Eye of the Tiger (Issue 9, Volume 12)

Page 1

TOP NEWS Features Student Gov dedicates final home game to recently passed alumnus

Connect

Opinion

Entertainment

Sports

Senior Samantha Paul breaks down four years of high school Page 9

Juniors Isabel Fajardo and Netzy Ortega find new ‘80s remakes worse than originals Page 11

Eye of the Tiger’s sports section ranks its top 10 winter athletes Page 14

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FEBRUARY 24, 2014 | ISSUE 9, VOLUME 12

1 Tiger Way, Roseville, CA

District cracks down on discipline Suspensions, tardies, expulsions all tumble

BY KATELYN ROLEN AND ROBBIE SHORT

katelyn.rolen@eyeofthetigernews.com robbie.short@eyeofthetigernews.com

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

Freshman Shelbie McKay, who was a stand-out player on Roseville High School’s varsity girls basketball team this season, holds the ball before taking a free throw shot during the team’s last home game against Nevada Union Friday, Feb. 14. McKay and other freshman athletes wowed RHS’ athletic staff with their performances this year.

Freshman class shows promise

Faculty, upperclassmen impressed by athletic, academic strength

BY OLIVIA HILLMAN

olivia.hillman@eyeofthetigernews.com

The adjustment from middle school to high school is usually a tough transition, but Roseville High School’s Class of 2017 seems to be making the change very smoothly. The freshman class has been excelling in athletics as well as academics, which has manifested in their improved sports records and by a marked decrease in failing grades compared to previous classes. Administrators and teachers have taken note of this progression, attributing it to better middle school preparation, among other causes. Disciplinary actions have also reduced, and school spirit is noticeably higher compared to other freshman classes. Eye of the Tiger looked into the freshman successes in the areas of athletics, academics, behavior and spirit.

HOW THEY’RE STRONG ▪ Better records for freshman sports teams ▪ Lower D/F rates in core classes ▪ Higher school event attendance and spirit ▪ Lower truancy/suspension/expulsion rates ATHLETICS The 2013-2014 freshman football and basketball teams experienced a dramatic increase in overall season records this season. Freshman football jumped to a 9-1 record after being stuck in a rut with 4-6 for the previous three years. The freshman boys basketball also obtained a record of 10-17, greatly recovering from a 0-27 record last year. That mark for this year’s freshman boys basketball team is especially significant considering that seven freshman players were pulled up to either JV or varsity.

Improving to 13-12 after a 3-23 performance last season, the freshman girls basketball team also saw positive change. RHS athletic director Jamie Bunch noticed a larger number of freshman athletes trying out for sports with fewer academic constraints. “For academic eligibility, they are a little higher than some have been in the past,” Bunch said. RHS JV boys basketball assistant MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER coach Tyler Burns credits the freshmen’s ability to compete at higher Based on D and F rates and teacher observations, this levels and still have a successful year’s freshman class is succeeding in the classroom at a level rather above the norm.  FRESHMEN | Page 4

RHS borrows from Woodcreek for new class

PE Leadership students to teach elementary PE classes BY ROBBIE SHORT AND NIKAYA SOUTHWORTH

robbie.short@eyeofthetigernews.com nikaya.southworth@eyeofthetigernews.com

COURTESY JOE MAZZUCA

Students at local Quail Glen Elementary School work with Woodcreek High School Recreation Administration students to play a parachute game. RHS will offer a similar mentoring program called PE Leadership next school year.

Despite the heated rivalry, many Roseville High School students may soon learn something from their Woodcreek High School peers: how to teach elementary school students physical education. Thanks to a collaboration between Melissa Stevens and Emily Dodds of the RHS physical education department and WHS teacher Joe Mazzuca, who runs a similar program at the crosstown school, juniors and seniors at RHS next year will get the chance to participate in a new PE Leadership program in which they will go to local Spanger Elementary School and direct classes there. “It’s a great class for kids who either like PE or want to work with kids,” Stevens said. “The more experience the better.” Stevens and Dodds were initially turned on  PE | Page 2

Thanks to a districtwide push to curb student discipline issues, truancy, suspension and expulsion rates across the Roseville Joint Union High School District have declined significantly, affecting both student performance and the Average Daily Attendance (ADA), a figure that affects how much funding schools get from the state. The ADA represents the average percentage of students across the district attending school on any given day. According to documents released by RJUHSD, the ADA has risen from 93.8 percent in 2006 to 96 percent last school year, representing a major decrease in the number of reported truancies and absences districtwide. This has resulted in a net positive cash flow of approximately 5 million dollars to the district. RHS administration has used the extra funding from the ADA increase to, among other things, purchase additional instructional materials, such as textbooks, and pay teachers’ salaries. One of the most important determinants of a district’s ADA is its truancy rate. The California Department of Education considers a student a truant after he or she misses 30 minutes or more of instructional time without a valid excuse for three days. The department calculates the rate as the total number of students who classify as truant divided by the total student population. Though the state has not yet released truancy data from last year, RJUHSD experienced an 8.54 percent drop in truancies from the 2010-11 school year to 2011-12, and RHS truancy officer Jon Coleman is confident that the rates from the 2012-13 year are even lower. “I could do truancy enforcement 24-7,” Coleman said. The district has pursued lower truancy through  DISCIPLINE | Page 2

Population growth may affect RHS

Sixth high school timeline could cause overcrowding BY NIKAYA SOUTHWORTH

nikaya.southworth@eyeofthetigernews.com

Recent growth in the Roseville City School District and the Roseville Joint Union High School District will potentially affect the student population numbers at Roseville High School. RCSD has opened up a new elementary school due to substantial growth in the past two years. RJUHSD has also begun a project to open up a sixth high school in the district. Depending on when that high school is built, RHS could see crowding if the opening of the new school is delayed, or see a dip in population if the school opens before there are sufficient high school-aged residents in the district. The sixth high school could pull potential students away from RHS, or the kids at the new Fiddyment Farms Elementary School could potentially attend RHS. The district purchased a plot of land in the West Park development to build a sixth high school two years ago, but construction stopped due to economic problems. If the project is to continue, the district will need to grow more.  POPULATION | Page 2

INSIDE: Upcoming Events...2 | News...2-4 | Español...5 | Sponsored Ad...6 | Features...7-8 | Opinion...9-10 | Entertainment...11-12 | Sports...13-14 | Read more at eyeofthetigernews.com.


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