Gazette Issue 8

Most Valuable Players A look at the athletes and coach of the year

Looking back

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Gazette THE GRANITE BAY

Friday, May 25, 2012

The Gazette’s Jessica Reese and ShinEui Park discuss the highs and lows of the year

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THE AWARD-WINNING STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF GRANITE BAY HIGH SCHOOL

GRANITE BAY HIGH SCHOOL w 1 GRIZZLY WAY w GRANITE BAY, CA w 95746 w VOLUME 15 w ISSUE 8

Commentary

New pens challenge old drug realities

Students caught inhaling hash oil

BY SHANNON CARROLL scarroll.gazette@gmail.com

shannon carroll scarroll.gazette@gmail.com

It appears that the pen might have become mightier than the bong.

In April, five students were suspended after

they were caught smoking marijuana out of a device shaped like a pen in teacher Kyle Holmes’ English 10 class on the final day of STAR testing.

A group of students had gathered in the

back of Holmes’ classroom after completing their STAR testing, sitting on couches in the corner of the room about 15 feet away from Holmes. The couches had been set up for times when there wasn’t any instruction happening.

Kevin, a pseudonym for a sophomore who

asked to remain anonymous, said he is the one who brought the pen-like device, which is officially referred to as a personal herbal device, or PHD. According to Kevin and other students involved in the incident, the See PENS, page A5

Practice is over – now, it’s game time

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n a few days, I will no longer be a Grizzly Bear. Instead, I’ll be a Golden Bear at the University of California at Berkeley. For all of us seniors, as soon as we move the tassels from the left to the right, everything will change.

Over the past four years, we have established who we are at Granite Bay High School and what niche we fit into. Once we graduate, we have to – some would say get to – start over.

The popular jock at GBHS will have to work to be cool in college.

Or maybe he’ll decide it’s time to indulge his inner book nerd. The book nerd in high school – like, um, me – might decide to try to keep getting the grades or, perhaps, to blossom and be popular.

Whatever course we pursue, we need to realize that new worlds are out there and that the roles we play for the rest of our lives will be incredibly different from those we’ve occupied in high school.

When Bill Gates got to Harvard, he assumed he’d be the best math student. After all, he always had been. He was shocked to see just how many incredible math students there were at Harvard, and he hadn’t even had to account for all the geniuses at Princeton, Stanford, MIT, CalTech and so on.

Gates recovered from his shock and did just fine by himself, but the point is: Just because you were the smartest in high school doesn’t mean you’ll always be the smartest person in the room. (Unless you’re Moosa and Haroon Zaidi. Those guys are going to save the world.)

When my dad was in high school, he hung out with the smart kids, and they thought they had the order of things figured out. But in the class behind them was a kid named Mark Cuban who seemed to have drawn no notice in high school from anyone.

Recognize the name? Now he’s the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks.

In high school, nobody paid attention to a middling student named Michael Dell. Then he created Dell Computer in his dorm room. As of 2011, Forbes estimated he’s worth about $14.6 billion. Wowza!

In 20 years, when we come back for a reunion, who will be our Michael Dell? Our Mark Cuban?

There will surely be one. Or two or three. Meanwhile, many of the kids we thought were destined for stardom will have fallen by the wayside.

I admit, this issue of redefining ourselves is a bit personal. I acknowledge being a nerd who would much rather curl up with Gone With the Wind for the 100th time than go to a party.

I doubt I’ll change that much at Cal. I’m still more likely to be the girl with glasses in the library than the girl passed out on the bathroom floor.

Why should I care what someone thinks of my outfit when it’s my goal to win a Pulitzer Prize or three?

But I think it’s important that I take this chance to look at my choices and keep what I like about my persona and leave anything else behind.

I think Taylor Swift said it best in her song “Mean,” when she dismissed those who had criticized her. As she said, “Someday I’ll be living in a big old city, and all you’re ever going to be is mean.”

There’s a great opportunity out there in the big old city. Let’s take it.

Practice is over. Now it’s game time. *** Shannon Carroll, a senior, is a Gazette co-editor in chief.

Nearing the edge

Gazette photo /RACAHEL VASQUEZ

Seniors Megan Fox, left, and Willow McConnen rush down the blow-up slide at Day at the Bay last Friday, the first of many end-of-the-year events.

Class of 2012 prepares for graduation, events

BY HAYLEY MCAVOY

hmcavoy.gazette@gmail.com

The ending of the school year only signifies the beginning of summer for some, but for seniors, it is something else entirely.

“It’s the end of the last year of childhood, before we have to start as adults,” senior Padderson O’neill said.

In honor of this ending, Granite Bay High School holds many events in order to send students off.

Such events include Senior Picnic, Senior Sunset, Senior Goodbye Rally, Sober Grad Night and the main event, graduation.

This string of senior-centered events began with Senior Picnic on Thursday, and will continue today with the Senior Goodbye Rally. “(The rally) will just be a really cool summary of the past four years,” said Kylee Moran, a senior Student Government student.

The rally will include a slideshow detailing where seniors

Top of the class

Administration announces 2011-12 graduation speakers

BY MEGHAN CARLSEN

mcarlsen.gazette@gmail.com

Every year, the Granite Bay High School administration searches through GPAs and transcripts to find the top students to represent the graduating class as the valedictorians and salutatorians.

Haroon and Moosa Zaidi, two twin brothers, have been named the 2012 valedictorians.

Joining the Zaidis on the stage at graduation will be Gabby Cho, the class salutatorian.

Haroon Zaidi Holding a 4.64 academic GPA, Haroon is first in his class, a position he shares with his twin brother, Moosa.

A member of the IB diploma program, Haroon’s high school course

inside this issue

News A2 – A6 Voices A7 – A9 Second Look A10 Features B1 – B8 Sports C1 – C6 Green Screen G1 – G16 Senior Edition S1 – S16

load has been largely dominated by classes within the program.

“In junior and senior year, I took the IB diploma (program) because it has the highest level of science and math possible,” Haroon said.

Haroon’s desire to take the most challenging courses possible was the specific reason for his attending Granite Bay High School.

Throughout his high school career, Haroon has been involved in activities such as the Interact Club, Speech and Debate, and Academic Decathlon. “(One of the most important extracurricular activities to me was) Interact Club because I stuck with it since freshman year, and I was actually club president junior and senior

Haroon Zaidi Valedictorian earned a 4.64 weighted GPA, and will be attending Stanford University in the fall.

Moosa Zaidi Valedictorian earned a 4.64 weighted GPA. Next fall he will be attending Stanford University.

Gabby Cho Salutatorian earned a 4.59 weighted GPA. She will be attending UC Berkeley next fall.

See SPEAKERS, page A6

Junior prom revived Class of 2013 hosts their own dance in off-campus venue

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will be headed in the fall, as well as the class of 2012’s senior skit and a photo slideshow to celebrate their last four year.

The seniors will then be presented with their senior sunglasses, a small memento of their time at GBHS. Later this evening, seniors will gather at school for another senior-only event: Senior Sunset.

This is the symbolic ending to their senior year, which began with senior sunrise on the first day of school in August.

At the event, some seniors will be recognized for their involvement with school-sponsored events, like class floats See SENIORS, page A5

Innovative new site in the works

Granite Bay Today unites programs

in August 2012.

“We are going to inform, entertain and provide news on a timely “Granite Bay Today is the probasis for our community,” Weidfessional, journalistic web source kamp said. for all aspects of website life at (Granite Bay We are going will beThe run by stuHigh School).” dents, with leaders to inform, This is the purfrom each propose of the soonentertain gram collaborating to-appear website and provide to create the best GraniteBayToday. com, according news...for our possible product.

In addition to to media director community uploading school Zachary Weidbulletins, the – Zachary kamp.

The news Weidkamp, media media class will also be creating website will be a director video news stories collaboration beand entertainment tween the media, shows, such as the yearbook, magazine and journalism programs, See ONLINE, page A5 and will be officially premiering

BY CHASE EVANS

cevans.gazette@gmail.com

Soaking up the sun Students enjoy summer-like weather during Day at the Bay

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News

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Granite Bay Gazette

Friday w May 25, 2012

NAMES IN THE NEWS

Employers accused of violating labor laws

nicole bales

nbales.gazette@gmail.com

Sirovy donates 15 gallons of blood

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ormer Granite Bay High School athletic director and retired special education teacher, George Sirovy has just completed his 15 gallon blood donation.

It took the 65-year-old 23 years to donate 15 gallons and told the Auburn Journal his goal is make 30 gallons by the time he is 85 years old.

Sirovy gives one pint, the maximum and healthy amount of blood one is allowed to give every two months.

Sirovy now apart of a special group of area donors who have given over 10 gallon of blood.

BloodSource holds an exclusive luncheon for the group every year. *** The GBHS chapter of Future Business Leaders of America held its student office elections this past Monday.

The co-presidents for the coming school year will be juniors Gokul Asokan and Felix von Wendorff.

The vice-presidents will be freshman Bradley Chee and junior Paul Zajac.

The secretary will be junior Brian Wei. The public relations representatives will be freshmen Karim Sharif and Mohammad Sharif.

Special elections will be held to choose the chapter’s parliamentarian. *** On May 20, a rare annular solar eclipse passed between the Earth and sun.

The rare occasion is when the sky darkens a bit and a blindingly bright ring of fire surrounds the sun.

Many Granite Bay residents traveled to Reno and Grass Valley to get a better view of the uncommon ring. *** A new Department of Motor Vehicles office is planned to open in Roseville.

The decision to open a new DMV came after an average wait of 39 minutes.

The second DMV is expected to create a more efficient system for the expected growth in Roseville.

It is expected to open January 2014. *** David Tastor and Scott Becker are holding an SAT prep class over the summer from Aug. 6-10 from 8 am to noon.

To receive more information regarding the classes, please contact the instructors at either sbecker@rjuhsd.us or dtastor@ rjuhsd.us. ***

Nicole Bales, a junior, is a Gazette News editor.

CORRECTIONS Accuracy is perhaps the most important fundamental of good journalism. It's the policy of the Gazette to correct all factual errors that are brought to our attention. Email us at: gbgazette@yahoo.com ***

In the April issue, a photographer’s name was inadvertently left off the photo credit in “Rising Stars.” It was shot

by Kristin Taylor.

Identification Statement Granite Bay Gazette Published eight times per academic year c/o Granite Bay High School 1 Grizzly Way Granite Bay, CA 95746 Subscriptions: $25 per year/ $15 per half year

Gazette photo illustration /RachAEL Vasquez

Student model poses with a work permit in front Cookie Connection in Rooseville on the corner of Sierra College and Douglas Boulevard.

Some GBHS students are allegedly asked to work long hours with no breaks

BY NICOLE BALES

nbales.gazette@gmail.com

People sometimes ignore the possibility their employers may not be following federal and state labor laws, especially students who are looking forward to sky-rocketing college tuition.

There have been a few allegations from

Granite Bay High School students that their employers have not been giving them their state regulated breaks during a seven hour work day.

Under California State law, employees must take a ten minute break every four hours.

Jessie Myers, a GBHS junior, worked

Power out, school not

See LABOR, page A6

New program is focused on general-level students

the roster is a veterinary medicine program, along with an information technology program.

“The IBCC will allow kids to As of next year, Granite Bay High School will be the third potentially have five or six opschool in the U.S. and the ninth tions to figure out what they want school worldwide to offer the In- to do,” Blomquist said. “Our foternational Baccalaureate Career- cus is on offering more choices. related Certificate Program, oth- That way, students can design a personal schedule where they can erwise known as the IBCC. Duane Blomquist, the GBHS IB experience all the wonderful opcoordinator, will also be heading portunities that are offered.”

These changes will be geared this new program.

“I think with its presentation mostly toward current freshmen, and its pitch, it sold itself to us,” but some current sophomores Duane Blomquist said. “The IB will be able to take advantage of diploma program is highly chal- the IBCC and be the first ones to lenging and really only for the try the program.

GBHS assistant principal Brian highly academic kid. The IBCC, on the other hand, is a program McNulty, one of the administrafor the general-level student, tors supporting the new program, that’s centered on 20th century is excited that IBCC will offer more accessibility than its predevocational education.” cessor, the IB diploma program.

Over the course of the next “IBCC is sevset up so that eral years, all students GBHS is to be able to planning We’re launching a access the IB on offersecond international program,” ing three McNulty said. specific program when “I’m very programs budgetary times are excited for of study, worse than they’ve the number of including IB students business, ever been. that will be engineering involved next and film.

– Duane Blomquist, year and the These number of specialized GBHS IB coordinator students that vocational will be able programs to experience will follow the IB style of a series of teaching.” three steps: This “IB style of teaching,” aca concentrator course, a capstone cording to McNulty, will closely course and a hands-on internalign with the Common Core ship.

“Media and Communications standards that are to be implewill involve a (KCRA) Chan- mented by 2014.

Blomquist said his ultimate goal nel 3 internship, for example,” Blomquist said. “The program is to formally train more teachis set up so that, as soon as they ers at GBHS in IB methodology graduate, students are ready in order to prepare them for the to work at Pixar or LucasArts. Common Core style of teaching.

The unveling of the IBCC isn’t However, they also have to option to go to college and further the only change slated for next their knowledge in that field. It year, however. The IB diploma offers more flexibility in terms of program, currently now in its fourth year, will also be undergowhat students want to pursue.”

According to Blomquist, also on ing significant revisions.

BY CHRIS PEI

cpei.gazette@gmail.com

BY SAHIL KHOSLA

Maybe you’ve been there: sitting outside your teacher’s classroom, anxiously waiting for them to show up while you worry about missing precious class time. Or maybe you’re like some students at Granite Bay High School and start pondering what type of frappuchino you should get at Starbucks if your teacher doesn’t show up after 15 minutes.

The age-old myth, that students can leave campus if their teacher doesn’t show up 15 minutes after the bell rings, has puzzled students and created some doubt in their minds whether it’s actually a law or simply an urban legend.

Additionally, the school’s semirecent blackout increased the variations of this myth around campus.

Rumors that if the power was out for more than one period, then students would be free to leave, spread like wildfire across campus.

However, the reality is much more complicated, assistant principal Dave Vujovich explained.

“All students must attend 64,800 (instructional) minutes of school, (and on that) Friday, the superintendent had just left, and he or his designees have to make the call (to end school early),” Vujovich said.

“We are a little over 65,000 (instructional) minutes, and we could have broken into that cushion, but there was no reason to do so since PG&E kept saying five more minutes (until the power would come back).”

The electricity blackout caused more than 648 homes to go without power, but classes seemed to return to normal after students moved outside onto the lawn and shifted desks into the hallways to resume class.

Still, the myth remains. Is there any truth to it?

“I heard the same thing in high

She said she never saw a manager while working there, but there were shift leaders, who usually had a few years of experience working at the restaurant and acted as the managers.

“The only way to communicate with them

IBCC to be offered in the fall

Myth that students are free to leave in the case of a blackout is false skhosla.gazette@gmail.com

three to four days a week at Togo’s, usually from 4:00pm to 11:00pm.

She claims that the sandwich chain did not give her the state mandated breaks.

“The only time I got a break was on Sunday, when I would work from 11:00 in the morning to 9:00 at night, and I got one 30 minute break,” Myers said.

Electricity Box at GBHS. On Apr. 20 the power went out at GBHS and the GB community for over an hour leaving students unsure if they were able to leave.

school and I’ve been hearing it for 30 years, but I know of no such rule or even rule of thumb, written or unwritten,” Vujovich said.

However, some teachers hold a different view on the myth’s staying power. Advanced Placement European History teacher Mike Valentine shared his insight as an educator and his alteration of the myth.

“I think that I’d go down to a one-minute rule; if the teacher is out of the room, then you should be able to wander the school freely,” he said with a smile. “Think of it as the African Savannah, since you can just wander around the school and on any given day, you can have 50 to 60 kids in the quad (roaming) like the geese.”

Valentine’s bold proposal might not line up with other teachers’ See MYTH, page A6

Gazette photo /RacHAEL vasquez

So then the question is why we’re offering these new programs when there’s no money.

– Duane Blomquist, GBHS IB coordinator

“I’m changing some staff members, and I’m hiring some new staff members,” Blomquist said.

“We’re switching some of the teachers who used to do HL-1 to HL-2, and we’re adding brand new classes to the curriculum.”

Class additions for next year will include IB Film SL and IB Psychology SL. Additionally, IB Business and Management SL is projected to be offered on the class roster in 2013.

According to Blomquist, potential courses for the future even include IB Mandarin SL and IB Physics SL. Needless to say, the implementation of these new programs, along with the cost of formal IB training for teachers, requires a large amount of money.

“We’re launching a second international program when budgetary times are worse than they’ve ever been,” Blomquist said. “So we’re forging ahead, but I need money to keep forging ahead. The ugly reality of the matter is that I’m going to hear that we have no money. So then the question is why we’re offering these new programs when there’s no money. Are we really going to back it with the dollar?

That’s now the reservation.”

Blomquist added that a district See MONEY, page A6

Friday, May 25, 2012

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News

The Granite Bay Gazette

Food fight disturbs district’s meeting

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to see the food in the Administration air,“It’sbut cool disappointing that the janistaff has to pick it up,” seupset over new torial nior Spencer Briare said.

Because of the food fight, the took action and cafeteria havoc administration closed the cafeteria until further

BY BRAD WONG

notice.

However, many did not view this as disciplinary action and enjoyed Earlier this month, representa- the good weather by playing Fristives from the district office were bee in the quad. holding a meeting during school “People whine about eating outhours when they heard a commo- side, but I enjoy the fresh air,” Brition. are said.

A food fight ensued for a couple Briare said that during STAR of minutes, leaving food all over testing week, a food fight was a the cafeteria. perfect outlet for relieving stress, Talk about good timing. but he understood it showed disreGranite Bay High School is rich spect to GBHS. in tradition: in sports, social events The administration’s response and academic celcertainly wasn’t ebrations. positive.

Some may think Over the past “I reacted few years, the to be a cool senior with absolute food fight has bedisappointment class, they have to and disgust,” come a new travandalize the school McGuire said. dition as part of the senior class’s cafeteria, which is “It’s not funny; going-away gift. it’s not cute, the completely wrong and anyone “I am fearful that the food fight looking for a mindset. will become part Youtube moof the culture,” ment should do – Principal Mike McGuire principal Mike so without causMcGuire said. ing detriment to “Some may think the school.” to be a cool seJunior Brett nior class, they have to vandalize Bautista heard rumors of the food the school cafeteria, which is the fight and was one of the indicompletely wrong mindset.” viduals who was accosted by the While many of students are administration. caught up in the heat of the moBautista realized, after talkment, the consequences for their ing with the assistant principals, actions often go unnoticed. the monetary consequences of brwong.gazette@gmail.com

Gazette photo /RACHAEL VASQUEZ

A recent food fight in the cafeteria disrupted disrupted a school district meeting. The incident left garbage – not unlike this garbage left on the outdoor steps of the theater – throughout the cafeteria. In response, administrators closed the cafeteria until further notice.

food fights and the potential for injuries.

“Even though it has become a ‘school tradition,’ we’re still breaking rules and making poor decisions,” Bautista said.

In fact, McGuire recalled one food fight that cost the school $1,000 just to clean the curtains.

McGuire feared the food fights

have become an unfortunate tradition of vandalism in the cafeteria.

“While I am very concerned with it tainting the culture of GBHS, I know it really is a few knuckleheads at the root of the problem,” McGuire said.

The food fight certainly caused a serious job for the custodians and a headache for the administration.

McGuire said students who might potentially start the next food fight should take more pride in their school and of the people who work there.

McGuire said the majority of students had no idea of the food fight and just got caught in the mob mentality of throwing food.

“Many of the kids weren’t part

of starting the food fight,” McGuire said. “But for those who were integral in the food fight, if they’re seniors, I don’t want them walking the stage, and I want them out of GBHS. The student body should understand that being part of a learning institution that truly cares about you deserves something back: respect.”

Nine retiring teachers say their final farewells to GBHS Decision to retire prompted by desire to pursue new horizons

BY BROOKLYN KLEPL bklepl.gazette@gmail.com

A total of nine Granite Bay High School teachers are retiring this year, some of whom have been teaching for upwards of 40 years.

While some, like Rita and Jim Prichard, made their decision known early-on, a few announced their decisions later in the year.

Ramona Drury, a GBHS English teacher, was one of those teachers.

It has been a difficult year for Drury, not only with the decision of retirement, but also with the loss of family and major health struggles.

Her main decision to retire arose because of her husband’s illness. However, Drury said the biggest influence on her decision was the tragic loss of three of her close friends, all to the same type of cancer.

This has also influenced her decision

to go out and explore life more, as her Men Who Live With Mothers.

Drury is not the only one who is beginfriends were quite young when they died.

She said she plans to take some time to ning another journey.

Diane Contos, another GBHS English reconnect with her family and celebrate teacher, has also made the the holidays, activities she said she has some...I am going to decision to retire.

“I have loved working with what neglected during reevaluate where my English department,” her years of teaching. said Contos, “It is amazing to After spending time I am...and what work with a group whose No. with her family, Drury I want the next 1 priority is making sure we said she plans to travel. journey to be. give access to every student She loved going with to have not only the essential the group of GBHS content but also that every students to Europe so – Ramona Drury, GBHS student can stretch beyond much that she wants to English teacher that.” go back.

Like Drury, Contos plans “After all of that, then to start participating in acI am going to reevalutivities she hasn’t been able ate where I am in my world, and what I want the next journey to pursue while working – like cello lessons. She has been teaching for more than to be,” Drury said.

One of her possible journey ideas is to 40 years and said she wants to do things completely finish and publish her book, while she is still healthy and fit enough

The ASB president addresses next year’s spirit activities

Paige Finkemeier, next year’s ASB president, said the Lip Dub will be making a comeback as part of a new spirit campaign.

The Gazette talked to next year’s ASB president, Paige Finkemeier.

Gazette: What will you be doing next year as ASB president?

Gazette photo /Rachael vasquez Gazette photo /RACHAEL VASQUEZ

Gazette: What have you learned from your past positions?

Gazette: Has your brother given you any advice?

Finkemeier: I’ve been in Student Government since freshman year. So I know how to put on events, and I know the different people in Student Government.

Finkemeier: He’s given me advice on different situations like time management.

He’s been really good at it.

Gazette: What is it like being your brother’s (senior Wes Finkimeier) successor?

Finkemeier: It is part of the year when we start to work on next year more. He’s not currently doing anything, and I’m doing (most of the work).

to do them.

Some things that Contos is looking forward to doing in retirement are taking history classes, particularly in the classification of archeology, taking golf lessons and relaxing.

In addition to the Prichards, Contos and Drury, five other GBHS teachers are retiring after this school year – P.E. teacher and assistant fooball coach Mike Lynch, math teacher Craig Takagishi, French teacher Christiane Takagishi, science teacher Debbie Noyes and Spanish teacher Mimi Hafeman.

After 40 years of teaching. Lynch has ambitious plans for the near future.

“I plan on running half marathons in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland, among other places,” Lynch said. “This coming November, we will be welcoming our first grandchild. We would like to be able to spend time with my son and my daughter-in-law and the new grandchild … the only way to do that is to get to Illinois on our own schedule, as opposed to being on the school’s academic schedule,” Lynch said.

After putting those things into consideration, he said that it all added up to what the right time to retire would be for him.

Though Lynch is not going to be teaching this year, he plans to continue coaching football.

“As every phase of my life has been a great adventure, this next phase of life is going to be an awesome adventure as well, filled with new and exciting experiences and exhilarating thrills,” Lynch said.

News Briefs

ASB UPDATE

Finkemeier: I will be putting on culture events like the Ripple Effect. We will be doing something different instead of the Make a Difference campaign. We’re also going to be doing the Lib Dub again, and I will be organizing next year’s Lib Dub. I also lead all of our Student Government meetings.

Ramona Drury English teacher will be retiring this year, along with eight other GBHS teachers.

Gazette: What big event are you most excited to be a part of next year?

Finkemeier: What I’m excited about most is we are going to try to break a Guinness World Record together. We haven’t decided what record yet though.

—compiled by Rachael Vasquez

Despite the clearly visible sign declaring that money is removed daily, burglars looking for cash broke into two sheds protecting several snack machines and badly damaged them.

Cash-seeking burglars damage snack machines Two weeks ago, authorities arrived at school to find the snack machines near the theater and in the north breezeway had been badly vandalized.

The perpetrator broke through through the sheet metal on top of the sheds protecting the machines, jimmied the shed locks from the inside and then pushed the machines over onto the ground.

Cafeteria and maintenance workers spent much of the morning cleaning up the mess. No estimate of the cost of repairing the damage was available.

Media Students Win an Award Granite Bay High School seniors Eric Urmanita and Carson Johnson won second place for their Public Service Announcement titled “Think Before You

Act.” They received their awards from Apple and took part in a forum on May 11 at the Sacramento Press.

GBHS Recognized for Academic Excellence Granite Bay High School was selected as one of the top 1,000 schools in the nation by Newsweek. GBHS ranked 337th out of 10,000 high schools. This places GBHS in the top 5 percent of the high schools in the nation.

The criteria were based off the 2011 graduating class and included factors such as graduation rate and the number of IB or AP tests taken per student.

—compiled by Dorien Johnk

Read The Gazette online at www.granitebaygazette.com

A4 News

Friday, May 25, 2012

Cancellation results in dance innovations

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Junior Non-Prom held at local venue Klub Kaoss proves to be a success

BY AMBER LES

Special to the Gazette

At the beginning of the 2011 school year, Granite Bay High School juniors were told they would not have a school-sanctioned Junior Prom. The dance cancellation was the result of weak attendance in previous years, which had caused GBHS to lose money on the event.

After being informed of the change, some juniors decided to start from scratch and create their own event – the Junior NonProm.

“When I first heard that we weren’t going to have a prom, my friends and I just started throwing around ideas about ways to make our own,” junior Megan Zabrowski said.

Zabrowski was the main organizer of the event. She began planning Non-Prom in early March by starting with suggestions from friends and peers.

“We wanted something to happen that would bring our class together,” Zabrowski said.

With little parent help, Zabrowski and her friends did a majority of the planning.

The end result was finally unveiled on Saturday, May 12 at Klub Kaoss in Roseville, a local entertainment club for high school students.

Upon entering, attendees were greeted with a candy bar and a virgin strawberry daiquiri machine. The main room was decorated with large balloon centerpieces at each table, and neon lights were flashing throughout the night.

“There was a huge difference after (about a dozen people) decorated the place,” junior Channi Awalt said. “I couldn’t believe how well (the organizers) put it together.”

Zabrowski and her helpers even arranged for a professional photographer and photo booth to capture the night’s festivities.

The dinner was catered by the local Mexican restaurant, El Sambrero Taqueria; the night included a DJ and the revealing of the Non-Prom king and queen.

“Everything was planned precisely,” Awalt said. “They made it feel like a real prom.”

Making the dance feel like a real Junior Prom was Zabrowski’s goal.

“At first, some people thought it would just be one big party,” junior Paris Loomis said. “But it ended up being really wellplanned out.”

Attendees had hoped that the organizers would pay attention not only to decoration detail, but to safety. Various precautions were also made to ensure the attendees’ safety.

“To be cautious, we revised a waiver similar to the one handed out before Senior Ball,” Zabrowski said.

The waivers were to be signed by the attendee and a parent. By signing it, the attendees agreed to not bring or consume alcohol or drugs at the dance and to pay for any damages the student might cause at the venue. No one could attend the dance without a signed waiver.

Zabrowski’s mother, Katie Zabrowski, assisted throughout the organizing process, especially the waiver planning.

SALMA CHAWI

“(The waiver) really helped set expectations up front,” Katie said.

To also ensure safety, parents and chaperones were posted around the dance room the whole night and oversaw the activities.

There was a strict no re-entry policy unless a chaperone escorted the students to their cars. Also, no teenager was able to leave without being questioned as to who was safely driving everyone home.

As for the school’s involvement in the process, Megan said it was limited.

“Although we didn’t talk to them a lot,” Megan said, “any time we did, they were super helpful, and we didn’t have any problems.”

Associated Student Body advisor Tamara said she’s disappointed that GBHS had to cancel its own Junior Prom.

“In the past year, (GBHS) just wasn’t making money off of prom,” Givens said.

“It kills me that we didn’t do prom, but (we) know that fiscally we just couldn’t do it.”

Givens said she doesn’t believe anyone involved with Student Government or the previous planners of school-sanctioned Ju-

MEGAN ZABROWSKI

Juniors Chloe Forlini, Lily Forlini, Renee Merchant, Samantha Perry and Naveen Chawi, above, take pictures at the before Junior Non-Prom at Klub Kaoss. Decorations for the dance, bellow, were done by the junior class. nior Proms are disappointed about the organization of Non-Prom.

Besides a few mishaps with rowdy students, the new event went on with very few problems.

“The planning went so smoothly,” Megan Zabrowski said. “Parents, friends and a lot of people ended up helping before, during and after (the dance).

People were impressed not only by the

students that organized the event, but by the attendees’ behavior as well.

“I feel that (Non-Prom) offered students a chance to make a prom that was more teenager-friendly,” junior Lily Forlini said.

“It was definitely a night to remember.” *** Amber Les, a junior, is an editor for thegrrronicle.com, the news website produced by the Journalism class.

Class president tie results in run-off election Emma Farrell wins, will serve in 2012-2013

BY NATALIE KREEGER nkreeger.gazette@gmail.com

Every year, Granite Bay High School holds elections for a wide array of Student Government class officers.

Students must campaign and battle tough competition just like presidential nominees and congressional members.

This year, instead of announcing the winner of senior class president after the elections, it was announced that there had been an exact tie for the position.

Associated Student Body advisor Tamara Givens said an exact tie in a student election is very unusual – and it’s only happened one other time at GBHS, and never for the position of class president.

“This has only happened once before, except it was for athletics commissioner,” Givens said.

The candidates for senior class president, juniors Emma Farrell and Jaci Willing, each received 66 votes in the election.

“Because we had a tie, we had a run-off election, and Emma Farrell ended up winning,” Givens said.

Givens honors all candidates who were willing to

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publicly run and campaign. Despite the tough competition and public limelight, candidates have the perseverance to campaign.

“All of the kids were willing to put themselves out there and run,” Givens said. “This is very public process, but all of these students had the confidence to get themselves out there.”

Every election can emotionally affect the winner and loser. Givens said this is perhaps the hardest part of any election.

“There is always a winner and a loser,” Givens said.

“This entire process takes a lot of self confidence.”

This year, there was approximately a 17 percent voter turnout in each class for voting in the elections.

“Usually the voter turnout for specific classes is around 20 percent of the class, and we would really like more people to come out and vote,” Givens said.

Larger voter participation in student elections more accurately represents the majority’s view, Givens said, which is why she encourages more students to take time during their lunch to cast a ballot.

After the run-off election and the declaration of the final winner, all of the positions for Student Govern-

ment have been finalized.

With the positions intact, there have been recent changes to the event calendar for next year.

“We plan to have a Culture Week in the spring of next year, (and) we have shifted some dates on things, Givens said. “Power Puff will be in April, and Lip Sync will be in March.”

In addition to these changes, junior Paige Finkemeier, next year’s ASB president, also has new plans.

“In terms of next year, we are going to (attempt to) set a Guinness World Record, (which one has yet to determined) as a school. We also plan to continue the Ripple Effect,” Finkemeier said.

Finkemeier also encourages students who have new ideas for next year to voice their opinions.

“If anyone has any ideas about new events or anything else, they should talk to Student Government,” Finkemeier said.

The winner of the run-off election and next year’s senior class president next year, Emma Farrell, regards next year with much anticipation and enthusiasm.

“Something new (for next) year is that we will have two (leadership) classes, both in the fall and spring,” Farrell said. “Usually we have two classes in the fall and one class in the spring.”

With the additional class, Farrell said there will be more opportunity for Student Government to put on

All of the kids were willing to put themselves out there and run. This is a very public process, but all these students had the confidence to get themselves out there.

– Tamara Givens, ASB advisor other events.

Like Finkemeier, Farrell encourages students to suggest new event ideas to Student Government.

Friday, May 25, 2012

A5 News

w The Granite Bay Gazette

PENS: Sophomores caught smoking pens in class Continued from page A1

worth it” and said he wasn’t thinking about the consequences.

“I just wasn’t thinking about any of that,” Kevin device is used to inhale vaporized hash oil. said.

“We didn’t think we were going to get caught,” he Jason, a pseudonym said. for another sophomore Kevin said he and a couple of friends who asked to remain started off in the back of the classroom, anonymous, said he and more people quickly joined them.

My parents were didn’t know people in Another student estimated there were the back of the classhella pissed... I got about 10 students quietly sitting in the room had the “hookah back on the couches while other stueverything taken pens,” but once he was dents completed their STAR tests. there he took a couple away.

Kevin, who got the “hookah pen” of “puffs from the pen” from a friend, said the pens are relativethat was being passed ly cheap and easy to disguise. around.

– Kevin, suspended “It just looks like a pen,” Kevin said.

“People were trying GBHS sophomore “It just tastes good. I guess it makes you to hold (the smoke) a little light-headed.” in or blow it in their Kevin estimated that the passing of shirts,” Jason said. the hookah pen lasted about 30 minutes.

“You could really get After being called to the office, Kevin a lot of smoke if you handed the pen off to a friend for safewanted.” keeping. However, Kevin was suspended for five When Jason was in his second-period class, he was days and is currently on probation. He will be rancalled to the office. domly tested for drugs for the duration of his proba“I don’t know how they found out,” Jason said. tion.

The administration talked to Jason and searched his “(My parents were) hella pissed,” Kevin said. “I got car, which was parked at Feist Park. everything taken away.”

“I was completely honest with them,” Jason said. “I He said deciding to smoke was “definitely not told them what happened, everything that happened.”

