Better than ever

Each new year of high school was a little bit different.
My friends changed. My classes and teachers varied. My locker moved. I started wearing contacts. I started driving, and I felt so cool. My priorities changed.
Looking back now, I’m startled how different I am and how diverse my high school experience has been up to my senior year.
Most shocking of all, I realized Unleashed has been the one consistent thing. As I write this, I can’t believe it.
Unleashed has been a part of my life through so many changes. And I am so happy that it will be with me during the changes that will undoubtedly occur throughout my senior year of high school.
Unleashed was cut in February. Today, it’s making its comeback. But throughout the last six months or so, it seemed to me like Unleashed was simply on a hiatus.
I felt this way because at times I had the mindset that I was still a reporter. I would see or hear something that would trigger a story idea. I would get the “I-should-tell-Adriana-the-Unleashed-coordinator-this-would-make-a-great-story” impulse.
Now, it makes me really happy that, if I have that impulse, I can actually tell Adriana and do something about it.
Unleashed is such a great and important program. It’s not just important for Yakima but the entire nation. It’s one of the few programs left that give teens a voice in the real world. It lets us shed light on the workings of the teenage mind.
Therefore, I am so grateful to Educational Service District 105 and the schools and school districts that sponsored Unleashed back to life. Without their support Unleashed would still be the memory of a great opportunity instead of something that teens can still actively be involved in.
I believe Unleashed is so important to our community because it covers a broader spectrum of news for teens. It’s not just about the car accident on 16th Street or the state of the economy. It goes beyond that.
It talks about actual life on a personal level. People who would usually not make it into the regular sections of the newspaper can be found in Unleashed.
Subjects that are usually hushed but that need to be discussed — like sex and drugs — are found in Unleashed. It goes beneath the surface.
Unleashed is a breath of fresh air and a pleasant distraction. Among all that is occurring in the world, there is still a bright spot. Unleashed adds color to the newspaper. It’s like a dab of pink neon or electric blue that catches the reader’s eye.
I love Unleashed. It has given me so much — and not just in writing. It has given me confidence to go up to people and talk to them. It has given me the responsibility of an adult. It has shown me what I say or think can make a difference.
So let another year of Unleashed begin. I have a feeling it’s going to be better than ever.

— Jasmine Okbinoglu attends Eisenhower High School.

Working: lunch ladies

By JASMINE OKBINOGLU
UNLEASHED STAFF
A bell rings, shattering the calm.
The thunder of footsteps crashes against the cafeteria floor, and students pour into six lines to get lunch.
This is what the Eisenhower High School cafeteria is like during lunchtime.

Nine people deal with this onslaught of students, five days a week for nine months. They also have to cook for two other schools, Nob Hill Elementary and Discovery Lab. But that’s not a problem for the cafeteria workers.
Ike’s lunch ladies are pros when it comes to working under pressure.
“We’ve done it so many times it’s not really stressful anymore,” says 46-year-old Candace Deccio, the cafeteria manager and a baker at Ike.
Co-worker Lori Sutton, 34, an assistant cook, nods in agreement. So does 59-year-old Fey Maybee, the main dish cook.
“It’s very hectic, but somehow it all comes together,” Maybee says. “We all work together to get it done.”
Deccio and her co-workers serve from 700 to 800 Ike students at lunch and about 200 students at breakfast.
While most students are nice and polite, a few have been rude to the lunch ladies.
“I always make a point to remember who is nice and who is not,” Deccio says.
But, Maybee says, there isn’t much time to chit-chat: “Things are going so fast that you can’t really talk with them.”
Students aren’t the only people the cafeteria crew sees. Teachers go in and out of the kitchen to fill their cups with coffee and occasionally get breakfast or lunch. Members of the maintenance staff also visit the kitchen, sometimes engaging the lunch ladies in friendly verbal sparring matches that keep the scene lively and entertaining.
“It’s fun; we all get along,” says Sutton.
“It’s a hoot,” Deccio adds with a smile.
There’s a general stereotype that school cafeteria food is less than appetizing. This is exemplified by “Lunch Lady Land.” In the Adam Sandler song, the food is described as old, gross and mysterious.

