By: Chera J.
Posted: February 22, 2012
Title IX is a law that was passed in 1972 that requires equality for boys and girls in every educational program that receives federal funding. Most people think that Title IX applies only to sports, but athletics is just one of the areas that is addressed.     Rumor has circulated to make people believe that our school has just booster club for all athletics on campus. “There is no one big booster club,” said Mike Walker, Kirtland’s Athletic Director, “but there are a number of parent organizations who hold fundraisers at athletic events.”
 
“Right now athletics is under SAEA (School Athletics Equity Act), a state law that is monitored by the Public Education Department,” Mike Walker stated. SAEA is a procedure in which all financial data is recorded and is then reported back to the district. “That’s one of the reasons why the boosters clubs, today, cannot act as they did in the past. Since they have to report their funding things have to change,” said Walker. The district requires that the money has to come out of an account that has record of all financial transactions.  To comply with the guidelines, Mike Walker has the parent organizations get an approval from him as well as turn in a record of what they sold, how much they sold, and how much they made. The record MUST be turned in immediately after the fundraiser to Walker. The record of the money fundraised is then sent to Leah Guillory, KCHS financial adviser, who inputs the data in to a computer that stores and keeps track of the money in each activity. “All these steps are necessary to protect everyone involved,” said Guillory in an interview.  “It’s important to keep track of the money so that it is not stolen or used for something that doesn’t support that certain activity who fundraised the money.”

Also some people have been Ill-informed on how the money that a team earns doing a fundraiser, such as 50/50 or selling fry bread, is distributed. Some believe that under Title IX, the money has to be divided up equally to all athletic teams. The truth is that the money does not need to be distributed equally. When asked whether fundraised money would be distributed equally, Walker said, “No, whoever is lined up and gets approval that team gets the money. Whoever puts in the time and effort for that fundraiser gets that money and it goes to their account.”

To summarize, “All other benefits, opportunities, and treatments afforded sports participants are to be equivalent, but not necessarily identical.”

By: Thomas B.
Posted: February 21, 2012
On Saturday the 11th, Kirtland Central art students had the opportunity to show off and sell their artwork in an art show. The show took place in the commons area of KCHS during the girls basketball game between Kirtland Central and Navajo Prep. For sale were student paintings of hearts inspired by the art of Jim Dine.

Royce B., president of National Art Honor Society (NAHS) at KCHS, stated that “It [the art sale] is for a scholarship that goes towards senior AP art students.” In addition to selling student artwork, NAHS students sold cupcakes which also went towards the scholarship.  When asked why she decided to start offering the scholarship, Ms. Pelot, art teacher at KCHS responded, “Well I didn’t think it had been done before, and just kind of came up with the idea and we thought we’d go for it.” Any senior in AP art can apply for the scholarship.

By: Jeremy B.
Posted: February 21, 2012
On Saturday, February 11, 2012, the Kirtland High School girls’ varsity basketball team played against Navajo Prep. Coach Holman said,” had a slow start at the beginning of the game but didn’t experience any problems for the rest of the game.”

The girls varsity played well considering the game ended with a score of 66-31. The top scorers that allowed this victory were Darla W. with 14 points, Tessa B. with 13 points, and Taylor H. with 11 points, along with the other members of the KC team.