Granite Bay Gazette, November 2019, Vol. 23, Issue 3

Gazette THE GRANITE BAY

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GRANITE BAY HIGH w 1 GRIZZLY WAY w GRANITE BAY, CA w 95746 w VOLUME 23 w ISSUE 3 w FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2019

dministrative ngle Educational leaders on campus work long hours, but without the same job guarantees as teachers:

FOCUS, pages 16-17

Gazette photo /ANGELINA KOLOSEY

inside

Students share their favorite Thanksgiving dishes as the holiday season approaches. PAGE 24

Social Media continues to display unrealistic expectations that negatively affect users. PAGE 30

CURRENT 2 LIFESTYLE 10 ATHLETICS 18 A&E 22 VOICES 29

We’re online at GraniteBayToday.org

Follow us: @GraniteBayToday

Contents

Page 2

EDITOR’S NOTE

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

16 & 17

dylan rowe drowe .gazette@gmail.com

Reminiscing on the good old days

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’m afraid of a lot of things, the dark, clowns, failure, but most of all growing up.

Up until a few years ago, age was everything, and in my eyes the older you became, the more opportunities you would have. Now that I’ve grown older I realized being old isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be.

As the normal pecking order goes, the more seniority you have the more people look up to you, so it’s only natural to want to get older.

As a middle schooler I always envied high schoolers, and as a high schooler I always looked up to upperclassmen; I was stuck in what most people call ‘the grass is always greener complex.’

With technology, specifically social media taking over the lives of many, it’s easy to become caught up into something you’re not.

In this haze of forcing ourselves to grow up too fast, our generation has unknowingly bypassed their childhood for the harsh realities of their adult years.

Nowadays people take themselves too seriously, and often forget what it’s like to be a kid because in highschool that’s what you are.

With new responsibilities like driving, advanced classes, and possibly even getting a job, teens immediately feel as if it’s time to throw in the towel and enter the adult world. In reality we all still have so much more to learn.

Teens stereotypically want to separate themselves from their parents, further pushing themselves into their adult years.

For some going away to college and becoming independent is the only thing that’s getting them through their senior year, but for me the idea of leaving home on my own is terrifying.

The truth is that the social climate today has pushed young people into a state of false maturity. This may inevitably lead to people spiraling when they truly enter the adult world.

Kids these days don’t ever really appreciate what they have until it’s gone, childhood being one of these things.

So call me Peter Pan, because I don’t want to grow up. *** Dylan Rowe, a senior, is a Gazette senior editor.

Gazette illustration /ANGELINA KOLOSEY

19 11 CURRENT 2-8

2 Editor’s Note: Many teenagers are taking life too seriously as they quickly take on a large amount of responsibilities and forget to enjoy the present.

3 Power Outage: Following the events of PG&E, students and teachers on campus are forced to go without basic necessities due to a lack of power.

4 Planned Parenthood: Federal government defunds Planned Parenthood while many students use the non-profit organization for medical check-ups and help.

5 McGregor Leaving: Assistant principal

leaves GBHS to help start West Park High School as an assistant principal again.

6 Gas Prices: Increasing gas prices affects

30 11 The Golf Cart Dude: Campus monitor

Jason Ott receives unfair bias because of his disciplinary campus job title.

12 On that Phone too Much: Young

adults have excessive negative habits when it comes to the use of their electronics

13 Bugs Can be Food too: Entomophagy

receives gaining popularity within the Granite Bay High bubble.

13 The Disapproval of Google Trans-

late: Many foreign language teachers on campus disapprove of students using the popular Google translating application.

14 Seal of Biliteracy: The seal that marks

proficiency in a foreign language is being received by students after four years of a language course.

students, especially those who drive regularly and must pay for their own gas.

FOCUS 16-17

7 Nutritional Value of School Lunches:

tasks, expectations, and roles of administrators vary greatly in process as well as importance in order to maintain a healthy campus.

Students share opinions on the lunches GBHS provides and the district nutritionist breaks it down.

8 Political Division in Class: Multiple

government classes have great political differences that spark debate

LIFESTYLE 10-15

10 Life 360: New app leaves young adults feeling a sense of distrust and invasion of privacy from their parents

16 The Angle on Administration: The daily

ATHLETICS 18-21

18 Sport Expenses: Being able to par-

peers and the average person for her age.

19 Football has a shot at playoffs: The

football program at Granite Bay has worked extremely hard in hopes of continuing their season. They’re motivated to make it to the next level: playoffs, as it is one step closer to winning the state championship.

ARTS&ENTERTAINMENT 22-27

23 Mario Kart on IOS: Nintendo takes stu-

dents on a walk down memory lane when a childhood favorite game joins the appstore.

26 Forever 21 is not so Forever: Popular

and local clothing store files for bankruptcy as 178 stores close nation wide.

26 Camp Flog Gnaw: Tyler the Creator’s

seventh annual festival is to be held at Dodger Stadium on November ninth-tenth.

VOICES 29-31

29 Old Literature May be Outdated:

Justin Ha believes it may be time to look at more modern pieces of writing than Shakespeare in the educational system.

ticipate in a sport also means being able to afford the gear and donations from the program. Students who don’t have the financial capability might not be able to continue their athletic career.

30 The Joker: Simi Singh expresses her

19 Golf Feature - Anika Varma: Young

get a negative reputation that doesn’t take the challenging and often unknown tasks they face into consideration.

prodigy makes it to the international level for golf. Her skills supersede those of her

take on the recent cinematic release which has received many mixed and critical revie ws.

31 Our Take: School Administrators often

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

NAMES IN THE NEWS

sophie criscione scriscione.gazette@gmail.com

GBHS athletes will officially sign their letters of intent

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he National Letter of Intent Signing Day at GBHS is on Wednesday. Of the athletes who plan to officially sign their letters of intent, Emma Broers is signing for Division 1 soccer at Sacramento State University, Marli Bannai will be signing for soccer at the University of California at San Diego, Maryssa Schulz is signing with Oregon State University for rowing, and Summer Holt will be signing to play Division 1 soccer for Texas Christian University. *** This year’s homecoming royalty winners for each class were announced at the homecoming rally. Alyssa Zavala and Yousef Hashim were crowned as freshmen royalty winners. The sophomore princess and prince were Alina Awais and Nicholas Grahame. Gabriela Birch and Kaveh Ghaemi were the winners for the junior class.

Avani Singh and Alonzo Cannon were announced and crowned as the 2019 homecoming queen and king at the halftime show of the football game against Oak Ridge. *** Of the four musical class floats that were judged on the night of the Bonfire Rally, the junior class won with a country music-themed float and dance. *** Congratulations to the four seniors recognized as national merit semifinalists this year. They are Nathan Wong, Eugene Chiou, Alana Sturdevant and Dhilan Bansal.

This honor is given to seniors who scored in the top 1% of scorers on last year’s PSAT. The hard work truly did pay off for these four students who are now eligible for National Merit Scholarships awarded in the spring. *** The Gazette and GraniteBay Today. org were named Crown Award finalists in the hybrid news category by the Columbia Scholastic Press Association.

Only 59 newspaper/website programs in the US were named finalists.

It’s the 14th time the Gazette or Granite BayToday.org has been a finalist for the award, which recognizes excellence in both print and online journalism.

A Gold or Silver Crown will be awarded to all finalists during a March ceremony at Columbia University in New York City.

Last year’s editors were Spencer Cova, Abbie Gould, Max Schwartz, Andrew Yung and Sidney Zabell. *** Sophie Criscione, a senior, is an assistant editor.

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Recent power outage affects many teachers and students on campus Actions of PG&E cause local residents to go without basic necessities such as water, refrigeration and electricity

BY JUSTIN HA

jha.gazette@gmail.com

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ast month PG&E turned off the lights for thousands of houses in Northern California.

More 800,000 properties, including homes in Placer County, lost power.

The suddenly dormant grid caused a plethora of grievances and more importantly, an estimated $2.5 billion in outage costs.

