half the sky

Half the Sky Event
Rhiannon Yee
Some say that Arcadia is in a bubble of its own, protected from harmful outside sources such as gangs, drugs, etc. Of course all schools and cities have their own problems, but several AHS students and even faculty received a glimpse of the world outside of Arcadia and even outside the United States at the Half the Sky event on Mar. 4.

The Women’s Health and Issues (WHI) club hosted this event at the Arcadia AMC Theaters. This event was held in honor of International Women’s Day, which was actually on Mar. 8, and featured a short film inspired by the bestselling book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Many students attended just to earn extra credit points but instead came away with something much deeper: the desire to help those who cannot speak for themselves and who are less fortunate. The film included various musical performances, discussions about topics such as gender discrimination, and disheartening yet inspiring stories of women’s struggles in third world countries. Viewers learned about the horrors of rape and other injustices done to women around the world. Sophomore Grace Song says, “Those stories really made me appreciate my life more…the girl in the movie was married to [men who had raped them] and they had no rights. If they were raped and the guy chose to marry her then charges would be dropped against the man…it made me so angry to see these young girls forced into a marriage like that! The part I got really angry about was that the men actually took pride in raping these girls.”

The theater was jam packed with audience members, most of whom were from AHS, but some adults, mostly women, showed to support as well. While at some points during the film some students got a little restless, nothing was as powerful as when the narrator onscreen asked viewers to text SKY to a certain number in order; according to students who attended, the whole theater was filled with glowing light from cell phones as students typed away. Mrs. Kathy Heintzman, director of WHI says, “ .”

The members of WHI have all been reading the book Half the Sky, and often talk about many of the issues brought forward by the book. WHI president, senior Lily Yin says, ” .” In May, during Diversity Week, WHI will hold seminars in which they will be discussing this powerful book as well and they encourage everyone to come out and support. The Half the Sky event really touched the hearts of those who had previously not known or cared much about the problems of women in places like rural Africa, but the book is even more powerful, so get out there and learn about what people who are as lucky as us can do to help!

EDIT 1

Some say that Arcadia is in a bubble of its own, protected from harmful outside sources such as gangs, drugs, etc. [change to 'gangs and drugs.'] Of course all schools and cities have their own problems, but several AHS students and even faculty received a glimpse of the world outside of Arcadia and even [delete] outside the United States [U.S.] at the Half the Sky event [change to '"Half the Sky"'] on Mar. 4.

The Women’s Health and Issues (WHI) club hosted this event at the Arcadia AMC Theaters. This event was held in honor of International Women’s Day, which was actually on Mar. 8, and featured a short film inspired by the bestselling book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Many students attended just to earn extra credit points but instead came away with something much deeper: the desire to help those who cannot speak for themselves and who are less fortunate. The film included various musical performances, discussions about topics such as gender discrimination, and disheartening yet inspiring stories of women’s struggles in third world countries. Viewers learned about the horrors of rape and other injustices done to women around the world. Sophomore Grace Song says, “Those stories really made me appreciate my life more…the girl in the movie was married to [men who had raped them] and they had no rights. If they were raped and the guy chose to marry her then charges would be dropped against the man…it made me so angry to see these young girls forced into a marriage like that! The part I got really angry about was that the men actually took pride in raping these girls.”

The theater was jam packed [jam-packed] with audience members, most of whom were from AHS, but some adults, mostly women, showed to support as well. While at some points during the film some students got a little restless, nothing was as powerful as when the narrator onscreen asked viewers to text SKY to a certain number in order [explain why?] ; according to students who attended, the whole theater was filled with glowing light from cell phones as students typed away. Mrs. Kathy Heintzman, director of WHI says, “ .”

The members of WHI have all been reading the book Half the Sky, and often talk about many of the issues brought forward by the book. WHI president, senior Lily Yin says, ” .” In May, during Diversity Week, WHI will hold seminars in which they will be discussing this powerful book as well and they encourage everyone to come out and support. The Half the Sky event really touched the hearts of those who had previously not known or cared much about the problems of women in places like rural Africa, but the book is even more powerful, so get out there and learn about what people who are as lucky as us can do to help!

Some say that Arcadia is in a bubble of its own, protected from harmful outside sources such as gangs and drugs. Of course all schools and cities have their own problems, but several AHS students and even faculty received a glimpse of the world outside of Arcadia and outside the U.S. at the "Half the Sky" event on Mar. 4.