“ … Served some reheated salisbury steak
With a little slice of love
Got no clue what the chicken pot pie is made of … ”

This is not the case at Ike.
“We make a lot of the main dishes we serve,” Maybee says. “All the soups, fajitas, spaghetti, lasagna and turkey gravy are made from scratch. Even if we don’t make the food, like the pizzas and burritos, we still know what’s in it.”
Seventeen-year-old senior Lindsey Sires eats in the Ike cafeteria on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when she has club meetings and doesn’t have time to go off campus. She’s not a big fan of the pizza.
“I do like the cheese zombies, though,” she says. “Most of the food is not bad.”
Ike’s lunch ladies are often not given the credit they deserve for all of the work they do on a daily basis. From 5:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday, they are baking, chopping, prepping, serving and cleaning.
Pay is about $17,000 a year.
“It’s a lot to do,” Sires says. “Sometimes, I think they do more than some teachers.”

• Jasmine Okbinoglu is a member of the Yakima Herald-Republic’s Unleashed team. She attends Eisenhower High School.

Janey Smith, one of the cooks at Eisenhower High School, prepares tater tots with the assistance of Don Deccio, a substitute cook.

Grateful for Unleashed

By JASMINE OKBINOGLU
UNLEASHED STAFF
One day in the spring of 2006, I opened a letter I received in the mail. It informed me that I had been accepted into Unleashed, the section in the Yakima-Herald Republic in which teens had a voice.
I was ecstatic. I jumped up and down in front of my mailbox and ran into my house. I was ecstatic because my writing showed enough potential for me to be accepted. I was ecstatic because I had the opportunity to try something new.
But that day I didn’t realize what Unleashed would become to me. Unleashed was an opportunity for teenagers in the Yakima Valley who were interested in writing, photography and art. And it open a door to a world completely unknown to me.
It was a world filled with ink and paper, knowledge and power, freshness and captivation. And, from the first monthly team meeting to seeing my name in print, I became ensnared in this fantastic world.
I’m not trying to disillusion people into thinking it was easy. Meeting deadlines? Stressful. Getting women, particularly middle-aged women, to tell their true age for articles? Tough. Getting sent in circles to find accurate information? Frustrating.
But, at the same time, it was all worth it.
I was expected to be accurate, truthful and professional. In spite of a few obstacles, I managed to learn a little bit more about the world and people in it. Unleashed gave me the chance to learn about anything, everything.
No door was closed to me in my career as a high school reporter. I wrote about unusual and funny names for pets in the newspaper’s special “Pets and their People.” I wrote about local and statewide efforts to help environmental sustainability. I wrote about shoes. I wrote about an art teacher at my high school.
Every story bombarded me with new information that exploded right before my eyes. I filled pages with information I received from those I interviewed, information that caused me to think, “I never knew … ”
So, it saddened me greatly when I learned Unleashed was being cut from the Yakima-Herald Republic, because now students and the public will never know. Students will never know what Unleashed could have brought out in them, and the public will never know what stories they missed.
Unleashed provided an extremely wonderful chance for those of us who have participated in it. It gave us a voice.
It enabled us to prove to our parents, friends and general public that this generation isn’t filled with hooligans.
We might be young and naïve, and our ideas of the world might be radical and hopeful, but Unleashed bore them all. Unleashed has been our outlet and a source of information to those who surround us.
Throughout the three years I have been on the Unleashed team, I have grown and improved in more ways than one. I have become more responsible, and I have learned to listen. I have heard new perspectives that have changed the way I see the world. I have learned to question those around me.
My writing is far from excellent, but Unleashed has nourished it so that I can express myself in a coherent way. Unleashed has afforded me with a great experience that none can take away and that I can continue to learn from everyday.
And although the Unleashed program will no longer continue after March 1, I will find a new way to learn about the world. I will find a new way to express myself.
In the meantime, Unleashed has given me something I can never pay back. It has unlocked a part of me that I never even knew existed, and for that I will always be grateful.

— Jasmine Okbinoglu is a member of the Yakima Herald-Republic’s Unleashed team. She attends Eisenhower High School.

We’re thankful for …

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, some of the Unleashed kids — student reporters, photographers and artists from around the Yakima Valley — are sharing what they’re grateful for this year.
Some are local, like the terraces at Franklin Park. Some are personal, such as banana pancakes with toasted pecans and powdered sugar with steaming hot syrup. And some are universal: Life itself, clean water and food, shelter.
Plus, there are many more.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Jessica Serrano, La Salle High School
• Faith and justice.
• Family and loved ones.
• Diversity.
• Freedom of speech.
• Strawberrries.
• Philanthropy and philanthropists.
• Forgiveness.
• New beginnings.
• Art.
• Life itself.