ONLINE: Website will combine sources Continued from page A1

proposed “Cooking With Men.” “Whether it is a piece on skateboarding equipment or a local news story, we plan on having a variety of content,” Weidkamp said.

Weidkamp’s new class, IB Film, will also be adding content to the website.

While Advanced Media will be primarily working on the web content, IB Film will work on short films, movie trailers and other content that will be shown on the website.

“I see the media side of the website becoming really big,” junior Andy Carr-Hall said. “I expect students to go on and watch our entertaining shows.”

Next year, Carr-Hall will be the media representative for GBT, and will be responsible for producing the bulletins and uploading them to the website.

In addition to the content provided by the media, GBT will also feature articles and photos from both the journalism class and The Granite Bay Gazette.

“The Gazette has had a website for the past couple of years with a varying level of success, but we are totally changing it with this

new website,” said senior and Gazette co-editor-in-chief Kyle Pawlak.

The Gazette will upload the content from its hardcopy newspaper, as well as special onlineonly stories and photos.

“We want to have a place to put our content and have up-to-date news for the whole community,” journalism teacher Kyle Holmes said.

A big focus for both the written and video portions of the website is going to be sports, according to Holmes.

“We are planning on having (summaries), stats and scores for many of the school’s games,” Holmes said. “We want far-off relatives to go to our website to see how their nephew or cousin is doing.”

There will also be an emphasis on social media. Already, the GBT team has plans to develop a presence on Facebook and Twitter in order to become an active web entity.

“We plan to reach out to the community through the various social platforms,” Pawlak said.

In order to do this, the leaders from each organization will collaborate in meetings every Thursday morning before school

Kyle Pawlak Gazette coeditor-in-chief is helping develop a new, comprehensive website

to coordinate the content for the upcoming week.

They will also work on the website’s design and setup over the summer, in order to have the best product possible ready to premiere at the start of the new school year.

“We want students to look at the website as their first source of news each time they get on the computer,” Holmes said.

The yearbook and magazine classes will also be involved with GBT, contributing when they can. For yearbook, this will mean posting photos, while magazine will be posting stories.

There will also be a digital version of the magazine available, ready to be flipped through and read on the computer.

With four classes joining together, Granite Bay Today plans to be the first news source with breaking news online.

“Things are going to happen on campus and in the community, and we will be the first to cover it,” Holmes said. “It’s going to become the primary news source in (the) Granite Bay community.”

Jason was suspended for five days and wasn’t able of the students he believes were involved. “(They feel) remorse for not thinking and putting to swim for the frosh-soph boys’ team at either the Sierra Foothill League championships or the Sac- me in a compromising position,” Holmes said. “As a teacher, you want an environment where students Joaquin Section meet. can be themselves and (can) According to the 2012-13 Granbe comfortable being themite Bay Athletic Handbook, the selves. When stuff like this “use of drugs, alcohol, steroids happens, everyone loses out.” or performance-enhancing subAccording to Brandon, stances, or tobacco is not acceptWhen stuff like this a pseudonym for another able and will not be tolerated for happens, sophomore, the popularity of high school athletes.” these “hookah pens” is on the The frosh-soph team finished everyone loses rise, especially among sophosecond at sections, and Jason said out. mores and juniors. he thinks his times in his events Brandon attributes the popucould have been enough to give larity of these “pens” to their the team the victory.

– Kyle Holmes, GBHS portability and the taste.

“Coach (John Sherman) said if English 10 teacher “It’s not anything dangerI was there we probably would have won,” Jason said. “It sucked.”

English teacher Kyle Holmes said it was hard to realize what the students were doing in the back of the classroom – and some of the students who were involved said they believe two or three others escaped unnoticed.

“It just looks like you have students chewing on their pens,” Holmes said.

Holmes said that when he figured out what was going on, he immediately notified the administration.

He has since had individual conversations with all

ous or anything that could hurt you,” he insisted. “It’s just basically water with a taste. It’s like mangos or

cherries or whatever.”

Assistant principal Brian McNulty stressed the administration is striving to do its “due diligence” and educate parents, teachers, students and the community.

“People will get creative,” he said. “We’re trying to make the campus a safer place … and we’re trying to stay current with what’s going down.”

SENIORS: Big events taking place as year comes to a close Continued from page A1 and Sports-a-Rama. Next week, seniors will enjoy Senior Breakfast, graduation practice and graduation, and then they will have a final chance to celebrate the end of their high school careers at Sober Grad Night at Golfland-Sunsplash in Roseville.

The event, which has been popular with past senior classes, will take place on the night of graduation.

“Everybody (goes to Sober Grad Night), and it’s just the last fun thing that everybody in the class does together,” senior Colton Washburn said. “You just see your friends there, and it’s like the last time our class is all together after graduation.”

The event at Sunsplash is held after hours, affording seniors the chance to enjoy the park with no crowds or lines.

This year, seniors will have access to some new entertainment options.

“We (will) have a live band,” said Jenny Kinloch, a Sober Grad Night volunteer. “They are two seniors (Wade Graves and Garrett Diodati) who were more than happy to play.”

Another new component is a photo booth, with enough photo strips available to have each student in the class (approximately 524) take two photos, according to Julie Lebeau, a Sober Grad Night volunteer.

As with past years, Sober Grad Night faced a few hurdles this year, namely dealing with ticket sales and volunteers. “(Ticket sales) are (typically) very low and slow,” Lebeau said. “Nobody really takes advantage of fact that they can get a discount if they buy tickets early.”

To combat this, another incentive for early ticket sales was implemented this year. Those students who chose to purchase tickets far in advance were entered into a raffle to win an iPad. Even with this incentive, ticket sales were still on par with past years.

“Ticket sales are low, but right on target,” Lebeau

says.

However, the biggest problem Sober Grad Night Senior Events faces, is a lack of volunteers. wSenior Rally, 1:55 p.m.

According wSenior Sunset, 7 p.m. to Lebeau, she wSenior Breakfast, 7:30 just barely has a.m., Friday, June 1 enough volunwGraduation Practice, teers to cover 8:30 a.m., Friday, June 1 her group. In fact, volunteer wGraduation, 9 a.m., Satnumbers were urday, June 2 so low, some wSober Grad Night, 10 of the main p.m., Saturday, June 2 committee positions were just filled in the past month, and they are still searching for an MC to announce the prizes.

“We would love more help, even up to the last day,” Lebeau said.

For seniors, the volunteer shortage is not a big concern.

Many, like seniors Laura Rogers and Kassie Donnels, are looking forward to the event.

Donnels and Rogers are specifically looking forward to being able to enjoy Sunsplash after hours with their close friends, especially as the year comes to a close.

As the senior class looks forward to graduation and the next chapter in their lives, the faculty is looking back on the class’ last four years.

Each senior class leaves behind its own special legacy.

For the Class of 2012, math teacher and swim coach John Sherman believes that legacy will be humor.

“This senior class just always made me laugh,” Sherman said. “Whether it was appropriate or not, they just constantly kept me smiling.”

AT A GLANCE

A6 News

Friday, May 25, 2012

w The Granite Bay Gazette

MYTH: School is liable, students who leave may incur work service

Continued from page A2

stances on this myth, but his tone conveys the need for change to this myth since it’s been around for so long.

In fact, several campus educators admitted they have heard this myth during their high school tenure and college years as well.

While different rules apply to colleges,

high schools have to worry about two key factors: student safety and liability.

“College is much different than high school, where you have to stay here, because if you get into an accident, the school is liable (but) it’s different when you’re over 18 (in college) and under 18 years old (in high school),” Valentine said.

At GBHS, the myth has been circulat-

ing for many years and even though students are familiar with the myth, some easily dismiss it.

“If a teacher is late to first period and everyone leaves, what’s going to happen during second, third or fourth period?

And where will these students go?” senior Maria Babenkova said.

Senior Laura Rogers had a similar opinion as Babenkova.

“I’ve had teachers show up half an hour after class started, but I never left because if you leave during school time, you’ll certainly get in trouble,” Rogers said.

If students do leave, the punishment isn’t as lenient as the myth’s flexibility.

For a first-time offender, a closed campus violation will land you a suspension with a parent conference, where you

SPEAKERS: Both Zaidis, Cho see extracurriculars as highly important Continued from page A1 year,” Haroon said.

According to Haroon, his involvement in extracurricular activities like Interact Club contributed significantly to his development throughout high school and prepared him for his future endeavors. “(Speech and Debate and Academic Decathlon) teach you how to speak in front of people and (give you a) competitive drive,” Haroon said. “Then there’s community service, of course, which kind of builds you as a person and helps you get in touch with humanity again.”

Haroon attributes his success in high school to his passion for learning and genuine interest in the courses he took.

“I didn’t really feel that I was working too hard because I feel like when you want to learn something, you just naturally work, and it naturally doesn’t feel forced because you’re interested in the subject,” Haroon said.

Because of this commitment to education, Haroon will be studying at Stanford University in the fall.

Since his subject interests have leaned toward math and science in high school, he hopes to become a bioengineer or doctor someday – but he insists he is “keeping (his) options open.”

After four years of book learning, Haroon is looking forward to getting some practical experience in the fields that interest him. “(When you’re in high school), you’re not learning from experience, so you (only) have some kind of idea of what you enjoy,” Haroon said. “Like I know I enjoy biology and math, but I haven’t actually gotten that experience of somebody working in the lab, solving problems that haven’t been solved before.”

Despite his dedication to academics generally, and specifically to the IB program, Haroon said he doesn’t think he has missed out on enjoying high school.

“Some people would probably say I had no fun whatsoever … but I really enjoyed my extracur-

ricular activities and liked the IB program,” Haroon said. “It helped me meet all these people that I really enjoy the company of and I really got to know well.”

Having two valedictorians in the family might seem like a challenge, but Haroon is glad he had his brother by his side throughout high school.

Haroon has found this “little bit of sibling rivalry” to be beneficial in helping him grow as a student and work harder.

“It’s more like constructive sibling rivalry,” Haroon said.

“We always push ourselves to do better. It’s not like ‘I did better than you,’ we both just know there’s another person there, and you’re both always trying to do your best.”

Moosa Zaidi With the exact same 4.64 GPA as his twin brother, Moosa also holds the title of valedictorian for the class of 2012.

“It means a lot to me to be recognized,” Moosa said. “I think it’s also a really cool opportunity to be able to represent my class and to speak before them at graduation.”

Moosa, like Haroon, is a member of the IB diploma program, and has enjoyed the rigorous course selections it offers.

Throughout high school, Moosa was active in extracurricular activities like Speech and Debate, Academic Decathlon and karate, as well as various community service projects. He was a tutor both in the Learning Center and at local libraries. “(High school has) been a very enjoyable experience,” Moosa said. “Obviously there have been some challenges, but I think I’ve learned a lot academically, just from all the classes I’ve taken and also on a more personal level just from all the people I’ve met.”

Moosa said he generally enjoyed all the subjects he experienced at GBHS. Although he admittedly leans toward math and science, Moosa said he can find any subject interesting, so long as it is taught in a challenging and interesting way.

Because of this, Moosa found

Mike Valentine’s Advanced Placement European history class to be the most influential of his high school career. “(Valentine’s class) was the first time that I had high school history, and that class really made me see history in a whole different way,” Moosa said.

In the fall, Moosa will attend Stanford University with his brother. There he hopes to pursue a major in bioengineering, although he expects that college will be a time to explore and really lock down what he is interested in.

Because both he and Haroon will be attending the same college, they’ve had to decide just how close they are going to stick together through this new experience.

“I’m thinking at this point that we might not room together because … I think that’s a good balance; to be able to go to the same college but not necessarily room together,” Moosa said.

“You’re branching out, you’re still meeting new people, but if you ever need someone we’re still there for each other.”

Although they might not be sharing a room next year, Moosa is happy to be sharing the honor of being valedictorian with his brother. “(My parents) were also very happy that we both (were named valedictorian),” Moosa said.

“Being twins and all, as much as we would have not wanted to (compete), if one of us had gotten it and the other one hadn’t, it might have been difficult for our parents so they were both very happy when we both became valedictorian.”

Gabby Cho Cho – who achieved an academic GPA of 4.59 – was named salutatorian for the 2012 graduating class. “(Being salutatorian) is obviously an honor,” Cho said. “I’m really excited to get to speak on behalf of our graduating class because I think we’re a very diverse group (and) all have various strengths, so I’m happy I’ve been chosen to represent that.”

Unlike her valedictorian coun-

terparts, Cho chose to take a different route in high school. She was primarily involved in the AP program, although she did take IB art history.

However, like Haroon and Moosa, family ties have contributed to Cho’s excitement about being chosen to speak at graduation.

In 2009, Cho’s older sister, Victoria Cho, was salutatorian of her class.

“My sister’s been a really big role model to me,” Cho said. “I know she worked really hard in high school, so that motivated me to work hard.”

Outside of academics, Cho’s other interests included Student Government for all four years ,and track and field her freshman through junior year. She also took part in various community service activities and worked as a tutor.

“I feel like I had a good balance between academics and being involved in school activities and free time,” Cho said. “I feel like I’ve had a good high school experience…and have gotten to reach out and try new things.”

Of all her activities in high school, Cho felt being a part of Student Government has had the biggest impact on her life and development as a person.

“I really enjoyed (Student Government), and it helped me grow as a leader, so I thought it was a really good program to be in,” Cho said. “I put a lot of time into that and that was a really big aspect of my high school experience.”

Cho will be attending UC Berkeley in the fall and plans to study political science. She then hopes to possibly attend business or law school; although she is taking advantage of the time she has in front of her to make those kinds of decisions.

For now, she is enjoying the end of her senior year and looking forward to graduation.

Cho attributes much of her motivation to work so hard and get to this point to the support system she has had.

“It’s nice to work hard and try hard, and then be rewarded for that,” Cho said.

must take home a suspension form and have a parent call in, plus complete five days of work service.

For repeat offenders, the next penalty is formal suspension.

The GBHS administration has officially busted this myth as simply an “urban legend.”

But keep in mind, if students do opt to leave, there are always consequences.

LABOR: GBHS students accuse businesses of poor hours, no breaks

Continued from page A2

was to write a note and leave it for them,” Myers said. “The only way to communicate with them was to write a note and leave it for them.”

Myers said she never confronted anyone about the breaks because she was just thankful to have a job.

“It probably would have (been more tolerable if I was given breaks), but they always gave me the (jobs no one else wanted to do) like washing dishes for six hours straight— it sucked,” Myers said.

Once she found a new job, she quit her job at Togo’s.

“I was so excited to quit Togo’s,” Myers said. “I was going to quit anyway…I (couldn’t) work (there) through the summer.”

She said the main reasons for wanting to leave Togo’s were the hours and little breaks and not being able to talk to managers about it.

When informing the Togo’s manager of the allegation she denied it and said, “(we) are not even open that late, we follow the rules…that is false information.”

Ashley, a pseudonym for a GBHS senior who asked to remain anonymous had a similar experience to Myers.

Ashley worked at Cookie Connection for five months, working two days and roughly 10 hours a week.

“I quit because maintaining two jobs was becoming too difficult and I was fed up with how unprofessionally the business was run,” Ashley said.

Ashley said one person at a time worked the front alone during the night shift.

“No breaks are given because only one person works at a time,” Ashley said.

When asked if any employees ever confronted the manager about this issue, Ashley said yes, but didn’t want to go into detail.

“One person did once, but he is primarily concerned with minimizing expenses as much as possible so it was not of concern to him,” Ashley said.

A different manager than the one Ashley talked about said that Cookie Connections did follow the Labor laws.

“We have the labor laws posted

up; we know what they are; we just follow them,” the manager said.

She denied the allegations Ashley made.

“They are always able to take (their breaks) and we all do here, we all take our breaks,” the manager said. “If this former employee didn’t, I don’t know why.”

Peter Nealson, media specialist at the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency said advice cannot be given to the students unless investigations were to be done.

“Not being allowed to take a break is completely in violation,” Nealson said.

He advises students to talk to the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement District Office if they believe their employers may not be following labor laws.

“It’s like any other rule people break,” said Deanne Amaden, Regional Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Department of Labor.

“We don’t know who or how many people are breaking it. We do now when we conduct different types of investigations without responding to complaints that we find violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act on a regular basis.”

She said based on the random sampling approach done by the U.S. Department of Labor, 70 percent of restaurants investigated are found to be in some violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act. “We tend to focus more on lowwage industries (when conducting investigations) because we want everyone to be aware of the laws… and be in compliance,” Amaden said.

She said there is no way of finding out to what extent these labor laws are being violated; it can only be projected because people don’t report everything.

Amaden recommends the “Eat Shop Sleep” app for customers. It is available from the Labor Department’s website and allows people to check if there are any labor law violations at any given restaurant, through the enforcement database and Yelp.

“It’s a really good way to be an educated consumer and give your business to the employers that do treat their workers properly,” Amaden said.

MONEY: Funding for new program under debate Continued from page A2

meeting is to be held on May 29 in order to discuss the funding for these new programs.

“We’re so behind on knowing what the budget is and what we can do,” Blomquist said.

“Right now I’m still negotiating funding for a program that will be launched in a matter of months. That worries me.”

Adding to the faculty’s worry is the fact that

the master schedule can’t be definitively established until certain budgeting decisions are made.

“The parameters of the master schedule are going to influence how we assign teachers to their different roles,” McNulty said. “We’ve got a May (budget) revise that’s coming from the governor of California that actually allocates the funds to the school district. We don’t what that’s actually going to look like, and that

uncertainty can have some pretty serious consequences.”

Despite these hardships, Blomquist is hopeful these “growing pains” will be resolved and that the IB program will continue to expand.

“It has the potential to become a beautiful thing, but it costs money and right now it’s a tough discussion,” Blomquist said. “I’m fighting the fight, and I’m not going to let up, because to do it, we have to do it right.”

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Voices

Granite Bay Gazette

Friday w May 25, 2012

GAZETTE The Granite Bay

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GRANITE BAY HIGH SCHOOL 1 GRIZZLY WAY GRANITE BAY, CA 95746

Editors-in-Chief: Shannon Carroll Kyle Pawlak Jessica Reese Rachael Vasquez

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A Section

News Editors: Nicole Bales Chris Pei Voices Editors: Lena Eyen Haley Massara Lifestyle Editors: Danielle Dieterich Kelsey Knorp ShinEui Park Green Screen Editors: Ari Black Sahil Khosla Hayley McAvoy Samantha Spargo Sports Editors: Meghan Carlsen Austin Downs Mat Fukuhara Illustrators: Lena Eyen Chase Evans Hayley McAvoy Jessica Reese Samantha Spargo Photographers: Riley Mac Millan Rachael Vasquez Kristin Taylor Staff Writers: Haley Byam Chase Evans Sam Holzer Dorien Johnk Brooklyn Klepl Natalie Kreeger Riley Mac Millan Kiana Okhovat Joey Puhala Myles Slattery Kristin Taylor Madison Touloukian Brad Wong Advertising Manager: Mary Haney

Gazette illustration/SHINEUI PARK

In this hyper-polarized political climate, we all need to show a little moderation

E

very single day, there are more than 200 million photographs uploaded to Facebook.

Out of these millions, a single one distinctly caught my attention this past week.

It features Jon Stewart, political comedian and host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, looking very official in front of a standard blue background.

The photo itself isn’t that exciting, but the text imposed over the image is what has excited such a flurry of shares between Facebook friends of this picture.

The text calls for Jon Stewart to moderate one of the upcoming presidential debates during the general election.

And while his biting criticism of both presidential candidate Romney and President Obama would be sure to make that hypothetical debate one of the most entertaining since the circus that was the Republican primary elections, I believe that this image isn’t popular solely for that

Send Letters to the Editor to: gbgazette@yahoo.com Identification Statement Granite Bay Gazette Published eight times per academic year c/o Granite Bay High School 1 Grizzly Way Granite Bay, CA 95746 Subscriptions: $25 per year/ $15 per half year

Commentary

sam holzer

sholzer.gazette@gmail.com

Walking out of Safeway last Saturday I was confronted with the harsh new political climate in which we now reside.

A car in the parking lot had a massive red bumper sticker with the words “I’m against abortion, but I’ll make an exception for liberals.”

Freedom of Speech is something our nation holds dear. But trampling all over it with extremist opinions such as this does nothing to advance our political discussion nor does it lead to a productive political system.

Thomas Jefferson, in one of his

infamous political letters, wrote, “To render us again one people acting as one nation should be the object of every man really a patriot.”

Tea Partiers and Socialists, prochoice or pro-life, patriots and terrorists: these are all labels that we use to separate and divide ourselves.

In a clip that has recently gone viral and even been covered by the Gazette, columnist Dan Savage eviscerated Christian doctrine and evangelicals for advocating the stripping of rights from homosexual Americans.

In response to Savage’s original comment, North Carolina pastor Sean Harris asked his parishioners to beat their children if they saw them exhibiting behavior like that of a stereotypical LGBT youth.

Both opinions’ polarizing ideas alienate those on the other side of the conversation, and those who haven’t decided where they stand on the issue of gay rights.

We are living in uncertain times.

Our political system has some of the lowest approval ratings

ever, and our economy is slowly recovering from its horrific crash.

But this uncertainty and fear cannot drive us apart. During World War II, we saw that the fear of a massive economic depression and a looming international enemy incited the American people to stand together, eventually being dubbed “The Greatest Generation.”

If we can learn to have a discussion without yelling, without name calling and without accusing the other side of terrorism, we have the ability to finally mend the rift in our country.

Instead of arguing over whether we should head down the road to the left or right, let’s take the middle road. Because, in those famous words, taking the road less traveled will make all the difference. *** Sam Holzer, a senior, is a Gazette staff writer.

Don’t fear failure – learn from it

Adviser: Karl Grubaugh The Gazette is published eight times per academic year by students in the advanced journalism class at Granite Bay High School.

Content is determined by the staff and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Granite Bay High School’s faculty, administration, adviser or student body.

Students are protected in their exercise of press freedom by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and California Education Code 48907.

Signed editorials and columns reflect the views of the writer.

Letters to the editor and guest commentaries are encouraged and must be signed, although anonymity can be granted on a caseby-case basis.

The editorial board reviews letters to the editor, advertising and guest commentaries and reserves the right to edit and refuse material.

Reasons can include length, clarity, libel, obscenity, material disruption of the educational process at Granite Bay High School or violation of copyright laws.

fact.

Stewart represents political moderation in an era of hyperpolarization.

Every night on his show, he lambastes the corruption, excess and feeling of being out of touch with the average American found today in politics.

This widening divide between Americans and the politicians who represent them has stemmed from the frustration citizens have felt over the ideological gridlock in our system of representation.

Politicians are resorting to increasingly divisive rhetoric to drive voters, and as a result, the national political discussion has all but disappeared, leaving us instead with attack ads and irrational remarks.

Politicians, pundits and media figures are advocating these increasingly extreme views, even going so far as to promote the murder of democratically elected officials or the deportation of the opposite party’s politicians.

Personal and academic crisis leads to introspection, self-acceptance and growth

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I immediately started hank God for Commentary working on it. I spent failure. hours and hours every I can’t believe I’m week studying newspasaying this because, for the pers and magazines for past two months, it’s felt stories and designs to the like everything has gone point where I started to wrong all at the same time. neglect my other subjects.

Failure is devastating.

Needless to say, my grades It’s caused me stress, frussuffered – big time. tration and regret, emoBut I became so pastions very uncharacteristic sionate about these two of me. publications, to the point Before this experience nbales.gazette@gmail.com where I didn’t care about I would often hear people my grades. I just wanted to say that failure is a good make them the best that I could. thing. It never really clicked to me what that Unfortunately, I learned that when a publicameant, but I never spent much time thinking tion is a club, like the magazine was, and peoabout it. ple don’t get a grade or some type of incentive One of the failures I experienced started in for their work, it’s hard to make it work. the beginning of the year when I was offered There was no structure and I didn’t think it the position to be co-editor-in-chief of At the was going to reach my expectations.

Bay magazine. I was thrilled to be a part of I did my best, but it became too overwhelmthe publication. I love journalism, and it’s a ing and, between this and everything else that career path I plan on pursing after college. was happening, I had a complete emotional The fact that I had the opportunity to edit breakdown. For the situation there was only both the Granite Bay Gazette and the magaone option – I quit. zine was like heaven for me.

nicole bales

It was heartbreaking. I was so disappointed in myself, I was angry and in the middle of March of my junior year, I felt like all I had done was screw myself over. I had nothing to prove how hard I worked. I felt like everything I had put myself through was just erased and none of it mattered.

I was naive to failure and I didn’t think it could happen to me. But it did, I failed, and I failed big because I failed at numerous things at the same time.

Even though I’m still emotionally drained, I’m starting to realize this is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Failure put me in my place and tested me.

That does not mean I’m not going to take on another challenge, but it proved to me that I can fail, and that I shouldn’t be afraid of failing – because it’s what makes you grow as a person.

I think the greatest failure in life is fearing failure. If people were just to stick to what’s safe their entire lives, always fearing failure, there would be no such thing as progress.

Failure is the most important part of life, and people should embrace it and appreciate it.

I’ve learned that nothing can pull you out of the depression of a failure except for your acceptance of that failure. Not even a major success can fully make you feel good about yourself again. I’ve learned that it is crucial in life to be assertive and trust yourself. I’ve learned that there are no shortcuts to any place worth going. I’ve learned that authority should always be questioned.

I’ve learned that out of everything bad comes something good. I’ve learned there are backstabbers and selfish people, but it’s important to just move on and focus on yourself.

I’ve learned a simple act done by one person can affect many.

Most importantly, I’ve learned that Eleanor Roosevelt was absolutely correct when she said: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

We all go through phases when we feel like nothing is going right, but it’s important to continue looking at the bigger picture and, no matter what, always have faith in yourself. *** Nicole Bales, a junior, is a Gazette news editor.

The cult of CollegeBoard: We must keep faith

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he concept of salvation: that those who keep their faith in a higher power, despite the challenges of terrestrial life, will be rewarded after death.

It’s a major tenet of most Western religions, and with good reason. It’s only human to want to believe that our pain has a purpose, and that everything we endure will pay off in the end.

In the context of faith, this means that if we abstain from sin, and are committed to our belief in our god (whatever specific incarnation that may be), we’ll be rewarded with a pleasant afterlife.

This is, in essence, the same logic that drives those of us who take more AP classes than we should, and manage, somehow, to juggle them; those of us who endure the rigors of the IB program in hopes of a certificate; those of us who have earned our GPAs through sweat, blood and tears.

We are the students who choose work over play. We are devoted, devout.

A large portion of students The seniors among have, of course, strayed from us will soon pass on, academic fervor. Temptation allegorically, to the is everywhere, in the form next life. It might seem The voice of the of social networking, hyperbolic to state it that Granite Bay sports, clubs and the like. way, but think about it: A commitment as rigorous With college comes new Gazette as the one the AP and IB friends, a new home and students take isn’t easy to boundless, newfound keep. freedom.

And the gnawing pangs of senioritis have And in gaining these, we leave behind our families, and the familiar manicured lawns of already manifested in some of us – that apathy that sets in when we know our high Granite Bay High School. school lives are drawing to a close.

But those of us who are juniors – next But for those who have faltered, it’s still year’s seniors – have yet to be truly commended. We are still toiling, still waiting not too late. Current juniors have a year to see if our labor pays off. left to redeem themselves – underclassmen, It comes down to what is truly a question more time still. If we use our last year well, of faith. That is, we must believe in the cult and survive eight more grueling, intensive of CollegeBoard, and that, so long as we courses, we can save ourselves from don’t give in to sloth and boredom, we stand rejection. a decent chance of getting in to a school Believing in the college selection process worth attending.

– a shady, often misunderstood ritual – is

EDITORIAL

trying, we know. How can we be sure that our work – our academic karma, if you will – will be enough?

We can never know for sure. Of course, there are a few certainties – our GPA, SAT test scores and impressive extracurriculars.

But ultimately, when we submit our applications to the schools of our dreams, we are committing an act of pure faith. At that point, we can do little more than pray.

Those who believe in religious salvation may worship more fervently in times of crisis, stress or ill health.

Why, then, shouldn’t we study harder, with a reaffirmed commitment to our educational faith, when our high school days begin to dwindle? Our struggles are nearing their end, and soon, if we have been faithful, we will, at long last, be rewarded.

So long as we have hope for the future – faith in college acceptance – we can persevere.

A8 Voices

Friday, May 25, 2012

HEARD on the

BAY

What do you order when you get frozen yogurt?

“Chocolate with chocolate chunks.”

freshman Mason Troike “Mix of all the fruit flavors with nerds and strawberries.”

sophomore Parker Burman “Plain chocolate.”

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Well-balanced and proud of it Not everyone with a high GPA is a lifeless, grade-obsessed bookworm – myself included

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hy is it Commentary that so many good moments have to be undermined by stupid people? Like Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift at the Grammy’s a few years back.

The junior Academic Merit Awards are hmcavoy.gazette@gmail.com meant to be a celebratory event to congratuthis year all my classes have late students on achieving a been AP or honors (the only GPA of 3.31 or higher. exception being Advanced They also recognized certain Journalism.) Again, if you restudents who excelled in social ally want to verify any of this studies and sciences as well as information, feel free to email those who have maintained an me and I can personally show unweighted GPA of 4.0. There you my transcripts. were 12 students who had Next I’d like to know why. achieved that, and I was one of Why did those ignorant them. people label me like that? Why I don’t mean to sound like not just sit back and politely a show-off applaud like the or anything rest? Is it just along those that I don’t fit I’m not saylines, but their schema of a I believe ing I don’t straight-A student that to be a (there’s an AP study or pretty big psychology term accomplishwork hard, for you)? ment and I I guess I don’t. but I do was proud Straight-A stuother things of myself. dents used to be I’d worked besides seen as the nerds, hard and had the kids who school. earned that spent their life in award. the library studyIt wasn’t ing, who don’t until the next day that I heard participate in sports or other of some people making comextracurricular activities. ments about me as my name That doesn’t exactly fit me. was announced.

I’m not saying I don’t study or Apparently there were some work hard, but I do other things people in the student section besides school. I’m an editor who felt that I didn’t earn that for this paper you’re reading, award or that I had simply I play two varsity sports and taken non-Advanced Placement volunteer regularly.

(CP) classes my entire high But the thing is, that stereoschool career. type didn’t really fit most of the I’m going to try to avoid usother people up on the stage ing profanity now; it’ll be hard. either.

To address the first claim, Among those I was standing yes, I did earn that award, you next to were incredible athletes, can check my transcripts if speech and debate students, you’d like. club-starters and fellow jourAs for the second, no, I have nalism students. not taken all CP classes. In fact The definition of a nerd has

hayley mcavoy

changed from the original stereotype of bookworm who has a pocket protector and whose best friend is a calculator, to a more well-rounded student.

For example, three out of the four valedictorians and salutatorians last year played varsity sports and/or were involved with multiple extracurricular activities. One of them was on the section winning team for boys’ swimming. Do you think he looked like the classic nerd? No, he was gorgeous.

So now, to those who made the comments, I am speaking directly to you.

I’m begging you to please email me. I want to hear your thoughts about this. I would love to hear exactly what provoked you to say those things.

The moral of this story is simple: don’t judge a book by its cover, especially if that book happens to write for the school newspaper. *** Hayley McAvoy, a junior, is a Gazette Green Screen editor.

Gazette illustration/LENA EYEN

In defense of IB and the bell-free week

“Strawberry with gummy bears.”

senior Nancy Tarantino “Mango without toppings, because they are fattening and are just extra calories. ”

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his has not been the first time that the IB kids have been labeled by the Gazette.

So when I opened the latest edition it was not surprising to see another ridiculous statement by one of their “top” writers. (“The Unnecessary Horror of the Week of No Bells” by Jessica Reese, April issue.)

There have been complaints against the IB minority for the school’s decision to turn off school bells for the three weeks of IB testing.

However, IB procedure is something the students have no control over, and they are being blamed for it.

AP students may be keen to claim that during their tests they suffered through the bells, but it’s clearly

–Compiled by Kristin Taylor

LETTERS to the EDITOR

would be a great investment for the future.

-Medhi Razouane, senior We are not ‘fragile’ For IB students, it is quite nice to be able to sit through all our exams without having to hear the bells, which is also IB protocol.

For in IB, we are forced to survive, day after day, exam after exam, to prepare for 14 exams over three weeks, so don’t tell us to simply “deal with it!”

Also, and more importantly, we’d like to have three weeks of exams to be done in peace and quiet. Finally, contending with a week or two of no bells actually prepares students for college.

Over the past two years, we’ve done a lot more than you seem to imply – not only did we write a 4000-word research essay, but we also completed

Thumbs Up Thumbs up: Six more days until we get to throw our papers in the air like they do in High School Musical.

staff Kath Sinor

written in the testing rules that there are to be no disturbances. Maybe this rule is unfounded, but that isn’t for the students to decide, and Jessica Reese’s decision to attack the IB group as opposed to the organization is one of the more ignorant comments made.

Today marks the final weeks of IB testing, a finale to the end of two years. IB requirements included a year of learning to write in IB English over the dance room – clearly something that many IB students could not handle, or so it was thought.

In the words of the Gazette, “Deal with it.” This is a calm reminder that in college, there will be no bells to remind you. In other words, a watch

Thumbs Down

junior Natalie Haskell

Students respond to April criticism

Thumbs down: We have to pick them up afterwards.

Thumbs up: AP tests are finally over!

by Kristin Taylor, staff writer.

Gazette illustration/LENA EYEN

Gazette photo /RACHAEL VASQUEZ

150 hours of community service and took a philosophy course twice a week, before school.

And, if you could next time kindly interview a few of us, you’d realize that we did indeed endure dance music during our entire junior year in IB English – sure, sometimes it was a nuisance, but, hey, we all have to learn to live with each other and respect all our rights.

We don’t write derisive articles attacking a subset of the school’s students. And we kindly ask that you don’t do the same, because Granite Bay High School does not foster intolerance and disrespect, but instead strives to create a community of high school students where all, from the freshman to the senior, respect and tolerate each other’s proud differences.

