The Crusader Policy:

The Crusader encourages community dialogue on public matters. Letters submitted to the Crusader may be edited prior to publication and must include a full name and class grade. Please email letters to Opinion Editor Yealin Lee ([email protected]).

Dear Editor,

I wanted to share my appreciation towards Isaac Lozano’s most recent article titled “College Board rolls out new changes for 2021 AP exams.” I am very satisfied with how Lozano features [student’s opinions] who [are in the] AP program and understand how unnecessarily troubling [these changes are]. 

Lozano also features an interview from one of my past teachers, Mr. Tucker, who teaches AP Human Geography. I really like how we get to see from the perspective of a teacher who teaches an AP subject, how distance learning has impacted their regular agenda and how it has created difficulties for preparing students for the AP exam. 

Additionally, it was incredibly insightful to hear from the AP Coordinator about how AP exams will be assessed and graded. The pandemic has had a big toll on students both emotionally and mentally. School work has been even more difficult, having to learn in an environment that is not necessarily embracing towards learning and in some circumstances, distracting. Hearing that AP exams will be graded relative to how students perform nationally, given the circumstances of the pandemic, it was a great relief.

Thank you for the hard work!

Ellya Hamada

Dear Editor,

Lucia Rivera, [one of] the Crusader’s Editor-in-Chiefs, published a short article called “Celebrating the last four years,” regarding the new requirements and updates made for the 2021 graduation. She covers the district’s plan to hold an in-person ceremony on June 3rd. For the graduations to be possible, Sweetwater established that each high school will have three time-slots where students would be considered safely divided at Hilltop High School. The slots, ranging from 30-45 minutes, will obviously not be like the traditional graduation ceremony that happens every year, but if [there’s] anything we have learned this year and a half is that nothing is expected and nothing will be the same as “pre-COVID”.

Something that I appreciate in Lucia’s article is that she mentions the International Baccalaureate (IB) Candidates. The Class of 2021 [has many] IB Diploma Candidates; compared to the class of 2020 where there were around 25 candidates, the class of 2021 has roughly 53 graduates. She mentions how the district hasn’t responded to whether or not the IB Candidates can graduate in one cohort, which is something that I and many other IB students are willing to figure out. Completing senior year almost fully remote, I believe that we deserve to be congratulated and celebrated together as an IB class. Thank you for bringing awareness to the subject.

IB Diploma Candidate, 

Daniela Cassell 

Dear Editor, 

I was recently reading the article “Preparing for the dance floor” by Madelyn Omelina about the preparation for the prom event held on campus and found it very interesting. As an attendee of the Bonita Vista High prom, I was very excited to see this event highlighted. More importantly, as a part of the 2021 Task Force committee, I was very proud to see our prom placed in the spotlight and receive the recognition it deserves for all the hard work that was put into the event. Nevertheless, Omelina brought to light the number of students who believed that it wouldn’t have been worth it to attend this prom due to restrictions in place. I too was a bit concerned at first as to whether this event would be enjoyable because of all the restrictions; however, after attending the actual event, I was overjoyed with my experience. I truly believe that the outcome of this prom was what you made of it. As Omelina mentions in her article, this prom was definitely “unique” and one to remember. This pandemic has been a time to take risks and because of that, I am so grateful for Omelina’s coverage on the risk Bonita Vista High took to make this unique prom and all the preparation to make it so special.

Sincerely,

Madison Bianes

Dear Editor,

When I read [Evan Abutin’s] article “The final battle of the wits,” I smiled at the portrayal of the friendly competitive nature of Quiz Bowl Culture. Club competition is often portrayed as this do-or-die scenario, where winning means everything and losing means the end of the world. I fear this perception stops new recruits from joining. With [Abutin’s] portrayal of [the] fun [we have] in our competitions, [he] helps remove this barrier.

As a graduating senior and second-year Quiz Bowl member, I know there is a disconnect between cultures with current seniors and next year’s incoming freshmen due to the pandemic. Before COVID, seniors could bond with underclassmen within the same space. Now with distance learning, we are mostly isolated from them. [Abutin’s] portrayal of our club matters because it spreads our stories [and] our memories to the underclassman. When [he] captures our senior’s voices, [he] captures the interests of people like us. Jenna’s joy of feeling “on-fire” in answering questions is inspirational to read about and encouraging to those interested in joining our club. It’s a window we can peek through to see the treasure of this opportunity. Without [his] writing, this window is closed, and our experience is lost.

To conclude, [Abutin’s] writing continues our Quiz bowl story by documenting the lighthearted and fun competitive nature of our club. It breaks down the club’s stigma and builds up interest. Underclassmen do not be afraid and do pursue every opportunity. School is free once, so make every moment count.

Sincerely,

Kevin Soto

Dear Editor,

The opinion piece “Give it a shot” by Nadia Martinez is a vital topic to cover, especially [considering] that [Chula Vista] is offering vaccines to the public. Since the vaccinations were just recently available for those 16 and above, as of April 15. I feel that sharing this information is a step in the right direction for the safety of students and others around us.  Furthermore, Martinez [says] that the vaccine currently does not contain any life-threatening effects. This reassurance that she provides may help influence others to one day get vaccinated.

Sincerely,

Ivan Vergara