The Pepperbox
OCTOBER BOX BRIEFS Hall of Fame Inductions: October 22nd Homecoming Game [FHS @ AHS Football Game]: October 23rd Homecoming Dance: October 23rd ACT: October 24th at Eureka High CAHSEE Test: November 3rd-4th SAT: November 7th
Arcata/AAI Fall Production: November 12th-14th Blood Drive: November 18th Fall Sports Awards Night: November 18th End of Term 2: November 20th Thanksgiving Break: November 23rd27th SAT: December 5th
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EDITORIAL STAFF Kaelyn Tuermer-Lee Editor-In-Chief Terra Clarke Editor-In-Chief Alley Perry Editor-in-Chief Hannah Finley Managing Editor Emelia BensonMeyer News Editor Nora Lovell Feature Editor Caitlyn Patterson Feature Editor Cheyenne Keith Sports Editor Jake Verhaegh Sports Editor CJ Gray Opinion Editor
Len Perry Opinion Editor Marley Tavernier-Fine Arts & Entertainment Editor Peter Shao Online Editor Alyssa Day Business Manager Grace Walker Art Editor Rex Bachemin Social Media Director Althea Newman Photo Editor Kellen O’Neill Copy Editor Kate Breyer Photographer
IN THE BOX Know Your Rights. . . . . . . . . . . 6 News Briefs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 New Teachers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 AAI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Tiffany the Snake. . . . . . . . 10-11 Samoa Pulp Mill. . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Legalizing Marijuana . . . . . . 13 Gay Marriage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Elections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Arcata A’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17 Middletown Fires. . . . . . . . . . 18 Cheer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Air Wheels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Entering Adulthood . . . . . . . 21 Transgender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Power Outage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Freshmen Officers. . . . . . . . . 24 Exchange Students. . . . . . . . . 26 Football . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Police Brutality. . . . . . . . . . 28-29 Fat Shaming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 My Story. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Silent Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Questions regarding editorial content of the Pepperbox should be dicected towards its editors. Opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of Arcata High School.
REPORTERS Ellen Keil Justin Furtado Jordan Chasescott Asher Critch Jakub Mácha
Advisor
The Pepperbox would like to thank Western Web, based in Samoa, for printing at-cost. Western Web supports student journalism throughout Humboldt County and has made publications like the Pepperbox possible for decades. We appreciate their dedication to keeping print media alive. Western Web
Jennifer Coriell
FROM THE ARCHIVES
BEHIND THE COVER
A unique predecessor to air wheels.
Left: Originally published April 14, 1978 From manual 4-wheelers to automatic 2-wheelers, see the latest trend about air wheels on page 20. For this cover in our Know Your Rights issue, we had several photoshoots of students being handcuffed. In our first attempt, freshman Kevin Madero is pictured (on left) getting ready for the picture. Shoutout to Kevin for all his time and patience, even though his picture was not featured. Editors-in-Chief took advantage of the cop car appearance at lunch that same day, as Max Gambin poses in front of it (on right). Given that the major subject of this issue is knowing your rights, the Pepperbox staff wanted to find a unique way to represent the consequences associated with it. To read more about police brutality, see Len Perry’s article on pages 28-29. (It is also to be noted that Kevin Madero and Max Gambin are NOT actually being arrested.)
EDITOR’S BOX The Pepperbox and its staff welcome Arcata High School to the new 2015-16 school year! With the beginning of new classes, friends, and atmosphere for many students, we are excited to bring you our first issue of the year! Not only do we have a new Pepperbox staff, we also have a new advisor, Ms. Coriell. To kick off this school year and homecoming week, we bring to you our homecoming nominees, featured on the back cover with our “let the tiger magic begin” theme. We also feature four unique students in our Arcata A’s, as well as our new exchange students this year. In our Know Your Rights issue, we delve into the responsibilities we have as students and as members of society to not only know our rights, but also the consequences associated with them. - Editors-in-Chief Kaelyn Tuermer-Lee, Terra Clarke, & Alley Perry
Quotable. “They said ‘no sarcasm in the classroom,’ and I said, ‘forget that, I’ll quit teaching before I drop sarcasm.’ ” -Statistics teacher Kay Wozniak to her third period class, referring to her teaching conference.
“You’ve gotta be smarter than the curtain. ” -English teacher JoAnn Moore to her fourth period Honors English class as a student tried to pull a ripping curtain across the window.
“Homecoming Grinch--you can call me that.” -Geology teacher Greg Hildebrand during his first period class, in reference to the bulletin announcement on homecoming “propaganda.”
“I dislocated my life.” -Senior Turner Trapkus to Carlos Razo in third period Econ.
“Donald Trump is a racist pile of hair.” -Junior Sierra Bennett when asked about her view on Donald Trump in the upcoming election.
37 143 Days of school completed.
Days of school left this school year.
22 67 School days until Thanksgiving break.
School days until the end of Semester 1.
81 8 Goals scored by the girls’ varsity soccer team.
241 196 206 211
Goals scored against the girls’ varsity soccer team. Freshmen class members Sophomore class members Junior class members Senior class members
Frameable. Exchange Student Jakub Mรกcha admires the view from the top of the Empire State Building. Marley Tavernier visits the Thurston Lava Tube in Volcano National Park.
Madeleine Easthouse proves that Nice, France is nice.
Kaelyn Tuermer-Lee is flying high at Playa Linda Beach in Ixtapa, Mexico.
Alley Perry poses in Les Baux-de-Provence, France.
Lili Iverson enjoys her time in Varanasi, India.
The Pepperbox | Page 6
Rights
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
Your rights as a student and minor What you can do •YOU CAN say no to a search
What you can’t do •YOU CAN’T stop a search if school officials have reasonable suspicion (reasonable suspicion includes proof that you are violating school rules or the law)
•Your first ammendment rights do allow you to ex•YOU CAN’T violate the press yourself through your dress code by wearing clothing clothes that allude to violence, drugs, or nudity •YOU CAN express your opinions through speech
•YOU CAN’T express your views in a way that is deemed disruptive of the educational process
•YOU CAN refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance and •YOU CAN’T disrupt class flag salute at assemblies or school events when declining participation
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
News briefs Caitlyn Patterson Feature Editor
News
pher and biologist, Ken Burton spotted one for the first time in years. Hopes are that these precious animals will return and reform their historical habitat.
Arcata High: California: There have been a few common questions going around campus regarding the new building that is currently being constructed. Many rumors have been circulating as to when it will be finished and what is actually going to be included inside. Have no fear fellow students, the Pepperbox has come to the rescue with current and correct information about this new and improved multipurpose room. To start off, there will be a new stage, a room for the orchestra, a recording studio for AAI music, a drama practice room, and a madrigal choir practice room. There will also be individual practice rooms for upcoming events. It is heard that there will be a room to display student art but no actual art studios are included. The building itself will not be completed until January but hopes are to move the orchestra and the madrigal classes into a single finished room by mid-November.
Humboldt County:
Decades ago, the coast of Humboldt County accommodated a habitat sea otters. Due to excessive fur hunting, they disappeared and found new homes. Sea otter sightings here, present to today are rare. Earlier this month, wildlife photogra-
The Pepperbox | Page 7
of who should take the fault in situations like these has been an issue for far too long, and this case could be a turning point.
ready escaped. There are now questions being asked about the complicity involved with the employees of the prison.
Global:
On Monday the 5th, hundreds of people marched through the Turkish capital of Ankara and through Istanbul, holding a peace rally condemning the slaughter of the suicide bombers. Turkey feel that they are close to identifying the bombers themselves. Many are blaming ISIS, although the other parties involved believe the blame to be the government. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu refuses to say that the bombs were a result of their involvement in war with Syria. Turkish government believes that there were two male bombers who were responsible for the killing of more than 97 people and injuring hundreds.
New information has been reCalifornia Children’s Services leased about the escape of Mex(CCS) is a statewide program ican drug lord, Joaquin “El Chathat assists children with spe- po” Guzman on July 11th from cific limitations, health issues, a maximum security prison. and diseases by providing mon- There is now evidence, more ey for equipment, operations, specifically video coverage retravel costs, etc. Recently, Gov. vealing the sound of loud drillJerry Brown signed Assembly ing and hammering soon beBill 187 which will cause for fore his escape. In the clip, you a redesign of the whole pro- see his cell-mate, Sinaloa cartel gram. Currently it is quite dif- boss, turn up the volume of the ficult to get the help that these television as the loud sounds beparents and children need. This gan. The video also shows proof bill should make access to these that the two agents assigned to health care benefits more sim- watch over him had not physiple than it was before, hopefully cally been there approximately relieving a portion of the strug- a half and hour after he had algle that these families may face. EATE • ORIGINATE • TE • CR MAK A V O E! INN
United States:
In June of 2009, two Milwaukee police officers were shot. The shooter, Julius Burton was too young to purchase a gun and had another man purchase it for him in an obvious way. Presently, the gun shop in which the gun was purchased has been ruled by the jury as being negligent. More than five million dollars has been awarded in damages to the police officers. This piece of news is important because it is particularly uncommon that gun shops get charged for being careless with whom they are selling their guns to. The controversy
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The Pepperbox | Page 8
News
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
New faces on campus Millers 21st year as a teacher.
Kellen O’Neill Copy Editor
A
s the new year begins, there are many new faces at Arcata High. Most of these faces belong to the freshman class, but there are also some new members of the teaching staff. These new teachers include Spanish teacher, Mr. Montoya, Orchestra teacher, Mrs. Moulton, and Agriculture teacher, Mrs. Miller. The Arcata High campus was sad to see Mrs. Anderson , Ms. Jacobson, and Mrs. Kastler go last year, but the teachers coming in bring enthusiasm and are shaping up to be top-notch replacements. Mr. Montoya is teaching Spanish one and two here on campus. He was born in Columbia before making his way to Humboldt County to teach Spanish. He makes sure to start the period on a good note with a positive quote for his students. He offers warm greetings and farewells to everyone that makes his acquaintance with. Sophomore, Quinn Parker said, “Mr. Montoya is very engaging because he makes sure to bring a positive attitude to school every day.” Mrs. Miller is taking over the agriculture program that some students hold so dear at both Arcata and Mckinleyville High. Over the summer she was busy working the Humboldt county fair with students from both of these schools. She has wanted to teach ever since she was young when she was involved in the FFA(Future Farmers of America) program. Born in Arcata, this will be Mrs.