-Arvind Reddy, senior

Thumbs down: We still have to come to class even though we usually aren’t doing anything.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Voices A9

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Commentary

Guest Commentary

mat fukuhara

jenny padgett

mfukuhara.gazette@gmail.com

For seniors, the future is far from certain

Fiery Savage speech ‘agitates’ for LGBT rights

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his is it. The last month before we seniors all leave the breezeways of Granite Bay High School to see what the future holds on college campuses all across the state and country. Our decisions over the past four years have decided our futures, and everything is set in stone, or so it seems.

Everyone seems so confident that the name of their universities will be the deciding factor to their success that somehow, somewhere there is a school with all the answers, and by following the imaginary path, paradise will be the end result.

Unfortunately, this is a utopian idea, a myth created from years of propaganda by parents, students and teachers. In reality, no one school or person has all the answers at this point, and if they think they do, they only feed the notion that society these days is formed around the basis of one idea: the person I am now is the person I imagine myself to be in a number of years.

How can this be the common belief? We all know there are unknown factors that occur – a professor who doesn’t communicate effectively with students, or students who don’t take school seriously enough to understand grades are the only ticket to staying in college.

Some of us have had these experiences affect our high school careers, and yet somehow the word “college” has become synonymous with “infallibil-

I

Gazette illustration/LENA EYEN

ity.” Are we naïve? Overly confident? Negligent?

No one has the answer. No one should have the answer.

The reason for going to college is first and foremost to discover who we are as people, not necessarily who we are as journalists, economists or business majors.

The last four years have been heavily guided by parents, counselors and teachers who all have our best interest in mind, but don’t allow us, for the most part, to take risks some of us will take in college – and I’m not talking about social risks like attending parties with

alcohol or other illegal activity.

I mean the kind of risks that will force us to understand what our interests actually are, who we really want to be as people in the “real world,” what it takes to get where we want to go and, most importantly, the difference between “screwing up” and “failure.”

Some of us are feeling like we “screwed up” already, or even worse, we’ve “failed” because we didn’t live up to our dreams of attending Stanford University or one of the prestigious Ivy League schools that our community associates with a lifetime of success, but guess what?

Look around. The same people who insist that those flagship schools are the only vehicles to success themselves did not attend the elite schools, and I would venture to say that they don’t consider themselves “failures” for pursuing community college their first two years, or attending a state school for all four.

In fact, most adults I’ve spoken with for advice about the next step have said they didn’t even know what they wanted to become after four years of college, and that’s “OK.” Sometimes the answer will come later, much later, and to

say that because we’ve done well or average in high school, college will follow along the same path is to create a false sense of security.

Contrary to our Senior Ball tickets, which said, “It all ends tonight,” our decisions are never absolute. Each minute, our lives are subject to change. The important question isn’t “what school are you going to?” but rather “what are you going to learn?”

Because nothing is ever final. *** Mat Fukuhara, a senior, is a Gazette Sports editor.

Closer as classmates or cousins?

Relationship with peers can be deeper than that with blood relatives

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Commentary

y grandma called about a month ago and told me that, throughout high school, I have been going to school with a kid who is my second

cousin.

I sat next to him for all of Spanish 1 and 2. We talked and were decent friends, brought together through the attempts at learning the present progressive tense in a foreign language.

I learned about his sports and his personality as well as his school work and the extracurricular activities he is involved in. He went with my church to church camp in 8th grade.

And we were cousins without even knowing it.

When my grandma told me this information (she saw them at the funeral of a mutual relative and started talking about school), I started to think about my extended family.

I thought about how I don’t know them and I am not in touch and how every person I meet could be a longdistance cousin.

I pondered the cousins I know and care about and wonder if there were even more I didn’t know about.

I contemplated about looking up my family lineage

chase evans

cevans.gazette@gmail.com

and searching for more long-lost cousins.

And then I did nothing.

Because I really don’t care. This kid was my cousin and it didn’t make us closer or farther apart.

We grew to know each other without the awkward pressure of being family.

Family is important, of course, yet we were able to be together without knowing about our blood relationship Blood didn’t bring us closer together – discussing the necessity of saying “please pass me that carrot” in Spanish brought us closer together.

I’m not saying that I’m best friends with my new cousin.We say hi to each other in passing, but our acquaintance is founded upon Spanish more than the fact that our fathers are first cousins.

While not best friends, I knew him better through school than I would have if I knew we were cousins yet

went to different schools.

I have known him better as a classmate than as a relative of mine. I have never talked to another second cousin of mine, yet having classes in high school with my then-unknown cousin gave me a relationship with him,however shallow.

The acquaintance I have with tablemates in my classes is more than the phone call or two I share with relatives each year.

The students I interact with daily are more prevalent in my life than the family members across the country.

I don’t know the names of most of my more distant relatives, yet I could tell you what the kid who sits next to me in English had for dinner last night. School gives us bonds that are, in many ways, stronger than family.

You might think it is sad to be so far away from my cousins, yet through Spanish I am closer to this one second cousin than I am to cousins I see at Christmas and Thanksgiving.

I know a cousin as a friend first rather than a cousin first and that makes all the difference. He is a nice guy, and I can form an honest opinion rather than the feelings I would be compelled to feel if I knew him as a cousin first.

Imagine if you didn’t know who your family was until you were 17 years old. I would imagine your relationship with them would be a lot more real than it is right now. *** Chase Evans, a junior, is a Gazette staff writer.

Low expectations, but high spirits

Expect little, and you’ll receive plenty

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Editor’s Note: Granite Bay High School students recently attended a national journalism convention in Seattle. Activist and columnist Dan Savage gave a keynote speech decrying bullying, which has since been criticized for its alleged anti-religious tone. English teacher Jenny Padgett responds: *** propose an alternative perception of Dan Savage’s keynote address.

Savage is an agitator whose objective is to save lives. What is truly offensive about his address is the grim reality it discloses – that of the bullying and harassment experienced by LGBT teens. We should also remember that it is the resulting, tragically high suicide rate that compels him to agitate.

As an agitator Savage takes his place in the honored American tradition of arguing for basic human rights.

Recently newspaper articles have compared the struggle for LGBT rights to the movement for the abolition of slavery during the 1830s-1850s.

A key figure in that movement, William Lloyd Garrison, is one of the great agitators in American history. As a fierce proponent for the immediate abolition of slavery and a champion of women’s rights. Garrison was notorious for haranguing his audiences for the causes in which he believed.

On the subject of slavery, he famously said, “I will be as harsh as truth, and as uncompromising as justice. On this subject, I do not wish to think, or speak, or write, with moderation.” He concluded, “I will not equivocate – I will not excuse – I will not retreat a single inch – and I will be heard.”

Much like Garrison, Dan Savage is taking on a fundamental question of human liberty, and he agitates in deliberately provocative ways to ensure that apathy, indifference and violence toward LGBT kids have no sanctuary.

This is what free speech sounds like, and it is not wrong. We as an audience have no particular constitutional right to be unoffended, because free speech is not understood to mean only neutral or polite speech.

People routinely claimed to be offended by Garrison’s words, including those who felt his tone, language, and anger were ungodly or religiously offensive. But history has proven those words were necessary to agitate apathy and arrogance into action, and to move passive acceptance of slavery into an active resistance to it, or at the very least to keep it from falling into the shadows of indifference.

Interestingly, as a result of his inflammatory speech, Dan Savage has been accused of waging an attack. But this is a false equivalence. Savage was not attacking anyone, not “conservative parents, religious persons, or Republicans.”

If it were an attack, he would be actively working to pass laws that prevent those groups from sharing in basic human rights. If it were an attack, he would actively be lobbying to see that laws were passed to keep those groups disenfranchised and relegated to second-class citizenship.

What he did was agitate. He is noisily and controversially agitating to save the lives of teens driven to suicide by their homophobic peers, some of whom have been taught to use the Bible to humiliate, dehumanize and justify violence.

Dan Savage did know his audience.

He was speaking to teenagers who attend schools in America, where an estimated 85 percent of LGBT teens are verbally harassed on a regular basis, and 30 percent of whom regularly miss classes because they fear for their safety. He knows, and students know, that in this culture of harassment, statistics show LGBT kids are three times more likely to attempt or commit suicide, a tragic fact that GBHS sadly knows firsthand.

Another fact is that on April 30, Dan Savage spoke to a mostly receptive audience, comprised of young journalists who listened to his entire speech. But even for those who felt offended by his agitation, it pays to remember that if we occasionally feel offended by the words of an agitator, let us ask ourselves if the cause for agitation rests on the side of liberty and human dignity.

After all, in this case, the real offense is not the tactic of agitation, but rather the ugly abuse suffered by LGBT kids at the hands of bullies and bigots. *** Padgett is the co-adviser of the GBHS Gay-Straight Alliance.

have heard that the wonderful thing about being a pessimist is that you are always either right or pleasantly surprised.

Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of pessimism, but I have found that it is often when I go into a situation with the lowest expectations that I have the best experience.

Now I’m not saying that every time I went to a marching band competition, for example, I began the night thinking, “I hate my life, I don’t want to be here,” and by the end I was ready to jump on the field and start conducting.

But after four years of going to these competitions, which I initially had no desire to attend, I grew to have a deep appreciation of the hard work my brother (then a section leader of the band) and his friends put into their field shows.

Eventually I came to enjoy the competitions not only for entertainment purposes, but because I was able to spend that time with my family, and because I learned so much about band, which was a huge part of my brother’s high school

Commentary

danielle dieterich ddieterich.gazette@gmail.com

experience.

In a strange way, I think that I was better able to appreciate these band competitions because I had such low expectations.

I didn’t expect my life to be changed or the heavens to open up and a choir of angels to descend singing the Hallelujah Chorus as all my dreams came true, so I wasn’t disappointed when none of that happened.

In fact, my attitude coming into the very first of these competitions was

somewhere between “How did I get talked into this?” and “Whatever, might as well enjoy it while I’m here.”

It turns out that the confusion of not knowing what to expect paired with a positive attitude actually makes for a really nice time.

Unfortunately, the opposite is also true.

High expectations are hard to live up to.

That’s why formal dances aren’t fun.

Sorry, Student Government kids, I love you all and appreciate all the hard work you put in, but dances are never as great as they are hyped up to be.

Do you have any idea how long I spend before Winterball, for instance, finding a dress, figuring out my hair and makeup, ordering a boutonniere, deciding on shoes and jewelry, getting a mani-pedi and more?

And guess what: all of that prep work (not to mention all the money spent) gets me thinking there had better be a “choir of angels” moment.

But look what happens every year. I spend hours getting ready, have to smile until my cheeks start to twitch (and I am a dancer, so I have practice holding a smile for extended periods of time), pay way too much for dinner, and after about

an hour at the dance I’m probably in the bathroom comforting my crying friend.

When you spend so long thinking about and planning the perfect event, you are bound to be disappointed, because nothing ever goes perfectly.

Dances aren’t the only thing this is true for. If you have ever been to a midnight showing of Harry Potter, you know that all the obsessive fans (they are easy to spot because they come in full costume) emerge from the theatre complaining about all the discrepancies between the book and the movie, while the people who have never opened the books say something more along the lines of “Dude, that was awesome!”

The solution to this dilemma, then, is not to approach everything with pessimism, but rather to approach life with few expectations and much hope.

If you wait for perfection, you will be waiting forever. Instead, I say devote your energy to making the best of life, even, and perhaps especially, those events that don’t particularly excite you.

You don’t have to be a pessimist to be pleasantly surprised. *** Danielle Dieterich, a senior, is a Gazette Lifestyle editor.

A10 Second Look

Second look

Friday, May 25, 2012

‘Walking on sunshine’

w The Granite Bay Gazette

GBHS students, staff participate in annual Day at the Bay festivities

wGazette photosw Rachael Vasquez Junior Anthony Pedersen, right, reaches toward the end of the Slip-n-Slide while racing a classmate. English teacher Kyle Holmes, far right, sings and performs an acoustic version of “Hey Ya” by OutKast with students at the Band Bash. Junior Paris Loomis, middle left, tries to win a prize by throwing a dart at balloons while juniors Renee Merchant, left, and Nicholas Grace watch. As he falls off the slackline, junior Ashcon Minoiefar, middle, and his friends share a laugh.

Senior Andrew Duncan, bottom left, shoots water at a friend in the water gun maze. Junior Alexis Snyder, bottom middle, takes center stage at the Band Bash as she sings and plays guitar in front of her peers and a few faculty members. Junior Aaron Knapp, bottom right, tips the volleyball over the block.

Lifestyle

Granite Bay Gazette

B Section

Friday w May 25, 2012

Commentary

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kelsey knorp kknorp.gazette@gmail.com

Confessions of a firstborn daughter

*** Kelsey Knorp, a senior, is a Gazette Lifestyle co-editor.

20:12

AT&T

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he total accumulation of home video footage documenting my existence between ages zero and three amounts to approximately 900 hours.

You may be wondering why anyone would feel the need to keep such a thorough record of a being whose activities are pretty much limited to drooling, crying and rolling aimlessly on the floor.

Well, I’ll tell you. I am a firstborn.

I may have exaggerated the exact number of hours my parents caught on tape. After all, they did sleep some of the time. However, if you were to compare the documentation of Whitney, the younger of my two sisters, to the “Kelsey Saga,” the difference is fairly drastic.

I was the kid in elementary school who wasn’t allowed to watch PG-13 movies. I was the one left confused by dirty jokes and vulgar references, too naïve to catch the undertones of impropriety while my peers had learned them from their older siblings. I was the freshman in high school who occasionally rode the bus because I didn’t have an upperclassman sibling to drive me home when my parents couldn’t.

I’ve also never had to wear outdated hand-me-downs. I’ve always been the bossy sibling, not the one that gets pushed around. I most often get a bed to myself on vacation, and I’ve never had to live up to the achievements of a superior older brother or sister.

One of the chief duties of any oldest is to pave the way for his or her younger counterparts, to retain useful knowledge that can later be passed on so his or her brothers and sisters do not have to suffer the uncertainty and cluelessness that the oldest has always been subjected to.

This duty, unfortunately, is the primary reason I have always somewhat felt like I am walking into new experiences blind. When my mom dropped me off at Grizzly Retreat in August of 2008, I had no idea what to expect from the day or, more importantly, from high school in general.

Many of my peers eagerly greeted the junior and senior retreat leaders who were friends with their older siblings while I idly stood by, doing the best I could to blend into the sea of white t-shirts.

Almost four years later, I have not only survived my high school years, but I am emerging from them laden with memories, experiences and lessons I will cherish forever. Though at times I felt clueless and out of the loop, more often than not I enjoyed being the first one to experience things, simply because the newness of it made it that much more exhilarating.

My younger sister Ali and I will appear on the senior siblings page of the yearbook, and I will never let her forget how fortunate she was to have me to drive her to school her freshman year. Occasionally she laments the fact that certain teachers know her as “Kelsey’s younger sister,” and we both suffered the frustration of being confused on campus because of our similar looks, more than once getting told that we look like twins.

However, I hope she recognizes the rewards she’s reaped, having had someone to stumble through the maze of adolescence before her. I, for one, feel I have been incredibly helpful in demonstrating, in equal parts, what to and what not to do.

My nerves about Grizzly Retreat cannot compare to those I feel now, as the first one to leave the nest and embark on the journey of higher education. Once again, I feel rather as if I am feeling my way through a dark room, this time without the comfort of being able to return each day to the home where I know I’ll find my mom, dad, two younger sisters and three dogs performing their usual routines.

But despite this, this fall I will venture into no man’s land once again, with the hope that each mistake and triumph I am bound to encounter will leave me with some useful knowledge to impart upon my oh-so-fortunate younger sisters.

YEAR REVIEW IN

ShinEui Park

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ShinEui Park and Jessica Reese reminisce ShinEui Park: It really is true when people say that senior year flies by fast! With so much senior spirit, we dominated in everything – Sports-a-Rama, Powder Puff, Homecoming, Spirit Points.

Jessica Reese: I guess we were pretty spirited, except for the Greek rally. That was a pathetic effort on our part.

ShinEui: Not as pathetic as Herman Cain’s commercial with him smirking like a creep and his campaign manager smoking.

Jessica: So true. The whole Republican primary race was a bit on the insane side. I mean, Herman Cain quoting Pokémon in his concession speech and Newt Gingrich wanting to colonize the moon – they were just handing Colbert material for his show.

ShinEui: Speaking of insane, let’s not forget what happened at UC Davis back in November. It brought tears to people’s eyes. Literally. The video went viral in a day!

Jessica: Too bad our Lip Dub video didn’t go viral like Oakmont’s. Maybe next year? If there is a next year… after all, we are the last class to graduate before the “world ends.”

See RECAP, page B6

Send

Gazette illustration/HAYLEY MCAVOY

Students compete for ASB spots

Tamara Givens ASB advisor forced to make tough decisions about 2012-2013 school year

Returning members are cut because of increase in applications

BY KRISTIN TAYLOR

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ktaylor.gazette@gmail.com

pon rushing to the office to retrieve the note enclosing the results of her Student Government application from her fourth period teacher’s box, Granite Bay High School junior Molly Parker experienced a mix of astonishment and rejection at the discovery that she did not get in.

Molly Parker is a pseudonym name as this student wished to remain anonymous.

Parker had been actively involved in the program for two terms and was cut from

inside lifestyle

College of the Month

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How To

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SAT Tip of the Month

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Random Student

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Faculty fitness Teachers spend May in athletic competition

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this upcoming fall’s term.

Cuts were brutal this year for student government, with a total of 102 applicants applying to fill 58 spots. The program has been gaining in popularity so much in recent years that only half the hopefuls will be enlisted in the class fall term.

35 eighth grade applicants constituted over a third of the total applicant pool.

This is largely due to the popularity of the leadership program established at Olympus Junior High School after leadership was eliminated as an elective due to budget cuts.

“All the junior high kids are having to

do stuff on their own if they want dances and rallies and stuff,” said Associated Student Body advisor Tamara Givens. “So the Olympus kids have created this cool program, and they’ve gotten all these kids involved.”

With so many eager to be a part of the program, from eighth graders to juniors, tough decisions had to be made and, in the process of putting together the best fit classes, some returning Student Government members, such as Parker, were let go.

“That’s the hardest part for me,” Givens said. “It’s not as hard to tell someone you don’t know they’re not in.”

Spring brings more lunchtime fun Summer anticipation made evident by campus activity

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Givens was on one of two panels interviewing the applicants along with the cabinet and assistant principal Brian McNulty on the second panel.

“It’s not a class that’s good if people need a lot of direction because it’s student run and so we expect people to be able to work on their own and motivate themselves,” Givens said “We look for people who are enthusiastic and people who want

Teachers’ lives outside school Faculty pursues summer hobbies

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See ASB, page B6

B2 Lifestyle

Friday, May 25, 2012

w The Granite Bay Gazette

top

ways to slack off your senior year

Beauty is more than skin deep Even without prior experience, GBHS senior finds her passion as a pageant contestant

Take easy elective courses because you can.

F

Don’t get a job.

Take dance, since it’s fun.

Become even less involved in school than you already were.

Drop all AP classes after being accepted into college.

Become the TA that grades harder than the teacher.

Jan and mike BARRETT

Take first off. You get to sleep in until 9 a.m.

Take fourth off. You get out of school at 12:30 p.m.

our peer helping class about the club, and then we decided as a class to endorse her and support her,” English teacher and club or many, the title “Pageant Queen” in- advisor Katrina Wachs said. vokes thoughts of a beautiful woman Wachs was immediately impressed with with little substance. However, senior Barrett’s preparedness and sense of initiative Andrea Barrett defies that stereotype by and was quick to integrate the club into her maintaining both a successful pageant career peer helping class. and charity work.

“She had a typed up agenda, and she had As a relatively new pageant participant, some ideas, and then as a peer helping class Barrett has only participated in three pagwe kind of brainstormed where we wanted eants. to go with it, and then she kind of took the In her first experience competing, she lead,” Wachs said. was named the first runner up to Miss Teen The main event the Angels and Doves Placer County among 150 candidates.

Club put on was a walk-a-thon aimed at She was largely inspired to begin pagraising awareness and promoting prevention eantry through the personal experiences of of bullying. her brother’s former girlfriend.

“Andrea really championed (the event), “My brother dated a past Miss Utah, and she led the whole thing and organized and she just kind of told me about it and said really just put so much work that it’s not just about beauty and time and effort into getbecause that’s what I thought ting it going,” Wach said. pageants were about,” Barrett My brother dated “She did a really good job said. “She told me all about the a past Miss Utah... of getting the club a good steps you have to take, and it just She told me all about foundation so that we can seemed perfect for me.” the steps you have hopefully make (the walk-aAlthough she originally comto take, and it just thon) an annual event.” peted without coaching, followseemed perfect for Tollett said she was most ing the Miss Teen Placer County me. impressed by Barrett’s sinpageant, Barrett began to meet -Andrea Barrett, cerity and dedication to her with pageant advisor Tiffany Tolsenior platform. lett to work on technique.

“She is truly the real deal, Tollett said her first encounter she doesn’t try to sell you with Barrett was when she watched the a bill of goods,” Tollett said. “She is just a Miss Teen Placer County as a spectator and sweetheart.” felt that Barrett should have been crowned Barrett’s leadership experience and queen. community service helped her considerably Shortly after, Barrett was referred to Tolin the interview and on-stage portions of the lett, and they began to meet a few times a pageants. week to work on walking, public speaking, Following her second place win at the responding to interviews and platform.

Placer County pageant, Barrett participated Platform, according to Barrett, is a comin the Miss Teen California International munity service project or cause that pageant pageant in which she made it into the court competitors must participate in or lead. (the top five contestants).

“I think that (Barrett) is incredible, and I “She was the only girl in the top five that think that she has a lot to give back to her had never competed in that pageant before, community,” Tollett said. “She is really and that is pretty impressive,” Tollett said. focused on helping others.”

“She beat out other past title-holders. It was Barrett actually introduced a nationally amazing.” recognized club to the Granite Bay High Barrett’s achievement was especially imSchool campus. pressive because of her lack of prior experi“I found that I am extremely passionence, and she described the feeling as one of ate about (the issue) of bullying, and so I exhilaration following months of hard work. wanted to have my platform around … an “There is so much preparation that goes anti-bullying organization called Angels and into (each pageant), it probably takes me Doves non-profit organization which is for like four months to be fully prepared for the prevention of bullying,” Barrett said. it,” Barrett said. “So I think that when I am In order to start the club at GBHS, Barrett finally up on stage after interview and after pitched her idea in the fall to the peer help getting all ready and all the hard work, (that ing class. feeling) is the most rewarding.”

“She came in and made a presentation to

BY DANIELLE DIETERICH ddieterich.gazette@gmail.com

‘Healthy’ competition challenges faculty to live an active life A district-wide initiative takes teachers to next level of exercise and proper eating each item on a prewritten list they successfully complete. One point for eating hmassara.gazette@gmail.com five servings of fruits and vegetables per day, three points per 10 minutes of fter fourth period, physical edustrenuous activity and so on. cation teacher Dede Walker has Extra points can be earned by paranother, somewhat older class to ticipating in a school-sponsored fitness instruct. event, such as the workout She leads fellow teachers sessions Walker leads. and faculty in Zumba dance, We have cerBoth the individual and spin biking and “boot camp” tain people that are team with the most points classes, as part of a districtat the end of the month interested in getting wide initiative to promote will receive a prize, which healthier lifestyles. their team to win...

“It’s fun to (workout) with they’re trying to pro- will be paid for by the grant. other people, to see if they mote fitness within “It wasn’t really all improve and get better,” about the competition,” their team.

Walker said.

Williams said. “It was The program, a month-Linda Warfield, mostly to get people long “fitness challenge,” program coordinator involved in a healthier is a competition funded by lifestyle.” a $16,000 grant, accordOver 350 teachers across ing to Steve Williams, the the district are participatRoseville Joint Union High ing in the challenge, he said.

School District’s director of Pupil PerSimply being on a team can serve as sonnel Services. motivation for some, program coordinaStaff members are divided into teams, tor Linda Warfield said. and each competitor gains “points” for

BY HALEY MASSARA

Take second off. It’s not possible but work hard to do as little work as possible.

Drop out because you’re going to Sierra College.

- Compiled by Chase Evans

A

Gazette photo /RILEY MAC MILLAN

Physical education teacher Linda Dickson exercises on an x-bike. The class was lead by Physical Education teacher Dede Walker.

“We have certain people that are interested in getting their team to win,” she said, “which is nice, because they’re trying to promote fitness within their team.”

For many faculty members, though, the desire to be healthy is

incentive enough.

“I don’t think of it as a competition myself, because I think it’s important for everyone to do this,” said Christiane See EXERCISE, page B7

Friday, May 25, 2012

Lifestyle B3

w The Granite Bay Gazette

College of the Month:

Seniors adventure

University of California Santa Barbara

ABROAD

Gazette illustration/DANIELLE DIETERICH

Gazette illustration/CHASE EVANS

Who: 19,795 undergraduate students

Students take alternative trips to celebrate graduation

BY ARI BLACK

aublack.gazette@gmail.com

Where: Goleta, CA

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Tuition and Fee Cost: $11,686 Acceptance Rate: 48 percent U.S. News Ranking: No. 42 (national universities) Mascot: Gaucho Athletics: -UCSB has a NCAA Division I champion soccer program.

-Santa Barbara is best known for its women’s basketball and men’s soccer teams. In 2006, UCSB won its first NCAA men’s soccer title and its second overall NCAA championship.

-UCSB’s sports teams compete in the Big West Conference, with the exception of the men’s water polo, men’s and women’s swimming and the men’s volleyball teams, which are in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

Academics: -91 percent of freshmen return for their sophomore year.

-Approximately 78 percent of freshmen will graduate from UCSB within five years.

-Undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is 18:1.

-Lower division classes average 52 students each, although there are a number of introductory courses with several hundred students.

-U.S. News and World Report’s guide, “America’s Best Colleges,” the most widely read college guide in the country, ranks UCSB No. 10 among all public universities.

-Over half of all graduating seniors collaborate with faculty members on original research or creative projects. The campus nurtures such activities with a program of student grants totaling $200,000 annually.

Fun Facts: -Located 100 miles up the coast from Los Angeles, the school sits atop cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

-Students can get involved in any of the approximately 450 clubs and organizations on campus, including a Greek community that comprises about 10 percent of undergraduate students.

-Singer-songwriter Jack Johnson graduated from UCSB in 1997 and references one of the school’s dining halls, De La Guerra (also known as the “DLG”) in his song “Bubble Toes.”

- Compiled by Natalie Kreeger

s the school year comes to a close and sunshine dominates the weather forecasts, the senior class is filled with anticipation as graduation nears, college and summer on their minds.

Through school offered trip options such as Mexico and Europe, students are offered a variety of excursions that each offers a unique and adventurous experience before they begin the next phases of their lives.

Retired Granite Bay High School math teacher and organizer of the trip, Greg Holmes, began running the European senior excursion when

his first son graduated from GBHS in 1996.

Though he intended to only to do the trip until 1999 (when his second son graduated), Holmes “found out how radically it affected the students who went” and continued on with running it.

Not only does the trip build memories, Holmes also believes it prepares students for college in a unique way.

“They find out that they can fend for themselves in new and different situations,” Holmes said. “Their world gets a lot smaller and they are much more likely to keep traveling and meeting people.”

This year, there will be 44 students and five adults traveling on the trip.

Students attending the trip will

experience the exploration of locations such as London, Paris, Lucerne, Florence, Rome, Sorrento, the Amalphi Coast, Athens and the Greek Islands on a cruise.

“We will visit all the famous landmarks in these cities,” Holmes said, “including seeing the changing of the guard in London, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, taking a cruise and a cogwheel train to the top of a mountain in Switzerland, see the Leaning tower of Pisa, swim in the Mediterranean sea in several locations and visiting the historical area of Meteora in Greece.”

As cost for adventures can add up, Holmes justifies that the trip is worth every cent.

Though fundraisers were once

held to attempt a relief of financial burden, Holmes explains that the income only netted a miniscule amount.

The cost of the trip is not necessarily where the element of concern comes in; it is the flight that requires the most financial requirement from its attendees.

“The cost of the flight alone was more than the entire 20 day excursion which included guide, meals and hotels,” Holmes said.

Senior Torrey Headley will be attending the Europe trip this year as she fulfills her lifelong dream of wanting to travel to Europe.

See TRAVEL, page B6

Student has many artistic aspirations Shayna Hansen has both unique background and unique goals

BY KIANA OKHOVAT

kokhovat.gazette@gmail.com

I

n 1955, sophomore Shayna Hansen’s six-month-old (at the time) mother and her family made a life-changing voyage: they moved from Germany to the United States.

Fast forward 40 years to Nov. 17, 1995, when the younger Hansen was born.

Hansen’s geologist mother moved the family from Los Angeles to Granite Bay so she could take a position she was offered doing groundwater cleanup, while her husband retired early to take care of their daughter.

Hansen’s grandmother also moved to Granite Bay to be closer to Hansen.

“She lived down the street from me, which is kind (of) nice, because she was like a built-in babysitter,” Hansen said.

Hansen started school in an after-school supplementary kindergarten program, a rather unconventional form of education for children her age. “(It was) in 3 languages (French, German and English) … which hopefully has helped (me) in learning languages,” she said.

This could be where Hansen’s love of languages took root. She is involved in the French program here at GBHS and plans on taking German next year at Sierra College.

“All my family lives in Europe, so I (would) like to be able to talk to them,” Hansen said.

One of her favorite languages is Russian, which she tried to learn last year because she was fascinated by the way it sounds. Hansen speculates that the reason she has such a large passion for languages has partly to do with her love of talking: “(Languages) come easily to me. I like talking, so talking in another language (is) like a continuation of that,” Hansen said.

Other hobbies Hansen has include cooking, baking, gardening, traveling and cleaning. She also played piano for nearly six years; however, she stopped taking formal lessons last year, because it became overwhelming as her academic commitments increased.

Gazette photos/KRISTIN TAYLOR

Both paintings above are original works created by Hansen Hansen’s passion for art began at a fairly young age. Her parents helped her talent blossom by buying her paints and enrolling her in art lessons.

“My parents encouraged it … (but) I wasn’t particularly good,” Hansen said.

Hansen became serious about art upon entering the art program at GBHS. Instead of producing amateur sketches and doodles, she began to complete See HANSEN, page B6

If you really knew me, you would know...

I know about five languages, and I am learning my sixth one: Spanish.

Kritika Amanjee

The most important thing to me is sleep.

I like sushi... (and) the color orange.

Esha Lal

Aidan Naughton - Compiled by Kiana Okhovat

Friday, May 25, 2012

B4 Lifestyle

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Student

Spotlight

Steve Fischer teaches students an alternative art form

Senior Sara Beil

President of the Drama Club and member of Media’s Team Black Gazette: How do you manage being part of Drama and Media while keeping up on your classes?

Beil: It has been hard, especially around tech week when we have five hour rehearsals… every day after school... I also do theater outside of the school, and it has sometimes been difficult being part of many different productions while still being involved in school. But I have learned to manage my classes and pass with good grades.

I have learned to handle the stress, the pressure and how to function on less sleep.

G: What have you learned from being a part of drama specifically?

B: Drama has taught me to open up more, as I used to be shy… (it) has helped me become more confident and be more self-secure. I am able to talk in front of people easier and have no problems doing presentations for other classes now. Also, I have met a lot of new people with different views and opinions, and overall it has taught me to be more open and accepting and to just have fun.

G: What has been your favorite Drama production?

B: My favorite production has definitely been The Office. It was the first play that I wasn’t part of the cast... It was a really different experience because I was in charge of everything. The cast... was definitely my favorite cast I have ever worked with, (and) it was a really cool experience to be able to sit in the audience and actually watch the play rather than being on stage. It gave me a whole new perspective of things, and I learned a lot.

- Compiled by Dorien Johnk

how to...

Make cake pops

Gazette photo/HAYLEY MCAVOY

1. Bake your favorite cake flavor, and let it completely cool on the rack.

2. Crumble the cooked cake into a bowl.

3. Combine the desired frosting with the crumbled mixture.

4. Roll the mixture into quarter sized balls and place on a cookie sheet.

5. Insert a stick into each rolled ball.

6. Chill the balls for two hours in the refrigerator.

7. Take the balls out, and dip them into melted chocolate.

Set aside to cool. Repeat the dipping process once more.

8. Decorate with sprinkles, candy or cookie crumbs.

- Compiled by Ari Black

BY SAMANTHA SPARGO sspargo.gazette@gmail.com

Snapshot of GBHS photo program

Gazette illustration/CHASE EVANS

P

hotography is undeniably an art form. But it is arguably the art mode that comes closest to melding art and science: precise skill as well as artistic vision must work in harmony in order to capture and create beautiful photographic images.

“I’m not very good at using a brush, so painting doesn’t really work for me,” junior photography student Trent Brendel said.

So Brendel, like many others who struggled with traditional pencil-andpaper art classes, decided to forgo Basic Art and instead signed up for the beginning photography class.

Photography 1 is not an average, entry-level elective.

From projects and photo shoots to tests and quizzes, students are kept much busier than in most beginning elective courses.

In Photography 1 classes, students are taught the technical terms and uses for the many dials and functions of digital Digital Single-Lens Reflex cameras, as well as the basics of composition, lighting and editing.

Although highly technical, and at times mundane, all of these lessons are important for getting students

comfortable with the inner workings Academic Merit Awards for photograof a DSLR camera so that they can phy at the AMA ceremony began their better control important photographic photography careers as sophomores elements like light, which are crucial when film, not digital, photography for shooting high quality photography. was still the heavy emphasis of the The class is strictly program. structured at the “Digital phobeginning level tography is easier, It is way more according to phoand you can get important to tography teacher better pictures, Steve Fischer, but but it was fun to shoot a good it becomes more go into the dark photograph than independent and room, and it was project-based once definitely more of it is to ‘doctor it students move into an art,” said Olup’ in the upper levels of ivia Cornell, the the program. recipient of the Photoshop.

