Volume 85 Issue 7

EDITORIAL STAFF Elaine Cunha - Editor-In-Chief Forrest Lewis - Editor-In-Chief Gabe Schneider - Graphic Designer Anna Nordquist - News Editor Gillen Martin - Junior News Editor Piper Bazard - Junior News Editor Sage Fanucchi-Funes - Feature Edior Lauren McCoy - Sports Editor Calvin Ryan - Opinion Editor Dakota Goodman - A&E Editor Day Robins - Online Editor Ben McCreath - Media Editor Sam Freed - Media Editor Hawken Ritter - Business Manager Grace Lovell - Art Director Molly Salamunovich - Managing Editor Shea Lignitz - Copy Editor

REPORTERS Geena Damian Errol Funk Steve Sheets Kaitlin Tucker Patrick Payton Sam Winter Jamie Maher

Dayna Naish Julia Sloan Jonathan Dedekan Aidan Carroll Astaria Holland Tami Conrad Aiyana Caldwell

ADVISOR Danielle Lehman

IN THE BOX VOLUME

85

ISSUE

7

STAR Grade Bump ��������������������� 6 Strawberry Rock ����������������������� 7 TEDx Youth ������������������������������� 8 HROP’s Future ��������������������������� 9 HSPA ��������������������������������������10 New Track Records ������������������11 State History Day ��������������������12 Twins ����������������������������������������13 Teacher Graduates ������������������14 Parking Lot Spot ������������������������15 Spring Sports ����������������������� 16-17 No Contest: 2013 Elections �� � 18-19

BOX BRIEFS Memorial Day: May 27 Spring Week: May 28 - 31 Sports Awards: May 29 Car Show: May 29 Sophomore Dance: May 31 Senior Awards Night: June 5 Senoir Picnic: June 6 Senior Prom: June 8 Finals: June 10-12

DISCLAIMER Questions regarding editorial content of the Pepperbox should be directed toward its editors. Opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of Arcata High School.

Arcata’s Seven Wonders ����������21

Want to advertise or buy a mail subscription to the Spare Change Trip ������������������� 23 Pepperbox? Email Business Orchestra Explores NYC ��������� 24 Manager Hawken Ritter at AHS Sees Europe ��������������������� 25 ahs.pepperbox@gmail.com.

Colin Swenson ������������������������� 22

Calvin on Art ��������������������������� 26 Tony Emmanuel ����������������������� 27 Senior Ditch Day ��������������������� 28

Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ AHSPepperbox

The Pepperbox would like to thank Western Web, based in Samoa, for printing our paper 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!

Originally published January 31, 1969

A

BEHIND THE COVER Issue 7 cover evolution by Graphic Designer Gabe Schneider

FROM THE ARCHIVES

EDITOR’S BOX

fter satisfying our tastebuds, we buckled down for our second-to-last issue (sniffle). Working between spring break, STAR testing, AP testing, and the increasing circumference of our advisor’s belly, we lengthened the news cycle for this issue. Nevertheless, we uphold our commitment to reporting the news and happenings of Arcata High. Online Editor and current ASB President Day Robins wrote an extensive analysis on what two years of uncontested ASB elections means to the democracy and future of Arcata High’s student government. In addition, we bring you record-breaking track athletes, a possible grade bump from STAR testing, a guide to the seven wonders of Arcata, and more. Keep an eye out for our third annual Pepperfaux to be released during Finals Week!

Editors-in-Chief Forrest Lewis & Elaine Cunha

Quotable.

“You do the crime, you pay the time.”

AHS Principal Dave Navarre explaining to a student the consequences of participating in Senior Ditch Day.

“#coltonsdadhasgotitgoingon” A trending Twitter hashtag by McKinleyville High School Students in reference to fireman Sean Campbell, husband of AHS Dean Tahnia Campbell and father of MHS student Colton Campbell, who was spotted fighting the infamous MHS bathroom fire on May 7.

“I’d say it’s raining cats and dogs... but I don’t support animal cruelty.”

Junior Mickenzie Grubb playing Belle Malibu in the Arcata High School play, It Was a Dark and Stormy Night.

“I’ve never said this in AP Government, and I’ll never say this again, but that cartoon was kinda cute.”

History teacher Doug Johnson in response to a political cartoon shown during a student presentation.

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Points scored by second place girls finishing team, Del Norte, at the H-DN Championship Track Meet in Fortuna last week

Points scored by first place girls finishing team, Arcata, at the H-DN Championship Track Meet in Fortuna last week

$1,000

Reward offered by NHUHSD and the Arcata Police Department for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for stealing approximately $6,000-worth of equipment from the AHS autoshop

$14,860 Dollars spent collectively on Advanced Placement testing by Arcata High School students. Each individual exam cost $89.00

Framable.

Sophomore winners Emma Zierer (3rd), Caleb Morin (2nd), and Jacob Barth (1st) stand with HSU Mathematics Professor Jeff Haag at the 54th Annual Redwood Empire Mathematics Tournament.

Photo courtesy of Redwood Empire Mathematics Tournament

The Aspire Mega Soccer Academy (AMSA) of underpriviledged soccer players in Homa Bay, Kenya sport the Arcata High girls varsity soccer team’s old jerseys.

Photo courtesy of Otty France

Photos courtesy of Ashlynn Cox and Kasey Cather

Seniors Katerina Rocker Heppe and Nigel Wallach (Most Likely to be a Soccer Mom/Dad) and Gwyn Caughey and Hawken Ritter (Most Swag) sport their Senior Awards after the Senior Brunch.

News

STAR scores could help your grades AHS P epperbox

I

Elaine Cunha Editor-in-Chief

n a few sentences, AHS junior Alex Yeoman summed up how most students regard California’s Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) exams: “Honestly, I try now just by choice, but I really don’t think it matters. I don’t think we should have to take the tests in general. They’re bogus, and I just think they’re kind of stupid.”

Many students do not seem to care, despite the fact that the tests influence school rankings, API scores, and teacher bonuses. The solution? Give students an incentive.

This year, Arcata High launched a campaign to help students improve performance and understand why we should care about the STAR tests. The campaign included handing out snacks, posting fliers around the school about why we should try on the tests, and most significantly, the possibility of a grade bump.

Yep, that’s right. Arcata High is now offering students up to a 3.3 percent grade bump in their classes for scoring proficient or advanced on the respective subject’s STAR test. The new grade-bump policy raises questions for some students.

“A grade means something, you earn an A,” said senior Anna Nordquist, who is staunchly opposed to the new policy.

Nordquist has her reasons. According to the incentive, a student who earns a B+ in a class could potentially get that grade bumped up to an A-, which is recorded on a transcript and sent out to colleges as an A. For other students, like junior Nash Karp, the idea of a studentbased incentive is overdue. “Why shouldn’t we have an incentive? It takes time out of the school, and it takes time out of our lives,” Karp said. “We take the STAR test to help the state, so why can’t it help us a little back?”

This proposal originated from a committee of teacher volunteers who surveyed other schools and a panel of students. “The idea came from the students – that’s very important,” AHS Principal Dave Navarre said.

Two Arcata High School teachers, librarian Jennifer Berube and English teacher Susan Clark-Luera, surveyed students about how hard they tried on STAR tests, why they were or were not motivated, and what incentives would make them want to do better on the tests. Their answer: offer a grade bump.

The two teachers presented the students’ idea to Navarre, who asked the staff to vote on it, and as a result, all schools in the district are implementing the new grade-bump policy.

“In some classes, students had an

M ay 17, 2013

incentive if they were given extra credit or a reason to do well on the STAR test,” English teacher Susan Clark-Luera said. “But what many of us were noticing is that students were just bubbling in patterns and they didn’t really feel like there was a reason to perform well if it wasn’t part of their grade.”

still have nothing to gain from this grade bump, I don’t think you’re going to see any improvement from the new incentive,” he said.

Furthermore, some STAR tests aren’t specific to the actual class subject material, especially in the sciences. “I’m in human anatomy, and they make you take the biology test; I’m in AP Physics Mechanics, they make you take this general “The idea came from and physics test that really has nothing the students - that’s to do with the class I’m in,” Yeoman stated. very important.”

Theoretically, the new policy en-AHS Principal Dave Navarre ables students who score proficient on the STAR biology test to get a In addition to school rank- grade bump in human anatomy, or ings and the API score, STAR test students who score proficient on a scores are now factored into teach- cumulative high school math test ers’ THRIVE bonuses. The new (which tests up to Algebra 2) to get policy parallels the purpose of the a grade bump in their pre-calculus THRIVE grant – it offers an incen- class. tive to improve test scores, only this The administration is willing to time on the students’ end. forgo this issue if the policy works.

