The Granite Bay Gazette

Heart’s Landing

The Pros of GoPros G8-9

Boys’ soccer at it again B1

Welcome to the new age of photography

C1

Community center lands a spot in your heart

A kickoff to the 2014 season

The Granite Bay Gazette GRANITE BAY HIGH SCHOOL w 1 GRIZZLY WAY w GRANITE BAY, CA w 95746 w VOLUME 19 w ISSUE 1 w FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

Commentary

tamren johnk tjohnk.gazette@gmail.com

A gift of perspective

N

ever have I thought that one tiny piece of origami could cause a watershed moment in my life.

Now it is amazingly beautiful, don’t get me wrong, but that’s not why it’s so significant to me. What makes it so special is the person who made it for me – a little boy named Zack.

This past summer, I was able to participate in a high school volunteer program at Shriners Hospital for Children. I was selected for a position in the Therapeutic Recreational Department’s Child Life Center where I worked hands-on with the young patients staying in the hospital, seeking treatment dealing with orthopedic conditions, spinal cord injuries and burns.

My job was to interact and play with the children – to help them have fun and be kids, rather than patients.

While all the kids were special, Zack was one who stole my heart. I had spent time with him several afternoons at the center, and he always lit up when he saw me.

I would talk with him, play games or do artwork. One day, he told me that he loved to make origami in his hospital room because it made him feel better and made him happy.

He was bandaged on his face, arms and legs, and the nurses told me he was a severe burn victim, but he never talked to me about it.

The next week when I came into work, Zack was there waiting for me. He announced with a grin that he was finally headed home and then held out his hand to me. On it was the intricate origami bird that he had made for me.

When I began working with the children at Shriners, I knew immediately that they were all incredible.

I did not, though, fully comprehend the magnitude of the impact that these kids would have on me.

They were all so beautiful and optimistic in the face of such pain and hardship. They never once complained. Instead, I was always greeted with bright smiles and laughter.

They all made the most out of the few hours of the day they came to the center to play and be free from all their medical procedures. Above all, they were totally accepting of each others’ maladies.

Going into my senior year, these kids have given me a new perspective on life. I know that sounds a little cliche, but it’s true.

While some people my age live carefree and reckless, I am quite the opposite – and I know there are many like me. I worry too much.

But in the grand scheme of everything, these are all just little things that shouldn’t at all define who I am.

My generation often wants more and more and forgets to appreciate the things we already have. We forget to smile when we are stressed.

We forget to laugh when we are having a bad day. We just forget – I just forget.

I now yearn to worry less about the little things, rather than obsess over the time that I don’t have. I am reminded that behind someone’s appearance and first impression is a story that is often worth learning from. And in times of stress or anxiousness, I want to look at the optimistic side of things.

Zack and my Shriners kids have created a defining moment in my life. They have changed my mindset in a more positive way, and I now know that I want to impact kids’ lives as they have mine. How this exactly will play out in my future, I’m not totally sure yet – and I’m not going to worry about figuring it out immediately, either.

Never did I think that a little origami bird would cause a significant turning point in my life.

But, thankfully, it did.

*** Tamren Johnk, a senior, is a Gazette co-editor-in-chief.

A

tribute to the day that changed America Creative Commons photo / Chris schiffner / http://www.schiffner.com/911-a-tribute-in-light-royalty-free-stock-photos/

A Tribute in Light shows a memorial to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, NY and signifies the lives that were lost and the tragic day 13 years ago. The two lights represent the absent Twin Towers that took thousands of American lives.

Remembering – and not remembering – the tragedy that was Sept. 11, 2001

BY STEVEN GERISCH sgerisch.gazette@gmail.com

D

o you remember where you were on the infamous day Sept. 11, 2001? For some of us, the memories of the towers falling to the ground still haunt our thoughts and prayers to this very day.

However as the years pass by, the personal memories Granite Bay High School students have of the horrific tragedy are fading away.

Seniors were 3 or 4 years old on that day 13 years ago. Freshmen were still infants, or 1-year-olds.

Senior Michael Grace said his first memory of Sept. 11, 2001 was seeing an actual piece of the World Trade center at the state fair in 2002. But he has no recollection of any media coverage or anything else from the actual

day. As the younger and younger students have continued to move into high school, their memories are becoming hazier and hazier.

For this year’s crop of incoming freshmen, that statement has never been more true. Since they were born so close the date of the tragic event, many have no recollection of it at all.

Some of us on the GBHS campus, however, aren’t so lucky.

AP and IB U.S. History teacher Brandon Dell’Orto can recall it all very vividly. He first remembers hearing of the tragedy while listening to National Public Radio on his drive to school that morning.

“We turned on the TV because they had CNN running on all the TVs back then …and that’s when the second tower was hit,” Dell’Orto said.

He recalls then principal (and current

Roseville Joint Union High School District superintendent) Ron Severson telling teachers to just try and get the students through the day while Dell’Orto and other teachers also had to try to remain calm themselves.

Commotion was everywhere.

Whether at the epicenter of the attack in New York City or on the other side of the country in the suburban Sacramento area, the reverberations not only shocked the entire country, but the entire world.

Dale Mortensen, a world history and military history teacher at GBHS, also keenly remembers the tragic day. He recalled how he and his students were awestruck – their eyes were glued to the TV watching the events unfold.

“We didn’t know what was going to happen next,” Mortensen said. “My students didn’t know what was going to happen next. I didn’t know what was going to happen next…it was just one horrible event after another.”

For one day, people reassessed their lives

and what was important to them. They just wanted to go home and be with their loved ones, Mortensen said, and that was the only thing that mattered to them.

Freshman Sydney Mendoza said the event is still a scary subject to even bring up.

Dell’Orto said one of the main reasons why emotions about the event are so vastly different for seniors who are just three years older than freshmen is simple.

“We lived through it,” Dell’Orto said.

Unlike the freshmen, Dell’Orto said, those who actually live through great tragedies – even if their memories are a bit hazy because they, too, were quite young – have a very a different view of the matter.

People who experience tragic event, Dell’Orto said, tend to become more emotionally attached to the whole scenario, and they also tend to reminisce about it in many diverse ways.

See 9/11, page A7

Mr. Grizzly cancelled The return of the Cooper Era varsity football due to sexism issues Head coach Ernie Cooper

New principal changes GBHS tradition

BY TAMREN JOHNK tjohnk.gazette@gmail.com

After many years of shirtless boys, comedic personalities and unique talents, a show that many students at Granite Bay High School – especially seniors – looked forward to has come to an end.

The over-the-top dance routines, the horrible yet hilarious singing acts and screaming girls in the audience have all been silenced by a decision by the Granite Bay High School administration.

Mr. Grizzly was a competition between senior boys to see who would be crowned with the title of “Mr. Grizzly.” The event was a major hit, causing it to be one of the more popular activities at GBHS. The money raised by ticket sales to this event last year was donated to Agape International Missions, a Christian non-profit organization that fights against sex trafficking in Cambodia.

Senior Molly Graves was one of many who were excited to go to Mr. Grizzly this year because of her previous years’ experience.

“I thought it was a really cool opportunity to see our guys do something funny and special and

show off their all-around qualities, and it was a great way to raise money for a good cause,” Graves said.

So why cancel it?

With changes in the administration came different viewpoints and opinions about the event. As well, a similar event at Oakmont was cancelled, which could have potentially paved the way for the decision at GBHS. New principal, Jennifer Leighton, along with her four assistant principals – Mike Fischer, Sybil Healy, Brian McNulty and Dave Vujovich – as well as teacher Liz McCuen, who organized the event, were the main people who made the decision.

Positive opinions about Mr. Grizzly were not universal. In fact, the moment she stepped foot on the campus last spring, Leighton said she received several complaints from other teachers saying that this event was disgusting and in very poor taste.

Based on these comments along with a viewing of the DVD of last year’s show, the commercial produced to publicize it and the See MR. GRIZZLY, page A7

inside the Gazette news

returns after a year off

BY MAGGIE BELL mbell.gazette@gmail.com

State championships are few and far between and as a coach, most people would take the following season as somewhat of a victory lap.

This was not the case for Granite Bay High School’s varsity football coach, Ernie Cooper.

Following the successful ring bearing season in 2012, Cooper made the decision to step down from his post as head coach in order to take a year away from the game.

Cooper, who has been a coach for more than 30 years and hadn’t had a

Gazette photo/HARRISON TUCKER

Cooper and the Grizzlies practice for the 2014 football season. fall season away from football since his freshman year of high school, decided that a year off was just what he needed.

“I had wanted to take a year off for a couple of years, but you get a new

group of guys in and you don’t want to let them down, and they expect you to be the coach, Cooper said.

However after the championship

into the school, there would be a lot of traffic,” Khalili said. “Especially because all (the) younger kids would be so scared of being late or getting lost, they’d all want to get to school early.”

But one thing Khalili was surprised by was the school employee who stood directly opposite the entrance to the parking lot.

One of the many changes that the school administration has implemented this year involves the stationing of a school employee

outside the gate of the back parking lot before and after school.

The main reason for doing this is to prevent students from parking in the parking spaces meant for employees.

“It’s supposed to be staff-only past that front gate, about 100 feet from the street,” new assistant principal Mike Fischer said.

“It’s clearly posted on the fence there. But if somebody isn’t there

Administration upgrades campus patrols School begins monitoring traffic

BY NEHA KOMPELLA nkompella.gazette@gmail.com

When junior Rawan Khalili drove into the Granite Bay High School parking lot on the first day of school this year, she was not surprised at the enormous amount of traffic that had been blocking her way.

“I expected that because there were so many freshmen that were coming

Dangers of synthetic drugs

Teacher gives up GSA club role

Roseville native dies from Spice, a marijuana-like drug

Cunningham resigns as adviser of Gay Straight Alliance club

A2

See COOPER, page A8

A3

voices

See TRAFFIC, page A8

E-books vs. traditional texts Is it best to modernize the classroom or keep it old school?

A10

News

A2

Granite Bay Gazette

Friday w September 12, 2014

NAMES IN THE NEWS

jenna mccarthy jmccarthy.gazette@gmail.com

GBHS senior obtains three AA degrees at ARC

W

hile the rest of the GBHS population was binge-watching Netflix over the summer, GBHS senior Maadhav Shah received three associate degrees from American River College. Shah has been attending ARC since he was 10 years old, working to obtain degrees in social science, physical science and math. Shah is also quite accomplished in chugging orange juice. Way to go. *** Five weeks of school down, only 35 to go! Brace yourselves for some fun times. *** Senior Sona Jeswani took a trek to the country music capital of the world, Nashville, Tenn. last June to compete in the Future Business Leaders of America’s national competition.

Although Jeswani did not place, she was the only member of the GBHS FBLA chapter to qualify for the national competition.

Yee-haw. *** The GBHS chapter of the National Honor Society is holding a movie night in the quad on Thursday, Sept. 25. The movie will be Mean Girls. “You go, Glen Coco!”. *** Teacher Lisa Goldsmith has safely arrived in the Granite Bay “bubble” teaching physiology, biology and A.P. Biology, in place of Shane Dixon, who left the school. Welcome to the … family. *** While the class of 2014 was receiving its diplomas, A.P. Language and Composition teacher Bonnie Ireland, now Bonnie Robbins, was binding herself in holy matrimony. Good luck! *** Make way for the “Bard”!

Theatre At Granite Bay has announced its fall play: The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), a comedic and shortened version of some of Shakespeare’s classics. *** Melora Klusnick, GBHS Administrative Assistant/Counselor, left on Sept. 5 for Horizon Charter School to become a High School Guidance Counselor. She will be missed. We wish her the best of luck in her new position. *** Mr. Grizzly was cancelled by new principal Jennifer Leighton. Finally some moral reason in this school! *** Coalition for Placer Youth is hosting a Free Medication Takeback Day at GBHS on Saturday, Sept. 27 where unused, unwanted medication can be dropped off anonymously. More information can be found at www. coalitionforplaceryouth.org. ***

Jenna McCarthy, a senior, 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 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

The illusion of spice

Link Crew becomes a yearlong program connecting freshmen and upperclassmen

Death of teen sparks awareness about synthetic drug

Photo illustration /jenna mccarthy

Artificial marijuana, known as K2 or spice, which recently killed Roseville native Connor Eckhardt, has proved to be an extremely dangerous drug

BY AMANDA NIST anist.gazette@gmail.com

Connor Eckhardt was 19 years old when he smoked K2, an artificial form of marijuana also known as spice, fell asleep and never woke up again. After supposedly only taking one hit, he slipped into a coma and was pronounced brain dead quickly after.

Though they declined to be interviewed, his family was devastated, and has been doing other interviews to spread awareness about how dangerous synthetic drugs are.

“I’ve heard that (spice) is a synthetic weed-type drug, and if you smoke it, it kills you,” said a senior boy who asked to remain anonymous.

Though many pharmacists say that smoking spice is a “safe” alternative to smoking marijuana, spice actually contains several different herbs, and man-made chemicals.

“The health risks of using synthetic

cannabis are huge,” health teacher Kathie marijuana, but she said that it is safer than Sinor said. “There is this misconception the apparent alternative. What she did want out there that since the name to focus on, however, was why teenagers contains ‘cannabis’, do drugs. the substance is just “My concern like pot, but … nothing mostly is what a could be further from person’s drug use is the truth – the effects specifically for, and Anything that risks are quite different than what they want to get addiction, or could that of the ‘high’ from out of it or why they weed.” feel the need to do seriously damage my Despite the fact that it – what’s going on health, I wouldn’t do. spice is considered to in their life,” Ser– Anonymous junior boy be safer for people than rano said. “I think marijuana, it seems to as adults, we tend be the opposite. to forget about that, “People don’t die and mostly focus on from marijuana,” said the fact that kids are the school nurse Jenny Serrano. “They getting high.” may make stupid choices, but it’s not going Though some students do smoke marijuato hurt them the way that synthetic drugs na, most have specific reasons for smoking. will, because you just don’t know what’s in “Anything that risks addiction, or could there.” seriously damage my health, I wouldn’t Serrano does not condone the use of do,” said a junior boy who asked to remain

New process for changing courses After-school session traded for online submission

BY JENNA MCCARTHY

jmccarthy.gazette@gmail.com

Waiting, waiting, waiting. Hundreds of people, crammed into the Granite Bay High School theater, waiting. Waiting for something that might not occur.

Their reason? They want to change their class schedule.

For the past few years, the formal process for making a schedule change has taken place in the GBHS theater. Students, and parents if they wish, could blaze a path to the not-so-ventilated theater after a grueling first day back at school to make a course change.

Hundreds of students and parents would gather together in hopes of finding an opening in that dream class. Biology? U.S. history? Dance?

In past years, each student received a

number, and the process began by starting with a random student’s number. In other years, a random letter of the alphabet was picked, and the process started with people whose last name began with that letter.

Waiting, waiting, waiting. Homework to be done. Friends to be seen.

The fate of each student resting in the hope that someone doesn’t take their spot in an open class.

However, this year, for the first time in GBHS history, this process moved to an online format.

New assistant principal Mike Fischer catalyzed this major shift with the schedule change process.

“Mike Fischer is a lot more technologically savvy than a lot of us here,” said GBHS counselor Paul Stordahl, “He ... came up with the idea, ‘Why don’t we just do it online?’”

When meeting with the administration about the impending schedule change session, Fischer realized that the long, drawn-out process in the theater might be unnecessary.

“Anytime in the 21st century you have … what I call (an) ‘arena process’ with long lines of people and lots of waiting, it just screams out to me that maybe we ought to look at another option,” Fischer said.

“There’s no perfect option - everything has its pros and cons, but it clearly looked like a process that could, maybe... be done online.”

For Fischer, there were two main reasons for converting the theater session to an electronic one.

The first, he said, was to eliminate the “very labor-intensive, time-consuming” after-school process and establish a more effective one that produces the same result.

anonymous. “I have anxiety, so I smoke (weed) recreationally, occasionally, but mostly medicinally, and I’ve done my research and looked a lot up. I feel like I use it maturely, I keep my grades up and I don’t let it command or rule my life.”

Another junior boy who admittedly has smoked marijuana says he would never try spice because the ingredients are unknown.

He also said he thinks spice should be illegal because there are deaths associated with it.

Addionally, Sinor affirmed the illusion that spice is safe because it’s a legal substance.

“I feel that teens may choose to smoke spice because of the perception (that) is it is safe and just like weed,” Sinor said.

“Also, teens smoke spice because they can go down to a smoke shop and purchase it legally. No one has died from smoking weed. Yet, people have died from using spice. There is a huge loophole in the legal system.”

Mike Fischer New assistant principal initiates electronic session to change schedules.

Fischer’s second reason was inherently critical to the course-change process as a whole because it impacted the outcome of each student’s schedule.

“In that old process, people were leaving one class and trying to add an open class, but the classes from which they were leaving were never put back into the open list,” Fischer said. “So, you could have a whole bunch of people leaving from one class …(but) it was never put back in the open list so we could fill it back up.”

See SCHEDULE, page A7

Administration revises security policies

Major changes in progress for campus safety

BY AKASH KHOSLA

akhosla.gazette@gmail.com

Ever since the bomb threats and unwanted intruders during the 2013-14 school year, Granite Bay High School has constantly been under stricter security review.

Last year, the school made integral changes in campus security.

The recent implementation of Videx cyber keys is one of the changes to prevent keys from being stolen and duplicated. Moreover, the ability to pick locks or use special keys is gone with the addition of the cyber keys, but cyber keys are only installed on certain doors which are more vulnerable to intruders. Before the upgrade, possession of a grandmaster key in the wrong hands could mean serious implications for the high school.

“That was an area for security, because the (old) keys were able to be remade. If someone lost their key, someone could replicate it,” said David Vujovich, GBHS

assistant principal. “If someone got a grandmaster, it could be 15-20 thousand dollars to rekey the entire school.”

Also, security cameras surveilling the main parking lot were implemented to counter any student or visitor after school hours who was involved in vandalism and soliciting in the parking lot. Suspicious activities such as performing donuts in the parking area was a concern for the school.

However, the cameras were no longer present at the start of the 2014-2015 school year.

“When they brought in the box with the tower and cameras, that was a temporary solution,” Vujovich said. “The cameras weren’t doing what we were paying for them to do. We wanted to catch these guys.”

After the bomb threat last year, rumors spread about cameras being implemented to catch the danger before it happens. The principle of having cameras at GBHS has been brought up during district meetings.

“I believe Antelope has cameras in their quad,” Vujovich said. “The district initially

said no cameras (for GBHS) but then said yes, so now it’s a matter of money.

It’s a whole IT extravaganza to get it going and also a lot of money.”

Some have expressed that Gazette photo /NEHA KOMPELLA the need for  Safety precautions such as locking all gates are being integrated. cameras is not necessary since tance, the current priority has been to seal off the delinquency level at GBHS is very low. the school perimeter from intruders during “If it costs anything significant, I think school hours. One of the latest additions to it’s a waste of money unless if they’re securing the perimeter was consistently closgoing to get financial return, especially ing Feist park during school hours. in this day in age,” said Jarrod Westberg, “It was recommended last year by a couple Advanced Placement Government teacher. of different outside agencies including local “I just don’t see what the safety problem is law enforcement saying that we need to … you’re not going to catch a bomb threat have locked perimeter gates,” said assistant with a video camera … we don’t have a lot principal David Vujovich. of hidden places on campus.”

While cameras are still of great impor See SECURITY, page A7

Friday, September 12, 2014

News

w The Granite Bay Gazette

A3

New Staff Quiz -Compiled by Amanda Prather

Jennifer Leighton

Goldsmith held at prior school

BY AMANDA PRATHER

aprather.gazette@gmail.com

There are new teachers almost every year at Granite Bay High School, but this year there are a few special ones. Lisa Goldsmith, the new Advanced Placement Biology, biology, and physiology teacher has just arrived at GBHS after being held at Inderkum High for the first two weeks of school.

Awaiting a replacement for Shane Dixon, the previous AP bio teacher, GBHS realized that Goldsmith was not allowed to leave Inderkum. At Inderkum, officials were unable to find a replacement for Goldsmith and would not allow her to leave.

This caused controversy and chaos here at GBHS. Andrew Phillips, biology and IB Physics teacher at GBHS said that the situation was manageable.

“It’s always a challenge having to support other teachers when

they’re not here, especially when you’re bringing in people that aren’t familiar with the classes that are being taught or how we teach them,” Phillips said. “It puts a little extra strain on each individual teacher.”

But Phillips said he believes that, as a department, teachers always help each other out. He said that it went smoothly and everyone was able to split the tasks and accomplish them. He said it required communication about the classes and materials, but was not a problem.

Junior Brigid Bell, one of Goldsmith’s students, said having a substitute teacher for two weeks was challenging.

“The first week we had (Debbie) Noyse, who was great. Then we had (Mark) Samuelson who didn’t really know the material so it was hard.” Bell said. “It would have been nice to have Mrs.Goldsmith,

Love it. Staff is dedicated, teachers work hard, and support staff isgreat. It’s a job that comes with some unpleasant situations sometimes, (but) the positives far outweigh the negatives.

I really like it. It’s really fun, and all the kids have been great, so it’s been ... exciting. I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.

I went to college for my undergrad at Azusa Pacific and did my teaching credential at Sacramento State.

I love it. I’m very excited to be back.

Where did you go to college and what was your degree?

I went to a little college called Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington and got an English major and a music minor.

I went to American River College for two years and Cal Poly to get my engineering degree and teaching credential, and then I went to UC Davis for my MBA.

What do you do when you aren’t teaching?

I love to kayak and ... bike ride. I love spending time with my kids ... I love to sing and read, but I don’t really have much free time.

I play soccer, ski, play tennis, and do a lot of swimming with my two girls, nine years old and four years old.

What are your goals for the year?

My goals are to get to know everyone, students, teachers and parents ... and to be able to build relationships so we can continue to be the best school ever.

My goals are just to establish myself as a strong part of the admin team to make ourselves solid, responsive, and working towards making the school as good as it (can) possibly be.

Gazette photo /JENNA MCCARTHY

but she had other obligations.”

Since Goldsmith has arrived, Bell said she has enjoyed the class.

Bell said Goldsmith reminded her of Mulan, and that she is funny, animated, engaging, and knows the material.

But having two weeks of no formal instruction had its challenges.

According to Bell, they had a large amount of homework when Goldsmith finally arrived to replace the substitutes.

Goldsmith said she is enjoying her time at GBHS so far.

She said her main goal for this year is to build relationships with teachers and students. She would really like to get to know the campus this year.

This is only her third year of teaching but she has a passion for it. She said she is excited to finally be at GBHS and is looking forward to her time here.

Goldsmith said in an email, “The spirit here is refreshing and the supportive staff make it feel like I’ve been here for years.”

Bonilla Leary

How are you liking Granite Bay High so far? Teacher Lisa Goldsmith poses with a microsope in her new biology laboratory at GBHS.

AP bio teacher arrives

Mike Fischer

I watch TV, play with my dogs and go out with my husband.

I want to be a good teacher and I want all the kids to learn Spanish. I also want to learn more about Granite Bay High and the activities you do.

Long-time GSA adviser passes his title on to the next generation

New club leaders hope to revamp the Alliance

BY TREASA MAIREAD HAYES thayes.gazette@gmail.com

On Friday, Aug. 22, new Granite Bay High School principal Jennifer Leighton sent out a mass email to the GBHS faculty inviting them to pick up a Gazette illustration/TROY PAWLAK

A peace sign serves as the Alliance’s logo.

Chick-Fil-A sandwich from the cafeteria at Backto-School Night.

Chemistry teacher James Cunningham, however, was the first individual to click “reply all” to this email and politely decline a sandwich due to ChickFil-A’s discriminatory policies against the LGBT (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender) community.

Although Leighton’s e-mail was not meant to cause unrest, Cunningham’s response set off a domino effect of several other e-mails from teachers in agreement with his casual refusal.

Of the over 90 teachers at GBHS, approximately 25 proceeded to pick up a sandwich on Monday night’s event.

While Cunningham is no longer the Gay Straight Alliance adviser due to his intent to retire at the end of the year, his influence on the school is all the more evident.

As the 2014-15 school year picks up speed, CP Biology, CP Physics and IB Physics teacher Andrew Phillips and social psychology, IB History of the Americas and World Studies teacher Jillyan McKinney will become the new GSA advisers after Club Rush on Sept.

12.

Although McKinney has always been supportive of the GSA at GBHS, she is excited to be in its inner circle and advising the students however she

“GSA in San Francisco recommended that the can.

Having teachers and staff allied in the GSA also GSA should have three rules: support, social and allows students to share issues on campus that make advocacy,” Cunningham said. “Whatever road Mr. them uncomfortable knowing that those they con- Phillips and Mrs. McKinney want to go down, it’s up to them, but I think it’s going to be more of a sofide in can be trusted.

Both McKinney and Phillips agree, however, that cial and support group which is slightly different … but equally good and equally magnificent.” the club should be largely student-run.

The club consisted of around eight to 10 core “Social psychology…actually catapulted me into doing the GSA more and more...because I see that members last year, and veteran members are hoping that membership can increase there’s such an underlying sense even after committed seniors of ignorance and intolerance,” graduate and attendance fluctuMcKinney said. “When we found Social psychology ates throughout the year. out that Mr. Cunningham was “We hope to gain more members stepping down … I thought this ... actually catathan we had last year by making was a perfect time to … step up.” pulted me into doing it a safe environment, not solely As for Phillips, he is looking forthe GSA ... because focused on trying to change the ward to promoting an even more school,” Conway said. “Knowaccepting campus that can serve I see that there’s ing that we have a lot of backing as a beneficial environment for all such ... ignorance from teachers and other faculty students. also helps in the long run.”

“I think that the GSA (and) and intolerance.

Although last year’s members LGBT students are underrepreworked hard to establish themsented and definitely have a very – Jillyan McKinney, social selves and their views on campus, different experience than a lot of science teacher many students are unaware of the students at GBHS have,” Phillips club’s existence. said. “Seeing that inequality ...

A common misconception, ac(and) seeing them struggle or face cording to Phillips, is the idea additional challenges through bulthat a student must identify themlying and discrimination … makes me want to reach out and show them that there is selves with the LGBT community to be a part of extra support and help them self-actualize and en- the club.

“A lot of my students or students that I’ve talked to joy their high school experience.”

Under Cunningham, the GSA was mostly geared don’t know that there’s a GSA,” Phillips said. “The toward support, but this year will focus on “find- goal is to have everybody at the school at least be ing a balance between the advocacy and the social aware of it, but we would like everybody to come aspect that a GSA is supposed to bring to a school,” and participate. It’s supposed to be an inclusive club that’s about appreciating all ... people.” according to senior member TJ Conway.