The Women’s Health and Issues (WHI) club hosted this event at the Arcadia AMC Theaters. This event was held in honor of International Women’s Day, which was actually on Mar. 8, and featured a short film inspired by the bestselling book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Many students attended just to earn extra credit points but instead came away with something much deeper: the desire to help those who cannot speak for themselves and who are less fortunate. The film included various musical performances, discussions about topics such as gender discrimination, and disheartening yet inspiring stories of women’s struggles in third world countries. Viewers learned about the horrors of rape and other injustices done to women around the world. Sophomore Grace Song says, “Those stories really made me appreciate my life more…the girl in the movie was married to [men who had raped them] and they had no rights. If they were raped and the guy chose to marry her then charges would be dropped against the man…it made me so angry to see these young girls forced into a marriage like that! The part I got really angry about was that the men actually took pride in raping these girls.”

The theater was jam-packed with audience members, most of whom were from AHS, but some adults, mostly women, showed up to support as well. While at some points during the film, students got a little restless, nothing was as powerful as when the narrator onscreen asked viewers to text SKY to a certain number in order to join the CARE organization, a charity that fights poverty around the world. According to students who attended, the whole theater was filled with glowing light from cell phones as students typed away. Mrs. Kathy Heintzman, director of WHI says, “ .”

The members of WHI have all been reading the book Half the Sky, and often talk about many of the issues brought forward by the book. WHI president, senior Lily Yin says, ” .” In May, during Diversity Week, WHI will hold seminars in which they will be discussing this powerful book as well and they encourage everyone to come out and support. The Half the Sky event really touched the hearts of those who had previously not known or cared much about the problems of women in places like rural Africa, but the book is even more powerful, so get out there and learn about what people who are as lucky as us can do to help!

EDIT 2

Some say that Arcadia is in a bubble of its own, protected from harmful outside sources [replace with 'elements'] such as gangs and drugs. Of course all schools and cities have their own problems, but several AHS students and even faculty received a glimpse of the world outside of Arcadia and outside the U.S. at the "Half the Sky" event on Mar. 4.

The Women’s Health and Issues (WHI) club hosted this event at the Arcadia AMC Theaters. This event was held in honor of International Women’s Day, which was actually on Mar. 8, and featured a short film inspired by the bestselling book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Many students attended just to earn extra credit points but instead came away with something much deeper: the desire to help those who cannot speak for themselves and who are less fortunate. The film included various musical performances, discussions about topics such as gender discrimination, and disheartening yet inspiring stories of women’s struggles in third world countries. Viewers learned about the horrors of rape and other injustices done to women around the world. Sophomore Grace Song says, “Those stories really made me appreciate my life more…the girl in the movie was married to [men who had raped them] and they had no rights. If they were raped and the guy chose to marry her then charges would be dropped against the man…it made me so angry to see these young girls forced into a marriage like that! The part I got really angry about was that the men actually took pride in raping these girls.”

The theater was jam-packed with audience members, most of whom were from AHS, but some adults, mostly women, showed up to support as well. While at some points during the film, students got a little restless, nothing was as powerful as when the narrator onscreen asked viewers to text SKY to a certain number in order to join the CARE organization, a charity that fights poverty around the world. [divide into 2 sentences, it seems a bit too long] According to students who attended, the whole theater was filled with glowing light from cell phones as students typed away. Mrs. Kathy Heintzman, director of WHI says, “ .”

The members of WHI have all been reading the book Half the Sky, and often talk about many of the issues brought forward by the book. WHI president, senior Lily Yin says, ” .” In May, during Diversity Week, WHI will hold seminars in which they will be discussing this powerful book as well and they encourage everyone to come out and support. The Half the Sky event really touched the hearts of those who had previously not known or cared much about the problems of women in places like rural Africa, but the book is even more powerful, so get out there and learn about what people who are as lucky as us can do to help!

Some say that Arcadia is in a bubble of its own, protected from harmful outside elements such as gangs and drugs. Of course all schools and cities have their own problems, but several AHS students and even faculty received a glimpse of the world outside of Arcadia and outside the U.S. at the "Half the Sky" event on Mar. 4.

