Observer Vol. 59 Issue 3

Observer Magazine Septemeber 2017

The Back To School Shuffle Pg 2.

Caffine Kills Pg. 4

A Revamped PTA, Meet The Teachers Pg 5

The Joy of New Life in a New Year Pg. 6

First World Problem?

Back to School Hustle

The 2017 school year started off with a the district will raise enough money to bit of controversy between the upper- provide everyone with the same techclassmen over the distribution of Mac- nology base. For now, we’ll just have to Books to new, incoming freshmen as wait and see how the dilemma at hand part of the district’s Power Up program. plays out.

August 21, 2017, was an exciting yet nerve-racking day for students from the El Paso Independent District, especially here at Irvin High School.

There were many pros and cons about coming back to school to start off the new semester, some of the cons as well all know are bummed out students and lack sleeping or getting enough sleep, the stressful workload from teachers, the boredom, and many more reasons.

By Deborah Hill

Many are confused and questioning the fairness of the situation at hand. Some Senior Karla Morin Lifts Freshman Wyatt Beiterin hopes of getting think that the district should’ve done his MacBook Air something to ensure that all students got a fair chance at a MacBook before distributing them solely to incoming 9th graders.

Others believe that the money should’ve been used for improvements and a minority don’t really have an opinion.

“They definitely should’ve invested in everyone before investing in just one class. I am very “salty” about it,” Said Sophomore Tracy Gaytan, and she isn’t alone. 72% of the upperclassmen agree that the district could’ve done something to ensure equality among the four classes.

For example, the organizers of the Power Up program could’ve waited until they had enough money to invest in new laptops for everyone before spending so much on just one class. Or, the district could’ve used that money to improve the schools that need restoring before Investing in our technology.

The distribution took place in a faulty way, but it’s up to students now to accept the situation at hand and be happy about the upcoming future. Perhaps

By Elizabeth Bertoli

perspectives on how summer was and is great, the kids are great it’s just like their outlook for the new school year. a night and day from last year to this year, and I am really looking forward to Speaking to Irvin’s Advanced newsa very awesome yearbook and newspapaper/yearbook advisor Isaac Medina per.” we were able to hear first-hand from a teacher what it was like coming back to school.

“Well my summer was pretty cool so I didn’t want it to end, did a good amount of traveling, but there does come Although there’s a whole list that goes a time where during the sumon about the most fatigue inducing mer towards things that go on during school and the end of July returning to a routine, there are few and early Auindividuals who have changed their gust I get really perspective and looking forward to making this year the best of the best. bored I might as well go back to work, I get paid “I feel great you know? Positive to teach people thoughts, positive people, very enhow to take ergetic,” said former Junior Daniel pictures [and Bueno. write] so I was okay with that She also mentioned she’s looking reality.” forward to this school year because it’s her last year as a Rocket and her When asked classes seem more spirited, but with the good comes the task of becoming about the new a senior. There’s much stress preparing school year, for college, for instance, college prep, “I feel very keeping your grades up for scholarships for acceptance into the college of optimistic about this year, so far your dreams. already being a Students aren’t the only ones who are month into the coming down off the high of Summer school year the Vacation at Irvin. We have our teacher [Newspaper/ Yearbook] staff

“IT,” Dark Humor and Terror for 2017

By Valeria Castillo and Daniela Bueno

Heads up Rockets! Spoilers are ahead and if you don’t want The remaking of the horror film IT released on September 8th, 2017, has been an epic thriller. The book was first written in 1986 and has become one of the best-selling horror books ever written in. The movie is broken into two parts, Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, which means there will definitely be a movie followed by the first.

Since the first movie, people were astonished on how well the movie followed the original book written by The King of Horror himself, Stephen King. This movie starts off 27 years prior to the 90’s movie starring Tim Curry as Pennywise the clown.