As with everything involving ex- “The students we talked to said that tra credit, there is a catch: Students [the STAR tests] didn’t mean anyin AP and Honors courses don’t thing. It didn’t go on for their colqualify for the grade bump. How- leges, it didn’t do this, it didn’t do ever, these students already receive that, and they said, what’s in it for an extra grade point for taking these us? So that, I think, is the feeling courses. out there,” Navarre said. “We’re Yeoman sees this exclusion as just trying to make it a little more contradicting the purpose of the new relevant for the students.” policy. “For AP classes where we Additional reporting by Anna Nordquist.

The New Policy by the Numbers* In 2012, 586 Arcata High students took the STAR test. 361 of them tested proficient or

advanced in English and thus qualified for the grade bump (minus about 60 that are in Honors/AP). 161 qualified in math (minus about 15 in AP), 190 in history (minus 30), and 308 in the sciences (minus 15). *Statistics from the California Department of Education Page 6

News

Strawberry Rock’s... forever?

M ay 17, 2013

Piper Bazard

A

Junior News Editor

s a breeze blows over the treetops, the soft fog slowly parts from the forest canopy, revealing a pristine sheet of ocean and a lush carpet of redwoods. The view from Strawberry Rock is among Humboldt’s most spectacular, but it could soon be gone.

Strawberry Rock, located just to the east of Highway 101 near Trinidad, has long been a popular hiking spot for students and community members. For most, the appeal is the beauty of the area: “[The view] is amazing, and you can see all of the ocean and Trinidad head, and then all the trees in between,” senior Emily Murphy said.

However, the land is owned by

logging company Green Diamond, and much of the incredible view could disappear as logging operations continue in the area.

Green Diamond’s plans involve logging five small patches of land ranging from 17 to 31 acres surrounding the rock. In total, these areas comprise about 75 percent of the land Green Diamond owns.

Although most of the second and third-growth redwood and douglas fir will be logged, older trees that are more necessary to wildlife will remain. These plans were developed with input from a variety of scientists.

Currently, hiking up to Strawberry Rock is trespassing and the company requests that the private property be respected, according to a Green Diamond representative.

However, there are proposals for a conservation easement that would

involve a public access trail.

For many students, the resounding reaction to the logging operation is disappointment: “I would be kind of bummed, because [the trees are] half the view. If there [were] no trees it would just be kind of nasty,” senior Ryley Haskell said.

Others believe logging will not only diminish the view, but the beauty of Trinidad in general. “I don’t like it... It ruins the landscape, and it makes Trinidad less beautiful. [Trinidad is] all trees and that’s what makes it pretty, and they’re going to cut them all down,” sophomore Indigo Davis said.

Although the aesthetics of the area are a concern, an even bigger concern is the environmental impacts of the logging project. California has a reputation for working with ecologists to establish healthy logging practices, but some questions have been raised about exactly how “healthy” these practices are. Environmental Science teacher and Green Club advisor Earl Peters explained that the environmental impact of logging depends on the specific area. “There are some ecosystems that actually benefit in the long run from a clear cut as opposed to a selective cut. It depends on the terrain, it depends on the soil, and it depends on the trees,” Peters said.

Although clear cutting may not

AHS P epperbox

have a negative effect on the terrain, it is more likely to have an impact on other plants and animals in the area. “A clear cut will adversely affect those species who require older trees, and established strands of those trees,” Peters said.

Sophomore Green Club member Eli Pasko has a strong moral objection to the clear cuts. “Trees are alive, so it’s not cool to just kill a bunch of them. It’s like being a mass murderer, basically,” Pasko said.

Regardless of environmental impact, many people in this county make a living and provide for their families through the logging industry and are employed by companies like Green Diamond. While stopping the project might help the environment, it would hurt workers.

Senior Green Club member Claire Appelmans thinks a compromise can be reached. “It’s important to work with people rather than just say, ‘absolutely no logging should be done,’ because that’s not going to happen,” Appelmans said.

While many differing opinions on the subject are present, one thing is clear: Strawberry Rock is a prominent local landmark, and something to be admired. “I’d love to see it preserved, because I think that outsiders and locals treasure it,” Appelmans said. “I think it’s important to respect what we have.”

The view looking west from Strawberry Rock

Forrest Lewis/PEPPERBOX

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News

Putting the “you” into TEDxYouth Forrest Lewis

M

Editor-in-Chief

y family friend once joked that TED was the reason the internet was invented. Although erroneous, I understood her gesture.

TED, a colloquial acronym representing the concepts of Technology, Entertainment, and Design, is a nonprofit devoted to disseminating “ideas worth spreading.”

Two annual conferences in Long Beach, California, and Edinburgh, Scotland, bring together, according to the official TED website, “the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes or less).”

In the spirit of ideas worth

spreading, a group of local organizers led by Laura Montagna and Michael Kraft hosted the first-ever TEDxEureka event last November.

It was an instant success, selling out in a matter of days and featuring a long list of interesting speakers.

Following last year’s extremely successful event, Montagna decided to mix it up this year with a special TEDxYouth@HumboldtBay event to occur November 17, 2013.

“Young people have very valuable input and are often times discounted,” Montagna said. “I want to give them a chance to say what’s important to them, to share their passion.”

Like the TEDxEureka event, TEDxYouth@HumboldtBay will also be held at the Arcata Theatre Lounge. “We’re bringing more of that young passionate wisdom to our county. We love to share ideas,” Montagna said.

M ay 17, 2013

The theme of the upcoming event is “imagine -> ignite,” a fitting topic for children and teenagers.

“They don’t think something can’t be done, they just do it,” Montagna elaborated.

“One of my goals is to really reach out to not necessarily the top students, but young people who have something to say that might not usually have the chance to be heard,” Montagna continued. “I’m trying to reach out all over the county to attract youth.”

The event is also open to speak-

ers of all ages. In fact, it is youththemed, so if an adult wants to present on a youth topic, they are more than welcome.

Interested in finding out more?

Visit www.tedxyouthhumboldtbay. com, or find them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/Tedxyouthhumboldtbay) or Twitter (@tedxyouthhumbay).

Among the many perks of presenting is that it looks great on resumes and it will be livestreamed.

In the words of Laura Montagna, “You could be famous!”

NOVEMBER 17, 2013 Share your passion with Humboldt County and join us for TEDxYouth@HumboldtBay Apply Online at

The Theme

imagine→ignite tedxyouthhumboldtbay.com APPLY NOW! Speaker Deadline June 1, 2013 We are looking for: Youth Speakers & Talent l Organzing Team l

l Adult l

Speakers & Talent Event Day Crew

Come be part of the 1st TEDxYouth Event and the 2nd Humboldt County TEDxHumboldtBay Event!

Email: tedxlaura@gmail.com or call/text (707) 845-4772 for questions TEDxYouthDay is a series of TEDx events happening all around the world coinciding with Universal Children's Day in late November. These events are designed to empower and inspire young people.

TEDxYouthDay events present a combination of live speakers and TEDTalks to audiences around the world.

These events vary widely in size, format, and theme, but they share a common vision: inspiring curiosity, igniting new ideas, and empowering young leaders.

www.tedxyouthhumboldtbay.com Page 8

News

HROP continues to hang on

M ay 17, 2013

Errol Funk

T

Reporter

he Humboldt Regional Occupational Program (HROP) is hanging in there - for now. “The Trailer Bill will determine the fate of ROP classes across the state,” HROP Culinary Arts teacher Tanya Trump said. Arcata’s HROP classes will be continuing to run into the next school year. Although federal funding will be cut, the Humboldt County Office of Education (HCOE) will provide funding to allow HROP programs to continue to run. Starting next year, new career tech classes will be introduced, including Flash Animation, Game Development and Robotics, depending on student interest. With the help of

the HCOE, an additional $215 per student will be allotted. However, the following year’s decision will be made determining whether or not to cut HROP. Determining factors will include how the classes run and how many students attended in the previous year.

“The HCOE may choose to stay involved in some Career Technical Education programs but only a select few, if any. If this new budget arrangement that the Governor is proposing goes through, then

AHS P epperbox

funding for high school students will be sent from the state to districts with high schools to support Career Technical Education strategies. For the following school year, the assumption will be that districts

will run their own Career Technical Education programs using those funds,” Jan Moorehouse of the Department of Staff for HROP stated.

