PAGE 4 NEWS November 20, 2015 Band sets high …...Tika Dahal and Yogesh Gurung before their move to...
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NEWS PAGE 4 Omaha Bryan High School THE ORATOR November 20, 2015 BETHANY SZCZEPANIAK Focus Editor Nepali refugee students prove life’s hardships are real, make it through Leaky roofs and drafty walls, aggressive teachers and scarce resources are just some of the hardships that weighed heavily on the shoulders of seniors Tika Dahal and Yogesh Gurung before their move to America. It was home-not so sweet-home to Nepali refugees Gurung, Dahal and their families until 2010. Dahal lived through the difficulties of grow- ing up in a refugee camp. There was little to no contact with the rest of the world and every day needs were left unmet. Due to the leaky roofs of her too small hut, irre- placeable family photos were destroyed. “In our camp there was no electricity, no Internet, nothing,” Dahal said. Gurung, similar to Da- hal, was born in a Nepali refugee camp to native Bhutanese parents who escaped a violent ruler. Gurung describes his life in his refugee camp as miserable, congested and difficult. “My family of six shared a cramped living space with little privacy. I often cried, fearing that my life would never change,” Gurung said. The camp provided no electricity, so families would walk miles a day to find whatever wood they could to stay warm and to cook food. As challenging as life was for Dahal and Gurung in Nepal, moving to Amer- ica held new, unanticipated puzzles to solve. Dahal and Gurung arrived in Omaha in 2010 with hopeful eyes and fear- ful hearts. Neither of the children, Gurung, just 11, and Dahal,12 at the time, were fluent in English. “In Nepal we were taught British English and it was very difficult to understand American Eng- lish. It sounds different,” Gurung said. Dahal and her family were safe in America but they were out of school and work for several long, months. They took as much assistance as they could, but the experience was nonetheless full of discomfort and anxiety. Having lived in tropical climate for all their lives, the first snow was a sight to see. Dahal and her fam- ily spent their days inside as they struggled with the frigid Nebraska weather. American food was hard on their stomachs and her older sister, the family caretaker, struggled to find a job. Not only did Dahal and Gurung have trouble in their homes adjusting to a new country, but they also had to start a new school with a new language and new peers. Starting as a seventh grader, Gurung was ter- rified. He didn’t yet feel comfortable with English and kept quiet as much as possible. He also struggled to communicate with his teachers. Upon asking to use the restroom, the teacher gave Gurung a pass but he didn’t understand the correlation between his question and the slip of paper. Too embarrassed to ask again, Gurung waited all day just to use the rest- room at home. Gurung proceeded to ask and beg his parents to go back home. Nepal, the place that seemed so hopeless before, now held a new meaning. A bit more comfortable with English, Dahal still had trouble communicat- ing in a room of students who didn’t share her strong accent. Dahal and Gurung agree that the silver lining of their refugee status was still prominent and glow- ing. For the first time they had the opportunity to have electricity, internet, and teachers who cared about their success. Although it was hard to rely on organizations for support within the first months of their immigra- tion, Dahal and Gurung were extremely grate- ful for the professional medical care and abundant resources. Now seniors, it is no secret that the pair have come extremely far and have the potential and the plans to excel in life. Active members of Thrive club and College club, Dahal and Gurung contribute to their college resume as well as the school environment. “I understand a lot about humanity and work ethic of the refugee society. The knowledge I received in the camp has benefitted me in Ameri- ca,” Gurung said. Gurung hopes to go to school for mechanical engineering to help people in impoverished countries get the technology they need. Dahal has dreams of becoming a nurse to help those who do not have the access to proper medical care. Anyone has the cour- age, strength, intelligence and confidence to chase the life they want to live. Dahal and Gurung prove the power of hard work and dedication to educa- tion and family. To many they are truly role models for this generation. SBHC now open for staff members’ use JAKOB TAGUE Sports Editor In an effort to further their goal of improving the school health and environ- ment, the School Based Health Center (SBHC) team in Omaha Public Schools opened their doors to faculty and staff mem- bers on Oct. 5. The school’s SBHC has been open to students for two years, however staff was not allowed