Lisa Garrigues, Naches Valley High School
• My caring parents.
• My protective older sisters and brother.
• My supportive friends, teammates, teachers and coaches.

Hannah Naughton, Davis High School
• My family’s health.
• Banana pancakes with toasted pecans and powdered sugar with steaming hot syrup.
• My parents’ love.
• My friends.
• My two crazy sisters.

Samantha Knittle, Davis
• Marching band.
• My family.
• The sun and warm weather.
• School (but not homework).
• Clean water and food.
• My friends.
• Free speech.
• My teeth.
• Drum Corp International.
• God.
• Chocolate.
• Swing sets.
• My teachers.

Hannah Kivi, Riverside Christian School
• Freedom of religion.
• My parents.
• My friends.
• My Bible.
• Softball.
• My house.
• My school.
• Unleashed.
• Our country.
• Music.
• My ability to write.
• Gum.

Lety Clark-Olivero, Eisenhower High School
• My parents.
• My siblings.
• Shelter.
• Sustenance.
• My cell phone with its unlimited texting.
• Jesus.
• A healthy body.
• Laughter, life, love and a little dancing mixed in there somewhere.
• My boyfriend.
• My friends.

Kami Cross, Eisenhower
• “One Tree Hill.”
• Starbucks Christmas decorations.
• A car that runs (most of the time).
• Addicting books.
• Cuddling.
• My loving family.
• Thursdays.
• Friends.
• Football games. (And the end of football season.)
• Rainy days.
• Strawberry-pineapple iced teas.
• Musicals.
• Running through the sprinklers at night.
• My bed being right under the heating vent.
• Peacoats.
• Family videos from when I was little.

Georgia Gempler, Davis
• Freedom.
• Education.
• Family.
• Animals.
• Shelter.
• Opportunity.
• Books.
• Technology.
• Snow.
• Music.
• Artistic expression.
• Free time.
• Movies.

Loren Button, Riverside Christian
• Jesus.
• My parents.
• My home.
• My friends.
• “Guitar Hero: World Tour.”
• Being a senior in high school!

Colleen Fontana, Davis
Long books and warm blankets on cold rainy afternoons. Music and iPods and singing loudly in the shower. Friends to understand me and parents to confide in. Sisters to cry to and brothers to make me laugh. Raspberry peach iced teas from Lincoln Avenue Espresso and blue Papermate pens.
Warm winter coats and old furry boots. Moleskine planners from Inklings Bookshop and sledding down the terraces at Franklin Park. Stick shifts and curly hair and laughter and bright pink nail polish. My camera, Benji, and pony tail holders.
Summer thunder storms and the smell of the rain afterward. Games of kick the can and lap tag. Volleyballs and pianos and coffee. Thank goodness for coffee, and the roof over my head and the God over my roof and this life with which I have been blessed.

Sean Nagle-McNaughton, Davis
• Books.
• Music.
• Friends.
• Parents.
• Brothers.
• Kindness.
• Knowledge.
• Challenges.
• Grandparents.
• Conversations.
• Peace and quiet.
• Those who help others.
• Nature.
• Happiness.
• The whooshing sound of deadlines going by (just kidding).
• The world I live in.

Janessa Mains, Eisenhower
• My family.
• My friends.
• My camera.
• Knowledge.
• Books.
• My cat George.

• Animé.
• Gay pride.
• Music.

Hannah Besso, Davis
• A supportive family.
• Loyal friends.
• Laughter.
• Sports.
• Music.
• Weekends.
• Summer.
• Good food.
• Snow.
• Sleep.

Libby Young, La Salle
• God.
• My family.
• My friends.
• My school.
• Church.
• My cats.
• My teachers.
• Life.
• Dance.
• Vacations.
• Books.
• Freedom.
• My iPod.
• My cell phone.

Kacie Cross, Eisenhower
• God.
• My parents.
• My sisters and brother.
• My friends.
• Boys.
• Music.
• Dancing.
• Paper.
• Air.
• Elephant Ears.
• Food.
• Eyes.
• Hands.
• Computers.
• Telephones.
• Movies.
• “One Tree Hill.”
• Books.
• The saying, “If you don’t like something, change it; if you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
• Tennis.
• Musicals.
• Makeup.
• Showers.
• The color blue.
• Rain.
• Relationships.
• Life.
• Love.
• Laughter.

James Hibbs, Davis
• Books.
• The Davis High School library and its librarians. They keep it open from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday to help kids study.
• Doug Johnson and Avid.
• Food.
• My siblings.
• My parents.
• Kenneth Capp and epistemology as manifested in “Theory of Knowledge.”