[These classes] make them well-rounded -Tanya Trump, Culinary Arts Instructor

Errol Funk/PEPPERBOX

HROP culinary arts student Andrew Dehart practicing his cooking techniques

Arcata High’s HROP program helps better prepare students for occupations they might pursue in their near future. “I think it’s important to keep these classes running because students receive skills that they will use in their everyday lives, which will make them well-rounded individuals,” Trump said.

HROP instructor Janna Cox explained, “Statewide ROP offers hands-on courses [in which] students learn more than just everyday subjects, they learn problem solving techniques.”

These classes have left a positive effect on students at Arcata High: “I think it’s good for high school students to be allowed the opportunity to gain work experience at school, and personally the culinary class at Arcata has helped further my skills at becoming a world class chef,” culinary student Marguax Karp said.

Other students have even offered to share their skills. “HROP has helped me quite a bit. I’m willing to cook for anyone, just find me,” culinary student Andrew Dehart declared.

Although the fate of these classes is still somewhat unstable in the long run, students agree that AHS is privileged to have these courses for the time being.

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AHS P epperbox

News

Arcata High School Pledge Alliance Molly Salamunovich

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Managing Editor

o most of us, April 22, 2012 holds little to no relevance. To most of us, there is no recognition of that day; no reason to remember what was founded on that rainy Spring afternoon. However, let it be known that on April 22, 2012, it was Earth Day. Fittingly, on that day, the High School Pledge Alliance was born.

The High School Pledge Alliance was founded by a determined team of high schoolers from our very own campus. “Arcata High school’s graduating class of 2012 was the first high school in history to take the pledge,” co-founder and senior Day Robins said. With a green-ink-

stained thumb and a green ribbon, last year’s graduating class promised to “consider the social and environmental consequences of future actions and associations.”

Last year’s Green Club resurrected the idea of the pledge from HSU’s original 1987 pledge, which was written by a group of Humboldt college students 26 years ago.

The goals of this 501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization are modeled off the successes of those college students’ pledges, first taken in the Redwood Bowl. Now, just over 26 years later, HSU’s pledge has since been written into graduation ceremonies at UC Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, and many other colleges around the world.

The Pledge Alliance strives to develop a movement for “social and environmental responsibil-

ity” and hopes that through raising awareness, other students around the world will spread the concepts of reaping what we sow.

Unfortunately, many students on our campus are not even aware that such an Alliance exists. Despite the efforts of students to spread the word, it still remains an unknown topic among the majority of Arcata High students and high schoolers in Humboldt County.

“Wait, what is it? The green thumb print thing?” senior Megan Viña asked quizzically, when asked if she knew about the pledge.

“A sustainable future starts with mindful everyday choices,” Robins said. “The pledge is all about inspiring consciousness and responsibility in our generation and in our community. We’ve grown up in an incredible environment. Now it’s

M ay 17, 2013

our responsibility to protect it,” she continued.

The High School Pledge Alliance is currently managed by two seniors. “We’re working with younger students to ensure that the pledge is a tradition for many years to come. It speaks to who we are as a student body, and as a community in general,” co-founder and senior Elaine Cunha stated.

“Because last year was such a success, we’re working on spreading the pledge to McKinleyville High School this year. Hopefully high schools all over California will be pledging for responsibility in the future!” Robins explicated enthusiastically.

To join the movement and find out more, visit www.highschoolpledgealliance.org or “like” the pledge on Facebook!

Grave Lovell/PEPPERBOX

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AHS seniors sign the High School Pledge Alliance during the 2012 graduation ceremony.

News

Track stars break records: M ay 17, 2013

AHS P epperbox

Ellie Earle-Rouse earns stripes Lauren McCoy

A

Sports Editor

fter finding her mark (the perfect distance from the pit to jump), freshman Ellie EarleRouse looks down at the ground.

She collects herself and begins her imitation of a pendulum, leaning backwards and forwards... once, twice... seven times. Her first step, skipping through the air, launches her into the strides up to the mat. By the time she has taken her last step, driving her knee skyward, she has become airborne and must contort her body to arch above and over the high jump bar. The moment EarleRouse’s hips go over the bar is the moment she knows if her leap of faith was her best yet.

On Saturday, April 6, 2013, Earle-Rouse had one of her best jumps. In fact, she broke Arcata High’s high jump record of 5’4” with a jump of 5’5”. She began high jumping only a year ago, as

an eighth grader at Jacoby Creek Elementary School. One of her early jumps from last year in middle school was 4’10”, a mark that would have undeniably placed first at the high school varsity level.

Since the start of her high jumping, Earle-Rouse has made great improvements in the height which she can clear, due largely to her rigorous training schedule. With regular workouts at 21 Grams Gym in Arcata, she works out with trainer Sarah Ingram, who guides Ellie in specified training geared toward jumping.

“Right now we are just working on her overall strength, and learning the moves and lifts,” Ingram said.

Various exercises such as leg work, barbell squats, and jump squats are just a few of the many ways she gets into prime physical fitness for competition. Ingram is just the right person to be training Earle-Rouse, as she was the previous holder of Arcata High’s high jump record and certainly knows what she is doing.

“When Ellie told me she broke my

record, I joked with her that I would have to put on a uniform and beat her again at the next meet! But I’m really happy for her,” Ingram added.

Besides being a stellar highjumper, she is also an excellent triple jumper. At a recent meet in Fortuna, Earle-Rouse shattered Arcata High’s triple jump record with a distance of 35’1.5”, which was more than two feet past the previous record.

Grobey’s twenty-six-year reign as the record holder has come to an end. A new plaque, with a new name and a new year and an even faster time will go up on the gym wall. At the sections and All-County Qualifying track meet in Del Norte on Thursday, May 2nd, Arcata junior Lauren McCoy ran 400 meters in a mere 57.9 seconds, breaking the

school record and astonishing everyone, including herself. The now two-time record holder (McCoy broke the 300m hurdles record last year) said, “Honestly, I was just trying my hardest to run a 58, so when somebody told me I had ran 57, I was just like, ‘Oh my god!’ I was in disbelief.” The track star, whose previous personal record was 59

Earle-Rouse’s goal is to clear 5’8” in high jump by the end of this season, and she has already qualified for the Sections meet in Santa Rosa. Just this past Friday, EarleRouse placed first at the HumboldtDel Norte All County Championship meet in high jump and triple jump, earning two white stars and the title of best in the county at her respective events. It is safe to say Earle-Rouse is well on her way to becoming an Arcata High legend.

Photo courtesy of Phil Rouse

Ellie Earl-Rouse clears an impressive winning height in Fortuna.

Lauren McCoy breaks second record Grace Lovell Art Director

The year is 1987. Arcata High senior Heidi Grobey runs the 400 meter dash in 58.65 seconds, winning sectionals. Almost three decades later, Grobey’s name is still up on the Arcata High gym wall. But now,

seconds, beat the second place runner by almost two seconds, an impressive number when it comes to the dash. McCoy placed first at the H-DN Championship meet, with a time of 59.16 seconds. McCoy and the rest of the track team will travel to Santa Rosa this Saturday, May 18, to compete in the North Coast Section Championships.

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News

AHS juniors head to state AHS P epperbox

Gillen Martin

T

Junior News Editor

his year’s State History Day was just another example of two of Arcata High’s defining features: its rigorous academics and intense senioritis. This year at AHS we had sixteen qualifying students, nine qualifying projects, three alternate projects, and six alternate students.

All of the qualifying students attended, with the exception of the seniors.

The 2013 History Day theme was turning points in history. The qualifying AHS projects covered many categories, including web-

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sites, research papers, and group exhibits alike. Our students who qualified also ranged from freshmen to seniors, although the seniors

M ay 17, 2013

event.

“I’m excited; I think it’ll be a lot of fun. I’ve never been before, and I’m curious about what it’s like,” stated junior Kira Burnett (prior to attending History Day). Burnett’s project was about Yellowstone National Park and how the National Park system is saving the wild. “I liked my project a lot, and I liked the subject. I was hoping to do well, but I didn’t expect to go to State.”

State History Day in Sacramento was fortunate to have several AHS students. Besides the seniors and their two qualifying websites that did not attend, the event was utterly Photo courtesy of River’s mom full with many impressive projects as a whole declined the State’s cor- and brilliant individuals from Ar- History Day competitor River Sween poses for a quick picture. dial invitation to attend the actual cata High.

