Granite Bay Gazette Dec. 2018 by Karl Grubaugh

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GRANITE BAY HIGH SCHOOL w 1 GRIZZLY WAY w GRANITE BAY, CA w 95746 w VOLUME 22 w ISSUE 4 w FRIDAY, DECEMBER 14, 2018

Every 15 Minutes

COMMENTARY

spencer cova scova.gazette@gmail.com

The smoke has cleared, but damage remains

he Camp Fire has been 100 percent contained, air has been clear in Sacramento and the news cameras have been away from Paradise for over two weeks. Yet there are still thousands left with nothing, ravaged in the wake of the blaze. Nearly 19,000 buildings have been destroyed – 13,972 of them being homes – at least 85 people have been killed and 153,000 acres of land have been scorched. The fire has been out of the minds of those in the Granite Bay and Roseville areas for weeks, but there are still thousands left homeless and living in transitional living situations. We should take the responsibility upon ourselves to help our neighbors in the North despite not being immediately affected by the disaster so close to our community. Assisting thousands of families If you who have lost really everything sounds like an want to overwhelming help the task that many don’t have time survivors for, but starting of the casmall can still tastrophe, make a difference. donate Sending cash ... used clothes, canned food and supplies is certainly helpful, but they aren’t always useful and it takes a lot of time and effort to sort through and distribute the goods. If you really want to help the survivors of the catastrophe, donate cash to larger local organizations that know the community and have boots on the ground that work directly with survivors. The North Valley Community Foundation (nvcf.org) based in Chico is an excellent organization to start with. NVCF provides direct assistance in cash and resources to people displaced by the fire and to smaller organizations that are providing long-term assistance. They also charge only a 1 percent administrative fee as opposed to the 10% charged by many larger organizations. An additional trusted organization is the United Way of Northern California (norcalunitedway.org). The United Way specifically provides emergency 100 percent of the donated cash assistance to help individuals move into temporary housing, make up for lost work wages and cover transportation costs. I challenge the community to grab friends or family members this weekend and spend a couple hours raising funds to donate to local causes, such as the drive hosted by GBHS in the last week or to larger, trusted organizations like the NVCF and the United Way. Communities within Butte County, especially the town of Paradise, face a long and heartbreaking road to recovery. Donating any amount of cash will not immediately mend any of these broken towns, but it will certainly help an individual, family or community make it to the next day with a little more hope on the horizon. *** Spencer Cova, a senior, is a Gazette co-editor-in-chief.

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Gazette photos | Sidney Zabell

 Sofia Novaresi, top, acts as a victim of a drunk driving accident who died on impact, Sam Hutchinson, left, and Brenna Halloran, bottom left, embrace each other while watching first responders take action. TJ Robertson, bottom right, is airlifted from the accident where he later died at the hospital.

Staged crash designed to help students consider risks BY SPENCER COVA & ANDREW YUNG

scova.gazette@gmail.com & ayung.gazette@gmail.com

here is a certain silence that engulfs a campus after a student death. It is wrenching. It is chilling. It is reflective. And when that death is broadcast for all to see, it only makes it that much more painful when students, faculty and

parents rally together and wonder what could have been. At Granite Bay High, this is part of the intended effect of Every 15 Minutes, a biennial program that teaches the grave consequences of drinking and driving – the hyper-realistic simulation of a car crash caused by drunk driving, and having students “die” as a result. Though some would call it extreme, it is done with purposeful intent.

FBLA group ousted from state event BY MAX SCHWARTZ

After numerous instances of rude and unruly behavior, Granite Bay High’s Future Business Leaders of America club was removed from the state organization’s Leadership Development Institute conference in October. The events took place at the Marriott Hotel in Santa Clara during the weekend of Oct. 19-21. On Sat., Oct. 20, principal Jennifer Leighton received an email from Molly Anderson, the state

department of education program consultant for FBLA and DECA, another business club in many California high schools. The email included a two-page report detailing the actions Granite Bay FBLA was accused of by several advisers from other schools. In addition to those complaints, Leighton and the two GBHS club advisers, business teachers Bill Patterson and Jeanne Sampson, also received an email directly from another school’s adviser. The Gazette obtained an edited copy of the email that did not in-

Suspensions no longer first-choice approach BY ELLIOTT HYMAN

ehyman.gazette@gmail.com Gazette photo | Spencer Cova

FBLA advisers from other schools wrote emails to principal Jennifer Leighton about inappropriate conduct of GBHS students at the fall FBLA conference.

clude the name of the adviser or the school. That adviser said the behavior of GBHS students during the opening session was unacceptable. “GBHS students were shouting, heckling the speakers, talking See FBLA, page A4

Suspensions have been an integral part of Granite Bay High School’s disciplinary process for the 20 years it has been open, but a simple question seems to never have been asked — why? National and state statistics have repeatedly demonstrated that suspensions are ineffective as a deterrent for students and often come with high rates of students who repeat the behavior that got them suspended in the first place. “There’s not a lot of evidence that suspensions change behavior,”

inside this section news

said Granite Bay High assistant principal Jessup McGregor. “We see a recidivism rate that is very high – consequences don’t change behavior, intervention changes behavior.” GBHS has been flagged by the state for overusing and not having equity in student suspensions. On the new state dashboard rating system for schools, GBHS has the highest potential score in academic performance, graduation rate and college placement, but has a surprisingly low score – in the middle See DISCIPLINE, page A5

voices

Peer counseling is a great resource Room 812 provides a safespace for all students

See E15 MINS, page A6

Administration seeks new discipline method

Group was rude, unruly during sessions mschwartz.gazette@gmail.com

“We try to make it as realistic as possible,” said junior Avani Singh, who commissioned and organized Every 15 Minutes for student government. “So it feels real.” The event, which has been performed at GBHS 11 times and also at numerous other California high schools since its inception in 1995, is part of the California Highway Patrol’s youth program, but it involves more than just the CHP. During the crash, police cars, ambulances, mortuary vans and even a helicopter all made their way onto the

Students have begun receiving admission decisions

An ode to quiet people

Seniors who applied early to colleges and universities have gained admission

Being silent doesn’t equate to being mean.

News

Friday

Granite Bay Gazette

w December 14, 2018

NAMES IN THE NEWS

elliott hyman ehyman.gazette@gmail.com

Every 15 Minutes took the lives of 26 in our community

tudents were pulled out of class every 15 minutes throughout the day on Nov. 14, culminating in a crash scene shown to all upperclassmen. The student body watched as Sofia Novaresi, Cole Phillips, and TJ Robertson died as a result of a drunk driving accident. Matt Solone was arrested and Samantha Hutchinson and Brenna Halloran were left wounded both mentally and physically. Unfortunately, the students who most needed to learn the lessons of the program were the ones who snickered watching the accident. It’s all fun and games until it happens to one of us. Let’s do better, Granite Bay. *** The Sneakers For Success club collected 67 pairs of shoes to donate to charity. That’s one big smelly pile of altruism. *** The Paradise Fire burned through Northern California, destroying 14,000 homes and killing 85 people. Granite Bay High has adopted a family from the fire and took donations to help them during second period classes. The smoke from the fire also created a health risk in the Sacramento area and led to a school cancellation on Friday, Nov. 16. *** Thanksgiving came and went another year, and we spent another year arguing about politics at the Hyman table. Our one unifying moment – whether we believe Thanksgiving celebrates patriotism or genocide – is an overdose on tryptophan and a big nap the next day. *** America grieved for the passing of President George H.W. Bush. Granite Bay probably grieved just a little bit harder than average. Thanks for your service Mr. President. *** Even though it feels like forever ago, the midterms happened between the last edition and this. Shocker – incumbent Tom McClintock won again. Maybe if Jessica Morse upgrades from a canoe to a boat she can win in 2020. *** Winter Ball came and went last Saturday night. Gyrating underclassmen and absent upperclassmen alike celebrated in their own way. Hopefully all parties involved were responsible and maintained their elbows and legs to themselves on the dance floor – I’m looking at you, Spencer Cova. Make the most of each fleeting high school moment. If you don’t go outside your comfort zone, you won’t have room to grow. *** Elliott Hyman, 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: staff.gazette@gmail.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

Gazette illustration | Elliott Hyman

Students question tardy policy

Students question the GBHS tardiness policy after certain students with few tardies have been given detentions while other with many more have not received punishment.

Spread of detentions appears random, biased BY MIA TAYLOR

mtaylor.gazette@gmail.com

hether sleeping through an alarm, miscalculating traffic or getting caught in long bathroom lines, being late to class is a reality many students face. These occasional tardies – whether the result of carelessness or circumstance – can rack up quickly, eventually landing individuals in after-school detention. Although Granite Bay High policy states that after three tardies, detention is mandatory, some students with as many as 10 tardies face no repercussions. Other students with far fewer number of tardies are issued multiple detentions. “I know a few people with tons of tardies who have never gone to detention,” senior Shea Smith said. “Last term, I was late to class five times, so I had to go to de-

tention for an hour.” The consequences can stack up quickly for someone is Smith’s predicament. “If I get one more (tardy) I’ll have to go to another two detentions,” Smith said. According to GBHS tardy policy, three tardies will land you in after-school detention one time, six to eight will lead to two additional detentions, and after a student’s ninth tardy, the amount doubles to a total of six detentions. Taking into consideration the shorter passing periods and congested parking lot, some students say tardies should be assessed with more leniency. And issuing detention to some tardy individuals but not others raises questions as to why policies are not being applied universally to the student body. “ I don’t think (administration) should be stricter with their policies,” senior Eric Liu said. “They need more consistency – whether that means decreasing the (number) of students who have to serve detention or not.” Those with more than 10 tardies who have yet to serve detention frustrate those who regularly spend time after school in AP Government teacher Jarrod Westberg’s

Peer counseling is a key resource

room for detention. “I know a ton of people who have way more tardies than me, and the school does nothing,” senior Sam Feinberg said. “It’s like they pick and choose who gets detentions or something.” The biggest complaint across the board appears to be the apparent lack of equity regarding detentions given. “I think I had six tardies for the school year, so I got one detention, then a week later I was tardy and got two more,” Feinberg said. “Others in my classes who are late consistently haven’t gotten any yet.” Although individuals are not randomly chosen for detention, as some students assume, the reality of regulating attendance for over 2,000 students is that some tardies inevitably end up being unaccounted for. “Teachers send referrals for students, and the four of us (assistant principals) are in charge of making sure students who meet the threshold for detention are issued one,” assistant principal Jessup McGregor said. “We try our best to work on students who have the biggest issues first, but we can get backed up so some students may not have been sent to detention yet.”

Room 812 provides a safe space BY SARAH WITHROW

swithrow.gazette@gmail.com

ranite Bay High has many resources to offer its students, one being the Peer Counseling program. Peer Counseling offers stress relief workshops, one-on-one counseling, group lunches for transfer students and more. Some students enrolled in the class have specific roles. For example, seniors Jessica Martin and Nick Fisher are program managers. “We oversee the program com-

mittee and the campus committee, assign referred students to peer counselors, assess the new peer counselors and teach lessons,” Fisher said. Both managers help coordinate parts of the program, such as the stress-relief workshops. These workshops are available every Wednesday at both lunches and include activities such as rock painting, cookie decorating and slime-making. “They help stress by being a calm environment where students can go to put their worries aside and take a break from the usual

Gazette photo |Sydney Sewell

Trained peer counselors Michela Smith and Akhil Shah discuss the importance of their work at GBHS. can help students.” Cantemir said. “Everything is school stress,” Fisher said. However, in order to be able to confidential.” The students put up posters all help students, members of the In addition to all of its servicover the school in order to raise program must undergo counseling es, the Peer Counseling program awareness for the lunch activity. training. also coordinates presentations “In my opinion,” Martin said, “Students that take this class to health classes every semester “the hardest part of Peer Counselgo through training to be ready ing is getting the word out about to talk to others,” junior Cassie See COUNSELING, page A7 our program and how much we

RJUHSD discretionary fund aids principals Money offered to teachers willing to take on additional work BY SIDNEY ZABELL szabell.gazette@gmail.com

$20,000. That’s how much principals across the Roseville Joint Union High School District distribute to staff members at their respective schools for discretionary stipend positions – where teachers put in extra hours for necessary tasks to keep the school running. “Teachers spend an enormous amount of time during non-work hours providing supervision, guidance and development of several student programs and school-wide initiatives,” said John Becker, the district’s executive director of personnel services. “The discretionary stipends offer principals a way to compensate teachers for their valuable time.” The fund doesn’t provide a massive amount of money, however. “It’s not a huge amount of money, but it offers a gesture of appreciation for teachers who want to support extracurricular activities and other school programs,” Becker said. Discretionary stipends have been in existence since Becker first joined the district

as a principal in 2007, when he became the first principal at Antelope High School. “It is something that the district has been providing for years that’s up to the principals’ discretion,” said Lauren McGhee, a certified public accountant and the district’s directory of accounting. “There are certain efforts that they want to pay teachers to do, which they choose based on their site, what they want to pay and who gets it.” This money is a supplement for teachers’ regular salaries. In addition to these discretionary stipends at each site, the district has several other categories of stipends, in three salary schedules. One stipend category is for miscellaneous positions, another is the auxiliary stipend schedule and there is an athletic stipend schedule for coaches. Each stipend amount is based on collective bargaining between the district and the Roseville Secondary Education Association, which represents teachers. “(Having) assistant athletic directors is kind of a popular (discretionary stipend) because we don’t have a position for that (on the regular stipend schedules),” McGhee said. “So that’s not a paid (position),

and I know a lot of (athletic directors) need an assistant.” Many teachers also receive stipends for masters degrees. “I receive a stipend for having an advanced degree (of) $1,000 for the school year,” performing arts teacher Susanna Peeples said. “In addition to that, as the choral director, there is a $2,666 stipend due to the amount of (time spent working) out of class.” The discretionary stipends increase the power of individual principals to award teachers and make programs run more smoothly on their campuses. “It’s always been my understanding that principals utilize the stipends to support teachers leading or managing programs or initiatives that meet the individual needs of each school,” Becker said. “It’s a tremendous resource for principals to offer compensation for those who are providing an extra effort to support student programs and school-wide needs.” Spanish teacher Julia Bonilla-Leary is a member of GBHS’s professional development task force, a stipend position. “I got specifically recruited, I guess you could say, for the culturally responsive

teaching portion of it, because that’s a focus of the district and the school,” Bonilla-Leary said. “In instructor-led training, we’re planning professional development days, the activities we’re going to do, what we focus on, goals and faculty meetings – it’s a time commitment.” The culturally-responsive component is new at GBHS this year. “It’s presenting new ideas and approaches … of how we can improve both our students’ learning and our teaching practice, so it goes hand-in-hand,” Bonilla-Leary said. “I think part of being a good teacher is always professionally developing and looking at what’s new, what’s coming over the horizon, how do I need to change for the betterment of my students – it’s just one of those always (evolving) things.” Discretionary stipends see no sign of ending in upcoming years. “More would always be great, but I have always found the $20,000 to be sufficient to fulfill the stipend needs I was looking to cover,” Becker said. “I don’t anticipate any cuts to the stipend allocation. “The stipend allotment survived the massive budget cuts back in 2009, so I think they will be sticking around.”

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Class of 2019 finally wraps up college applications Getting head start took stress off of students BY HEBA BOUNAR

hbounar.gazette@gmail.com

As the calendar creeps further into the holiday season, seniors have more than just the holiday spirit to keep them joyful. From the end of November until early to mid-January, they’re submitting more and more college applications – and the feeling of utter relief after countless months of stress to get them done makes it all worth it. Yet despite the pride of clicking submit, students can’t help but reflect upon the gradual, exhausting process they have had to endure for months. While all students can agree on its tedious tendencies, not all decided to follow the same method of completing their college applications. For some, the task was fairly manageable – and not nearly as horrendous as it is for others. Senior Kendall Prager said the whole college application process was stressful, but truly not that bad. With the help of a college counselor, she was able to efficiently manage the amount of work she had to do according to her schedule. “I have a college counselor who helps me set dates of when I should complete tasks,” Prager said. “Besides the help of my college counselor, however, I was self-driven to get my applications done as soon as possible.” By starting during the summer, Prager said she developed a practical plan to finish the applications in a

timely manner. “I started over the summer and set different due dates each week for a different college,” Prager said. “I worked on them for just one hour a day, and it worked out great.” Others were not as capable of managing their time because of the overwhelming necessity to balance the straining work dedicated solely to college applications as well as schoolwork and extracurriculars. Senior Brad Davito said he found it very difficult to make time for his applications in the midst of all his responsibilities. With his involvement in Student Government, time truly became sacred. “I honestly haven’t done the best job of handling the pressure of managing all of school, student government and college applications all at once,” Davito said. “There’s been days where I’ve stayed up until 3 a.m. because I felt the need to make progress on my college applications and had to save my homework until late at night or even during Grizz Time.” Davito’s situation suggests college application procrastination for many seniors isn’t because of a lack of motivation, but rather the struggle to manage time for all the activities in their lives. GBHS counselor Tasman Nicolodi said the college-bound students at GBHS are definitely busy. “We have a lot of students who are involved with a plethora of activities on our campus, so I think that it’s just another layer of time and attention,” Nicolodi said. “I don’t think that it is necessarily motivation that is the factor as much as it is just trying to put together all the moving parts. They have a lot of different responsibilities, so just prioritizing and finding time for the additional work should help.”

While some students are definitely capable of prioritizing for themselves, many eventually fall into the comfortable habits of procrastination. As a result, these students end up depending on an extra push, often from their parents. Senior Noah Lutz said that while he was definitely motivated to be productive with his applications, he found himself relying on the pressure from his mother to get going. “I was self-driven for picking and applying to the schools,” Lutz said, “but I have major pressure from my mother to get them done and not procrastinate. My mom pushed me to start during the summer, so that has relieved a lot.” Davito said his parents also helped him toe the line. “I am definitely excited to apply and go to college, so it’s a task I’m set on doing for myself,” Davito said. “However, at times when I was falling behind with homework or spending time with with my friends, my parents were very firm about making sure I was following a schedule and prioritizing my time.” One fortunate group of students had a significantly less stressful college application process – the student-athletes already committed to a college. While these students still have to fill out the applications, being committed lifts a huge weight of pressure off their plates. Chloe Clark, a senior swimmer, is already accepted to attend UC Berkeley in the spring. Having already submitted her application in September, her episodes of college application stress are over. “My application process is the same,” Clark said. “We fill out the same application as a regular student. However, being committed is so stress-relieving be-

cause I have alBrad Davito ready made the Senior often choice of where I stays up late want to go. I have to work on already been acapplications and cepted, too, and homework. that was such a good feeling.” However, a majority of students will have to wait several months for that good feeling. Many seniors have learned a lot about the college application process and have good advice to offer to future seniors. Prager recommends starting early and setting due dates, especially for the time-consuming supplemental questions. Davito advises to write the essays as if there is no word limit. “The hardest part of applying to college is trying to express the entirety of myself and who I am to these schools with the very little information I’m allowed to enter,” Davito said. “Write an essay that fits for you with as many points as possible so you have it all out on the table. Then you can go back and choose what to take out and what to keep, so that way you don’t spend time toiling over what topics to focus on beforehand.” Lutz said there really is no easy way out, and it’s simply a matter of determination. “To all juniors – next year is going to suck,” he said, “but you’re just going to have to deal with it as you go.”

Early grads depart FBLA: Students reprimanded after misconduct Seniors embark on new stage of life, will leave peers upon graduating BY LAMONT MASON

lmason.gazette@gmail.com

Graduation season is months away for the majority of the seniors on campus, but some seniors are outliers to this trend – for a few ambitious seniors, early graduation seems to be the best option. “I feel like I can pursue a career earlier,” senior Payton Smith said. “What I mean by that is I feel like I can get a head start on life rather than staying for another semester studying for classes I don’t need.” Smith will stay in the area after leaving GBHS. “I plan on going to American River College for their music program, and I’m going to try to pursue a certificate in recording arts,” Smith said. “Once I do that, I’m planning on opening my own studio.” Senior Laura Brown has a similar plan in store, and she is also graduating early but with a different goal in mind. “I decided to graduate early because it is a tradition in my family – my dad graduated early and so did my older brother and sister,” Brown said. “I also thought it would be a good idea to just get ahead with my career rather than taking more classes in high school still.” Like Smith, Brown will stay local after graduating. “When I graduate early I plan on taking classes at Sierra College and transferring into a university,” Brown said. “From there, I plan on majoring in nursing because I want to help people as a career.” Missing half a school year, Brown said shes is going to have a few regrets about leaving Granite Bay High School in the dust. “I’m going to miss Senior Ball and I am kind of bummed be-

cause of that, and also just (missing) friends that are still going to GBHS,” Brown said. However, graduating early has some requirements that have to be met and carry a moderate amount of pros and cons. Counselor Paul Stordahl elaborated what the specific standards are for a student to graduate early. “To graduate early you need to meet the same requirements as a regular graduate. You need a total of 260 credits, you need to pass the online personal finance course, and you need to succeed on passing all your classes in that term,” Stordahl said. “If those things are in place, you are eligible to graduate early.” Early graduates need to plan accordingly to cut their senior year in half. “What we ask for on the front end (is), if you want to graduate early, we ask students to write a letter of intent and to articulate what their plans are for after graduating early,” Stordahl said. “We also expect you to have your college prep classes completed and A-G courses completed as well. After you meet those requirements, you will get a letter from the senior class administrator.” Early graduates give up some advantages that students on campus have, like sacrificing senior activities toward the end of the school year. “The senior administrator will typically look over all the paperwork, and then craft a letter elaborating on the things you can’t do if you desire to become an early graduate,” Stordahl said. “For example, you can’t come back on campus … or go to any senior activities like Senior Picnic … if you graduate early because technically you are not a student anymore.”