to be seen. Many times staff mem- bers ended up coming to work even when they were sick because it is hard to make doctor’s appoint- ments after school hours. “I always thought that we could have access to the SBHC,” security staff Lee Jones said. “I always thought it was open to the staff.” Nurse practitioner Julie Klah hopes that when students see the benefits of staff using the SBHC, they will follow suit and take advantage of there being a health center on campus. “It [the opening of the SBHC to staff] was a move to improve student well- ness and success,” Klahn said. The SBHC is meant to be a supplement to the medical care staff members already have in place. The role of the SBHC is to treat minor ailments, such as allergies, coughs and some common cold symptoms. Flu shots are also available through the center. However, they do not treat major injuries, chronic diseases and ail- ments, nor do they deal with pregnancies. To sign up for an ap- pointment with the SBHC, potential patients are asked to call the center at (402) 991-3904 or to stop by and make an appointment in person. Band sets high future expectations at OMI KARLA CASTREJON Reporter At this year’s Annual Omaha Marching Invita- tional (OMI), the school’s band placed 10th out of 15 schools. OMI is an annual competition was held at Omaha Burke High School on Oct. 17. Schools from across the state performed their halftime show march- ing routine. In addition to Omaha schools, bands from Papil- lion, Gretna and Hastings, Neb. performed. This year they showed off their Batman themed halftime performance. The band was judged on the drum line, color guard routine and overall perfor- mance. Their performance included three songs: “Bat- man: the Original Series,” “Batmobile Chase” and “Batman: the Motion Picture.” Their show included Batman symbols and color guard wore outfits based on different Batman vil- lains. “This is the best year for students marching, just the dedication was more so we were able to accom- plish more,” music instruc- tor Kimberley Ingraham said. The band was made up of 50 members. A sub- stantial number of these students had no experi- ence in high school level marching. With having a relatively inexperienced band, all members that had little ex- posure to marching had to learn the basics of march- ing technique. The new members picked up quickly on all the essentials. Ingraham is excited to have nearly the entire band coming back next year, since they only have three seniors. Since the majority of the band will be returning, and with the experience they gained this season, In- graham is looking forward to next year. “Just imagine starting at this level next year; it’s going to be awesome,” Ingraham said. She hopes that the band uses this year as a learning experience. She enjoys the fact that the band gets to see other bands perform; she wants to expose the band to new forms of marching. The band will get a jump start on working on next year’s performance by practicing the new songs at the end of the year. With the help of drama teacher Jodi Hazuka and Bryan Middle band direc- tor Rudoplh Semar, they hope to improve the color Guard and drum line so they come back stronger next year. “I thought it was the best ever. Out of all the years I’ve been here, definitely the best band,” Ingraham said. Top: To preserve a memory in Nepal, Tika Dahal and some of her relatives pose for a family picture. Bottom: Working steadily in their shared class, seniors Yogesh Gurung (left) and Dahal (right) show that they have come very far since their immigration. Top photo courtesy of: Tika Dahal Bottom photo by: Yoseline Lopez
Transcript of PAGE 4 NEWS November 20, 2015 Band sets high …...Tika Dahal and Yogesh Gurung before their move to...
NEWSPAGE 4Omaha Bryan High School
THE ORATORNovember 20, 2015
BETHANY SZCZEPANIAKFocus Editor
Nepali refugee students prove life’s hardships are real, make it through
Leaky roofs and drafty walls, aggressive teachers and scarce resources are just some of the hardships that weighed heavily on the shoulders of seniors Tika Dahal and Yogesh Gurung before their move to America. It was home-not so sweet-home to Nepali refugees Gurung, Dahal and their families until 2010. Dahal lived through the difficulties of grow-ing up in a refugee camp. There was little to no contact with the rest of the world and every day needs were left unmet. Due to the leaky roofs of her too small hut, irre-placeable family photos were destroyed. “In our camp there was no electricity, no Internet, nothing,” Dahal said. Gurung, similar to Da-hal, was born in a Nepali refugee camp to native Bhutanese parents who escaped a violent ruler. Gurung describes his life in his refugee camp as miserable, congested and difficult. “My family of six shared a cramped living space with little privacy. I often cried, fearing that my life would never change,” Gurung said.