The current “IT” movie follows the life of 6 kids growing up in the city of Dery, New Hampshire. Each kid has their own particular background and fear, that Pennywise the dancing clown played by Bill Skarsgård takes advantage of.

The movie ends with the last frame saying “Chapter One,” leading viewers to believe that “IT” will be back for another round of horror, dark humor and plenty of jumps scares.

Teen Overdosing on Caffeine Killed in South Carolina

By Kiara DiFranco Brown

Davis Allen Cripe, a student at Spring Hill High School in South Carolina, died in class on April 26th, after consuming a large Mountain Dew, McDonald’s latte, and an energy drink. He was rushed to the emergency room and died in the hospital. According to research, ingesting a large amount of caffeine can cause a condition known as cardiac arrhythmia, where the heart stops beating properly, in such a short period of time.

The teen was considered very healthy at the time, and the autopsy showed no sign of an existing undiagnosed heart condition.

Richland County Gary Watts states his opinion and explains what he has discovered about drinking too much caffeine at once. He says,“you can have five people line up and all of them do the exact same thing with him that day, and it may not have any type of effect on them at all,” Watts said. “It’s not something that just because you drink one drink or three drinks is necessarily

going to have this effect on [everyone].”

coffees with a minimum of 400mg a day is believed to be safe for adults.

According to a 2014 study published in the journal Pediatrics, 73 percent of children in the United States consume some form of caffeine daily.

In many recent years, it has shifted away from caffeinated soda to energy drinks and coffee.

Numerous teens surveyed and reported the caffeine’s ability to keep them alert and help with studying as the most common reason for consuming it, but a large number of them knew or had thoughts about the negative effects that caffeine can cause to our human body.

The EFSA says 200mg a day is safe for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding and that single doses of up to 200mg do not give rise to safety concerns. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages the consumption of caffeine and other stimulants by children and teenagers because of the end result it will have on us.

Research shows that McDonald’s latte contains approximately 142 milligrams of caffeine, a 20 ounce Mountain Dew has 90 milligrams, and a 16-ounce energy drink has 240 milligrams. The US Food and Drug Administration and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) says that caffeine ingestion of four to five

New Initative to Garner Parental Invovlment

Summer Fun and Summer Joy

The old days of PTA, (Parent Teacher Association) PTSA, (Parent Teacher Student Association) and all those other “buzz words,” that are supposed to garner parental involvement in school are long gone and have faded into obscurity.

However, this year at Irvin there was a new event, “Meet the Teachers.”

While most of our fellow rockets were vacationing under the sun and trying to get that perfect golden summer tan, Job Gracia, a Spanish teacher in our language arts department, welcomed his own personal ray of sunshine; his first daughter.

By Aisha Ramos

“It’s going to help the active learning of the kids, we have them most of the [school] day but when they’re home we need involvement from there too.” Said Spanish Teacher Aaron Delgado.

The parents and teachers need more two-way communication because most of the time parents don’t really know what’s going on at school with their kids.

Irvin High School Principal Maryanna Giba believes that when you have a partnership of teachers and parents, the student will do better and that’s what the school is all about, the students get better at what we’re here at Irvin.

By Deborah Hill

the Gracias think it to be an adorable act of kindness.

Gracia is overjoyed to be a second-time father, and he believes nothing could replace that feeling. Make sure to congratulate him when you get the chance, whether it’s in the halls Gracia is the Spanish 1 and 2 teachers at or the classroom. Our fellow rocket is Irvin High School as well as the varsi- on a new journey, and it’s up to us to ty volleyball coach. He enjoys his job support him every step of the way. because it gives him the ability to teach eye-opening lessons to his students and players. When asked what he likes most about Irvin, Gracia said he enjoys the leadership, ethnicity, and school colors.

However, fatherhood is his favorite thing right now by far. On July 25th, 2017, Gracia welcomed his second child and first daughter, Josie Alizee Gracia.