The advanced phoAMA award for tography class conPhotography 3.

– Steve Fischer, sists of students from Fellow AMA Photography 2, 3 and photography photography teacher 4, and is offered only award recipient once a year.

Katelyn Sippel Photography 4 agrees. students are a rarity in the program “I kind of wish we still learned because the class is only offered once about (film photography), because a year, making it impossible for stuI think that would be a fun thing to dents who did not begin their photoglearn,” Sippel said. raphy careers as freshman to progress Fischer misses the film photography through all of the prerequisite levels. lessons as well, but he was forced to Both seniors who received Senior shift curriculum when supplies like

School clubs give back to community

chemicals and film became hard to find.

Though the Nikon D-40 and D-3000 digital cameras the class now uses aren’t as “fun” as the older film cameras, they make the most efficient use of the program’s limited time and resources.

“One of the things I love about digital photography is the immediate feedback,” Fischer said. “You can quickly see if a photograph isn’t right and then immediately correct the problem,” This rapid response is an extremely helpful tool for teaching beginners, who can view the recent photos they have taken and have them critiqued on the spot.

But immediacy is a double-edged sword claims Fischer, as students now put less thought and energy into the staging of photo shoots and instead spend more time editing their work in Photoshop after the fact.

“Professional photographers spend time on the shoot and the quality of the image,” Fischer said. “It is way more important to shoot a good photograph than it is to ‘doctor it up’ in Photoshop. Great art starts with a good image.”

Gazette illustration/Danielle Dieterich

From Cupcake Club to Key Club, student organizations focus on service

BY NATALIE KREEGER

nkreeger.gazette@gmail.com

G

ranite Bay High School has a wide variety of community service clubs that focus on providing aid to the underprivileged and less fortunate.

These clubs, which revolve around serving others, are truly making a difference in the community.

Sometimes, these simple acts of kindness and small gifts can make all of the difference.

Senior Hannah Miller, president of the Cupcake Club, makes an active effort to ensure the proceeds go to a charitable cause.

“The cupcake club is for people who enjoy baking and making cupcakes,” Miller said. “We also wanted to make sure we had a charitable cause to donate our proceeds to.”

Miller’s club has raised several hundreds of dollars from holding cupcake sales.

“This year, we had two huge bake sales and a Bake-a-Thon,” Miller said.

“Everyone came together with their

own supplies and ingredients, and we baked hundreds of cupcakes.”

Even if it’s just baking cupcakes, the Cupcake Club is working diligently to give back to the community.

According to Miller, her club donated several hundred dollars to an organization aimed at protecting wolves.

This year, the proceeds will also go to another charitable cause.

“Usually where we donate the proceeds varies year to year, but we just really want to help out a wide range of causes in the community,” Miller said.

Another club that works tirelessly to make the community a better, healthier and safer place is the Key Club.

Key Club holds a wide variety of events – all of which are centered around community service.

“In October, Key Club participates in the Oktoberfest where members are servers,” junior Joshua Wild, president of Key Club, said. “As servers, we receive tips. These tips were used to buy books and school supplies which were donated to a local underprivileged elementary school.”

Key Club also tries to donate a cause canned food drive in order to ensure called “PTP,” otherwise known as the event was a success.

Pediatric Trauma Program.

“This year, we (collected) ap“This is an improximately 4,000 portant organizacans,” Zaidi said.

This is an tion because this All of these cans program educates were donated important doctors on how to to charity. Zaidi organization treat children who hopes for this sucneed emergency cess to continue. because this care,” Wild said.

Although no program eduHaroon Zaidi, official plans have president of the been made on cates doctors on Interact Club, also where to donate how to treat chilheavily focuses on the club’s promaking the comceeds this year, dren who need munity a better Zaidi wants to give emergency care. place. the money to the “One of our Rotary Club which major events helps provide polio – junior Joshua Wild, is Feeding the vaccinations to president of Key Club Homeless, which third world counentails feeding tries. and spending one “We might on one time with the homeless,” Zaidi donate to this cause,” Zaidi said, said. “because there are children who really Interact members also put on the need these vaccinations and since it canned food drive at GBHS. They is a Rotary, I know the money will be worked tirelessly to advertise the spent effectively.”

Friday, May 25, 2012

Lifestyle B5

w The Granite Bay Gazette

New summer-themed trends are making the catch Students bring lawn chairs and Frisbees to enjoy their sunny days

BY SAM HOLZER

I

sholzer.gazette@gmail.com

n the past at Granite Bay High School, students have tried bringing a sense of comfort and home to school.

The occasional blanket wrapped student may wander through the halls during the winter months, but in the summer students bring a whole new array of household wares to enjoy the warm weather.

In and around the quad, students have been seen sporting lawn chairs, Frisbees and an assortment of other summer themed items to enjoy the sunny days.

“It was a nice day out, and I thought, why not bring a Frisbee?” senior Jason Sandretti said.

Sandretti is just one of many students on campus who has opted to bring the fun of summer to high school.

“We’ve definitely gotten a positive reaction,” Sandretti said. “Even some of the teachers, like Mr. Broers,

have joined in and thrown the Frisbee around.”

These students and their activities have been welcomed so far by the administration, but Sandretti fears that the day they hit a teacher may spell the end of their fun.

“Our group has hit some students before, but they’ve laughed it off,” Sandretti said. “Hopefully the teachers will react in the same way if we accidentally hit one.”

Junior Zach Burger was one of the dozens of students displaced by the closing of the cafeteria after the food fight and decided to make the best of a bad situation.

“We brought lawn chairs onto campus just so that we could hang out during lunch,” said Burger.

Burger and his friends would travel out to the parking lot during lunch and retrieve their lawn chairs and blankets, setting up a mock picnic on the grass in the quad.

But after a few days of retrieving their items from their cars, they were told by the administration that they

could no longer go out to the parking “It’s ridiculous,” Sandretti said. lot.

“The students that want to leave The campus monitors were not alshould be able to leave. The adminislowing the students to go and get their tration just needs to calm down.” items, as they did not have fourth Burger and his friends have reperiod off or an official reason to turned to cafeteria since its reopening, leave campus. but he still feels that the issue isn’t “I was upset because there was nofully resolved. where else to sit,” Burger said. “They “It is a lot better in the cafeteria gave us no second option.” because of the air Burger describes how conditioner, so there’s the campus monitors no need to sit on the It’s just a matter were indifferent to the lawn,” Burger said. of whether or not students’ lack of a place “But I am still upset to eat and even threatened we can keep those about it.” that remain on suspension as a penalty for This flaring of tencampus safe. leaving. sions between students According to assistant attempting to leave principal, Cathy Raycraft, campus has become -Cathy Raycraft, if the students had simply a contentious issue as Assistant Principal gotten approval from reinforced off campus the administration they policies have take efwould’ve been allowed to fect. leave and return.

“The campus moni“We just have to ensure that they tors need to stop harassing students aren’t always leaving and coming that have fourth off,” Sandretti said. back, maybe doing something else The summer months may have to dangerous or illegal,” Raycraft said. come to GBHS, but the battle over “It’s just a safety concern.” whether students are allowed to enjoy Sandretti said that the campus them still remains up in the air. monitors and the administration need “If people want to leave they’re to devise a better, more effective sysgoing to,” Raycraft said. “It’s just a tem for students leaving campus so matter of whether or not we can keep incidents like this don’t continue. those that remain on campus safe.”

Gazette photo /RACHAEL VAZQUEZ

Gazette illustration /SHINEUI PARK

Teachers continue work While school is not in session, faculty are kept occupied by their summer jobs and activities RILEY MAC MILLAN

A

rmacmillan.gazette@gmail.com

s students lie out in the sun and take advantage of their summer, Granite Bay High School teachers are finding other ways to continue working.

English teacher Kyle Holmes serves on a board of directors and works for an art camp during the summer.

“Every summer for the past seven years, I have worked in the middle two weeks in July for the Sugarloaf Fine Arts Camp,” Holmes said.

In this camp, young adults immerse themselves into nature without any connection to society and participate in various artistic activities such as music, theater, vocal and visual arts.

Holmes has not only worked for the camp but has

The

also participated in it as well.

“I actually went to the camp as a kid,” Holmes said.

“Then when I turned into a teen I started working for them as a counselor (and) head counselor. I teach guitar, and I run the (evening) program around the campfire.”

This camp has made Holmes want to continue working during the summers by being able to indulge in his love for creativity.

“I plan on doing it for the rest of my life,” Holmes said.

Not only does Holmes participate during the summer months, but he is also able to contribute to the camp throughout the year.

“There is a nonprofit foundation that raises money to send kids to camp,” Holmes said. “(I work) a little See WORK, page B7

Amanda bensel

English teacher Kyle Holmes volunteers to be a counselor at a summer camp in Pollock Pines for the Sugarloaf Arts Camp every year. Holmes teaches guitar and runs the campfire evening program.

CollegeBoard SAT

un-Official SAT practice guide Match the words in the first column with the definitions in the second column. Each chalkboard is its own separate game. Answers can be found on B6.

Chalkboard 2

Chalkboard 1

1. Hamper

a. To start a fire

2. Enfranchise b. Hinder, obstruct

5. Labyrinthine e. Stubborn 6. Obdurate

f, Fame

3. Kindle

c. Rough, coarse, harsh

7. Nuance

g. Complicated, highly convoluted

4. Abrasive

d. Give voting rights

8. Renown

h. Something subtle

- Compiled by Natalie Kreeger

Read the Gazette online www.granitebaygazette.com

B6 Lifestyle

Friday, May 25, 2012

Random facts

Random club of the month

A list of facts you will never need to know but always find interesting

One of 2,100 GBHS students is randomly selected every issue

Gazette: When and where do you meet?

We meet once a week, sometimes on Tuesdays and other times on Thursdays and we meet at Cavitt and Olympus to tutor (middle school students).

The average smell weighs 760 nanograms.

There is a town called “Big Ugly” in West Virginia.

Why should people join your club?

People should join our club because it’s a great way to get volunteer hours, it’s simple and easy and it’s only for an hour. It’s a really great experience to teach the kids and see how they learn and grow.

“Q” is the only letter in the alphabet not appearing in the name of any U.S. state.

The world’s biggest pyramid is not in Egypt, but in Mexico.

What’s the goal of your club?

Koala and humans are the only animals with unique fingerprints.

Smelling apples and/or bananas can help you lose weight.

Lindsay Marty, freshman

A crocodile cannot move its tongue.

What is the best frozen yogurt flavor?

Gazette photo/KRISTIN TAYLOR

Source: http://www.popculturemadness.com

– Compiled by Kelsey Knorp

Gazette: If you could be any animal what would you be?

A horse What is your favorite book?

The Hunger Games

If you could pick any celebrity to be your best friend, who would you pick?

Strawberry

Taylor Swift

Do you believe in aliens?

choosing who would work best in the class’s dynamic.

The application is extensive, with teacher recommendation forms, an interview and a written application.

However, Parker questions how effective it is in judging character.

“I feel like sometimes the process doesn’t really show the person. It shows the interviewed person,” Parker said. “I even felt that way with me my first interview with Student Government.

I felt like the things I was saying were true but... I was answering the questions that they wanted me to answer so it didn’t really show me.”

Although accepting of the fact that everyone should have the same opportunity to be in Student Government as she did, Parker is afraid her spot may have been given to someone who wasn’t as appreciative of it.

“I’m hurt that I didn’t get in, because I’m so devoted to the program and somebody might have gotten in that

– Compiled by Madison Touloukian

maybe doesn’t like it as much and maybe wants to put it on their college application,” Parker said.

Examining the reasoning behind why she was cut, Parker has come to the conclusion that it must have had something to do with one of her commissions that almost fell through. Every single person on this year’s Sadie’s Dance commission was cut.

“My event didn’t go very well, and there were a lot of complications,” Parker said. “I have no clue if it has anything to do with it, I really don’t, but it was a tough commission because we all signed up for spring dance, but no one told us we signed up for Sadie’s.”

Parker admits being hostile toward the event and was put under a lot of pressure when she was given half of the usual time to prepare and plan, followed by a last minute switch of venue from gym to cafeteria after complications with a leaky roof.

Although sad she will

no longer be a part of the program, Parker said student government was nothing but a positive high school experience for her.

“When I transferred here my sophomore year, I hardly knew anyone,” Parker said.

“I’d probably be sitting in the corner by myself if it weren’t for Student Government.”

Parker will take with her the memories from the class, and she feels that she grew as a member of the program.

“When I did the Circus Rally, I got to be a clown, and I’ve never done anything like that before. It was nerve racking,” Parker said. “But looking back, those little things totally got me out of my bubble.”

Givens hopes to create these same experiences for new incoming students and loves that there are so many who want to be leaders on campus.

“It’s nice that so many people apply,” Givens said, “It’s a good problem to have.”

RECAP: Editors reflect on the school year Continued from page B1 ShinEui: Well you know what did end? Kim Jong-Il’s life!

Too bad his successor, Kim Jong-Un, is even crazier. Almost as crazy as the fandom surrounding One Direction.

Jessica: Oh my. Can we please not discuss One Direction? If we’re going to talk about British people, we should be talking about Harry Potter. I still cannot believe the movie franchise has ended. Pottermore just isn’t doing it for me.

ShinEui: When one door closes, another opens – Hunger Games became an absolute hit!

Jessica: At least we know that

if our school ever had to send tributes to the Hunger Games, we’d have a victor. After all, we were section champions in football, swim and girls’ lacrosse.

ShinEui: Yeah! I bet some of our athletes could even qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics, like senior Sophie Weber. I hope she makes it!

The goal of our club is to get as many kids’ grades improving as possible and to provide free tutoring so that they can afford it because some kids can’t.

Do you have a favorite memory from Helping Hands?

My favorite memory was probably last year when I was working with a girl, and she told me that nobody had ever helped her the way I did and that thanks to me, she now has an “A” in math when she had an “F” at the beginning of our tutoring sessions.

No

ASB: Students upset over cuts to program to serve. We’re trying to look for people who are in it for the right reasons because our focus here is really serving the school population, not having positions and stuff like that.”

Junior Chanelle Canfield was recently accepted into the program and will be participating in the fall. As one of the newest members, she feels that the addition of fresh students will ultimately boost the program.

“I think they cut the people who have been in the class for a while because they wanted to give new people a chance to be in Student Government and bring in some fresh ideas,” Canfield said.

“There are always new ideas coming out there and more creative people, so I guess they just tried to bring those people in and then let some of the other people go.”

Because these spots were in such high demand, wise decisions had to be made in

Helping Hands President: Junior Lauren Kinloch

Chewing gum while peeling onions will prevent you from crying.

Continued from page B1

w The Granite Bay Gazette

ing, especially Mr. Guzman.

Jessica: Oh, Mr. Guzman.

His AP Lang class was rather amusing. I’m interested to see how it will work next year paired with AP U.S. History.

ShinEui: I wonder if the juniors can handle that. They probably can, since they even held their own prom this year.

Jessica: Me too! I’d much rather watch her swimming in the Olympics than watch Nickelodeon’s ‘90s Are All That marathon every night this summer.

Jessica: That was an impressive feat. I would hate to have had to plan a big gathering like that. It probably would have turned out as organized as the Occupy movement.

ShinEui: You know what would go great with a TV marathon? Krispy Kreme donuts. Our school definitely went crazy over its reopen-

ShinEui: The whole Occupy movement was insane. But it’s more insane thinking about how it’s already been 10 years since 9/11. I still

remember that exact moment when I was in second grade.

Jessica: I know. It’s wild to think it’s been a decade already. You want to know what else is wild? It sounds like Justin Bieber finally hit puberty.

ShinEui: If he was my boyfriend, I’d rather just let him go.

Jessica: I think you’re safe.

It doesn’t seem like him and Selena Gomez will be breaking up anytime soon. She loves him like a love song.

ShinEui: Well on that note, I think our texts need to end.

You have my number, so call me…maybe?

– Compiled by Kristin Taylor

HANSEN: Young talent thrives Continued from page B3 actual projects, and her commitment increased. She speculates she has about 12 canvases and describes her style to be old-fashioned.

“I really like the Victorian Era in England. (That’s why) my favorite movies include Sweeney Todd and Sherlock Holmes,” Hansen said.

Hansen explains this is because she feels that everything was very proper in the Victorian Age. “I like how everything was very pretty … they always looked nice. It was very classy… which I feel (is something) we have … lost,” she said.

This admiration extends towards her out-

look on life. Part of the reason she enjoys art so much is that she gets to design her own imaginary world.

“Everything around you, why shouldn’t it be pretty? Sometimes here, they build something, and it looks like a square box … it could be so pretty, if you just did things to it,” Hansen said.

For this reason, she admires European culture. She loves that the beautiful buildings add magnificence to the continent.

In the future, Hansen wants to become an organizational psychologist, because it’s a combination of everything she loves: designing, psychology, helping people and art.

TRAVEL: Seniors to take various trips after graduation

Continued from page B3

road trip to Southern California, eventually reaching their final destinations of Disneyland, Downtown Los Angeles and “I am moving (for college), so to know the beach. that I will be able to end my senior year “I think senior trips are important bean excellent way and to have an amazing cause it is a well deserved break experience before I leave from our grueling school career,” is really important and Reagan said. exciting to me,” Headley Their world gets Reagan was not interested in the said. “It will definitely a lot smaller and Europe trip. be a memory I will never they are much “Attending the Europe trip forget.” more likely to never really crossed my mind Headley also encourkeep traveling because it doesn’t really sound ages future seniors to and meeting appealing,” Reagan said. “Plus I attend the trip instead of people. would rather be with guys I know joining the Mexico or really well than random people Hawaii trip when it is – Greg Holmes, retired math from school.” their time to sign up. teacher Wherever they choose to go, “Why go to a beach most students feel that taking and drink when you can final adventure with friends is a go to another country perfect way to end their four year and see new and beautiperiod of time spent in high school. ful sights and have a great time at night?”

“I don’t know if this road trip will necesHeadley said. sarily change my life,” Reagan said, “but I Senior Harrison Reagan is taking a difdo know that it will be an awesome way to ferent approach to closing his senior year. end high school with a bang. YOLO.” He and his friends will be embarking on a

Your names.

Your faces.

Your newspaper.

The Gazette.

Friday, May 25, 2012

Lifestyle B7

w The Granite Bay Gazette

EXERCISE: Fitness challenge teaches faculty to be healthy Continued from page B2 Takagishi, a French and Spanish teacher, “but I think overall people are competitive.”

Naoko Eshbaugh, a Japanese teacher, said that while she already strives to be healthy, the fitness challenge has made her re-evaluate her habits.

“I noticed during the week that I’m more addicted to sugar (than I realized),” she said. “So I decided to cut down the (amount) of sugar I consume.”

Eshbaugh also plans to increase her daily exercise regime, she said.

Though the program has generally been wellreceived, the technicalities of tallying fitness points have been the subject of mild critique.

The point explanations have been revised several times over the course of the month.

Kathie Sinor, a health teacher and team captain, said she disliked the paperwork.

“It was a little confusing at first,” she said.

“This to me is not user friendly.”

Sinor’s other criticism was of the timing of the event, with May’s final exams and grading deadlines, is a particularly stressful month for many faculty members.

“It’s such a busy time of year, and people are preoccupied,” she said.

Takagishi, also busy with end-of-year grading, had similar thoughts.

“I’ve been so busy doing all my homework, I haven’t really done anything extra (or) out of the ordinary (than) what I usually do,” she said.

“But once exams are over, I’m going to push extra (hard).”

According to Williams, the district plans to hold the challenge again next year due to the generally positive response.

Sinor hopes participation will increase if the event is held earlier in the year, and more highly publicized, she said.

Eshbaugh said she feels the event is beneficial even to those who choose not to participate.

“Even if they choose not to do it this time,” she said, “maybe next time, they will.”

CIRCLE: High school atmosphere and WORK: From volunteering to attitude changes because of its four-year cycle additional jobs, teachers find ways to be busy in summer Continued from page B8

which specific class is responsible for starting this trend, but she can determine that it was a class younger than hers.

“I think it was the class below me.

Or maybe the class (of 2011). Those two classes were like, really rebellious,” she said. “Our class went to stuff when we were younger with the older people, but then once we became older and the younger kids started coming, then I feel like less people went to the dances. I feel like party buses got really popular too at some point.”

Spencer Kimes, a 2010 graduate who just finished his sophomore year at Purdue University, confirmed Cho’s speculation about his class’s “rebellion.”

“I remember my junior year I didn’t go to prom at all, and nobody in my grade really wanted to go, (even though) they bought tickets,” Kimes said. “I think that’s just been a continuous thing. Like everybody has enough money to do something that’s more fun than a dance in the cafeteria.”

According to Kimes, this sort of behavior was typical of his class, who generally did not display a great deal of enthusiasm for anything schoolrelated. Whether it be a dance, rally or sports game, the class of 2010 seemed to be significantly less interested in involvement when compared to Cho’s fellow classmates.

“My specific class was really disconnected from everyone in general. There wasn’t a lot of unity in our class,” Kimes said. “We were one of the only classes at all the rallies that would consistently boo.”

The class of 2010 did not, however, pass its negative attitude on to the class one year its junior. Kimes noted that the class of 2011 consistently displayed spirit and enthusiasm that far surpassed that of his class.

“I know the class below me was really spirited all throughout (high school).

Senior Sports-a-Rama. We were kind of spirited, but that was about it,” he said. “That’s the biggest difference I can remember. No one in my class really cared about anything, and the class below us cared about everything.”

Aside from a shift in interest regarding school events, during her high school career Cho also noticed a similar shift in interest pertaining to long-established school programs, specifically Student Government.

“I feel like there were a lot more groups represented in Student Government,” she said. “My first term, there were a lot of people from the water polo team and a couple girls on cheer and kids from band and journalism.

That’s definitely something I noticed at the beginning of high school.”

In contrast, she said, by the end of her high school career interest in participating in Student Government had become significantly less diversified.

Current freshman Sabrina Keester has quickly picked up on this kind of distribution of interest between GBHS’s various classes and programs.

Throughout her first year of high school, she has been able to quickly pinpoint which ones are the most popular among the upperclassmen she goes to school with.

“It’s not ‘cool’ to go to the theater things or the band stuff, but it’s ‘cool’ to go to the dance show,” Keester said.

“When you go to things like that (and) see upperclassmen there, and you think ‘this is cool to be here.’ And then when you go to things where they aren’t (there), you don’t understand why not, and you kind of feel weird for going.”

Keester attributes this gravitation of students to certain programs or events to the tendency of younger students to imitate the actions of their elders.

“When you hear people talking about something, and they’re like ‘oh, that’s gonna be good’ or ‘I’m going,’ then you want to go too,” she said. “But if people are like ‘oh, that doesn’t sound fun’ or ‘nobody goes to that,’ then you never go and you never really think to go. So then (those events) just kind of get written off.”

Overall, Keester has gotten a primarily positive impression from the upperclassmen she looks up to.

“When I see the seniors, I see everybody talking to everyone, (whereas) as a freshman you’re worried to cross into different social groups,” Keester said. “As you get older you get more familiar with more people because of the classes you take and the things you do… at least that’s what it seems like.”

She also said the older kids have been positive role models for school spirit.

“I think the senior class and the junior class are really spirited, and I think that the sophomores are better than you’d think they would be, but as freshmen, you’re scared to be spirited because you don’t know what to do or what’s appropriate to be spirited about,” Keester said.

Media teacher Zachary Weidkamp returned two years ago to teach at his alma mater, from which he graduated in 2000 as part of the second class to ever graduate from GBHS. In many respects, the dynamic of his class greatly varied from that of any of the current classes, simply because it was one of the first ever to establish itself at GBHS. When Weidkamp began high school as a freshman in the fall of 1996, only

two classes existed. The sophomores had spent their freshman year at Oakmont High School and were now the oldest students at a brand new school, with no leadership from upperclassmen to guide them.

“It was almost like the first two classes weren’t really two distinct classes because we had started the school together,” Weidkamp said. “The good side of it was we created a lot of… traditions. (But) a lot of times it was almost like the blind leading the blind through high school.”

The traditions established by these founding classes include Quad Dance, Senior Sunrise, Senior Sunset, Day at the Bay, rallies and several others.

Weidkamp said that if formal dance attendance ever suffered, it was due to the sheer lack of students and occasionally a lack of maturity in those students, but it did not suffer due to today’s trend of starting the after party early.

Many programs, such as art, dance, media and band, have existed since the school’s opening and have simply undergone changes in procedure and popularity as the years have passed.

“The founding principal of the school was actually trying to offer a place for everyone,” Weidkamp said.

“And I think it’s done a very good job, having a place for people, whether it’s Academic Decathlon or sports.”

Many classes, however, have come and gone, including one called Tech Lab, which formerly inhabited the computer lab now used by the Media program. Students learned how to control satellite reception, 3D animation, scanning and other technological skills.

“That used to be really popular because it was almost like a prerequisite for all the incoming freshmen,” Weidkamp said. “As technology increases, we expect students to know more when they come in here, so those types of classes have gotten stronger.”

Upon his return, Weidkamp has also noticed a significant increase in school spirit since attending GBHS himself.

“We really didn’t know what it meant to have school spirit. So when I see school spirit now, the Tribe going to basketball games… I mean, I don’t remember going to too many basketball games,” he said. “There was no handbook to being that spirited. The seniors (now) understand their role.”

Overall, no matter the specific traits or tendencies of a class or generation, Weidkamp maintains that GBHS is an ideal place for each student to have the opportunity to succeed.

“I came back and taught… because there’s such a variety of students here,” Weidkamp said. “And with that variety you can do so much.”

Continued from page B5; The un-Official SAT practice guide answers: 1. B, 2. D, 3. A, 4. C, 5. G, 6. E, 7. H, 8. F

Continued from page B5 bit every week, (and) it’s not too bad.”

Other teachers have a full schedule throughout the school year as well as into the summer.

One such teacher is economics and journalism teacher Karl Grubaugh.

“I made it my goal as a teacher (to never do summer school),” joked Grubaugh.

Instead, Grubaugh keeps himself busy with other various activities.

“I’m (going to) teach at a journalism conference to adults for two weeks in Reno at University of Nevada Reno,” Grubaugh said. “I’m (also) going to do one in New York called the Scholastic Press Association.”

In these conferences, Grubaugh is a speaker and helps teach other adults how to teach journalism more effectively. In the past, Grubaugh has also done this while working for a traveling company.

“I used to do teacher training on curriculum for a company in Palo Alto,” Grubaugh said. “I would go on the road and train teachers (to teach) techniques to make (learning) more interesting – not just ‘I talk you, listen.’”

Throughout the years, Grubaugh’s summers have been packed with jobs revolved around teachers, journalism and also aquatics.

“I managed a pool as a pool manager for a summer way back when I life guarded on the ocean,” Grubaugh said. “I also work at the (Sacramento) Bee. I ran a junior lifeguard program in Santa Cruz (years ago).”

Grubaugh has been busy almost every summer.

“I’ve had one summer in my career that

I didn’t work at all, and I rode my bicycle across the United States that summer,” Grubaugh said.

Although working with aquatic activities and journalism related events are enjoyable for Grubaugh, working (especially during the summer) is not his first choice.

“All my money goes to UCLA and UC Berkley now,” Grubaugh said. “If I had no money issues I’d travel more (and) work less. It’s all financial.”

English teacher Tino Guzman will be doing a part time job as well as continuing his teaching career.

“There’s a belief that in the summer, teachers don’t do anything,” Guzman said. “As a teacher, I’m always developing new (techniques).”

During the summer, Guzman continues to improve his curriculums for the next year to better himself and his teaching for his students. “(Over the summer) I’m going to be working with (English teacher Shannon Dias - McCann) on developing a common curriculum,” Guzman said.

As well as improving his teaching, he will be doing a part time job.

According to Guzman, there’s a new set of standards coming out nationwide called the Common Cores State Standards. Currently there are the California State Standards, but now the common core focuses on more equitability for all the students nationwide so that students are guaranteed specific curriculums.

“My job this summer is to be a consultant at the Placer County Office of Communication to help implement the common core at all schools,” Guzman said.

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B8 Lifestyle

Friday, May 25, 2012

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(high school) Every four years, Granite Bay High experiences complete renewal of its student body – and changes as a result

BY KELSEY KNORP

kknorp.gazette@gmail.com

A

t the innocent age of 16, Granite Bay High School is still young, not even an adult by legal standards. However, it has already accumulated a remarkable history through the legacy of each class that has inhabited its campus.

Though generalizations can sometimes be made about high school students as a whole, a case can also be made for the unique characteristics of each respective GBHS class that distinguish it from those that came before it and those that will follow it.

Victoria Cho, a junior at University of California Los Angeles who graduated in 2009, noticed several discrepancies between her class and the classes older and younger than hers.

One notable event in her class’s high school journey was the creation of alternate versions of the senior shirts made for her class by Student Government.

“I think Mason (Mullany) was the first one to make ‘other’ senior T-shirts,” Cho said. “(People thought) ours were bad I guess. (The shirt) said ‘We Run This’ on the back.”

Even having adopted this slogan, the class of 2009 did not always exhibit a degree of school spirit

that was necessarily consistent with what its shirts proclaimed. By the time she was a senior, Cho noticed a neglect within her class of rituals such as the spirit days the classes above her had enthusiastically participated in.

“I feel like there was more focus on spirit involvement, like for the spirit days and stuff, with the people older than me,” Cho said. “They used to be really big when I was younger. My class was okay (about participating), but I feel like it kind of phased out.”

The class of 2009 was, however, able to redeem itself by being a part of the rise of Grizzly Nation, the student cheering group for sports games.

“That definitely phased in when I was in high school, and I know Student Government made it an official thing,” Cho said.

This group has since evolved into the Tribe, an effort by the class of 2011 to put a fresh spin on student spirit and spark fresh desire to attend sports games. This transition serves as yet another example of the different ways different classes are inspired to provoke change at GBHS. As a member of Student Government herself, Cho often directly participated in efforts such as the establishment of Grizzly Nation. She fondly remembers other popular traditions established during her time in the program, such as the black light rally.

“They started it when I was a sophomore I think, and then we had three or four while I was in high school. It was so big. It was like a rave at school except PG-rated,” Cho said. “Everyone would wear white, and sometimes we

had the drummers, like (alumnus) Bryant Hom... and we’d get one light and hang it in the middle of a bunch of trash cans and pour paint on them (for them to drum on).”

While the paint-drumming tradition is still a hit at every GBHS rally, the consistent commission of a rally conducted completely in black light seems to have disappeared.

This year’s cancellation of the class of 2013’s Junior Prom marked the end of another Student Government-sponsored tradition at GBHS. The event was replaced by Junior Non-Prom, an event planned and funded entirely independent of GBHS. The drastic decline of dance attendance that caused the cancellation comes as somewhat of a shock to Cho. “I feel like a lot more people got limos when I was younger, and everybody went to the dances,” Cho said. “That’s definitely something that changed (around) when I was going out of high school. And then your guys’ classes are hilarious and have your own dances.”

One of the biggest factors in the lower attendance is the habit of GBHS students to skip the dance in favor of other activities that essentially allow them to skip to the after party. Cho isn’t sure See Circle, page B7

Gazette illustration/Danielle Dieterich

Gazette photos /KRISTIN TAYLOR

Column

Grizz Quiz

C2

C2

Sports briefs

C2

Rising Star

C4

The price of playing Many sports teams at GBHS try to cover cost through boosters.

C2

Top 10 sport moments The Gazette’s own Myles Slattery takes a look back on the year’s most memorable sport events.

C3

Ask senior soccer star Ty Thompson a simple question, and you might not get a simple answer.

When asked his jersey number, Thompson didn’t simply say seven (for his club team) and 10 (for the high school team).

Instead, he explained the history of numbers on soccer jer-

scarroll.gazette@gmail.com

BY SHANNON CARROLL

seys: Jerseys used to be handed out right before a game and told players their positions that day.

Seven was typically the number for a midfielder, his position, and he wears the number proudly.

“It’s an attacking number,” Thompson said.

The story for the number 10 had to be coaxed out of him.

“It’s the number typically reserved for a team’s best player,” Thompson said shyly.

Senior Ty Thompson’ soccer career opens doors in his life Sophie Weber has an infectious laugh. It sounds like a chorus of jingling silver bells.

These days, Weber has lots of reasons to laugh: She received an athletic scholarship to Louisiana State University and qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials in swimming. She even

scarroll.gazette@gmail.com

BY SHANNON CARROLL

gets to see her favorite band, One Direction, in concert.

Life is good.

Weber grew up in a family of swimmers: Her grandma, dad, mom, uncle and brother all competed in swimming at some point. In other words, Weber basically has fins for feet.

Weber said swimming is the only sport where she ever did well – and even swimming didn’t start so great.

C4

See WEBER page C5

“I was so slow!” Weber said with a laugh, setting off those silver bells.

But, after putting in a lot of hours, Weber has become a

Female Athlete of the Year

***

Standing on the field after their second victory over St. Francis High School, he looked to his players and became overwhelmed with joy. Their faces truly reflected what the season had meant to these ladies, and he was proud to be standing there.

BY AUSTIN DOWNS

adowns.gazette@gmail.com

With an overall record of 18-2 and a team undefeated in league, girls’ lacrosse coach Stu Brokowsky has raised the bar of being the Coach of the Year to a whole new level.

After stepping into the position of head coach two seasons ago, he led the girls’ lacrosse team on an average first season. It wasn’t until this year that his coaching style and influence really carried over into the success of the season.

Stu Brokowsky leads girls’ lacrosse to best season yet

See BROKOWSKY, page C5

“I like to spend a lot of time on fundamentals,” Brokowsky said.