from participating in the rest of the conference. Students ate a pizza dinner Saturday night in a hoamongst themselves and generally being dis- tel room, supervised by Patterson, and then left respectful to the event organizers,” the adviser the next morning for Sacramento by train. Sampson and Patterson both declined to comwrote. The email from Anderson reported that multiple ment about the incident because the students were advisers from different high schools who attended subjected to school discipline, which is confidenthe Leadership Development Institute complained tial. A total of 17 GBHS students attended the convention, and 14 boys – 12 seniors and two juabout the conduct of GBHS club members. “(During the opening session), Mike Messen- niors – were implicated in the disruptive behavior. None of the boys were suspended from school. ger from Los Altos reported unruly behavior from They had to participate in a restorative justice cir(GBHS) students,” Anderson wrote in her email. During a session titled “Stocking Up” led by cle, led by assistant principal Brian McNulty, and Whitney High adviser Alyssa Gonzalez, Gonzalez were not allowed to attend the Homecoming footsaid a GBHS boy was making shadow hand ges- ball game or dance. Earlier this week, the participating senior FBLA members were put on senior tures while others laughed. Gonzalez finished her statement by saying that conduct. Because of the incident, the GBHS administra“Bill Patterson must have his hands full with that tion has suspended the FBLA club. bunch.” While admitting he and However, what was possibly the others acted poorly, senior worst part of the GBHS FBLA Fernando Gonzalez said stay in Santa Clara, according to the portrayal of the group the advisers, happened in a hotel “They all stood about was blown out of proporhallway before a session titled “Escape Room.” 5-foot-5, and we were tion. “I thought (the officials) “The group of students was all around 6-foot to over-exaggerated (the waiting to get into a popular ses6-foot-2. We stuck out incident) and took (the sion ... where they had learned that the session would be limitlike a sore thumb and blame and punishment) to a whole other level, and it ed to 60 participants,” Anderson were the ones that was unnecessary,” Gonzawrote. “There was a large group were immediately lez said. “It seemed like it of students, approximately 120, was their first time seeing blamed.” that was completely blocking the teenagers have fun. hallway.” – Fernando Gonzalez, “I understand profanIt was at this point where GBHS senior ity isn’t OK and talking students got noticed out of the over others isn’t OK, but large group. they were trying to say we “(GBHS students) had their cell started a riot and that they phones out and were playing loud music and singing in an unruly fashion,” Ander- could have called the cops on us.” Gonzalez noted there were factors that would son wrote. “(The music was being) played on their phones as well as a speaker held by a Granite Bay have made the GBHS students stand out. “Ninety percent of the kids there were predomstudent over his head. The title of the song was inantly of Asian and Indian descent and freshmen ‘First Day Out’ by Tee Grizzley.” The song features profanity-filled, misogynistic and sophomores,” Gonzalez said. “They all stood about 5-foot-5, and we were all around 6-foot to lyrics, including liberal use of the n-word. 6-foot-2. We stuck out like a sore thumb and were Once the doors opened, chaos ensued. “Students shoved their way in, pushing and the ones that were immediately blamed.” In addition to school discipline, the GBHS shoving students, causing several to trip and one FBLA program ended up suffering other conseto completely fall,” Anderson said. The session ended up being cancelled, and stu- quences, including one student, a senior, whose college letter of recommendation from Internadents were scolded about their behavior. “I believe that the behavior of the GBHS FBLA tional Baccalaureate business teacher Sampson chapter members present was unacceptable re- was revoked. “It’s not fair at all, the timing was awful,” Gonpeatedly during the course of the conference and, in large, incited the mob mentality that resulted zalez said. “It was a week and a half before most in the Escape room being cancelled,” Anderson of his private university deadlines. He was working on his applications when we were in our hotel wrote. Late Saturday afternoon, Patterson was informed room.” the GBHS FBLA group was essentially banned Gonzalez said it was a significant penalty be-

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cause of the importance of a college letter of recommendation. “I had one teacher write me a letter of recommendation, (and) with the letter you have to give them a month’s notice because it’s not something you can do in five to 10 minutes,” Gonzalez said. “He is majoring in business, so a letter of recommendation is huge coming from an IB business teacher.” Senior Jake McKillop, a former student in Sampson’s I.B. Business class, said he thought the revocation of the letter was surprising. “I could see why (the letter of recommendation) would be pulled,” McKillop said. “But if the teacher was on board with writing a letter of recommendation for this student, it’s odd that one action would completely change it. “I feel as if it is surprising – this student has never has been punished before, or anyone else in the program, so when I heard about it, I would never have guessed the repercussions would have been so severe.” Advanced Placement psychology teacher Natalie Elkin said the decision to revoke a letter isn’t one an educator would take lightly. “We (as teachers) take the risk for vouching for (a student) – what does it say about my integrity when I know a student has cheated or lied in some significant way?” Elkin said. “(The university now knows) my letter is a lie. That means my integrity is challenged because a university wouldn’t trust anything I say anymore.” After being suspended from the convention, the GBHS FBLA chapter has taken steps to do better as an organization, including starting a fund and donation drive for the victims of the Camp fire in Butte County’s community of Paradise. According to Senior T.J.Patterson, the club gathered blankets, pillows and $200 in gift cards. “It wasn’t just FBLA – it was Granite Bay’s reputation that went down,” Gonzalez said. McKillop, for one, appreciates the efforts FBLA members are making to show contrition. “While the FBLA kids did what they did at the conference, many people will remember the Chico donations, they set aside time, and it is genuine,” McKillop said. “While everyone isn’t going to change an opinion about them, it did mine.” *** Editor’s note: The original version of this story included the names of all of the students who were disciplined, information that was obtained by Gazette staff writer and editor Max Schwartz. However, the Gazette has now changed its policy about printing the names of students involved in disciplinary proceedings, and so this version of the story, and all electronic versions, do not include the names.

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New California school rating system Joint Union High School

Board of

approves of the new format. RJUSHD switches to Trustees, “I think that dashboards are the curassessment tool for many compaCalifornia Dashboard rent nies and nonprofits, and gives you multiple measures to review,” Stauss said.

BY BELLA KHOR

bkhor.gazette@gmail.com

Change is inevitable, and there have been revolutionary advancements in technology and social inclusivity and awareness. In the face of these developments, it’s only fair that education has evolved as well. In March 2017, the California Department of Education and the State Board of Education implemented a new school accountability system, the California Dashboard. The previous system, the Academic Performance Index, was comprised solely of scores from standardized testing. In 2013, the API was suspended, and the CDE created the California Dashboard. The California Dashboard is a website that appears to be modeled after business dashboards, built for easy comprehension of large amounts of data. With bright symbols and charts, it is a stark contrast from the text-dense reports of the API – the objective of this simplistic overview is to present large amounts of data in an easily accessible format. Of course, specific data and calculations are also available, but require some navigation of the Dashboard website. Paige Stauss, the president of Roseville

“It is clear and easy to read.” Principal Jennifer Leighton agreed. “This change was definitely needed as schools should be evaluated on more than Gazette illustration | Abbie Gould just test scores,” Leighton said. The California Dashboard rates schools off of their academic performance along with their disciplinary actions and reports The new state dashboard allows for schools to be judged by more than just colored symbols to show the performance ing affected by the new reporting system. trict leaders their academic performance. Amy Lloyd, the principal at Adelante, level of the schools, with blue being the Schools in the district have been tweaking David Byrd, principal the way they approach said her school has lowered suspensions as highest quintile ranking and red the lowest. of Roseville High School, student discipline, deal- demanded by the dashboard system. These symbols can appear to be misleadsaid this system “has more ing with individual stuing to those who are unaware of the addi“We have taken a different approach emphasis on suspensions This change was dents and faculty. tional information provided on the website (than) suspending for being in the posand attendance,” both of definitely needed At GBHS, this is that can be found through some explorsession of drug paraphernalia (vape pens, which are parts of schools demonstrated by how ative navigation. rolling papers, lighters, etc.), and for being that were not measured by as schools should “we’ve moved to much under the influence.” Lloyd said. Roseville High’s improvement in gradthe API. be evaluated on more of a restorative She then explained the action she and uation is rated a concerning yellow at first This presentation of data for suspensions in partic- more than just test model where we use each other administrators at Adelante currently glance, for example, but the Roseville instance as a teaching take – confiscating the item, alerting the graduation rate is at 91 percent. ular has received attention opportunity, rather than student’s parents and providing opportuscores Despite this high number, the lack of from district administramoving directly to the nities for counseling. Only after multiple improvement resulted in a yellow caution – Jennifer Leighton, tors. traditional consequences incidences or a student is caught under the score, a potentially inaccurate representaThe district has made principal of detention and/or sus- influence will there be a suspension. tion. adjustments and appears pension,” Leighton said. A “school can easily move into the red “The idea is to exhaust other means of to be focusing on “susLeighton added that the correction,” Lloyd said. even if they are at a high level but havpension and attendance for Numerical data is undoubtedly a huge en’t continued to show improvement each some specific demographic groups” Byrd consequences for unruly or inappropriate behavior are now more “creative and thor- component in the dashboard’s school re- year,” Leighton said. said. The bottom line? ports, however the initial judgment of the Strauss said the district-wide focus, in- ough as well.” Even district continuation schools that system is based solely on a school and dis“Data matters” said Stauss, “and it will cluding the “1.7 percent increase (in) suspensions” for students with disabilities” are not included in the current model of the trict’s progress from previous years. drive our goals.” got her attention, and the attention of dis- dashboard, such as Adelante High, are beThe dashboard uses a series of different

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SUSPENSION: Policy change raises eyebrows Continued from page A1 quintile – for suspensions. The school scored significantly lower – in the lowest two quintiles – on suspension rates for marginalized groups. “The state has found that we have too many suspensions and that our suspensions were not equitable,” McGregor said. “More students of color, special (education) students and socioeconomically disadvantaged students, have been suspended.” In the spring of 2017, the white student suspension rate was 2.7 percent, while the suspension rate was 9.4 percent for African American students, 4.9 percent for Hispanic students, 7.4 percent for socioeconomically disadvantaged students, and 10.2 percent for students with disabilities. Because of the flagging of the school’s suspension practices, it is now under greater state supervision. “The school is in what’s called ‘differentiated assistance’ right now,” McGregor said. “This means that the school is having certain issues and is going to have additional state oversight to help us improve on those problems.” In response, the school has turned to restorative justice – a process in which student behavioral consequences are geared toward responding to individual problems, rather than the blanket use of suspensions. “The premise of it is really much better than automatic suspensions — we need to be more creative with the consequences we’re giving,” principal Jennifer Leighton said. “In the the gray areas where it might be more effective not to suspend, then we’re going to explore restorative justice as an option.” Restorative justice is a more involved process than a suspension, with the hope of a greater effect by delving deeper to fix the problem. “At the school and across the district, we’ve started to realize that you get a lot more bang for your buck when you actually address the issue that caused the behavior instead of just the behavior itself,” McGregor said. “With a suspension, those underlying issues haven’t been fixed.” Restorative justice can take many approaches regarding a behavioral problem on-campus. “If someone brings alcohol to school, we could suspend them for five days, but

that doesn’t fix the issues like their desire to drink on a school day,” McGregor said. “Under the new method, that student might attend an eight-week substance prevention course instead of just going home for a week.” So far, McGregor said the results appear to be positive. “Generally, we find students who underwent restorative justice are more likely not to (repeat their offense) than suspended students,” McGregor said. “I can’t think of an example where we’ve used this method instead of a suspension where it’s gone wrong.” Despite the successes, however, the implementation has fallen short in a few key areas – namely communication with teachers and the student body. “We know nothing right now as a staff,” said Jarrod Westberg, an Advanced Placement government teacher. “Seeing a kid do something bad and them sitting in class the next day is bad for morale – bad for the image that it gives.” To Westberg, the rapid and somewhat clumsy use of the policy all relates to the all-or-nothing nature of politics. “This is a reality when government entities want to implement something,” Westberg said. “First they implement it, then they fill in the details later – it’s not good policy-making by the state.” The shortcoming in communication with teachers could be, critics say, a fatal flaw. “To have this work, you need to have the staff and student body buy in, and so far that hasn’t happened,” Westberg said. “In my mind, if the state doesn’t find a way to effectively disseminate his information to teachers – the people that are actually with students every day – it’s going to... fail.” The rapid implementation at GBHS this year has surprised many students who, used to seeing suspensions used without restraint, have been surprised to see offenders back in classrooms the same day, sometimes even during the same class period. “I totally understand everyone’s confusion and concern that the campus is going to run amok with the adults doing nothing,” Leighton said. “That’s not the intention at all, but our implementation has been cumbersome and clumsy – it’s time for us to start communicating better and get our feet on the ground.” There has been a 73 percent reduction

in suspensions at this point in the 2018-19 school year, with only 17 suspensions to last year’s 65. “Since we are still figuring it out – we also felt it was a little bit thrust on us – we need to figure out what works,” Leighton said. “The next step is communicating what’s going on to our staff.” The delicate balance between assuring the community that consequences haven’t vanished altogether and breaking a student’s rights to confidentiality has been difficult to traverse for the administration. “We need to be more clear that there are consequences – they are different, and we are suspending if we need to – but it needs to be clear to the teachers that we are taking action,” Leighton said. The next step of the plan is to start communicating the new reality better with staff. “My plan is when the teachers come back in January, when there’s no kids on the first day after winter break, then we’re going to sit down and talk to the staff about what this means for everyone,” Leighton said. With training and better communication on the way, the administration appears to have overcome the initial challenges that occur with any policy change. “Realistically in a true restorative justice model, 80 percent of the work happens in classrooms day to day – only 20 percent happens in the office with us,” McGregor said. “As a district, because of the sped-up timeline, we’ve had to start up here with the 20 percent – the 80 percent is coming, but we haven’t gotten there yet.” The start of this school year came with an abundance of new pressures on the GBHS administration – including greater state regulation, a new state rating system including suspensions as a new element and a new superintendent, Denise Herrmann, focused on implementing the new program. These pressures have propelled a quick turnaround in age-old policies, but the GBHS administration remains positive. “Our execution and implementation of those policies (have) not been very good in terms of jumping in and working on it without having everybody on board yet,” McGregor said. “We need to slow down and do a bit more sharing of information – that has become very apparent to us, but at the end of the day, restorative justice is going to be a good thing for us and for our kids.”

Thanksgiving break came a day early

School canceled because of poor air quality during fire

Pariya Rhani

Senior was unhappy about the smoke cancellation because she was forced to miss multiple exams.

BY LAMONT MASON

lmason.gazette@gmail.com

Friday, Nov. 16 was a historic day of no school – classes in the Roseville Joint Union High School District were canceled because of smoke from the Camp fire in Butte County. Students especially were thrilled to hear the news of no school, starting their Thanksgiving break a day early. On the other hand, there were some frustrated about the decision the district made to cancel classes. Physiology teacher Theresa Landon had some opinions on the matter that were both positive and negative about the cancellation. “I was a bit happy to hear that school got canceled on Friday because it meant I had another day to spend some time with my family,” Landon said, “but, as a teacher, I felt kind of irritated by the fact of how it was pushing back my schedule in class. (The cancellation) pushed the test I had in my class back too, so I was behind on covering the material in the next unit.” Landon said she thinks school still could’ve been held on Friday because students and teachers had attended in much worse air quality earlier in the week. “In my opinion we totally could have had school on Friday – Thursday had much worse air quality,” Landon said. “But I’m sure the school canceled because of the pressure of the other schools in our district canceling, and parents worrying for their kids’ health.” A not insignificant number of students had tests scheduled in multiple classes for Friday, and the delay of the exams was frustrating. Senior Pariya Rahni had three exams

scheduled for the day before Thanksgiving break was supposed to start. “I was actually kind of bummed we didn’t have school because I studied for three tests the night before,” Rahni said. “By the time I came back from school, I literally forgot all the material I had learned the week before Thanksgiving break, so it made me kind of mad.” Others thought it was a great call by the district, because student and staff lungs were taking too much strain from walking to classes in the horrible air quality. Student Bryce Van Order, for one, said he thought school getting cancelled was a smart choice. “If you ask me, it was nice not having school on Friday,” Van Order said. “It made it seem like our school actually cares about the health of the students. “It was really good to get away from the smoke instead of being forced to learn in it.” One consequence of school getting cancelled is that staff and students might have to make up the day. “The state of California (is) the one who says how many instructional minutes we are required to have,” assistant principal Jennifer Buschmann said. “Based on that, we make our calendar. So in order to not push back those instructional minutes we applied for a waiver” to avoid a make-up day. “With all things state-related, it takes a while to hear back, so we still don’t know if the waiver got approved or not,” Buschmann said. “Hopefully they say we are fine, but you never know.”

ASB UPDATE The Gazette talked to Student Government student First Last about upcoming events.

Gazette: How have you enjoyed your position as publicity and marketing? Summer: I have had so much fun being the (Publicity and Marketing) commissioner. I found that a lot more people come to me to ask questions about events and are very comfortable coming to me about anything concerning student government. I really enjoy being the bridge between ASB and the student body. Gazette: Are there any events you recommend the student body gets involved with? Summer: Powder Puff is an amazing event, combining the elements of a rivalry and fun creates an enjoyable environment for everyone that attends. It shows the overall school spirit, and a ton of people come to the game.

Gazette: What are you looking forward to this upcoming semester? Summer: I’m really looking forward to Junior Prom and Senior Ball as well as Powder Puff just because they’re all really big events. However there are a lot of other commissions that are also very important and bound to be tons of fun. I hope that the seniors have the best spring term imaginable before they leave. Gazette: How would you say this term went in terms of ASB? Summer: I really enjoyed this last term, we had a really fun Homecoming for a lot of people. I know the seniors had a really good time because they finally got the dub. I think there were a lot of events, like Every 15 Minutes, brought the school closer and really influenced the student body in a positive way.

Gazette photo | Kabe Teague

Summer Holt -Compiled by Kabe Teague

News

Friday, December 14, 2018

w The Granite Bay Gazette

E15: Students reeling from simulated car accident deaths Continued from page A1 bleachers just mere feet away from the scene, making it look, and feel, like the real thing. And at GBHS on the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 14, such a feeling was largely achieved. Beside the trove of high schoolers and faculty sitting on bleachers just mere feet away from the action, Wellington Way – right in front of the school where the simulation took place – was full of sirens, screaming, and crying. “When they pulled the tarp off, I felt like I was actually there and part of the accident,” senior Marina Soares said. “I started crying and my body was shaking.” A 2000 Dodge Neon and 2004 Jaguar X-Type sat wrecked on the street. The cars, which were positioned to look like they met in a head-on collision, sent simulated driver Sofia Novaresi through the windshield and onto the crumpled hood of the car. In Novaresi’s car were also juniors Samantha Hutchinson and Cole Philips, the former who “survived” the crash while Philips was brought to the hospital and later pronounced “dead.” In the other car, junior Brenna Halloran was the survivor, while senior T.J. Robertson was also later pronounced “dead” at the hospital. Of course, there was also the last player in the simulation – senior Matt Solone, who took on the role of the drunk driver. At the scene, he was evaluated by the police and then consequently arrested, brought to a the Placer County jail and booked. The whole sequence of events lasted only an hour, but in the mind of many students, it lasted a lot longer. After the scene, the participants were taken out of school and cut off from contacting anyone, creating the effect for one night that they truly were gone. Also joining them in isolation were the Living Dead – a group of students and teachers who did not take part in the simulation but represented the average number of people who die in the United States in a single school day because of drunk driving incidents. After spending the night at the local Best Western Plus, the group came back the next day for the final part of the program – the funeral. At the funeral, slideshows were played for the Living Dead and the simulation participants, as well as a final video that provided backstory into all of the participants’ lives and then detailed the crash and the aftermath. The video, which is now posted to YouTube, has amassed more than 300,000 views in just under a month. After the video, a speaker gave a speech about how in real life, he had to go through this exact experience after losing a nephew

to a drunk driving induced accident. Then the eulogies were read. The eulogies, a bit paradoxically, were given both by those who “died” in the program and also by the mothers of two participants. The heartfelt speeches not only added an abundance of emotion, they also signified the end to what many considered the most powerful aspect of the entire program. “The most influential part of the program was the funeral … it was heart wrenching,” Solone said. Lastly, as the final act of the Every 15 Minutes program, the announcement was made at the end of the funeral that all participants were now allowed to interact with their loved ones. Thus resulted in a wave of parents, friends and parents rushing toward one another, many with arms wide open. The Video Although in previous years the media team at GBHS has shot and produced a video detailing the event, never has the video reached such a wide audience. Besides being shown in front of about 1,500 people, the video – which was produced by GBHS media teacher Zachary Weidkamp and his students – was the product of hundreds of hours of filming and editing. The result? More than 300,000 views on YouTube. “I feel the video just adds an entire new level of meaning (to the experience),” said senior Marissa Larkin, who directed and produced the video alongside Colby Moresi. “Getting to see a backstory and see these students functioning and enjoying their day-to-day lives and seeing their connections with family and friends makes it seem so much more real and personal to every one of us.” The team began filming the video weeks before the crash scene, including shots that built a storyline and an emotional connection to characters, but because they also had to incorporate video from the actual crash and all of it had to be finalized and presented at the funeral assembly the very next day, the media team had to work hard. “It was crazy,” Larkin said. “We got there at 6 a.m. and worked all day. After the crash, we had to sort through footage, choose the best shots, put them in the video, do color and audio and such and we finished at 11:57 that night. Overall, we had to add footage from the crash, ambulance, morgue, jail and hospital in a short amount of time, but it was all worth it.” The long night certainly paid off, though, as demonstrated by the number of views the video has received in just a few weeks. The Repercussions Although the program is a simulation, the impact is enhanced by the fact that the

Gazette photos | Sidney Zabell

During the Every Fifteen Minutes car crash , top right, Sam Hutchison shoves drunk driver, Matt Solone, top left, TJ Robertson is carried away from the crash after sustaining major injuries, bottom, firefighters break the window to get TJ Robertson names of those participating are unknown to all except those who planned the event and those who participated. “Picking people was a long process, and it took about a month to get all the names finalized,” Singh said. “We focused on getting people from different groups instead of picking the same well-known people. We tried to piece it together so that we had someone from every activity on campus.” As a result, friends and family members usually remain unaware of their loved one’s participation, with the latter getting notice only days in advance and the former only finding out when they see their friend sprawled out on top of a car, motionless. Also, the psychological concept of

TRISTON’S

suspended disbelief – the willingness to suspend critical faculties and believe something surreal, often for the sake of entertainment– plays a large part in helping students reach the grieving stage. Except, in this case, no one is suspending their disbelief for entertainment – they are suspending their disbelief for a serious issue and for getting the most out of the experience. The purpose of the event is to have students be so touched that they make better decisions in their lives. Because, as Every 15 Minutes showed, the consequences of one wrong decision can be catastrophic. “Think of your loved ones, (so) live ev-

TAKE

Senior Triston Haverty, the Gazette’s TA, shares his views on current issues.

Are you a fan of Christmas? Yes, I enjoy spending time with my family and giving to others. Who would win in: 100,000 lions or the sun? 100,000 lions, because there are approximately 1,000 lions per square mile in the sun. What will be the cause of the world ending? A plague, because antibiotics are beginning to fail. What is your biggest fear? Heights or dying. What is your patronus? According to Pottermore.com, I am an otter. It took me five minutes. It’s not accurate. What is your favorite trait about Mr. Grubaugh? Karl and I go way back, my favorite trait of his is how upbeat and personal his humor is.

Compiled by Max Schwartz and Sidney Zabell

ery day as if it were your last,” Carolyn Mendoza said. “This is a good wakeup call to know that your family and friends may not be here tomorrow. Life is not guaranteed, so you need to treat each other like it was the last day you would see them.” “I was extremely excited to see how far-reaching this video has been already,” Larkin said. “I wasn’t expecting to reach 1,000 views, much less 250,000, and, from the YouTube analytics we’ve been able to see, that people all throughout the world have been watching ... (we) spent a lot of time working on this project, as well as the students involved and student government, so it’s great to see the hard work paying off.”

