September 2011

Crimson The Student Newsmagazine of Paso Robles High School

801 Niblick Rd. Paso Robles, California

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Students race against the clock

by Maria Petiy, Reporter with contributions by Kim Boswell, Reporter and Olivia Musial, Reporter Shoving, tripping, and pushing, oh my! As school opened Aug. 22 over 2,000 students forcefully fought six-minute time limits and fellow classmen to get through the crowded walkways of the construction laden campus to their new classes.

“During nutrition, the quad looks [like] a crowd of little girls at a Justin Bieber concert!” said senior Danny Hernandez.

Some students described passing periods as “swimming upstream.” Due to the refurbishing of many classrooms and new construction of others, all 20 portable classrooms are in use. The construction, limited travel corridors, and enlargement of the campus forcing some students to take approximately 398 steps from the bottom floor of the 100 buildings to the populated portables.

On average it takes 6.44 minutes to get from one side of campus to the other, walking a casual pace, counting the pedestrian traffic and the 15 foot-wide hallway—44 seconds over the given time. Quiet bells add to the conflict and the confusion of when to go to class, according to most students. Out of 55 students surveyed, 54.5% considered the construction to affect their daily passing period “a lot.”

Junior Bryce Grijalva felt construction has affected her schedule. “Yes! I don’t understand how 2,000 students are supposed to get to class on time with nearly every pathway blocked off,” she said.

Continued on feature page 9

Feature 9 >> Dylan Trujillo Editorial 8 >>The Power of Positivity

News 3 >> Program Improvement

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Volume 71 / 09.07.11 / Issue 1

Contents

September 7, 2011 Volume 71, Issue 1

rimson 04 Construction Zone Renovations cause concern and celebration for students and faculty, sparking stress as the old school is torn down, the new one begins to take shape, and students struggle to navigate a chopped campus.

On the cover: Students crowd through compromised hallways on their way to third period on Monday, Aug. 22. Photo by Shannon O’Brien

05 Ohles Scare Waterpolo team bands together to help the long-time teacher after his diabetic episode during summer vacation

news

06 What I Wish I Knew Seniors share their advice to incoming freshmen, from anticipating the homework load to coping with failure

in-depth

Photo by Shannon O’Brien, Graphic by Syndey Matteson

12 Sportraits Photo essay highlights the football, volleyball and cheer captains for the 2011-2012 year

photo essay

Kathryn Wingfield Co Editor-in-Chief

Megan Rodrigues

Co Editor-in-Chief

Emily Cone

Managing Editor Photography

Shanna Dowling Managing Editor Print

Amanda Hutchinson

Managing Editor Web

Nico Jolicoeur Managing Editor Staff

Jeff Mount Advisor

www.crimsonnews.org 801 Niblick Rd. Paso Robles, CA 93446

Kim Boswell

William Ford

Sydney Matteson

Nikianne Ochoa

Courtney Thompson

Sara Bourgault

Ken Gurney

Carly McCall

Josh Orcutt

Summer Volle

Meredith Butz

Daniel Hipp

Kelly Munns

Maria Petiy

Sarah Wilson

Laura Callahan

Jonathan Kisch

Olivia Musial

Sinead Schouten

Dakota Cleland

Megan Luth

Camille Nelson

Brielle Silletti

Front Page Editor

Reporter

Reporter

Reporter

Reporter

Reporter

Reporter

Business Team

Reporter

Reporter

Art Director

Reporter

Reporter

Reporter

Reporter

Reporter

Reporter

Reporter

Reporter

Reporter

Reporter

Reporter

Crimson is an independently funded, monthly publication of the journalism class at Paso Robles High School. We publish monthly newsmagazines free to students and teachers. Subscriptions are available for US mail delivery for $18. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the staff and do not necessarily reflect the views of Paso Robles High School its faculty, administration, or students. Crimson is an open forum for the exchange of ideas. We welcome feedback in form of letters or e-mails.

Letters must be signed but names can be withheld upon request. All stories, graphics, typesetting, and layouts are completed by Paso Robles High School students. The staff actively pursues advertisement accounts but reserves the right to refuse those deemed overly controversial or aimed at illegal behavior. Crimson is designed using Adobe In-Design and Photoshop and prints with Atascadero News Co.