NEWS BRIEFS

ASB UPDATE

GBHS publications nationally distinguished

ASB discusses its goals for the year The Gazette talked to senior Kristen Hilburn, ASB president, about this year’s culture theme.

After a year of hard work, the Granite Bay High yearbook team was rewarded with the honor of an All-American with Five Marks of Distinction rating.

The All-American rating is the highest honor given by the National Scholastic Press Association, but the yearbook’s work was further rewarded when every single staff member won an award of some sort.

“There were so many sleepless nights,” yearbook design editor Kristen Goldman said, “so (receiving that rating) was fantastic.”

Goldman said that the yearbook will continue to advance their publication over this year.

“We’re putting a lot of work into design,” Goldman said. “We’re going to Dallas … (to) work on layouts … to make them look professional.”

Gazette also honored The 2013-14 Granite Bay Gazette staff also came out ahead being named an All-American newspaper.

The Gazette, which has been an All-American in 14 of the 17 years of its existence, was inducted into the NSPA All-American Hall of Fame in 2009 and received 3,925 out of 4,400 points possible and earned five marks of distinction, the most possible.

Gazette: What is the ASB culture theme this year?

Hilburn: Our culture them is “It’s your year, make it your own.”

Gazette: How did you come up with this theme?

Hilburn: We came up with it on our retreat that we (did) over the summer. We thought a lot about what our school needs to work on, so we came up with “make it your own,” or try new things as the theme for this year.

Gazette Photo/JACQUELINE GORDON

–Compiled by Jacqueline Gordon GBHS yearbook room and journalism lab houses a wall of all past yearbooks as a tribute to their accomplishments.

Gazette: How do you hope the theme will impact the school?

Q A &

Hilburn: We hope it will impact the school by using it in our Ripple Effect week and just encouraging kids to try new things and take (advantage of) all the activities that we have here at Granite Bay. Gazette: Do you think most Gazette photo /Natalie Erickson people take advantage of the opportunities here? ASB president Kristen Hilburn Hilburn: I don’t. I think a lot of the time people shy away from opportunities, and that’s why we wanted to make our whole campaign about pushing others to try new things.

Gazette: What are some upcoming ASB events for September and October?

promotes the “Make It Your Own“ culture theme.

Hilburn: Some upcoming events are ... Ripple Effect Week, and then Homecoming starts shortly after that.

–Compiled by Natalie Erickson

A4 News

Friday, September 12, 2014

w The Granite Bay Gazette

AP European History student numbers soar 2013-14 GBHS AP RESULTS

Popularity of Advanced Placement classes increases

BY CAROLINE PALMER cpalmer.gazette@gmail.com

When Mike Valentine took over the AP European History program in 2004, it had only 49 students out of a class of 500. This year, the class of 2017 has more than half of its students taking AP Euro.

Statistically speaking, around 55 percent of sophomores are in the class this year. Out of the 500 or so students in the class, around 270 enrolled. Every year since the class was implemented at Granite Bay High School, an increasing number of students have joined.

This raises the question: Is AP becoming the new norm instead of regular history for 10th grade students?

“Well, in general AP has exploded across the country in the past 10 years and I think that that (this year’s AP Euro class) is a reflection of that,” Valentine said “I thought it (the class size) was going to stop growing at 180, then it went up and up and up.”

To accommodate the influx of students, the school has had to make a few changes.

Kathleen Angelone, World History and AP European teacher, was asked to take on another AP Euro class a few years ago, when it became apparent that there were too many students in each of Valentine’s classes. .

Sophomore Mia Kirton said the main reason she decided to enroll in the class was to raise her GPA.

“Its definitely challenging, but it makes me think more, which is good,” Kirton said. “I think in the end it will benefit me.”

Sophomore Megan Marty said her main reason for enrolling in the class was because the subject matter really interested her.

“I really wanted to challenge myself,” Marty said. “I’ve heard … it’s not something that you can coast through.”

Sometimes, however, the course can come as a bit of a shock to students.

“Some of my friends have switched out, (and) a lot say they want to” Kirton said Students have definitely taken an interest in the advantages of AP classes, but if they fail the class or decide to drop out, it won’t be to their benefit.

“Its a big jump from standard college prep curriculum, a lot of times it’s a shock effect and you have to make some adjustments,” counselor Paul Stordahl said. “Especially if you’re used to sailing through your classes historically from kindergarten all the way up to minth grade and all of a sudden you’re like ... this is a lot more work’.”

With each year comes a small number of students who find the class too difficult and wish they hadn’t taken it or try to drop out.

“With so many students taking it, not everybody is qualified to take See AP CLASSES, page B5

Gazette Photo/KAT MCGRAIL

This chart clearly depicts the number of students in all the Advanced Placement Courses offered at Granite Bay High School. The number of students has increased dramatically over the past few years.

GBHS teachers make use of internet homework programs

Students share opinions on the usefulness of online assignments

BY JACQUELINE ROMERO jromero.gazette@gmail.com

Gazette Photo/KAT MCGRAIL

Online Homework Programs allow students to complete assignments online, through programs like WebAssign and Quest

Many math and science classes this year have introduced a new online homework system for their students to use, hoping to conserve paper and make the assignments easy to access. Many of these new changes for students, however, have not necessarily been seen in a positive light.

Junior Sammi Tafoya was one of many students in Honors Physics and Honors Pre-Calculus who said they do not think that homework online is helping them be more successful. Unlike solving problems with pen and paper, this new system doesn’t allow for mistakes to be corrected after the answer has been put in.

“If you are off by a decimal point or a comma, the whole problem is wrong,” Tafoya said. “It also takes longer to enter in (answers) and I still use paper and pencil to solve (the problem).”

With the new system, teachers no longer have to take the time to make and grade homework assignments and labs, and many students said it is making the teacher’s job easier and the students’ jobs harder.

“Some programs, like Honors Pre-calculus, teaches you online, so my teacher doesn’t even have to teach us or grade any of our assignments” Tafoya said.

Other students said using the online systems is causing them to do their assignments for completion, rather than for learning and understanding.

“Most of the problems are multiple choice, so rather than spending time working out problems and getting the right answer, once I get it wrong I can just keep guessing until I get it right” Tafoya said. “So I don’t actually learn how to solve all the problems”.

Accidental answers also are proving to be a large problem where such online systems are concerned.

“It also just gets really frustrating because if I accidentally type in an answer wrong or click on the wrong answer by mistake, I start getting points off even though I got the right answer” Tafoya said.

Junior Clair Kasel, however, said that while this new technology can sometimes be frustrating, it also has it’s benefits in certain cases.

“I was absent one day from school and we did a lab in class,” Kasel said. “What was nice was rather than having to stay after school to do it, I could do it online with full explanations of what was happening.”

Sophomore Surina Khurana said that doing homework online is useful, but only to a certain extent. She said assignments are helpful in that they prepare students for upcoming tests and quizzes, but sometimes can hurt students in the gradebook.

“We receive negative markings when we don’t get a problem right or take too many tries to get it right,” Khurana said. “I don’t think it should be graded on right or wrong but whether or not you did it and got something out of it.”

The discontent among students has caused many classes to start petitions to go back to the classic pencil and paper way of homework. Honors PreCalculus is one of these classes.

“A group of us were frustrated with it and we started a petition and passed it around the class during the lesson,” Tafoya said. “There were only a few people who didn’t sign it so since it was the majority of the class we gave it to our teacher, but he said we still had to use it.”

Even though the motivation behind online

technology is that it will be helpful to students, many are having a difficult time adjusting to it, especially if they never used it in their past classes.

James Cunningham teaches regular and honors chemistry and has been having his students complete their homework online for three years using a program called Quest through the University of Texas. Other programs that teachers use are Math XL and WebAssign.

Coming from a teacher’s perspective, assigning homework using an online system can be extremely helpful. The assignments are specific to what the students are learning in class and the site gives the teachers instantaneous feedback on how their students are doing.

“I get overall class averages and average scores for each question,” Cunningham said.

This allows teachers to go back and specifically see what his students struggled with. They then can spend more time in class focusing on that topic.

Also, the system gives students an explanation of how to solve the problems rather than just giving them the answer.

“Once the deadline has passed, they can go back and look at an explanation for the problems they got wrong,” Cunningham said. “There is also no such thing as a lost homework. You can’t say your dog ate your homework because it’s all online.”

Finally, the online grading system allows teachers to check and see when each student has completed an assignment and how long it took them, giving them insight on the study habits of students.

Even though online homework might take some getting used to, many teachers feel that in the long run, it will be beneficial for students.

Administration continues to charge parking fee

Junior and senior students who want to park on the GBHS campus must cough up $20 for the privilege

BY OLIVIA HEPPELL oheppell.gazette@gmail.

The start of the new school year brings with it a parking lot filled with cars from which orange and white parking passes dangle.

Many juniors and seniors have already turned in the stacks of papers, as well as $20, in order to receive permission to park inside the front and back parking lots of Granite Bay High School.

While it’s easy to dismiss the $20 as a minor fee, it can seem like a colossal waste to students who are already paying for their own gas and insurance.

Not only is it an added cost to the already expensive maintenance of a car, but it is an additional price to the start of the school year.

“Students already have to pay all types of class fees at the beginning of the year,” senior Olivia Huss said. “They can be very pricey.”

Yearbook and school photos aren’t cheap, and it’s even worse for students graduating in 2015 who are dealing with senior portraits as well.

Even buying new supplies for the school year can be costly, adding to the reluctance many already feel to buying parking passes.

One of the reasons students at GBHS might have to pay for parking passes is because of the stereotype that all students at GBHS come from upper-middle-class families.

“Money can be tight for families no matter what area you live in,” Huss said..

However, there are financial aid options for students who are unable to purchase a pass.

“If there’s a student that can’t afford to pay, we give it to them for free or at a reduced cost,” said David Vujovich, one of four GBHS assistant principals. “We want our juniors and seniors parking on campus.”

Some juniors and seniors still choose to opt out of buying a parking pass altogether, and instead decide to park either along the street in front of GBHS along Wellington Way or at Ronald L. Feist Park, which is a considerable distance away.

“I would rather park at Feist (Park) for free,” junior Sierra Redfern said. “I also

don’t want to deal with the traffic in the parking lots.”

In addition to the long walk it takes to get to Feist Park, it isn’t an option for seniors who have fourth or first period off-campus.

The security that was just put into effect this school year includes locking the only fence, blocking the path to Feist Park. It is locked from the start of first period until the end of the school day, making it impossible for seniors with an off-campus period to arrive or leave campus.

That means seniors choosing against buying a parking pass with fourth off have to park on the street.

Parking on Wellington Way can be stressful in terms of trying to find a spot.

The parking is extremely limited, especially toward the end of the school year when sophomores receive their licenses and start driving to school.

Many students have to leave early in the morning to get a parking spot along the street, adding to the sleep deprivation many students already face.

Some students, however, perhaps because they are personally unaffected by

parking passes, share a different perspecjuniors and seniors that want to park.” tive.

Additionally, parking passes were first “If you want to park in the parking introduced when the economy was going lot, you should have to pay a price since into a recession, and GBHS needed money it’s not just a public area,” freshman LJ to redo the parking lot. Since then, the Matias said. parking pass cost has While GBHS has every remained in place. right to enforce parking The money collected passes, it is the only school from parking passes in the district that uses a now goes directly to a i just don’t see paid parking pass system. safety account for the At most schools, like Roshow it’s necesschool.

This account eville and Oakmont high pays for things like resary (...) how schools, parking passes are painting the lines and required, but they are free is it fair? labels in the parking to juniors and seniors when lot and improving the they turn in the correct – Olivia Huss, senior safety at GBHS. paperwork.

The money earned by Woodcreek doesn’t reparking passes is in an quire any kind of parking ASB account, meanpermit to use its lot. ing that everything the The other schools don’t money goes toward must be approved, achave enough parking to guarantee their counted and signed off for, Vujovich said. juniors and seniors spots if they purWhile the money goes to helping the chased passes, Vujovich said when asked school function, for many juniors and why GBHS was the only school with a seniors it is a major inconvenience. monetary parking pass system. “We have “I just don’t see how it’s necessary,” Huss plenty of spots for commented. “How is it fair?”

Friday, September 12, 2014

News

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Senior Conduct takes its toll again

A5

GBHS administration reinforces student naughty list for senior class Senior Conduct this year because last year was the real deal.”

This year, however, there have already Christmas time is still three months away, been a few students put on the list. Currentbut some students are already getting put ly they are prevented from participating in on the naughty list. This list, however, is all school functions up until the end of the only for seniors, and it goes by the name of year. Luckily for them, this can change.

Senior Conduct.

In addition to imWhenever a senior does someproving behavior and thing that causes ‘trouble, his or academic responsibilher name gets added to the elecity, the student has to (These consetronic Senior Conduct list. This initiate and ask to be can prevent students from par- quences) indicate removed from the list in ticipating in school-sponsored to seniors that their order to gain these privactivities such as dances, sports ileges back. However, expectations (are) games, senior picnic, senior sunmany students miss the rise/sunset and even walking to complete senior opportunity to do this year in a manner with their class at graduation. and are only aware of “(These consequences) indicate that is conducive the restrictions caused to seniors that their expectations

by Senior Conduct. for grades and (are) to complete senior year in “Unfortunately, behavior.” a manner that is conducive for (Healy) gets the stigma grades and behavior,” said Granbecause she’s mean,” ite Bay High School assistant said Government and – Sybil Healy, principal Sybil Healy.

Economics teacher Jaassistant principal According to assistant princison Rath. “Why is she pal Brian McNulty, seniors can mean? Because she’s get onto the list for lack of attendoing her job.” dance, poor grades, negative attiDespite the fact that tudes and school suspensions. Participating Senior Conduct prevents students from in senior ditch day can also affect seniors if participating in certain activities, not all they have poor school attendance as well. students are opposed to the idea of having Before Senior Conduct was really en- it. forced last year, more students had fewer “It’s a good idea to encourage students restrictions. to do their best,” senior Sona Jeswani said. “(Healy) followed through pretty thor- “It’s just to prepare students for the future, oughly last year,” Advanced Placement and there are consequences for bad acGovernment teacher Jarrod Westberg said. tions.”

“There will very likely be fewer seniors on As clearly stated in the title, Senior Con-

BY CARISSA LEWIS

clewis.gazette@gmail.com

AP CLASSES: Teacher says AP Euro course can be especially challenging

Continued from page A4 it,” Valentine said.

Even though the course can be challenging, it comes with some benefits.

One example of this is the grade bump that students can earn from AP classes. If they get an A it becomes a 5.0 instead of a 4.0.

However, regardless of whether students earn an A or not, the class still has a lot of value.

“When you’re competing for colleges who do comprehensive or holistic reviews where they’re looking at strength of curriculum, then you have an advantage over those who took World Studies,” Stordahl said. “You may (get) the exact same GPA (as others in the class), but you’ll get bonus points for a harder curriculum,” Stordahl said.

Sophomore Kyle Sundquist said he took AP Euro because he has

the aspiration of getting into a good college and thinks the class will help him achieve his goal.

“My main reason for (taking the class) is because I want to get into (the University of California at) Berkeley when I graduate” Sundquist said. “I think its pretty interesting so far.”

Some people wonder if AP is becoming the new norm and wonder what this might mean for students who look to take regular classes rather than AP courses.

“There (are) so many more students nationwide who are taking AP classes vs. the old days simply because that is the game you have to play to get to school,” Valentine said, “We have bought into it, I’ve bought into it, they have bought into it, everybody’s bought into it, especially over the past 10 years.”

Your names.

Your faces.

Your newspaper.

the Gazette.

duct is only intended for seniors. As of now, freshmen, sophomores and juniors have nothing similar to restrict them from future school events.

Administrators, however, are working on a potential list for these other grades.

“We should do student conduct for all students, but we’re not that far right now,” Healy said.

This conduct will be called the Principal’s

No-Go list, but the idea isn’t a no-go, even for some of the students.

“It’s good to kind of make sure kids are on track, but I don’t think it needs to be super, super strict,” junior Colette Curran said.

Fortunately for Curran, she will not have to worry about the no-go list being too rigid. The list will not be coming out any time soon because administrators are still trying

to get it organized.

As for the Senior Conduct, upperclassmen were informed about it at the senior meeting on Aug. 19. They will be informed about it again when the spring semester starts in January.

Even those informed about the conduct do not always take caution.

“Most people don’t pay attention until it happens to them,” McNulty said.

Gazette photo /kat mcgrail

Poor grades and multiple tardies are among reasons students are put on senior conduct.

A6 News

Friday, September 12, 2014

Folsom Location 341 Iron Point Road (916) 353-1982

Downtown Location 1001 K Street (916) 330-1977

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Sacramento Location 1338 Howe Ave. (916) 927-0542

Friday, September 12, 2014

w The Granite Bay Gazette

News

A7

9/11: Travesties of terrorism ring in memories from 13 years ago Continued from page A1

It’s not to say that younger students don’t feel a profound amount of sadness or grief, but they can’t connect those emotions with the memories that are attached to them because of their age.

It’s those memories that cause some to be so much more passionate than others on campus whenever the subject is brought up.

“It’s hard not knowing or experiencing what really happened,” Mendoza said. “We don’t have a great understanding of why it was so devastating and how it affected everyday people and society as a whole.”

Now that younger students have made their way up through grade school and junior high school, there is a new challenge. Should schools update the curriculum to more effectively teach the significance and value that this national tragedy represents?

Dell’Orto said that using Sept. 11 as a learning tool is a great opportunity – it should be used as a historical tool to evaluate how the events of 13 years ago led to the War on Terror, its successes and failures, and then further use the history to offer warning signs to prevent history from repeating itself.

“We can also use these events to reflect back and see where it’s left us as a nation 13 years later,” Dell’Orto said. “The curriculum shouldn’t be shifted to ... focus on 9/11

exclusively, on how we struggled as a nation and remembering all the lives lost, but rather its place in the long playing out of history… and only if you do that can you really prevent another 9/11 from happening.”

Mendoza said she thinks schools should heavily revise their curriculum as well. “(The Sept. 11 attacks) started problems between countries and it put us in danger” Mendoza said. “Schools should heavily educate and let people have a greater understanding of the hijacking and all the events that took place.”

For Grace, it is important for younger students to appreciate the incredible emotional price borne by those who experienced Sept. 11 first-hand.

“I think that just because these incoming students have no memories of Sept. 11, 2001 doesn’t mean that they (should) feel less of an emotional attachment to the horrific actions that took place that day,” Grace said.

Ultimately, Dell’Orto said, the concluding lesson of the tragedy of Sept. 11 is a uniquely hopeful – and uniquely American – one.

“We’re supposed to rise above it as a people” Dell’Orto said. “As Sept. 11 rolls (around) every fall, our society is living proof of rising above adversity and times of hardship, yet our thoughts never leave those who lost their lives attempting rise above the tragedy that occurred.”

By Flickr user Michael Foran (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

MR. GRIZZLY: Lost event stirs emotions among senior students

Continued from page A1

Gazette news story written about it, Leighton and the rest of the administrative team decided to cancel the show.

“It wasn’t just … that I said forget it overnight – it started last April, the discussions and the concerns, and it was the one thing that did not fit well with any adult here,” Leighton said. “We met with Mrs. McCuen … and she agreed that the show has run its course and it’s probably not what we want representing the (student) body at Granite Bay High School.”

Mr. Grizzly was raising money for a charity to help stop sex trafficking. However, some, including Leighton, found that cause to be especially ironic given the suggestive nature of the Mr. Grizzly show and promotional material.

Leighton said there was a huge disconnect between raising money for sex trafficking and having the guys in the show being overtly sexual.

“To say we are flaunting our guys on stage while misbehaving all over, to sponsor a show like that, to me, it’s insulting that that’s what we care about more than the cause we are trying to help,” Leighton said. “My understanding is that the premise of the show is to donate the money toward sex trafficking, and if you really understand the situation, it’s almost making a mockery out of it.”

New assistant principal Mike Fischer insisted that we have to be careful about how we go about bringing awareness to the tragic issue of sex trafficking.

“At the last school I worked at,

I was aware of two girls in another teacher’s class who were victims of human trafficking from a part of Asia, and it was very sad they were here,” Fischer said. “The gravity of this tragic business, if you will, is very severe and I’m very glad that Mrs. McCuen and others are motivated to shine a light on this horrible practice. I just hope we can find an event that does so in an appropriate fashion with the sincerity I think it needs.”

After hearing Fischer’s story, McCuen took this explanation to heart and agreed that the school needs an event with no sexual connotation if it was supporting that charity.

“I am super passionate about Agape and what they do and the world issue of sex trafficking, (so) I don’t want to put on an event that is not looked at as having integrity,” McCuen said. “I’ll just do something bigger and better.”

Even though there was a disconnect between the charity organization and the sexual nature of the show, several students still wonder why harsher restrictions weren’t enforced on the event in order to control the pre-show and on-stage activities last spring.

Senior Garrett Walker was one of many who was planning on participating in Mr. Grizzly this year because his brother participated in the event and said it was one of his favorite high school memories.

Even though he agrees the show was too sexual for the cause, he said he thinks this senior class is being punished for the precedent set by last year’s participants, and the decision made at other schools.

“We are our own school, and I don’t see why we would have to act like any other school, like Oakmont, because they took theirs out,” Walker said. “Instead of taking the event completely out, they could have done a lot of things that could have changed it, and I know Mrs. McCuen was on track to do that, but if they were a lot more strict on who they let in, I think it would be a lot better.”

Graves also said this senior class is being punished for no reason and has the potential to do a better job than last year’s class. She proposes that an easy fix to the problem of the show being too sexual would be to have auditions for the acts, supervised by the class advisers.

“I think Mrs. Leighton made a tough decision so I will stand by her with whatever she’s going to choose, but I would say that I don’t agree with her decision to cancel it,” Graves said.

Even though McCuen did try to enforce more restrictions on the event last year, Leighton doesn’t see how any other changes or restrictions would change anything.

Leighton also has a performing arts background and used to run the talent show when she worked at GBHS in the past, and she knows from a firsthand experience the difficulty of running an event like Mr. Grizzly.

“You have to micromanage every piece of it, and you don’t know the students involved in the show, which makes it difficult,” Leighton said. “So it has to be some kind of situation where there is a relationship and there’s trust built, so

it’s just very difficult to do a school wide show when you don’t know everybody.”

As the event was held in the theater, drama teacher Kyle Holmes had close exposure to the activity.

“The senior boys last year set a precedent that was extremely disrespectful and very classless, and I blame that on the senior boys last year who participated in it,” Holmes said. “I think it would be hard for Mrs. McCuen to try and turn that image around with senior boys this year because, you know how high school is, the junior guys (who saw it last year) would have come into it and (would want) to act the same way and do the same thing, so I think it was an event that had some hiccups and would be hard to bounce back from.”

Holmes also had a negative experience with Mr. Grizzly last year because a student at the end of his routine did a microphone drop and broke the microphone that was worth more than $300.

“I think over the past few years and last year, the boys that were a part of the competition liked to touch things, and we have a lot of cool things in the theater, (…) but our rule in the theater is that if it’s not ours, we won’t touch it,” Holmes said. “There were a lot of boys that were involved with Mr. Grizzly that just wanted to pick up everything and play with it, and then it would be set down where it couldn’t be found.”

This was just another factor that affected the final decision to cancel the show.

But now that Mr. Grizzly is cancelled, students are wondering what they can do to replace it and support their charity.

Jennifer Leighton The decision to cancel Mr. Grizzly was primarily made

by Leighton along with her administrative team.

“I don’t need to have a plan – I will support whatever the students want to bring to me,” Leighton said. “If you guys still want to do something, I think that’s great and I’ll support that.”

But because of the many angry reactions from the senior students, Walker is thinking about planning a “Not Mr. Grizzly” show, in order for this year’s senior class to get the fun experience that many were initially looking forward to.

“I want to do (it) off campus somewhere; we would need a lot of people to be involved and a lot of people behind me, but I would 100 percent be down to do a Not Mr. Grizzly,” Walker said. “I’ve talked to many people that said it would be a good idea and a lot of fun. We would still get to have our Mr. Grizzly just with not as many restrictions on the event and we could donate to whatever charity we want.”

Leighton is open and willing to talk with anyone who has concerns over the entire Mr. Grizzly situation; however, she said, the decision to cancel the event will stand.

“I’m hoping we can turn this into a positive experience,” Leighton said. “It’s a real character test for the senior class to see what they are going to do with this information and how are they going to move on.”

SCHEDULE: SECURITY: New school year results in changes with campus safety Shift in schedule Continued from page A2

Continued from page A2 The GBHS counseling department, specifically Stordahl, worked closely with Fischer in outlining the new online course change process.

“I really liked Mr. Stordahl’s input,” Fischer said.

Stordahl said he viewed the online session as a success because it allowed the counselors “to accommodate more students’ requests.”

There are more students that opted to change their schedules this year than in years past.

“My recall is that our numbers were a little bit higher doing the online process,” Stordahl said.

“I was surprised because I was expecting that the numbers would be a lot higher, and I don’t think they were.”

Both Stordahl and Fischer agreed that there were no major technological glitches with the online schedule change process.

But although no technological glitches occurred, more general problems may have taken place.

GBHS senior Kelli McTague requested a schedule change this year using the new online method.

“I was not satisfied with the experience because my request was not fulfilled,” McTague said.

“I wanted to drop Advanced Placement Statistics because I already have five AP classes and replace it with a Teacher Intern period, but they said they weren’t able to fulfill my request. They didn’t give a reason why they wouldn’t fulfill my request. They just said that they couldn’t.”

McTague also said her experience with the session catalyzed frustration over the conversion to an electronic format.

“I would much prefer to do it in person because I have been able to complete more difficult schedule changes when I went in person,” McTague said. “I would use it again, but only if I had to.”

“In the last seven years, I know it’s gone back and forth because (Feist) is a county park. Now we’ve locked four gates surrounding the perimeter.”

Prior to the change, people could come and leave campus through Feist during school hours. Along with the GBHS bomb scare, the consistent school shootings across the nation have also been a major influence for many schools to take action on their security.

“I wasn’t here last year, but even I heard about the impact of the bomb threat through some of the parents in the community and employees in the district,” said Mike Fischer, GBHS assistant principal.

Along with the new changes on campus, GBHS assistant principal Mike Fischer has taken the lead on

The Gazette.

campus safety this year.

“We can certainly do some things here to improve safety,” Fischer said. “My goal is to try to minimize the probability of a negative incident on this campus.

I can’t guarantee it, but our goal is to make the school known for the great things it does and not the poor decision of someone who did something foolish or harmful.”

A district meeting has been scheduled for early September and security is a main topic for discussion.

“The goal isn’t to make the campus look like a prison, but to keep (students) safe from unwanted intruders,” Fischer said. “In college, that’s how some of the (issues) happen. I’ve heard some feedback from students and teachers saying the school feels more safe (with the gate closures).”

