The Granite Bay Gazette, Vol. 22, Issue 7 (April 2019)

Team prepares for success Student bands on campus B1 C1 Teens are beginning to form unique groupsG6-7 Varsity lacrosse team dominates league Students take part in many different traditions

Spring sparks religion We’re 0nline at: GraniteBayToday.Org Follow Us: @GraniteBayToday

Granite Bay Gazette

GRANITE BAY HIGH SCHOOL w 1 GRIZZLY WAY w GRANITE BAY, CA w 95746 w VOLUME 22 w ISSUE 7 w FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2019

COMMENTARY

abbie gould agould2.gazette@gmail.com

The school you attend doesn’t define your future

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have spent the majority of my senior year being asked where am I going to college.

When I say I will be attending Dominican University, I get similar responses like “where is that?” or “is that a private school?”

Quite frankly, few people have heard of Dominican – where I plan on spending my next four years.

But that’s perfectly fine with me; I chose to attend Dominican University (which, by the way, is in northern California) for the opportunities it gave me academically, and because it also gave me the ability to keep playing the sport I love.

I did not choose it because of its name or prestige.

Thus, as I watch my fellow classmates hear back from the schools they applied to, I want them to know that it’s not about the school where you are headed.

It’s really about the work you put in there.

It’s also all about the experiences you make out of the opportunities you have.

In fact, a teacher on this campus articulated an apt analogy when it comes to college decisions.

He asked me “What happens when there is a rock in the middle of a stream?” The answer? “The water ultimately ends up going around it.”

I think It’s also all this is a perfect about the reflection experiences of the you make college admis- out of the sions opportunities process, because you have. this rock in the middle of the stream erodes, turning into pebbles. They endure the water, the wind, everything that comes their way, and yet you still overcome and sit, sift through it all, going on through life and feeling the cool water go by.

If you get declined from one of your top schools, choose another university to attend, but give it your all while you are there.

I think this sentiment is best exemplified by Steven Spielberg, one of the greatest directors of all time.

Growing up, Spielberg’s dream was to go to the University of Southern California, but when he applied he was denied.

However, instead of letting it get to him, Spielberg ended up attending Long Beach State and ultimately received an unpaid internship at Universal Studios.

Spielberg then made the most of his opportunities, impressing the vice president of Universal Studios and, after a while, directing some of the highest-grossing movies of all time. He even reached the pinnacle of the entertainment industry, winning the Academy Award for Best Director. Twice.

It is not about the name of the school, or if it was your first or last choice – the school does not define you.

Instead, it is what you decide to take from that school helps determine who and what you’ll be.

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*** Abbie Gould, a senior, is a Gazette co-editor-in-chief.

Gazette photo illustration | Abbie Gould and Sidney Zabell

Rick Singer was indicted as the ringleader of a $25 million bribery and racketeering scheme in order to fraudulently help his clients get into their top colleges.

Local families affected by college scandal Previous students used Rick Singer as a college counselor

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BY ABBIE GOULD and SPENCER COVA agould2.gazette@gmail.com

t turns out that the national college admissions scandal that has rocked the country has some specific connections to former Granite Bay High students and their families.

William “Rick” Singer was indicted in March in a $25 million scheme involving college-admission test fraud and bribes solicited from families and paid out to college sports coaches and other university officials.

The goal was to get otherwise unqualified students into elite universities including Stanford, Yale, UCLA and others.

Singer owned The Key, a college counseling business that had its roots in Granite Bay, where Singer got his start in the private college counseling business. Singer helped many local families with the college admissions process.

Sydney Larson, who attended Rio Americano High her freshman and sophomore and then transferred to GBHS to finish her high school career, graduated in 2015. She was a talented swimmer with promising potential

Former GBHS counselor worked for scheme’s indicted ringleader Until 2013, Hewitt was a senior coach for Singer’s company

BY SPENCER COVA

scova.gazette@gmail.com

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ntil the day after the March 12 indictment of Rick Singer – the ringleader of a $25 million bribery and racketeering scheme that has been described as perhaps the biggest college admissions scandal in U.S. history – current Antelope High and former

to compete at the Division 1 level – but she had less-than-stellar college entrance test scores.

It turned out her father knew Singer.

“We were members at the same gym, Arden Hills Resort Club & Spa – Rick and I would work out together, and it started ca-

Registration dates change for AP and IB tests for ’19-20 Students now have to pay in the fall

BY SYDNEY HERRENSCHMIDT

sherrenschmidt.gazette@gmail.com

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dvanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exam registration usually consists of waiting in long lines for hours sometime during the spring term to turn in checks written for significant amount of money, payable to Granite Bay High.

Next year, the process changes when registration moves to the fall

Granite Bay High counselor Brian Hewitt was listed as a “senior coach” with the college consulting firm The Key, the firm operated by Singer.

The Gazette obtained a screenshot of a page on TheKeyWorldWide.com website that listed Hewitt as a “senior coach” and included a brief autobiographical statement.

– and it remains to be seen what the effects will be.

“We are moving up the registration date deadline (for IB exams) to Oct. 1. Nov. 1 is the late deadline with increased fees,” said Bernadette Cranmer, the IB coordinator.

By moving AP and IB exam registration dates, the administration says it hopes the benefits will outweigh the costs.

“We had an increase in scholarship and fee waiver applications, and we have to have time to process those,” Cranmer said.

The earlier date will allow more scholarships to be given out and

“One of the things I like most about coaching for The Key is that I get to know my students on (a) deep level,” Hewitt said on the website. “I get to know their passions and the schools they want to attend, and I can help them find the right fit college for their life goals and aspirations.”

Early on March 13, most of

sually as we were both business owners and it grew into a friendship,” said Dan Larson, the father of both Sydney and current GBHS senior Jax Larson.

“My daughter had anxiety for testing all the way through high school,” Larson said.

After family discussions and input from

Ryan Cochran Junior Ryan Cochran plans to take multiple IB tests even with the new registration date in the fall. allow more time for students to consider scholarships.

“All students and parents have to sign an IB Contract and Honor Code by this April so that they will have seven months’ notice regarding the fee deadline,” Cranmer said.

Moving up the date for registration shouldn’t lead to fewer people enrolling in the classes.

Ryan Cochran, a junior, is enrolled in IB classes.

“I think that moving the dates earlier in the year will make it harder for people to decide whether or not they want to take the IB exam because it’s so early in the See TESTING, page A5

collegeprepcoaches.com

the content on TheKeyWorldWide.com – including Hewitt’s statement – was taken down.

However, the website’s content See HEWITT, page A7

Sydney’s club swimming coaches, Larson decided private tutoring would be most beneficial for his daughter.

“The (club) coach said, ‘You should talk to Rick – he’s really good at what he does,’” See SINGER, page A6

Class of 2019 begins to make final choices Students deciding where they are going to attend college

BY ELLIOTT HYMAN

ehyman.gazette@gmail.com

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fter four years of high school and thousands of hours of work, the Granite Bay High senior class is finally ready to step out into the world metamorphosed and prepared for the next challenge.

No wonder many of its members feel nonplussed and disappointed with this year’s admissions results that appear to have continued last year’s trend of relatively low University of California acceptance rates.

Brad Davito is a senior who is deciding between attending San

inside this section news Sophomores now required to take physics

Administration talks about schedule change

New rule establishes a mandatory science class sophomore year.

The school schedule may eliminate the collaboration time next year.

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Brian Hewitt Antelope High counselor was a college coach for Singer.

For more coverage including a video and images of Rick Singer’s website, see GraniteBayToday.org

Diego State University and the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State.

“The college acceptance process has been really stressful,” Davito said. “I applied to a ton of schools and got rejected from a lot of them, but I think the part of this experience that is more stressful than not getting into schools is deciding which of the schools that I’ve been accepted to is the best fit.”

Davito is among other students in the upper academic echelon slighted by UC admissions offices despite having strong academic records and extracurriculars.

Darin Gharib, a senior deciding between UC Irvine and UC Santa Cruz, is attuned to the enigmatic UC admission results.

“I think there is a hidden bias See COLLEGE, page A4

voices Social media can be addicting Technology prevents teens from living in the moment.

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Granite Bay Gazette

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NAMES IN THE NEWS

elliott hyman ehyman.gazette@gmail.com

College admissions scandal got its start in our backyard

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n the past few weeks, the largest college admissions scandal in U.S. history has explosively unfolded on the national stage. Families with too much money all across the nation millions of dollars into getting their children admitted into top colleges for the sake of bragging rights among their rich friends.

The fraudulent conspirators would pay as much as $500,000 in order to get into top schools – often through bribes paid to coaches to say applicants were committed athletes when they weren’t, or to receive help cheating on the SAT/ACT. The scheme’s ringleader – Rick Singer – got his start in our very community. It just makes you wonder … how many former GBHS seniors got a little too much help with their admissions results from Mr. Singer? *** Speaking of college admissions, for the most part the senior class has received their acceptances, waitlists and – unfortunately – denials. Some GBHS students have been left disappointed, feeling their admissions results don’t match their high school success.

For the second year in a row, it appears University of California campuses have taken fewer GBHS students than in the past.

Causes for this trend are unknown, but one possible issue is the school’s poor performance on the CAASPP test a few years ago.

With the decline in success in UC admissions, there’s some solace in the fact that Cal Poly San Luis Obispo still appears to be the Granite Bay of the South. *** Henri Bonnefoy, a sophomore living in France this year who attended GBHS last year, was honored with a French National Award and featured in the French press for saving the life of a woman drowning in freezing water. His action was incredibly selfless and makes me proud to have him returning to GBHS next year. *** The seniors beat the juniors this year in the annual Powder Puff game by a score of 23-13. Great job girls – senior power! *** Come out to the Granite Bay Chevrolet on May 2, put on by Empowering Entrepreneurs, to participate in a mock car-buying simulation. They probably won’t even check your credit. *** Give a warm welcome to Christina Shannon – who has been filling in recently at the front desk – for becoming the newest addition to the GBHS clerical staff. *** 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

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NGSS Physics now a required class

Gazette photo | Bella Khor

Junior Ivy Fralix launches a ball of flame during a lab in Stephen Miller’s fourth period CP Physics class, students must be prepared for activities like this in NGSS Physics.

Course change is part of larger effort to bring earth science into broader science curriculum

BY BELLA KHOR

T

bkhor.gazette@gmail.com

he typical order for Granite Bay High students to take their science courses would be biology, then chemistry and then physics.

Next year, GBHS students will be taking physics before chemistry. NGSS Physics is replacing chemistry for the required sophomore science class.

“Taking physics is going to be a requirement, so (a student) could

either take NGSS Physics or AP (physics) I,” Phillips said.

Current sophomores who have yet to take physics appear to like the new course placement.

“I think physics is really useful in life because almost every other class (I’ve had) references it,” sophomore Ashley Gleason said. “I think it’s a much better use of (the incoming sophomores’) time.”

Teachers are also excited for this new course.

“I love teaching physics because it’s a very interactive subject, and I think that the course that is being designed is going to reflect that,” current AP Physics C and NGSS Biology teacher Andrew Phillips said.

A major part of this updated physics course is the different teaching method.

The new class will be more project-based and “intended to be more like constructing opportunities for students to learn through

New policy would ban AP/IB grade bumps

interacting with science through analyzing data,” Phillips said.

This difference aligns with a changing job market that demands more creative problem solving and less simple following of directions.

“Career fields now are now more progressive,” Phillips said. “You don’t know the answer when you start – your job is to figure out the answer.”

This new style of teaching is intended to help students execute skills that are necessary in science and other areas of life, rather than instilling only niche information in the minds of students. “ ‘The mitochondria is the pow-

erhouse of the cell’ is of very little use to anybody except meme creators or career biologists,” Phillips said.

CP Physics and AP Physics C teacher Steve Miller said the curriculum of the class will also be altered.

“We’re still doing what we can to cover the major areas of physics,” Miller said. “What’s going to be different about it is the fact that we’re integrating some earth science components in it.”

According to Miller, earth science principles will be integrated in NGSS Physics, NGSS Biology See PHYSICS, page A4

Teachers would no longer be able to raise students’ grades for good exam performance

BY KAVANA GONUR

kgonur.gazette@gmail.com

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tudents struggling to get a desired grade in AP or IB courses have long been able to find solace in the promise of a higher grade if they received a highenough score on their eventual test.

However, Granite Bay High administrators are considering putting an end to this teacher-implemented policy starting next year.

In the mathematics department, AP Calculus and IB Mathematics teacher Scott Becker gives out grade changes based on the grade students have in the class and the score they receive on the test.

“For the AP test, if you score a 5, (I) take one of your quarter grades and you can move a B to an A, or if you had a C you get a B,” Becker said. “If you score a four on the test, then you can’t go from a B to an A.” When students receive their grade on the

College Board or IBO portal, they can then submit a grade change request to Becker.

However, under the new grade change policy, this would no longer be possible.

In Becker’s case, regardless of the grade received on an AP Calculus or IB Mathematics exam, a student’s corresponding quarter grade can’t be changed.

Becker said he disagrees with the new proposal.

“For our AP and IB tests, one of the main focuses in the course is to prepare students for that exam,” Becker said. “That’s sort of the culminating demonstration of what they’ve learned. If a kid is struggling at the beginning of the class, but they’re able to then demonstrate at the end that they’ve learned all the things that they’re supposed to learn, I don’t personally have a problem going back and giving them a bump on one of those grades.”

While Becker is not in favor of the policy change, AP European History teacher Michael Valentine feels differently. He said

Gazette photo | Elliott Hyman

Some students have complained that the policy de-incentivizes test performance. the new proposal will encourage equity between different teachers instructing the same subject.

For example, if a teacher refuses to change a grade based on a particular score on an AP or IB test, Valentine said the student might ask, “Yeah, but that teacher does it and you don’t. Why don’t you round up?”

“I don’t (change grades), but they do it, you know? But that’s them,” Valentine said.

“You see, it gets rid of (differences in grad-

ing.)”

One of the reasons Valentine doesn’t award grade changes is the large pass rate of his class and the immense amount of work it would entail.

“Last year, I had a 70 percent pass rate,” Valentine said. “Imagine trying to fix those 70 percent of my students grades. How (will) that work?”

See GRADES, page A5

‘Grizz Time’ could be on way out for 2019-20 school year Popular intervention period’s demise is being considered

BY MICHELA SMITH

msmith.gazette@gmail.com

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rizz Time’ has been subject to debate since its relatively recent implementation at Granite Bay High School.

The 28-minute intervention period was put in place to give time for students to seek help from teachers and catch up on their studies. Since its inception at the start of the 2017-2018 school year, there has been a wide range of opinions regarding its purpose and effectiveness.

However, it seems that Grizz Time might no longer have a place at GBHS. With potential changes on the horizon, the priority period

may be eliminated.

According to assistant principal Jennifer Buschmann, Grizz Time changes are being considered, but nothing is definitive yet. Also, any possible changes would not take effect until next year.

“Decisions will be made before the end of the school year,” Buschmann said.

Buschmann noted the importance of student and teacher input in deciding the future of Grizz Time.

“Staff, administration and teachers mostly (make decisions about Grizz Time), but we have been taking in feedback from our parents and student survey,” Buschmann said. “Student input is

very valuable.”

The faculty does, in fact, have its own opinions on the possible changes to Grizz Time.

Lisa Goldsmith, who teaches Advanced Placement biology and physiology, said the intervention period is valuable to students.

“I think Grizz Time is an equitable time for students to meet with their teachers, ask questions, get extra help, get a little review in, relax and socialize,” Goldsmith said. “I like having a dedicated time for each period because many students have various commitments after school, and I don’t like taking their lunch time away from them. I have found that I have become closer and more con-

nected to many students who are consistently in my room for Grizz Time.”

For Goldsmith, the priority period is really what students make of it.

“There are many factors that lead to successful Grizz Times, and I think most of that comes from the teacher,” Goldsmith said.

“It’s frustrating when (the teacher) cares more about (the student’s) learning than they seem to. I’m not sure if changing the schedule will change that.”

Goldsmith said she sees Grizz Time in need of repurposing, not cancellation.

“I also believe Grizz Time has a negative light shined on it because, if a student is asked to come in during Grizz Time, there is the

assumption that the student is failing the course,” Goldsmith said. “I think Grizz Time needs a rebranding, not necessarily a change in its schedule.”

Many students said Grizz Time has been an invaluable asset.

“It’s effective in its own ways, whether people use it to take a break or catch up on homework, and it should be kept,” junior Avani Singh said.

Singh said there are many useful aspects of intervention.

“I use Grizz Time to take a mini mental break in order to rest my mind,” Singh said. “It also allows me to get homework done that I may not have time to do later.”

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Rumored change for collaboration day debunked

Principal says there are reasons to support change, but no decision has been made possible benefit of a change. “The teachers would have to vote on a change for the bell schedule,” Leighton said. “If we changed our collaboration time to Monday afternoons, like the rest of the district, it would give us the opportunity to meet with teachers at other sites.”

A significant alteration to the current schedule comes with a variety of opinions.

Junior Savanna Cuthbert expressed her dissenting opinion towards a change in collab days. “I like [collaboration days] on Wednesdays morning because I get to sleep in,” Cuthbert said.

According to Cuthbert, a dedicated student, cheerleader and stunt team member, it provides a much needed break in her busy week.

“I get to sleep in and [collaboration days] make it easier to get through the week” Cuthbert said.

Advanced Placement statistics teacher Bruce Honberger noticed that GBHS has always had a schedule which has differed from other schools.“We have always been on a different schedule from the others schools from the twenty years we’ve been doing it. “Honberger said.

Furthermore, Honberger displayed his preference for keeping the collaboration schedule as is.

“I do not think [the change in schedule] should happen,” Honberger said. “I think there are great valuable reasons why we do it on Monday mornings.”

BY MICHELA SMITH

msmith.gazette@gmail.com

Collaboration days are one of the perks that tired students look forward to as a reprieve in the school week. The extra hour of sleep provides comfort and rest or the chance for students to wake up early and be productive.

There has been rumors regarding changing the schedule and moving the collab day to after school on Mondays instead of the hour before school on Wednesdays.

All other schools in Roseville Joint Union High School District have an early release on mondays, changing our schedule would allow Granite Bay High School to align with those schools.

Currently, collaboration days are put in place to allow teachers to have designated weekly meetings.

Additionally, since Mondays are the most common vacation day in the schedule, our current designated collaboration time allows for more instruction time, which is valuable for courses that are packed with material.

Principal Jennifer Leighton debunked these rumors regarding the change to collaboration days. “Changes are always possible, but none have been discussed in regards to Collaboration time that I’m aware of,” Leighton said.

Leighton also explained that it would ultimately be the decision of the staff to change the schedule and commented on a

Gazette illustration /ABBIE GOULD

While there might be reasons for changing collaboration day, no decision has yet been made.

COLLEGE: Students talk about next steps NGSS: Required class ted to UCLA – is choosing to attend Oregon State instead.