On the subject of her goals for the year she said, “I want to see the program grow and get more people involved [in FFA].” When Mrs. Miller is not teaching she enjoys cooking and raising sheep. She is taking the beginning of this year in stride and making some great progress. Mrs. Moulton is taking on the challenge of teaching zero period orchestra and choir on campus this year, as well as jazz band at McKinleyville High. She comes to school with a big smile on her face and takes on the day with enthusiasm for her job. Mrs. Moulton was born here in Humboldt county and has known what career path she was going to take ever since sixth grade. “I had an amazing teacher in sixth grade that took time out of the curriculum to accommodate to the needs of a new Spanish speaking student, which made me decide to be a teacher,” said Moulton. She is very excited to be part of such a great music program and hopes to make the orchestra more accessible to students this year. When Mrs. Moulton is not at school she likes to work on projects, like the teardrop trailer she is building, and to travel to sparsely populated areas, like the trinity alps. Whether you are taking a class with one of these three new teachers or not, they are all great people, and if you get the chance to meet them, It will definitely be worth your while. It takes a lot to make a school year run smoothly and it is glad to know that teachers like these will be joining us this year.
Kate Breyer/PEPPERBOX
Kate Breyer/PEPPERBOX
Kellen O’Neill/PEPPERBOX
The three new teachers on campus this year include Mrs. Moulton, Mr. Montoya, and Mrs. Miller.
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
The Pepperbox | Page 9
News
The new and improved AAI Alley Perry
Editor in Chief
A
new year brings new changes and challenges for the Arcata Arts Institute, with the addition of the new auditorium and its recently changed schedule; but for the most part, AAI has stayed relatively the same. It continues to be a creative, collaborative community. The moment you walk in the door, the environment envelopes you in its warm, welcoming embrace. The visual art rooms of AAI feel busy and filled with creative energy as each artist works diligently on their individual projects. “[AAI] is a community of creative minds, it's a really safe place,” Junior Camilla Montoya said of the program. Junior Leo Stafsnes feels similarly, “[AAI] gives a whole community an outlet, where they might not fit in or be productive elsewhere. Its is a positive place where I can feel comfortable.” In fact this is how most AAI students describe the AAI community, as somewhere they feel safe to express themselves artistically in any way possible. AAI has not as much changed as it has shifted this year, changing the old block periods from the middle of the day to the end. Though adding a 7th period onto two of your weekdays may seem daunting and impossible to some students, the artists of AAI have quickly adapted to their new schedules. “I’d probably rather not stay at school until 4:15, but I mean
at least we still get those two hours, in the longer periods you can get more work done,” Montoya said of the 6th-7th block system. “It was annoying at first, but now I’m starting to like it.” “Sometimes it’s hard to stay focused, but if you want to do something extra you have to make the commitment,” states Stafsnes. “I personally struggle with [the 7th period] because I have sports. I miss part of soccer on Tuesdays,” senior Ellie EarleRouse said. AAI’s schedule shift may be an adjustment, but it allows for some definite advantages as well. “I like that now we can take whatever English we want, I’m in Myth right now and I wouldn’t be able to do that if we had double block periods,” Earle-Rouse points out. Adding an extra period to the AAI schedule has eliminated the need for a designated AAI
English class, an absolute perk for students wanting to take both a non-CP English and AAI. When the visual art AAI master classes aren’t being taught 7th period on Tuesdays and Thursdays, it's the other AAI Master classes that stay past 3:20. AAI doesn’t just consist of photography and visual arts, AAI is host to a variety of diverse Master classes that allow students to expand their artistic horizons. These classes include Theater Design, Printmaking, as well as Songwriting and Music Composition. Only 3 of the 11 Master Classes are offered for the Fall of 2015. The visual arts, such as photography, will remain in the 500 wing along with wood shop, metal shop, and makers. Other AAI master classes, such as the newly implemented Artists in Motion Dance Class, will be moving to be taught in Arcata
Max Gambin/PEPPERBOX
Juniors Faith Iverson and Bella DelaUz converse artistically over a project in 7th period AAI.
High’s new Auditorium. Fortunately all the students of AAI will be able to enjoy the auditorium in some way or another.
[AAI] gives a whole community an outlet
- Leo Stafsnes
“We have this big, beautiful long gallery space [in the auditorium] we’ll be able to show there. [The gallery has] gallery lighting, and a hanging system,” AAI teacher Mrs. Bown-Crawford [ABC] said of the exciting new auditorium. The new gallery space will feature the various and diverse art of AAI, and will have displays that are constantly rotating. The students of Arcata High can look forward to the new auditorium being ready for use sometime between mid to end November, and the exciting new addition brings with it new opportunities and programs for the AAI students. Though some things have changed in AAI, it's for the better. Another perk of the shifted block classes, is higher availability in students that the AAI classes can take on, as ABC points out. “We’re doing what we’re used to doing within the art classes, what’s exciting to me is that we don’t have limits on our enrollment now. We’re not limited anymore.”
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News
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
Taking the life out of the biology classroom Hannah Finley Managing Editor
W
hen you walk into the friendly confines of room 402, you are no longer greeted by familiar slithering as in the past. The once aquarium-occupied corner of the classroom now remains desolate; where did Tiffany the snake go? Her subdued yet massive presence had more impact than one may suspect. Tiffany, the large Columbian Boa, now resides with local entertainer, Nature Joe. Tiffany the snake has been part of the Arcata High campus for 27 years. She has seen generations walk in and out of Cindy Condit’s classroom. From the day that eighth grade students walk around Arcata High School during Freshmen Ori-
entation, Tiffany would make her impression. For some, the idea of having a 50 pound snake roaming about the classroom instilled instant excitement, but for others, it instilled shear panic. Countless students, including myself, have had a sense of anxiousness when they first discovered that they would have a class with Condit. Luckily, this anxiousness quickly resided after spending one week in the class, and realizing that Tiffany is neither evil, as the media often portrays snakes, nor particularly fast paced. Condit claimed, “Tiffany was a teaching tool. She taught people not to be afraid of snakes. I can’t tell you how many students walked into my class with a snake phobia, and left without one.” Upon interviewing students on campus, it was evident that
Hannah Finley/PEPPERBOX
Condit and her corn snake, Heidi.
many supported Condit’s claim. Arcata High senior Canyon Robins is the only person on campus to have been bitten by Tiffany, and thus, the only person who would have a completely legitimate reason to dislike her.
Tiffany was a teaching tool. She taught people not to be afraid of snakes. I can’t tell you how many students walked into my class with a snake phobia, and left without one. - Condit “I never really considered that it was her fault. I put myself in a position where i could
be bitten and a lot of contributing factors led up to that situation. In the end, it wasn’t really a big deal. My hand was find the next day and I had a cool story to tell,” Robins stated. According to popular consensus on campus, from students and faculty, Tiffany the snake is greatly missed. If everyone loved Tiffany so much, one may ask why she had to leave in the first place. Well, after thousands of dollars went down the drain, Tiffany was sentenced to be relocated. A flood, thought to have been started by Tiffany, caused serious damage after leaking through the floor panels of the biology classroom and into the culinary classroom below. The damage repair was not only expensive, but also time consuming. According to Arcata High administration, the decision to get rid of Tiffany went
Hannah Finley/PEPPERBOX
The safety shower before the sign was moved.
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015 beyond their power. The insurance company insisted that the snake responsible for the flood had to go. While this disaster is indisputably unfortunate, how can it be attributed to the mischievous doings of a snake? Well, it was obvious that the water was started by Tiffany. She was the only mobile presence in the classroom between the time that it was cleaned by a custodian and the time that the flood was discovered. A piece of safety equipment, specifically a shower with a pull down lever, was disturbed. The blame is undeniable; however, while Tiffany was justly convicted for starting the water, it is unreasonable for her to take the entire blame for the flood damage.
I had students in the past that had used the emergency shower and actually cut their hand on the poorly placed sign when they pulled down then released the lever. - Condit The shower that was activated by a lever, a lever that Tiffany presumably slithered over, should’ve stopped running when the lever was released. Regrettably, the safety equipment did not function as expected. A poorly placed warning sign on the safety equipment obstructed the path of the lever, preventing it from returning back to the off position. Not only was the safety
News equipment inefficiently designed, but the poor design was even acknowledged by Condit. “I had students in the past that had used the emergency shower and actually cut their hand on the poorly placed sign when they pulled down then released the lever. ” Condit claimed that she had informed the Arcata High administration about the flaw in the safety shower, and had asked them to send a custodian to move the sign up a few inches. The sign was never moved, ultimately resulting in the flood. Finally, the sign has been properly adjusted in Condit’s classroom, but it still remains an issue in other science rooms. Not only was the safety equipment not addressed, but the design of the drainage system in the classroom is beyond ineffective. The drain is actually higher than the floor, leaving any pooled water with nowhere to go but through the floor. Dave Lonn, the Executive Director at the Northern Humboldt Union High School District, even acknowledged that the drain was not in a position to prevent flood damage. In addition to the flood, a complaint was filed in 2007 that Tiffany created an unsanitary environment in the classroom, and scared select students. Condit claims that she was never informed of the complaint. Overall, this was a sad situation. Nobody wanted to see Tiffany go, especially not Condit. Initially, she was informed that the snake had to be relocated, and, understanding the decision, she agreed to find a home for Tiffany; however, she was shocked when she returned from vacation over the summer and
and Tiffany was already gone. “I felt devalued, disrespected, unappreciated, and misunderstood when I returned from vacation and Tiffany had already been relocated.” Though Tiffany had to be relocated regardless of any reluctance, it seems as though Condit would’ve preferred having a say in where the snake-- the snake that she took care of for 27 years with science department funds-- was sent to. Many faculty members and students were upset by the decision to relocate the snake without Condit’s approval of the new home. Robins stated, “I feel that her relocation was handled poorly. The people making the decisions weren’t necessarily the people affected by their consequences, and I think it was done impulsively and in secrecy.” Some individuals were so upset that there have even been rumors that a petition to get Tiffany back at Arcata High have circulated around campus. Arcata High Math teacher, Kay Wozniak stated, “Tiffany is the science department mascot, and I believe that the people who have taken care of and loved her should have had a say in where she should live. The fact that the administration and district office justified her relocation with insurance issues due to the flood is preposterous.” Wozniak, with support from fellow teachers are in the progress of creating a petition in order to get Tiffany back, or at least prevent situations like these from occurring in the future. Though the donation of Tiffany was sad, she is thriving in her new home! Nature Joe, Tiffany’s new caretaker claimed, “Tiffany is
The Pepperbox | Page 11 doing great! She eats well, acts happy, has been out to the public several times and seems to enjoy meeting new people. Overall, she has adjusted well.” Luckily, Tiffany appears to be happy in her new home. Nature Joe did admit that he was a bit shocked that he didn’t get to speak with the previous caretaker when he came to pick up Tiffany. “It was a weird situation on my part because usually I get to talk to the people that have been caring for them. When I came, I was expecting to meet the teacher [Condit].” Despite the oddity in the situation, Nature Joe was pleased to have a new edition to the crew. Though he claims to be a big proponent of having animals in education programs, he understood why
Tiffany is doing great! She eats well, acts hapy, has been out to the public several times and seems to enjoy meeting new people. Overall, she has adjusted well. - Nature Joe Tiffany was being relocated. While the drain still remains in an inefficient location and safety showers still have poorly placed signs, at least the snake responsible for starting the water is gone. Tiffany is greatly missed, and Arcata High sends their best wishes.