Friday, December 14, 2018

A7 News

Students gain admission

COUNSELING: Workshops offer stress relief for many students Continued from page A2

Seniors who applied early have begun receiving results BY LANDEN ACOSTA

lacosta.gazette@gmail.com

very year, Granite Bay High seniors rush to complete early college applications by Nov. 1, hoping to be admitted to their top university. This group of ambitious students are certain where they want to attend college because “early decision” applications are binding. However “early action” is not, and might be a better option for those who are uncertain what their dream school might be but still want to find out if they can get in early. With about 450 colleges in the United States that offer early applications, the application decision process is expedited. Deadlines for many early applications fall on Nov. 1, and students can hear back about their application decision as early as December and as late as January. Getting the jump on the college application can pay dividends, and these group of students are a prime example. In some cases your chances of being admitted to the school can be increased. So students shouldn’t sleep on their dream school – applying early can put the odds in their favor. Seniors Emma Thompson, Cat Lauth and Cameron Wade all took advantage of the early application, getting an early start on their favorite schools. Universities in Utah, Washington, Arizona, Texas and Colorado received early applications from GBHS students. “I applied to Boise State, University of Arizona, University of Colorado (at) Boulder and Washington State,” said Thomp-

Ken Hansen General Building Contractor

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Gazette photo | Sydney Sewell

Seniors celebrate when they get their acceptance letters

son, who was accepted to early early-application school and whose top choice is Boise State. “My family, who I’m really close with, lives there, and I go there a lot, so I’m familiar with the area.” Being close to relatives when students go away for school can be a deciding factor in where a student chooses. Cat Lauth applied to the University of Washington, University of Texas-Austin and Baylor University. “I got into Baylor a few weeks ago, which has been my top school … but the other schools won’t get back to me for a bit,” Lauth said. Baylor was her top pick for reasons similar to Thompson’s reasons for picking Boise. “I was born in Texas and have family there,” Lauth said, “so it would be really nice to live by some relatives, but I also took a tour between sophomore and junior year and fell in love with it.” For religious reasons, senior Cameron Wade’s top pick is Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. “BYU has a bunch of people with the same values as me, and my parents and grandparents went there,” Wade said. It’s been a goal of Wade’s to attend BYU to carry on the family legacy. “I applied over summer and found out at the end of August,” Wade said, “and I’ll be going for the winter semester starting Jan.7.”

about high school in general. “I love helping all of the students on campus whenever I can, no matter how small” Martin said. According to Martin, the peer counseling class is a “little family.” “I chose to enter (the class) because I knew you get really close with everyone in the class,” junior Ellen Taylor said. The program works a lot on getting the members close and comfortable with one another. “Initially, being vulnerable in a lot of the team bonding activities that we do as a class to get to know each other (was hard),” said senior Grace Ehnen, the program’s campus outreach coordinator. Nevertheless, Ehnen thinks highly of the class. “Anyone who is interested in helping students better their mental health or in increasing their self-awareness

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should definitely apply for the class,” Ehnen said. Many members have stuck with the class for a while. “I’ve been in it for four terms now, since sophomore year,” Fisher said, “and I joined because I wanted to become more involved in the school.” Peer Counseling is not only beneficial to the students who participate helped, but to the students doing the helping as well. “We not only learn how to communicate one-on-one with a counselee,” Cantemir said, “but these skills can be integrated in your day-to-day life.” Despite the lack of awareness, the Peer Counseling program is a big hit among its students. “I am planning on staying in the program for the rest of high school,” Martin said. “I love how supportive everyone is – no matter what it is that I’m going through.” The Peer Counseling pro-

I love helping all of the students on campus whenever I can. – Jessica Martin, senior

”

gram is always available and ready to talk to any GBHS student. Students can refer themselves on the program website, which can be found on the school website under programs. If you would like to join the class, applications are available in room 812.

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Voices

Granite Bay Gazette

Friday w December 14, 2018

An ode to quiet people

GAZETTE

The Granite Bay

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

Editors-in-Chief: Spencer Cova Abbie Gould Max Schwartz Andrew Yung Sidney Zabell Voices Editor: Sarah Withrow News Editor: Elliott Hyman Lifestyle Editors: Cori Caplinger May Lin Ashley Yung Green Screen Editors: Bella Hamilton Angelina Kolosey Dylan Rowe Lindsey Zabell Sports Editors: Emily Hansen Akhil Shah Sidney Stipanovich Photo Editor: Sydney Sewell Social Media Editors: Mia Taylor Kabe Teague Gaby Williams Staff Writers and Photographers: Landen Acosta Heba Bounar Shreya Dodballapur Emerson Ford Bella Khor Lamont Mason Cyrus Mynar Maya Snow

Adviser: Karl Grubaugh

Being silent isn’t the same as being mean

ne of the many beauties of being went on and I heard this same comment a human is that we are gifted with from more than a handful of people, I rethe ability to talk and converse alized that, although I may not see it the with one another, teaching and learning same way as them, a lot of people serifrom each other in so many ways. ously do consider conversations as an act However, while the of caring and friendship. majority of us are exConversely, they also troverts – talkative and correlate silence with inoutgoing – there are difference and even dismany who are on the like. other side of the specThis could not be furtrum. ther from the truth. Yes, I am one of those we introverts might not people – an introvert. always be the most enIt is self-identified, of gaging in a conversation course, but also seemand often like to keep to ingly confirmed by the ourselves, but most of many personality tests the time we are simply I’ve taken over the not participating because years. And although we just don’t feel like I might be in the miayung.gazette@gmail.com talking at the moment. nority, I am extremely It is nothing personal proud of this part of me. – we just are in a mood where we don’t It is integral to my identity. really want to make an effort to start up An introvert, by definition, prefers to spend time alone in order to recharge small talk. Unfortunately, I’ve also noticed that their inner being. this reluctance to engage in small talk As a “quiet person,” I feel that we are, is what ultimately leads people to label in this overly talkative and connected sointroverts as socially awkward, when reciety, often greatly misunderstood. For instance, as a kid I had always been ally, introvertedness is only being shy. It reserved, but also quite talkative and doesn’t mean that we’re not outgoing or friendly. Then I moved across the coun- that we don’t like being around people. try, and as I adjusted to the new environ- It just means that we will put more effort into talking and being with the ones that ment, part of me became quieter. Other students who I barely knew we truly care about. In fact, at least for me, I think the only started confusing this introvertedness for being anti-social, and so my peers ended time I partake in small talk is when I up thinking that I was genuinely unin- really do like a person. This is because terested in talking to them. Later, I even it almost always turns out to become a learned from my new friends that they deeper, more meaningful conversation. thought I disliked them before I started And these are the types of conversations we should all be having. talking to them. Because, really, what’s the point of Initially, I could not understand how they could think such a thing. But as time talking if it’s not for a good reason?

COMMENTARY

andrew yung

Gazette llustration | Andrew Yung

Your personal space may be holding you back While this instinct is there for a reason, it doesn’t need to be listened to all the time

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.

ersonal space is an important defense mechanism used subconsciously to steer us away from danger – but is also a flexible and not always dependable tool. Your brain programs a zone around your body, like a second skin. When this space is invaded, you will never fail to notice. That feeling in the pit of your stomach or the instinctual pulse of fear you get in tense situations isn’t meant to be ignored. It keeps away the creeps, while also letting you subtly know who you can trust. We learn what socially acceptable behavior looks like from a young age, but the personal space of your friend naturally is not the same as yours. Nevertheless, we must respect everyone’s preferences and realize that there is such a broad spectrum of what people are comfortable with. Growing up with a closer-knit family increases the chance of

COMMENTARY

sarah withrow swithrow.gazette@gmail.com

your personal space bubble being smaller than those of a family who are distant with each other. Having two sisters, for example, has made me become fond of touch and someone who, depending on the situation, likes contact rather than seclusion a majority of the time. I have always believed that physical connection with even just one person has major health benefits.

It makes you feel happier, understood, more trusting, loved. Interestingly, there are people who have never cared for human contact, and they are simply born that way. Others are all for it, but then some take a while to warm up to it. Knowing boundaries is an underrated way to understand more about yourself and others around you. It helps us know what to say and how to act toward another person. This is why communication in relationships is so important. Using your words to tell your significant other what is and what isn’t OK is not lame – it is smart and necessary. And they, in turn, should tell you how they feel about certain actions and discuss your preferences. The flexibility of your space bubble is actually astonishing. It can be completely expanded when talking to a stranger, but then comfortably retracted with a close friend or family member.

It is not equal in all directions, either. In some parts the force field is toxic, whereas in other areas it is barely there, so close to the skin. Now yes, this self-defense tool is used to keep us safe. But, in non-life threatening situations, it is holding so many of us back. There are innumerable times when it is just too compelling to keep a gap between you and someone you could be close to. We don’t like letting others in. We want to be private – because it means we are safe. A majority of the time, when we shy away from others it is because there is a feeling of doubt toward them with no explanation as to why it surfaced. We want to make it easy for ourselves by saying we should trust our gut, but that is not always the best thinking. Being scared is not necessarily a bad thing, being uncomfortable is not the worst, being unsure is not the end of the world. It’s all part of the process. While it can backfire, push-

“

Pushing yourself to have less personal space will have so many positive impacts on your life.

”

ing yourself to have less personal space will have so many positive impacts on your life. You will feel full, present, more complete, experienced. And while your personal bubble should never pop, it also shouldn’t be large enough to float you up up and away from your friends and family. Put yourself out there. Keep it small by going big.

Children’s movies will NEVER be the same!

Watching movies you saw when you were little makes you realize how much you’ve grown up

Send Letters to the Editor to staff.gazette@gmail.com

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can’t help but think that it’s a little ironic that I realized my own innocence was lost as I watched movies I had loved in my childhood. Nothing makes you want to schedule an appointment to re-evaluate your own mind than watching Shrek for the twelfth time when you’re fifteen and dazedly coming to the conclusion, while listening to its dynamic soundtrack, that “Do you think he’s compensating for something?” is definitely not Shrek aiming to confuse your small mind. Instead, it is a snarky implication of the short-of-stature Lord Farquaad (whose name is in itself, an innuendo that is altogether inappropriate to write out in a school paper, but it is present nonetheless) having an inferiority complex, which the animators of Shrek play on heavily throughout the movie. They give Lord Farquaad an enormous castle, an obsessive personality based on his need for perfection, and an insatiable desire for more of everything – especially power. I was further amazed by the naivete of my tiny mind when I finally realized that Shrek was a textbook case of a bitter and exiled

individual who has given up on life and hope of companionship of any kind. He had made his own life in self-isolation because no one else could be bothered to get to know him. That certainly brought down the mood of the otherwise humorous family animated film. These details were not apparent to the much younger version of me who watched this eccentric repackaging of a traditional princess story. Speaking of princess movies, rewatching Disney princess movies as I got older, I tell you, was a genuine test of my ability to feel nostalgic about wanting to talk to animals, while feeling frustrated at the unrealistic representations of human bodies, and gasping at details and themes whose meaning I never would have guessed as an innocent child. The Little Mermaid is one that I rewatched recently. It pains me to say it, as a former advocate of Ariel’s independence, but King Triton was just trying to be a good parent! Ariel is around sixteen years old in the movie – the same age as me. We are both teenagers, and as the enlightened, reason-

of growing up. I will never be able individual I am, I will okay with Snow White prancsay that her version of “love ing off towards a “happy endat first sight” is entirely riing” with a creep who decided diculous. She saved one to kiss a seemingly dead girl cute guy from a shipwreck, in a glass box. and suddenly he’s the only I’ll never again watch any one for her? That is comkid movie without applyplete poppycock. ing reason to any problem I miss the days where I the main character has in the could just watch a Disney back of my mind. (Aladdin’s movie and then dream of nipples. That is a big, genetic, being one of these rebellious biological, problem.) teenagers with no extraneAlthough, as I could still revous thoughts of the inconel in the small moments of insistencies in the plotline or bkhor.gazette@gmail.com nuendo that children wouldn’t animation. catch, I came around to acSpecifically, in Aladdin, Aladdin has no nipples?? What kind of ana- cepting my loss of innocence. Because, while I spend copious amounts of tomically incorrect animation is this? Give the poor guy some nipples! Pun definitely time mentally berating the reckless choices certain characters make (hint: Ariel), I am intended. It was a bittersweet moment at the end of now privy to the sly jokes that kid’s movie Snow White as well when I truly realized that makers thoughtfully put in for the rest of the I was no longer the primary audience that family (i.e., anyone old enough to underDisney movies catered to, with my mindset stand the feet size joke in Frozen). I think having become more reasonable as a result that’s a pretty solid trade.

COMMENTARY

bella khor

Friday, December 14, 2018 w

The Granite Bay Gazette

Voices A9

The secret to gift giving this holiday season HEARD Time is the best present you can give on the BAY T his holiday season, some might wonder what the best gift for their loved one is. Some might even wonder if it is worth spending a month’s savings or more on a ring, a new computer or a bike.

Here’s the deal … it’s probably not. Material items can’t last forever. This depends on the person, but if someone were to, say, give me a bracelet, I would likely lose it soon after receiving it. On the other hand, others might cherish the

bracelet so much that they wouldn’t even ways wanted to do or a goal they have. dare putting it on in fear of breaking, Then spend your Christmas money toward an experience you can create to scratching or losing it. Material items also are not always de- help them achieve that goal. For example, if they have always pendable. Shopping for presents can take all day, and not finding the perfect gift wanted to skydive, buy a ticket to I Fly and watch them live can be discouraging. out their dream. Or pay What about all the for a class that can conhours you can spend tribute to the practice shopping trying to find needed for their goal. the perfect shirt for a Take your sibling out friend, only to realize to lunch or a movie. on the day it’s opened Spend the day with that it’s too big? them instead of with This, in most cases, friends to make them can be a huge waste of feel special and appretime and an abundance ciated. of added stress. Plan a day of relaxThere is a solution to ation for your mom or this common holiday a friend. Pay for a yoga stress of gift giving class or trip to the spa. – this year forget the sewell.gazette@gmail.com Or you can even plan a material items. Instead, day of adventure and give the gift of time. Time is something we all want more buy a disposable camera to capture the of. More time to sleep, study, practice – moments together. The possibilities are endless. more time for everything. If you can’t think of an experience But what about more time together? Sometimes, especially during the holi- to give, think of a past experience that day season, we forget to spend time with brought a lot of joy and focus your gift on recreating or remembering that. the ones we care about the most. This is easy to do by creating simple Instead of spending late nights getting last-minute deals at the mall, stay photo books. You can fill these books home and watch a Christmas movie with with pictures and descriptions of the experience to help your loved one rememfriends. Spend the money you would have used ber all the fun they had. Don’t limit the options to material at the mall on an ice skating date or a family game night at Golfland under the items this holiday season. The memories and experiences you create can last a lights. Make memories with the money you lifetime and, unlike items, they can’t be broken, stolen or lost. chose to spend, don’t buy more stuff. Find something your loved one has al-

What did you take away from Every 15 Minutes?

COMMENTARY

“Your personal actions that you think only affect you and your family can actually have immense impact on everyone.”

freshman

sydney sewell

Gazette llustration | Andrew Yung

Sexual assault victims should not be at fault

Christine Corry “It is important to stay safe and be responsible and aware because what you do affects everyone around you.”

sophomore

Why are we so prone to making excuses for those who deserve the blame?

was sitting in the barber chair during my bi-weekly This isn’t a generational thing. It’s simply what our haircut at Perry’s Barbershop in downtown Rose- society has normalized among young men. ville. Yes, I’m the kid with the poofy hair and bald In 2018, I’ve had numerous friends and loved ones fade. And, yes, I get a haircut every two weeks. open up to me and share their stories. Barbershop talk is your average “bro” talk – just guys Real victims, real incidents and real assaults which talking about the biggest games and that insane dunk should never be discredited by an old lady at a barby Lebron James last night. Of course, you always have bershop, who claims women can simply defend themthat one lunatic who believes the mismanaged Sacra- selves in those traumatic times. mento Kings are legit title contenders. For all you victims out there, I apologize on behalf of But that’s not what this is about. that lady, and the many people who share her unfortuYou see, my last visit was like none nate and ignorant mindset. other. For the first time in a barbershop, To anyone who’s reading this who I got agitated, and it wasn’t because my fails to understand why someone can’t barber messed up my hairline. simply stand up for themselves when asAn elderly lady was sitting across from saulted, let me clarify. me, waiting for her grandson’s haircut For starters, there’s a false assumption to be finished. She had a thick, Southern among victims and predators that sexual accent, and all she did was go on and on assault is limited to unwanted touching about Michigan getting cooked by Ohio of any nature. State on national television. That lasted According to the United States Departuntil she began talking about big-name ment of Justice, sexual assault is “any athletes accused of things like sexual astype of sexual contact or behavior that sault and domestic violence. occurs without the explicit consent of Over the past week, her exact words the recipient.” have echoed through my mind nonstop: From words and actions to comments “I’m a Texas girl, I don’t believe in any and touching, sexual assault extends to a ashah.gazette@gmail.com of that #Me Too bull. I’m tired of girls wide range of situations. not standing up for themselves, just acWhat remains most appalling to me is cusing men of these things to get money.” that victims fail to understand the gravity of sexual asI was disgusted. sault when they are in that type of situation. See, it wasn’t until this year that I understood the magI’m no psych major, but if I were to sit down and nitude of crimes like sexual assault. The pain, suffering look into individual accounts of sexual assault and the and trauma I’ve witnessed numerous friends and loved disheartening details associated with each individual ones go through are memories instilled deep within me. account, it only makes sense that it’s something that So what’s my point? a victim would not want to even remember, let alone We still struggle to understand these topics. We’re accept. weeks away from the new year of 2019, and a topic The excuses associated with sexual assault are asso pertinent over the past several years still remains an tounding. area of pure ignorance for certain people. No longer should immaturity or ignorance be used to Some might say she was just an old lady, and her gen- defend anyone with the audacity to harass or assault an eration doesn’t understand what ours does. individual. I mean, I’ve heard it from everyone really. “Your I’m a firm believer in everyone being born with a generation is the change, Akhil, you guys think differ- moral compass. We know what’s right from wrong. We ently.” know what we shouldn’t do. I think so too … but not entirely. I’ll cut right to the chase – typically it’s males indulgOver my four years in high school, I’ve noticed this ing in this type of negative behavior, while females end kind of despicable behavior being perpetrated by young up as victims. men. I don’t mean to discredit any gender, or anyone who’s

COMMENTARY

akhil shah

experienced this type of traumatic experience. Any gender can be a victim of sexual assault. So regardless of some sickening young men or even grown men not knowing the full seriousness of what they might be doing when it comes to their negative actions and words relating to women, I think they know it’s wrong. It’s quite off-putting, actually. How can any male feel as if he can demean a female to any extent he wishes? I’m not sure what the answer to that question is. There can’t be one. There’s no excuse for sexual assault. Anyone who has degraded women in this manner should be nothing less than ashamed of themselves. Forget about popularity, athletics or how smart you are. Frankly, none of that matters whatsoever when it comes to sexual assault. To have the audacity of taking control over someone’s body in any way to satisfy the sickening needs of an excessively flawed mentality is someone who deserves to be hit with karma for the rest of his life. It’s no mistake or accident. It’s not something you can undo. No matter how sorry you might be, at the end of the day all you created was trauma and fear within an innocent person who meant no harm to you. To the lady at the barbershop – this is what sexual assault creates. This is the magnitude and gravity of the loathsome actions some men partake in. We as a society have the ability to hold each other accountable. How much longer will we allow the demeaning actions some men exhibit to be justified by being raised wrong or simply being immature? I’m still immature. I’m 17 years old. I grew up in a broken family where the women close to me were never respected or treated how they should be. Regardless, I still know what’s right from wrong. To all victims – your voice matters, so let your stories be heard. There will always be that lady at the barbershop who doubts you. And there will always be someone who questions you. Don’t let them stop you from sharing your story, for the good in this world is waiting to empower you on your journey.

Everything you do affects someone else W

hoever told us in elementary school that we could do anything we wanted, as long as it didn’t affect others, was horribly wrong. The truth is, you have a ripple effect on the world. You have your own unique role in the universe. As your mom always tells you: you are one of a kind. Take one small step, and something shifts. Obviously you have an impact on those you talk to and spend time with. You are a main character in someone else’s life. However, you also have an impact on those you have never met. Everything you do affects someone else, even if it’s in the smallest possible way. Good or bad, you are contributing to the changing of lives constantly without knowing when or to what extent. You are told by your loved ones that you matter – which is absolutely true, if you needed reminding – but what

not everyone understands is the pos- the water, but eventually more pebbles sible impact they can have on some- are tossed in, and together the indione across the globe. They could, after vidual ripples all join and become one all, unknowingly change a complete wave. stranger’s entire life. Nowadays, social media makes it The Gazette believes that even the that much easier to spread the love – or smallest action can have an astronomi- hate. Because after all, not every ripple cal impact. For inis always filled with stance, a drunk driver happiness and good tidcan change the lives ings; some are swirled of numerous people with negative words and their families, as and actions. The voice of the demonstrated in the Your mistake of talkEvery 15 Minutes proing behind that girl’s Granite Bay gram that occurred last back, getting behind the Gazette month. wheel drunk or stealing While donating to clothing from the mall a charity or writing a all change your life. book sold worldwide may be intentionBut what seemed like a small insult ally influential, turning left rather than about that girl made her commit suiright or smiling at a stranger are ev- cide, and that seemingly small decieryday examples of aspects that could sion to drive intoxicated killed a whole change someone’s life. family in a car crash and that mere $20 It’s as though you are a pebble thrown theft contributed to that store going and into pond. No, not just you will change closing down.

EDITORIAL

See, one miniscule action or word from you could be just enough to finally push someone over the edge. It could give someone one last reason to end their life or push someone to bring a gun to school. It is just like our ecosystem – every component of this life is so complex and intertwined. When one species suffers or goes extinct, the rest of the organisms deteriorate. If one layer shifts underneath, those above will topple over. You make someone else cry, and you make someone else smile. You might not know who they are, and they might not know you, but you are connected in many ways. So be careful of your actions, because they affect more than you know. They put the world into motion, and they are what keep it rotating.