“I chose Oregon State over other schools includevery year undisclosed but easily observed by people, that can lead to clues of favoring certain ing UCLA to play football,” Hayes said. “I chose clusters of people every year over others,” Ghar- Oregon State because it offers me a good balance.”

For Hayes, other factors held more value than ib said. “Some overly qualified kids were turned name brand or prestige. down in favor of kids drastically less qualified.”

“The engineering program at Oregon State is Gharib acknowledges the difficulties of creating really good, but it is not a reasonable admissions process so hard that I will be in with applicant counts rising above over my head while play100,000 at some universities, but he said there are steps the schools My experience shows ing football as well,” Hayes “I believe that footcould take to create a more fair, you can achieve your said. ball and the engineering equitable process. goals with hard work program will offer me so “The colleges obviously can’t inmany great opportunities terview and understand the true and perseverance. that I won’t be able to get at motivations behind every appliother schools.” cant, but they could have a more Adding another layer thorough and in-depth vetting – Ruben De La Torre, of complexity to the proprocess to make certain that kids cess for incoming college who have reputations for cheatsenior freshmen is the dreaded ing, or kids who lie for the spot, waitlist. If waitlisted, stuare turned down and exposed,” dents won’t be notified of Gharib said. their eventual acceptance For some students, the UC aduntil after they’ve already missions gamble paid dividends. accepted a spot in another “Ever since I was little, I’ve aluniversity’s freshman class, ways dreamed about going to UCLA, but as I got older I began to realize how leading to an extremely difficult decision.

Daniel Greene is in a predicament deciding bedifficult it is to be admitted,” senior Rueben De La Torre said. “Fast forward to March 22 – all I tween the University of Texas at Austin and UC could think about was my admission status. The Santa Barbara, but he has the added pressure of moment I saw ‘Congratulations’ on the screen I being on the waitlists at both UC Berkeley and freaked out. I got into UCLA engineering school.” UCLA. “Waiting to hear back from a waitlist is defiWhile UCLA is the gold standard for many GBHS seniors, Everett Hayes – who was admit- nitely a stressful process considering a lot of your Continued from page A1

“

”

Don’t get clubbed.

Read The Gazette.

friends are making their decisions and putting in their answers,” Greene said. “With that being said, it’s still very exciting to have some good options and to look into it more – figure out what my future holds.”

Greene sees a difficult system that can appear at times to not be in the favor of GBHS seniors.

“There are a lot of factors that go into an admissions decision – I think it would be ignorant to try and narrow down a result to any one thing,” Greene said. “Our poor CAASPP scores (two years ago) were not good, but that’s not the only reason we fared poorly. As a society, we are getting more hypercompetitive, it makes it very difficult to get into those ‘top schools.’”

Greene also cites the power of money in the process.

“I would say one thing that is true is UCs are accepting more out-of-state and international students because they pay higher tuitions than us in-state applicants,” Greene said.

With the apparent mediocre GBHS success rate during this year’s admissions season, plus the recent college admissions scandal wracking the country, it is easy to become disillusioned with secondary education as a whole.

De La Torre stressed, however, the importance of maintaining an optimistic mindset.

“My experience shows that you can achieve your goals with hard work and perseverance,” De La Torre said. “To future seniors, I’d recommend not to dwell too much on the previous year’s admissions results but rather what you can do to make yourself the best applicant that you can be.”

for all underclassmen

Continued from page A2 and eventually NGSS Chemistry in a “district-wide initiative.”

“Earth science is really valuable and important,” Phillips said. “It often gets overlooks as sort of an intro class for people who aren’t really ready for bio. That’s not really fair to students and not necessarily fair to earth science as a field.”

In the long-run, earth science is intended to be seamlessly incorporated into each stage of a student’s high school science education.

“The idea is that we incorporate earth sciences into all of our other classes where applicable,” Phillips said. “We’ll link solar, earth and space sciences with motion and gravitational forces in physics.”

However, both Phillips and Miller mentioned that the semantics of the course are not set in stone.

“There’s a few more projects that we’re doing and we’re trying to coordinate things across the district.” Miller said.

Class sizes are also expected to be larger, as this class will also be available for students in other grade levels to take.

Also, because of the pending retirement of biology and physiology teacher Chet Dickson, the school will be gaining a new staff member.

Though as with any new class, there is also concern.

“The math is one of the things that people are most concerned about for having sophomores take physics,” Phillips said.

He isn’t concerned about the math component, however, and said that he’s seen sophomores be successful in physics classes.

In addition, the new NGSS Physics class will be less mathematically rigorous than the previously offered CP Physics course.

“I’m really excited about it,” Phillips said. “I think it’s going to be a challenge because adding in the earth science makes it a much more robust course. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

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Bullying hotline is an available resource for students Link on GBHS website allows for anonymous reports

BY ASHLEY LUCIA

alucia.gazette@gmail.com

The Granite Bay High School website has a valuable resource that many students are unaware of.

An anonymous bullying reporting system offers students the opportunity to speak up without fear of retaliation.

Assistant principal Brian McNulty said the reports are a valuable tool to ensure student safety.

“I get a notification via email,” McNulty said. “It defaults to anonymous. If people want to put their names in, then they have to take the next step.”

Once a form is completed, administration immediately is alerted, without any knowledge of the identity of the student who submitted the report. Steps are taken following the notification in order to investigate and ensure the safety of all students.

The reporting system can be found on the GBHS website and is available to students 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, more recently, there have been changes to the protocol regarding the notifications.

“I haven’t gotten a call in the middle of the night since December because we said, ‘Hey, if it’s after hours, they can call the cops,’ or I can look at it when I come on duty,” McNulty said.

The form allows witnesses to fill in who was involved along with the location and date of the incident. An optional information section allows students to choose to identify themselves and include a photo for evidence of the situation.

Many students said they believe this is a valuable resource for the GBHS cam-

pus. Junior Grace Putman said the system points students in the right direction.

“There are so many people who don’t know who to turn to if they are being bullied,” Putman said.

Senior Bethany Brooding also sees the value in offering students the opportunity to speak up without fear of backlash.

“Taking care of yourself and your reputation is important here, so I do think that having the anonymous element makes it a lot safer and more credible for students,” she said.

In addition to an informational and optional section, the form’s primary question asks the student whether or not it is an emergency. This enables administration to act quickly and switch gears on the “Catapult System” if the reporter identifies the situation as an emergency. “(The report) would be vetted out to the police or after-hours officials,” McNulty said. “Some of the time, this can be an emergency situation.”

In addition to bullying reports, many students have also utilized the form to report other instances of misbehavior on campus.

“If there’s a reasonable suspicion, following the report, we can search you,” McNulty said. “We can search everything within 1,000 feet of the campus.”

All reports are taken seriously regardless of whether or not they are bullying reports, and students can still be held responsible.

“I want everybody to know these things because ignorance of the law is no excuse – learn the laws and act accordingly,” McNulty said. “For the safety of the school, (when) it’s reported, we follow

GRADES: Post-AP test grade changes discontinued in a push for fairer treatment of students

Continued from page A2 It isn’t the only problem he faces, however.

Valentine said he would have to round up grades on a case-by-case basis.

“Okay, so you got a 3, and you had an 85 percent,” Valentine said. “But a 3 is like, a C, right? So does that mean you get to round up? What’s the difference between that and someone who got a 5? Does that mean a whole grade? That’s just a can of worms I don’t want to open up. (It would mean) I’m never done (with grades).”

Makaela Levine, a senior, is in favor of grade changes from AP/IB tests.

“The grade changes are definitely useful because they motivated me to get a 4 instead of a 3 or a 5 instead of a 4 on an AP test, which is essential for teaching strong work ethic and helped me learn,” Levine said. “It incentivized such a stressful time for me.”

Levine is against the new grade-change ban, even as a graduating senior. She also agrees with Becker that the point of an AP/ IB class is to prepare students for the re-

up.”

Students have begun to see another use for the form following the recent shift in focus on school culture.

“I do think that could be a good resource for people, especially now that the teachers watched the video and our school culture is becoming more of an issue,” Brooding said.

Putman also said that now is the right time to utilize the system as she believes that culturally offensive racial slurs are a form of bullying.

However, McNulty said that before students fill out any report, they need to consider the legitimacy of the circumstances.

“A couple questions I would ask for people to ask themselves before they were to report are (if) they see it as bullying, (if) are they being harassed or (if) they feel unsafe,” McNulty said. “Then the answer is probably yes (they should file a report).”

The anonymous bullying system offers a valuable resource for those unsure of where to turn. However, some critics said there has been a lack of communication regarding what the program does.

“I wasn’t aware of this until my junior year,” Brooding said. “I think that the school does a disservice by mentioning something one time or making a very off-handed comment and not reinforcing it. I think the majority of students (don’t) know that it’s available to them.”

At the end of the day, McNulty said the Catapult system deserves recognition for the security it provides, in addition to the anonymous bullying reporting system.

“I think it’s stellar because all of the

adults on this campus can be communicated with,” he said. “We have information that can go out instantaneously. This keeps us current with what’s going on across our

country, across our world, and trying to give us a leg up against somebody trying to harm us.”

TESTING: Deadline for AP test registration to be pushed earlier for upcoming 2019-20 school year Continued from page A1

spective test.

“This is the first I’m hearing of this, and it’s big dumb,” Levine said. “If you don’t do well in the short-term, but you clearly indicate in the long-term that you know your stuff and know what you’re doing on an incredibly difficult test, then your grade should reflect that.”

On the other hand, Faraaz Godil, a junior, can understand the administration’s rationale.

“I can somewhat see how this decision is justified, as (an) AP score doesn’t reflect class performance always,” Godil said.

“They are two separate numbers that indicate two separate things” That being said, however, he said there is no need for students to be unable to benefit from grade changes.

“Personally, I think that if you excelled on the test, your grade in the class should be changed,” Godil said. “However, this should also be based upon the teacher’s discretion on your work ethic.

“If you were slacking in the class just to get a good score on the AP test, that decision should be up to the teacher.”

Gazette photo | Abbie Gould

The Catapult EMS online system allows anyone to anonymously report bullying to GBHS administration. Reports automatically notify administration to follow up.

year, so they won’t know if they can score well on the test or not,” Cochran said.

Many students prefer to wait and see how the class goes and if they think they can perform well on the exam before making their final decision about testing.

“The change won’t affect how many IB classes or exams I will sign up for because I’m in the diploma program and I have to take those classes and score on the exams to help me get college credit,” Cochran said.

Many students want to obtain college credit to help them save money in college. By taking the AP/IB test, students will hopefully get out of future college classes.

Because of a change in policy by the

College Board, AP exam registration dates will also change, .

“Fall courses will now have the registration deadline of Nov. 14,” said Jill McKinney, the AP coordinator. “Spring courses will still adhere to the March deadline as in previous years.”

Usually, the registration date for both semesters is in March.

The College Board piloted fall exam registration in 2017-18 with 40,000 students – and among those students, scores of 3 or higher increased across multiple groups.

“Moving the time of registration made a difference across the board,” McKinney said, “but it had the strongest effect for students who are traditionally underrepresented in AP.”

School officials hope the change at Granite Bay High will also boost scores.

Hunter Hsu, a junior enrolled in multiple AP classes, said there are benefits to an earlier registration date.

“I think it would be nice because students can register and not have to worry later in the year,” Hsu said.

But there are also some challenges for students.

“It can affect students who don’t know which tests they are going to take if they still have not decided yet,” Hsu said.

Many people complain about signing up for AP exams because of the long lines.

“I think it would be beneficial because many students procrastinate paying and registering so it would be earlier and easier,” Hsu said.

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w The Granite Bay Gazette

Nationwide assesment given to seniors at random Nearly 70 GBHS students were selected to take national exam

BY SYDNEY HERRENSCHMIDT sherrenschmidt.gazette@gmail.com

This spring, many students were rewarded with a Jamba Juice smoothie for taking a certain test.

“NAEP is the National Assessment of Educational Progress,” assistant principal Jessup McGregor said. “It’s a Congressionally mandated project and is used to provide comparable achievement data across states. Achievement testing varies from state to state, so the idea is to have a single measure to understand how students are performing across the country.”

The only grade level that participated in this exam were seniors.

The National Center for Educational Statistics uses a random selection pro-

cess to determine which students from which schools will participate,” McGregor said.

Many students were confused on why they were chosen or how they were chose, but it was just a random selection process.

“Sixty four students took the test, and they were all seniors,” McGregor said.

Samir Kazim is a senior who had the opportunity to take the exam.

“It felt like every other standardized test,” Kazim said. “It was separated into three different subtests consisting of English, math and science.”

After taking the exam, Kazim said he was a little surprised by how easy it was.

“I was a little disappointed to see that this was the standard that our nation’s students are held up to,” Kazim said.

Because the only thing that determines the nation’s knowledge was this exam’s outcome, Kazim said he doesn’t think it offers a full picture.

“Standardized tests do not measure one’s ability to cope with and overcome dynamic circumstances present in college and the workforce,” Kazim said. “They confine an individual to a number to measure their academic capability, yet neglect their tenacity, work ethic or adaptability.”

Kazim said he believes there are many other methods to evaluate a student vs. a simple NAEP assessment.

Tanvi Yadlapalli, a senior, also experienced taking the NAEP test.

“Some questions were easy, others were confusing, but overall the test was fine,” Yadlapalli said.

Yadlapalli had a good experience with the test.

“I was kept engaged since the test was on a touch-screen computer and the test was designed for you to use components the touchscreen had to offer,” Yadlapalli said.

Because the test was three different parts, all the participants had a range on what test they took.

“It seemed like the people who excelled in English took the reading test, those who did well in science took the science test and for the students like me who do well in math, we took the math test,” Yadlapalli said. “Yet that could have been a coincidence.”

Emma Thompson said she felt prepared to take the NAEP test.

“I don’t think it was hard, I got the English one, so compared to the English

Sameer Kazim Senior was one of the 64 students at Granite Bay High chosen to take the NAEP test.

section on the SAT I thought it was easier,” Thompson said.

Like Thompson, many students said they thought the NAEP assessment was bearable and was easier than the SAT overall.

“It was a standardized test like the SAT, but it was way shorter,” Thompson said.

“It wasn’t that hard, and there were only two sections, so it wasn’t long.”

SINGER: Granite Bay High alumni affected by nationwide college scandal allegations Continued from page A1 Larson said.

During Sydney’s sophomore year in 2012, Larson scheduled a oneon-one meeting in which Singer described the services he would provide to the family.

Singer explained his unconventional form of payment.

“He said, ‘Here’s how it works … it’s a tutoring company, you make a donation to the nonprofit, and that enables the tutoring to happen,’ ” Larson said.

Charity was conduit for bribes FFFThe nonprofit was Singer’s charitable organization, The Key Worldwide Foundation. It was used, according the the indictment filed against Singer last month in federal court in Boston, as a conduit to collect bribes that Singer used as means of accessing what he told clients was a sure-thing admissions “side door” into elite universities.

The money was then paid to college sports coaches, who had slots available for student athletes at their schools. In some cases, Singer arranged for the compilation of fake athlete profiles that included the Photoshopping of client’s heads on the bodies of actual student athletes.

Affluent families would “donate” large sums of money – in perhaps the best-known case, actor Lori Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, paid $500,000 to get their daughters into the University of Southern California – and because the payments went to a charitable foundation, the families also got a break on their taxes.

Larson said Singer told him he would need to make a donation to the Key Worldwide Foundation to pay for Singer’s tutoring support.

The price for entrance-exam preparation?

“We ask for a minimum of typically 15 grand,” Singer told Larson. $15,000.

For tutoring.

Students took untimed tests The typical price for an SAT tutor ranges from $45 to $100 dollars an hour, according to the website

tutor.com – assuming Singer was charging a mid-range price of $70 “There was too much unsaid” an hour, Sydney Larson would Larson remained skeptical about have been the beneficiary of 214 hiring Singer and eventually rehours of exam-prep tutoring. fused to participate. He was conSinger then offered Larson an vinced he made the right decision explanation as to why his services when Singer essentially made a dewere so pricey – he would set Syd- mand for even more money. ney up with a physician who could “He said something else, the part give her a diagnosis for testing that always stuck anxiety, and that with me – he said, would give her an ‘If your daughter opportunity to take needs more attenan untimed SAT We didn’t use him. tion, we would test.

I was not looking expect a bigger “He said the donation,’ “Larfor an insider doctor gives her son said. a physical examadvantage.

What extra atination and comes – Dan Larson, who tention Singer back with an anxwas referring to at was asked to pay iety issue,” Larson the time was unsaid. “Then you $15,000 to Rick clear to Larson. can request an unSinger for tutoring “We didn’t ever timed SAT.” for his daughter. use him,” Larson Larson’s daughsaid. “I was not ter wasn’t the only looking for an instudent offered a personalized SAT sider advantage, I experience. According to media re- was looking for help for my daughports, Singer would often counsel ter’s testing issues. It seemed like parents to get a letter of recommen- there was too much unsaid, and dation from a medical expert that too much (left) undefined and with would allow the student to have loose ends. It didn’t resonate for unlimited time for the test. Singer me as something we wanted to do.” would then arrange for the student Sydney Larson attended the to take the test alone with one of University of Houston, where she two proctors he’d bribed who swam for two years before having would either take the test for them to leave due to medical issues – all or change the answers after the stu- without any help from Singer. dent had finished the exam.

According to media reports and On some occasions the answers the indictment, Singer moved to would be changed without the stuNewport Beach in 2011 – but he dent’s knowledge. still spent time in the SacramenIn Larson’s case, Singer didn’t give lots of details about how to area, and he worked with some students through at least the fall of things would work.

“I asked him questions about that 2015.

“

”

– it seemed like he wasn’t all that interested in answering specific questions about tutoring,” Larson said. “He would just say, ‘Go to the website and take a look.’ ” Larson said Singer was professional, casual and matter-of-fact in his initial sales pitch.

“I didn’t question that that sounded shady or not correct, I just thought that’s what’s available for people diagnosed (by these physicians),” Larson said. “It sounded legitimate at the time – what didn’t sound legitimate was the whole non-profit thing.”

Larson said that, just days before the indictment, he saw Singer working out at Arden Hills.

“I was walking through the gym and walked by him sitting on a recumbent bike,” Larson said. “By that time, he knew what was going down and what was coming up. “(But) he was his usual self when I saw him on the bike.”

Other families hired Singer The Larsons aren’t the only Granite Bay family who had a brush with Singer in his role as one of the Sacramento area’s top private college counselors.

And most of those local families had no idea Singer was involved in any illegal activity when they were his clients.

The Holt family is one example.

Jordan Holt, who was a midyear GBHS graduate in December 2015, attends the University of Kentucky, where she will graduate next month. Her family hired Singer in the fall of 2013, her sophomore year at GBHS. He was recommended to them by other local families.

“We heard about Rick Singer from family friends from GBHS and St. Francis (High),” said Deidre Holt, Jordan’s mother. “He had a good reputation around town for working with NCAA college-bound student athletes with regards to academics and compliance.”