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News
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
Samoa Bay Pulp Mill: secrets behind the smokestack Marley Tavernier-Fine
T
A&E Editor
oxic sludge and hazardous chemicals? Not usually the first words that come to mind when people picture Humboldt Bay, but with the recent deterioration of the old Samoa Pulp Mill, its effects can be seen all over our county. Driving along the bridges to Samoa, or walking by the waterfront, the distinct silhouette of the mill’s smokestack stands out against the picturesque backdrop of the bay. Before new safety measures were instituted, Humboldt Bay was a very different place than it is today. “People just didn’t eat anything from the Bay”, Condit said.“It smelled like sauerkraut from the pulp mill; I always craved a hot dog from the mall anytime I was in Eureka!” Since it was shut down in 2008, the Pulp Mill has been “adopted” by the Humboldt Bay Harbor, Recreation, and Conservation district. It had to pay very little for the rights to the 70 acre facility, which had operated since 1963. Part of the deal was that the Harbor District had to take over the maintenance and responsibilities, which proved to be a more daunting task than expected. The mill site was shut down quickly and without notice in 2008 by Evergreen Pulp, but due to the short notice, the pulping liquors were left onsite in storage tanks. Pulping liquor can be green, white, or black, but it’s
the black liquor, the caustic waste product from the pulping process that is in the greatest quantity at the pulp mill. Along with other acids, turpentine, fuel, and corrosive sludge, there were more than four million gallons of liquid left on the site. The solutions that had been sitting for years were diluted by rainwater, which caused their volume to increase. After surveying the site, the Environmental Protection Agency initiated an emergency response program with the Coast Guard. The two organizations worked together to secure the area. One major concern was the mill’s proximity to the bay; the liquors at the pulp mill have a pH higher than 13 on the pH scale; since seven is neutral this is a very high number. It means the liquors are very basic, enough to harm most types of aquatic life. If some event like a spill or an earthquake were to occur, they would go straight into the bay. This could have a detrimental effect on the businesses that depend on the bay, such as commercial fishing and oyster beds, as well as sports and recreational activities. “If a big toxic spill happens, the entire area could be shut off, no one could go in or out” Condit stated. “Businesses would leave, people would leave, people could get sick, and the overall economy and environment of the area could suffer lasting damage.” In recent years, the crew teams in Humboldt have been gain-
ing more recognition; it’s a sport that more and more people are finding out about. Without the bay, there would be no crew. “It’s really the only body of water we can use in the area” AHS senior and HBRA Varsity rower Henry Penalosa said, “Even though the bay can be affected by the wind, tides, motorboats, and sailboats, it’s still a really awesome place to be able to crew.” Some places only have man-made reservoirs to use, and with water shortages this year, water levels have been very low, with only 400 or so meters to row in. Typically, a race is 2,000 meters, which is how much space a team needs to practice; the Humboldt Bay Rowing Association has more than 10,000 meters of water available, with many different courses available for the boats to take. Foster City is a popular site for crew regattas, since the water quality in it’s man-made lagoon is very different from that of Humboldt Bay. “The water is chemically blue” sophomore Scott Ballinger said, another HBRA member on Varsity Crew “It feels goopy and slimy if it gets on your skin, it’s like the stuff you use to clean toilets.” Arcata High Sophomore and Varsity rower Emma Harris also talked about the Foster City Lagoon. “If someone fell in during one of the races, they would have to go to the emergency room afterwards.” Our bay may be cold, and may be a little nasty to some, with the eel-
grass, fish guts, and murky waters, but we know that it’s a healthy, vital, nutrient-rich environment that supports hundreds of organisms. If that ecosystem was to be damaged by chemicals, which will ultimately end up in the ocean, it could have disastrous effects. “I will really try not to drink the Humboldt Bay water!” Ballinger said. We live in a place with an amazing amount of marine diversity. The conditions here let that diversity happen, but it’s a delicate balance, and a big change could cause more damage than most people can imagine. The Samoa Pulp Mill is a part of Humboldt County’s history, but plans for the site include eventual demolition. This can only happen after the EPA has judged the liquids to be secure, whether they’re burned off or transported to other mills that can reuse them. There is a big cost for shipping the liquors out of Humboldt, but they are a valuable material in the pulping process, so thousands of gallons will be sent out to other mills in Washington and Oregon. It’s still a big project, but there are definitely risks and benefits. “I want a new name” Harbor District Commissioner Mike Wilson said. “I’m tired of calling it the old pulp mill.” So when you drive by the Bay, take a second look at that old smokestack; it’s more than just a long tube of metal poking into the Humboldt skyline. It represents the past of our county, and the trials and hopes of what is to come.
Marley Tavernier-Fine/PEPPERBOX
Pulp mill on the horizon.
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
News
The Pepperbox | Page 13
Truth revealed: money does grow on trees Jordan Chasescott Reporter
M
oney does grow on trees, at least in Humboldt anyways. Estimates suggest that $415 million circulates through Humboldt County yearly due to marijuana. This represents 26% of Humboldt’s economy and with the potential legalization of marijuana, it could change. Where will this drug money go? Will it be circulated into marijuana dispensaries and into taxes, or could it stay in circulation with local growers? If the bill is passed by the California voters, marijuana will be legalized for recreational use in November 2016. Currently, it is unknown whether or not it will pass; it is all estimates and predictions. This bill would make growing marijuana for a permitted distributor legal, but it would come with many regulations. The act of cultivating marijuana to sell would still be illegal without a permit, and to receive a permit many regulations would need to be followed. These regulations would include limits on growing space, water use, packaging, labeling, health regulations, and others. Some of those who refuse to comply with these regulations will attempt to sell on the black market. The tax rates on marijuana would be 15% on retail and 10% on wholesale. This tax income could bring extra revenue into Humboldt County. This, however, might not be the case;
taxes will raise the prices of legal marijuana, and will lower prices on the black market. If marijuana was to become legal, why would our local economy suffer? Most likely many people would still sell on the black market. Why do people buy produce from the farmers’ market or the COOP rather than places such as Safeway where produce could be a little cheaper? This is because many people in Humboldt like to support local farmers and may choose to buy from them directly, therefore avoiding the taxes on legal marijuana. So why would the marijuana industry be any different? People will want to support local farmers rather than licensed dispensaries. And depending on the prices of marijuana at legal establishments, it could be cheaper to purchase on the black market. Others feel that if marijuana becomes legal, the black market sales will decrease greatly. The mayor of Arcata, Michael Winkler, expects the mass market to move out of Humboldt County to places with more favorable large-scale agricultural production, such as the Central Valley. As a result of this, he expects the total dollar value of production to be much smaller in Humboldt County. Winkler stated that he expects “...significantly higher consumption among adults and teenagers and an overall increase in mental and physical health problems.” Many people
think that if marijuana is legalized, people will buy legal, taxed marijuana, rather than black market marijuana because it would be easier, not to mention legal. If this is the case, the demand for marijuana will increase, increasing the revenue.
I expect a substantial decrease in associated law enforcement issues, decreased environmental impacts and reduced impacts on non-consumers. For all these reasons, I support legalization - Michael Winkler On a positive note, the legalization of marijuana could create many jobs for current large scale growers to work for grow corporations to keep up with the demand of marijuana. This has potential of helping the Humboldt County economy. Junior Will Robinson stated, “I know there are businesses who have already bought up plots of land in Mendocino county and they’re waiting for it to be legalized and they’re going to grow.” Growers are already preparing for the legalization of marijuana, and Humboldt’s economy could survive. “Humboldt could be even more of a marijuana mecca,”
Robinson added, referring to the legalization of marijuana. If the potential legalization leads most people to buy from legal grow stores, the black market could suffer. The economy could then possibly suffer, because the money that formerly circulated among the local growers in Humboldt County will now be taxed and concentrated between the few legal suppliers and growers for these stores. How would this affect the business of non-growers? If the black market suffers, the economy would suffer. As of now, growers make an excess amount of money. These locals spend their excess money throughout the community at local businesses. These growers will most likely not be making the same amount of money once marijuana is legalized, leading to less money being spent and circulated through the community. The success of business such as Northcoast Horticulture Supply (NHS) after legalization cannot be determined. If the black market becomes obsolete and legal growers move outside of Humboldt, it could negatively affect the business of stores such as NHS. So what will happen in Humboldt if marijuana is legalized in California? Could growers continue to sell on the black market or will the legal marijuana sales take over the industry? So far, only speculations can be made, but with the events that are to take place in coming months, the repercussions will soon be discovered.
The Pepperbox | Page 14
News
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
First step towards equality Emelia BensonMeyer
T
News Editor
housands of lives were changed when the Supreme Court ruled to legalize same-sex marriage on June 26, 2015, which stated that “the right to marry is a fundamental right inherent in the liberty of the person.” Numerous people celebrated on this historical day in which fourteen states’ laws and fundamental principles were changed. “It definitely set off a start button for other things in the LGBT community,” senior Ezra Vega expressed. A majority of people strongly supported and affirmed this decision. With the ruling, samesex couples will now receive the same treatment and opportunities as heterosexual couples. Vega feels that the overall support has progressed immensely over the years. However, others have opposing views. “I feel that people aren’t supporting it at all,” junior Heather Jackson-Pease stated. “Maybe over a little more time more people will start coming around and realizing that this is just something that is going to need to be accepted,” she added. Though many of the reactions to the ruling were positive, some were negative as well. An anonymous source felt that those who don’t support it receive grief for their religious beliefs. Nationally, some reactions haven’t been positive either, including those of Kim Davis, a county clerk in Kentucky who refused to issue mar-
riage licenses to same-sex couples.