“As a whole, the outage caused a lot of frustration between us,” Granite Bay High sophomore Megan Morales said. “There was little time to just sit down because of the preparations and precautions we had to take to combat it.”

The outage lasted for multiple days for some, which made life increasingly hard and situations dire.

“We are on a well, so it means no water,” health teacher John MacCleane said. “It means no bathrooms. It means no showers, and they kept our power off for four days.”

This lack of power was because of potential fire conditions in the area that caused PG&E concerns.

The company said there were high winds, low humidity and dry weather that could create a dangerous situation that would threaten the safety of its customers.

These were the same conditions that prevented the bonfire at the annual Homecoming Bonfire Rally last month, a decision that was met with a rage hotter than the missing bonfire. “(The fire department) didn’t even tell the administration (about the bonfire cancellation),” student government teacher Tamara Givens said. “(Student government) didn’t know until we got the email from the county fire department. I honestly don’t know why they called it 30 hours before we lit the fire.”

Pulling the plug on energy in the area was likely a proactive action taken by PG&E which has faced major repercussions for accidently igniting the fire last year in Paradise that killed 85 people.

However, the precautious actions of PG&E had a major backlash.

“The worst part about it is that they turned it off because of the wind, (but) there was never wind up where we lived,” MacLeane said.

“My son lives in Davis and said the wind woke him up that morning. It was shaking the house so much, but they didn’t turn off their power.”

The public and media alike criticized the company for its lack of safety and preparation for the disaster caused by one of its transmission lines which clearly forced PG&E’s hand in this situation.

The outages seemed endless. Even after the original outage, PG&E warned that 500,000 houses would be off the grid again.

MacLeane said he’s been told his power would be turned off before, but PG&E had never followed through with it.

“It’s kind of like the boy who cried wolf,” MacLeane said. “(So this time), we weren’t as prepared as we could have been.”

Of course it is better to be safe than sorry, but the powerless people in Northern California were forced into a predicament as the lack of warning created a frenzy of desperation and panic.

“By the time they told us it was really happening, we didn’t have enough time to do really anything about it,” said biology teacher Heidi McKeen.

Residents in the 34 counties affected had to rush to stores and gas stations to stock up on supplies for the barren days ahead of them.

“The main thing we lost was a good deal of money towards buying ice and gas,” Morales said. “We were driving around so much, looking

around for stores selling ice, and that wasted a lot of gas that we had to refill.”

Many people were unaware of all the equipment that runs on PG&E’s power and got caught off guard with so little time to prepare.

“We had to throw out a lot of food in our freezer and refrigerator,” senior Tori Harriman said.

Basic niceties that many would take for granted were stripped away from thousands of families making life unexpectedly challenging.

“You walk in a room and flip a light switch because your kid is scared of the dark,” McKeen said. “(During the power outage), there is nothing you can do about that.”

Besides the obvious things, like freezers and lights, there were utilities that were not accounted for, which were very inconvenient to live without.

McKeen lives in a rural area where there aren’t hardlines for cell service so her family lost the ability to communicate.

“In addition to losing power, we didn’t have great cell phone service which is worrisome,” McKeen said.

“If something happens not only do we not have power, but we don’t have a great way of getting people if we need help.”

The lack of power surging through houses was irritating at best and excruciating at worst. And although PG&E kept Northern California safe the repercussions seem to be all that people are talking about.

Gazette illustration/ASHLEY YUNG

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Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Federal government defunds public health care’s Planned Parenthood Teenagers on campus who use non-profit healthcare provider express their medical concerns

BY DYLAN ROWE

drowe.gazette@gmail.com

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bortion, a word that for most evokes strong emotions, has been a topic of controversy within the political world and the general public.

Planned Parenthood, one of the leading institutions for women’s reproductive health services, including abortion, has officially begun to lose funding from the federal government.

The Trump Administration has placed restrictions on Title X, which has provided funding for citizens who aren’t financially stable enough to afford reproductive healthcare on their own.

According to Planned Parenthood’s official website, the “defunding means blocking patients who use public health care programs from accessing preventative care at Planned Parenthood.”

It also means that the tax payers who once paid for abortions no longer have to.

“Not all citizens approve their money to be given to people that want abortions,” Granite Bay High teacher Jason Rath said. “The approval of the federal defunding came from those kinds of people.”

Planned Parenthood’s main objective is often misunderstood – many of the organization’s critics claim the sole purpose of the institution is to provide abortions for young women.

In reality, most women or men who use Planned Parenthood use it as their main health care provider simply because they can’t afford standard health care.

“What people don’t understand is Planned Parenthood does more good than harm,” Granite Bay high school senior Alex Nash said. “People believe the main function of Planned Parenthood is to offer or perform abortions, but what they don’t realize is that this organization provides

more for the people’s health, including education, prevention and treatment for a widespread of topics.”

Planned Parenthood helps women and men across the country obtain different forms of contraception, and offers tests and treatments for sexually transmitted diseases and different types of cancers.

“The thing that everyone warns you about happened to me,” an anonymous senior girl said. “I caught an STD, and when I did, I didn’t know what to do. I went to the Planned Parenthood clinic and was treated like I mattered. Even though I had made a mistake, it didn’t define who I am.”

Clinics provide thousands of teens with sex education and contaception. Without this funding, many young adults will have to go without life-changing medical treatments, procedures and prescriptions.

“I’ve been using Planned Parenthood to get birth control pills since I was a freshman,” another anonymous senior girl said. “It’s reassuring to have a place I know I can go to if there’s ever an emergency with my health.”

Because of the sensitive nature of conversations about reproductive health, many people don’t grasp how significant the funding change will be on many Americans.

“I don’t know that much about what Planned Parenthood does,” senior Caleb Judd said. “I just know that’s where people go to get abortions.”

Planned Parenthood clinics do much more than what many people think they do. Clinics give pregnant women access to prenatal care, care that they would otherwise never get because they don’t have access to affordable specialists.

Many critics also claim that the organization only offers services to women, but Planned Parenthood gives male and female members of the LGBTQ community free STD testing and vaccines that make it less likely for the community to spread common STDs. “Everyone should have access to preventative health care,” senior Alonzo Cannon said, “especially when it means the public benefits from that care.”

Planned Parenthood’s main demographic is the younger generation for the same reasons one could imagine, teens especially are uneducated about the world around them.

“More teens use Planned Parenthood than they let on,” the senior girl said. “Odds are, whether you know it or not, someone you know relies on the clinic.”

Like many other political controversies, there has been pushback on this new policy regarding Title X and its re-

Gazette illustration/ASHLEY YUNG

Planned Parenthood provides many other services beyond the abortion referrals and services many often associate with the organization strictions. Millions of men and women have attended strikes and even coined the term “I stand with Planned Parenthood,” in order to raise more awareness about the change in government funding for women’s health.

“Ultimately this isn’t just about getting rid of abortions,” senior Bella Gennuso said. “It’s a way for politicians to belittle women and take their rights away.”

GAZETTE TWITTER POLL

Planned Parenthood awareness

Many GBHS students who particpated in a twitter poll express their own envolvement with Planned Parenthood. Some are aware of federal government defunding while others haven’t yet been informed.

Gazette infographic/ASHLEY YUNG

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Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Page 5

Math teachers receive new smartboards Educators at GBHS will enhance student learning through recently installed technological advancements in their classrooms as of mid-October

BY BELLA KHOR

bkhor.gazette@gmail.com

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echnology comes and goes, and years after getting their first smartboards, the math department is finally getting a technological upgrade.

“We actually had some of the oldest technology (in the district), but (the district) kept on putting this off,” said Granite Bay High math department coordinator Lisa Vaughan.

The upgrade of smart boards has been long overdue.

“I’m going to say the (projector smart boards are) 15 years old, give or take,” honors precalculus teacher David Laughrea said.

The upgrade to new smartboards is, in part, because of the efforts of not only the GBHS math department, but the school district as well.

“The director of technologies in our district, Tony Ham, is trying to ensure that our technology is moving forward and not staying stagnant,” Laughrea said.