Jadon Amiot “I think the biggest takeaway is realizing that the little decisions you make can affect your life, and maybe even ruin it.”

junior

Greta Gunell “Just seeing everyone’s reaction to it will help them make the right decision later in life.”

senior

Brandon Wamsley “It puts in perspective what actually happens during an accident. It will have a positive impact on any future decision you make concerning drinking and driving.”

staff

Grant Adams Compiled by Emerson Ford

A10

Friday, December 14, 2018

News

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Second Look Every 15 Minutes: Drunk driving hits home at GBHS

Gazette photo | Sidney Zabell

Gazette photo | Sydney Sewell

ď ˇMatt Solone, top left, is arrested for three counts of manslaughter after causing a collision due to drunk driving. Sofia Novaresi, top right, passed away at the scene of the crash. Brenna Halloran, center, and Samantha Hutchinson are comforted by a Placer County Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s official as they grieve, middle, for the loss of their friends. Matt Solone, bottom right, ponders his decision to drink and drive after a party. Samantha Hutchinson, bottom left, reacts to the grisly scene of the crash.

Gazette photo | Sydney Sewell

Gazette photos by Sidney Zabell and Sydney Sewell

Gazette photo | Sydney Sewell

Lifestyle

Granite Bay Gazette

B Section

Friday w December 14, 2018

COMMENTARY

Finding Value In...

ashley yung ayung2.gazette@gmail.com

Teenage readers are on the decline

ccording to a study by the Psychology of Popular Media Culture, a third of students did not read a book in 2016. In 2017, the Washington Post reported that Americans spend only an average of 17 minutes per day reading, an all-time low. Contrast these mere minutes spent reading with the numerous hours Americans spend on their cell phones each day — an astounding nine hours, according to Common Sense Media. As stark as these statistics are, I wasn’t surprised by them at all. I didn’t need to read the statistics to know that literature is dying. I see it clear in the Granite Bay community: simply put, I never see people reading anymore. When people are bored, their immediate reaction is to pull out their phones. So why is the decline of literature so concerning? If the whole point of a fictional book is to find a good story, movies and tv shows serve the same purpose. If it’s information we seek, a YouTube video would probably deliver the same information faster. However, books aren’t merely meant to provide stories and information. Reading actually has a large psychological and physical effect on people. A study done in Neurology found that mentally active Alzheimer patients — patients that read and wrote — developed dementia slower because they exercised their brains more. A 2016 Yale Public Health study found that those who read books for thirty minutes or more per day lived an average of two years longer. According to the Telegraph, reading reduces stress by 68 percent. Although I cannot personally attest to reduced dementia, a larger lifespan, or even a reduce in stress, I still see the positive effects of reading in my life. This summer, I attempted to read a book a week and regretted it by the second week. For that week, I had chosen to read East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Not only was the page count high, but Steinbeck’s style and storyline often confused me. When I sat down, reading seemed a burden. I could easily spend two hours a day on my phone, and yet reading for those two hours was mentally fatiguing. My brain and attention span were out of practice and I often had to re-read pages. However, pushing through the mental strain of reading so much classical literature proved meaningful. In my lifetime, I have probably watched hundreds of YouTube videos. From the ones I’ve watched over this past year, I can probably only recollect a few, the premises and main points already fading in my memory. However the books I read this past year cover central themes I will never forget; I can never forget what Steinbeck said about morality, mortality, prejudice, community and love. Fictional literature wields the ability to make people smile, laugh or cry. Truly, reading is an immersive experience people must witness for themselves.

***

Ashley Yung, a junior, is a Gazette Lifestyle editor.

Foreign Languages Gazette illustration | Ashley Yung

English speakers debate the necessity of learning another tongue

BY ASHLEY YUNG

ayung2.gazette@gmail.com

nglish is quickly becoming a globalized language. English is not only the language of business and finance, but it is also the language of Hollywood film, classical literature, travel, and even the Internet.

All Chinese schools have implemented an English program for all students from as early as kindergarten. Granite Bay High School senior, Randy Zhang, use to live in China and took English classes while he was growing up there. “English is one of the three core classes every student will take for twelve years,” Zhang said. China decided to teach English in an attempt to internationalize. Knowledge of the English language is perceived as valuable skill the Chinese children could utilize later in life. “English is important because it is the (one of the) most spoken languages in the world,” Zhang said. “Knowing both Chinese and English means (that) one can travel many places without communication problems.”

However, moving to the United States meant that Zhang’s English learning had to be accelerated. Zhang had to learn fast to assimilate to the new environment. “Learning English was not easy… because I had to adapt to a new language… in a short amount of time,” Zhang said. “The process of speaking English is not hard itself, but being able to effectively express myself with a high command of English is difficult.” Since many other countries are already requiring an education in the English language, many Americans contemplate the necessity of learning other languages. However, there are still many proponents of a foreign language education. Julia Bonilla-Leary, a Spanish teacher at Granite Bay High School, believes that Spanish is a useful language for those living in the Granite Bay community because

of California’s demographic. “We live in California where the majority of the population is Spanish-speaking,” Bonilla-Leary said. “Now, what would previously be called the minority of people is the majority in California.” However, Bonilla-Leary believes the benefits of learning a foreign language don’t just apply to those living in California — all people can benefit because learning to be bilingual exercises the brain. Bonilla-Leary doesn’t like the idea of getting rid of the foreign language requirement. “It’s important that kids... experience something out of their comfort zone,” Bonilla-Leary said. “Maybe it’s that one thing that sparks your imagination or curiosity to go travel the world.” Bonilla-Leary believes that those who don’t learn a foreign language would be missing out on important life experiences. “I get to speak Spanish with (other) people who speak Spanish,” Bonilla-Leary said. “Maybe they don’t know English, but I can actually interact with them and that’s a cool experience.” Rachel Finsthwait came out of GBHS’s Spanish program and is happy with her decision to take Spanish classes until she

reached the highest level GBHS offers — the Advanced Placement course. She found value in speaking Spanish outside of the classroom. “I go to Mexicali over spring break… where I use my Spanish to talk with the children and translate for my friends who can’t speak the language well,” Finsthwait said. “More locally, I try and practice my Spanish with the people I work with at Jack’s Urban Eats.” Finsthwait believes that Spanish-speaking people appreciate her for her ability to speak Spanish. “When (people) make the effort to know someone else’s language and culture, they appreciate (them) and treat (them) differently than the average tourist.” Even Zhang, who is already fluent in both English and Spanish, finds value in learning a third language. Zhang uses his Spanish on the job too. “I think any foreign language is an asset for future use,” Zhang said. “Knowing Spanish opens up more opportunities.” Overall, people are still finding value in learning a foreign language. “Learning a foreign language opens you up to new culture, people and adventures you may never experience only speaking one language,” Finsthwait said.

Scrunchies sold are way Tu cute Senior makes hair accessories BY ANGELINA KOLOSEY

akolosey.gazette@gmail.com

t is part of human nature for people to use resources and ideas they have in order to improve the world in any way, shape or form. Granite Bay High School Senior Michelle Tu recently came up with a creative way to support health services in Myanmar through students on GBHS’s own campus. “After going to Myanmar to volunteer over the summer, I saw the need for better healthcare so I started (a) business, selling scrunchies,” Tu said. Dozens of students on the GBHS campus have been recently seen purchasing hair scrunchies from Michelle Tu, who donates 75% of the proceeds to health services in the country of Myanmar. “Most of the people (in Myanmar) are poor and... cannot afford to seek medical attention,” Tu said. Tu was able to produce a trendy product whose sales

would serve as an important benefit to individuals in Myanmar. “I wanted to sell a product that was usable and also trendy,” Tu said. Trendy as they are, the ‘From TU To YOU’ scrunchie business has received a positive response from GBHS students who have been purchasing scrunchies of all different materials and patterns. “ (I’ve heard) wonderful feedback, everyone says that they’re cute and I’m very grateful for my customers,” Tu said, “I want to thank my family, especially my mom, and my friends for being very supportive.” Tu has used Social Media, Instagram specifically, to spread the word about her business. “I saw a lot of my friends around school wearing them and I asked them where they got them, junior Morgan Peterson said. “They told me about Michelle and about her instagram.” See TU, page B3

Gazette photo | Heidi McKeen

Heidi McKeen’s time-consuming hobby is running impressively long distances such as ultramarathons.

McKeen runs 100 miles

Biology teacher finishes ultramarathon in 23 hours BY ANDREW YUNG

ayung.gazette@gmail.com

6.2 is an important number in running – for many, it is not only the number of miles in a marathon but also the distance they wish to someday complete. However, for the daring few, 26.2 miles is not the end goal but just a checkpoint on a much, much longer run. Heidi McKeen, a Biology teacher at GBHS, is one of those few who runs ultramarathons, races that go

beyond 26.2 miles. As most great stories go, her love for running and marathons have humble beginnings. “I started running when I was twenty... in college,” McKeen said. “I ran my first marathon because my college roommate had leukemia and so I did a leukemia and lymphoma team and training program. I wanted to feel like I could do something for my roommate and have a positive impact.” See ULTRAMARATHON, page B3

inside lifestyle If you really knew me

Top ten

Student spotlight

Underclassmen in upperclassmen classes

Differences between underclassmen and upperclassmen

Sophomores take AP classes

Students face different problems

Dying dances Students reflect on why they think school events are losing popularity

Friday, December 14, 2018

Lifestyle B2

Younger students push themselves in academics Underclassmen talk about harder courses BY HEBA BOUNAR

hbounar.gazette@gmail.com

mong the most common stereotypes of Granite Bay High School is the inevitably competitive academic atmosphere. Students stack up as many Honors and AP courses in hopes of boosting their GPA. But when it comes to the point of a freshman student taking AP courses, one can only pity their strenuous academic responsibilities starting at such a young age. This eventually leads to greater concerns in terms of their social life and emotional development, leaving many wondering where the line should be drawn. Shreya Holikatti, a sophomore, is among those students who started AP and Honors classes as a freshman, taking Honors Precalculus and AP Statistics. Even this year she is already taking five AP courses and three Honors classes in total, a signifi-

cantly greater number than the average sophomore. Kavya Krishnan, another sophomore, did not take any advanced courses as a freshman. However, she is taking a plethora of Honors/AP classes as a sophomore in an attempt to prepare for college. “Colleges appreciate when students take a large amount of AP classes,” Krishnan said, “It’s not easy to compete against so many qualified students, so I decided that it is better to indulge myself in that competitive atmosphere sooner than later.” With the surplus of underclassmen taking such advanced courses comes the question as to what recommendations counselors give to these students, especially in regards to maintaining a social life. Navjot Singh, one of the school counselors at GBHS, says that personal and social issues plays a huge influence on counselor recommendations for academics. However, as long as one can efficiently manage their time, they should be able to challenge themselves. “As a counseling team, we work with our students individually to see what their needs are, what interests them, and what classes they want to take,” Singh said. “We want students to learn how to manage their time as well, especially those involved with athletics,

w The Granite Bay Gazette

the restraints of their academic expectations. Krishnan said that not only has she been limited in the amount of time she had hoped to spend with friends, but she also has been unable to find any time for community service. “I wish that my counselor had told me how difficult this year would be because now my entire life is consumed with academics,” Krishnan said. In addition to the social impact, there’s concerns for its impact during class. Because these underclassmen are taking classes with majority upperclassmen, it is understandable why they might feel uncomfortable within a class setting. Krishnan says that because she does not know as many juniors and seniors, she is prevented from receiving the same amount of help she would normally get in a class with fellow sophomores. “I feel like not only does this affect how comfortable you feel in class, but you don’t get the help from peers that is crucial to success, especially in harder classes,” Krishnan said. “Even class participation takes a blow due to the incessant fear of embarrassing yourself.” To cope with this additional stress and pressure, Singh promotes the usage of school resources such as Grizz Time and after school tutoring. Krishnan advises to prioritize well-being over academic goals. “You should always make sure you enjoy what you do,” Krishnan said. “When you look back at your memories of high school, you would rather remember the joyful moments with your friends over the stressful times.”

clubs, part-time jobs, and hanging out with family and friends. Students need to challenge themselves and gear up to take AP/Honors classes in 10th grade.” With that being said, freshmen are still generally not allowed to take AP/Honors classes. Nevertheless, the sophomores who have already taken these courses as freshmen believe that they should be allowed to challenge themselves if they are qualified. Shreya Reddy, a sophomore, has taken a great load of Honors and AP courses in total from freshman and sophomore year. Having succeeded in these difficult courses, she says that all underclassmen should be given the opportunity to take advanced classes. “If students want to take courses that might be considered hard for their age, instead of declining right away, make it a point to give them an entrance test to see if they are actually capable of keeping up in class,” Reddy said. However, while it might be expected for these students to have a very limited social life, not all feel the same way. Aarthi Sridhar, also a sophomore, says that despite her enrollment in several AP/Honors classes, she has not felt any social or even health impact whatsoever. “I feel like I don’t get that much homework; it’s just the concepts that are difficult to understand,” Sridhar said. “I haven’t really had to compromise my extracurriculars or a healthy lifestyle to take rigorous courses. I get at least eight hours of sleep each night and I am definitely not prevented from hanging out with my friends.” However, other students definitely feel held back by

Lack of spirit on campus disappoints student body

Many express their concern of declining attendance at school hosted events BY CORI CAPLINGER

ccaplinger.gazette@gmail.com

o some, Granite Bay High School seems to lack the charismatic qualities of school spirit that other

high schools enjoy. It is not uncommon for people to down-play school events as “boring” and “dull”. However, can this be blamed on the nature of these school events, or rather the people and students that attend them? School events are enjoyed by many, as seen any time one goes to a football game or a rally. But some question whether the crowd is actually into what’s going on around them or is just pursuing their own interest. “I like to go to some of the football games, but I think that most of them (football games) aren’t as fun, like the Tribe isn’t as into it,” junior Hailey Mont-

you would know...

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Cian Teague

If you really knew me, you would know that I have played lacrosse all my life.

Jordan Gotham

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If you really knew me, you would know I have two sisters.

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Braden Coombs

If you really knew me, you would know I make music.

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Taylor Harris

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If you really knew me, you would know that I am a Disney princess.

- Compiled by Abbie Gould

Wacky Scholarship

bined with the decades dance, everyone was dressed up and extremely spirited.” Student government is often credited with helping getting students excited about events. They are seen as the students with the most school spirit and have the extra responsibility of making sure people are enthusiastic as well as well informed about events. “I do feel like, student government especially, puts a lot of impact and influence on organizing and having people being interactive with all the events,” junior Shreya Iyer said. And while there may be a lack of school spirit despite the great endeavors by stu-

Advanced placement classes affect lifestyles

If you really knew me,

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gomery said. To Montgomery, there are definitely spirited students on campus and some groups stand out more than the others. “I think there’s a certain group... a lot of the student government people have school spirit,” Montgomery said. “ But I think for the most part, the rest of the people just don’t care as much.” For sophomore Hallie Christopherson, school spirit varies depending on the event. Some attract more students regarding to what the event is about. “I think our school spirit varies based on the event,” Christopherson said. “For example, at the first football games com-

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Requirements: The asparagus scholarship gives out scholarships to those who are thinking about going into business, food management, and etc. It is available for six students. Scholarship awarded: $8000 Who offers: The Asparagus Club Deadline: April 30, 2019 -Compiled by Maya Snow

Rigorous classes raise questions regarding possible mental health consequences

BY SYDNEY SEWELL

ssewell.gazette@gmail.com

magine… it’s 11:30 p.m. on a Thursday night and tomorrow you have a test in every period plus two advanced placement study guides due. You just got home a few hours ago from practice and you have to study before the morning. This is all too familiar for the average Granite Bay High School student, especially one taking AP classes. GBHS is known for many things, but one that seems the most relevant at this time is the AP (advanced placement) program. This program affects many GBHS students, and over 2,000 AP tests are taken each year at this school. AP classes have many benefits such as raised GPAs and college credit, but they can also cause problems for students who take on too much. “Back when I taught Spanish I would have students breaking down crying to me, telling me how overwhelmed they were,” GBHS dance teacher, Deserie Milburn, said. “Even now it concerns me with kids’ health and how late they are going to bed each night. They have been getting sick more often because I think they aren’t taking care of themselves.”

Club Club Name: Society of Independent Thinkers President: Sameer Kazim Gazette: What is the purpose of this club? Sameer: (The club) exists because we really need to acknowledge that in our diverse political environment, we have more similarities than we do differences. Gazette: What inspired you to create this club? Sameer: There’s a lot of political intolerance that I have observed in our community. -Compiled by Cori Caplinger

dent government, other students and faculty that care, enthusiasm towards school events is often taken for granted. “School spirit is important because it connects students to each other and provides them with a sense of pride regarding their school,” Christopherson said. Due to the importance of school spirit, there are ways on how GBHS can improve, whether this be dressing up during homecoming week, or simply being engaged at sporting events. “We can improve our school spirit by not being afraid to go all out,” Christopherson said. “People are commonly scared that they’ll be too ‘over the top’.”

could take AP classes as soon as freshman year. “It’s so much harder to get into colleges now, so you almost have to take AP classes to get that 4.3 GPA,” Milburn said. “It is really concerning.” For some students AP classes are an amazing opportunity to develop higher levels of education that aid them in achieving their life goals. “Given that I do take a lot of AP classes, the culture is definitely high stress. I think that comes from my peers because we all have high aspirations, and we hold each other accountable with our test scores and the classes we take,” Danny Greene said. “I enjoy the competition and working with highly intelligent students that share similar aspirations.” Although AP classes can be intense they provide students with an amazing ability to grow. And students should take the classes that they are passionate about “Think outside the box a little bit and don’t just take the traditional classes if that’s not what you’re about. It all depends on what you want to get out of your education.” Greene said. AP classes, however, are not the only way to have a successful time in high school. “I feel like my time in high school has been a lot less stressful, and I have had lot more time to spend with my friends and family because I have not taken many AP classes,” senior Lily Norris said. If AP classes aren’t the right decision for some students, it doesn’t mean you can’t be successful. “Don’t take a class just because it’s an AP class, take classes that interest you because you will be more likely to succeed in a class that you enjoy,” Norris said. No matter the motivation to take AP classes, it is important to take a step back to really understand the purpose of these classes. Don’t let the idea of AP classes being a necessity overwhelm or control you. Every student should take classes that motivate them intrinsically in order to be successful. “Life is short and it’s a journey but it should be enjoyable.” Milburn said.

When students take on more classes then they can handle, chaos can ensue and lives of students become overloaded with responsibilities. So, why do students choose to take on so many challenges such as AP classes? There are many different reasons students feel motivated take part in the AP program, but a few stand out. “I have taken eight AP classes and I plan to take three more, so a total of eleven AP classes,” senior Kiana Saleminik said. “I took AP classes because it allows me to learn more about each subject and also receive college credit.” Some students are truly motivated intrinsically to take AP classes, wholeheartedly believing they are very beneficial. Other students, however, believe there is another impetus for taking the class. “The only reason people seem to take an AP class is to get higher GPAs for colleges,” senior Josh Yeargin said. Most students agree that one of the top motivators for taking AP classes is because of the grade bump. “It definitely is the school culture to take AP classes and have above a 4.0 GPA,” senior Joe Young said. Young explains that there is an expectation to take AP classes to be seen as high achieving. “Most of the time while taking my AP class, I was able to understand the content of the class. But it was just keeping up with the workload that made the class challenging,” Young said. It seems that some students at GBHS are pressured by their parents to have high levels of achievement in school by taking AP classes. “When I ask kids why they do it, often times they will say their parents push them to,” Milburn said. Milburn goes on to share experiences of parents who have told her that they wish their children

RANDOM... Facts 1) One day on Venus is equivalent to one Earth year. 2) Neptune produces more heat than it receives from the Sun. 3) The Artic Ocean in the winter time is almost completely covered in ice. 4) Glass is an amorphous solid, so it is not a liquid or a solid. It’s between two phases of matter. -Compiled by Bella Khor

Student

Gazette photo | Mia Taylor

Cat Lauth

Gazette: What is your favorite class? First: My ROP as a medical assistant. Gazette: What are your plans for winter break? Cat: Spend time with my baby twin brothers. Gazette: What’s your favorite winter break tradition? Cat: I go an annual ski trip to Tahoe with my best friend Emma Thompson. -Compiled by Mia Taylor

Friday, December 14, 2018

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Lifestyle B3

Celebrating different New Year traditions High schoolers cherish their customs back home BY MAYA SNOW

msnow.gazette@gmail.com

ew Years is a tradition that most families around the world celebrate. Whether they use fireworks, confetti, cake or lots of sweets, New years is a big deal. “My family celebrates New Years by watching the ball drop in New York on TV,” junior Olivia Teemant said. Lots of people have family traditions. The curious ones could be kids grabbing their sibling and running outside with sparklers and pots and pans screaming all in while the parents share a midnight kiss. “My extended family gets all together and we have a huge formal dinner, then we stay up until midnight,” said Ashley Gleason, a sophomore. Family is a big part of New years in many people’s eyes. Spending the time with your parents and siblings is a really fun tradition because you get to

spend quality time with the people you love the most as well as continuing the memories from traditions made years back. “My family goes to our neighbors new year’s party, or my siblings and I go to our own parties. My parents always kiss when the clock strikes midnight, then scream ‘Happy New Year!’” junior Alex Nash said. Another noted tradition that many people around America do is the Polar Bear Plunge. People all over the nation jump into freezing cold water when the clock strikes midnight. “I love to jump in the pool with my friends when the clock strikes midnight” said Teemant. “I have done it every year for 5 years now!” Students on campus have their own vision for starting the year out right and many want to share their hopes with their family. “My dream New Year’s eve would be to be in New York City and watch the ball drop while I am sipping hot chocolate

in times square with my family.” said Nash. In addition, the joy of getting together and celebrating a new year together is more than enough reason for junior Stephanie Shi to share her experience but with a cultural twist. According to chinesenewyear. net, it says that in Chinese culture, New Years is observed in a whole different time frame. They originally used the day to pray to the gods for a good planting and harvesting season. It is on the Lunar Calendar and can fall anywhere from Jan. to Feb. “Typically, my parents and I go to dinner at a restaurant and celebration in Sacramento,” Shi said. “We always get these red envelopes, they are little pockets of money. It’s basically the same thing that people get on their birthday. There are normally fireworks and a performance as well.” Each prop or item used can represent a unique factor, such as celebrating the Chinese New

BY ANGELINA KOLOSEY

akolosey.gazette@gmail.com

ime changes people’s perspectives – especially in the time span of four years. Throughout high school, students face different stress and amounts of pressure as they transition to different grades. There is a big difference between the issues students face as an underclassmen compared to an upperclassmen. “I think the things I am stressed out about have shifted from just high school and winter ball askings (in my freshman and sophomore years) to college applications and what I am going to do with my life (as an upperclassmen),” said senior

Student

Spotlight Sophomore shares his festive spirit

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas Winter Wonderland Jingle Bells Gazette illustration | Andrew Yung

Students start the year off right by participating in joyful events Year with firecrackers to scare “All of my parents and friends the bad spirits away. Activities have activities planned around from these cultures can give that time of the year so it’s alinsight on the differences about ready really fun.” Shi said. “My how each traditional holiday is Chinese heritage is a big part of celebrated and what it means to my life.” the people celebrating it.