“She’s breaking the law and she needs to be punished for it. It’s not cruel, it’s just fair, and she needs to do her job,” Vega remarked. Jackson-Pease agreed with Vega’s perspective. “I understand that she’s trying to use her right to freedom of religion…but I don’t see why her freedom of religion has to inflict on somebody else’s happiness,” she argued. She believes that the right to freedom of expression shouldn’t extend to affect the rights and opportunities of others. Even those who don’t support the legalization disapprove of Davis’ actions
I don’t see why [Davis’] freedom of religion has to inflict on somebody else’s happiness -Heather JacksonPease “Issuing marriage licenses should be something that needs to follow the law, even if it goes against religious beliefs, even if you don’t support it,” an anonymous source said. They felt that there is a certain point at which religion shouldn’t bind one to make such decisions. The controversy over the ruling is summarized with two basic
Photo courtesy of CNN
In celebration of the legalization of same-sex marriage nationwide, an equal rights supporter poses in Washington D.C. arguments: those whose religious beliefs don’t allow them to support same-sex marriage, and those who believe others are using religion as an excuse not to support it. The issue is one offensive to both sides. The Roman Catholic Church opposed the decision, stating that God had intended for the union of man and woman, not woman and woman or man and man. Both sides received grief for their views from the opposing perspective. Despite some opposition, as occurs with every controversial issue, the overall support was strong. As President Obama said, “Americans should be very proud.” Today, “we have made our nation a little more perfect,” he stated. After decades of fighting for gay marriage rights, advocates have received some acceptance and compensation for who they truly are. People have varying ideas on what the next step will and should be for equal rights. Many believe that the support for
same-sex marriage will only increase and spread in popularity. Vega thinks it will lead to an increase in support for trans surgeries, and, in his words, “Maybe people will finally start to realize that nothing is wrong with it.” “It’s just kind of the norm for people to support it,” an anonymous source commented. “I think most people support it nowadays.” The majority does support it and reacted positively to the ruling, celebrating both by getting legally married and/or supporting those who were now legally able to do such a thing. “There is so much hate in the world right now,” McDonald, a witness to the reactions to the ruling, stated. “I’m glad they chose love over hate this time” (CNN News). Though this is only the beginning of national acceptance for same-sex couples, it is a strong start, and hopefully, both those who support it and those who don’t can work together to form a society from which everyone will benefit.
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
The Pepperbox | Page 15
News
Arcata high students are “Feeling the Bern” Nora Lovell
limit the power of corporations. He is also a strong supFeature Editor porter of LGBT+ rights. elf-declared Socialist, Support for Bernie, which Bernie Sanders, is start- has hit the nation, has even ing a political revolu- swept over Arcata High. tion that is flooding the nation with his bid for “I really hope that Bernie Sandthe White House in 2016. ers wins because honestly he's “This campaign is going to s our only hope of a bright future” end a message to the billionaire junior Sierra Bennett stated. class, you can’t have it all,” Bernie Sanders stated in his camReferring to what he liked paign announcement last May. about Bernie, junior Cannon Russell responded, “He's Bernie Sanders recently an- so much different than any nounced that he has hit one other candidate right now. He million individual contribu- really wants to make Amertions, 99% of them being under ica great; he really cares.” $250. Presidential elections are coming up and many students Democratic socialism is dewill be eligible to vote for the fined as a political ideology first time. With this in mind, which combines a democratic students need to decide who political system and a socialthey would like to see representing the United States. Many students are already greatly advocating for Team Bernie.
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I really hope that Bernie Sanders wins because honestly he’s our only hope of a bright future - Sierra Bennett ist economic system. The most controversial part of Bernie’s campaign has been that he identifies as a Democratic Socialist. “I think people get scared of the word socialism; they associate it with communism, but it’s not, it’s different,” Pedicino said, “If you look at the val-
ues of socialism, they are really in line with the common person and not the corporation and I think it would help.” “I think [Bernie] has a wonderful chance [of becoming president] if people actually vote and realize that their vote does count because honestly everyone who can vote should vote” Bennett said. The California primary will be held on June 7th, 2016, and no matter your opinion or feelings about the government, everyone needs to vote. The right to vote has been fought for by various groups throughout history and is the cornerstone of democracy. Don’t ever think that your vote doesn’t matter because it is more important than you even know.
“[Bernie’s] totally for the people, for the common person, and wants to end the power of the corporations,” senior Natalie Pedicino said, “We need some radical change in our government.” And change is just what Bernie wants to give us. Since the 1980’s, Bernie has been campaigning for change. He has called for racial justice, women’s rights, living wages, government reform, and many other radical changes to shift our country towards help for the people. Bernie is in favor of healthcare for all and overturning citizens united. He wants to tax Wall Street and
Photo courtesy of Win McNamee, Getty Images
Bernie Sanders giving a passionate speech.
The Pepperbox | Page 16
Feature
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
Feature students: The Academic: Javon Patterson Kate Bryer Photographer
J
avon Patterson--Ever walk by that guy in the hall who’s all decked out in business attire? Asking what sparked that, he just nonchalantly replies “dress for success baby”. Many may also know him for shaving his head and dressing up as Aang from Avatar last Halloween. Senior Javon Patterson strives for perfection not only in his looks, but also in his personal and his academic life. He’s easily completed four Honors and AP courses. As a senior, he’s thrived each year of high school with a golden 4.0, acing AP Calculus, AP European History, Honors Pre-Calculus, and AP Computer Programming and reads in his free time. Yup, he’s that guy in your class reading on his eBook! He’s also a stud with his stride; he’s a key member on the cross country and track teams. Aside from that, this year, Patterson would like to spice things up a bit and try out for baseball. He’s capable in a lot of areas of life. From style to school, to athletics and clubs, he puts the well being of others first. Patterson is involved in Inter act, German Honor Society, and Chess Club. Through Interact, he’s participated in various community events such as the North County Fair and various garbage cleanups. What a real keeper! He chooses to be involved in clubs and athletics for the fun. Although his dream school is MIT, he’s applying to CSU San Jose, California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo, and Stanford. His goal is to be an Aerospace Engineer or Astrophysicist one day. Other than school and extracurriculars--Patterson, middle child of six siblings, is a real family man and he pointed out that, “One day I want to pay my grandmother back. She’s always told me that once I have a big house of my own and I’m successful then I’ll build her a comfy shack right next to my house.” When asked what pushes him to succeed academically, he stated, “It’s all about the dough. I do it to get a good job and money.”
The Athlete: Alessandro Sarris Justin Furtado Reporter
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enior Alessandro Sarris, nicknamed the Italian Stallion, has become a dominant force on the Tigers Varsity football this year. Sarris is an extremely hard worker, always giving his best effort. “He is a great addition to the team; he brings so much energy and is always going all out. It is really inspiring for the team and myself to see some one working so hard,” Cheyenne Keith said. In his first game he had 20 tackles, playing a huge role in the Tigers first win in two years. Sar ris, who is in his second year of tackle football, played flag foot ball for three years previously. Sarris converted positions from free safety in Italy to linebacker here in America, and is having a great deal of success. He has great instincts for the game and is a remarkable athlete. Sarris brings passion and knowledge to the game for our football team and his presence upgrades the de fense dramatically. Sarris is a big believer in preparing for games mentally, and study -ing film of the opposing team in order to create a mental plan on how he is going to attack in the game. On game day, Sarris loves to get hyped; he strongly believes in listening to pump-up music and watching inspirational videos a few hours before the battle. When he hits the field, he plays with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm and gives his all until the end of the game no matter what the score. “I am proud that I am an Italian foreign exchange student playing football in America,” Sarris said.
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
The Pepperbox | Page 17
Feature
The Arcata A’s The Activist: Kila Andi Althea Newman
Photo Editor ila Andi might be shy and quiet at first but once you get her talking it’s hard to make her stop, especially when she’s talking about environmental issues. “I feel passionate about having an earth to live on,” says Andi. Who would disagree? Its safe to say that Andi loves the plan et, and she’s trying to make a difference. This summer she attended Next Generation Climate Justice Action Camp where she learned about earth rights and the legal rights that she has when pro tecting the earth. “A lawyer gave us a know yourrights training and we had a demonstra tion where we protested theL&G pipe line that's going through Oregon,” Andi explained. On campus, Andi is part of two clubs, Interact and Green Global Solutions. Both of these clubs are focused on bettering the community and the world around them. Interact club recently joined up with Zero Waste at the North Country Fair to help separate trash. “I want to learn how to tree sit and just other things that I can do, like go to more action camps,” Andi said. Andi has expressed the wish to move to Ecuador (where her dad is from) and start a foundation rehabilitating the rainforests. The Amazon and the natives who live there are being exploited and it needs to be called to people's attention. “I want to make money in life so i can can start founda tions that are helping to save the world,” Andi said. It can be pretty frustrat ing to be an Earth activist, especially when some people deny that the earth is in trouble. “People won't stop being stupid until it's the last tree and there's nothing we can do to save it,” Andi said. However, lately more and more people are supporting and believing in cli mate change. Even the Pope is adamant in his support of the idea of climate change. Leaders with money, authority, and power are helping to get climate change recognized as a problem. A problem that will affect everyone. “People need to realize that there's not really a point in living if there's no nature, trees, or clean air or water. How can you not care about these necessities?” I would say Kila Andi is most definitely an activist.
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The Artist: Sarah Alexander Grace Walker
Art Director enior Sarah Alexander is nothing if not a jack-of-alltrades. She’s in her second year of AAI, focusing mainly on photography while also dancing both ballet and contemporary. Not to mention that she draws and tries her hand at graphic design as a hobby. Her soft-spokenness is entirely a facade, if you talk to her for more than twenty minutes she starts chatting about cats or quoting the X-Files. But it’s photography that truly captures her attention. “I like photography because I can’t draw! Kidding, I like photography because I like being able t o capture my vision of things and then share it with other people. I also like the sound the shutter makes.” Alexander can be seen meandering around campus, always on the hunt for her next idea. Or a shot of caffeine. Both fiercely important to the artistic process. She constantly switches her track of thought. Always looking for a new angle or perspective for a photo shoot. “I don’t really want to say gothic, but like Ameri can gothic or suburban goth ic is what I’m primari ly focusing on right now.” When she’s not working away in the AAI classrooms trying to meet a deadline, she’s dancing at her studio, the Dance Scene. Even though she’s been danc ing for ten years, she doesn’t see dance beingmore than an enjoyable way to spend some time. Though she does think she’ll continue through college. When she gets a spare moment away from all her class es and hobbies, Alexander also wants to pick up the ukulele to add a musical instrument to the collage of her artistic talents. Right now she’s brainstorming for her senior show. All of the seniors in AAI have an endof-the-year art show, and generally trying to do the classic senior balancing act of applying for college, getting her classwork done, and even doing her hobbies on the side.
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The Pepperbox | Page 18
Feature
FFA to the rescue
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
Terra Clarke Editor-in-Chief
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t Arcata High School the FFA members and agriculture students are often stereotyped as the kids that drive big trucks and play their country music too loud on the other side of the parking lot, but recently they have proved themselves to be something more than this stereotype. Approximately 2,000 destroyed homes and four deaths were the results of the devastating fire in Middletown, California that burned over 110 square miles. The fire that destroyed Middletown started on September 12. Behind all this destruction one group of students and parents came to the rescue, Future Farmers of America.