Alex Braman, Davis
• Davis High School.
• My friends (We make Davis fun).
• My iPod (I take it everywhere).
• My camera (I want to take it everywhere).
• My family (They raised me how I am today).

Jasmine Okbinoglu, Eisenhower
• My family and friends.
• Music.
• Books.
• Food.
• Tennis.
• Laughter.
• Summer.
• Swimming.
• Movies.
• Art.
• Nature.
• Candy.

Jessica Cummings, Bickleton High School
• God.
• My loving family.
• My church.
• My fellow believers.
• My friends.
• My gifts and talents.
• My country.

Alyssa Patrick, Eisenhower
• John Mayer’s lyrics and musical talents.
• Sunday nights, squished on the couch between my mom and sister, watching “Grey’s Anatomy.”
• My brother.
• Authors who lace so much into each sentence that my mind never has to stop unraveling new clues.
• Jim and Pam. Always. If the writers on “The Office” break them up, I will have a nervous breakdown.
• Rachel’s Challenge, Leadership Camp and Invisible Children.
• Mango ice cream.
• “Benny and Joon.”
• My family.
• Teachers who never stop teaching the way they believe they should teach, even when some of their students don’t give them that effort in return.
• Broadway.
• Ike’s Little Theater.
• My car, its CD player, and 20-minute drives at the end of long days.
• My bed.
• My physical health, so I can dance.
• My opportunity to go to college.

— Want to see more artwork by artist Samantha Knittle? The Davis High School senior has an online portfolio. To check it out, visit http://samanthaknittle1.tripod.com.

Eco Fest Merges Music with Concern for the Environment: Concert Takes Place Saturday Afternoon in Franklin Park

Local bands and concern for the environment are coming together in Yakima’s Franklin Park Saturday afternoon.

Eco Fest is a free concert hosted by the Environmental Club at Eisenhower High School. The event will feature five bands and promote environmental awareness.

It starts at 3:30 p.m. Oct. 18.

The five bands are Fire in a Crowded Theatre, Fire Team Bravo Bravo, Nora Mercier, Vision of a Throne, and McKay Alliston Trio.

The music ranges from edgy jazz and folk to hard rock and classic rock.

The bands are playing for free, and donations will be given to either to the Sierra Club or the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Environmental Club members say they hope this concert will help spread the message of the importance of being stewards of the environment.

“As long as Eco Fest creates a change in people’s mindsets about the environment, Eco Fest will have done its job,” says 16-year-old Yolanda Altamirano, a junior and the Environmental Club secretary.

— Jasmine Okbinoglu is a junior at Eisenhower High School and a member of Ike’s Environmental Club.

Summit Stresses Sustainability

By JASMINE OKBINOGLU
EISENHOWER HIGH SCHOOL

“Reduce, reuse, recycle” is the motto for many with a “green” conscience.

But E3 Washington has three more words to help the state’s ecosystem: education, environment, economy.

At the E3 Regional Summit on Environmental Education and Economics for Yakima County, held at the end of June at the Carpenter’s Union Hall in Yakima, I learned these three things are key in making Washington — and the rest of the world — a better place for everyone.

According to its Web site, E3 Washington is a strategy to develop a comprehensive statewide environmental education plan for everyone who lives, learns, works and plays in Washington state.

Coordinated by the Environmental Education Association of Washington, the initiative will afford us environmental knowledge that will continue for later generations. What it teaches will help environmental sustainability.

At the recent Yakima summit, the keynote speaker was Sid Morrison, a former congressman and current chairman of the executive board at Energy Northwest. He spoke of myriad environmental concerns.

Most importantly, he stressed, “The right education, including how to make informed decisions, can lead to economic and environmental sustainability.”

And those exact words define E3 ideals.

One of E3’s most important goals is to raise levels of environmental literacy. This year, E3 plans to deliver one statewide and 18 regional plans that identify the commitments needed at local and state levels. These plans will, with a bit of luck, reach organizations and people who can really make a difference.

Once E3 has delivered its plans, hopefully we’ll see the following occur:

• Responsible environmental behavior.

• Active engagement and participation.

• Knowledge and understanding.

• Attitudes, appreciation, values, empathy, motivation to act.

• Critical or creative thinking, communication, problem-solving skills.

• Awareness of the natural and “built’ environments.