Business Team

PRHS • 801 Niblick Rd., Paso Robles, CA 93446 • prhsjournalism@pasoschools.org www.crimsonnews.org (805) 237-3315 ext. 5601

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Paso Robles High School

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API is five points above goal

News

Recent test scores could end program improvement

Remembering Michael Bland On Jul. 20, Georgia Brown Elementary School was shocked to receive news that fourth grade Spanish dual immersion teacher Michael Warren Bland had died from a heart aneurysm at age of 55 after 11 years of teaching.

A fourth-generation Californian, Bland grew up near the winery-laced fields of the Salinas Valley. Bland attended Robert Louis Stevenson and earned his bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Economics and Business Management from UC Davis, where he met his wife, Patricia Lynn Young. After managing wineries throughout the valley, Bland decided to earn his teaching credential from Cal Poly after volunteering in the school system and being encouraged by fellow teachers. Fully bilingual, a skill he credited to working in the fields, he started teaching fourth grade at Georgia Brown in 1999 where he began to instill the importance of a bilingual education.

“He showed me to never be a coward, to never look back, and to always trust in myself,” senior Sonia Zavala said, who was in Bland’s class eight years ago.

“If I could make a wish, just one wish, I would wish that he could be here right now,” another student said.

Bland is survived by his wife of 31 years, his daughter Elizabeth, and twin sons Ivan and David, all of whom he witnessed marry off and start professional careers.

—Kimberly Boswell, Reporter, Nicolette Jolicoeur, Managing Editor, and Carly McCall, Reporter

by Kathryn Wingfield, Co-Editor-in-Cheif On Friday Jun. 17, 402 seniors threw their graduation caps into the windy sky. Had only six more caps been tossed into the air, PRHS likely would not still be operating under the infamous procedures of program improvement [PI].

The graduation rate, a significant deciding factor in the program improvement decision, according to Assistant Principal Wendy Nielsen, was 88.67 percent in 2011, a mere 1.33 percent away from the required 90 percent. For 2012, 392 of the 435 seniors will need to graduate to meet this rate- a slim grace period of 43 students. This rate is one “we really need to d something about,” according to Nielsen, who believes it is a deciding factor.

However, despite this less than two percent difference, 2011’s California Standards Test [CST] and California High School Exit Exam [CAHSEE] results show clear improvement, bringing PRHS one step closer to moving out from under the PI umbrella. Numbers show that the school is no longer living under a label, but working its way to sunshine.

Last year’s API, a measure of CST results, according to Assistant Principal Chris

Jones, landed at 781, five points above the goal of 776, and six above 2010’s score of 775. This score is a landmark of success to teachers, 95 points higher than 199’s initial score of 686.

“We always want to reach 800,” Jones said.

“And we’re moving towards it.”

To breach the final gap, administrators and faculty are now stressing the importance of parent involvement in education. They believe parents play a significant role on the “education team,” according to Nielsen.

“The more we improve the means of communication between home and school, the more likely our students will achieve their academic goals,” Nielsen said.

For some subgroups, including English learners and socioeconomically disadvantaged or special education students, who compose a “significant population” of 100 or more, according to Jones, these goals are more oriented towards the CAHSEE than CST. Improvement was also seen in these 2011 scores.

“We met all of our goals other than the English learners’ scores on the English portion,” Jones said. “On the math, all but one did not meet the target, but there was

Drama prepares for fall play

some growth here.”

Jones’ advice for furthering improvement is aimed toward the individual student.

“Take tests as seriously as possible,” he said.

Nielsen felt the same.

“To get the most out of your education, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Your education is your own—take responsibility for it,” she said. “Recognize that there may be areas where you aren’t an expert, and then when that happens, reach out and seek help.”

Nielsen emphasized the availability of resources teachers, counselors, administrators and others who “all want to see you succeed,” and encouraged an inquisitive attitude.

“Who knows, one of the questions you ask may lead to a future choice in career.”

In order to meet a 90 percent graduation rate, 392 of 435 seniors must walk this June.

The future of PRHS’s PI label depends on students’ initiative to make the extra effort, and toss that crimson cap into the hopeful summer sky.