The mixed emotions shared between him and his wife was a thing of beauty in the delivery room. Though the environment was a little hectic, his excitement and happiness were ever present.

JV Volleyball Coach Rosa Loya and other teachers crowd the halls for Irvins Meet The Teachers

Mr. and Mrs. Gracia weren’t the only two excited people that day though.

Gracia’s firstborn, Abner Johan, was just as excited to have a new sister. When Josie came home, her older brother was already trying to help with everything from making her bottles to getting her to sleep. He seemed to slip into the protective-brother-mode instantly, and Irvin Spansih Teacher Job Gracia with Daughter Josie Alizee Gracia

An Unwelcomed Reality

The Culture of Rocekt New Tech

By Rene Marquez

It’s about that time of the year again, backpacks, school supplies, new clothes, and classes. It is also that time of the year that no one wants because they wish that they had more time to be lazy and just enjoy their days without worrying about homework or projects.

Victoria Garcia: My least favorite part is going school supply shopping because it is very boring and frustrating when there are so many people overcrowding the aisles and not being able to find what you are looking for.

We all have doubts about going back to school and dealing with all the When students see the date of the first stress and frustration that one gets day of school they automatically go with the annoyance of homework, an into this shutdown mode and dread unfortunate necessity. It happens every the idea of going back on a routine. year, and every year students feel the exact same way, How do you feel about having to go that’s the feeling back to school? they’ll have all through high Victoria Garcia: I sometimes get school. relieved to go back to school because school takes time off our hands. We Question: What don’t do anything at home anyway so are some things why not go to school? And also you you don’t like get to meet new people. about school?

When going back to school you have to make sure get what you need to be equipped for the upcoming school year. You have to be ready to perform in class and to do that you need notebooks, paper, folders, binders, pens, pencils, and other materials that you may need in the classroom.

What is your least favorite part about the whole back to school process?

Victoria Garcia: What I don’t like about school is that the administration took away 5 minutes of our lunch because that’s our time away from the teachers.

Question: What’s the first thing you

By Deborah Hill

think about when you hear “back to school”?

Michael Kondo: All I think about is late night homework and struggling to pass classes, not that I struggle to pass.

You can’t make students feel good about going to school when they themselves already have that “I don’t care” attitude.”

It’s just a reality that people have to understand and work through the year.

School started off with a bang for the Rocket New Tech students. The halls were filled with vibrant, fast-paced leaders who were eager to start another and for some first year of projects and presentations. Sophomores, juniors, and facilitators reunited and reminisced while accepting the new freshman into their family and introducing them to the wonderful world of PBL’s (Project Based Learning.)

New Tech at Irvin is in its third year, the projects are better, the facilitators are more confident, and the classrooms are at their all-time best. It was the perfect time to introduce new freshman not only to high school but an environment fit to prepare them for the future. However, before they could begin their lessons the freshman needed to learn about the program’s most important aspect, the culture.

The students enrolled in Irvin’s New Tech academy follow a set of three pillars: Trust, Respect, and Responsibility. To help teach the pillars to the newest of the bunch, facilitators assigned each grade level a different project. Juniors and Sophomores were responsible for making presentations about the tips and tricks of being in RNT. Overall, the first week was a success, and the excitement was apparent in the hallways as ninth graders got to experience a taste of the upcoming year and learn what their school was all about. Another year is starting, and the anticipation of the achievements and failures in the next year is ever-present.

It’s great to know that our newest rockets are adjusting to their new setting with ease. RNT is anxious to see the great things they’ll do here and the lessons they’ll learn. As a campus, RNT had a truly outstanding start to the 2017-2018 school year.

A typical day in a Rocket New Tech Classroom

The Silver Lining to a Rough Start

By Aisha Ramos

The Rockets have seen the hill and the fight up has been anything but easy.

The first scrimmage against The Matadors proved to be the first sign that struggles were going to be something to plague the Rockets.