This year at AHS we had sixteen qualifying students, nine qualifying projects, three alternate projects, and six alternate students.

Feature

Arcata’s resident womb-mates M ay 17, 2013

Gillen Martin Junior News Editor &

Geena Damian

P

Reporter

in a bad mood, I can kinda feel it,” he Pigg commented about his sister.

Some twins share a less personal, yet nonetheless eerie psychic connection, such as sophomores Carson and Westin McHaney, who have been known to catch each other humming the same song at the same time quite often. Twinstinct, twintellect, twinlepathy, whatever you call it, there is some strange connection between twin minds.

The trademark sign of young twins is the typical matching outfits.

Though dorky, you can’t help looking at them without saying, “awwwwww.” Some of our resident AHS twins were dressed identically in their youth. “Yeah, matching outfits happened a lot. When we were little kids we had them everyday,” commented Pigg. Sophomore twin Sean Nordquist added, “It was kind of annoying.”

Being a twin has obvious pros and cons. “It’s cool having a brother the same age,” sophomore Taylor Camp said, although he goes on to add that the worst part about being a twin is spending so much time to-

gether.

Mrs. Wozniak sympathizes with Camp. “I can understand, after living in the womb together, you might be a little tired of each other,” Woz said when deciding not to put Senior twins Kaitlan and Kylie Tatro in the same group.

Triston Pigg seems to have a different issue with being a twin. “It’s nice not being an only child, but she’s really good at everything, and that kind of gets old after a while,” Pigg commented.

Sean Nordquist may be fine having a womb-mate, but he doesn’t like being an identical twin: “It’s kind of weird to have another person who looks exactly like you.”

There are definitely some perks of having someone who looks exactly like you. Michael and Sean Nordquist, a pair of our school’s identical twins, have switched into each other’s classes just for fun: “Twice, once last year and once this year,” Sean said. Juniors Gina and Gloria Smith share a similar

sychic connections, matching clothes, and shared birthdays: what could be the source of these mysterious happenings? Twins. Slowly but surely, they have been taking over our school. We now have 32 twins in all (that’s 16 pairs), constituting four percent of the school.

Whenever twins come up, they present the question: Will those of individual birth ever truly understand what it means to be a twin?

Hopefully, this insightful article will help to explain the magical creatures and the rumors that surround them.

Dictionary.com defines a twin simply as “either of two children or animals brought forth at a birth,” but there is definitely more to being a twin than that. Sophomore Mariah Lewis was supposed to have a twin: “This one time... I stole all these nutrients from my fetus twin...” commented Lewis. “I do think about what it would be like to have a twin.” And I’m sure we all wonder what it would be like to have Mariah’s double running around as well.

The biggest myth about twins is that they have some sort of psychic extra sensory perception (ESP) connection. Most people don’t believe this rumor, but we weren’t so sure.

If you share the same DNA, who’s to say you can’t pick up on each other's thought waves? Freshman Triston Pigg has experienced this Gillen Martin/PEPPERBOX phenomenon. “Sometimes if she’s Michael and Sean Nordquist flaunt their similarities.

AHS P epperbox

story of deceiving their instructors.

“We switched classes freshman year for two weeks straight. We got caught, but we didn’t get in trouble.

The teachers would look me in the face and think I was her,” Gloria commented.

Gina’s long-time boyfriend Chandler Maskill was in one of the classes they switched for. “I had P.E. with Gloria freshman year, but Gina kept switching into it all the time. People would be weirded out because we would hold hands and they still thought it was Gloria,” Maskill recalled.

So for all of those without doubles, it looks like we’ll have to still go to all our classes, get into trouble on our own, and pick out our own outfits. But we’ll always have our school’s abundant society of twins to regale us with their stories of michief and excitement.

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Feature

AHS P epperbox

Our alumni’s permanent Homecoming Kaitlin Tucker Reporter &

Geena Damian

E

Reporter

very high school student dreams of graduation, the day they can bust out of the double doors and never have to look back or be forced to go to high school again.

So why then would anyone want to be a teacher? This is something we may never understand, and yet even more confusing is the question, why would anyone who grew up in Humboldt want to stay here?

We spoke to our Humboldt alumni staff, and got insight into these befuddling questions.

It seems that our high school teachers are more like us than we thought. At one point in time, they too had the idea that they would never come back to a place full of embarrassing memories and childhood dreams. According to Tanya Trump, she didn’t even apply to Humboldt State, and instead went to UC Santa Cruz. “A lot of people that leave come back, but I never

Mrs. Rosebrook (History)

Page 14

thought that I would,” Trump said.

Instead of continuing her plans at UC Santa Cruz, she became… distracted. “I met a boy the summer of my freshman year when I came back to visit and decided that going to HSU would be more fun,” Trump said.

Even less likely than staying in Humboldt was the prospect that Trump would become a teacher.

“I came from a family of teachers; it was the last thing in the world I wanted to do,” Trump said. Yet little did Trump know that she was headed right toward her “nightmare.” “I went back to school to study nutrition, and it just happened. I had parents with summers off, and I realized that working during the summer sucked!” Trump said.

Still more shocking is the idea that our own Dean of Students, Tahnia Campbell, never thought that she would be a teacher. “I never knew what I wanted to do in high school, like maybe I knew what I wanted to do the next day, but never had a career plan.” This all changed when Jerry Paul asked her if she would want to be a coach for Arcata High. “When I was coaching, I realized that I wanted to teach as well,.

Coaching is pretty much teaching.”

Mr. Kieselhorst (Music)

M ay 17, 2013

Unlike Trump, Campbell never had the desire to leave Humboldt. She went to HSU and became a basketball star. While telling us her tales of glory, Campbell reminisced her high school years from AHS: “Ghisetti always used to cheat off me on tests.”

While it seems as though Troy Ghisetti would have been one of us typical high schoolers, with dreams to travel the world, and never go to school again, he was in fact quite the opposite. When we mentioned his time at Arcata High, he promptly responded with an enthusiastic, “OMG, greatest time of my life!” As to him becoming a teacher, apparently he took very little convincing. “My sophomore year, Mr. Mayer did a survey in health class about which career I should do.

It came up with building houses or teaching, so I asked him how many days a year he worked, he said 180, and I said perfect!”

While those of us still in high school think of our final days at Arcata High, I wonder, which of us will return, and which of us will tell our students our stories of prom dates, basketball legends, and cutting class.

Who knows who it will be, but remember students of Arcata High, you could be back here in twenty years teaching history, German, or algebra.

Mr. Ghisetti (P.E.)

Mr. Schmidt (P.E.)

Mrs. Trump (Cooking)

Mrs. Campbell (Dean)

Ms. Cole (Lunch Lady)

Photos courtesy of AHS Advance

Feature

AHS P epperbox

Establishing a parking spot at AHS M ay 17, 2013

Hawken Ritter

W

Business Manager

hen the Arcata High parking lot was first built in 1895, it was unpaved and contained 12 parking spaces for the entire school. As time progressed, students became dependent on cars to commute to and from school, and the need to expand the AHS parking lot became apparent. Today, our parking lot holds nearly 150 parking spaces for students and visitor parking. This expansion occurred on the same small plot of land that previously housed 12 spots over 100 years earlier. With only one entrance and one exit, at the end of a dead end street, traffic jams are an expected occurrence in our daily lives.

About 400 of Arcata High’s 800 students are of driving age, making it impossible for everyone to fit into the small parking lot at the front of the school. Scarcity breeds battles; maintaining one’s “spot” is a constant struggle.

The parking lot is more than just a place to park your car. Ironically, parking lot geography, or where one parks, is almost more important than having a space at all. Most schools are designed to provide places for students to conglomerate and hang out in between classes and after school, but the Arcata High campus

lacks such a place. To compensate for an unpopulated senior lawn, the parking lot has become the destination for all socialization. Break time, lunch, and after school, you will find students playing catch with a football, conversing in the bed of a truck, listening to music inside a car, and using their cars and trucks as lockers. Where one parks reflects which group of friends they identify with as well as their location preferences. Close to the school makes it easiest to visit your car in between classes, while the edge of the lot allows for the quickest exit at lunch and after school.

Driving past the parking lot, one may not notice the complex stratification in place that dictates where one parks. However, the Arcata High parking lot is a hierarchy. In the eyes of many seniors, they are on top. Juniors, and especially sophomore drivers, are on the bottom. The three year cycle takes students through struggling to find a spot close enough to their fellow peers as a sophomore, to beginning to establish a certain area of the parking lot as their own as a junior, to expecting to come to school with your parking spot empty and waiting for you as a senior.

