Special Interview with 2021-2022 Teacher of the Year, Ms. Diana Penning by Gavin Rittgers
Last week, I had the opportunity to conduct an interview with this school year’s Teacher of the Year, Ms. Penning, in which I asked her some questions about her classes, and some of her preferences. Here is what she said:
Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself. A: Well, I used to work in IT, and then I left after 15 years, and this is my 18th year of teaching high school.
Q: What did you think when you got the Teacher of the Year award? A: I was actually really surprised, but I’m also really humbled because we have an amazing staff of teachers at Spring Hill that are nationally ranked, so it’s a pretty great honor.
Q: What has been your favorite aspect of teaching? A: Really, it’s the students, because what I teach changes every year, and I’m always having to learn something new, which is fun, but I really just enjoy watching students succeed in creating things, and learning to code, and doing other things they think they can’t at the start of the school year. That’s pretty cool. That never gets old.
Q: What is your favorite thing to teach? A: That’s a good question. Teaching game design’s super fun, because so many of my students are gamers, and like to play games, and are in the gaming club, so it’s really fun to watch them make their own games, and kinda bring a part of their fun life into their school life and see how that’s all connected.
Q: What do you look forward to teaching in the future? A: Oooh, that’s a tough question…I really actually enjoy teaching the AP class because it’s fun to see students get a college credit while they’re in high school and really start their college careers in computer science, so I always look forward to that because I get students in that class that I’ve had for 3 or 4 years, so it’s always super fun to be able to see them at the end of their high school career when I got them at the beginning.
Ms. Penning is one of the supervisors of the Multimedia Gaming Club, and you can visit her in room C207, or email her at [email protected].
In Memory of Notorious RBG By: Ava Grant
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a woman who did not fall short of any challenge she faced. She fought, she worked, she put in everything to accomplish the goals she had set for herself. A woman who inspired many, a cultural phenomenon, but most importantly, above the fame she received, she was a woman on a mission who would stop at nothing to achieve her dreams. Notorious RBG, a play of the deceased rapper Notorious B.I.G., came to life as a result of a simple Tumblr post attempting to contrast the two completely different personalities and lives of the two prominent figures. However, it could not have been predicted how quickly this name, the idea, this powerful woman, would spark conversation. RBG was a Supreme Court Justice, lawyer, role model, mother, wife, and so much more. Born on March 15, 1933, RBG lived for 87 years and sadly passed on September 18, 2020. Although her death has left many grief-stricken, it is more important to celebrate her life.
RBG, growing up as a young woman of color, had faced many difficulties. Even as she grew older, challenges were still thrown her way as people constantly were telling her to “quit” or give up because of her age, the color of her skin, her gender, but she refused. The most inspirational factor about RBG is not any one achievement, because in her lifetime she has achieved many great things, but rather the fact that through adversity, she did not just push forward, she made it her mission to overcome. She worked hard, she never gave up, and in her life, she spent every second fighting to make a difference. To make a change. To provide others with the opportunities she did not have.
If I could guess what her one goal in life was, it was to defy the “stereotypes” that have constrained so many. She did not just “break the glass ceiling” so that she could be a part of a world only meant for men, but went further to create these goals that were “revolutionary.” Commonly, when people dream big, those goals are not always reached. But for RBG, there was no way she would let that happen. Fighting for women’s equality and their “sexual and reproductive freedom(s).” Fighting for those who are voiceless. Fighting against people who wish to take away the rights of others because of their skin color.
There is a reason that people say “you cannot spell truth without Ruth.” This is because Ruth Bader Ginsburg was dedicated to ensuring that people’s truths were heard and understood. When a case was presented to the Supreme Court attempting to get rid of the Voting Rights Act, she stood up and questioned why people were trying to get rid of this. They were attempting to get rid of an act that allowed people of color to have proper voting representation by stating that they were now properly represented. She exposed the irony of the situation, in that without the act, the very reason they want to get rid of it would no longer exist.
Forty years before this, RBG stood before the court fighting for the rights of women that have, not long ago, been granted. She explained that with a constitution that this American government has relied upon for so many years, which has not been giving women the rights that they deserve as people, women should be seen as equals to men. However, she consistently throughout her life has explained that for “a lot of people” the idea of “‘we the people’” had left them out of the equation.
RBG has experienced a lot of trials within her life. However, even after battling cancer and the death of “her husband of fifty-six years,” RBG has worked, and has not stopped working, in an attempt to ensure that both women and people of color are treated equally to those that have not faced these injustices. Even when she has been called “radical,” “the wrong kind of feminist,” and “dull,” she has continued to put her all into her life's work without conforming to the opinions people have about her.
In a society when women, especially women of color, are ignored, seen as weak, and treated like they are inferior, RBG is a prime example of breaking the barriers that these words, these ideas, trap women in. Regardless of one’s opinion on RBG, she is undoubtedly a “powerful woman” who shows the power in standing up for yourself and others in the face of opposition. As women are pinned against each other, treated poorly even after so many attempts for equality, the memory of RBG shows that regardless of these poor circumstances women are given, never let some nudge you “out the door.” The fight RBG had, her “unfettered rage” while helping others, is something that is necessary in fighting against the oppression, as well as societal restrictions, that many face.