The Women’s Health and Issues (WHI) club hosted this event at the Arcadia AMC Theaters. This event was held in honor of International Women’s Day, which was actually on Mar. 8, and featured a short film inspired by the bestselling book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Many students attended just to earn extra credit points but instead came away with something much deeper: the desire to help those who cannot speak for themselves and who are less fortunate. The film included various musical performances, discussions about topics such as gender discrimination, and disheartening yet inspiring stories of women’s struggles in third world countries. Viewers learned about the horrors of rape and other injustices done to women around the world. Sophomore Grace Song says, “Those stories really made me appreciate my life more…the girl in the movie was married to [men who had raped them] and they had no rights. If they were raped and the guy chose to marry her then charges would be dropped against the man…it made me so angry to see these young girls forced into a marriage like that! The part I got really angry about was that the men actually took pride in raping these girls.”

The theater was jam-packed with audience members, most of whom were from AHS, but some adults, mostly women, showed up to support as well. One of the most powerful moments of the night was when the narrator onscreen asked viewers to text SKY to a certain number in order to join the CARE organization, a charity that fights poverty around the world. According to students who attended, the whole theater was filled with glowing light from cell phones as students typed away. Mrs. Kathy Heintzman, director of WHI says, “ .”

The members of WHI have all been reading the book Half the Sky, and often talk about many of the issues brought forward by the book. WHI president, senior Lily Yin says, ” .” In May, during Diversity Week, WHI will hold seminars in which they will be discussing this powerful book as well and they encourage everyone to come out and support. The Half the Sky event really touched the hearts of those who had previously not known or cared much about the problems of women in places like rural Africa, but the book is even more powerful, so get out there and learn about what people who are as lucky as us can do to help!

EDIT 3

Some say that Arcadia is in a bubble of its own, protected from harmful outside elements such as gangs and drugs. Of course all schools and cities have their own problems, but several AHS students and even faculty received a glimpse of the world outside of Arcadia and outside the U.S. at the [delete] "Half the Sky" event [delete] on Mar. 4.

The Women’s Health and Issues (WHI) club hosted this event at the Arcadia AMC Theaters. This event was held in honor of International Women’s Day, which was actually on Mar. 8, and featured a short film inspired by the bestselling book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Many students attended just to earn extra credit points but instead came away with something much deeper: the desire to help those who cannot speak for themselves and who are less fortunate. The film included various musical performances, discussions about topics such as gender discrimination, and disheartening yet inspiring stories of women’s struggles in third world countries. Viewers learned about the horrors of rape and other injustices done to women around the world. Sophomore Grace Song says [said], “Those stories really made me appreciate my life more…the girl in the movie was married to [men who had raped them] and they had no rights. If they were raped and the guy chose to marry her then charges would be dropped against the man…it made me so angry to see these young girls forced into a marriage like that! The part I got really angry about was that the men actually took pride in raping these girls.”

The theater was jam-packed with audience members, most of whom were from AHS, but some adults, mostly women, showed up to support as well. One of the most powerful moments of the night was when the narrator onscreen asked viewers to text SKY to a certain number in order to join the CARE organization, a charity that fights poverty around the world. According to students who attended, the whole theater was filled with glowing light from cell phones as students typed away. Mrs. Kathy Heintzman, director of WHI says, “ .”

The members of WHI have all been reading the book Half the Sky [italicize], and often talk about many of the issues brought forward by the book. WHI president, senior Lily Yin says [said], ” .” In May, during Diversity Week, WHI will hold seminars in which they will be discussing this powerful book as well and they encourage everyone to come out and support. The Half the Sky event [just say "Half the Sky"] really touched the hearts of those who had previously not known or cared much about the problems of women in places like rural Africa, but the book is even more powerful, so get out there and learn about what people who are as lucky as us can do to help!

Some say that Arcadia is in a bubble of its own, protected from harmful outside elements such as gangs and drugs. Of course all schools and cities have their own problems, but several AHS students and even faculty received a glimpse of the world outside of Arcadia and outside the U.S. at "Half the Sky" on Mar. 4.