Buying new boards for the entire department ended up being a smart financial choice as well.

“At some points, they were $1,500,” Ham said. “Sometimes they were less over time, but

they were expensive. The installation of those boards was expensive. And the installation of the projectors was very expensive also.”

These projectors didn’t actually solve the problem.

“It’s was putting a bandaid on the problem,” Laughrea said.

The old boards had a projector that projected images onto the interactive board, and costs to replace projector parts have built up over the years.

“However, I’ve gone through four projectors (since the boards were installed), and those projectors are fairly expensive, relatively speaking,” Laughrea said.

An additional reason for the update was a decision by Roseville Joint Union High School superintendent Denise Herrmann to create incentives for departments to spend funds on current needs instead of holding on to resources for future projects.

“Well, this year, Dr. Hermann, the superintendent is wiping all accounts, so if you have any money left over at the end of the school year, it goes to the general fund of the district,” Vaughan said. “If I’m going to lose that money, I might as well put it to something. So (the math department) said, well, let’s look at what’s new

with smartboards – we need new technology anyway.”

The interactive whiteboards the department chose are larger and brighter than before, a visible change among the functional differences.

“It’s a full-on flat screen TV – it’s whack,” junior Stephanie Bradley said. “(The new board) has a bunch of features that are new, like the end of the pens have different functions,” junior Jack Longoria said.

Currently, most of the math classrooms now have one of the new smartboards.

“We only had enough money to buy nine this year, and we’re hoping to buy two or three more,” Vaughan said. “There are 10 math classrooms in the math and science building and three rooms (in the 900 building).”

Learning the new boards is a process, and something all of the teachers have needed to adjust to.

“At this point, I would say for me, I don’t know if they’re so much more helpful because I’m still learning it,” Vaughan said. “(My students are) watching me fail a lot at it.”

However, the steep learning curve aside, she has noticed some clear benefits.

“I know for sure that (the new board) is brighter, the screen is brighter, it’s much easier

Jessup McGregor to leave for a position at West Park Assistant principal to help open newest district school

After many years of having to use some of the oldest technology in the district, the math department recently got a long-overdue upgrade to new smartboards. The previous smartboards, according to math teacher David Laughrea, were at least 15 years old. to be precise with it,” Vaughan said. “all of that technology was starting to go on the old boards.”

Cyber-bullying activity has negative effects Students are encouraged to report harassment

BY BRADYN KESTI

bkesti.gazette@gmail.com

BY MAREESA ISLAM

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mislam.gazette@gmail.com

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essup McGregor, an assistant principal at Granite Bay High School, recently announced his upcoming in-district transfer to West Park High at the end of the 2019-20 school year, which will mark the end of his GBHS career.

McGregor will hold the position of assistant principal at the district’s newest comprehensive high school, which is scheduled to open next fall.

McGregor described his transfer as a challenge as well as a great opportunity.

“Primarily, I feel most passionate and effective in my work when I’m challenged and pushed to rise to difficult occasions,” McGregor said. “Opening a new school is a huge job and one I’ve not had the opportunity to do (before). For me, this is jumping into an exciting, new adventure.”

McGregor’s departure will bring sadness to GBHS as his enthusiastic spirits will be deeply missed by many faculty members and students.

“Mr. McGregor will be leaving behind some huge shoes to fill as he builds very strong relationships with students and staff,” said Jennifer Leighton, the principal of GBHS. However, Leighton offered her assurance that GBHS can still thrive despite McGregor’s departure.

“The school will continue to function on all cylinders, and we will have staff and students helping us to find his replacement,” she said.

Joe Landon, the Roseville Joint Union High School District assistant superintendent of business services, said McGregor will be one of many faculty members at West Park who are coming from other district schools.

“There will be a combination of staff coming from other schools in the district as well as staff new to the district altogether,” Landon said.

Gazette illustration /ASHLEY YUNG

Gazette photo/MAREESA ISLAM

Assistant principal Jessup McGregor finishes the year off strong before leaving GBHS to the dismay of staff and students.

To prepare for McGregor’s departure, GBHS has already started the search for possible candidates to take his current position, although the details are not yet finalized.

“We always get a lot of talented applicants, so I am not concerned at all about finding our next assistant principal,” Leighton said.

Although McGregor’s absence next fall will affect the culture of GBHS, there is no doubt he will have new experiences and opportunities at West Park.

“I’m going to miss everyone here at GBHS terribly,” McGregor said.

However, he said he is looking forward to the experiences that have yet to come.

“From helping design learning environments … to reimagining what education looks like, and everything in-between, this is a very unique opportunity to build an innovative institution,” McGregor said. “I’m honored to be a part of it.”

yber bullying is on the rise, and it has negative effects and consequences for students at Granite Bay High.

“Cyber bullying is definitely on the rise, and more young people are being impacted by it on a daily basis,” said Jillyan McKinney, who teaches social psychology at GBHS. “I believe the children and teens engage in this behavior because it is easy to say something mean behind a screen.”

McKinney said it’s important to be welcoming toward many students who have been victims of bullying.

“I have seen so much bullying and harassment throughout my career,” McKinney said. “It has ranged from ‘I hate you’ (to) full-blown sexual harassment (to) threats of physical violence.”

The California Education Code for Student Discipline provides for school administrator authorization to deal with incidents of bullying. Subsection R of Section 48900 authorizes school discipline for students who perform any act of bullying, including through electronic means such as online.

The school’s jurisdiction is in effect when bullying occurs during school events and lunch hours, during travel to and from school, and within school boundaries.

Some critics argue that cyberbullying should not be subject to school discipline because it doesn’t necessarily happen on campus.

So how do school officials justify getting involved in student cyberbullying issues that are not in any way playing out on campus?

Isn’t the school’s jurisdiction limited?

“When thinking of the school’s jurisdiction, it can extend beyond the campus itself,” GBHS assistant principal Jessup Mc-

Gregorsaid. “In particular, when a violation occurs which involves students who may (later) interact while on campus, and may have a real or perceived negative impact on a student’s education, the school has a duty to intervene.”

McGregor gave a hypothetical example for how off-campus events can affect on-campus interactions.

“If student A makes degrading comments toward student B, student B will likely be impacted on campus and in class when student B sees student A, or when other students are aware of the issue or talk about it,” McGregor explained.

Because of a vast number of cases of bullying at GBHS, the administration has severe consequences for bullying, including cyber bullying.

“We take bullying in all forms very seriously, as it has serious negative impacts on both the student who is doing the bullying as well as the victim,” McGregor said. “Consequences for bullying can range anywhere from parent contact and restorative conferencing all the way to expulsion.”

A study published in 2011 researched the correlation between bullied students and their academic performance.

The study determined that students who were victims of bullying suffer academically more than students who were not victims of bullying.

As cyberbullying falls under the category of general bullying, students who are cyberbullied do not fall far from the study’s conclusions.

Assistant principal Greg Sloan said cyberbullying should be reported immediately.

“If someone feels they are being cyberbullied, they should document,” Sloan said.

“This includes screenshots and information related to the bully’s identity. … Stopping it early is always better.”

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Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Political divisions spark debate in class This year’s government classes at GBHS seem to be filled with more students on the far ends of the political spectrum than usual, and political beliefs are expressed more openly on campus

BY JJ HILL

jhill.gazette@gmail.com

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f all the divisive, schismatic topics that society is burdened with being asked to discuss, politics has always been at the top of the list. Even though we all share so much in common, why do our ideologies hold us back from healthy discussions?

As a teenager, it might be difficult to comprehend the “big picture” of politics, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Government and economics courses hope to tackle this by offering discussions and debates as well as providing an education on the state of politics to help students form opinions.

The debates that take place in class are intended to function as a way to hear both sides of an argument. Unfortunately, the intentions

of a course and the events which take place within can be two entirely different entities.