... egaP txeN

Construction Zone

Dealing with the trials and tribulations of dating, the comedy “Check Please!” was declared to be this year’s fall production at the weekly 1:30 p.m. drama meeting on Friday, Aug. 26 with over 100 students in attendance.

“Check Please!” is a series of one act plays about two single teenagers dating a variety of other people. It will be performed four times on the dates of Dec. 9, 10, and 11 on the Flamson Middle School stage. Approximately 100 audition forms have already been distributed on campus, causing a widespread excitement as seen in drama teacher Marcy Goodnow’s portable room.

“I did nothing but read plays all summer. What are kids interested in? They’re interested in romance, bad romance, and really bad dates,” Goodnow said, who read 15-20 plays searching for the perfect production.

Due to construction, the drama class was shipped to room LA3 this last summer while their stage and theatre room get a glorious makeover. Although this limits their production options, Goodnow remains optimistic.

“The modification is so exciting! We are feeling really positive about it although we don’t have a theatre right now. We are getting a beautiful facility and we are so excited to have that,” she said.

One of the students auditioning is senior Brandon Harris. If he lands a position in this Fall, it will be his seventh production.

“This play is a comedy 100% unlike last year’s fall play, which was a drama,” Harris said, who played Van Helsing in last year’s “Dracula”.

“Every time we drama kids walk by the activity center, we kind of feel like a part of us is being destroyed with it. Then again we are getting a spanking new [stage] that’s going to be awesome!”

Auditions for “Check Please!” will be held Sept. 7 on campus with callbacks on Sept. 8, ultimately resulting in a cast of 16 students and 10 others behind the curtain.

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—Kelly Munns, Reporter www.crimsonnews.org

Paso Robles High School

Crimson 09.07.11

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News

Under construction

Contractors continue hammering away at renovated campus

by Shanna Dowling, Managing Editor The skeletal remains of beloved classrooms stand idly in place behind strands of caution tape and “Do Not Enter” signs, stripped bare from the insides out. A sea of yellow hard hats ebbs and flows behind newly erected chain-link fences, busily sawing and digging away at what once was the campus we had come to love. With the fifth year of Measure T construction in full swing, students, staff, and workers

alike have found themselves re-routed Next Page ... and with fresh obstacles to navigate through as they returned to school School scores this August, while simultaneously, to fanfare and ribbon cutting, the brand new Agriculture Academy completed in 440 days welcomed students taking classes in the 1000 buildings.

“The new rooms feel roomy and nice and the ventilation in the new shop is sweet, you can feel the air move in and out,” senior and welding student Brett Howard said.

But still, 78 out of 100 students surveyed reported that the construction was impeding their ability to move through the day regularly.

“It’s a little more difficult to work around the kids,” Joe Iffert, District Construction Supervisor and DSA Inspector, said, who manages the endeavor from P7, the Construction Joe Iffert, Construction Supervisor Office. “Though they’ve been fairly cooperative during the tough time.”

A total of 45 classrooms are presently under workers’ hands, excluding supplementary areas on site such as dressing rooms and rest rooms according to Ashley Lightfoot, Director of Operations and Facilities for the Paso Robles Public School District. Following this momentous modification, 11 classrooms have been relocated to portables to join the three existing portable classroom along with four nomadic teachers who travel from room to room each period in order to conduct their lessons.

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09.07.11 4 4|Crimson Crimson

“Moving from room to room has been challenging for me. I feel exhausted each day. I’ve been arriving at 5:30 a.m. and leaving at 5:00 p.m.

This provides me with the time needed to set up my laboratories and organize all of the materials for the day, [which are] spread out in three different rooms and two storage containers,” Science teacher and Department Chair Mark Fairbank said, noting that he does not regret his decision to be one of the four migrating along with the students throughout the day, as he believes in leading by example.

Other teachers, transferred into what seems miles away from the civilization of their fellow staff members and students, are settling in to their new instructional dwellings.

AP Language teacher Sean Pierce is no stranger to the world of portable classrooms, having taught in building P14 from 2002-2004, and has added some personal touches to his temporary location to feel more at home.

“The walls were a putrid yellow color that I couldn’t imagine looking at for the next nine months,” Pierce said, who is now the proud owner of the only baby blue door in all of “Porta-ville,” as he fondly calls it. “There is value to mixing it up every now and then.”