When I first heard, it was heartbreaking. These are good people who don’t deserve to lose their livelihood and memories. - Sydney Miller FFA has been collecting food, clothes, animal feed, and many other supplies to aid the people in Middletown. The support started pouring in as soon as Arcata FFA knew about the tragedy. Arcata
Kelly Miller /PEPPERBOX
FFA members pose for a picture after their first supplies delivery to Middletown. and Mckinleyville High School Agriculture teacher, Mrs. Miller, has helped spearhead the efforts to help Middletown. “It was crazy. I drove my truck around for the first week collecting donation,” Miller said, “When I filled one rig I would just get another.” Involvement from students and the community has been truly inspiring. According to Mrs. Miller, families from FFA have been the most active, but she has also received donations from students and teachers at Arcata High School. Other supporters have included local businesses that donated hay, feed barrels, and other supplies. “I was blown away by the support and how gracious and giving everyone has been,” said Miller.
“The people have been amazing.” It wasn’t just people who were affected, the farm animals in Middletown also had to be evacuated as well. Currently, Arcata FFA is hosting eight sheep at the Arcata Bottoms farm. Some FFA members had close connections to people who were affected by the Middletown fires. “When I first heard, it was heartbreaking,” junior Sydney Miller said. “These are good people who don’t deserve to lose their livelihood and memories.” For many FFA members this tragedy hit close to home. Some Arcata High School students are friends with those in Middletown affected by the fire. The high school in Middletown served as a place of refuge for families who
lost their homes to the fire. The schools had been closed since the fires started and students only just returned to school on September 28th. “Everyone is very supportive. They lost homes and some of us know them (FFA kids in Middletown) from rodeo,” Ashley Foster said, “We just do the best we can.” Students from all over the county have truly proved that they can make an impact and help people in need. Active FFA members have shown their dedication to the community and provided everyone with an example of how we can all help the people who are much less fortunate than us. “We just want them to be able to help them get back on their feet and get back to a normal life,” Sydney Miller said.
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
Feature
The Pepperbox | Page 19
A new year, a new cheer squad Alyssa Day
Business Manager
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ith homecoming quickly approaching, it's a busy time for the cheerleaders. They’ve had to persevere through many obstacles including; having a much smaller team than usual this year, shorter practice times, many new teammate additions, and not yet having uniforms. Despite all of this, the girls have a kept a positive outlook on the cheer season. Last year during football season, there was a total of 38 girls from varsity and jv combined. This year, JV and varsity each have 11 for a total of 22 girls. It is harder to stunt and make a routine with fewer people, because it limits what a team can do. If one girl gets injured or has to be benched, the whole team suffers the loss, and the whole routine has to be changed. On a team with more people, there are usually extra teammates that can step in when needed, which can be very beneficial. There are seven new additions to the cheer team this football season, five freshmen and two sophomores. For the new freshman additions, this is their first homecoming, and they are very excited. Alex Diers-Parker, otherwise known to the team as ‘Baby Alex,’ a new flyer said, “I’m very excited and also nervous for homecoming. I think it’ll be very fun and a good experience. I really want to advance in my stunting this year.” It is also junior Kelsie Sobol’s first homecoming she’ll be cheering at, “It’s my first year cheering for football season and I’m absolutely loving it,” Sobol said, “I just wish I understood football a little more!” It may sound easy, but with re-
duced practice times and no official place to practice, it proves to be much more challenging than what it’s made out to be. Only having seven hours of practice a week seems like it would be enough, but when you break up a routine, there are eight parts in a typical routine which includes: opening, libs, jumps, specialty stunts, tumbling, baskets, pyramid, and dance. Only having 7 hours a week reduces us to having less than an hour to learn each part and put it all together to counts and music. Despite minimum practices, Coach Cossey still has faith in the team, “The team does a great job with everything I throw at them for routines. They are professionals in my eyes. They each have a job to do everyday at practice and payday is friday nights at halftime,” Cossey said To address the question many have been asking, yes, the team is getting new uniforms this year. The reason that the cheer team has been wearing T-Shirts and shorts recently is because the uniforms were ordered from a different company this year who is based out of Dallas, Texas. The company’s computer system got hacked, and all orders were lost, including the Tiger Cheer team’s. Although it’s been a frustrating topic for the cheer team, we now know the uniforms should be here soon. Through all the obstacles the team encounters and overcomes, our coaches are our biggest supporters and most dedicated fans. They spend a lot of their own time outside of practice making up and perfecting the routines. Coach Ashley Cossey is the main source for the creation of the routines, “I get really inspired by music and the fact that everyone on our team has a lot of sass and is
Vicky Rosser/PEPPERBOX
Arcata High School cheer team performs a risky stunt during half time at the game against St. Bernards High School. fearless, so it makes my job easy knowing that whatever I put into a routine the team will execute and look good doing it.” Said Cossey. Overall, the girls and the coaches are ecstatic for the Disney theme this year, and have been looking forward to coordinating a routine to this theme for years. One returner Logan Santschi, is confident about the routine, “this year’s routine is going to be freaking amazing and I know we’re going to do really great.” Coach Cossey’s confidence in the team is a great motivator, because she believes the team can do anything she puts in front of us. “The team is good at putting on a
fast-paced performance, so that’s what we do, we put on a great, entertaining show for the crowd. It’s all about the ‘wow’ factor.” As exciting as it was seeing the football team win a game this year, we support them win or lose. Though the team does not get to watch our routines, we know that we do get their full support and recognition. Senior Quarterback Tex Keith is one of our biggest fans, “We really appreciate having all those beautiful, talented girls out there cheering for us and bringing the crowd.” Said Keith, “their positivity really helps lift both the crowd and the football team’s spirits.”
The Pepperbox | Page 20
Feature
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
Airwheels, hoverboards, and skywalkers, oh my! Kaelyn Tuermer-Lee Editor-in-Chief
“A
ir-wheels, Air-boards, Skateboards, and other wheeled people movers are not allowed on school grounds or at school events,” read the bulletin on Tuesday, September 15th. Wheeled people movers? So cars too? What about wheelchairs? That seems highly illogical. But I digress. So ly
are
what these air
exactwheels?
Air wheel [air-weel] n. a self-balancing electric mode of transportation that can be used as an alternative to walking. These devices have become increasingly popular, as several students at both Arcata High School and Humboldt University now own one. Senior Maddie Pomerantz first discovered the air wheel upon scrolling through her Instagram feed; Abby Wambach and Sydney Leroux had sponsored it, and being fascinated with it, Pomerantz decided to purchase one for herself. Shortly thereafter, several others bought them as well, starting a new trend. However, this brings up the controversial topic as to whether they should be allowed on school grounds. After all, they are allowed on the HSU campus, so why not at Arcata High? “Can we have skateboards on campus? No. Well there you go,” Mr. Sahlberg said, “It’s the same basic thing as a skateboard. We have 850 kids here and bumps, and if anyone gets hurt, the school is liable. Then if an accident goes to court, the school has to spend money on
Hannah Finley/PEPPERBOX
The notorious, menacing air wheel crew rolls up to school, ready to seize the day. it and pay for it, which is money not going to students’ education.” Although it makes sense for them to be banned on campus, some students disagree with the fact that they are being banned from school events, such as football games.
They should not be banned on campus though--a student should be free to express him or herself as foolishly as he or she wishes - Solomon Reinman
“We don’t have a dress code off campus, so why should the school ban airwheels off campus at school
events? They [school administrators] shouldn’t have control over that,” Maddie Pomerantz stated. But what message does having an air wheel really send to others? It reminds me of the movie WallE, in which the entire population rode around on electric chairs, too lazy and physically unable to exert the little energy needed to walk. “It’s fun and it gets you places faster, and I’m lazy so I don’t have to walk,” Pomerantz said. I have to say, I also admired the new luxury item that provided a fun method of transportation. I, too, also have an air wheel--or should I say had. I came home from soccer practice one day to find that one of my brother’s friends had ridden too fast on it and broke it. At first, I was extremely frustrated, but after thinking about it, I realized how ridiculous it was. Why
do we, as a society, feel the need to have electric scooters or airwheels as a mode of transportation? Have we really become that lazy and desperate to avoid having to walk? While some view the air wheels or hoverboards as a fun toy, others see it as an alternative to walking. But they may be causing more harm than doing good. “They [air wheels] are a shrine to human insolence,” senior Solomon Reinman bluntly stated, “They should not be banned on campus though--a student should be free to express him or herself as foolishly as he or she wishes.” So in the end, we need to consider: are these fun, electric modes of transportation more beneficial or detrimental to our society? Because if one thing’s for certain, we do not want to end up like the society in Wall-E, laziness leading to our own downfall.
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
The Pepperbox | Page 21
Feature
The truth to turning eighteen Jake Verhaegh Sports Editor
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ew rights. New freedoms. And no parents. While most high school students are looking for the thrill of turning eighteen, they are unaware of the higher expectations society puts on new adults all across the country. High schoolers are ready to vote for the nation, to live independently, and to run life without the need of parental consent in their first few years of freedom – but they tend to overlook the fact that no one is required to help them, they can be sued, and they can go to jail for actions that hold greater weight as an adult. While freedoms – politically, socially, and economically – increase, so does responsibility. Here’s where the problem comes in. “Student’s think it is casual turning eighteen. Student’s need to be better informed,” states Madeleine Easthouse, a seventeen year old turning eighteen in October. Easthouse goes on and says, “You have more freedom over yourself but more responsibility.” Society fails
to inform people of increased expectations and responsibilities the environment puts on people when they push through the threshold of adulthood. Schools take part of this responsibility – including Arcata High School – but the most important person responsible is the student. Many students fail to understand their rights. “I don’t know yet. I haven’t really thought about it yet,” says Justin Smith when asked about what his rights are. Many other students are in Smith’s situation. Knowledge is the key to understanding. One must understand a system to follow it, and students need to research and understand their rights to follow them respectively. Schools across the globe need to teach basic rights, including procedures of voting and finance, and to prepare students not just for college – but for their future. “I think it’s scary.... You eventually have to file taxes and school doesn’t really teach you how to do that. I had to search for information,” says Patch Fraga, seventeen years of age. Some rights of adulthood include freedom to vote, to enter military service, to pur-
chase and use tobacco products, to work in all types of jobs, and to enter into a contract without parental consent. Without parental consent the person is responsible for his or her actions alone. “It’s kind of weird to think that I can actually go to jail,” says Solomon Reinman, eighteen. This information should be easily accessible so it is not learned all at once, but gradually with minimal consequences. This puts responsibility on the student, the parent, and the school. Reinman says his transition was nothing special. “I would call it neutral. There wasn’t a huge transition. For the most part it’s more of a gradual change that’s occurred over a certain amount of time.” Young adults should not discover their rights in a courtroom; they should not realize their responsibilities in a jail house. “I think there should be a senior project, such as Six Rivers Charter High School does, to help you get ready,” says Fraga. A semester class, similar to Health and Tech, about laws and finance could also help raise student awareness. Although wanting students to be independent, Shelley Stewart, an
English teacher, says, “I think that curriculum should include personal finance for students.” This teaches rights and responsibilities in a more practical and useful form. Freedom is important – but even freedom must be supervised by order. Young adults are responsible for the future of the nation through voting as well as being responsible for society by following the rules – and Arcata High School is responsible in helping senior students make the transition gradual and informative. Eighteen is coming quickly for many seniors at Arcata High – and is approaching in the near future for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors – but every freedom comes with a responsibility. You are most responsible in knowing your rights. Research your rights in advance of turning eighteen. Make the change gradual by informing yourself before it is forcefully applied. As Solomon Reinman states, “Try to be mature. It is time to start stepping it up on your own level because no one else is going to do it for you.”