Last year’s sophomore class sparked controversy with the upperclassmen after overrunning a section of the parking lot already occupied by junior and senior drivers.

The previous system of respect was

“Screw the seniors, I can park where I want.”

-Newly licensed sophomore Bryce Moore

obliterated, and the veteran drivers looked upon the year’s sophomores in disdain. Senior Eli Perrett, who was bothered after his parking space was taken, stated, “If you understand your place in the parking lot, you will earn respect.”

Cameron Wallace, a current senior at Arcata High, was one of the few sophomores two years ago to receive his license while still in school. Wallace stated, “I chose to park away from the main lot when I first got my license because I was an inexperienced driver and respected the upperclassmen.”

Current sophomore Russell Taylor strongly believes his fellow sophomores “should respect the up-

perclassmen because we are rookies and they have been driving for two years.”

However, this belief is not shared among all sophomore drivers.

Bryce Moore, a sophomore who recently got his license, boldly stated, “Screw the seniors, I can park where I want.”

Although the sophomores can, by law, park wherever they want, it is important for them to realize there is an unwritten code; a system of respect and a hierarchy. Until the parking lot is renovated to accommodate the influx of new sophomore drivers each year, this inevitable controversy will continue to occur.

Molly’s spot

Gabe Schneider/PEPPERBOX

For others, the parking lot is a place for tradition. Parking spots have a legacy attached to them. Senior Molly Salamunovich is the fourth of six Salamunoviches who have graced the Arcata High campus. Prior to Molly’s senior year, the Salamunovich parking spot was etched in three years of heritage marking back to the oldest sister, Annie, in 2003. “It’s been passed down by generation to generation, and it’s important to my family to carry out the tradition,” Salamunovich said.

Page 15

Spring sports: Tigers roar on Sam Winter Reporter

This year the AHS Golf team has not achieved the success it has become accustomed to in recent years. Freshman Morgan Pennington impressively lead the team with a best score of 84. Despite the overall lack of success, the team has managed to still enjoy themselves. Senior Eli Perrett explained, “Well there’s a lot to be said about golf, that’s for sure. It’s a man’s sport. It’s something I know I’m going to be doing for the rest of my life. It’s a valuable experience. I’ve met a lot of great golfers and have had a great experience with the team. I don’t really know anything about golf though. I didn’t play in any of the tournaments.” Fellow senior Ryan Ennes continued, “We may not have been the best players, but we were the best looking.”

Baseball is well on its way to a solid finish to the season, with a record of 4-7 in league and 12-10 overall. The team is very young this year with six freshmen. They started out strong, going 8-3 in preseason and maintaining a good record throughout league. “We’ve got good team chemistry and we’re known for our late comebacks,” commented senior Cameron Wallace. They will, as always, compete for the league title yet again.

In a team with no seniors, the AHS softball is in the process of a solid season while looking forward to success next year. They’ve gone 0-8 in league and 3-15 overall, including preseason wins against Fort Bragg, and two impressive wins against St. Bernard’s. On the topic of their season, junior Caitlin Nieri simply commented, “Maybe next year.”

Page 16

The AHS tennis team lost for the first time in eight years, but still, as usual, won a league title. Led by seniors Jasper Severn and Forrest Lewis and junior Hayden Parker, AHS tennis has maintained its reputation as the dominant tennis school in the HDN League by being undefeated except for a single loss to Fortuna and finishing the season with a record of 13-1. They have earned a berth into North Coast Sections, but elected to not travel to the Bay Area to compete. Senior Severn summed up the season by commenting, “This was the first season in eight years that Arcata High has been challenged in our area, but despite two broken limbs and over half of our team being new recruits, we still managed to reign victorious as league champions.”

Track has put forth an impressive team in the 2013 season, consistently winning a variety of events and even breaking school records. The girls have been winning all the meets by a significant margin. Freshman high jumper Ellie Earle-Rouse has been impressive this year, breaking the school high jump and triple jump records (see page 11). The team has also shown a solid distance group, led by Jose Lopez. Lauren McCoy has repeatedly won 300m hurdles with a best time of 46.04 and long jump with a distance of 16’11”, while being part of the undefeated girls 4x400m relay whose best time clocked in at 4:08.00. Russ Taylor, who won long jump with a distance of 18’7”, summed up the season by saying, “Well, it’s been a good season... But I don’t really know if I’m good or not at track.”

Page 17

from the

COVER

No Contest

Backroom deals have replaced elections, putting democracy at Arcata High on its deathbed.

Day Robins

H

Online Editor

a d J a m e s M o n r o e ’s o v e r w h e l m i n g s u c c e s s in the election of 1820 been because of a brilliant campaign, I would not be writing about him. There was, in fact, no campaign in the election of 1820. Monroe faced no opposition, and became America’s fifth President by default.

Arcata High will see its second consecutive Monroe take office next year. The last time AHS students produced more candidates than offices available was in 2010. Since then, it seems as if the Associated Student Body (ASB) offices have been settled among the “candidates” in backroom deals.

Behind-The-Scene Backroom Dealing Shortly before last year’s ASB petitions were due, I confronted former Junior Class President Forrest Lewis about whether he planned on running for ASB President. After a quick discussion, he made it pretty clear that he had no interest in running against me.

“I didn’t want to put on a campaign,” Lewis said, explaining his reason for settling on Vice President. “ASB VP has almost the same amount of prestige but way less work.”

“This is what happens every year,” ASB Treasurer Elaine Cunha concluded, referring to the recent phenomenon where a small group of aspiring ASB officers get together and jockey for positions, deciding amongst themselves who will hold each office - saving the inconvenience of an actual election.

Despite my AHS pride and passion for political science, I would not have run against Lewis for President. In theory, I deeply believe in democratic elections, but in practice, appointment was much, much more appealing. By running unopposed, I didn’t have to risk losing. I made one ten-second speech in front of the school and was handed the position of ASB President.

Self-appointed ASB officers are turning into an Arcata High tradition, as it has carried over to this year’s pool. Their backroom deals are beginning to resemble a game of “chicken.”

“There was shuffling going on while we were deciding what positions we were going to run for,” said unopposed ASB Presidentelect Lauren McCoy. “Morgan Brown approached me, knowing she wanted to run for an ASB office even though she will be a junior, and told me that she didn’t want to run against me,” McCoy said.

McCoy and Brown’s deal seemed almost identical to the deal Lewis and I struck last year. “In the end we decided that she would be VP and I would be President; that’s where we decided we’d both be successful,” McCoy concluded.

Unopposed ASB VP candidate Morgan Brown intended on running for ASB President. “I like Lauren too much, so I settled for VP” Page 18

Brown said.

“She’s also better than everyone at everything, and I didn’t want to go up against that, especially because I’m just going to be a junior. It’s her senior year, and I’ll have the opportunity to run for ASB President next year. I also didn’t want any conflict between us.”

Despite all the positives of student government, only four out of 16 class and ASB positions are contested in this year’s elections. Furthermore, out of a class of 160 students, this year’s junior class could pathetically only produce two ASB candidates. Luckily, the current sophomore class stepped up to fill the void; two of next year’s ASB officers, Morgan Brown and Gillen Martin, will be juniors next year.

In theory, I deeply believe in democratic elections, but in practice, appointment was much, much more appealing.

Not all potential candidates are worried about going head-tohead in an election. “I would have run against someone because I’m confident I’ll do a good job. That’s why I ran in the first place,” Cunha said.

McCoy feels the same confidence. “I’ve been in a leadership role for the past three years, so I’m the most qualified to take on the position of ASB President,” McCoy stated.

Looking back, I also felt extremely confident in my ability to do a good job as ASB President, but less confident in my ability to beat Lewis. I had the passion and enthusiasm for the office, but the idea of advertising myself by campaigning was outside my comfort zone.

“One of the problems with high schoolers is that they’re afraid of losing. It’s a big factor in this unopposed ASB election,” McCoy said. “People won’t want to run if they don’t think they’ll win.”

What Scares Students Away?

Many students see elections as popularity contests rather than a reflection of abilities.

“There’s always the popularity thing, in any election,” freshman Owen Reiss noted. “It seems like there’s not enough incentive to run against a candidate.”

Reiss added that if underclassmen were more encouraged to run

for office, they may be more likely to become ASB officers as upperclassmen.