“I like my teams to be playing with 100 percent effort and be comfortable with what they are doing.”

Coach of the Year

Friday w May 25, 2012

Sports

See THOMPSON, page C5

And Thompson is an incredible player. ESPN listed him as 90th on their list of the high school top 150 for the class of 2012.

Soccer is the Thompson family

Male Athlete of the Year

Senior Sophie Weber leaves behind a swimming legacy

Granite Bay High’s best of the best

Granite Bay Gazette C Section

inside sports

Spring Sports Wrap-up With a section title for boys’ swim and volleyball, sports come to an end.

C2 Sports

Friday, May 25, 2012

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Discouraging situations open new opportunities for success

I

n the early days of May, I submitted my application to become one of The Gazette’s co-editor-in-chiefs.

Now, going into the interview process, I knew that the odds were against me.

The position I wanted to fill required someone who was deeply committed to The Gazette (which I still am), along with someone who is a role-model for the rest of the class.

But I found myself thinking: “Am I really up for this position?”

I’m a naturally goofy kind of teenager. I pride myself on

Commentary

austin downs

adowns.gazette@gmail.com

my ability to never take anything too seriously and always see the positive side of things.

But when the time came to find out who was going to be in the

top staff position next year, I got called outside by our advisor.

Before he even spoke, I knew what was coming.

Crap. I didn’t get co-editor.

All throughout the minute-long rejection speech I was trying desperately to stay positive and not show any negative emotions.

While some of those feelings managed to find their way out, what happened for the rest of the day taught me an important lesson that had been dawning on me for quite some time.

Where there are winners, there must also be losers.

With that phrase stuck in my head for the following couple

of hours, I found myself torn between two different options.

On one hand, I could have easily slumped into a state of depression for a day or two, taken the loss personally and become completely bitter towards the current co-editors for not choosing me.

But what good would that do?

My other option was the clear and far better choice: Use the loss to my advantage.

OK,OK. I have probably spent a bit too much time telling my own sob story, so here is the message I want to get across.

Just as winning can offer you advantages, so can losing.

Actually, in some cases, losing can give you better results than if you had won (emphasis on some).

Just as not getting the position of co-editor-in-chief is a loss, sports and competition of all kinds involve losing.

But when that loss comes, you have to do the most important thing: Let it go. It does no good to hold on to a loss and let it affect you. It’s not worth your time.

Look at the front cover of sports. Now back to this column.

Now back to the front cover.

Now back to me.

Just look how cool that is!

OK, I couldn’t just resist including that joke (even if it is pretty old). The point is that there are far greater things I can physically look at. And I can be overwhelmingly proud of and celebrate those accomplishments rather than discourage myself over one small loss.

So the next time something comes my way that can either be a win or a loss, I will be looking forward to the advantages of either one. *** Austin Downs, a junior, is a Gazette sports editor.

GBHS sports address ‘pay to play’ allegations Athletic programs fight fees for school teams

BY DORIEN JOHNK

djohnk.gazette@gmail.com

Out of roughly 2,300 students at Granite Bay High School, about 1,000 participate in high school athletics.

With the district budget constantly changing due to unpredictable economic times, athletic programs have begun to rely more heavily on voluntary contributions from parents of the players to supplement the losses. As a result, rumors have started to spread about high school athletics becoming ‘pay to play’ sports.

Many student athletes say they are not fully aware of the rumors and just stick to playing the game.

Sophomore Megan Taylor, a lacrosse player, agrees with this idea.

GBHS’s own “I don’t believe it’s (hapdistrict budget pening),” Taylor has gone down said.

Athletics roughly 28 director Tim percent.

Healy rebuts the allegations, saying that it would – Tim Healy, essentially make athletics director the school liable.

“It really is unconstitutional,” Healy said.

Healy believes the idea of ‘pay to play’ high school athletics stemmed from when the Roseville Joint Union High School District started asking for voluntary contributions to cover the costs of sports programs.

“To augment is specifically to officially make it easier for the district to continue to offer the kind of support that they have offered in the past 20 years,” Healy said. “Statistically, state budgets have decreased throughout the past six years (and), in addition, GBHS’s own district budget has gone

Grizz Quiz

BRUCE JOHNK

Senior Amy Schlehofer crosses a ball from the right side of the field during a semi-final playoff game against Bella Vista High School on Tues., May 15. The Grizzlies lost 1-2, and therefore they did not advance to the Sac-Joaquin Div. II Section championship game later that week.

down roughly 28 percent.”

Realizing that change needed to be implemented, the RJUHSD started to investigate how other districts handled the problem.

“Other districts had anything from a transportation fee to a voluntary donation,” Healy said.

“Some districts were better at calling it voluntary than others, and some simply called it an athletic contribution.”

Sherry Cooper, a girls’ soccer Booster Board member since 2011, has been involved with the program for six years now and sees the ‘pay to play’ allegations from a board member’s perspective.

Cooper said that the master boosters of all sports are very clear in informing their clubs that they only can request donations. The same applies to the district fee, she said, as it is also a donation and is

not mandatory.

“When I became the treasurer for girls’ soccer, Blanche Yeaton, Master Booster President, spent an hour on the phone with me making sure I understood the policies regarding requests for parent donations,” Cooper said. “I was impressed that she took the time to personally make sure I was knowledgeable.”

Booster support is intended to assist the coaches and the programs.

“Master boosters discuss (these policies) at their meetings with the member clubs and tries to make sure everyone is familiar with the policy,” Cooper said. “Clubs are supposed to have a representative at each master booster meeting.”

In addition, all of the Booster’s policies are located on the GBHS website for anyone to view, with complete examples of what is acceptable and

what is not acceptable.

“Essentially, booster clubs may request donations, but they need to be clear that the donations are voluntary and that player selection and participation is in no way affected by a player’s ability or desire to donate, period,” Cooper said.

As a result of clearer information, a record number of parents donated to the girls’ soccer program this year.

“This year, our girls’ soccer Booster President, Gary Cooper... spoke to the greater financial issues that face RJHUSD and GBHS and shared that we need parental financial support to continue to fund the high quality athletic programs that we’ve grown accustomed to,” Cooper said. “The parents’ response was fabulous... and I think they really appreciated the honesty and the fact that we were sympathetic to the current financial climate.”

Kyle Diodati Track and Field

Gabe Meza Baseball

Kady Palous Softball

Bryan Berry Volleyball

Molly Graves Track and Field

What is your favorite flavor of jello?

Cherry

Strawberry

Strawberry

Red

Grape

What magazine do you read most often?

Sports Illustrated

Seventeen

Sports Illustrated

Lucky

Don’t read

What is your favorite pose?

The flex

Thumbs up

Muscle pose

Hand on the hip

Tebow

What phrase do you use most often?

“What’s up?”

Don’t have one.

“Bryan... Bryan Berry!”

“Keep it real.”

“Gotcha!”

What is your favorite after-school snack?

Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Chips

Quesadillas

Cheez-Its

Poptart - Compiled by Riley Mac Millan

SPORTS BRIEFS GBHS participates in new event • The JV team participated in a new meet, the District Cup, on Saturday, May 5. Five schools in the RJUHSD are now committed to participating in this meet annually.

• Junior Jamie Duarte took first in the

discus, and she set a personal record with a throw of 121 feet, 5 inches. Duarte also won the shot put with a personal best of 35’5.

• Sophomore Kelsey Short broke the junior varsity girls’ discus record by five

feet with a throw of 113 feet.

2009 graduate expelled • GBHS 2009 graduate Colton Paulhus was recently expelled and lost his football scholarship at Colorado State after attacking a Colorado State freshman

Donny Gocha on April 6 with two other Colorado State football players.

Paulhus started his college career at Idaho State University before transfering to American River College.

-Compiled by Mary Haney

Friday, May 25, 2012

w The Granite Bay Gazette

The Top 10 GBHS sports moments of the year

10

Sports C3

Gazette photo /KRISTIN TAYlOR

9

Varsity girls’ lacrosse gathers together on the field during halftime of a game earlier in their season.

The girls’ varsity lacrosse team had a phenomenal year, going 18-2.

The team became the league champion and was ranked 79th in the nation and 21st in California.

The team went undefeated in league and only suffered two losses to non-league teams.

Leadership from senior captains Page Kastner and Kenzie Gainer helped the girls achieve their success as a team.

On April 20, the girls’ varsity lacrosse team won a close game against the rival school Saint Francis Troubadours in a final score of 7-5.

The successful season of the varsity lacrosse girls and the close win over Saint Francis puts this GBHS moment at tenth among the Top 10 sports moments in Granite Bay this year.

– Myles Slattery

7

Senior Arik Bird, a GBHS varsity football captain, found himself upsidedown, flipping through the air in a varsity football game against Nevada Union High School.

After gaining yards, Bird was flipped then landed back on the field, running for a few more yards until finally he was tackled to the ground.

Bird rushed for 123 yards in 25 attempts with a rushing touchdown, leading the Grizzlies to a 28-21 final win.

This moment, along with Bird’s performance as a varsity running back, ranks seventh among the Top 10 sports plays at GBHS this year.

– Myles Slattery

5

6 BRIAN BAER FOR THE SACRAMENTO BEE

Senior Arik Bird flipping through the air with the ball at a game on Oct. 7.

GBHS varsity boys’ soccer had a very good season, ultimately winning a league title.

Leading the team to success was the dynamic Thompson trio.

Senior Ty Thompson, junior Tanner Thompson and sophomore Tommy Thompson proved that the Thompson family can dominate the San Joaquin Valley in high school varsity soccer.

“I had a great time this year playing for the high school,” Tommy Thompson said. “Winning league was definitely the highlight of my high school soccer career.”

Although they lost to Bella Vista High School in the CIF SJS division II finals in a game that came down to a final penalty kick, the GBHS boys’ soccer team had a successful year and played a great game against Bella Vista, ranking it and its league title fifth among the Top 10 sports moments at GBHS this year.

3

Senior Adam Wagner had a successful season as a varsity wide receiver, averaging almost 16 yards per game and four points per game.

However, besides this, he also made an outstanding touchdown catch on Oct. 7 against Nevada Union High School.

Wagner’s 23-yard touchdown catch put

– Myles Slattery the Grizzlies ahead in a tough game against Nevada Union.

Wagner’s catch was nationally recognized because of its second place finish in the nationwide Play-of-the-Year tournament.

“I looked up and saw the ball coming to me,” Wagner said. “When I stood up, I couldn’t even believe I just (caught the ball).”

This nationally recognized moment ranks third among the Top 10 sports moments in GBHS this year.

– Myles Slattery

4

8

GBHS’s boys’ lacrosse team finished 6-2 in league, winning the league championship.

“The varsity boys lacrosse team this year had success because of their drive to win,” sophomore Nick Gainer said. “They worked hard and achieved their ultimate goal.”

With a 9-5 win against rival Jesuit High School, the Grizzly boys lacrosse players went out with a bang.

Sophomore Nate Gruen, with an outstanding 45 goals this season, led the team in scoring and was named All-American, 1st team All-Conference and Sacramento Valley player of the year.

The performance by the boys’ lacrosse team and the performance in the league championship game rank it ninth among the Top 10 sports plays in Granite Bay this year.

In a GBHS varsity football league game against Woodcreek High School, sophomore Tony Ellison had an outstanding game with two touchdowns.

Ellison led his team to a 4621 league win.

“The game against Woodcreek…was the greatest moment in my varsity season,” Ellison said.

As a sophomore, Ellison

Tony Ellison Sophomore football player Ellison’s touchdowns at a game vs. Woodcreek High School were placed in the top 10 moments. had a lot of success on the varsity team as a slot receiver.

He finished with a total of 205 receiving yards and an average of 17.1 yards a game.

Ellison’s performance on the field as a sophomore during the game against Woodcreek puts him at eighth among the Top 10 sports moments.

– Myles Slattery

– Myles Slattery The 2012 season has treated the GBHS varsity baseball team very well.

Sophomore Vinny Esposito has expressed his pleasure in the season so far.

“This season was number one,” Esposito said.

“I loved partying with my (fellow teammates) and winning league.”

The game against Roseville High School Gazette photo /KRISTIN TAYLOR that clinched the league Senior Brenden Keeney pitches on April 8 during a title was a highlight of the series game this versus Woodcreek High School. baseball season.

In the game against the league title and the ready achieved a record Roseville, GBHS found possiblity of a playoff run, of 20-6, Esposito is optiitself up 15-5 in the the varsity baseball team seventh inning due to the mistic with playoff hopes winning league is ranked as well. great hitting led by junior sixth among the Top 10 “We aren’t done yet.

I Brett Bautista, who hit a GBHS sports moments think we have a chance solo home run, which led this year. of winning sections.” to GBHS’ victory.

Esposito said.

Although the varsity With the clinching of – Myles Slattery baseball team has al-

Gazette photo /RACHAEL VASQUEZ

Sophomore Tony Ellison running with the ball during Div. 1 section championship game versus Pleasant Grove High School on Dec. 3.

2

GBHS’s varsity football team had an exceptional season this year. With an overall record of 12-2, the team not only won the SFL league title, but also the San-Joaquin section title.

In the section final game against

Senior Jerry Hansen’s performance against the Woodcreek High School basketball team on Feb. 7th was an outstanding feat.

Hitting three-point shot after threepoint shot, Hansen had 22 points in the second half alone.

Hansen also made a game-winning shot that left the Woodcreek crowd stunned and the Tribe in awe.

This clutch performance was the main reason for the Grizzlies’ success against Woodcreek.

After the game, Hansen was hoisted on top of Tribe members shoulders, embracing this phenomenal performance, hearing his name chanted through the high school gym.

This performance puts Hansen second among the Top 10 sports plays at GBHS this year.

– Myles Slattery

Pleasant Grove High School, the Grizzlies came up victorious 30-24.

Success from senior players Brendan Keeney, Arik Bird and Alec Naki helped lead the Grizzlies to victory.

With an overall successful season,

1

the varsity football team winning sections ranks fourth among the Top 10 sports moments in Granite Bay this year.

The GBHS varsity boys’ swim team winning sections came down to literally a second.

The team was four points ahead, and going into the 400yard freestyle relay senior Andrew Murch, senior Will Lewis, junior Max Vigeant and junior Nathan Pinkney knew they couldn’t come in more than one place behind Jesuit High School to secure the section title.

The team ended up coming in fourth in the event at 3 minutes, 10.19 seconds, while Jesuit came in third at 3 minutes, 9.02 seconds. Del Oro High School came

– Myles Slattery

in 1st in this event followed by Davis High School.

Oak Ridge High School almost stole fourth place in the relay from GBHS as they came in at 3 minutes, 11.03 seconds.

After securing fourth place in this event, GBHS’s total points equaled 245, narrowly beating Jesuit at 243 points, securing GBHS the section title.

This exciting moment that won sections for the GBHS boys’ swim team secures them first among the Top 10 GBHS moments this year.

– Meghan Carlsen

C4 Sports

Friday, May 25, 2012

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Boys’ volleyball wins section championship Spring sports teams reflect on their closing 2011-12 seasons

BY BRAD WONG

brwong.gazette@gmail.com

The boys’ volleyball team had three lofty goals from the beginning of the season – to win its own league tournament, win a section title and dominate the Bellarmine Invitational tournament.

Although the Grizzlies faltered a bit at the Bellarmine Tournament, with great chemistry and determination, the team managed to accomplish two of those three goals.

Junior Dalton France said the team struggled at a preseason tournament in San Diego, but focused its attention afterwards on winning sections.

Senior Alec Naki agreed – that San Diego was really a turning point.

“We really struggled down there as a team,” Naki said. “Since then, we have really come together and have just been playing great volleyball.”

It seems the two players are right: The Grizzlies finished the season with an overall record of 30-7 and were Sierra Foothill League and Sac-Joaquin Section champions.

Coach Bruce Honberger said one of his fondest memories of this season was when the boys’ team beat Nevada Union.

Honberger attributes the team’s success to the overall improvement of chemistry and the defensive skills the team has honed over the season.

France said that, except for the San Diego tournament, the team has had a season devoid of serious issues.

“We were lucky to not have any injuries the whole season, and the team remained strong the whole time,” France said.

Naki believed in the team and was proud of the overall work the team put forth in order to be, and remain, a successful team.

“Everyone realized that to achieve our goal of section champions, we must come together as a team and fight until the end against every opponent,” Naki said.

Both Naki and France said the

underlying theme of success for the team was their bonding over time to work together.

“At the beginning of the season, we were not playing as a team, but rather as a group of individuals,” Naki said.

However, since then, Naki said the team bonded together extremely well – and that made the Grizzlies better.

This extra step was evident in their 15-1 league record, losing only a single match to Rocklin during league play.

Now, at the end of the season, the players will miss the same thing that has brought them so much progress and victories.

Naki aspires to continue his volleyball career at the University of Hawaii, and he will not forget his roots at GBHS. “What I would miss most about Granite Bay volleyball would definitely be the camaraderie and how we had such a great time as a team,” Naki said.

France remembered seniors throughout the season who said the team was like a family and they wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Honberger said this team is one of the closest he has worked with and had one of the greatest senses of camaraderie.

Winning the league championship, section championship, and fighting through the season as a team made the players have a sense of great accomplishment.

Stepheni Dougan pursues faster times in the pool

BY BROOKLYN KLEPL bklepl.gazette@gmail.com

Last summer, freshman Stepheni Dougan found a love for swimming when she played water polo on a local recreational team.

Since then, she has been in or near a pool as often as possible, despite how difficult her earliest experiences were.

“I was an absolute and utter failure at the beginning, but I got better,” Dougan said.

Dougan is on the JV swim team, and when she joined the team she was put in the first lane, or what she likes to call the “guppy lane.”

Dougan found it embarrassing to be put in the lane for the weakest players, and the experience frustrated her.

So she set goals to beat by the end of the year: make a thirty in her 50 yard freestyle and to make it to the second lane.

“I reached both of those goals. I went a 30 in my 50 (yard) freestyle, and I did get out of the first lane,” Dougan said.

But Dougan did not reach Stepheni Dougan her goals alone. Her step Freshman brother, Garrett Sodenkamp, discovered and all of her other step siblings, who are long-time an interest in swimmers, gave her encourswimming from agement. watching her “When I met my step mom, step brother her kids all swam, and I just swim for GBHS. thought that it was really interesting,” Dougan said.

Later, Dougan said that watching her step-brother swim and excel at something is what drove her to becoming a swimmer.

This made Dougan pursue her newfound passion to swim both for the exercise and for the social aspect of being on a team.

But for Dougan, swimming is not just about beating previous times. There is a social aspect of swimming she really enjoys.

“I thought that was awesome how (my brother) gets to meet a ton of people and hang out,” Dougan said.

Though Dougan plans to transfer to Saint Francis next year, she is excited to keep improving and focus on getting to a better lane.

Gazette photo /Nicole Bales

Senior Travis Vincenzini waits to set a counter attack in a match earlier this season against Woodcreek. The Grizzlies won in three straight, 25-12, 25-14, 25-16. The Grizzlies went on to win the section championship in a match against Rocklin.

“We are right where we expected to be,” Honberger said.

Girls’ Soccer The varsity team tied for second in league play despite four serious injuries to starting players before the third league game and tied the league champs, Del Oro, in two games.

Boys’ Tennis The Grizzlies won the SFL title and advanced to sections beating Bella Vista in the semifinals before losing 5-4 to Del Oro in the section finals.

Track and Field The boys’ team tied with Woodcreek for the SFL championship and only lost one dual meet. Trent Brendel was the league runner up in both the 1,600- and 3,200-meter runs and was scheduled to compete at Thursday’s Masters meet in both events. Kevin Staniszewski, who hopes to compete at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, was also scheduled to compete in the Masters meet in the 110 high hurdles and 300 low

hurdles. Other Grizzlies scheduled to compete in the Masters included junior Ty Serna, junior Lauren Kinloch, junior Jamie Duarte, sophomore Katie Mersereau and junior Annie Spargo.

Junior Colin Brown, freshman Tyler Brendel, senior Staniszewski and sophmore Tony Ellison are in the 4x100 relay and Staniszewski, freshman Zac Vane, Brendel and senior Daniel Graham are scheduled for the 4x400 relay.

The state meet is scheduled for June 1-2.

Boys’ Golf The Grizzlies won the SFL championship and then won the Division II Section championship earlier this month. The Grizzlies then put together one of the lowest team scores in section history when they won the Masters Tournament with a team score of 3-over-par 363. Austin Smotherman was the low scorer for the Grizzlies at the Masters’ Tournament with a 7-under-par 65.

Swimming The boys and girls continued their

unbeaten streak of SFL dual-meet victories, won a pair of league titles and then finished third (girls) and first (boys) at the section meet. Sophie Weber broke her own section record in the 200-yard individual medley and will be a five-event All-American. Andrew Murch won the section title in the 100 yard freestyle as the Grizzly boys won their third championship in four years. The girls finished third.

“Our goal is always to compete for the section title, and we did just that,” varsity swim coach John Sherman said.

Baseball The Grizzlies won the SFL title with a league record of 12-3 and advanced to the section tournament with an overall record of 20-6.

GBHS won in the CIF tournament opener against Del Campo last Friday and tied McClatchy High School and are scheduled to play again May 22 at American River College.

Softball The Grizzlies finished the season

in fifth place in the SFL with a league record of 3-12; they were 7-14 overall.

“The biggest improvement from last year to this year is that we are closing the gap in the score of games,” vasity coach Michele Granger said. “We will have the same core group back next season and hope to add some players that will help us turn the corner and win some of the close games we couldn’t this season.”

Girls’ Lacrosse The girls went 18-2 under rookie coach Stu Brokowsky, won a league championship and finished the year ranked 21st in California and 79th in the nation.

Boys’ Lacrosse The Grizzlies went 6-2 in league but managed to beat nemesis Jesuit twice and win the league championship. With the leadership of Will Harkin and Sacramento Valley Lacross Conference player of the year Nathan Gruen, GBHS finished with an overall record of 10-7 and was ranked 58th in the state.

Del Oro loses a coach; GBHS welcomes one Hopes high that experienced water polo mentor will bring success

BY MEGHAN CARLSEN mcarlsen.gazette@gmail.com

At Granite Bay High School, the varsity girls’ water polo team has had a number of coaches over the years. Now, a new coach is coming onto the scene next year that the team feels is going to make a definite impact.

Mike Saldana has been coaching girls’ water polo at Del Oro High School for two years now, but he has decided to say good-bye and come to GBHS. “The reason I’m leaving Del Oro and coming to (GBHS) is (because) it’s a (big) opportunity for me,” Saldana said. “And, having the chance to work beside John MacLeane who, in my opinion, is probably one of the top coaches in the area for water polo… it was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

Although the job has not been officially announced to Saldana by the GBHS administration, Saldana and the GBHS water polo team feels the job is pretty much locked in place.

This past season, Saldana took the DOHS girls’ water polo team to the Sac-Joaquin Section tournament, where it won.

Many GBHS girls’ and boys’ water polo players have had experience playing with him under the Sacramento Water Polo Club team, where he coached both junior Max Vigeant and junior Sara Northam.

“He did a really good job (coaching Del Oro),” Vigeant said. “He definitely did a good job with what little amount of experience they had already, and he (made) them into a really good team that did pretty well.”

Saldana has had a great deal of experience in the sport of water polo since the age of 10, when he started playing.

He played for 10 years, from the ages of 10 to 20, with Commerce Aquatics club team that has since produced two Olympian players who Saldana got the chance to play with.

He played for his high school team at Loyola High School in Southern California.

He attended junior college at Mount San Antonia College and then went on to play at the University of La Vern.

He last played water polo competitively in 2002, but he has been coaching virtually since he started playing, according to Saldana, and players he has coached have noticed his familiarity with the sport.

Sara Northam Junior is excited to play for new coach Mike Saldana based on his successful coaching career.

“He’s got a lot of experience (and) a lot of encounters with water polo,” Vigeant said. “So, he’s a pretty good coach. He’s a fun coach, too.”

Leaving Del Oro was a tough decision for Saldana, and Northam and the rest of the girls’ water polo team have noticed that the Del Oro team was upset by the news.

“It was pretty hard (to leave Del Oro),” Saldana said. “The worst part was telling the kids. The Saldana keeps the team focused and attempts to look on their faces was pretty devastating.”

Saldana feels, however, that other than that part, have them work hard and listen to his experience.

“He has the expectations (that) he expects you the transition to GBHS has been relatively easy, do,” Northam said. “So he’s… tough, especially and he and the GBHS girls’ water polo team are if you don’t listen.” excited to see what he will bring to the table.

Vigeant also describes Saldana as “feisty” when Saldana will be replacing the previous girls’ water polo coach, Jenna Masters, who was unable a player doesn’t listen to him and feels he is a to return as coach for this coming season because good “emotional coach” because of the passion that he himself holds for the game. of complications with her job.

Also coming along to help Saldana is Jeannette “I liked (Masters),” Northam said. “She was fun Diaz, a very experienced water polo player who to hang out with, but she wasn’t the best coach because she hadn’t had a whole lot of experience. was also on the Commerce Aquatics team and trained for the U.S. national team.

She didn’t play in college, and she was kind of “We don’t know in (what) capacity (she will just doing it for fun.” be coaching), whether she will be the official JV Although Northam understands that the general feeling of the team over losing Masters is sad, she coach or whether she’ll just help me out whenever she can, but she’s definitely going to come feels that those who have worked with Saldana along,” Saldana said. “And… that’s definitely a understand what a good coach they are getting. bonus.”

“I’m excited (for Saldana to coach us),” Saldana feels that having Diaz around will help Northam said. “We’ve had a new coach every a great deal in the coaching of girls because she year since I’ve been here, but I’m excited for this coach because he seems to have had the most suc- herself is a girls’ water polo player and, from his perspective, there are different aspects to girls’ cess out of all the coaches I’ve had.” water polo that he hasn’t expeUnlike many other GBHS rienced as a player. girls’ water polo coaches, SalI have passion However, since Saldana has dana is looking to stick around already coached a number of and coach this team for a good for the game...I girls on the team because of amount of time. expect my the Sacramento Water Polo “I definitely want to be (at athletes to have Club team, he has a good idea GBHS) long term,” Saldana of how talented the players are. the same amount said. “The only way I’ll leave He is also familiar with their is if a prestigious Division I of passion I do. record, which was fourth in college calls me up and (asks if league this past season, and I) want to go coach them, (and) he is confident about their imI don’t see that happening in the – Mike Saldana, new pending season as are many of near future… so for at least the girls’ water polo coach the girls’ water polo players. next four or five years.”

“I expect the girls to make Saldana describes his coachsections and to be in section ing style as “intense,” but the finals,” Saldana said. “My expectations are very players he’s worked with have not seemed to shy high. I don’t see why not. There are teams that are away from this. better than us but… once we get the girls playing “I have passion for the game,” Saldana said, over the summer and stuff they’ll be catching up “and I expect my athletes to have the same real quick.” amount of passion I do.”

Follow Gazette sports at www.granitebaygazette.com

Friday, May 25, 2012

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Sports C5

BROKOWSKY: Varsity girls’ lacrosse coach named Coach of the Year

Continued from page C1

With a firm basis for his coaching style, he looks to continue using that same style for the years to come as the girls’ head coach.

Brokowsky believes one of his strong points is the didactic atmosphere he creates for his players.

“I try to put my players in a position to either succeed or learn from the situation,” Brokowsky said.

As for a weakness, he would really like to see himself not take losing so close to heart.

“It feels great that I was able to be (the) coach when the girls had their first ever undefeated (league) season,” Brokowsky said.

A younger member of the team, sophomore Rachael Judd, got to have her first lacrosse season in high school with Brokowsky.

When she first was introduced to him, her initial thoughts were that she was rather frightened.

“I remember thinking ‘Who is this bald, short guy from Brooklyn with this fiery attitude?’” Judd said laughing.

Now, one whole season later, Judd’s opinion of him has taken a completely different form.

“I now see him as a father figure to me,” Judd said. “Sort of like the grandfather in my life.”

She especially values Brokowsky’s sense of honesty and determination.

In addition, Judd believes that what

Brokowsky does during practice really helped the team out this year.

“Everything we did (at practice) had a purpose and really helped us improve,” Judd said.

Another member on the team, junior Sarah Kaplan, had similar thoughts about Brokowsky and his coaching styles.

“He almost knows me better than my own grandparents,” Kaplan said. “I spent more time with him than anyone else during the season.”

Just like Judd, Kaplan really appreciates Brokowsky’s amount of honesty between him and the players.

She says that his direct honesty is what helped the team out a lot during the season.

“If we had a bad game or (the team) was

doing something wrong, he doesn’t waste any time letting us know that we need to improve on it,” Kaplan said.

As a veteran goalie for the team, junior Katrina Reeves has grown close to Brokowsky over the course of the last two years.

As a goalie, Reeves had been training with other coaches before she met Brokowsky, so when she became a player for him the two butted heads at first.

“We sort of had a rough start in the beginning,” Reeves said. “But as time went on, I was able to see where he was coming from, and the things he taught me are actually really helpful.”

However, she noted that before she really got to know him, he could be slightly intimidating.

Stu Brokowsky

Girls’ lacrosse coach leads the team to victory and is named Coach of the Year.

“On the outside he looks tough and fierce, but really on the inside he is a sweetheart,” Reeves said.

With two seasons under Brokowsky’s belt, Judd, Kaplan and Reeves all agree: They wouldn’t want to change a single thing about him.

WEBER: Swimmer will compete at LSU next year Continued from page C1

school legend. She has lettered all four years, been a scoring member of the Granite Bay swim team for four years and been, in the words of her Granite Bay coach John Sherman, “a real competitor.”

“Sophie is a very humble person, and she really promotes the concept of team. It’s not just all about her,” Sherman said.

Demonstrating his point, Weber reacted to the news that she was The Gazette’s female athlete of the year by exclaiming, “I’m not even that good!”

Oh, but she is.

As a junior, Weber broke the section record in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:01.15, which ranked 14th in the nation. Her time bested a 14-year-old record held by Alexis Oakland, who went on to become an All-American at Stanford.

Weber’s time also beat that of Summer Sanders, who went on to win multiple Olympic gold medals.

A highly touted recruit, Weber went on trips to the University of Arizona, San Diego State and the University of California, Los Angeles, before deciding on LSU. “I instantly fell in love with the school,” Weber said.

Weber’s future coach, LSU swimming coach Dave Geyer, talked about Weber enthusiastically last November in the school paper, The Daily Reveille.

“We are excited to have Sophie as a Tiger,” Geyer said. “She comes from a great swimming program and has proven she can compete and race in

just about every event.”

Getting a swim scholarship wasn’t easy work. She has club swim practices in the afternoon every Monday through Friday, with practices Tuesday and Thursday mornings, as well.

Then, two days a week, she does Crossfit circuits for about 45 minutes to an hour.

“It’s the hardest thing ever,” Weber said. “I’m barely able to walk the next day.”

On Saturday, she practices again.

Despite all the swimming, Weber makes time to hang out with her friends.

Junior Kaycee Calton said that Weber is “a hard worker, not cocky, and is really fun to be around.”

Senior Page Kastner said: “When it comes to being a really good person, Sophie Weber is numero uno.”

Kastner laughed, and Weber soon joined in – more silver bells.

Last June, at the Santa Clara International Grand Prix, Weber swam fast enough to qualify in the 400-meter individual medley for the Olympic trials.

“It wasn’t really something I was thinking about,” Weber said, “but on Thursday I shaved .8 off my time, and I knew [I was close]. I really wanted to qualify for the trials on Saturday.”

She did, so, over the summer, Weber is heading to Nebraska to compete in the Olympic trails, where she will rub elbows with stars such as Michael Phelps.

Gazette photo illustration/KRISTIN TAYLOR “It’s really exciting,” Weber said.

“I’m really just going for the experi- Senior Ty Thompson, girls’ lacrosse coach Stu Brokowsky and senior Sophie Weber, left to right, are the Gazette’s picks ence.” for athletes and coach of the year. Thompson will play soccer next year at Stanford University, and Weber will swim at Louisiana Still, you can’t help but root for her. State. In his first year leading the GBHS lacrosse team, Brokowsky helped the Grizzlies win a league title.

THOMPSON: GBHS senior soccer standout headed to Stanford in the fall Continued from page C1 sport – all four Thompson children play, and their father earned 12 caps with the U.S. national team – but Thompson didn’t originally start out playing soccer.

“I originally tried all the other sports,” Thompson said. “(I tried) karate, wrestling, but soccer was the most fun for me. It’s really a free-flowing game with no stoppages.”

As a freshman, Thompson was on the varsity soccer team. He couldn’t play his sophomore year because of a conflict with his club team, Placer United, but he returned his junior year to help lead

the Grizzlies.

As a senior, he could only play half the year because of a U.S. Soccer Federation ultimatum in September that made players choose between clubs and school teams, but he was still named a captain for that first part of the year.

The Granite Bay team won the section title in 2008 when he played, and just lost by a penalty kick in the title game in 2011.

The highlight of his soccer career came in Florida when he was a part of a National Team regional game, where he had an assist, and a coach complimented his playing.

“I was on cloud nine,” Thompson said.

Not only does he practice four days a week, but he arrives early to those practices to get in a “little bit of extra work.” He typically has a game on the weekend, but if he doesn’t, he’s out on the field practicing again. He also runs every other day on his own.

Thompson will attend Stanford University in the fall and play soccer on a scholarship, but this isn’t just a result of Thompson’s athletics. He also manages to maintain a GPA of around 4.5—not that he’d volunteer that information.

Thompson, who was a member of the U.S. Soccer Development Academy and was a highly touted recruit, originally planned on at-

tending the University of California, Santa Barbara – a school ranked in the top 15 in the nation –before pulling back on an oral commitment.

Thompson said he doesn’t plan on pursuing a professional soccer career – he’s currently thinking about getting a computer science degree – and figured he would get a better education from Stanford.

“Plus, I really like the coach,” Thompson said.