The E3 summit not only explained ways to help the environment, but also shared positive results in daily life caused by a healthy environment. For example, research shows that children who play outdoors on a regular basis enjoy more advanced motor fitness, including coordination, balance and agility. Plus, they are sick less often.

Environmental literacy and sustainability is also good for the mind: “Schools with environmental education programs consistently have higher test scores on state standardized tests and have more support from parents, community and administration,” according to Oksana Bartosh, author of “Environmental Education: Improving Student Achievement.”

Education and helping the environment are so intertwined that it’s odd I thought of them as separate things before. I know education is powerful, but coupled with environmental passion I believe it can change Washington state and beyond.

At the summit, I learned that education, environment and economy interconnect in a way I never realized before. E3 taught me a new way to look at the environment and the people in it, and it strengthened my belief that if we all pitch in we can make Washington — and the world — a better place to live.

Teens and Politics

By JASMINE OKBINOGLU
EISENHOWER HIGH SCHOOL

What do politics mean to the average student? Do today’s youth really care?

Most teens in high school are busy and can’t vote because they’re not old enough. But that doesn’t mean they all don’t care.

Just look at all the Obama shirts they wear, the Clinton and McCain buttons on their backpacks. And listen to their conversations about the November election.

Still, teens have a lot on their plates. Classes, homework, friends, jobs and sports don’t leave a lot of time for politics. So while many know the general goings-on, it’s difficult for some teens to keep up with politics on a daily basis.

“Honestly, I enjoy listening to and knowing things regarding politics in America, especially with elections coming so close,” says 15-year-old Ann Hodges, a junior at Eisenhower High School. “However, I don’t take time out of my day” to keep up with politics, she says.

She’s not alone.

Edwin Llamas, a 16-year-old junior at Eisenhower High School, says he doesn’t watch the news every day, either, because he doesn’t have the time.

If he does watch, he says it’s because “one day I want to be a lawyer, so I think I would need to know politics and gain experience that way.”

Llamas and Hodges both agree that Barack Obama is the better presidential candidate and are crossing their fingers hoping he wins.

Some students are interested in politics, but don’t feel there’s a point in having a political opinion.

“My belief is that students under the age of 18 shouldn’t really form opinions on political aspects because they can’t do anything about it,” says 17-year-old Max Foster-McCalpine, a senior at Davis High School. “A lot of teens’ opinions also come from their parents, so it’s not really even their opinions. That is why I pay attention and watch the news, but I don’t have views.”

Foster-McCalpine also says he doesn’t support any candidate for president because he won’t be able to vote in the election.

Sixteen-year-old Daniel Ullom, a junior at Eisenhower, agrees that teens can’t do much about the next president. But he says he believes political decisions will affect him. And he does have his own opinions about the current candidates.

“McCain is not well-rounded in politics, more focused on war efforts, and is old so he might die,” Ullom says. “Obama doesn’t have enough experience and makes promises that he can’t keep.”

“I know many candidates promise things they can’t keep, but I feel Obama is basing his campaign around them. So I don’t really support either, but I do care,” he says.

Ike Art Teacher Samuel Mirkovich

By JASMINE OKGINOGLU
EISENHOWER HIGH SCHOOL

A stroke of the brush can be a leaf on a tree in the middle of a forest, or a curve of the lips set on a face, or a dash of sun streaking through a landscape.

A stroke of the brush can mean anything. It defines a painting.

Samuel Mirkovich uses strokes laden with bright paint to boldly capture sceneries. Sights from Yakima, like the Capitol Theatre, and Ellensburg, like the Liberty Theatre, can be found in his paintings.

And these familiar landscapes are not painted without a reason. Mirkovich explains that his “paintings are about places and landmarks that people can relate to and attach to emotionally.”

The 29-year-old artist first started painting when he was young to “express inner feelings and to communicate that to others,” as many young artists do. Later on, however, he began painting so that his paintings “give other people enjoyment.”

His lifelike yet whimsical paintings seem full of light. Although he doesn’t always use bright colors in his artwork, his paintings aren’t dark paintings. He uses a lot of browns, oranges and blues.

While Mirkovich’s artwork is distinct, he does admit he’s been influenced by Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh.

“Visually, my work relates with his heavy use of line and movement,” Mirkovich says.

Just as Mirkovich — and many others — have learned from Van Gogh, Yakima students are learning from Mirkovich. He’s not only an artist, he’s also a teacher.

Mirkovich passes on what he knows at Eisenhower High School, where he teaches art. He says he enjoys working with teens who are eager to learn.