“I mostly notice Granite Bay High School’s political divide in my government class,” said senior Blayke Wilkerson, current leader of GSA, the Gender and Sexuality Alliance club on campus. The club’s main focus is to provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ students who might not find the support necessary from home.

Instead of focusing on civil discourse, government classes this fall seem to be more toxic than in previous years.

“There isn’t very much middle ground,”j Wilkerson said. “Most (students) are either on the far left or far right. I think the 2016 election definitely hammered that in.”

Wilkerson isn’t the only student who has seen students at the extremes of the political spectrum.

“In my government class, we took a (political) ideology test from 1 to 10 and a lot of people got (the) extremes, as well as a lot who were in the middle,” said Nathan Wong, co-president of the Young Americans for Freedom club, a gathering place for like-minded Republicans.

Rather than there being a divide, Wong said he believes the GBHS political spectrum is evenly distributed across all parties, with just a higher amount of more extreme ideologies being passed around than considered typical.

These extreme ideologies can clash in more places than just classrooms. During this year’s Club Rush, the Young Americans for Freedom were sandwiched between the tables for GSA and the High School Democrats – while it might have made sense to have clubs with a similar focus next to each other, there was also the potential for conflict.

Although rumors of polarizing drama breaking out ran rampant during Club Rush, Wong said that was an exaggeration.

“People thought we were trying to one-up each other, but we really weren’t,” Wong said.

“We were waving a flag to demonstrate our pride for our club.”

Some critics say the hyper-sensitivity of the current political environment is actually silencing students instead of engaging them.

“I feel like there are so many kids on our campus who are disinclined to discuss politics because of the drama they’re afraid of causing, to the point of acting against their own self interest,” said Rathip Rajakumar, a politically active senior. “You shouldn’t have to be afraid of your own political opinions, and we shouldn’t be morally accepting of political ignorance.”

Gazette illustration/KATE FERNANDEZ

Gas prices on the rise

Students and parents in and around the community find ways to save money after fuel costs increase dramatically

BY DREW MCKOWN

dmckown.gazette@gmail.com

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as prices have risen dramatically over the last four decades, and so the recent spike in prices isn’t necessarily surprising – but it’s still painful to student pocketbooks.

Just 40 years ago, gas was 36 cents per gallon. Now, prices have crept over $4 per gallon – a 1,000 percent increase.

The recent price increases have been attributed to the drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities. The U.S. gets a great deal of its oil from Saudi Arabia, so when the attack hit, gas prices were impacted greatly.

The west coast is especially getting

hit hard with this increase in prices because it imports the most oil from Saudi Arabia.

A lot of drivers, including Granite Bay High School students, are concerned about how much they are currently having to pay for gas.

“I have to pay for my own gas, and my Jeep uses so much gas, it is so expensive already,” senior Cole Phillips said. “It basically uses all of my money and then I do not have a (lot) of money (left) for anything else.”

The rise in gas prices has also affected how often people drive and how far they are willing to drive, knowing that they will be paying a large amount for their gas.

“I try to carpool a lot more now because (my friends and I) are all trying to save as much gas as possible,” Phillips said. “But at the end of the day, I

need to get where I need to go.”

Even people outside of Granite Bay have trouble with the thought of paying an extensive amount of money for their gas.

Gazette photo /SHREYA DODBALLAPUR “It makes me more aware of where The Safeway gas station’s prices are listed, and much higher than usual.

I am driving, and if I really need to drive there because of how high the to October. she has to go to the gas pump, too. gas prices are,” said Kylee Cardoza, a The state average gas price in Cali“I have to drive 30 miles each way senior at Sacramento State University. fornia jumped to $4.10 per gallon in to work, which I have definitely seen For people who need to drive long the past two weeks. has taken an impact in my bringdistances just to get to work, their This rise in gas prices has definitely home pay,” Cardoza said. long commute contributes to an even impacted a lot of people, not just in Some people have adapted to the more extensive amount of spending Granite Bay, but all across California. rise in prices by using different strateon gas.

Many are hoping this is a short term gies to try to save money on gas.

“Gas prices are hard because I have issue and that prices will go back “Every week I make sure that I to drive so far to work,” GBHS parent down again quickly. stop at Safeway because I can use my Tamara Oliveira said. “Then I hit “Gas was cheap when I first started points,” Oliveira said. “Sometimes I traffic in the morning and afternoon, driving,” Oliveira said. “It was only can get up to 80 cents off per gallon.” it can easily be a 30-45 minute drive 86 cents per gallon. And now I am Oliveira’s expense report for gas has to work.” spending about $73 a tank.” noticeably gotten higher from August Cardoza’s commute is painful when

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Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Students consider health of school’s hot lunches

District’s food service director notes benefits of campus menu

Gazette photo /ASHLEY YUNG

GBHS provides various sorts of “hot lunches”, including pizza from Papa Murphy’s, cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, chicken tenders and tacos.

BY JUSTIN HA

jha.gazette@gmail.com

I

n previous years the school lunch crisis was on the minds of many Americans, but as the news cycle devoured the topic in its insatiable need for fresh content, the attention to the subject faded.

But with the cameras off and eyes

on other issues, it feels like students are becoming complicit with what they eat.

There are half a dozen options for students at GBHS, and they vary in terms of their health qualities.

In terms of calories, the GBHS menu is relatively healthy with only a few small outliers, but there is a difference between calories and content.

The Roseville Joint Union High

School District website for nutrition services states that half of a student’s plate should be fruits or vegetables, but if students buy something like the PB&J sandwich, they get the sandwich with a cookie, chips and an apple.

The fruit portion of the meal makes up only one fourth of the food and is the smallest item of the quartet.

“They don’t really offer that many healthy foods,” freshman Robert Cantimir said. “I guess they are legally obliged to give you a handful of lettuce.”

According to Jay Brown, the district’s director of food services, all meals served at GBHS are nutritious.

“Our menu items meet or exceed all state and federal guidelines for student nutrition,” Brown said.

Another question when it comes to GBHS meal options, beyond nutrition, is how satisfying the food choices are. Most GBHS students are reasonably satisfied with their choices.

“Out of 10, the food here is a 6.5,” Cantimir said.

Brown said the district’s food services staff provides what it believes

will satisfy the majority of people.

“We use a combination of student and staff input, state and federal recommendations, as well as utilizing a trading area profile analysis,” Brown said.

This approach has left the student body generally satisfied “The food here is actually really decent,” freshman Eddie Sheehy said.

“The stereotype of school food is that it doesn’t really taste good and is poor quality, but it’s actually decent.”

The stereotype about school lunches is that they’re both less than tasty and unhealthy. But contrary to public opinion, there seems to be no great conspiracy surrounding the cafeteria.

Brown said leftovers are never reused and all waste is recycled in a clean and safe manner Students at GBHS will not be eating week-old chicken sandwiches or moldy pizza as the safety of the meals is very important to the district.

“We receive deliveries frequently throughout the week to ensure freshness,” Brown said.

Because there are no immediate problems with the menu at GBHS,

students who don’t like the school lunch menu will need to take matters into their own hands.

Although food delivery apps like DoorDash have been considered by some students, administrators said they will not be allowed to deliver food to students.

“DoorDash, workers have not been cleared so they can’t be on campus, and we don’t have the personnel to hold onto and/or deliver the food ourselves,” principal Jennifer Leighton said. “Secondly, we can’t control the quality of food that is delivered and don’t know if it’s been at the proper temperature to avoid food-borne pathogens.”

If students want to change the food options at GBHS, there is a possibility of there being collaboration.

“I am open to any suggestions providing students will purchase it, we can afford to offer it, and it adheres to all state and federal guidelines,” Brown said.

There is a lot of thought put into what gets on the menu, but if students want something new on their plates they will have to fight for it.

Should school’s master key system change after misconduct?

Students can gain secret access into campus classrooms

in high school, so I went with them. We were all in all black and unlocked the door and (went) in. I was the lookout (while they) eford.gazette@gmail.com ran in (and) took pictures of (the midterm).