“Freshman and sophomore year people are intimidated by class office,” Lewis said. “Because ASB office requires a year of class office experience or a year of leadership class, many students aren’t even eligible to run for ASB office.” Given the lack of candidates in recent years, the leadership class may reconsider the requirements for ASB office to allow more kids the opportunity to run.

A lack of candidates may also stem from a lack of knowledge about ASB, which is summed up by Reiss’s curious question: “Is there any reason why people want to be ASB President?”

Why Student Government is Cool My reply to Reiss was, “You get to call yourself ASB President.” I had a hard time grasping that there were students who did not see the inherent prestige of ASB President as obvious.

But, there’s a much deeper meaning to ASB office. Our job is not only to put on the usual events like the assemblies, Homecoming, and Spring Week, but to brainstorm ways to make these weeks better than before. Above all, ASB officers are responsible for creating a spirited environment that makes everyone feel welcomed at AHS. Principal Dave Navarre added his own perspective on student involvement. “Working with students is the absolute best part of my job,” Navarre said sincerely. “We rely on you guys.”

Navarre also recognized the broader rewards of ASB office. “[Student government] looks good on a resume, it gives you experience, you get to have your ideas presented, and it will help you down the road no matter what you go on to do,” Navarre said.

According to Hope Murtaugh, former assistant director of admissions at Princeton University, “Holding the office of Student Body President is a strong statement that that person is seen as a leader by the community...It gives an admission office a strong signal that this is...not someone who’s just going to sit back and take from the University, but rather somebody who is willing to give back in the form of their time and service.”

“A large reason I ran was so that I could write it on college applications,” admitted junior Hannah Christen, who is currently running unopposed for Senior Class VP. Being an ASB officer is nationally recognized as a positive contribution to the school community. Students at some schools are cut-throat about winning elections. I have heard stories of students spending over $500 on t-shirts, buttons, banners, etc. in their campaigns to become an ASB officer.

A$B: Cha-Ching!

Student government empowers students. At Monday ASB meetings, we spend thousands of dollars and make decisions that impact the school for years after we’ve all graduated.

“Basically everything that ASB does involves money or purchase orders,” Cunha said. Last year, ASB purchased a $6,000 marquee with money from student government’s $120,000 stock portfolio.

“Tens of thousands of dollars of purchases happen every year, based on the student government’s vote,” ASB advisor Wendy Zamboni said. “By now, in May, the student government knows parliamentary procedure, how to write a purchase order, and how to run a meeting. They could do it all without me!”

Zamboni also made clear that ASB has the ability to change school policy, but that it has not done so in many years. “When I was in high school, my class took on the dress code and got shorts allowed,” she recalled. “If you were set on changing school policy, student government can go through the steps to make it happen.”

The System Depends on You! Of course, many students simply don’t want to put in the work that student government requires. To those who have a political calling of any sort: feed it. “Government by the people” is the definition of democracy. Democracy demands participation, and not just as a voter, but as a contributor of ideas and energy.

“In order for democracy to be substantive and not just procedural, people need to have meaningful choices,” City of Arcata Mayor Shane Brinton said. “The more people actively participate in the process, the more likely we are to be successful.”

Elections are essential to a healthy democracy. With every uncontested campaign, AHS students lose some of their power in our school’s democracy. “The system isn’t working if people aren’t participating,” AP Government teacher Doug Johnson summarized.

After hearing the pros of ASB office, freshman Owen Reiss concluded that he would be willing to run for an ASB or class office in the future. So, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. I realize now that even if I had run for ASB President and lost, holding an actual election would have been a win for the democratic process.

ASB by the Numbers

For 3 years in a row, AHS has not produced more than 4 ASB candidates for the 4 ASB offices, out of 791 students.

In the 2013 elections, out of the 160 juniors,159 have above a 2.0 cumulative GPA, making them eligible to run for Class Office. Only 6 of those 159 eligible ran for 8 open class and ASB offices. Only 1 was male.

Only 4 of 16 class and ASB positions are contested. 12 of the “candidates” will win by default.

In this year’s student government, only 5 of 20 officers are male. 1 male and 16 females are enrolled in Leadership class.

In the past 5 years, at least 1 ASB candidate has run unopposed.

Page 19

Feature

Seven Wonders of Arcata M ay 17, 2013

Cafe Mokka

Lauren McCoy

AHS P epperbox

The Valley

Sports Editor

Humboldt County, Arcata in particular, has been considered a hotspot for adventuring and experiencing nature ever since the gem behind the Redwood Curtain was discovered. There are various spots around town and in the surrounding areas that epitomize this spirit of adventure. Although they have not been around quite as long as Stonehenge, they certainly are worth a stop.

Cafe Mokka is located on the discreet corner of 5th and J Streets. At this wonderful locale you can find not only delicious drinks, but an enchanting pond and garden.

The Cement Whale

Top of the world The Valley is just one of the many aweinspiring adventure spots in Arcata. As it’s nestled deep in the Redwood Park Forest, you may want a guide to get you there.

The Whale is one of the better kept secrets of Arcata, and is such for good reason. This incredible masterpiece is located on a private road, Aloha Lane, off of Spear and West End. Visit this wonder at your own risk, and be sure to be repectful.

The Top of the World is a breathtaking vantage point overlooking the Mad River and the town of Blue Lake.

This steep road to such beauty is about a 30 minute drive up Fickle Hill. Look for the red gate and fence!

Circle of Trees

Glass Fields

The Marsh

Turning off Samoa onto I Street toward the bay, you follow a gently winding road to a fascinating piece of environmental and physical beauty: the Marsh.

To reach the infamous Glass Fields, one must turn off of Alliance onto 17th, and follow the road to the right, and then to the left as it turns into Q Street. On the right hand side of the road is a discreet parking spot. From there you must carefully walk across a wasteland of sorts to the mirage of broken bottles and dreams.

The Circle of Trees, a mysterious crop of ritualistically planted redwoods, is hidden in Arcata’s Redwood Forest in Sunny Brae. The tiny piece of sky seen through the circle evokes a sense of serenity worth a short uphill hike.

Page 21

AHS P epperbox

Travel

Colin Swenson on Rotary Exchange Sage Fanucchi

C

Feature Editor

olin Swenson, AHS graduate and former Art Director of the Pepperbox, has spent the last eight months as an exchange student in Trieste, Italy, a city in Northern Italy near Slovenia and Croatia.

Pepperbox: Where are you on exchange?

Colin: I’m on exchange in Trieste, Italy. It’s located in a really weird place and it’s a city of 200,000 people. It used to be the most important port for the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

What other important cities have you been to in Italy and around the world?

I have travelled to Milan,Venice, Florence, Pisa, Ferrara, Sienna, Udine, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria and Denmark (to visit Zoe Tinseth, a fellow rotary exchange student and Arcata High graduate). I also went to Israel for an international peace conference.

What did you do at the international peace conference?

We did all sorts of stuff. We were [a group of] over 150 16 to 28-year-olds from 21 different countries all living in a small community together. Getting to know people and the political and social situations from all over the world was an eye-opening experience.

We saw incredible lecturers and had opportunities to brainstorm ideas to improve humanity and spread peace. I’m involved in a group that’s working on developing an app that would show users volunteer opportunities in different Page 22

areas.

What’s the biggest culture shock or cultural difference you’ve experienced?

Well when it comes to Italians - oh [expletive]! (he begins to whisper) I can’t do this, they are all right here. Uh, when it comes to Italians, I’ve noticed they are very passionate about everything they do. So sometimes when they seem like they are yelling at you, they are actually asking you to do something and they think it’s a really good idea, so they yell at you some more. They seem to have this idea that the louder and more they move

M ay 17, 2013

ahead of time, and so I’d have to make my own dinner. So I asked him in Italian if he would warn me before he would go out to dinner, like a day ahead of time. But in Italian the word cena means dinner and the word cina means China.

So I asked him to warn me one day ahead of time before he went to China and his response was, “How did you know I’m going to China?

Yeah, I’ll warn you at least a week ahead of time.” We were both very confused. I also accidentally told people I was horny a lot, because “I’m excited” in English translates to “I’m horny” in Italian.

Photo courtesy of Paul Swenson

Colin Swenson admiring the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence, Italy. their arms, the more convincing they are. But it just makes them seem kinda crazy, Italian, and loud.

How’s the process of learning Italian been going?