The Women’s Health and Issues (WHI) club hosted this event at the Arcadia AMC Theaters. This event was held in honor of International Women’s Day, which was actually on Mar. 8, and featured a short film inspired by the bestselling book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Many students attended just to earn extra credit points but instead came away with something much deeper: the desire to help those who cannot speak for themselves and who are less fortunate. The film included various musical performances, discussions about topics such as gender discrimination, and disheartening yet inspiring stories of women’s struggles in third world countries. Viewers learned about the horrors of rape and other injustices done to women around the world. Sophomore Grace Song said, “Those stories really made me appreciate my life more…the girl in the movie was married to [men who had raped them] and they had no rights. If they were raped and the guy chose to marry her then charges would be dropped against the man…it made me so angry to see these young girls forced into a marriage like that! The part I got really angry about was that the men actually took pride in raping these girls.”

The theater was jam-packed with audience members, most of whom were from AHS, but some adults, mostly women, showed up to support as well. One of the most powerful moments of the night was when the narrator onscreen asked viewers to text SKY to a certain number in order to join the CARE organization, a charity that fights poverty around the world. According to students who attended, the whole theater was filled with glowing light from cell phones as students typed away. Mrs. Kathy Heintzman, director of WHI says, “ .”

The members of WHI have all been reading the book Half the Sky, and often talk about many of the issues brought forward by the book. WHI president, senior Lily Yin said, ” .” In May, during Diversity Week, WHI will hold seminars in which they will be discussing this powerful book as well and they encourage everyone to come out and support. "Half the Sky" really touched the hearts of those who had previously not known or cared much about the problems of women in places like rural Africa, but the book is even more powerful, so get out there and learn about what people who are as lucky as us can do to help!

Some say that Arcadia is in a bubble of its own, protected from harmful outside elements such as gangs and drugs. Of course all schools and cities have their own problems, but several AHS students and even faculty received a glimpse of the world outside of Arcadia and outside the U.S. at "Half the Sky" on Mar. 4.

The Women’s Health and Issues (WHI) club hosted this event at the Arcadia AMC Theaters. This event was held in honor of International Women’s Day, which was actually on Mar. 8, and featured a short film inspired by the bestselling book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Many students attended just to earn extra credit points but instead came away with something much deeper: the desire to help those who cannot speak for themselves and who are less fortunate. The film included various musical performances, discussions about topics such as gender discrimination, and disheartening yet inspiring stories of women’s struggles in third world countries. Celebrities such as actress Maria Bella, and Sarah, the Duchess of York, lent their own opinions to the film, which was made by famous actress Marisa Tomei and cinematographer Lisa Leone. Musicians such as India.Arie and Diane Birch and poet Michael Franti were a central part of the film as well as CEO and president of CARE USA, Dr. Helene Gayle. The film started with a woman singing a hauntingly beautiful song that sent chills down the audience’s spines. Many simple yet enthralling songs sung by women around the world punctuated the film that had important lessons interlaced into their lyrics. Viewers learned about the horrors of rape and other injustices done to women around the world. Sophomore Grace Song said, “Those stories really made me appreciate my life more…the girl in the movie was married to [men who had raped them] and they had no rights. If they were raped and the guy chose to marry her then charges would be dropped against the man…it made me so angry to see these young girls forced into a marriage like that! The part I got really angry about was that the men actually took pride in raping these girls.”

The theater was jam-packed with audience members, most of whom were from AHS, but some adults, mostly women, showed up to support as well. One of the most powerful moments of the night was when the narrator onscreen asked viewers to text SKY to a certain number in order to join the CARE organization, a charity that fights poverty around the world. According to students who attended, the whole theater was filled with glowing light from cell phones as students typed away.

The members of WHI have all been reading the book Half the Sky, and often talk about many of the issues brought forward by the book. WHI president, senior Lily Yin said, ” .” In May, during Diversity Week, WHI will hold seminars in which they will be discussing this powerful book as well and they encourage everyone to come out and support. "Half the Sky" really touched the hearts of those who had previously not known or cared much about the problems of women in places like rural Africa, but the book is even more powerful, so get out there and learn about what people who are as lucky as us c an do to help!

EDIT 4

Some say that Arcadia is in a bubble of its own, protected from harmful outside elements such as gangs and drugs. Of course all schools and cities have their own problems, but several AHS students and even faculty [AHS students and faculty] recieved a glimpse of the world outside of Arcadia and outside [delete] the U.S. at "Half the Sky" on Mar. 4.