Jordan was a competitive soccer player who was looking to play at the next level. She and her family looked to Singer for help.

“Several Granite Bay families referred Rick to us for SAT and ACT prep,” Jordan said, “I was well into

Consulting

Screenshot of TheKeyWorldwide.com website

Former GBHS counselor Brian Hewitt was featured on Rick Singer’s college admissions service website until the day after Singer’s indictment in March. Singer, who pleaded guilty to four charges, was the ringleader of a $25 million college admissions scandal. the recruiting process and was considering a few very high-caliber academic universities, so it was important that I prepared as best I could.”

Singer worked closely with Jordan, preparing her for standardized tests. He acted as her tutor.

“He was helpful with SAT prep (flashcards and definitions) and worked with Jordan every other Wednesday morning for approximately a semester,” Deidre said.

The Holts hired Singer for only a few months, and they didn’t suspect any criminal conduct or otherwise suspicious activity on his part.

“Rick never tried to manipulate my academic or athletic career as far as my family and I am aware,” Jordan said, “We often talked about where I wanted to take my soccer career, but I was in my own world when it came to playing. He had zero influence in regard to my commitment to play at the Univer-

sity of Kentucky.”

Holts: We were shocked Singer also never asked the Holts to engage in any illegal or unethical activity.

“We never witnessed any suspicious activity, and we were never approached by him to engage in anything suspicious,” Deidre said.

When the news broke about Singer last month, the Holts said they were shocked.

They haven’t spoken with Singer since the fall of Jordan’s sophomore year.

“Through living the (Division 1) student-athlete life, I’ve become more aware of the ugly side,” Jordan said. “I’m not shocked that someone was willing to cheat the system, I’m just surprised that it’s Rick at the front of it.”

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Friday, April 12, 2019 w The Granite Bay Gazette

News

With exams looming, students weigh AP/IB decisions Many issues to consider between different school curriculums

BY SIDNEY ZABELL

A

szabell.gazette@gmail.com

dvanced Placement and International Baccalaureate testing weighs on students year-round, but with the May test dates quickly approaching, Granite Bay High students are busier than ever.

Senior Tanvi Yadlapalli has taken many AP tests in preparation for college.

“My sophomore year, I took AP Euro,” Yadlapalli said. “My junior year I took AP Chem, Calc, Spanish, Lang, and Psych. Senior year I took AP Lit, Gov, Micro, Macro, Human Geo, Bio, Stats and AP Physics.

“I took a lot of science and math APs since I’m on the pre-med pathway for col-

lege.”

Yadlapalli sees AP classes as a good way to prepare for the academic rigor of college.

“Now that I’ve finished the college application process, I definitely do see the benefits of taking AP and IB classes,” Yadlapalli said. “You also get to skip courses and save a ton of money in college. By taking just five AP tests last year, I get to skip general chem, math, and English courses at the college I’m planning on attending.”

Barron’s and Princeton Review test-prep books are common books used by students to study for AP tests.

“They give you practice that’s equally and sometimes even more difficult than the actual AP test,” Yadlapalli said.

Senior Cayla Quinn is one of six GBHS students currently enrolled in the IB Diploma program.

“I’m in six or seven IB classes, so I’ll be taking (about) 13 IB tests,” Quinn said.

“The only AP class I’ve ever taken was AP Euro. My classes sophomore year were all kind of pre-requisites for the IB diploma program, like AP Euro, Honors chem, and Honors pre-Calc.”

Quinn said preparing for IB tests naturally comes with the classes.

“IB is super cool because I’ve been with most of my teachers for at least a year – most of them two years,” Quinn said.

“There’s a lot of review embedded into the curriculum, which is super cool because it makes everything feel a lot more seamless

and a lot less stressful.”

AP course enrollment seems to increase every year as college admissions gets tougher and tougher.

“As a sophomore, half of my classes were (weighted) and all of my junior and senior classes are weighted, so they’re all AP or IB,” junior Elise Bushnell said. “I choose AP classes because those are the subjects that interest me, and I think they better prepare me for college as opposed to CP classes.”

AP tests cost $94 each, a figure that pales in comparison with the $1,000-plus college course passing the test could replace.

This attracts many AP students looking to either lighten their college course load or graduate early in hopes of saving money on their education.

“AP exams aren’t often taken lightly given the expense and the difficulty,” senior

and IB diploma candidate Malina Desai said. “I took four AP exams last year and will take four this year. I mostly just attended a few study sessions for last year’s exams, but this year I’m choosing to selflearn two courses, so I bought myself AP study guides.”

Students say the college admissions process has given them some insight into the benefits and drawbacks of AP. “I would say that students should not get caught up in the number of exams they take,” Desai said. “After experiencing the college admissions process, I really think working on the essays and making real contributions to your intended field of study like doing research and being proactive in what you do will help you prepare for your adult life.

HEWITT: Local RJUHSD counselor was employed by college admission scandal’s ringleader until 2013 Continued from page A1

was still visible later that day when using the Microsoft Edge internet web browser – and Hewitt’s photograph and autobiographical “senior coach” statement were still on the website, as was a promotional 2 1/2-minute video featuring both Singer and Hewitt talking about The Key’s services and why students and parents shouldn’t “leave it to chance,” Singer said, when it comes to college admissions.

By 11 p.m. that evening, The Key’s website was completely disabled.

Hewitt, reached by email that afternoon, said he hasn’t been an employee of Singer’s since 2013.

“The website is in error,” Hewitt said.

Roseville Joint Union High School District superintendent Denise Herrmann confirmed Hewitt ended his employment with The Key in 2013.

In addition to his duties as an Antelope High counselor, Hewitt operates his own private college coaching service, College Prep Coaches.

His firm’s website, collegeprepcoaches.com, includes testimonials from students who attended St. Francis, Rio Americano and Sacramento Country Day high schools.

The college admissions scandal has been reported in media across the country, including The Sacramento Bee, The Washington Post, The New York Times and many others.

Singer, who started his college admissions consulting business in the Sacramento area and served many Granite Bay High students, pleaded guilty to four charges in federal court in Boston on March 12.

Among those implicated in the scheme were standardized college admission test proctors, a fraudulent test taker, college sports coaches and parents. According to ABC news, TV actor Lori Loughlin – who according to the indictment paid Singer $500,000 to get her daughters into the University of Southern California – was taken into custody by the FBI on March 13 and then released on a $1 million bond.

The indictment covers conduct by Singer and others beginning in 2011.

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Friday w April 12, 2019

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: Emily Hansen News Editor: Elliott Hyman Lifestyle Editors: Kavana Gonur Ashley Lucia Jordan Blair Green Screen Editors: Maya Snow Dylan Rowe Lindsey Zabell Sports Editors: Landen Acosta Akhil Shah Sidney Stipanovich Online/Social Media Editors: Bella Khor Mia Taylor Staff Writers and Photographers: Sophie Criscione Raha Elahi Kate Fernandez Sydney Herrenschmidt Gwen Mynar Michela Smith Lily Williams Adviser: Karl Grubaugh

Don’t feel overshadowed by older siblings football at the University of Nevada Reno – the fear of not being quite enough is more often than constant need to live up to their not a recurring thought. legacies and the expectations of Learning to recognize my indihaving high-achieving siblings. vidual abilities has been one of the And although harder endeavors this provided in my life. Feelmotivation, it ings as though also created a I was always in I can now learn consistent inthe shadows and ternal struggle from my brother relatively insigand feelings of when and sister instead nificant inferiority. compared to my With both of competing with gifted siblings my brother and could only restrict them. sister being me if I allowed it extremely sucto do so. cessful athletes Focusing on – my sister Alex self growth and Zeringue received a scholarship altering my perspective on the to the University of Michigan for definition of success has allowed field hockey, and my brother Ryan me to perceive the world around Smith received a scholarship for me in a new light.

Everyone has their own talents

T

he role of siblings varies in the role of every individual’s life. The magnitude of their presence truly morphs the development of one’s own character. With this bond comes a complex relationship containing various emotions and stages.

Growing up with two older siblings, I was able to experience both the positive and the negative effects.

Having siblings provides a sense of comfort knowing there will always be people in your life who not only care about you but will protect you and be your companion.

This I would not trade for anything.

However, at times I felt the

“

Overusing technology keeps us from enjoying the present moment

M

y social media presence was first born when I was in fifth grade, after I downloaded a fairly new app that some of my friends had called Instagram.

I embarrassingly remember my first posts – pictures of my cat, collages of me and my friends attempting to do cartwheels and Versagram edits giving shoutouts to people in my class.

Flash-forward seven years, and I am still on Instagram, but I’m also on Snapchat, and Twitter and watching YouTube.

Like many teenagers, as I’ve grown older, I’ve become increasingly more attached to my phone, but my awareness of my own addiction has also become stronger.

I know when I need to shut my phone off, and it’s usually when I have reached sstipanovich.gazette@gmail.com the point during which I’m mindlessly switching between apps, ceasing to even take in the hundreds of photos and videos I’m looking at.

Even so, it’s always difficult to put down my phone. I find myself itching to scroll through my feed once more, despite knowing I’ve already seen the same posted photos multiple times. In certain cases, I become nervous and feel an underlying sense of dread that I might be missing something.

I’m not alone.

According to pewinternet.org, 56 percent of teens associate the absence of their cell phone with at least one of these three emotions – loneliness, being upset or feeling anxious.

It’s by no means uncommon to become dependent on social media, but that in itself is extremely concerning.

I become frustrated in myself, knowing I’m stunting my own productivity and creative endeavors by wasting away

sidney stipanovich

Subscriptions: $25 per year/ $15 per half year

Twitter and Instagram, within a few days I had no desire to return to the apps.

I like being on social media, don’t get me wrong, but I cannot enjoy it when I know it’s restricting me from doing things I want to accomplish.

I’m looking to find a balance through which I can still be connected, but not controlled.

I know that next year in college, this connection is going to be a big aspect of staying in touch with those I’m close with, but I don’t want it to limit my new experiences.

I plan on making the most of the next few months I have in Granite Bay, because life is too short to live through a screen. *** Sidney Stipanovich, a senior, is a Gazette sports editor.

change.

Snapchat has cunning ways of bringing us together when we’re apart, while at the same time easily separating us when we’re actually together.

Occasions during which I deleted social media, such as the weeks surrounding midterms and finals, I became very aware that my headspace had completely shifted. Although at first I guiltily experienced a sort of withdrawal from

Gazette illustration | Emily Hansen

Feminism means equality, not superiority

I

Identification Statement GRANITE BAY GAZETTE PUBLISHED EIGHT TIMES PER ACADEMIC YEAR c/o Granite Bay High School 1 Grizzly Way Granite Bay, CA 95746

michela smith

on social media.

I can’t help but wonder if I would have been more academically accomplished, or had innovatively created something useful, if I hadn’t spent that time on my phone.

While writing this piece, I have so far checked my phone a total of five times.

See what I mean?

My friends and I have been able to keep each other in check – we have times when we all agree to put down our phones while we’re together, and we can all understand it’s a refreshing

Creating equal opportunities for everyone does not mean taking away jobs from any other gender

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

COMMENTARY

Warning: Social media may become addictive

COMMENTARY

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.

”

I have discovBeing able to ered the gift of change something being part of a from constricting family and how into a reinforcing lucky I am to motivator is what I have a brother believe success is and sister who about. push me to I have realized constantly better life is not simply myself as opsomething that happosed to brutally pens to you. Each comparing mydecision made is self to them. creating a new path My siblings for myself alone. are some of the As easy as it is msmith.gazette@gmail.com most important to pity yourself or people in my life, and realizing compare your own success with that they can help me to build my- those of others, it will not provide self up has allowed for not only any happiness unless you learn to personal growth, but also growth grow from it. in my family relationships. I can *** now learn from my brother and Michela Smith, a senior, is a sister instead of competing with Gazette staff writer. them.

t isn’t uncommon to see the party that carried out the Holoword, “feminazi” thrown caust during WWII – is ironic, to around on different social mesay the least. dia platforms. The people who use But what is perhaps even more this word are often those who feel frustrating is the obvious bias that that feminism this word carries, that is unnecessary feminists are somefor women how bad or evil. today, or that For quite a long feminists are time, I couldn’t illogical and understand this. I hate men. couldn’t see how The word anyone could be itself is quite against equality, and ignorant – I especially couldn’t comparing understand how people who some women could are fighting for refuse to defend equal rights the rights of other among genders women around the to the political world. kfernandez.gazette@gmail.com

COMMENTARY

kate fernandez

That is until I got into an arguopposed to feminism. As it was in ment with a boy about the wage this case, some view it as a threat gap and the difference in job to men, and in turn by practicing opportunities. While we were it, men and women are actively talking, he began to tell me that trying to take down men. men were losing opportunities While the aim of feminism is to and women were simultaneously level out the playing field, it is not gaining opportunities in the area to harm men or make them out to of jobs. be less than women. By augmentI tried to explain that it wasn’t ing the quality of life for women about women taking jobs from and broadening their horizons, it’s men but true that they will rather women begin to attain more being given jobs that have been fair chances traditionally held by to get the men in the past.

While the aim of same jobs – However, it isn’t feminism is to jobs that a a matter of taking certain type jobs. It’s a matter level out the of person has of creating equal playing field, it is chances for all. always been entitled to.

As a result, job not to harm men, positions During or other or to make them this conopportunities that versation, I have immediout to be less than would realized why ately been given to women. some men in men in the past are particular are no longer entitled

“

”

to them. They are open to both sexes, and both must work hard to attain these opportunities.

Granted, there are some who claim to be feminists but spread hate rather than fighting for equality. And these people are not truly feminists, or at least have a misconstrued idea of what feminism is and what feminists fight for.

The basis of feminism is equality. While I see that clearly and easily, some don’t. And those who do not often try to dismiss the ideals of feminism, or rally behind hate toward the movement.

But to me, feminism is an essential part of being a woman. As a woman I feel that it is my responsibility to fight for the rights of other women, which certainly isn’t the same thing as hating men.

And fighting for other women certainly isn’t anywhere near to being a Nazi. *** Kate Fernandez, a junior, is a Gazette staff writer.

Friday, April 12, 2019 w

The Granite Bay Gazette

Voices A9

People on the spectrum are not outcasts HEARD Those with autism deserve on the BAY the respect of others that those on the autism My sister goes to college, had a sumspectrum face. mer job, helps out around the house and The simplest of tasks to hangs out with her friends. most people can easily be She has more in common with “norone of the most difficult for mal” people than many would think. someone like my sister.

She is not the only one on the specost people wouldn’t catch your eye if they Yet despite the obvious trum to share similarities with the rest stood in a crowd. Most people pass through challenges that those on the of us. life without a second glance. spectrum face, there is one We categorize ourselves into different But my sister is not most people. characteristic that never categories based on appearance.

She is outgoing, kind, affectionate, hard-working always fails to catch my How we look, act, dress and talk deand has a great sense of humor. Yet, she has spent her eye or impress me – innotermine who we hang out with, what we entire life set apart from everycence. do and so on and so forth. one else, being treated like someSome of the For this reason, autistic people tend to thing strange, almost foreign. most kind, hardbe socially isolated, as they make up a She is on the autism spectrum. working and insmall percentage of the population.

People on the spectrum are telligent people This subtle form of discrimination is often treated differently than I have ever met disgusting, sickening, nauseating and most others. Wherever they go, are autistic. unjust, to say the least. they are bound to be followed Don’t let Nobody deserves to be treated as an by stares, second glances and appearances outcast simply because they seem difawkwardness. fool you. These ferent.

But I, being a sister to one such Gazette illustration | Andrew Yung amazing indiIf autistic people are to be treated difindividual, see things differently. viduals will surprise ferently, let it be with love.

Whereas my sister might not you with their sincerity, openness and love.

Go out of your way to smile at them, say hi as you notice the extra attention, I do.

This doesn’t just apply to people who are pass them and talk to them.

Every second look, openunfamiliar with the spectrum. It applies to The simple act of acknowledging someone, through mouthed stare and baby voice relahi.gazette@gmail.com everyone. something as tiny as eye contact, means the world to that my sister is greeted by feels To this day, I am continually surprised by my sister, people who are too often invisible. like a slap in the face. who will go out of her way to do something for me.

People on the autism spectrum are people. They She will stand up for me without asking, offer to get *** might look, act and express themselves differently, but me something when she goes out with her friends and Raha Elahi, a sophomore, is a Gazette staff writer. they are just as human as the rest of us. spend time with me whenever she can.

It is difficult to understand the tremendous obstacles

M

What is your dream college?

COMMENTARY

“USC”

freshman

raha elahi

Moderates are still a thriving group

Even during this time of political polarization, compromise is possible, and even ideal

O

ur United States has undeniably changed in the last three years.

Part of that obviously comes with time passing. Of course, a lot of it also has to do with the presidential election, the great polarization that arose and the partisan lines that were drawn once more.

However, as news of all different sides and opinions flew around, many people felt like the idea of a liberal and conservative were both models that they did not completely agree with, as sides taken by both the right and left were, frankly, quite extreme.

And as many students began

paying attention to politics and feeling lost between a sea of two vastly different sizes, I know a lot of students, including me, who were greatly confused that there was seemingly no party for us, the more moderate, middle leaning.

Fortunately, this is not actually the case. Though many people hear the same extreme sides on the right and the left through the media, people on social media and current events, there are in reality many more moderate people and voters than those on the far right and far left. It is only because the extremists are often the most vocal that we

COMMENTARY

andrew yung ayung.gazette@gmail.com

believe that they are the only ones to exist.

In a way, it is commend-

able that the people on both the far right and far left are able to push their agendas and make others believe there are only two extremely different viewpoints, and that new people looking for a party have to choose between only these two sides.

But it also is extremely harmful to our political system as a whole.

We as a society should not create two sides to every issue, assign the Republicans to one and Democrats to the other, and then force a “true political follower” to abide by every side of every issue that their preferred political party aligns with.

Because for the most part, people don’t agree with every side their party takes. For instance, there might be a

person largely against government regulations in business, which leans right, whereas they also believe there is inequality among minorities and marginalized groups and push for equal rights, which leans left.

This person shouldn’t be met with backlash from both parties claiming that she is a wishy washy, flip-flopper. Instead, she should be celebrated for having her their own personal beliefs.

Because after all, isn’t that why we vote? For our own personal beliefs. We should never, ever subject and demean ourselves to vote unthinkingly along party lines.

Paige Watson “Pepperdine”

sophomore

Becky Klusnick

*** Andrew Yung, a senior, is a Gazette co-editor-in-chief.

“UCLA”

Materialism distracts us from what is truly important in life

We are gifted on a daily basis with the intangible and valuable virtues of humanity

T

oday, society has changed millions of minds to grow accustomed to social standards. Financial status trumps positive personality traits over half of the time. We have become so concerned with the possession of “things,” while putting our best moral attributes on the back burner.

You put a price tag on a purse, a pair of jeans, a cell phone, a car, but how many of us truly understand the virtuous value of love? Friendship? Loyalty?

