Granite Bay Gazette September 2016 by Karl Grubaugh

This decade: the 2000s G8-9 How we will be remembered

Eastern culture in classes New year, new tribe Do history courses focus just on the west?

Student section must stay in the bleachers

The Granite Bay Gazette GRANITE BAY HIGH SCHOOL w 1 GRIZZLY WAY w GRANITE BAY, CA w 95746 w VOLUME 20 w ISSUE 1 w FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

COMMENTARY

Padgett resigns from GBHS over summer English teacher takes job in Cupertino BY CONNOR HINSON

chinson.gazette@gmail.com

surina khurana skhurana.gazette@gmail.com

To the man on the motorcycle ...

ome girls call themselves the luckiest girl in the world after they get their dream job or after getting married. For me, I called myself the luckiest girl in the world a few Sundays ago for a different reason. I had just filled up my tank and I was leaving the gas station to go home. Unbeknownst to me, I had left my wallet on top of my car. As I left the gas station, a nice man on his motorcycle let me merge in front of him. I continued my short drive home, singing to my favorite songs from the “Hamilton” soundtrack on full blast. Turning into my neighborhood, the car behind me turned as well and honked at me. The lady driving the car told me she saw my wallet fall off the roof of my car and wanted to let me know. After nearly 45 minutes of my dad and I searching the street for my wallet, we headed home, dejected. I was definitely upset with myself for making such a silly mistake. But I was quite upset that someone had taken my wallet in that 10 minutes it took to me to get back to where it had presumably fallen off my car. I canceled my debit card and made my DMV appointment to renew my license for three weeks later. A few hours after making my appointment, our home phone rang. The man on the phone told me he was riding a motorcycle and saw my wallet fall off my car. He said he picked it up as he drove by it. He said he looked me up on the internet and found my phone number. He asked when I wanted to pick my wallet up. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Not every person is a wallet stealing thief, but when something goes wrong, we are quick to jump to that conclusion. Losing my wallet was entirely my fault and while I was upset with myself, I was pretty upset with the “thief” who took my wallet. My mom suggested that someone could call me saying they found my wallet. I immediately said that would never happen because my phone number wasn’t in my wallet and no one would ever travel to our home to deliver my wallet, or go to the trouble of finding my phone number. We seem to constantly make society out to be destined for the worst. In a time where tragedies fill the news, we think the of the majority of people as selfish, untrustworthy humans. Too often we fail to have hope for our society and hope that people actually do the right thing. The man on the motorcycle who went through the trouble of finding me didn’t benefit from returning my wallet. And the woman who followed me all the way to the edge of my neighborhood didn’t get anything in return. When I thanked the man on the motorcycle for being so kind he told me that we need more good karma in this world. The man on the motorcycle has made me see the world in a different light. People do care about each other. It’s important that we appreciate those people and try to be like them in making others – even those who make mistakes – feel like they are the luckiest in the world. *** Surina Khurana, a senior, is a Gazette co-editor-in-chief.

From the outside, room 807 appears completely unremarkable. For many students, however, it was a second home, a place where they could escape the pressures of Granite Bay High School, even if only for a brief 10-minute passing period. For the past 11 years, this room was occupied by Jenny Padgett, a former GBHS English teacher. “Former” as of this school year; only last summer did she announce her resignation. This came as a surprise to

many of her students, colleagues and, in part, herself. “When the school year ended, I had every intention of returning in the fall,” Padgett said in a recent email. “I’m not a person who enters into big lifechanging decisions lightly,” she said. “But I’ve also learned throughout my life – and through the study of literature – to trust my instincts and be willing to take some personal risks.” Why did she leave? The reason for her resignation, she said, was two-fold. In part, it was prompted by

her dissatisfaction with the school district. Last spring, it came to Padgett’s attention that she would be teaching English 9 instead of Advanced Placement Literature, which she had been teaching for three years. The reason for this restructuring, she and many others felt, was as a punishment for how she proctored the District Writing Assessment in December 2015. Last December, Padgett gave a talk to students in which she told them that they should not worry about the DWA, and that it is extra stress that they should not have to deal with. This led to an abnormally high number of students writing essays on their issues with

Jenny Padgett English teacher disagreed with the way district officials restructured her teaching assignment.

the DWA and how it was an unnecessary extra stress, instead of following the prompt for the DWA. See PADGETT, page A6

LGBT history added to crowded K-12 curriculum SB 48 mandates social science courses offer a more inclusive point of view BY ANJALI SHRIVASTAVA

ashrivastava.gazette@gmail.com

In mid-July, California added to its reputation as the nation’s trailblazer, becoming the first state to require Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender history to be taught in a public school education. With the signature of Gov. Jerry Brown, the state’s education code has been amended to include the more inclusive curriculum, fulfilling the goals set by legislation See LGBT, page A7

A new state law requires public schools in California to teach about the LGBT community and its impact over the course of history, as early as second grade. Gazette photo illustration /CARISSA LEWIS

New faculty members welcomed on campus

CAASPP English Language Arts Results

Four new faces join Grizzly family BY BRAYDEN JOHNK

bjohnk.gazette@gmail.com

Have you seen a few new faces among the staff walking through campus? With the 2016-17 school year in full swing, there are several new staff members roaming the halls and offering their expertise at Granite Bay High School.

Source /CAASPP

SBAC English results drop by 20 points

GBHS disqualified for prestigious National Blue Ribbon Award BY SURINA KHURANA

skhurana.gazette@gmail.com

Granite Bay High School is known for its high achieving students and for ranking at the top of many lists, whether it be in athletics, arts or academics. This year, however, GBHS is ranked just above Center High

School as 26th in the Sacramento region by English Language Arts test scores. Every March, California students in grades three through eight and grade 11 take the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) test from the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress

inside This Section news

(CAASPP) program, in order to calculate school rankings. The CAASPP program replaced the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program in 2013. The 2015 administration of the test was the “pilot” test that established the baseline scores for the See RESULTS, page A7

Michael Handling Michael Handling joined the Granite Bay High faculty as a member of the English department, currently teaching College Placement English 11. The notification of his new position came just before the beginning of the school year. “I got hired a week before school started, so it was kind of a ‘run as fast as I could’ to try to get my classroom set up, and get my lessons for what I was going to teach setup,” Handling said. Now, after several weeks of becoming settled, Handling said he is feeling much more at home and comfortable, and his initial impres-

Terrorism threatens senior trip

AP results show GBHS succeeding

Some students won’t go on annual adventure as a result of recent attacks

Most tests report high passing rates

voices

Michael Handling New teacher interviewed for position days before the start of the school year sion of GBHS is definitely a positive one. “I’m finally at the place now that I kind of feel like I can breathe a little bit,” Handling stated. “And just everything about the school I have fallen in love with.” He is impressed with the energy of the student body and the staff alike. “Just the first rally and all the kids … everybody [was] so excited,” Handling stated. “And all the teachers have just been so welcoming and kind to me.” The path which led Handling to GBHS is quite eclectic. It’s apparent that he brings a wealth of knowledge See FACULTY, page A6

Dress code is unfair and insulting Telling students what to wear and what not to wear is demoralizing

A10

News

Friday

NAMES IN THE NEWS

connor hinson chinson.gazette@gmail.com

Local coffee shop displays student created art

enior Hannah Stubee currently has her art on display at local Roseville coffee shop “Shady Coffee and Tea.” I hear that’s how Frida Kahlo got her start! *** A GBHS student took it upon himself to take a hacksaw to a gate in the main parking lot. He then fled the scene, nearly running over assistant principal Mr. Fischer. No, you are not reading The Onion. *** Senior Alex Beitia broke the course record at the Oakmont Invitational by 20 seconds! Up next: Tokyo 2020. *** Spanish Teacher Mike Trout had his fifth child with his wife! Congratulations to the Trouts on their newest family member. *** Statistics teacher Lisa Kunst is pregnant with her third child. Statistically speaking, that’s above the national average! *** Speech and debate placed 32nd in a national competition. That’s number 32 in the entire country! *** Congrats to Ahmad Thomas and Oz Jackson for being selected to perform at House of Gods in Los Angeles. Their rap group AceOZ is getting more and more popular by the minute. *** The newest addition to the GBHS counseling staff is Holly Minor. Hopefully she will be here longer than the last one. *** Ville Koivu, a Finnish exchange student, moved to Granite Bay to play water polo. We’re sure he’ll makes a splash at our next tournament! *** The girls’ tennis team won the “Best of Sacramento” tournament. We hope that it’s a sign for the upcoming season. Way to go girls! *** Senior Trevor Marshall made a viral bottle flipping video. If you haven’t seen it yet, water you thinking? *** Samantha Leigh Teemont started her own business making artisan beard oils. How slick! *** Jenny Padgett and Naoko Montague have both resigned from GBHS to teach at other schools. Farewell to both of them, they will be missed *** Connor Hinson, a senior, is a Gazette news editor.

w September 16, 2016

Community voices concerns regarding the annual senior trip Gazette illustration/NATASHA CHANDA

The above image is a map of Europe showing four of the many cities, Paris, Brussels, Nice and Munich, that have been subjected to terrorist attacks in the last year.

Students and parents fear going to Europe after numerous terrorist attacks BY NATASHA CHANDA & SURINA KHURANA of Granite Bay High’s Advanced Placement history teachers and the trip chaperones. nchanda.gazette@gmail.com They emphasize that this tour might be the For as long as students, parents and teach- last opportunity many of these seniors will ers can remember, the Granite Bay High have to see such as vast amount of Europe School senior class has been provided with at one time. an opportunity to tour a few of the many “For a lot of the kids, this might be there European countries during the summer after one time in their life to go to Europe,” they graduate. Dell’Orto said. “They probably won’t go The Europe trip, organized by Education again.” First (EF) Tours, usually departs during June The circumstances regarding this year’s and costs around $4,800 per student. That enrollment, however, have proven to be price includes the flight, hotels, transporta- slightly different than past years for one partion and all meals except lunch. ticular reason. Next year, students of the class of 2017 are In recent months, the European continent scheduled to depart for Lisbon on June 10 has faced multiple terror attacks, raising a and return on June 26 from Lucerne, a total concern of safety and security for students of about 17 days with approximately one or who are considering going on the trip. two days in each city. Between November 2015 and September The tour is scheduled to stop at Lisbon, 2016, there have been a total of five major Costa del Sol, Madrid, Barcelona, French terrorist attacks on the European continent, Riviera, Monaco, Cinque Terre, Morocco, including attacks in Nice, Brussels, Paris Venice and Lucerne, with some smaller and parts of Germany. stops along the way. Following the Brussels attack, Hopper, a Seniors are encouraged to go on this trip by company that tells consumers when to “fly Mike Valentine and Brandon Dell’Orto, two

mfrench.gazette@gmail.com

Special to the Gazette /BRIAN GRUCHOW

Depicted above is one of the woodsheds affected by the fire in July.

It was hot on July 23, but that morning around 1 a.m., it was blistering. About that time, an arson fire erupted and destroyed three wood storage sheds in the back of Granite Bay High School. The sheds were used to store art supplies and materials for the GBHS art department. “Art teachers were notified about the fire a few hours after (it had happened),” GBHS art teacher Bradley Cordell said. “$7,000 of materials and tools were destroyed, (and) all supplies were burned.” In addition to the cost of replacing the supplies, it doesn’t help that the price for

all three sheds to be replaced is around $7,500. According to Cordell, faculty members and students were all affected by the arson fires, but with help from the Roseville Joint Union High School District and GBHS administrators, things have gotten back to normal. “We were able to replace the materials before the start of school,” Cordell said. “Insurance will cover the cost. We immediately received incredible support on social media from both students and parents. One family even offered to help cover the costs in case the insurance didn’t fully cover the damage.” Ceramics students Colbie Orbea and Colton Schaffert, both juniors, were out of

town when the fire erupted, but they heard from a friend about what had happened. Other students, including sophomore Regan Tonda, said they found out on Twitter. Emily Talmi, a junior, showed up to the first day of school shocked that a fire event had taken place over the summer. “I found out when this year began and Ron Owens told us,” Talmi said. “I’m very sad because I don’t know why someone would disrespect Granite Bay property like that.” The shed was a vital part of the art department for students and faculty alike, who used it to store student projects. See ARSON, page A5

Teachers struggle to keep up as class sizes increase Many classes impacted due to a problem with Aeries, teachers trying to persevere BY KATIE COLOGNA

Identification Statement GRANITE BAY GAZETTE PUBLISHED EIGHT TIMES PER ACADEMIC YEAR c/o Granite Bay High School 1 Grizzly Way Granite Bay, CA 95746 Subscriptions: $25 per year/ $15 per half year

are minimal. “You shouldn’t be concerned with that at all,” Valentine said. “The likelihood of any of that happening is so minute. You’re far more likely to get into an automobile accident here or get hit by a car out in front of the school.” Senior Nate Moudakis plans to go on the trip, despite the concerns he feels like he should have. “I am most excited to travel and experience a different culture,” Moudakis said. “I have never left the United States, so this will be an exciting trip full of surprises that are only present in other cultures.” Moudakis added that his brother recently returned from a trip to Spain, which “was a deciding factor” because his brother raved about his trip and didn’t see anything to be concerned about in terms of safety. Valentine said students from last year had an incredible trip and most of them signed up even after the Paris attacks last November. See TERRORISM, page A5

GBHS arsonist strikes BY MILAN FRENCH

kcologna.gazette@gmail.com

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

and buy,” released data that showed a 13 percent decrease in travelers considering Europe as their travel destination. Many of the locations that have witnessed an attack in the past year are near cities set as destinations on the tour, creating a concern for safety among some students and parents. In many cases, parents of seniors have ultimately decided to not sign their children up because of the recurring attacks. Senior Marlee Absalon was originally planning on going on the trip but she and her parents decided against it following an attack. “The Nice attack happened, and we decided against letting her go,” said Lori Absalon, Marlee’s mother. “The main reason is that (Marlee’s great) aunt was in Nice on the night of the attack. And (during) the Paris attack a few months earlier, we had a family friend’s 20-year-old daughter half a block from the shootings.” Though some parents and students are worried about safety, Valentine encourages students to go, assuring them that the risks

Art department sheds destroyed in July fire

CORRECTIONS

Granite Bay Gazette

At the beginning of the 2016-17 school year at Granite Bay High School, there was a definite shortage of seats because of the oversized classes, often with up to 50 students in them. “I started with 38 students and within a few days we maxed out at 51,” said CP English 9 and 12 teacher Jason Sitterud. The big question was why there were so many students in these classes. “We were staffed for 1,995 students,” GBHS principal Jennifer Leighton said. “Over the summer a bunch of people moved, and all the sudden the first day at school we’re at 2,060 and so we were not ready.” The problem wasn’t just an inaccurate prediction of the demographics for the year, but also a system problem in Aeries. “Apparently there was a macro in the background that’s supposed to run automatically and that wasn’t happening,” Roseville Joint

Union High School District director of technology Tony Ham said. “The population of the classes was not updating automatically so the counselors when they’re enrolling kids, couldn’t see that classes were refilled so they didn’t appear to be filling up.” With more students being added to classes every day, it was up to the counselors to figure out how to fix it. “Our school was understaffed, so the counselors did the best they could with the hand they were dealt,” Sitterud said. “There was constant communication, so we were able to make the most of a difficult situation.” Most students didn’t get to choose if they were going to go to a different class. “I don’t know where they made the line, but half the class was required to move and I wasn’t asked about it,” senior Ally Burnham said. Even though the English teachers did what they could to manage oversized classes, it became too complicated. “The biggest fiasco was the English situa-

tion because we didn’t have a suitable sub so we decided with Mrs. (Linda) Dickson, Mrs. (Kay) Bacharach, Mrs. (Jodi) Van Dusen and Mr.Sitterud that we would just continue to over add kids to their classes because they’d be having to write lesson plans anyway for someone else,” Leighton said. “It was easier for them to just take the kids themselves, but it took longer than I thought it would to get somebody in here.” In order to make the classes smaller, had to bring in another teacher to take the overflow of students. “I got the call two and a half weeks ago that they were looking for a new teacher to take over the overflow, so I came in and spoke with principal Leighton and we thought I was a good fit for coming in,” said CP English 9 and 12 teacher Matthew Huddleston. A big obstacle with oversized classes are the resources and space within the classroom. “We had to be a little more creative as far as how the class was structured,” Sitterud said. “We were able to utilize the Chromebooks and go outside for the most part and conduct class out there. It was difficult to conduct any kind of class discussion and keep the students engaged.”

Another class that was impacted because of a high demand in students interested in the class was AP Calculus. “They made the decision, ‘Well if we don’t have that many students, we’ll close down one calculus class,’” said Integrated Math 3 and AP Calculus teacher Cary Moore. “And what happened then, is now we had classes that were right around 40 or higher for Mr. (Scott) Becker and myself and then we thought ‘well man that’s kind of tough.’” Due to cutting back on one AP Calculus class, it made the classes much larger than the school expected. “When we found out there were more students and it was impacting almost every math class, it was like ‘My goodness, can we open another course cause that should help alleviate the huge numbers,’ and that’s when they opened up a course,” Moore said. “I think they opened it up a couple days into school. They ended up splitting first period, so I got half of his class over here.” Even though the classes were big, most teachers were fine teaching that many students. However, they felt that it wouldn’t be beneficial for the students. See AERIES, page A6

Friday, September 16, 2016

News A3

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

w The Granite Bay Gazette

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

Sharif Jewelers is an Award-Winning, full service jewelry store & showroom. All work is done the on the premises. We are authorized dealers of tacori, simon G, parade, caro 74, pandora, raymond weil watches & more...

Services we Provide:

Layaway Financing Gift Certificates Diamond Inspections Appraisal

WWW.SHARIFJEWELERS.COM

Friday, September 16, 2016

News

w The Granite Bay Gazette

New AP exam style has mixed results

GBHS ADVANCED PLACEMENT PASS RATES, 2015-16

Students experience test changes BY WILL ANDERSON

wanderson.gazette@gmail.com

In the 2015-16 school year, College Board released two new Advanced Placement tests and Granite Bay High School offered a new AP science course – both had varying effects on students and teachers. AP European History was impacted greatly by the change in test format. The pass rate for 2016 dropped a staggering 12.2 percent from the 66.8 percent pass rate in 2015. “Nationwide, it was rough … and it’s as low as we’ve ever been here,” AP European History teacher Mike Valentine said. “(The scores) reflected the test. I think there were some growing pains there, from the way they’re scoring it and grading it to what the test was about.” The students felt the impact of a brand new test just as much, if not more, than the teachers. “The test was somewhat similar to the material we learned in class, but neither the teachers (nor) previous students knew the specificities of the material on the new test,” junior Jordan Riggs said. “Honestly, I didn’t feel very prepared.” Many students believe the decline in pass rates was strictly because of the new test style. “I think that the cause of the lower test scores compared to previous years can be attributed to the unknown style of the new test,” Riggs said, “not poor teaching.” For now, teachers have to wait until the test is released to know what material to focus on in the future. “The only thing we can go by is what we’re given from the College Board, but

there is no new directives coming down,” Valentine said. “There is nothing saying ‘we will do it this way, this is how the test was’ – and it was nothing like we thought it was – the multiple choice section was completely off.” Ultimately the suggestions teachers received from the College Board on how to structure the class were not very helpful and gave zero information about the new test. AP Art History was the other course in which an entirely new test was administered in the spring of 2016. “The emphasis for two decades was on breadth. Now the emphasis is on depth of Gazette graphic/HANNAH XU knowledge,” AP Art History teacher Brad The above chart displays the pass rate percentage for various subjects on the 2016 Advanced Placement tests. Cordell said. This change in format was ultimately (questions) on the test that we didn’t spend “I really struggled throughout the year “I (had) to reteach myself basically everybeneficial for Art History students as the too much time on in class.” and did not find my instruction very assis- thing.” pass rate for the test increased by 12.9 perWarady said, however, that the afterEnjoying the class as a whole helped stu- tive,” junior Tanner Brasse said. “I feel like cent. dents find motivation while studying. the math prerequisite should have been ad- school reviews were helpful for her. “The redesigned exam focused on 250 “I think (AP physics teacher Steve) Mill“I didn’t have to spend too much time justed to at least pre-calculus rather than specific works. In the past, students weren’t outside of class,” Alexandrou Barcelo said. Algebra 2 because that in itself created a er’s review sessions helped a lot,” Warady given specific works ahead of time, so we “I don’t think the workload was too bad ei- disadvantage for a lot of the students. Too said. would cover over a thousand images in a Although Warady was one of the 13 ther. I was interested in the material, so I many times I would come in with a quessemester,” Cordell said. “The redesigned didn’t feel bad if I had to study a little bit tion for my teacher and leave knowing GBHS students who passed the test, some course is intended to provide students with how to do a problem by plugging values students simply avoided taking the exam. a global view, whereas testing previously more.” “I know a lot of students that struggled Having experienced the new exam style, into formulas, rather than actually underemphasized Western Art. The redesigned in the class that just didn’t take the test,” Alexandrou Barcelo offers some advice to standing the concepts behind the topics.” exam frees up students to master specific future test takers. Large amounts of studying outside the Warady said. “I’m pretty sure it’s just (beworks in depth.” “Study groups really help. I think it’s classroom was still not able to completely cause of) the new curriculum.” Even though the pass rate increased, stuWarady said the course was very demore important to do all the work (Cordell) help Brasse. dents felt the difficulty of the test. manding on the students. gives you for the test, but then compliment “I got a two,” he said, “and I (went to) “The test questions were so specific, go“Even if we were able to understand the it with work outside of class.” over 10 hours of review sessions.” ing out of the test I didn’t feel like I was ideas,” Warady said, “the phrasing of the Although AP Physics 1 did not have a new For other students, the AP Physics exam prepared enough,” senior Alexios Alexantest administered by the College Board, was challenging because they took the questions (on the exam) screwed up a lot drou Barcelo said. Although he passed, Alexandrou Barcelo it was the first time the curriculum was course in the fall and didn’t take the AP test of people.” In order to assist his students, Miller was challenged by some aspects of the test. taught on the GBHS campus. Unlike the until five months later in the spring. offered extensive out-of-school teaching. “I had the class in the fall and the test “I thought there was going to be a lot Art History and European History courses more stuff on specific time periods,” Al- – and the exam had the lowest pass rate, 50 was in the spring, so I forgot most of (the See AP SCORES, page A6 exandrou Barcelo said. “There were other percent, of any AP exam on campus. material),” senior Michaela Warady said.

Did students suffer from unblocking of AP Lang, AP U.S. history last year?

Hard to say whether separating courses contributed to a dip in history pass rates BY MILAN FRENCH

mfrench.gazette@gmail.com

For many years, Advanced Placement English Language and AP U.S. History went hand in hand at Granite Bay High School, but at the start of the 2015–2016 school year, the courses parted ways and an era of division began. Last year, AP U.S. History teacher Brandon Dell’Orto experienced the course separation and learned how it would affect him and his students. “I don’t have to move the room around (and) … I don’t have to run quizzes over to people,” Dell’Orto said. “It’s a lot easier for me (but) much worse for the students.” Senior Diana Garcia had both courses last spring. “It would definitely be easier to block (the classes) together again,” Garcia said. “It would be less of a load.” Having unblocked classes also comes with advantages. “AP U.S. would be hard to have one day and not (to) have the next day,” senior Julia Reese said. “(There’s) a lot of stuff (to) finish.” Before the unblocking, there were only

139 students enrolled in the AP English Language and AP U.S. History. After the classes were unblocked, enrollment went up in both courses. In the 2015–2016 school year, 244 students enrolled in AP English Language and 171 students enrolled in AP U.S. History. The AP test scores for both courses have changed. Over the last few years, the pass rate for AP English Language has continually increased. AP U.S. History saw its highest test scores under the blocked system. Since the unblocking, there has been a 7.96 percent decrease in the passing rate of the AP exam. “AP Lang is (a) more skill-based test,” Dell’Orto said. He compared learning the skills of writing to riding a bike. “Once you know how to ride a bike, you can shift from one bike to another.” History, he said, is content-based, which makes jumping from one topic to another a more difficult transition. “Just because you understand World War I doesn’t mean you can understand World War II,” DellOrto said. Under the original blocked system, students took both courses year round. Now, some stu-

NEWS BRIEFS

FAST FACTS AP English Pass Rates w2013 Blocked – 81 percent w2014 Blocked – 81.25 percent w2015 Blocked – 85.41 percent w2016 Unblocked – 85.57 percent AP U.S. History Pass Rates w2013 Blocked – 85.7 percent w2014 Blocked – 78.34 percent w2015 Blocked – 73.94 percent w2016 Unblocked – 65.98 percent Source: GBHS administration

dents take history only in the fall. With this schedule, there is a semester gap separating when these students learn the course material and when they take the AP test. “We have 500 years to cover, and a lot is easily forgotten,” Dell’Orto said. “The kids that take the fall class have this huge gap of remembering.” Although the scores have gone down in AP U.S. History, they have always been higher than the scores in AP European History, a year-long blocked class that is paired with Honors English. “The English scores have gone up every year over the last four years whether the classes were blocked or not,” said Bernadette Cranmer, cohead of the english department at GBHS. “The AP U.S. History scores have gone down every year whether the classes were blocked or not … Blocked classes are not a guarantee for success..” As of now, the classes will remain unblocked. “We see more flexibility in enrollment (and) class size,” Cranmer said. “A large percentage of our test takers are still performing well on the exams.”