The Women’s Health and Issues (WHI) club hosted this event at the Arcadia AMC Theaters. This event was held in honor of International Women’s Day, which was actually on Mar. 8, and featured a short film inspired by the bestselling book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Many students attended just to earn extra credit points but instead came away with something much deeper: the desire to help those who cannot speak for themselves and who are less fortunate. The film included various musical performances, discussions about topics such as gender discrimination, and disheartening yet inspiring stories of women’s struggles in third world countries. Celebrities such as actress Maria Bella, and Sarah, the Duchess of York, lent their own opinions to the film, which was made by famous actress Marisa Tomei and cinematographer Lisa Leone. Musicians such as India.Arie and [replace with comma] Diane Birch and poet Michael Franti were a central part of the film as well as CEO and president of CARE USA, Dr. Helene Gayle. The film started with a woman singing a hauntingly beautiful song that sent chills down the audience’s spines. Many simple yet enthralling songs sung by women around the world punctuated the film that had important lessons interlaced into their lyrics. Viewers learned about the horrors of rape and other injustices done to women around the world. Sophomore Grace Song said, “Those stories really made me appreciate my life more…the girl in the movie was married to [men who had raped them] and they had no rights. If they were raped and the guy chose to marry her then charges would be dropped against the man…it made me so angry to see these young girls forced into a marriage like that! The part I got really angry about was that the men actually took pride in raping these girls.”

The theater was jam-packed with audience members, most of whom were from AHS, but some adults, mostly women, showed up to support as well. One of the most powerful moments of the night was when the narrator onscreen asked viewers to text SKY to a certain number in order to join the CARE organization, a charity that fights poverty around the world. According to students who attended, the whole theater was filled with glowing light from cell phones as students typed away.

The members of WHI have all been reading the book Half the Sky, and often talk about many of the issues brought forward by the book. WHI president, senior Lily Yin said, ” .” In May, during Diversity Week, WHI will hold seminars in which they will be discussing this powerful book as well and they encourage everyone to come out and support. "Half the Sky" really touched the hearts of those who had previously not known or cared much about the problems of women in places like rural Africa, but the book is even more powerful, so get out there and learn about what people who are as lucky as us c an [can] do to help!

Some say that Arcadia is in a bubble of its own, protected from harmful outside elements such as gangs and drugs. Of course all schools and cities have their own problems, but AHS students and faculty received a glimpse of the world outside of Arcadia and the U.S. at "Half the Sky" on Mar. 4.

The Women’s Health and Issues (WHI) club hosted this event at the Arcadia AMC Theaters. This event was held in honor of International Women’s Day, which was actually on Mar. 8, and featured a short film inspired by the bestselling book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Many students attended just to earn extra credit points but instead came away with something much deeper: the desire to help those who cannot speak for themselves and who are less fortunate. The film included various musical performances, discussions about topics such as gender discrimination, and disheartening yet inspiring stories of women’s struggles in third world countries. Celebrities such as actress Maria Bella, and Sarah, the Duchess of York, lent their own opinions to the film, which was made by famous actress Marisa Tomei and cinematographer Lisa Leone. Musicians such as India.Arie, Diane Birch and poet Michael Franti were a central part of the film as well as CEO and president of CARE USA, Dr. Helene Gayle.
The film started with a woman singing a hauntingly beautiful song that sent chills down the audience’s spines. Many simple yet enthralling songs sung by women around the world punctuated the film that had important lessons interlaced into their lyrics. Viewers learned about the horrors of rape and other injustices done to women around the world. Sophomore Grace Song said, “Those stories really made me appreciate my life more…the girl in the movie was married to [men who had raped them] and they had no rights. If they were raped and the guy chose to marry her then charges would be dropped against the man…it made me so angry to see these young girls forced into a marriage like that! The part I got really angry about was that the men actually took pride in raping these girls.” The part which Grace referred to is a segment about a young girl named Woineshet who is kidnapped and raped by a man who hopes to marry her in a twisted village tradition. Becoming a pariah of her village, Woineshet doesn’t just go along with it and marry her rapist; she stands up for herself and refuses to do what everyone else wants her to do. English teacher Mrs. Robin Neuwirth-Bishop said, “This was a shattering depiction of just one woman's story in the book, but it was also profoundly inspiring to see how much change can come from the action of one single individual. As a result of her refusal, the village gradually becomes aware that the tradition is cruel and oppressive, and both men and women in the village begin to refuse the tradition as well.” And although women may have been the center of attention, boys also played a big role. Sophomore Jason Zheng “liked the story of Woineshet [as well] because it was really sad and its message was really clear. It effected me by making me more aware of women being abused.” Woineshet clearly made a big difference in many hearts and minds that night!