Since the summer of 2007, the high school has gained a new roof, new heating and air conditioning systems, a remodeled Lab 307, Independence High School across the street, a new Auto Shop, altered canopies and concrete, a shade covering being constructed in the quad, and the spaciously crafted Agricultural Academy.

And as for the classrooms?

Fourteen rooms are on schedule to wrap up in November, four rooms in March, and 26 rooms

by Aug. 2012 according to Lightfoot, who believes that all Measure T projects will be finished by the summer of 2013 provided everything stays on course and Iffert looks forward to the “beauty” that the renovations will bring and the spacious areas planned for students.

PasoPaso Robles HighHigh School Robles School

SHADOW MAN: Surrounded in shadow, a construction worker stares out at his fellow co-workers, supervising the tractor transporting dirt out of destruction zones Photo by Shannon O’Brien

DANGER ZONE: Joking posters welcomed students back to school, lightening the mood the tense construction areas. Photo by Shannon O’Brien

www.crimsonnews.org www.crimsonnews.org

News

Where’s

Wally?

Community rallies together to help beloved teacher

“It’s all or nothing!”: Students spent five hours filling two dumpsters to the brim with Ohles’s former carpet, shelves and old recliner. Photo by Emily Cone

by Megan Rodrigues, Co-Editor-in-Chief and Maria Petiy, Reporter It was not an unusual sight to see driver’s education and substitute teacher, Wally Ohles, dressed in a crimson tie dye shirt and sporting a grin, walk up the steps into Bearcat Hall, but as students arrived back to school on Monday, Aug. 22, this familiar face was absent among the first day of school chaos of freshman studying maps and seniors rolling into the student parking lot blaring music from the speakers of their cars.

While students carried along as usual, went to the beach, slept in, and enjoyed their summer vacations, Wally Ohles, was in the hospital after Wally suffering from a “diabetic episode.” Ohles was rushed to Twin Cities hospital Ohles in Templeton where doctors treated him. He was later released from the hospital, along with a walker, and transferred to the Danish Care Center in Atascadero to recuperate.

AP Literature and AP Language Arts teacher Aaron Cantrell heard about Ohles from former security member, Noreen Bridge. “[Bridge] alerted some of the Bearcat nation, and I posted on Facebook a little comment, and because of the amazingness of our town, we were inundated with contributions,” Cantrell said.

Bridge was alerted about her colleague after Officer Bob Velasquez told her of his episode, and Bridge took care of Ohles’ personal affairs, such as reforming his home. “[Ohles] is very caring, he would give the shirt off his back for any student,” she said.

Along with Bridge, assistant principal Ed Brown assisted with Ohles’s support efforts. Brown spent about 120 hours working on Ohles’s home. He installed the book shelves and ordered the two dumpsters , which were later filled to the brim and helped cleaned out the house.

Aquatic athletes, such as water polo player junior Seth Wilkinson, went to Ohles’s one story house in Paso Robles and helped reform the beloved teacher’s house, into a walker-friendly home.

Students and athletes put themselves to work on a summer day and moved hundreds of his assortment of books, trophies, and awards he’s accumulated over the years into a side room and tore out the former carpeting and replaced it with flooring, while other people from the community, such as district employees

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Crimson 09 .07.11

who fixed the plumbing and looked at the electricity, built and brought in new bookcases, desks and tables. Outside of the house, students helped former teacher Jim Costello remove bricks from a wall and build a ramp for Ohles to use to enter his home now that he What I has a walker and wheelchair. wish I “Since he is always there for us, we wanted to be sure to be there for him, and we had the knew... community give back to him instead of vice versa,” senior and varsity polo player Teyvon Brooks said.

Thanks to community donations, from contractors donating their services, and money donated in the account labeled “Benefit of Wally Ohles” at Santa Lucia Bank on Spring Street in downtown Paso Robles, 20 people donated approximately $1,000 dollars for improvements on his home.

Spanish teacher, Linda Bernhardt and retired chemistry teacher, Ken Ward also made donations to the efforts when Bernhardt herself is battling cancer.