GBHS senior sabotages gate, drives toward assistant principal

On Sept. 6, Granite Bay High School senior Steven Devine attempted to saw the chain on one of the gates in the Granite Bay High School parking lot. After successfully sawing through the chain, a video surfaced the internet of Devine slowly moving his car forward Gazette photo /SURINA KHURANA while Assistant Principal Mike Fischer stood in front of it. Steven Devine saws through a campus chain, Junior Catherine Rubino was present during the inci- which is shortly replaced by a new cord. dent and witnessed it from inside her car. “First I saw the kid was sawing at the gate with the (while on Wellington Way) when two cars were barricading him,” Rubino said. “Mr. Fischer told the kid little saw,” Rubino said. Devine was trying to open the gate in the parking lot to stop and pull over (but) he didn’t and left.” Senior Diana Garcia was about five cars behind that is furthest from the office building of the school. The gate, normally locked, connects the furthest sec- Devine’s car when she saw Fischer “sprinting past tion of the parking lot to the lane to exit to Wellington cars.” “I saw (Fischer) getting in front of the car and the Way. car kept trying to move with him in front,” Garcia Rubino was in the car closest to the gate. said. “And then (Fischer) tried to tell the car in front of “He got the gate to open and it was coming at my (Devine’s) car to just park but they didn’t. And then I car,” Rubino said. “I started to freak out, (but) then the boy in the car behind me stopped the gate from saw the car trying to go over the curb to dodge him but then (Fischer) got in front and then they went into the hitting my car.” After Devine successfully sawed his way through the other lane and sped off.” Because school disciplinary records are private, chain that locks the gate, he tried to leave the parking any measures already taken or being considered in lot. Devine’s case are unkwown. “The student who was sawing the gate got out of -By Surina Khurana the parking lot and was in line to leave the school area

Unweighted classes no longer an option Sierra College courses lose grade boost BY WHITNEY KNORP

wknorp.gazette@gmail.com

Say that you’ve been planning at least two or more years’ worth of class schedules under the assumption that you can take a class or two at Sierra College for Advanced Placement credit. Then, imagine discovering you will no longer have the chance to get AP credit for Sierra classes and must frantically redetermine your schedule and academic priorities. This is exactly what is happening for the junior class, and for future Granite Bay High School classes to come. Certain Sierra College courses will still be worth credit for completion, but they will no longer be weighted and boost students’ GPAs. GBHS junior Tori Ahmad is just one of the many juniors who had been planning on taking U.S. History at Sierra over the summer but decided against it once the grade bump was removed. “Sierra taking away the grade bump definitely changed a lot of people’s schedules.” Ahmad said. “The majority of my friends had been planning on taking it there, and we all switched back to (AP U.S. History) here instead.” The class of 2017, however, can sit back and relax– they were the fi-

nal GBHS class to get weighted high school credit for many different Sierra College courses. Senior Kevin Yang spent the past two summers taking classes through Sierra College. He has taken U.S. History 17A – which does not count for AP U.S. History; only U.S. History 17B fulfills that requirement – Sociology, Statistics and Macroeconomics. “Sierra classes allow you to fit more classes in your high school schedule,” Yang said. “Sierra classes also bump your GPA if you do well, and this helps a lot with the more competitive colleges.” Community college classes can also help students manage their schedule. “It’s a personal goal of mine to still do well in school despite sports,” senior Chloe Miller said. “That’s where I found Sierra classes that help me have less stress during the school year.” Miller is one of many student athletes who utilized Sierra classes to make being an excellent student and an exceptional athlete easier to balance, instead of compromising one for the other. “I swim nine times a week for two hours during the school year,” Miller said, “and I heard U.S. History was pretty reading-heavy, but still an interesting class, so I wanted to take it – but See SIERRA, page A6

ASB UPDATE ASB president talks about seniorrelated events The Gazette talked to senior Danielle Griggs about the upcoming Senior Tailgate

Q A &

Griggs: I am planning senior tailgate.

Griggs: Senior Tailgate is a great opportunity to go and hang out with friends before the football game. There will also be free food for everyone!

Gazette: What’s new about the tailgate this year?

Gazette: What is the theme for the senior class float?

Griggs: We are going to have free root beer floats.

Griggs: The theme for the senior float is Rio De Janeiro.

Gazette: What event are you planning in September?

Gazette: Why should people attend senior tailgate?

Gazette photo /Natalie Erickson Gazette photo /MACKENZIE BROWN

ASB President Danielle

Griggs discusses the senior updates.

Griggs: Because it will be tons of fun! There will be free food and music. It’s a great way to bond with friends and Gazette: Why should have a great time. people come out and participate? –Compiled by Mackenzie Brown

Friday, September 16, 2016

w The Granite Bay Gazette

News

Out with the old, in with the new New bell chime alarms students BY ANDREW YUNG

ayung.gazette@gmail.com

A new year at Granite Bay High School means change, and one of those changes is the new bell system. One of the reasons for the changes was the need for technological advancements. “The old system was antiquated … it was analog,” said Brian McNulty, a GBHS assistant principal. “The bells and the phones are now integrated all together (digitally).” The other reason the system needed to change was more challenging. “Two springs ago … part of the system had burned out (when) the 900 building took a lightning

strike,” McNulty explained, “and it fried part of the electronics. The school district had to save up to make payments to be able to put the new systems in.” Those payments have amounted to a higher-pitched tardy bell tone and also a new bell. The new “sprint” bell goes off a minute before first period starts every morning and is supposed to help students get to class on time and limit the number of tardies. So far, the new bell has already made an impact. Last year, according to school attendance clerk Kathi Coppedge, there were 87 tardies in the first week of school, compared to 58 this year. Another benefit of the new bell system is the number of classes

and places the bells now are able to reach. “We replaced the systems,” McNulty said, “so that now you can hear (the bells) all across the campus. For instance, if you were on the outside basketball courts in the past, you couldn’t hear the bell, but now they’re probably blaring.” Besides the basketball courts, the expansion of the bell system also benefits the classes that need multiple bells, such as physical education and dance. With the old bell system, a 10-minute bell rang before the regular tardy bell, reminding students to dress down or clean up. However, the bells were sometimes ambiguous and were hard to hear in certain places. “(The old bells) were quiet and low-pitch,” sophomore Josh Zahnd said. “It was kind of hard to hear sometimes when in the gym, and it

didn’t always have the best warning because sometimes you didn’t know if the 10-minute bell had rung or if you were late for class.” The new system kept the 10-minute bell, but now the two bells differ from one another in order to eliminate the confusion. “In P.E., we had to (maintain) the 10-minute bell,” McNulty said, “but we (used) a different tone.” The new system has already had a significant influence in just the first month of school, and while the tardy statistics cannot be directly linked to the new bells, students have already recognized the benefits. “I like it when there is the (sprint) bell because it makes the students hurry up to class,” junior Josh Fu said. “The new bell helps me know when it is time for class.” Because after all, that is – put simply – the purpose of a bell.

NNAH

n/HA

stratio

illu azette

A new bell system replaces an outdated one, that was often ambiguous. In the old system, a bell would sound ten minutes before school started. Now, a bell rings one minute before school starts, helping students know when to get to class.

New requirements cause confusion among students Those looking for TA or TI positions may not qualify BY SIDNEY ZABELL

szabell.gazette@gmail.com

Students at Granite Bay High School were rudely awakened when schedules were changed this year from their original plans. Some hoped to become a teacher’s aide or teacher intern this year and, after submitting the application, found that they did not completely meet requirements. TAs and TIs are an essential part of many classes at GBHS such as dance, art, photography and other classes. They assist the teacher in day-to-day tasks, and several classes would not be able to be run the same without them. GBHS counselor Tiffani Gieck said there have always been guidelines to being a TA or TI, however, “the continual monitoring of those changes from year to year, depending on the focus at the time.” “This year, it’s been a goal to really hone in on students that … are representatives of Grizzly Pride,” Gieck said. Gieck said that parts of the Grizzly P.R.I.D.E. acronym – personal responsibility, respect, integrity, dig-

GBHS lunch menu changes

Hispanic-food choices did not meet state sodium restrictions BY KATE BOOTH

kbooth.gazette@gmail.com

You might have noticed a subtle change on campus. Perhaps you felt it as you passed kids chattering in the lunch line or as you meandered through the crowded cafeteria. Or maybe the lack of the aroma of noodles wafting through the air tipped you off. Love it or hate it, there has been a menu change on the Granite Bay High School campus.The new menu consists of three main revisions – a complete elimination of nachos, a delay in serving noodles until the weather cools down and a conversion to grab-and-go items in the Hispanic food line. Jay Brown, the director of food services for the Roseville Joint Union High School District, said in an email interview that items such as the nachos were removed from the GBHS menu because they failed to “comply with federal and state sodium restrictions.” He further explained that the transfer to graband-go Hispanic food options was an attempt at “speeding up lines.” These grab-and-go options include items such as microwaved burritos, premade salads, sandwiches and wraps. Finally, the delay in serving students their daily ration of Asian noodly goodness was on account of a poll conducted by the district’s food services in which students were asked about their preferences. The chief finding? “Students prefer hot noodles on cold days.” Faith Atkins, a senior at GBHS and regular at the lunch line, said she “didn’t really notice a change in the menu,” but she “was disappointed in them taking away the noodles because it makes the menu less diverse and interesting.” Melanie Ries, also a senior, agreed: “I don’t really like the change because by taking away the noodles and Mexican food, there are (fewer) options, and they never asked the students who actually eat the food before making the change.” The general consensus among students seems to be that, by changing the menu, the food services department has lost out on gastronomic diversity and erred on the side of bland and unfulfilling. And the jury is still out on whether the lunch lines are any shorter. “The lines have been longer than ever,” senior Alex Gordon said. “I think we should have someone out there making sure that no one cuts like in previous years.” According to Gordon, she’s seen “giant groups of kids” who will go up to one friend they know in line and stay there, “making the line longer for everyone behind them.” It would also be nice, Gordon added, if the administration would “open up multiple lines so people don’t have to wait as long.”

nity and engagement – are what the school is looking for in a TA or TI. Attendance, fines, GPA and whether or not the student is on track to meet A-G requirements are the most common issues students run into when applying to be a TA or TI. “Our teachers are definitely feeling the impact of not having a teacher assistant or teacher intern,” Gieck said. “The demand is so high for what they need to accomplish within a short period of time.” One student who was denied is Emily Schofield, a GBHS senior. Schofield planned on being a TI for advanced dance last year, but her application was rejected. “I was going to (be a) TI for advanced dance in the fall semester.” Schofield said. “I have health issues sometimes and was sick a lot last year in addition to those health issues, so I was gone from school a lot.” Because Resirie Milburn, the GBHS dance teacher, did not have many TIs for the fall semester at the end of last year, she asked Schofield if she wanted to jump in. Schofield was looking forward to being a TI for Mil-

burn but was disappointed when she found she would not be a TI as she had planned at the end of her junior year. The reason for the switch was the number of her missed days at school. On the TI application, it says one of the requirements to be a TI is “excellent attendance through high school,” and that there should be “no attendance letters, (and) minimal unexcused absences/tardies.” “When I was sick with other things, it wasn’t too much,” Schofield said. “It wasn’t like I was missing an absurd amount of school, and everything else was covered by doctor’s notes.” This means that her absences covered by doctor’s notes were not unexcused like it says in the application. Schofield was told she would be placed as a student in advanced dance as an alternative to being a TI. “I’m an honorary TI anyway,” Schofield said. “I’m still acting as a TI.” Schofield was then told that if she had excellent attendance in the fall semester, she would be allowed to TI in the spring. When she got her schedule, she was placed in AP statistics in spring instead of being a TI for advanced dance, although she never put AP satistics as a schedule request. “In dance, (TIs) are making up dances for the show,

and the TIs do a majority of that choreography.” Schofield said. Sophie Brubaker, a senior at GBHS, is a TI for drama. “We just help (Kyle) Holmes … out wherever we can,” Brubaker said. “I heard that this year with TAs and TIs, they are being more strict about how TIs are actually required to learn teaching techniques and present some of the class activities and assignments to the class.” For example, Brubaker and the other TIs in her class had to explain plays and scenes from Shakespeare to the drama students as a part of their duties as TIs. In other classes, like art and photography, TAs and TIs are students who excel and feel at home in their classes. For many, being a TA or TI gives them a break in the day that they can work on their skills and assist other students in the subject. Many classes are struggling to stay on track in what they must learn because they have little to no assistance from TAs and TIs. “It’s a huge benefit to our school to take advantage of the relationship and also the roles that everybody plays on campus,” Gieck said, “(and) it’s an ongoing conversation … I think we’re going to continue to review it to make it user friendly for all stakeholders.”

TERRORISM: Some students hesitant to go on senior trip Continued from page A2

Sammi Tafoya, a freshman at the University of Redlands and a GBHS Class of 2016 graduate, says the trip this past summer was a “once in a lifetime chance.” “At first, the attacks made me second guess going, but Dell’Orto was saying that we’d be super safe and if there was any threat EF would cancel,” Tafoya said. The concerns in the Tafoya family were mainly regarding to the transportation, rather than the destinations. “My parents were mostly concerned about the plane ride because it was long and it’s always kinda sketch flying into another country because they don’t always have the same safety rituals as the TSA,” Tafoya said. Dell’Orto added that should any serious threat arise prior to the trip, the tour will be rerouted to a different, safer location. “What EF does is they communicate back and forth,” Dell’Orto said. “We’ve actually had our trip rerouted the day of sometimes. This is the biggest tour company that the United States has so they’ll reroute around and have us go see other things if they have to.” Dell’Orto used last year’s Paris attacks in November 2015 as an example of what could potentially happen in the case of a security threat.

“They have in essence what are called contingency “At this moment, … they are a little leery about (the plans,” he said. “For example, if we’re getting ready part where we go to Africa),” Dell’Orto said. “As of to go to Paris and something hapnow we’re just going to go to Gibralpens right before … they can divert tar and do a hike and see some other the trip, and instead of going to Paris, things, but we won’t go over to Mowe’ll go to an alternative site and rocco.” we’ll see a couple of different things. Valentine said the itinerary is cusIf we’re getting ready tomized The trip still goes, we just kind of go for the group and decided on to go to Paris and by Dell’Orto. around places that might be a problem.” something happens In an effort to keep risks at a miniIn recent news, two students from mum, Valentine added that the stops right before … they on this year’s tour are less of target the University of California, Berkeley were killed in one of the many can divert the trip. cities than some other, larger Euroterrorist attacks, bringing the issue pean cities, which could potentially closer to home. be more prone to attacks. – Brandon Dell’Orto, One was killed in the Nice attack, The Wall Street Journal reported which happens to be a stop on the that bookings to Portugal through AP U.S. history GBHS tour, and another was killed in agencies in the Virtuoso network the Bangladesh terrorist attacks. have risen by 88 percent, as AmeriNice is the sole stop on the trip cans, like GBHS students, opt to where there has been an attack in retravel to European cities less likely cent months. The remaining stops have not been direct to be targets. targets. “We’re not going to hit many big cities,” Valentine Morocco, however, which was an initial stop on the said. “We’re going to Portugal, Barcelona, Cinque trip, is currently questionable because of security is- Terre in Italy – they’re not big … targets. I’m not worsues. ried about them.”

ARSON: Art supplies and student works lost in flames Continued from page A2

“We actually have another classroom now that we put our projects in, so that’s nice,” Orbea said. “We have more room (in the classroom) than in the shed,” Schaffert said. When the fire broke out July 23, a fire crew was already in the area responding to a call about a car nearby that was in flames. According to an email that principal Jennifer Leighton

sent to the faculty the morning of the incident, fire officials believe the car and shed fires were the responsibility of the same arsonist. As it turned out, the car fire actually helped the situation at GBHS. “Reports of a nearby car fire minutes before allowed the firefighters to arrive quickly before the fire could spread to the main building,” Cordell said. The car belonged to GBHS senior Carlos Sainz.

“I was hanging out at a friend’s house (and) I get a call from a friend – (he said), ‘Your car is on fire,’” Sainz said. Sainz made his way in front of his friend’s house. His car, a red 2004 Nissan 350z , had a small fire burning on the front driver side wheel to the drivers side fender, door and roof where the arsonist poured gasoline on his car. “I put it out with my T-shirt while

my friend called 911,” Sainz said. The damage to the vehicle turned out to be minimal. “It was all cosmetic,” Sainz said. “I got it all fixed, (and) insurance (was able) to cover it.” According to Cordell, there have been no arrests or leads in the investigation of the GBHS arson. “We now plan on replacing our storage units,” Cordell said, “with metal storage units.”

The Gazette. Keep marching.

Friday, September 16, 2016

News

w The Granite Bay Gazette

PADGETT: Beloved English teacher leaves GBHS; students reflect on her teaching and character

Continued from page A1

“I was being unjustly punished and made an example of through the reassignment of my role in GBHS’ AP Literature course,” Padgett said in an email. “I felt like I was working within a system that was not interested in resolution, but in punitive measures and retaliation.” Padgett was not upset that the district was taking her classes, but rather the means and manner by which they went they went about the restructuring. “The AP Literature class was never ‘mine.’ No teacher should or could ‘own’ a teaching position,” Padgett said. “It is healthy to change schedules and teach different curriculums throughout a teaching career.” “What prompted me to seek out a new district,” she continued, “was the fact that changing my teaching assignment was not part of a healthy or general departmental restructuring, but rather was being used as a way to marginalize, reprimand and punish me.” Her other principal reason for departing from GBHS had to do with her destination. “For several years my husband and I

have spent weekends and vacations in to all aspects of the campus. the Santa Cruz area and in the Santa Cruz “But my greatest memories of Granite mountains, and we always hoped to be able Bay are the students who became such a to live in the area one day,” huge part of my life and Padgett said. with whom I’ve shared Her hope became reality pieces of my heart and Granite Bay High soul. I’m so grateful after she found a school at which she wanted to teach, School is where to continue to conjust a 35-minute drive from with so many treI learned how to nect Santa Cruz. mendous students who “When I interviewed for become a teach- have graduated, moved the job I ended up taking at are living fabuer, and I’m so on,and Cupertino High School, I had lous lives and those who grateful to have are still on campus with such a remarkable experience talking with the school’s I maintain conspent so much of whom principal that I knew, as she tact and friendships.” my career there.” said at the time, I had ‘found my people.’” Padgett’s effect on Notwithstanding her excite– Jenny Padgett, former students ment for her new position, Unsurprisingly, her GBHS teacher Padgett treasured her time at students share a similar GBHS. “Granite Bay High School is where I learned how to become a teacher, and I’m so grateful to have spent so much of my career there,” Padgett said. “From 2002-2008, my own children attended Granite Bay and those were amazing years where I felt very connected

opinion of her as she does of them. Haley Byam, a 2014 graduate, spoke about her time with Padgett. “Mrs. Padgett was my teacher but I’d also consider her a friend,” Byam said. She is one of the warmest, most genuine people I’ve ever met, and she has true compassion

for each and every student, even the ones who aren’t in her class.” And to those not in her class, it seems she had just as big of an impact. 2016 graduate Caroline Palmer was one such student. “I never had Padgett as a teacher, but my junior year I met her through some of her students at the time,” Palmer said. “She was so much more than a teacher at Granite Bay,” she said. “She was someone who was a source of comfort and moral support for students who really didn’t have anyone else they could talk to or trust at times.” Padgett’s passion for teaching Padgett taught her students, whether they were in her class or not, more than what you would get out of a traditional English class. For many, she acted as a role model. “She truly cares about the subject she teaches and has this incredible ability to ignite that passion in her students as well,” Byam said. “She’s such a smart, fiercely unapologetic woman, and everything about her is just so inspiring. She’s one of my biggest role models.” “She encouraged me to think for myself and to not be swayed by other’s beliefs,” Palmer said. “She taught me how to accept myself and to challenge authority if what I thought was going on, was wrong. Just being around her and witnessing the way she interacted with people, made me a better person. I’ve never met a more kind, sym-

pathetic, giving, tolerant person.” Additionally, Padgett helped with issues not directly related to school. GBHS Junior Vyas Srinivasan appreciated her involvement with his club, A Touch of Understanding. “She helped me with the A Touch Of Understanding club,” Srinivasan said. “She helped me make copies of my handouts I made when I’m teaching my lessons on social skills.” Srinivasan formed a close relationship with Padgett in his two years at the school. “She helped me think on the positive side and she really helped me become a good person and a good leader especially for the ATOU club,” he said. “My favorite memory I have of her is how much she cared for me,” Srinivasan said. “She would be very honest with me … And I would like it if she could come back.” Although Padgett is no longer teaching at GBHS, the legacy she left is timeless. Her positivity and honesty is still present on the campus in her students and those she affected. “I’m happy for her,” Byam said. “I hope that the next administration she works for will actually appreciate her, respect her and see what an invaluable addition she is to any school.”

FACULTY: GBHS welcomes Handling, Keeney, Stein, Van Hoomissen to staff

Continued from page A1

have two children, a daughter and son, who keep them very busy when they are not teaching. and experience to his classroom. In addition to teaching English, Handling is starting “From 1999-2006, I was in the army,” Handling said. the eSports Club, bringing another of his passions to “I was a combat engineer, which is like an infantry guy the GBHS student body. with explosives, and then, after that, I was a counterinThis club will bring students together to play video telligence agent.” games, like Overwatch and RockAfter deployments to Bosnia and Iraq, et League, in a team format using the latter where he was part of the invaXboxes. When I decided “We have a bunch of kids on camsion force, Handling returned to the states as a teacher of counterintelligence at the I wanted to be- pus who love to play videogames, Army Intelligence schoolhouse in Fort and I want to bring them to a place come a public that they can get that team atmoHuachuca, Arizona. “Teaching report writing in the military school teacher, I sphere,” Handling said. was when I decided I wanted to become Handling said he is very passionate knew English was about this and has high aspirations a public school teacher,” Handling said. After retiring from the military in 2006, where I wanted to for the club. Handling continued to teach for the mili“The eSports Club hopefully (will be. tary as a civilian until 2012, when he figet) to the point, in three or four nally made the decision to go back to years, where Granite Bay is hosting a school and get his teaching credential. – Michael Handling, CP tournament at the school,” Handling Handling’s direction and calling at this English 11 teacher said. “And they will have kids in the point were very clear to him. stands … cheering for them playing “When I decided I wanted to become a the game they love to play.” public school teacher, I knew English was In the classroom, Handling is a where I wanted to be because I find (writcompassionate person who does ten communication) extremely important,” Handling more than just teach English. said. “It is an art that people need to know.” “I try to really pay attention to all of my students, This love for teaching English is close to home, as build relationships with all of them and get to know Handling’s wife Jamie also taught English at GBHS them as people, not just students,” Handling said. in 2015 and is now teaching at Roseville High. They Straying from the norm of other teachers, Handling

AERIES: Class size spikes due to Aeries malfunction Continued from page A2 “I don’t mind teaching that many kids. I don’t care. But, it gets to be a problem when it comes to grading and such like that it takes a long time,” Moore said. Students however seemed to be understanding for most of the confusion. “The students were great,” Sitterud said. “It was a unique situation that they all understood and were able to buy in and make the best of it.” An issue for the most teachers and students is the lack of connection from a big class. “I’ve been teaching for almost 20

years and the connection you make with kids where because it’s smaller you can get to know them better, ” said AP Government and Economics teacher Jarrod Westberg . There really wasn’t a way to know this would happen and how much of an effect it would have on the district. “The thing at the beginning of the year was unavoidable because we went with who we had so there was no predicting that all these people were going to come out of the woodwork,” Leighton said. “It wasn’t something that us or the district intentionally did to make everybody miserable at all.”

uses his ‘phone caddy’ to hold the students’ phones during class. When a student enters, they put it in and when they leave, they pick it up. “I just like to take (phone distractions) out of the equation so that (students) can just really focus and relax while they’re in my class,” Handling said. “As much as I’m responsible for my students’ academic well-being, I feel it’s also incumbent upon me to look out for their social and mental well-being.” Handling is clear about what he hopes to accomplish at GBHS. “Academically, my goal is to make sure every student that leaves my classroom is college and career ready,” Handling said. “I want to make sure they have the tools in their toolbox to be successful regardless of what they choose to do after they leave high school.” Teri Keeney Teri Keeney is a new Vocational Placement Specialist, helping students prepare and transition to work outside of high school. She previously volunteered with the GBHS Touchdown Club and master boosters, and most recently worked at GBHS for the athletic department in Student Services. Keeney has a husband, Grant, and two sons, Brendan – who is graduating from the University of California, Berkeley in December – and Dylan, who is in his third year at the University of Colorado at Boulder where he is No. 86 on the football team. She loves the mountains and the beach, and is happy to be back at GBHS.

Sheila Stein Sheila Stein joins GBHS as a school psychologist. She also works at Antelope and Oakmont high schools. She has many responsibilities including testing for learning disabilities, crisis prevention and intervention and school climate. Stein notes that her past experiences include being an English teacher, a Colorado ski bum and a principal at a youth correctional facility, among other professions. Outside of work, Stein enjoys skiing, reading, and learning about other cultures. Fun fact: Stein went to high school with Advanced Placement Government teacher Jarrod Westberg. Mary Van Hoomissen Mary Van Hoomissen is the new GBHS nurse. She provides case-management for students with chronic and acute health conditions. She has been a nurse for many, many years, and has worked in various hospital settings for 15 years, three of those in the Air Force. She loves being a liaison between the medical and educational fields, enabling students to be supported and reach their full potential. Van Hoomissen enjoys GBHS because of its strong cohesiveness between students and staff that she finds inspiring. Outside of work, she loves the outdoors, and is an avid backpacker who spends most of her summers in the mountains. Rock climbing is also a newly found passion as she has recently joined the Sierra Mountaineering Club.

SIERRA: Sierra College classes no longer weighted

Continued from page A4 not the really rigorous course.” Much of the controversy surrounding Sierra classes receiving the same credit as AP classes at GBHS is due to reports of inequality of class difficulty and workload between the two options. “I’ve had the opportunity to take both in-person and online classes at Sierra, and I can say that you learn far more in an in-person class than an online class,” Yang said. “However, when Sierra classes compare to AP classes at GB, there’s no comparison. I took U.S. History 17A two summers ago and AP U.S. History (at GBHS) last year, and I had to work much more in the class here at GB

(than) the class at Sierra.” AP Government teacher Jarrod Westberg said there is a noticeable difference between his students that took U.S. history at Sierra and those that took it at GBHS because students who took U.S. history at Sierra clearly struggle with the subject more than those that took either CP or AP U.S. History at the high school. “ It’s a game, Westberg said.” “Everybody’s trying to get into a really good university. For us, we’re just not seeing the amount of information or things that we’d want them to know (for AP Government) that they would get out of AP U.S. or regular history classes here.” While many students, including both Yang and Miller, understand the motivations behind eliminating Sierra grade bumps, some still

AP SCORES: AP Physics 1, Euro and U.S. History suffer lower pass rates due to changes

Continued from page A4

“Last spring I offered 34 hours of review session time,” Miller said. “Attending the review sessions is not a guarantee of success, but will provide the student with a far better chance to do well and pass the exam.” Miller received disapproval from some students but used it to help better his future teaching. “I understand and appreciate the criticisms,” Miller said. “We have great students and they are very

knowledgeable. Changes will be made. I will focus on preparing students to be able to thoughtfully and accurately explain their knowledge in the manner expected by The College Board.” The same question is being asked by AP Physics 1 teachers across the United States – how to better prepare students for the exam. Miller’s class had a pass rate that was 10 percent higher than the national average, but, he said, “it will get better.”

Read the Gazette

the award-winning student newspaper of Granite Bay High School

think it is a disservice to lower classes. “It’s unfair because, for some people, it really helps balance their schedule and benefits them physically and mentally, which is really important in high school,” Miller said. Yang said this could hurt GBHS students in a couple of ways; they might be at a disadvantage against students from schools that do allow weighted community college courses, or they might strain their mental health by feeling the need to compensate by piling on AP classes. “I think it’s fine to get the credit for the class,” Westberg said. “The weight part is not … fair … because it’s not the same amount as what (AP U.S. students) get a weighted grade for.”