In summary, the impact RBG had is undeniably large. A woman who fought, against oppression and in court, for the rights of others. Notorious RBG is definitely unforgettable. Notorious, although having a seemingly negative connotation, seems anything but for the phenomenon and role model that RBG was, and even after her death, still is.
Works Cited Carmon and Knizhnik, Irin and Shana. Notorious RBG. HarperCollins, 2015.
How Jane Austen Broke the Glass Ceiling by Saina Srivastava
Recently, Pride and Prejudice has gained a lot of attention. Arguably the most popular book written by Jane Austen, the main character Elizabeth Bennet was quite contrasting to the female characters written at the time. Instead of a demure, weak female, Elizabeth is stubborn, flawed, and loving. Austen created something that was unprecedented. Pride and Prejudice broke the expectations and stereotype around fictional women, especially during a time where they were viewed as weak.
Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice almost a century before other famous female authors like Emily Bronte, Charlotte Bronte, and Emily Dickens. Written in 1797, a time where a woman in literature was rare, adding that to a powerful female character, Pride and Prejudice is something of a gem. Furthermore, there isn’t a “I can fix him” trope that is visible in many English novels at the time and afterwards (Jane Eyre, etc.). Elizabeth demands Darcy to fix his pride, otherwise he isn’t a worthy suitor for her. That empowerment is contradictory to many societal notions as well.
Another beautiful way Jane Austen broke the literary glass ceiling was through her portrayal of Jane, the oldest Bennet sister. Jane, a hopeless romantic, isn’t shown as someone who doesn’t understand the world, or as someone who is mocked for her ideals. Instead, Elizabeth acknowledges and loves that about her; her pure heart and loving soul. Jane’s positive portrayal is something that modern-day books fail to do; they appoint someone who is positive and loves love as someone naïve. Austen doesn’t fall into this trap.
Ultimately, Jane Austen’s characterization of Elizabeth empowers women to this day. Her writing broke the glass ceiling and serves as an inspiration for all women authors.
Fortunately, this wonderful book has been adapted to a play format. And our very own Stallion Theater Group is performing it! Come attend Pride and Prejudice and enjoy their hard work from March 24th-27th.
The History Behind Legendary Mulan by Jonathan Wu
With Women’s history month currently upon us, we often look back at their stories to appreciate their hardships to get to the position that they are today. With so many icons in the history of women, one stands out a bit more than the others. When we look back into history further then we usually do, and with the help of Disney, we stumble upon a legendary figure in Chinese history, as well as cinema history, Mulan, or better known to native Chinese as 花木兰 (Hua Mulan).
So why, exactly, is Mulan so famous?
Well, with the help of Disney, Mulan has attracted a lot of attention, but it’s her story that has inspired so many people. In order to protect her country, she replaced her aging father’s place in the military by disguising herself as a man, cutting her own hair and taking her father’s armaments, to defeat the Huns lead by the notorious Shan Yu. It’s one of the earliest animated films to portray feminist ideals, and the story behind the movie is very impactful. The weaving of Mulan into animated film was very intricate, the story it tells was made to inspire, and sets the stage for many other animated films. It revolutionized the industry, as past Disney animated films all portrayed women as needing being saved by a shining prince clad in silver, most notably, Snow White. With this heartwarming, and encouraging story, many watchers of this film would hope that some historical aspects were preserved in the process of storytelling. The dragon obviously isn’t historically correct, but they were highly revered. So, this begs the question…
How well does Disney portray Mulan, historically?
inHistorically, the story of Mulan comes from an ancient folk tale, 木兰辞, or ballad of Mulan. The story that Disney portrayed was quite different from the original tale. When emperor was mobilizing troops in order to fight against enemy forces, Mulan’s father doesn’t object her going into the military, and she was already well versed in martial arts, horsemanship, and archery. This all takes place during China’s split into the Period of the three kingdoms, a time in Chinese history where small fragments of China fight to establish dominance. During many scenes in the animated film, we obviously can’t know if those events truly did happen, but historical records do point towards an actual war between the Mongols and Chinese. According to the ballad of Mulan, this entire war takes place in a period of 12 years. At the end of the ballad, Mulan was offered a government position, unlike the animated film, and wasn’t reprimanded for disguising herself. Mulan rejects this position, then goes back home with her allies, and changes to female attire. Her allies then said,” We marched together for these twelve long years/And absolutely had no clue that Mulan was a girl!” The ballad then ends with an metaphor with 2 rabbits. When a male rabbit and female rabbit run side by side, you don’t know which one is the male, which one is the female. The animated film overall does follow the script of Mulan very well, and does portray the story in a manner that is faithful to the original. Why some events might be different, this was done in order to accommodate a modern society, as if the film was 100% faithful to the original ballad, it would not have been as popular.