Thompson credits his family for helping him both on and off the field, and his family returns the praise.

“He’s always willing to help out,” freshman Tatum Thompson

said of her brother. “He’ll help me with homework, give me a ride, take me to see a movie, basically anything.”

Junior Tanner Thompson said he looked up to his brother.

“I like playing with him,” Tanner said. “He works really hard.”

Thompson’s GBHS coach, varsity boys’ coach Steve Fischer, said Thompson is one of the hardest-working players he has ever coached.

“The stuff he knows and the abilities he has aren’t just learned on the practice field,” Fischer said.

“He puts in thousands upon thousands of hours on his own.”

Fischer also noted that there are

Ty Thompson

Senior Thompson had a successful year and is heading to Stanford University. few players as talented as Thompson.

“He understands the game, is extremely talented, has very quick feet and sees the game in a way no one else does,” Fischer said. “He’s one of the best soccer players I’ve coached,” Fischer said.

C6 Sports

Friday, May 25, 2012

w The Granite Bay Gazette

2011-2012 All-Grizzly Team

The Gazette’s sports editors pick the top GBHS athletes of the year

First Team

Zach LowwTennisw Sophomore

Low, as the No. 1 player on the team, led the team to the section finals. This year, Low and senior Wade Graves won the section doubles title. In addition, Low went to the finals in the singles tournament for the SFL and, in sections, reached the semi-finals.

Paige Leew Girls' GolfwJunior

Paige Lee has played golf for GBHS for three years, helping the team advance to Masters two years in a row. Individually, Lee has been named Player of the Year in Northern California and is ranked No. 21 in the nation. Lee plans to continue playing for the team next season as a senior.

Katie Mersereau wCross Country w Sophomore

Gavin Andrewsw FootballwOregon State University

Ian MookwFootball/ WrestlingwUNR

Chasteena DetermanwSoftball wSimpson University

Tony MilowLacrossew Junior

Andrew Murchw Swimming/Water polow Universtiy of the Pacific

Mersereau finished in second place at the league finals as a sophomore and was the section champion. She also went to the state meet and competed with the best runners in California.

Determan made varsity as a freshman and was named the best defender her freshman and sophomore years. Her sophomore year, she made first team All League and had the most stolen bases. She has received a softball scholarship to Simpson University.

Mook has played both football and wrestling all four years of high school. His senior year, Mook won an individual section title for wrestling and went to state. He is going to the University of Nevada, Reno and hopes to walk onto the wrestling team there.

Andrews was first-team all-SFL and the SFL lineman of the year. He won numerous other accolades, such as the Surewest Sports Division II Lineman of the Year. He will be playing for Oregon State University in the fall.

Milo has played varsity lacrosse for two seasons. He plays midfield for the varsity squad. With nine goals his sophomore year, Milo helped lead the varsity team to section finals. Milo plays both football and lacrosse and hopes to get a scholarship to play one of them in college.

Max VigeantwSwimming/Water polow Junior

Vigeant played water polo all three years of high school both on the school team and for Sacramento water polo. As a part of the high school team, he has won League MVP and Offensive Player of the Year. He also placed second in the gold bracket last year at the Junior Olympics and placed fourth in the most recent season.

Nathan BrilingttonwBoys’ Basketballw CSU Chico

Brilingtton has played all four years and was named MVP as a freshman and sophomore. As a junior, he earned Defensive Player of the Year and was a part of the team when they played at Arco Arena, two games away from the state title. This coming year he will play basketball for CSU Chico.

Kayla Karlssonw Girls' Soccerw University of Cincinnati

Over the past four years, Karlsson has secured a position on the girls’ varsity soccer team, where she has contributed to the team winning a league title and section championship. This past season, she was the leading scorer and looks forward to playing Division I soccer for the University of Cincinnati next season.

Murch has played water polo and been on the swim team all four years. In swimming this spring, Murch was the section champion for the 100-yard freestyle. He is going to University of the Pacific in the fall.

Second Team

Trent BrendelwTrack and FieldwJunior

Brendel started off his high school track career strong by running the third fastest 800 meter in California for freshmen.

He switched over to the 1600 meter his sophomore year and set the current JV record. He hopes to beat the varsity record by shaving off three seconds off his personal record.

Grace ReegowSwim/ Water polow Sophomore

Reego has been on the varsity for two years and was awarded MVP once. She also was named to the first team in the U.S. Olympic Development Program and went on to the regionals. She plans to continue playing year-round in hopes of playing Division I in college.

Aaron Knappw BaseballwJunior

Knapp has been on the varsity baseball team his sophomore and junior years. As the center fielder for the team, Knapp was named to the All-City team as just a junior. Knapp hopes to attend UC Berkeley to play baseball after his senior year.

Travis Vincenziniw VolleyballwAldersonBroaddus College

Vincenzini was named Mr. Defensive on his team twice. As a libero, he was one of the best in the league and received a scholarship to play volleyball for AldersonBroaddus University.

Katrina Reevesw Basketball/Lacrossew Junior

As the goalie for the varsity lacrosse team, Reeves was named the MVP both on her team and in the league. She plays on the Northern California National team as the goalie. She is currently committed to San Diego State.

Maddy Detersw Volleyballw Sophomore

Deters has played varsity volleyball since freshman year.

She won the Junior Olympics her freshman year with her club volleyball team and hopes to continue to excel at the varsity level in high school.

She wants to get a volleyball scholarship to a great college.

Alex GibbswBoys' GolfwCSU Sacramento

Gibbs has played for the GBHS boys’ golf team since his freshman year and was one of the contributing factors to the team’s advancement to the Master’s tournament when he shot a 73 in the Division II section.

Jennifer Manducaw BasketballwSophomore

Manduca lead the varsity girls in scoring this year with 175 points over the course of the season. Despite the team struggling, Manduca did her best to help her team, leading the team with 20 assists over the course of the season.

Karolina KeckiwGirls’ TenniswUCSB

Each year, Kecki has been one of the top players on the girls’ tennis team, having been voted MVP for the team and the league. As a sophomore, she won the single section title. As she enters college, she hopes to play for the UCSB tennis team as a walk on.

Tanner ThompsonwBoys’ Soccerw Junior

Thompson was named SFL MVP this year. He has also been on the ODP Region IV team, a national youth soccer team. He finished this season with 16 goals, 22 assists and a total of 80 shots. He is verbally committed to Indiana University.

Honorable Mentions Brandon Baumgarten wBoys’ golfwJunior

Arik BirdwFootball wSenior

Greg SmithwBoys’ volleyballwJunior

Koki AraiwBoys’ basketballwSenior

Brendan Keeney wFootballwJunior

Andrew DuncanwBoys’ lacrossewSenior

Jacob KingwBoys’ basketballwJunior

Tommy Thompson wBoys’ soccerw Sophomore

Gia FrancewGirls’ basketballwJunior

Chiyo AraiwGirls' golfw Junior

Spencer BriarewFootball wSenior

Kristin Kurpershoek wSoftballwJunior

Kiah DrongesenwGirls’ volleyballwJunior

Scott GaeblerwBoys’ water polowSenior

Page KastnerwGirls’ lacrossewSenior

Juliana RowewGirls’ water polowSenior

Adam Wagnerw WrestlingwSenior

Brigid LummiswGirls’ soccerwJunior

Ashley Taylorw SwimmingwSenior

Kevin Staniszewski wTrack and Fieldw Senior

Your names. Your faces. Your sports.

green screen.

The Gazette’s arts and entertainment guide May 2012

Summer Bucket List Pages 8 & 9

Alternatives to lake days Page 13

Upcoming summer footwear

Summer treats: food reviews Page 6&7

Page 16

Page 2

In this Issue Page 3

Music reviews

Page 4

Hipsters through the ages

Page 5

Top 10 ways to use the Gazette

SUNDAY

27

Page 10

Local eating Challenges

Page 12

Summer movies/ video game releases

Page 13

Lake alternatives

Page 14&15 Movie Reviews

Page 16 Summer Footwear

Memorial Day

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

10 Father’s Day

THURSDAY

24 FINALS Wednesday Periods 3,4

j u n e 6th

Thursday Periods 1,2

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

Senior Goodbye Rally

1

st GRADUATION

start of summer

vacation

9

SAT

SUMMER

ACT

Gazette illustrations/HAYLEY MCAVOY

Oh, those summer nights

Page 8&9 Summer Bucketlist

MONDAY

may

Page 6&7

Food reviews: creamy treats

May 2012

calendar.

Is it really the break you’ve been looking forward to?

B

y now, most students have felt the sun’s rays penetrate their skin as they are given a small taste of summer and the freedom and pleasure it promises.

In theory, summer entails no work, no responsibility and complete freedom.

Days, usually spent in a classroom, are filled with beach, sun and friends. Those long nights studying are replaced by parties, bonfires and more friends.

Again, this is all in theory. This is what I’ve been led to believe summer is all about, and every year, I fall for it. I set unreal expectations for my summer, and not once have I accomplished them.

It’s much like a mirage. When you’re in a bone-dry desert and thirsty, you’ll envision just about anything just to get through it.

Don’t get me wrong, I love summer and have had unforgettable memories, but it’s never what I expect it to be.

For instance, this school year I’ve made a ‘Summer Bucketlist’ with some friends as a way to get through the rigorous school year by having something to look forward to.

The list is made up of things we want to do over summer, before school starts back up again. We all foolishly thought that with school out, we wouldn’t have any work or anything else to do.

Or so we thought…

As I was going through and actually planning my summer, I realized I don’t get this break I thought I did. Not if I wanted to keep up with school and the college rat race, be an athlete and have somewhat of a ‘vacation’. There isn’t much room for downtime to check off everything on this list.

I’ve discovered I will be playing 3 sports this summer with 1-3 practices everyday of the week, except Sundays.

I will be doing two volunteer jobs, taking a college course,

Commentary

hayley mcavoy

hmcavoy.gazette@gmail.com

working on college essays and studying for the SAT and ACT. And that’s just to start. Sounds like a break, right?

It’s not just me though. The friends I collaborated on the bucketlist with also have a busy summer ahead of them. Their days are going to be filled with work, as many of them have summer jobs and sports.

I have come to the realization that ‘breaks’ don’t really exist.

I’m even writing this column as I’m on vacation. There’s never a break. My summer façade came crashing down under a pile of SAT prep books and a wave of chlorinated water.

Summer is not a break, not in the traditional sense of no worries and no responsibilities. However, it is a break from the usual routine of school. It’s a time to make your own schedule and work through it as you please.

Although summer plans and summer bucketlists are all really just a mirage, I’d still rather have unrealistic goals, to look forward to than nothing at all in order to get through the stressful school year.

And besides, there’s always next summer.

May 2012

music.

Keane Strangeland

BY JOEY PUHALA

O

jpuhala.gazette@gmail.com

n May 7, Keane released their fourth full-length studio album, Strangeland.

The album kicks off with “You are Young,” a very spacey, slower song that sounds reminiscent to bands such as Coldplay or Phoenix.

The next track, “Silenced by the Night,” has a similar sound but is slightly more upbeat and recognizable than the previous song.

Ironically enough, the third track, “Disconnected,” feels like it belongs on a whole other album. The intro sounds like it is from the 1960’s, with rhythmic lyrics and a catchy chorus.

This was the first real sign of originality on the album, and it does a pretty good job of making me want to listen to more and see what else they

are capable of producing.

“Watch How You Go” follows, bringing a very slow and romantic feel with it. Personally, it’s not my favorite type of song, but I could see it appeal to an older crowd of listeners.

The next song, “Sovereign Light Café,” is in the same boat as the previous song: slow and not very interesting to listen to as it lacks originality.

The upbeat rhythm and simple lyrics of the next track, “On the Road,” makes it a singalong song.

The catchy chorus shifts to a whole new beat and rhythm halfway through the song, but it is equally upbeat, so it is two great songs wrapped up into one.

“The Starting Line” begins slowly, but the music and the lyrics begin to give off more of a stressed feeling, leading listeners to believe it is culminating in a very dramatic climax toward

PICCADILLY RECORDS

The Only Place was released on May 15

Skip to: The Only Place

the end.

The problem is this never actually happens. The song just dies abruptly off, which is slightly annoying to a listener.

“Black Rain” is another slow track, only this ISLAND RECORDS one has an electronic back track, which makes the song feel more futuristic than just slow Strangeland was and romantic. released on May 8 The next song is “Neon River.” Although this soft rock tune sounds good, it’s a little bit Skip to: generic, which makes it a little disappointing.

The songs seem almost repetitive as the You album progresses. are The last track on the album, “Sea Fog,” starts off slow, but is very beautiful to listen to Young and is a solid way to wrap up the album.

Keane’s Strangeland is overall very good, but it does include a lot of slow songs which can get a little bit boring.

Best Coast The Only Place

BY SAM HOLZER

F

A-

sholzer.gazette@gmail.com

orget every summer playlist that you have spent hours painstakingly putting together, because Best Coast’s new album The Only Place is everything you would ever need and more.

Hailing from Los Angeles, The Only Place is the band’s second full length studio album and expands upon the already established surf rock and lo-fi credentials they earned after the release of their debut album Crazy for You. The album as a whole contains the typical subjects of malaise, teen heart ache and wild nights of the summer, serving as a semi-concept album about the pursuit of happiness and a sense of home.

The rough-around-the-edges garage rock sound of their first album has been largely cleaned up and replaced with a more Southern California, surf-rock vibe, using heavy tremolo to mirror the classic sound of artists like The Beach Boys.

Best Coast challenge the rules of the surfpunk and noise-rock genres that they belong to by opting for a more vocally anchored perfor-

mance as well as a variation of the standard guitar, drum and bass instrumentation.

The opening song on the album, “The Only Place,” wastes no time in changing up the accepted foundations of the genre.

A heavy snare roll and a bouncy, upbeat guitar part drive the track forward, leaving behind the fuzzy sounding lo-fi songs of their last album.

Like an indie music take on last summer’s smash hit “California Gurls” by Katy Perry, this song boasts about how great the West Coast, and more specifically California, is in setting the standard of energy and mood for the album.

The second track on the album, “Why I Cry,” shows the band incorporating more elements of the garage rock found on their last album, while also bringing in new elements like an acoustic guitar.

This song is a perfectly calculated act of rebellion and teenage angst, with lead singer Bethany Consentino crooning over this laid back track with lyrics about how no one truly understands why she is so upset.

Best Coast continues to push their musical boundaries throughout the rest of the album

BY MYLES SLATTERY

D

reamchasers 2 by Meek Mill is an instant hit.

With over three million views and two million downloads in less than 24 hours of its release date, May 7, Meek Mill’s free mix tape caused music-providing website Datpiff.com to crash temporarily.

Dreamchasers 2 is a star-studded album that features artists such as Big Sean, Wale, Kendrick Lamar and many more.

Meek’s introductory track has a solid beat that gets one to immediately fall in love with the album.

“Ready or Not,” starts off slow, but then the beat drops and soon Meek turns this track into one of the hardest hitting songs of the mix tape.

“Amen,” featuring Drake and Jeremih, became many fans’ favorite song. With rapper Drake, this song will be one of the more

popular songs off of the tape.

“Use to Be,” featuring Jordanne is a unique song with a mixture of rap and R&B rhythms.

Unfortunately, there were a few songs that were not worthy of my praise.

“I Get It,” featuring hip-hop artist Travis Scott is simply a boring song with repetitive lyrics and a mediocre beat.

It seems as though all he does is boast about his money, cars and women -the stereotypical rapper nonsense.

Another sub-par track is “Lean Wit It.” Meek Mill said the same thing over and over again, just as in the track “I Get It.” Both songs brought the album down.

The beat of this song plays a repetitive, unappealing rhythm. Again, this beat would drum in my ears with no effect on me but pure boredom.

As the mixtape carried on, Meek Mill returned to his original level of quality.

A

with tracks like “Last Year” and “My Life.”

“Last Year” has a wailing blues guitar, with a grunge-like beat that trudges along, perfect for the lazy days under the oppressive summer heat.

“My Life,” like other tracks on the album, is also acoustic guitar-driven, but finds Consentino layering multiple tracks of her voice, lending a dreamy and atmospheric quality to the music, while a lonely electric guitar wails in the background.

The later half of the album finds the band slowing down the tempo of their songs after the energetic opening track, with the syrupy speed of these tracks being exhibited in songs like “Do You Love Me like You Used to.”

My personal favorite track on the album is “How They Want Me to Be,” which finds a backing chorus and relaxing vocals over a rolling cymbal and shimmering guitar part, perfectly combining their past sound and their current innovations in one song.

The Only Place is a refreshing and relaxing album for summer, exhibiting the best qualities of Best Coast’s brand of noisy surf rock.

Meek Mill Dreamchasers 2 mslattery.gazette@gmail.com

Page 3

“Str8 Like That,” featuring 2Chainz and Louie V is a song that brings on a feeling reminiscent of party-related activities.

“House Party Remix” featuring Fabolous, Wale and Mac Miller is also boring. It is the same monotonous beat as the song “House Party.”

Once again, aside from its repetitive cadence, inappropriate lyrics also reduce the qualitative essence of the song.

“On My Way” is an inspirational song with a jovial chorus that is a refreshing change from the typical rap song.

Meek Mill’s mix tape went out with a bang.

His “Outro” has a raw beat and recherché lyrics.

Overall, this album lives up to its hype.

I enjoyed the mixtape thoroughly and highly encourage others to also experience the musical collaborations Meek Mill’s Dream Chasers 2 offers.

B+

MAYBACH MUSIC GROUP

Dreamchasers 2 was released on May 7

Skip to: Str8 Like That

Page 4

May 2012

trendy.

Hipsters Through the Ages Gazette Illustration/CHASE EVANS

This group of trendsetters leaves its mark over the decades

BY MADISON TOULOUKIAN mtouloukian.gazette@gmail.com

According to a definition on Urban Dictionary, a hipster cannot be defined because then they would fit in a category, and thus be considered mainstream.

And while this idea may seem innovative and new, it has been around for decades.

Since the ‘50s, individuals have been choosing to “do their own thing” and embrace the opposite of society’s norms.

The newest emergence of this belief has been seen in fashion, music and an alternative lifestyle.

However, the first hipsters arrived in the ‘50s, in the midst of the first suburban boom. They were first called the Beat Generation in 1948, with the word “beat” in reference to the underground slang of drug addicts and a tired college-age generation.

The word “beatnik” came about after the Russian satellite Sputnik I in 1958 was released into space and coined in a San Francisco Chronicle article.

‘Beatniks’ were typically teenagers and college-age kids who had grown tired of the white, middle class suburban lifestyle that they had grown up in – neighborhoods very similar to Granite Bay. “The Beatniks were the kids who were not old enough to live through the Great Depression, so they grew up with a pretty privileged lifestyle,” AP United States History teacher Brandon Dell’Orto said.

This privileged lifestyle led to an education much greater than their parents had ever experienced. It prompted them to open their eyes to the world around them.

“They saw a bunch of people bending over backwards to fit in with the idea (of the ‘50s and ‘60s),” Dell’Orto said.

This conformity led to the creation of a complete counter-culture that rejected all aspects of a normal society.

“Whatever (average) people did, they did the opposite –

people clapped so they snapped,” Dell’Orto said.

Their attire consisted of tight black pants, sweaters, sandals and glasses – similar to the hipsters of the 21st century. They listened to horn-based jazz music and singers with acoustic guitars instead of the swiftly-growing rock and roll genre.

The ‘Beatniks’ soon segued into the hippies of the ‘60s and ‘70s, known for listening to psychedelic rock, embracing the sexual revolution and experimenting with hallucinogens.

They embraced healthy living, bright and colorful clothing and rejected social norms.

“I made my own clothes from old jeans and cheap Indian bedspreads, made granola, had a garden and baked my own bread,” said former hippie Jill Schrader in an email.

They pioneered the long hair and heavy metal music that is now acceptable in American society. They embraced a policy of love – loving what was different, loving the earth and loving each other.

“The philosophy of loving kindness, back to nature, organic and healthy food and recycling and reusing is what brought people together,” Schrader said.

Hippies like Beatniks, sought refuge from the middle class culture that they were raised in. They wanted to gain a vision from the world from their own eyes. “(It was) probably a backlash from having grown up in an upper middle class family and realizing that most people in the world were, and still are, struggling financially,” Schrader said.

The core of being a hippie was making your own decisions based off of what you felt was right for the world.

“It was definitely about making a stand for the world – saving the planet, stopping wars and creating a loving environment,” Schrader said. “It was around this time that I knew I would adopt children rather than increase

the population.”

Throughout America’s past, it is clear that the idea of an upper middle-class suburban citizen has been challenged.

By rejecting one culture, they created their own.

“The irony is that they (still) conformed, just in their own way,” Dell’Orto said in reference to beat culture.

However, the modern-day hipsters believe that they are simply doing what they like and prefer. Hipsters are defying the norm with their colored hair, high-waisted pants and thick sweaters.

While it may seem like they are choosing to adopt another culture, it appears that this is not the case.

“I’m not a hipster,” senior and alleged hipster Christian Adams said. “I just dress and act the way I like.”

The word ‘hipster’ means different things to different people.

“Hipsters are 20 year old losers who live with their moms and sit at coffee shops all day and smoke cigarettes,” senior and alleged hipster Shelby Stevenson said.

“I happen to do none of these.”

Stereotypes upset these individuals that are judged for their individuality in their choices of apparel and activity.

“I shouldn’t be thrown into some category of people who like to dress like the people they see in magazines and at urban outfitters,” Stevenson said, when asked if she herself was a hipster.

Being unique and asserting your individuality is a major aspect of a hipster’s life.

“People shouldn’t belong to some kind of group; we are what we are,” Stevenson said.

Hipsters assert that they act on what feels right to them – they are not rejecting a certain culture for a countered one.

“I am in no way looking to fit any kind of ‘trend,’ ” Stevenson said. “I simply go with what I like to do and what feels right to me.”

May 2012

Top 7uses for

BY JOEY PUHALA

jpuhala.gazette@gmail.com

1.

Page 5

green screen.

Paper boats All you need to create your very own fleet of paper boats is an old copy of the Gazette.

To do this, you will need to lay down two sheets from the paper, then fold a crease down the middle, and unfold it again so it lies flat.

Then, fold both of the top corners down to the crease, making two triangles and leaving a large rectangle hanging below the folds you just made.

Take one of the sheets of the bottom section and fold it up over the triangles, and do the same with the back sheet.

Then, fold the two remaining sides down on themselves to create the boat shape, and voila! You now have a seaworthy paper boat to add to your fleet of handmade Gazette boats.

Gazette THE GRAN

ITE BAY

(after re

2. Book covers

5.

The life of a textbook is abusive and violent, so what better way to prevent your books from being damaged than a retired copy of the Gazette.

All you need to do is lay a section of the Gazette down, then place your open book on top of it.

Cut around the book with a 4" overhang, fold it over the edges and then tape them down.

ading it)

3. Paper Mache

One of the more creative uses for an old newspaper is to transform it into Paper Mache.

Do this by mixing flour and water to get a thick sticky liquid, then simply dip strips of newspaper into the mixture, wipe of excess, and apply smoothly to the object that you wish to Mache.

Then all you need to do is wait for it to dry, and you’re finished!

By carefully selecting certain strips, you can even create you’re own design using certain headlines and pictures you find in the Gazette.

Wrapping paper .

6

Hat stuffing One of the more practical uses for a used copy of the Gazette is to use it to stuff hats to keep their shape.

Simply crumple up the pages, and place them in the hat to prevent the hat from bending or contouring in an unsightly way.

4. Picture frame

Tired of boring old picture frames?

Spice them up by turning your old Gazette into the frame.

This can be done by cutting the paper into strips, and gluing it along the border of a wooden picture frame.

After the glue dries, trim the excess paper around the frame, and re-glue loose parts back down to the frame for a smooth finish.

One of the most efficient ways to reuse an old copy of the Gazette is by using the paper as wrapping paper.

Thin newsprint makes a perfect replacement for traditional wrapping paper, and allows you to add your own personal touch. Use a specific section of the paper, such as sports, to give a gift a theme.

7. Animal bedding

In just a few easy steps, you can transform a few old copies of the Gazette into comfortable animal bedding.

Simply soak strips of newspaper in water for about five minutes, then wring them out and form the desired bed shape.

A bonus to using this method as bedding is that it is equally as absorbent as housetraining pads for animals, but is far cheaper and easily replaceable.

Gazette illustrations/SAMANTHA SPARGO

Page 6

May 2012

eat.

Cool Creameries

Staffers sample local ice cream, gelato and frozen yogurt shops Gazette illustration/LENA EYEN

Nuyo

BY MADISON TOULOUKIAN

N

mtouloukian.gazette@gmail.com

uyo frozen yogurt is the perfect place for a delicious and refreshing treat. They hold true to their motto “from sweet to tart, a world apart.”

I recently visited the hip frozen yogurt shop to satisfy my frozen yogurt obsession. When I entered the shop, the smell of sweet treats filled my nose while the bright colors on the wall made the shop feel lively and clean.

A young and friendly employee greeted me with a smile and offered to help if I wanted any samples.

I meandered over to the yogurt machines and grabbed a small cup to fill with my choice of frozen yogurt or shaved ice. The cup sizes ranged from a small cup to the size of a carton of ice cream.

I examined the flavors, and noticed that my options ranged from tart and fruity flavors to sweet cookie and creams and decadent cake batter. I decided to indulge myself and chose both the toffee flavor and the purist

Pinkberry

BY SHINEUI PARK

spark.gazette@gmail.com

I

t seems as if there is a frozen yogurt shop on every passing block. All these shops have the same flavors of yogurt, same toppings, same ambiance—no store seems to be different from another, and it can get pretty difficult to decide which one to go to for a decadent summer treat.

But one frozen yogurt shop, for me, stands out from the rest: Pinkberry.

Even though Pinkberry has only been around since 2005, the franchise has managed to hook its customers with the swirly goodness of its desserts.

Even though I had to drive approximately twenty minutes just to get to this frozen yogurt, I would definitely say it was worth it.

First of all, the shop’s frozen yogurt itself is far beyond that of any other company’s: it’s softer, creamier and tastier. My favorite flavor is definitely the original tart, but they offer flavors like chocolate, salted caramel, coconut, lychee and now peach.

I’ve tried the original tart frozen yogurt in a number of frozen yogurt stores and each time the flavor was too tart and harsh. Pinkberry’s is a subtle and mellow flavor that pairs well with toppings of any kind.

Pinkberry’s toppings are definitely more fanciful and impressive than at

chocolate flavor.

I excitedly headed over to the toppings area, which was long and held a wide range of treats. My choices varied from fresh, farm picked fruit to sinfully delicious peanut butter cups and chocolate chips. With the soft, chewy, colorful gummy bears and sour worms to crunchy granola, cereal and even exotic “lychee” balls, there were hundreds of possible combinations.

I eagerly added chocolate covered waffle cone pieces to the yogurt that was swiftly becoming a mountain of deliciousness. As I made my way down the aisle, my mouth watered as I added to chocolate filled caramel cups to my creation.

I topped my yogurt off with a brownie piece and brought it to the register.

The total price for my cup of happiness rang in at about three dollars. I handed over my Nuyo VIP card to acquire 3 points.

The Nuyo VIP card is a way for Nuyo frequenters to gain “points” and get a free Nuyo. After someone

any other shop. Its fruit toppings are always fresh and sweet, never sour.

And Pinkberry doesn’t just offer any candy and cereal to pair with your frozen yogurt, it offers other delicacies like dark chocolate crisps, milk chocolate shavings, cinnamon streusels, pink chocolate gems and even whole waffle cookies.

There are three toppings that are considered “luxe” toppings: milk chocolate crunch, peanut butter crunch and swirly whip. Although you have to pay a little extra for these toppings, these exquisite additives are imported all the way from Italy and are made with the highest quality ingredients.

No store is complete without quality customer service, and, as expected, Pinkberry did not fail.

By the time I finished my small, original tart frozen yogurt with raspberries, dark chocolate crisps and milk chocolate shavings, I was left with a happy stomach, but an unhappy wallet: one small yogurt with toppings cost almost five dollars.

At that point, though, I couldn’t care less. My marginal benefit from my delicious treat definitely exceeded the marginal cost, and it’s understandable because quality frozen yogurt deserves to be this expensive.

Reviewer’s Grade: A

spends forty dollars (and earns 40 points) they can have a free Nuyo up to four dollars.

After paying for my yogurt, I took a seat in the tall, modern glass- looking chairs that surrounded a small table and looked around the restaurant. The walls, painted a bright green and blue, reminded me of warm sunny days.

The music videos playing on the wall provided a comedic source of entertainment for my friend and I while we enjoyed our frozen yogurt.

As I indulged in the first bite of my sweet treat, I was overwhelmed with the delicious chocolate and toffee mixture. The toppings I chose perfectly complimented the velvety taste of the frozen yogurt.

I was extremely satisfied with my trip to Nuyo. The yogurt was rich and flavorful and I was impressed with the wide array of toppings. I would recommend Nuyo for anyone in need of a wonderful frozen yogurt fix.

Reviewer’s Grade: A+

Miabella Gelato

BY SAMANTHA SPARGO

B

sspargo.gazette@gmail.com

esides Miabella Gelato, there are few true gelateries in the Granite Bay area.

While ice cream and gelato are similar, there are subtle differences in preparation that lend to gelato’s rich flavor and creamy texture.

The variety of flavors Miabella’s offers, ranging from the everyday vanilla and mint chip to exotic zabaione and tiramisu, will please even the pickiest of eaters.

On my visit, the employees were friendly and attentive, willingly accommodating my requests for a copious number of samples.

Of all of the flavors that I tasted, the only flavor that I didn’t enjoy was the rose flavor, which was palatable but tasted like perfume.

I eventually settled on two flavors: banana and oatmeal cookie in a “Piccolo,” or small, cup. Both my friend and I agreed that the oatmeal cookie flavor tasted like a true oatmeal cookie, and the banana flavor tasted like delicious banana cream pie.

My friend decided to try a fruitier combination of coconut and mango flavors that was equally delicious.

At $3.50 plus tax per “Piccolo” cup, Miabella’s gelato isn’t cheap but it is definitely worth the price; the rich tex-

ture made it hard for me to finish even my “small” portion.

There are also Mediano, or medium, and Grande, or large, size options at $4.50 and $5.50 respectively, but it would be hard to eat these larger portions, which are meant to be shared.

The shop is located in the Fountains shopping center, making it the ideal spot to stop for a quick and refreshing post-shopping snack on the way home from the Galleria or while browsing the Fountain’s many retailers. I know the next time I am in the area and am looking for a cool treat Miabella Gelato will be at the top of my list.

Reviewer’s Grade: A

Gazette photo /SAMANTHA SPARGO

Miabella Gelato is located in the Fountains shopping center near Whole Foods and Peet’s Coffee

May 2012

Five Guys Leatherby’s

BY JESSICA REESE

W

Page 7

eat.

jreese.gazette@gmail.com

hen one thinks of ice cream, it is natural to gravitate to the ’50s. After all, it was the generation of malts and sundaes, hot fudge and whipped cream. The golden age of frozen treats, for sure.

Though the ’50s have long since past, local ice cream parlor Leatherby’s has kept the tradition of handmade ice cream alive.

Located on Antelope Rd in Citrus Heights, this family creamery boasts a large collection of frozen treats, all served in a retro ’50s style diner.

Upon walking into Leatherby’s, my sister and I were promptly created by a chipper hostess, dressed in a blue ’50s getup to match the parlor’s décor.

Once seated, I was astonished by the sheer size of the dining area. It felt more like a restaurant than a mom-and-pop ice cream shop.

Nevertheless, I was affronted with all of the sights, sounds and smells of the quintessential ice cream shop.

A troop of boy scouts sat two tables away with their den leader, while a large group of dancers sporting perky white bows sat next to us, devouring large bowls of ice cream. I honestly questioned whether or not Leatherby’s had hired these groups, furthering the wholesome, ’50s feel of the shop.

Once I had fully absorbed the energetic, sugary atmosphere of the restaurant, I began perusing the menu.

All comparisons to other ice cream shops quickly vanished. The menu was extensive, boasting everything from ice cream sundaes to root beer floats.

In addition to the house specials and standard treats, there were also numerous make-yourown options and endless opportunities for customization.

Never before have I been forced to make such a difficult, ice cream-related decision.

Cold Stone While my sisters stuck to the classics – a black and tan and a banana split – I chose to craft my own sundae, a mud pie-inspired creation with coffee and cookies and cream ice cream, topped with hot fudge and caramel sauce.

All three deserts were served in massive portions, with the sauces pouring out of the glasses, creating a pool of warm caramel and chocolate.

My first bite was wonderful, full of creamy coffee ice cream and rich hot fudge.

The sundae was simply marvelous, though my absolute favorite part was the caramel sauce, which was gooey and full of the mouthwatering taste of browned sugar.

Both of my sisters were likewise delighted with their frozen confections.

Of course, none of us were able to polish off our desserts. This is definitely a place where sharing is encouraged, especially with its high prices. For the three of us, the bill was nearly thirty dollars, rather steep for ice cream.

With high prices and large, high calorie portions, Leatherby’s is a special treat, meant for an occasional indulgence rather than regular enjoyment.

Reviewer’s Grade: A

Courtesy Photo/JENNA REESE

Leatherby’s is located in Citrus Heights

BY MYLES SLATTERY

mslattery.gazette@gmail.com

C

old Stone provides a unique approach to creating your own personalized treat.

First the customer picks his or her favorite ice cream flavor, and then he or she chooses toppings for the attendant to mix in.

What makes Cold Stone better than other ice cream shops is the creaminess of its ice cream.

The environment in Cold Stone is distinctive, with old fashioned tiles and colorful walls that create a cheery atmosphere.

The employees are friendly and lively, always willing to help.

While at Cold Stone, make sure to give the staff a hefty tip. Not only are they deserving, but when they hear the sound of change in the tip jar they will joyfully sing a melodious tune.