Friday, September 16, 2016

w The Granite Bay Gazette

A7 News

LGBT: Curriculum mandates inclusion of LGBT history Continued from page A1

“respectful” manner.

introduced in 2012. The original bill, Senate Bill 48, Added responsibilities for teachers added LGBT Americans as well as people with disBut not all complaints are rooted in ideology. For abilities to a list of social groups whose impact on some, teachers especially, the issue is the mere fact history must appear in K-8 textbooks, and prohibited that there is added content, and not what the content instructional materials which “reflect adversely” on is. LGBT and/or disabled individuals. Advanced Placement United States History teacher Though the law took effect in 2012, the curriculum Brandon Dell’Orto likens the state board’s newest deframework was not adopted until this year, largely cision to a decision it made in 1996. due to attempts to overturn the decision. Assembly Bill 3086, which was passed in 1996, The newly adopted curriculum framework advises also aimed to broaden the concepts taught in schools. that students first learn of diverse sexualities in secAmong other things, it required that all students must ond grade, so that “students can both locate themread and be taught The Federalist Papers, a collection selves and their own families of 85 essays written in esoteric, old in history and learn about the English which were in support of lives and historical struggles the Constitution and the ratification of their peers.” of it. Although the vote on this In theory, the idea sounds feasible, (They’re) indoctrinating change was unanimous, the even noble. But in practice, it was news was met with opposipeople to believe in a more of a strain than it was a benefition. certain way, politically, cial addition to the syllabus. “When I first heard about “Whoever (introduced the bill) (the new material), I thought because it’s obviously could then go out to their constituit was ... outrageous,” in favor of gay rights. ents and say ‘Hey, look at me, I want said Juan Flores, a Granto make sure that our kids are learnite Bay High School junior. ing the foundational principles of the “(They’re) indoctrinating – Juan Flores, junior at GBHS United States government and the people to believe in a cerConstitution of the U.S.,’ which is a tain way, politically, because wonderful, wonderful thing to do,” it’s obviously in favor of gay Dell’Orto said. “But they’re not the rights.” ones teaching it. To actually teach Flores also notes that teachThe Federalist Papers, you would alers who are uncomfortable with the LGBT community are now forced to teach this material, which he most have to do away with an entire two week unit of something else that (you’d) be teaching … The people said he believes is “unfair.” The addition of this new material is undoubtedly (who) are passing the laws aren’t thinking about the controversial, but perhaps the debate that swirls consequences in the sense of what will give.” And while Dell’Orto is not against the addition of around it can help further the goal of social science LGBT history to his classroom, he does recognize classes. “A pillar of any quality social science course is the that the addition means something else must be either presence of active discourse among the participants,” taught less thoroughly or dropped entirely. said Jess Borjon, the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for the Roseville Joint Union Teachers begin incorporating new material For McKinney, the incorporation of the new mateHigh School District, in an email. “Our social science classrooms should regularly challenge student’s rial will not be difficult as the gay rights movement is thinking and examine assumptions. The key is to pres- already a part of her class. Initially, it was difficult for ent topics in a non-dogmatic manner. It is not the role her though, because LGBT history was not something of the educator to promote or display bias on content covered extensively in her own education. “With any new curriculum, you have a learning topics.” Perhaps the debates that might arise because of this curve,” McKinney said. “I’m finding out new things, new material will not be disruptive. Jillyan McKin- and actually some of the information I was talking ney, who teaches International Baccalaureate (IB) about last year was countered by one of my students, History of the Americas, teaches a unit on civil rights (and) I absolutely encourage that. Sometimes students which includes the LGBT community in her class, know more than you do, (or) they have access to so and says her students often disagree, but do so in a much information and this was a young person who

Gazette photo /CARISSA LEWIS

Gender Sexuality Alliance club recruits new members during Club Rush. Senate Bill 48 was passed stating LGBT history is a required curriculum subject in California public schools. was very much in depth in the ... LGBT community Flores agrees, saying that any instruction alluding and they knew, they had references.” to the LGBT community is far too sexual for young Another difficulty lies in the resources to teach children. LGBT history, as most textbooks intended for high McKinney, though, mother of both a third grader schoolers do not include information on that commu- and a kindergartner, believes second grade is an apnity. propriate time for such discussions. McKinney relies mostly on various articles and vidAs someone who was unfamiliar with the LGBT eos for this unit in her class, but says it can be difficult community for a majority of his life, Tiwari also to find well-researched, well-written, instructional agrees that second grade is an appropriate time. materials. “I didn’t even know about the LGBTQ community The difficulty of acquiring relevant instructional ma- until I went to high school and I found it really conterials is the source of another complaint. fusing at first,” Tiwari said. “(I’ve) read these stories At the legislative hearing discussing this bill, a online (where a) kid sees a gay couple for the first spokesperson for The Lighthouse Baptist Church in time, and they’re like ‘What’s going on there?’ and Northern California, which is strongly against this de- (their parents say) ‘Oh, they’re in love’ and the (kid cision, said “At a time when our state lacks dollars to says), ‘OK.’ It’s over so quickly, and I feel like taking pay for the current needs in education, this legislature the time to do that in second grade will erase all sorts is actually considering adding more financial burden of uncomfortableness associated with the subject.” on schools to pay for new textbooks that will teach Whether it is in second grade or 11th grade, though, so-called ‘gay history!’” this added instruction only builds upon the ideas that But for many, including GBHS seniors Saawan Ti- are already taught in social science classrooms. wari and Reagan Tran, the availability of materials “In my class, what we try to talk about, ... is the idea online negates this argument. that everybody is an equal citizen, and we’re all entitled to the exact same rights, regardless,” Dell’Orto Is second grade too young? said. “You can debate (on) whether or not you want The complaint that is given the most credence is the to get (into) too graphic of detail, but the idea of exone that has to do with age. The curriculum frame- posing (to students) that there’s lots of families in work suggests that the first time students will learn the world, there’s lots of different ways to dress in of other sexualities is in the second grade, which to the world, ... there’s lots of different ways to express some, seems too young. yourself in the world (is great).”

RESULTS: GBHS drops to 26th place in the Sacramento region for ELA scores Continued from page A1

school, according to GBHS principal Jennifer Leighton. GBHS had a 17 percent drop in students exceeding or meeting the standards in the English Language Arts section from 2015 to 2016. “We’re used to looking at ourselves up at the top (of a list) and you have to go all the way down to find us,” Leighton said. There have been many questions as to why such a significant drop occurred when Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, SAT and ACT scores still remain at their traditionally high levels. Possible answers include that the poor performance is a silent rebellion against the Common Core system, lack of pride for the school, and the test not “counting” directly for the students like it counts for the school. The over arching reason, however, seems to be that the students were uniformed about the effects of the test. “I wasn’t told anything about the effects of taking the test, just that it was mandatory and for the state,” an anonymous senior boy said. “I gave zero effort on the test because I didn’t know the importance of the test to our school.” While others may have given more effort, most didn’t know the purpose of the CAASPP. “My teachers had said that it didn’t count toward my grades and the only people who would see it were from the state, so I had no inclination to take it,” senior Gemma Rizzuto said. Student Effects The CAASPP test does have potential benefits for students who score well. “If you do well on this test, then you don’t have to take an assessment test (if you go to a California community college or a California State University),” Leighton said. “You are college ready, so you won’t end up in a really low-level English or math class.” Furthermore, the school’s performance is noted on the Common Application, the application that several seniors will be using this fall to apply to several colleges. “A lot of our students didn’t feel like it would directly affect them,” Leighton said. “Indirectly it does come back. It will be reflected on the college profile that is uploaded onto the Common App. So nor-

mally Granite Bay has this great reputation for test scores, but the English scores aren’t going to look very good.”

Opting out of the test Before the test was even administrated, many students like Rizzuto had little motivation to take the test. Many decided to exercise their right to opt-out of the state test. California Education Code 60615 allows parents to submit a written request to their child’s school which exempts their child from taking any part of administered assessments. Section 852 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations further reiterates that a parent or guardian can “annually submit to the school a written request to excuse his or her child from any or all parts of any test provided pursuant to Education Code section 60640 for the school year.” During the spring of 2016, nearly five percent of current seniors opted out of the CAASPP test. By federal law, 95 percent of students must take a given test for the results of that test to be valid. “We had a lot of kids walk in with like a post-it note, written quickly,” Leighton said. “So we sent them back and said we need an official note from a parent stating why you’re opting out of this.” Those who did turn in a formal letter, however, received a letter back from the school at a later date. This letter stated that should the student not make up the test on the given date, they might not receive a letter of recommendation because GBHS staff considers if a student has contributed “to the development of GBHS.” “The school decided to punish those who decided to opt out,” Rizzuto said. “There was a letter I received that said that the school would not write any recommendation letters I needed to get into college if I didn’t take the test. Anyone who cares to get into a good college was basically then forced to take it, when legally there are supposed to be no consequences.” According to Edsource, if a school fails to test 95 percent of its junior class, they will be labeled as “failing to make Adequate Yearly Progress” and could face additional repercussions. Gunn High School, in Palo Alto, reported that nearly half of its students opted out, many to devote

their time to study for the SAT or AP exams. Leighton said many of the students she talked to with high GPAs and low CAASPP results felt similarly to the students from Palo Alto. “A lot of our students felt really stressed out,” Leighton said. “They wanted to hurry and finish the test so they could study for their AP and IB (tests) or their SAT.” Senior Chloe Miller missed two of the test dates and was told to make it up on a Wednesday morning and was frustrated by the process. “The testing procedure was very unorganized and the cart of chromebooks took forever to get to us and (it) took forever to get supplies out and then we weren’t allowed to leave when we were done,” Miller said. School Effects “The purpose is really to give feedback to us and the state on what kind of education we’re giving to our students,” Leighton said. The low ELA scores are likely to impact not just the school’s ranking, but also the Local Control and

Accountability Plan, the school’s Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation and eligibility for the National Blue Ribbon award. Leighton said the district used to distribute money to each school and say how much was to go to a specific category. “But now they’ve given us a sum of money and said as long as you justify where you are using it and how, you can get what you need,” Leighton said. “So it makes it look like we’re misusing our money.” Secondly, GBHS’s WASC accreditation could be in danger. WASC is an organization that releases a report every six years and “decide(s) whether you are doing a good job as a school.” Leighton said the last time WASC visited the school, there were areas of concern. The mid-cycle visit is in January. “They will be looking at our scores,” Leighton said. “We will have to say ‘Actually we are doing a really good job, we are a really great school. That was kind of just a weird thing that happened so don’t worry about it.’ It just makes us look a little silly because we do

so well in our AP and IB tests and we are barely above state average in our English scores.” The third large effect of the CAASPP is Granite Bay High’s National Blue Ribbon. The National Blue Ribbon is a prestigious award and is a “widely recognized symbol of exemplary teaching and learning.” “It makes us look great, it helps our home values, it just makes it so people want to come to Granite Bay High School,” Leighton said. “It’s just another icing on the cake.” A school must be invited to even apply for a National Blue Ribbon and the invitation doesn’t usually come very often. “The last time I heard of us applying was in 2002 and we got it,” Leighton said. “And then it came across my desk this year and (we went) for it.” The lengthy application was due in the spring. “At the end of the year we found out (we would) get the award … pending (our) scores on the CAASPP,” Leighton said. “I wasn’t worried. I really wasn’t worried because we’ve never had a problem

before with STAR test scores or CAASPP scores or anything.” A few weeks ago Leighton got a call saying that GBHS had been disqualified as a result of the low ELA scores on the CAASPP. Improvement for the future As far as the future goes, Leighton and the leadership team have been working to find a way to improve the GBHS results for next year. They are considering placing the scores on students’ transcripts so they feel more accountable. They are also considering having some sort of incentives for students who do well on the CAASPP. Several years ago when the STAR test was being administered, some teachers offered grade bumps for advanced achievement on the STAR test. “I’d rather focus on ways we can improve, how we give the test and how we motivate students beforehand rather than going back to punitive measures,” Leighton said. “We need to do a better job at explaining what it can affect. It’s just a matter of we forgot to front load this.”

BACK TO SCHOOL WITH CONFIDENCE! SAT /ACT PREP & A COLLEGE PLAN

Imagine a place where students gather to plan for their futures. •

One-on-one College Admissions Guidance

•

Innovative and Personalized SAT / ACT Test Prep

•

Monitoring and encouragement to stay on track!

$50 oﬀ Test Prep with ad!

Call today for your complimentary introductory session. The College Planning Center 9711 Village Center Drive #100 Granite Bay, CA 95746 916-872-1370

www.TheCollegePlanningCenter.com Info@TheCollegePlanningCenter.com NOW OPEN IN TREELAKE VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER!

Voices

Granite Bay Gazette

Friday w September 16, 2016

GAZETTE Dress code is irritating, biased The Granite Bay

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

You’ve heard our complaints before, but why don’t you listen? COMMENTARY

Editors-in-Chief: Cole Kahmann Surina Khurana Carissa Lewis Anjali Shrivastava Hannah Xu News Editor: Connor Hinson Voices Editor: Stephenie Kang Lifestyle Editors: McKenna Aram Brayden Johnk Sabina Mahavni Green Screen Editors: Natasha Chanda Katie Cologna Whitney Knorp Amanda Prather Sports Editors: Ali Lemos Isabella Tkachuk Social Media Editor: Natalie Hatch Illustrators: Natasha Chanda Isabella Tkachuk Hannah Xu Photo Editor: Carissa Lewis Staff Writers/ Photographers: Will Anderson Kate Booth Mackenzie Brown Paige Erickson Milan French Bella Hamilton Alina Poczobutt Reese Richmond Max Schwartz Andrew Yung Sidney Zabell Adviser: Karl Grubaugh The Gazette is published eight times per academic year by students in the advanced journalism class at Granite Bay High School. Content is determined by the staff and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Granite Bay High School’s faculty, administration, adviser or student body. Students are protected in their exercise of press freedom by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and California Education Code 48907. Signed editorials and columns reflect the views of the writer. Letters to the editor and guest commentaries are encouraged and must be signed, although anonymity can be granted on a caseby-case basis. The editorial board reviews letters to the editor, advertising and guest commentaries and reserves the right to edit and refuse material. Reasons can include length, clarity, libel, obscenity, material disruption of the educational process at Granite Bay High School or violation of copyright laws.

Send Letters to the Editor to: gbgazette@yahoo.com Identification Statement GRANITE BAY GAZETTE PUBLISHED EIGHT TIMES PER ACADEMIC YEAR c/o Granite Bay High School 1 Grizzly Way Granite Bay, CA 95746 Subscriptions: $25 per year/ $15 per half year

guys. I guarantee you that not one guy is actually distracted by an off-the-shoulder top. Next thing you know, no one is going to be able to see my elbows. You wouldn’t leave the house in something you are not comfortable in, so why should administrators be able to tell you you don’t look good? It’s insulting and biased. My mother can tell me if I look inappropriate. When dress code was presented to the school on the first day, just four outfits were shown for girls that were “appropriate.” Then when school actually kicks off someone proceeds to dress code you, and tell you that the dress code was clearly presented on the first day, which in fact it was not. Telling me four versions of something I can wear does not cover what the entire dress code entails. Not once in that first day of school meeting was it said that off-the-shoulder tops were not allowed. I was dress coded for a pair of shorts that was “too short,” when I saw a girl who was about a foot shorter than me wearing the same shorts. I hear administrators saying height isn’t a factor, but that is false. My legs were longer than hers, and because the shorts simply appeared longer on her, she wasn’t dress coded. A friend of mine was dress coded and was told her shirt was “too small.” Why should administrators be telling us what size we should be wearing? Circumstances might not allow you to be able to purchase more clothes that are bigger, or according to administration, “appropriate.” If we feel good and have confidence in what we are wearing, why should anyone be tearing down our confidence and humiliating us in front of the whole school? The dress code has become demoralizing and biased to not only girls, but has become insulting to guys who are deemed as only sexual beings who can’t focus on anything but girls while at school. *** Amanda Prather, a senior, is a Gazette illustr ation/ISABEL LA TKACHUK Gazette Green Screen editor.

amanda prather aprather.gazette@gmail.com

“E

xcuse me, you need to come with me, your outfit is inappropriate,” I hear as I had taken two steps onto campus on the second day of school. Before anyone just rolls their eyes at this and says they have heard it enough, let’s just think about other people and how the rules affect everyone. Women have been sexualized and made out to be creatures who are only capable of distracting guys from learning. Since when is their education more important than ours? Are my shoulders REALLY keeping a guy from learning? NO. Girls have been sexualized in every way. Shoulders, thighs, chests and every part of our bodies have been completely turned into objects that can only distract. If a guy can’t focus in class because my shoulders are showing, THAT IS NOT MY PROBLEM. I once saw a guy on campus wearing a shirt stating “violence is the answer.” So just to be clear, wearing something that threatens other students is ok, but wearing jean shorts isn’t? Ok cool, glad Granite Bay High School has morals! This is apparently ok but my jean shorts are too distracting as I sit in my chair where no one can even see my lower body anyway. WHY? Why do the administrators feel the need to make girls feel bad about themselves and their outfits to please

Reckless students’ driving habits drive me insane person across from you thinks you’re

With great mobility, comes great responsibility going straight, but then you decide to

he innumerable hours I’ve spent driving over the past two years have forced me to come to one glaring realization – the driver’s seat is truly the best seat in the house to the grand production of human stupidity that is expressed so consistently on the road. Sure, no driver is perfect, but people could stand to, at the very least, try not to make the world a more difficult and dangerous place through their driving. The most obvious displays of absolute idiocy begin in our very own school parking lot. First of all, please just learn the correct direction to drive down the lanes of the parking lot. Stop going the wrong way and coming head-on at me while I’m going the correct way, then forcing me to awkwardly back up or find a way to move over so that you can get past me. You’re in the wrong, so you should be the one making the most effort to correct it. And seriously, the parking lot isn’t a free-for-all. We’re civilized beings, so we should be able to exercise enough competence to take turns merging instead of trying to cut off every single car in our path. By the way, once you get out of the parking lot lines and onto the actual road, that’s when you get to stop tailgating people. Revolutionary information,

COMMENTARY

whitney knorp wknorp.gazette@gmail.com

I know. Yes, I’m looking at you, high schoolers in the new giant trucks and tiny sports cars that your parents entrusted you with despite your inability to operate them well. And to the many drivers out there who must be unaware of it, there’s an amazing feature called a “blinker” built into cars. It’s this crazy light mechanism that indicates which direction you’re going to move in so that you don’t merge lanes irresponsibly and crash into other cars. It also lets other drivers know you may be slowing down to take a turn so that you don’t get rear-ended. Or, it’s there to express which direction you’re planning to move in at a stop sign – which is extremely important when the

turn left to everybody’s unfortunate surprise. There are so many benefits to using the blinker, for which some drivers apparently require a reminder. It’s an excellent resource to make other drivers not hate you. Then, there are stoplights. They seem easy enough, right? Green means go, yellow means slow down and red means stop. People typically have a good grasp of this concept. That is, until they are faced with the right-turn lane. This is basic driver’s education, people. If it’s green you’re always free to turn, and if it’s red and there’s no sign prohibiting turning right on a red light, then you slow down and either yield for pedestrians or pause to make sure the path is clear of cars before you turn. Based on the number of times people have nearly hit me when I’m just going straight because they made the erroneous decision that they have right-turn right of way (spoiler alert – it’s my right of way for a reason), this is not always common sense for drivers. While the aforementioned mistakes are obnoxious, they really do pale in comparison to some drivers’ purposeful recklessness. Don’t be the jerk who speeds and weaves carelessly between cars just to ultimately end up about two more cars ahead. Because congrats, you’re winning

Don’t be the jerk who speeds and weaves carelessly between cars just to ultimately end up about two more cars ahead.

the race that isn’t happening and no one asked for. I highly doubt you’re in the kind of lifeor-death situation that level of recklessness could be validated by, so don’t put everyone else on the road in a potential life-or-death situation by your terrible driving, thanks. When it comes to driving, just pay attention. The world won’t end if you’re late, your life won’t fall apart if you don’t answer that text message right now and cutting a minute or two off of your drive time isn’t worth reckless driving. It’s impossible to know when the day will come that you stop being so invincible to your actions, so don’t tempt fate and endanger others by being an ignorant or selfish driver. *** Whitney Knorp, a senior, is a Gazette Green Screen editor.

Reflecting on the recent changes to history curriculum

people are completely fine fter five years of delay, a national eduwith, or even celebrate, what cation law requiring the instruction of used to be considered “perLesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender history in California’s public schools will verse” lifestyles. The voice of the finally be implemented. In those five years, While some still cling to the law met with several opponents uncomtheir beliefs that simply won’t Granite Bay allow tolerance of the LGBT fortable with the change. Gazette community, these people are And honestly, it’s easy to see why a decinow only a small, yet very sion such as this is controversial. It shouldn’t vocal, minority. be, but many people, parents especially, are If these people had learned what the California Deopposed to the idea of young children being forced to swallow “the gay agenda.” partment of Education is imposing now, perhaps their These people hear that sexualities will be discussed in hatred would be less pointed. Or at least, they would second grade, which might seem too young an age, but have knowledge to justify their claims. the curriculum in that case is just to introduce the idea That’s the beautiful thing about history. It doesn’t that students might have two moms or two dads, which come from one perspective, and it can be viewed is a fact. Why are they angry about teaching statements through many varying lenses. Those who are ardently that are unequivocally correct? protesting this legislation clearly do not understand Because they see it as normalizing something that is that. perverse, and that young children should not have to You might not agree with it, you might not underaccept. stand it, but regardless, you can’t ignore it. You can not We will not give these people the dignity of arguing erase a people. Because that’s what LGBT individuals such claims, because their opinion belongs to a differare – people. And because this community is undoubtent era. The decision to integrate diverse sexualities edly a part of our nation’s, and the world’s, history, into education is indicative that today, the majority of their stories must be taught.

EDITORIAL

We all know what the Red Scare was. But almost no one is aware of the Lavender Scare, a mass witch hunt for homosexuals in sensitive government positions, who were then fired from their jobs if suspected of engaging in “illicit behaviors.” When we hear of the town “Selma,” images of black men and women marching, demanding what we all take for granted, come to mind. What images come to mind when we hear “Stonewall?” At one point, it was considered controversial to learn of the civil rights movement in classrooms. Yet today, it is an essential part of any American history class and an undeniable part of our own history. It’s remarkable to see the rapid progress we’ve made regarding the acceptance of diverse sexualities. But it wasn’t that long ago that we were experiencing a different story. Eight years ago, Proposition 8, which resolved to ban gay marriage, was passed by a significant majority of California voters. Now, in that very same state, gay people are not only allowed to marry, but their stories will be taught in classrooms from Eureka to Fresno to San Diego. And while the fight for equal rights for the LGBTQ community in this country is far from over, that’s something to celebrate.

The Granite Bay Gazette

HEARD on the BAY What do you know about LGBTQ issues?

b r o m a s i d l e a n g s n i m l i F i lt COMMENTARY

“I haven’t heard very much about LGB(T)Q.”

Voices A9

or many stuLikewise, there are dents, learning a six different ways to exsecond language press love in Greek, ranging is nothing more than a worthfrom “philautia,” a self-love, to less requirement that will be entirely “agape,” a love extended to everyone. forgotten after they graduate from high The division of a single word into school. Even prominent secondary languagvarying degrees is often an expression of es in the US – such as Spanish, which is spothe values in a particular culture. Ancient ken by more than 18 percent of the population– Greece placed a heavy emphasis on the idea of are neglected under the presumption that English is love, expressing the concept in both religion and the only language that will be relevant in a student’s philosophies, and thus needed a way to differentifuture. ate the numerous implications of “love.” Exploring a Learning a secondary dialect is not necessary for most language is a map to understanding where a culture jobs in the United States. You can wake up each morning places its ideologies. with only English on your tongue and still live relatively Whether addressing a close friend or a high-end busiwell. However, grasping multiple dialects not only expands ness employer, English-speakers refer to the person they clewis.gazette@gmail.com your range of communication – it enriches your mind and are conversing with as “you.” Controversially, in Thailand, builds upon your understanding of the world. where language can be used to express respect, there are There are more than 50 countries with English listed as an official language. many more ways to address someone based on the degree of formality. Now, that sounds like a significant quantity, but let’s expand upon the numbers. While English-speakers in the United States recognize formality in other There are 196 countries in the world, so if you eliminate the ones with English ways, it is important to understand that alternative languages have separate stanas an official language, there are still about 146 nations that have little or nothing dards of politeness. to do with English. Furthermore, many of the countries which do incorporate This does not mean that one culture’s customs are more or less superior to anEnglish list it as only one of their official languages. other’s, but simply that communities have different methods of expressing politeThis means that even if an English speaker can find someone to communicate ness. Understanding that certain dialects, like Thai, express respect with a subtle with in these 50 countries, he or she is still ignorant of all the other languages those differentiation in words can help you properly acknowledge the culture. nation’s encompass. The Guinness World Record for the most languages learned is 59, achieved by Why does this matter? Because language is an eminent part of culture. Ziad Fazah. Compare that with the 6,500 languages that make up our Earth. This can be explained even within the parameters of the United States. Clearly, it is impossible to master every existing language, but that does not For instance, many early American documents (including the Constitution) refer mean you should forego the chance to learn any. to any collective group of people by the pronoun “he.” As our society has proLearning even just one secondary language adds to your ability to comprehend gressed toward a less male-dominated system, “he” has become an unacceptable the various cultures around the world. way to refer to all genders. In 2015, the University of Chicago conducted a study assessing the correlation With the changing of society, new implications have broadened the terminol- between polylingualism and empathy. ogy applied to certain concepts. “Husband and wife” has become accompaIn this study, three different-sized cars were laid out. Monolingual and bilinnied by “partners” and “significant others.” gual children were asked to select the small car, but the smallest of the three Such developments indicate how language is closely related to an indi- cars was concealed from the adult who was asking the question. vidual’s thought process. So if individuals can only communicate with a In the end, only half of the monolinguals chose the car that was smallest fraction of the globe – those that speak the same language – their maxi- from the adult’s perspective (rather than the smallest one from their own mum ability of understanding the world is limited to this fraction. view), whereas three fourths of the children who had been exposed In almost all languages, there are words or phrases that don’t di- to a secondary language chose the car the adult had actually been rectly translate to English. referring to, indicating that bilingualism improves one’s ability to While the English language uses the term “love” to indicate understand another’s point-of-view. both partiality toward a delicious, creamy dessert and a deep Secondary languages not only serve to broaden your voice passion for someone, other dialects distinguish its connota- but also to expand your vision, enabling you to perceive the tion. world through a clearer lens. The Spanish phrase “te quiero” has no equivalent in English. It is a remark to indicate a fondness *** of someone that is somewhere between liking Carissa Lewis, a senior, is a Gazette co-edithem and loving them. tor-in-chief.