“People know and love him, it wasn’t hard to get people to volunteer,” Brown said.

As Ohles recuperates after his episode, Brooks believes the summer efforts and improvements will stay with him long term.

“After such an experience of coming back home to find that the people who love you and really appreciate everything you do have all pitched in to make your life easier and even more enjoyable, it’s a really intense feeling of family he will always have,” Brooks said.

As a parent, Priscilla Young has realized the impact Ohles has influenced.

“Mr. Ohles is an amazing advocate for all the students in our district, he has a special fondness and affinity for the students at Paso High. Mr. Ohles is Paso Robles High Schools’ number one fan! We love Mr. Ohles,” Young said.

“It’s overwhelming… breathtaking,” Ohles said about the amount of such community support.

He has been a drivers education and substitute teacher at PRHS since 1968, and 43 years later, he is still is around spreading his love for teaching and Bearcat pride.

“Ohles has been here for so long, he’s like the epitome of Bearcat pride,” Brown said.

Paso Robles High School

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Seniors reflect...

With the wisdom of three years under their belt, this year’s class of 2012 shares their discoveries and experiences at PRHS, and tell the underclassmen what they wish they’d known as an incoming freshman.

To-Do List The road to college is not restricted to senior year. In each grade level of high school, there are various goals one can set in order to gradually prepare for college.

Freshman:

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Remember:

“Always trust your gut. More often than not, it’s right.

This applies not just to school, but to life in general. It took me a few years to figure this out.”

– Rachel Bechinsky “That a ‘D’ on a test doesn’t mean you are going to fail the class.”

– Jenny Henry “I wish I knew how cool Mr. Cardinale was.”

– Elias Stokes “Facial hair takes longer to grow than you'd think.”

– John Charnley

-Take a look at your schedule for the next four years, plan out your credits -Research colleges at collegeboard.org -Take a class you will enjoy

“Not to be lazy with getting my license.”

– Austin Draper “To get to know as many people as possible.”

– Natalie Trudeau

Sophomore:

-Set a college goal -Take the PSAT for practice Oct. 2011 -Make a wish list of colleges -Go on a college trip

“To study more and join drama.”

Junior:

“How not to procrastinate.”

Senior:

“Not to limit [yourself], open as many doors as possible.”

– Jesus Lopez

-Check your graduation status -Talk to a school counselor -Determine a solid plan -Last chance SAT Nov. 5 -Know application deadlines -Know scholarship deadlines “Stay focused on your ‘escape plan.’ Don’t get senioritis, carelessness, and keep your GPA up. It’s still worth it, you still have all these goals.”

– Steve Arnette, AP Literature and Honors English teacher

Know what classes would benefit the rest of high school.

Be involved in as much as possible!

I wasn’t really prepared for the amount of homework I would be doing in later years. Take your homework seriously and take sophomore honors English!

[To have] more courage to participate in class and to reach out more to people like foreign exchange students. Because you don’t know what relationships you’ll have and what things will change.

– Yazmin – Ryan Morrison Campos

– Kristen Goetz

That high school flies by, and how much fun clubs can be. Oh yeah, and open up.

Don't be like me and wait until probably junior year to open up and be your spunky self.

– Jason Moscato

– Kalyn Taborski

It’s more of getting to the best years of your life, not the best four years of your life.

Enjoy lower classmen years while you can because it gets way harder, but [it’s] so worth it once you’re almost done.

– Diego Navarro

– Tally Jansen van Rensburg

Freshmen need to know that their grades do actually count in some state colleges.

– John Childers

In four years you'll probably never see most of these people again. So have as much fun as possible and don't waste your time and energy worrying about things that won't matter in the long run.

I would’ve told myself that you will fail at a lot of things. But you will also succeed at a lot of things.

Don't lose your head over the failures, just chalk it up as a learning experience, keep doing the things you love, and move on.

– Sierra Hite – Monty Renfrow

Managing Editor

6 | Crimson 09.07.11

Paso Robles High School

“That they don't actually trash can freshmen.”

– Crystal Perez “The cumulative absences!”