The underlying issue is that many of us don’t. That is until one of those concepts of human nature is absent in our lives.

In 1890, author Oscar Wilde wrote “The Picture of Dorian Grey.” In this story is a now-famous quote: “Nowadays people know the price of everything, and the value of nothing.”

This quote has been analyzed and

interpreted by several different writers, authors and readers in many different ways.

I believe Wilde was referring to humanity’s impulse to prove ourselves through monetary value. Today, the meaning of this quote has not only become more true, but glorified. The 1 percent of our population that has more than half of America’s wealth is looked up to and worshiped. Meanwhile, many of those below or in the middle class have much more than half of America’s integrity and dignity. Many of us know this, but we try not to focus on it in the fear that societal standards will be broken.

We lose love in our lives or we lose a friend in our lives, and it is not until then that we realize what we had. We notice the significant feeling of emptiness, but we are unable to point out

is when we wish we didn’t take it for granted.

As a community of humans living on this earth, it is essential to practice better appreciation for what we have in the moment – the value of someone holding the door for you, a friend offering advice, the value of living in good what exactly is missing. We begin to health, having a loving family. Those slightly comprehend the value of symideals that cannot be bought at the store pathy, affection, kindness. We begin to but come to you through the beauty of realize what we’ve been human nature. missing.

Many of us need to Every day we give begin to realize how more importance to gifted we are. Being things with a price tag, able to live a comfortrather than human conable financial life is a nections that can’t be blessing, however, to bought. We become so make that a priority wrapped up in the fanciover principled behavest new gadgets, and we ior should be morally neglect the significance incorrect. of the concepts in life The ideas humans that deserve to be chershare with each other ished. We forget what within their connecit takes to build and tions are things that lwilliams.gazette@gmail.com stabilize a healthy life. should not be taken adThose traits of peace, vantage of – we need to faith, appreciation and love are what it appreciate love, friendship, health and truly takes to “buy” happiness. peace today, not once they are gone.

What is foremost influential in our lives are things that cannot be pur*** chased. When we start to lose those Lily Williams, a senior, is a Gazette imperative traits that build our character staff writer. is when we begin to feel blessed for what we have. Once it becomes too late

COMMENTARY

lily williams

College does not determine all success H

igh school students are constantly comparing themselves to one another, so it is no shock that college prestige is one of those compari-

sons.

Many schools are frowned upon for lack of a familiar name, whereas others are exalted, and many students make judgements about each other based on where they’re accepted.

There is a constant sense of competition to see who can get into the best colleges. It is, after all, the accumulated result of hard work in high school.

Just like high school, however, it isn’t the name of the school that will make success. A university’s ranking does not necessarily correlate to the size of a paycheck.

In the grand scheme of things, whether you go to a junior college, private university or skip it altogether doesn’t matter. However you define it, success can be achieved whether it’s without college or with an Ivy League education.

Success doesn’t have to mean being the most educated. It is different for each person. And learning is only as effective as the student makes it be.

Getting accepted into a high-ranking college

junior

doesn’t automatically make someone smarter. It is It’s better to be an exceptional student at a mediovery possible for those who do go to such a school to cre school than a mediocre student at an exceptional squander their opportunity by not putting in effort. school. Any gap in resources at two schools can be In fact, effort is the most important factor in sucremedied with creativity and achievement. cess, not the prestige of a college.

Studies actually have found that What will matter in the end is where students apply to college corthe time spent going to the profesrelates more directly to career outcome sor’s office hours, the amount of than does the school students actually studying and the ambition in lookattend.

The voice of the ing for internships and jobs.

In other words, students who are Granite Bay If you study hard, pay attention academically equal in high school will, Gazette and care about what you are learnon average, have about the same career ing, you will be successful. outcome even if one goes to a state Some schools are not realistic school and the other goes to an Ivy options for students financially, which can be disLeague. heartening. Others are not a good match for certain This research shows that it is individuals who are students, and therefore they don’t get in. But it is not in control of their own success, and the prestige of the end of the world. In the end, hard work will pay a college is not the only factor. Individual talent and off. ambition is the best predictor of the future.

Employers are much more impressed with appliSo if you fall in love with a particular school, that cable job skills than a particular university name on is amazing, and no one should be discouraged or a resumé. deterred by what others think.

Major tech giants like Apple, Google and IBM do Success is all relative, and four years cannot make not even require a college degree. or break a whole lifetime.

Cole Fowler “UCSB”

senior

Marina Soares

“UC Davis”

EDITORIAL

staff

Ms. Goldsmith Compiled by Sophie Criscione

A10

News

Friday, April 12, 2019

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Second Look Seniors make a statement at Powder Puff Class of 2019’s ferocious females win 23-13

Max Schwartz and Caden McKillop, top left, get excited cheering for the seniors at the Powder Puff rally. Nicole Criscione pulls Maddy Fitch’s flag, top right, for the junior defense. Cat Lauth is gang tackled, middle, by a horde of junior defenders. Jenna Ladrech, bottom center, receives the offensive MVP award for the seniors. Akhil Shah takes a selfie, bottom right, with the other senior cheerleaders. Kai Niimi is launched in the air, bottom left, during the halftime show.

Gazette photos by Sidney Zabell

Lifestyle

Granite Bay Gazette

B Section

Friday w April 12, 2019

COMMENTARY

Religious celebrations

around the world

jordan blair jblair.gazette@gmail.com

Everyone needs help sometimes In a society where we tend to showcase the highlights of our lives on social media, internalizing our struggles has become the norm.

As someone who’s lived most of her teenage life struggling with depression, anxiety and an eating disorder, I know I’m no exception.

When we’re younger, we simply run to our parents when we’re faced with a problem, because we’re sure they have all the answers.

As we get older, however, it’s not uncommon to feel like they don’t understand, and in the age of social media, we begin feeling like no one else feels the way we do.

I remember countless nights sitting alone in my room, looking at all the smiling pictures of people I knew online and not understanding why my life didn’t seem to be the same.

Even the inspirational influencers, who spoke about getting over struggles in life, seemed to have dealt with their problems by themselves.

But it seemed that no matter what I did, I couldn’t get over the pain I felt – but I refused to ask for help.

Whether it was the fear of people looking at me differently, judging me or seeing me as weak, I simply couldn’t express how I felt to anyone else – I couldn’t accept help.

Even when I was diagnosed with anorexia, I refused to accept anyone’s help. I resented my therapist, pushed my parents aside and told everyone I would handle it myself, that I didn’t need their help.

It wasn’t until one night when I was alone in the bathroom, unable to breathe, crying, and looking back on my life that I realized I couldn’t do it alone.

So I told my mom. I asked her to come sit with me, and I cried. I cried for what seemed like hours, and she sat there, listening to me cry, listening to me ramble on incoherently, and she was able to make me feel OK again.

A few days later, I started therapy again, and I took it seriously.

A month or two later, I started opening up to my dad, and I started feeling like my family was able to understand who I was.

It took until three months ago for me to start antidepressants, something I feared for years, because I didn’t know who I was without my depression. I thought it would make me seem crazy, and I was still afraid of help.

Now I can say that it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

I’ve been able to open up more to my friends, become closer with my family and feel like myself without being held back by an invisible force that brings me down.

Accepting help is still something I struggle with, it’s something nearly everyone struggles with.

We have this idea that needing help makes us weak or incapable, when in reality it only makes us stronger.

Accepting help can strengthen relationships, it can give you new perspectives and ultimately only helps you grow.

Needing help is something society needs to switch its outlook on.

It’s something people shouldn’t feel ashamed about needing.

The reality is that we all need help sometimes.

Whether it’s for something as small as tying your shoes, or overcoming something a large as depression, it’s all valid – and it’s all important to help us learn and grow.

***

Jordan Blair, a senior, is a Lifestyle editor.

Gazette Illustration| Jordan Blair

Students of varying backgrounds begin the practice of passed-down traditions

S

BY RAHA ELAHI

relahi.gazette@gmail.com

pring marks the time of year many begin to observe a variety of religious practices.

Among the most popular are Lent and fasting during Ramadan.

Lent is celebrated amongst some sects of Christianity, and occurs between Ash Wednesday (March 6) and Easter Sunday (April 21).

Sophomore Megan Panicker is a Catholic participating in Lent, who has decided to give up sweets this year.

Panicker forwent pastries this year because she believes they are a distraction

from worshipping and having a relationship with God. “You’re getting rid of distractions, something that you do regularly [in order to] spend more time doing something else,” Panicker said.

“The purpose of Lent is [to] represent God,” Panicker said.

“He [God] starved himself, and He did that to sacrifice his love to show his love to the people,” Panicker said.

In the past, Panicker has given up both “social media” and “meat.”

Panicker will continue to celebrate Lent in the future, although she is still unsure what she plans to give up.

Sophomore Taha Ahmed is another

student who plans to partake in Ramadan this year.

Come Ramadan in May this year, Ahmed will begin fasting for the next 29-30 days.

“You fast because other people in the world don’t have as much… as you and [Ramadan] is a good reminder of what other people are going through,” Ahmed said.

“It’s a month in which you really get to sit down and think about your role religiously and reflect on your morals,” Ahmed said.

In addition to its religious significance, fasting has cultural significance as well.

“Fasting is a good way to get the

whole entire family together, especially recently, since it’s been happening in the summer months,” Ahmed said.

“I always go over to see my family in the summer,” Ahmed said, “Fasting is a good way to get together and talk.”

Ahmed will not eat or drink between sunrise and sunset throughout the duration of Ramadan.

He said that the first few days of fasting make life “way harder” than usual.

“After a few days, it seems like I can’t really notice [the change] anymore,” Ahmed said.

Continued on B2

T-shirts combating Nextdoor app helps to racism on campus keep community safe Basketball players fighting for equality Neighborhoods kept alert through new way

BY EMILY HANSEN to allow others to share social dangerous sightings media. ehansen.gazette@gmail.com

A

midst tension due to issues of racism on campus, the Granite Bay High School basketball program has come up with a way to unite the entire school.

Two seniors on the girls varsity basketball team, Sydney Herrenschmidt and Peyton Mitcheom, spearheaded the project when basketball coach and english teacher Jason Sitterud suggested that the basketball program do something to ameliorate negative repercussions of recent racist remarks.

“There were some racist comments that were going around school a while back,” Mitcheom said, “We wanted to do something to make sure our campus was more inclusive.”

One day after practice, Sitterud asked the team what they wanted to do about the situation, as many players on the team were greatly affected.

“The make-ups of are basketball teams aren’t the same as that of our student body as a whole,” Sitterud said, “Our teams are more diverse.”

Talking about the incidents had not been enough to amend the feelings they had brought upon members of the team.

“We said we could either talk about

T Special to the Gazette lPhoto by Peyton Mitcheom

the problem, or do something about the problem,” Sitterud said.

Mitcheom and Herrenschmidt suggested creating a t-shirt promoting equality, and went forth with a design done in GBHS colors.

“Our goal is to offer them to the staff first, and then order more so students can get them as well,” Herrenschmidt said.

Ideally, the basketball program hopes at least half the student body will buy a shirt.

“I hope (the shirts) educate people, because some people can be ignorant when it comes to the topic of race,” Mitcheom said.

BY AKHIL SHAH

ashah.gazette@gmail.com

he blue Subaru Impreza speeds down the block of a quite Granite Bay neighborhood.

One GB mom, furious with this consistent storyline, hurries to check her “Ring” doorbell and report the incident on the Nextdoor App. Senior and Gazette Co-editor, Michael Schwartz has found himself to be the one in the car on several occasions.

“I was driving my friend and he was feeling sick, he wanted to throw up, so I was speeding to my house,” Schwartz said, “It was illegal and parents flipped me off, but I thought that would be the end of it.”

For Schwartz, this was only the beginning.

Soon after he was caught speeding, his mother received a notification on the Nextdoor app of the incident.

“Parents used the app to complain about me,” Schwartz said, “They said I deserve to go to jail and made comments on how I was a terrible kid.”

“It spiraled out of control, and their were at least 20 negative comments made about me,” Schwartz said.

The Nextdoor app is seen to be a resourceful tool within neighborhoods and communities.

On some occasions however, people don’t get to hear the full story, as with any form of

The Granite Bay High School football team holds a fundraiser every summer, where players go around neighborhoods in the community and try to sell their Grizzly gold cards.

This annual event however, raised suspicion from one homeowner.

Schwartz recalls his friend and former teammate being another victim of the Nextdoor Apps feed.

“The post talked about a ‘black teen looking suspicious’, and may be out to attempt robberies around the neighborhood,” Schwartz said.

Despite Schwartz’s negative encounters with Next Door, both personally, and through friends being targeted, he still believes the app holds a lot of value in regards to safety and relationships it helps build for neighborhoods around the community.

Granite Bay Resident Kellie Tonda, mother of three past and present GBHS students, enjoys the Nextdoor app for the instant information it provides her with.

“I enjoy reading the app and finding out what is going on in my neighborhood,” Tonda said.

“It’s also a fast way to get information out to others in the community,” Tonda said.

The app, more popular amongst adults, allows for members of the community to post crime alerts or helps individuals and their families find missing pets.

inside lifestyle If you really knew me

B2

Top 10

B5

Student spotlight

B3

Basketball team combats racism found on campus

Nextdoor App is helping keep neighborhoods safe

Players make t-shirts fighting for equality as racist rumors persist

Communities brought together through new social media app

B4

B3

Celebrating Awareness Annual FEAT walk helps bring awareness to those on the spectrum

B6

B2 Lifestyle

Friday, April 12, 2019

Senior Ball is here for class of 2019

As the event approaches, many students begin the planning process

BY LILY WILLIAMS

E

lwilliams.gazette@gmail.com

very spring, Granite Bay High School holds one special night dedicated to the senior class. The girls get their sparkly dresses while their dates get a suit to match. The event is a night where the sole purpose is to enjoy yourself and make lasting memories.

“I’m so excited to see everyone dressed up and to see what dresses all the girls wear!” Senior Faith Glover said.

Student government, an elective at GBHS that puts on events and promotes school pride, is fully in charge of Senior Ball. Students that are in the class take on all of the responsibilities to give the seniors a memorable night.

“I love planning events because I get to work with really fun and great people,” Senior Ball commissioner Karissa Hodson said. “I also love the little things like decorating and designing invitations, it’s so fun!”

It’s not a simple task. Months of preparation go into planning a spectacular night for the GBHS seniors. Each component of the night is chosen and planned by seniors in the Student Government class. Those in charge of this important night feel the pressure mounting when the date of senior ball approaches.

“Some obstacles we face is finding things we want at the dance that are too expensive, so we have to find alternatives,” Hodson said. “I am also very busy so it is hard to set aside a lot of time for the planning of senior ball.”

Some students find themselves feeling uneasy as they add up the financial burden Senior Ball brings them. Questions arise among the seniors on how they will manage to afford the expenses of the dance.

“Senior ball costs so much money! The prices for everything is definitely overwhelming but it will be so worth it!” Glover said.

Senior class president, Gaby Williams is also in charge of commissioning Senior Ball and perfecting each detail for her class of 2019.

“The funds from the senior ball tickets are used for the actual venue, the meals, the dance floor, the music and basically just the whole dance,” Williams said.

If you really

knew me

you would know...

Special to the Gazette | Cindy Caserta

GBHS student Daniel Patterson and alumni Olivia Caserta, Laynee Daniels and Angikaar Chana (left to right) take photos before Senior Ball

This year the price of 80 dollars is ten dollars lower than the normal price seniors expect to pay. In recent years those who would like to attend the dance had to pay 90 dollars.

“We saved a lot of money this year. We didn’t spend a much money as we usually would for homecoming, and senior 5th quarter, etc,” Williams said.

“That’s why we were able to lower the price.”

This perfectly constructed night for the class of 2019 is given high expectations by the seniors. Some have been preparing for this dance and anticipating the special night for a long time.

“I’ve been fantasizing about senior ball for years,” Senior Faith Glover said. “I remember being a freshman and thinking about who I would go with and what I would wear and now it’s finally here!”

“ “

RELIGION: Students express their personal beliefs by enjoying celebrations that follow their religious customs Continued from page B1 Ahmed began to partake in fasting early on in his life.

“I started fasting when I was eight, but my first fast when I was five,” he said. “You only have to start after puberty.”

Many of his friends are aware of Ahmed fasting.

“Usually the reaction I get is ‘Wow, I could not go that long without eating,” he said.

“Most people don’t know that fasting only [occurs between] sunrise and sunset,” Ahmed said.

“People think that I’m not eating the entire month, which is not possible.”

Ahmed plans on fasting until he is no longer able to.

Sophomore Maryam Mahmood will also be fasting during Ramadan.

Mahmood fasts in order to strengthen her relationship with God. “(I fast to) show God that nothing is more important than Him, even our own bodies,” she said.

Mahmood began her fasting at age 12.

“I started fasting a year before [puberty] because I personally felt a lack of connection with God,” Mahmood said. “I wanted to deepen my relationship with him by fasting early.” “[During Ramadan] life can be difficult at times,” Mahmood said.

“It is hard for one to concentrate

w The Granite Bay Gazette

throughout the day, but in the end it is all for a great cause.”

Mahmood is also confronted with a lot of curiosity from non-participants during fasting.

Many ask her questions like, ‘What do you eat before sunrise’ and ‘What time do you eat?’

“Generally most people have been very accepting and very curious about how I prepare to fast,” Mahmood said.

One of Mahmood’s family traditions is to prepare food with her mother.

“My mom and I typically make lots of traditional Pakistani food,” she said.

Another Ramadan tradition Mahmood participates in is celebrating

with the local Pakistani community.

“We all gather at a mosque in Roseville and we dedicate who will host a big feast each day of the month,” she said. “The best part is when my family hosts the feasts. It is really fun setting up the tables, the food and getting to engage with fellow Pakistani Muslims.”

The Baha’i Faith is another major religion that takes part in fasting.

In the Baha’i Faith, fasting takes place every year from March 2nd to March 20th.

Some other holidays and festivals this time of year include Holi (Hinduism), Purim (Judaism), Nowruz (Zoroastrians and people in the Middle East in general) and more.

“ “

Clara Marks

If you really knew me, you would know that I do horseback riding.

”

Celia White

If you really knew me, you would know that I was born in Colorado.

”

Cole Phillips

If you really knew me, you would know that I wear white shoes everyday.

Katherine Do

If you really knew me, you would know that I hate papaya.

”

”

- By Lily Williams

Faculty Focus How many years have you been teaching?

I have been teaching for ten years.

What is your favorite class to teach?

Physiology is my favorite class to teach.

What is your favorite part of your job?

My favorite part of my job is always trying new things and working with students.

What is your favorite memory from teaching?

Gazette photo | Ashley Lucia

Theresa Landon

The memories I am most fond of is the times when we all come together as a class and truly bond, creating that family feeling.