Friday, September 16, 2016

carissa lewis

freshman

John Drab “I’m not really familiar with this kind of thing, so I don’t really know what to say about it.”

sophomore

Cody Erickson “My sister is bi(sexual), and so I know a lot about how it feels when she receives hate and judgment.”

junior

Georgia Seagraves “I know they’re having problems with bathrooms and a lot of people want rights with gay marriage.” Gazette illustration/HANNAH XU

senior

It isn’t romantic to romanticize abusive couples

Mikayla Goroshko “I think that I am relatively up to speed on LGBT issues in current society because I work with a lot of LGBT students.”

staff

Andrew Phillips Compiled by Sabina Mahavni

From Twilight to Suicide Squad, people swoon over unhealthy duos

s I scrolled through my Twitter feed, I became disappointed with tweets that said “Relationship goals!” with a photo attached of Harley Quinn and The Joker from the movie, Suicide Squad. Throughout the entire movie, I sat there waiting for the moment Harley Quinn realized that she deserved to be treated better by The Joker. Unfortunately, that moment never occurred, and she never released herself from his grasp on her. In movies and TV shows, these sorts of couples are portrayed constantly. And this being what people see, these tend to be the kind of relationships teenagers and young adults aspire to have. Some clear examples of unhealthy relationships that conscientious media have exposed are Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey and, of course, Suicide Squad.

These kind of relationships put who plays Harley Quinn, has said the female in a place of inferiority. that she disagrees with the relationWhile it is imship between her portant to want to character and spend time with The Joker. your significant “I just didn’t other and be a part understand how of their lives, it is she could be such unhealthy to dea bad a-- and pend on them and then fall to pieces feel as if you “can’t over some guy. I live without them,” found that really like the way Bella frustrating,” Robbie said. feels in the Twilight series. Because these Suicide Squad relationships portrays a relaare so common, tionship of mental the people who rrichmond.gazette@gmail.com abuse in which watch them The Joker has become immune almost brain washed Harley Quinn to them and start to consider them to believe that he is her life, he is her as normal. In reality, these relationships are unsafe, unhealthy and imeverything. moral. Even in movies like Suicide The whole point of Harley Squad that are about unrealistic Quinn’s character is to express things like superheroes, the probfemale strength and power. Despite lems within the romantic relationher powerful character, Harley ship it portrays are very real. Quinn gives everything up for The Mental abuse in intimate relationJoker. There is one part of the movie ships does exist. Codependency in where The Joker asks her if she relationships does exist. And much would do anything for him, with of the reason for these things being this, she replies with a yes. so prevalent in relationships in our Even Margot Robbie, the actress

COMMENTARY

reese richmond

world, is the media that is out there. While media often produces these unhealthy relationship, the most important effect they create is the influence they have on teenagers. When these are what teenagers have to look at, this is what they believe they have to have. And this is exactly the problem. A significant other should not be vital to your survival nor should they make you less of a person, putting you in an inferior position. Of course, unhealthy relationships often make for good drama, which explains why media often develop them. Yet that doesn’t mean these relationships are what teens and young adults should aspire to have. While it’s ok for media to produce these in order to create drama, the people watching these relationships should be more aware of the fact that they are unhealthy. Young adults and teens should not aspire to have these types of relationships, but it’s hard not to when they’re often what you see. *** Reese Richmond, a junior, is a Gazette staff writer.

Friday, September 16, 2016 w The Granite Bay Gazette

Second look

News A10

Decades Dance

At the dance, students, top upper left, dance to the “Cupid Shuffle.” A group of senior friends, top lower left, jam to four decades of nostalgic tunes. Spencer Cova, top middle, pumps his fists to the music. Sophie Brubaker, top right, embraces the ’80s with rainbow hair strands. Gemma Rizzuto, above, laughs in the midst of decades excitement. Students of all grades, left, wait excitedly in line to enter the gym, where the dance will begin.

Gazette photos by Carissa Lewis

Lifestyle

Granite Bay Gazette

B Section

Friday w September 16, 2016

COMMENTARY

sabina mahavni smahavni.gazette@gmail.com

There’s no need to make tasteless judgments

f I had a dime for every time someone asked me, “So… if you’re vegan, then what do you eat?” I could pay off my college tuition. It’s as if vegans are thought of as a different species who couldn’t possibly eat the same kind of food as “regular people.” Being a vegan myself, and having to explain my choice in diet on a daily basis, I am shocked at how misunderstood the vegan and vegetarian community is. However, being the only vegan in my family, it is important to have thick skin about “vegan” jokes and snide “hippie” comments. Is it really that bizarre that I don’t feel the need to eat or drink the byproduct of another species? I have nothing against people who eat meat and dairy. Everybody gets to choose their own lifestyle, and I firmly believe that. However, the most common complaint I hear from non-vegans is that vegans are too judgemental and condescending towards meat-eaters. Maybe, in some cases, that is true. Personally, I try to be accepting with everyone I meet, but sometimes judgemental statements stem from the opposite party. Once people find out I am vegan, they usually respond with “Why?” and “But you need calcium from milk.” The idea that you need calcium from milk has been implanted in the minds of Americans for decades. Teenagers do need calcium for bone growth, but calcium doesn’t just come from milk. Collard greens, broccoli, kale, edamame and several other yummy foods contain high quantities of calcium. Just because someone is vegan, it does not mean they are nutrient deficient. Anyone, even non-vegans, can be nutrient deficient if their diet lacks necessary foods. I consider myself healthy, not because I am vegan, but because I choose to eat healthily. Nutrients should not be an issue with any diet as long as the person knows what to look for. I know how necessary protein is (mainly because my mom nags me about it every day), so I make it a priority to get complete proteins– like quinoa– in my diet as much as possible. In the same way, a meat eater should still strive for adequate protein consumption through healthy sources such as lean meats. Healthiness can be achieved through even the strictest of diets– and I should know because I am a vegan who is allergic to tree nuts, which is a pretty restrictive diet. In the end, it all comes down to personal choice. Let vegans be vegans and non-vegans be non-vegans. If there is one thing both parties agree on, it is that food is the fuel that makes life great, no matter how it is prepared. As Julia Child eloquently puts it, “People who love to eat are always the best people.”

***

Sabina Mahavni, a junior, is a Lifestyle editor.

? e c stern n a r o Ig n Ga

llu

tt ze

n/C

io rat

A SS

Curriculum fails to address eastern and western cultures equally

BY CARISSA LEWIS

clewis.gazette@gmail.com

oom in on the globe – real close. This limited perspective is what is known as the “Granite Bay bubble,” but just how extensive is this bubble, and perhaps more importantly, can the bubble pop?

Could awareness of the outside world be stifled by the very object intended to enhance education – the school curriculum? There are 196 countries in the world, yet, although the majority of nations reside in the eastern hemisphere of the globe, few GBHS classes delve into Asian, African and Middle Eastern cultures. In many high schools, geography is a course requirement that freshmen must undertake in order to eventually graduate. “Geography is a growing elective in the district, so the level of student knowledge and awareness is on the rise at sites that teach geography,” said Jess Borjon, assistant superintendent for the Roseville Joint Union High School District. But although some RJUHSD

schools, including Woodcreek High School and Roseville High School, offer a geography course, GBHS does not. Additionally, while several schools outside the RJUHSD district encompass Advanced Placement World History, GBHS substitutes this course with AP European History. The primary influence of this decision was the amount of content encompassed by each course. “Prevailing thinking in the AP community is AP Euro is more accessible than AP World,” Borjon said, “especially in a four-by-four schedule.” Yet this decision has shaped a course curriculum that may restrict students’ world view. AP European History teacher Mike Valentine said he used to teach students geography through mnemonics maps, a remembrance

technique. Students would be tested on country locations. However, this took time away from his regular course curriculum, and so mnemonics maps gradually faded away from his teaching. Valentine said the limited amount of eastern-oriented history that is covered in his class stems from a western perspective, which can lead to significant misconceptions. Such misinterpretations include a lack of awareness regarding where certain innovations originated. “The printing press was a Chinese (invention, and) the compass was a Chinese (invention),” Valentine said. “There’s a lot of (eastern) contributions … that worked (their) way into the western culture, and so then becomes a wash.” Senior Afrah Tahir said that

when discussing eastern cultures, many students look at it solely from a western standpoint. “We are constantly taught that people must revolt and people must always want more, (which is a) western value,” Tahir said, “This results on us looking down on those who don’t revolt as complacent when they are merely content.” Western culture permeates more than just history courses. IB World Religions is generally considered an enlightening subject, covering religions from various regions of the world. Yet even globally-aware classes such as this are tainted by western influence. Christianity, a primarily western religion, is a common reference point for explaining eastern-orientated religions. “Rather than understanding that people want to feel limitless joy on its own as an independent concept,” Tahir said, “students will try to compare it to Heaven, which is almost completely different.” This lack of awareness plays out into unintentional cultural appropriation. “The concept of nirvana may be ‘chill’ to you … but people devote

their lives to this,” Tahir said. “No one would ever say the same devotion to Christianity was ‘chill.’” Western prejudice is not limited to classroom settings. In the recent 2016 Summer Olympics, athletes from all around the world marched in the opening ceremony to represent their nations. Valentine said while students are familiar with populous countries, they are often oblivious to smaller nations and their traditions. “Some of (their uniforms) were more native, not the Nike stuff that we have,” Valentine said. “You’re looking at it going, ‘what’s that?’ Well, that’s their culture.” According to U.S. News and World Reports, 90 percent of white Americans displayed some degree of ethnic bias on the Implicit Association Test. This test not only assesses bigotry that people are unwilling to verbally admit but also examines the underlying prejudice that individuals are unaware of. “All the world’s smart,” Valentine said, “and sometimes you get that idea that only western society is smart, and then out of that comes a type of prejudice.”

Faithful four-legged friend fetches attention Rialta, the diabetic alert dog, paws her way across the Granite Bay High School campus BY SIDNEY ZABELL

szabell.gazette@gmail.com

new four-legged friend has joined Granite Bay High School – meet Rialta, a three year old black lab and diabetic alert dog for freshman Madelaine Ghufran. Ghufran started working with Rialta just over a year ago. “I got her at the end of seventh grade,” Ghufran said. Rialta even had a spot in the Cavitt Junior High School yearbook last year, right next to Ghufran. “Rialta is a diabetic alert dog,” Ghufran said, “so if my blood-sugar starts dropping, she’ll alert me before it gets really serious.” Rialta usually alerts Ghufran one or two times per day. As a signal, Rialta will stand up to let Ghufran know her blood sugar is low. “She usually just sleeps under my desk, and if (my blood sugar is) low, she’ll stand

up, she’ll alert (me), get a treat and then go back to sleep,” Ghufran said. Although Rialta is now part of the GBHS campus, petting is not allowed – she is, after all, a working dog. The process of allowing Rialta on campus was relatively easy. “(Service dogs) come with behavioral training,” Ghufran said, “so they’re already publicly certified.” Rialta received behavioral training from Guide Dogs for the Blind and scent training from Dogs4Diabetics. Ghufran also went through training to learn how to handle Rialta in public. She went through three months of weekend training to learn about caring, handling and managing a service dog. The process of training a dog to become a guide dog can last until the dog is 15 months old. “(The guide dogs) go through a medical phase,” said Kylie Peterson, a puppy raiser for Guide Dogs for the Blind. “An eye doctor and an orthopedic doctor or vet comes to

make sure they’re all checked out.” If any issues are found, the dogs go to Dogs4Diabetics, a non-profit organization, where the clients are able to keep an eye out for any problems. Ghufran and Rialta went through nearly six months of trial periods where she had to alert Ghufran’s lows 80 percent of the time for six weeks. In November 2015, the pair graduated and became a working team. Dogs in training must learn how to look at their handler in order to spot any signs of a change in blood sugar, and a main part of their job is to engage with their handler and determine if there is an issue. The dogs detect a change in blood sugar by smelling the handler’s sweat and are even able to notice a change in blood sugar when their handler is in another room. Rialta has gotten an extremely positive response from students across campus. Freshman Amanda Batiste, a friend of Ghufran’s, said Rialta is a “really nice dog,” and she “(doesn’t) even pay attention to her when she’s near Madelaine because she’s so calm. She just blends in with everyone.” Olivia Thompson, a freshman who went to Cavitt with Ghufran and Rialta, said that she would sometimes get bored in class, “but

Madelaine Ghufran is accompanied by Rialta, the diabetic alert dog if (she) watched Rialta, (she’d be) super focused.” “Rialta brings me joy and happiness,” Thompson said. “She’s so cute!”

inside lifestyle Random club

Book of the Month

Top 10

TCID:BW

Dress Code

Summer Abroad

Illegal Driving

Students react to inconsistencies in dress code regulations.

Students explore Spanish-speaking countries.

Young drivers experiment with risky consequences.

B2 Lifestyle

Friday, September 16, 2016

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Study abroad student explores new avenues Ville Koivu, from Finland, travels to Granite Bay BY AMANDA PRATHER aprather.gazette@gmail.com

pparently the streets and ambiance of the Finland roads differ from those in California, because exchange student Ville Koivu said he was “trippin out” on his first adventure on the roads of Granite Bay. Ville Koivu, a 17 year old boy from Finland, has joined the Granite Bay High School class of 2017 for senior year. Koivu found a home with GBHS senior Connor MacDonald for part of the year, and said that Damien Lawrence, a GBHS

chemistry teacher, enabled him to come to Granite Bay. “Lawrence used to play for my (water polo) club in Finland.” Koivu said. Connor MacDonald, who is hosting Koivu for his stay, said that it has been an eye-opening experience for him and his family. MacDonald said he was able to show Koivu lots of new places such as In-NOut Burger, Chipotle and Krispy Kreme donuts, which are not available in Finland. The two also explored American passtimes such as Skyzone, and Sunsplash seemed to be a future adventure. Some cultural differences included school size, schooling age and order and school-sanctioned sports. In Finland, Koivu’s school only has around 300 students, and students in Finland attend high school for longer than we do. Koivu is a senior at GBHS, but when he returns to Finland, he will still

It’s great to be able to learn about (Ville’s) country while showing him mine as well. – Connor MacDonald, GBHS senior have two years of high school to complete. At GBHS, Koivu jumped right into classes such as Chemistry, English and

World History, and said that understanding teachers and other students has not been a problem for him. “We started learning English at the age of eight,” Koivu said. This differs from the U.S. in that learning a foreign language is not mandatory until high school. “School could start at 8:30 a.m. or 11:30 a.m. depending on your classes,” Koivu said. “It’s more like how college works.” “In between high school and college, it is mandatory for men to serve in the military for six months,” Koivu said. “I will be serving for a year when I return.” Not having any school sports at his high school, they do not have any version of the “Tribe,” which was a new experience for Koivu. Koivu is also on the water polo team here at GBHS, which he said required a huge amount of paperwork to be able to play.

School dress code controversy

The never-ending debate over appropriate clothing continues BY ISABELLA TKACHUK itkachuk.gazette@gmail.com

“I am not a morning person, so morning practice (was shocking)” Koivu said. MacDonald, who also plays water polo for GBHS, said he has enjoyed having Koivu on the team, and it has been a cool experience to play and live with someone from a foreign country. “It has been a great experience having Ville here so far,” MacDonald said. “It’s great to be able to learn about his country while showing him mine as well.”

College of the Month

University of California, Berkeley

s the seasons of the year change, so does fashion amongst teenage girls. And as fashion changes at Granite Bay High School, dress code issues are quick to follow. Although often unpopular with students, many high schools across the country place a system of rules regulating the type of clothing that is to be allowed on campus during school hours. Along with every other high school in the Roseville Joint Unified High School District, Granite Bay High School has its very own “dress code,” describing what is not allowed to be worn amongst students. “You will see that (the dress code policies) are very similar,” Melani Anvari, a GBHS administrator, expressed while comparing high school dress code policies. Anvari, being a key player in dress coding girls and enforcing the dress code, was not hesitant to share the school’s policies. “(The dress code) is direct from page 19 of the Student Handbook as found on the GBHS website,” Anvari said. Although the GBHS dress code gives a very thorough break down of each and every policy regarding the apparel of students, many still see it as being either quite vague or very extreme. “The dress code really irritates me,” senior Lauren McCormick said. “It causes girls, especially, to become more selfconscious of what they wear and of their bodies.” McCormick said she understands that the administration needs to set some regulations, yet she still believes it creates conflict under the surface. “Dress codes ultimately make girls hypersensitive to the clothes they wear,” McCormick said. Even though the dress code policies seem to be explicit and easy to access, students seem to be quite ignorant to the exact articles of clothing the administration penalizes. “As far as I know, girls get dress coded for kind of random things,” McCormick said. “For example, I got dress coded for wearing an off the shoulder shirt, and then I saw at least five different girls wearing one the same day, and they didn’t get dress coded. Some administrators are more

Ville Koivu The foreign exchange student from Finland joins the class of 2017.

Gazette photo /ISABELLA TKACHUK

GBHS dress code is unclear when it comes to off-shoulder shirts, although some students have been cited for wearing them. ting the true understanding for the dress code policies, therefore leading her to wear compromisable clothing without knowing. Bra straps, also identified as spaghetti Dress codes straps or tank tops, are not stated to be ‘dress-codable’ by GBHS, yet many girls ultimately make are getting dress coded for them. girls hypersensitive Not only does Hartmeier think that the dress code is a little confusing as well as to the clothes they extreme, she also believes that it is gender wear. biased. “Girls shouldn’t be dress coded for their shoulders or bra straps showing,” Hart– Lauren McCormick, senior meier said. “It’s not fair to sexualize things girls can’t control and force them to feel bad about their outfit choices just because boys supposedly ‘can’t handle’ their shoulders showing or ‘get distracted.’” strict than others, so our dress code is kind Some students think new rules ought to of scattered.” be made regarding the dress code if the Little do many students know, the speadministration wants there to be any change cific dress code actually doesn’t exploit in the way people dress, because it’s clear off-the-shoulder shirts, but instead states: there is much confusion amongst students. “shirts and tops must cover the entire torso, Many students believe that the school’s including chest, back and midriff. Strapless major reason for the implementation of dress and tube tops, halter-tops, back-less dress code policies is that girls’ outfits ultitops, cleavage bearing tops, half shirts and mately distract from the education of their muscle shirts are not appropriate.” male peers. If the generalization applied to But the question is ... what is deemed as both sexes, then the administration would “appropriate?” be dress coding boys for their muscle tees “Based off what I’ve seen (and) heard, and v-neck tops as well. girls mostly get dress coded for short “I don’t think how people dress afshorts, bra straps showing or shirts being fects learning at all,” Hartmeier said. “No ‘too revealing,’” junior Katie Hartmeier teacher or (administrator) should be able to said. tell you that you need to change.” Like McCormick, Hartmeier is not get-

Random... BY NATASHA CHANDA

Facts

nchanda.gazette@gmail.com

1. In the average lifetime, a person will walk the equivalent of five times around the equator. 2. President Kennedy was the fastest random speaker in the world with upwards of 350 words per minute. 3. A skunk’s smell can be detected by a human a mile away. 4. Elephants are the only mammals that can’t jump. 5. On average, there are 178 sesame seeds on each McDonald’s Big Mac bun. - Compiled by Cole Kahmann

Club Club Name TOPSoccer Club President Katie Hartmeier :

Location: Berkeley, California Mascot: Oski the Bear Enrollment: 27,496 undergraduate 10,708 graduate Tuition: In-state – $35,365 Out-of-state – $60,063 Student to faculty ratio: 17:1 Acceptance Rate: 17.5 percent Fun Fact: UC Berkeley was the original University of California, hence its name “Cal.” All other UCs were branches of the University of California in Berkeley. - Compiled by Brayden Johnk

What is the purpose of your club? The TOPSoccer club brings the community together to give kids with disabilities a chance to play a sport they love and connect with the members of the club. TOPSoccer (The Outreach Program for Soccer) is a play, training and team placement program for young athletes with special needs. When do you meet? We meet one Monday a month or more depending on if we need more time to plan an event. Otherwise, we get together to play soccer every two weeks. How was the club created? I have been involved with TOPSoccer for five years now, and I wanted to involve more people, so I decided to bring the program to GBHS to get more volunteers! - Compiled by Mackenzie Brown

Student Coby Lehman

Gazette photo /ALINA POCZOBUTT

Gazette: What is one event that you are looking forward to this year? Coby: The homecoming football game. Gazette: Why are you looking forward to this event? Coby: Because people are hyped and everyone is there. Gazette: What’s your favorite pun? Coby: What did the sea say to the sand? Nothing, it simply waved.

- Compiled by Alina Poczobutt

Friday, September 16th 2016

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Back-to-school speaker inspires and motivates

Lifestyle B3

GBHS students are touched by Whellam’s words BY PAIGE ERICKSON

perickson.gazette@gmail.com

or the first day back at school, Granite Bay High School students and faculty listened to speaker Rochelle Whellams. Whellams worked in the corporate world for ten years before becoming an AP history teacher. One day she had her students write a goal for themselves and put it on the wall and she did the same for herself. “At first I considered writing a ‘safe’ or adult goal,” Whellams said. “Then I decided that if I was going to ask my students to be real, I (have) lead by example.” Following her passion of working with youth and supporting growth and connection, Whellams resigned from her job and began speaking full time. Whellams had previously been a public speaker on the East, but has been speaking on the West coast for about 12 years. Last year she presented a program called Breaking Down the Walls to the people of GBHS.

This year, however, she came back to share her own personal stories. “My goal in the program was three parts,” Whellams said. “1. Recognize that we are at choice as to the habits that we create, 2. The power of being authentic, grateful, open and how we lead for each other, 3. How very similar we all are,” Whellams spoke about several different topics that students could relate to and understand. “She made me realize it’s not shunned upon to have things in your life that aren’t perfect,” said junior Gianna Cassano. She shared one story that took place at a school in the Bay Area, where Whellams gave students the opportunity to stand up in front of their class and thank someone. At one school, a sister stood up to acknowledge her brother. “The young lady stood up to tell her little brother how much he meant to her,” Whellams said. “She was a junior, and he was a freshman. He was not excited to stand up... so when he stood, it was begrudgingly.” She shared that sometimes she

If you really knew me,

you would know...

Carlos Sainz

If you really knew me you’d know that I’m from a different country.

Vyas Srinivasan

If you really knew me, you would know that I teach social skills and A Touch of Understanding Club.

wasn’t the best sister and hadn’t told him how much he meant to her and that their was no one she would rather have as a brother. After he gave a small head nod and smiled, he sat back down. “Afterwards, a girl that was friends with the one that shared told me that the girl’s little brother used to follow her around when they were younger but had been pushed away,” Whellams said. “She told me that after the assembly, she saw them hugging.” Hundreds of people got to witness this moment and had the opportunity to re-think their own relationships. At GBHS, multiple students decided to share their own stories, whether it was how they deal with anxiety or why they want to thank a friend. “Having Rochelle Whellams come and speak was perfect because she had students share struggles in their lives that probably not many people knew,” Cassano said. “It really opened up students’ eyes and made them realize they aren’t the only ones with problems.”

Gazette photo /CARISSA LEWIS

Rochelle Whellams speaking at the welcome rally on the first day of school.

Class rank competition thrives The systematic supported stigma of being the best BY REESE RICHMOND

rrichmond.gazette@gmail.com

re students chasing numbers? With the challenging academic curriculum Granite Bay High School provides, it seems that students are. However, many students aren’t as concerned with their class rank as they are with actually learning the material. “(Class rank) doesn’t represent how much you’re getting out of that class and applying to life which is really the important part and purpose of school,” said senior Ben Gould. From the outside, it appears students are desperately trying to get a hold of As and a higher class rank. Many feel that genuine knowledge remains more pertinent than a number. “I know that there are people with 4.0s who are ranked 30th (or lower) so I’m not concerned with how I rank,” said senior Sarah Ribota. “I’m more concerned with what I learn,” With the acceptance rate for UC’s ranging from 17 percent to 66.2 percent, class rank remains extremely important to colleges. “It’s definitely an advantage to have a higher rank,” said senior Kiana Abrigana. “But class rank is only one of many factors colleges take into consideration,” senior Kiana Abrigana said. Although colleges take into account more than just a number,

students also know how one could may be concerned with what colleges think of their class rank. “Getting into college makes (students) concerned because they believe (class rank) is all colleges see,” Ribota said. In a community like Granite Bay, expectations are high which often times leads to stress within students. Despite the fact that many students try to avoid focusing too much on their class rank, many claim that they can’t help the pressure they feel toward aspiring to move up in ranking. “Since everyone is expected to do well in Granite Bay, it’s embarrassing if you don’t do well,” junior Bella Matthews said. “Then you make up excuses for yourself and your failures when it’s not really bad if you do bad. It’s okay, life moves on.” It is many parents’ expectations and students’ goals to attend college after high schooloften top tier colleges that are extremely hard to get into. These expectations are just a few of what students blame for the concern with class rank. “I feel that I have to push myself,” Ribots said. “Otherwise I’d be seen as something less. Granite Bay is very rigorous with its teachings and expectations.” Ribota considers challenging herself to be a positive obstacle. While some students’ expecta-

tions come from their surrounddents say they have never had a ings, other students bring those teacher that gave class rank any high expectations upon themimportance. selves. “(Class rank) is unnecessary “Luckily, my family and and builds in a kind of compefriends are the greatest,” junior tition that students just don’t Laynee Daniels said. “They need,” said Anthony Davis. know that I put plenty of presIn order to reduce stress, sure on myself to do well in students often avoid looking at school, so I don’t get much pres- their class rank and focus on sure to have a number on my other things. transcript that shows how much “I just focus more on GPA and “smarter” I am than my peers.” test scores than class rank so it Class rank doesn’t really conis different cern me,” Williams for every said. school. SomeStudents also It’s unneccessary consider that other one from one school things are far more and builds in a could have such as kind of competi- important an extremely their health and high class tion that students well being. rank while “(I make sure) just don’t need. that rank is that I’m paying considered attention to the realow someson I’m at school – Anthony Davis, where else. GBHS English teacher in the first place: to “The school educate myself and you go to improve my life,” affects your Daniels said. “I class rank,” don’t want to chase said senior Brandon Williams. numbers if it is at the cost of my “For example if your class rank mental and physical well being.” is around 100 at Granite Bay it All of this boils down to the might be more like 75 or 125 question: should administration at another school depending on have the class rank available the academics at each different to students on Aeries? “All school.” it does is either put you in a Many students agree that category of “oh I’m one of the teachers at Granite Bay don’t elite” or “I suck because I’m make students feel as if class in the last 10% percent of the rank is important despite the class” or “I’m just average in the unnerving pressure. Most stumiddle,” Davis said.