– Tara Pechon – Cassandra Humphrey

– Olivia Musial, Reporter, Camille Nelson, Reporter, Megan Rodrigues, Co-Editor-in-Chief, Laura Callahan, Reporter, Ken Gurney, Reporter, and Emily Cone, Managing Editor

www.crimsonnews.org

– Carson Lightfoot

“That classes start seven minutes after the bell, not one or two.”

– Zach Kenyon

“Avoid DRAMA.”

– Amanda Hutchinson,

– Brandon Harris

“Don't stress on everything, learn to chill.”

– Teyvon Brooks

-Take the PSAT Oct. 2011 -Take the SAT Oct.1 or Nov. 5 -Take SAT subject tests

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What I wish I knew...

Photos by Emily Cone

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What I Wish I Knew...

Making 2012’s disadvantages a platform for success

by Emily Cone, Managing Editor

FIRST DAY FLUTTERS: Students enthusiastically compare schedules on the first day of school, Aug. 22. Their emphatic attitude will make all the difference throughout the upcoming year. Photo illustration by Megan Rodrigues and Kim Boswell.

As roughly 2,000 pairs of feet patter on PRHS pavements this week moving, at the toll of nine bells, it’s hard to ignore the looming, green monster-skeleton of the 1000 building or the gutted Activity Center. Many students will be making a cross-campus odyssey to pile into the portables to one of the nearly 20 portables. It could be easy to view the workin-progress nature of our campus as a nuisance, or even a catalyst for a complaining attitude; especially for the roughly 450 seniors, who are spending their final year on what now seems a foreign campus. But to the owners of those 2,000 pairs of feet, Crimson has a challenge: make the 2012 school year an outstanding one.

Administrators are already praising the positive disposition of students, with less fights and more random acts of kindness than at this time last year. ”We had a really smooth opening of school this year,” said counselor Sandy Buck-Moyer, “It’s crowded out there, but I think the attitude [of students] is better.”

Seventy-one out of 100 students surveyed said that they feel “good” about the 2012 school year, an encouraging

statistic. It may be impossible to turn a blind eye to the sardine-can hallways, but achieving an optimistic outlook is more than doable.

“I know that construction will benefit future students, such as my little brother and sister,” said senior class president Elizabeth Kerr.

With a vast array of clubs, electives, and award-winning programs, there is room for every one of the students to find their niche. Want to go green? Join BCASE. Love anime?

There’s a club for that, too! Wherever you go on campus, under construction or not, there will always be a place for you. Instead of entering first period with a pessimistic attitude towards the class, the day, the week, or even the entire school year, think of all that this school has to offer. If Crimson has any piece of advice, it is to get involved. Spark a heated conversation in class—try a new activity, and meet new people. Allow yourself to become passionate and driven in the activities you do and form strong friendships with the people you’re with. Don’t be afraid to live, students of the 2012 school year.

Perhaps high school won’t be the best four years of your life, but it doesn’t mean you can’t try and make the most of it. Become schoolspirited! Go to sports events, plays, and choir concerts. Support your peers, and they’ll support you too. If everyone on campus puts a little bit of themselves into this school, then consequently, everyone will benefit.

So the next time you feel indifferent or even negatively towards a class or an activity, remember that we’ve all been there, but we’ve also all made it through. Make an effort to not only be the best that you can be, but support your fellow Bearcats in that same quest. If we do what we love, while having an optimistic disposition, the whole campus is bound to prosper: construction or not.

Amid the concrete pillars and the under the relentless Paso Robles sun lies your home from 7:55 to 3:05 each day. And what good is a home if there is no heart involved? It may be hard for some to become excited about reading “The Scarlet Letter,” or solving logarithms, or getting to the point where you actually know how a sarcomere works.

But come to school each day searching for gems: good conversations with a friend, or a hands-on lab that sets the fire alarm off, and you will start to appreciate what once seemed bland and taxing.

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Tell us your opinion at www.crimsonnews.org 8 |Crimson 09.07.11

Paso Robles High School

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Feature NEVER FORGET: This sticker was handed out at the funeral on Aug. 27. Used with permission of Jaclyn Callahan.

Photo by Kim Boswell

Students race against the clock, cont.

by Maria Petiy, Reporter with contributions by Olivia Musial, Reporter and Kim Boswell, Reporter Some teachers are lenient about class tardies, but others aren’t cutting slack when it comes to students arriving late. Forty one out of 54 students admitted coming in after the bell at least once since school had begun.