The theater was jam-packed with audience members, most of whom were from AHS, but some adults, mostly women, showed up to support as well. One of the most powerful moments of the night was when the narrator onscreen asked viewers to text SKY to a certain number in order to join the CARE organization, a charity that fights poverty around the world. According to students who attended, the whole theater was filled with glowing light from cell phones as students typed away. Mrs. Bishop-Neuwirth said, “The book is much more detailed and frightening than the movie – there are many stories about women in all parts of the world who are suffering, yet surviving oppression…the film, like the book, was painful to watch yet at the same time incredibly inspiring and left me with a sense of hope that even ordinary people like ourselves have so much power to make the world a more equal and loving place.”

The members of WHI have all been reading the book Half the Sky, and often talk about many of the issues brought forward by the book. In May, during Diversity Week, WHI will hold seminars in which they will be discussing this powerful book as well and they encourage everyone to come out and support. "Half the Sky" really touched the hearts of those who had previously not known or cared much about the problems of women in places like rural Africa, but the book is even more powerful, so get out there and learn about what people who are as lucky as us can do to help!

EDIT 5

Some say that Arcadia is [replace with 'lives'] in a bubble of its own, protected from harmful outside elements such as gangs and drugs. Of course all schools and cities have their own problems, but AHS students and faculty received a glimpse of the world outside of Arcadia and the U.S. at "Half the Sky" on Mar. 4.

The Women’s Health and Issues (WHI) club hosted this event at the Arcadia AMC Theaters. This event was held in honor of International Women’s Day, which was actually on Mar. 8, and featured a short film inspired by the bestselling book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Many students attended just to earn extra credit points but instead came away with something much deeper: the desire to help those who cannot speak for themselves and who are less fortunate. The film included various musical performances, discussions about topics such as gender discrimination, and disheartening yet inspiring stories of women’s struggles in third world countries. Celebrities such as actress Maria Bella, and [delete] Sarah [last name?] , [insert 'and'] the Duchess of York, [delete] lent their own opinions to the film, which was made [replace with 'produced'] by famous actress Marisa Tomei and cinematographer Lisa Leone. Musicians such as India.Arie, Diane Birch [insert comma] and poet Michael Franti were a central part of the film as well as CEO and president of CARE USA, Dr. Helene Gayle.
The film started with a woman singing a hauntingly beautiful song that sent chills down the audience’s spines. Many simple yet enthralling songs sung by women around the world punctuated the film that had important lessons interlaced into their lyrics. Viewers learned about the horrors of rape and other injustices done to women around the world. Sophomore Grace Song said, “Those stories really made me appreciate my life more…the girl in the movie was married to [men who had raped them] and they had no rights. If they were raped and the guy chose to marry her then charges would be dropped against the man…it made me so angry to see these young girls forced into a marriage like that! The part I got really angry about was that the men actually took pride in raping these girls.” The part which Grace referred to is a segment about a young girl named Woineshet who is kidnapped and raped by a man who hopes to marry her [insert comma] in a twisted village tradition. Becoming a pariah of her village, Woineshet doesn’t just go along with it and marry her rapist; she stands up for herself and refuses to do what everyone else wants her to do. English teacher Mrs. Robin Neuwirth-Bishop said, “This was a shattering depiction of just one woman's story in the book, but it was also profoundly inspiring to see how much change can come from the action of one single individual. As a result of her refusal, the village gradually becomes aware that the tradition is cruel and oppressive, and both men and women in the village begin to refuse the tradition as well.” And although women may have been the center of attention, boys also played a big role. Sophomore Jason Zheng “liked the story of Woineshet [as well] because it was really sad and its message was really clear. It effected me by making me more aware of women being abused.” Woineshet clearly made a big difference in many hearts and minds that night!

The theater was jam-packed with audience members, most of whom were from AHS, but some adults, mostly women, showed up to support as well. One of the most powerful moments of the night was when the narrator onscreen asked viewers to text SKY to a certain number in order to join the CARE [what does CARE stand for?] organization, a charity that fights poverty around the world. According to students who attended, the whole theater was filled with glowing light from cell phones as students typed away. Mrs. Bishop-Neuwirth said, “The book is much more detailed and frightening than the movie – there are many stories about women in all parts of the world who are suffering, yet surviving oppression…the film, like the book, was painful to watch yet at the same time incredibly inspiring and left me with a sense of hope that even ordinary people like ourselves have so much power to make the world a more equal and loving place.”