Book of the Month Title: Every Exquisite Thing Author: Matthew Quick

The Great Gatsby of mice and men Romeo and Juliet

Grapes of Wrath

Review:

Sammy Gimblin

If you really knew me you’d know that I have a really close relationship with my dad since he’s the only parental figure in my life.

“Every Exquisite Thing” cover

- Compiled by Reese Richmond

The book “Every Exquisite Thing” by Matthew Quick follows Nanette, a girl who is simply trying to find herself and her place in the world. Nanette’s journey starts off with her reading a book given to her by her favorite teacher entitled “The Bubblegum Reaper.” This out-of-print, cult book causes Nanette to stop. And when she stops, that’s when her world takes off. It is this book that prompts her to question society, the true meaning of rebellion and what the world means to her. The characters are well developed and one finds themself growing more and more fond of them as the book unfolds. The brilliance of Quick’s writing is his ability to make his characters human. He doesn’t hold his characters to any idea of perfection, rather, he allows the reader to revel in their flaws. Nanette doesn’t always do what the reader would want her to and it is those shortcomings that make the plot a more realistic and interesting read. If you are looking for a fun book you can read on a sunny weekend and you don’t mind a bit of teen angst, then “Every Exquisite Thing” could be just the ticket. - Compiled by Kate Booth

Lifestyle B4

Friday, September 16, 2016

Students spend a summer abroad

The Granite Bay Gazette

Teenagers eagerly explore Spanishspeaking countries around the world

More than 304,467 American students in 2014 participated in some form of studying abroad. hile most teenagers spend their Junior Ava Lindley has taken two trips summers lounging around the abroad during the summer for the last two house or going years. Lindley went to to the movies with their Costa Rica this past sumfriends, some students at mer and visited Spain in Granite Bay High School 2015. My Spanish were attending festivals, Like O’Malley, she was definitely got making new friends and exposed to the culture of better learning about Spanish an unfamiliar country and culture in various countries learned a new language around the world. during her trips. – Ava Lindley, This is Matt O’Malley’s “The most valuable thing junior second time taking a I learned there was how imlanguage immersion trip to portant school is,” Lindley Spain. And he’s not alone said. “It made me grateful – other students at GBHS for the opportunities I have have joined the trend of studying abroad here.” over their summers to improve their foreign One of the things Lindley was able to do language proficiency. with her group was volunteer at an or“I initially went there solely with the phanage every morning. Her trip gave her goal of improving my Spanish and gaining insight of how a large number of children fluency,” O’Malley said. “But during the around the world have to live. time I was there and as I met new people, “I got to have a lot of fun playing with I began to immerse myself in the culture. I the kids there,” Lindley said. “We painted gained a whole new perspective on ways of murals around their property as a positive living.” way for them to remember us.” O’Malley said he gained experiences that Lindley was also able to improve her fluhe will carry with him for the rest of his life. ency in Spanish. MACKENZIE BROWN

mbrown.gazette@gmail.com

Special to the Gazette/ CLAUDIA SOGAS

Georgia Seagraves, middle, and her friends gaze into the sunset and enjoy their time together in Spain

“My Spanish definitely got better, because I used it a lot in the orphanage,” Lindley said. “Some of the kids could count to 10 (in English), but that was about it.” In addition to going to the orphanage, every afternoon Lindley was able to explore different sites and participate in tour excursions around Costa Rica. “One of the best parts were all of the beaches we went to,” Lindley said. “At the Playa Grande, we spent a day learning how to surf, which was a first for me! That was super fun.” She was also able to go white water rafting and complete a hike on hanging bridges

above one of the rainforests in Costa Rica. Junior Georgia Seagraves had some incredible adventures as well during her two-week trip to Spain over the summer. Her favorite memory from the sites she visited was going to La Sagrada Familia. “It was the most beautiful church I have ever seen in my entire life,” Seagraves said. “We were lucky enough to go to a private mass inside. Although I couldn’t understand everything they were saying, it was just as powerful to me.” Despite a bit of a language barrier, Seagraves said her understanding of the Spanish language definitely improved. With

practice during her trip, she became better – and eventually she even picked up on non-formal words and phrases. “They used a lot of Spanish slang that I didn’t know before I came,” Seagraves said. “But they used it so often that I eventually caught on,” Seagraves said. In ways big and small, students studying abroad come home with a different perspective on how they fit into a complex global community. “The goals I have for my future have been influenced by my trip,” O’Malley said, “My overall mindset on the outside world has been changed forever.”

GBHS parking problem

Is CP stigma a real thing?

Silverwood residents are constantly burdened with the immense overflow of busy student drivers

Students face social shaming for not taking rigorous AP classes

BY STEPHANIE KANG

skang.gazette@gmail.com

he last of the sun’s rays disappear under the horizon, and with them go the hopes and dreams of residents at Silverwood. Because just across the street, Granite Bay High School is hosting a football game, and what seems like an endless stream of green, black and white students pours into the high school, clogging up traffic every which way and strewing haphazardly-parked cars anywhere there’s an open space. The parking lot has long since brimmed over, and cars continue to spill out into the gated community, raking the streets with their bright headlights and disrupting residents unfortunate enough to live near the gate. Once these intruders find a spot, they park, and teenagers tumble out, none too quiet as lively chatter floats up to the windows of tormented residents. Hannah Coons, a sophomore at GBHS, has lived in Silverwood for almost her entire life and is a firsthand witness to the prevalence of this phenomenon. “Everybody knew the codes to the gate because friends would tell them and it just spread,” Coons said. Yet recently, less and less cars have been parking in the gated community. What changed? “(The Silverwood community) changed (the codes),” Coons said. “Now there’s not as many people.” Deputy Hopping, who is in charge of parking at GBHS, confirms this on the administrative side of things. “I have not (heard about parking in the Silverwood community) this year,” Hopping said. When asked about his explanation for such radio silence, Hopping said the flow of parking changes from year to year. The shift in popular parking locations also seems to connect to a shift in consciousness. “I wouldn’t park there even if I had the passcode,” junior Samantha Manalo said. “It seems rude! I don’t live there.” Yet the essence of the problem remains unchanged. The streets leading up to GBHS are crammed with the cars of students who haven’t paid for a parking pass

in the GBHS parking lot, and Feist Park remains a hub of student activity before and after school, to the point where there is now an official sign reserving parking spots for park users. “Everybody wants to drive their own car to school, even though it’s a very short distance-even less than a mile for some students,” Hopping said. But ultimately, this is simply not the school’s problem. It is considered a problem that stems directly from the culture surrounding driving to school, rather than anything the school does itself. “It’s a community issue, not a school issue,” Hopping said. “If you look at a map of the school on Google Earth twenty years ago, there were a lot of open spaces and fields. I know folks get frustrated, but I don’t think students use the transportation that’s afforded them like busing, walking, riding bikes and carpooling.”

Gazette photo /SABINA MAHAVNI

A view of the GBHS parking lot from inside Sliverwood.

Student

Spotlight

Student shares her experience at a vet clinic

BY HANNAH XU

hxu.gazette@gmail.com

hen over half of a school population takes at least one Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test each year, students who take solely College Preparatory classes become the minority on campus. This is certainly not the case for most schools. However, at Granite Bay High School, not only do most students take AP or IB, but the actual number of weighted academic classes offered surpasses that of unweighted academic classes. Such high participation rates in upper-level classes would inevitably result in intense educational pressure. Often deemed as either not intelligent enough or not hardworking enough, CP students are quickly left behind. How much of this stereotype that CP students are idle, dimwitted students is true though? In order to decipher the mind of a student who takes primarily CP classes versus the mind of an AP or IB student, many factors must be taken into consideration, beginning with financial stability. Despite the affluent nature of the Granite Bay community, not all students at GBHS find that paying for AP or IB exams are economically feasible. With the hefty price tag attached to AP tests ($97) and IB tests ($168 for registration and $116 per subject), the paycheck easily reaches more than what many are willing to pay. Especially when taking four

to five tests, as the average GBHS AP or IB student does according to U.S. News and World Report, costs can reach well above four hundred dollars. For senior Jacob Carlson, not having to pay for AP tests was one of the deciding factors for choosing CP. “You don’t hear (those of lower socioeconomic status) taking AP classes and entering the four year colleges (as they leave high school),” Carlson said. “(For them), it’s no longer about grades and classes. It’s about what they can afford.” Additionally, daily time restraints greatly impact the decision of whether or not to take AP or IB classes. For many of the students that choose to take only CP classes, their after-school obligations often hinder their ability to dedicate the time that AP classes require. Such is the case for junior Megan Finch. “I have an after-school ROP and I have a job,” Finch said. “I have family to take care of … I don’t think I could (handle these responsibilities) plus AP homework.” Finch said classwork is not her primary focus, as she needs to take care of her brother after school. With a full-time working mother and a father who is no longer a part of the family, domestic responsibilities fall on Finch’s shoulders. Because of this, Finch said, taking AP courses is not her top priority. Carlson said his situation is similar, as he has a job after school.

However, perhaps the most significant reason for CP students to not take AP: motivation. Why take advanced courses? The creator of the AP Program, The College Board, says it best – “Deciding to take an AP course lets colleges and universities know that you have what it takes to succeed in an undergraduate environment.” And therein lies the widest divider. The end goal of many CP students is not a four year university. Many find that going to a community college instead is a perfectly viable option rather than spending four years at a university. Others believe that the best fit for them is studying two years at a community college and transferring. There are also the rare few that have an entirely different outlook on their future. “I realized early on that I was going into a career in the arts,” Kendall Smith, a senior who will be taking her first and only AP class, AP Studio Art, in the spring, said. “I (feel) like AP classes are for (the students) trying to get into UCs and state schools. I knew that wasn’t for me, so I never took any other (AP) classes.” Carlson said he, too, will not be taking the encouraged exit route of a four-year university and knew he’d be attending Sierra College to complete general education. “If I was trying to go to a fouryear college, I probably would’ve taken more AP classes,” Carlson said. “But I know for a fact that I’ll be going to Sierra. What’s the point in wasting all this time … when I know I’m not (going) to a four-year college because of the cost?” See CP STIGMA, page B5

Where and how long were you an intern? The internship was two weeks in the vet clinic at the Guide Dogs for the Blind campus. What were your responsibilities? I helped give medicine to the puppies, hold dogs for immunizations, prep(are) for surgeries and help do x rays. What is your favorite memory from this experience? My favorite memory was giving the litters of puppies their medicine. What did you enjoy most about this opportunity? I enjoyed being able to see more about what veterinarians do on a day-to-day basis, and I got to be more involved in the Guide Dogs organization. What knowledge did you take away from this internship? I learned a lot about the profession as well as about myself.

Gazette photo /PAIGE ERICKSON

Shannon Litchfield

-Compiled by Paige Erickson

Friday, September 16, 2016 w

High school to college transition Students adjust to a brandnew learning environment BY ALI LEMOS

Lifestyle

The Granite Bay Gazette

alemos.gazette@gmail.com

ot only a place for education, college is often the first time teenagers aren’t living with their

parents. For some this is a long awaited day, saying sayonara to their parents and finally being able to eat all the junk food they want to. Moving from high school, where parents still can dictate their child’s life, to college where the “adult” is left all alone can be a challenge for those with restricting parents. As a senior at Granite Bay High School, Chloe Miller only gets to go out with her friends when certain criteria are met. “I have to give (my parents) all the details of who, when and where,” Miller said. “Homework has to be done, and I can’t skip swim practice.” Miller says her parents aren’t unreasonable until it comes to last-minute events. “Most of the time I feel like they’re being fair,” Miller said. “I know where they are coming from, but when they ask for a lot of details it gets hard because sometimes I don’t even know the details.” Spontaneity is a luxury that Miller doesn’t have with her parents, but the senior is looking forward to college, where she can be as unplanned as she wants to.

“I do my own laundry, chores, homework and practice, so I’m pretty good at doing time management,” Miller said. By being independent, Miller feels like she is ready for the liberty she’s never had before. Carlin Isaacson, a 2016 GBHS graduate, who is currently attending Villanova University, was excited about the freedom she got. With stricter parents, Isaacson couldn’t go out with her friends whenever she wanted, so in college she does that as often as she can. But some of the freedom she anticipated is limited by lacrosse. “The main thing is that, even though I have a ton of freedom, playing a sport consumes all of my time,” Isaacson said. “So I can only do what I want on weekends,” Isaacson said. The 2016 grad has faced a couple of setbacks with her newfound independence. There are small things that people don’t realize they’ve grown accustomed to until they reach college. “Laundry was kind of hard because I always forget my dryer sheets and specific preferences for certain clothes,” Isaacson said. Looking back at his freshman year in college, Matt Boliard, a 2014 GBHS graduate attending Santa Clara Univer-

TOP

Trends at GBHS Half up, Halfdown hairsyles

Gazette illustration /ISABELLA TKACHUK

sity as a third year, recalls the truth about the “freshman 15,” a common college stereotype. It’s said that first year college students will gain 15 pounds simply because they have unrestricted access to the mess hall and no one to stop them from eating. “The biggest change for me was my personal health,” Boliard said. “Having the freedom to eat whatever and whenever I wanted definitely had a negative impact. That, on top of no longer being on a school sports team with daily practices, I got out of shape pretty fast.” Regardless of the consequential effects, Boliard did enjoy the looser time commitments. “Going from having things like curfews, waking up early at the same time everyday, set meals and other things to

being able to create your own schedule and basically do whatever you want is extremely liberating,” Boliard said. All the responsibility can be tough for people, especially when you are the first of your siblings to enter college. “I had an older brother who initially didn’t quite adjust to the new freedoms as well as he could have,” Boliard said. “He let his social life take priority and as a result, he performed poorly in school.” It is essential to remember that college isn’t just a continuation of school but about becoming self-sufficient while furthering your education. “(College) does come with a lot more responsibility,” Boliard said. “It requires you to develop your own time management skills and create a balance between school, your health and your social life.”

How to: Apply to College

Denim clothing

Band T-shirts

Rainbow sandals

1. Make a List: Decide which colleges interest you most and fit your standards. 2. Complete an application: This will require basic paperwork regarding personal information.

Vlogging

3. Gather letters of recommendation: Decide who is best fit to acknowledge your abilities, and notify them well before the application deadline.

Jeeps

4. Write an admissions essay: Most colleges requiring an essay will offer a selection of prompt. Choose the prompt you are most passionate about.

Gazette illustration/HANNAH XU

- Compiled by Carissa Lewis

CP STIGMA: Social shame for not taking AP Continued from page B4 While defenders of the AP program may argue that taking AP classes is not a waste of time, regardless of post-graduation plans, Carlson’s cynicism introduces a very prevalent mindset that many of the CP students seem to have – “Why try harder when my efforts aren’t, and will never be, recognized?” With a campus culture that rewards advanced students and mocks the students, it’s easy to feel as though they are falling behind or not smart enough. “There were definitely (times when I’ve felt less intelligent),” Finch said, “especially when I see everyone taking AP U.S. History. All of my friends ask me if I’m taking AP U.S., and I always have to tell (them) that no, (I’m not).” Senior Alyssa Quinonez has felt the force of the pressures of being a CP student at GBHS. For Quinonez, the feeling of always being left behind became so overwhelming, she felt the need to switch schools. In explaining her departure from GBHS, Quinonez said, “Granite Bay (High School) is known to be a very good school, (but) they only (focus) on those top students and (don’t) make an effort to help

students who needed help like me. (I felt) like I wasn’t and couldn’t be as good as (those top students).” By constantly being treated as less than stellar by their peers and even sometimes their teachers in terms of academic excellence, CP students may fall into a case of self-fulfilling prophecy. Simply having the implication on campus that CP students can’t be better, do better and achieve more may drastically influence the end result. “I would get an F on a paper and my teacher wouldn’t do anything about it other than hand it to me,” Quinonez said. “(Not receiving help) just made me feel really (inadequate).” Quinonez said she’d felt as though she wouldn’t be able to improve when her teachers made no move to encourage or assist, thus why she left to receive more one-on-one instruction. To avoid situations like Quinonez’s, Finch recommends not having such a hierarchical academic system. “AP (and IB) students … shouldn’t be put on such a high pedestal,” Finch said. “Some people think that you have to be in AP (or IB) in order to seem smart, but that’s not necessarily it.”

Effects of new SAT

Northface/ Dakine backpacks

GBHS upperclassmen share their opinons of the new standardized examination BY BELLA HAMILTON

bhamilton.gazette@gmail.com

tudents at Granite Bay High School have noticed a few changes in the SAT test recently, including some major changes to the essay portion, an addition of graphs and charts and more excerpts from the U.S. founding documents. The SAT is a scholastic aptitude test that gives colleges an idea of your knowledge and is a national standardized college entrance exam. Arshan Mizani, a senior at GBHS, said the new version of the SAT will affect his test scores and performance on the exam. “I am aware of the new changes to the SAT,” Mizani said. “At first the transition feels weird, but I feel like after practice, the test might work out better for me.” Mizani is planning to take the SAT this coming October and is hoping his scores will be affected positively with the new changes in the tests. Keyuri Pillay, a junior, has reasons for not worrying about the effect of the new

I don’t think it will affect my score severely. – Keyuri Pillay, junior test. “I don’t think it will affect my score severely, but I’ve been pretty good at writing, so I might be able to get a higher score than what I would get without the writing portion,” Pillay said. The College Board will make the writing portion of the SAT optional and give students a lower point score on the test. The SAT will also not have a “guessing penalty” anymore. The new SAT might have some disadvantages as well. There are fewer sections on the new test, but the new sections will take longer than the old test. There will be a

higher requirement of critical thinking and foundational math skills. The SAT is used by admissions officers to compare students’ performance on the test compared to the national applicant pool. The SAT is just one of the many things colleges look at in the process of being accepted into a college, and the changes in the test may not make a difference for the way colleges use the scores from the test. “I think the SAT is very important for my future,” Mizani said. “It’s a way colleges can test my cumulative knowledge.”

Fur pom pom key chains

St. Christophers

Hydroflasks

Keyuri Pillay Junior who plans on taking the new SAT

- Compiled by Milan French

B6 Lifestyle

Friday, September 16, 2016

w The Granite Bay Gazette

D.U.I of Age Prominence in the illegality of everyday teen driving

BY SABINA MAHAVNI smahavni@gmail.com

ccording to the California Driver’s Handbook, driving is a privilege and not a right. How many people actually wait until they have a license to earn that privilege?

Legally, you have to wait until you are 16 years or older and have received a license to begin driving on your own. However, many students at Granite Bay High School are too eager to wait that long. “(Driving illegally) was fun, exciting and kind of daredevilish,” said Michael Spearin, a GBHS junior. Spearin has grown up on his family’s ranch, running the equipment whenever his father is unable to, so he has experience driving tractors and trucks. The extent of his driving remained on his property until he decided to take a risk and go see about a girl who lived about four hours away. “Around midnight, I grabbed my aunt’s keys, and I drove to where she was,” Spearin said. “I was going fast.” Once Spearin arrived at the girl’s house, they hung out, got ice cream and talked until 5:00 a.m. the next morning. However, he had to be home by 6:00 a.m. before his dad woke up. “I was going about 110 miles an hour on the freeway,” Spearin said. “I thought I was going to be fine.” However, things were about to be

not-so-fine. Soon enough, Spearin fell asleep at the wheel. “(When) I woke up, I was on the other side of the freeway,” Spearin said. “I saw headlights so I jerked the wheel to the right and I flipped the car three times.” Luckily, Spearin left the accident uninjured apart from receiving a scar from the seat belt, but, his ability to get a license was revoked until he turns 18 years old. Spearin has no regrets regarding his actions. “Honestly, if I didn’t do it, I would have done something worse.” Not all students regard their actions as worth the risk. Jacob Baranowski, a GBHS senior, also suffered the consequences of illegal driving in August of 2015. “I got my license revoked for driving after hours with two people in my car while I was still on my provisionary license.” One mistake cost him a year of driving privileges. “It’s not really smart, nor is it worth it because having your license take away for the year sucks,” Baranowski

said. Baranowski said he regrets his actions, as they had significant consequences on his ability to drive in the future. Now, he will not get a chance to earn his license until September. Dillon Ruddell, a senior, had a close encounter with the police for illegal driving at age 16. Ruddell and friends were playing Hostage, a popular driving game consisting of a fake kidnapping, when the police got involved. “(The police) pulled me over,” Ruddell said. “He escorted me back to the high school and had everyone’s parents pick them up.” If every parent had not come to pick up their children, the police could have taken his license, but everyone’s parental guardians came to the rescue. “Instead of taking my license away, (the police officer) just told everyone’s parents that I could have been the kid that killed their daughter or son,” Ruddell said. Even though Ruddell got to keep his license, the risky incident ruined his relationships with the parents of all the students present during the game. While some students are brave enough to test their untrained driving skills on the main road, other students choose a “safer” way to drive illegally. “I drove from my mom’s (house) to my dad’s (house) to get my textbook,

and I was like a mile away, so it was not far,” Jordan Bliss, a junior said. Bliss only made the drive without his license once and never suffered any consequences from it. In fact, Bliss received his official license soon after. He is not the only one who has gone unpunished or under-the-radar driving. “Last year, around my birthday, my dad said ‘Let’s go drive,’ and we drove around my neighborhood just for practice,” said Mika Sakata, a junior who does not have her permit nor her license. Most people don’t realize that driving inside a neighborhood without a permit or license, even with an adult, is illegal. However, many students, like Bliss and Sakata, don’t take this into consideration because the chances of getting in trouble are much smaller than for driving on the main road. “Unless they’re a terrible driver, (driving illegally) is not too big of a deal, unless they hurt someone,” Bliss said. Illegal driving is a relevant problem at GBHS right now, whether or not consequences are seen for it. Even though driving illegally may seem like the convenient option in a lot of scenarios, it certainly is not the safe one. “Stay smart kids,” Baranoski said. “Don’t do it.”

Gazette illustration/CARISSA LEWIS

According to a poll taken at GBHS, 54 percent of male student-drivers surveyed claimed to have driven illegally, while 44 percent of female student-drivers claimed to have driven illegally.

Sports

Granite Bay Gazette

C1 Section

Friday w September 16, 2016

COMMENTARY

isabella tkachuk itkachuk.gazette@gmail.com

Female sports are underappreciated by student section “I believe that we will win” - a pretty frequently expressed chant at GBHS basketball and football games. But other sporting events? This chant, along with many others is actually absent. And so is the tribe. As the both the girl’s and boy’s soccer seasons transition to the winter, I can only see the outcome of the number of students supporting either side diminishing. Being a soccer player, I am affected by this transition in both positive and negative ways. On the bright side, the weather won’t be as hot as it would be in the spring as it normally is, and we get to play night games in the football stadium. I think most soccer athletes can agree that playing on a smooth, flat surface is much easier than trying to put forth your best 6th grade rec-level soccer. Unfortunately, though, the girls’ teams are required to split the time in the stadium with the boys. The socI believe that cer field is already in support is poor connecessary for dition, and by having an energetic four teams play on match. The it day in more people and day that come out out, rain shine, and cheer for or is ultimately the our varsity epitome of team, the bet- a disaster. On top ter we tend to of already play. having to split times with two other teams, less and less people will begin to attend girls’ varsity soccer games due to the various schedules and the popularity of boys’ sports over girls’. I believe that support is necessary for an energetic match. The more people that come out and cheer for our varsity team, the better we tend to play. I don’t think it is right, as the tribe, to only promote attendance at major sporting events. Instead of making an appearance at football, basketball, and the occasional boys’ soccer games, the student section should make a conscious effort to try and get sports fans to not just girls’ soccer games, but also other female sports matches. Student-athletes would definitely be more appreciative of the tribe if they came out to support: they will begin to feel more apart of the sport culture of the school Despite the seasonal changes, students should begin to understand that every sport at the school is important and deserves to be supported. *** Isabella Tkachuk, a senior, is a Gazette sports editor.

Fan of the month

Grizz Quiz

For the record

Special to the Gazette /STEVEN WILSON

The tribe cheers on Granite Bay High School from their new location in the stands Friday, September 2nd during their loss versus Whitney High.

Tribe rolls back to the stands The student section is prepared to bring energy to GBHS on game days BY COLE KAHMANN

ckahmann.gazette@gmail.com

he tribe is ready to roll again this year. With the start of the new sports season, the tribe is excited to hype up the crowd at sporting events. However, there are some changes being made that will alter the way the tribe usually brings energy to games. One of these is students moving from the back of the end zone to the bleachers for football games. After breaking the fence separating the players from the tribe three times within the past two years, the school has decided to move the student section up to the stands. While the move is met with some resentment from students who enjoyed the unique opportunity to support their team from the field, others understood the decision.