“The key got stuck in the door when they were trying to leave, lock and a key. and the janitor was a couple classrooms down. Everyone was panThe safety and security provided by these modern-day icking, and it genuinely felt like ‘Mission Impossible.’” essentials often lead people to trust that whatever they leave Scott Becker, the teacher whose classroom was infiltrated by behind that lock will remain undisturbed until they return with students without permission, is disheartened by the dishonesty of the corresponding key. recent students.

Every now and then, however, someone will find a way around “My paranoia was already pretty high because of another kid that lock. who had (previously) broken into my room,” Becker said. “It was Granite Bay High School is no stranger to the extremes some just a reminder to me that I have to keep everything under lock students take to achieve a “perfect” transcript. From sharing and key, even in the classroom. It’s a little disappointing because I answers to taking pictures of tests to copying work, students have find myself distrustful of all my students now, not knowing which devised strategies to achieve the best possible score with the least ones would do it and which ones wouldn’t.” possible amount of work.

On the other hand, assistant principal Jessup For some particularly cunning students, this McGregor is skeptical of the accuracy of the includes working around the lock to gain access student story. to classrooms and exams. A GBHS graduate, “There are always rumors, you know, like who asked to remain anonymous, said he had a It’s a little disappointing legends,” McGregor said. “I don’t want to overmaster key last year and used it to enter at least react to those kind of (stories), but at the same one teacher’s classroom, where he photographed because I find myself distime, it (made me think that) maybe it’s time to an exam. redo and upgrade our locks.” trustful of all my students The master key at GBHS opens almost any However, Becker is fairly certain of the plausidoor on campus. now, not knowing which bility of the claim.

Theoretically, master keys are only in the “I decided after a week or so of not hearing possession of administrators, a few teachers and ones would do it and which anybody talking about it, that I needed to at maintenance staff. least let people know,” Becker said. “I know it’s According to the student who graduated last ones wouldn’t. not a fabrication because the lock on (my) door year, the master key has been passed down from – Scott Becker, has been jacked up for years. ... I’m used to it graduating students to incoming seniors for … but I’ve seen admin and all kinds of people GBHS AP Calculus teacher three years. For the student who graduated last unlock my door and then not be able to get year, access to this key meant he was able to their key out of the lock. That’s not something help a friend avoid studying for an Advanced you could just make up. You wouldn’t know Placement Calculus midterm. that unless you had actually stuck a key in my lock and not been “(The Wednesday) before midterms my friends hit me up,” the able to get it out.” student said. “Somehow one of them got a master key to the As a result of the insecurity of the locks, both McGregor and school – they got it from a janitor who dropped it or something Becker note that the next best course of action is to re-key the like that. It has been passed down the past couple years. Whoever school with Videx keys. has it passes it down to a student from next year and on and on Videx keys are electronic keys that are only able to open locks and on. for which they are programmed. When a Videx key is used, infor“(My friends) said (they) saw where (their calculus teacher) mation such as the time, location and key owner is uploaded to a keeps the tests, (and) it just sounded like a cool memory to have database, increasing accountability and security.

BY EMERSON FORD

A

Gazette illustration/SOPHIE CRISCIONE

Compromised Videx keys can have their unlocking capabilities revoked, meaning any lost keys can be reprogrammed and made null.

However, there are some drawbacks to installing Videx locks and keys. The cost to rekey the entire school with Videx would be significantly greater than with a standard lock and key.

Also, if the keys malfunction and are unable to open a certain door, teachers could be locked out of their own classrooms.

Whether the keys change or not, students should be reminded that cheating at this scale is not worth the risk.

“There’s very real consequences if caught,” McGregor said. “It’s not worth sacrificing your future over a grade, because you’re going to fail (academically) at some point. It might as well be today and then move on from that.”

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Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

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Page 10

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

App Keeps Track New application leaves some teens feeling a sense of parental distrust and invasion of privacy

BY KATE FERNANDEZ

kfernandez.gazette@gmail.com

In 2008, the tracking app Life360 was released, and it has recently grown immensely in popularity.

Founded by Chris Hulls and Alex Haro, the app allows those who have downloaded it to share their location with others in their “circle,” and even alerts participants when other members of the circle leave or enter certain areas.

These circles can consist of friends, but are mainly utilized by families – specifically, by parents and their children. An increasing number of parents have been downloading the app with the intention of being able to see their child’s whereabouts at all times, and Granite Bay High families have not been exempt from this trend.

One result is that a popular narrative has developed on social media apps like Tik Tok, where Life360 is associated with strict and controlling parents who don’t trust their children.

However, many parents who download this app do claim a fairly valid reason for doing so.

Gisele DeWitt, a GBHS junior, has the Life360 app installed on her phone, and she said her parents’ reasoning for implementing the tracking app on her phone was “to check where my siblings are when they walk home from school,” she said.

While DeWitt said she is comfortable with the installation

of the app, she understands that some might consider the Life360 app an overbearing burden parents are placing on their children.

“I believe that it (can be) an invasion of privacy because it’s stressful to know that you can be tracked constantly,” DeWitt said.

Emily Belgarde, a mental health associate in the campus Wellness Center, also understands these feelings some students have of being suffocated.

“I think it comes from a good place,” Belgarde said. “They just want to make sure their kids are OK and safe.

“I definitely understand why they feel that way, it’s a really valid concern, especially because this whole time period ... you’re really trying to develop your own autonomy. ... To have some track you or feel that lack of trust can be really difficult.”

Belgarde said that instead of using tracking apps like Life360, which can cause tension between parents and their children, having a valid conversation could be a better solution.

“What my concern is that what a lot of technology and social media does is that it causes that disconnection, instead of (sitting) down and talk(ing) about plans for the weekend,” Belgarde said.

By using tracking apps, parents can cause a rift if they don’t properly convey that they trust their children.

However, this issue is not solely based on the parents’ ac-

tions, it is also up to the children using the app to demonstrate that they are deserving of their parents’ trust.

Makayla Larkin, a senior who also has Life360 on her phone, said she understands her parents’ impulses.

“I feel like my parents should know where I am in the sense that they’re responsible for me,” she said. “I think depending how strict they are, they aren’t too controlling.”

Dewitt said something similar, noting that she didn’t feel violated by the installation of the app because “I don’t sneak out or any of that stuff.”

However, whether the students who are being tracked are sneaking out or not, the message the parents send by installing the app on their child’s phone can be detrimental to the parent-child relationship.

During high school, teenagers are developing their sense of self and are trying to prove they are ready to enter the world as adults. In turn, the parents also play a role in this process, and installing a tracking app might not be the best way to feed this growth.

“One option would be to gradually reduce the level of tracking over time,” Belgarde said, “so that by the time they’re ready to go off on their own, that independence has been achieved.”

Gazette photo /MAYA SNOW

Features

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Page 11

Granite Bay High’s golf cart guy Despite a negative bias as GBHS ‘bad guy,’ campus monitor deeply cares for students

BY ETHAN CASE

ecase.gazette@gmail.com

J

ason Ott – “The dude on the golf cart” is what senior Derek Wong knows him as – has

an essential role on the Granite Bay High campus in ensuring the school’s safety.

His specific job title is campus monitor, but he has a long list of duties.

Ott makes sure all all the gates in our school are locked while school is in session, and when it’s time to leave he unlocks them all. He also ensures the safety of the students of GBHS and delivers passes to GBHS students.

And, he monitors – he keeps a close eye on what’s happening on campus.

To many GBHS students, like Wong, he’s simply ‘The guy on the golf cart’ who busts all the students for doing bad things. But Ott said it’s actually quite the opposite – “the students that know me, know I’m here to help them out and keep everyone safe,” Ott said.

There are students who are critics – they don’t know what he does, or how he helps students. But they haven’t really given him a chance by meeting him.

“I just gotta do my job,” Ott said.

The perception that most students have of him doesn’t affect his work. He has “nothing to gain from busting kids,” he said. He just has to do his job even if that means getting students in trouble – because his focus is on the overall safety of all students.