GBHS assistant Principal Sybil Healy mentioned the school has plans to revise safety protocols such as lockdown and emergency evacuation. Things on the agenda for the meeting include canisters of emergency food and water for immense lockdown situations and revising safety procedures.

Tardy sweeping, where first period students are taken to the cafeteria and marked tardy when late to school, is a new security procedure for the school.

This provides GBHS with a filter for students who come late to school, preventing unwanted visitors on campus and also discouraging poor attendance habits.

“When you’re safe, you learn more,” Vujovich said. “If you talk with your parents, since Sept. 11, 2011, even going to the airport is different.”

Get free chips or a drink when you buy a sub or burger.

A8 News

Friday, September 12, 2014 w The Granite Bay Gazette

TRAFFIC: Administration COOPER: Legacy football coach returns at GBHS increases traffic Continued from page A1

season, Cooper decided it was time for a change.

Offensive line coach Ryan Beidler, who worked with Cooper for three weeks during the spring of 2012, said he seemed frustrated and short-tempered, like he needed a break.

“The program Cooper runs requires a lot of time and energy on his part to the point where he didn’t enjoy it as much as he wanted to,” Beidler said.

When Cooper stepped away from the game in the 2013 season, interim coach Skip Albano stepped into the head coach role.

Senior Cameron Smith, a three-year varsity player, admitted that the team was unsure about how the season would turn out last year after Cooper left.

“It was a terrible feeling more because (Coopers resignation) wasn’t right in the beginning of our year, so all of us were freaking out who the new coach was going to be,” Smith said. “So it rattled us.”

Despite the rapid change of events, the Grizzlies still managed to go 8-4-0 and into the playoffs without Cooper at the helm and despite major injuries suffered by key players, including wide receiver Tony Ellison.

“When he left, staff and athletes did a great job of making most of what we had,” Beidler said. “They knew they couldn’t make excuses for their ability on the field, and we had the right people in place to make it a successful season”.

Many of the players from last year’s varsity squad are returning for a second year on the varsity team – however, this will be their first year experiencing varsity football with Cooper.

Freshman coach Mike Valentine explained the differences between Cooper’s approaches to working with a team compared to other coaches.

“Compared to last year, there is a difference in organization for sure, he runs a top-notch program, and the level of intensity is ramped up.” Valentine said.

Although he has more than 30 years of experience as a high school football coach, coming back after a year off has not been a seamless transition.

“It’s a little difficult, and I feel a little out of whack, but I am getting back into the swing of things,” Cooper said.

Smith is in a unique situation compared to the rest of the team, because he is the only player on the team who played for Cooper during his last season coaching two years ago. “(Coaching wise) he’s exactly the same, but him taking one year off kind of had him off his game on his traditions, forcing him to look at me and see if I remember how we did it my sophomore year,” Smith said.

Smith is not the only one feeling the tension of the transition back to the Cooper style of GBHS football – it is obvious to his fellow coaches as well.

“Now we are retraining back to the Cooper system and how he likes things done, and part of that frustration is that he was gone last year,” Beidler said.

“But he’s getting it back slowly and kids are adjusting, which they need to. Cooper’s good at what he does, and he’s proven that.”

Despite these minor setbacks, the team is confident going into the season.

Smith is hopeful for the team and what this season will bring now that the Grizzlies have had some time to get used to each other and the coaching shift.

“We are much more organized – no one is looking around we all know what we are supposed to be doing that minute,” Smith said. “It’s back to Granite Bay football.”

surveillance on campus Continued from page A1 to check it, then people don’t generally follow (that rule).”

Fischer also said that the general safety, of students and employees, is a primary reason why this new policy has been put into place.

“Our maintenance crew also gets quite a bit of things done in the morning before students, parents and the staff arrives,” Fischer said. “It’s safer for the maintenance folk, the staff, and for students (to) follow the guidelines.”

While administrators said these changes are necessary to enforce the rules on the parking lot, many students said they do not think it is going to make any improvements.

“I think it may be helpful when traffic gets bad, but I don’t really think it is necessary,” senior Ashley Jew said.

Senior Mark Yeager said school employees who has been situated in the parking lot could be making better use of their time elsewhere.

“I think that person could be doing other more important things,” Yeager said. “Their presence in the parking lot isn’t really going to change much.”

While some students said the new policies are unnecessary, many of them do not care too much as they don’t affect them personally.

“Whether the employee is there or not doesn’t really make much of a difference to me,” senior Jarred Caines said. “It doesn’t affect my daily routine in any way.”

To the students who park on the street or in the front parking lot, it also isn’t an issue.

“I get to school early and park on the street,” Jew said.

“I think there are a lot of students like me who aren’t going to be affected at all by this change in policy.”

Another change that the administration has made at GBHS involves the gate at the back of the school and the parking spaces available for GBHS students at Ronald L. Feist Park.

“We knew that students were leaving campus during school hours and there was some pressure on us (the administration) to improve security around the school perimeter,” Fischer said. “That was an obvious one to deal with.”

This decision to close the gate behind the school campus during school hours was not made merely by

the GBHS administration, but also because of feedback from various other entities.

“We were getting complaints from the elementary schools over there, as well as from the county,” said Fischer. “We were also getting some feedback from the district office about doing a better job with security for this campus.”

The decision to only allow GBHS students to park in certain parking spaces at Feist Park was one made by both Placer County officials and the GBHS administration.

“We (GBHS) don’t own or control the parking lot (at Feist Park), Placer County is the one who marked off the parking spots,” Fischer said. “Residents who use the park in the morning were unable to find parking spots, and so the county found a solution by marking off some spots where students should not park. They are very gracious in letting students park there, I think they might be able to say no to that.”

In general, students seem to understand the reasoning behind both of these decisions.

“I can understand why students won’t like it, but I also get why the administration made the decision to close the gate,” Caines said. “It definitely makes our campus more secure, if nothing else.”

Some students said this solution will work in helping bring down the number of students who can leave campus.

“It might work, it’s definitely going to be harder for kids to leave school,” Jew said. “At least they won’t have such an easy time of it.”

Others said this solution, like many others that the administration has tried in the past, is doomed to failure.

“I doubt this is going to work,” Yeager said. “People are just going to find ways around it, and they’ll do what they want regardless of what the administration does.”

While students seem to have mixed opinions regarding the success or necessity of these various policies, the administration is certain that they will do some good in the end.

“We feel that these changes will improve campus security,” Fischer said. “Moreover we hope they will play a large part in enforcing the already existing rules in the parking lots and allowing employees and students to have a safe experience.”

The Gazette.

granitebaytoday.org Your names. Your faces. Your newspaper. The Granite Bay Gazette. See more content at granitebaytoday.org

Friday, September 12, 2014

w The Granite Bay Gazette

News

SMART IS

THE NEW

SEXY.

Be able to find Iran on a map. Know what the city council is up to behind closed doors. Find out how to make an icebox peanut butter pie from scratch.

Get it all in the newspaper, print or digital, because a little depth looks great on you.

P R I N T

D I G I T A L

T O D A Y

T O M O R R O W

THE

NEWSPAPER GET IT

A9

Voices

Granite Bay Gazette

Friday

GAZETTE The Granite Bay

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

w September 12, 2014

School has murdered pleasure reading Tedious assignments and close analysis hinder enjoyment Commentary

Editors-in-Chief: Tamren Johnk Akash Khosla Neha Kompella Colleen Vivaldi News Editors: Jacqueline Gordon Jenna McCarthy Voices Editors: Savitri Asokan Treasa Mairead Hayes

troy pawlak

E

Lifestyle Editors: Troy Pawlak Garbhita Shah Emily Wagner

Sports Editors: Maggie Bell Steven Gerisch Caroline Palmer Online Editor: Akash Khosla Illustrators: Akash Khosla Troy Pawlak Brian Zhuang Photo Editor: Katherine McGrail

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 case-by-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.

Despite modern outlooks, prejudice continues

A

woman goes for a walk in her neighborhood on a Sunday evening. For her, this is a daily norm. Her neighborhood has given her a sense of security.

Though she is far from her motherland, she has accepted it as the place where her home is.

One day, however, this sense of safety is breached; a belligerent stranger approaches her, condemning her for her race, dishonoring her rights and physically abusing her husband.

She is left helpless, disgraced by his treatment, as she watches him and his ally cowardly run away from the law.

But she has no choice than to quietly accept her differences and continue calling the neighborhood her own, as if nothing happened.

Is this the life of an immigrant in America?

From the time of the Puritans sailing on the Mayflower to escape religious persecution in England, America has been founded on the idea of freedom.

Over time, immigrants from all over the world have come to the U.S. to pursue a new life. Leaving behind their families, cultures and traditions, they come here in hopes of thriving in a land of opportunities.

This system allows people from diverse backgrounds to equally achieve their highest ambitions.

So why do social views contrast with this fundamental belief in growth? For example: Racism.

I always denied that racism still existed among our modern society – until I actually experienced it.

Just a month ago, my mother was walking in our neighborhood in West Roseville, just past the Galleria mall. An unleashed dog came running toward her. Seeing the owner in the distance, she called out, requesting her to leash the dog. The owner adamantly refused.

Not understanding why the woman denied her polite request, my mother went to talk to her.

As she was doing so, a man on a bicycle approached her.

He lifted his bike at my mother as if to attack her with it and yelled, “Go back to your land, you filthy person!”

While my mother was still paralyzed from shock, my father arrived. Unconcerned, the man continued brandishing his bike. Continuing to hurl derogatory slurs, he shoved my father, leaving a long scratch on his chest. The man then threatened to set his dog on my parents.

By the time the police came, the man and woman had run away.

My family was disturbed for days, trying to recover mentally and physically from this horrifying confrontation.

An incident like this raises questions: Just because I have a different skin color, is it safe for me to walk down the street of my neighborhood without being harmed?

Has this society been able to accept other cultures after knowing that the foundation of the U.S. was based on a union of diverse cultures?

Or is it that we don’t know – or can’t accept – our own originations and ironically, continue to be xenophobic?

As I previously mentioned, America is known for allowing every individual an equal opportunity to succeed.

However, when discrimination comes into the picture, this legacy diminishes.

Yes, it’s true that the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 granted freedom to all slaves, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 gave all citizens the right to vote. But just because the Constitution states liberty and justice for all, racism does not cease to be a social conflict.

I’m not saying that everyone is racist. I’m just trying to draw awareness toward this neglected issue because people believe that it’s so trivial and insignificant.

One reason for racism is ignorance; a lack of knowledge of another ethnicity leads to believing stereotypes and building prejudices based on them.

For example, my friend shared her experience of when a group of teenagers yelled at her to “Go back to Mexico.”

First of all, she’s not even Mexican, Commentary but Indian, which is a sign of blatant ignorance. Second, whatever her ethnicity is, she shouldn’t be judged by it.

It’s important to realize that to prevent these racial clashes, other ethnicities need to be assimilated into society. This can gshah.gazette@gmail.com only be done with an open mind, not thinking of people of other races as foreigners.

Another factor that causes racism is simply a superiority complex, or an egotistical belief of other races being more inferior.

In American society, this is illogical justification for racism when “equality for all” is constantly being preached.

And finally, there’s the reasonable insecurity factor that steers racism. I understand that common people that are struggling to earn an everyday living may believe that immigrants are stealing their potential jobs by their willingness to work for lower pay.

But insecurity is no excuse to be racist.

Now I can’t impose my views upon anyone. But I can suggest that if we ever feel the need to discriminate against another race, let’s think back to our country’s foundations.

Let’s remember that America is called the “Melting Pot.” And even if we can’t personally follow the law – liberty and justice for all – let’s not forget that laws should not be necessary to ensure civil respect, safety and courtesy for others, no matter what their differences are. *** Garbhita Shah, a junior, is a Gazette Lifestyle editor.

garbhita shah

Mr. Grizzly’s inherent sexism is ironic

P

retty girl let’s take it off in this room / We got all night to try to get it right girl / I hope you’re ready,

***

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

books.

The point of reading, to me, is to become engaged in the characters and conflict and soak up as many details as possible. In AP classes, though, you skim sections as fast as possible to figure out the general synopsis and then find as many supporting facts as possible.

This style brings no joy whatsoever to me, and more often than not the information is mind-numbingly boring.

If I ever tried to employ this method when reading a novel, I would get two pages in and realize that I have no idea what’s going on. That lack of connection completely destroys everything that reading means to me.

Before, finishing my homework as quickly as I could was all I cared about so that I could get on with my book. As a junior in high school, I “complete” my homework at midnight more often than not and am too tired to try and read anything else.

During this past school year, I read a single book for fun.

That was over winter break.

In elementary school, I would read a book every week. During eighthgrade English, we even had designated time specifically for reading; where did that go?

Although I am sure not everyone shares my lament at the disappearance of reading, I know that at least a few others regret not having this pastime anymore, or at least I hope so.

Undoubtedly some of the less-busy individuals still have some time for

reading, and for that I envy them; I don’t know how they manage to find time in their schedules.

Despite my love of reading, the novels that we are presented in English class are often boring and laborious. On the rare occasion that I get a book assigned that might actually be interesting, the whole thing is ruined by the annotations that we must fill the pages with.

Although the annotations might help understand the story or remember the deeper meaning of a passage when regurgitating information for later dates and essays, the start-andstop rhythm of jotting down notes ruins the story for me.

Reading also used to be a source of the majority of my vocabulary, which has proven to be a common trend with other people across the nation.

Without the constant reading that I used to have, my vocabulary has remained far more stagnant than in previous years.

I might not have become illiterate because of my inconsistent reading, but I do miss the feelings of confusion and curiosity that surround a new word.

When I do find myself with time to spare, I often avoid reading simply because I am forced to read so much for school.

My eyes are often tired and find a much more enticing possibility in laying down for a bit and listening to music after the exhausting day I just finished. *** Troy Pawlak, a junior, is a Gazette Lifestyle editor.

Racism is far from dead in Granite Bay

babe – Chris Brown, “Take It Off”

Send Letters to the Editor to: gbgazette@yahoo.com

tpawlak.gazette@gmail.com

ver since I was little, reading has been such a big part of my life that it is hard to imagine what life would be like without it – but that time might have come to fruition.

In the past, I would come home and see the bookcase in our family room full of books. I could read for hours every week and still, books would be returned to the library unread.

Now, however, it is an empty collection of wood with the occasional book balanced lonely by itself. Dust makes up the majority of the mass on those once-bustling shelves.

This makes me wonder: has school killed reading for our generation?

When I say reading, I mean for entertainment, not that rushed halfglance you do as you sprint across the quad toward your history class, still finishing your breakfast as you cram for that quiz.

This hurried method is nowhere near the level of interaction I used to have, and now greatly miss, with

Green Screen Editors: Katherine McGrail Epsa Sharma Harrison Tucker Brian Zhuang

Staff Writers/ Photographers: Natalie Erickson Olivia Heppell Hannah Holzer Kelsey Ito Lauren Jackson Carissa Lewis Amanda Nist Blake Panter Amanda Prather Jacqueline Romero Anjali Shrivastava Hannah Xu

A Section

We think it’s ironic that the music of Chris Brown, a nationally recognized abuser of women, was playing at last year’s Mr. Grizzly event, a fundraiser devoted to raising money for the ending of sex trafficking and domestic abuse of girls.

Although Granite Bay is a traditionally conservative community, the sexual dominance of men is an obvious underlying motive of the event, encouraging the stereotype that men are to reign supreme in the casual sex industry.

Although many students are upset by Principal Jennifer Leighton’s cancellation of the annual event, we believe the

EDITORIAL The voice of the Granite Bay Gazette

school is much better off without it.

If an event such as Mrs. Grizzly were to be put on by student government, groups of students would rise in protest and numerous lawsuits would erupt against the administration. Why is it that high school boys can flaunt their physical advantages in front of an audience with no voiced opposition, but when girls simply do the same, it is considered prostitution or violation of one’s self?

It is truly a paradox of American culture.

When boys participate in these types of events, they are only empowering them-

selves and carrying out their instinctive nature as reproductive creatures. But when girls expose themselves in this way, it is because they have no self-respect and are merely seeking attention from males.

However, to “fairly” incorporate women in Mr. Grizzly, girls are given the opportunity to be escorts for the contestants, merely an accessory to the boy they’re assigned to.

With their makeup professionally done and dressed in slightly provocative clothing, their sole job is to highlight the boy and therefore implicitly admit their vulnerability in relation to the opposite sex.

Granite Bay High School’s ‘Battle of the Sexes’ last year sparked much controversy among students about gender norms and the superiority of one gender over the other. In promoting activities for girls such as applying makeup that are generally

gender-specific, they can feel obligated to only take up interest in these things that are wired for them.

In the same way, if a boy is not interested in auditioning for Mr. Grizzly and thus advertising his body, he is seen as weak and feminine, two qualities that can separate one male individual from the rest and subject him to judgment.

Contestants are judged for their physical attractiveness and talents that then emphasize that attractiveness to win the ‘pageant’ of sorts and raise money for an organization dedicated to the fight against sex trafficking worldwide.

The magnitude of sex trafficking seems to be minimized or lost sight of in an event that involves sexual references and spectators attending for that reason in itself.

Mr. Grizzly, in essence, becomes part of the problem.

Friday, September 12, 2014

w

The Granite Bay Gazette

Voices A11

Modern feminists promote superficiality Heard Women’s rights movement should go back to its roots on the BAY I Commentary

What’s your favorite thing about GBHS?

“The sports ... it looks like fun to be a part of the Tribe.”

freshman

Scout Sanders

t was a radical, headlinemaking moment at the Beyoncé concert. The singer appeared on stage in full regalia, accompanied by blasts of heady music and a huge sign that unfurled behind her, bearing a single word in stark letters – “feminist.”

As politically charged as the word appears, I can’t help but feel that some electricity has been lost over recent years – in part due to its omnipresence, bordering on redundancy, in the media.

In an age where basic human rights are more or less guaranteed in America, ‘feminism’ has become more of a term describing a loose conglomeration of abstract theory, exploring the underlying principles that cause patriarchal mindsets rather than centering around a

concrete goal.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with this approach. In fact, it’s necessary, considering that true progress cannot come without self-reflection.

However, the ascension into abstraction leaves a vague gray area which tends to create more misunderstanding than clarity – a completely counterproductive result.

Last year, for example, it was nearly impossible to avoid hearing charges of misogyny and the devout oaths of feminism that followed.

After the inception of a stringently enforced dress code, posters proliferated on campus expressing resentment of the policy, claiming it influenced young women to have a damaged opinion of themselves.

Since then, legions of girls

from GBHS were exposed to modern feminist ideas.

Terms such as ‘oversexualization,’ ‘gender stereotypes,’ and ‘marginalization’ were thrown around lightly, their meanings becoming more and more unclear with each reiteration.

At the risk of sounding too cynical: do these words even mean anything anymore?

Calling yourself a feminist, of course, isn’t a crime by itself.

But calling yourself a feminist – an ardent supporter of women’s rights – is a weighty statement. It’s admirable to do so, but taking action without fully understanding the ramifications that inevitably come with it is irresponsible and damaging to the cause.

Because perhaps the most alarming repercussion of mod-

ern feminist culture is the fetishization of a certain exclusive aesthetic: that of the edgy, rebellious feminist, a crusader who earns her status through her defiance of everything remotely patriarchal.

As harmless or juvenile as it may sound, this conception of the ‘ideal’ feminist can be painfully restrictive.

Women who don’t fall into this superficial category are made to feel as though they don’t fit, or aren’t worthy enough to be a part of a movement to affirm their own rights.

This kind of infighting is just not conducive to the greater purpose of empowering women. Having different perspectives should be viewed as an opportunity to create a more inclusive feminist culture, not an impetus for division.

savitri asokan sasokan.gazette@gmail.com

While it’s fine enough to proclaim yourself a feminist, it’s important to realize that like all human rights movements, feminism should always be grounded in a genuine desire to help others, not become a mindless part of the new vogue movement. *** Savitri Asokan, a junior, is a Gazette Voices editor.

Print textbooks will never be outdated The ongoing debate between traditional values and the changing world

“The school spirit in both sports and the school in general.”

iven the circumstances, it seems strange to think that high school and college students, the ones who use smartphones and tablets almost every day, prefer print textbooks over ebooks.

A survey conducted by The Guardian stated that 62 percent of participants aged 16 to 24, preferred print over digital books.

Apple’s iPad and Amazon’s Kindle have been major influences in the textbook market, but they haven’t won over most students when it comes to e-reading for many reasons.

A Kindle is great for recreational reading, but for serious learning I strongly believe that the print textbook is the better way to read content.

Unless the interactive learning tools from the web such as Codecademy are ported over to ebooks, the reading experience is convoluted at best.

Ebooks are too influenced by the print versions and are often unimaginatively designed for reading on portable devices. Who needs a table of contents when things can be navigated similar to a website? Why is there so much content on one page?

The reality is that ebooks could be much more interactive with technology behind the display, but publishers and authors haven’t designed their content solely for tablets.

In order to fix this, publishers would have to hire more tech guys to make things interactive. I’m certainly okay with this, but publishers haven’t made their move towards investing in interactive learning since books are their only strong suit with text and pictures. Traditionally, that’s what print has always been.

Sure, the e-book is very versatile and saves paper, but when the digital version of the book is the same price as the print version, the hardback copy has more long-term value for consumers and schools too.

School districts have to purchase licenses for students on an individual basis or on the basis of a classroom’s size. But every year, these licenses have to be renewed as more students

G

sophomore

Summer Dougan “The people, the students and our school community.”

junior

Liam Bell “The chicks, which surpass every school in the area.”

Commentary

akash khosla akhosla.gazette@gmail.com

have to have individual licenses for the e-book. This can get costly, even with the bulk discounts that some providers offer.

On the other hand, hardcover textbooks are built to last and are a onetime fee for college students (who have to buy their own textbooks) and high schools (that provide textbooks for students). If one needs to switch textbooks or needs extra cash, hardcover books can be donated or put up for sale. Ebooks cannot be resold because they are generally bound to an account or license.

And ebooks have a plethora of other faults as well. While they seem to enforce a uniform equality in book condition, a more pressing practical consideration emerges - even in today’s infamously digitized society, not everyone has access to a tablet.

Besides, schools are usually better off with the print versions for at least half of a decade. Updates to books come slightly faster for ebooks since the latest version can be licensed every year. But most of the information stays the same; it’s often superficial changes that are made for most textbooks.

Even for documents that have to be read in class, printing is often preferred from what I’ve seen. Annotating is far more accessible and text is clearly legible on print since scanned documents are often originally designed for print.

Unless I’m reading on a retina display with little to no eyestrain, saving paper is not going to be a concerning factor.

For the student, ebooks often have little value. When one completes a course, the e-book is almost worthless to their next semester of academics, whereas the textbook can be sold for quite a high price especially if it’s hardback and has a lot of pages.

This has likely attributed to more piracy in e-books, as hundreds of dollars can easily be saved from searching for a book in PDF format.

I think the main reason why people still prefer the physical copy of things in general is the sense of not having everything fragmented onto one device.

Some people view having everything on one object is a better way, but clutter slows people down. With all the apps on the tablet and so many other things one can do, it is easy to get lost when using technology to read things.

With newspapers, textbooks and all sources of print, it all comes down to which medium is the most intuitive and convenient for the individual.

I think textbooks fall under this category because they are far easier to concentrate on, and that’s what students and educators implicitly demand.

It’s also more likely that college students want to avoid spending time on the screen, rather than straining their eyes on the backlight display.

Paper is far less straining on the eyes, and I know this from hours of reading electronic material.

I’ve even bought a PDF e-book and ended up printing out parts of it to save my eyes from the pain. As thin as the iPad is, eye comfort is more important than the feeling I get from holding a light slate of aluminum over stacks of paper. *** Akash Khosla, a senior, is a Gazette co-editor-in-chief.

Gazette photo / AKASH KHOSLA

Women’s sports disregarded by Tribe

senior

Commentary

Oliver Whitters Gazette photos/Harrison Tucker

“Watching the kids walk the stage at graduation.”

staff colleen vivaldi cvivaldi.gazette@gmail.com

or the past few years, Granite Bay High School students have formed the infamous “Tribe” student fan section that has become a huge part of the athletics here.

That is all fine and dandy; I mean, I even participate in the Tribe when I am at athletic events myself.

But here’s the thing: the Tribe attends men’s football, basketball and soccer. Key word being men’s.

I am a varsity women’s soccer player and I have never

F Jarrod Westberg Compiled by Harrison Tucker

GBHS spirit group should attend more women’s games

seen the Tribe at any of our games in my time here at GBHS. I asked some boys of the Tribe why they don’t go out and support any women’s teams; they just said they did not like women’s sports as much as men’s sports.

When we’re supposed to have an “all-inclusive” spirit section for the entirety of GBHS, that’s when I start to question how the men view women athletes.

There are so many women’s sports that do not get Tribe attention, which is incredibly disheartening because most feel unsupported by their own school.

It is most concerning that our school doesn’t make the slightest effort to support all of the phenomenal women athletes. We all work really hard to perform well and not having a fan base other than our families is, well, discouraging.

Women have come a long way historically in society, politics, the work force and athletics.

So, not seeing that acknowledged by my own peers at my high school makes me wonder if women are really “equal” in men’s eyes.

The lack of a student platform for women’s athletics here at GBHS has to change. It must change, evolve and continue to be revolutionized.

As a student section, the Tribe has a duty to bring passion and spirit to the sports arena for everyone, not just a selective group of men’s sports. It is not currently doing that, so I believe they are failing their job.

I desire to feel cheered on by my own school, and I believe that the Tribe is capable of transforming into an allaround student section.

Before that happens, though, the hierarchy of sports needs to be leveled out to incorporate all of the sports, big or small

in popularity. Some athletic teams like women’s lacrosse, women’s golf and others need to have school-wide recognition.

Even when it comes to the sports reports on the bulletins, the magnitude of the kind of reporting for women’s sports lacks in comparison to that of the men’s.

Sports in our country, thankfully, are open to both genders and are indeed competitive at the youth, high school, collegiate and professional levels.

With that, our Tribe and bulletins here at GBHS should see to that fact because the women on this campus do comprise an extremely competitive athletic culture.

That culture should be shared with the rest of our campus and I think that if the Tribe could broaden its approach, girls at this school will shine even more so in the athletic ring.

There are so many fabulous

women athletes at this school that are going on to play NCAA sports on scholarships and participate in Junior Olympic events.

Do those participating in the Tribe know that? I don’t know if they do.

I think upping the gratitude for the female sports sector is vastly needed among our students and spirit section.

Why isn’t there a girl Tribe leader? I don’t agree with that exclusion, and I think to complete the diversity of the sexes on athletics, girls should be able to lead the Tribe as well as have the Tribe cheer them on at their sports events.