Football faces statistically low numbers this year Lower participation creates some highs, lows for the team BY MAX SCHWARTZ mschwartz.gazette@gmail.com

Since 1996, Granite Bay High School has been associated with its prestigious football program. Most of the players start out on the freshman team which historically ranges from 50-60 players. However, in the 2016-2017 football season, the number of freshman players is at 30, instead of their usual 60 or more players. Coach Mike Valentine has been the long-time coach for the GBHS football program. He has trained the freshman team multiple times, as well as the 2012 Varsity state championship team. “For a football team you really want a minimum of about 40 players,” Valentine said. “Back in the day we would have teams here that were in the 60’s range.” There are pros and cons to the situation of having a smaller team and adjustments

Senior tribe leader Dillon Ruddell agrees with the move and thinks it is an appropriate change, calling it a “wake up call”. “We broke our own stuff and damaged our own school’s property which is dumb,” Ruddell said. “It’s kind of a learning lesson.” Fellow senior leader Tyler Weaver agrees with Ruddell’s statements and feels that complaining about the move is useless. “If you don’t want to be in the stands don’t come,” Weaver said. “We’re still going to be lit, we’re still going to be the tribe, we’re still going to have a fricken

great a** time. It’s all going to be the same, we just aren’t going to be behind the end zone.” Granite Bay High School athletic director Tim Healy feels the move up to the stands is necessary, but unfortunate. “(The decision to move the student section) frustrated me because I feel like I’ve done a lot to try and build what they get to do and how it comes out in the sense of school culture and spirit,” Healy said. “I think kids should be a part of every event we do here.” Healy stressed that the move is in no way a retaliation or even a permanent punishment, but a measure the school needed to take to prevent monetary losses from repeatedly repairing the fences. “If I see collectively that the mood of the group is spirited and respectful and (students) understand (the tribe is) not just about an individual trying to draw attention to himself by saying something that’s inappropriate,” Healy said. “then certainly I could see where I would try and go argue their case that maybe we move them

back.” The switch also has some aspects fans can look forward to. “In some ways it might be easier to have (the kids) in the stands because it’s much neater, it’s higher, it’s more condensed, the fans will be tighter packed together, and so theoretically they can be louder,” Healy said. “They should have some fun interacting with the band since they can be pretty spirited as well.” Other things the leaders feel must stop this year is personal insults to opposing players. “Breaking things is not cool, saying a bunch of insulting things to individuals is not cool,” Ruddell said. Healy agrees that insulting specific opposing players or using emotional taunts is not what the tribe should stand for. “They should be cheering on their team,” Healy said. “They should be celebrating their successes here, not making fun of someone else. See TRIBE, page C3

Fantasy Football, real glory

Friends and staff at GBHS enjoy the fun and rivarly of the game

Special to the Gazette /COBE WEEKS

Roster numbers for freshman football are lower than normal at GBHS. that need to be made. “The cons ... I mean there are so few guys. It’s very hard to have practice especially when you get guys hurt,” Valentine said. “We have a lot of guys going both ways and that means they get tired. Another problem is when you are teaching them, you have guys going both ways that have to learn both offense and defense, so you have a lot to learn and a lot more to screw up.” However, the smaller team helps more players get important reps, giving players that don’t normally play more experience. “Playing on a small football team, you get to play a lot more in the games, everyone gets the time to play,” GBHS freshman Adrian Chico said. “On a small team, we have to work a lot harder compared to others because we get a lot more tired because of the small (team).” Chico recognizes the bond that a small team creates. “I definitely feel that there is a lot more chemistry on a small team because if someone makes a play we all celebrate

BY WILL ANDERSON

wanderson.gazette@gmail.

Whether it’s constant roster updates or having to eat an earthworm, fantasy football has led to realworld job opportunities and some very memorable stories – and Granite Bay High School students and staff are very much in the mix. “Every time of the day, seven days a week” senior Brett Walston said when asked what his time investment was for fantasy football. Being a five-year fantasy veteran means Walston spends Sunday mornings like most dedicated fantasy team owners. “I watch Sunday Ticket, (to catch) every single game,” Walston said. Similar to Walston, junior Kyle Sisco has an almost identical routine. “Every Sunday at

See DROPPING, page C3

9 o’clock, I like to make sure I’m watching NFL Network to get my lineup set,” Sisco said. However, Sisco and the rest of his league have an interesting twist to determine their leagues draft order, as well as a punishment for the loser of their league. “Being the commissioner of the league, I have to come up with a unique way every year to determine our draft order,” Sisco said. “So this year we went to Petco and got a styrofoam jar of nightcrawlers. We set up a station for the worms to race. And whoever’s worm finished first got whatever pick they wanted in the draft,” Sisco said. Even worse, the loser of the league faces a brutal punishment. “The loser of the league this year will have to eat a fully grown nightcrawler,”

Sisco said. Team names are one of the easiest ways to drop subtle inside jokes, incorporate raunchy humor and be unique from the other 74.7 million worldwide fantasy football players. Questionable reference or innocent joke, Sherman summed up most team names accurately. “They (contain) a lot of innuendo and questionable references,” GBHS math teacher John Sherman said, who has been a fantasy aficionado for several years. “Usually twisting players’ names to (become) funny.” Sisco was known as “Relampago Blanco” – which means “White Lightning” in Spanish – during his first year as a fantasy team owner. “That’s tough,” Walston said about recalling memorable team names. “I’m not sure if any of them are

See FANTASY FOOTBALL, page C3

Senior Tailgate GBHS seniors get excited for game days by showing spirit

Student Athletes People of GBHS talk about managing their time with sports and school

Fall Sports Update GBHS athletes continue on in their fall sports seasons

Friday, September 16, 2016

Sports C2

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Upcoming Tailgate event brings excitement to GBHS The class of 2017 will gather for free food and fun before the game BY PAIGE ERICKSON

perickson.gazette@gmail.com

With a new year, the senior class is beginning to see the end of their high school careers. As their final year rolls around, senior students are looking forward to upcoming activities and events. One event in particular is Senior Tailgate, which is held in the beginning of the year to start the new school year. Senior Tailgate is an event celebrated at Granite Bay High School to connect the senior class. It’s a time to celebrate how much seniors have achieved at GBHS and how far they have come. Every year, this event is planned and put together by Student Government. This year it will take place on September 23rd. It will be held in the main school parking lot before the varsity football game against Del Oro High School. “Our football team is very hardworking and the players always give one hundred percent,” senior Hnin Thuzar said. “They never disappoint, so I’m excited to see the outcome of the game.” Before the game, barbecue, chips and drinks will be provided and a spirit booth will be set up for stu-

dents to capture memories with friends. “We get to listen to music, eat free food and then go watch our football team,” Tyler Weaver, senior student section leader, said. “Our whole class comes together and is able to hangout.” The senior class showed their enthusiasm for the upcoming year by winning first place at the Decades rally. “Our class knows how to be spirited,” Andrea Hagner, Senior Tailgate coordinator, said. “Hopefully we can keep this energy up the entire year.” This will be one of the first events of the school year and seniors are encouraged to show up to support the football team and get pumped up for the game. “Seniors should come out and participate because we only have a couple of high school football games left before we leave,” Hagner said. “Also, we can’t let Del Oro win on our turf.” For seniors, this event is one of the first events they have a chance to be apart of before graduation. It provides an opportunity to enjoy senior year with all the fun that is anticipated with the event. “What we hope seniors remember from the tailgate is that they were able to bond with their class,” Hagner said. “It’s our last year here and we need to be as spirited as possible and set a good example for the other classes.” The class of 2017 has one year left of high school to enjoy and to create memories together. This class has grown up together and looks forward to enjoy the bonds that have formed over the years. Senior Tailgate is meant to bring together the senior class for their last year. “I get pumped up as the time gets closer,” Aya

Fan supports athletes Fu strives to motivate players with his support BY MILAN FRENCH

mfrench.gazette@gmail.com

osh Fu, the Gazette’s September fan of the month, is a junior at Granite Bay High School. Many students and teachers know who he is, but if you don’t, you can catch him at almost any Granite Bay sporting events. “My favorite to watch is the football and basketball games,” Fu said. He loves wearing his tribe shirt and chanting ‘GO GB GO’ along with other school chants to get into the spirit of the game and motivate his team. Fu being the dedicated fan he is, always tries to motivate the players whatever the outcome is. “I like to see them win, and sometimes loose but it’s all good still,”Fu said. Although Josh likes to cheer on the whole team he does have favorite

Senior Ethan Smith riles up his fellow classmates in preparation for Friday night football game against Whitney High School where the tribe held the last school–wide tailgate.

Atassi said. “I’m surrounded with the people I’ve grown up with.” The tailgate is put on in celebration of the new senior class and to encourage them to enjoy their last

participants. “He really likes to cheer on certain players,” said Preston Fu, his brother and a sophomore at GBHS. His favorite memory is when former student Charlie Tooley won the GBHS basketball game against Oak Ridge. “He was shooting a lot of three pointers,” Fu said. “He was very good.” Ask anybody, and they’ll tell you that Fu is naturally social and loves talking to others. One of his favorite parts of attending sporting events, besides supporting GBHS, is connecting with his peers. “It’s fun to watch and to meet new people,” Fu said. Fu is a very enthusiastic fan, and has a special skill to get others fired up for the games as well. “Because he is always cheering, he encourages others to cheer and support their school,” GBHS junior Claire Lugo said. “He’s always motivating the players. Because he is always cheering, he encourages others to cheer and support their school. It’s sort of like a ripple effect and I think it’s super awesome that he’s always putting others in a happy mood without even trying to. I think that’s why he’s so different from other supporters of GBHS and he makes a huge impact on

year. “Having an event just for seniors makes it that much more important,” Atassi said. “We all celebrate and have a good time before the game.” Josh Fu As the Fu enters the new school year, he’s excited to cheer on and encourage all school sports, especially football and basketball.

the rest of the tribe as well as the athletes or performers he is cheering for.” A big idea about being fan of the month is having pride in your school. It’s no doubt that Josh has school spirit and others can see it. “He thoroughly enjoys going to Granite Bay and being a grizzly” said Preston Fu. Not only is Josh a big fan of GBHS and their sporting events, but he’s hoping to play one of them as well. Josh is keeping his basketball skill in tact to try out for varsity basketball in spring 2017.

Students attempt to balance education and sports Time comes at a cost for GBHS student–athletes trying to excel both academically and athletically BY REESE RICHMOND

rrichmond.gazette@gmail.com

Athletes spend a large portion of their time practicing, making it hard to incorporate school work. This is the amount of time sophomore football player Matt Solone, senior wrestler Jack Ramalia and senior basketball player Monica Contreras dedicate toward their sports per week. With all this time put aside for sports, it can be difficult for student athletes to balance school and other responsibilities with athletics. With the amount on a student–athletes plate, it’s important for them to prioritize. “I usually set up a schedule for what I have to do, prioritize in advance to help me juggle everything,” Solone said. To maintain a more stress-free attitude, student athletes often try to give themselves time for more than just school and sports. “I try my best to balance everything by taking time to finish school work and hanging out with friends when I can before practice,” senior soccer player Anna Wilkie said. The amount of time student athletes put into their sport doesn’t just start and end with practice – much more goes into it. “Typically I start off the day with a visualization/meditation session to stay focused and remind myself of my goals,” Ramalia said.

Even during the off-season, the dedication doesn’t stop. In between high school soccer and club soccer, Wilkie makes sure she goes to the gym as much as possible. Despite the amount of time student athletes put into their sports and how they may have a lot to balance, for most athletes, it’s worth it. “For me it’s just that I love the sport, the progression and the idea that the more time (I put in), the more likely it is that I will fulfill my goals,” Ramalia said. Along with loving their sport, it can also be a source of relief for them. Track athlete Janelle Cruz, a junior, is able to relieve stress during track season, making her sport stress outlet as well. The debate of whether the amount of time student athletes dedicate to sports is excessive is directly related to whether they’re putting enough time into school. According to U.S. News, during the 20132014 school year, more than 7.8 million high school students throughout the U.S. participated in school sports. With 1, 430 student athletes (students who participate in more than one sport included) out of the 2, 059 students at Granite Bay High, it’s important that student athletes remember to put school first. Luckily many of the student athletes at Granite Bay High do put school first. “I’m a student before I’m an athlete,” Contreras said. “School comes first.” Although many student athletes believe in putting school first, it would be reasonable to assume they’d like to be given a

little more leeway in school, considering the amount on their plate. However, most student–athletes disagree with being given special treatment in school. “I like how (teachers at GBHS) don’t put athletes above everyone else – we should be treated equally with equal consequences,” Solone said. Student–athletes also defend the fact that it was their choice to sign up for the sport and that school is not a choice, but a necessity. “I don’t think we should be given leeway, I mean, because you chose to do the sport and you love the sport and that’s why you do it,” Cruz said. “It’s a choice for you to make to prioritize your sport and academics.” There are many other activities students participate in that take up their time as well. “(Student–athletes) need to get things done just like everyone does,” said Mike Valentine, an Advanced Placement European history teacher and football coach at GBHS. “They’re not the only ones that are doing lots of things here.” Valentine mentioned the amount of time and dedication students put into extracurriculars like band and speech and debate all not receiving special treatment. “It’s an extracurricular and that’s kind of what you have to learn in this world, you have to learn to do several things at one time,” Valentine said. Along with the strong opinion that many

of the student athletes and students participating in other extracurriculars should not be permitted special treatment, Valentine said balancing more than one thing helps prepare students for their future. “When you’re an adult, you’ll probably have a job and be a wife or a husband (...) and then you have to be a father, so why don’t we learn right away to learn all these things at one time?” Valentine said. Being taught at a young age how to balance more than one thing, student athletes also gain the trait of perseverance “People in general, can’t deal with adversity very well, they hit a stumbling block and they quit,” teacher and athletic director at Granite Bay High, Tim Healy, said. “I think athletes learn perseverance because rarely does greatness come simply, it’s the result of multiple efforts.” Even though many students agree that

Gazette illustration/Natasha Chanda

student athletes shouldn’t be given leeway in school, some would like it if their teachers were a little more understanding. Although, she doesn’t necessarily believe student–athletes should be given leeway because she thinks students would take advantage of this, Contreras said it’d be nice if teachers were more understanding of the time student athletes put aside for their sports. Wilkie doesn’t think sports are a valid excuse for slacking in school, but “it’s nice when teachers understand,” she said.

GBHS athletes react to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games scandal levels are aware of this and allow athletes get Discussion of performance-enhancing drugs at GBHS sional away with cheating because they can’t regulate it is BY ANDREW YUNG

ayung.gazette@gmail.com

The 2016 Rio Olympics finished with the United States winning 121 medals, the most of any country. Granite Bay High School even had an alumni, Haley Anderson make it to the Olympics for swimming the 10–kilometer open water race. However, this year the Olympic reputation was tarnished with many athletes getting reported for performance-enhancing drugs (PED’s), or doping. For GBHS, a school known for their athletic performance, doping would ruin the integrity of its sports. “Whenever I hear about doping, my immediate reaction is usually a negative one,” said Adam McLearan, GBHS English teacher said. “Athletics is something that is a really positive thing in people’s lives.” Here at GBHS, there is an anti-steroid policy that athletes have to sign promising they’re not taking

any steroids. However, people can may go back on their word, especially since there are no physical drug tests. “Have we ever caught someone doing (steroids)?” athletic director Tim Healy said. “No. But do I think a kid at this campus has ever taken steroids? Probably.” While PED’s have never been reported Healy is skeptical that they have never been used. Doping creates an uneven playing field for competitors – one person has dedicated their time to training to be the best they can while the other has taken a supplement to enhance their performance. Taking drugs to try and gain an advantage also takes the focus away from an athlete’s natural skill set. “When you and I are competing against each other, we’re supposed to trust (that we’re) testing our own abilities,” Healy said. “How committed to I was training, not did I take drugs.” The fact that authorities in amateur and profes-

concerning. Athletics have been and always should be a test of natural skill and perspiration. The Olympics are just a televised glorification of athletics, and although medals bring glory and money to athletes and countries, people who are competing should remember the integrity of sports. “Olympians dedicate their life to their sport. (Taking PEDs) would be an unfair advantage against other athletes who are not (doping),” McLearan said. In May, Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, the former Russian anti-doping director, told The New York Times that Russia had been cheating drug tests since 2011. Rodchenkov also said that the Russian government had been facilitating the cover-up, and had instructed him to even distribute banned substances to multiple athletes. Many of Russia’s Olympic athletes weren’t allowed to participate, and only athletes who were able to prove that they were drug-free-by testing in other countries-were allowed to compete.

Although all of this happened in Russia, doping is a ubiquitous problem, and most athletes are able to get away with it. According to a study conducted by the journal Nature, 14-39 percent of “elite athletes” have knowingly doped, compared to the two percent of athletes that have been caught. Multiple famous athletes in the United States like Lance Armstrong, Justin Gatlin and Barry Bonds have been caught doping. Part of the reason that athletes are able to get away with doping, especially at an amateur level, is a lack of testing. And if Olympic-level testing is so easily manipulated, imagine the ease of cheating amateur-level drug testing. “(Doping) goes against all the traditions and values of the Olympics,” said Briana Medvecki, who is a GBHS sophomore and competitive gymnast. “The Olympics is supposed to show that the world can come and do one thing together and not have it be corrupt.”

Friday, September 16, 2016 w The Granite Bay Gazette

Sports C3

Grizz Quiz Compiled by Andrew Yung

Who inspired you to start playing your sport? What are some obstacles you’ve faced so far in your sport?

Jada Harper Water Polo

Ashleigh Johnson, the water polo goalie for the US Women’s National team Learning to egg-beat and tread water, also overcoming fear of drowning

What’s your favorite sport to watch?

Track and Field

The team needed more people and I wanted to become a better swimmer

What’s one reason you decided to go out for your sport?

How do you get pumped up for a game?

I get in the right mind-set to focus on the game

Triston Haverty Football

Kristine Dunn Cross–Country

Grace Ehnen Volleyball

Alyssa Sewell Tennis

My friends Sam and Alex

My mom because she played her whole life

Having to balance school and volleyball

I wasn’t able to play a lot when I was young

My dad

My dad because he ran cross–country in high school

Not being big enough and lack of confidence

I’ve had injuries that I’ve had to overcome

Rugby

Track and Field

Gymnastics or beach volleyball

I’ve been playing football for the last eight years

A lot of my friends are on the team and running is a fun way to stay in shape

A lot of my relatives play so I wanted to pick it up as well

It’s my favorite sport and I love playing with my friends and family

Isolate myself and listen to my favorite pre–game music

A bunch of the girls on the team have a race day song and we all motivate each other

Listen to some music with my teammates

Get pumped and listen to music and chat with my teammates

Tennis

GBHS athlete thrives to compete at the collegiate level BY WILL ANDERSON

wanderson.gazette@gmail.com

Granite Bay High School is known to produce many great and dedicated athletes, and this month’s rising star — sophomore Zach Taylor — is no different. “I’m committed to attend Cal Poly where I want to play baseball for three to four years and hopefully (have) a chance to get drafted,” Taylor said. “I also want to major in business and get a degree there. I chose Cal Poly out of the offers that I had because it was the place I felt most comfortable and I loved both the staff and the area.”

DROPPING:

Parents fear football injury Continued from page C1

and congratulate a brother,” Chico said. Many factors contribute to the low numbers of freshman players in the 2016-2017. “I think fear of concussions play some sort of a role … changing demographics at the school,” Valentine said. Kristin Sanderson, mom to a first-time GBHS football player, had a common concern that many parents have and that is concussions and injuries.

For Taylor baseball has always been his passion, and it takes up a significant amount of his free time. “I’ve been playing baseball for eight years,” Taylor said. “I spend about an hour or two a day on training and baseball and I usually only get Fridays off .” Taylor is just as focused on his team’s success this season as on his own. “This year I want to focus on team goals and win our league,” Taylor said. “Something I believe we are able to do this year.” Taylor may be a stand out player for the

“I could definitely see another parent having the same concerns,” Sanderson said. “We all want our kids to be safe and as of late, football is a sport that has gotten some negative press from movies coming out about concussions,” Despite the negative connotations toward a small team, current GBHS freshman football player Cobe Weeks is staying positive during this season. “I feel that we are a lot more like a family, (...) but I feel that parents are scared for their kids,” Weeks said. Even though the freshman team is small, Weeks is still anticipating an exciting season. “I feel confident in our team,” Weeks said. “Once we get everyone in the right position, everything will work out just fine.”

schedule,” Taylor said. “I have a lot of long nights doing homework, but it’s all worth it when you look at what you have ahead of you when you can keep your grades at a high level.” For now Taylor plays with Granite Bay’s fall club baseball team and is furthering his training in preparation for the upcoming 2017 spring season.

TRIBE: New changes this year bring together student body Continued from page C1

Making fun of somebody is a pretty insecure, low-level way of getting enjoyment for yourself. I think we are better than that, we need to be better than that.” Instead Healy suggests leaders think of three or four more creative and exciting chants to shout. Despite the changes and differences, Healy and the leaders mostly just want a well connected student fan base on campus that creates a sense of community. The tribe isn’t about the three or four people or the sports,” Gazette photo /CARISSA LEWIS Ruddell said. “It’s about the school getting together.” The GBHS student section supports varsity football players against Whitney High School.

FANTASY FOOTBALL: Fans find

a way to express their passion virtually

Continued from page C1 school appropriate, (but) there have been some classics.” Junior Cole Diemer said part of the point when it comes to team names is for players to increase their level of enjoyment. “The most memorable team name I would say would be any name that involves another player in the league,” Diemer said. “These names give the whole league some good laughs and are always fun to look back on.” In the case of theater arts director and former GBHS introductory journalism teacher Kyle Holmes, fantasy football opened new doors in his professional life. “(It) got me my foot in the door in sports journalism and being a professional writer,” Holmes said. “I am a contributor for USA Today sports media. I do a weekly column for them. That was crazy for me – as a college student – someone offering to pay me to write about football and fantasy football.” For the most part, Holmes is a traditionalist when it comes to fantasy football. He catches all the games he can on Sunday mornings and is involved in about four to five leagues a year. “I don’t really have any superstitions,” Holmes said. But, there are some players who have hurt him, and Holmes refuses to forget those incidents. “Deuce McAllister (a former New Orleans Saints running back) and I had a long and rocky breakup for years,” Holmes said. “We wouldn’t go near each other.” Holmes is by no means the only team owner who has felt some sort of heartbreak or embarrassment through his fantasy career. Although fantasy sports are “pretty low key” for Sherman, wagers and other bets have taken him out of his comfort zone. “I lost a fantasy football bet, so I had to dress up

GBHS junior varsity baseball team, but he still relies on his teammates and a strong work ethic to constantly make himself better. “I’m doing a lot of strength and conditioning along with practice and fall teams to get ready for the spring season,” Taylor said. “I want to work to get better, to help my teammates, (because) we all have the same goal of winning league.” Similar to other student athletes on campus, Taylor often times sacrifices sleep in order to maintain a high level of academic excellence. “It can get challenging to fit it all in my

Football player Isaiah Lewis finds success Senior is excited for the upcoming football season with his team

Isaiah Lewis

Senior is looking forward to playing football at the University of Colorado next year.

BY MAX SCHWARTZ

mschwartz.gazette@gmail.com

Gazette photo illustration/CARISSA LEWIS

Fantasy football can be frustrating when players unexpectedly get injured or suspended. like a Granite Bay cheerleader,” Sherman said. “It was totally embarrassing.” To avoid any consequences, Diemer takes a more superstitious approach – even though it hasn’t aided his fantasy football financial situation as of late. “I used to wear a plastic (football) helmet during some games on Sunday, but now I usually just make sure I check my fantasy scores every two minutes or so,” Diemer said. “I have invested around $150200 into daily and season-long fantasy over the last couple years. Long story short, I haven’t seen much of that back.” As the 2016-17 NFL season kicks off, all these fantasy competitors are looking to win their leagues. Whether it be for money, bragging rights or both, the illustrious championship crown will be sought by many, but worn by few.

Granite Bay High School takes pride in their prestigious athletic program. GBHS senior varsity football player, Isaiah Lewis, plans to make his name a part of that legacy. Lewis’ family’s influence on him is the main reason that he started to play football. “My family encouraged me to try it out,” Lewis said. And he has been in love with the sport ever since. His abilities on and off the field have led him to future opportunities at the collegiate level. “After (high school), I plan to go to the University of Colorado,” Lewis said. “There, I will play football and get a degree in communications. For him to be performing at this level requires a large time commitment both in the classroom and on the field. “I spend around three to four hours playing football and training outside of school everyday,” Lewis said. The varsity team is full of talented athletes that have pushed Lewis to keep striving to compete at a high level. “The team is full of athletes and hard workers,” Lewis said. “I’m excited to see us come together and make some noise.” As a captain of the squad, Lewis is required to

both lead by example and help direct his teammates on the field. Lewis continues to stay humble even though he as achieved many accomplishments in his high school career. “It feels awesome to see all of my hard work pay off and I am blessed to have the opportunity,” Lewis said. “The grind doesn’t stop though!”

Friday, September 16, 2016

w The Granite Bay Gazette

SECOND LOOK

GBHS sports want a successful season BY ALINA POCZOBUTT apoczobutt.gazette@gmail.com

It’s been a rough start for the Granite Bay High football team, but there are seven more games and plenty of room for improvement for the Grizzlies. Football is one of the highestattended sporting events at GBHS, and this season will not be different. Even though the varsity football team has lost its first two nonleague games to Jesuit and Whitney, they defeated Oak Grove of San Jose, bringing hope of an exciting season. Coach Jeff Evans says “the boys will toughen up and cut down on the mistakes,” which will hopefully result in victories for the Grizzlies. Many students as well as athletes are looking forward to the rest of the season whether Fall Sports Update they are cheering on the football team in the stands or they’re on the field playing. Senior Steve Trythall says that he is most looking forward to “home games and getting the community to come out and watch.”

Special to the Gazette /ALLY BURNHAM

Girls’ Tennis The girls’ tennis team is looking much stronger this year with many incoming freshmen and sophomores joining the team. Senior Genna Kozlowski says she was most looking forward to the Fresno Tennis Tournament, which was last weekend, because “there are a lot of new girls on the team to meet and get to know better.” In the Fresno tournament, the tennis team lost the event, but they fought hard and some students won their matches.

Special to the Gazette /COBE WEEKS

Gazette photo /CARISSA LEWIS

Boys’ Water Polo If they play as well as last year, the GBHS boys’ water polo team is sure to not disappoint. Senior Conor Macdonald plans on – and is looking forward to – “winning sections” this fall. If the Grizzlies make it to the Sac-Joaquin Section tournament, Tribe members could find themselves at a pool deck cheering the team on to claim the title of section champs. Girls’ Water Polo The Grizzlies have struggled at the beginning of the year, but they have a promising fall season ahead of them as league games continue. Several key players graduated last year, which has been challenging for the team. Fortunately, the Grizzlies have bounced back and are learning how to work together in the pool. Senior Ann-Marie Siedel says there is “ an amazing team atmosphere which hopefully will show on the scoreboard and in the pool.”

Special to the Gazette /LORI KAMBE

Girls’ Volleyball Hoping to return to sections this year, girls’ volleyball is off to a great start and has a strong team. Senior Julia Reese says “the team is still figuring out how to work better together, but overall it’s a very good team” Many sophomores have moved up to varsity positions this season, so the team has lots of room for growth and improvement. Cross Country Alex Beitia broke the meet record at the Maidu Invitational in early August, just the start of a great season for cross country. Not only did the runners strengthen as individuals, but the team also strengthened as a whole. The cross country team – which competes in girls and boys divisions but trains as one large group – has 20 athletes more than usual, making the grand total more than 80. Senior Tre Lockwood says he is looking forward to “some of the bigger races like Stanford and state,” which are two races for the top varsity runners. Girls’ Golf Girls’ golf is preparing for another successful season. All golfers will be returning from last year’s team with the exception of one, which will benefit the Grizzlies because they have all been practicing together and all have previous experience. Junior Sienna Lyford says she expects “the team to continue to work hard,” which will aid them in their effort to have another accomplished season.