Galbaugh. “It is very time consuming and takes away from the time I use to do homework.” While upperclassmen are worried about difficult classes, college, and sports, underclassmen have a few different stressors. “I had a hard time getting used to the flow of high school and all the different Taylor Harris. ages of students on campus,” said fresh Harris says her stress has shifted from man Cian Teague. meeting requirements The change from middle to now learning about to high school is a pretty topics she is interested big jump for most stuin. dents. “The hardest things “It was stressful finding when I was an underall my classes on the first classman was meeting day,” Teague said. all of the GOP require Underclassmen also ments like science and have the newly added art classes,” Harris pressure from the parents said, “My senior year, to excel in school. it has more so shifted “Nothing is really too to the classes I want to stressful for me about high – Cian Teague, take rather than being school, but the main thing freshman is my parents wanting me GOP dominated.” to do well in school,” said Besides school and freshman Hayden Anders. college, upperclass Anders said he also had men also say athletics a difficult time finding his was around are worrisome for them. campus his first few days of high school. “Water polo is the most stressful thing for me during school,” said senior Jordan

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I had a hard time getting used to the flow of high school.

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I like to spend as much time with my family as possible and go on hikes. What are your plans for winter break?

What’s your favorite holiday song? My favorite holiday song is “Happy Holiday/ The Holiday Season”. What’s your favorite holiday food?

Sophomore says that her sophomore year is transitioning her to more difficult classes

On the other hand, some sophomores are beginning to take more challenging classes. “I have my first AP class, AP Human Geography this year and it is a big change from my previous classes,” said sophomore Jordan Gotham. Gotham is also facing some athletic pressure outside of school as well. “I am also stressed out about the recruiting process for college soccer because sophomore year is the biggest year and the time when most athletes commit,” Gotham said. Although some stressors are shared between under and upperclassmen, they become more drastic over time. “They have changed from insignificant things to more big picture ideas,” Harris said.

Immediately after the race, McKeen said that she thought this would be her only marathon. “When I crossed the finish line I said okay, I’m never doing it again,” McKeen said. “It was super hard, and I was glad I did it, but (I thought) never again.” However, it didn’t take long for her to change her mind. “A week later, when I wasn’t so sore anymore, I was like ‘Oh man, that was amazing, of course I’m doing it again,’” McKeen said. “I haven’t stopped since.” As McKeen’s love for running grew over the years, so too did her training regimen. After she started teaching, got married and had a son, she had to find balance. “Weekdays I get up at 3:30 in the morning… and get going,” McKeen said. “I have a couple of running friends that will meet me for a run as early as 4 in the morning, so we put our running shoes and our headlamps on and we hit the trails early... so I can be home before anyone in the house

Jingle Bell Rock Feliz Navidad Rockin Around the Christmas Tree Let it Snow - Compiled by Shreya Dodballapur

What got you into teaching? My uncle because he always said education is the one thing that can never be taken from you.

What is your favorite part of teaching? I like using science as a tool to help students to think critically about the world in a different way or from a different perspective. Seeing my students laugh together and have a good time learning makes each day enjoyable.

is awake. (That way) I have time to have breakfast with my son and get him ready for preschool and get myself ready for work.” On weekends, the routine is similar; although she is off of school, her other two roles of being a mother and a runner keep her busy. “I usually do a long run on the weekends,” McKeen said. “It might be a 5 or 6 hour time commitment, but if I can start at 5 in the morning nobody in the house is gonna be awake until 8 anyways, so if I’m only gone for a few hours, it minimizes the impact on my family.” McKeen says that while she sometimes regrets not spending more time with her family, she is lucky to be gifted with a family who understands her love of running. “It’s definitely a struggle (to spend so much time away) but my husband is very supportive and my parents, even though I’m almost 40, still come to all of my races,” McKeen said. After all, it isn’t too difficult to support someone who has reached

incredible success in an area that they are not professional in, as McKeen has done. Even though she only started running once she was in college, she literally hit the ground running. “I first started out running marathons and I did that for a number of years,” McKeen said. “I became very involved in training for that and I ran the Boston Marathon in 2003 and then decided ‘Okay, what else can you do’ so I started running ultramarathons; distances greater than 26.2 miles.” That led her to her latest feat: running the Rio Del Laigo 100 Mile Endurance Run. “November 3 (at the Rio Del Laigo run) I ran my first 100 mile race, and I trained for that a really long time,” McKeen said. “I finished in 23 hours and 21 minutes and was the third female to finish; for my first race, a really good result. It feels good to put in the hard work and then have a good result to come with it.” Now that she has “finishing a 100 mile run” in her repertoire,

McKeen is considering her options for her next move. “My husband often asks me (if I could) run a marathon super fast, but I don’t know because it’s a totally different type of training,” McKeen said. “You’re preparing to be out there for at least eight hours (with ultramarathons), whereas people are running marathons in 2 hours. McKeen says that she can always aim for a personal best. “I’m not that fast, but I would like to try and do a marathon again,” McKeen said. “I can push myself harder than I probably ever realized I could after doing this hundred miles. I could try to qualify for Boston or at least get a personal best on a marathon time.” However, whatever she chooses to do, she will be rooted on by not only her family, but also her students. “I respect... that even though she’s a teacher and has to grade so many papers and has a kid at home, she still finds time to do what she loves,” Gabrielle Espinoza, a senior, said.

Gazette photo | Shreya Dodballapur

Elizabeth Henderson

- By Shreya Dodballapur

- Compiled by Heba Bounar

ULTRAMARATHON: One dream achieved in 100 miles Continued from page B1

Last Christmas

Jordan Gotham

How long have you been a teacher? I have been teaching for 11 years.

I like pizza, does that count?

Vincent Perry

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Faculty Focus

What are your favorite holiday activities?

I plan on getting my drivers license for my whip, hang out with some friends, and do typical Christmas stuff.

Gazette photo | Heba Bounar

Christmas Songs All I Want for Christmas

Pressure can be felt by all grades of students Each class tells of their stresses from multiple academic requirements

TOP 10

TU: Scrunchies benefit all Continued from page B1 The @FromTUtoYOU Instagram page is constantly updated with patterns that are in stock or out of stock, new arrivals and basic information about pricing. Social Media has played a large role in the advance of FromTU to you. “In the beginning I was mostly selling to my friends but once I posted on social media, it grew a lot,” Tu said. Customers look through the FromTUtoYOU Instagram page in order to choose which scrunchies they want to purchase. Then, they contact Michelle through social media to purchase the order efficiently. “ I got some of the velvet ones, which (are) softer than the normal ones. The normal one has thicker material, which I really like,” senior Ida Mousavi said. Tu keeps customers engaged

by adding newly patterned scrunchies from time to time. “When I saw her come out with the holiday ones I ordered the red and green plaid because it looked really nice,” Mousavi said. FromTUtoYOU has recently been able to grow to the point of adding ambassadors to the team. “Ambassadors can help spread the word and give people more details about the scrunchies and prices,” Tu said. There are now eight FromTUtoYOU ambassadors that can be contacted by all including customers who don’t use social media. “Ambassadors make it easier for me to deliver and receive orders,” Tu said. Purchases can be a small action for a customer but can create a large impact for someone who is struggling with healthcare services in another country, like Myanmar.

READ THE GAZETTE

B4 Lifestyle

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ying ances

Gazette Illustration | Cori Caplinger

Students reflect on why they think school events are losing popularity on campus BY EMERSON FORD

eford.gazette@gmail.com

t is a known fact that Granite Bay High School students often wrestle with the decision on whether to attend school events especially dances. Dances like Homecoming are often overlooked. However, dances like Winter Ball see high attendance rates. The reasoning behind choosing whether to go to a dance varies from student to student, and the exact origin of the loss of school spirit is uncertain. “Part of the problem is people are tired of the same routine of events, but nobody cares enough to give input and help student government figure out innovations that will appeal to everyone,” senior Brad Davito, who has been a member of the school’s student government for four terms, said. “The dances are all the same, and it feels like other things are a better use of your time,” junior Aidan Maney said. The lack of appeal is only one factor toward diminishing dance attendance.

“Some people would just rather go to parties and do whatever they want, and that starts a chain reaction,” junior Bridgette Idler said. “Also (GBHS) tends to see a lot of upperclassmen who talk badly about events, and the underclassmen follow suit because they see how the older kids react and don’t want to seem ‘uncool’ for attending a school event,” Davito said. Indeed, there is a considerable amount of students that speak negatively about the school’s dances. “(Students discuss) mostly negative (things), a lot of ‘nobody goes to that,’” Idler said. Overall, the most popular and well-received dance is Winter Ball because of its formal atmosphere and experience. “People usually talk about how fun the festivities before and after Winter Ball are,” junior Maddy Earhart, who has been to all of the dances except for Homecoming, said. Many students are uninterested in Homecoming because of the timing and atmosphere. “I forgo Homecoming because the timing is weird. I’m usually tired after the game. If it were formal I think attendance would go up

by a lot because other schools’ Homecomings are super fun,” Earhart said. “I actually went to Oakmont’s Homecoming this year, and it was by far the best dance I’ve gone to.” For cheerleaders, the timing for the Homecoming dance is especially inconvenient. “I have never gone to the Homecoming dance because I do cheer and I am usually tired after Homecoming Week and the long game.” junior Lily Rafanan, who is a cheerleader, said. Another primary reason for the overwhelming amount of dislike for Homecoming is its poor reputation. “I have never gone to Homecoming just because I hear it is not very popular and somewhat boring,” Maney said. Peer pressure and influence can significantly impact a student’s decision on whether to attend a dance. Students that are interested in going to a dance often have to beg their other, less-spirited friends to go with them. Others decide not to go to dances because none of their friends are going. “I think if we could make student surveys or have representatives in student senate share their ideas for fun innovations to events then we could take steps to make school dances more appealing than a house party or a party bus,” Davito said.

Students at GBHS have some suggestions that they believe will make dances much more entertaining and crowd-pleasing. Students believe more outdoor dances like the Quad dance would be much more popular. “Maybe providing free drinks to the (dances) that do not have them because it gets hot and spending money on the parts of the dance everyone enjoys instead of on other things like games, because that is not really going along with the fact that it is a dance,” said Rafanan. By far, the most common suggestion from students was better music and DJs. “The dances could improve if the music had more attention paid to it when picking music for our generation,” senior Megan Atwell said. “I understand dances are sometimes really difficult to plan to make sure people attend them so I don’t know much of anything else that can be done to improve them, I enjoy them the way they are. Maybe some freedom with requesting songs and all that,” said junior Olivia Thompson. Even though dances are not as popular as they used to be, most students at Granite Bay High School love and appreciate the effort that Student Government puts into every dance. “Student government does a really amazing job,” Rafanan said.

Sports

Granite Bay Gazette

Friday

COMMENTARY

C Section

w December 14, 2018

NRA Foundation funds GBHS trap team Branch of the National Rifle Association supports nationwide public school shooting sports through ammunition grants

emily hansen ehansen.gazette@gmail.com

Sports build valuable traits

rom the age of five years old, we are put in sports: T-Ball, soccer, swim, gymnastics, even youth versions of football and cheerleading. Now, as my peers and I fill out college applications, justifying every life decision we’ve made, I understand the reasons why we started our athletic endeavors before we even learned to read. Yes, it’s important to discover new talents, and yes, it’s important to be physically active. But when I stared at my Common Application and started thinking about how I had benefited devoting eight hours a week to cheerleading, the answer wasn’t profound or unique. It taught me the value of teamwork. It taught me how to persevere. It taught me the benefit of dedication. It’s cliché, but it’s true. Constantly being a part of a team ingrained in me the most important values of life. Everything we subconsciously learn from team sports translates to adult life. It takes more than one player to score a point, just like it takes more than one person to achieve a goal. Collaboration, whether in school, jobs, or in family contexts, is how we progress. The adversity of losing a game or becoming frustrated with my sport has at times made me want to quit. I’ve been at the point where I had an email drafted to my coach, ready to press send. But then I thought about my teammates and our potential, and like so many other athletes, I stuck it out. Perseverance is a trait I learned from my sport. Putting in even more effort when I’m discouraged has led me to the greatest victories and experiences. The application to life is undeniable. How many times are we faced with challenges in our daily life? It’s common, but just as common is how often we overcome these obstacles because we see a bigger picture, a greater goal. For me, my perseverance stems from my dedication. I love STUNT, cheerleading and tumbling. I have dedicated my time and energy to improving my skills and talent in these areas. Though practices for all sports can be exhausting, timeconsuming and frustrating, it’s the dedication to our sports that encourages us to persevere. Dedication is another trait that is so valuable in life. To be dedicated to our families, religious faith, school, work or altruism is to be successful in those endeavors. The importance of sports goes beyond entertainment and physicality. It’s a learning experience for us, teaching life lessons in a subtle manner. Being a part of a team has taught me virtues that I will live by forever.

*** Emily Hansen, a senior, is a Sports editor.

BY EMILY HANSEN

ehansen.gazette@gmail.com

he National Rifle Association: the name has been in headlines across the nation because of its controversial policies as a staunchly conservative interest group. The NRA Foundation, however, is a branch of the NRA established in 1990 that provides grants to A shotgun is depicted, firing out dollar bills which represent shotgun shells. groups that “defend and foster the Second AmendThe grant relieves some of these expenses for families. ment rights of all law-abiding Americans,” one “People that maybe couldn’t afford trap normally can such program being the Granite Bay High School trap team. compete in the competitions (because of the grant),” Collin “The grant for the trap team is a grant that we’ve applied Gazette illustration | Abbie Gould Murer, junior and member of the GBHS trap team, said. for for the last several years,” Scott Braly, faculty advisor Ron Severson, retired Roseville Joint Union High School and coach of the GBHS trap team, said. “They don’t send us District superintendent, fielded some concerns about the “They don’t do any lobbying, they don’t do anything politia check. Their grant is in the form of ammunition.” cal, they mainly just raise money,” Murer said. From 2010-2016, the NRA Foundation gave approximately possible political angle of the grant last spring, according to GBHS principal Jennifer Leighton. As for trap shooting itself, Braly is proud of the leadership $350,000 in both cash and non-cash grants to schools in “Of course (some may consider the grant a political stategrowth being a part of the team enhances for students, as Placer County, including GBHS. ment), although I don’t believe it was intended in this way,” well as learning about gun safety. “We store (the ammunition) at the trap range and we use Leighton said in an email interview. “The trap meets are amazing,” Braly said. “There’s anythat ammunition to help reduce and defer the cost for the While they are related, the NRA Foundation and the more where from a couple hundred to several hundred students students because trap is quite expensive,” Braly said. “The widely known NRA interest group are separate entities. handling their shotguns safely and responsibly. It’s really students are responsible to pay for their own ammunition “There’s different branches of the NRA,” Braly said. something to see.” and range fees for practice. We provide all their tournament “There’s the institute for legislative action branch, which The GBHS trap team will start practices for the upcoming ammunition using the grant-provided ammo.” is political. Our grant money comes from the foundation, season in February, at the Auburn Trap Club. The costs of trap shooting add up quickly: a box of 25 which is still part of the NRA, but they’re not political. “(Trap) is a different exposure to guns and sporting gun shells is about six dollars, and one box of shells is required They’re focused on supporting youth shooting sports.” culture than we get from the media and other sources,” per round of trap. A regular tournament typically consists The NRA Foundation’s primary goal of funding shooting Braly said. “We don’t always hear about the positive things, of 50 shots in the morning and 50 in the afternoon, or four sports is apolitical. such as this sport.” boxes of shells per student.

Competition heats up in Sierra Foothill League GBHS athletics face increasingly tough teams in the SFL

C Special to the Gazette | Larry Coons

Senior and skii enthusiast Hannah Coons takes a trip to the beautiful Heavenly in Lake Tahoe with her brother. The resort at Heavenly is one of the most popular skiing spots.

’Tis the season to be sporty Students share the most exciting aspects of their favorite winter sports BY SIDNEY STIPANOVICH

sstipanovich.gazette@gmail.com

cold white sea floods the mountain, submerging everything in its path in a thick powder. The icy sting of the wind whips through the air as the lifts begin to operate, moving up the hill. The temperature is freezing, and a frost coats the trees: it’s a perfect day to shred. Winter weekend trips to Tahoe to ski and snowboard are a typical getaway for many students at Granite Bay High. But while these winter sports provide an entertaining athletic outlet, students’ preference on whether skiing or snowboarding ranks higher differs. Senior Hannah Coons began skiing very young, and travels to various resorts during the winter. “My dad taught me (how to ski) around the age of four or five,” Coons said. “I go to Colorado every winter to ski at Breckenridge and Vail.” With years of added experience, Coons accomplished the

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My favorite memory is going up with all of my friends last year the day after Winterball. – Laine Sorgea, senior.

”

feat of Peak 8, a double black diamond slope at Breckenridge considered expert by the ski community. “I have hiked Peak 8 which was dope,” Coons said. On the flip-side of the winter sports spectrum, many students snowboard during the winter. Senior Drew Sanderson loves to snowboard and the social aspect that snowboarding trips entail. “I love being out in the woods, and when it’s snow-

ing I like that you can have a bunch of people come out and shred with you” Sanderson said. “It’s just a good time and it’s a lot of fun.” Last year, Sanderson and a large group of friends were able to take a trip together and snowboard as a group. “Last winter me and like fifteen other dudes went up and we stayed in a cabin and snowboarded all day,” Sanderson said. “It was just the most fun I’ve had.” While some students enjoy a select sport, others enjoy the challenges that both snowboarding and skiing encompass. During the snow season, senior Laine Sorgea is a dual athlete, often traveling to nearby Tahoe resorts Northstar and Squaw. “I have been skiing for probably 10 years,” Sorgea said. “I started snowboarding two years ago.” fffSorgea often returns to her roots to ski, snowboarding See SNOW, page C2

BY AKHIL SHAH

ashah.gazette@gmail.com

onsistent excellence. There isn’t another way to define Granite Bay Athletics over the years. Last year alone, 23 of the school’s 24 varsity athletic teams reached the postseason. Despite accomplishments like this, it’s easy to forget the school’s success when teams around the Sierra Foothill League are as dominant as rivals Del Oro, Folsom or Oak Ridge. For head football coach Jeff Evans, records and wins aren’t all that matter. “We all want to be undefeated and be state champs but we don’t want to do it the wrong way,” Evans said. “If we can look ourselves in the mirror and I can look at my boss and she is happy with what our players are doing, I’m going to put my ego in the backseat.” Likewise, GBHS Principal Jennifer Leighton is proud of the holistic excel-

Gazette photo | Sidney Zabell

Senior varsity all-purpose player, Jacob Ellis, blocks a defender in a league match-up against Oak Ridge High School.

lence the school holds in academic, arts and athletics. “We won’t ever be school that values athletics over the whole student. We are not in it to win it at whatever cost. That’s not what we want to be known for,” Leighton said. Sports like football, a very prominent activity in the Granite Bay community, have been impacted by increased competition in their league. The SFL today is recognized as one of the most powerful leagues in the state of California. “These leagues are put together based on competition,” Evans said. “Most of our records early on were padded with teams that weren’t necessarily good. Now you’re playing the best teams every week. It’s going to put a dent on that.” With a powerhouse like Folsom High School and competitive school rivals like Del Oro and Oak Ridge facing up with the Grizzlies year in and year out, competition is clearly more difficult than ever before. GBHS assistant principal Greg Sloan, who overlooks athletics, holds a particular understanding of how sports in the league work. “Overall we’re a very successful school in a ridiculous league,” Sloan said. The competitiveness of the league pertaining to football isn’t something to question. However, teams like Folsom have faced scrutiny around the league. “It seems like there’s a bit of a disconnect with the people over at Folsom,” Sloan said. “The words they use, the things they say from what seems to be reality and what seems to be happening. It’s a combination of not acknowledging what’s happening and all of that.” Some top college commits from Folsom came from Nevada, which raised many questions in the community about their practices regarding recruiting. “We give them credit, they get out there and kick your butt. They don’t cheat on the field, but at the same time concerns like safety have to be addressed,” Sloan said. Evans, who’s spoken directly to FHS’s head football coach, believes that leagues should be structured based on rules that schools have to follow, in order to make the system fair and just for the whole league. See LEAGUE, page C3

inside sports Fan of the Month Grizz Quiz

New school pool to be built

Football fights for a chance

GBHS takes on a new project to revamp the campus

In light of Jesuit’s CIF violation, GBHS asks to play one more time

Athlete of the Month C3

Fall sports wrap up Soccer, basketball and wrestling kick off the season and polo wraps up

Sports C2

Friday, December 14, 2018

The Granite Bay Gazette

GBHS aquatics patiently awaiting new swim facility Coaches and athletes excited for new changes coming to aquatics facilities

BY MAY LIN

mlin.gazette@gmail.com

thletes and coaches in the Granite Bay High School athletics department have long awaited changes to their pool. Since 1996, the current pool has hosted tournaments, practices and lessons. “We’ve wanted a new pool for some time now. Our boosters fundraised over $100,000 over the course of one year to deepen the pool to its current depth,” John Sherman, head coach for varsity swim team, said. “GBHS has a strong aquatics community, we want a facility that can better encompass the aquatics programs that we are trying to build for this school and community.” Not only will this enhance the athletes experience in the pool, but it also mirrors the aquatic program’s efforts and what they’re hoping to achieve in the future. Malia Greenwald, a sophomore on Varsity girls water polo team is excited about the new changes coming to the “I’m excited because our old pool keeps breaking and our new one is supposed to be really cool. I think there will be touchpads and Video Assistant Referees,” Greenwald said. “It’s also nice that there will more lanes so it’s not as crowded for swim. We can warm up in our pool during games too for water polo.” The features listed by Sherman grants

the wishes that Greenwald and many other athletes share, including diving depths at both ends, raised decks, more bleachers, updated equipment like the scoreboard, and improvements on pumps and filters so the heater doesn’t break down. “I hope they get a better control system over the chemicals. During swim season last year, I got chemical burns because there were a few times when the chemicals were off and we were all in the pool for thirty minutes before anyone knew.” Hannah Thrash, a junior on varsity girls water polo, said. Construction should start at the end of the high school swim season in 2019. However, not only will the plan affect the current pool area and the gravel lot but it’ll also affect other athletic teams who need to use the pool. According to sources, American River College or Oakmont high school might be suggestive nominees to hold either water polo or/and swim practices during construction. “I don’t really like having to go to another place. It’s annoying to drive away instead of staying here but, it’s not that big of a deal,” Greenwald said. Physical Education classes at GBHS will also be affected by the pool renovations since freshman classes use the pool

The GBHS pool will undergo renovation sometime in 2019. For years, the pool has served the Granite Bay community with a variety of swim-related events.