Women will always have an uphill battle and this is no exception. By the time I graduate, I hope to see the expansion of the Tribe to include the entirety of women and their sports. *** Colleen Vivaldi, a senior, is a Gazette co-editor-in-chief.

Second look

Green, black

A12 Second Look

Friday, September 12, 2014

w The Granite Bay Gazette

and silver

Welcome back to the Grizzly’s Den

Gazette photo /Colleen vivaldi

 Senior Tyler Campo (left) gets ready to snap the ball to senior quarterback Justin Yeaton in football season opener against Consumes Oaks.

Below, senior Christian Yeargin pumps up the Tribe with a loud megaphone. On bottom right, GBHS student section throws up puffs of baby powder as the football game begins.

Senior Oliver Whitters (bottom left) shows his school and country’s spirit at the football game last Friday night.

Senior captains Corban Anderson and Zachary Vane with junior Hunter Loomis, walk off the soccer pitch after their game-winning season opener for varsity boys’ soccer.

Gazette photo /KAT mcgrail

Gazette photo /Colleen vivaldi

Special to the Gazette /Natalie rhodes

Gazette photo /Colleen vivaldi

Lifestyle

Granite Bay Gazette

Friday w

Commentary

B Section

September 12, 2014

emily wagner ewagner.gazette@gmail.com

Do schools have us trained like dogs?

B

eginning in junior high school and stretching all throughout high school, there has been one goal that has driven most of my academic and extracurricular decisions: college.

Senior year is now upon me, and as the sun rose on this “most exciting and memorable year of high school”, it also rose on college application season.

Which, I’m discovering, is just as unpleasant as everyone says.

I, for some inexplicable reason, set my sights on a couple of the most prestigious colleges in California - the University of California Los Angeles and the University of California Berkeley.

They’ve been my dream schools for years, and I own at least three Cal sweatshirts.

But as much as I love those sweatshirts, they’re not going to mean a thing if I don’t get accepted to Berkeley.

Which means, for the past few years, I’ve been playing the “what do colleges want from me” game.

In other words, anything colleges want me to do, I do.

At least a 4.2 GPA? Okay, I’ll take ten AP classes throughout my high school career, not to mention several honors classes.

I need to be involved in extracurricular activities? Okay, I’ll sign up for the journalism program, band, an orchestra, and volunteer at my church, while balancing those AP classes.

And don’t even get me started on the testing.

I have to get at least a 2100 on the SAT, take at least two SAT subject tests, and get at least a 32 on the ACT. But it’s not enough to just take the tests once. No, I have to take them at least twice just to make sure I’m getting the highest score I can, and by the end of the whole process, my parents are several hundred dollars lighter. From tests.

Then, when it comes to the actual application, the colleges make me list all my achievements and write essays about myself.

Because I’m sure they just care so much about who I am as a person.

I’m definitely not just a potential source of money that they plan on sucking dry if I get accepted.

But if I take a step back and think about it, the things I do for colleges are kind of absurd.

I should be taking high level classes because I find them fascinating, not because I want to boost my GPA. I should be doing those extracurricular activities because I genuinely enjoy them, not solely to impress a few old college administration officers.

As important as getting accepted into colleges is, I believe that there should be more to my high school experience than simply planning my life around what colleges want from me.

The truth is, they’ve got me trained like a dog, and I’m tired of doing tricks.

So while I suffer through the application process this fall, I will remember to keep in mind that there is more to my college application than numbers and words.

I’ve put so many hours and so much effort into all I’ve accomplished, and I’m very proud of myself, regardless of whether or not I get accepted.

*** Emily Wagner, a senior, is a Lifestyle editor

The impact that one family can have Gazette photos/TROY PAWLAK

Donna and Mike Frey have begun to transform their property into a safe heaven in the community.

Granite Bay family uses its new property for safe facilities in community

BY SAVITRI ASOKAN sasokan.gazette@gmail.com

A

vast, sparsely vegetated swath of dusty ground covered with chicken feathers seems more likely to be found in an old Western movie than the suburbs. But this pastoral scene exists just half a mile away from Granite Bay High School, on a ranch christened “Hearts Landing.”

Located on 8902 Quail Lane, the site will be a “drug and alcohol-free place for teens to gather and grow self-esteem with new skills and responsibilities,” according to the organization’s executive summary.

Features such as a co-op garden, horse stables, pickup sports field, educational center and fire pit are examples of some of the key attractions the site - colloquially known as ‘The Ranch’ to attendees - is planned to host.

Originally, the idea for the site was entirely the brainchild of the Donna and Mike Frey, the parents of a GBHS junior.

After moving to the Granite Bay area last September, they quickly realized the immense potential for recreational use of the land they had just purchased, including the expansive 3.5 acres and proximity to the GBHS campus.

In order to implement their plan, the Freys contacted local community leaders, enlisting their help to design and construct the site.

“It’s been great to connect with people in the community,” said Donna, who has been in contact with local business Red Barn Studios as well as Bayside Church leader Rob Maxey. “We have to be in collaboration because it’s huge. This is 3.5 acres of changing.”

To develop a more detailed plan of the site, local landscape designer Annette Wyrick, who has a degree in advanced landscape design from the California School of Landscape Design, offered her services.

“I developed a design program based on a consultation with Donna and Mike,” Wyrick said in an email. Wyrick and Donna had met at a prayer meeting; Donna had prayed for the prosperity of Hearts Landing, and Wyrick’s interest was immediately piqued.

Wyrick said that the initial design was based on the specific usage areas of the site - “animal care, a vegetable garden, a fire pit, and a sports field” - and the venues through which people and vehicles move through the site. After the first consultation, she visited two more times, devising a concept plan with design principles and site measurements. Lastly, Wyrick and the Freys once again met to revise the concept plan, including “a larger sports field, a more central fire pit, and a circular walk through the vegetable garden.”

According to Wyrick, the most ambitious feature of the project so far is the vegetable garden, centered around a pergola-framed fire pit, although a proposed event center may be a close second.

Due to the sheer enormity of the undertaking, both financial and work-related, the Freys have relied on the efforts of numerous donors and volunteers.

“We’re doing a lot of fundraising,” Donna said. “We need more fundraising!

We’re doing a drive in the fall, for all the trees that we’re implementing around here - someone can adopt a tree, plant a tree in memory of a friend or grandparent, and we’ll have a plaque in front of each tree that’s says who it’s for.

Another option for donors is to ‘adopt’ a barn stall, wherein each donor pays for all the costs associated with a single stall for a year – money for hay, maintenance, and the services of animal care workers.

“We want this place to be available to kids,” Donna said, “whether they have the financial wealth or not.”

In addition to financial assistance, the Freys have also been able to recruit volunteers to help construct the ranch. Freshman Danielle Sims has been working on a Girl Scouts silver award project in the Hearts Landing barn.

“I’m turning an old barn office into a girls hang out space,” Sims said. “I plan to

put old horse bridles and other old horserelated things on the walls. I’m thinking about maybe painting the walls and putting in a couch, a couple of chairs and a coffee table.”

While putting her room together, Sims faced several technical considerations.

“I had a contractor come in to talk about raising the ceiling and putting in a window,” Sims said. “I’ve also had an electrician come in and look at all the electrical lines…and I’m going to ask a friend’s mom to help me design the room.”

Learning how to deal with hands-on construction work, Donna said, is one of the most significant benefits of becoming involved with the Hearts Landing project.

“Learning how to do all kinds of construction work is very handy,” Donna said, “if (volunteers are) going to use those skills in a job, or not. Some adults don’t learn those skills until they’re 40 or 50 years old.”

Other GBHS students have also become involved with the ranch: senior Jacob Moss built a chicken coop, while freshman Brian Ellis assisted with various repair work.

Outreach to high school students, especially GBHS students, is one of the goals of the Hearts Landing project. Since January, the site has hosted several people and events, both locals from Bayside Church See HAVEN, page B5

Near impossible academic success?

Student aces the SAT and holds three associate degrees

BY GARBHITA SHAH gshah.gazette@gmail.com

Holding three Associates Degrees and earning a perfect SAT score all in one year sounds like an aspiration to hope for. For Granite Bay High School Senior Maadhav Shah this is a reality, a reflection of years of commitment towards academic excellence.

Shah’s academic journey began at an early age. His desire to learn was recognized during the toddler years and later was reflected both in school and through his personal interests.

“It was at two and a half that we saw him interested in books and numbers,” said Kaushal Shah, Shah’s father.”From then on, we

just continued to work with him and his interests.”

Shah was particularly fascinated by the game of chess. By age four he had mastered all the moves and strategies of the game and was in fact allowed to compete under age.

“I still remember that moment when the coach called him in and acknowledged that he was eligible to compete regardless of his age,” said Daksha Shah, Shah’s mother.

At age seven, Shah won the Western States National Tournaments in Houston and Orlando, coming in the top twenty at his grade level.

He continued to play for six years until he started to focus more on academics. “(Chess) helped develop my patience and focus which really

helped my academic performance later,” Shah said.

By fifth grade Shah had completed Algebra I, which is an eighth grade standard. Since that was the highest math offered at the elementary school level, he and his parents considered applying to American River College so that he could continue studying math.

This was a lengthy process and in the end Shah was given a trial run for one semester in which he was to prove himself capable of handling the college environment.

“I didn’t want to waste my time, but instead wanted to continue learning the math that I enjoyed,” Shah said. “After a semester, both my grades were good and I had the maturity level for college, so they allowed me to keep going.”

It was naturally difficult to decide whether a ten-year-old would be able to adjust to the social setting for college. But it turned out

that Shah was an adaptable young student.

“Maadhav felt very comfortable with all ages of people whether they were adults or kids,” Mr. Shah said.

“We noticed that he first started befriending the big, college football players that were taking math with him.”

Likewise, adults had no egotistical problem in accepting that they were sitting in class with a ten-yearold.

“He was really down to earth and blended in easily,” Mrs. Shah said.

“He would actually try and help other students out in class if he could.”

After his first semester, Shah continued taking math classes and finished Calculus in eighth grade.

After that,he started focusing on General Education courses.

By his junior year in high school, he was juggling college courses and AP classes at school. He was also

inside lifestyle Top Ten SAT Guide How to Random club

B2 B3 B5 B5

TCID:BW

Summer at Sierra Students free up space in schedule by taking summer classes

B3

Elly Awards GBHS drama program nominated for awards after Shrek performance

B4

Summer Adventures Students’ travels during the summer lead to new experiences

B6

the Co-programming lead of the Robotics team on campus and the Manager of the Speech and Debate Team.

“The hardest, most stressful time for me was my junior year,” Shah said. “I had to make sure that when I came home from school, I would relieve my mind and then use my time as efficiently as possible. Instead of doing all my homework at once, I would start with what I most enjoyed.”

Earning three Associates Degrees was actually an unexpected outcome. It wasn’t until early spring that he was informed of having earned enough college credits to graduate with Associates Degrees in Math, Physical Science and Social Science.

“What really motivated me to keep going was knowing that there was a goal at the end of each thing.

See ACADEMIC, page B5

Friday, September 12, 2014

B2 Lifestyle

Students take Sierra College courses

TOP

Classes provide GPA bump with less work

Useful Websites

BY BLAKE PANTER bpanter.gazette@gmail.com

http://sleepyti.me This website will help you figure out when to sleep based on either the time you go to bed or the time you have to wake up.

http://virusscan.jotti. org This website will help you identify any sketchy viruses. Simply attach a file and Virusscan will check it for you.

http://www. brainyquote.com Brainyquote is a website filled with all sorts of unique quotes from different people

http://www.midomi. com

In addition to being able to download music, this site will help you figure out that annoying tune in your head simply by humming or typing in the lyrics.

http://www.supercook. com

Type in the ingredients that you have available, and this site will give you a list of the different possible combinations you can use to make a meal.

http://www.whatshouldireadnext.com If you have a favorite author or book, this site can give you reading recommendations.

www.khanacademy. org Khanacademy is a free tutoring site that can help with math, science, economics, history, art, or computer programing,

http://www.wolframalpha.com/ Type in a topic that you are interested in , and you will receive a selection of different subcategories that you can learn more about.

http://nowiknow.com Nowiknow is a website that will send you random facts on a daily basis.

http://www.worldometers.info Worldometers is a database that keeps track of facts regarding population, economics, media, food/ water, energy usage and health.

- Compiled by Carissa Lewis

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Granite Bay High School students have the opportunity to take classes at Sierra College through the college’s Academic Enrichment Program.

They are able to do this both during the summer and the school year and are able to receive credit towards their high school diploma.

According to the Sierra College website, students who wish to be part of the Academic Enrichment Program must be 15 years of age, have completed 10th grade, turn in an official transcript, have at least a 3.0 GPA, and must take a placement test for the appropriate course.

“College summer courses can be very rewarding for high school students willing to work hard,” said Sierra College history professor Brittany Long in an email.

Long explained that students are able to get a college experience and earn college credit while in high school, allowing for a social and academic jump-start into their future.

Because courses at Sierra are usually transferable to four-year universities, students can receive a gradepoint average bump for passing a course, as well as college credit.

In addition to earning credit and getting ahead academically, students can avoid taking a hard class during the school year at GBHS. Also no AP exam is required to be taken or passed to receive the college credit.

Many students use the ease of the college class to their advantage to avoid a hard AP class in which they might get a grade of a B or a C. Behzad Hamkar, a Sierra College history professor, said high school students who take his classes are usually quite well prepared.

“They tend to have great study habits, put in a strong effort and genuinely care about their grade,” Hamkar said in an email. “Most high school students pass my courses, generally with an A or B.” According to Erik Cooper, the head of the research department at Sierra College, high school students enrolled

at Sierra College had an average GPA of 3.12. This was significantly higher than the average GPA of 2.52 for all students at Sierra College.

The idea of taking college classes at Sierra College over the summer is attractive to many students, as it clears up a class period they would normally have to fill during the school year. This allows students to have an easier schedule, or it even frees up a slot for students to take other advanced courses.

While taking classes over the summer at Sierra College can be a great way to gain exposure to the future academic world, some critics argue that the quality of learning compared to an AP course on the GBHS campus makes it an ill-considered choice.

Gazette photo /Lauren jackson A very popular course for students to take is History Students walk to their summer classes along a shady path through 17B, the “equivalent” to AP the Sierra College campus.

U.S. History.

“I believe I would (have learned) more by taking AP While this course offers the same amount of academic U.S. History, but because of my schedule this year, it credit as AP U.S. History, it only covers half the mawasn’t an ideal option,” she said. terial. Junior Lulu Mansour, who took History 17B at Brandon Dell’Orto, who teaches AP and IB U.S. HisSierra College over the summer, related her experience.

“There wasn’t much homework (or) teaching. There tory, said he is split on the topic.

“My AP kids, my IB kids, are going to study twice as was only a final and a midterm, so you can’t really say it was hard,” said Mansour . “You could have passed much history as History 17B kids,” he said.

After hearing from 100-plus students over the years, just by studying for the final and the midterm and you Dell’Orto said that the students that have taken Sierra could’ve gotten an A.” Mansour also said she would have learned more by College classes have never described them to be chaltaking a college prep class at GBHS rather than a col- lenging.

“It begins to become sort of a joke for the kids that lege class.

Michaela Setiawan, a junior who also took History do take AP,” Dell’Orto said. “They work their butts off, 17B over the summer, said her class was a bit challeng- they read 10 times more … and then they get the same grade. That’s the part that I get frustrated with.” ing, but she did not thoroughly learn the material.

What’s cooking in the culinary room?

GBHS special education program gets an upgrade

Sara Quinby The Individual Living Skills instructor at GBHS teaches new skills to special education students.

goal of exposing special education students to these situations and teaching them how to tpawlak.gazette@gmail.com handle the unknown.

“We are going to focus more on food and After a discontinuation of the culinary cooking this time to help them practice class last year, most students have lost making basic recipes and … exchanging interest in the room; something profoundly money,” course instructor Sara Quinby said. different has been cooked up for the room On occasion, the students take trips into the this year. community to interact with In order to prepare special strangers and put their new needs students at Granite Bay skills to use under superviHigh School for the kinds of Every kid is dif- sion. In particular, they are situations they will be facing ferent. We don’t attempting to perfect making in their lives after graduating, after a purchase in orexactly have change a functional academic skills der to not be shorted because program is offered every year. (set goals), but they did not understand how The program has been moved ... every student much they should be given. into the culinary room this This year, there are nine year in order to make use of has their indi- students taking part in the its facilities. vidual goals course, which is a normal The course, which will be amount of students according using part of the old culinary to Quinby.

– Sara Quinby, course room to instruct the students The program changes from in the art of cooking in a cominstuctor year to year in order to acfortable environment, focuses commodate the needs and on both academic and living strong suits of the special skills, ranging from reading needs students. “Every kid is comprehension and listening skills to numdifferent. We don’t exactly have (set goals), ber sense and nutrition. but we have our basics we want them to These skills are often neglected when the learn and then every student has their indiindividual is living in a home with family vidual goals,” said Quinby. members or other people that can support Social norms are often misunderstood by them, but when they find themselves all the special needs students, and these are alone, the students are unprepared for what further reinforced by the instructors. they encounter. In order to counteract this, Similar programs have been created in course instructors try to maximize the time nearby high schools according to the Rosthat the students spend dealing with probeville Joint Union High School District lems alone.

The course at GBHS is built around the See SPECIAL NEEDS, page B5

BY TROY PAWLAK

Changes in Ripple Effect week

New Student Government plans for keeping Ripple Effect relevant throughout the school year

BY ANJALI SHRIVASTAVA ashrivastava.gazette@gmail.com

Ripple Effect has always been a week for students to reflect, learn from each other and bond through class activities. This year, Student Government and Media have thought up some ideas to put a new spin on the week while still holding true to these principles.

“The Ripple Effect week happens every year to better our school culture and create a lasting effect on our students,” said Kristen Hilburn, ASB president and head of the Ripple Effect project.

Senior Daniella Cassano, avid member of Student Government, agrees.

“The purpose of Ripple Effect is to connect and bring awareness to the student body about our school culture on campus and how it affects everybody on our campus,” Cassano said. “It brings awareness to everybody on our campus…to think about things before you do them, remember who you are, don’t be afraid to be who you are, show courage, be yourself, and feel safe on campus.”

Ripple Effect has evolved over the five years that it’s been in existence.

“It started out as our answer to anti-bullying,”said activities director Tamara Givens , who is helping the kids with Ripple Effect, “and it sort of morphed into a week where we’re trying to improve our culture on campus.”

The program will be keeping some of its major aspects from last year.

“We’re still going to have an assembly and bring in a motivational speaker,” said Mary Frances Hansen, who is part of Hilburn’s committee and is helping her plan Ripple Effect, “(but) we’re going to change up the days a little bit...this year we’re changing it to make it more personalized.”

Like previous years, Student Government is planning on bringing in a speaker, Micah Jacobson. “(Jacobson’s) company is called the Boomerang Project,” Givens said, “with the idea that what you give comes back to you like a boomerang.”

See RIPPLE EFFECT, page B5

Dress code remains an issue with female students Some see dress code as sexist

BY HANNAH HOLZER hholzer.gazette@gmail.com

The Granite Bay High School dress code crackdown is a threat still on the prowl, but many are left wondering if this force to be reckoned with is all talk and no reward.

Students believe that this year’s rules have become much harsher, further restricting what they can or cannot wear.

“It’s a lot stricter, especially for the dances,” Junior Sierra Perkins said. “For the dress code at the (Decade Dance), they told us we couldn’t wear spandex which is what every single girl wears. So I think it’s changed in the aspect of the dances.”

However, the rules for the new year are in fact the same rules as last year. Also, the consequences for violations are the same.

The GBHS dress code guideline states that the purpose of a dress code is to create a more professional environment. The guideline reads: “We recognize that personal appearance and dress often determine future employment goals. Consequently, the school has a responsibility to guide you

in a positive direction for future employment.”

GBHS faculty are also on board with promoting the dress code as a tool to help students with appropriate clothing choices for life after high school.

“The purpose of a dress code is to promote a professional atmosphere and to teach students which attire is appropriate for the workplace (and school) and which is better left for the beach,” said principal, Jennifer Leighton, who is starting her first year at GBHS as a principal.

Most GBHS girls are aware of the purpose of having a dress code, but aren’t on board with every aspect of it.

“I think it keeps people from looking really [provocative] and to make us look more modest [...] and professional,” said Natalie Hatch, a sophomore at GBHS. “I think a dress code is necessary, but I think some of the rules that we have aren’t.”

The problems that most GBHS females have with the dress code are issues of sexism, oversexualization of their own bodies, and getting restricted on what they can and cannot wear.

“I feel like it’s almost sexist,” Hatch said.

“Because it’s just always directed towards the girls, and [...] it’s pointed that we’re

dressing inappropriately.”

As for the dress code being pointedly sexist, Leighton said she would need the reasoning behind the complaints before she could form an accurate opinion.

“I’ve “dress coded” both guys and girls since I’ve arrived,” Leighton said.

However, she may not be aware of the problems GBHS girls have with the strict rules.

“I didn’t know they were unhappy,” Leighton said. “I know that what’s on display at the mall is what they want to wear, but that’s not always appropriate to wear to school.”

It also seems as if the GBHS faculty overly builds up the dress code threat at the class meetings, but don’t necessarily follow through.

“A lot of people get around [the dress code], because they don’t enforce it very well,” Hatch said. “I think they try to enforce it, but they don’t really.”

Between last year and this year, a growing number of girls have joined the party of audible protestors against the dress code.

“I dislike the dress code because I feel like there shouldn’t be a reason for [girls] to be shameful of our bodies if we’re wearing stuff that shows them off more,” Perkins

said. “I don’t think there is a reason to make us feel bad [about our bodies].”

Perkins, who was “dress coded” last year because of a shirt that overly revealed her shoulder and bra strap, does not think the dress code is necessary. “Obviously people aren’t going crazy [with what they’re wearing]”, Perkins said. “There’s people walking around with their butts hanging out, but we get dress coded for [an exposed] midriff.”

However, not all girls dislike the dress code, specifically freshmen girls who now get more freedom on acceptable apparel than was available at their middle schools.

“At Olympus (Middle School) your shorts had to be fingertip length, and here it seems they can be a few inches shorter, but not too short,” said freshman Gwendolyn Porter. “I do like [the dress code because] I don’t like when people wear super short shorts.”

Porter also said that a small minority of freshmen girls think the dress code is foolish, and they should be allowed the freedom to wear what they want as high school students.

With the change in the new faculty, Leighton said the staff’s plan this year is for the new dress code to be more strictly

enforced.

“As we see students out of code, we will send them to the office to either call home for a change of clothing, or to borrow from us,” Leighton said.

“Teachers can also send students to the office , or they can email for us to stop by if it’s too awkward for them to approach the student.”

Girls in protest of the dress code also find the strictness unnecessary, however the faculty does not see it this way.

“Detention is not what I consider strict,” Leighton said. “If a student continues to wear clothing after several warnings, then he/she has moved into defiance and the consequences do ramp up.”

The dress code this year may be supported by the majority of staff members, but the majority of GBHS female students have yet to agree with being restricted on what they can and cannot wear. And so, the great GBHS dress code debacle continues.

“I think the dress code affects girls by restricting self - expression and style,” Hatch said. “(...but) it definitely helps us for our future because even though it can be a pain to follow, it forces us to find cute outfits that are acceptable to wear almost anywhere.”

Friday, September, 2014

The Granite Bay Gazette

Lifestyle B3

GBHS students intern at the Sutter Roseville Medical Center Students share their volunteering experiences at Sutter Hospital

BY EMILY WAGNER ewagner.gazette@gmail.com

For Granite Bay High School senior Lindsay Marty, a typical Thursday afternoon involves, gurneys, wheelchairs, and scrubs.

Marty and several other GBHS students are Junior Auxiliary Volunteers at Sutter Hospital in Roseville.

This means that they devote at least two hours a week for a year to volunteering in a specific department of the hospital.

Teens sixteen or older can apply for this program in April, and later go through an interview process that will place them in a specific department in the hospital, such as Pediatrics or Outpatient Recovery.

“We basically do things to make the nurses’ lives easier so they can spend more time with their patients,” Marty said.

Marty, who works in the Outpatient Surgery department, does small jobs like cleaning and preparing gurneys and wheeling patients out after surgeries.

Although she doesn’t get to observe or be directly involved in the surgeries, the volunteer program is still a helpful experience for Marty.

“At the moment, I would like to be an orthopedic surgeon, and so working in the surgery department is directly relevant to what I’d like to do, and it’s good exposure to the environment in preoperative and postoperative care,” Marty said.

Hannah Davis, a GBHS senior who is a volunteer in the Pediatrics department also agrees that this program helps prepare her for her future career.

“I get to experience being in the hospital environment working side by side with doctors and nurses,” Davis said. “I get to watch how they perform procedures and interact with patients... and I don’t think there is a better way to

prepare for a health related career.”

Davis, who aspires to work in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit as a doctor when she’s older is enjoying building experience in the field she’s passionate about.

On the other hand, senior Anika Mahavani, who also volunteers for the Pediatrics department as well as Nursery and Postpartum department, is disappointed with the program.

“Besides conversations with patients as you’re wheeling them out, there’s not much interaction with patients unfortunately,” Mahavani said. “I was looking for something that I could be more involved in, and this is just a lot of busy work that is more behind the scenes.”

However, regardless of whether or not the program is personally enjoyable to the volunteers, volunteering in general can be very beneficial to high school students.

“If I end up changing my mind about being a doctor, this experience will still help me tremendously with any career,” Davis said. “Because I interact with so many different people and have had to deal with tragedy and stress, I am prepared for a variety of situations that could arise in life in general.”

Cindi Underwood, the college and career advisor at GBHS, agrees.

“Volunteering gives you great experience in a field that you’re interested in, and more generally, it’s a hands on learning experience, which is sometimes a great way for students to learn skills and techniques,” Underwood said. And more than anything else, volunteering is a way to give back to the community.

“There is a lot you learn from volunteering, and it makes you feel good when you’re doing something for others,” Underwood said. “It’s a real growth experience when you’re giving back to the community.”

Gazette photo /Lindsay Marty

Lindsay Marty is a Junior Auxiliary Volunteer at Sutter Hospital in Roseville and volunteers in the Outpatient Surgery Department.

Transfer students at GBHS

GBHS yearbook earns awards

Students share their experiences in a new environment

Ursus recognized nationally

Corban Anderson (left) is a Grizzly Retreat Leader for Transfer Students

BY JACQUELINE GORDON jgordon.gazette@gmail.com

Senior Sona Jeswani transferred to Granite Bay High School in her sophomore year from a suburb of Dallas, Texas.