-Compiled by Ashley Lucia

April 12, 2019

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Lifestyle B3

GBHS Science Olympiad finds recent success

New club ambitious to expand after taking home top awards

BY RAHA ELAHI

G

relahi.gazette@gmail.com

ranite Bay High School is a community made up of students, faculty and organizations. One such organization is Science Olympiad, a local club run by senior Kavana Gonur.

Gonur is the current president of Science Olympiad. She shares leadership with vice president Vandana Teki, secretary Julie Lynch and treasurer Noora Elsherif. Gonur started the club during July of her junior year.

“I really wanted to start a club that would... make a difference in school,” she said.

Gonur wanted to create a competitive club, similar to speech and debate.

“I wanted to bring something (from a) STEM aspect to the school,” she said.

In last year alone, the club made one complete team.

“We had just about 15 members,” Gonur said.

This year, the club has grown to make up about two teams, with ten to 12 students on each team.

Although the current senior knows that the team has a few empty spots, she is happy to see the team grow.

“I found (the experience) pretty enlightening, because here I was last year, struggling to even have one team,” Gonur said.

Future president Anoushka Mohindra joined Science Olympiad in her freshman year.

Since she joined the team, she has noted the increase in membership. “(Last year) we started with one small team going for the first time to regionals and we’ve now grown into two teams,” she said.

The current sophomore originally joined the team because she has a passion for science.

“It gave me a chance to explore more specific fields in depth and also compete in those fields,” she said.

Mohindra said that being a member of the team has been very enjoyable and has given her the opportunity to build new friendships.

“Everyone is very welcoming and very open,” she said.

Gonur, the current president agrees with Mohindra’s description. “(Those who join the club form) a family and spark (their) passions for... the STEM field.”

Both students have plans to continue expanding the club.

“I want to (have a) middle school outreach in local schools like Olympus,” Gonur said.

Future president Mohindra said that this outreach is designed to bring more experienced students to the club. The club also has advertisement plans to generate interest. “(Our plans include) advertising a lot (and having) an advertisement in the bulletin very soon,” she said.

At present, the club draws attention through posters, a booth at club rush, in addition to word of mouth.

Another important event for the club is their fundraiser. “(We are) planning on having a fundraiser in the spring at The Habit Burger, (so that people can) talk to current members of the team and… experience everything.”

All of these activities are meant to expand the club, perhaps to the size of speech and debate.

Julie Lynch, current secretary of the organization has a goal of two full teams for next year. She said that the club is currently recruiting future members.

“Right now we’re working with science teachers to recruit strong students who may be interested in joining for next year,” Lynch said.

In addition to increasing recruitment activities, they also plan to begin the process sooner.

“We’re also trying to do most of our recruiting earlier- this spring instead of next fall at club rush,”

Special to the Gazette | Sanjay Gutpa

The GBHS Science Olympiad takes a group photo in their homeroom at the 2019 Sacramento Regional Science Olympiad Tournament where GBHS took home several individual awards in the Chemistry Lab Lynch said.

Lynch joined the team because her friend at Mira Loma High School, told her it was a good opportunity.

“When Kavana started asking who would be interested in starting a GBHS team, I wanted to join,” she said.

Lynch described Science Olympiad competitions in full detail.

“There are a lot of different events within the overall theme of science. Competitors specialize in a few of these events which they compete in, representing their team.”

Although, Lynch acknowledged the amount of work and time commitment being a participant requires, she also said that it is very enjoyable.

“Anyone interested in joining the team should definitely come check it out,” she said. “We have 23 events across a huge range of topics, so I think there should be something for everyone.”

For anyone who is interested in joining the club, meetings take place every Friday from 2:45 to 4:00 pm in room 604.

NEXTDOOR APP: Moms find security on an app that alerts them of recent activity Continued from page B1 “The efficiency in questions being answered quickly circling through the app is beneficial to the community,” Tonda said.

On one occasion Tonda found herself posting about a lost pet she had discovered and taken in.

Tonda had found a lost bearded dragon in her backyard, and proceeded to post about her findings on Nextdoor.

“Many people reached out who were willing to foster the bearded dragon, and keep him safe,” Tonda said.

Eventually, a woman who said she was a former GB resident commented claiming she was the owner of the dragon.

Her story was heavily detailed and included how she had filed a police report for her dragon. She continued pleading until Tonda proceeded to make arrangements for the lost animal.

GBHS senior Faye Miller occasionally browses through the app, which she finds to be quite comical.

“I’ve been reported on the app for reckless driving when I barely go over 25 mph in my neighborhood,” Miller said. “I personally still enjoy the app a lot, it’s informative but also entertaining.”

Miller’s mother finds the app to be quite entertaining as well and capitalizes on the opportunity to make it funny.

“When a lady posted about needing to rehome her dog upon her husband’s request, my mom commented and said that the lady should rehome her husband instead,” Miller said.

Student

Spotlight

Gazette illustration | Ashley Lucia

The Nextdoor app logo is found on many phones in the Granite Bay community and used often Despite all the drama and comedy often associated with the app, Nextdoor is in all seriousness a beneficial resource for individuals and families throughout the Granite Bay community.

“I think the Nextdoor app is honestly really slept on,” Schwartz said.

How long have you been participating in theatre and acting?

I’ve been acting and participating in theatre since I was six years old and doing shows all up until now.

What is your favorite part of being in the GBHS musical “Ranked?” What do you hope students take away from the show?

My favorite part about being in ranked is how real it feels. It’s a show about high school and the day to day struggles of being in high school. It’s so easily relatable to anyone. I hope people take away a better sense of awareness for how these systems that are in place affect teens either positively or negatively, what we learn from these challenges, and how we become better people.

What has been your favorite experience so far in the performing arts?

My favorite experience with the performing arts has been all the unique and talented people I’ve met that I’ve made lasting friendships with and inspire me everyday.

Gazette photo | Ashley Lucia

Natalie Collins

What are your goals after high school?

My plans next year are to attend college in Southern California, possibly at California State University Fullerton, with a major in business and a minor acting, while pursuing acting and performing.

What has been your most significant experience in Theatre at Granite Bay? My most significant experience has been putting on these amazingly unique shows such as “The Unfortunates,” “She kills monsters,” and “Ranked.” They are inspiring in so many ways and seeing the audiences’ reactions every night to the story or specific characters and seeing how the show touched their lives has been very memorable.

-Compiled by Ashley Lucia

B4 Lifestyle

Friday, April 12, 2019

Senioritis is back for 2019 Can all the seniors make it out alive?

BY LILY WILLIAMS

lwilliams.gazette@gmail.com

Y

ou know you have hours of homework in each class, two tests throughout the week, and a few missing assignments. You know last year at this time you were scrambling to get it all done.

But now, you just can’t find the motivation.

Most of us in our fourth year at Granite Bay High School know this feeling. The mental block that hits us when we begin to hear back from colleges. The obstacle we all like to identify as “Senioritis”. Some would say it is debilitating and prevents students from caring about their work ethic at all.

“Senioritis prevents me from fully applying myself,” senior Ellie Wilson said. “It just makes me anticipate the end of high school more, instead of really caring about what’s going on now.”

Senioritis leads to a decline in motivation and performance in students’

final year in high school. For many, what strikes people the most is the realization that your current grades are unimportant.

The main focus for students, for the majority of high school, is college. So in the spring of our senior year when we begin to hear back from colleges, our determination to be successful with our grades declines greatly.

“We as seniors know this term doesn’t really matter, because colleges don’t see these grades,” senior Tanvi Yadlapalli said. “We have no incentive to keep trying.”

Students getting into colleges they applied for reduces their need to continue trying, since it seems the “end goal” of getting into college has been reached.

With this so called “condition”, finding intrinsic motivation can be hard. Students that would like to keep their grades up, but can’t seem to find a good reason to, have to find different ways to motivate themselves.

“The worst part about senioritis is how lazy you become. I’ve even lost motivation to do my extracurricular activities,” Yadlapalli said. “I do a

lot of yoga at home before I start my homework just to calm my mind.”

Teachers at GBHS notice when students are affected by this slump, and have to continue finding ways to encourage their students to keep going.

“I try to motivate seniors by keeping class interesting, fun, and utilizing activities that get them up and moving around,” English teacher Christy Honeycutt said.

Honeycutt teaches seniors everyday, and is able to first hand experience the situation many seniors are faced with.

“The number one trait I see in those with senioritis is apathy,” Honeycutt said. “Many of them consider themselves ‘done’ with high school as soon as they start getting acceptance letters.”

As we approach the end of the year, more and more students are noticing the defaults in their study habits.

Those who plan on continuing their education are hoping to get their spark back by the time they begin college.

“As seniors we know our grades aren’t seen, however your college grades will set your future,” Yadlapalli said. “I know that I can’t really slack off in college.”

Gazette illustration | Kavana Gonur

While at Granite Bay High School, the class of 2019 may even be at the edge of outright boredom in the middle of a history lesson, just like in this visual. It’s up to the seniors themselves, as well as the teachers, to make sure they stay on-track for graduation.

SHIRTS: An important lesson for Granite Bay High

Continued from page B1 The main purpose of the shirts is to counteract the negative effects the racist incidents had on students by spreading a positive message of inclusivity.

“I hope that people are aware that culture is important here at Granite Bay, and it shouldn’t revolve around one culture,” Herrenschmidt said, “We should learn

to appreciate others.”

Making the t-shirts has been an important learning experience for both Mitcheom and Herrenschmidt as well.

“Making (the t-shirts) has helped me grow as a leader,” Mitcheom said, “It feels good to know I’m making a difference.”

Sitterud is proud of the team and

the two girls for making a difference.

“I think things are always more powerful when they’re student-driven rather than teacher-driven,” Sitterud said.

“People talk about things that happen but they don’t act,” Sitterud said, “That’s the cool part–seeing kids actually up on it to try and

make a difference.”

The t-shirts will hopefully be a way that will help encompass all people on campus.

“Hopefully students won’t just wear them, but actually upon the message and be consciously aware of what’s going on,” Sitterud said.

RANDOM...

Facts

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Wacky Scholarship of the Month Milk Marketing and Dairy Products Scholarship Requirements: This scholarship

is used to encourage students to explore the field of milk and dairy marketing. The minimum GPA is 2.5.

Student

1) President William Taft once got stuck in the White House bathtub

Gazette: What is your favorite food?

Scholarship awarded: One $1,500

2) Cows and horses cannot walk down stairs

Gazette: Where is your favorite place you have been to?

Who offers: National Dairy

3) A 17-year-old is the holder of the record for the longest period a human has intentionally gone without sleep not using stimulants (264.4 hours, or 11 days, 24 minutes).

Jackson: San Diego.

4) Blue eyes are a genetic mutation

Gazette: What is your favorite color?

5) More than 1,500 fish species live on the Great Barrier reef

Jackson: Purple.

Gazette: Why do you like San Diego so much?

Jackson: I really love the weather.

Shrine Deadline: April 15, 2019 Gazette photo | Landen Acosta

Jackson Bruno

Compiled by Landen Acosta

Compiled by Mia Taylor

-Compiled by Maya Snow

Hear the music...

READ THE GAZETTE.

Friday, April 12, 2019

A unique opportunity to save lives Granite Bay High allows students to participate in the annual Spring Blood Drive on campus

BY KATE FERNANDEZ

U

Lifestyle B5

w The Granite Bay Gazette

kfernandez.gazette@gmail.com

nless you’re a doctor, firefighter, or hold another job position that is widely considered as heroic, it is not often that one has the chance to save a life. That is, unless you give blood. Then, however indirectly, you could be saving someone’s life you don’t even know, simply by participating in a process that could take minutes.

Every year, Granite Bay High School students participate in donating blood, and have given anywhere from 100 to 180 pints of blood. More importantly, the very blood someone donates could save a life.

According to Joanna Szyrynski, who has worked with Vitalant (formerly known as Blood Source) for several years, giving blood can be exactly what saves someone in need.

“You know, most of us don’t think about blood donations unless somebody that we know or are close friends with or family with needs blood,” said Szyrynski.

“So it could be like a long term illness or surgery, and then we realize that somebody used, for example, 20 pints in one day, and if it wasn’t available on the shelf, that person might not have made it,” said Szyrynski.

This appeal of possibly saving a life by making a small contribution is often what motivates people to give blood, including Anthony Davis, who teaches Honors English for sophomores at GBHS. Davis started donating blood out due to his desire to contribute to a good cause, saying that, “In the past it was out of a general good-will-towards-man kind of thing.”

However, his motives changed when it became a

personal matter.

“It became more personal for me when my son was diagnosed with a brain tumor and needed it to have surgically removed and have pints of blood on hand during the surgery, just in case,” Davis said.

“So it helped me see firsthand the need for the blood, and a better understanding of how much they end up having on hand and having to dispose of if it goes unused,” said Davis.

As Szyrynski said before, and Davis realized firsthand, blood donations can be an essential part of surgery, increasing the value of those donations tenfold.

In addition, blood donations are not everlasting.

They have a limited shelf life, and a constant supply is crucial to the act of preserving life.

“There’s no blood substitute,” said Szyrynski, “Unfortunately blood collected from donors is the life saving blood that saves patients in the hospital, so it’s the only thing that works.”

“We encourage everybody and we talk about the importance of giving, because the red [blood] cells can be kept on the shelf for only 42 days. They cannot be frozen and always have to be fresh,” said Szyrynski.

So even if someone wanted to help with blood donations in another way, they couldn’t.

As GBHS students, many feel that they don’t have many opportunities to save lives — after all, it isn’t exactly a common occurrence on a high school campus in the middle of the suburbs.

As a result, the blood drive provides a unique opportunity to GBHS students, providing a chance to step away from academics for a portion of their day, and do something with Vitalant that they can truly be proud of.

Unfortunately, not everyone chooses to do so, and some aren’t even able to do so.

TOP 10 Flowers

Rose

Narcissus Gazette photo | Kate Fernandez

 Sophomore Sarah Kondas smiles in her shirt she received from the blood drive.

“Sometimes they don’t weigh enough, or they don’t have enough iron, or they got sick,” said Tamara Givens, who teaches Student Government at GBHS and set up the blood drive with Vitalant.

However, to those who can donate blood, doing so can be the difference between life and death for someone who needs it.

“It’s a really, really small sacrifice to make,” Davis said. “Knowing full well that you’re doing something good in the community, you really are helping people.

“And it sounds corny but it really does save a life, so keep focused on that and the pain and all that just becomes background noise. Give blood!”

Chrysanthemum

Orchid

Dahlia

Lily

Tulip

Cardinal Flower

Snapdragon

Pear Blossom

Cheer loud for the Gazette.

- Compiled by Raha Elahi

B6 Lifestyle

Friday, April 12, 2019

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Celebrating Awareness Annual FEAT walk helps bring attention to those on the spectrum by kicking off April with another family-friendly fundraiser

U

BY JORDAN BLAIR

jblair.gazette@gmail.com

nable to break down the social barriers they were born with, many individuals on the autism spectrum are simply labeled as ‘strange’ by their peers, who quickly move on with their days.

As the medical industry continues to advance its research in autism, many have become more aware of the developmental disorder.

Despite this, many are still unaware of the struggles those on the spectrum often face, both socially and academically.

The Families for Early Autism Treat (FEAT) is a nonprofit organization that works to bring awareness to the community regarding autism.

Connie Nakano, a volunteer for FEAT and mother of two children on the spectrum, has spent her time advocating for those on the spectrum.

“FEAT is dedicated to effective treatment for all individuals with autism,” Nakano said.

The annual FEAT walk, to be held on April 27, is one way the organization hopes to bring awareness to the community.

“This walk supports FEAT’s continued mission to provide free education, advocacy, and support to all individuals with autism,” Nakano said.

“Following the walk is a fun family Spring Carnival with a variety of activities and entertainment for all ages,” Nakano said.

Roughly 1 in 50 kids in the United States is affected by autism according to Nakano.

“The walk provides an opportunity for the community to show support and also allows for

families to meet each other and support one another,” Nakano said.

Though the cause of autism is still unknown, many programs have begun being put in place to support children on the spectrum.

Alex Kaplin is a special education teacher at Ridgeview Elementary School, and has been working as a special education teacher since the 90’s.

“I have a 22 year old niece who is on the autism spectrum,” said Kaplin, “She requires someone to watch and care for her all day.”

“Being a special ed teacher, you work with kids with various disabilities,” said Kaplin, “What I find challenging with autism is often the social aspect.”

A lack of social skills can often result in misunderstandings of those on the spectrum, as they may be unable to convey their thoughts/feelings properly.

“It can be difficult to know why a student may be upset or sad, because he or she may not have the ability to express themselves,” said Kaplin.

Students on the spectrum often struggle to relate to their peers, which is often isolating.

“Many kids on the spectrum have difficulties with social cues and developing friendships,” Kaplin said, “It is heartbreaking to see kids wander around the perimeter of the playground

alone.”

With levels of severity regarding the spectrum, autism can vary from highly detectable (low functioning), to subtle (high functioning).

“No two autistic people behave the same way,” Nakano said, “Some individuals have more severe symptoms than others.”

High functioning individuals are considered those with an IQ over 70, but have difficulty reading social cues, regulating emotions, and maintaining a normal conversation.

Low functioning individuals may have language barriers, extreme difficulty communicating, and sensory processing disorder--which may lead to self inflicted harm of the individual.

“I have a 22 year old niece who is on the autism spectrum,” Kaplin said, “She has many behavior outbursts, which prevent her from being independent.”

Though individuals on the spectrum have difficulty expressing themselves, they are often wonderful people that simply require time and patience.

This patience not only pertains to the individuals social life, but in the classroom as well.

While Kaplin has found that many of his students excel at concrete math skills, spelling, and decoding of words, there are areas in school that require more attention.

“Almost all (students on the spectrum) have difficulty with more abstract concepts such as reading comprehension, math word problems, and paragraph writing,” Kaplin said.

These are areas that requires a lot of repetition and step-by-step instruction,” Kaplin said “Sometimes during reading comprehension we work one sentence at a time.”

Children on the spectrum may often find themselves faced with difficulty on the playground.

Kaplin has come up with ways to help these children find enjoyment in recess, making it inclusive for all.

“My goal is find way for each student to have social interaction with their peers,” Kaplin said, “I found bringing buckets of Legos out on a picnic table brings out kids who don’t necessarily want to play sports or run around.”

While there are more activities allowing younger students on the spectrum to receive social interaction, older individuals find it much harder to socialize with their peers.

“Once the kids get older those opportunities to socialize are harder to find,” Kaplin said.

Along with lack of programs allowing these individuals to get out and socialize with peers, few whose lives have not been affected by autism remain unaware of what it truly is.

“I don’t know much about autism, except that it affects the brain and the ability to read body language,” senior Maryanna Agafonov said.

“I believe individuals on the spectrum could be better understood if there was more conversation about what autism is,” Agafonov said.

A lack of knowledge regarding autism often leads to misunderstandings of those that have been diagnosed. Children and adults alike can be labeled as rude, strange, and emotionally unavailable, which can further isolate these individuals from their peers.