On my visit, I enjoyed a rousing rendition of “Zip-aDee-Doo-Dah,” with a few improvisational twists.

Cold Stone’s most popular ice cream flavor is its creamy and delicious cake batter ice cream. I ordered a “Love-it,” or medium-sized, serving of cake batter ice cream and chose to mix in

Reese’s peanut butter cups.

The combination was savory and rich in flavor.

Cold Stone’s waffle cones are often overlooked in favor of their icy counterpart, but they are delicious in and of themselves.

Without these thin waffles, Cold Stone’s ice cream, though delicious, would be nothing more than an average, refreshing treat.

For dieters, Cold Stone also has healthy alternatives.

Sinless Sans Fat are non-fat, no sugar added ice cream flavors that offer Cold Stone customers a low calorie substitute to their regular, creamy flavors.

The shop also provides real fruit and nut mix-ins along with its selection of assorted candies and sweets.

Cold Stone Creamery offers delicious waffle cones, healthy alternatives and, most importantly, delectable ice cream.

Reviewer’s Grade: A-

COLD STONE CREAMERY

Honey Treat

BY JOEY PUHALA

H

jpuhala.gazette@gmail.com

oney Treat Yogurt has been serving up delicious frozen yogurt for 30 years.

The first thing one might notice, or not notice, is the shops somewhat secluded location, tucked away off Douglas behind Hobby Lobby.

Despite the difficulties one might have trying to find the store, the location makes the experience feel secluded and private, which is a nice atmosphere for enjoying some yogurt.

Another thing customers might notice is that the décor has a very ‘at home’ feel, with lots of nostalgic decorations.

The only downside to the nostalgic feel is that the space appears a bit cluttered.

After I walked in and began to get overwhelmed by the number of flavor options, the employee taking my order gave me a few suggestions and helped guide me to my final decision, vanilla yogurt with carob chips and almonds.

After I made the order, the worker asked what size I wanted, and I impulsively ordered a large, thinking there would be more than enough room left in my stomach.

But, to my surprise, the attendant reached past all of the cups to a large bowl, and began filling it with ice-cream. A mere $6 bought me this wildly massive amount of yogurt the size of a pineapple. Shockingly, “large” isn’t even the biggest size Honey Treat offers.

I grabbed the yogurt from the counter and sat down at a nice table and began to dig in.

The yogurt itself was great.

The texture was very smooth and it was full of a vanilla flavor that’s far sweeter than the usual bland vanilla one might find at rival ice cream shops.

As I took a bite of the yogurt, stuffed and topped with the delicious carob chips and almonds, I began to realize how Honey Treat had managed to stick around for 30 years while so many other frozen yogurt companies have come and gone: Honey Treat seems to get everything right.

The whole experience from entry to exit is enjoyable,

and that makes me want to choose Honey Treat over anywhere else.

Overall, I would recommend this to any ice cream or frozen yogurt aficionado.

Reviewer’s Grade: A

Gazette photo /RACHAEL VASQUEZ

Honey Treat is located near Hobby Lobby, across the street from Mel’s Diner

Pages 8 and 9

May 2012

fun in the sun.

BY MYLES SLATTERY

mslattery.gazette@gmail.com

Seniors, before you leave...

Make amends: If you know someone that you haven’t gotten along with, kiss and make up with that person before you leave.

Here is a list of a few summertime activites to get your ‘Summer Bucketlist’ started.

Have a water balloon fight: Get your friends together and drench them with balloons filled with water.

Build a sand castle: Go to a beach and design your own lavish castle.

Activites to accomplish over summer break With s u studen mmer just a round ts are th fu for the ir summ ll of exciteme e corner, ma ny nt and e r ende When anticip a t ation every s hat bell rings vors. tudent at 12:2 h entire Granite as finished h 5, on May 31 ,a is B will be off to t ay High Sch or her finals, nd he rac o the hoping o l studen es wit to t t From f urn these dre h their summ body r planne eshman to s ams into rea er ideals, d their enior, m lities. ch to chec a k off fr oice of activit ny students om the h ir summ ies that they ave wish er buc ket list .

Climb Half Dome: For added fun, go at sunrise so you can see the horizon from the top of Yosemite’s Half Dome.

Open a lemonade stand: Squeeze some fresh lemons and sit in the sun selling a sweet drink.

Visit every classroom: To really get the full effect, visit every single classroom, even the ones you didn’t have classes in.

Have a picnic on your favorite place at GBHS: Go to your favorite place on campus and just sit back and relax.

Go skiing and water skiing on July 4: Ski at Squaw Valley, then head to Lake Tahoe for some water skiing.

Wear the Grizzly costume: Put on that smelly suit and embrace your inner grizzly.

Go Geocaching: Go to Geocaching.com and use clues to find treasures.

Jump in the pool fully clothed: Don’t lie, you’ve thought about it on one of those really hot days.

Make s’mores: Sit around a camp fire and roast some marshmallows with your friends.

Play miniature golf: Play a few rounds at GolflandSunsplash, or any other mini-golf venue, with some good friends.

Use the school PA system: The whole school will always remember your voice.

Take a nap on a hammock: Catch some z’s out in the sun on a lazy hot day, .

Give your favorite teacher a present: Tell your favorite teacher how much you appreciated him or her before it’s too late.

Camp out in your backyard: Set up a tent in your backyard and spend the night. Why would you sleep in your house when you can sleep in your backyard?

Wear something ridiculous the last day of school: Who cares, it’s the last day.

Go on a nature hike: Find some trails nearby and go out to embrace nature in its finest.

Meet everyone in your senior class: Do it, before everyone’s graduated and gone their separate ways.

Spend one whole day bare foot: Who needs shoes on a hot summer day?

Make a low budget movie: Grab a few friends and a camera, and film your own movie.

Run a marathon: Run 26.2 miles with some friends (and regret it afterwards.)

Go skydiving: Jump out of a moving plane and plummet toward the ground for fun.

Eat a whole pizza by yourself: Get a pizza and two liters of Dr. Pepper, and chow down.

Learn archery and horseback riding: Master the skills of bow hunting and become an equestrian.

Make a song dedicated to summer: Go to a studio, or just use garage band to make your own track.

Watch all of the Harry Potter movies in one day: Have a day dedicated to the boy who lived.

Send a message in a bottle: It would make some fortunate person on the other side of the Pacific Ocean very happy.

Fly a kite: Return to your childish roots.

Photo illustration/LAUREN MCAVOY

Embrace the last day of school: Soak it all in before you leave.

Road trip to Disneyland: Get some friends together, chip in for gas and enjoy a day at the happiest place on earth.

Build a backyard skate park: Get some wood and PVC pipe and build your own skate venue.

Gazette photo illustration/KRISTIN TAYLOR

Pull an awesome senior prank: Think of something great, and give people something to remember your class by.

Use the PA system at a store: Go to a store and borrow their microphone, as a joke.

Go star gazing: Camp out on your lawn, and embrace a beautiful starry summer night.

Get an air horn and blow it in couples’ faces when they are kissing: Ever been grossed out by a couple making out in the quad? Blow an air horn in their faces!

Go on the roof of the school: Watch the stars from the roof of the high school, and reminisce over all the memories you have made.

Page 10

May 2012

eat.

GBHS vs. Food Students take on the biggest eating challenges around

BY KIANA OKHOVAT

kokhovat.gazette@gmail.com

Wall of Fame

Adithi Reddy

E

ating like a normal human being sometimes just isn’t enough for some daredevil eaters, and the growing YouTube phenomenon of “Epic Meal Time” has also inspired people to create and devour culinary monstrosities.

In Granite Bay, family-friendly eating challenges are held at several restaurants such as Leatherby’s, Togo’s and Buffalo Wild Wings.

Leatherby’s popular eating challenge, Big Daddy Dave’s Eating Challenge, consists of an enormous banana split and is available year-round. Those who successfully complete the challenge by consuming the entire banana split earn a spot on the Leatherby’s “Wall of Fame” and a bumper sticker.

“People come in all the time (to try the challenge.)” an employee at Leatherby’s said. The Big Daddy Dave’s Eating Challenge isn’t on the menu, (so) it’s known mostly through word of mouth.”

Contestants willing to try this bold challenge must pay for the sundae, even if they win.

Sophomore Adithi Reddy is planning on doing the Big Daddy Dave’s Eating Challenge. Reddy loves ice cream and heard about the challenge through one of her friends.

“A few other friends of mine and I are participating in this contest to try something new,” Reddy said. “We figured that since the hot summer months are creeping up on us, an ice cream run is a perfect way to begin summer vacation.”

Reddy is no stranger to eating competitions; she’s done three prior to her upcoming challenge. But, she described those past competitions as mild experiences and those competitions were carried out at home with her friends or cousins.

“The hardest (eating challenge) I’ve done was the

Zak Lilley

Daniel Sutherland

Dominic Trovato Gazette photo /RILEY MAC MILLAN & KRISTIN TAYLOR

chili pepper eating contest that I had with my cousin,” rant’s hottest wings in six minutes.

Reddy said. “Although I’m accustomed to spices, let’s “(Afterwards) I felt good, I felt accomplished (and) I just say that I’m never going to do that again.” won a t-shirt,” Sutherland said.

Junior Zak Lilley is also a veteran of eating challengTrovato did the challenge shortly after his friend, but es. He completed Togo’s Pound the Pounder challenge thought that this competition was the most difficult one. in which participants have to eat a two-foot pastrami “I barely finished (the challenge, and) I had one sandwich. second to spare,” Trovato said. “I felt like throwing up The contest costs nothing to begin, but if the contesafter, but I got over it.” tant fails to finish the sandwich, he or she must pay for Both Sutherland and Trovato are also fond of home it. eating challenges, in which they comLuckily for Lilley, that wasn’t the pete against each other. case.

They looked up eating challenges “I was (really) happy because I got that they could do in the comfort of I barely finished a $25 sandwich for free, (and successtheir kitchen, and had at it. Their most fully completed the challenge),” Lilley famous was a Sprite and banana chal(the challenge, said. lenge. and) I had one Lilley described it as a very laid“You have to shove two bananas second to spare. down as quick as you can, then drink back event. The most difficult part of the challenge, he said, was being able I felt like throwing a liter of sprite without throwing up,” to scarf down more food, since he had said. “It takes about a up after, but I got Sutherland already eaten an hour before. minute.” over it.” “(Fortunately) my friends were there, The sprite reacts with the bananas to cheering me on and (giving) moral make the eater feel nauseous, accord– Dominic Trovato, support,” Lilley said. ing to Sutherland. senior For successfully beating the chalSutherland and Trovato consider the lenge, Lilley received a free orange most difficult home challenge to be the t-shirt that said: “I pounded the Cinnamon Spoon. pounder.”

“You have to swallow a spoon full of cinnamon …

Seniors Daniel Sutherland and Dominic Trovato have (it’s hard because it’s) supposed to be so dry that you’re also taken a shot at various eating challenges, both not supposed to be able to do it,” Sutherland said. formally and at home.

Trovato and Sutherland have done so many eating Sutherland’s first eating challenge was at Buffalo challenges that they have lost count.

Wild Wings, where he successfully completed their The two eating challenge veterans have enjoyed Blazin’ Wings Challenge. several successes in their endeavors, but have been For this contest, he had to gobble up 12 of the restaurecently cutting back on the amount of challenges.

May 2012

Page 11

green screen.

NICOLE BARRON Why do you like to incorporate graffiti in your pieces?

I really like graffiti because it goes along with the theme of my current series about painting/growing up in modern society. I think graffiti represents America because we’re different than any other culture and we have a lot of imperfections. Some people view the imperfections as vandalism while others view the imperfections as something that makes us unique and pretty.

wWicked, June 1, Sacramento Community Center Theater wYo Gotti, June 2, Ace of Spades wLMFAO, Jun 6, Power Balance Pavilion wThe Avett Brothers, June 24, Woodlake Hotel wGrease, Jun 26, Wells Fargo Pavilion wWho’s Bad: The Ultimate Michael Jackson Tribute Band, June 28, Ace of Spades

What makes your art unique?

Compiled by Brad Wong

Gazette Photo/KRISTIN TAYLOR

When did you first start painting?

I began painting my freshmen year, but I’ve always been interested in art in school.

Has your work been shown in any galleries? interscope records

Paramount pictures

sonic Music entertainment

I’m showing (my work) in a tattoo parlor called The Studio on Vernon Street in Roseville.

What style are your paintings?

I don’t really have a particular style, but I like to put a lot of graffiti and people in my work.

universal picTures

rca records

I think that my art is really honest, some people go the route of abstract or creative, and I try to just picture the things that I want to portray.

Are you planning on pursuing art as a career?

I’m going to the University of Arizona and majoring in business marketing and minoring in art.

What do you think the purpose of art is in modern society?

I think that in any culture it helps brings awareness to people. I think as an artist my job is to capture the essence of modern day society.

Compiled by Sahil Khosla

union artists group

Fashion On The Bay: Sunglasses

BY RILEY MAC MILLAN

rmacmillan.gazette@gmail.com

 Bold colors can make simple sunglasses a statement accessory

 Wear a striped V- neck for a laid back yet sophisticated look

wShades are the perfect functional accesory for the upcoming summer season Look for sunglasses with UVA and UVB protection

 Test out different styles to find which style best emphasizes your face shape Gazette photos/RILEY MAC MILLAN

Page 12

May 2012

preview.

Coming Soon...

The Gazette previews the summer’s most anticipated releases

Video Games

Movies

The Dark Knight Rises Release Date: July 20

BY BROOKLYN KLEPL

bklepl.gazette@gmail.com

WARNER BROTHERS GAMES

Far Cry 3

Release Date: September 4

WARNER BROS

Release Date: June 19

A

Tim Burton production, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, is an action-packed movie based on the book by Seth Grahame-Smith.

Ever since Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker) discovered his mother was murdered by a vampire, he has been seeking revenge. With the help and guidance of a vampire, Henry Sturges (Dominic Cooper), Lincoln learns the difference between good and evil.

With its own unique twist to vampire movies, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter should give audiences an enjoyable experience that differs from the run-of-the-mill vampire movie.

20th CENTURY FOX

Release Date: June 22

T

his Far Cry may be set in a lush tropical paradise, rather than in Far Cry 2’s fictional African war zone, but from the looks of its trailers, it’s just as gorgeous.

The player is Jason, a tourist stranded on an island inhabited by psychotic gunmen. His goal is simply to survive, rescue his girlfriend and escape.

The game includes hand-to-hand combat and stealth mechanics, as well as traditional first-person-shooter gameplay. The game’s map is reportedly ten times larger than its predecessor, giving the player a vast open world to explore and interact with.

Developers stated that they want to emphasize realism and a looming feeling of danger, as Jason is unprepared for such extreme circumstances. Players can now plan out attacks before charging in for the kill, and gameplay focus is centered on survival.

A tense, gorgeously-rendered vacation-gone-awry, Far Cry 3 is a title for first-person-shooter fans to watch for.

UBISOFT

Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance Release Date: July 31

T

D

isney Pixar’s upcoming film, Brave, which premieres on June 22, takes place in ancient Scotland, where magical legends about spells and curses are common tales.

The Princess, Merida (Kelly Macdonald) shocks her kingdom when she forgoes tradition to express herself by taking charge in an archery tournament for her marriage.

She tries to prove her worth to her parents, her kingdom and herself through her exceptional archery skills, but her actions end up causing disorder in the kingdom.

Bearing the burden of guilt, Princess Merida seeks to reverse the curse before it is too late, and should captivate audiences like any Pixar classic.

BY HALEY MASSARA

hmassara.gazette@gmail.com

Z

T

Brave

Release Date: June 15

ombies are in, and developers have been cranking out zombie survival games for the past few years. There tend to be a few common denominators: liberal use of gore, gleefully cruel melee combat, and a feeling of distinct isolation.

Lollipop Chainsaw is, in that sense, exactly what you’d expect. But with rainbows, sparkles and very short skirts.

The player is Juliet, a cheerleader and one at the last human students of her high school. Armed with a chainsaw and the decapitated, undead head of her boyfriend, she tromps joyously around her former campus, disemboweling and dismembering to her heart’s content.

It’s about a pretty girl killing zombies.

What’s there not to like?

he Dark Knight Rises is the final movie in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Trilogy.

This movie takes place approximately eight years after The Dark Knight and introduces new enigmatic characters like Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) and Bane (Tom Hardy).

After Batman (Christian Bale) takes responsibility for Harvy Dent’s despicable crimes, he returns to Gotham City to find Bane, a new villain intent on destroying Gotham. There he meets the intriguing Selina Kyle, who is also Catwoman.

The Dark Knight Rises was also filmed in several exotic locations like India, London, Nottingham and Glasgow making it an international thriller.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Lollipop Chainsaw

DISNEY-PIXAR

en years after the first Kingdom Hearts game’s release, the latest title in this landmark RPG series finally has an American release date.

Set after the events of Kingdom Hearts II, and featuring many of the same characters and antagonists, Dream Drop Distance chronicles Riku and Sora’s struggle against monsters known as Dream-Eaters.

Both Riku and Sora are playable characters in separate worlds, and the player may switch between them as the game progresses. Additionally, benevolent Dream-Eaters can be recruited to assist the player in combat.

Longtime followers can expect the same cinematic storyline the franchise is known for.

SQUARE ENIX

May 2012

Page 13

explore.

Alternative Summer Activities A guide to help avoid Folsom Lake’s crowded shoreline

BY JOEY PUHALA

jpuhala.gazette@gmail.com

Hiking

H

Drew and Megan Beiler set off on an adventure into the woods in search of fun.

iking is one of the easiest ways to get closer to Mother Nature since all one really needs is a decent pair of boots to start trekking through the uncharted wilderness.

Sophomore Marc Ellis has a strong passion for the activity, and strongly encourages others to try it.

“It’s a great summer activity,” Ellis said, “I’ve been doing it since I was (really) young, and it’s one of the best ways to relieve stress and enjoy nature.”

In addition to the beaches and opportunities for various water sports, Folsom Lake also offers

R

ollerblading is fast and fun for students seeking alternatives to skateboarding.

“I used to rollerblade when I was a little kid,” sophomore Wyatt Coplen said. “I started up again about four or five months ago, and I’ve been doing it (ever) since.”

Whether at a skating rink or just going around the neighborhood, this activity can be done almost anywhere and by anyone.

“I usually rollerblade around until I see something that would be fun to do a trick off of,” Coplen said.

Coplen typically does “aggressive inline” skating, which is a type of rollerblading centered on

Gazette photo illustration/KRISTIN TAYLOR

P

Drew Beiler quickly outruns his opponents in a game of football.

Gazette photo illustration/KRISTIN TAYLOR

own trails to immerse themselves in the outdoors and find adventure.

For hikers searching for some alternate trails, there are so many more trails located all around, which can be located using a variety of websites, such as Trails. com.

Rollerblading

Gazette photo illustration/KRISTIN TAYLOR

Megan Beiler enjoys her rollerblades and prepares to perform a trick.

numerous hiking trails that can be enjoyed by virtually anyone due to their relatively easy nature.

“You don’t need to be fit to enjoy the trails around Folsom Lake,” Ellis said. “They also cross back to main pathways a lot, which makes it hard to get lost.”

Hiking also involves a lot of walking, which is great exercise especially compared to hanging out at the beach.

The beach also offers a quiet escape from the blaring horns of passing cars, and a chance to find solace from a hectic lifestyle.

Hikers can choose to follow the paved pathways or create their

performing tricks.

Other, milder forms of rollerblading also exist, such as “group skating,” which involves simply getting a group of friends together and then riding around in a big group.

Rollerblading is also a fun and viable method of transportation.

Instead of wasting money on increasing gas prices, rollerbladers can simply skate their way around town and embrace their eco-friendly side since there are no greenhouse gas emissions.

Rollerblading also offers unlimited freedom with respect to the kinds of tricks that can be performed. Whether it’s a basic heel-toe or a more complex ma-

Pick-up Sports Games

ick-up sports games can be a great way to start a lighthearted game with friends and avoid the commotion at the lake.

Sophmore Grant Powers frequently organizes sports games with his friends, and believes it’s a fun alternative to water sports.

“I just send my friends a group text message to tell them when and where to go,” Powers said. “Then we all meet, start playing (and have fun).”

These games can really be anything, but people typically use traditional sports as a template for creating them.

“We’ll usually play basketball or

football and then adjust the rules to fit the number of people that show up,” Powers said.

Playing pick up games provide an active way to socialize with friends. And they are great for summer because they only require an open field to play in.

“You can always find a court to meet at, so it’s never a problem.”

Powers said. “All you really need is for someone to bring a ball to use.”

neuver, the key to rollerskating is practice and perseverance.

Regardless of the type of rollerblading, the activity is entertaining and can be a great alternative than going to a crowded lake.

Gazette illustration/CHASE EVANS

Gazette illustration/LENA EYEN

universal pictures

Rated: PG-13 By: Kyle Pawlak kpawlak.gazette@gmail.com

battleship: B

fter having witnessed multiple commercials detailing the action portions of the movie Battleship, I wasn’t expecting much besides, well, action and explosions.

While it wasn’t an incredible movie, it did exceed my expectations by having a decent plot, splotches of humor and not an overpowering amount of action.

One such helping of humor came early in the movie when the protagonist, Hopper, was celebrating his birthday with his older brother, and decides to make a move on a girl in the bar.

The entertaining part ensues as he goes to great lengths to win her over, and incurs some serious consequences with the authorities for some poor decisions.

However it appears that Hopper has a history of such poor decisions, and this occasion was the last straw for his older brother, who forces Hopper to join the Navy.

Though a talented young man, Hopper’s penchant for mischief and horrible choices follows him into the Navy, and he gets into a fight with an officer of a foreign country during a friendly competition of maritime prowess.

Threatened with a discharge from the Navy, Hopper has his back up against the wall when a threat arises that allows him to prove himself: an alien attack.

As many times at it has been done before, the producers of the movie seemed to have no qualms about returning to a plot line focused on fighting off the vastly superior aliens and, although they did a decent job, Battleship was far from a standout in this packed genre.

Of course, the aliens had ever possible tool imaginable, including a force field, but it was no match for human ingenuity.

With his superiors either dead or unable to command, Hopper is left on his own with one ship to fight the aliens, and unsurprisingly, he succeeds. What a shock.

But despite its adherence to a well beaten movie track, I found this movie entertaining.

And, of course he gets the girl in the end.

Like I said, it’s a cliché, but an entertaining cliché.

Relativity Media distribution group

A

s an avid Poe fan and connoisseur of all things gory and gruesome, this film was an absolute must-see for me.

Directed by James McTeigue (V for Vendetta), The Raven chronicles Edgar Allan Poe’s last days in a thrilling, fictional rendition inspired by the poet’s works.

The plot revolves around a series of grisly murders that take place in 19th century Baltimore, Md., where the infamous Poe (John Cusack) toils day and night, living the arduous, dreary life of a writer.

The serial killer who committed these murders, obsessed with Poe’s writing, attempts to model each of his murders after Poe’s works in hopes of drawing the poet’s attention.

In response to these murders, Inspector Emmett Fields (Luke Evans) recruits the help of Poe in order to delve into the psyche and motives of the killer, so he can track the killer down.

As a starting note, Cusack’s portrayal of Poe is not at all how I envisioned the tortured genius of a poet to be.

Although Poe was indeed notorious for his alcoholism, he was also a deeply pained and troubled man, a concept that the film neglected to capture.

Instead, Cusack’s Poe is construed as an arrogant literary snob whose dark demeanor acts merely as a façade.

However, it was incredibly satisfying to see how McTeigue interpreted Poe’s nightmarish, macabre visions of death.

The appearance and atmosphere given to the likes of “The Pit and Pendulum” and “The Premature Burial” did not disappoint; both were bone-chilling and gripping.

The scene inspired by “The Pit and the Pendulum” was particularly gory, depicting a man being bound on a table, tortured and hacked in half.

From that point forward, the film’s genre transitions into mystery, rather than horror or thriller.

In fact, at one point, I almost felt as if I was watching Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows for the second time.

The Raven is an entertaining, fast-paced and suspenseful film, but it won’t leave you awestruck, or even anxious to see it again.

However, if you, like myself, are excited at the notion of seeing Poe’s literature come to life on screen, then give it try. It won’t disappoint.

Rated: R By: Chris Pei cpei.gazette@gmail.com

the raven: B

A

May 2012

film.

PARAMOUNT PICTURES

T

he man from the Dos Equis commercial claims to be the most interesting man in the world.

Having seen The Dictator, there is no doubt that he is wrong.

The Dictator was full of laughs, raunchy humor and surprisingly some form of a cohesive plot.

The movie started by introducing the Supreme Leader Aladeen (Sacha Baron Cohen) whose life is dedicated to oppressing the people of his country, Wadiya.

Overall, the movie was a surprisingly accurate satire of politics’ democracy and dictatorships.

Aladeen benefits from total control by winning countless Grammy’s, Emmy’s and 14 gold medals in his own Olympics.

The Dictator was also written with a script conscious of the outside world and its current events.

Wadiya is under economic sanctions from the United Nations after not allowing nuclear inspectors into the country. So, Aladeen agrees to meet in America to lift the punishments and upon arrival, everything seems to be in order.

However, the plot picks up when the Supreme Leader is kidnapped and almost tortured, ultimately getting his “royal” beard cut off.

Aladeen must then learn the conventions of America, which are much different from his oppressed country. For example, he meets an extremely liberal woman who works at an organic and “equal-opportunity” store.

Once again, the laughs are aimed at those who are actually intellectual and understand the stereotypes of hippies and the Green Movement.

It seems like using one’s intellect while watching a Sacha Cohen film is an oxymoron, but this happened frequently throughout the movie and made the film all the more hysterical.

Nonetheless, leave it to Cohen to write a plot of raunchy humor and still include a love story that leads to a journey of life-altering experiences.

While some of the things Aladeen learns aren’t exactly character-changing, he learns the value of truth and personal value.

Overall, The Dictator was successful at attracting two kinds of crowds: those looking for a knee-slapper film and those who understand the political humor behind the gross humor.

The producer did a decent job at weaving together a somewhat sensible plot, outrageous jokes and modern day satire into Cohen’s best movie yet.

Rated: R By: Brad Wong brwong.gazette@gmail.com

the dictator: B-

Page 14

May 2012

By: Meghan Carlsen mcarlsen.gazette@gmail.com

the avengers: A

alking into the midnight showing, I was immediately struck by the intensity of the excitement for The Avengers, as a guy in a full-out Thor outfit stood up and screamed, “Avengers! Ya!” a complete roar in response filled the theater.

As the movie began to play, fans screamed in anticipation for the film they hoped would live up to their expectations. I am happy to say it did that and beyond.

Although the beginning started off shaky, with the first couple of scenes being of Loki, Thor’s villain brother, transporting through the portal from Asgard (a distant planet) into our present world. Loki then proceeded to capture the Cosmic Cube and head off with his new brain-washed servant Hawkeye.

In response the cube’s disappearance the Avengers start to assemble under Nick Fury, and the audience gets a look into each of the superhero’s characters as they are being recruited.

Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, once he’s awakened from his brainwashed trance, reluctantly ban together into a motley team.

The different characterizations provide a surprisingly amusing comedic side to the movie, with each of the characters hurling some kind of snide comment or funny reference at the perfect moment.

Along with the main plot, the movie showed the personal struggles of each character. For example, Bruce Banner’s non-stop struggle for self-control between himself and “the big guy”.

Thor’s conflict between doing what’s right and protecting his brother; while Black Widow finding herself in a personal conflict battling the brain-washed Hawkeye who she comes to care for.

During the final battle there were many entertaining fight scenes where each superhero showed off his individual strengths in an amusing way that inspired cheering throughout audience.

The movie was really able to portray the team coming together despite their different backgrounds and story lines.

Overall The Avengers was completely entertaining, unexpectedly funny and somehow believable and relatable, even though it was filled with superheroes.

I would love to see it again to recapture the climactic moments and enjoy the amusing humor the characters portray as they come together to become The Avengers.

Rated: PG-13

F

lionsgate

WARNER BROS PICTURES

D

illed with many well known actors and lots of pregnancy jokes, What to Expect When You’re Expecting should definitely be on everyone’s summer watch list.

Some familiar faces in this film are Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez, Chace Crawford, Anna Kendrick and Chris Rock.

The story follows four families baby stories, starting with fitness gurus Jules(Cameron Diaz) and Evan(Matthew Morrison.) They find themselves pregnant by accident and the movie follows them through their hectic journey of trying to find one another, while agreeing on major milestones for their baby.

The next couple is baby-loving author Wendy (Elizabeth Banks) and her insecure husband Gary (Ben Falcone) who has been in a constant power struggle for as long as he can remember with his dad, who, incidentally, becomes pregnant with twins upon hearing the news of his son’s pregnancy.

The next and perhaps most heart-wrenching story is that of young couple Rosie (Anna Kendrick) and Marco (Chace Crawford.) After one heated night they find themselves pregnant and end up discovering love for each other through the journey of her pregnancy.

The last couple is infertile, baby-wanter Holly (Jennifer Lopez) and her unsure husband Alex (Rodrigo Santoro) who overcome many challenges as a couple. They realize they are ready to adopt a young Ethiopian baby and not let Holly’s infertility stop them from being the parents they want to be.

Switching from story to story, What to Expect When You’re Expecting does a great job following all four of the couples through their journeys and is able to make light of some of the difficult situations each couple encounters throughout the course of their pregnancies.

Unpredictable and enjoyable, What to Expect When You’re Expecting is a well-enjoyed movie that was definitely worth the money.

Although it seems a bit chick-flicky, the movie does a great job showing the ups and downs of bringing life into the world in a fun, quirky twohour film.

ark Shadows is one of the best films I have seen this year.

The film is dark, humorous, witty and scary. This, along with the great cast, is what made the movie so great.

Since I knew the film was directed by Tim Burton, I already had high hopes. His creative, magical and whimsical films always leave me in a daze.

The movie started with a young Collins (Johnny Depp) in 1752, had moved from England to America. There, the Collins family became immensely successful in the fishing business.

However, later in his adolescence, Collins made the grave mistake of breaking the heart of one of his servants: Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green).

She loved him greatly, but he had his eyes on someone else: Josette DuPres. Little did he know that Bouchard was a witch. Before he knew it, she sent DuPres falling off a cliff, turned Collins into a vampire and buried him alive.

He did not wake until 1972, and the culture shock he had was hilarious.

Collins then set out to find the four remaining descendents of his family. Then he discovers that a rival fishing company owned by Bouchard (who was immortal, like Collins) had overpowered the Collins’ fishing company, leaving his family broke.

Determined to restore his family’s wealth, Collins puts his vampire powers and loving heart to work.

The plot was supplemented with added problems and drama, courtesy of the family psychiatrist Dr. Julia Hoffman, the typical overly emotional, bratty teenage daughter, Carolyn (Chloë Grace Moretz); the “little Collins boy who sees ghosts,” David (Gulliver McGarth) and the money-thirsty uncle, Roger Collins (Jonny Lee Miller).

I would definitely recommend this film for anyone, except not so much for younger kids.

There were some disturbing scenes in an asylum where it showed Winters getting shock treatment.

It was a full, uncut take, with no music to cover her screams. Then there was a bloody scene when Collins murdered-no slaughtered-innocent people. There was also a violent, yet humorous, love scene between Collins and Bouchard. In all, some of the themes may be a bit too mature for certain age groups, I would advise viewers to take the PG-13 rating to heart.

Rated: PG-13

Rated: PG-13

By: Mary Haney mhaney.gazette@gmail.com

By: Kiana Okhovat kokhovat.gazette@gmail.com

dark shadows: A-

paramount pictures

what to expect when you’re expecting: B+

W

Page 15

film.

Page 16

May 2012

summer footwear.

Gazette photos /RILEY MAC MILLAN

These Shoes are Made for Walkin’ Insight into this summer’s ‘hottest’ footwear

BY SAM HOLZER

sholzer.gazette@gmail.com

After the April showers pass over Granite Bay, the May flowers bring with them the heat of the summer.

Winter jackets are shed, pants are replaced with shorts and tennis shoes are tossed aside for cool summer alternatives.

A newcomer to this field of fashionable footwear can become overwhelmed when the list stretches all the way from incredibly stylish Alpargatas to the dreaded fashion faux pas: Crocs.

According to Granite Bay High School junior, Brandon Borjon, summer footwear should be easily accessible, breathable and durable, to keep up with the demands of the season.

“I associate summer footwear with beach and lake attire,” Borjon said. “I feel that your shoes have to be easy to slip on and off, and able to be exposed to water so that they don’t wear down instantly.”

Borjon thinks all of these qualities are captured in a single piece of Rainbow footwear.

“Rainbow brand flip-flops really epitomize what I’m looking for in a summer shoe;” Borjon said. “They’re open toe, so they’re breathable and they are incredibly durable.”

The shoes themselves are known for the ability to mold to your feet, making them more comfortable over time.

Battleship

B

“They have a ‘Sole for Life’ guarantee, which insures the shoe for as long as the sole of the shoe stays intact,” Borjon said.

Rainbows are the first thing that came to both seniors Meghan Cole and Michaela Monaghan’s minds when asked about the ideal summer shoe.

“You could get a $2 pair of flip-flops at Old Navy, but Rainbows are much more durable,” said Monaghan.

“They’ll last forever.”

Another shoe brand that is commonly worn by students at GBHS is Sperry Topsiders, often referred to simply as “Sperry’s.”

This boat shoe brand boasts the water resistance of other aquatic shoes, but has the added benefit of both comfort and style, according to senior Sperry’s fan Page Kastner.

“I love them because they’re water proof and look super preppy,” Kastner said.

Borjon says that he’s seen the popularity of these boat shoes grow, and other copycat brands have increased in recent years because of their fashionable depiction in advertisements by both American Apparel and Urban Outfitters.