Special to the Gazette /AMANDA BONE

wFreshman Shreya Dodballapur, top left, stands ready for the ball in her singles match. The defense on the freshman football team, top right, goes to tackle a Jesuit player. Varsity football quarterback, Steve Trythall, top middle, prepares for a play. Senior Connor MacDonald, middle left, makes a save during a game as the varsity boys’ waterpolo goalie. Taylor Garcia and Avery Perry, bottom left, wait for a serve during their game against Vista Del Lago. Tennis player Genna Kozlowski, bottom right, is in midserve as she plays in her doubles match.

Gazette photos /NATALIE HATCH

Don’t you...

GS The Gazette’s arts and entertainment guide.

forget about us

September 2016

GREEN SCREEN A look at what our decade will be remembered for

PAGES

8&9

Gazette photo/ AMANDA PRATHER

Page 2

September 2016

sneak peek.

Gazette photo/ AMANDA PRATHER

Gazette photo /WHITNEY KNORP

wSee pages 8&9 To see what the 2000s will be remembered for

wSee page 3 To see more on the Find My Friends phenomenon

Gazette photo/ AMANDA PRATHER

wSee page 16 To see the latest rise and fall of Pokemon Go

Why the Bachelor is not getting my final rose

The Bachelor television series can be completely misleading

this series, even when they get sent home. They start makeup and he Bachelor/Bachelorette/Bachelor in Paradise are some of the most religiously watched reality shows on television, and clothing brands and gain a following on social media in order to become famous. most would admit they are their guilty pleasure (including Lauren and Ben, the couple that came out of the last season of me). But I think we can all agree that it the most ridiculous thing The Bachelor, are now creating a spin off show called Ben and we have ever seen, even though we all love it. Lauren: Happily Ever After. Even if they do truly love each other, Desperate, attractive young people pining for the love of one nothing that is on camera is real; the creators guy or girl, who became famous regardless stage it and give each person a persona to of “winning” or not. How could such attracembody on the show. tive people be so desperate and alone that they I find it hilarious when someone says they have to go on TV to find love? There has to be took second place on one of these shows… something wrong with them preventing them that just really shows how much of a comfrom being in a relationship because it’s defipetition it is versus a chance to “find love.” nitely not their looks holding them back. My Second place is something you refer to in a guess is they are all secretly psychopaths. basketball tournament or a spelling bee, not in Most admit to “being in love” with the life. person before even getting to say more than Also, being part of the “Bachelor Nation,” five words to them – their love is out of pure I was very upset about the announcement of competition and not feelings. the new Bachelor – and for those of you who Yes, there is always a few diamonds in the watch, I’m sure you agree. Nick Viall has had rough, or needles in the haystack (James Taylor aprather.gazette@gmail.com three chances at love at this point, he is old and Luke Pell) that are genuine people who are there for the right reasons. However, I and obviously keeps striking out so why give him another chance. In the words of Natalie Hatch, “He is 35, you think that most are there for publicity and fame. know what rhymes with 35? Old!” So welcome to the Bachelor I really don’t understand how they get so famous from the show (again) Old Saint Nick. anyway, especially the ones who are sent home so early. You had I am not dissing the show because I am a avid fan of Jojo Fletch15 minutes of fame (literally) and you now have a million followers on Twitter? What? It is literally a dumb dating show and you didn’t er, but the people that think it is real “love” that these people are finding, are way too wrapped up in the drama that is The Bachelor even win! and Bachelorette. Some of them have actually made their living from being on

COMMENTARY

amanda prather

Guide to Green Screen

Upcoming GBHS Events for September & October September 23 Senior tailgate

September 26-30 Ripple effect October 3

Float building begins

Page 3 Pokemon Go

Page 7 Artist of the month

Page 11 Theatre in Sacramento

Page 14 Fall Fashion

Page 4/5 Food reviews

Page 8/9 Our decade

Page 12 Follow Friday

Page 15 Music reviews

Page 6 GB mixtapes

Page 10 Music reviews

Page 13 Vintage trends

Page 16 Find my friends

September 2016

locate your mates

Page 3

A Friend-zy of friends on Find My Friends

Students on campus explain the pros and cons of the popular tracking app BY MCKENNA ARAM

maram.gazette@gmail.com

“Find my Friends”: the app that has ignited a new frenzical trend among high school students. The app is pre-integrated into an Apple user’s iPhone for the purpose of tracking one’s friends or family to determine their whereabouts. The app provides the ability to track someone’s location from an iPhone as long as they extend permission. Each individual being tracked will show up as a small dot on a map with their initials and their distance from the tracker’s location. “It’s fun to know where your friends are instead of having to call or text them asking where they are,” said Granite Bay High School senior Rhanda Abasi who participates in this trend. With “Find My Friends”, addresses are no longer needed since directions are instantaneously provided to each “dot’s” specific location. “A pro is definitely being able to just go to your friends’ locations whenever, but a con is you can’t be as sneaky when you don’t want to hang out with your friends. Like they can just see when you’re at your house and show up even if you don’t want them there,” said junior Chase Mannsfeld. Whether Apple’s original endeavor for the app was for safety reasons or finding excitement in tracking others, the youth of the 21st century have taken the primary purpose of the app to a new level. “I track about 65 people, but my friend has reached the max number of people you can track which is around 80,” said Del Oro High School sophomore Thomas Flores. Despite the benevolence of having the ability to see when and where one’s friends are at any particular moment, there are a few downsides. “I track so many people I don’t know who I can trust with my location. Like what if someone I’m not friendly with asks someone who tracks me for my location? I don’t want that to happen so I turn it off a lot,” Flores said. Flores mentioned how a group of his male

friends who attend Granite Bay High School merely show up to his friend’s location if she doesn’t respond to their calls or text messages, which is frequent. “A pro of the app is being aware of where everyone is. (In terms of) cons, I think teens are (really) crazy and if they want to find your address, they will,” Flores said. A majority of teens claim their primary reason for using the app is for having the ability to go to their friends’ locations without the hassle of having to call or obtain addresses. On the flipside, various teens view “Find My Friends” as solely negative for reasons such as privacy, social stigma, and practicality. “I don’t participate in this trend because I think it’s weird (that) people track each other. I don’t want people to track me all the time,” GBHS junior Jessica Baker said. Apple has acknowledged that some iPhone users are uneasy with someone having the constant ability to track their location, and has implemented solutions in relation to that problem. “I know parents use it to track their kids, but I don’t really see the point in friends tracking each other. It’s creepy,” Baker said. Apple has placed multiple safeguard walls in the system to prevent any dangerous possibilities. The app allows the user to stop sharing their location at any time with the “Hide from Followers” option. “At lunch at I can see who is ditching from Del Oro and even Granite Bay,” Flores said. “I’m guessing they didn’t remember to turn their location off.” Even though the original release date of the app was in 2011, Apple permanently added it to iCloud in October of 2015, and ever since then, it has become an increasingly popular trend with teen users. “I don’t think the trend will be as crazy (in the future) as it is now but I think people will definitely still use it,” said Flores.

Page 4

September 2016

food fun.

Donut worry, be happy Krispy Kreme BY PAIGE ERICKSON

perickson.gazette@gmail.com

Krispy Kreme brings a hole new meaning to the word donut. Located in Roseville, this little shop is easily spotted from its colorful exterior. From shakes to sundaes, to donuts, Krispy Kreme has everything to offer. My personal favorite is the original glazed donut which is always cooked to perfection. With the first bite, this treat will melt in your mouth. The secret recipe was thought of by French chef Vernon Rudolph who soon began to sell the donuts in local grocery stores. The Krispy Kreme menu has continually grown over time and offers a variety of choices. Whether you have a sweet or savory tooth, you will find just what you need. As soon as you walk in you are greeted by the sweet smell of sugar and icing. The employees are always so friendly and accommodating. They recommend Krispy Kreme’s best selling donuts and share which ones they think are the tastiest. When you walk over to the counter, an assortment of colorful donuts are laid out behind the glass just waiting to be eaten. The first step is to pick the amount of donuts you want. I always choose a dozen, 6 for me and the rest for my family. Next is my favorite part. I hand pick twelve of the most delicious looking donuts, which are then boxed up until I get home.

The Gazette staff seeks the best of the best in this donut showdown.

Dr. Bob’s

Chocolate iced custard filled, powdered with lemon kreme and cinnamon apple filled are some of my favorite, go-to items. One of my favorite things about Krispy Kreme is they always have new, limited time donuts. This allows for customers to try new recipes and develop new favorites. Personally, I think the salted caramel latte doughnut and pumpkin spice cake are two of the most tempting limited items on the menu. This shop never disappoints and satisfies all of my cravings. No matter what mood you are in when you enter, I guarantee that you will leave much happier. Whether you need a quick sugar fix or have a sweet tooth that lasts a week, Krispy Kreme is the place to go. But before you leave, make sure you look to the left side of the counter where cups of glazed donut holes are stacked and take one, or two, for the ride home.

Gazette photo /PAIGE ERICKSON

Krispy Kreme offers a variety of delicious donuts and great customer service.

BY ALINA POCZOBUTT

apozzobutt.gazette@gmail.com

My expectations before entering Dr. Bob’s Donut Shop were extremely high. Many vegans would have never thought that a donut would be something that they would ever be able to eat. The shop itself is extremely small and tucked away in the old part of Roseville, but the idea behind the shop is very interesting. Dr. Bob’s was created by a woman who was put on a very strict diet that had to remove gluten and animal products. Wanting to create a sweet that followed her diet, she created Dr. Bob’s, a vegan gluten free donut shop. The shop itself is very similar to a shop like Nuyo, because it is a build your own donut shop where you add the toppings of your choice. First, you choose a base donut(chocolate, vanilla, kale cranberry, cinnamon or their protein filled donut). After you choose your base, you are given the option of a warm sauce topping and/or other toppings such as fresh fruit, different mouses, nut, or fruit preserves. To complete the donut, you can choose to add “sweet” sauces to your donut if you prefer something sweeter. They also give you the option to create your own “doyo,” which is a donut with a vegan frozen yogurt topping. Dr. Bob’s gives gluten free and vegan individuals the opportunity to indulge in a classic food that they would normally not be able to enjoy. Their donuts

also do not contain the high level of artificial sugar that normal donut shops do; they are all natural, which takes the dreaded sugar crash out of the picture. Their donuts are not a typical vegan tasteless treat. They are personalized to your taste and are incredibly delicious. Besides having a cute shop, great donuts and many options, Dr.Bob’s workers are very helpful and educated on what their shop serves. If it is your first time visiting the shop, you will be given a tour that tells you what there is to offer at every station. Workers help you create your own donut and make sure you know all of your options according to your diet. Dr. Bob’s offers a healthy and enjoyable donut for everyone, not just vegans and gluten free individuals, which makes them unique and a great place to try out. Healthy and donut are words that sound completely unappetizing when used together, but Dr.Bob’s is quite an exception. The shop has figured out how to make a healthy and delicious donut that you can not find anywhere else in our community. Dr. Bob’s provides a healthy donut option for anyone vegan or gluten free.

Gazette photo /ALINA POCZOBUTT

The Donut Shop BY ALI LEMOS

alemos.gazette@gmail.com

A sweet aroma hits you as you walk in the door, fresh donuts. This was my first time at The Donut Shop, a store appropriately named because it specializes in light, fluffy donuts. On the outside all you can see are two tables and a simple sign saying The Donut Shop. But this is where I want to spend all my time – sitting in front of the shop reading a book and eating a donut. Inside the store there are a couple tables for people to sit and eat at, as well as two huge drink coolers in the corner, offering any drink you could wish for. The one room shop is decorated simplistically, the walls only have a swirly pattern stretching across them. While this does make the room appear bigger than it really is, it seemed like something was missing or that they hadn’t placed much thought into the design. But what they lacked in interior decorating they made up for in food.

I went right before the store closed and they still had a large array of donuts available to buy. Whether you want a cake donut, a donut hole or a classic glazed donut, they have them all. All the donuts were together in a clear display case next to the register. However, none of them were labeled or organized which made it hard to decide what type of donut I was looking at. I ended up asking the employee a lot of questions which helped to clarify, but I felt bad for constantly asking. Eventually I decided to try the cinnamon twist. It was a quality choice. The donut wasn’t too heavy and the cinnamon sugar topping wasn’t too much, although it did make a mess everywhere. To me the donut was a bit too big; I couldn’t finish all of it. Overall my experience at The Donut Shop was pleasurable and it felt a lot like a coffee shop. They sell a local roasters coffee and have an espresso

machine so anyone can have the classic coffee and donut pairing. I liked this store because they didn’t only focus on one market. By offering a wide variety of items, this store appeals to people not just for its donuts but also a fast breakfast on the go. Reminding me of a cafe, I felt very relaxed in the peaceful atmosphere the shop promoted. Although it is all the way out in Folsom, I would recommend this place, especially to anyone looking for a quiet place to hangout or study.

The Donut Shop, in Folsom, offers an array of fresh donuts as well as other treats.

Gazette photo /ALI LEMOS

September 2016

Page 5

food fun.

Baker’s Donuts BY ISABELLA HAMILTON

ihamilton.gazette@gmail.com

aker’s donuts is a little donut shop in Sacramento with a big reputation. The first thing that hits you as you walk in the front door of the little donut shop is the mouth watering aroma of freshly made donuts that hangs in the air. The donuts were colorful and decorated in a variety of bright colors. I got a couple of the fan favorite donuts, which included the maple bacon donut, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup donut, mint oreo, fruity pebble, and chocolate strawberry. When I got the donuts, I was very excited to try them because of how much I have heard about Bakers donuts. The first donut I tried was the maple bacon, which was one of my favorites. When you first bite into the bacon donut, you taste bacon, which I usually don’t like combined with a sweet flavor. However, it tasted salty paired with the maple glaze, which made it a perfect breakfast donut. The second donut I tried was a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup donut. The donut had a peanut butter cup on the inside, so when you bite into it you get the salty and creamy flavor of the peanut butter with the dark and rich flavor of the chocolate. The donut was fluffy and was the biggest I’d seen. This donut was a square instead of a circle. The third donut I tried was the mint oreo donut, which was my personal favorite. When you bite into the donut, you first taste the cool mint flavor, with a hint of chocolate from the oreos piled on top of the donut. The plain donut was light, and

The Parlor BY MAX SCHWARTZ

mschwartz.gazette@gmail.com

eanut-butter and jelly, burgers and fries, but ice cream and donuts? Not a likely combination, but that’s just one reason that makes the food combo work so well. Walking into the restaurant, you immediately get greeted by very warm and energetic workers. The whole place is very aesthetically pleasing and almost begging for pictures to be taken of it. When you walk up to the counter to order, you get to see all of the fun flavor options with interesting names like Hello Kalo and Thai Tease. The workers are very nice and helpful to make sure you get the best combination possible. Once you choose your flavors you can get a wide array of toppings, from Captain Crunch cereal to Nutella. After you choose your topping you move to choosing between a frosted or unfrosted donut, both being a good choice depending on your preference of how sweet you like things. When you receive your creation you are in awe of how good it looks, and trust me, it looks very good. Upon your first bite you realize that the donut is warm and the ice-cream is very cold; while your mind ponders this, your taste buds are out of control, enjoying every bit of it. This combination seriously works and you realize it immediately. When someone brings a friend in for

sweet, but not overpoweringly sweet. The fourth donut I tried was the fruity pebble covered donut with a green glaze on it. The donut was denser than the other donuts, with a creamy, almost cereal-like glaze on top. The top was piled with the rainbow fruity pebbles making the donut one of the most colorful donuts I’ve tried. The donut was one of the heaviest donuts I’ve eaten, so I couldn’t finish half. The donuts from Bakers’ Donuts in Sacramento has the perfect donuts for anyone who loves trying new things and expanding their donut variety. I would definitely recommend this donut shop to anyone in the area, or anyone just looking for a place to get high quality, good tasting donuts. Baker’s Donuts has a wide variety of donut options. On the left are a few fan favorites.

Gazette photos /BELLA HAMILTON

Bill’s Donuts the first time, all eyes will be on the newcomer to see their reaction when they taste their own masterpiece. I personally saw someone record their friends first bite on Snapchat – that just goes to show that it is an important first time experience. The pricing is good in my opinion. I was able to get the ice cream donut combo for around five dollars, which is fair for the amount of indulgence you get. I think The Parlor is a real gem where you can get a delicious, unlikely food combination served by a welcoming and enthusiastic staff in a very photogenic shop. I would give it a five out of five.

Gazette photo /MAX SCHWARTZ

The Parlor gives the customers the chance to enjoy both donuts and ice cream together in a very trendy environment.

BY ANDREW YUNG

ayung.gazette@gmail.com

he problem with reviewing Bill’s Donuts is that almost everyone who has lived within a ten-mile radius of the place has had a Bill’s donut before. With that in mind, I went to the store in the morning, since they are only open until noon. Personally, this was probably the worst aspect of the shop, as waking up early just to get a donut was not a very appealing idea. When I got to the shop, I was surprised by the simplicity of it all. From the blackboard hanging above the counter to the self-serve coffee station, the whole shop had a quaint feel to it. There were a couple of people at the shop, and only a middle-aged woman working behind the counter. When it was my turn to order, she welcomed me and waited patiently for me to order. I had brought a coupon with me – one that frequents my mailbox – that offered four free doughnuts if four other doughnuts were purchased. Totalling eight doughnuts, I decided to make use of the coupon and order as many different doughnuts as I could, from bars to holes to fritters. I guess I was taking a long time deciding which doughnuts to get because after a while, she gently asked me if I was having any trouble. I ended up ordering an old-fashioned glazed, a chocolate glazed, a coconut hole, an apple fritter, a chocolate bar, a maple bar and a boston cream (or creme,

which catalyzed the whole discussion on donut or doughnut in the first place). Packed in a pink box, these eight doughnuts ended up at $4.64, or 58 cents a donut. And considering I used my parents’ money to pay, it wasn’t much. When I finished ordering, it was already 6:45, so I brought the box home to eat. I was surprised when I discovered that my favorite doughnut out of all eight was the coconut hole. The shredded coconut on the top of the donut really brought out the coconut flavor, and it wasn’t over-glazed, like the chocolate and the Boston Cream. It was also the only one I finished. The other doughnuts were fine, but like all the rest of the doughnuts I’ve had in the past, they were all mediocre and some were too doughy. I don’t normally like donuts, and although I only liked one donut, the coconut donut alone was worth the early rising. The customer service was also good, giving this simple shop an average rating.

Bill’s Donuts offers a classic selection of donuts at a convenient location.

Gazette photo /ANDREW YUNG

Page 6

September 2016

mix it up

AceOZ is ready to “hop out” of the shadows and into the limelight Ahmad Thomas and Oz Jackson try their hand in the music industry BY MAX SCHWARTZ

mschwartz.gazette@gmail.com

tte il

lustr

atio

n/NA TAS H

HAN

has the feel and sound of a professional group. “I like how they create their own beats, their originality, (and) I think its really cool how they do this on their own,” Kabe said. In the future, AceOz has plans to produce more songs, get their music out into the public realm and broaden their fan base. “Hopefully (during the) next dance, we can perform on stage and get everyone hyped up,” Jackson said. “It’s really cool to see people enjoy our music and dance to it.” With the way things are looking, AceOZ can only go up from here. With their dedicated following, there’s no telling what lies ahead for them and their fans. “It’s really cool that they go to my school so when I listen to them, they sound like something that you would hear on the radio but they are local,” Teague said. “When you get that very professional sound over here, it makes it even better to listen.”

Gaz e

ranite Bay High School is notorious for its skilled athletes, high achieving students, and impressive extracurriculars. But recently a spark has been ignited in the music scene. AceOz is a new music group, that is bringing a fresh sound to the GBHS area. The group is made up of two GBHS seniors, Ahmad Thomas and Oz Jackson , who are both trying to make it big in the music industry “We are trying to make a career out of it,” Thomas said. “Hopefully we can get noticed.” AceOz has been together for three months and has also released three songs. The song process for AceOz is typical to the artistic process most musicians deal with. “Usually for one song it can take up to a week, or if we just are messing around it can take 3 hours,” Jackson said. “But we work towards music that you can throw on your headphones and turn on our music to put you in a good mood if you are having a bad day.” The songs have showcased AceOz’s unique and refreshing sound which strays away from the stereotypical music that is heard on the radio. “(It) feels good to bring our sound (to this area) because it’s something different,” Thomas said. “A lot of the young people like hip hop so it’s good to bring that over here.” Listeners of AceOz enjoy the fact that their sound is similar to what is out in the music industry right now. “What I like most about them (AceOz) is they actually sound like something from A-list rappers,”GBHS sophomore Lamont Mason said. The style of music produced by AceOz is described as the kind of music that can be blasted on full volume in the car with the windows rolled down, jamming along and dancing with friends. “I feel like we can relate to Rae Sremmurd. We both like to get it hyped up.” said Thomas. The group has already developed a steady following of listeners in Granite Bay and is drawing new listeners day by day. “What I like most about their music is how upbeat the songs are. The content of the songs get you in a good mood and hyped up, I would listen to them before a game,” GBHS sophomore Kabe Teague said. “In Granite Bay there are not a lot of rappers and it’s very new here so it’s pretty cool.” Contrary to other typical high school garage bands, AceOz already

September 2016

Page 7

current.

Top Tweets Spirited tweets by Granite Bay High School students BY NATALIE HATCH

nhatch.gazette@gmail.com Gazette illustration/AMANDA PRATHER

Twitter

Gazette file illustrations/THOMAS TAYLOR

Netflix Picks Mckenna Aram

Jack Powers

maram.gazette@gmail.com

1. Stranger Things One of the most recent (and popular) leading Netflix additions prevails to be the supernatural-themed show “Stranger Things.” Taking place in the 80s, the plot unfolds proceeding the disappearance of a young boy while his friends work side by side with a telekinetic-gifted girl to retrieve him. 2. How To Get Away With Murder Renowned for roller coaster television dramas, Shonda Rhimes strikes again with How To Get Away with Murder in which law professor Annalise Keating becomes entangled in a tedious murder case (literally) with five of her student-apprentices. 3. Jessica Jones Krysten Ritter stars as a self-assertive private investigator who opens up a personal detective business after her superhero career comes to a close. 4. Making a Murderer Wrongfully implicated in a sexual assault/murder crime, Steven Avery is simmering with vengeance for Manitowoc County after serving 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. 5. Scream Based on the slasher film series by Kevin Williamson, Scream was released in late June of 2016 where a succession of teenager murders leave the small town of Lakewood apprehensive and in fear for their lives.

Recipe of the Month: Ingredients:

1. 1 box of macaroni noodles 2. 2 blocks sharp cheddar cheese 3. 1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs 4. 1/2 teaspoon salt 5. 2 teaspoons olive oil 6. 1 egg beaten 7. 1 tablespoon butter 8. 1/2 cup milk 9. bacon pieces (optional)

can’t wait to be walking out the door being told to come back inside so my mom can take a picture of me

Directions:

@jpowers005

6 Retweets

43 Likes

I LOVE THE DRUMLINE

Sarah

@12sarahschulte

20 Likes

4 Retweets

Forgot how much I love the Twitter fights before game day

Jordyn

@jordynsloan_

2 Retweets

40 Likes

only at GB would a student try to run over a vice principal

Audrey Cavotta @AudreyCavotta

32 Retweets

156 Likes

People at GB are so talented some are amazing artists, amazing athletes, some can cut chains off gates w/ a hacksaw.. I mean you never know

Colbs

@colbieorbea

19 Retweets 180 Likes

Macaroni Bacon Bites

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease muffin tin (1 full box of macaroni noodles makes 24 muffins). 2. Mix bread crumbs, salt and olive oil. 3. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. 4. Add the macaroni and cook for about 8 minutes; it should still be a little bit firm. 5. Remove noodles from the heat, drain and return to the pan; stir in the butter and egg until pasta is evenly coated. 6. Save 1/2 cup of sharp cheddar cheese and stir the remaining cheddar cheese and milk into the pasta. 7. Spoon into a prepared muffin tin. Sprinkle the reserved cheese and the bread crumb mixture over the tops, bacon is optional for additional flavor. 8. Bake for 25 minutes and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes until you remove them.

Gazette photo/ Bella Hamilton

Research by BELLA HAMILTON

bhamilton.gazette@gmail.com

Page 8 & 9

look back at it A look at what our decade might be remembered for

September 2016

decades. BY NATALIE HATCH

nhatch.gazette@gmail.com

s time passes, days turn into months that turn into years, and once-distinct ways of life blend into memory. But though some moments fade as they fall further into history, a certain decade-nce lingers around iconic periods. To celebrate the decades that came before ours, each year the Decades Dance serves as a blast from the past, allowing students to dress up and channel the best of their favorite decades. About two-thirds of the way through this decade, it’s hard to predict what reminiscing on these days will be like. But for Granite Bay High School senior and Tribe leader Dillon Ruddell, the legacy of the 2010s is very clear. “(This decade is) lit,” Ruddell said. “We like to have a good time, we get our stuff done and we still have a good time on the weekends.” With it being a signature saying of our generation, some students believe we’ll be remembered for the intense documentation of these good times that we have. “(I’ll remember this decade for) the photos,” senior Sophie Brubaker said. “We center our activities around taking them.” Brubaker also noted the focus that people today put on making their Instagram feeds look nice and the effect that social media has had on our culture. It’s no question that the decade has seen technology evolve, but as a consequence of this, so have our methods of social interaction. “I think the best thing is that we actually connect with each other and we have a focus on being kind to each other and building each other up,” Brubaker said. “I think the worst thing is probably even though we get connected on social media, it also kind of isolates us in the same way.” Because technology and its effects on how people operate in society is so prevalent, many people – including senior Emily Franklin – agree that technology has been a blessing and a curse this decade. “It’s so convenient having our phones, but I think that’s also our downfall,” Franklin said. “We’re so phone addicted that we don’t pay attention to what’s happening.” Aside from our internet tendencies regarding social media, there are other trends that have evolved thanks to the far reach of the internet. Undoubtedly, certain dance moves have been forever engraved in history. “Whipping, dabbing, nae nae, all those,” Ruddell said. Brubaker agreed: “Dabbing.” But unable to describe our generation’s dancing, she simply coined our style as “energy.” Even non-millennial Advanced Placement government teacher Jarrod Westberg, when asked about current dance trends, knew what’s up. “Aside from dabbing?” he laughed, as if students dance any other way. “I see my kids do it,

I see you guys do it – it cracks me up.” Westberg proceeded to make an attempt at a dabbing motion. He wasn’t very good. As far as trendiness going beyond the internet, the decade has seen a wide sampling of fashion statements and norms. “We like to be hipsters and throw it back,” Ruddell said. “Urban Outfitters, that’s where I like to shop.” Franklin agreed that our style has looked to other decades for inspiration. “What’s strange is a lot of the trends now are trends from the ’90s,” Franklin said. As any collection of teenagers in history, it’s expected that in developing our own senses of self that we are also impressionable. While influence may come from past generations or strangers online, there is definitely a heavy celebrity presence in culture today. However, who the most iconic stars these days are is up in the air. Brubaker insisted Justin Bieber will live on as a legend for his popular tunes and tumultuous journey to the top, but many others think that more controversial celebrities might come out on top. “Kanye West … people will remember him,” Franklin said. While no one can be sure who exactly will be idolized in the future, most agree on where the female cultural dominance lies. Both Franklin and Ruddell say Beyonce and Rihanna will live on as the women of the decade. “The really passionate feminism girls, like girl-power type of people, they’re good,” Ruddell said. As far as movements like feminism go, our generation will likely be remembered for the support and acceptance that has been displayed. “I think that we’re a pretty progressive generation, compared to the ones before us,” Franklin said. Commenting on the prevalence of LGBTQ support and the Black Lives Matter movement, she emphasized the success that progressivism owes to social media. “One thing that is really great about (it) is that we can be very progressive,” Franklin said. “We can spread really important things that need to be talked about through social media, where they wouldn’t necessarily be talked about on campus.” In addition to the positivity being spread on social media, Westberg pointed out the improved character he’s noticed on campus lately. “It’s very refreshing to see,” he said. “(In school), I do see you guys as much more caring than I’ve seen in the past, and not as self-centered.” Despite suffering through regular tragedies around the world, international conflicts, a historically modern presidential campaign and living in the era when “college got expensive,” as Ruddell called it, the 2010s were full of good things. We can only hope that dabbing, Beyonce and maybe even Harambe live on forever, and that when we look back at it years from now, 10/10 would recommend this decade.