“The problem is they’re made to feel like outcasts because of their differences,” Agafonov said, “These incredible individuals should get more attention so we can have societal normalization and acceptance of all people.”

“I think that some people often assume an individual’s differences are all they have to offer,” Agafonov said, “People forget individuals with autism are people too.”

“The reality is that none of us are the same, all of us are special, and everyone deserves to be treated as such,” Agafonov said.

Gazette illustration | Jordan Blair

Sports

Granite Bay Gazette

Friday

COMMENTARY

C Section

w April 12 , 2018

akhil shah ashah.gazette@gmail.com

College athletes: Be the change

W

e hear the same storyline all the time. Campus rapes at a big-name university. Stanford, Florida State and Michigan State are just some of the many schools I can recall.

All these universities hold one aspect in common, inadequate justice for victims, simply because of the reputation of their athletic programs at stake.

A swimmer at Stanford, a quarterback at Florida State and a basketball player at Michigan State were all perpetrators of sexual assault at their individual universities.

To this day, questions about the legitimacy of girls’ accusations against male athletes on these collegiate teams still exist.

Jameis Winston, a former quarterback at Florida State had his DNA test positive as part of a rape investigation. Despite this, he went number one overall in the 2015 NFL Draft.

“

This isn’t anything new. Athletes at big name universities get away with this heinous crime all the time.

”

It’s no doubt that issues like these halt victims to come forward and report or bring up their stories.

There is an intimidation and fear factor associated with coming forth with an allegation against an athlete.

On most occasions, athletes are adored by their teammates and people in their community.

Victims aren’t just facing one person; their so caller perpetrator. They are facing hundreds or even thousands of people at these universities.

My plea to our student athletes moving on to play at the college level is as follows: Don’t be that type of person.

As athletes, we have an elevated sense of importance in our communities.

How we go about this influence remains solely up to ourselves.

We can get caught up in the hype, and we can do as we please.

We can ruin people’s lives, and use our influence to hurt those around us.

The flip side of this is obvious, just be a good person. Don’t misuse your influence.

It’s not rocket science, we know right from wrong.

In the midst of the Me Too movement, it’s time to bring change in the culture of sexual and athletic violence in college.

It’s easy to get caught up in the hype holding such a big platform at a young age. No matter who you surround yourself with, be true to yourself and your decisions as a college athlete.

*** Akhil Shah, a senior, is a Sports editor.

Varsity lacrosse squad poised for success

Special to the Gazette | Jane Fowler

Team, packed with brothers and friends, dominates

BY MAX SCHWARTZ mschwartz.gazette@gmail.com

T

he Granite Bay lacrosse team has a legacy of positive records, successful athletes and a winning tradition. Although already impressive, the 2019 GBHS lacrosse team is looking to set the standard even higher for this season.

The team is more than half way through the season with a staggering record of 10-2.

Although these are just numbers, their record is full of hard-fought games, and overall domination over top ranked teams in the state. All of which had a history of beating Granite Bay lacrosse teams.

These wins attribute from the unique strength that is rare to many teams.

“The chemistry this group of guys has on the field is hard to find. We’ve all been playing together since we were in 6th grade and it’s a major con-

tributor to why we’ve turned out to be so good,” Brad Davito, a senior varsity captain, said.

This rare chemistry expands to each level of the game.

“Knowing the way your teammates play helps so much to form a successful team because we know exactly how to play off of each others strengths and who we need to have on the field in certain circumstances,” Davito said.

Even the two losses on their record are still impressive, one of them being against Sacred Heart Preparatory Academy, a team ranked second in the nation. The team only lost 8-5. It was a turning point in their season with what players and coaches were able to take away from the game.

“When we play individually we can’t score or prevent people from scoring, but when we play together as a unit we can do incredible things,” Matt Solone, a captain for the varsity team said.

As captains, Davito and Solone utilized their togetherness in order to get back together as a team and succeed.

“We reached some points early on where we got cocky and practices became lackadaisical, so the other captains and I talked to the team about making sure we treat every game like it’s the championship and practice how we expect to play,” After this, the team yielded great results.

The Grizzlies and the Marauders’ long standing rivalry draws many eyes to their game to see who will come out on top.

The Grizzlies played impressively, beating the Marauders 13-3. “(Jesuit) came out onto the field acting cocky and acting like they were going to beat us. we rolled through them on their own field,” Solone said.

See LACROSSE, page C2

Special to the Gazette | Jane Fowler

Varsity goalies walk off the field, top, prior to a game agasint De La Salle. Matt Solone, above, clears the ball from the endline during the team’s only upset loss against Monte Vista.

Teacher suggests Unique sports growing changing of TRIBE among student body Student section name raises issues

Off-campus sports on the rise among athletes

BY ANDREW YUNG

BY SOPHIE CRISCIONE

ayung.gazette@gmail.com

T

he Tribe. It is the current name of the student section at Granite Bay High School sports games. It is part of the rallying chant “Roll Tribe” that students yell at games and prep rallies. Yet, it is also the name that has recently become a part of intense controversy.

Last month, Kyle Holmes, the Drama teacher at GBHS, published an editorial in the school newspaper discussing the implications of “The Tribe.”

“The gist of the piece that I contributed was encouraging us as a community, as a school, to think about maybe moving on from calling our student cheering section The Tribe,” Holmes said.

In the piece, Holmes explained that he thought, though not intentional, the word “tribe” had the potential to be taken as racist by the Native American community.

“My point was sure, (the name of the Tribe) was not intended to be (racist),” Holmes said, “but if it could be or could be assumed to be, then isn’t that

D

Screenshot by the Gazette

at least worth having a conversation about if there’s a better word or a better name?”

After the Holmes’ commentary was posted on Twitter, the opinion piece practically went viral, receiving over 2000 views.

It was also not without its fair share of comments.

“It was a really interesting gamut of reactions,” Holmes said.

See TRIBE, page C2

scriscione.gazette@gmail.com

espite the usual league and school sports most athletes find themselves participating in, other athletes at GBHS discover an interest in the unique off-campus sports that are less common among students.

One of those sports is rowing, also known as crew. This sport has grown in popularity among several GBHS students who are a part of the Capital Crew rowing league based at the Sacramento State Aquatics Center.

Most rowers at GBHS, including junior Maryssa Shulz, a coxswain for Capital Crew who joined her freshman year, join the high school level crew team after many years of competing in a different sport.

“I used to be a competitive swimmer, but over the years my passion diminished and I didn’t enjoy it anymore,” Shulz said. “I decided to join crew because I love water sports and working with a team to achieve a common goal, and it was definitely one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”

Capital Crew consists of different groups of rowers and coaches that practice, travel, and compete together as teams, and Shulz believes the relationships she has formed with her teammates is one of the best outcomes of the sport.

“I’ve met so many of my closest friends at capital crew and developed extremely strong bonds with people that wouldn’t have been formed if

we didn’t row together,” Shulz said.

The competitive atmosphere and vigorous teamwork that comes with crew can be intimidating, but rowers are willing to make a commitment and work hard alongside an incredible team.

“If every rower does not work as hard as they personally can, the whole team will suffer and not be able to perform to their highest ability,” Shulz said.

On the other hand, the highly individual sport of figure skating has been a creative and athletic outlet for skaters at the high school.

Junior Ashley Yung has spent over 9 years skating, both competitively and as a hobby. She started from a young age as an inspired dancer who wanted to try something new.

“I watched professional figure skaters like Sasha Cohen, Kristi Yamaguchi, and Michelle Kwan when I was younger. I thought they were really inspirational, I wanted to do what they could do,” Yung said.

Figure skating is very different from other sports, in that it is completely individual and requires a use of creativity and elegance along with a good work ethic.

“While it is a sport, figure skating is also an art and a lot of what you do and what you work on focuses on the grace and the beauty of it,” Yung said.

See EXTRACURRICULAR, page C2

inside sports Fan of the Month Grizz Quiz

C2

Track competes at Stanford University

Lacrosse teams don’t take a break

C3

Numerous Grizzlies invited to annual meet

Players to compete in Southern California

C2

C3

Athlete of the Month C3

Spring sports update Friendships and bonds help in team success

C4

Sports C2

Friday, April 12, 2019

w

The Granite Bay Gazette Bella Tereno sprints to finish her race at the sturgeon invitational, Several Track and Field athletes use these smaller meets to prepare for the large ones, such as the Stanford invitational.

GBHS athletes compete at Stanford Invitational

Gazette photo | Sidney Stipanovich

Senior Lamont Mason, junior Jada Harper given chance to compete at national track and field meet

BY LANDEN ACOSTA

A

lacosta.gazette@gmail.com

midst a competitive track and field season, senior Lamont Mason and junior Jada Harper represented the Granite Bay High School track and field team at the Stanford invitational meet.

Lamont Mason is a shot put and discus thrower and was selected to represent GBHS in the shot put event.

The invitational offers one of

the best platforms for athletes to showcase their talents and compete against others that are similar in skill.

“For the invitational I got invited to do shot put and it was really cool because everyone who got invited in high school were typically very good and they know what they are doing it was really fun to just be there and watch everyone else throw,” Mason said.

The meet not only offers high school athletes fierce competition, but also exposure to some of the

top collegiate division one track and field teams in the country.

“All the big track teams were there,” Mason said. “It was cool seeing some of the top college throwers compete and knowing some of them could be Olympians one day.”

The collegiate atmosphere makes the Stanford invitational special to high schoolers as the exposure to top tier athletes is a valuable experience.

“As a high schooler, being on the Stanford track and shot put

ring was pretty cool,” said Mason.

Mason has aspirations to qualify for the state meet this year in shot put and discus.

“My goal is definitely to go to state and try to place,” Mason said. “I definitely want to break the record for shot put and discus, because I’m really close.”

However, Masons goals are not limited to statistics, as leaving his mark on the program is something important to him.

“It’s my senior year and I want to have fun with my team,” Mason said. “I want to influence my particular event team and be impactful, the throwing team feels like a family and I want all the kids to have the feeling of ‘wow I really love doing this and want to come back.’”

Mason also wants to encourage students to step out of their comfort zones and joining the track and field team because they might fall in love with the sport like he did.

“You never know what certain things will appeal to you,” Mason said. “As a freshman I didn’t do track and field and I never imagined I would be doing shot put and discus and now I love it and am ranked nationally for it.”

Junior Jada Harper is a distance runner and a long jumper on the team and was selected to jump and sprint the 100m at the invitational.

“I got invited for the long jump and the 100,” Harper said. “I did pretty well in long jump, I made it to finals and got 8th overall but I didn’t do too well in the 100m.”

Like Mason, Harper appreciated the competition and experience of being at Stanford.

“I liked all the athletes that came because they were from all over Northern California and being at Stanford definitely was really cool,” Harper said. “It’s a tough school to get into and I saw some tennis players from USC walking in and it was like wow, it was a motivation to work harder.”

Harper hopes to stem into a leadership position next season.

“My goal is definitely to make it to state in long jump and the 4x100 relay, as well as be a captain next year,” Harper said. “And I do want to run in college so we’ll see how that goes.”

FAN OF THE MONTH: Fisher has fun supporting Grizzlies

BY MICHELA SMITH

msmith.gazette@gmail.com

Nick Fisher has been an extremely involved student and always displays school spirit.

Fisher was a powderpuff cheerleader for the 2019 season. Cheering on the senior girls, he was able to express his dedication to promoting Granite Bay spirit.

Fisher described his involvement in powderpuff as exciting and unifying, “It was really fun, I liked cheering with people I did not know that well and becoming friends with them.” Fisher said.

With cheerleading comes hardwork and lots of learning, Fisher commented on the amount of effort he

had to put in, “I definitely realized how hard cheerleading actually is.” Fisher said.

Furthermore, Fisher attended other sporting events including football games, basketball games, and boys volleyball matches. Fisher also intends to attend stunt matches with some of his fellow powderpuff cheerleaders.

His commitment and constant support is much

appreciated by the athletes of the sporting events he attends.

Fisher also enjoys going to hot shots games with his fellow classmates.

Sports aren’t the only way Fisher gets involved, when there are spirit weeks Fisher makes an effort to dress up for each day.

Fisher also has his own club here at Granite Bay! His active participation allows him to be connected to his peers.

Fisher’s constant excitement and attendance to sporting events and his other involvement on campus make him a great fan of the month.

Gazette photo | Michela Smith

Nick Fisher loves to support his friends and GBHS.

LACROSSE: Talented varsity group living up to TRIBE: Proposed name change for high expectations for current lacrosse season student section brings controversy Continued from page C1 The GBHS lacrosse tradition still stays with past players, and this season is drawing eyes to them.

“You always hope that the Grizzlies can continue to be successful even after you have left,” Nolan Stabbert, a past Grizzly lacrosse player said.

“It’s nice to know that the team is still hungry, it shows their growth as athletes,” Stabbert said.

Along with great chemistry, this team also dominates due to their roster.

“Our entire depth chart can execute and put plays together.

We don’t really have any bench players. Each person plays a role in winning every game and most other teams rely on a

few strong players,” Davito said.

This also means utilizing strong underclassmen, and pulling them up in order to succeed.

“I’ve become a much better player since joining the varsity team, the team has a high standard to perform and we are raised up to do so,” Jacob Finswait, a sophomore varsity player said.

This Grizzly lacrosse team is projected to be the most successful one Granite Bay has seen. Their chemistry-driven program has defied expectations against top ranked schools.

Their bond as teammates and friends has helped immensely in their success.

“You never win if you play for yourself,” Solone said.

“You win when you play with the team.”

EXTRACURRICULAR: Students take part in a variety of different sports off campus Continued from page C1 Although the sport may seem less vigorous than others, depending on the schedule and dedication of each skater, figure skating can be a very time-consuming and intense activity.

Student Ashley Yung learned to cope with how hard it is to balance the pressure and dedication of skating everyday with academics.

“Skating has really taught me how to handle my nerves because I would get so nervous for almost every competition, and it also taught me how to balance such a large commitment, which included waking up at 4:15 a.m. everyday,” Yung said.

Aside from the variety of talented athletes at GBHS, the fascinating, unique sport of fencing has sparked passion in a few diligent and skilled students, who compete and practice all year long in fencing.

Fencing is a combat sport involving two athletes who earn points off of the successful contact to the opponent with a weapon at use. Although widely unheard of among high school students, the sport has found its roots in GBHS.

“

Skating has really taught me to handle my nerves ... and it also taught me how to balance such a large commitment.

– Ashley Yung, junior

”

Sophomore Shreya Reddy has competed in fencing for more than 2 years, and is committed to practicing 5 days a week during her year-round season.

Reddy enjoys the individual aspect of the competitive sport because she can solely rely on herself, rather than others, in order to succeed.

Fencers are definitely less common among the variety of athletes at the high school, but they work hard and dedicate their time to what they are passionate about.

Read the Gazette The award-winning student newspaper of Granite Bay High.

Continued from page C1 “It was everything from people saying ‘Yes I agree’ to people saying ‘Sure, but maybe we’re being too sensitive.’”

There were also reactions that were very extreme.

“The negative stuff (were) people saying ‘this is what’s wrong with teaching, this person is unfit to be in a classroom with students, and this person is pussfying our students,” Holmes said. “Obviously that stuff was hard to see.”

While students remained divided about whether or not they wanted to keep the name Tribe, almost everyone came to the support of Holmes.

“Mr. Holmes is a kind person, and teacher,” Aleah Treiterer, a student of Holmes’, said.

“He truly cares about each and every student, no matter if they have been with him for one year or four years. He does his best to not just teach students about theatre, but he tries to prepare his students for the world they are about to enter - teaching them how to be thoughtful, intelligent people.”

After all, most of the comments were from people not at the school, but in the community.

“The comments under Mr. Holmes’ article… were from people not from GBHS,” Jennifer Leighton, the GBHS principal, said.

Although Holmes admits having to read the reactions was difficult, he also knows that there is a silver lining.

“I feel like I’ve been villainized by certain people for trying to have this conversation, which is obviously a bummer, and the things that people have been saying on social media, that stuff is hard,” Holmes said. “But isn’t that what advocacy is? Being able to use my voice and platform and privilege to have conversations that other people may not be in a position to have?”

Advocacy is, after all, a big theme currently circulating around school.

After last week’s Power of Words week that emphasized advocating positively for the mar-

ginalized students at GBHS, as well as recent staff meetings encouraging both teachers and students to stand up for one another, GBHS as a whole has attempted moving closer to ensuring everyone feels safe and at home at school.

“We (at Granite Bay) are trying to become more aware of the words that we use,” Leighton said, “and the effect they may have on our students.”

In fact, next year the school has added a course, specifically in the sports department, that will try to address some of these perceived problems.

“Beginning next year, Mr. Sitterud will be teaching a Sports Leadership course where the leaders of our sports programs, as well as sports enthusiasts, will be learning how to run events,” Leighton said. “The curriculum will also focus on sportsmanship, discussing the needs of our athletes, school culture – including the student cheering section – etc.”

And although there is no official determination for whether or not the Tribe will be changed, Leighton anticipates that this will be a topic tackled in this new course.

However, Holmes says that his intentions were not centered on necessarily getting the name changed, but merely starting the conversation.

My goal was to start a conversation,” Holmes said. “We as a staff are having a lot of conversations right now about our marginalized students. How can we be having these conversations as a staff while we’re still not willing to talk about The Tribe? Someone had to start the conversation, so I threw it out there.”

Friday, April 12, 2018

w

The Granite Bay Gazette

Sports C3

GBHS athletes train and compete over spring break

Lacrosse teams travel to Southern California to participate in a spring-break tournament

BY SOPHIE CRSCIONE

A

scriscione.gazette@gmail.com

s many other students travel with their families, hang out with friends, or relax over spring break, some athletes will be training hard and continuing their spring sports season through the week long break.

The GBHS varsity girls’ and boys’ lacrosse teams will both be travelling down to Southern California for the break, and playing against other high school lacrosse teams while down there. The teams will travel separately and have the opportunity to play against teams different from those in our area, along with enjoying the warm weather of SoCal for a few days.

The girls’ team has plans to play Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, CA, and Arnold O. Beckman in Irvine, CA. The team will also be staying in sunny Newport Beach and spending some time at the beach.

“I am looking forward to traveling with my team and being in the warm weather. We have a very close knit team this year and I love spending time with all my teammates, so the trip will be super fun,” said varsity lacrosse player Ellie Griffin.

This is the first year the girls’ lacrosse team will be travelling for spring break, a week that would otherwise be spent going to required practices at home.

“In past years the team has had mandatory spring

break practices, so I actually prefer being in southern California playing games as opposed to having to stay home and practice,” Griffin said.

Being in the middle of their season, continuing to compete and practice is important to the lacrosse team’s performance, and taking a break from playing for too long could put the team back where they started.

“I believe taking a week off would affect how we play because practice makes perfect, and even taking a small break can affect skills and the shape someone is in,” said varsity lacrosse player Ella Marks.

The team’s trip will be short, only 2 days long, giving the players plenty of time to enjoy the rest of their spring break afterwards.