Gazette Photo| Emily Hansen

for their units. “The PE department will have to be flexible and adjust. Most PE teachers are accustomed to making changes,” Steve Smith, a GBHS PE teacher said. “I hope all of the students realize how fortunate we are to have such nice things like a new pool and take great pride in taking care of the new facility.” Angela Pozzi, a PE teacher at GBHS mentioned how there won’t be any swim units at that time of construction. The construction’s time period is most likely closer to 9 months or up to a year if it’s really slow, meaning the pool’s grand opening will be for the class of 2021 and the years after. “I was kind of bummed but luckily the construction will be after my last swim

season,” said Valerie Pedersen, a senior on the varsity girls water polo team. “I’m bummed that I won’t get to see the new pool but I had a good time in the pool that’s here and it’s going to be a good change. If you’re a sophomore, you’re going to get it your senior year which is super snazzy.” This year’s upperclassmen have experi enced a wide range of circumstances since beginning with the GBHS aquatic program years ago. Cat Tak, a junior who joined the high school’s swim program freshman year didn’t have the best experience with older facilities. “I think a new pool is better than the one we have now just because of space. When I swam freshmen year with thirteen girls in my lane, it was so hard to even

practice,” Tak said. Pederson believes that the new facilities can benefit future athletes and give them a better experience than what was offered to her. “I had a lot of fun but at that time, we didn’t have the best facility,” Pederson said. “My first year of granite bay water polo took place at this pool. I’ll miss running across the tarps after our last practice or the amazing flop Fridays at 5:00 am in the morning. I’ll miss how hard it was to do a simple swim set without getting kicked in the face,” Natalie Wilcox, a freshman on the varsity girls water polo team, said. “All our memories took place at this pool, good and bad, but we’ll get a chance to make new ones with the new facility.”

FAN OF THE MONTH: Smith exemplifies being a Grizzly BY LAMONT MASON

lmason.gazette@gmail.com

Senior Michela Smith overshadows other fans as a student and fan in the Tribe section at Granite Bay High School. Over the course of her fours years at GBHS, Michela was a cheerleader during the football and basketball seasons. However, this year Michela finally will be able to express her true grizzly pride in the spirit section. “Cheer doesn’t cheer at basketball games anymore because of stunt, so now I can finally cheer on the boys basketball team in the tribe. Also I’ll get to be

with my friends in the tribe as well,” Smith said. “It just feels great to be in the stands this time, and to be with the tribe with all of my close friends.” Smith looks forward to every basketball game occurring this year. Especially against Del Oro High School. ‘I’ve always wanted to be in the Tribe during the Del Oro games because the intensity is through the roof. Also, I have some friends from DOHS and I could never talk to them because I was cheering for them on the sideline,” Smith said. Smith also is ready for all the themes the tribe has in store for this year.

well. “I have always been a big fan of football. Especially when my brother played last year on varsity,” Smith said. “Last year was by far my favorite football season because we had such a good run in the playoffs.” Smith looks forward to the Basketball season of her highschool life.

Winter sports just don’t stop

No vacation for Grizzly athletes BY LANDEN ACOSTA

lacosta.gazette@gmail.com

For most, winter break is a time for rest and relaxation. However some students around campus are taking no days off this winter break. Taking too much time off before the regular season starts can be detrimental to a teams success and potentially lead to a slump. Teams curve this phenomenon by partaking in games and practicing regularly over winter break. “The games keep us fresh for when we get back from break and it keeps our routine going so we don’t get in a funk,” said senior Justin Mazzola who plays for the varsity basketball team. Their squad will head to San Diego over winter break to take on schools from around the country. Boys wrestling will have a tournament in Reno while girls varsity soccer participates in a league game. Mazzola has high hopes for his basket-

ball squad. “We want first place or at least the championship game,” said Mazzola. The Grizzlies have made regular appearances at the annual Surf and Slam tournament over past years and are looking to make a statement this year. “We have to prove ourselves, because we’re typically looked at as underdogs,” said Mazzola. Sophomore Gabe Jensen of the boys wrestling team is looking forward to his team competing at the Sierra Nevada Classic in Reno. . “I think that our team would be happy if we ended up top ten out of about sixty teams,” Jensen said. The wrestling season is just starting up around the league and Granite Bay is looking for a strong start. GBHS school rival Del Oro High School will be present at the tournament. Defeating them would be a high point for the Grizzlies. “They have a huge team. Our neutral

“I am also super excited for the theme of the tribes and to dress up with all my friends. I can’t wait to dress up for the neon dance because I have so many outfit ideas,” Smith said. Basketball isn’t the only sport Smith loves to watch. She also enjoys football as

wrestling has been great this year and we’ve got a good shot at doing well in the tournament,” Jensen said. Girls soccer will take on Oak Ridge High School in a regular season game with hopes to trounce the trojans. “We play Oak Ridge over the break,” said senior Aleah Treiterer. The girls are looking to finish the break with a win, and set the tone for the remainder of the season. Training over break is important for athletic performance, but it’s also a team bonding experience. “It’s always really fun because we bond as a team and it’s like a mini vacation with all of your friends,” Mazzola said. “Playing a game over the break and not having to go to school is the best part,” said Treiterer. Granite Bay High’s efforts over the break will help all teams for the remainder of their season’s. “Since the tournament is after Christmas, it shows whos dedicated to the sport,” Jensen said.

Gazette photo | Lamont Mason

SNOW: Students take part in a variety of winter sports Continued from page C1 only to change things up. “I actually ski mostly,” Sorgea said. “I like skiing because it’s a challenging sport that’s different than everything else. Snowboarding is just when I get bored of skiing.” For many, snowboarding is more difficult to learn than skiing, due to the added barrier of being strapped onto a single board. It is known that skiing is easier to learn, but harder to master overall. For Coons, skiing comes more naturally. “I tried snowboarding once but I just couldn’t get the hang of it,” Coons said. “I kept falling on my butt and the next day I went right back to skiing.” Like Coons, Sorgea also believes snowboarding was difficult to learn. “Snowboarding (was harder to learn),” Sorgea said. “It felt less natural to have

your feet on one board rather than two.” Similar to Sanderson, Sorgea also loves the social aspect of ski and snowboard trips. “My favorite memory is going up with all of my friends last year the day after Winterball,” Sorgea said. Though students’ opinions may be divided over which sport is their favorite, everyone can agree that snowboarding and skiing are two fun sports to look forward to each winter. “The best feeling is when you wake up in the morning and there is at least a foot of power outside because you know it will be a fun day,” said Coons. The two sports are exhilarating challenges many can enjoy. Whether it be short day trips with the family, or weekend getaways with fellow grizzlies, snowboarding and skiing are athletic outlets that students can look forward to every year.

Read the Gazette

Friday, December 14th, 2018

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Cheerleaders wave goodbye to basketball season

Sports C3

Cheer team decides that it will focus on stunt season rather than cheering for basketball this year

BY KABE TEAGUE

kteague.gazette@gmail.com

s the stunt season approaches, the cheer team is looking forward to a combination of fun and success. This year however, they won’t be leading chants at the end of the basketball courts. When finding out about this news, many cheerleaders felt disappointed. “I was kind of sad because it’s my senior year and it would’ve been really fun to cheer for basketball for my last year,” captain Michela Smith said. The cheer team’s absence from bas-

ketball games may take away from the energy in our gym at gametime, but it will help them on their mission of winning in a season full of competitions. There is no doubt that the cheer and stunt team have a very busy schedule during the spring as it is. Pushing themselves to practice for basketball games in the midst of their stunt schedule may affect their performance. “Our coaches told us that they just don’t have the time. One is pregnant and if we want to do well this season we should focus on stunt,” Smith said. “I get that, and I wouldn’t want to cheer if we we’re

gonna look bad.” With this new schedule, the girls will be able to commit more time towards practicing for the upcoming stunt competitions, allowing them to improve their record from last year. However, the freshmen girls may be missing out on memorable experiences. “I felt a little disappointed because this would’ve been my first time cheering for the basketball team, but I understand why we can’t,” freshman Izzy Rocha said. “If they do basketball season next year, they’re not going to know what they’re doing and the captain of the JV team next

year won’t have any knowledge about how to call chants or what goes on during the games.” said Smith. Regardless of what the girls wanted, the decision was ultimately up to the cheer coaches. “I don’t think we had any say about it,” said Rocha. While many girls wanted to cheer, coaches feel as if participating in both the stunt and basketball seasons has negative repercussions. “We witnessed many kids suffering from burn out, overuse injuries and expressing how difficult it was to balance their grades

on top of the two teams during the overlap from January to early February,” junior varsity and varsity head coach Bri Anganes said through an email interview. The cheer team must adhere to the CIF bylaws that apply to stunt team, including dead periods, and out of season and eligibility requirements. The season also no longer begins in march, when the basketball season has come to an end, but rather in January. Although the cheer girls might not love their new schedule, it will definitely allow them to succeed in the upcoming season.

Ineligible player ends Jesuit's football playoff run Marauders beat Granite Bay a week earlier, but Grizzlies weren't given an opportunity to move back into section playoff picture BY GABY WILLIAMS

gwilliams.gazette@gmail.com

riday night lights were cut short this year for the Granite Bay football team and student section. Despite their relatively mediocre regular season record, the Grizzly football team earned the number four seed in the 2018 Division 2 California Interscholastic Federation playoffs. After having a bye week in the first round, GBHS football faced league rival Jesuit High School in the second week of playoffs. A 42-0 rout by the Marauders led to the end of the GBHS football season, lowering high hopes around the community of reaching further in playoffs. Thinking there was no other chance to play again this year, the football team hung up their hel-

mets and moved on to their next adventure of high school. Over Thanksgiving break, a shocking announcement came out. “Jesuit self-reports infraction to the CIF, Ending the 2018 Football Run” Jesuit Athletic Director Greg Harcos said in a tweet. In CIF rules, one who transfers from a different school must sit the bench for 30 days on the Varsity team before playing. During the playoff games against both Granite Bay and Woodcreek, Jesuit played an ineligible player. The boy transferred from a different school. When coming to Jesuit, he played for the JV team. For the playoff games, they played this sophomore boy, which caused the infraction against Woodcreek and Granite Bay.

Quickly, the GBHS football players took to Twitter to express their feelings. “Let @GBGrizzFootball play @WoodcreekFB to see who plays @delorofootball. It’s only fair,” quarterback TJ Robertson said in a tweet. Many students and people from the community retweeted and liked Robertson’s tweet in hope to get a second chance for the football team. “We even went as far as to telling (CIF Officials) we would play on Friday (Friday during break), anytime, anywhere, or any other day,” Robertson said. The football team was ready to get back in gear and play, even after having a week off of practice. Robertson came up with a couple options in case Woodcreek would not want to play against

the Grizzly team. “We wanted to see who would play Del Oro, either based off of our stats or a coin toss. We felt that we had a right to play Del Oro,” Robertson said. Unfortunately, the CIF office declined Woodcreek and Granite Bay’s offer. “It is not fair that Granite Bay High School’s football team does not get another chance to play against Woodcreek due to Jesuit’s infraction and due to them not following the CIF rules,” junior Ty Peterson said. Some players believed it was an easy pass for Del Oro to move onto the section finals despite only having to play one team. “They should’ve given us another chance because unlike Jesuit, Woodcreek and Granite Bay followed the rules,” Peterson said.

Hemphill swims in a pool of success

Ashlyn Hemphill

BY MAYA SNOW

Junior works hard and dedicates a majority of her time to playing water polo.

msnow.gazette@gmail.com

From the age of just five years old, Ashlyn Hemphill has been playing sports. She became interested in water polo in fifth grade, and has been playing ever since. On the August morning that she began her first day of water polo, she realized that she would want to play it for the rest of her life. Hemphill, a junior at Granite Bay High, has been practicing two and a half hours a day, five days a week in addition to meets and tournaments on the weekends, for six years and counting. She is so dedicated to her sport that she chooses to practice over the summer and breaks, even though it isn’t required. Hemphill even earned the All-American title, meaning that she was picked as

one of the top of her position in the nation. “Being picked as an All-American player is my biggest accomplishment.” Hemphill said. While she loves water polo, it consumes a large aspect of her life. “(My biggest struggle is) balancing school, swim, and water polo.” Hemphill said. “It is also hard to find time for other stuff that I enjoy doing.”

Hemphill has to choose what classes are most important to study for when she gets home from an exhausting practice. “My family and determination has really helped me balance my life,” Hemphill said. Hemphill hopes to continue the sport after high school. “I want to take water polo and swim with me when I go to college.”

Photo Illustration | Sidney Stipanovich

TJ Robertson’s tweet gained support as students began to hope for a second chance to continue in league playoffs.

LEAGUE: GBHS coaches are proud of their athletes Continued from page C1 “They can play by a different set of rules. They have open enrollment. As far as their schools rules go, anybody can enroll in,” Evans said. FHS holds a remarkable level of athletic talent that hasn’t gone unnoticed by league members. Despite this recognition, it’s clear that competition between FHS and other schools has diminished with blowout victory after blowout victory. “They do stuff at a level that hasn’t been done. I’m talking about 25 years of coaching and I’ve never seen anything like what they do,” Evans said. “We’re not going to dip down to that level, we’ll give them everything we have.”

“There’s all kind of folklore out there about what’s going on at Folsom. It does seem very unusual,” Leighton said. “That many athletically talented and flat out amazing athletes make other teams look like ants. It’s unusual that so many big guys come out of one area for football. It seems as if something is going on, I don’t know. They claim there isn’t.” According to Leighton, GBHS has a lot to be proud of in regards to football, other athletics and academics. “The beauty of high school athletics is you’re taking kids who you have to take and you’re making them incredibly successful. You don’t pick who you want,” Leighton said. “I wouldn’t be as proud of that as I am of what we do.”

Grizz Quiz Compiled by Landen Acosta

What is your favorite food before a game?

Emily Dedo

Matthew Ross

Soccer

Volleyball

Ellie Griffin Lacrosse

Avery Costa

Connor Baer

Cheer

Sport

Bagel with cream cheese

Protein bar or oatmeal

Cashews

Protein bar

Protein bar and water

What is your favorite music before a game?

Team playlist

Sicko Mode by Travis Scott

Rap and throwback 2000s

Rap

10 Freaky Girls by 21 Savage and Metro Boomin

Where is your favorite place you’ve been for a game?

Foster City, CA

Arizona

Orlando, Florida

Hoco game

Mather Sports Complex

Winning state cup

Junior Olympics finalist

Beating an elite east coast team

None

Beating Placer in the Easter tournament

Teammates

Meeting people from all around the state

To compete and teammates

Answer

The guys. (We’re) all really close.

What is your most memorable win?

What is your favorite thing about your sport?

Friday, December 14th 2018 w The Granite Bay Gazette

SECOND LOOK Winter Sports Update

Fall sports wrap up while winter sports get started BY MIA TAYLOR

mtaylor.gazette@gmail.com

Football

After a loss against Jesuit, the football season came to an end. They finished 3-3 in their league with an overall standing of 6-5. Girls’ Tennis

Gazette photo | Sidney Stipanovich

The girls tennis team finished their season strong placing fourth overall in league. Way to go girls! Cross Country

Both Varsity boys and girls made it to subsections finishing fifth and sixth in division two respectively. Seniors Joe Kennedy and Tristan Paperno just missed making it to state by a few seconds, but still put up a good fight against their tough competition. Girls’ Water polo

Carrying on the legacy, the girls’ water polo team went undefeated in league for the second year in a row. “This season was a huge success,” senior Mikayla Deblaquiere said. “My best game this past season was right before sections where I made a shot with no time on the clock to tie up the game. We then won in overtime which made for a very good end to our season.” Boys’ Water polo

Though boys’ water polo is upset with their second place finish to Rocklin, they impressively won the division two section. “We had a really young team this year, so our team maybe lacked experience at first but the younger players definitely stepped up and were a crucial part of winning the section,” senior Ben Scates said. Overall, they had a successful season and are excited to come back strong next season.

Special to the Gazette | Kelly Rich

Boys’ Basketball

The boys’ basketball team is starting its season off strong with a win against St. Mary’s, and is heading to Antelope this upcoming Saturday. “We’ve done pretty good so far and are hoping to win our tournament this weekend,” senior Preston Fu said. Girls’ Basketball

The girls’ basketball team has been working hard with a win loss streak of 3-2. “We’ve beat Del Campo, Rocklin and Union Mine but lost to Bear Creek and West Lake.” senior Peyton Mitcheom said.

Girls’ Soccer

Girls’ soccer has dominated pre-season, winning against Oakmont, Vista Del Lago, and Woodcreek. A strong season is foreseeable!

Gazette photo | Sidney Stipanovich

Boys’ Soccer

Gazette photo | Sidney Stipanovich

Boys’ soccer has had an impressive season so far, defeating both Will C. Wood High School and Vista Del Lago High School in addition to tying with Laguna Creek. “So far we’ve been playing really well,” senior Eric Liu said. “I hope our season continues to be successful.”

Cade Hinds, top left, takes down an opponent at a wrestling tournament hosted by Granite Bay. Josh Zahnd, top right, does a lay-up during a varsity game against St. Mary’s. The varsity boys ‘water polo team, middle, poses for a picture after winning the Sierra Foothill League section championship. Brian Lambey, lower right, dribbles the basketball during a game

Wrestling

against St. Mary’s. Izzy Cusano, lower left, dribbles the ball

The wrestling team has gained many new faces this year and is excited to showcase its new talent. “We have a very young team this year with many freshman but they’ve been doing well so far,” senior captain Max Schwartz said.

during a varsity girls’ soccer game against Vista Del Lago. Kate Thompson, bottom left, defends the ball from an opponent during a varsity girls’ soccer game against Vista Del Lago.

Gazette photo | Sidney Stipanovich

GS The Gazetteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arts and entertainment guide.

December 2018

GREENSCREEN December and its holidays

PAGES 8 & 9 Gazette photo | Angelina Kolosey

Page 2

December 2018

sneak peek.

Gazette illustration | Bella Hamilton

Special to the Gazette | Surina Dhanota

wSee page 3 Weird vacation traditions

wSee pages 8 and 9 Alternative winter holidays

Special to the Gazette | Urban Outfitters.com

wSee page 16 Gift and stocking stuffer guide

Are horoscopes actually valid? People shouldn’t take their zodiac signs so seriously

their birthday happens to fall under the same “You may be feeling out of sorts at work or at time period? home now, Aries. If that’s the case, it may be the Because of this debate that many have, the cause of your melancholy, or it may be preventmore goofy side of the internet has taken it ing you from being as effective, productive, and into their own hands to have a more humorous efficient as you usually are. You might find some approach to zodiac signs. benefit in making some pleasing changes in your Several tweets and texts posts have continued work or home setting to inspire you. That could to circulate the internet for years with the titles mean hanging up some photos or artwork that “----based on your sign.” will inspire you, making your favorite chair comThese topics can be about almost any subject, fy with a fluffy pillow, infusing the room with ranging from who your own sign is compatia calming fragrance, or anything else that will ble with, all the way to the signs of TV show make you feel comforted and confident. Give it characters. a try.” Now, the internet has established their own Those happen to be same words many read stereotyped guide to character traits of all from their phones every morning upon waking. lzabell.gazette@gmail.com signs. Whether it be from the DailyHoroscope app This includes Gemini being known as backor from Snapchat’s Cosmopolitan subscription, stabbing, and Aries as the hot-headed control freaks. horoscopes can go two ways: being a positive prediction for the With this humorous approach also comes the side of the interfuture, or something that we just can’t quite connect with. net that would defend their zodiac sign until the end of time. If you are not familiar with them already, horoscopes are a Remember that time in 2016 where the entire Twitter astrology prediction of one’s future based on the positions of the stars and planets at the time of that person’s birth. community absolutely lost it over a rumor that NASA would be adding a new 13th sign called Ophiuchus? That’s exactly what I But can we trust these astrological forecasts? Although they might not admit it, several including myself find mean. So whether zodiac signs be something that we truly believe in, themselves agreeing with horoscopes that happen to apply to or something that we can just make a quality meme out of, it’s them, while simultaneously dismissing the ones that don’t. fair to say that the concept of zodiac signs can be fun for all. This brings me to my overall question – how can we possibly say that the same forecast will predict the outcome of that specif- *** Lindsey Zabell, a junior, is a Greenscreen editor. ic day, week or even month for thousands of people, just because

COMMENTARY

lindsey zabell

Guide to

GreenScreen

Page 6 Page 3 Weird Holiday Traditions New Years resolutions

Page 10 Top Tweets

Page 4 Food Reviews

Page 7 Page 11 Video Game Round- Ginger Bread House up Competition

Page 5 Real vs. fake trees

Page 8 & 9 Alternative Holidays

Page 12 Music Reviews

UPCOMING

GBHS EVENTS FOR December

December 17 Cocoa and cram December 19 & 20 End of Term Finals December 21 Winter Break begins

Page 13 Movie Reviews Page 14 Chinny and Wandy Page 15

Follow Friday Page 16

Holiday Gift Guide

Page 3

‘tis the season.

Odd Traditions BY BELLA KHOR

bkhor.gazette@gmail.com

t’s winter, and the sky’s a dusty grey, yet vivid gold, burgundy and persimmon hues of leaves whirling through the wintry air brighten the sidewalks in brilliant layers. Along with fallen leaves comes a time for family, and the month of December is a primary time to kick back, relax, and make a brand new collection of holiday memories, including the completion of yet another year of joliday traditions! (jolly + holiday = joliday. Get it?) Holidays and traditions go hand in hand, as they themselves are annual traditions that are celebrated annually. But those are traditions on a larger scale, family traditions are much more intimately unique. Some holiday traditions are reminiscent of older traditions that have been outgrown. Mark Agustin, a Granite Bay High School junior, mentioned that his family watched the “Polar Express” every year when they were younger. They also set up a train under their Christmas tree that brings up nostalgic memories

Families in Granite Bay speak about their out-of-the-ordinary holiday celebrations

of watching The “Polar Express” during the holidays. Other traditions like Jack Longoria’s, GBHS sophomore, pickle ornament hunt, can be kind of a big dill. “My family hides a pickle ornament in the (Christmas) tree and on Christmas Day we all race to find it, which is actually hard because it blends in and is small. Whoever finds it before everyone else gets to open a present first,” Longoria said. Traditions can also be sugary sweet, too, literally and figuratively. GBHS graduate Tia Judd and older sister of students currently enrolled, mentioned that she has a tradition stringing popcorn for decorations. Her sister, Trixie Judd, shed some light on another holiday tradition for the entire Judd family, buying and eating ribbon candy. These are thin, long strips of hard candy that are folded into loops to look like a ribbon. “We’ll buy five to ten boxes for our family. My favorite flavor is cinnamon.” Trixie said.

oliday appenings

BY SHREYA DODBALLAPUR

sdodballapur.gazette@gmail.com

he winter season is full of holiday cheer and heated houses, but most importantly there are plenty of delicious treats to go around as well. For many high school students, the holiday season is synonymous with the baking season. Baking during the winter break has become somewhat of a ritual for Cantemir. “I always make a gingerbread house with my family before Christmas,” Cantemir said. “It’s our little tradition.” While junior Ashlyn Hemphill doesn’t have a specific tradition like Cantemir, baking has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. It has now become her creative outlet. “When I first started really getting into baking, I would just find random things around the house and start creating,” Hemphill said. “I guess

December 2018

I’ve always wanted to create my own masterpiece.” Hemphill has become the designated baker in her family. “Whenever there’s an event, my family always asks me to bake something for it,” Hemphill said. “So over the holidays it’s pretty much predicted that I will.” Similar to Cantemir, Hemphill’s favorite winter treats to make are gingerbread people, which she makes from scratch. “You can make a ton of them at once,” Hemphill said. “And you can give them to your friends as fun little holiday treats.” Cantemir agrees with the sentiment that the most enjoyable part of baking is giving out the finished goodies. “It shows your loved ones how much you appreciate them when something is homemade,” Cantemir said. Like Cantemir and Hemphill, Senior Joshua Tateishi’s favorite part of baking is also sharing the sweets with his

Gazette illustration | Bella Hamilton

Winter baking creates memories and sweet treats for the community friends. “I usually make mini fruit tarts for at least one of my classes during finals,” Tateishi said. “I like baking for people on special occasions in order to surprise them.” Tateishi’s favorite winter dessert, however, is a log cake. To make it, he mixes and matches different recipes with different creams. “The cake is really nice and soft when made correctly,” Tateishi said. “I also like the little swirly shape that comes out on the side.” “We use my mom’s secret fudge recipe,” junior Jack Dugoni said. “It’s not that hard to make, but it’s so good.” When it comes to the part that makes everyone happy about baking, Dugoni said it best. “Eating the (baked goods) after is my favorite part,” Dugoni said. “Something about it is just so addicting.” Gazette illustration | Bella Hamilton

Page 4

In pizza we crust Il Pizzaiolo

December 2018

pepperoni this.