There are definitely times when being an adult can show up and hit you in the face about how your life has changed. It’s a weird thought.
I will have to take a part in deciding for the country. You are responsible for the country and responsible for yourself. Own up to it.
- Solomon Reinman
- Madeleine Easthouse
The Pepperbox | Page 22
Feature
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
Transgender rights at Arcata High Rex Bachemin
Social Media Director
& Grace Walker
I
Art Director
f you’re in the majority you’ve probably never questioned your gender. Maybe you’ve questioned genderroles and sexism, but you’ve never questioned something as simple as your gender. But it actually turns out that gender isn’t all that simple. For the past few years transgender rights have been taking center screen, even though it’s not a new concept by multiple decades. With major celebrities coming out, such as Caitlyn Jenner, and transgender actors being given important roles in media, like Laverne Cox in Orange is the New Black and Jamie Clayton in Sense8, the issue of transgender rights and the treatment of transgender people has become front and center. In a more local setting, the issue of transgender rights can be looked at right here at Arcata High School. For those that don’t know, transgender is an umbrella term for people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. There are several students at Arcata High who openly identify as transgender, and were willing to talk about their experiences and struggles. Common issues that occur most frequently include being misgendered (called by the wrong pronouns)
and even being called by the wrong name, the one that they previously identified as. Arcata High does well in comparison to many other schools, which often flat out refuse to call students by the right name and use the right pronouns. This is very harmful and can cause those students who are transgender to feel dysphoria, let alone just feel plain unwelcome in an environment they are forced to spend seven hours a day in, five days a week, for the majority of the year. “I’d feel so [expletive], like I was constantly fighting the system, arguing with admin, teachers, classmates, etc,” said transgender student, senior Khari Jorgensen, talking about how he would feel if Arcata High didn’t use the preferred name system. Which is not always perfect, but
tries; which is a lot more than many other schools can say. Another problem for transgender students is bathroom use. Bathrooms are something that the school is required to offer by law. But the California Department of Education only offers guidelines in regards to students that are male or female, and think only in terms of sex. This creates an awkward situation for many transgender students who may feel uncomfortable using the regular bathrooms. “There should be a unisex bathroom on campus,” offered senior Ezra Vega. “Since it’s not uncommon for trans students to get beat up in bathrooms, using them can be very dangerous.” As more and more students feel comfortable coming out, the issue of the bathrooms becomes
more and more important. But before even all of this, transgender students can face problems simply coming out to their family, friends, classmates, and community. “First, I told my close friends. They were okay with it.” Vega said. “They were already educated on the subject and I helped them understand it more. Then I made Facebook and Instagram posts about it, and basically stated that if you didn’t like me or accept me for I am, then our friendship is over.” Arcata High does better than most school but students also need to simply be informed, it’s not hard to do a Google search if you’re unsure on something. It’s not hard to take the extra two seconds of thought so you don’t misgender someone. It’s not hard to educate yourself.
Rex Bachemin/PEPPERBOX
(From left to right) Patch Fraga, Ezra Vega, and Khari Jorgenson strike a pose.
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
Feature
The Pepperbox | Page 23
Internet zombies unplugged Peter Shao
Online Editor here was an internet and phone outage that affected a lot of people in the beginning of September caused by an AT&T cable being cut by a vandal. The incident has brought to light how much people need their phones. It could have caused some major issues, and we might not be prepared for what happens if those services go out for a longer amount of time and don’t have our normal communications. More and more people are using the internet and more people are using smartphones. When the phone service went out, some people were left in the dark, but it didn’t affect everyone and the outage wasn’t that long, but lot of people were. “I think I would be bored,” Isabell Luu hypothesized when asked what she would do without internet connection, “because I go on my phone before bed, and wouldn’t be as in touch with, like, what’s going on with my friends and stuff, from, like, social media.” The phone line was a fiber optic cable that supplied the internet for AT&T, and the internet is a vast supply of entertainment and also a very good way to communicate with social media, e-mails, and many other things. The fiber optic cable also supplied the phone service in the area for more than just AT&T users, and 911 was down for a while. The services are being bundled more and more. What happens if it all goes down and we don’t have any communications? A lot of people use their phones for school like Scott Ballenger who responded, “Maybe three times out of five” for how
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often he uses his phone for homework, and almost every student has a smartphone. According to Pew Research, a think tank based in Washington D.C., 73 percent of teenagers have smartphones and 92 percent go online every day. There is a lot of information on the internet. In general, technology has made life very different for us. The life expectancy in the US has gone up from 42 to 78 with advances in medicine and technology and Zach Rudin agrees, “technology has increased people’s lifespans and their intelligence.” People have access to information at their very fingertips that they never have had before, and it has brought us to a much more communication filled world. However, the technology that has been used to enhance medicine and expand our knowledge of the world and the way things work, not the same as the smartphones.
73 percent of teenagers have smartphones and 92 percent go online every day Our phones are a type technology that has affected our lives -- maybe not in the same was as the MRIs, and, and wheels,
Photo courtesty of Down Detector
Phone service outage reports for AT&T in early September. and lightbulbs, but they have changed the way we live in other ways. “Phones make life simpler,” Clare Rockwood emphasized, “I use my phone as a planner, I use podcasts for AP Euro, I have multiple calculators, I use it to study French too. I use it a lot.” The use of smartphones has made it so that we can do so many things with one device. You can put it in your bag, carry it in your pocket, and hold it in your hands. It is capable of more than most computers were twenty years ago. That means you will be even more affected if it stops working. Mrs. Condit worries about what will happen if the the communications go out. She offered with an ominous tone “I think the more we bundle, the more trouble we will get in when one system goes down.” and that is a valid concern. When the cable was severed, more than just AT&T phones were cut. It was a fiber optic cable and even though it was owned by one company, many other companies were using it. Because of that, all of the phone companies in the area were affected. The school wifi went out at Arcata High, HSU, and McKinleyville High School. The prospect of having no internet or phone service on a
big scale is a little bit of a scary thought, but we have lived for over a thousand years without the ability to communicate instantly. Have we grown too dependent on this type of communication? When asked what they would do if their phones went out most people didn’t have any plans as to what they would do if the situation were to arise. We are using our phones a lot, and we are using them for a lot of things. some might say that we are using them too much like Mrs. Condit who remarks, “You watch teenagers -- you watch people, and they’re in a social setting and instead of communicating with the people they’re with, they’re texting and phoning other people and things like that.” We certainly are using them more than we ever have in the past because they didn’t exist in the past. Now, people are able to get a lot of work done more easily, like having programs analyze data. The problem now, is that people might not know as many things because the computers and the internet have all the information. Condit is annoyed with this possibility, “You ask people to do something; they don’t have the knowledge in their brain. ‘I can look it up, I can google it.’”
The Pepperbox | Page 24
Feature
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
Meet the fantastic freshman four Alley Perry Editor in Chief
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nother school year at Arcata High has rolled around, and another group of fresh-faced Freshmen are eager to take on the perils of high school. That's right, the class of 2019 has entered the building. Amid the drama and conflict of the current Presidential election it's hard not to draw comparisons between the potential Commanders in Chief, and the recently elected Freshman class officers. From Bernie to Trump, this year's presidential candidates are all over the place with their policies and opinions. Luckily the Pepperbox goes straights to the source to get the answers on the issues that really matter.
Angelica Mead: President
Brian Ford: Vice President
Julia McLeod: Secretary
Hunter Santsche: Treasurer
Opinions on Kanye 2020: “I think he’s a good person, but I’m not sure that he’d be a great president. I’m not sure of his qualifications.” How fantastic is your hair on a scale of Trump to Bernie: 5 Favorite Kardashian/Jenner: “Khloe” If you could date any Rapper: “Fetty Wap” Hogwarts House: “Ravenclaw” Typical Los Bagels order: “Salted bagel, with cream cheese, larrupin, and carrots.” What Emoji describes you best?: “The winking emoji with the tongue sticking out”
Opinions of Kanye 2020: “I think he can do whatever he wants, but he’s not gonna win. I wouldn’t [vote for him]” How fantastic is your hair on a scale of Trump to Bernie?: “JFK” Favorite Kardashian/Jenner?: “North West” Hogwarts House?: “Ravenclaw” What is your typical Los Bagels order?: “Plain bagel, toasted with cream cheese and salmon” What Emoji describes you best?: “Baseball emoji”
Opinion on Kanye 2020: “I think it’s really odd, and it’ll be really bad.” Favorite Kardashian/Jenner?: “North.” How do you feel about Zayn Malik leaving 1D?: “I think it’s bad for the band” If you could date any rapper: “Fetty Wap” What is your Hogwarts House?: “Gryffindor” What is your Typical Los Bagels Order?: “Veggie Delight” What Emoji describes you best?: basketball emoji
Opinion on Kanye 2020: “Its not good, maybe [he’ll win] but probably not” How fantastic is your hair on a scale of Trump to Bernie: 4 Favorite Kardashian/Jenner: “Kendall” If you could date any rapper: “If I could? I’m not sure that I want to. Nicki I guess.” What is your Hogwarts House?: “Hufflepuff” What is your typical Los Bagels Order?: “Slug Bagel with cream cheese, carrots, and larrupin” What Emoji describes you best?: “the telescope”
Whatever path you choose in life...
October 29 ONLY. Learn how to make traditional Pan de Muerto. Sign-up at losbagels.com follow us on
&
@los_bagels
...the journey starts in the classroom. A message from the Humboldt County Office of Education
Scan the QR Code to learn more!
The Pepperbox | Page 26
Feature
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
AHS embraces ethnicity
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ach year, our school has the privilege of gaining new faces on campus from various countries around the world. These are our exchanges students. The Pepperbox is pleased to introduce to you the 9 unfamiliar, yet extremely interesting and talented exchange students who have joined us for the year. All of these students are eager to get to know our school, the people in it, and our community. If you see any of these faces around campus, don’t be afraid to start a conversation. We can learn as much from them as they can from us.