“It’s a brand new team and we’re actually trying to make it better than what it used to be,” said Junior Guard Ivan Gomez before the game. “The team practices are looking better as well, they have more unity team and the football players have more physical training.”

Three games into the season and the silver lining in football seems to be the Freshman team with a win against Ysleta.

JV and Varsity have a tougher outlook as they trail the season 0-3 and a game, coming off a bye week to face The Foxes who are 1-2 overall for Varsity, and 0-1 for both JV and Freshman.

Stormcasting, is it Worth the Risk?

By Kira DiFranco Brown

TV news anchors are the first to be on scene to most breaking news, but are the risks worth the shot when it comes to covering natural disasters?

Television journalists face many unsafe conditions trying to cover treacherous storms such as hurricanes and tornadoes to enlighten their views of the world around them. The tradition of television crews standing in the middle of dangerous storms is thought to go back many decades, reflecting the “hunger” to be on the scene for a nationally significant event.

Critics wonder whether the necessity of the event and its overly sensational spectacles, especially involving cases where the correspondents are struggling to deliver information is worth the TV time. The field reporters insist that the visuals from the storms are essential because it persuades many people to take a hurricane or any treacherous storms seriously because of the damage it can cause.

As these videos of the incident spread about visual proof. You would want on social media, criticism mounted, to persuade people that what they’re seeing is real and matters to them. “If “Why do these news networks feel the they can see me standing out there need to put these reporters out there?” getting knocked around, it’ll convince them that they should not do the same This gives much feedback as well as thing.” This lets us know that a good why reporters are doing this at all? percentage of critics feel that this is necessary because it would show us evidential proof that it’s real.

1) Do you agree that we should have reporters standing in harm’s way who are telling people to do the exact opposite, so they can risk their lives just for proof?

Others pointed out that reporters were standing in conditions that they themselves were advising residents to stay out of. Reporters who do this is risk their lives, leading to a strong argument that standing in the middle of a storm is not a smart thing to do.

Others may argue with this statement “Part of that is television is all

Logan Krcelic: “No, I believe that reporters should not be in harm’s way just for proof of a phenomenon especially within natural disasters.

Reporters should have enough proof as is for such things without actually having to be in harm’s way.”

Aaron Gilliam: “I think it’s very wrong for reporters to put themselves in harm’s way just to get proof of a phenomenon or a natural disaster. I feel that no one should be out and about when such a horrible disaster is going

on, we want everyone to safe and not put themselves or others in danger where they can get hurt.”

Carlos Ponce: “I think that the reporters should be there but hours before the disaster happens, and when the disaster is about 30min to happen they have to leave. One solution they can do is leave some camera’s around there so they can record what is happening and if the camera brakes or something is better than it to happen to a person, and they could just not air that camera. In my opinion, the reporters should not be there saying what not to do when they are doing it.”

3) Do you think reporters should get a higher raise for the conditions they are working in?

Logan Krcelic: “I think reporters should get a higher raise because they are risking their life even more, just for proof.”

Aaron Gilliam: “I think the reporters should get a higher raise for what they are working for.”

Carlos Ponce: “I think the reporters deserve a higher raise because what they are doing is life-threatening and way too risky.”

2) Do you think that what we do in our education of journalism will affect what we do outside in the real world?

Logan Krcelic: “Our level of education shows us what we can do in reality.

But when it comes to certain standards, we shouldn’t go too far and risk what matters in life. Taking what we do to a whole another level can show another side.”

Buy Your Yearebooks Now!!!

Aaron Gilliam: I feel like it wouldn’t have an effect because it’s you’re doing what you want to do, to me as long as you’re having fun and that’s your dream to do whatever job you have, won’t be and have an effect on the world.

In Room M225

Carlos Ponce: “What we do in our education of journalism can affect what we do in the world. We negotiate and work with our ways of how we contribute to reality. Making progress and using what we learned in the world helps us benefit.

$75 till February 28th $90 on March 1st