BY MAY LIN

mlin.gazette@gmail.com

The Gazette staff shares the best make-your-own pizza shops that will steal a ‘pizza’ your heart!

Pieology the “White Pie,” with no sauce. The order was ready in about fifteen minutes, which was convenient since I ordered to go. The “Red Pie” consisted of apples, homemade sausage, basil, caramelized onions, mozzarella and free garlic toppings. The crust was a bit thin, allowing the weight and oils from the toppings overburden the pizza, making it a little soggy once I picked it up. A factor I fell in love with was their homemade sausage, you could tell from the start that the sausages were fresh. Usually, if it’s frozen, sausage tastes extremely bland or extremely salty. In this sausage, you could taste every single ingredient and spice that was put into it. The sausage’s neutral taste correlated well with the acidity of the apples and sweetness from the caramelized onions. Plus, I love garlic on my pizza and they didn’t charge me for my garlic toppings.

verybody knows one of America’s favorite classic fast foods can come in a box, made with three simple ingredients: dough, sauce and cheese. That’s what I was expecting – the basics – when visiting Il Pizzaiolo in Loomis on the corner of Taylor’s and Horseshoe Bar. The place was very structured with complimentary colors of red and black, blending in with the rustic feel of vintage photos and wooden tables. There was a huge, red and black brick oven in the center of the restaurant just behind the counters, giving off a delicious aroma of freshly baked Neapolitan style pizza. The lighting from dangling light bulbs fit their theme well, along with some fairy lights to express the holiday spirit. The service was satisfying too because it was my first time there, the waiter patiently offered to explain everything on their menu. Everything from crafting your own pizza to salads and desserts were explained. The menu was easy to understand and the ingredients couldn’t have been any simpler. In my opinion, it’s rather preferable for pizza places to stick to more traditional ingredients that make pizza a comfort food, rather than bedazzle everything up to taste ‘fancy.’ Gazette photo | May Lin I crafted two different pizzas, one Il Pizzaiolo is a small craft your own called the “Red Pie,” with a base of pizza restaurant in Loomis that uses a marinara sauce and the other one called traditional brick oven.

BY SIDNEY ZABELL

szabell.gazette@gmail.com

“P

izza, pizza”, Little Caesar said. I’m sorry to say it, but I just can’t support that man. In my eyes, the only pizza in town worth my $11.25 (including tax) is Pieology, a build-your-own pizza joint on Douglas Blvd. in the Rocky Ridge shopping center. I’m a frequent customer of Pieology – it’s a great spot for lunch after school, and each pie is fully customizable. It runs similarly to Chipotle, giving customers the opportunity to hand-pick preferred crusts, sauces and toppings. I opted for the “PieRise” thick crust, as it gives a soft yet crunchy bed for the sauce and toppings to come. They put a swipe of olive oil around the edges of the crust, which helps it crisp up in a way like no other. Step one was the standard marinara sauce because I like to keep things bland and classic. The ricotta looked especially fluffy on this afternoon, so I decided to add it to the shreds of mozzarella to really change things up. I’m actually the CEO of PETA outside of journalism, so I skipped the meat options. That reminds me of their recent Twitter announcement about ending the use of “anti-animal language”, like switching bring home the bacon to bring home the

bagels. A little dramatic IMO, but I will admit that I signed off on the tweet by the intern. The veggies were really my time to shine – where do I begin??? I went with good old tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, bell peppers and basil atop a gentle bed of spinach because I’m iron deficient. (Hey PETA). The meat looked pretty standard, so I opted to get that puppy in the oven as soon as possible. Puppies are cute! It took a couple extra minutes to get that thick crust cooked all the way through, but a few scrolls on Twitter passed the time. Before I knew it, my pizza was piping hot and in a great recycled box, and it was mighty tasty. I saved half for lunch the next day, and I’d say it reheated in the toaster oven very well. It tasted just as good as when it was fresh out of Pieology’s doors, a win in my book. Thanks for the great chow, Pieology!

Gazette photo | Sidney Zabell

Pieology is a popular do it yourself pizza chain found all over California.

Max’s Kitchen BY MAX SCHWARTZ

mschwartz.gazette@gmail.com

or years now “design your own pizza” has plagued the restaurant industry. With lackluster pizzas designed by a minimum wage worker who would rather die than give you just one more olive on your already $14 small sized pizza, the system angers me. I’m not a pizza snob either, I just think pizza deserves a respect that isn’t achievable unless you are in New York. Does that make me a snob? Eh. I guess. I’m just saying that as long as you fold your pizza and don’t order deep dish you’re okay. But I digress, I decided to give the finger to the “create your own pizza” industry and create my own. I am not a chef by any means but when I was depressed for three months, I watched a copious amount of Food Network, so I know what I am doing. My goal was to create an edible pizza at home, was I expecting it to be amazing? No. Was I stubbornly doing this not do give a single dollar to Pieology? Yeah.

Wait, does Pieology sponsor this paper? Am I allowed to say that or do I have to say I like Pieology with a gun held to my head? I’ll guess that they don’t. Anyways, I went to Raley’s to start my beautiful creation. My plan was just to make a cheese pizza. How could I mess that up? I just want to put it out there that there is an 85% chance that Raley’s and (not) Pieology are working in tandem to make sure I do not write this review, because I could not find dough. Well I did find dough but it was gluten free and God loves me and didn’t give me Celiacs, so I’m not settling. (I can just imagine if someone with Celiacs read that, I’m sorry). Eventually I did find Pillsbury Pizza Dough, it was all they had and there was a 50% chance that my pizza was going to taste like cinnamon rolls, but I bought it anyway. “But Max!” you ask, “What about cheese and sauce?” Well, my friend, let it be noted that I bought the dough and forgot about everything else until I got home. I proceeded to get back into my car and scream

for three minutes while driving all the way back to Raley’s. I angrily bought mozzarella, some random sauce and drove back home. When I got home I started assembling the pizza, I did nothing special to be honest, my 100,000 fans reading this are probably wondering why this is the part I am skimming over, it just wasn’t special. I’m just like everyone else, I put one shoe on at a time and my cheese on top of my sauce. I set the oven at 400° F and threw that baby in there. (The Gazette doesn’t support putting babies in ovens). When it was ready, I ran downstairs after I got done with squatting 500 pounds and doing my daily P90X routine. You hear that liberals? Yeah. I lift. My mom yelled to make sure I was wearing gloves before I pulled the pizza out. “Mom I know, I’m not that stupid,” I yelled downstairs as I put gloves on, quietly realizing I was about to get third degree burns, which would ruin my future, and modeling career. The pizza was okay. Impeach Trump.

December 2018

Page 5

paper or plastic?

Battle of the Pines:

Real vs. Fake The ongoing debate of whether artificial or living trees are better BY MAYA SNOW

msnow.gazette@gmail.com

he ethical question that always pops up around Christmas time is – what is the better option real, or artificial

trees? Fake trees are a good because no one has to kill a living thing for people to decorate and put presents under. However, mass producing fake Christmas trees is still not that much better. All of the plastic that is being used for Christmas trees eventually ends up in the oceans. Stores like Walmart and Target are charging for plastic bags while simultaneously selling huge, fake, plastic trees. “I think that fake Christmas trees are a better choice because they save trees and they are reusable,” junior Scaasi Guidera said. Christmas trees aren’t just about decorations and presents. There are many traditions revolving the Christmas tree. “My family and I always decorate the tree while listening to Christmas music” junior Olivia Teemant said. Many families use the time they go together to pick out the Christmas tree as family bonding time. “My family and I love decorating our tree together. We have a fake tree right now, and it still feels like Christmas because we get the time together putting on ornaments” junior Carly Burgess said. Real trees are a good option because it brings the smell of Christmas time into the home. Living trees also drop needles all over the floor and are a pain to clean up. “I am really happy that my family finally bought a fake tree. Normally, my sister and I have to vacuum the floor where the tree was because of all of the loose needles.”

Gazette illustrations | Andrew Yung

said Guidera. “Also, I think fake trees are way better for the environment.” People use fake trees because of the environmental benefits, but also because it is way easier to deal with. Instead of going out and picking out a tree, bringing it home, and trying to get it to stay straight on the stand, people can just pull the artificial tree out of the box and it is already the perfect height. Many families think that Christmas isn’t the same without a real tree because of many reasons and traditions. “My family and I always go and pick out a tree, it doesn’t really feel like Christmas without that tradition,” junior Alex Nash said. “Also, I love the Christmas tree smell when it fills our house.” Fake trees and real trees are really different. Many people think that real trees are worse for the environment because there are so many trees that are killed every year. According to toThe Los Angeles Times, real trees that are thrown away have about a six year period of time before they are completely decomposed. Christmas tree farms are helpful because they make it easier to buy real trees without harming the environment as much. But, when people cut down their own, it is challenging for the animals that are already living there to adapt. On the other hand fake trees save the wood because people use the same tree every year. But, they are an investment in the beginning. Fake trees range anywhere from $150 to $300, while real trees are anywhere as low as $20. “I love the Christmas time and my fake tree,” Guidera said. The debate whether artificial or living trees are a better option will continue on for next Christmas.

Page 6

December 2018

new year, new me.

Welcoming the N

ew year with ew goals

Students share their celebration plans and 2019 resolutions

BY DYLAN ROWE

drowe.gazette@gmail.com

ost people associate the winter months with a few events like Thanksgiving, Christmas or Kwanzaa, and to top it all off, New Years Eve, and New Years Day. In almost every culture the beginning of the new year is an important celebration. There’s something about a fresh start that gives people the motivation to reform and redo. “I love that feeling that a new year brings,” junior Carly Burgess said. “It makes me feel like I have the power to change things in my life for the better.” Not only does a new year bring new opportunities, it also allows people to set goals for themselves throughout the year. “When I think about new year reso-

lutions, I think about people that say they’re going to eat healthy and then stop eating healthy,” freshman Lily Frank said. Resolutions often involve improving weight and appearance and are often broken within the first few months of the new year. Although, there are many dedicated people who set practical and ethical goals for themselves and are able to succeed. “Next year I want to try to recycle and start thrifting more,” junior Savio Nanoo said. “It would be better for the planet, plus it would make me feel a little bit less guilty about my carbon footprint.” Some people who partake in making resolutions take the process a little too far, and end up losing sight of the things that are really important during the transition for one year to the next. “If people want to make a serious

life change I think they should just do it instead of waiting for the new year to start,” junior Nick Parker said. “Waiting until the new year is just a way for people to put off what they are actually planning on changing.” The actual day of New Years is an infamous celebration that many people participate in, whether it be watching the New York ball drop, or going out to a party. “On New Years Eve I usually go to a party of some sort,” freshman Sophia Rich said. “It’s fun to celebrate the beginning of a whole new year around all of my friends.” “I think that sometimes people can put too much pressure on themselves when setting their resolutions,” sophomore Sam Crawford said. “Whether it’s a new year or not, people shouldn’t feel the need to change themselves completely.

Gazette illustration | Spencer Cova

December 2018

Page 7

gamers galore.

VIDEO G AME R OUNDUP

Gazette illustration | Lindsey Zabell

MARVEL’s Spider-Man

Debuting September 7 worldwide, Insomniac’s take on the Spider-Man mythos is brought to us in the form of MARVEL’s Spider-Man exclusive to the Playstation 4. In MARVEL’s Spider-Man you play as the titular hero and are able to swing the the streets of New York City, zipping around the skyscrapers, really making you feel like Spider-Man. The game is similar in gameplay to Rocksteady’s Batman Arkham series, being smooth and fun to play. If you’re a fan of Spider-Man or just looking for a new game to play, this is one to pick up.

Red Dead Redemption 2 Recent release “Red Dead Redemption 2” is the prequel to the beloved game “Red Dead Redemption”. In RDR2 you play as Arthur, the leader of a small camp, and a cowboy, who’s quick on the draw. With a somewhat intense attention to detail, interesting narrative and gripping gameplay, RDR2 is up there with Spider-Man and others for Game of the Year. Red Dead Redemption 2 is out now on Xbox One and PS4.

BY CYRUS MYNAR

cmynar.gazette@gmail.com

t’s December and pretty soon, many of us will be receiving money or gift cards as gifts from various winter holidays. Here’s a comprehensive guide to some of the biggest hits to the gaming scene coming out this winter. Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee

Having come out November 16, Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee are the next entries in the colossally huge Pokemon franchise. Pokemon Let’s Go Pikachu and Let’s Go Eevee are both fantastic games, being remakes of the original Red and Blue, many of you will recognize the roster of Pokemon available for capture. The game changes things up a bit, with gameplay aspects similar to mobile hit Pokemon Go. If you like Pokemon or spent anytime with Pokemon GO, this is a great pick for you.

Super smash bros. ultimate

“EVERYONE IS HERE!” That’s the tagline for the next game in the platform fighter series, Super Smash Bros., is entirely accurate. With every character from previous entries returning to the brawl, you can fulfill some of the wildest crossover dreams – Cloud vs Link, Ryu vs Little Mac, Mario vs Sonic or any other possible combination is possible. Coming out December 7 for the Nintendo Switch, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is setting out to be the greatest melee of mascots yet.

Pages 8 & 9

December 2018

let’s celebrate.

Gazette illustrations | Lindsey Zabell

Multicultural Holidays

Many GBHS students celebrate multiple holidays during this season BY SHREYA DODBALLAPUR

sdodballapur.gazette@gmail.com

s the holiday season rolls around, many students are starting to celebrate both sides of their diverse heritage. Both sophomore Katie Nimtz and her sister Rachel Nimtz, a junior, have been celebrating both Hanukkah and Christmas since they were very little. While they have a few cute Christmas traditions, including watching movies and decorating their tree, both sisters prefer celebrating Hanukkah. “It’s cool to figure out and learn how different holidays work,” Katie Nimtz said. “A lot of people know about Christmas, so it’s nice to have an experience of celebrating something different.” Learning about Hanukkah from their mother lead to the sisters’ great appreciation for their Jewish heritage. “My mom’s family has always celebrated Hanukkah, and she likes to carry on traditions,” Katie Nimtz said. “It’s nice, she has us do things that she did when she was little.” Junior Emma Gordon also celebrates Hanukkah, sharing a few key traditions with the Nimtz family as well as many other Jew-

ish families around the world. “Every night, my family and I light the Menorah and open little gifts,” Gordon said. “It’s a nice, fun thing to do with your family.” Of all the aspects of the holiday, Rachel Nimtz values the the way it allows her to connect with her culture the most. “I love Hanukkah because it’s a celebration of the religion that I identify most with,” Rachel Nimtz said. “I will probably be celebrating only Hanukkah when I’m older because that’s how I want to raise my (kids).” Knowing the reason behind celebrating Hanukkah is important to Rachel Nimtz, and while she doesn’t celebrate Hanukkah, senior Surina Dhanota has a similar sentiment about the Hindu festival of lights, Diwali. “Celebrating Diwali is cool because I learn about the meaning behind a lot of the traditions, like lighting the candles,” Dhanota said. Like Dhanota, junior Sahiti Bobbala also celebrates Diwali. For her, family is what makes the holiday so special. “I don’t do that many cultural things with my family,” Bobbala said. “But Diwali is always fun to celebrate with them because it

Special to the Gazette | Surina Dhanota

Senior Surina Dhanota celebrates Diwali with her family.

brings us a little closer.” Bobbala also enjoys Christmas, because she gets to see her sisters, other family and friends. “More than the actual holiday itself, I just like that Christmas means more time with the people I love,” Bobbala said. “My sisters come home from college, so my family is together.” Family during the holiday season is important to junior Nabeel Qureshi as well. Qureshi celebrates Eid along with Christmas. “I like both holidays,” Qureshi said. “But I like Eid a little better because there’s just more family around.” Qureshi doesn’t place as much importance on the specifics and meanings of the holidays. Instead he looks for the best parts in each one. “Holidays are fun, no matter what you believe in,” Qureshi said. “Why not celebrate both?” This mentality, that the bottom line during the holiday season is to just have fun, is shared by Bobbala. “I think it’s always important to respect others’ cultures,” Bobbala said. “Everyone should just celebrate whatever they want.”

Special to the Gazette | Rachel Nimtz

Junior Rachel Nimtz lights the menorah on the fourth night of Hanukkah. Gazette illustration | Sidney Zabell

December 2018

Page 10

current.

Top Tweets Spirited tweets by Granite Bay High School students BY GABY WILLIAMS

Netflix Picks

gwilliams.gazette@gmail.com

Twitter

BY SIDNEY STIPANOVICH

sstipanovich.gazette@gmail.com

1. Chef’s Table A visually stunning series that would leave even Gordon Ramsay speechless, Chef’s Table demonstrates the true art of cooking and baking. Following individual chefs throughout their careers, the show is a look into the genius ideas that translate to marvelous recipes and inspiring stories. The series connects the chefs’ dishes to their childhood memories and life experiences, bringing a new meaning to food. If you like cooking (or eating), Chef’s table is a perfect show that will leave you captivated, in awe, and hungry. 2. Elite This Spanish drama centers around a murder that occurs shortly after three misfit students are granted a scholarship to the elite preparatory high school, La Encinas. As the characters bargain with temptation and deal with high tensions within the community, secret relationships develop and cause conflicting issues. With brief flashes to the aftermath of the murder throughout the season, you never know which character you can trust or who to believe. A clash between Gossip Girl and How to Get Away With Murder, this short series is entertaining and unique to its genre. 3. The End of the F***ing World An aesthetically pleasing series that mixes teen angst and dark humor, The End of the F***ing world follows two teens James and Alyssa, who have quite the unconventional relationship. James, who thinks of himself as a psychopath, plans to kill Alyssa, but finds his plan ruined after an odd turn of events that leave the pair on a risky and adventurous runaway journey. As James and Alyssa navigate through dangerous and odd situations, they form a close bond. The series’s originality and comedic yet emotional elements will leave you impatient and excited for season two.

Thanksgiving: year 17 Still hoping to be promoted from the kids table. I think this might be the year. More updates to come... Brad Davito 1 Retweet 48 Likes @BradDavito The most use I’ve gotten out of my huge SAT practice book is standing on it to hang up Christmas lights in my room. lily @LilyRafanan

0 Retweets

1 Like

Let @GBGrizzFootball play @WoodcreekFB to see who plays @delorofootball. It’s only fair.

TJ M. Robertson @tj_robertson5

97 Retweets

97 Likes

If Alexander Hamilton can write 51 essays in 6 months for the Federalist Papers then I’m sure you can finish your 5 UC Insight Questions before the November deadline Karen Rami Sadek @rsadek23 49 Likes 0 Retweets

Hangout Location of the Month: Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink

What is it?

hat’s better than going ice skating? Ice skating at an outdoor ice rink surrounded by city buildings and an abundance of Christmas lights. The Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink is a must visit this holiday season. The rink is currently open every day until January 21, and hours vary by day. It costs $13 for a regular skating session.

What to Look Out For • • • • •

Special events such as pajama day and silent disco skate A cheesecake vendor on site every day. Christmas lights surrounding the whole rink. City atmosphere around you. People who are in the holiday spirit all around you. Gazette photo | Angelina Kolosey

Compiled by Angelina Kolosey

The ice rink is a great place to bring friends and family to spend the day together and create new memories on ice

December 2018

Page 11

oh it’s on.

Gingerbread Wars

In this battle, there will be no peace or goodwill

BY LINDSEY ZABELL

lzabell.gazette@gmail.com

y journey started in mid-November, late at night, scouring the town in search of a gingerbread house. I first went to Target, leaving with everything but what I initially went for, per usual. Then I moved on to Walmart, still leaving empty-handed. I finally found myself at the local Michael’s craft store where I was greeted by a display of gingerbread houses right upon entering. I grabbed my prized possession and went on my way. When I arrived back at home, I got right to work. As the base of my house started to come together, I began to question it’s structural integrity. Every time one wall came up, another would fall down. I began to see visions of my civil-engineer-of-a-dad shaking his head in disappointment from the next room over. Almost an eternity later, the base of my house was finally finished. As I looked around at the assorted candy that sat in front of me, I had no confidence that these stale-looking decorations would make my gingerbread house the best it could be. With the clock now approaching midnight, I got back in my car and drove to the nearest CVS.

I bought some better looking candy, and drove right back home, where my house still sat like the slanted, asymmetrical and sad gingerbread house it was. As soon as I sat down, thinking about how I would arrange the new candy on my house, a creative light bulb went off in my head. Two words raced through my mind. Filippo Brunelleschi. I knew that those few days in sophomore year AP Euro spent learning about this architectural genius were going to be put to use one way or another. If I couldn’t have utilized that knowledge while taking that unit test, I may as well use it for my gingerbread house, right? Just as Brunelleschi had built the most impressive dome in Florence, I was going to build the most impressive gingerbread house in Granite Bay. I spent what felt like days on end using the most prestigious math equations to carefully craft what would soon be known as “Brunelleschi’s Dome: New and Improved.” After all the blood, sweat and tears, I was proud of the outcome. She wasn’t perfect, but she sure was beautiful. Right as I pulled out my phone to snap a picture of the masterpiece standing before me, a tragedy occurred. It happened right before my eyes, feeling as if the world was going in slow motion. I lunged out to save it, but it was too late. The walls of my house came crumbling down.