Jeswani said that prior to transferring, she had a four-year outline for her school in Texas, but transferring to GBHS meant significantly adjusting her academic plans. “(Your college future) really depends on what classes you take in high school,” Jeswani said. “and figuring out how to replan my high school years and who I (wanted) to be (was hard)” However, according to Jeswani, the switch has improved her outlook. GBHS has afforded her more opportunities than her previous school.

“If I didn’t move from Texas, I wouldn’t be exposed to all these different extracurricular activities, and I wouldn’t be on the same path,” Jeswani said.

Despite the new opportunities, not all of Jeswani’s credits transferred cleanly.

In Texas, Jeswani was required to take only a single year of physical education, as opposed to the two-year requirement at GBHS. Although her freshmen year of P.E. should have qualified as a year of

Gazette photo /Jacqueline Gordon

the requirement, the administration nearly did not approve the class credit.

“Eventually we got (the class) approved, but I almost had to take P.E. junior year,” Jeswani said.

When scheduling flukes such as Jeswani’s occur, counselors must work to ensure transfer students get the required credits.

GBHS counselor Paul Stordahl said that most See TRANSFER, page B5

The un-

bpanter.gazette@gmail.com

Granite Bay High School’s yearbook, Ursus, recently received a prestigious award from the National Scholastic Press Association.

The National Scholastic Press Association critique system honored Ursus with an All-American award with five marks of distinction – the highest critique possible. Many of these esteemed awards are displayed in the yearbook room, acquired from past years.

“That was very nice for us because we couldn’t have gotten a better critique,” Bernadette Cranmer, the yearbook teacher, said. “We also had students win individual awards for the Journalism Education Association of Northern California contest.”

According to the National Student Press Association website, entering for a critique with the NSPA ensures the publication will be given personalized feedback from a journalist

CollegeBoard SAT

Official SAT

This Issue’s Expert:

BY BLAKE PANTER

practice guide

SAT Word

The word undulate means to move in a wavelike motion.

professional. times.”

Critiques are given on a scale “I knew our yearbook was good, from Third Class to All-American. but I didn’t know it would be that Ursus won an All-American crigood,” Melissa Goni said, the Setique. nior Advertisement EdiSophomore tor who has been a part Hannah Bociek, of Ursus for two years. the index editor She believes everyA staff that one’s different ideas and who was part of the Ursus staff can accom- contributions made the last year, said she class’s success possible plish that loves the class and “While not unheard is very proud of of, earning five marks much has the award Ursus of distinction is a great much to be honor that not many received. She hopes to win more publications achieve,” proud of awards this year.

Trevor Ivan, the contest – Trevor Ivan, “I am defiand critique coordinator NSPA coordinator of the National Schonitely proud of the yearbook,” Bociek lastic Press Association, said. “We put a lot said . “It’s a high benchof work into it and mark because every the feedback was aspect of your publicawonderful… I think we won (the tion needs to be top-notch. A staff award) because of all the hard work that accomplishes that has much to we put into everything. We made be proud of.” sure everything was on point… It See YEARBOOK, page B5 all had to be checked over so many

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

Studying Resources: Go find some SAT books online or practice tests on the College Board Site work great.

Studying Advice: On the SAT itself, there are only 19 questions of vocab. When studying vocab, group them together in synonyms or antonyms to help you memorize. Also, mnemonic devices help a lot when memorizing words. Ryan Pham is a junior at Granite Bay High School.

What not to do: Don’t put it off until the last minute, or don’t cram too much or force too much, then you won’t get the proper learning. Instead, study for a couple of hours then take breaks.

- Compiled by Blake Panter

Tyler Greene

If you really knew me, you would know that I can do a really weird stomach roll.

(Freshman)

Alina Poczobutt

If you really knew me, me, you would know that I love Spanish.

(Sophomore)

Cole Pautch

If you really knew me, you would know that my three favorite things are my truck, Netflix and my cat Jimmy.

(Senior) - Compiled by Colleen Vivaldi

Lifestyle B4

Friday, September 12, 2014

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Granite Bay musical theater nominated for award

Shrek performance impresses Elly judges

BY HANNAH HOLZER hholzer.gazette@gmail.com

Performing in a fat suit under hot theater lights for an estimated total of 24 hours probably doesn’t sound very fun or appealing, but for Granite Bay High School graduate Bailey Earheart (‘14) it earned him an Elly nomination.

For any high school, one Elly nomination is impressive, but last year’s production of Shrek The Musical earned a whopping total of 3.

Elly awards are awards created by SARTA (Sacramento Area Regional Theater Alliance) to recognize outstanding performances in theater productions in the Sacramento area. This year’s Elly Awards will take place on September 7th and 21st.

“Adult”, “Educational”, and “Young people’s productions” are the three categories of nominations which are then further divided into comedy, drama, and musical for “adult”, and play and musical for the latter two. Each of these subgroups hold a total of five nominations.

GBHS graduates Perry Vargas and Bailey Earheart, (both class of ‘14), have received Elly nominations for best leading male. Vargus played the role of Donkey and Earheart played the role of Shrek.

Director David Taylor received his second consecutive Elly nomination for Musical Director, acting as a vocal coach, conductor to the orchestra and directing all of the musical acts. Taylor has received three Elly awards in the past for musical direction and acting.

Because Vargas and Earheart are both in the same nomination category for youth male lead in a musical they are competing against each other for the award.

This also means that the chances of a Granite Bay High School graduate being presented an Elly award from that specific category are 40 percent.

The nominations are beneficial to the nominees, but also to the drama department and the entirety of GBHS. “(Nominations) are very important to the drama department and GBHS as a whole because it brings recognition for the potential that our drama department has,” Earheart said.

Receiving a nomination does not depend solely on the

The Elly nominations mean quite a bit to each of the nominees.

“It is always nice to be recognized for my work so this nomination is even more justification to look back on my work and be proud of myself,” Vargas said. “I was already very happy and proud of my performances and the nomination is the icing on the cake.”

The nominations might also, hopefully, help high school students to become more aware of theatrical productions in the Sacramento area. “(The nominations) encourage students at GBHS to come see shows at in the school district,” Taylor said.

show’s content.

“Elly awards are not indicative of the quality of the program,” said Kyle Holmes, GBHS’ drama teacher and director of Shrek The Musical. “It comes down to the quality of the shows around us [...] I tell the kids whether we get nominations or not is never a reflection of the quality of work you’re doing, it’s just a nice pat on the back.”

And because getting a nomination is that much more difficult, Shrek receiving three is just that much more incredible.

“I would say the reason we got the nominations was having great costumes, props, and direction from Mr. Holmes and David Taylor,” Earheart said. “We knew in the beginning the show wouldn’t be easy, but the cast as a whole all came together every day to work and make the quality of the show better than the average high school production.”

The actors, musicians, crew, tech and direction all came together and no one was replaceable.

“I’ve been in many shows and this by far was the best and one of the most special,” Vargas said.“Furthermore, the talent in the cast was out of this world so I knew that this was going to be a special show before it was casted and I wanted to help this show become as special as it was.”

The show might have stood out to the judges for the message it brought to the audience. The productions of the season as a whole were known for their themes and Shrek the Musical was the final show of the season.

“This show was a culmination of a season that had a common theme where people learned to accept each other,” Taylor said. “There was a deeper meaning to Shrek (which) connected with the audience.”

Earheart and Vargas’ performances might have also held a unique aspect which stood out to the judges. “(Perry and Bailey) wowed people,” Holmes said. “Not just vocally, they had very complete characters and they were funny, and their chemistry with each other was great. Adults and kids alike really believed that they were these characters they loved watching in this Gazette photos/HANNAH HOLZER movie.” Actors pose in costumes from their nomination-earning play, accompanied by instructor Kyle Holmes

Common apps return with anxiety aplenty for students

Student

Spotlight

Applicants search for tips on the challenging common apps

BY ANJALI SHRIVASTAVA ashirvastava.gazette@gmail.com

For some, fall is the time of the dreaded trip back to school, but for seniors, it marks the even more dreaded start of the college application process.

The Common Application was released to the general public on Aug. 1, and some seniors have already begun and found that starting early was the best favor they could do for themselves.

“Start the essays before fall,” said senior Sean Nogrady, who started the application process during the first week of August. “You don’t want to do those during the school year.”

Fellow senior Sona Jeswani had similar thoughts.

“I advise for future seniors to start over the summer so they can have more time to think about what they want to write and just the things that they’ve done throughout their high school career,” Jeswani said.

Many experts agree that seniors should have as much time as possible to prepare college application materials.

“You’re not going to write the perfect essay the first time, and it’s not something you want to do like a last-minute class assignment,” said Betsy Rogers, founder of a website devoted to helping students write excellent college admissions essays (exceptionalcollegeessays.com).

“It’s really something that should evolve and revise(d) over the course of a couple months.”

Students may find the entire process daunting and have no idea where, or when, to start.

“Concerning the essay, start early and make sure you spend a lot of time in brainstorming a good topic,” said Scott Hamilton, the president of the Future Stars College Counseling Center in Sacramento.

While writing the personal statement, one thing to take into account is how to begin and end the essay.

“The intro and the conclusion are actually the most important sections,” Rogers said.

“You want an intro that grabs the reader and uses a lot of sensory detail and ... immerses

“(This would help) promote a larger community within the Sacramento Area.”

Elly nominations are both justifying and valuable for a performer or person involved in theater and their company, but for GBHS an Elly nomination is accepted humbly.

“Elly awards are nice, it’s a nice pat on the back (and) it’s great for the students to be recognized but it’s not the end all be all for us,” Holmes said. “We always have our sights set on bigger and better things, and we have bigger and better things planned for this year.”

I advise for future seniors to start over the summer so they can have more time to think about what they want to write and just the things that they’ve done throughout their high school career – Sona Jeswani, GBHS senior

the reader in a moment of time. The conclusion needs to not peter out but come back to the imagery and the scene that you first introduced in the introduction.”

Another important aspect college applicants need to consider is to make sure their essays are genuine. Granite Bay High School counselor Christina Cross said students need to realize that this is their one best shot to make a strong impression.

“I think colleges are understanding and appreciative of how you learn academically in English class to create a formal essay,” Cross said, “but this is really your one chance to speak up and out about who you are. Definitely make it an authentic voice, however, that (makes you sound like … )individual.”

Seniors should make sure that what they are writing is something they personally connect and agree with.

“I’ve learned that you really need to dig deep into who you are and bring light upon what you really like to do and how you can make an impact on the campus on your college of choice,” Jeswani said.

Cross agreed: “When you, with your own voice, tell them about who you are, not just as a student but as a person and what drives you and motivates you, that becomes a huge factor for a lot of those colleges which is why they ask for those essays.”

A common mistake students make is not being clear or direct enough and not focusing on one specific thing.

“They don’t answer the question,” Rogers said. “They write about something else. They forget to actually come back to the prompt and answer the real question that they originally started working with. (Students) have to make it really clear in (their) essay(s) that (they’re) responding to that particular prompt. ... Even though there is a lot of wiggle room, and room for creativity, students forget to answer the original question.”

When working on their applications, students often underestimate the importance of the supplemental questions.

“A mistake most students make is that people will not take the supplemental questions as seriously,” Hamilton said. “They will (...) write them off, but colleges look at those (...) more than the main essay because those are the questions they asked you.”

Most students don’t realize what the purpose of the supplemental essays is and will wrongly assume they are not important.

“The supplements are in place (because) there’s more information that they want to know about you outside of the application process itself,” Cross said.

Beyond the supplemental questions and essay, students should also focus on the activity list.

“For the activity list, (seniors should) really make sure that they are not underestimating or under representing the hours per week and the weeks per year,” Hamilton said. “They want to make sure, for each activity, they’re describing it so they understand what it is and they are highlighting their accomplishment and their leadership roles within that activity.”

The bottom line? Although fall can be a particularly stressful time for seniors, the college application process isn’t something they should let fall through the cracks.

“The application process isn’t hard per se,” Cross said, “but it’s very time consuming.”

How

Senior IB student keeps upbeat attitude

Gaurav Bhullar Gazette: How was your summer?

Bhullar: it was pretty relaxing. I took a physics class over the summer and wrote my Extended Essay for IB though, so I had work to do.

Gazette: Are you excited for your senior year?

Bhullar: Well all my IB tests are at the end of this year, and I have to do college applications. But so far this year has been pretty relaxing, especially compared to junior year.

And of course I’m excited for all the senior activities, like senior sunset and sober grad night and all.

Gazette: Are your classes difficult?

Bhullar: I’m in all IB classes and I’m pretty used to the homework and tests and all. But we’re only 3 weeks in and nothing is too overwhelming yet.

-Compiled by Neha Kompella

To:

Make Cookie in a Mug

Ingredients 1 tablespoon unsalted butter 1 tablespoon caster sugar 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar ⅛ teaspoon pure vanilla extract small pinch salt 1 egg yolk 3 tablespoons plain flour 2 heaping tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips Gazette illustration/TROY PAWLAK

Melt butter in your mug in the microwave.

Add sugars, vanilla, and salt to melted butter. Stir well.

Add egg yolk and stir well Add flour and stir until com-

bined. It should be the consistency of regular cookie dough.

If needed add flour or milk Add chocolate chips and stir well Microwave for 30-40 seconds Enjoy!

-Compiled by Olivia Heppell

Friday, September 12, 2014

w

Lifestyle

The Granite Bay Gazette

YEARBOOK: GBHS Club publication gains recognition

Club Name: Challenge Success

Continued from page B3

Ivan also said the AllAmerican status, with five marks of distinction, means the yearbook is doing great work and is achieving high standards.

Yearbook students are currently raising money to go to a national journalism convention in Washington D.C. in November.

Their goal is learn more about creating a product worthy of winning more awards.

The yearbook class also

entered into a number of other contests, but will not hear back from them until later in September.

This year, there are 21 staff members in the class, 15 brand new students, and six returning editors.

There are currently nine freshmen in the class that are beginning to learn the basics of how to put together a yearbook.

“There is quite a huge learning curve,” Cranmer said.

“There were a lot of new people last year, and we were able to win the award, so I think we will be able to this year,” Bociek said.

Ambreen Siddiqui, the managing editor, said she is incredibly proud of her team and their yearbook.

“We are the best,” she said. “We work so hard.

We spent so much time and it all just works out in the end. I’m looking forward to winning more awards.”

TRANSFER: Population gains diversity on campus Continued from page B3 scheduling issues can be solved relatively easily, but if a student has done poorly at their previous school, it becomes more difficult “Sometimes… students are really behind in their overall credits, and in those cases, we have to be a little bit more creative,” Stordahl said. “Sometimes we’ll work with Independence High School or adult education … and sometimes we start looking at online and junior college programs.”

Beyond academics, transfer students at GBHS find ways to adapt to the social climate.

“The number one thing I did to fit in was get involved in organizations,” Jeswani said. “I started my own club ... and I

met so many new people through Future Business Leaders of America and National Honor Society.”Senior Kristen Goldman transferred to GBHS from Maryland as a freshman and says that she found a place at GBHS through the classes she took.

“I was in drama, and everyone was really friendly,” Goldman said.

“And in health class, I just started talking to people.”

To help transfer students get connected, GBHS Student Government hosts a portion of Grizzly Retreat specially for transfer students.

“The thing that’s different from other Grizzly Retreat groups is that they’re usually new to this area (so we tell them about local restaurants),” said Corban Anderson,

the leader of the transfer student group at Grizzly Retreat. “We just try to make them feel at home.”

Anderson said he still keeps in touch with many of those students, and two of his close friends were transfer students.

However, according to Goldman, Grizzly Retreat can be overwhelming. But when Goldman’s counselor noticed she had left Grizzly Retreat early, she insisted that Goldman talk to a few of the students in Student Government, and through that, she found one of her best friends.

In spite of the challenges of transferring, Jeswani said that the experience has, overall, been positive.

“Although I miss Texas,” Jeswani said, “(transferring) has really changed what I want to be.”

ACADEMICS: Student immerses himself in school Continued from page B1 For my college classes, I knew that if I finished taking cultural anthropology, I would be able get my AA degrees,” Shah said. “For Speech and Debate, I was excited to get to States. For robotics, I plan to pursue a career in engineering, so (...) that was really exciting to do as well.”

Shah’s goals did not end there. After taking the SAT in the spring of 2014 and receiving a score of 2290, Shah strived to improve in the sections he was weaker in.

Mr. Shah described how his son refused to take any offered SAT test preparation classes. Instead he chose to take practice tests on his own time, judging his flaws and improvement with each that he took.

“Maadhav basically wanted to learn on his own through practice,” Mr. Shah said.

“From a very early stage, he has been analytical about his strengths and weaknesses.”

The perfect score came as a surprise and before Shah knew it, he became an academic shining star in the community.

Not too far behind him, however, is his younger sister. Junior Gauree Shah is proud of her brother’s accomplishments and had some of her own to share.

“My brother’s three associates degrees are definitely inspiring,” Shah said. “I also started taking college courses at age ten. However, my goal now is to earn enough credit so that I can transfer into a UC as a junior.”

Shah’s parents stated that they wanted to ensure the same opportunities for Gauree as there had been for Maadhav.

“They are both different personalities but (as of now) she is following Maadhav’s footsteps,” Mr. Shah said. “It is important to give both of them equal opportunities so that they can decide what interests them and what does not.”

While they have been following the same path, Shah described her challenge of being expected to do exactly as her brother.

“Because we are so close in age, it’s

Presidents: Ibrahim Hajjar and Arthi Bobbala

B5

Random ...

College of the Month TULANE UNIVERSITY

What is the purpose of your club?

FOUNDED: 1834

The purpose is to decrease stress and competition with the kids who want to join and show that success is not a contingent drudgery in school. It should a be a priviledge to learn.

Students: 12,144 Undergraduates: 7,754 Graduates within 6 years: 74%

How can students get involved?

Faculty: 2,821

Students can sign up at Club Rush and I think it will give them a more positive mindset and show them that we should be happy to be at the school we are, learning what we are.

Location: New Orleans, Louisiana Tuition: $41,500/ year Institutional Aid: $24,529 Campus size: 110 acres

We can do homework in groups and have study sessions. Hopefully, it will give a new perception of school and success than the one that is preached to us.

School colors: green, white, and blue Application deadline: January 15 Percentage accepted: 25% of applicants

- Compiled by Garbhita Shah

- Compiled by Carissa Lewis

SPECIAL NEEDS: Students with disabilities enroll in programs for indiviudal living skills Continued from page B2 official website, often for special education students who are in or have recently graduated high school, ranging from ages 14-21.

Roseville High School hosted one of these programs last year, and current Roseville Junior Shannon Owens participated in the course.

Shannon’s mother, Lisa Owens, believes it was a very worthwhile program.

“So far Shannon has had the opportunity to learn to menu plan, financial plan, read newspaper adds to comparison shop, shop, prepare the food and enjoy eating it. She also has learned community bus routes and had the opportunity to purchase lunch at various settings,” Owens said in an email.

“I feel that it is a worthwhile investment by the district - but don’t

feel that each high school necessarily needs a program. If there is a site at a nearby school, kids from all over the district would be benefited by it,” Owens said.

Owens did emphasize the lack of what she believe are important social lessons in the course. “Children with special needs don’t always understand how to act and react in social situations. They can sometimes be more centered around their own thoughts and understanding rather than having the ability to look at the situation from anothers perspective,” Owens said.

Across the district, special needs students are finding the support that they need in order to live alone successfully.

RIPPLE EFFECT: New views on old program Continued from page B2

Own. “We are trying to push our students to go out there and try new things and all our days support that theme.”

One of the most important messages of Ripple Effect is a student’s individuality.

“Don’t be afraid to be who you are at school,” Cassano said. “Granite Bay is a safe place - you should feel comfortable to be who you are.”

Ripple Effect continues to be enjoyed by the student body and the efforts of all involved are appreciated.

“Student Government and Media have only heard of positive feedback in the recent years,” said Zachary Weidkamp, project manager for Ripple Effect videos and Media teacher.

“I really enjoyed it,” Sophia Reinero said.

“I thought it was very inspirational and ground-breaking.” through it during the week (acting) sincere(ly) to others, but after the week is over they don’t really follow what has happened during Ripple Effect,” Hansen said.

“We hope that this year instead of just during the week, (students) will actually want to continue and keep the Ripple Effect week going.”

Hilburn has come up with a solution for this problem.

“We plan on keeping the Ripple Effect going by having a mini event each month to remind our students of how impactful the Ripple Effect was,” Hilburn said.

According to Cassano, Student Government is planning a monthly “Culture Shock” to remind the student body of Ripple Effect and to try to keep the effect of it throughout

A problem seen with the event is its effects not lasting.

“In the past, usually students go through it during the week (acting) sincere(ly) to others, but after the week is over they don’t ultimately hard to avoid being compared really follow what has happened during with each other,” Shah said. “Sometimes Ripple Effect,” Hansen said. “We hope that there is a lot pressure to live up to my this year instead of just during the week, brother’s accomplishments, but it pretty (students) will actually want to continue and much comes down to the fact that we are keep the Ripple Effect week going.” two different people with different goals Hilburn has come up with a solution for and ambitions no matter how similar we this problem. may seem.”

“We plan on keeping the Ripple Effect Otherwise, Shah’s brother has been a going by having a mini event each month huge influence in her life as they have to remind our students of how impactful the been involved together in almost the Ripple Effect was,” Hilburn said. same activities around the same time According to Cassano, Student Governperiod. ment is planning a monthly “Culture Shock” “My brother and I share very common to remind the student body of Ripple Effect interests. For example, we both are on and to try to keep the effect of it throughout the Robotics team together and we really the entire year. enjoy it,” Shah said. “We also enjoy Another thing they are considering is the volunteering together and giving back to balance between seriousness and lightheartthe community.” edness.

In fact, both siblings volunteered as a “When I was a freshman it was more of a tutor in the Peer Tutoring Program that serious thing,” Cassano said. “This year it GBHS offers. Shah shared how his aptiwill be a more positive outlook on the whole tude for math helped him assist students thing...and how we can change through a and how he plans to contribute to the positive way.” program.

“We are trying to stay away from focus“I’ve been tutoring math for many sing on the negative and focus more on the years now and have been able to see positive,” Hilburn said. “We want to capitalthe specific struggles people have with ize on the great things on our campus rather math,” Shah said. “I am working on cre- than the negative.” ating a reference guide that outlines math The five days – Day of Encouragement, concepts from Algebra through Calculus. Day of Courage, Day of Reaching Out, Day It will cover generally made mistakes and of Confidence and Day of Change, support different methods of teaching.” this year’s theme, which is Make It Your Shah plans to donate this to GBHS as a token of appreciation for the school.

After graduating high school, Shah Continued from page B1 plans to study engineering at either Cal Tech, Stanford University or at of the UCs. He hopes to give back to the com- as well as AmeriCorps volunteers. With a total of about 500 visitors in eight months, Donna hopes that high school students will munity through his education and love attend more events in the future. for learning.

“I (think GBHS students will find the site useful) because it is The young scholar advises students that while pursuing their goals try and have a so close to school and it’s a great, well-run organization that creates a safe and fun environment,” Sims said. volunteering aim as well.

Possible future events include a ‘fifth quarter’ hangout, fur“Try to do as much as you can right nished with food, music, and a campfire, as an alternative to now and find activities that interest you typical high school parties; sit-in movies; sports events; and a as well as make a contribution in socicommunity-based garden. ety,” Shah said. “It’s important to find a These activities were designed with the goal of “creating buildhappy medium between work and doing ings blocks to reach the hearts of teens” in mind, as the organizasomething you enjoy.”

the entire year.

Another thing they are considering is the balance between seriousness and lightheartedness.

“When I was a freshman it was more of a serious thing,” Cassano said. “This year it will be a more positive outlook on the whole thing...and how we can change through a positive way.”

“We are trying to stay away from focussing on the negative and focus more on the positive,” Hilburn said. “We want to capitalize on the great things on our campus rather than the negative.”

The five days – Day of Encouragement, Day of Courage, Day of Reaching Out, Day of Confidence and Day of Change, support this year’s theme, which is Make It Your Own. “We are trying to push our students to go out there and try new things and all our days support that theme.”

One of the most important messages of Ripple Effect is a student’s individuality.

“Don’t be afraid to be who you are at school,” Cassano said. “Granite Bay is a safe place - you should feel comfortable to be who you are.”

Ripple Effect continues to be enjoyed by the student body and the efforts of all involved are appreciated.

“Student Government and Media have only heard of positive feedback in the recent years,” said Zachary Weidkamp, project manager for Ripple Effect videos and Media teacher.

“I really enjoyed it,” Sophia Reinero said.

“I thought it was very inspirational and ground-breaking.”

HAVEN: Local property undergoing repairs tion’s executive summary states. Donna believes that the high rate of technology use among teenagers contributes to negative feelings which impact emotional stability, which was a key motivation for the initiation of the project.

“One of the saddest things that I’ve seen is that even adults, at a dinner table, would rather be on their (electronic) devices, not even talking. We’re losing one of the best things we have in life, our relationships and our network of people. I want to create a network for these kids.”

Ultimately, Donna hopes that Hearts Landing will fully embody this vision.

“It’s a place for people to come and for them to really let go, open up…for their hearts to land,” Donna said.

Your names. Your faces. The Gazette.

Friday, September 12, 2014 w The Granite Bay Gazette

B6 Lifestyle

Special to the Gazette/CRYSTAL YABES

Special to the Gazette/MATT MCCORD

Senior Matt McCord enjoyed his time with children in Africa, teaching them math and English while enjoying the culture.

Senior Crystal Yabes traveled through Turkey, Croatia, Greece, Germany, Italy and Austria on her Eastern Mediterranean Cruise.

GBHS students share summertime adventures Students traveled from Africa to Costa Rica

BY KELSEY ITO

kito.gazette@gmail.com

S

ummertime is the two months that every student looks forward to during the school year. It’s the one part of the year when you can constantly relax, spend time with your friends, and go on memorable vacations.

Some of these trips may be for a purpose, such as charity work, or it may just be a time to get away from the monotonous daily home routine. Many students had an eye-opening experience traveling all over the world and meeting all kinds of people.

Senior Matt McCord traveled all the way to Africa with a group of high school students for 3 weeks and volunteered to help the children there.

“I went to Ghana to work with children,” McCord said. “We taught them and we played games with them, but (we) mostly (taught) them math and English.”

Being in a different country for a month, McCord got to fully experience the African culture.

“The people are super friendly, they will come up to you and hold your hand, hug you, and say how’s your family, how are you,” McCord said. “They are just the most friendly people I have ever met.”

Another student who went out of the country for a month and taught seven to thirteen year old kids was Senior Annina Hanlon.

“I went to volunteer in Costa Rica and I originally wanted to go to a foreign country because I wanted to practice my Spanish,” Hanlon said. “So I went through this program and I taught English at a com-

munity center there for a couple of weeks.”