“If a student actually wants to get to know me then they would know I’m here for them and not just to bust them,” Ott said. “I want to help as many kids as I can, not just get them in trouble.”

Ott, not unlike many teachers and other staff members on campus, gets a bad rap from students because part of his job is to enforce the rules and regulations the school has to keep the student and staff safe.

Ott just wants to do his job to the best of his abilities. A majority of the time, he is wrongly stereotyped being mean and rude to students because of his job – when in reality his job makes him have to “bust kids” even if he doesn’t want to.

“The students’ opinion of me doesn’t affect my work, but if they got to know me, then they’d probably find out I’m a nice guy,” Ott said.

Unfortunately, most students do not try to get to know Ott, which adds to the misperceptions about who he is and what he does.

For students who do know Ott, they understand that he is simply “keeping the school safe and wants the best for each and every kid,” he said.

Derek Wong, Senior, said “I barely know Jason at all, I see him riding the golf cart around and that’s about it. I’ve never had a conversation with him.”

On the other hand Ean Mayhew, Senior, said “I don’t personally know Jason or know anything about him, I’ve heard some goof things about him.” Further showing how if student knew Ott better

Jason Ott campus monitor poses next to the infamous golf cart

Gazette photo /ETHAN CASE

he wouldn’t be streotyped as a bad or mean guy.

Ott also has two children of his own on campus, so his focus on safety makes a lot of sense because he would want not only his own children to be well protected, but by doing that, everyone is protected as if they’re Ott’s children.

Which means Ott is, in some ways, every GBHS student’s second father.

“I really care about each and every student at the school and want nothing but the best for each and every student on campus,” Ott said.

So the next time you’re walking around on campus and you see Ott, maybe get to know him as a cool dude on campus who cares about the students and not just “the dude on the golf cart.”

Multi-lingual students on campus A number of teens who attend Granite Bay High speak multiple languages

BY SHREYA DODBALLAPUR

sdodballapur.gazette@gmail.com

T

he ability to speak multiple languages can create connections that would otherwise not be possible.

While learning a second language creates brain connections that a monolingual person does not have, being bilingual also gives people access to communicating with a larger number of people.

Senior Shereen Golkar began learning Farsi and English at the same time and is now fluent in both, opening up her world to people who speak either language.

“Being bilingual has benefited me by exposing me to different cultures and making me into a more open-minded person,” Golkar said. “I feel like I am able to connect with others who speak the language, even when I don’t know them.”

The connections made through language can help break down barriers. For example, senior Ali Hashim has been able to use his

Arabic and English skills to help people at his mosque.

“During the summer, I volunteered at my mosque and helped families with translations,” Hashim said. “I was able to help kids who are refugees who only speak Arabic in a way that people who only speak English can’t.”

At a volunteer program at the University of California at Davis, junior Nariaki Fujita also used his bilingual abilities in Japanese and English to help people.

“Some visiting students who came from Japan all knew conversational English, but their skills varied and sometimes they couldn’t figure out the words to say so I could translate some words for them,” Fujita said. “Also, there were a few times that there was a cultural disconnection-type thing, so it helped to be able to understand both sides and explain to the Americans that the international students normally went to school on Saturdays or stuff like that.”

Fujita is also able to use his Japanese to help his friends with more day-to-day translations.

“Sometimes, people want me to translate phrases they hear in anime for them and little things like that or explain anime stuff to them,” Fujita said.

Senior Marian Beltran-Gonzalez also finds her bilingual skills to be useful, as it creates stronger connections within her family as well as with other Spanish speakers.

“I can make connections that may otherwise go unnoticed,” Beltran-Gonzalez said. “One time at the (Department of Motor Vehicles), a lady was having trouble understanding what they were saying to her, so I translated for her.”

Beltran-Gonzalez’s ability to speak both English and Spanish fluently makes it easier for her to learn a third language – French.

“More often than not, (learning the language) allows me to learn the cultures associated with the language, which broadens my understanding of the world and the people in it,” Beltran-Gonzalez said.

Knowing several languages can be incredibly helpful, but it can also be overwhelming sometimes.

“When I would be in Spanish class at school and would often times begin speaking in Farsi instead of Spanish just because I would get them mixed up,” Golkar said. “It’s hard to turn each language on and off since they are all in the same part of my brain.”

Despite the occasional confusing moments, bilingual people appreciate the day-to- day connections they are able to make because of language.

“One time at SunSplash, this family asked me to take a picture of them and I picked up immediately that they spoke Arabic,” Hashim said. “I responded ‘Yeah sure’ in English but I counted ‘one, two, three’ in Arabic and their faces all dropped. It was so funny.”

Short and simple moments reveal how speaking several languages can create sweet connections even between strangers.

“I definitely think that when you do speak another language it can make you a better communicator,” Golkar said. “This can benefit the people around you and make both you and the world more open minded.”

Gazette illustration/DYLAN ROWE

T

Features

Page 12

Got Addiction?

hieving eens

GBHS locker room holds home to numerous scandals concerning stolen items

BY JULIETTA GOLOVEY

jgoloveygazette@gmail.com

G

ranite Bay High thefts have been a common occurrence in the physical education locker rooms.

But it’s not only theft, it’s students messing with locks, switching them up and taking belongings and putting them in other lockers.

Theft isn’t a regular occurrence, but it does happen.

“It’s not really an ongoing thing,” P.E. teacher Pat Esposito said. “It’s more like in waves a lot of times.”

Because the locker rooms can’t have camera monitoring, it gives mischievous students a chance to go through all the open lockers and property that is left unlocked and this is sort of like a safe spot for them even though they can see the time frame which kids walk in and out of the locker room so there not quite off the hook nor should they be.

“A lot of times kids are careless with their stuff, leaving their backpacks on the floor, don’t lock their lockers or they lose their lock and don’t bother to get another one,” Esposito said.

Esposito said there are ways to make sure students don’t get their property stolen.

“One, make sure you lock up your stuff, don’t leave anything valuable out,” Esposito said. “And two, don’t let anybody know you have anything valuable in your backpack.”

The most common things stolen from the locker rooms are “headphones, airpods, that sort of thing, or phones,” assistant principal Jessup McGregor said. “People are complaining more about expensive stuff like Beats or airpods.

Some students leave things out or leave their lockers unlocked, which is an invitation to have stuff stolen.

“I don’t lock my locker because then when I come back, it’s faster to change and leave rather than spending an extra second trying to open it,” sophomore Alyssa Lee said. “And sometimes it takes longer because like I’m in a rush, so I mess up and have to go back and redo it, so it’s just faster to leave the locker unlocked.”

Because of the lack of cameras, unlocked lockers are an inviting target for thieves so if kids where to just lock up their stuff they can avoid it being stolen.

“It’s easy to steal stuff when stuff is lying around,” Esposito said.

Esposito said it’s the responsibility of students to put their belongings away and lock them up.

Campus resource officer Shon Schoer said the frequency of thefts has been increasing in the locker rooms at GBHS. “It varies as far as how often, but it has happened frequently probably over the course of a month or so,” Schoer said.

Even though there aren’t any cameras within the lockers there are still cameras just outside, and when a theft is reported to the office, Schoer checks the camera footage to see if there are any obvious suspects.

“Last year there were a couple of people caught taking something,” Schoer said. “But this year there has not been (anyone caught) so far.”

So there are students who get caught and don’t just get away with it. however if students were to use a lock and put everything away like there suppose to this all can easily be avoided, no stolen items report would have to be submitted and belongings wouldn’t have been taken.

It is up to the students to make sure their belongingsis secure, of course if there is any lead on to as to who has taken the items or if there is anyway the office could help out they will they just want students to be more careful and secure their things.

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Young adults have excessive negative habits concerning their electronics

Gazette illustration/DYLAN ROWE

BY ALEXIS CRAIG

A

acraig.gazette@gmail.com

they could be having time to talk to each other,” Gross said.

The effects of technology on teenagers include the decrease of face-to-face conversations which are important and often neglected by teens.