Students who arrived late added up to loss of class time and a large number of tardies.

Math teacher Mike Serpa alone had a total of 24 tardies in four of his classes in just eight days. “I know in some places the bell is hard to hear but it just puts more accountability on the student to be more aware of the time, I’m noticing it’s a lot of the same students who are tardy again and again” said Serpa about the common explanations for being late to class.

A large number of students including senior Ashlee Juarez, agreed.

“I think that a lot of people stand around talking to friends and then try to use construction as an excuse for their tardies. If students communicate to their teachers and let them know that they have class on the other side of campus, then teachers should just be understanding of that particular student’s situation” said Juarez, who travels daily from the 300 building to the portables.

Senior Emily Schoennauer is currently collecting a petition with over 100 signatures to extend passing periods beyond the six minute length. In the meantime, with construction going on until summer of 2013 students will have to adjust to the limited time to get to class.

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Dylan Trujillo’s death shocks community Teen death brings a saddening end to summer

by Nicolette Jolicoeur, Staff Managing Editor Paso Robles lost one of its most well-known youths on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2011 as Dylan ‘Bubba’ Trujillo, 17, passed away at his Paso Robles home. Born Dec. 1993 in Bakersfield to mother Tina and father David, Trujillo was the third of five children including young sister Delaney and younger brother Troy.

Trujillo cherished the aspect of family being close with his immediate family and also his cousins and family friends. Throughout his life, Trujillo was involved in the Paso Robles community on the football field and the basketball court. He was a friend to many of his peers, including students from PRHS, Grizzly and Chalk Mountain.

His motto was “live life to the fullest.”

The news of the death spread quickly through Facebook and text messaging, sometimes filled with false information about persons and substances involved.

A celebration of life was held on Aug. 27, at the Ravine Water Park .

Bubba was such an amazing person; he had a shining spirit and couldn’t show up anywhere without making someone laugh. He always was smiling, and making new friends wherever he went. He was the biggest celebrity in Paso!

Bubba’s time to go home was hard for everyone that knew him because everyone will miss his presence immensely. I am so grateful that I got the amazing opportunity to spend time with him before his passing. The last thing he said to me will make me laugh forever, just as he would have wanted it. “Taylor Gang or Die!” We all love you Bubba, guess the heavens wanted you all to themselves. See you soon, kiddo.

The way he died shouldn’t be the way he should be remembered. There’s so much more to that kid than what everyone saw; he really was a great person and he will be truly missed. This should be a lesson for his fellow peers and others to the danger of these things. He should be remembered as the Bubba everyone knew him as.

—Jaclyn Callahan, 10

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Bubba had one of the most kind and loving hearts that I have ever known. He loved life and never judged anyone. In the fifth grade, I was on Bubba’s Junior Giants team and I was one of two girls. All the boys were mean, but not Bubba. Until the day of his passing, he was always there for me for all of his many friends. I love you Bubba. See you when I see you.

—Kayla Huffman, 11

—Zoe Ruz, 12

Paso Robles High School

Crimson 09.07.11 |

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10 |Crimson 09.07.11

Paso Robles High School

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Paso Robles High School

Crimson 09.07.11 |

11

Photo Essay

Sportraits “Sportraits” highlights Bearcat football, volleyball and cheer. Key players and team captains of Fall sports teams are back to school, and ready to play. As the volleyball team would say, “Can you dig it?”

HANDYMEN (Right): Seniors Elias Stokes, and Mac Stuart, first string wide receivers, both gear up for the start of their season.

Bearcat Football kicked off with a game against Fresno on Sept. 2 COOL HAND KELLIE (Below): Setter, captain, and three-year varsity starter, senior Kellie Reynolds, sets her team up for victory with concise and calm leadership

THE STING OF SPIRIT (Below): Seniors and cheer captains Evann Mickalson, Alexandria Lambirth, and Megan Rodrigues, display their “scorpion” poses. Mickalson is captain of cheer, while Lambirth is in charge of dance and Rodrigues heads up stunts

Photos by: Emily Cone 09.07.11 12|Crimson

Paso Robles High School

www.crimsonnews.org