Caitlyn Patterson Feature Editor
Jakub Mácha Reporter
Jakub Mácha
Chiara Barbera Italy
Marguerite LacommeLahourguette
Czech Republic “ I miss my family, driving, and the bread. You guys have strange bread.”
“I’m glad I have the other exchange students. It’s nice to have people around who know what you’re going through and who can understand
Clara Von Werder
Sophia WaernBugge
Joaquin Vasquez Donoso
Germany
Central Sweden
Ecuador
“I don’t like that all the people here can have a gun. I’m really scared about it.”
“My first day here I went to the beach and it was beautiful. I love the nature and the redwoods.”
“My favorite food that I have tried here is this, what was it called. Taco Bell. I liked that. It was good.”
Javier Molina
Fulya Kuvvet
Alessandro Sarris
Chile
Turkey
Italy
“Thank you to the soccer team and all the guys that are supporting me. I have good friends, It’s very good for me. Go tigers!”
“I’m so happy. I’m in Arcata High and I really like it here.“
“You are very welcoming and friendly here. It’s a lot easier to make friends than in Italy.”
France “I love this high school because people don’t judge and in France everybody does.”
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
Sports
The Pepperbox | Page 27
The end of a losing streak? Cheyenne Keith
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Sports Editor
fter two years of silence, the Tiger Football program roared in their season opener against the Hoopa Warriors, shattering their own twenty one game losing streak in a heart pounding, strokeprovoking win in overtime, 48-42. The Tigers had high victory expectations for that game and it all started on the night of November 7th of the previous season, when the Tigers lost their last game of the season against Del Norte. For some of the seniors, relief may have crossed their thoughts. Yet for those who were planning on returning for the upcoming season, one goal was passionately sounding in the back their minds: to start the season off with a win and achieve a Big 5 Championship. The task certainly hasn’t been easy up to this point so far, as majority of the team last year was seniors. One of the hearts of the team last year, Connor Cox, was able to watch the team win. “It was awesome and well deserved and that’s all I gotta say bout it,” Cox commented. The Tigers had lost the past twenty-one games after winning a Big 5 Championship. Cox had been on the championship team and had to suffer through the streak. Another graduate is Solo O’Neill, who, like Cox, plays football at the collegiate level. “It was really discouraging not to get any wins but I played for my teammates and because I love the game. I’m really proud of you guys for the win and wish I could have been there for it,” O’Neill said upon hearing the great news. Nevertheless, going into this season, the Tigers have had up to twenty-nine young men
on the roster and the team dynamic has evolved into something rather extraordinary. “I think this year we have a lot of people who know the game well and we are a team instead of a few individuals who make plays every once in awhile,” Benson Floyd commented. With the Tigers only having one returning two year captain and a three year varsity football player, there were some rather large shoes to fill and a group of young players eagerly accepted the challenge without hesitation. The team currently has six sophomores who are also first year starters, having been in their situation freshman year, it can certainly be a scary status. Upon being asked to start on varsity, Chase Hess undoubtedly felt the pressure. “I felt a little scared, but I was confident, I didn’t know how it would work with taking Monge’s spot, but it did,” Hess said about the situation. Were there any seniors who had a role in his confidence? “Cory Powell, because he works so hard,” Hess said instantly, speaking of Cory’s importance to the team. Hess along with the others, has taken his role very seriously, as he recently turned down an offer to go with his family to Hawaii just to assure his teammates about their importance to him. “I love football for one, and the team needed me. I gave them a choice and they wanted me stay so I did,” Hess said in response to the issue. Along with other new faces the team has this year, none other shines as much as Benson Floyd, who just two years ago tore his ACL playing JV football for the Tigers. So far he leads the team in touchdown receptions and is a great role model to the players around him with his arduous schedule of four AP classes. He
believes in the best for the season. “I think that the people who doubt us is what’s going to help us because their hate gives us strength.” With a team of younger athletes, how does winning become habit? Before Hoopa, I had been the only player to have ever experienced a football victory at the high school level. Maleke Love pushed the team mentally and physically over months of demanding work and insisted that his level of conditioning made the difference in the game against the Warriors. “I felt motivated and it gave us a taste of what the outcome is if we just put in the work,” Love said. He had over one hundred yards rushing against Hoopa and he gave all the credit to his offensive line, the most crucial part of the team. The game kicked off with a rough start with a pick six (an interception leading to a touchdown for the opposing team) on the first throw of the season. With time dwindling down in the final minutes of the first half, two more Tigers, Demitri Patterson and Maleke Love, met the end zone to make the score 20-26 going into the half. “I remember whispering to you about playing like you are in your backyard, to just relax and play in the backyard. There was a lot of heart that game,” Dean of Students, Mark Salhberg, said. Falling short in the third quarter the Tigers found themselves losing 42-28. It wasn’t until a sudden shift in heart that the Tigers decided to fight back in the fourth quarter, scoring a touchdown with a little over four minutes left on the clock. Hoopa attempted to run the clock out and Arcata got the ball back with less than a minute left and forty yards to go to the end zone. Tristan Espy caught a pass over the middle of the field for a game tying touch-
down with no time on the clock. “I was very excited to hear about it because I thought it showed how hard you guys worked!” Daisy Nutter commented on the miracle. Upon missing the game winning field goal, the Tigers and Warriors would go another quarter. The overtime rules are as follows: a coin flip occurs in which the winner will get the ball on the ten yard line and will have four tries to get the ball in the end zone. If the opposing team scores, the game is over. If they score on a field goal, the other team either has to score on a field goal to tie the game again or score a touchdown to end the game. The Tigers were given another chance to put the game away. I remember the determination and fight in the eyes of the men in the huddle. The offensive line had a steely eyed focus and confidence, and assured the coach that they would make their blocks to win the game. On the first play, the Tigers decided to put the game in the hands of Love who exploded through the line to break three tackles and meet the end zone and a roaring crowd that stormed the field to celebrate the start of a new season. The problem in the past was that Arcata simply didn’t know how to win. Now, the key to winning, as the young Tigers have learned, is the amount of heart that one need to put into preparing for the battle; it’s knowing that you are willing to be selfless for your brothers and do anything necessary to not let them down. Adam Huschle sacrificed his season with the Tigers in a play that tore his ACL and meniscus in order to play hard for his teammates. Huschle took it in a positive light, “I just ignore all doubts. I’m glad I was hurt on a good play that I made to help the team. I did the best I could do to be selfless.”
The Pepperbox | Page 28
Opinion
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
Police brutality: to protect and serve? Len Perry
Opinion Editor
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t’s a controversial topic that has prompted massive demonstrations across the nation; it tears families apart and has even incited riots. The topic of police brutality is not one to be taken lightly - it deals not only with the sensitive topic of life and death, but it delves into something much more tangible; government, and its role in our lives. It is there - on the topic of government - that the conversation should expound upon; not on whether the kid that got shot deserved to get shot. With money playing an increasing role in our politics and society, corruption is becoming more rampant by the minute; Princeton University even conducted a study that found we can no longer call ourselves a democracy because our votes simply don’t count. The cases of 12 year old Tamir Rice and the young Freddie Gray are two shocking examples of what happens when the police are given complete authority and protection from prosecution. When the government doesn’t represent the people, there is no telling what kind of tragedies they may plot against us. There is no question that government corruption and brutality is figuratively and literally crippling our nation. Don’t just take my word for it - 117 countries from the UN Human Rights Convention recently agreed unanimously that the United States is not living up to its civil rights laws. Isn’t that something? The self-proclaimed “freest country in the world” is
Photo courtesy of Scott Olsen
Police in Ferguson, MO last year. Although crime is lower than it has been in decades, police are acquiring more military weaponry, using it in any situation regardless of the situation at hand. finally being chastised for having the largest prison population in our planet’s history. It was 2010 when the UN originally suggested the United States do something about its human rights problem; they offered a number of possible methods to decrease the brutality, and of course, our government refused to act. Over the next five years, our police brutality problem only deteriorated as our government continued to do nothing. Our government’s failure to act lead to a number of police killings that prompted damaging, costly riots that could have easily been prevented had the government simply taken the
UN’s original advice in 2010. In 2015, even more countries criticized the United States for our failure to act; citing more police violence, discrimination, needless killings, and general neglect as signs of corruption. The UN’s representative from Namibia, Gladice Pickering, agreed with the rest of the council, saying the US needs “to fix the broken justice system that continues to discriminate against [marginalized communities], despite recent waves of protest over racial profiling and police killings of unarmed black men.” Pickering hit the nail right on the head in my opinion, as she made sure to take note of the fact that this problem goes
far beyond our local municipalities - our justice system is just as corrupt and guilty as our police. People are wrongfully assaulted by the police all the time for no reason whatsoever - that is indisputable fact. Remember Walter Scott? The 50 year old African American veteran that was studying massage therapy when he was shot 5 times in the back while running away from a police officer? The police officer’s initial report of the incident contained multiple lies that made Mr. Scott out to be the aggressor. This claim, made by the murderous officer, was contradicted shortly thereafter when a video was released that proved the police officer
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015 killed Walter Scott in cold blood. This is a shocking trend in this country; police act with no regard for the law - they lie in their reports - investigate their own wrongdoings - and of course almost ALWAYS find themselves innocent. The police departments and courts practically always back up the murderous officers, making excuse after excuse even with full knowledge that the officers were acting entirely in the wrong. The few cases where police officers are actually indicted for their wrongdoings are the few cases that are actually covered by the media - the few cases that the public is actually educated on. It is becoming increasingly difficult for us to become educated on most matters, especially those pertaining to geopolitics, as sources for information are becoming progressively more money driven and less trustworthy as time goes on. Princeton University released a peer reviewed study in April of last year that concluded America is no longer a democracy; but an oligarchy for those unfamiliar with the term, that means that our government is owned by the rich.