The members of WHI have all been reading the book Half the Sky, and often talk about many of the issues brought forward by the book. In May, during Diversity Week, WHI will hold seminars in which they will be discussing this powerful book as well and they encourage everyone to come out and support. "Half the Sky" really touched the hearts of those who had previously not known or cared much about the problems of women in places like rural Africa, but the book is even more powerful, so get out there and learn about what people who are as lucky as us can do to help!

Some say that Arcadia lives in a bubble of its own, protected from harmful outside elements such as gangs and drugs. Of course all schools and cities have their own problems, but AHS students and faculty received a glimpse of the world outside of Arcadia and the U.S. at "Half the Sky" on Mar. 4.

The Women’s Health and Issues (WHI) club hosted this event at the Arcadia AMC Theaters. This event was held in honor of International Women’s Day, which was actually on Mar. 8, and featured a short film inspired by the bestselling book Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn. Many students attended just to earn extra credit points but instead came away with something much deeper: the desire to help those who cannot speak for themselves and who are less fortunate. The film included various musical performances, discussions about topics such as gender discrimination, and disheartening yet inspiring stories of women’s struggles in third world countries. Celebrities such as actress Maria Bella, and Sarah, Duchess of York, lent their own opinions to the film, which was produced by famous actress Marisa Tomei and cinematographer Lisa Leone. Musicians such as India.Arie, Diane Birch, and poet Michael Franti were a central part of the film as well as CEO and president of CARE USA, Dr. Helene Gayle.
The film started with a woman singing a hauntingly beautiful song that sent chills down the audience’s spines. Many simple yet enthralling songs sung by women around the world punctuated the film that had important lessons interlaced into their lyrics. Viewers learned about the horrors of rape and other injustices done to women around the world. Sophomore Grace Song said, “Those stories really made me appreciate my life more…the girl in the movie was married to [men who had raped them] and they had no rights. If they were raped and the guy chose to marry her then charges would be dropped against the man…it made me so angry to see these young girls forced into a marriage like that! The part I got really angry about was that the men actually took pride in raping these girls.” The part which Grace referred to is a segment about a young girl named Woineshet who is kidnapped and raped by a man who hopes to marry her, in a twisted village tradition. Becoming a pariah of her village, Woineshet doesn’t just go along with it and marry her rapist; she stands up for herself and refuses to do what everyone else wants her to do. English teacher Mrs. Robin Neuwirth-Bishop said, “This was a shattering depiction of just one woman's story in the book, but it was also profoundly inspiring to see how much change can come from the action of one single individual. As a result of her refusal, the village gradually becomes aware that the tradition is cruel and oppressive, and both men and women in the village begin to refuse the tradition as well.” And although women may have been the center of attention, boys also played a big role. Sophomore Jason Zheng “liked the story of Woineshet [as well] because it was really sad and its message was really clear. It effected me by making me more aware of women being abused.” Woineshet clearly made a big difference in many hearts and minds that night!

The theater was jam-packed with audience members, most of whom were from AHS, but some adults, mostly women, showed up to support as well. One of the most powerful moments of the night was when the narrator onscreen asked viewers to text SKY to a certain number in order to join the CARE organization, a charity that fights poverty around the world. According to students who attended, the whole theater was filled with glowing light from cell phones as students typed away. Mrs. Bishop-Neuwirth said, “The book is much more detailed and frightening than the movie – there are many stories about women in all parts of the world who are suffering, yet surviving oppression…the film, like the book, was painful to watch yet at the same time incredibly inspiring and left me with a sense of hope that even ordinary people like ourselves have so much power to make the world a more equal and loving place.”

The members of WHI have all been reading the book Half the Sky, and often talk about many of the issues brought forward by the book. In May, during Diversity Week, WHI will hold seminars in which they will be discussing this powerful book as well and they encourage everyone to come out and support. "Half the Sky" really touched the hearts of those who had previously not known or cared much about the problems of women in places like rural Africa, but the book is even more powerful, so get out there and learn about what people who are as lucky as us can do to help!