“The cool thing about this year is that our games are on Monday and Tuesday of spring break, so we’ll get to play lacrosse and then take a little break after.

I really like it that way, because it’s so fun to travel and play with the team, but it also feels great to have some vacation time over break,” said varsity player Kyra Kappos.

With an undefeated record so far this season, the varsity lacrosse team is currently ranked top 5 in the state, and the girls are hoping to perform well at their games during spring break.

Travelling to SoCal for two games as well, the boys’ varsity team will be flying down to San Diego, then driving up to LA on a quick three day trip of their own.

Special to the Gazette| Jane Fowler

Gavin Beadle jukes past a defender in a game in against Marin Catholic High.

This won’t be new to the boys’ team, though, as The boys are playing Coronado High School while this spring break trip has become an annual occurin San Diego and Foothill Santa Ana High School in rence, and they successfully beat both Coronado and Santa Ana, CA. Foothill Santa Ana last year.

Similar to the girls’ team, the boys are eager to Continuing the season and training will be benefispend some time enjoying the beach and prepared to cial to both teams after spring break is over, when perform well in their games. they need to get back into their regular schedule of Varsity lacrosse player Kabe Teague is most games and practices. excited for the warm weather and great competition “We have a game once we get back, and a big one they will be going up against. at that, so it really helps to keep the lacrosse stick in “I love travelling to play new teams because it’s our hands [through the break] so our stick work is refreshing and they’re usually very good games that kept up to its max potential.” Teague said. give us a run for our money,” Teague said.

Grizz Quiz Compiled by Sidney Zabell

What’s your favorite part about your sport?

What’s your go to pre-game snack?

How many hours per week do you train?

Who do you look up to in your sport?

What’s your best sports memory?

Kyle Capshaw

Giancarlo Solana

Lacrosse

Volleyball

I don’t really have a favorite part, I love it all.

I don’t really have one, I just eat whatever I would like.

I probably spend 8-10 hours a week playing lacrosse.

I would say I look up to Paul Rabil.

When I scored the gametying, then the game winning goal.

Jake Mckillop excells in track and cross country

Catherine Candy

Marina Soares

Swim

Track and field

The competitive nature, when you lose it’s on you and noThe Friendships you form body else to blame. But when - the comradery, the team you win, you’ve done all the aspect. work yourself to get where you are.

Bagels and cream cheese.

At least 10 hours a week.

I always have oatmeal, peanut butter and bananas.

Probably about fourteen hours.

Daniel Patterson.

Alexi Pappas. She went to the Olympics, makes films and is really inspirational.

We went to Santa Cruz for a tournament and got first place.

Going to state for cross country my freshman year with my best friends freshman year.

I like seeing other people because I don’t have time to hang out with people.

Probably almond butter on a rice cake with bananas.

Caroline Guidera

Stunt

My favorite part is the teamwork and the effort and energy put in towards reaching common goal from all of the girls.

Avocado toast.

20 hours.

Without a game we practice 6-8 hours a week and when we have a game, it’s about 9-10 hours including the games.

Olivia Smoliga.

My cousin, Tessa Grimm because she’s overall an amazing athlete and she got a full ride scholarship to the University of Louisville for Cheerleading.

Going to sections is fun because it’s kind of a combination of my high school and club team

Last season because all of the girls were so close and we were the smallest team in our division but we strived and practiced hard and made a great season out of it.

Jake Mckillop Jake Mckilliop enjoys running track and cross country.

Score Big

BY MIA TAYLOR

mtaylor.gazette@gmail.com

From a young age Jake McKillop was an active kid and involved himself in a wide variety of sports.

His passion for track and field took off in high school where he became a key athlete for the team due to his high performance in a wide range of events. Though most athletes specialize in two or three events, McKillop competes in five; the 100, 200 and 400 meter sprint as well as the 300 meter hurdles and high jump.

“Qualifying for sections for the first time is my favorite track memory,”

McKillop said. “Seeing the delight of my parents and coaches after having all my hard work pay off was really gratifying.” His athleticism has allowed him to earn a place among top athletes at many prestigious meets including the Arcadia Invite, Stanford Invite and even the state meet last season alongside the 4x400 meter relay team. “The Stanford Invitational was my first major competitive invite.” Mckillop said, “It was such an amazing atmosphere and overall a remarkable experience”.

Mckillop intends to pursue his passion for track and field in college, though he has not currently made any definite plans. “You’re only given the opportunity once.” McKillop said, “and I intend to seize it.”

Read The Gazette

Friday, April 12th, 2018

C4

w The Granite Bay Gazette

SECOND LOOK Spring Sports Update

Comradeship between players allows teams to reach their goals

BY SIDNEY STIPANOVICH

sstipanovich.gazette@gmail.com

TRACK & FIELD

Friday, 4/20 Sacramento Meet of Champions Friday, 4/24 SFL #4, Granite Bay @ Folsom Wednesday, 5/1 SFL Championships-Preliminaries “The track team as a whole has really been ramping our workouts up in practice recently,” senior Jake McKillop said. “On the individual plane we have a handful of kids who were able to go to sections and masters for individual events last year, and I know all of us want to make it at least as far as we did last year, if not farther.”

Gazette photo | Sidney Stipanovich

BOYS’ LACROSSE

Gazette photo | Sidney Stipanovich

Monday, 4/15 GB @ Coronado Tuesday, 4/16 GB @ Foothill Friday, 4/26 Oakridge @ GB “The team has been working hard in practice and focusing on the little things and just mainly our execution,” senior Everett Hayes said. “Our goal for the season is to win the section. We have been extremely close the past couple years, so we want to be the team to finally break through and win it all.”

GIRL’S LACROSSE

Monday, 4/15 GB @ Mater Dei Tuesday, 4/16 GB @ Beckman Tuesday, 4/23 Foothill @ GB “Our team really wants to win NCS (North Coast Section) this year, and we’ve been working really hard just by focusing on our weaknesses at practice and being really focused on our end goal but taking the season each game at a time,” senior Miriam Lebastchi said.

SOFTBALL

Tuesday, 4/23 Oak Ridge @ GB Thursday, 4/25 Rocklin @ GB Tuesday, 4/30 GB @ Folsom “Our biggest goal is to continue growing every single time we come out so hopefully we can win league and maybe even SFL,” senior Ashley Bartels said. “We work together by just putting in hard work and effort on the field during practice.”

Gazette photo | Sidney Stipanovich

BASEBALL

Tuesday, 4/16 Tracy @ GB Tuesday, 4/23 Del Oro @ GB Wednesday, 4/24 GB @ Del Oro “Our 2-3 record this season is not indicative of our team so far,” senior Jack Stinson said. “We’ve played some really tough teams and have held our own in all of them, our losses have only come by one run in each game which gives me a lot of confidence because I know as we play more games and continue to get things rolling as a team, we will win the close games.”

BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL

Saturday, 4/13 Granite Bay Varsity Tournament Tuesday, 4/23 Whitney @ GB Thursday, 4/25 GB @ Del Oro “Our season has been great so far, we’re on an eighteen game win streak,” senior Daniel Patterson said.

“The highlight of our season was going to Santa Cruz with our whole team and winning the tournament.”

BOYS’ TENNIS

Thursday, 4/25 SFL Doubles tournament Monday, 4/29 PO 1 Team Tournament Wednesday, 5/1 Section Individual Tournament “Our main focus is to win league again this year,” senior Justice Radler said. “Our biggest strength is our ability to bond as a team, and we plan on working together by always challenging each other to work harder and play better.”

BOYS’ GOLF

Friday, 4/19 GB @ Oak Ridge Tuesday, 4/23 Whitney @ GB Thursday 4/25 GB @ DO “I would say our overall goal is to win state, but we usually try to stay present and take things one step at a time,” senior Easton Holland said. “Right now during the regular season, we are focusing on winning as many matches as possible and staying high in points so we can qualify for the first round of playoffs. After that, we will focus on making it to Masters, NorCals, and state respectively. ” STUNT

Gazette photo | Sidney Stipanovich

Carlee Rider, top left, warms up at the Sturgeon Invitational track meet. Carlee Rider, top right, clears

Tuesday, 4/23 GB @ Rocklin Saturday, 5/4 CIF State Competition

the bar at the Sturgeon Invitational.

“Most of the girls on the team are completely new to Stunt and I’m so impressed with how well they’ve caught onto the sport,” senior Faith Glover said. “The bond that we’ve created in the last few months is so strong and our sense of sisterhood is what keeps us motivated throughout our hard practices.”

defense during a JV lacrosse game

SWIM

Thursday, May 2nd, Qualifiers @ Sac-Joaquin Section Saturday, May 4th, Finals @ Sac-Joaquin Section May 10-11 Qualifiers @ CIF State Championships “We work hard in practice in order to swim better,” senior Rachel Finsthwait said. “Build muscle and endurance and lung strength.”

Special to the Gazette | Dave Gershon

Megan Lorenzen, middle, plays against Amador. Nolan Wilson, lower right, stands up to bat at a varsity baseball game. Izzie Hillman, lower left, carries the ball past an opponent during a JV lacrosse game against Amador. Ty Peterson, bottom left, high fives his teammates at a varisty baseball game.

Special to the Gazette | Dave Gershon

GS The Gazette’s arts and entertainment guide.

April 2019

GREENSCREEN Student-Run Bands

PAGES 6 & 7

Gazette photo | Maya Snow

Page 2

April 2019

sneak peek.

Gazette illustration | Dylan Rowe

Gazette illustration | Lindsey Zabell

wSee page 3 Tik Tok

wSee pages 6 and 7 Student Run Bands

Gazette photo | Maya Snow

wSee page 12 Senior Ball Style Guide

The key to happiness is not caring

T

Always try to be the truest version of yourself

to me, and how surprised I was that that little he weekend of Junior Prom, five of my quality was something they valued so much in closest friends and I were gathered around me. a table at Buffalo Wild Wings when one of It meant a lot to me that they even recognized us had the idea to set all of our phones in a stack it. off to the side.

The four years spent on a high school campus This way, we could all enjoy each others’ comare spent solely around your peers, so it’s easy pany with zero distractions. to become so caught up in how we are perceived We soon started chatting about the topic of to other people.

Almost everything we do here individuality – we highlighted how interesting it involves our peers one way or another. was that each and every one of us had our own Not caring about others’ opinions is a quality unique personalities, yet we were all so close.

I think is very valuable, especially at this age. It We then began to go around the table and talk allows you to be yourself, and gives you more about the qualities we admire in each other – how time to think about how you see yourself, rather we were kind, independent, caring, strong and lzabell.gazette@gmail.com than how others are viewing you. everything in between.

It provides a mindset anchored towards improving yourself – When it came around to me, I expected it to be the usual comnot dwelling on your imperfections. pliments I received from my friends – about my humor, and the The clothes you wear, the actions you do, or the things you say jokes I was always able to crack in any situation. should not hold you back from being yourself (granted they’re What they said about me that night was something that resonatkind, of course). Life’s too short for that. ed with me for several days after.

If there’s anything people can take away from this, I hope it’s They started talking about how they admired that I’ve never cared about what other people think of me. that the quality of being your true, genuine self without any other I remember them saying, “Some people will say they don’t care opinions can really go a long way.

Owning this quality allows for people to show the most genuine about other people’s opinions, but deep down somewhere, they version of themselves, and that’s something that holds great really do. But not you. You’re like, in your own world in the best value. way possible.” *** As we went to bed that night, surrounded by each other’s love Lindsey Zabell, a junior, is a Greenscreen editor. and appreciation, I thought about how important that quality was

COMMENTARY

lindsey zabell

Page 3

Guide to

GreenScreen

Tik Tok Page 4

Food Reviews Page 5 Marie Konde

UPCOMING

GBHS EVENTS FOR APRIL

April 4-6 Ranked the Musical April 13-22 Spring Break April 25-27 Reno Jazz Fesitval

Page 6 & 7 Student- run Bands

Page 10 Top Tweets

Page 8 Alternative Senior Trips

Pages 11 Chinny and Wandy

Page 9 Hypebeasts

Page 12 Senior Ball Style Guide

April 2019

Page 3

tik tok.

Gazette illustration | Dylan Rowe

GOING VIRAL New app gains popularity among teens

BY LINDSEY ZABELL

R

lzabell.gazette@gmail.com

ecently, a new social media app has begun to take the world by storm. This app is unlike anything we’ve ever seen before. That’s right.

It’s TikTok. Formerly known as Musically, TikTok is a social media app that allows users to create short 60 second videos with music behind them that they can upload and share with their followers.

Several students at Granite Bay have created TikTok accounts of their own and uploaded several of these videos to the platform.

One of which is junior Jack Dugoni, who has been “TikToking” for around two months.

More widely known as “wolfkid6969”, Dugoni says he began making these short videos as a way to ease his boredom.

Dugoni creates videos with a range of songs – from Hannah Montana’s “See You Again” all the way to original soundtracks of his own.

Although he originally started making Tik Toks due to boredom, his fanbase has grown and his follower count has surpassed his intentions.

Dugoni’s videos are now featured on the front page of both TikTok and Instagram, reaching viewers much further than just his friends.

Along with Dugoni, junior Emily Bradley, who goes by the name “thatmanatemyson”, inspired by a popular meme, enjoys creating these 60 second videos to

share with her friends.

“I started making Tik Toks because I wanted to see the funny videos my friends made and try to make my friends laugh,” Bradley said.

Bradley has been making Tik Toks for around three months and although her work has not yet reached the same viewer counts held by Dugoni’s videos, she hopes one day “God will answer her prayers” and allow her to rise to TikTok fame.

Another GBHS student who has recently taken to the Tik Tok app is senior Preston Lehmann.

After being inspired by his friend Matt Solone, he began to make Tik Toks and soon found they were actually quite fun.

“I (initially) thought they were the dumbest thing ever (but) once I saw that his were kind of funny I (started to) duet his and we started making them together and having fun with it,” Lehmann explained.

Unlike Dugoni and Bradley, Lehmann prefers to keep his Tik Tok circle a little smaller, with only 17 followers.

“I like making Tik Toks because I can add my own little spice to a certain song,” Lehmann added.

What started as a way to alleviate boredom or just make a friend laugh has unexpectedly turned into something much bigger.

“I’m not really sure what happened,” Dugoni said.

“But I made a Tik Tok and now I have 32k followers.”

Gazette illustration | Dylan Rowe

Page 4

April 2019

fro-sho.

The Gazette staff shares the best frozen yogurt that will make you forget about ice cream!

Sweets that are too icy.

Costco

BY BELLA KHOR

bkhor.gazette@gmail.com

C

ostco.

Where else could I get a pack of 55 pieces of Godiva ganache chocolate for less than nine dollars? The answer: Nowhere.

This gloriously massive retail chain store is the place to buy delicious food in bulk, and its food court is something to be admired.

Their pizzas are HUGE and their churros are delightful, but the true star of Costco’s food court is… the frozen yogurt.

I’ll admit, I always glossed over the fact that the gooey and creamy frozen yogurt sundaes Costco offers were, in fact, frozen yogurt. I’m not sure what I thought they were beforehand, but Costco’s frozen yogurt was on a different level from all other frozen yogurts I’ve had.

That creamy, soft, gooey vanilla sundae with strawberry soft serve was the highlight of almost every trip to Costco I’ve ever made.

The food court was transformed from the last time I’d seen it, with self-ordering stations and a huge space on their counter that had swarms of people buzzing impatiently for their food.

I had chosen to pay cash and therefore was not able to use the selfordering devices, and the wait was… substantial. The day I was there, they were overwhelmed with orders. It took 15 minutes for me to make my

OMG! Yogurt way to the front of the line, and for some strange reason, the cashier left.

Needless to say, I was not happy.

I wasn’t upset per se, but I was very close to it. The moment the cashier came back, however, she was very apologetic. Once she rung me up, I got my vanilla and acai swirl in a jiffy.

And let me say, my sour mood disappeared the second I placed that spoonful of chilly goodness into my mouth. The acai sorbet -- at least, what I thought was sorbet-like soft serve-- was tangy and sweet, perfectly balanced with the vanilla.

Now, with my most recent Costco adventures in tow, the vanilla and acai swirl has become my new go-to treat.

Gazette photo | Bella Khor

BY KAVANA GONAR

kgonar.gazette@gmail.com

A

lthough it wasn’t mentally gruelling for me personally, midterms can seem like a death-filled, arduous era for Granite Bay High School students. A common after midterm ritual often calls for a sweeter, softer antidote.

For most, it’s frozen yogurt. And my friends and I can happily say that OMG! Yogurt definitely hits all those notes.

I first walked into the shop t and was immediately greeted with a bright, festive, and welcoming interior. The walls were painted green and purple, two colors perfectly suiting the ambiance of the shop, and there were even decorations for St. Patrick’s day.

The manager of the shop at the time was courteous and helpful, allowing us as many samples as needed, within reason. I asked for samples of their toasted marshmallow and Dole pineapple-flavored yogurts, both which tasted excellent.

Next up was probably the most diverse part of the establishment, the toppings. We were first met with an assortment of cereals and candies through long dispensers. Then came a large serving table of more fruit and snack-based, as well as candy toppings. Finally, right by the register, was a gamut of liquid toppings, including chocolate sauce, fruitflavored sauces, and my personal

favorite, hard hat.

Obviously my friends and I couldn’t wait to dig in to these wonderful abodes from midterms.

My first bite of the yogurt was pure bliss. The yogurt was cold, but not cold enough that it would give me a brain freeze, and all the seemingly random toppings I’d placed on the yogurt seemed to harmonize into a wonderful journey to Candy Land in my mouth.

Yogurt almost made me forget that I was slightly too warm, coughing, and sore to be out of the house.

Whether you’re sick with the flu (or Senioritis!), are looking for a cheat food, or are just looking for a midterms treat - all three of the criteria representing me that day - OMG! Yogurt is almost certainly the way to go. I promise you that you won’t regret the experience.

Gazette photo | Kavana Gonar

Nuyo

BY SOPHIE CRISCIONE

scriscone.gazette@gmail.com

A

s spring moves forward and temperatures rise, chill frozen yogurt becomes a more desirable snack to enjoy as a healthy and delicious substitute for ice cream.

Of all the places to get frozen yogurt, Nuyo Frozen Yogurt is located the closest to GBHS, and seems to be the most popular among students. Nuyo is a walkable distance from the high school, along Eureka road in Granite Bay, making it the perfect place for an after-school treat.

Some of my teammates and I headed over to Nuyo to treat ourselves to some cool frozen yogurt after a hot afterschool track practice.

Nuyo Frozen Yogurt has a variety of flavors of frozen yogurt, and customers

can self-serve themselves to as much yogurt and as many flavors as desired.

The possibilities are endless, and if you’re having trouble choosing, workers offer you samples of flavors you may need to taste to make the decision.

I got strawberry lemonade frozen yogurt coupled with the cake batter flavor, and topped it all with oreo crumbs and fresh cut strawberries. Although there is a huge assortment of toppings, from sprinkles to gummy bears to cookies, I personally prefer less toppings and more frozen yogurt.