“Sperry’s and other knockoff boat shoes are definitely popular during the summer,” Borjon says. “They have all the benefits of a high quality flip flop or sandal, but the added durability of being a close-toed shoe.”

Kastner said that her pair of Sperry’s has lasted her

The Raven

B

over two years and that the high quality materials used to make them results in a durable piece of footwear.

“They only use 300 thread count cotton to sew on the soles and deluxe leather to piece together the rest of the shoe,” Kastner said.

Although Kastner exaggerates in her description of these boat shoes, their quality is touted by Borjon, Cole and Monaghan.

Both Rainbow flip-flops and other shoe brands such as the low cut TOMS are unisex, being available in both men and women’s styles.

Specific gender based footwear is often hard to come by during the summer months, but Cole is always on the lookout for stylish shoes.

It all depends on the store, according to Cole.

“I go to DSW a lot,” says Cole. “They have a large selection of cute sandals that I really like.”

Cole said that Roman style sandals with multiple straps and a back are the go-to summer footwear item for her this season.

“They are more durable than simple flip flops, and the styles, colors and straps all add a nice touch to the overall shoe,” Cole said.

Whether a teen is looking for comfort, durability or a water proof companion for those long days at the lake, selecting the right summer footwear can be an absolutely crucial part of having an enjoyable break.

The Dictator

In Theat ers

B-

Dark Shadows

A

The Avengers

B+

What to Expect

A-

Dark Shadows

SENIOR EDITION MAY 2012

Superlatives Page 8-13

w

Where are they headed? Page 14-15

Senior Edition

Page 2

May 2012

Farewell from the principal...

To the Class of 2012, It is my honor to be given this opportunity to acknowledge and thank you for providing the character and the leadership that defines this class in every way possible. I have had the privilege of seeing your character and leadership shine through your classes such as Student Government, Band, Peer Helpers, Advanced Journalism and Yearbook. You have led with passion on our fields, in our gymnasium, throughout our campus and out in the community. Your extraordinary academic success is well matched with your impressive character and leadership skills.

Your legacy, that will be remembered by the staff that taught and nurtured your development and then turned you loose to make a difference, a legacy that will be fondly and proudly reviewed at every one of your class reunions for the next eighty years (I hope you get more than that!), is a legacy of drive and focus and purpose and impact. The Ripple Effect, Point Break, Make a Difference, Santa’s Helpers, Mr. Grizzly, Pink Ladies, Make-a-Wish were just some of the events, activities and initiatives that demonstrated “the content of your character.”

I turn on my television and listen to strident voices filled with fear of change disguised as righteous indignation, and wonder if there is anyone interested and committed to building bridges – building more porches – in the local community, national community and world community. Then I come here and observe and listen and read, and I breathe a small breath of hope and relief. Change is inevitable. You will lead positive change.

This senior class is packed with positive change agents, students committed to inclusivity and not exclusivity; students committed to giving instead of taking; students who will engage, participate, defend – and lead! – not criticize, accuse, condemn and follow.

Thomas Jefferson, the great American patriot, citizen, scholar and leader set the standard 250 years ago when he shared, “I have ever deemed it more honorable and more profitable, too, to set a good example than to follow a bad one.”

You are the class who set the good examples and refused to follow the bad ones. I thank you for that gift!

Wa

y, C A

y

Ba

Gran i

Mr. McGuire

zl 1 G riz

I wish you continued success. Go affect positive change.

ool ch

ay High S B te

y, G r a n it e

May 2012

Senior Edition

Goodbye from the co-editors-in-chief...

M

y other editors are going to take this opportunity to bid high school adieu, to look back on the last four years and muse over all they have learned, over how much they have changed. My letter won’t be like that. Instead, I will be bidding adieu to The Gazette.

When I look back on my high school years, I don’t remember football games or Saturday nights with my friends or challenging-but-ultimately-fulfilling courses. I remember The Gazette, every deadline I have experienced, every story I have written, every deformed fortune cookie I have eaten.

Maybe that makes me a nerd. But maybe, as I like to see it, that makes me lucky.

While my peers were trying to find themselves through fashion and friends and sports and questionable substances, I was making some amazing memories and meeting some of the most inspiring, driven people I have ever encountered.

For four years, I lived on the thrill of deadlines, that loony, panicked feeling that takes over around 7:00 on Death Deadline, when none of your stories are edited and your front page has a big hole that you pray to God will magically be filled with a picture

by Monday; I lived on massive quantities of Rice Krispie Treats, Chipotle, Little Caesers, cupcakes and Funfetti Cookies; I lived on overpowering laughter that left me lying on the floor, sob-laughing.

I would never trade those memories for anything.

Not the memory of the creepy stalker cat Katie Zing-

heim and I made for Shannon Wagner, or the Butt Issue no one ever saw sophomore year, or the Disney sing-along we had at 11:00 at night after Quad Dance just a few days ago.

Those are the moments that made high school for me.

And every single one of them is tied up in The Gazette, because The Gazette is all tied up in me. For the past four years, this crazy, stressful, fickle publication has been my life.

And while I will miss The Gazette next year, I feel I am ready to leave it behind, to pass it off to other writers and editors who deserve to share in this legacy of great memories and even better journalism. There is truly nothing like The Gazette and the people behind it.

Of course, none of that would mean anything without Karl Grubaugh, The Gazette’s fearless leader. I will be eternally grateful to Mr. Grubaugh for taking a chance on me that fateful day four years ago when I, a precocious freshman, asked to join the staff. If it weren’t for his faith and optimism, I never would have joined The Gazette and all of those memories would be gone. I shudder at the thought.

So, thank you, Mr. Grubaugh, for the last four years. And thank you to all of the writers, editors and photographers who made my four years what they were. You are the best family a girl could have.

Jessica Reese

O

n my first day of high school, I got lost trying to find my math class. Now that I know where everything is and feel like I know everybody, it’s time to move on. It seems crazy to think this is all over.

I already got to say a few things in my front-page column, but before I go, I need to thank my teachers for helping me, listening to me and encouraging me. It’s hard for even me to believe, but I enjoyed each and every one of my teachers. Thanks to all my English teachers for making me a better writer, my science teachers for pushing me to think, my history teachers for giving me a foundation of knowledge, my Spanish teachers for making me close to the native speaker I should be, my elective teachers for encouraging me to be creative and see things in a different light and my math teachers for helping me and still smiling at me even though math isn’t my strongest subject.

I want to send a special thank you to a special few.

Mr. Grubaugh, thank you for giving me a home in Room 514. You taught me to how to go out and do good journalism, encouraged me to never retreat and gave me the backing to tackle the harder stories.

You created a place where I could thrive, and I know I wouldn’t be the journalist, the person I am today without you.

And, on that note, thank you to everyone in The Gazette who, for the past three years, have been my family. I love you all.

Mr. Dell’Orto, thank you for believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. I thoroughly enjoyed our discussions, whether they were about the Cold War or the latest Jon Stewart episode. You pushed me to see the bigger picture and never failed to lend an ear.

Mr. Westberg, thank you for giving me absolutely no confidence in our government! In all seriousness, thank you for teaching me about the inner workings of our system and getting me interested in political science. I will miss your sarcastic sense of humor.

To my mom, dad and Clare Bear, thank you for being my support system. You know how much you mean to me, so I’ll just say here that I love you guys bunches and bunches.

Thank you to all my fellow classmates for – directly or indirectly – shaping me.

So, this is goodbye.

For those of you graduating with me, I hope our paths cross again. For those of you coming back next year, I’ll leave you with a request for one small favor: If you see a little freshman looking lost and petrified, please help him or her find the math building.

Shannon Carroll

Page 3

Senior Edition

Page 4

May 2012

The co-editors-inchief say goodbye...

I

t’s more than a little bit weird thinking about the idea of graduation. My graduation. For three years, I have watched as the senior class finishes their final semester and leaves us all behind.

Seeing it from the opposite angle, being the one leaving home behind, is throwing me off a bit.

It’s not that I’m not excited for the year to be over, for summer to start and then to leave for college, in fact I am looking forward to it possibly more than anything else in my life. I am simply not accustomed to letting go, leaving things behind. But I guess this is time to get used to it, because I will have to do it again when I finish college and every time I move to a new job or new city for the rest of my life, until I find somewhere, something or someone that is too important for me to leave behind (or maybe I can take them along).

I

’m not a big fan of reading. I’ll be honest – I like to spend my time elsewhere. However, when my sister wouldn’t stop telling me about The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I finally broke down and read it the summer going into eighth grade. Most books I pick up I can’t recall reading a year later.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower was different. I remembered it for more than one year and even through my last year of high school. The story is too hard to explain because really it’s about everything and nothing at the same time. In my opinion, the most significant part of the whole book was when three teenagers were driving to the city listening to “Landslide”

by Fleetwood Mac, and the protagonist Charlie said that in that moment he felt “infinite,” that nothing negative could happen to him at that very moment that would affect his night and his mood.

I’ve tried to experience that singular moment of feeling infinite my whole time in high school. Through my trials, I’ve found that feeling more than once.

One summer night a group of friends and I visited a lookout spot. The wind blowing on my face, the lights of the city surrounding me and my cheeks aching from smiling made me realized that that was one of my infinite moments. No one

But since I can’t take Granite Bay along with me, I am forced to say thanks and goodbye to all of you while I still can. Goodbye teachers, from the excellent, to the mediocre, to the infuriating, and thank you to the ones that taught me more than the subject matter (especially Karl Grubaugh). Goodbye overburdened juniors, thank you for reminding me how wonderful it is to be a senior through your constant stress.

Keep working, you are almost there.

Goodbye Gazette staff, I am confident I am leaving this paper in capable hands.

And goodbye underclassmen, prepare yourself for the stressful years that are yet to come, because I am done with them, and ready to move on. Someone has to take my place.

Kyle Pawlak could touch me and the vividness of that night.

The last newspaper deadline of my high school journalism career ended with a few editors and I singing Disney songs and dancing without the fear of judgment.

The worse I sang and the worse my face looked, ironically the better and more infinite I felt. It was all about letting myself go.

Although I’ve only mentioned two experiences, I can assure you that my high school infinite memories aren’t just limited to two moments. High school may have its ups and downs, but I advise every student in high school or leaving for college to reflect on the moments when they felt infinite and to make them last to the final minutes of the night, like I did.

I want everyone to recognize their infinite moments and not let them pass without acknowledgement. Being a teenager isn’t all about focusing on school and what people think of you – it’s about grasping every infinite moment you can get your hands on and not letting it end until you say so. Don’t overlook your time in high school and don’t overlook your time as you enter college.

Rachael Vasquez

Page 5

Senior Edition

May 2012

Dorm Room Decor

A must-have packing list for incoming college freshman Bed-side reading light/battery powered alarm clock: A bed-side reading light offers flexibility when students need to read late into the night without disturbing their roommates.

A downside to college is not having mom’s wake up call every morning. In case of a power outage, a battery powered alarm clock is critical to guarantee arriving on time to class.

Car: (Check with school first) Having a car at school freshman year is a luxury. Some schools recommend or even require freshmen to leave their car at home in order to keep them on campus and allow them to get acquainted with college life.

Most dorms will provide you with the bed frame and mattress, a desk, drawers and a closet of some kind, but you have to make them feel a bit more homey.

– Christine Zavesky, GBHS graduate

Printer:

Bike:

A printer is a necessity for every college student.

However, some schools offer community printers that allow students to avoid carrying along the extra bulk, as well as clear up space in their dorm.

Since most students avoid bringing cars on campus freshman year, an easy transportation alternative is a bike. Avoid bringing bikes that are expensive because bike robberies are one of the most common on-campus thefts. Instead, look for cheap bikes that are easy to throw around, rain or shine.

Bulletin board: Since some schools have restrictions on what students can hang on the wall, a bulletin board is a light-weight option for school papers, reminders and even family photos.

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Mattress topper:

Twin XL sheets: During college, students get to revisit their middleschool days of twin beds. Twin XL sheets are essential since they are the only option for the standard dorm beds.

Some schools offer cheap options in their own school-sponsored catalogs, so students should look out early for the best deal.

illus

Under-bed plastic container: A major aspect of dorm room designing is finding ways to best utilize the tight spaces. An easy storage option, depending on the height of the bed, is under-bed plastic containers. They can be used for anything from shoes to food, and they are an inexpensive way to clear extra clutter.

Microwave/minifridge: Many schools offer microwave and/or minifridge units that are available for yearly rent and encourage students to share the expense with a roomate.

If that is not an option, it is highly recommended to bring one along as it allows students to grab snacks and meals in a hurry without the hassle of going to the cafeteria.

Unfortunately, most Water purifier colleges do not provide tempurPower strips/ex- carafe: pedic mattresses. tension cords: A water purifier Mattress toppers, which come as Even though they allows students cheap as $40, are usually left off to stay hydrated are inexpensive Shower caddy/flip-flops of the packing list, within the con- replacements for venience of their power strips and Sharing a bathroom with a own room, since the luxurious mathallway full of college students extension cords tresses that have to the nearest, allow students to is quite a drastic change for be left at home. clean drinking most freshmen. Bringing along avoid being cona shower caddy allows students strained to putting water is usually to tote their toiletries back and furniture in specific in the cafeteria. places according forth while staying organized to where there is and sanitary. Another item to an available outlet. bring along is a cheap pair -Compiled by Lena Eyen of flip-flops to use as shower shoes.

Page 6

Senior Edition

May 2012

Teachers who made a difference Students learn life-long lessons from faculty inside and outside their classrooms

BY DORIEN JOHNK

djohnk.gazette@gmail.com

T

he Granite Bay High School campus is filled with teachers who have changed the lives of students.

Specifically for the departing senior class of 2012, there were many teachers who made a difference in their high school experiences. For many of these students, their time spent with the faculty at GBHS will leave a lasting impression on their lives.

Senior Hayley Porter spent two years in Ramona Drury’s English classes. Drury, she said, made her become more interested in literature and in English.

“It was really interesting to learn her views on literature and her interpretations of them,” Porter said.

Drury made her English classes interesting to Porter, even if she wasn’t interested in the material that they were studying.

“She has this morbid sense of humor that I absolutely loved,” Porter said.

“Sitting in her class inspired me to be more interested in English and ultimately become a better writer.”

Porter had a hard time choosing the teacher who made the largest impact on

her, therefore another faculty member that she recognized as making a big difference on her high school career is visual arts teacher Brad Cordell.

Cordell was the head coach of the Academic Decathlon team that Porter joined her senior year.

“I would spend around six hours after school every week with him and my teammates just working,” Porter said. “It was cool that even though he had a family outside of school that he still tried to be there as much as he could to support the team.”

Both teachers, according to Porter, made a valuable impact on her high school experience.

“Drury made me want to become a better writer but Cordell with academic decathlon helped me with my work ethic and balancing out my life,” Porter said.

Senior Hamza Abbasi recognized world language teacher Julia Leeds as making the biggest difference in his high school life.

As president of the giving hands club with Leeds as the advisor, she helped him reach the next level.

“To her students, she serves more than just a Spanish teacher; she is more like someone who tries to be a mentor for her students,” Abbasi said. “She honestly cares

about teaching her students the content, making them better people and making them more prepared for life after high school.”

Abbasi admires that Leeds doesn’t just prepare her students to pass her course, but for the life ahead of her course.

To senior Reilly Burns, English teacher Anthony Davis had the largest impact on her years at GBHS. Burns has been in his class for three years now and chose to teacher intern for his class her senior year.

“He teaches me things that are not only just for teaching purposes, like about what character is, how to have morals, and how to survive in high school while still sticking to your values,” Burns said.

Davis is one of her favorite teachers on the GBHS campus and Burns is very happy she was able to T.I. for him. “(Mr. Davis) continues to encourage me and show me different ways of teaching,” Burns said. “He can teach to anyone and I hope that when I’m older I can teach like him.”

While Burns was a student in his English classes, Davis made sure that she received all of extra help she needed from him. As a T.I. for his class her senior year, Davis continues to give her confidence and support.

“I owe most of my high school happiness and success to (Mr. Davis),” Burns said. “He literally made a huge difference in my life.”

Why students choose their college There are multiple factors that determine their decision

BY MADISON TOULOUKIAN mtouloukian.gazette@gmail.com

I

t’s time for students at the top of the high school food chain to start at the bottom again. The senior class of 2012 will become freshmen again, only this time in college.

Soon, students will be heading over the nation for college, to get a taste of freedom and to experience what “the real world.”

The United States has a total of 4,495 eligible, degree-granting institutions – an average of over 115 per state.

With this many options, it’s easy to wonder why students choose their college.

While some struggle, others have known for their time at high school.

Brad Smith, who will be attending the University of Southern California, said in an email interview USC had been his first choice since eight grade.

“I love the school spirit, the alumni association and their core philosophy, which revolves around being a sort of renaissance scholar,” Smith said.

Senior Alex Niu will be at-

tending American University in Washington D.C. this fall.

He decided to attend American University because of its political activism.

“It has a vibrant community and is in the middle of DC… making it a great way to get exposure to the world of politics,” Niu said. “(It is one of the) most politically active campuses in the United States.”

For Niu, the location meant attending a school in the capitol of the United States would further his college education as either a lawyer or a political science major.

Location can also be considered a main factor for certain students, especially those wanting to travel home for the holidays.

“It is a six to seven hour car trip away,” Smith said. “I hate flying, so whenever I want to come home, I’ll have to make that long car trip back up the state.”

Senior Brianna Matheus also experienced trouble when attempting to visit the University of California in Santa Barbara.

“It’s hard to get there from anywhere else,” Matheus said.

“There’s only one airport… and the UCSB campus is (so)

isolated.”

Each college has its own campus personality, and the appeal depends on the individual.

“My favorite aspect about USC, so far, is the avid school spirit,” Smith said. “Everyone is enthusiastic about the school and happy to shout out ‘Fight on!’ when passing a fellow student or alumni.”

However, campus environment proves to have some downsides. Niu admitted that his least favorite part of American University is the amount of smokers on campus.

While the main purpose of college is to offer a higher education, the option of outside research opportunities provides an incentive.

“There are more opportunities to work one on one with professors on their research projects and to develop (my) own research projects,” Matheus said.

Matheus will be pursuing a major in cognitive psychology and hopes to work as a research psychologist. Niu and Smith also experienced similar opportunities that enticed their choice of college. “(USC will) allow me to travel and explore various cul-

tures which will be helpful for my major in Spanish…. (I will be able to) travel and explore Spanish cultures,” Smith said.

Niu was also given the chance to participate in an internship program for the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Of course, the college application process includes one thing that brings a damper on many students’ spirits – the rejection from their favorite college.

Matheus said that after she was rejected from the University of California, San Diego, she stared at the computer screen for about 45 minutes.

After that, she “went straight to (her) bedroom, curled up in a ball and had a good cry.”

“It was pathetic,” Matheus said.

Smith applied to and was accepted to ten colleges just so he could be sure he had somewhere to go in the fall.

Throughout the triumphs and the tears, the senior class of 2012 will be leaving GBHS to gain new experiences and have a fresh start.

“I knew wherever I end(ed) up would be the right place for me,” Matheus said. “I worked hard throughout high school, and I trusted that my efforts would pay off.”

Senior Edition

May 2012

Page 7

Words from the wise

Past GBHS grads share their tips on how to survive college Dominic De Marco

BY SAHIL KHOSLA

Luke Keffer

skhosla.gazette@gmail.com

Luke Keffer just completed his first year at Boston College.

As a student athlete and pre-med candidate, Keffer is no stranger to academic hardship.

He was also a former cosaludatorian and has continued his path of academic excellence in college

Dominic De marco

Dominic De Marco recently finished his freshman year at University of Southern California where he received a merit scholarship and research grant to continue pursuing academic excellence.

He’s currently a pre-med candidate and was a former co-saludatorian alongside Keffer.

“Use the ‘9-5’ rule. Start studying by 9 a.m., don’t waste any time during the day, and study undistracted until 5 p.m.. Treat school like a job, and if you do, you will have a great deal of time to enjoy yourself after 5 p.m.,” De Marco said.

Blake Delaplane Blake Delaplane is now a sophomore at Rice University in Houston, Texas. He’s currently majoring in political science.

Whether it was playing intramural basketball and football or dabbling in campus club life, Delaplane always participated in school activities.

Gazette photo /KRISTIN TAYLOR

“Stay on top of academics. A bunch of people have the idea that college is fun and games and that you’re going to go out with your friends every night and party a lot.

(In college), you are solely responsible for your success or failure,” Keffer said.

Alex Pink Alex Pink just finished her first year at University of California at Los Angeles. She’s currently a political science major and plans to attend law school after college.

She’s loved every moment at UCLA and actively represents her school as a campus ambassador.

Blake Delaplane

“Make sure you let your heart lead you as you transition into the college experience. Students tend to overvalue their brain when in reality, the best college experiences are those that address our passions and work to forge meaningful friendships that will last a lifetime,” Delaplane said.

Senior Ad

Natalie Rita Hassna

Alex pink

“I would tell incoming freshman that they should go into college with an open mind, because if you set your expectations too high, you may be left disappointed. The more open you are, you’ll allow yourself to explore many opportunities and meet more people,” Pink said.

This has been such a wonderful journey to watch you grow and blossom into such an incredible person. You never cease to amaze us with your self-determination and competitive spirit to do whatever it takes to succeed. Your nurturing, caring spirit and strength to protect your loved ones has never wavered.

Now the time has come to enjoy and experience some of the dreams awaiting you. Congratulations on your graduation from high school. We love you.

Mommy, Daddy, Jewels & Alex

May 2012

Page 8 & 9

Senior Edition

Most likely to catch Pikachu

Best school spirit

Hunter Christian

ShinEui Park

Everyone had a crush on...

Kelly Deck and Spencer Briare

Most likely to have a kid on Toddlers and Tiaras

Most likely to be enrolled at Hogwarts

Kelsey Knorp

Best Eyes: Female

Callie Reineke

Andrea Barrett

Best Eyes: Male

Jordan Long

Next president of the U.S.

Wes Finkemeier Gazette illustrations/JESSICA REESE Gazette photos /RACHAEL VASQUEZ

Senior Edition

Page 10

Most likely to uncover the next Watergate scandal

Shannon Carroll Most likely to be the next Oprah

Hailey Israel

May 2012

Most likely to write the next great American novel

Jessica Reese Most likely to be the next Steve Jobs

Vincent Cataldo

Senior Edition

May 2012

Next winner of The Voice

Kylee Moran High school sweethearts

Carina Musolino and Cole Chapman

Page 11

Partners in crime

Taylor Ito and Ian Fitzgerald Best smile

Paige Snell and Chris Mangiola

Senior Edition

Page 12

Most likely to paint the next Mona Lisa

Kellie Slingerland Best athletes

Ty Thompson and Sophie Weber

May 2012

Most likely to set the curve

Gabby Cho Biggest teacher’s pet

Rebecca Schmidt

Senior Edition

May 2012

Most likely to throw a chair at Rachel Maddow

Jake Samson Most likely to cure cancer

Moosa Zaidi

Page 13

Most likely to throw a chair at Rush Limbaugh

Kara Ekiss Most likely to get lost in a room with one exit

Natalie Hassna

Senior Edition

Page 14

May 2012

Where are they headed?

California Private Schools Art Institute of California Ryan Yrigollen Azusa Pacific Hannah Bailey Kendell Blunden Katie Bostedt Kyle Janes

California College of the Arts Molly Petersen Chapman University Kylee Moran Ashley Sweeting Dominican University Julia Haff Ex’pressions College Weston Bahr FIDM Marissa Reyes Mackenzie Williams Loyola Marymount University Taylor Ito ShinEui Park Pepperdine University Mia Henricks Melissa Miller Santa Clara University Sydney Lorek Rachael Vasquez Simpson University Chasteena Determan St. Mary’s College of California Benjamin Craig Katherin Wilmarth Stanford University Tyler Thompson Haroon Zaidi Moosa Zaidi University of San Diego Aurora Gaumer University of San Francisco Emily Harris Jibran Khan Henry Montgomery University of

Southern California Sahil Khosla Bradford Smith University of the Pacific Guillermo Ibal Andrew Murch William Jessup University Nathan Hill Avery Hutchinson Olivia Wilson University of California UC Berkeley Spencer Briare Shannon Carroll Gabrielle Cho Ishaan Gupta Will Harkin Brendan Keeney UC Davis Koki Arai Erica Berry Thomas Cartwright Aimal Gul Kamieko Kayoshi Danish Khan Rachel Levin Jacob Neptune Lisa Orchard Samantha Spargo UC Irvine Maria Babenkova Catherine Bersinger Mehdi Razouane UC Merced Rebecca Massil UC San Diego Amrit Narwan UC Santa Barbara Nicole Dodd Kelly Greco Dylan Hartridge Karolina Kecki Jake Keester Kelsey Knorp Brianna Matheus Andrew Neiman Jason Sandretti Austin Vincenzini UC Santa Cruz Kara Ekiss Christine Oules Rachel Pae Allison Sharp UCLA Sara Beil Hailey Israel

Dorien Johnk Natalie Kreeger Michaela Monaghan Kyle Pawlak California State Universities Cal Maritime Joseph Mugno Cal Poly-Pomona Nicole Carter Cal Poly-SLO Bryan Berry Calvin Born Ryan Daley Clayton Dolan Wesley Finkemeier Megan Fox Katie Gezi Joseph Gillum Trevor Gronner Matthew Haag Jack Hanly Jerald Hansen Bradley Harris Haley Harris Samuel Holzer Taylor Honnette Will Lewis Annie Liu Chris Mangiola George McKinney Sydney Mendenhall Brady Nations Brian Pocock Connor Riggan Michaela Ryder Emily Santor Shane Saylor Rebecca Schmidt Kevin Staniszewski Hannah Watkins Cal State Chico Matthew Austin Michael Austin Dean Cable Meghan Cole Kelley Deck Emily Engwer Drew Fisher Mathew Fukuhara Connor Guzman Laken Haessler Jessica Harter Riley Mac Millan Christie Mann Monica Mihailovic Corrine Rhodes Mara Sackman Jonathan Schiefferle Aaron Suthers Courtney Thibideau Dominic Trovato Erin Wylder Cal State Fullerton

Natalie Hassna Cal State Humboldt Cole Chapman Julian Scribner Hunter Smith Cal State Long Beach Brittany Bryars Taylor Fong Cal State Sacramento Ashley Barron Kristen Bryant Frances De La Cruz Alex Gibbs Garrett Marion Gregory Marks Jenna Mirecki Michael O’Dell Adam Rodriguez Jessica Rowett Shelby Stevenson Timothouse Yassa Alex Zurmuhle Cal State San Diego Jori Bachman Michael Bertolino Oliver Brusca Kassandra Donnels Aaron Heppell Willow McConnen Cal State San Francisco Jacob Ball Alex Kimble Jessica Knedel Jessica Kvaterchuk Jordan Maggio Alex Reyes Dominic Rubino Sara Tabaie Jordan Thomspon Tyler Vilfer Cal State San Jose Stevan George Brendan Hart Marielle Tadio Kevin Thomte Cal State San Marcos Ashlin Crawley Nicholas West Cal State Sonoma Taylor Brown Taralyn Kolster Connor Scott Community College American River College

Jordan Blake Samantha Huskey Nima Miraliakbar Austin Paulhus Juliana Rowe Matthew Williams Butte College Zachary Carroll Alexander Leon Daniel Sutherland Cabrillo College Joshua Dupzyk Alexa White Tyler White Nicholas DaSilva Consumnes River College Joseph Brilington Cuesta College John Hughes Nicole Kraft Carina Musolino De Anza College Vincent Cataldo Epic Bible College Nathan Toplean Folsom Lake College Easton Davidson Ashely Earon Janel Gagnier Kayla Goodrich Jordan Heath Joanne Perez Izabelle Woods Lake Tahoe College Connor O’Guinn Marymount College Jessica Douglass Mesa College Samantha Huhtala Portland College

Noah Hollomon Sacramento City College Nayab Sultan San Francisco City College Justin Bradley Santa Barbara City College Blake Mullany Sierra College Geavona Acosta Christian Adams Alexis Andres Ruan Atkins Nicholas Badal Julia Baddawi Lauren Baldwin Ian Baumbach Justan Beach Robert Bell Nicholas Bermudez Cody Boring Natasha Bozzo Spencer Broden Jordan Brown Natalie Bunnay Zane Burnett Calvin Cartano Kaytlynn Casey Chad Cassidy David Cromer Gustavo Cruz Sydney Davidson Emily Day Jack De Yager Sarah Diaz Garret Diodati Jacob Erickson Steven Fender Ian Fitzgerald

Riley Flood Andreya Frankhuizen Kyle Fujisaki Brady Gannon Lamonte Gilmore Jared Glasser Hailey Goulart Wade Graves Brandon Greisen Kevin Haskell Randy Helsel Ashely Hines Zachary Hubbard Delaney Humphrey Yelena Istratiy Jordan Jacobs Brook Johnson Carson Johnson Nicholas Jones Jacqueline Joseph Daytona Juarez Thomas Korreng Alexander Lambert Ellen Landon Nicholas LeBeau Megan Lent Parker Leskody Ryan Logan Jordan Long April Lujan Alexander Machedo Victoria Masoe Brandon Mauldin Megan McFarland Danielle Menard Diana Miller Madison Miller-Peake Johnathan Milligan Emily Miracle Ryan Mollahan Allen Murray Zachary Nichols Michael Novaresi

Senior Edition

May 2012

Page 15

Alexander Naki University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign Benjamin Chan Blake Noxon Natalie Ohanian Julia Olea Jarred Oliveira Darri Orrason Olivia Owens Tore Parker Andrew Pascua Netanya Paval Cameron Poindexter Hayley Porter Jason Prechtl Rehan Raiyyani Casey Ransdell Callie Reineke Alia Rodriguez Brianna Rowland Jacob Samson Xavier Sanchez Megan Sears Michael Simonian Katelyn Sippel Halley Solomon Jessica Stewart Andrew Stocker Andrew Streater Nancy Tarantino Perry Thompson Izabella Tran Cameron Tucker Eric Urmanita Hanna Van Noland Sharon Vaupen Wesley Velasquez Dakota Viviano Thomas Von Knebel Jared Walbert Caleb Wanner Danielle Ward Richard Warren Christopher Webber Michelle Wellhouse Daren Wheeler Brian White Aaron Williams Chad Williams Jessica Willis Rachelle Willis Lindsay Wommack Alana York Other Air Force Nicholas Lavaring Jacob Leal

University of Iowa Jennie Korb University of Kansas Kendall Blakeman Autrin Naderi Elizabeth Porter

Beauty School Samantha Smith Employment Devin Davis Mason Fong Brian Freeman Ian Lo Re Marines Alexander Barker Collin Black Troy Egan Navy Jessica Sheeketski Interning at U.S. Embassy Brigette Galarza Paul Mitchell Beauty School Monica Sieber Breanna Breyers Jacqueline Castillo Peace Corps Europe Kallie Ferguson St. George’s University - West Indies Arvind Reddy

BYUUtah Andrea Barrett Andrew Duncan Peter Ferguson BYU-Idaho Daniel Flinders Samantha Sebesta Chloe Shaw Sarah Shoemaker Austin Wade Centre College Danielle Graham Culinary Institute of America Kellie Slingerland Caurry College Carolyn Picetti Dartmouth College Hamza Abbasi Emerson College Colette Nakase Florida College Harrison Reagan

Paige Snell

University Ariahna Black Moody Bible Institute Mitchell Cooper Seattle Pacific University Ally Pexa Tufts University Madeline Ochi University of Chicago Anna Goddi University of Denver Kenzie Gainer Ashley Taylor University of Pennsylvania Alexander Nacht

Boise State University Kyle Cady Jodie Higgins Colorado School of Mines Chelsae Cameron Colorado State University Miles Black Idaho State University Wiekus Dreyer Montana State University Benjamin Prager Naval Academy Prep School James Yang Northern Arizona University Clay Donalson Meghan Payne

Harvard College Jessica Reese

University of Puget Sound Page Kastner

Oregon State University Gavin Andrews Amy Schlehofer

Private Out-ofState

High Point University Logan Sutton

Valparaiso University Christopher Biermann

Peru State College Lindsey Nelson

Alderson-Broaddus College Travis Vincenzini

Lewis and Clark College Olivia Cornell

Willamette University Hannah Miller

American University Alexander Niu

Louisiana State University Sophie Webber

Thrive Leadership School Lauren Batz

Bryant University Max Vogt

Loyola Chicago

Portland State University Kelsey Knutzon

Montana State University Andrew Beiler

Christy Cooper U.S. Military Academy West Point Cody Giddings University of Alabama Colby Moeller Colton Warburton University of Arizona Nicole Barron Arik Bird Reilly Burns Johnathan Chang Gaebler Scott Torrey Headley John Kimble James Malamatenios Shawn Munkdale Haley Ribota Laura Rogers Nicole Schnuelle Connor Soares Andrew Stabbert Kristen Stoberlein Colton Sviba Adam Wagner University of Cincinnati Kayla Karlsson

Public Out-ofState

SUNY University at Albany Alyssa Clark

University of Colorado at Boulder Chad Alvarez Tyler Cannon Michael Niehaus Jolie Rogers

Arizona State University

U.S. Air Force Academy

University of Hawaii at Manoa

University of Minnesota: Duluth Joshua Banister University of Missouri: Columbia Danielle Dieterich University of Nevada, Reno Christopher Beck Andrew Bone Danielle McFarland Ian Mook Stephanie Nagel Padderson O’Neill Sarah Petersen Stephen Smith Lauren Treleaven University of North Dakota Kyle Koukol Kevin Ledwith University of Oregon Alexandria Harris Michaela Mayhew Katie O’Brien University of Tennessee Kiley Clark University of Tennessee: Knoxville Kaitlyn Dotson University of Washington Rachel Friedman University of Wisconsin-Madison Elena Rabishaw

SOURCE: GBHS COLLEGE AND CAREER CENTER