Senior Crystal Yabes went on a month long Eastern Mediterranean cruise to Turkey, Croatia and Greece, and after, she continued on to Germany, Italy and Austria.

“My favorite place was either Greece or Austria because I have always wanted to go to Greece and Austria. (Vienna) was a really pretty town and it was different from what I expected,” Yabes said.

Yabes had the opportunity to experience activities that she wouldn’t normally be able to encounter in California.

“In Italy, I rode a gondola with my family and we saw the inner parts of Venice,” Yabes said. “I also learned a little bit of German through a friend I met on the cruise.”

For six weeks, Freshman Blake D’Souza traveled to Florida and Canada with only his 12 year old brother, and then eventually went on to Morocco and Portugal with his parents.

“In Morocco, we went to the Sahara Desert and I actually sandboarded, which is where you basically snowboard, but you do it on sand,” D’Souza said.

D’souza got to fully see the differences in culture from here all the way to the Northern part of Africa.

“It’s weird because most people in America only speak English, but (in Morocco) everyone speaks two or three or four languages,” D’Souza said.

“When you say you’re from America they are like, ‘Oh Americans we love them’, even though sometimes it’s for business, but some of the time it actually is true.”

Yabes and Roberts laugh together while sitting in front of the ocean in Croatia.

Special to the Gazette/CRYSTAL YABES

Yabes enjoys time with her best friend Andrea Roberts, as she poses on the Rialto Bridge in Venice, Italy.

Special to the Gazette/CRYSTAL YABES

Special to the Gazette/MATT MCCORD

McCord takes a selfie with children in Ghana that he taught over the summer.

Sports

Granite Bay Gazette

C1 Section

Friday w Sept. 12, 2014

Commentary

maggie bell mbell.gazette@gmail.com

Graduating early: a valuable option for futures

T

he idea of graduating early is a completely foreign concept to many high school students.

At Granite Bay High School, with the 4x4 block schedule, students are given great flexibility to choose classes and pick, with some restrictions, exactly how many courses we want to take.

This makes it relatively easy – given the fact that students can earn up to 320 credits in four years – for a student to get sufficient credits to leave GBHS a semester early. It’s more difficult, but still possible, for students to graduate a full year early.

For other schools that don’t use the 4x4 block, it’s very difficult, if not impossible, for students to graduate early.

At Ponderosa High School in Shingle Springs, for example, students need the same 240 credits to graduate that we do.

But Pondo is on a six-period day, so the typical student must pass all six of their classes during their four years to graduate.

Some students take an early period and end up with seven periods per day, but because public schools across the state have for the most part eliminated summer school, it’s still pretty much impossible to graduate early at Pondo.

But even when it’s possible, some critics argue that graduating early is an example of “growing up too fast and missing out on memories.” The cliche – “you only go to high school once” – holds true in the sense that students who leave GBHS early will miss both academic and extracurricular senior experiences.

However staying the full duration of high school is not always the right path for some students – in particular, athletes.

Students who are committed to play a sport in college might be interested in graduating a semester (or full year) early for several reasons.

Going earlier to their chosen university can help give athletes a competitive edge over other incoming freshmen for the coming season. It also allows them to take classes before their athletic careers begin, and that can allow for a lighter academic schedule in their sport’s season.

In some cases, collegiate coaches encourage incoming athletes to arrive early to get them involved with the team early on.

Although it’s sad that these early graduates might miss out on memories, the opportunities that present themselves from leaving early outweigh the downsides.

Taylor Nelson and Dominic Scotti were both seniors last year, and they both opted to graduate last December and enroll at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (Nelson) and Wake Forest (Scotti) and begin training with their college teams in the spring before their first fall seasons.

In 2013, Tommy Thompson graduated after his junior year to attend Indiana University for a semester before being drafted into Major League Soccer in the spring before what would have been his senior year in high school was even over.

Had these GBHS graduates not taken advantage of the schedule flexibility offered to them, they would not have had the experiences that they did following high school.

In cases similar to these, it makes more sense for the student-athletes to move on from high school and get going with their future, and for them, it is unreasonable to wait around when they could be moving on and having major success.

Graduating early is a valuable option for students that should definitely be kept for them as a possibility going into the future at GBHS. *** Maggie Bell, a junior, is a sports editor

Gazette photo /KAT MCGRAIL

Senior Corban Anderson (left) kicks in a corner creating an oppertunity for his team to score; (right) Junior Hunter Loomis volleys a cross in for a goal helping the grizzlies to a 7-1.

Boys’ soccer hopeful for fall season Gazette photo /KAT MCGRAIL

Soccer squad looking towards another successful season

BY COLLEEN VIVLADI cvivaldi.gazette@gmail.com

Granite Bay Boys’ Soccer is starting this fall for the 2014 season. The head coach for varsity is Mike Fischer and assistant/ JV coach Frank Gemignani.

Last season’s 2013 Boys’ team won the SFL League title.

Sean Boyle, Junior, playing on Varsity thinks that the team is going to be good even though they lost a large amount of

cvivaldi.gazette@gmail.com

High school student athletes these days are competing at the highest possible levels of their sports to strive for commitments and scholarships. With that, comes the added stress of the recruiting process that burdens some of Granite Bay High School’s own.

The recruiting process is an elongated, emotional course that many Grizzlies decide to participate in.

Recently, professionals that have mastered the recruiting process themselves are beginning to provide services to promote high school athletes.

Greg Allen, in particular, has developed a company called Elite Sports Network that has taken off from the ground up.

Dominic Scotti, a prominent athlete that has passed through the GBHS hallowed halls, is currently playing NCAA Division 1 men’s soccer at Wake Forest University after utilizing Allen’s services.

“I heard about his services through former U.S. national team coach, Steve Sampson,” Scotti said. “(Greg) gets your name out there and is a great third party source to help decide what school is best for you.”

Through what Allen has established with Elite Sports Network or ESN as it is prominently known as, athletes and their families pay a retainer fee that includes constant personal support, a fully equipped online player profile, access to a college fit-finder and opportunities to get filmed at camps.

“Having gone through the recruiting

See SOCCER, page C2

Teams looking forward to upcoming seasons

BY NATALIE ERICKSON nerickson.gazette@gmail.com

Special to the Gazette /Wake Forest University sports photgraphy

GBHS graduate Dominic Scotti represents Wake Forest in game vs UCLA

BY COLLEEN VIVLADI

The junior varsity and freshman teams are also looking forward to playing this fall.

Freshman Dean Wilson, who plays for JV under head coach Frank Gemignani, is confident about the team and the skill level.

“I get to meet new people and I am a freshman, so having sophomore friends

Fall sports: On the quest for success

Athletes look to be discovered Student-athletes hire a professionals to help in college exposure

very strong this year. He also touched on the fact that they lost a large number of Seniors but doesn’t think that will put a damper on the new season.

“I think we’ll be great!” Anderson said.

“We lost a lot of starters from last year, however are bringing in some new guys.”

The team is very enthusiastic about the upcoming season especially after coming off of a win last Friday, 7-1, and feel they are prepared for the competition.

seniors from last season.

“I think we have a chance to win it all again, go back to back and it’ll be a fun season,”said Boyle.

“It felt good to finally start playing”, Boyle said, after playing the first game Last Friday, August 29th. “It was satisfying because we’ve been working hard every day” Boyle said.

Four-year Varsity player, Corban Anderson, said the team is going to be

process myself, I gained an appreciation for what players and families have to go through in order to secure a roster spot at the next level,” Allen said. “ The bottom line is that kids need help (as well as) support and without it, many will not go on to get an education that is vital in today’s world. I look at my experience and pair that with the ultra competitive youth soccer landscape.”

The overall package that Allen and ESN provides helps to build a resume and player profile that shows off the athlete’s best attributes, accomplishments and statistics of game play.

A handful of aspiring, young athletes on this campus are using this kind of service to strive for that next level.

Freshman soccer player, Connor Vivaldi, just got in contact with Allen to begin the long steps towards collegiate soccer.

“You can put all your statistics from your games so coaches know how productive you are on the field,” Vivaldi said. “He puts all your personal information — what school you go to and what club you play for — so the coaches don’t have to research that all on their own and don’t have to personally ask you, which is convenient.”

A lot of what Allen values and promotes is not only hard work on the field, but education and academic success as well.

“First is their academic standing. Simply put, we can’t/won’t work with players See sports, page C2

After failing to beat Oak Ridge in the Sac-Joaquin playoffs last year, the Grizzlies varsity football squad ended their season. Now, with their legendary Coach Cooper back and new players on the team, the grizzlies are looking to put last season behind them and push forward.

Shortly after last season’s heartbreaking loss in the playoffs, Coach Cooper announced that he would return as head coach after resigning the year before.

But to him, it has always been about more than football.

“We hope our players continue to do the things that are most important to all

of us: be a leader on campus and in the classroom be a good citizen [and] treat others with respect,” Cooper said. “Everything else will take care of itself.”

The Grizzlies have been working hard in practice to prepare for their opponents this season.

“Our competition is a lot tougher this year. We now have Folsom and Oak Ridge in our league,” senior cornerback Jaeden Calton said. “[we’re] working harder than ever before.”

Both Folsom (14-1) and Oak Ridge (12-2) ranked better than Granite Bay last season. They are currently listed as #4 and #32 in the state.

See FALL, page C2

The balancing act ...

Students forced to choose between activities

BY KAT MCGRAIL kmcgrail.gazette@gmail.com

Coaches and teachers both seem to have the same motto when it comes to high school sports, school must come first. But for the more important games, matches, and meets, does the grade still outweigh being a team player?

Students who are involved with elective programs requiring time outside of school such as the Dance program and Drama program who also compete in high school sports are at an even bigger disadvantage.

Performances, which are graded for electives, usually as the class final typically occur at the end of the semester.

For sports, this is typically the time when the season is coming down to the wire. With section finals and championship games on the line, it’s imperative that all key players be on top of their game.

But how can they be, when they are stressed about finals, and forced to choose what they believe is important, GPA or play.

Junior Jordan Holt, a varsity athlete taking beginning dance, found herself hard pressed for time when playoff games for soccer and the dance show rehearsals conflicted.

Holt said she had to skip one of the dance rehearsals to play in a game, and then was able to make up the points for dance, but it was still hard for a number of students who were forced to choose between a school elective and the school sport they are devoted to.

“It was hard to choose between getting the grade and supporting the team, and there was not much leeway to fit both See ELECTIVES, page C3

inside sports Rising Star C2 Fan of the Month C3

New Coaches GBHS athletrics welcomes new members to their coaching staffs

Volleyball Update Former state champions are looking for another successful season

C2

C4

Grizz Quiz C3

Friday, September 12, 2014

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Many teams under new leadership New coaches are thrilled to begin fall sports

BY NATALIE ERICKSON nerickson.gazette@gmail.com

Last year coaches at Granite Bay High School led their teams to many victories and even many championship games.

This fall, several new head and assistant coaches will get to experience the journey for themselves.

One in particular is Tim Raney, head coach of the girls’ tennis team.

After 40 years of playing his beloved sport, Raney decided to coach his first high school tennis team.

So far, all has gone well.

“I love it,” Raney said. “It’s a

great experience.”

Though Raney has never coached a high school tennis team, he is very familiar with Granite Bay High. His son graduated from GBHS, and his daughter, Claire, is a junior at the school.

“It’s a great school,” Raney said who grew up in the Sacramento area and attended Mira Loma.

“I’ve been out in this community for a while.”

Raney’s daughter, Claire, is a captain on the tennis team, along with junior Jaqueline Romero, junior Abby Rowe and senior Kristen Hilburn.

“I like having her on the team, Raney said, “but (...)she doesn’t know what to think of

having her dad as the coach.”

With this new season comes new goals and expectations. However, Raney is not worried about the tennis team’s 2-3 league record last season. Instead, he hopes the team learns to love tennis as much as he does.

Some other GBHS sports teams will also be experiencing the leadership of new coaches.

The cross country team has welcomed a new coach, Jeffrey Adkins.

For the varsity football team, Jeff Evans has become the new assistant coach.

Evans, also a new teacher at the school, teaches Athletic P.E. and special education.

“I just love everything about Granite Bay. I love the culture, I love the students, I love the activities and the people.”

BY BLAKE PANTER bpanter.gazette@gmail.com

Dual sport athlete sophomore Braden Triplett has high hopes for his future career in soccer and basketball.

Granite Bay High School sophomore Braden Triplett plays both soccer and basketball.

Last year, he played on junior varsity for both

sports. This year, he continues to succeed.

Triplett plays right midfielder for soccer this year, and point guard for the basketball team.

He is hopeful his teams will do well this year, like they did last year.

Currently, Triplett is playing on the JV soccer team, as well as playing basketball, his true passion, year-round.

“Our basketball team is going to be raw this year,” Triplett said.

Tim Raney New girls’ tennis coach has played the game for 40 years.

Jeff Evans, new assistant football coach “I just love everything about Granite Bay,” Evans said. “I love the culture, I love the students, I love the activities and the people.”

He is no stranger to the game of football or the Granite Bay community.

“I’ve coached football with my dad for the last 22 years,” Evans said.

In those 22 years, he taught at various schools, such as

Elk Grove, and eventually made his way to Granite Bay in 200708. Since then, he taught and coached at Rocklin and Antelope before returning to GBHS. “I’m fired up to be here,” Evans said. “It’s exactly what a high school should be like.”

Evans will be working hard to help lead the varsity football team that was 8-4 last season to another championship season and the playoffs.

Sophomore shines in soccer, basketball Rising star hopes to keep playing both

Sports C2

Triplett is also hopeful the JV soccer team will be successful this year. “We look pretty good out there,” he said. The JV soccer team won their first game against El Camino High School on Friday, August 29.

Although he has been playing soccer since he was five and basketball since he was 11 out of the two sports he plays, Triplett said basketball is definitely his favorite.

Incredibly passionate and dedicated to the sports he plays, Triplett’s natural talent has him looking forward to his future.

“For basketball, I train a lot. I play year around, and I go to the gym everyday to play.

For soccer, not as much though. I just play when it’s the season,” Triplett said.

Triplett’s dedication and success earns him respect and encouragement from his fellow teammates and coaches.

Triplett said he would also like to take his talents to college, hopefully to play both soccer and basketball.

“I just got to keep working on my grades and working on my game.” Triplett said.

However, he is not the only new coach on the football team.

Matt McLemore, the defensive coordinator, and Lee Evans – Jeff Evans’ father – were also added to the coaching staff.

McLemore, also new to the school, teaches Athletic P.E. fourth period.

Other new coaches include junior varsity boys’ water polo coach Matt Gilfillan, varsity water polo assistant coach Scott Wilson and Scott Mann, an assistant coach for the boys’ soccer team.

Braden Triplett The sophomore plays both soccer and basketball

FALL: Especially on defense, plenty of players return for 2014 football season Continued from page C1 Despite the loss of multiple seniors from last season, there are still a handful of play makers on the team.

“There are a lot of returning players on defense,” Justin Yeaton, senior quarterback said. “I feel like our defense is strong.”

Among the returning defenders are outside linebacker Drew Tonda, who had 125 total tackles and two caused fumbles last season, and the USC-committed inside linebacker senior Cameron Smith.

Smith, a senior, led the defense last season with 126 total tackles and three interceptions.

As for the offense, “(it’s) getting better every day,” Yeaton said.

There is no doubt that the Grizzlies’ offense was on fire last season. Now, the new starting offensive players have big shoes to fill.

“Last season, I just got thrown in and tried to do as best I could,” senior wide receiver Brian Graber said. “Hopefully this season I can do better.”

Graber had 17 interceptions for a total of 346 yards and five touchdowns last season after replacing the two injured starting wide receivers.

In addition to Graber, senior running back Kirk McKeon is,a player to look out for. He had 61 carries last year for a combined 381 yards and three touchdowns.

Aside from the winning, all the coaches ask is that the players try their hardest.

“What I expect is that they give their best effort every single week, no matter what happened the week before,” Assistant Coach Chet Dickson said. “Cause really you just can’t do any more than that.

Good things will happen.”

Despite his 10 league championships and five section titles, Coach Cooper agreed.

“I’m gonna ask them to give me their best effort every single day,” Cooper said. “Win or lose, handle the euphoria or the disappointment and continue to strive to get better and success will follow.”

But the Grizzlies have high expectations for the year.

“We’re trying to get a section title at least,” Yeaton said. “We just gotta take each game one by one, and go from there.”

The Grizzlies will play six home games, where they were 3-2 last season, and four away games.

As for the season, “I think we’re gonna be good,” Graber said. “I hope we’re good.”

With the fall approaching, Granite Bay High School sports teams look toward their season ahead.

After last year’s many achievements, both new and returning players have big shoes to fill.

From undefeated girls’ volleyball to the boys’ soccer section championships last season, players are hoping to continue with the success.

SOCCER: Grizzlies think they have chance to repeat in tough SFL Continued from page C1 is cool,” Wilson said.

Robin Strnad, a member of the freshman team, said it has been a great experience so far and he really likes playing for GBHS. The freshman team trains every evening of the school week to prepare for their upcoming season.

“It’s been fun and a lot of new people to meet.

Training is really hard every day so there is lots of work.”Strnad said.

Varsity coach Steve Fischer said it’s going to be a slow start – however, that is not uncommon for most years and that the team is full of talent. The new players will find out where they fit on the team in order to fill the spots that were left.

“I think we will be all right,” Fischer said. “We’re looking a little ragged at the beginning of the season, but every season you’re replacing half the team.”.

Senior Eric Manzo, a two-year varsity player, said he is ready for the upcoming season. He knows his team has a lot of potential with the three freshmen on the roster, he acknowledged it will be hard to repeat as Sierra Foothill League champions, but he’s confident the Grizzlies can do it again.

“It will always be a challenge for us no matter what, but we have the potential,” Manzo said. “I am confident in our team that we can win league again this year.”

Senior Zach Vane played for varsity last year and is currently playing as a center midfielder on the team.

He said that, with the limited amount of time the team has had to prepare for the season, the Grizzlies have come a long way.

“For the short amount of time we’ve been together, I think the team has phenomenal chemistry,” Vane said.

“The new juniors and freshmen are filling the empty spots from last years senior’s very well.”

To teams looking to rebuild with new players include boys’ soccer and girls’ volleyball.

The team is looking to dominate on offense as they did last season, when they averaged three goals per game and scored more than that in nine games.

Boys’ soccer With the new year comes many new players on the boys’ varsity Girls’ Volleyball soccer team.

The girls’ volleyball team is also “(they look) young and a little one with many new players. green,” Coach Steve Fischer said.

After last year’s undefeated Last year’s team was dominated season (45-0) and snagging a state by seniors, includtitle they are striving ing Dominic Scotto continue their ti and Zack Boyle, winning streak. who helped lead Senior libero Win or lose, the team to an unLibby Deters still handle the defeated record in remains on the team, the league (10-0) and proved to be a euphoria or and a win in the very valuable player disappointment section champifor the Grizzlies last and continue to onship against season. She had a Jesuit. total of 421 service strive to get However, Coach aces and 240 points better and Fischer still has in 120 sets played high hopes for his last season. success will team this season.

Hopefully girls’ follow..

“I expect for volleyball players us to do well,” can rebuild their Fischer said. team and win the – Coach Ernie Cooper “Hopefully by the state championship end of the season for a second straight we’ll be in the year. playoffs contending for a championship.”

Girls’ Golf There are still a number of The girl’s golf team is also important players on the team, looking for a year of success. including The University of “We got a lot of young girls Washington-committed midfielder coming out,” Coach Jason SitCorban Anderson and goalkeeper terud said. “We’re excited about Daniel Bohnett. building a program and keep them Bohnett had a total of 68 saves moving forward.” and five shutouts last season.

Despite their young age, their

coach has big goals in mind for them after watching his team rank 4th of eight in the Sac-Joaquin section playoffs last season. “(we) always want to compete for the league title and hopefully make the playoffs,” Sitterud said.

Cross Country The cross country team is another to be welcoming young players.

Many members of the team had success last year as they made it to the section championships.

But even with the several returning members, there are still plenty of rookies.

“I honestly don’t know (what to expect),” senior Miriam Flanders said. “We have a young team.”

Led by experienced senior Paul Zeiss, the Grizzlies still intend to be successful this season.

“It’d be nice to get far in sections and state,” Flanders said.

Girls’ Water Polo For the girl’s water polo players, it was sad to see talented players such as Grace Reego graduate, but the Grizzlies still appear to be in good condition for the upcoming season.

“We look pretty good,” senior Katrina Conan said. “We’re gonna be in the top five in the section.”

Last season, the Grizzlies scored a total of 115 goals. They were 18-12 overall and 5-1 in the league.

After last year’s devastating loss in the section semifinals against

St. Francis, the team still has high hopes for the new year. “(our goal is) to win sections,” Conan said.

Boys’ Water Polo This season’s boy’s water polo team is also one to watch.

Undefeated (37-0) in league games since 2009, they are hoping to keep that perfect record and make it farther in the playoffs.

The team has many returning players, including senior Alek Dendall, who scored 70 goals and had 39 steals last season. Also returning on the Grizzlies is senior Max Munsell, who saved a total of 130 goals last season.

Girls’ Tennis Another team aiming high for the year is girl’s tennis.

They were 2-3 overall last year, but both new and returning players hope that this year they can turn the team around with their new head coach Tim Raney.

“We have a lot of solid players and there are a lot of new good players,” junior Lauren Helfer said. “Overall, I think we’re a strong team.”

For the fall sports season, GBHS teams have high expectations as several varsity players hope to leave their mark at the school.

Whether they consist of mostly rookies or experienced players, teams are looking to achieve success for both their team and the school.

Your sports coverage. The Gazette.

Friday, September 12, 2014

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Sports C3

Spirited sophomore supports Granite Bay High in every way possible

BY JACQUELINE ROMERO jromero.gazette@gmail.com

Spirited sophomore, Keaton Dougherty, is looking forward to this upcoming season of fall athletics. He is not only excited for the Friday night football games but he also enjoys cheering on a wide variety of sports. Specifically, he plans on attending most of the girls volleyball games this season.

“I think volleyball is really entertaining to watch because you are constantly cheering and it is really fast paced” Dougherty said.

After volleyball’s exciting season last year, he is excited to see where this year takes them.

One of the main reasons why Dougherty loved getting involved in the tribe last year was to cheer on his friends. It’s a great way to encourage your classmates and to get in the school spirit.

He strongly encourages everyone, including underclassmen, at Granite Bay High School to take part in getting involved in the cheering section and to get excited about all the upcoming athletic events. It is vital that people come out to support not only the big sports, but also the less popular sports.

Keaton did not take part in the tribe as much as he would have liked to last year, but he wishes he had. He also didn’t attend as many volleyball games as he

would have wanted to.

“This year is going to be different,” Dougherty said. “Since I’m part of student government, everybody gets together to cheer on our Granite Bay athletics”.

Keaton feels that not only does the cheering section make sporting events more fun and exciting for the viewers, but it also helps our teams win more games because it energizes the athletes and motivates them while they’re playing.

Being actively involved in student government, he knows firsthand how becoming involved can better your high school experience. He’s also

participated in many extracurricular school activities such as sports-a-rama, rally games and class rally dances.

“I will be encouraging people to go

out and support Granite Bay sports” Dougherty said. Being part of the Tribe is a great way to get involved on campus.”

Keaton also thinks that going to Granite Bay sporting events is a fun way to spend time with people at school and make new friends. He likes how everyone comes together to encourage and cheer on our Granite Bay athletic programs.

You will find Keaton at upcoming sporting events in the Tribe cheering on our teams, always with a positive spirit.

He cherishes the memories he has made being involved in the Tribe and he is looking forward to many more this year.

Grizz Quiz Compiled by Natalie Erickson

Janice Leung Diving

What celebrity would you want to meet?

Jennifer Lawrence

Who is your favorite teacher at GBHS?

Mrs. Krishnaraj

Where do you like to go on vacation?

Who is your favorite pro-sports team?

Europe

Dan White Cross Country

Ronald Reagan

Mr. Mortensen

The world

Sarah Arfsten Track and Field

Ellen

Mr. Phillips

Mexico

Colin Downs

Ariana Martin

Volleyball

Basketball

Justin Bieber

Ryan Gosling

Mr. Broers

Mrs. Pozzi

New York

Florida

San Francisco 49ers

USA Track and Field

San Francisco Giants

Green Bay Packers

Miami Heat

American Eagle

Nike

Nordstrom

Nike

Levis

What brand of clothes do you like wearing?

Jordan Holt Junior soccer player says some coaches are understanding about conflicts, but some aren’t.

LIFE: What to do when sports and school conflict?

Continued from page C1 into my schedule,” said Savanna Thompson, also a varsity athlete involved in the Dance program.

Holt said that it was not only hard for the students, but also for the teachers and coaches involved. Many of the coaches were understanding, but some were very upset that students considered skipping sports for what seemed to be just a fun after school activity.

Deserie Milburn, the Dance teacher at Granite Bay High School, understands that whatever decision is made, it will effect the student athlete in a major way.

“I’m torn because I can see both sides” said Milburn. “I know if there’s someone who is a phenomenal (athlete) and this is their chance to get a full ride scholarship for college… but they need to take my class to fulfill the A-G Fine Arts requirement (...) just to get them into college in the first place”.

Both Holt and Thompson said it was necessary for them to make a compromise

in order to participate, and both agreed that in the end, the grade had to be the final decision maker.

“Both are important in their own ways,” said Jackie Nasca, a Track and Field coach at Granite Bay. But one needs to plan their time accordingly in order to prosper in both.”

This however arises the question, is it entirely necessary for the student to choose?

None of the sports coaches are allowed to prevent students from taking any classes, even if it would be more beneficial to the teachers, teams and students.

However, counselors can help students by organizing their schedules for fall and spring.

“At the beginning of the year, administration had us mark off the sport that we wanted to play” Holt said. “I think they should accommodate that, so that wouldn’t even be thought of as a conflict,” Student athletes are responsible for letting coaches and teachers know ahead of

The Gazette.

PROFESSIONAL: When they need help in the college recruiting game, more and more students call in the pros Continued from page C1

time if a conflict will arise. Teachers count on students to let their coaches know of conflicts, because many of the coaches do not work on campus at GBHS. Thompson agreed, saying that the coaches and teachers should have communicated more directly with each other, instead of simply relying on the students to be the middleman. “(Coaches and teachers) did however do a great job working through the conflict and trying to come to an agreeable resolution,” Holt said.

Nasca agreed that communication between the teachers and students must be an ongoing effort.

“Neither coach nor teacher should compromise their vision,” Nasca said, “the more communication on everyone’s part can only improve (successes).”

Your Names.