The camp provided no electricity, so families would walk miles a day to find whatever wood they could to stay warm and to cook food. As challenging as life was for Dahal and Gurung in Nepal, moving to Amer-ica held new, unanticipated puzzles to solve. Dahal and Gurung arrived in Omaha in 2010 with hopeful eyes and fear-ful hearts. Neither of the children, Gurung, just 11, and Dahal,12 at the time, were fluent in English. “In Nepal we were taught British English and it was very difficult to understand American Eng-lish. It sounds different,” Gurung said. Dahal and her family were safe in America but they were out of school and work for several long, months. They took as much assistance as they could, but the experience was nonetheless full of discomfort and anxiety. Having lived in tropical climate for all their lives, the first snow was a sight to see. Dahal and her fam-ily spent their days inside as they struggled with the frigid Nebraska weather. American food was hard on their stomachs and her older sister, the family caretaker, struggled to find a job. Not only did Dahal and
Gurung have trouble in their homes adjusting to a new country, but they also had to start a new school with a new language and new peers. Starting as a seventh grader, Gurung was ter-rified. He didn’t yet feel comfortable with English and kept quiet as much as possible. He also struggled to communicate with his teachers. Upon asking to use the restroom, the teacher gave Gurung a pass but he didn’t understand the correlation between his question and the slip of paper. Too embarrassed to ask again, Gurung waited all day just to use the rest-room at home. Gurung proceeded to ask and beg his parents to go back home. Nepal, the place that seemed so hopeless before, now held a new meaning. A bit more comfortable with English, Dahal still had trouble communicat-ing in a room of students who didn’t share her strong accent. Dahal and Gurung agree that the silver lining of their refugee status was still prominent and glow-ing. For the first time they had the opportunity to have electricity, internet, and teachers who cared about their success. Although it was hard to
rely on organizations for support within the first months of their immigra-tion, Dahal and Gurung were extremely grate-ful for the professional medical care and abundant resources. Now seniors, it is no secret that the pair have come extremely far and have the potential and the plans to excel in life. Active members of Thrive club and College club, Dahal and Gurung contribute to their college resume as well as the school environment. “I understand a lot about humanity and work ethic of the refugee society. The knowledge I received in the camp has benefitted me in Ameri-ca,” Gurung said. Gurung hopes to go to school for mechanical engineering to help people in impoverished countries get the technology they need. Dahal has dreams of becoming a nurse to help those who do not have the access to proper medical care. Anyone has the cour-age, strength, intelligence and confidence to chase the life they want to live. Dahal and Gurung prove the power of hard work and dedication to educa-tion and family. To many they are truly role models for this generation.
SBHC now open for staff members’ useJAKOB TAGUESports Editor
In an effort to further their goal of improving the school health and environ-ment, the School Based Health Center (SBHC) team in Omaha Public Schools opened their doors to faculty and staff mem-bers on Oct. 5. The school’s SBHC has been open to students for two years, however staff was not allowed to be seen. Many times staff mem-bers ended up coming to work even when they were sick because it is hard to make doctor’s appoint-ments after school hours. “I always thought that we could have access to the SBHC,” security staff Lee Jones said. “I always thought it was open to the staff.” Nurse practitioner Julie Klah hopes that when students see the benefits of
staff using the SBHC, they will follow suit and take advantage of there being a health center on campus. “It [the opening of the SBHC to staff] was a move to improve student well-ness and success,” Klahn said. The SBHC is meant to be a supplement to the medical care staff members already have in place. The role of the SBHC is to treat minor ailments, such as allergies, coughs and some common cold symptoms. Flu shots are also available through the center. However, they do not treat major injuries, chronic diseases and ail-ments, nor do they deal with pregnancies. To sign up for an ap-pointment with the SBHC, potential patients are asked to call the center at (402) 991-3904 or to stop by and make an appointment in person.
Band sets high future expectations at OMIKARLA CASTREJONReporter
At this year’s Annual Omaha Marching Invita-tional (OMI), the school’s band placed 10th out of 15 schools. OMI is an annual competition was held at Omaha Burke High School on Oct. 17. Schools from across the state performed their halftime show march-ing routine. In addition to Omaha schools, bands from Papil-lion, Gretna and Hastings, Neb. performed. This year they showed off their Batman themed halftime performance. The band was judged on the drum line, color guard routine and overall perfor-mance. Their performance included three songs: “Bat-man: the Original Series,” “Batmobile Chase” and “Batman: the Motion Picture.” Their show included Batman symbols and color guard wore outfits based on different Batman vil-lains. “This is the best year for students marching, just the dedication was more so we were able to accom-plish more,” music instruc-tor Kimberley Ingraham said. The band was made up of 50 members. A sub-stantial number of these students had no experi-ence in high school level marching.
With having a relatively inexperienced band, all members that had little ex-posure to marching had to learn the basics of march-ing technique. The new members picked up quickly on all the essentials. Ingraham is excited to have nearly the entire band coming back next year, since they only have three seniors. Since the majority of the band will be returning, and with the experience they gained this season, In-graham is looking forward to next year. “Just imagine starting at this level next year; it’s going to be awesome,” Ingraham said. She hopes that the band uses this year as a learning experience. She enjoys the fact that the band gets to see other bands perform; she wants to expose the band to new forms of marching. The band will get a jump start on working on next year’s performance by practicing the new songs at the end of the year. With the help of drama teacher Jodi Hazuka and Bryan Middle band direc-tor Rudoplh Semar, they hope to improve the color Guard and drum line so they come back stronger next year. “I thought it was the best ever. Out of all the years I’ve been here, definitely the best band,” Ingraham said.
Top: To preserve a memory in Nepal, Tika Dahal and some of her relatives pose for a family picture.Bottom: Working steadily in their shared class, seniors Yogesh Gurung (left) and Dahal (right) show that they have come very far since their immigration.
Top photo courtesy of: Tika Dahal Bottom photo by: Yoseline Lopez
