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Students will expand horizons and shape up this summer through ambitious programs Page 5
Eye of the Tiger reflects on the past, present and future of RHS given two years of change Page 7
The entertainment staff recommends its most anticipated picks for summer break Page 8
Despite comeback after second set, boys volleyball comes up just short of section title Page 10
EYE OF THE TIGER Roseville High School’s student-produced publication
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1 Tiger Way, Roseville, CA
MAY 23, 2016 | ISSUE 12, VOLUME 14
EL A-G efforts press forward Department working against setbacks of district transition BY JOHNNY MULLIGAN
j.mulligan@eyeofthetigernews.com
The percentage of English Language Learners completing UC A-G course requirements from the 2007-2008 school year to the 20132014 school year dropped roughly 5 percent. During that same time, socioeconomically disadvantaged students jumped from a 23 percent completion rate to a 58 percent completion rate, and the rate for all students jumped nearly 30 percent.
According to Specifically Designed Academic Instruction in English teacher Curt Hobbs, this drop followed soon after the EL program faced a shift at the district level. Rather than having one consolidated ELD program throughout the district, each site became responsible for their individual programs. “As we transitioned our style of teaching ELD to newer programs, there were obviously some setbacks,” Hobbs said. “When you say every school is responsible for their EL stu-
dents, there is room for growth and there was growing pains.” Though the EL department has not yet received any data for the current passing rates of their students, EL department coordinator KC Worden believes that these numbers may have risen from their fall in 2014. Hobbs hopes that greater devotion amongst staff is a cause for any possible growth. He emphasizes the importance of pushing not only students, but teachers. “We have the buy-in of our staff,” Hobbs said. “There was a time where some teachers EL | Page 2
ZACHARY CHEEK EYE OF THE TIGER
EL department coordinator KC Worden believes that since EL responsibilities shifted to individual sites, Roseville High School has facilitated greater academic achievement for EL students.
Admin lessens conduct count
SAM MAILEY EYE OF THE TIGER
Newly-appointed band director Matt Koutney (right) addressed parent and student uncertainty during his meeting last Wednesday. Koutney aims to heighten the accessibility of the music program and promote exposure to music education at a younger age.
BY ANILA LIJO
a.lijo@eyeofthetigernews.com
Crabtree said. “My hope is that it wouldn’t pull too much kids from AP Euro.” According to 2016-17 Roseville High School’s course request data, 132 freshmen have requested to take AP Euro, while six freshmen requested to take APHG next school year. However, students initially submitted their course requests prior to the district board vote that approved APHG as a course that could fulfill the sophomore social studies requirement. According to the data, the initial plans to have four sections of AP Euro and one section of APHG will continue to next year. “I’ve not had any students come to me and say they want to take AP Human Geography in lieu of AP Euro,” counselor Jason Bradley said.
More than 120 seniors were not eligible for graduation due to student conduct this March. According to assistant principal Stephanie Malia, this excess of students on student conduct was primarily due to incompletion of the personal finance course. The course became a graduation requirement for the Class of 2016 and all following classes this school year. Anyone who had not completed the course could not attend senior ball, picnic and breakfast, or walk across the stage at graduation. According to Malia, senior conduct and all of its consequences pushed a majority of students to complete the class last-minute. “We had about 120 letters senior conduct letter sent out in March 2016,” Malia said. “This batch was particularly high because seniors who didn’t complete their personal finance course were put on student conduct until they got it done.” According to principal David Byrd, the number of seniors on student conduct dropped quickly in the past few weeks. “For the most part, I feel like the students are focused and they are working very hard and doing all the things that they are supposed to do,” Byrd said. “Their behaviour has been good this year too.” Counselor Jason Bradley feels that he, along with the other counselors, stressed the importance of completing the course in order to graduate. The efforts of RHS counselors contributed to the prompt turnaround of student completion within the personal course. “I called [students] into my office and called their parents and even required some students to come to my office and work on the class using a Chromebook outside my office,” Bradley said. “I’m happy to say that this was successful.” According to senior Medaya McMahon, the school sent a letter to both her and her parents explaining that she still needed to complete the assignment. “They threatened me with the idea of not walking the stage and or graduating in general and I was sent a letter notifying me that I had a meeting with Mr. Coleman, a police officer and another advisor and my father was notified as well,” McMahon said. McMahon feels like her counselor helped her complete the course for the
COURSES | Page 3
CONDUCT | Page 3
SAM MAILEY EYE OF THE TIGER
Matt Koutney makes first impression New band director met with students, parents last Wednesday BY JOHNNY MULLIGAN
j.mulligan@eyeofthetigernews.com
UCLA graduate Matt Koutney will replace Mark Toffelmier this coming school year as the new band director at Roseville High School. Koutney graduated from Bella Vista High School and then UCLA, with a degree in Music Education and a double major in Trombone Performance. Koutney started playing in sixth grade on the trombone and played throughout high school. In high school, he played in jazz band and marching band. He currently teaches band piano and choir at Luther Burbank High School. Fall drumline major Amanda Lopes interviewed Koutney after his hiring, along with fellow band students junior Olivia Clouser, senior Philip Desrochers and sophomore Angelica Halsey. Lopes felt he was well-qualified for the position and that his teaching history will help him transition to RHS. “He stood out in his interview by asking what he
could do for us,” Lopes said. “Instead of going on about what he would do to make the program better he asked us what he could do to make the next season successful.” Koutney hopes to create a music program that has a class for every student, one that covers all ends of the music spectrum. “My main goal is to make sure anyone who wants to participate in music has that opportunity,” Koutney said. “And by opening up different classes, it gives kids more opportunities to get involved in the program.” Koutney hopes to streamline the transition from the elementary band programs to middle school’s to the high school’s. “My first idea is to get kids into those elementary schools and have sort of a mentorship going on where our kids can work with younger kids and get them excited about music,” Koutney said. “They can see where they’ll be in four or five years if they stick with [music].” According to principal David Byrd, Koutney showed all the signs of what administration wanted from a band director. “He has a good open mind about wanting to sit down with students and get their opinions,” Byrd said. “He wants to grow the jazz band and he [currently] teaches a choir class.”
SAM MAILEY EYE OF THE TIGER
Koutney “stood out” to junior Amanda Lopes (above) for emphasizing student opinion during student interviews post-hiring. Clouser was upset by Toffelmier’s dismissal but does not hold resentment for Koutney and is excited to see where he will take the program. “I feel bad that Toff has to go given the circumstances, but I think [Koutney] is a good fit,” Clouser said. “There is definitely going to be a learning curve but I think the senior class will be able to help him out.”
Course request timing delays potential APHG influx Few freshmen request AP Human Geography to fulfill World Studies requirement BY JAYDYNN SANTOS
j.santos@eyeofthetigernews.com
JAYDYNN SANTOS EYE OF THE TIGER
AP European History teacher Carol Crabtree hopes that her course won’t lose significant enrollment to the decreased rigor she perceives in AP Human Geography.
Starting next school year, sophomores can choose between two AP courses to fulfill the requirement for social science, AP European History or AP Human Geography. AP Euro teacher Carol Crabtree hopes AP Human Geo won’t take away too many kids from Euro. “AP Euro has a reputation being a very difficult course and I’ve heard that AP Human Geography is not quite as rigorous,”
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