Your Faces.

who don’t take their grades seriously as it tells us a lot about who they are as a person and their overall work ethic,” Allen said. “If a player doesn’t give their best effort in the classroom during their high school years, why should a college coach assume that they will be able to handle the academic load in college.”

The overall goal is to help young student athletes achieve their dreams of playing the sport they are passionate about. Allen has continued to transform his professional recruitment aid as the years continue to roll by.

With this kind of hands-on approach, Allen and his partners at ESN bring forth a personal connection that enables a support base for kids to build off of.

“He is going to help me get the colleges that I am interested in to look at me and come out to my games” Vivaldi said. His services are great for me as well as all the other athletes using him,” Allen and others like him, have modernized the recruiting process and have been driving it in the right direction.

Rick Singer, an athletic and academic advisor, has also aided in the high-intensity roller coaster that is the recruiting and

college search process.

Junior Jordan Holt, has recently committed to the University of Kentucky on a soccer scholarship after using Singer’s services. “(Singer) really helped me a lot in preparation for the SAT and made me aware of the whole recruiting process as well as helped me get in touch with some colleges,” Holt said. “He told me how the whole (process) works, how I could get started calling the coaches of the colleges I was interested in and told them some positives about my play as well as my academics.”

The base that these professionals build for student athletes has revolutionized the ability to easily find the opportunities that are indeed out there.

“Our industry is in its infancy stage and will be exploding over the next 10 years.

With the cost of college going through the roof and increased competition at the youth level, it is inevitable that players need help to separate themselves from the rest of the clutter,” Allen said. “Our goal is pretty simple: work with each family on a personal level and connect them to schools of an appropriate fit both on and off the field.”

Friday, September 12, 2014

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Lofty expectations await after state title win

Grizzlies have a tough road after graduatiion of seniors

Last year’s volleyball team celebrates its state championship after finishing the year with an undefeated 45-0 record. Although it will be difficult for this year’s Grizzlies to duplicate last year’s astonishing results, GBHS is ranked No. 2 in the area. The Grizzlies defeated Rio Americano in the team’s opener and then lost a five-set heartbreaker to St. Francis last week.

BY CARISSA LEWIS clewis.gazette@gmail.com

As the school year strikes up yet again, so does the volleyball team. Tryouts were on the first day of school, from August 11-13, and were done by the first week.

Last year’s varsity team had a tremendous victory; they went all the way to state championships and won the whole thing.

When seniors from last year’s varsity team graduated, they were replaced by junior varsity players.

“Varsity lost three really key players,” said sophomore Lauren McCormick, who is on the JV team.

“They were great leaders and great players, and I think they led the team to success.”

According to McCormick, these star players were Taylor Nelson, Maddy Deters and Nickolette Pinkney.

Going into this season, new students will have to work together and fill in those missing gaps of the winning varsity team.

“I think we come in with high expectations of what this season holds for us,” said junior Brigid Bell, who has been on varsity both this year and last. “But I also think that we have a lot of potential this year.”

With this potential comes the hope of reclaiming last year’s victory. With the season quickly approaching, the players are feeling the newfound expectations kicking in. “(The success) definitely puts a lot of pressure on the incoming new varsity players,” said sophomore Diana Garcia.

Garcia was on the freshman team last year was bumped up to JV this year. In addition to last year’s varsity team winning state championships, the JV team has also moved up a league since then. This means that the competition will be harder, and both

Sports C4

Special to the Gazette 2013 file photo/BRETT PINKNEY

groups will have more of a challenge this year.

Although there is some worry on whether or not the team will be able repeat their successes, there is also a new motivation to reach these goals.

“It is great momentum,” said Tricia Plummer, who has been coaching volleyball GBHS students for five years, “It gives the girls confidence and something to prove.”

She thinks that other schools may underestimate the GBHS team because many strong players graduated last year. This gives the volleyball team something else to prove.

In order for momentum to occur, Plummer believes that one force has to trigger another. The team will also have to perform together in order to achieve their goals.

Because last year’s team was very close, some believe that these connections are what carried them to their undefeated championship season.

From playing club volleyball, JV player, Surina Khurana has already made several connections with current teammates. Even though the season has just started, she feels as though she is becoming close with the new players as well.

“We want to focus on working together and helping each other out when we’re down,” Khurana said.

But this is not the only goal of the season. Last year, the varsity team was top in their league. According to Coach Plummer, they hope to win league again and make it back to sections.

Finding players on the team who are willing to work tirelessly toward this goal won’t be hard because for many of these girls, volleyball is their passion.

“We have a great group of girls out there,” Bell said, “It’s going to be really fun.”

Senior Libby Deters has high hopes for season After winning state and recording an undefeated record last year, Deters is hungry for more.

BY LAUREN JACKSON ljackson.gazette@gmail.com

Athlete of the month is a three-year Varsity Volleyball player Libby Deters. After the first game, Deters is excited for this upcoming season.

Some of the returning players are in new positions making things a bit different.

“We had our first foundation game on Tuesday Sept. 2where some returning players are played different positions,” said Deters. “I think we came out pretty strong and we beat Rio Americano 3-0.”

Varsity volleyball went 45-0 last season therefore leaving the question, will they be able to rebound after that flawless season.

“I think it will take some readjusting after having such a talented group last year,” said Deters.

“We just need to work harder and play better

defense because we don’t have the same strong defense we had last year.”

Two sophomores are on th team this year, filling the spots of the graduates.

“We have two sophomores on the team this year. One of them was on the team last year but this season she will have to take on a much bigger role,” Deters said. “She’ll do well since she has already experienced the team.”

Deters thinks that even though they lost a few key players from last year, they will still be successful once again.

“Most of us have already played together but I think it will just take a few games to reestablish good chemistry,” said Deters.

The new editions to the team will bring new talent that the team will be able to utilize and have another perfect season. “(We will) get to know the new girls better and see what they can bring to the team” said Deters.

Special to the Gazette /LIBBY DETERS

Libby Deters has been a key player for the Grizzlies over her last three years on varsity and was an essential piece of their state title team last year.

Roll R

Tribe

green screen.

The Gazette’s arts and entertainment guide September 2014 The Gazette’s arts and entertainment guide

September 2014

Average photographers are going pro with GoPros Pages 8 and 9 Special to the Gazette /CHASE GALMEISTER

Pages 8 and 9 Gazette photo /Caitlyn Hurley

Page 2

September 2014

sneak peek.

Special to the Gazette /EMILY WAGNER

wSee page 5 for the new swind dancing and country phenomena.

Special to the Gazette /TYLER JACKSON

wSee pages 8 & 9 for a peek into Go-Pro trends.

Special to the Gazette/PHOTO /KYLIE SOMMER

wSee page 11 for the social media scoop on the ALS ice bucket challenge.

Life of the rich and talentless

I guess all you need to be successful is a pretty face and an iPhone

I

f you knew me well enough you would be well aware of my It goes without saying that I was a little disturbed that my sister irritation with certain aspects of social media. and her friends would willingly pay money to see Viners “perBut there’s one thing that dominates all form” random pointless acts on stage, so out on my list of social media pet peeves, young of curiosity I asked them why they would pay adults who gain fame from their pointless six $150 dollars for that event instead of buying second videos. something of uppermost value.

There’s nothing more disturbing than “Because they’re all hot and cute.” they haughty teenagers gloating their overrun said. fifteen minutes of fame from a powerful app My point has been made, the only reason called Vine. certain Viners have the “fame” they have is Vine started off as an app used for people to because of their physical attributes. showcase their comedic or musical talent but Since they’re already talentless if they it has now spiraled into a business platform weren’t as physically appleaing the “viners” for those talentless teens with nothing more to would be chillen at home instead of chillen at offer to the world than a pretty face big pop culture events with real life celebriNow don’t get me wrong some people on ties that have real life talent.

Vine have pure talent and they’re using it as a Just as I thought the vine mania couldn’t esharma.gazette@gmail.com publicity mechanism to help establish a name get any worse, life decides to surprise me for themselves in the music or talent industry. with the fact that viners make more money In the past year Vine has been very successful in jump-starting than the average person who has gone to college and received a many singing and acting careers . credible degree.

I thoroughly enjoyed going on Vine up until the middle of this I mean screw education who needs that when you’re goodsummer when certain Viners, that weren’t affiliated with any looking teen with a fanbase that loves you for being attractive, am singing or dancing background so basically the pretty boys with I rladies? no talent were all scouted and put into groups for meet and greet Two names will forever haunt my perception of Vine. Cameron conventions.

Dallas and Nash Grier are the reason for the teardrop on my guitar, I didn’t understand why some people would be willing to pay they have me living in fear of what “celebrities” social media will over hundreds to meet someone that has no talent to showcase, come out with next. however I didn’t really despise the Viners who were doing meet Every time I see a Vine affiliated with Nash Grier or Cameron and greet conventions until mid July when I came home from Dallas I can feel my brain cells begging me to scroll faster and find school to find my sisters and her friends buying tickets to “Maga Vine that isn’t so repulsive. con”.

Hopefully soon enough the crazy Vine mania fades away and I Ever since that moment the idea of paying money to meet somecan go back to watching vines that consist of talented people. one who has no appealing skills or attributes bothers me somewhere deep down inside.

Commentary

Epsa Sharma

Guide to Green Screen

Page 3 Music Reviews Page 4 Netflix Picks Page 5 Country/Swing Dancing

Page 6/7 Food Reviews Page 8/9 Go-Pro Page 10 Slam Poetry/Indie

Page 11 ALS challenge for students at GBHS Page 12 Latest Top Tweets

Upcoming GBHS Events for September Sept. 22-26 Ripplle Effect Week Sept. 29 Float building starts Oct. 9-10 Midterms

Page 14 iPhone 6 Page 15 Movie Reviews Page 16 Sock Game

September 2014

Page 3

tune in.

Ariana Grande My Everything

BY BRIAN ZHUANG bzhuang.gazette@gmail.com

A

riana Grande is one of the most talked about artists on the music scene right now. And with her new album released, she has been on the top of charts around the world, number one in 80 countries.

My Everything is Grande’s second album since her explosive fame from her acting career.

One of the major factors turning people away from her music is her voice. Yes, her voice.

A majority of the people not on the Ariana Grande band wagon are simply annoyed by her voice. A lot of times it sounds like she has a stuffy nose which irritates many of listeners.

But honestly, I am a fan of Ariana Grande and her music. I don’t really notice her “nasally” voice which allows me to actually

appreciate her as an artist.

“Cadillac Song” is one of my favorites even though it technically isn’t on the album. It is one of the songs that got cut off right before the album was labeled “complete” It has a very chill vibe,as if you were driving down by the beach with the top down, enjoying the breeze, hence the name “Cadillac Song”.

Grande takes advantage of her popularity as she features many different artists throughout her album. About half of her songs have a feature on it which adds diversity and new sounds. For example, Grande works with Nicki Minaj and Jessie J in a masterpiece of a song called “Bang Bang.”

Creatively, Grande uses a Michael Jackson sample in “Break Your Heart Right Back (feat.

Childish Gambino) which is an interesting yet well executed song.

In addition, I like how she doesn’t overuse

the sample, but rather plays it only during the chorus. Gambino also adds a nice flare that keeps the song upbeat, but still keeps his verse short to maintain the light on Ariana Grande.

Despite the acclaim My Everything has gotten, I still believe that Grande’s first album Yours Truly was a lot better with way more hits.

My Everything has some of the same tunes as her previous album.

This album definitely grows on you the more you listen to it. With this some new sound, Ariana Grande may expand the number of their listeners, while still keeping their faithful fans. .Although her sound is changing, However, this album is still a great album that deserves recognition.

If you desire a compilation of different types of sounds ranging from ballads to happy, upbeat tunes, I recommend checking it out.

Republic Records

My Everything was released on August 25, 2014.

BSkip to: Bang Bang

Imogen Heap Sparks Hunter Hayes Storyline

BY HANNAH XU hzu.gazette@gmail.com

I Megaphonic Records

Sparks was released on August 18th 2014.

A-

Skip to: You Know Where to Find

mogen Heap climbed her way into the Billboard 200 albums, hitting at number 21 on the charts.

On August 18, Heap released her fourth studio album Sparks, that she had spent the majority of the past three years working on. Heap introduces a unique and fresh sound, using state-of-the-art technology and incorporating snippets of her everyday life into her music.

The first song introduced on the album, “You Know Where to Find Me”, leaves a melancholic feeling and beautiful message engraved in your mind.

The interesting digital tones accompanied with classical piano creates the perfect mix between modern and rustic.

Other tracks such as “Xizi She Knows”, “Minds Without Fear” and “Climb to Sakteng” feature traditional music from China, India and Bhutan, respectively.

Heap does an incredible job of having these cultural and traditional noises in her songs, while still staying true to her own distinctive style.

As a rather interesting project of hers, Heap asks fans to submit sound seeds, otherwise known as sounds from everyday life like running water or car honks, prior to creating her album. Many of these sound seeds are featured in her song “Propeller Seeds”, which also includes 3D audio (I recommend you wear earphones) and is a brilliant piece of music, as she is able to fit the sounds into a smooth and calming melody.

Her albums also includes collaborations with deadmau5 and Vishal Shekhar.

Personally, I didn’t think her collabs with both deadmau5 and Vishal Shekhar were her best pieces, however they were both definitely entertaining to listen to.

Heap experiments with new ways to create her music, using a pair of interactive gloves that allows her to create music using gestures with her hands. Her 9th track“Me the Machine” brings to life her calming movements through sound And to complete the album, Heap includes all 14 music videos to accompany the 14 tracks. Each music video presents a creative concept and interesting twist to her songs Imogen Heap introduces a new sound to the music world with her album Sparks.

Sparks is an album that allows you to wind down to or something to workout with, her album features a fitting song for all people and all moods.

Maroon 5 V

BY KELSEY ITO kito.gazette@gmail.com

T

he new Maroon 5 album V is a combination of techno tracks mixed with a strong pop sound, but less soul.

Maroon 5’s debut studio album ,songs about jane which was released in 2002, is one of my favorite and well relished discs of all time.

But, with their new album, it seems as if Maroon 5 is trying to make an attempt to get back into the market by transitioning to a more electric vibe.

Although they have sustained a great reputation over the years, some of these new upbeat songs may surprise their loyal fans.

They do, however, have many nice slower tempo songs that are a saving grace on the album.

Maroon 5’s hit single “Maps” exemplifies their unoriginal lyrics as well as the overload of extra computerized instruments.

The tune of “It Was Always You” also encompasses the band’s new electronic style, but still has a bit of their old sound from their previous album, Overexposed.

“Feelings” display’s the band’s inability to produce a deep and soulful song, while adding to the fact that Adam Levine’s vocals are over computerized, creating an annoying high pitched sound.

With these tracks, the upbeat tempo is overwhelmed with a mix of electronic noises, drowning out the lyrics and meaning of the song Although some of their songs sound unnatural and overproduced, many of their slower jams have a more pleasant and enjoyable tone to them.

While it contains a slower beat, “Coming Back For You” displays a catchy tune that is easy to sing along to at anytime.

A nice ballad on the album is “My Heart Is Open” which features Gwen Stefani.

It actually accentuates both of their vocals, without the overuse of computerized sounds.

This track is a nice, thoughtful array of softer beats which create a smooth and relaxing tune.

“Shoot Love” has a more mellow tune but with a catchy beat. It’s one of those songs that you find yourself singing to without even

thinking about it.

Adam Levine, the band’s frontman, even performed a solo song called “Lost Stars.”

This creation highlights his voice and allows for his relatable lyrics to shine through, instead of being hidden behind all the funky electronic background noise.

“Animals” is my personal favorite track on the record, even though it is an up tempo beat, it doesn’t include an overload of electronic sounds.

This song has a nice steady rhythm that is great to jam out to in the car or to dance to with friends. Even though the lyrics are a bit odd, the catchy tone will leave this tune stuck in your head.

Two other songs that are on constantly on repeat are “Leaving California” and “In Your Pocket.”These tunes are easy to sing to with their steady beats and melodious sounds.

While this album’s transformation to a more mainstream and computerized sound for its upbeat tracks decreases its quality, the slower ballads completely save the album and remind you of the old Maroon 5.

Interscope Records

V by Maroon 5 was released on August 29th, 2014.

A-

Skip to: Animals

Page 4

September 2014

current.

BY KAT MCGRAIL kmcgrail2.gazette@gmail.com

Senior Hannah Davis

1. We Are Tonight by Billy Currington Live in the moment, be present, we are the greatest generation.

2. Burnin’ It Down by Jason Aldean Not just hanging out to this soft rock southern beat.

3. Meanwhile Back at Mama’s by Tim McGraw Remembering the good ol’ days where life was slower and memories were sweeter.

4. American Kids by Kenny Chesney This is America, kids. We’re a little messed up, but we’re all alright.

5. Sunshine and Whiskey by Frankie Ballard Reminiscing those last fun nights of summer with a good-feelin’, slow-drivin’ jam.

Gazette photo /Harrison Tucker

Artist of the Month

Mixtape

1. How long have you been doing art?

I have been drawing and painting since I can remember. When I was in elementary school, I took weekly classes and after that, I had art in school as my elective.

2. What types of art do you enjoy the most?

I genuinely love using and trying all sorts of mediums in art. I only have time for the work I do at school which is all painting in art 4. However, if I had more time I would love to do more ceramics.

3. What is the highest achievement in your art career?

Recently I was awarded first place in the California State Fair for my self portrait I did in Art 2.

4. What are you currently working on?

Currently I am starting my series of four paintings for the semester. I am almost done with the sky of my first painting and then I will begin the background and the figure.

Compiled by Harrison Tucker

Top Netflix Picks

BY LAUREN JACKSON ltjackson.gazette@gmail.com

1. Criminal Minds (2005-2014) Starring Mandy Patinkin, Joe Mantenga and Thomas Gibson, Criminal Minds is an intense series on police officers hunting down an FBI group. The FBI agents figure out ways to get inside the heads of psychopathic criminals. They gain the trust of the criminals and work with them to get into their mind and eliciting their secrets.

2. American Horror Story (2011-2014) A twisted drama series in which people explore how the evilness of human minds are and travel into the supernatural fears of average day-to-day lives. Ghost infested houses leave the owners with the souls of the people who have previously lived there.

3. Orange is the New Black (2013-2014)

ABC Studios

A popular show featuring Taylor Shilling, a girl who is caught up in a crime she committed 10 years previously and is now sentenced to do her time. Her past is time she doesn’t want to relive, but her accomplice is doing time at the same facility. She makes friends with the diverse community in the minimum security correctional facility.

4. The Walking Dead (2010-2014) An exciting show about a zombie apocalypse. The main character Rick, played by Andrew Lincoln, wakes up from his coma into a world turned nightmare by zombie apocalypse. The lucky people who have survived come up with a plan to save their own lives.

September 2014

homegrown.

Page 5

Hoe-down throwdown Granite Bay students swing to the beat of their own banjo

BY EPSA SHARMA esharma.gazette@gmail.

O

ver the summer, students at Granite Bay High School have been reviving the swing dance culture.

The trend kicked off mid- June as a cure for summer boredom and it quickly escalated into a popular Friday activity.

“Over the summer people were looking for something to do and heard about swing dancing, the trend kicked off because it was spread by word of mouth and all the pictures on Instagram played a role in its popularity,” senior Emily Smith said.

There are many places to go swing dancing, but the location that attracts the students at GBHS is Midtown Stomp in Sacramento.

Swing dancing at Midtown takes place every Friday Night from 8PM-12AM. The attire for swing dancing is semi-formal, girls tend to wear skirts or long dresses while guys wear jeans and button down t-shirts.

The first hour of swing dancing at MidTown consists of lessons that give you an intro to the basics of this type of dancing. However you can go into a separate room and learn new moves at any time during the night.

After that you are free to roam around and dance freely with a partner. During the lesson the instructors will ask that you switch partners constantly so there’s no need to bring a partner.

“It’s really nice to go with a group of friends, it makes it more fun,” junior Camilla Griggs said. “But also there’s plenty of people who go that don’t have partners so it’s a great way to meet people.”

Swing dancing allows you to meet new people from different schools and even meet people from GBHS that you wouldn’t normally interact with.

“Every time I go I run into somebody I know that I didn’t know did it,” junior Trey Grijalva said. “ I met new people and created new friendship while having a ton of fun.”

Many students were introduced to swing dancing through social media, word of mouth and even from team bonding activities.

“Our hurdle team does a lot of activities together and we decided we all had to try out swing dancing and find out what was great about it,” Grihalva said.

Swing dancing was also introduced to GBHS students through birthday festivities.

Midtown is a great location to celebrate with friends and be able to experience new things all together.

“The first time I went was for my friend’s birthday party, it was my first time swing dancing and I’m glad I went because I had a ton of fun,” junior Marshall Brusca said.

The swing dancing trend has become so popular among GBHS students that seniors Emily Smith and Kyle Diodoti are creating a club for it.

“We’re hoping to have a couple dances this year for people who can’t make it all the way to Midtown,” Smith said.

The creation of the swing dancing club will draw more of a crowd and increase the popularity, making it a staple entertainment activity for GBHS students.

Swing dancing is a way to meet new people outside of school and try new activities that you wouldn’t normally do everyday.

“I would definitely recommend going swing dancing, its such a fun thing to do with your friends and just let loose,” Smith said. “Once you start going you won’t want to stop because the swing dancing thrill is like no other.”

Gazette illustration /AKASH KHOSLA Gazette photo /Emily WAGNER

Page 6

September 2014

angel hair.

Spaghettin’ me excited...

Noodles & Company

BY CAROLINE PALMER cpalmer.gazette@gmail.com

When my favorite Italian place, Pasta Pomodoro, on the corner of Douglas went out of business you could say I was a little disappointed. Weeks went by and I wondered how I would live without the restaurant, but then my friend eased the pain and told me how there were plans to make a Noodles & Company in the empty space.

I was obviously excited however I had never heard of Noodles and wondered what type of food they would bring to the area.

Right when I entered the restaurant I knew I liked what they had done with the place; Noodles has a low-key, calm atmosphere to it.

As I was looking at the huge menu on the front wall, a friendly worker came up to my mom and me and explained the menu to us. There were so many choices it almost felt overwhelming, however I also appreciated it.

There are three sections to the menu: traditional Italian pasta dishes like the Penne Rosa, Asian noodles such as Pad Thai, and bland things like Mac and Cheese, spaghetti and meatballs and buttered noodles.

I decided on the Penne Rosa which has spicy tomato sauce, penne pasta, mushrooms, tomato, and spinach for $5.59 and a side soup of Tomato Basil for only a dollar, which is a great deal.

Another thing I liked about Noodles is there drink machine. It’s one of those fancy electronic ones where you tap the screen for what you want.

There are outdoor and indoor seating available at the restaurant. My mom and I opted for outdoor seating, which proved to be a favorable choice. It was hardly packed with only about a dozen other people around.

Before I even knew it, the food came. It couldn’t have been more than 10 minutes before I saw a huge plate of steaming pasta come towards me.

Even though I ordered at the counter and sat myself, the Noodle’s workers brought my food to me which I thought was a great example of customer service.

Not only was my food made quickly, but also it was brought to me.

The dish had a nice presentation, and though it was a little spicy for my taste, I enjoyed it very much. While I thoroughly enjoyed the Penne Rosa, my favorite thing about the meal was actually the Tomato Basil soup. It was honestly the best Tomato Basil soup I have ever had.

I felt as though I was diving into a sea of flavor and zest every time I took a bite from the soup. The combination of tomato soup with cream, fresh basil, garlic and Italian parsley simultaneously pleased my taste buds to no end.

Overall my experience at Noodles & Company was a delight and there is definitely a promising future for the restuarant in this community.

The Gazette staff is on the hunt for the best pasta in town.

Buca di Beppo

BY STEVEN GERISCH sgerisch.gazette@gmail.com

Traditional Italian pasta may be one of the most mouth-watering, universally loved dishes on the earth. No restaurant better embodies this prototypical Italian dish, as well as the culture, than Buca di Beppo.

From the moment I stepped in, I was immersed with the traditional familyoriented style of Italian culture. I was then promptly seated into one of their multiple dining rooms, each decorated slightly different than the previous.

After being lead through the kitchen, where a special private booth is available for those wanting a more private experience, I reached my table.

The one aspect that differentiates Buca from the rest of the competition is their gigantic, traditional Italian family style portions that they’re famous for.

Everything ranging from their tasteful appetizers, to their crisp salads, and their delicious pasta is huge. Buca suggests that a small order of pasta is meant to serve two people, ensuring that you won’t run out of food if you order just for yourself.

Even if you’re not looking for pasta, Buca still has an array of options to satisfy your taste buds. If pizza is more up your alley then you may choose from the array of tasty options on their menu, or from the various toppings to create

your very own Italian masterpiece.

When I visited, I started off with a traditional caesar salad before ordering my entrée. When it was brought out, I couldn’t believe the size. Typical salads normally fill a small plate or bowl, however this salad was no ordinary salad.

Served in a massive bowl, this itself could’ve been dinner alone for most.

Thankfully, Buca doesn’t sacrifice quality for quantity when making its dishes.

After letting the food settle in our stomachs after the opening course, my family and I were presented with two behemoth-sized bowls filled with pasta.

My family and I ordered both the baked rigatoni and the chicken carbonara, both of which looked and smelled good enough to make your mouth water.

Accompanied by breadsticks, one bowl of pasta would have easily served my family, but the sheer density and amount of food left myself on a mission to fall into a food coma.

If you somehow have enough room for dessert after the feast, then look no further than their in-house made cannolis or any of their delectable desserts.

All in all, Buca is an experience that every pasta lover should partake in. Everything from the ambience to the food adds to a family-friendly oriented atmosphere. Though there are much nicer, fancier, and more expensive Italian restaurants in the area, Buca di Beppo is the best bang for your buck.

Pete’s Restaurant & Brewhouse

BY AMANDA NIST

anist.gazette@gmail.com

Although most commonly known for their pizza, Pete’s Restaurant & Brewhouse also has a wide variety of pasta. Eleven different pasta dishes are featured on their menu, but I walked in knowing exactly what I wanted to order.

I shamelessly will confess that I have a thing for fettuccine alfredo. My mom has made it a countless number of times, each seemingly better than the last.

From experience, I know that restaurants never seem to quite make fettuccine alfredo like my mom can, so I was set on the shrimp pasta. But at the last minute, I decided to order the fettuccine alfredo because maybe this restaurant would be the first to prove me wrong.

Everything started better than I’d expected. I was seated immediately, and within a few minutes I’d already been given my drink, and appetizers were ordered and on their way.

Not only were the employees quick and efficient, they were also genuinely nice. They always seemed to be around if needed, though it didn’t come off as overly-

annoying or like they were hovering.

At this point, the only complaints I had were about the NASCAR playing on each TV, and the faint country music in the background, though, I’m sure if I would have asked, they would have changed it.