Dylan Rowe is the victor with 37 votes vs. Lindsey’s 31 votes. Gazette photo | Dylan Rowe Gazette illustration | Angelina Kolosey

BY DYLAN ROWE

drowe.gazette@gmail.com

n my family, making gingerbread houses is a tradition that we uphold every Christmas season. So, when I found out that I had to make one as an assignment, I knew that it was the ‘story’ for me. I have to be honest, when I say that every year I build a gingerbread house, what I really mean is that I spend about an hour or so attempting to build the house and then give up out of frustration. But I told myself that this time was going to be different. This year I’m older and more responsible which means that I will finally be able to finish building my very own house. So, since this year I was actually planning to finish, naturally I put off making the gingerbread house until the very last possible minute. This didn’t matter though because this was my year, and my house was going to knock the socks off of everyone who saw it, spoiler it was pretty mediocre. So after mentally preparing myself for about a month, I decided that it was finally time to buy the gingerbread house kit. I’m not sure if choosing the house is super important to other people, but I personally think that it’s one of the most crucial parts of making the house itself. Each year while I’m searching for the right house there are many things that I have to take into consideration. Whether I want a classic, or rustic looking house, what kinds of decorations I want my house to have and how difficult the house looks to put together.

Gazette photo | Lindsey Zabell

Upon arriving to my local Raley’s I found their selection of kits to be pretty slim, but I wasn’t discouraged. Amongst some of the more-sketchy looking houses I found an interesting looking house that looked unique, and more importantly easy to build. So I bought the gingerbread kit on the spot, for a whopping twenty five dollars I might add, and rushed home to build it. Going into the process I organized all of the candies into little bowls and separated all of the house pieces so I knew which were which. Not so surprisingly, I came to the realization that the walls and the base looked pretty similar and that it was hard to truly distinguish the two. Finally, after about fifteen minutes I was confident that I knew where each piece of ginger bread was intended to go. Now came the tough part, building the house. This step took me an hour and a half to complete, and after all of that I began to question whether or not icing was the best adhesive to be holding the house together. I suddenly thought of the most amazing idea I think I’ve ever had. What if instead of using year old icing to keep my house from falling apart, I used hot glue? I tore my then smothered in white icing house apart, wiped it down and replaced it with hot glue. This was a complete game changer, and I’m not sure why no one had thought of it sooner. My house was sturdy and looked incredible, and I almost didn’t want to ruin it by slapping on old tasteless ‘grandma’ candy to it. I had to push through though, I had come too far to give up now. So, I went on and decorated my little house to the best of my ability, and I think it’s probably the prettiest gingerbread house I’ve ever seen.

Page 12

December 2018

groovy.

Kid Cudi and Kanye West Kids See Ghosts

BY LAMONT MASON

lmason.gazette@gmail.com

ids See Ghost was an album that had a miraculous impact on the Hip Hop genre of music and an impact on the soul. The artists Kid Cudi and Kanye West were the Iconic duos that composed the hit album. The collaboration of these two iconic artists was the not expected, given the contrast On June eighth, the day the album dropped, I dropped everything to get my hands on the album. I binged streamed it the same day it was released. I realized the lyrics of the songs were all meant to touch the listeners and make the audience feel the passion that Kanye and Kid Cudi felt while producing the songs. However, only three songs accomplished

this feat. They were Reborn, Cudi Montage, and Fire. The other four tracks felt rushed and seemed like they were mostly filled with ad-libs when they ran out of lyrics to sing. Additionally, there are only seven songs in the entire album itself. The lack in quantity of sound tracks gave off the impression that they didn’t put forth as much effort as Kid Cudi said they would before releasing the album. All the songs were very slow paced and mellow. Some songs seemed like they were being dragged out with the beat, rather than actually trying to make something out of the song itself. Kanye didn’t really seem like he was trying to put his heart and soul into the project. Kanye wasn’t performing how he usually does, compared to his own work such as the

albums “Life of Pablo” or “Graduation.” The tracks didn’t hit the creativity standards that he usually doesn’t have a problem meeting. Coming back to the sound tracks Fire, Cudi Montage, and Reborn. These songs made up for the other lackluster songs in the album. The song Cudi Montage was a huge contributor to the pros to the album. Cudi Montage was a perfect combination of the slow and steady lyrics that was hitting a soft spot by every word, yet it still was fun to listen to. In my opinion, Cudi Montage was probably the best out of the three other songs simply because the song was about Kid Cudi himself. That motivated him to write with passion and to make it his finest piece of art on the album. The two other songs, Fire and Reborn had a really good combination of beat and flow of the lyrics. Overall, the album was lower than an average hit.

Def Jam Recordings

Kids See Ghosts was released on June 8, 2018.

Skip to: “Cudi Montage”

Peter Bjorn and John Darker Days

S Warner Music Sweden

 Darker Days was released on October 19, 2018.

BSkip to: “Dark Ages”

BY CYRUS MYNAR

cmynar.gazette@gmail.com

tarting with “Longer Nights” a minute long intro, Peter Bjorn and John are back with a new album titled “Darker Days”. Most famous for their song “Young Folks,” “Darker Days” remains within their usual hipster-pop-rock sound. The next track on the album “One for the Team” is fairly upbeat and catchy, and is fun to listen to, but in more of a toe-tapping way than a head banging way. Moving on to the next song on the album, “Every Other Night” is a sort of jam out song with good use of bass and drums, definitely an interesting and fun song with good instrumentals, the way the artist sings is also worth noting, they use the same style of voice as other bands in the genre like “Beach House” or “Tame Impala” A few songs after that comes “Velvet Sky”

which seems to be a slower and deeper song, with a deep and heavy bassline, it seems to be one of the more emotional songs on the album and is darker in tone. “Wrapped Around the Axle” is one of the best songs on the album and one of my personal favorites. It’s got a catchy beat perfect for rocking out to and the chorus is also catchy and just sounds satisfying. “Dark Ages” is also one of the better songs on the album and seems heavily inspired by David Bowie’s music, the artists even seem to try and replicate his vocals in this song, an absolute banger, this is one to listen to for sure. “Sick and Tired” is one of the last songs on the album and is an alright song, in my opinion, nothing special but nothing offensive to the ears, the same can be said for “Gut Feeling” and “Living a Dream.” “Heaven and Hell” is the final song on the

album and is quite interesting, it starts as a sad slow song, which I believe is perfect as it reflects the albums darker tones, but picks up in speed and tone over the course of the piece. It’s dark, it’s sad, it’s kind of catchy and fun, and most importantly it’s unique, which seems to ring true throughout most of Peter Bjorn and John’s newest musical endeavor. I think this is the perfect album to put on if you and some friends are road tripping to a big city late into the night, or even just sitting at home doing some self-care like taking a bath and reading a book. The album sounds like the soundtrack to an underground indie film and is honestly a really good listen.

The 1975 A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships BY SHREYA DODBALLAPUR

sdodballapur.gazette@gmail.com

he 1975 is a pop-rock band from England and they are so easy to love. A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships” has a little something for everyone. From pop listeners to edgy teens, their new album caters to anyone willing to listen. I listened to this album while driving home, and I couldn’t resist dancing along. While the band likes to mix up their sound, The 1975 still manages to maintain their unique style in each one of their fifteen new songs. They kick off the album with a short, self-titled electronic song and follow it up with “Give Yourself a Try,” a popular single they had released earlier this year. “TooTime,” which was released as a single as well, is a personal favorite. I can’t listen to the song without dancing. I feel the same way about “Love It if We

Made It.” This song is paired with a beautiful music video, a passionate voice from lead singer Matty Healy, and a strong beat. Those with a softer ear will love “Sincerity is Scary” and “It’s Not Living (If it’s Not With You).” Both have clever lyrics and more gentle, pretty tone than their other songs. “How to Draw/Petrichor” begins similarly. It transitions from an enchanting instrumental track to a harsher electronic beat layered under a heavily auto tuned voice. This one song illustrates the variety of sounds the 1975 experiments within the album. I have loved The 1975 since middle school and I’ve yet to listen to another band with their type of versatility. I may be biased, but I think the 1975 are deserving of my unconditional love. The first song I heard by them was “Somebody Else,” and I can’t imagine that I’ll ever

find a song to love more. When I first got my driver’s permit, it was the only song I’d play, which would frustrate my dad to no end. He would complain that I’m not a good singer, so I’d just turn the music up. He didn’t like that so much either, but even he eventually caved to the power of The 1975. This band introduced me to another world of music and became the reason I listen to as much music as I do. While I’m not a big fan of their harsher, loud songs, I appreciate their willingness to cater to such a variety of listeners. “A Brief Inquiry about Online Relationships” will not disappoint old fans as well as impress new listeners. No matter who you are or what music you like, this is definitely an album worth checking out.

Polydor Records

A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships was released on November 30, 2018.

Skip to: “Too Time”

Walt Disney Pictures

Rated: PG By Cyrus Mynar cmynar.gazette@gmail.com

Ralph Breaks the Internet : B-

reck It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet is in a word: Passable. It’s a fine film, but ultimately doesn’t live up to the standards set not only by Disney movies in general but by the concepts put forth in the original film. Ralph Breaks the Internet was shaping up to be a fun family movie with laughs and gags for everyone to enjoy, and it was. The problem, however is that it wasn’t anything more than that, the acting was fine, the animation was fine and the jokes were fine, but it really doesn’t do anything new or bold and I guess that’s my real problem with it. In this day and age I would have preferred to see something a bit more stimulating than another popcorn muncher where you turn off your brain for 2 hours and enjoy it. Ultimately this film is good, but that’s it, it’s just good, and I suppose that’s why it’s disappointing. The original Wreck It Ralph was one of my favourite movies of 2012 and was easily one of the best animated movies put out by Disney in a while, the jokes were fresh, the puns were good, the references to video game culture were set up well, but in Ralph Breaks the Internet, we really don’t get that, we get something so incredibly average and harmless instead, it doesn’t challenge anything and it doesn’t really do anything exciting. However one place in particular that Ralph Breaks the internet does shine is its character development. One of the major plot points and themes of the film is the issues with codependency and unhealthy boundaries and relationships, which is a really deep and important topic that isn’t often touched upon in media, let alone children’s media. The only issue is they didn’t touch on it enough, they spend so much time making references to Fortnite and Ebay they really have to squeeze in all of the genuinely emotional parts of the film to the end of it, which kind of feels lackluster. Over all this film is a harmless and fun movie, it will be enjoyed by basically anyone, it won’t go down as a terrible bomb of a film, but it also won’t receive high praise like its predecessor. I give this film a B-, it’s good, but not what it could have been.

December 2018

Toshio Nakatani

he show Death Note was an amazing show from the very beginning. The shows main protagonist, Light Yagami from Japan, is a genius that Ryuk, a death god that is gifted with a supernatural notebook giving him the power to kill anyone by simply writing their name down, also being able to choose exactly how they die. In the show, he utilizes his intellect to create strategies that continue his purge of criminals while also distancing himself from the crime. He is given the name “Kira” closely translated to “killer” in Japanese by those that fear him. The live-action movie adaptation to this beloved anime was already expected to be awful considering the producers took 37 episodes, each around 20 minutes, and crammed it into and hour and 40 minute Netflix Original. The first issue I have with the movie is that they took the mind bending intellect that is showcased throughout the show by both the private detective, L, and Light Yagami—and they threw it out the window by replacing it with an L that seems to be stupid and a version of Light, now Light Turner, that is even dumber than L. This completely ruined the complex cat-mouse game the plot was based upon. It is clear that the writers tried to make the actors sound smart, but the things said were either obvious or only added to the seeming stupidity of each character. There is a scene in the movie in which L confronts Light, but instead of approaching the conversation as a trained detective would, the conversation quickly becomes a screaming match between the two in the middle of a restaurant. There are multiple scenes that actually angered me due to the stupidity showcased by supposedly the smartest people in the movie. In addition, this movie left out so many key aspects of the show that, although could be expected with a movie adaptation of a series and manga, would not even make sense as a stand-alone film. There was no reason to like, or hate, any character more than another. This destroyed the movie, because I went the entire movie thinking that one of the greatest characters in anime was no better than the bully that died in the first 10 minutes of the film. Rated: TV-MA By Kabe Teague kteague.gazette@gmail.com

Death note: D

pop your corn.

Black Label Media

pon seeing the trailer for Sierra Burgess is a Loser it’s clear to watchers that it’s a turn or the age film that incorporates body positivity and inclusivity into a classic teen movie. The movie, which is advertised as a ‘Netflix Original,’ meets the same standards as the movies recently pumped out by Netflix in the previous months before it like To all the boys I’ve loved before, The Kissing Booth, and Nappily Ever After. Each movie providing some sort of diversified component in order to make it more appealing, and modern. Sierra Burgess is a Loser, includes almost all of the stereotypical rom-com components that every other teen movie includes, and adds a slight twist to make it seem unique. In the movie Sierra Burgess, played by Shannon Purser, was set as a frumpy girl, who as made clear by many innuendos, didn’t care about her appearance. One of her co-stars Kristine Froseth who played Veronica, a cookie cutter highschool bully, gave her number to a boy that was interested in Veronica but wasn’t good enough for her. Jamey, (Noah Centineo), texts the number assuming that it was Veronica, but instead of her he begins to receive text messages from Sierra unknowingly. Sierra proceeds to ‘catfish’ Jamey, and eventually goes to Veronica for help in attempt to make her identity remain a secret. After a few ups and downs throughout the movie Sierra is forced to come clean about her true self, in desperate hopes that Jamey will overlook the fact that he has been lied to and realize who he has actually been in love with the whole time. There were a couple things in the movie that were a little odd to say the least. One of which was a huge portion of the plot, was the fact that Sierra was represented as someone with a realistic body type, which I think is amazing and that people of all shapes and sizes should be represented more in Hollywood. The problem I had with this was that in the movie Sierra, was almost villainized because of the route that she took while handling the miscommunication between her and Jamey at the very beginning. Spectators were led on to believe that anyone who doesn’t look like the ‘ideal body type,’ would have to ‘catfish’ a boy in order to get attention from them. Sierra Burgess is a Loser, was honestly a pretty okay movie, but I wish that the directors would have taken the opportunity of having the main character be someone of more realistic standards and done something more with it. Rated: PG-13 By Dylan Rowe drowe.gazette@gmail.com

Sierra Burgess is a loser: B

Page 13

December 2018

Page 14

christmas & chill

Solstice songs kinda go hard.

UNIVERSAL ISLANDS RECORDS

REPUBLIC RECORDS

Gazette co-editors-in-chief review CHRISTMAS

BY SPENCER COVA

scova.gazette@gmail.com

T BY MAX SCHWARTZ

mschwartz.gazette@gmail.com

h Christmas, the time of cheer, family and all around happiness. It is the time of reflecting on all that brings joy into our lives and now Justin Bieber? Of all people, Justin Bieber should be the one to make a Christmas album, I mean come on, the dude thanked not only God but Jesus when he won a Grammy. I mean come on, how else to that your homeboy Jesus than making an album that is titled “Under the Mistletoe.” I’ll be honest, I’m not the savviest person on Justin, his music isn’t really my favorite. But this is Chinny and Wandy, Spencer and I can say whatever we want because let’s be honest, who is actually reading this? Spencer and I work hard on this section! I’ll break the fourth wall one more time, I wanted to do Ariana Grande’s album, but no, it’s always what Spencer wants, little dirt boy Max is hated. I’m sorry, here’s the review. I actually enjoyed the first song,

“Only Thing I Ever Get for Christmas” I was quite surprised. It was a typical Bieber love song, but damn, it gets a homie in the feels. I was playing this song in my car, and I was singing along a bit. No Max snaps out of it, it’s Bieber. My internal voice says. “Mistletoe” comes on next, again, kinda the same formula of all of his songs though. His singing is alright, there’s not much to it. The next song has Usher, that’s right, I said Usher. Justin’s apparent mentor early on in his career after Justin’s manager found him Justin was 13 at three in the morning online. Kinda weird if you ask me. I think that this album pretty much speaks for itself, it is pretty much the same songs over and over and over again. Am I mad at that? No. It is okay. Just read spencer’s review.

he fact that this album exists is a christmas miracle by itself – if december and pop-culture made sweet love and had a baby, it would be called Christmas and Chill by Ariana Grande. If you don’t think Ariana deserves fame after the headlinepacked year this has turned out to be with the engagement (and breakup) of Pete Davidson, the passing of an angel Mac Miller… moment of silence please …. and her recent heartbreak anthem she released ‘Thank You, Next’, then get this: there were only seven days between her decision to record this batch of holly jolly love songs and the EP being finalized. This girl is a grinder and deserves all the money in the world… except the profits she would make off of releasing a single about Mac following his death, she should donate it to an organization that supports rehabilitating addicts … given that, this EP still slaps. Not quite as much as Bieber’s album and that song ‘Drummer Boy’, but it’s still an immediate classic. She completely ditches the traditional sound of christmas music (think ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’) and goes towards her own controversial style of pop (think ‘Bang Bang’). In the EP’s second song, Ari shows us that she doesn’t need a long list of things to spice up christmas time, no mistletoe, fireplace or coco, all she

needs is to find herself her own drummer boy. She is completely supporting the season of giving, and receiving Grande melts the snow with this hot and heavy third track ‘December.’ She really lets the man she’s singing about know that her presence is a present Obviously this EP isn’t perfect, she made it in six days so the sounds get a little annoying eight minutes in… until track five comes is. My only christmas wish this season is that ‘True love’ lasted longer, and until that wish is granted I will destroy the repeat button. The six track collection comes to a sweet end in the last song ‘Winter Things,’ Ariana gives her trademarked whistle tone a break and sings softly over a ukulele. For some reason this song makes me think of all the people out their that flood their instagram feed with seasonal activities they don’t actually enjoy, but looks cute on camera. It’s a song perfect for Ariana’s fanbase. Looking back, I don’t think I could ever listen to this album twice. But that wasn’t the point. Ari didn’t make an EP in a week for it to sound good, she made it to utterly abuse a trend and make more money than in a weekend off of streams than I will my entire life.

December 2018

Page 15

current.

MIXTAPE Saturday Morning Selection

Artist of the Month Danica Galang 1) What inspired you to start art? I saw a bunch of art on the Internet and though, “Oh that’s pretty good, I want to do that,” and here we are now! 2) Do you plan on continuing art as a career? Yes, actually. It’s the only hobby that has actually stuck with me for a while, and it interests me. 3)What is your favorite art medium?

BY SIDNEY ZABELL

szabell.gazette@gmail.com

I like pencil. It’s easy to bring around, and overall very convenient.

1. SAN MARCOS - Brockhampton Brockhampton, the emerging boyband hailing from San Marcos, Texas, recognizes the collective’s roots in this piece from their Iridescence, their newest album released in September 2018. 2. It Was A Good Day - Ice Cube As a core member of N.W.A, Ice Cube performed alongside music icons Dr. Dre and Eazy E. After disbanding and starting his solo career, “It Was A Good Day” became the mellow anthem for an uncommonly peaceful afternoon. 3. Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat) - Digable Planets This bop just doesn’t get old. Released in 1993, “Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)” blends smooth raps with jazzy beats, creating unique four-and-a-half minutes of tunes. 4. Babylon - OutKast ATliens, OutKast’s 2nd album, is a personal favorite of mine for its timeless feel. Babylon is peaceful and steady, making it a great choice for a laid-back weekend morning.

Gazette photo | Bella Khor

5. 1997 WILDFIRE - Brockhampton This pick is an absolute banger, no doubt. Give it one listen and you’ll see. I promise.

Instagram

FOLLOW FRIDAY

Follow @fromtutoyou for updates on Michele Tu’s scrunchie business.

Compiled by Dylan Rowe

Compiled by Bella Khor

FRESHMAN 2022 v s. VS. SENIOR 2019 Whats your favorite restaurant to go to after school? Jacob: Chick-Fil-A. Nick: Jacks Urban Eats because I work there. What’s the best part of the holidays? Jacob: Time off of school. Nick: Hanging out with my family.

Gazette photo | Bella Hamilton

 Jacob Bennis, GBHS freshman.

Gazette photo | Bella Hamilton

 Nick Beardsl, GBHS senior. Compiled by Bella Hamilton

December 2018

Page 16

gift time.

H O L I DAY S TO C K I NG S T U F F E R S BY BELLA HAMILTON

bhamilton.gazette@gmail.com

Ah, Christmas. The time of year where everyone gives and receives gifts. Sometimes, Christmas shopping is harder than anticipated and the quest for the perfect stocking stuffers is sometimes a long, treacherous journey. Here are a few stocking stuffer ideas that will be perfect for this year’s holiday season.

Earbud Case

Charger Cord Holder

This gift is perfect for that one friend that’s always untangling their earbuds at school. The perfect size for any earbuds, this guarantees there will be no tangled earbuds in the bottom of their backpack. Available on Amazon for under $7, this is an essential for anyone that needs a little organization in their lives.

Also known as “cable bites,” these cute animal themed cable protectors keep your chargers from breaking and makes it look like an animal is biting your phone! They are available on Amazon for as low as $5.35, making them a great gift for anyone on your Christmas list.

UrbanOutfitters.com

Amazon.com

Outerspace Phone Case This phone case is an essential for anyone that loves glitter and outer space. With two different color options to choose, this gift is perfect for anyone on your Christmas list. The cases are made for iPhones, ranging from 6 to the iPhone X. These cases are available for $12 on Etsy.

Gift of Nothing Yes, this is exactly what is sounds like. This gag gift is just a packaged ball filled with air. A little pricey at $6 for literally nothing, the price is well worth the reaction of whoever receives this gift. Perfect for anyone who’s been naughty or for a secret santa exchange.

Etsy.com Amazon.com

Music Icons Coloring Book

Gazette illustration | Lindsey Zabell

This isn’t your average coloring book. Filled with iconic R&B stars and rappers ranging from Tyler, the Creator to Childish Gambino. This gift goes ideally with the perfect playlist to color in your favorite celebrities and vibe. For $5 on Amazon, this book is perfect for anyone that loves modern R&B and rap.

Rick and Morty Season 1 on DVD

Amazon.com

Of course, we couldn’t forget the modern day work of art that is Rick and Morty. This is a perfect gift for any of your friends that can’t get enough of this iconic grandfather and grandson duo. The DVD is available at both Dimple Records and Target. The package with original Rick and Morty comics are also available online. On Amazon, this collection features the first five issues of the comic book series, including “THE WUBBA LUBBA DUB DUB of WALL STREET,” “MORT-BALLS!” and more, along with hilarious mini-comics showcasing the whole family. With the price tag at under $10, this is a perfect gift for any nerd or binge-watcher on your gift list.

Amazon.com