I arrived knowing no Italian. So for the first couple months I didn’t really understand and couldn’t do much, which is pretty common. It’s pretty good now, I wouldn’t say I’m fluent, but I’m pretty competent.

What’s the funniest miscommunication you’ve had?

My host father would go out to dinner a lot without telling me

So what’s school been like in Italy; how does it compare to school in the U.S.?

Italian school is very different from American school. There’s less of a school-wide community because you have one class that you stay with for all of your lessons, and your teachers come to you. But it also means that you become very close to everyone in your class.

The Italian school system has very little money and is struggling, so that means that there are a lot of student strikes. In some student strikes the teachers participate and

those can get pretty intense. My school has toilet paper and I’m told I’m lucky because a lot of schools can’t even afford toilet paper.

What’s your favorite pizza?

I like four cheese pizza with speck added. And a four cheese pizza in Italy is not some Digiorno [expletive] where they give you four cheeses that look and taste exactly the same. This is where you get four cheeses that taste completely different.

What custom would you bring back to the U.S. if you could?

Italians are very, very helpful and friendly if you ask them questions.

If you don’t know where you are and you ask them, they will most likely walk to where you need to go. Also the respect for food.

Meals are very important and making sure you eat well and eat enough. I wish there was more of that in America. More respect for the ingredient, and more respect for what you’re putting into your body.

When you come back to the U.S., what’s the first thing you’re going to eat?

[Expletive] Mexican food man, I just want Mexican food so bad.

So if you could give advice to any future exchange students, what would it be?

If you need something, ask for it.

And don’t expect the beginning of your exchange to be like what the whole year is like; it can take a couple months to adjust. Also, when people ask you where you’re from, tell them California instead of that you’re American, sometimes it will go over a little better.

But don’t expect anyone to have any idea where Humboldt is. I’ve gotten to the point where I just say, “kind of near San Francisco.”

Travel

AHS P epperbox

Spare Change conference in D.C.

M ay 17, 2013

Astaria Holland

“S

Reporter

paring time, changing minds!” This is the chant Spare Change introduced to The 2013 Young Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C. Those in attendance representing Spare Change, the local peer education and theater troupe from Six Rivers Planned Parenthood, were Arcata High seniors Sage Fanucchi, Claire Appelmans and Astaria Holland, as well as Robin Lancaster from Academy of the Redwoods. The Young Leaders Summit is a conference inviting youth involved in Planned Parenthood from all around the nation.

These young adults have all volunteered for Planned Parenthood

as peer educators and in outreach groups. The youth’s dedication to the fight for reproductive justice was enriched by these workshops.

“Being surrounded by so many motivated youth made me want to dedicate my career to providing access to reprodusctive health care to people around the world,” Appelmans stated.

During this three day conference, students gathered for four different workshops, with topics ranging from “Understanding Privilege on the Path to Being an Ally” to “Beyond the Monuments: Understanding What It Really Means to Organize in D.C.” Other activities included a scavenger hunt across the Mall, a visit from Cecile Richards, the president of Planned Parenthood, and a first-ever speech from the President of the United

States. President Obama is the first standing president to ever speak to the National Planned Parenthood conference. “Planned Parenthood is not going anywhere, it’s not going anywhere today, and it’s not going anywhere tomorrow,” concluded President Obama.

“The overall experience was inspiring and uplifting. The conference made me feel empowered to create change and continue the work Planned Parenthood does,” Fanucchi said. The Young Leaders Summit had the power to do on a large scale what Spare Change tries to do for their peers. This conference gave young people a voice and listened to them in return, making the work of Planned Parenthood even more meaningful. “The opportunity to meet with people from across the nation was

irreplaceable. Each person offered a fantastic and unique perspective on the work we do,” Robin Lancaster said regarding the Young Leaders Youth Summit. Spare Change feels incredibly privileged to have represented our community at a national conference, and has been inspired to take home ideas and activities learned at the National Youth Leadership Summit. “The work Spare Change does is not only recognized locally but nationally. We rocked D.C. and I am super proud of the work each member contributes to educating their peers and the community,” said Gina Figueroa, director of Spare Change. Spare Change will be holding auditions at Arcata High on May 28th; don't miss your chance to be the change.

Photo Courtesy of Gina Figueroa

Members of Spare Change sightseeing in Washington, D.C. From left to right: Robin Lancaster, Sage Fanucchi, Ranjan Hatch, Claire Appelmans, Astaria Holland

Page 23

Travel

Orchestra shines at Carnegie

AHS P epperbox

Grace Lovell

A

Art Director

ccording to freshman Dhiren Suryadevara, known as “Electro” or “Chocolate Wonder” by his friends, it was an experience that can only be described as “intrinsic.” For the kids in orchestra, spring break meant more than just relief from homework and hanging out with friends, spring break meant that months of practice and two years of expectations were finally put to the test: the orchestra was going to play in their bi-annual music festival taking place at none other than New York City’s Carnegie Hall. Orchestra Maestra Carol Jacobson elaborated that playing at

Carnegie “was completely mindblowing, a humbling experience...

When you look up and consider what’s been in there before you, who’s been in there before you, it’s a thrill! It’s the best place in the United States to play.” After two off-site rehearsals, the orchestra got to play alongside a dozen other high-school orchestras from across the country.

Sophomore tubist Kierie Edwards stated, “I went there thinking that it was just a big old fancy hall, but it turned out to be spectacular - the stage was humongous, everything was just really shiny. The sound resonation was awesome and everything sounded really nice. It was just a life-changing experience.” Bassoonist Morgan Mahan agreed, “The best part was when we walked on the stage the first time.

I was just amazed, looking out into the audience, how stunning it was.”

Mahan added, “I feel like our hard work has finally paid off.” As well as performing Carnegie Hall, the orchestra saw both the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the New York Philharmonic, and the musicals, Newsies and Matilda. “I really liked the musicals, like, they were amazing, and I loved them. They were fun, and [acting] is something I want to pursue, so, that was really cool,” exclaimed cellist and drama student Ryan Ghisetti. Senior first trumpet Michael Newman said,

Photo courtesy of Darcy Robins

The ArMack Orchestra prepares for their Carnegie Hall performance over Spring Break.

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M ay 17, 2013

“We got to experience all of the fun touristy New York things... The Statue of Liberty, the Natural History Museum, the Empire State building, Times Square... It was really fun.” Added oboist Matthew Zazueta, “The best part was the food.”

The Orchestra also performed the pieces they played in New York, “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Carmen Suite,” along with Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” at the annual Orchestra Gala on April 27th. If you missed it, you can check out the orchestra at the Spring Concert on May 31st.

Travel

International trips a success M ay 17, 2013

AHS P epperbox

French culture enlightens students

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Anna Nordquist News Editor

fter almost twenty hours of traveling, eleven Arcata High School students arrived in Paris, one of the most beautiful cities on Earth. These students spent two weeks immersing themselves in the French language and culture.

Their adventure took them to beautiful gardens, historical beaches, fabulous museums and French high schools. They saw everything from Monet’s Garden to the World War II

museum. They also got the opportunity to taste local cuisine. “The bread was amazing,” freshman Lily Iverson stated.

All of these students were on the same trip, visiting the same places, and yet they all had very different experiences. Some loved the local culture. “My favorite part was going around in the backstreets and alleyways of Paris where all the local shops are,” senior Lorenzo Pageano stated.

Others loved the stay with host families, shadowing a French high school student, and getting the

quintessential French experience. “My favorite monument was the “It was really cool to stay with Eiffel Tower. I loved being able to another family and learn their cul- overlook the entire city and see how ture,” freshman Caleb Burns stated. beautiful it was.”

Freshman Patsi Fraga agreed: “Staying with the host family was really fun because my host sister was really nice and her family was really accepting.” The magnificent tourist attractions were another favorite. “I liked going to all the differPhoto courtesy of Davena Bagnall ent monuments,” stated Students admire a wall with “I love you” sophomore Sarah Fields. written in every language.

London, England was the first stop on this once-in-a-lifetime trip, where the students saw a Premier League soccer game, witnessed the changing of the guard, and attended Easter Mass at Westminster Abbey.

Then, they were off to Paris, France.

Here, the students visited the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, and went on a guided tour through the Palace of Versailles. AHS Dean Tahnia Campbell said, “I would go back in a heartbeat! This is an amazing trip and I would jump at the opportunity to chaperone again.” After Paris, the students took an overnight train to Florence, Italy. In Florence, they saw the Gates of Paradise, went to the Palazzo Vecchio, and saw Dante’s House. “Florence was the most beautiful city, besides getting rained on,” Campbell said. “But Rome was also beautiful.”