At the end of his trimester-long class, Mirkovich says he hopes his students have the “skills and tools to draw or paint whatever they would like in the future.”

While Mirkovich likes teaching, his students also enjoy learning from him.

“I really like his class,” says 16-year-old Minjae Lee, an exchange student who took his class at Ike. “I enjoy just painting and listening to the relaxing music in his class.”

Eighteen-year-old Graiela Altamirano took Mirkovich’s class as a senior. She says she learned a lot.

“Before I took his class I thought you just painted however you wanted to, but then I learned there are artistic strategies that can improve your artwork,” Altamirano says. “His class definitely makes my top five favorite class list.”

A stroke of the brush can be the galaxy. A stroke of the brush can be a city. A stroke of Mirkovich’s brush can be anything he wants it to be.

• Essencia Artisan Bakery and Chocolaterie in downtown Yakima has extended its display of Samuel Mirkovich’s artworks till mid-July.

Asbestos Monitored at Ike

By JASMINE OKBINOGLU
EISENHOWER HIGH SCHOOL

Many Eisenhower High School students have accepted the fact their school is old and has a few oddities. A missing tile here and a stuck window there are integrated into everyday academic life.

One thing some students might not see or know is that Ike contains asbestos.

Asbestos is a silicate mineral that builders once used for thermal insulation and fire-proofing because it is a highly fire-retardant material.

However, it is now a banned material because it can be very dangerous. When asbestos fibers become airborne, they can be inhaled into the lungs and cause serious health problems, such as mesothelioma and lung cancer.

Still, asbestos can be found in many older buildings. Its use became widespread during the Industrial Revolution. And it continued to be a popular building material through the 1970s.

In 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned most asbestos products. But this regulation was overturned in 1991 by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans.

Still, some specific asbestos-containing products remain banned. They include: flooring felt, rollboard, and corrugated, commercial, or specialty paper.

And the regulation continues to ban the use of asbestos in products that haven’t historically contained asbestos, or “new uses” of asbestos.

Ike was built in 1956, smack-dab in the middle of the asbestos era. According to Jim Wright, Ike’s assistant principal and student services director, the ceilings contain asbestos. So does the adhesive used to glue down the floor tiles. Some of the pipe lining is insulated with asbestos, too.

Although these asbestos-containing materials aren’t easily accessible to students, students still have to be careful in the building. For example, in the gym students aren’t allowed to throw balls toward the ceiling; if the ball hits the ceiling it could cause asbestos fibers to meander through air.

“It’s kind of weird to think that asbestos is at Ike,” says 15-year-old Anne Smart, Ike’s sophomore class president. But, “Other than not hitting the balls toward the ceiling, it doesn’t really worry me.”

Smart says she feels safe, and that if asbestos at Ike was truly a big problem “we wouldn’t be allowed to come to school.”

Every two years, certified inspectors come to campus to make sure the asbestos is well-contained.

“What asbestos we do have is contained and monitored,” Wright says.

Plus, Ike’s asbestos is carefully watched by the school’s maintenance staff, says 44-year-old Doug Chote, a custodian.

Since the tile adhesive contains asbestos, custodians are on the lookout for upturned or torn tiles, he says.

The maintenance staff also replaces damaged pipe and furnace insulation materials with new asbestos-free insulation.

“I’m very proud of our maintenance staff,” Wright says. “They are trained to keep us safe and healthy.”

Along with the maintenance staff, the part-time nurse at Ike, Marjorie Miles, is also trained to keep an eye out for asbestos-related problems and symptoms in students.

Miles says she hasn’t noticed asthmatics — or anyone else — having particular asbestos-related problems at Eisenhower. Some symptoms of health problems linked to asbestos, she says, could be shortness of breath or wheezing or a persistent cough that gets worse over time.

However, Miles says, “The asbestos at Ike is so small that I don’t believe that students are affected by it. Most problems, air quality problems, are found outside of school,” like pollution and allergens.
But that doesn’t mean there aren’t problems indoors at Ike.

Last year, Lisa Gredvig’s classroom flooded, causing the floor tile to get upturned. Immediately, the room was quarantined, and the old tiles were removed. The room was also scraped clean of the asbestos adhesive, and new tiles were installed.

Instead of quarantining a room because of asbestos, 17-year-old senior Steven Gifford, Ike’s Environmental Club president, has a different idea. He says, “The best solution to asbestos would be to just get a new school.”