to
carry their babies in the
front or in the back with
different baby carriers.
tainly be a historically
significant moment,
much like the election
of Barack Obama, but
that it is “going to take
more than a president”
to effect real change.
She believes that gender
is playing a role
in the decision of a
small segment of the
population, but says
“I have greater faith in
the American people.”
Known for its political
activism and civic
leadership, West is
certainly going through
an exciting time as the
elections approach.
Many seniors see voting
as an important
mark of adulthood.
So I spend a lot of time in
the community showing
people how to put their
babies on their backs,
or helping new parents
with it because it helps
bonding and a parenting
attachment. So I spend
a lot of time working
with that kind of stuff.
Do you have
any other advice for
West kids in general?
Probably just know
that life and school is a
balance, and finding that
balance can be hard,
but that’s a life skill
that they’ll probably
need, so, good luck!
Advisory
cont. from page
1
meet with teachers or
explore at West High
than they were given
as freshmen, the general
attitude towards
the switch is positive.
Freshman Bella
Spitznagle said
that she’s happy it’s
down to once a week
and enjoys “having
more freedom” in her
lunch periods.
Kelle Adams
isn’t sure what next
year will bring for
the advisory program,
but concluded
“I hope that it will
continue because I
do believe that it is a
worthwhile program
for freshmen and upperclassmen.”
JOIN THE
REGENT
REVIEW
Meetings are
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3002.
We need writers,
cartoonists, and
photographers!
Club
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available!