On the way to Rome, the students

took a detour to spend the day in Assisi, Italy, where they visited the Church of St. Francis and had free time to explore the wonders of the small but beautiful city. In Rome, they saw the Trevi Fountain and went on a guided tour through the Colosseum. They also visited Vati-

History comes to life in Europe Julia Sloan

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Reporter

he week before Spring Break: a time of making plans, STAR test review, vacation anticipation, and a multitude of class and club trips.

One such trip is the 10th grade AP European History class’s tour of Europe, which spanned 12 days (March 28th to April 9th), three countries, and five cities. Arcata High student Camille LaVoie stated, “I loved being able to connect what I have read about and studied with the actual place or thing, and just being immersed in other cultures was amazing.” With 24 students, six from Arcata High and 18 from McKinleyville High, five NHUSD chaperones, and six parent travelers, there were 35 travelers in total.

can City where they saw the amazing Sistine Chapel. Arcata High Principal Dave Navarre stated, “We packed an amazing amount of adventure into 12 days. It was an absolute kick to travel around Europe with such a fantastic group of young adults."

Photo courtesy of Indigo Davis

Arcata High students witness the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.

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Opinion

The original hipsters: Suprematists AHS P epperbox

fascinates me. That metamorphosis from monotony to intricacy is a perOpinion Editor fect example of the amazing things that humanity can achieve through the power of artistic expression.

History repeats itself, often in ways that we don’t realize. Realism and abstraction seem to alternate throughout history. In one decade, here are many con- artists might create paintings and cepts that stay constant drawings that could be mistaken throughout history, like power, wealth, and staWhen I walk into a room, tus. However, I find that the most important constant is the presence I can immediately tell if of art. Art is one of those under- a painting is crooked. It appreciated, overlooked factors in every significant era. The most fas- takes an immense amount cinating aspect about art is how its of effort not to be rude and styles and forms evolve as technol- fix it. ogy improves and society advances. You could argue that countless more aspects improve with technol- for photographs, where detail is so ogy also, but the difference lies in revered and important that any subhow explicitly visual art is. I mean, ject will look fascinating, and even just think about it. You can see the a painting of the most mundane evolving ideas and intellect of art- bucket would be intriguing. In the ists throughout time, the changing next decade, you could find paintperspectives, the stark contrasts and ings with a five color palette, that the intense depth that they reveal. has no depth and resembles slightly It’s pretty amazing to think that a more sophisticated cave paintings. monotonous, blank canvas with I can appreciate almost any form no personality or expression can and genre of art, but I really do not become something with so much understand the appeal of modern emotion and feeling. That is one of art movements like Suprematism, the many things about art that truly which focuses on simple shapes

Calvin Ryan

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I could probably show you an example [of Suprematism] in about three minutes using MS Paint.

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M ay 17, 2013

and lines. I could probably show past that initial shallow comprehenyou an example in about three min- sion and understand the history, the utes using MS Paint. Maybe I’m bi- meaning, and the personality of the ased from living with an artist as a art and the artist. Artists like Van mother in a house where the walls Gogh, Monet, and da Vinci are reare basically paintings. I think, nowned not only because their skill unconsciously, my taste in art has was unsurpassed, but because their been shaped by that. I’ve come to pieces act as windows into their appreciate subtle aesthetics, which lives, their culture and our history. most people think of as slight OCD. When I think about people in one For example, when I walk into a hundred years browsing the new room, I can immediately tell if a Museum of Abstract Art on their painting is crooked. It takes an im- iTables in their glass houses, I serimense amount of effort not to be ously wonder how they’re going to rude and fix it. This is the curse of interpret Minimalism. “This single being raised by an artist. I recently wavy orange line represents socisaw a 5’ by 5’ painting with a Field ety,” says the curator, continued by Drab Brown background and small “I don’t really know what the white dabs of green, that could be bought background means; I’m sure it’s too and displayed in all its majesty with complex for me to understand.” one third of the average American’s annual salary. I gazed at the expanse of brown that extended from the corners of my peripherals, and I realized what it lacked: the murky brown strokes held nothing but paint.

You cannot look at paintings as simple, cursory pictures. You have to understand the story and the meaning behind it; something your English teacher has probably told you a million times.

You can’t look at art simply as twodimensional. It’s deeper than that.

Ben McCreath/PEPPERBOX You have to look My smile is so mysterious.

A&E

The Indiana Jones of Guitar M ay 17, 2013

Dakota Goodman

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A&E Editor

amed the “Best acoustic guitarist” by Acoustic Guitarist Magazine and “best guitar player” by Rolling Stone, Tommy Emmanuel is a prodigy of music. Emmanuel has never learned how to properly read music, but at a very young age his mother taught him about the different verses in a song, a “simple way of understanding music.” Ironically, even though he learns by listening, he had yellow fever as a child and cannot hear very well. Unlike most guitarists who chose between bass and rhythm, Emmanuel plays both at the same time. He breaks down how he hears both the chorus and the beat, then combines the two together. His talent with music has given him the nickname, “The Indiana Jones of Guitar.”

Pepperbox: Were you interested in music from a young age?

Tommy Emmanuel: I was always interested in music; it was how my mother got me to sleep as a baby. I wouldn’t sleep during the day unless music was on. Music has always been in my life. I started playing the guitar at age four. I was one of six children who all wanted to play music. We were immersed in music all the time. My mother sang and danced through everyday.

What was your education like?

I never studied music, I don’t read music, and if you asked me to play a certain note, I bet I’d play it but I can’t name it. When I was young, my mother showed me how to figure out a song. She would say

“Here is this song, this is verse. One and this is verse two, verse one has the same construction as verse two and here is the chorus and that has a different construction as the first two verses.” We ended up making a simple way of understanding the music. As far as education goes, I did correspondence school and my mother was my teacher for a while, and then we were forced off the road and into school. I did two years of public high school and that was enough for me. I ran away and went to the big city. I wanted to be playing music. I got some good jobs, by the time I was fifteen I was already working a lot in Sydney and playing with a lot of different artists and sometimes way out of my depth. I was always a little bit fearless even though I didn’t have the experience of adults.

AHS P epperbox

just took a long time and didn’t happen by accident.

with a good melody and with a good message. It doesn’t matter what clothes it’s dressed in. If someHow do you think touring has af- one sings it well with a lot of heart fected your music? then it’ll get through. There are I think it has made me a much better some genres of music that I don’t musician, because I have to interact listen to that much, like rap music with lots of people every day of my or heavy metal. It’s just a matter of life. I want to have a family around what works for you. What works me wherever I go and I want to be for me may not work for you and able to come back. If you are in the vise versa, but that doesn’t mean I music business, your main goal is to don’t respect what you like. But I create a good reputation so that you think the bottom line in any genre can come back. You have to have a of music, whether it is classical or situation where people want to see heavy metal, as long as it’s got soul, you again. I play about 330 dates a it’s got heart - that’s what matters year - I play a lot - so I am always to me. What you’ve got to do in life seeing people that I saw last year is find your place. You have to find and I hope that I am building rela- where you belong and where your tionships around the world. Music strengths are and how you can be has a way of bringing us together, it most effective while you have your is a powerful force. The guitar is a time to shine. Remember that you weapon of mass construction. are here to serve others; we are here to help each other. If you do What is your personal opinion of a good job that should fulfill you, the younger generations taste in that should make you happy. That is music? the most important thing, be happy I think people still love a good song while you are here.

What is your main inspiration?

When I was a kid it was country music, long before our time really. My first inspiration was a guy named Jimmy Rodgers, then Hank Williams. It was all guys who played country music. Then I discovered swing music, rock n’ roll, and then the blues a little bit later. I didn’t really get into jazz and the blues until the mid 70’s. During the late 70’s I was in a lot of different bands playing funk music and music to make people dance. I did a lot of different things in my life: I played bass in a band, I was a singer in a band, I played guitar in a band, and fixed equipment. What I am doing right now is I am traveling around the world as a concert musician. This is what I wanted to do since I was a little boy. My dream of where I belonged was in concert halls, I just Dakota Goodman/PEPPERBOX had to find out how to get there. It Tommy Emmanuel, deemed “best guitar player” by Rolling Stone Page 27

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*The Pepperbox commends Mr. Monge for being a responsible administrator and ensuring the safety of his students.