“I think it is a huge problem because people need to interact face to face … it is not the same when you are on your phone talking to people,” Woodford said.

Gross even connected the recent PG&E power outage events in the local area to technology obsession.

The community, students included, were found unnerved when their power was shut off for those few days.

“We are definitely dependent on technology,” Gross said. “(W)hen the power goes out and we don’t have the option of phones, it makes it a lot more difficult to go about our daily lives.”

When lights were shut off, phones could not be charged and TVs would not turn on, many people became a little more aware of how much of their lives were actually dependent on technology.

“People can’t live without their phones,” Woodford said.

How might students separate themselves from the cell phones they are so connected to?

Gross recommends setting time limits to pace yourself on the amount of time you spend on your phone each day.

More specifically, Woodford encourages simply setting the phone out of the picture, no longer making it an issue.

“When you are with your friends, you don’t need your phone,” Woodford said. “You can leave it aside or leave it at home. You don’t need to take it everywhere.”

s children, many found something to cling onto when they were scared, hurt or lonely. Some had a teddy bear, others a doll.

It was that tool that stayed with them through their first steps, their first day of preschool and many other of the momentous events of their childhood.

When sad, angry or in need of a simple friend, the child would clutch their item close, as if the mere presence of their keepsake might solve all of their problems.

This counterfeit way of coping is not only embraced by children. Many adults and teenagers also find something to be their “teddy bear.”

For most people, there is a recurring tendency to find something to cover up the unbearable emotional strain they often fill themselves with.

There is a need to find something to make all of their problems magically go away.

For many teenagers these days, that apparatus tends to be their phone. They resort to their phones in times of loneliness, boredom and sadness.

Many young adults and teenagers keep their phones near them at most hours of the day, inseparable from their beloved devices.

“It is kind of addicting,” said Sarah Gross, a sophomore at Granite Bay High.

Most teens spend an average of six to eight hours on their phones per day.

“It is a very large (amount of time) for kids to be using their phones on a daily (basis),” freshman Sydney Woodford said. “It is an overuse. People should not be using their phones that often.”

The most common thing that teens do on their phones is scroll through social media.

Keeping up with others and their lives through technology is how many find peace and satisfaction in their generally stressful lives.

“You get to see part of what other people’s lives are like,” Gross said. Electronics Many people these days spend hours and hours on including phones their devices, exploring new styles and trends. provide an outlet for “It is an easy form of entertainment that people are unhealthy addiction using to interact with others,” Woodford said. amongst teens Phones are used among teens as distractions. They are commonly used to cover up emotions.

Woodford said she goes to her phone for comfort in times of boredom.

Gross said she looks to her phone “when (she) is bored or when somebody sends (her) a message.”

Despite their addiction to phones, teens themselves are not all to blame.

“I feel like a lot of things are dependent on technology,” Woodford said. “ In classes, we are using our computers a lot.”

Many GBHS classes have switched to computerbased curriculum.

The homework, classwork and projects done in class are becoming more dependent on a computer or other device.

Procrastination can also be a downfall, as students will spend hours on their devices as opposed to doing their homework.

Schools bear some of the blame for students’ dependence on their phones because of the way technology has overrun classrooms.

Woodford said people use technology to withstand their day-to-day issues when in reality, their problems only increase.

“A lot of students are often using their phones when

Gazette photo /DYLAN ROWE

Features

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

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

Bugs can be food

Entomophagy increases its popularity within the GBHS bubble

BY SIMI SINGH

E

kaiya gunther “If you really knew me you’d know I love art and design.”

sriyanka mandava

ssingh.gazette@gmail.com

ver eaten an ant? A cricket? A spider?

Well, it turns out, many bugs are actually a delicacy in different cuisines. People enjoy bugs all around the world, the kind of bugs most people would be too scared to crush if they found it in their backyard.

“I’m not super afraid of bugs,” said Julia Santos, a freshman at Granite Bay High. “I don’t mind them, but if there is one on me, I’m going to scream. I have not eaten a bug.

I would just for the experience, but I wouldn’t do it again.”

That’s right. Entomophagy is the practice of eating bugs.

It’s actually quite common.

In places like Central and South America, Australia, Asia, Africa and New Zealand, they eat 1,000 to 2,000 different species of bugs.

“I would eat bugs, but not alone,” Santos said. “I would want to have it with something. If there (were) bugs in a dish and (I wasn’t told) until after I ate it, I don’t think I would care.”

Chapulines are roasted grasshoppers, usually seasoned with chile powder and lime juice. They’re a sustainable source of protein, and their size makes them good for snacking. They’re also low in sugar and fat, so they’re one of the more healthy options.

They’ve been described to have a mild

smoky shrimp taste, or a taste similar to salt and vinegar potato chips.

Freshman Sydney Roberts said she isn’t afraid of bugs, and she’s never tried them.

She said she would try the Chapulines, if she was offered one.

Escamoles are more for meals, rather than as a snack. Escamoles are larvae and pupae of ants, usually pan fried in butter.

It can be eaten alone like rice or orzo, but they are often also fried with onion and chili, wrapped in corn

Gazette illustration/DYLAN ROWE

tortillas and served in tacos. They taste similar to pine nuts or corn kernels.

“Escamoles looks like a quinoa bowl, I would try those even if I had a choice.” science teacher Damien Lawrence said.

In Cambodia, fried spiders are actually common street food. Typically tarantulas, which have been described as tasting like a cross between chicken and cod and are usually deep fried in oil and rolled in garlic or sugar.

Teachers on campus disapprove of popular language application

BY GABBY MATHIS

gmathis.gazette@gmail.com

“If you really knew me you’d know I love hanging out with my family.”

peter gand “If you really knew me you’d know I like cartoons.”

Compiled by: Sarah Rietz

In China and Thailand, chocolate covered insects (typically ants) are also a delicacy. Most describe them as tasting like chocolate-covered popcorn.

“The chocolate-covered ants are probably the only thing I would try, maybe the chapulines,” Santos said. “(I would eat the) chocolate-covered ants, because ants are pretty small,” Roberts said.

In Zimbabwe, mopane worm (skin or whole) are a common snack in the cities.

They’re prepared in a variety of different ways including being pickled, dried, smoked and/or fried.

They can be seasoned with garlic or barbeque salt.

They taste similar to beef jerky or steak. “(I’ve enjoyed bugs) many times,” Lawrence said. “My favorite was fried grasshoppers with garlic and butter.

I have lived my life with the philosophy that I will try anything once. Food is an adventure in itself. Do not be a coward.

Get outside of your comfort zone and try new things.”

While bugs might be terrifying, gross creepy crawlies, they don’t taste half bad. So get out there and eat a spider.

Does Google translate?

“If you really knew me you’d know I enjoy speech and debate.”

colin brown

Page 13

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aunched in April of 2006, Google Translate became a free platform that’s main purpose was to be an automatic language translation machine.

According to K-International, Google Translate is available in 104 languages, has more than 500 million users and translates more than 100 billion words per day.

At Granite Bay High, most students in language classes use Google Translate as a platform to help out with homework or maybe to translate a word or two here and there. But, lately, many freshmen are taking advantage of this platform by using Google Translate to do all of their world language homework and even translating paragraphs.

Freshman Taylor Flynn is currently in Spanish 1. Being introduced to a whole new language, she said, was difficult at first so that’s where Google Translate came in.

“My teacher tells me not to use it mostly because it gives you the wrong conjugations and gender forms,” Taylor said. “I use Google Translate to check my work and look up words I don’t know very well.”

According to Grant Adams, who teaches Spanish, one of the most problematic issues with Google translate is it sometimes provides inaccurate translations. Adams said that, depending on the class level, he allows his students to use Google Translate.

“Spanish 1, 2, and even 3, there really is no need for Google Translate at all,” Adams said. “My higher-level classes, I’ll let them translate single, individual words, not entire sentences.”