Senior, Drew Robles, sports some patched jean shorts that are partially homemade which have made a debut this decade.

Senior, Lauren Mccormick, carries her Hydroflask, which has been a popular trend this year to keep your beverages cold all day and all night. GBHS students(from left to right, Jake Redmon, LAuren Mcormick, Haylee Miller, Dillon Ruddell, Drew Robles, and James Stinson) show off trends and fashions of the 2000s and 2010s.

Senior, Haylee Miller, sports Saltwater Sandles which are making a coimeback this decade because of their comfort and style.

Gazette photo /AMANDA PRATHER

Page 10

September 2016

tune in.

GENERATIONWHY Zhu BY STEPHENIE KANG

skang.gazette@gmail.com

midst the gentle hum of urban life and the recording of a lonesome saxophone, Maya Angelou’s distinct voice comes through effortlessly. “Everyone in the world has gone to bed one night or another with fear or pain or loss or disappointment, and yet each of us has awakened arisen. “It’s amazing, wherever that abides in the human being, there is the nobleness of the human spirit.” This isn’t an experimental recording of Angelou’s poetry. This is the intro to EDM genius ZHU’s debut album, GENERATIONWHY. As the last of the intro echoes away, a lone set of chords chimes in. Gradually, this is built upon and intensified before ZHU’s voice finally

comes in, singing some idle lyrics about love written solely for the purpose of having something to put over his beats. For somebody used to the pop fizz of mainstream music, GENERATIONWHY is a fresh, maybe even entirely unique, experience. ZHU’s single, “Palm of My Hand,” doesn’t even introduce ZHU’s voice until much later into the song. As you make your way through the album, you venture through a variety of soundscapes, all loosely connected by this vein of an undeniable sense of loneliness. You get the feeling that you’re not exactly turning up at a club surrounded by all your friends and having the time of your life, as is the typical vibe with EDM music – you’re dancing in a crowded room of people who you actually don’t know at all and staring at the ceiling, wondering what you’re even doing there in the first place.

ZHU acknowledges this vibe, and makes it clear that throughout the creation of his debut album he has actively tried to cultivate it. “A few years ago, I noticed that many in my generation seemed lost after college, going into jobs or staying with their parents, and it felt like the system wasn’t working,” he said in an interview with Thump. “And so we ask a lot of questions, all of us. Like, why do people pay a lot of money to go to a place where they are surrounded by hundreds of strangers to feel like they belong together?” This, in combination with ZHU’s belief that musicians have the duty to describe their era in their music, makes for a particularly poignant listening experience. You’re not just listening to frivolous songs about love, sex and drugs – the absence of meaning is intentional. You’re listening to ZHU’s experience of west L.A. and the generational loneliness that he thinks pervades us all.

Colombia Records

GENERATIONWHY was released August 29, 2016.

B+

Skip to: “Fire”

Hunter Hayes Blond(e) Frank Storyline Ocean BY WILL ANDERSON

wanderson.gazette@gmail.com

P Boys Don’t Cry

Blond(e) was released on August 20, 2016.

A-

Skip to : “Ivy”

urchase Blonde, a good sound system, find the nearest low lit room and do not partake in any human interaction for a minimum of 24 hours so you can give this album the time it so rightly deserves. Frank Ocean’s highly anticipated second commercial album Blonde was released August 20th exclusively on Apple Music. Regardless of the ridicule Ocean received for the four-year break between the release of Blonde and his first commercial album Channel Orange, it only took a week for Blonde to top the charts at number one. Soothing R&B vocals, heady rhymes and Ocean’s unprecedented flow combine to produce a high quality album. But was it worth the four-year wait? I’m not so sure. Don’t get me wrong – songs like “Ivy” are

far more than I could have ever imagined. But by no means did I wait four years just to listen to pushy dialogues like the twelfth track of the album, “Facebook Story.” Unlike many artists nowadays, Ocean stayed true to his unique sound and graceful vocals. In doing this he kept a similar sound which had made his previous tracks so successful. In “Solo” and “Nikes” every word is utilized perfectly and allows the listener to emotionally connect with Ocean. Synths and well-orchestrated guitar help compliment Ocean’s stunning vocals and provide a sedative sound throughout tracks 13 to 17. Because each song has a completely different feel, the LP as a whole is not very cohesive. However, I am okay with that. Each song is so delicately crafted it becomes hardly

noticeable that there are, at times, absences of fluidity. The fourth track “Be Yourself” is an answering machine message calling on people to pass up drugs and touching on the negative effects of addiction. The best way to describe it is a track that even your mother would love. You can listen to this album late at night, when you are in search of energy or need time alone. It’s suitable for just about any situation – except for the occasional F-bomb that your grandmother may disagree with. However, these are not uncommon waters for Ocean. Both Channel Orange and Blonde have been listed with the “Parental Advisory” tag. Regardless of explicitness, there is no reason to hesitate in the consumption of this album. Blonde is brilliantly formed and should be enjoyed by all.

Home of the Strange Young the Giant BY MACKENZIE BROWN

mbrown.gazette@gmail.com

oung the Giant have managed to polish their distinct and effortlessly cool sound with the release of their junior album titled Home of the Strange. With 11 tracks, the Southern California group manages to emphasize three genres, including alternative, indie and a small portion of pop. Despite keeping similar roots and their overall sound the same, Young the Giant still accomplished the feat of adding a little extra edge to Home of the Strange in order to convey their constantly maturing sound as a band. Compared to their two previous albums, Young the Giant and Mind Over Matter, Young the Giant steered away from more mellowsounding tracks and leaned more towards harder sounding alternative songs, such as “Jungle Youth” and “Something To Believe In.” This experimentation with a new noise gives the album a superb balance of different styled

songs that Mind Over Matter and their debut self-titled album Young the Giant seemed to have lacked. Although the introduction of this new side of the band was a pleasant surprise to receive, the familiarity of the calmness and softer sounding songs – which are the band’s known speciality – made the experience even more enjoyable. The typical melodious vibe that is given through their music is something that has become so perfected over the years. This particular sound comes so naturally that Home of the Strange is easily recognizable as Young the Giant’s work. Songs like “Art Exhibit” reflect the band’s originality that they have possessed since their youthful musical beginnings. Aside from their sound, the band still accomplished writing meaningful messages for each of their tracks, with many containing cultural influences. This in part attributes to the band’s unprecedented and notable work. Every song contains a unique and well-un-

derstood purpose that stems from the expertly crafted lyrics. Although the band members all come from Irvine, they are all immigrants or children of immigrants with different ethnicities. The mash of the different heritages between band mates added an extra element of social commentary to the album’s track list. Cultural impacts are weaved throughout songs, and are found most prominently in the song “Amerika.” This insight on Young the Giant’s honest thoughts lets the listener gain a better perspective of both who they are as people and their personal experiences, which automatically makes Home of the Strange and the band as a whole more real, relatable and it enhances the experience of listening to the album. This new equilibrium of sounds and the continuation of creating songs that hold significance to both the band and the listener guarantees that after the release of Home of the Strange, Young the Giant will have a promising future for their music to come.

Fueled by Ramen

Home of the Strange was released on August 12, 2016.

Skip to: “Silvertongue” &“Mr. Know-It-All”

September 2016

Page 11

theater culture.

Out of the Spotlight

Students discuss the effects of theater on the community

BY KATE BOOTH

kbooth.gazette@gmail.com

or centuries live theater has served as society’s main source of entertainment, however in this digital age where the fast and flashy is what draws people’s attention, some say that theater is becoming obsolete. It’s much easier to crack open a computer or flip on a TV and watch something pre-recorded than it is to drive down to your nearest theater. This begs the question – why choose theater? For many, theater reaches beyond a simple form of entertainment. “Theater has opened discussions about society and about what’s going on in our world in a way I just hadn’t been exposed to before,” said senior actress in the Granite Bay High School theater program, Sophie Brubaker.“We touch on themes going on in the world right now through art.” The GBHS theater program’s new production, Macbeth, explores gender roles. They are putting on two

shows, one in which Macbeth is played by a man and another where the character is a woman. Students who come to see both shows will receive a discount. The idea is to see how powerful lines spoken by two different genders can change the perceptions and feelings of a show. The heart of theater is to present an idea. Its veins run deeper than the easily digestible entertainment we’ve grown accustomed to, instead attempting to provide nourishment to a society that can so often be left unsatiated by its more “current” amusements. “It’s not about making audiences change their minds”said GBHS drama and musical theater teacher Kyle Holmes. “It’s about hoping that they walk away thinking about it and talking about it, because it’s the things that are worth thinking about and talking about that we sometimes forget to give the deserved attention to.” Part of the mysticism of theater is how personal it can be, its ability to give voice to thought and feeling around

ati

str

llu ei

N AN

you that may not have previously been perceived. “Theater and the community,” said junior drama student Bronson Vanderjack.“Well I think it’s one (and) the same in several instances because they affect each other. The community affects every aspect of the theater because they’re the audience.” “But also it’s fueled by the community. The community comes into the theater and puts on these productions, and it enriches the rest of the community with these lessons that will stick in there head,” Vanderjack said. Theater and the community working in unison to serve and improve one another can be seen by many. “Theater is live, it’s being there in person, I think when you go to the movies the people feel very distant,” said junior drama student Georgia Seagraves. “Yes, the actors are famous, but this is your community, it’s your community performing trying to make a statement; it’s people you know, just like you, they live and breathe and you can see it, you can feel it.”

Page 12

September 2016

current.

Mixtape - Best songs of the 90s

Artist of the Month OLIVIA PASQUETTI 1. What piece are you currently working on? “I am currently working on a 40”x60” surrealism acrylic piece. In the background, it’s rocky cliffs and an ocean and then the figure is a normal girl, but instead of a head, she has arms coming out of her head and two butterflies sitting on her shoulder.”

HANNAH XU

hxu.gazette@gmail.com

2. What is your favorite piece you have done?

1. Wonderwall by Oasis An iconic song and an iconic meme. 2. I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys Every decade offers a new it boy band, and Backstreet Boys is the definition of such a band. 3. Wannabe by Spice Girls And to match every boy band is a girl band. What girl band has been more influential than the Spice Girls? Despite what the song says, however, if you wanna be my lover, please don’t get with my friends. 4. No Scrubs by TLC No Scrubs: raising the bar for men everywhere. 5. Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-a-Lot Only one thing to say – oh my God, Becky, look at her butt.

“My favorite piece would probably have to be the last one I did.” “I have water because even though the water is free flowing, it’s trapped inside a pond. The two stone hands encaging two birds that are on strings kind of attacking each other. I have those to symbolize being trapped and stuck and not knowing what to do.” 3. When did you start taking art? “I started taking art freshman year. I started in Art 1 and then I took photography, but then I decided that wasn’t for me and got back into the art program.” 4. Where do you get your inspirations for your art? “I get inspirations for my art from a lot of different artists, mainly surrealism artists such as David Kroll and Vladimir Kush, and all those surreal artists.”

Compiled by Sidney Zabell

Follow @delaney.nehrbass for a touch of adventure on your feed.

Follow Friday

Instagram

Compiled by Natasha Chanda

FRESHMAN 2020 201 vs VS. SENIOR 7 . What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Derek: I like mint chip also. Mali: My favorite flavor of ice cream is mint. What is your favorite season? Why? Derek: My favorite season is summer because I’d rather be hot than cold.

Derek Wong is a Mali Sullivan is

Mali: My favorite season is winter because you can freshman at GBHS. a senior at GBHS. always get warmer in winter versus summer where you can take off as much as you want, but you’re still going to be hot.

Compiled by Sidney Zabell

September 2016

Page 13

throwback.

Retro Revival is All the Rage tte

Gazette

Gaze photo /C

ARISSA

EWIS

SA L

ARIS

/C photo

LEWIS

Modern times favor a comeback of vintage styles and trends Gazette photo /CONNOR HINSON

any he m y. t f o toda e one ts ar g revived e k c a n ber j s bei Bom e fashion g vinta

This w by stud hite Intax pola ents to capture roid camera is u tangible memor sed ies.

Record players are a popular way for people to listen to both old and modern music.

BY ISABELLA HAMILTON ihamilton.gazette@gmail.com

n the 1980s, record players were the norm. Now record players are making a big comeback. Picture this – a room, clean, mostly barren, but with basic teen room things – a laptop, a bed, shoes and pictures. Remaining unnoticed is a little machine on a table in the corner. In the back of the room, a record player sits with a box of records next to it. Record players, vinyl music and fashion are among many retro things making a comeback. From flannels to crop tops, fashion and lifestyles today are being influenced by the 80s, 90s and other past decades. Savannah Hibbit-Macguire, a sophomore at Granite Bay High School, provided useful insight on vinyl records. “I think they’re a great way to bring the past into the present,” Hibbit-Macguire said. “I love records; they are so much better than CDs.” Hibbit-Macguire said that she has an affinity for all things retro. From her bedroom to her clothes, she is showing her own personal style with major influences from the past. Many people are returning to old vintage trends like chokers, jelly shoes and “mom jeans.”

Mahgol Mehranpour, a senior, addressed her views on listening to record players and on neo-vintage trends. “I think vintage trends are classy and I love the style from the 1920s, but I like listening to music on my phone more than records,” Mehranpour said. Around school, there are many people in the halls taking advantage of the vintage trends with a modern twist on it. Record player sales have gone up and are now accountable for selling over twenty percent of all music sales, with the pop genre doubling its sales in vinyl in the past year. “Whenever I go to my friend’s house, we play old songs on her record player,” sophomore Angela Sims said. Record players are also a great decoration addition to any room that is needing a retro vibe. Record players can come in a variety of colors, patterns, and styles. Crossley, a record player brand, has over thirty one styles of turntables in endless colors. Crossley has partnered with Urban Outfitters to promote the revival of vinyl and record players with teens. Various artists in the music industry like Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Drake and Lana Del Rey are releasing their new albums on vinyl, which can be found at Urban Outfitters, or online. “You know that they say about records – the sound is richer, like you’re going back in time.” Macguire said.

Page 14

autumn attire. BY ALINA POCZOBUTT

apoczobutt.gazette@gmail.com

Fall Fashion What GBHS students are looking forward to wearing this upcoming season

Gazette photo /ALINA POCZOBUTT

Sperry’s is a very popular shoe brand, and a go-to for boys at GBHS.

Gazette OBUTT

A POCZ

LIN photo /A

he fashionista’s favorite season is quickly approaching and Granite Bay High School students are excited to be sporting classic trends as well as new ones. Fall is one of students’ favorite seasons to dress for because it’s not too hot and not too cold. The moderate weather allows them to wear jeans without dying from heat, while also letting us dodge the necessity of piling on multiple layers of clothes to prevent from freezing in cold weather. Some timeless pieces that are expected to be seen on campus for males are dark wash denim jeans paired with a fall flannel. For females, a cute pair of boots, or “booties,” and various striped clothing items – particularly in the form of long sleeved and short sleeved shirts or dresses- are going to be very popular on campus again. A fall wardrobe also has essential pieces that are subtle but crucial to many of our fall getups. Depending on the type of look you’re going for, your small accessory of choice may vary. For boys who prefer an urban look, a flat bill hat or leather watch will help to complete a dark denim and flannel look. Boys who want a preppier look should go with a pair of the always smart-looking Sperry’s to complement their ensembles. For girls who want a more urban look, a longsleeved striped tee with dark wash jeans and black booties would pair perfectly with a leather buttoned bracelet or a leather watch. If you are desiring a sweeter look, a medium wash pair of jeans with a striped babydoll style shirt and tan booties pair perfectly with a few gold Alex and Ani bracelets or a simple necklace. A few students that will be sporting some of the classic fall essentials are Darby Mullany, who says that a pair of cute booties are crucial to a fall wardrobe, and Matt Solone, who loves the jean and flannel look for fall. Several other students on campus shared some of their own individual fall clothing favorites. GBHS freshman Ava Tkachuk’s most essential piece of clothing for fall weather is a knit sweater, and similarly, GBHS senior Sydney Sampson’s favorite fall clothing piece is an oversized sweater. Seniors Jack Ramalia, Dillon Ruddell and Taylor Tonda weighed in on their go-to clothes for the fall season. Ramalia’s most essential fall clothing piece is a cropped dark wash pair of jeans and Ruddell’s is the Urban Outfitter’s denim style flannel. Tonda’s fall clothing preference is a quarter zip. Whatever you are wearing this fall, whether it’s a knit sweater or a flannel, your favorite pair of jeans or booties, make sure to make it cute and make it you.

September 2016

Ethan Smith, GBHS senior, sports his favorite fall fashion pieces that consist of a quarter-zip over a collared long-sleeved shirt with cuffed pants and a pair of Sperry’s.

September 2016

Page 15

film.

BLEEKER STREET

WARNER BROS.

INVINCIBLE PICTURES

Rated: R

Rated: PG-13

By: Katie Cologna kcologna.gazette@gmail.com

By: Kate Booth kbooth.gazette@gmail.com

By: Connor Hinson chinson.gazette@gmail.com

yoga hosers: D-

hat’s funnier than fake Canadian accents, unrealistically inane teenage girls and bratwurst nazis? Literally anything, assuming all these things appear together in a Kevin Smith movie. For the uninitiated, Kevin Smith is a guy who directed a moderately funny film in 1994 called Clerks, and proceeded to stretch the hype of that film for the next 22 years. Most recently, he has begun a trilogy of films titled the “True North” trilogy, a series of horror comedies set in Canada. The first of these films, 2014’s Tusk, was mediocre at best, although better than Smith’s usual sophomoric drivel. The second of these films is Yoga Hosers, and is possibly his worst movie ever made. The story follows two girls, both high school sophomores, who work at a convenience store (get it, because he made Clerks). Hilariously, they are played by Harley Quinn Smith (Kevin Smith’s daughter) and Lily-Rose Depp (Johnny Depp’s daughter). After they are almost sacrificed to Satan by their classmates, they discover that tiny Nazi sausages (see: bratzis) have been living in their convenience store. This plot might work if it was at the hands of, say, Edgar Wright. Someone with marginal talent at the direction of comedies. Most of the “jokes” in the film chalk up to lazy fart humor, poorly executed jabs aimed at millennials and references to Kevin Smith’s other movies. On top of this, the movie has the audacity to borrow the scores from iconic horror films such as Halloween and The Shining. I hated the two girls’ performances. It felt like they were cartoon versions of what 50 year old men think teenage girls act like. This isn’t far from the truth as Kevin Smith not only directed this movie, but he wrote it as well. The only marginally funny aspect of the film was a brief scene in which the two girls’ yoga instructor, played by Justin Long, named his yoga poses after absurd concepts. The shift from “warrior one” to “upset customer” made me smirk, but only for a moment. Yoga Hosers is Kevin Smith being Kevin Smith: unfunny and conceited.

suicide squad: C

any comic book fans were ecstatic to hear that DC Comics was releasing a new film revolving around some of the company’s biggest villains fighting for something new… justice. That’s right, DC has pulled a role reversal in their new movie Suicide Squad, having lethal criminals do the protecting. Although the movie had a promising plot line, multiple people seemed to feel it fell flat. Many moviegoers complained of the Joker’s few appearances in the film. Having read what the comic Suicide Squad was based on, I found the amount of time the Joker was on screen accurate, especially in relation to all of the other characters’ screen time. Although the Joker certainly played a part in original comic, it does not necessarily revolve around him, focusing instead on the other characters that many viewers of the film might not have known previously existed in the DC universe. I think this is where many people may have become frustrated. They expected to see a movie further delving into the Joker’s character, not realizing the original content the film was based on does not support such a plot line. My qualm with the film instead rested in the lack of overall character development. The story line seemed to give viewers enough backstory to get to know the characters, but not enough to really understand or empathize with them. The audience’s lack of emotional investment in the characters leads to a generally anticlimactic plot line. Nearing the end of the film, I found myself thinking ‘wait, this is it?’ The whole story line involving the character Enchantress seemed rushed and two dimensional. The writers seemed to have forgotten that a movie is only as good as its main villain, and Suicide Squad’s was confusing and underwhelming. In retrospect the film is something worth watching on a Saturday night when you’re flipping through Netflix looking for something new to watch, but not something you should pay a premium for at a movie theater. Suicide Squad had a hand full of laughs and a few good special effects, but certainly did not meet its full potential.

anthropoid: C

he only thing better than a movie that represents a true event, is when the movie actually gives the event justice. The movie Anthropoid just barely made the cut. Anthropoid, the historical thriller based on the true events of two Czechoslovakian operatives that were sent on a mission to assassinate SS officer Reinhard Heydrich, third in command behind Hitler, is a movie that reveals the hardships of people standing up for what they believe in. Starring Jamie Dornan, most famously know as the lead actor in Fifty Shades of Grey, and Cillian Murphy, star of the Netflix original Peaky Blinders, the movie made an impression when it came to looks. I found that since neither of them are huge actors, it was actually easier to focus on the events in the movie rather than focusing on some big movie star such as Leonardo DiCaprio. The pace of the movie on the other hand was slow and inconsistent. The whole movie was slow, but the first hour was dreadful, with very few and short action scenes. The rest of the movie was just as slow but it was packed with a stressful amount of action. Intertwined in the movie was a love story between Jan Kubix, Jamie Dornan’s character and Marie Kovárníková played by Charlotte Le Bon. This love story demonstrated how women back then often fantasized war love. Unlike her closest friend Lenka Fafková, who knew what war was truly about, Marie didn’t realize until after falling in love with Jan, that war only brought danger to her closest friends and eventually killed her friend Lenka. What I appreciated is the fact that the love story didn’t cloud the movie’s plot. It was subtle, but just enough to show some emotion. Something that was very prominent was the pride in one’s country. The resistance members in the film showed that they would do anything for there country to save it. The nationalism was by far the one thing in the movie that was consistent and showed a sense of unity between all the characters. The only reason I would recommend this would be so people could learn about the historical mission Anthropoid. Besides that, the movie overall was underwhelming.

September 2016

gotta catch ’em all

Students discuss the rise and fall of the phenomenon that graced numerous generations this past summer BY KATIE COLOGNA

kcologna.gazette@gmail.com

Taking the world by storm, Pokemon Go has become one of the most played games of 2016. Being played by millennials, Gen X and even the baby boomers, there have been over 100 million downloads and over 20 million daily active users, compiled by the Business of Apps, a website that tracks data from current games on the app market. As soon as the app came out, students from the Granite Bay area were carpooling with friends and running around parks, all with the hopes of catching the next Pokemon. The original Pokemon game was released in 1996 in Japan for Game Boy. Since then it has gone through seven generations, which are all sequels to the original game. When Pokemon Go came out, there was a sense of accessibility to it. Unlike previous versions of pokemon where it could only be played on a Game Boy, Nintendo DS, Wii or arcade games, this app made it easy to play, because in this day in age, people are known for always having their phones on them. The app is based off of personal preference. For some, their childhood memories of the original Pokemon attaches them to the game. Some just love the ongoing hunt for new Pokemon. Others gave it a try and didn’t adapt to it as well as others. “This is probably the only game that I have ever played where I’ve actually struck up conversations with strangers” English teacher Adam McLearan said. “I think it lends itself to that because you can see the other person playing the game; it’s very obvious their phone is out and they’re doing the same thing you’re doing.” As for being a social game, not just strangers were able to meet each other, but it brought together family and friends as well. “My friends and I would drive around looking for pokemon (while carpooling),” junior Ben Law said. “Some days I would drive and we would drive around for the whole entire day.”

For many, Pokemon was a big part of their lives, but when the app came out nearly everyone was playing. “I think Pokemon Go just kinda hit everything right,” English 11 teacher, Michael Handling said. “It’s a virtual reality game and (the game makers) really had a pretty solid execution on it, combined with people my age and maybe 10 to 15 years younger, and that nostalgia of remembering what it was like to play those games originally.” All over the news, there were bizarre stories about people crashing their cars while playing Pokemon Go, or people getting hit by cars because of their lack of attention to the rest of the world around them. “I (was) out with my friends, and we were just chilling at this park,” senior Emily Schofield said. “All of a sudden, we see … this one guy parallel parked and (he backs out of) the parking space and backs straight into (another) car.” Some, however, didn’t adapt to the game as well as others. “Some people I think found the game a little hard to understand because it requires you to teach yourself and it requires you to talk to other people and sort of crowd source solutions,” McLearan said. “It doesn’t really give you much of a tutorial.” As time has passed since the release date in early July, some have stopped playing the game altogether, either because they are too busy, or because they lost interest in the game. “The reason I got hyped up was because I thought you could train your pokemon, swap Pokemon and have battles with your friends,” sophomore Lamont Mason said. “Everyone still played it, but it was eventually going to get boring if all you could do was catch Pokemon.” With the decrease in players, it poses the question of why the game was played avidly by so many, but then lost a large amount of players so rapidly. “The repetitive nature of the game tends to make people … get bored of that kind of thing pretty quickly,” Handling said.

Page 16