Less than half an hour after I’d ordered, my food finally came. Along with the full plate of fettuccine alfredo, I received an equally full plate of Pete’s house salad and two slices of garlic bread.

The salad was as expected; the caesar dressing was creamy, and the lettuce wasn’t soggy, so it was overall a tasty salad.

The garlic bread was probably the best part of the whole meal. It was crunchy-which is the way I like it, and thankfully, it filled me up to the point where I didn’t have to completely finish the pasta.

To get to the point, the fettuccine alfredo wasn’t nearly as good as my moms. It simply was no comparison. The sauce was a little too liquidy, and there was definitely not enough parmesan on it.

I might be a little bit biased because nothing will ever be as good as my mom’s fettuccine alfredo recipe, but I

just didn’t enjoy the pasta enough to go back, for it. I’d definitely go back, though I’d order something different.

To be completely honest, I may have accidently left my box of leftovers sitting on the table in the restaurant.

Everything about the restaurant was more than okay, except for, of course, the dish that I ordered. I’d rather have had a thousand pieces of garlic bread than have had to finish the entire plate of the fettuccine.

So overall, in the grand scheme of things, I probably should’ve ordered pizza.

Gazette photo /BRIAN ZHUANG

Page 7

super scene-iors.

September 2014

Guide to Senior Portraits: The where’s, when’s, why’s and how’s of professional senior memories

BY KELSEY ITO kito.gazette@gmail.com

S

enior portraits are a staple piece for most graduating upperclassmen and are something cherished by parents for years to come. Although, many people may be uncertain of which company or photographer to capture these precious moments and become wary of the extensive prices included with the various portrait packages.

A popular option with girls (and some guys) is becoming a spokes model for a specific company.

Many popular photographers in our area, such as Teri Fode and Jessica Feely, use spokes models as a way to advertise their business and encourage students from schools all around the community to make their modeling debut.

The process of becoming a spokes model is simple and is a fun opportunity to make friends.

To apply, one can go online to the company’s website and fill out an application, and if accepted, a meeting will be held after with the photographer as a get to know you.

“As (Teri Fode) posts pictures of you, she includes fun facts that most people wouldn’t have known,” senior Teri Fode spokes model Stepheni Dougan said.

Once an official spokes model, one attends a photo shoot with students from other schools in the area. Depending on the time of year, photographers will create a theme based around the season or holiday.

“My first model shoot theme was Americano Grunge, so red white and blue, and it was debuted on the Fourth of July,” Dougan said. “It’s fun and everyone lets loose and becomes friends.”

Portraits can be done at any time of the year depending on the preference of the student modeling.

“I am doing my portraits in October because I love layers, sweaters, and boots and I think the fall is so pretty,” senior Jessica Feely spokes model Hannah Davis said.

With the portraits package one also has the option of picking what setting they prefer, usually

either urban or nature. Teri Fode lets her clients choose their own location, so they are more involved in the process.

“It's a collaboration of your vision and our style.

Locations set the feel and theme of the entire photo shoot. We have many hidden locations as well as urban and country looks,” Fode said.

Even boys can be spokes models and senior Teri Fode spokes model Konner Christie recommends it to boys who are comfortable in the modeling setting or would be interested in modeling in the future.

“I didn’t know what to do, but she obviously knew how to do her job very well and she made it very comfortable for me,” Christie said. “I had a good time and the photos turned out great.”

Senior Teri Fode spokesmodel Natalie Barron said that she enjoyed the experience and loved the style of Teri Fode, adding that the models also get benefits for participating.

“I liked the way (Fode) allows my personality to really shine through and how she makes sure that my pictures are unique and representative of me,” Barron said.

As a spokesmodel one helps to promote a specific company to help encourage other students to work with that photographer, but at the same time the models are benefitting themselves because they get a special discount.

Jessica Feely has been in the photography business for 6 years and said that senior portraits is her favorite genre of photography.

“Seniors are my favorite age group, they are fun, hip and smart teenagers! My favorite part of the job is showing them how truly beautiful they are inside and out through the pictures I take,” Feely said.

No matter what company one does their senior portraits with, the pictures will be a reminder of the great experiences and memories students had during their time in high school.

“I really liked how naturally beautiful (Feely’s) photos are,” Davis said. “I want to look back when I’m older and see me as exactly how I was as a senior in high school.”

Specials to the Gazette /TERI FODE

Pages 8 and 9

September 2014

adventure.

Specials to the Gazette /Lauren Jackson

Specials

Specia

ls to th

e Gaz

ette /K

to the Ga

zette /Tyle

r Jackson

at McG

rail

The Pros of GoPros New camera fad hit hard among GBHS teens during summer

BY BRIAN ZHUANG bzhuang.gazette@gmail.

oGBHS students show off their photography skills and creativity all around the globe.

Senior Chase Galmister (upper left) takes a serious selfie abroad in Europe. On the upper right, junior Kennedy Christie splashes her way into a deep swimming hole.

T

Specia

ls to th

hristie

te /Kennedy C

e Gazet Specials to th

e Gaz

ette /C

hase G

alm-

his past summer, many students at Granite Bay High School have been frequently hiking, kayaking and swimming on spontaneous adventures.

But many are looking for ways to document their experiences and the best way to do that comes in the form of a little camera called a GoPro. GoPro cameras have been gaining extreme popularity at a really fast pace not only among teens at GBHS, but globally as well.

People have been using them for many different activities like hiking through forests, cliff jumping, riding roller coasters and many more.

Nick Woodman, the CEO of GoPro, went on a surfing trip and wanted to record his experience with pictures and videos, but simply no cameras were built for surfing, nevertheless waterproof.

So, he decided to manufacture such a camera that could withstand these rigorous sports and activities and since then, his camera line has improved and attracted a colossal amount of attention.

These cameras specialize for hiking, biking, rock

climbing, surfing, snowboarding and any other activities.

And because of this specialization, GoPro provides some extra equipment for attaching its camera to different surfaces.

People can choose to purchase a GoPro specializing in surfing, which comes with a camera mount that sticks to surfboards, or an on-land version that comes with many different attachments for bike helmets.

Students can take these cameras to sporting events and with the semi-fish eye lens, it captures a much larger photo than normal cameras.

On top of that, these cameras have different resolutions, ranging from 240p to 1080p, video mode which allow fast forwarding and slow-motion, blast shots for allotted amounts of time and much more.

With all these features, it shouldn’t be a surprise that these multi-functioning cameras have been on the rise among those who want to document their worldly travels.

The GoPro brand has revolutionized the photography process and has enabled many to capture unforgettable memories.

Page 10

September 2014

slamin’ slays

Slam Poetry: Slamming its way to GBHS Students let loose through literary liberation

Special to the Gazette

/ SHELLEY WILLIAM S

Slam Poetry in action students participating and sharing their talent on Friday open-mic night at local cafe called Shady Coffee and Tea. Students, featured above, are able to express themselves and show their creativity.

BY AMANDA NIST anist.gazette@gmail.com

I

t’s a known fact that many students at Granite Bay High School are venturing out to many new after school activities such as slam poetry.

Either you love to write it or love to listen to it, it has something for everyone. It’s also not just any regular old poetry, it’s fresh and more exciting than the stuff you read in your English class,” sophomore Julia Huss said.

Huss, along with many other students at GBHS, have been swept away with slam poetry. Slam poetry is any poem written and performed in front of an audience.

“I love hearing how passionate and thoughtful all the poems are, also, hearing everyone’s different stories and life experiences is really fascinating,” Huss said.

Though slam poetry unlike regular poetry, slam chooses a taboo subject to either the speaker, audience or society and presents it in a way where ignorance is unavoidable.

Junior Chaylese Thompson enjoys slam poetry because it allows her to express her stories and views on certain topics.

“Slam poetry is more in your face, personal, more modern than other poetry and slam poetry is a more bold way of expressing yourself,” Thompson said.

Many people discover slam in different ways, the

most common way of discovery is youtube and the she can relate to them easily. internet.

“Usually it’s centered around a controversial topic “I first heard about slam poetry about six months and the author’s viewpoint is deeply personally reago when my friend showed me lated to what they’re speaking about in their poem,” button poetry on Youtube showed me,” Senior Carli Thompson said.

Cusano said.

Similar to other creative writing, slam poetry can Most students watch slam poetry online or go to be about anything they want to share. open mic nights at local restaurants and coffee shops.

It’s for sharing opinionated “Shadys Coffee & Tea- has open thoughts, or just expressing yourmic nights every Friday night,” self in a way easily related to by Cusano said. others.

I think the Cusano herself has performed “I think I like it so much because an original poem in front of a few ultimate goal it tells stories about the performer dozen people at Shady’s. of slam poetry as well as society,” said Cusano.

“I was so nervous because I have Many students want to perform terrible stage fright and I didn’t is to let people to share a story or a problem that want to mess up,” Cusano said. showcase their Slam poetry can be about anyothers can relate to and grow talent and try thing. Some people slam about their from,” Cusano said. own issues, while others slam about Junior Isabella Li also performed out new things issues in society. an original poem, even though she “Mainly I’ll speak about mental admits to being shy.

– Isabella Li, health- my own and others- I’ll Li says that slam poetry helps junior at GBHS speak about Feminism and Rape her express who she is because she Culture and relates her poems to her personal current problems in society. I’ll feelings and experiences. slam on people I don’t like or have “I think it’s becoming so popular been wrong towards me,” Cusano because it’s a ‘new’ way to express said. yourself and put what you feel into a form of art,” Huss says that some of her favorite topics are the slams on feminism and positive body image, because Cusano said.

September 2014

Page 11

ice ice baby.

A

LS Ice-Bucket Challenge:

A chilly way to raise awareness for charity

BY LAUREN JACKSON ltjackson.gazette@gmail.com

O

te

et az

G

ver the summer and into the new school year there has been a new trend sweeping across Granite Bay. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, more commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a terminal progressive neurodegenerative disease that slowly destroys the nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord.

The ALS Association has raised $79.7 million since July 29th compared to during the exact same time last year where the same association raised only $2.5. This new trend has attracted more than 1.7 million participants around the world.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is a popular new trending hitting Granite Bay High School .Students are nominated by their friends to dump a bucket of ice cold water over their heads then nominate friends of their own.

GBHS junior Emily Allison thinks that this is a great way for the people who haven’t already donated to get involved and help contribute to the ALS Foundation. Doing the Ice Bucket Challenge on social media is growing every day and is going global.

“I’m hoping to get more people who haven’t heard about it to look more into it and donate Instagram is the easiest way to show your contributions to the disease” Allison said.

Sophomore Tyler Weaver has read about the disease and also knows about Lou Gehrig’s story and how it affected him.

Approximately 5600 Americans are diagnosed with this terrifying disease every year.

“My grandma had ALS and I first remembered

illu ra st tio H

AS

AK

n/ SL

O

KH A Special

to the G

azette /K

her being unable to talk. It was kind of difficult like I didn’t really know my grandma that much,” GBHS freshman Connor Vivaldi said.

Some of our students at GBHS have not had the chance to get involved with contributions to the foundation.

And have a different perspective on the challenge than those from the kids who have gotten the opportunity to participate.

Freshman Brayden Johnk plans on participating and learning more about the foundation to increase in knowledge about the subject.

“I haven’t heard of ALS but I’ve never heard about it in depth, but I would definitly participate because I feel it’s a good way to help a foundation that’s in need of some support,” Johnk said.

This trend is bringing awareness and knowledge of ALS to students who aren’t familiar. heard of this terminal disease. Social Media is something that plays a major part in spreading awareness for ALS. Senior Mary-Frances Hansen is also another person who has experienced the disease handson.

“I think it’s a good idea to come out and help support ALS because a lot of people are suffering from it,” Hansen said.

Most of the students from GBHS have either seen or been affected by this disease. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge has brought a great amount of awareness to the young communities and has encouraged them to get involved.

In the United States alone 15 people are diagnosed every day. Annually, around 100,000 Americans are killed by ALS. Now kids and adults around the world aretaking initiative and helping out.

YLIE SO

MMER

Special to

Special to the

Special to the Gazette /MIRA PEXA

Gazette /KYLE

GIANNINI

the Gazet

te /BRAN

DON MIY ASHIRO

Page 12

September 2014

current.

Top Tweets

Spirited tweets by Granite Bay High School students

BY KELSEY ITO kito.gazette@gmail.com

Who’s Hiring

BY AMANDA PRATHER aprather.gazette@gmail.com

Forever 21

Beach Hut Deli

Forever 21 is always looking for hardworking and talented people to work in their stores.

Apply online or pick up an application in their stores.

1173 Galleria Blvd. Roseville, CA 95678 (916)771-5516

If you are a friendly and funloving person who would like to work in a vacation like environment, Beach Hut Deli might be the right place.

6823 Douglas Blvd. Granite Bay, CA 95746 (916)791-3130

The Habit Burger Grill

Macy’s

If you are interested in being a cashier or a cook, The Habit Burger Grill may have a spot for you.

4060 Douglas Blvd. Granite Bay, CA 95746 (916)791-6790

If you are looking to fold some clothes, cashier or be a stylist at Roseville Galleria Macy’s, check out this job spot.

1197 Galleria Blvd, Roseville, CA 95678 (916)771-3333

Recipe of the month: Lemon Cake with

BY HANNAH HOLZER hholzer.gazette@gmail.com

Vanilla Icing

Directions:

1 .Preheat oven to 350° F and prepare a buttered and floured bundt Ingredients: pan.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Cake: 3. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 ¾ cups flour sugar until fluffy.

1 tsp. baking powder 4. Add oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, vanilla and eggs into the mixer.

1 tsp. salt 5. Add flour in 3 stages.

1 ¼ cup butter Gazette photo/ Hannah Holzer 3 cups sugar 6. Pour batter into a large bowl and add heavy whipping cream to ⅓ cup canola or vegetable oil clean mixing bowl. zest from 4 large lemons 7. Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form. ¼ cup lemon juice 8. Stir half whipped cream mixture into batter and fold other half in 6 eggs 9. Pour batter into prepared bundt pan and drop from four inches onto counter to eliminate bubbles ½ cup heavy cream 10. Bake 50-60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Lemon glaze 11. While cake is cooling in pan for 10 minutes, stir together lemon glaze ingredients. After it has Vanilla icing cooled, remove the cake from the pan and pour glaze onto hot cake.

runway.

September 2014

Page 13

Threading from East coast to West coast style.

Students at GBHS have incorporated new styles into the catwalks of high school fashion.

BY OLIVIA HEPPELL oheppell.gazette@gmail.com

The beginning of the 2014-15 school year has introduced fashion trends for guys at Granite Bay High School.

Laidback, sporty, Upper East Side and skateboarder styles have been seen frequently around campus.

For GBHS senior Nirvan Sorooshian, the relaxed and casual look is the way to go. “[My fashion] is chill,” Sorooshian said.

Many other guys around campus wear a similar style. Basketball shorts, tee-shirts, and Vans shoes are easy to spot at GBHS. For guys like Sorooshian, the laid back look is quick and easy to achieve.

“It takes me 22 and a half minutes, on average, to get ready in the morning,” Sorooshian said.

Because of the several early mornings throughout the school year, more guys at GBHS are attracted to the laid back style because it takes less effort.

Athletic looks are also easy to spot around campus and wear.

Sophomore Isaiah Lewis dresses to fit his athleticism because he plays both basketball and football at GBHS. “I’m definitely a sporty dressing guy,” Lewis said.

Much like the laid back look, an athletic style can be achieved within a relatively short amount of time.

Another look new to GBHS this year is the preppy style. A pair of Sperry’s, shorts

and button down short sleeve shirts are only a few things of this fashion trend.

Junior Cordon Wade has his own take on this new trend.

Because of his Southern California upbringing, he has merged the “upper east side” with the stereotypical California casual wear.

The beachy influence can be seen clearly through his outfits and the carefree attitude he possesses.

“I don’t really care what other people think [about what I wear],” Wade said. “I don’t make a big deal out of it.”

He accentuates his style furthermore by dressing for himself and not for anyone else.

The last look that guys can be seen wearing around GBHS is a skateboarder ‘bro’ look. Similar to the athletic and laid back look, this look is also an easy style.

Freshman CJ Sissung is one who wears this style for his everyday fashion.

With the rising trend of longboards and penny boards, the skateboarder look is increasing in popularity. Sissung models his fashion after his cousin, who is a member of the GBK skate team.

Most of these looks can simply be put together.

“I just find a shirt and a pair of shorts and just throw it on,” said Sissung.

The distinct change in boy trends throughout the past few years allows students to express their individualities.

“It also allows us to break the stereotype that all boys dress the same,” Sorooshian said.

Preppy Cordon Wade reps the East coast style as GBHS expresses their frat look.

Low-key

Athletic

Nirvan Sorooshian rocks the laid-back, casual look at GBHS.

Isaiah Lewis sports the traditional GBHS athelete pride.

Gazette photo /KAT MCGRAIL

Page 14

September 2014

tech tock.

LA

/AKASH KHOS

Gazette illustration

iPhone 6 soon to take charge Apple’s latest technology release to energize smartphone users

BY HANNAH XU hxu.gazette@gmail.com

U

nveiled on Sept. 9, the iPhone 6 is expected to be the next best thing. Although Christmas is still a few months to go, the new iPhone is anticipated to be on the top of the wish list for many.

Prior to the 9, the iPhone 6 was expected to have two different sizes, one 4.7 inches and another 5.5 inches.

Along with the larger size, the iPhone was rumored to have a sapphire covered screen, like the camera, to make it more scratch resistant.

Like every new iPhone, the iPhone 6 is slimmer and the screen longer and wider, with an edge-to-edge display, similar to that of a Samsung Galaxy. And of course, the iPhone 6 will be updated with their latest operating system iOS 8.

It’s been a year since the last iPhone has been released and it’s been a prominent question if Apple and the iPhone are still big news.

Emily Schofield, a sophomore at GBHS, believes people will still be wanting to take a bite from the Apple. “(People) want the newest, best phone on the market,” Schofield said, “I think people here (in Granite Bay)

definitely are going to want to get the iPhone 6.”

Although some students may plan on purchasing the iPhone 6, not everyone is so interested in Apple’s new product. Sophomore Connor Hinson is part of the crowd that will not partake in Apple’s consumer industry.

“I feel like at this point (the iPhone) has been so watered down,” Hinson said. “Android phones get the features before (the iPhone), so it’s not like it’s anything new.”

It’s not new news that Apple sales, especially amongst their iPads and iPods, have been plummeting.

Their iPhone sales haven’t been doing much better, sales have also been decreasing and not doing as well as many predicted.

Perhaps hearing about the next iPhone doesn’t spark the same anticipation as it did before, but still there are some updates to look forward to.

Not only will there be a sapphire screen to protect the camera lens, but now it will be covering the front screen as well.

Many are left to wonder how this will help improve the quality of the iPhone. A shared frustration about the last two iPhones was that they break easily. A simple drop or accidentally sitting on it would cause the phone to crack.

“Hopefully [the sapphire] will prevent it from scratching, but I think it’ll still break,” Hinson said. “It’s pretty hard to make glass that won’t break when you drop it.”

The issue might be out of Apple’s hands. However, compared to competing companies such as Samsung, Android and Motorola, the iPhones are still considered more durable on the SquareTrade scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the most at risk of breaking.

Apple has invested quite a bit into making their new iPhone.

“They built a brand new factory just for the iPhone 6 and bought their own sapphire mine in Arizona,” junior Ethan Robertson, said. “On launch day they’re predicting to sell 80 million within their first month.”

Although Apple has its own goals, one of its challenges will be to quench the ongoing battle between Samsung and itself. Some believe that Samsung will never be able to overthrow the franchise that Apple has created for itself. “(Samsung) still can’t compete with Apple right now, until they do something so big that everyone will want to switch over,” Robertson said.

For Apple, this new iPhone can be a hit or miss, however huge fans of the company might still be intrigued with what’s left to come.

warner bros.

Rated: PG-13 By: Olivia Heppell oheppell.gazette@gmail.com

walden media

DREAMWORKS PICTURES

F

oodies, aspiring chefs, and movie lovers alike will delight in this romantic and heartwarming tale.

The Hundred Foot Journey is the story of an Indian family trying to recreate their successful Indian restaurant previously in Mumbai, to the middle of France. The location they choose to open shop also happens to be exactly 100 feet across from a pristine and classic French restaurant with a very impressive Michelin star, and soon the two are competing.

However, the main character Hassan, played

by Manish Dayal, has acquired extraordinary cooking skills and recipes from his mother, which contributes greatly to his family’s restaurant success. Their quaint French village is also very unwelcoming to Hassan and his family. Soon as they find success they quickly face another struggle.

Another occurring story line is the romantic relationship between Hassan and Marguerite, played by Charlotte Le Bon, who is an aspiring chef at the ‘enemy’ French restaurant.

Although at first Marguerite assists Hassan in learning French techniques by providing him books and recipes, the two soon become rivals.

The movie also stars actress Helen Mirren, as the very strict and conservative Madame Mallory, owner of the French restaurant.

The Hundred Foot Journey has both an engaging and exciting plot throughout the entire film, as well as mouth watering and mesmerizing scenes of cooking and baking.

While tradition is a key theme that appears in both the cuisine and culture of the movie, modern and ground breaking techniques and ideas are also visible, seen in the skilled use of a sea urchin and the slight French and Indian fusion.

The Hundred Foot Journey holds both romantic and funny qualities, but it is also a great reminder to be more open to new experiences and unexpected changes. By the end of the movie you will be craving two hot plates of both classic French and Indian food.

Rated: PG By: Hannah Holzer hholzer.gazette@gmail.com

100 foot journey: A

f I Stay, directed by R.J. Cutler, is an entertaining and a quick watch, but is generally lacking in its plot and storyline.

The movie is based off the best-selling novel by Gayle Forman, in which Mia (Chloë Grace Moretz), a 17-year-old teenage girl, must choose between life and death after she and her family are involved in a devastating car crash.

The movie spends very little time on the aftermath of the wreck and insteads fixates on past memories of Mia’s life, and more specifically, the relationship between her and Adam (Jamie Blackley), her ex-boyfriend.

The flashbacks throughout the movie are seamlessly done. I found that the transitions never felt forced or awkward.

Additionally, the narration done by Mia gives the audience important insight on Mia’s emotion, is executed well and never feels uncomfortable or misplaced.

Mia and Adam face different challenges that test their relationship, with more than enough cheesiness to counter the heaviness of a struggling couple.

However, the overwhelming “love sick teenagers” angle quickly becomes excessive and unrealistic.

At several points throughout the movie, I found myself rolling my eyes at the improbable gestures of love.

However, If I Stay does contain some redeeming qualities.

There are multiple times when the movie touches on the powerful bonds between friends and family, which I found to be one of the best parts of the movie as a whole.

The acting done by Chloë Grace Moretz was impressively done. She is deservedly a star on the rise and her acting throughout the movie proves that.

If I Stay was intriguing and easy to watch, but could have been executed better. This movie is probably best for a teenage audience.

if i stay: B+

I

Page 15

film.

T

he Giver tells the tale of a futuristic world where a small community of people live in a place in which there is no evil. In fact, they don’t even see in color any more – everyone sees in black and white.

There is only one man who remembers how things used to be, and he has been enlisted to give his memories to young Brenton Thwaites as the one person that they feel is capable of withholding these memories.

I walked into this movie thinking it was going to be really disappointing, but there were some portions of this movie that actually had me interested in the characters and what was happening. Unfortunately, there were more parts where I really wasn’t interested and the movie was just really dull.

In the first act of this movie, virtually every character except for Jeff Bridges, (who plays the Giver), was as boring as watching paint dry. There was nothing in this movie interesting except for him.

But in the scenes when young Jonas, (played

by Brenton Thwaites), visits the Giver and learns about the past, the movie picked up a bit and had some beautiful themes about the importance of individuality woven throughout the movie.

I thought Brenton Thwaites did a good job in this movie, especially his acting out his role which shows affection towards a baby, which is usually seen as a feminine quality.

Jeff Bridges played a fantastic character in this movie. You could really tell that he had a lot of heart and soul invested in this role.

His character was the most interesting and he was easily the most intriguing aspect of this movie.

While Noyce is a great director, it is hard to make a movie really interesting when almost every character, is extremely uninteresting.

It’s not until later in the movie where at least one or two characters start to understand and progress beyond the dull characters they started out as.

But up until then I was uninterested by the whole movie.

The Giver is better than I thought it was going to be, but the performances were not that great because the characters were so dull and boring that it took too long for them to become interesting as people.

Rated: PG-13 By: Anjali Shrivastava ashrivastava.gazette@gmail.com

the giver: B-

September 2014

tip toein’.

Page 16

September 2014

‘Sock Game’ too strong GBHS students flaunt off their snazzy socks to grab attention

BY HARRISON TUCKER htucker.gazette@gmail.com

Nowadays in the industry of fashion, expensive shirts, shorts and shoes have become colloquial items.

But the hallway fashion of Granite Bay High School has been revolutionized with “fresh” sock game sported by many of the students.

After purchasing four pairs of socks, senior Anderson, who is now a sock enthusiast, was hooked. He invested hundreds of dollars into stylish socks which he said would bring something different onto the table of Granite Bay High School’s everyday apparel.

“You can walk around with a nice outfit, but you won’t fulfill the potential of that outfit without cool socks,” Anderson said.

“They aren’t the most important piece, but they are essential.”

Not only do the socks make the outfit, but they give the wearer a wider selection. By throwing funky colors into the one’s socks, it creates a wider range of matching colors.

Colors like red, blue and green can all be united by multicolored socks which senior Nick Wohlman says aren’t too mainstream, and make up most of his sock drawer.

“Skyline and Socksmith socks bring a really cool look, and aren’t as mainstream as big brand socks such as Stance,” Wohlman said.

“I own around one thousand dollars worth of socks, most of which are invested into socks which I don’t see many people wearing.”

One of the best ways to compliment a cool pair of socks is by sporting fresh kicks. From tennis shoes to vans to sandals, the factor of socks are always boosted with shoes that can back up the sock colors.

“Shoes are very important to the way socks go with your outfit,” senior Crystal Yabes said. “It’s much harder to pull off a good sock game as a girl, because we often wear dresses and boots which don’t mix with funky socks.”

The problem which often arises when sock shopping is the price. Socks from companies like Stance and Sock Drawer run up to twenty dollars.

However, don’t give up because off-brand or smaller companies offer socks in all sorts of places. From souvenir shops to malls, socks under ten dollars can be just as nice as some of these expensive brands.

“The coolest socks I’ve ever owned were actually from a store I went to in Alaska,” Yabes said.

Whether it be for looks, comfort, or practicality, these socks may be on the rise to become one of the cornerstones of Granite Bay High School.