Nuyo’s prices are completely based on weight, and you can control the amount of frozen yogurt you get based on how much money you really want to spend.

I believe the prices are fair for what you can get, even though it may be a little bit more expensive than ordinary

ice cream. I think their frozen yogurts’ prices are worth the wide variety of possible combinations of flavors and toppings that aren’t usually offered with ice cream.

Despite the variety of flavors, like lemon, chocolate brownie, blueberry and apple pie, there are often very few dairy-free choices.

Already being restricted from almost all ice cream, those who prefer or need dairy-free substitutes would hope for more than merely vanilla and lemon as possibilities for dairy-free frozen yogurt.

Overall, I would give Nuyo four stars for its wide variety of delicious frozen yogurt combinations, cheap prices, and convenient location, lacking more dairy-free and allergy supportive flavors.

Gazette photo | Sophie Criscione

April 2019

does it spark joy?

Decluttering 101

Students use Marie Kondo’s show as inspiration to organize their lives

BY KATE FERNANDEZ

kfernandez.gazette@gmail.com

A

nyone and everyone can have a hard time letting go of their things, whether they’re endless old t-shirts or out-of-style jeans.

However, there is hope for those who feel that they are drowning in their things.

If one finds themselves surrounded by items they don’t really need but don’t know how to let go, they can turn to Marie Kondo.

Marie Kondo is the star of the hit Netflix show, “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo,” in which she teaches people and their families how to declutter their homes, and in turn, their lives.

The show quickly became popular. “I saw how much of an impact organization had on people’s lives and I really enjoyed it.”junior Cori Caplinger said.

In the show, Kondo has her own method of cataloging items, called the KonMari method, which involves separating things into categories.

By separating items into section including clothing, books, paper, miscellaneous, and sentimental, Kondo aims not just to clean a person’s home, but their mind as well.

Kondo has recognized that people can often become overwhelmed by an excess of things, which is why she asks the people she helps if their items “spark joy.”

While a simple question, asking, “does it spark joy,” can drastically change how people declutter, forcing people to confront their items and determine what they actually need.

Often times, people hold onto things that they don’t have a connection to, but are attached to either way. So by deciding if an item actually holds value for a person, they can either keep it, or let it go.

“I like watching people have breakthroughs,” said GBHS Teacher Lynne Guerné, who watched and enjoyed the show.

“It’s interesting, all of their breakthroughs and their relationships with each other have with getting rid of stuff, and I think that’s very interesting,” Guerné said.

While the breakthroughs that people experienced on the show affected their loved ones, they were also extremely beneficial to the person.

In the first episode, Kondo visited a new family struggling to keep their life tidy.

The mother, who largely contributed to this struggle, was able to figure out a way to live comfortably, without worrying about a mess.

This type of change is what is so inspiring about the show. To be able to tidy up in a matter of days with simple organization and the occasional folding, is very appealing, and many have become motivated to clean up.

Junior Hathamee Bensalem said, “I have

so many clothes that I don’t wear at all, and I definitely need to get rid of them,” after having watched the show.

While there is no way to know exactly how well off Granite Bay students are, it’s safe to assume that a considerable portion of GBHS students like Bensalem have a thing or two that they could part with, but haven’t.

“I would say generally speaking people in Granite Bay have a lot of things,”Guerné said, “We have big houses here, and when you have big houses you have a tendency to fill those houses with things.”

Perhaps they could learn a thing or two from Kondo.

By following Kondo’s methods, Granite Bay students and residents could drastically change how their lives function, and

Gazette illustration | Maya Snow

how their wardrobes are organized.

While there isn’t anything wrong with having possessions that are greatly valued by oneself, problems do begin to arise when these very possessions overflow into a person’s daily life.

Kondo aims to solve these problems, and in a quite simple way. By compiling all material items and deciding what will stay and what will go, a person can tidy their mind.

All they have to do is ask one simple question – “Does it spark joy?”

Page 5

Pages 6 & 7

April 2019

musical madmen.

STUDENT BANDS abe | Lin dse yZ ion illus trat

R

The music produced by Yung Noog, Kosmic Order, and 3005 Krew are much more focused on rapping than Nanday Lane is.

3005 Krew is a band run by seniors Preston Lehmann and Mo Huish.

“Our band is 3005 Krew and we like (the name) because Mo and I feel like we’ll be there for each other until (year) 3005,” said Lehmann.

“We record (our music) and have performed,” said Huish.

“I have also created my own music label, PSYCHEDELIC NIGHTMARES RECORDS.” “There wasn’t a deciding factor for why we wanted to start our band,” Lehmann explained. “We had another group, but it didn’t really work out. So this time it’s just me and Mo, and it’s a lot better.”

As the trend of student-run bands continues to grow, the creativity and expression of students continues to be very relevant as well.

G az ette

Gazette illustration | Dylan Rowe

“Sam, Mikey and I have been playing together for a msnow.gazette@gmail.com while, and Trey started playecently, bands have ing with us about a year ago, been popping up all and we enjoyed his presence over the Granite Bay so we made a band,” Scates High School campus. said.

Students have started to From school work, to jobs, form bands as a way to exto sports, finding time to pracpress their feeling in ways tice can frequently pose as an they were never able to before. issue.

Nanday Lane, Yung Noog, “I personally practice evKosmic Order, 3005 Krew, eryday, but the band practices and The Dogs are just a few of once or twice a week,” Tipton the many musical groups here said. on campus.

Releasing original music to One of the more wellplatforms for people to hear is known bands, Nanday Lane, hard as a high school student, is composed of four members but Nanday Lane has it all – seniors Sam Newman, Ben figured out.

Scates and Mikey Tipton, and “We have recorded three junior Trey Miller. songs that are on Spotify, The name of their band is Soundcloud, Apple Music, and unique, but it has a deeper iTunes,” Newman said. meaning too.

Currently, Nanday Lane has “It’s the street that I grew up roughly 3,020 monthly listenon in San Diego, and it means ers on Spotify. a lot,” Miller explained.

Although Nanday Lane is Bands form naturally from more anchored towards tradipeople being around each oth- tional instruments, that is not er and creating music together. the case for all GBHS bands.

BY MAYA SNOW

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GBHS musicians join together to form unique musical groups

Gazette illustration | Spencer Cova

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Page 8

April 2019

mr. worldwide.

SUMMER TRAVELS

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GBHS seniors prepare to take their own vacation trips with friends

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BY MIA TAYLOR

mtaylor.gazette@gmail.com

s the school year winds down, seniors prepare to celebrate the end of highschool with exciting plans over summer.

Though the senior class trip to Europe is highly anticipated by many, others have their own agendas to make the most of the time they have before embarking on their post graduation journeys.

The pricey cost of the Europe trip is one deterrent for those who must also consider the expense of college.

“Personally, I’m not going on the Europe trip because it’s a big cost right before college,” said senior Bethany Brooding. “ I’d rather spend my money choosing exactly what I want to do with exactly who I want to be with rather than at the will of the Europe trip’s itinerary.”

Often, staying home is overlooked for the pursuit of extravagant travel plans but there is an abundance of places to visit in California that make for a memorable senior trip.

n | Sidney and Gazette illustratio

Instead of Europe, Brooding is making the most of staying local by visiting Big Sur and going on backpacking trips in the Sierra Nevada Mountains with her closest friends.

A popular destination for many Grizzlies is Lake Tahoe which offers the qualities of a vacation at only a considerably short drive away.

“I’ll be spending a lot of time in Tahoe with the boys,” said senior Jerry Schwartz. “ My friend and I both have a cabin so we can have the whole group up there.”

Similarly, Carlee Ryder adds, “I’m excited for days spent boating in Tahoe.”

Cate Wolfe, who was originally signed up for the Europe trip, recently decided against it. “The Europe trip was really long and conflicted with my other plans” Wolfe said. “ I’m going to Machu Picchu with my family instead.”

Additionally, Wolfe plans to celebrate the end of high school with a trip to Santa Cruz with her closest friends as their own smaller senior trip.

Antonio Rizzuto is another senior who

is opting out of traveling to Europe with his class to instead go on a more personalized trip with his closest friends.

“I’m going to Hawaii and renting a condo in Maui with all of my friends,” Rizzuto said. “ I think it’ll be more fun to have just my closest friends and be able to do whatever we want instead of following an organized schedule.”

“Later in July I’m going to Europe too,” Rizzuto added. “I’m going to Italy, Croatia and Switzerland so I’m really excited for that.”

Similarly to Rizzuto, Claire Davidian prefers to travel according to her own agenda.

“I’d rather spend time with my friends and family in places that interest me and where I don’t feel super rushed,” Davidian said. “Santa Cruz is one of my favorite places so I’m going there this summer.”

Regardless of how seniors choose to spend their summer, soon they’ll be entering a new chapter of their lives that will bring new experiences and new beginnings.

Lindsey Zabell

Gazette illustration | Lindsey Zabell

e w Ro

April 2019

Page 9 Gazette illustration | Dylan Rowe

$$$$$.

Big spenders on campus show off the designer clothes that they sell and wear

BY DYLAN ROWE

A

drowe.gazette@gmail.com

“hypebeast” is a person who could be described in many ways, someone who keeps up with trends, or as someone who enjoys making social statements with their clothes.

People that fall into this category are often seen wearing or selling expensive designer clothing.

“Hypebeasts,” mainly advertise themselves on online platforms rather than in real life, however some students at Granite Bay High School are open about the craft.

Junior Dillion Clements, who prefers to be called an entrepreneur rather than a “hypebeast,” has been buying and selling designer items for many years, however it’s not just the look of a brand that he takes into consideration when buying them.

“I buy designer clothes because they’re not made in a sweatshop,” Clements said. “Most of these brands are designed to support charities instead of being produced solely for profit.”

To many, being a conscious consumer is apart of rebuilding the planets humanity by fighting fast fashion.

The look and cost of the clothes also contribute to a buyers urgency to buy an item.

“I like buying and reselling brands like Off White, Yeezys, and Gucci,” junior Connor Williams said.

The exclusivity of a brand is an im-

portant factor to consider for a person reselling designer clothes. Whether or not the item is unique and appealing determines how much profit a person can make.

“To me buying clothes is an investment,” Dillon Clements said. “I buy clothes that I perceive to be iconic, now and in the future.”

Reselling clothes is the educated path of action when becoming a “hypebeast,” as it is an easy way to make a profit from doing practically nothing.

“I’ve made a good amount of money,” Clements said, “ I can’t say an exact number but my profits are within the quintuple digits.”

Besides “hypebeasts” like Connor Williams and Dillion Clements, who find it lucrative to buy and sell designer clothes, some “hypebeasts” prefer to wear and enjoy the clothes.

“I buy more exclusive clothes because I like the brands and think they look cool,” junior Mason Lester said. “I typically buy the streetwear versions of clothes instead of the really expensive ones.”

Clothing and fashion is an inclusive hobby for people of all ages, and holds no boundaries.

“Whether someone is buying the clothes just to wear them, or buying them with intentions of reselling them,” sophomore Sam Crawford said, “‘Hypebeast’ culture is something to be proud of and something more people should think about.”

Gazette illustration |Dylan Rowe Gazette illustration |Dylan Rowe

Page 10

April 2019

current.

Top Tweets Spirited tweets by Granite Bay High School students

BY SYDNEY HERRENSCHMIDT

Netflix Picks

sherrenschmidt.gazette@gmail.com

Twitter

BY GWEN MYNAR

gmynar.gazette@gmail.com

1. Umbrella Academy “Umbrella Academy” is the story of 7 adopted super powered siblings, all born on the same day under mysterious circumstances. After being separated for years, they come together again after hearing news of the death of their father, which leads them to reforming their old superhero team.

2. Watchmen In an alternate 1980’s America, superheroes are part of everyday life. When one of his former allies is murdered, vigilante Rorschach uncovers a plot to kill and defame all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his old associates, Rorschach glimpses a far-reaching conspiracy involving their shared past and terrible scenario for the world’s future.

3. The Crow The night before his wedding, Eric Draven and his fiancée are brutally murdered by members of a gang. On the anniversary of their death, Eric rises from the dead and assumes the title of the Crow, a supernatural avenger hunting down the criminals responsible for the crimes and mercilessly ending them.

4. Judge Dredd In the crime-plagued future, the only thing standing between order and chaos is Judge Dredd. His job: police the violent metropolitan sprawls that crowd the decaying earth, and kill criminals on the spot if necessary. The tables are turned, however, when maniacal ex-Judge Rico frames Dredd for murder. But, as his enemies soon discover, not even a prison sentence can stop Dredd from serving justice.

Forgot to staple $500,000 to my UC applications #nervous Rami Sadek @rsadek23

8 Retweets

108 Likes

Please don’t look at me like that, I have to wear these my airpods are charging at home LIV @livvthompsonn

0 Retweets

9 Likes

Me: :( *nanday lane next on shufffle* Me: :) chloe @ChloeRalli

1 Retweets

obody: me kissing my homies goodnight: sleep tight Jake Northam @NorthamJacob 1 Retweet

13 Likes

15 Likes

Hangout Location of the Month: Mel’s Diner

What is it?

T

he Original Mel’s Diner is a great place to eat with friends after a dance or just to get food. It is located in Roseville. Mel’s is a 50’s themed diner, and its open 24 hours a day.

Granite Bay students love to go here after a dance or football games.

What to Look Out For • • •

Jukeboxes that accept quarters to pick the music the restaurant plays The neon signs are great for pictures with friends They’re open 24 hours for late night eats Gazette photo | Maya Snow

Mel’s Diner is a local Roseville diner, great for high school students looking to grab some food for any occassion.

April 2019

Page 11

max’s double is 5’10”

This movie scared “US”

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Gazette co-editors-in-chief reflect on Jordan Peele’s new horror

BY SPENCER COVA

scova.gazette@gmail.com

BY MAX SCHWARTZ

mschwartz.gazette@gmail.com

If I had to describe “Us” to someone asking if they should see it, I would say that it was a really fun movie to watch.

I think what really got me was the concept of the movie: a horror by Jordan Peele.

With the premise of having a double that is trying to kill you because they want your life is a fun idea.

But, as I was watching the movie, I had a few thoughts.

One of the thoughts being “how would I fight my double.” This is an interesting one.

I think the scariest part of having a double is if mine was taller than 5’9” because he didn’t slouch.

I mean imagine that: here I am, Max Schwartz, meeting up with someone that looks like me, but the only difference is that he’s 5’10” because he had better posture. Mentally, I would be beat right away.

But, aside from my now biggest fear – the movie was dope.

The fight scenes were amazing and all of that blood with comedy in between about who should drive a car because of their kill count. I was laughing throughout the movie.

But I mean think about it, imagine if I was 5’10”, like that would be

horrifying, my double wouldn’t even need to touch me he would just have to berate me with insults the entire time about how I could be 5’10” if I had better posture.

I think the trailer really brought the movie up to the correct hype, turning “I Got Five On It” into a stringed orchestra, was pretty badass, creating a mood for the movie that made me ready for a whole movie.

But think about it... my double being 5’10”, to be honest I would let him take my spot in this world, he would truly be the superior being.

But on a serious note, I think the commentary about social class the this movie delivered was impressive, Peele maintains a dominance in the horror/thriller genre that wasn’t expected.

This is a movie to definitely watch twice, the subliminal hits and foreshadowing is worth a second viewing to appreciate the movie even moreso.

And, I have now decided I am promy-double-taking-over-my-life, controversial, I know, but I think a world with a 5’10” Max is a better world.

This past week I went to Santa Cruz for a college visit and there were two questions that never escaped my mind: will my doppelganger look better than me, and how in the world did Karl Grubaugh ride the Big Dipper on the Boardwalk 24 times in a row.

This review is going to look a lot how Max and I’s friendship works, if you read the story on the left you will get a much more wild and unexpected ride but you’ll stay for the witty one liners. And over here it will be relatively more grounded with a spritz of cynicism.

Jordan Peele’s thrilling new film, “Us,” which takes place almost entirely in Santa Cruz, is alike his freshman film “Get Out” in the way that the entire piece is allegorical to modern day America, but in every other way this film provides a completely different experience than his last.

The scariest part in this film, besides the idea of how many rabbits were harmed in the making, was when a doppelganger was on her deathbed, and when asked who she is, she replied in a dry, hoarse voice, “we’re Americans.”

It marks the point at which Peele, with great deliberation, steps beyond the confines of the horror flick. He did the same in “Get Out” but “Us” travels further and deeper, with a more resolute

sense of adventure.

The indictment of racial prejudice in the earlier movie was blistering stuff, but “Us” spares nobody, regardless of color, age, or creed.

Peele dives deep into the struggles of class conflict and the lack of equality in opportunity from birth in America, along with the lack of understanding not stemming from ignorance, but rather rooting from the blindfold of privilege.

Along with making powerful social commentary, he also manages to make the freshest, and in my opinion, best horror flick in the last few years.

And for his next challenge: can Peele expose every social crisis in America in a single season remake of Twilight Zone coming out later this year?

Page 12

April 2019

dance the night away.

Senior Ball Style Guide: Gatsby Edition Gazette illustration | Maya Snow

GBHS students put their own twist on classic styles

O

BY SIDNEY ZABELL

szabell.gazette@gmail.com

Gazette illustration | Maya Snow

h, prom season.

Some begin shopping sixplus months in advance, while others choose a last minute outfit the night before.

Senior Chloe Boyan bought her dress secondhand on Depop, a shopping app focused largely on thrifting.

“I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to go to Senior Ball, but more than that I wanted to find a dress that made me feel super confident while not spending a fortune on a dress I won’t use very many times,” Boyan said.

She’s opting for some stylish boots as an alternative to heels for the occasion.

“I think that looks cool and it’s more comfortable than heels,” she said. “I don’t wear heels often so I don’t want to spend a lot of money on things I don’t need.”

Boyan just got her ears re-pierced, so she’s looking forward to wearing earrings to complete the look.

“I got my dress from David’s Bridal because I’ve always had a really hard time finding a dress in the past and they had a really good selection online,”

senior Madison McDermott said. “One of the dresses I tried on fit perfectly and I thought it was really cute and fun and more interesting than the usual prom dress, so I decided to get it.”

David’s Bridal is a prom dress staple, often offering deals for a more affordable look.

“For accessories, I’m probably going to wear some nude plain shoes because the dress has a lot going on and needs simple shoes,” McDermott said. “It has a high neck, so for jewelry, probably just earrings and a bracelet or something.”

Senior Maggie Milburn wanted to match her eye color, a nice perk.

“I picked my dress because its blue and I liked the color a lot,” Milburn said, “I bought my dress from Macy’s and my shoes from Target.”

Senior Sofia Novaresi also got her dress from Macy’s, and plans to wear gold jewelry to match the number.

“I really didn’t expect to find anything I really liked there,” Novaresi said. “I was looking around and I found a gorgeous white dress that was only $100 and I knew I wanted it so I tried it on and got it.”