“The US, in other words, is basically similar to Russia or most other dubious ‘electoral’ ‘democratic’ countries. We weren’t formerly, but we clearly are now.” - Eric Zuesse Princeton conducted comprehensive, in depth research to validate their fears - “Multivariate analysis indicates that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial in-
The Pepperbox | Page 29
Opinion
Photo courtesy of Louise Macabitas
This police officer, John Pike, received $38,000 for the psychiatric injuries these peaceful protesters inflicted upon him at this occupy protest at UC Davis in 2011.
dependent impacts on US government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence.” Basically, they found that we - the collective American people - have near zero influence over who is elected or what policies they enact. The findings of this study should have been breaking news on every station in this country; however, it was strangely ignored by liberal and conservative sources all the same. This is enough evidence in my eyes to suggest that our media is owned by the same billionaires that own our government. As Eric Zuesse from Counterpunch put it, “American democracy is a sham, no matter how much it's pumped by the oligarchs who run the country (and who controls the nation's "news" media)," he wrote. "The US, in other words, is basically similar to Russia or most other dubious 'electoral' 'democratic' countries. We weren't formerly, but we clearly are now." When you really swallow the fact that we no longer live in a democracy where our votes carry weight, the way you view the world around you changes dramatically. Suddenly, you see the
motives behind why politicians lie all the time. You realize why our federal government has been funding the militarization of our police for the last 26 years, and why people are beaten by these corrupt government “soldiers” every day. Suddenly, you realize why the justice system never indicts these corrupt officers and politicians. You realize why the corporate media never reports on these issues that effect us so tremendously. Once you truly understand the fact that our government is owned by an extremely rich, corrupt handful of billionaires that have no interest in representing us, it becomes all too obvious how our once constitutional republic has slipped into tyranny. Knowing that these corporations have risen to a position of power only due to our financial support, perhaps it could be argued that we actually do still live in a democracy. Although we cannot elect our president, we can elect who owns our president. We can shift the power structure in this country by voting with our money; we must boycott the corporations that have bought our government. If we invest in humanitarian corporations, our world
will become more humanitarian; however, if we continue to invest in greedy, immoral corporations such as Nestle and Monsanto, we will only continue to see our world and society slip into greater immorality. Only through the boycotting of these oppressive corporations will we ever begin to see any real change in our government’s policy. With money playing such a huge role in our politics, the only way we can ever hope to restore democracy is by getting rid of the corporations that have bought our political process. In closing, I have to reiterate that police are not entirely to blame for police brutality - it is the policy makers as well - the politicians that claim to represent us but never do. Those politicians, along with the elitist billionaires that fund their expenditures, are who is truly to blame for the police brutality problem in our country. We will never get anywhere arguing whether a single officer is guilty or not, as it is the entire system that is guilty. Some police departments are entirely corrupt while others manage to remain relatively corruption free - still, they all benefit from the corrupt justice system. Until we all come together in unity to change this system, we will have to deal with an overwhelmingly oppressive militarized police presence that protects and serves only the tyrannical elitist ruling class. Until we all come together in peaceful unity to change this corrupt system, we will just have to deal with having no say in what our government does. Until we all come together once and for all, we all will have to deal with the consequences of being divided - we are easily controlled, easily profited from, and easily disposable… and until we come together as one... that is all we will be.
The Pepperbox | Page 30
Opinion
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
Breaking the internet Terra Clarke Editor-in-Chief
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ove over Kim Kardashian, Nicole Arbour just broke the internet. Youtuber Nicole Arbour released a video on September 3, 2015 titled “Dear Fat People,” shortly after the internet exploded with responses and criticism, Youtube removed her channel from Youtube. Out of all the violent, inappropriate things on Youtube and in the media Youtube decides to take a controversial video about fat people off the internet. In my opinion people have their priorities way out of proportion if they get this mad over a video like this. If you are unfamiliar with the video let me break it down for you. After Arbour says her title she immediately exclaims “Aah some people are already upset about this video!” I have to give a round of applause to her for predicting the fate of this video so early, seriously it’s impressive. Arbour continues her video with yet another comment, “What are you going to do about it? You gonna chase me? I can get away from you by walking at a reasonable pace!” Maybe a little harsh, but unfortunately true. She continues on by saying that fat-shaming might actually be a good thing, “If we offend you so much that you lose weight, I’m okay with that.” Well, I don’t usually condone bullying, but sometimes a little bit of peer pressure goes a long way...The rest of her video is a slur of painfully true and slightly entertaining comments against fat people. Personally, I try not to take myself too seriously, so I have the ability to laugh at the expense of myself as well as others. This doesn’t mean that everyone feels this
way and I think that was shown by the response to this video. There were times while watching this video that I cringed, other times when I laughed, and other times when I nodded in agreement. The fact is that I do agree with some of the things she said. Fat people don’t need to be treated the same way as someone who is truly disabled. I know there are many underlying factors that cause obesity, like genetics, disease, and income, but there are plenty of obese people in the United States that have none of these factors hindering them from being thinner. I’m not talking about people whose thighs touch (I am a proud member of the thunder thighs club) or people who have a nice cushion over their killer abs, I’m talking about people who are so fat that they have life-threatening health problems, and I think that’s what Arbour is trying to say too. I was surprised to see that there were very few responses in support of Arbour’s opinions, this made me realize how taboo the topic of weight is. Almost everyone thinks about it, some people talk about, but very few people, especially thin blonde people like Arbour, make fun of it. This makes me wonder why the topic of fat is so off limits. Topics of race, hair color, gender, height, and religion all seem to be permitted in comedy, so why is the topic of fat off limits? In my opinion this is because of all the work that is being done to support body positivity, but in my mind this makes no sense, because in my opinion body positivity means loving and taking care of your body. Most of the time if a person is obese, they aren’t taking care of their body. In our society it is the norm to sugar coat things for people. As a society Americans
seem to have a hard time being honest to someone in person, they tell them, no those jeans don’t make you look fat, then make fun of them behind their back. I believe that people got so upset over Arbour’s video because she didn’t make fun of people behind their back, she said what many of us are thinking out loud straight to our faces. When researching the response to Arbour’s video I found that some people said they felt like it was bullying because Arbour isn’t fat herself. This makes absolutely no sense to me. Men make fun of women, hello sexism. I get made fun of for being short by my tall friends (not mentioning any names) all the time and I don’t think this is the equivalent to bullying. Weight may be a more sensitive subject, but food seems to be the biggest addiction problem we have in the United States and if we don’t talk
about it we aren’t going to fix it. Arbour may have been a little harsh, she may have said some things that people don’t like, and she definitely made some people very angry, but she really didn’t deserve censorship. As an American, I pride myself on having the freedom of speech. I can say whatever I want about Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton without repercussions. But apparently making fun of fat people constitutes a reason to violate the first amendment. In the modern age of technology it seems that we should have more freedom to express our ideas on more mediums, but instead it seems like the internet is being used to take away our freedoms. Controversy might as well be the basis of life on this planet. If we didn’t have controversy we would probably spend our lives talking about the weather and our favorite colors.
Photo courtesy of Nicole Arbour
Nicole Arbour tweets after the removal of her Youtube channel after releasing her video, “Dear Fat People.”
Wednesday, October 21st, 2015
My Story
The Pepperbox | Page 31
Being disabled is only half the problem Asher Critch
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Reporter
he difficulties of the handicapped need to be exposed. I have a disease that not only weakens my muscles, it limits my movement severely. But I am not here to talk about that; I’m here to talk about the correlation between people in wheelchairs and their mental capacities. A lot of people, but not everybody, assume wheelchair- bound people are unintelligent. I am a person who deals with these assumptions. The more people get to know me, the less they assume about my disability and intelligence, but, the problems still persist. It’s not just me who deals with this. Millions of other people with disabilities have this happen to them. If you don’t understand something about somebody, don’t assume things about them – ask them what their issues in life are. When people assume things about the disabled, it makes the disabled feel worthless and embarrassed. I think many people have problems with disabled people, not just people in wheel chairs, because I’ve seen and experienced being treated like a child. I feel like I can’t be weird because people who don’t know me will think it is a part of my disability, not my crazy personality, which is why I’m quiet until you get to know me. If you have a crutch, a stutter, or a limp, most likely you will be treated differently. Another reason why people stereotype disabled people is because they’re afraid of what might be wrong with that person. They don’t know how intelligent a person is and if they can even have conversations, so many people
don’t want to put the effort to try. To be fair, not everybody is guilty of stereotyping people with disabilities; in fact, I’ve met some who have treated me normally. Shows like Family Guy definitely reinforce assumptions about anybody in a wheelchair. Because so many people watch the show that it creates beliefs about people like me. Shows like that create notions that everybody in a wheelchair is paralyzed from the waist down. That is so not true. I for instance have a disease that weakens my muscles severely. I can feel everything in my body, I just can't move very well. There are some people in wheelchairs that are actually paralyzed in different places such as the waist down, arms, or whole body, but I am not one of them. Many people have a natural urge to feel like they need to help people who are disabled and treat them very caringly, almost like a child. A woman in a wheelchair named Sue Austin had this similar issue occur to her. Sue originally could walk but when she was conditioned to a wheelchair people felt pity for her and treated her differently. People made her feel helpless and unable to do anything. “I'd seen my life slip away and become restricted” she said in a TED presentation, showing how she felt. Later in life she decided to change those feelings. She wanted to dive in the sea with her limitations. She modified her chair with scuba gear and propellers. Her life had a new meaning, and it shows that if you have a disability, it won’t stop you from doing what you want. Some people might see me wandering around at lunch, but that has nothing to do with my intelligence. I’m just nervous about what people will think of me if I join them. Some of you might re-
member my Facebook post last year, in which I describe many of the things I’m talking about. That post was just not for me, it was for anybody else with a condition like mine. That post was a precursor to this article. I feel like people had a better understanding of me after the post. Once I had an experience when I was in a group and almost everybody ignored me when I had an idea. It seemed like they needed to block me out because they didn’t want to deal with me. I got that feeling because almost everyone had their backs to me and did not respond to my questions or talk to me. Since I’ve been here at Arcata High for five years, people have gotten used to me being around. But there are times when people are aloof and forget to realize that they have to hold doors open for me to get to rooms. I don’t think people do it with bad intent, I just think that everybody assumes I can do it by myself
because I’m just a student here. Since people know me better after being at Arcata High for a while, it’s been easier for me to not feel embarrassed to talk to my peers. I’ve made more friends in the past two years than the initial three years here at AHS. I strongly suggest everybody to be more willing to hang out with me. I am pretty chill. I have some advice for people who have trouble communicating with people with disabilities. If you’re going to talk to somebody with a disability, don’t automatically talk to them in a caring voice, like speaking to a child. Find out more about them first. Talk to them like you would talk to anybody. But if they have a mental disorder, stay open and flexible to different types of communication. Another tip I have is to speak directly to the individual, not the helper that accompanies them. I hope this article educates the populace at Arcata High on the issues that I, and people like me, experience.
Kaelyn Tuermer-Lee/PEPPERBOX
The life I live is the life I enjoy.
2015 AHS HOMECOMING NOMINEES
Let The Tiger Magic Begin! What Disney Character does your partner remind you of most?
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s and B ell
ule Cait: Herc d n a e k la B
ili: Mike and L
tch Lilo and Sti
Khari and Ritter: Aladdin and Dory
Justin and Kyri: Woody and Jessie
Taya and Rio: Minnie Mouse and Prince Naveen
Kiersten and Tyson: Ariel and Kristoff
Alessandro and Olivia: Tarzan and Jane