Adams added: “Words, it’s like a dictionary. I could look up ‘book’ and find ‘libro,’ but if they look up an entire sentence, it will translate back something that might be awkward and inaccurate. Plus, (students) might not even know what it means and just use the word they were given assuming it’s correct.”

Many teachers don’t like their students using Google Translate and some even forbid it, but regardless of what their teachers say, some

Gazette illustration/DYLAN ROWE

students are using it anyway.

Freshman Blake Chandler uses Google Translate daily.

“I use Google Translate when I don’t know what a question is asking or what a word means,” Chandler said.

He said overall, he thinks Google Translate has had a positive impact on his grades because he would rather get a little help with something he doesn’t quite understand than just fill in a random answer.

Like Chandler, freshman Shahad Hammed uses Google Translate almost every day for her Spanish 1 class.

“My teacher probably doesn’t want me using Google Translate because then everyone could just use Google Translate to do their homework instead of actually learning the translations,” Hammed said.

In 2016, Google Translate launched an update that was supposed to use Deep Learning Techniques to translate whole sentences. The new update used a system called Neural Machine Translation.

Although this new update was supposed to create correct translations for its users, teachers still find incorrect sentences and phrases.

“If someone uses Google Translate, I can spot it from a mile away, it’s so easy,” Adams said. “You can tell because most of the time words won’t be properly conjugated or don’t mean what the student was intending to say.”

Although Google Translate is overused by many freshmen in their language classes, especially Spanish, Flynn said she thinks there are some benefits.

“Hopefully like me, (my peers) are understanding the material they are learning, and when they do use Google Translate, it goes through their brain,” Flynn said, “before it goes onto their paper.”

Lifestyle

Page 14

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

GBHS speech and debate team kicks off successful year With another batch of top students, awardwinning program leads its 17-school league

BY MAREESA ISLAM

G

mislam.gazette@gmail.com

ranite Bay High School’s speech and debate program has made many notable successes as its competition season sparks into action.

The team consists of an array of exceptional students, many of whom joined the program in search of different qualities.

“When I was younger, I was a really shy person and I found it really hard to share my ideas,” said sophomore Shreya Nagunuri, a member of the team. “My parents decided to enroll me in (the speech and debate program) and I have continued ever since.”

For other members, including sophomore Suraj Parikh, this stellar program has proven to be a useful source of political topics many students find important on campus.

“I’m … interested in political issues, and speech and debate was the best way to learn about … and discuss them,” Parikh said.

Speech and debate consists of a total of 16 events: 12 speech events and four debate events, ranging from informative to dramatic styles of speech and debate.

One event that requires quick thinking is called parliamentary debate, a style of debate in which the topic is given to students 20 minutes before the competition begins.

Extemporaneous speaking, a speech event in which the topic is given to students 30 minutes before a seven-minute speech, reiterates this quick thinking that speech and debate helps students develop.

“Parliamentary debate and extemporaneous speaking are definitely my favorite events because you have to think on your feet and you learn a lot,” Parikh said.

Robert Prichard, the adviser of the speech and debate program at GBHS, said the number of categories means there is something for everyone.

“There really is a debate event for anyone who wants to give it a try,” Prichard said.

The speech and debate program also pro-

vides students with important skills that are helpful throughout their entire lives.

Ishna Pandey, a captain of the speech and debate team, described the impact her participation has had on her overall awareness of society and her ability to communicate with others.

“Speech makes you more persuasive and eloquent at conveying important information, while debate helps you become more spontaneous by thinking on your feet,” Pandey said. “Debate also (helps) me develop viewpoints on important matters, and it makes students more informed citizens.”

As this year’s competition season begins, the speech and debate team has already made a mark.

“We are the leading chapter in the league this year, (having) the highest recorded strength of all 17 schools in the league,” Pandey said.

In the team there are also state finalists and students holding undefeated victories.

“Last year, my partner and I were able to go to the state competition,” Nagunuri said.

“I was also able to compete at nationals with some members of the team.”

This year seems to be no different than the success of last year’s competition season.

“More than half of our students had a win loss record of 3-1 or better at our first debate competition at Ponderosa High School,” Prichard said. “By any measure, GBHS has the strongest team in the league.”

With their success, the speech and debate program will receive another notable award. “(The program) will be awarded the leading chapter award at the close of this year for gaining more awards than any other team over a three-year period,” Prichard added.

Apart from the team’s recent successes, the program acts as a creative outlet and safe space for many students on campus.

“We work together as a team on research,” Pandey said. “And even though people compete individually, we support each other.”

Gazette illustration /SHREYA DODBALLAPUR

Seal of biliteracy marks profiency in foreign language

GBHS students receive certification after four years

BY SOPHIA HARIMOTO

L

sharimoto.gazette@gmail.com

anguage is the basis of communication.

Understanding multiple languages allows for a greater competitive edge when applying for college and job positions.

At Granite Bay High, students are required to take a minimum of two years of a foreign language in order to meet the graduation requirement.

However, those who wish to advance their studies can choose to test for the seal of biliteracy after completing at least four years of that same language.

According to Grant Adams, a Spanish teacher at GBHS, 95-100 percent of students who take four years of Spanish achieve the seal of biliteracy each school year. “(In order to obtain the seal of biliteracy), students must complete four levels of a foreign language and demonstrate proficiency in (the) language via an interpersonal speaking prompt,” Adams said.

However, does the seal of biliteracy truly certify a student as bilingual?

Irini Alexandrou-Barcelo, a junior at GBHS, grew up in a Spanish-speaking household and lived in Mexico for more than a year where she was completely immersed in the culture.

“My mom has been talking to (me and my siblings) in Spanish since we were babies,” Alexandrou-Barcelo said. “However, the language definitely developed more while we were in Mexico.”

Even with a strong Spanish-speaking background, Alexandrou-Barcelo still tested for the Q: What is the best part about your job?

Special to the Gazette/ROBERT PRICHARD

Speech and debate students gather after competing at Ponderosa High School.

A: The best part about my job is making connections with students. I love hearing about their lives, all of the exciting things that come with being a high school student and I also love being able to support and give advice to students who need it. I love showing up each day and seeing the students that make my “job” something I want to do each day.

seal of biliteracy after completing four levels of Spanish. To her, the seal of biliteracy accurately tests the ability of students.

“I think the seal of biliteracy tests a certain level of understanding and fluency of (a) language,” said Alexandrou-Barcelo. “But, I wouldn’t say that … you would be able to completely survive in a (foreign) country only speaking that language. I feel like you’re only taught (up to) a certain level of Spanish (in high school) that you might be able to hold a conversation, but … you might have a hard time understanding everything that’s going on.”

Although Alexandrou-Barcelo already considers herself bilingual, she says she still has a lot to learn in order to further advance her vocabulary and skill set.

Junior Nariaki Fujita agreed that the seal of biliteracy does not truly qualify students as bilingual because the test is very formulaic.

“As long as you checked all the boxes, you can still get your biliteracy seal … without actually fully understanding what you are doing,” said Fujita. “If students with the seal of biliteracy don’t practice (the language), they will lose it ultimately.”

The term “bilingual” refers to the ability to speak two languages fluently. However, Adams said the definition is subjective as to what “fluent” truly means.

“I would say (that) by receiving the Seal of Biliteracy, (it) definitely shows proficiency in the target language,” Adams said. “Which is the goal when taking four straight semesters of one language.”

FACULTY focus Meghan Haflich

Compiled by Alexis Craig

Lifestyle

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Page 15

Grizzly pride cards given to students who work to improve campus culture

Administrators hand out small rewards to those who do good deeds at Granite Bay High School

BY ETHAN CASE

G

ecase.gazette@gmail.com

rizzly Pride cards are often handed out by teachers, staff members and administrators to students who are seen doing good around the Granite Bay High campus.

For example, picking up a piece of trash or helping out a teacher or student would all earn a Pride card. Pride cards are for anyone who does small things that make the GBHS campus a better place.

However, some students and teachers are worried that some teachers excessively hand these cards out. A handful of teachers hand them out for small things, such as dressing up for spirit days, getting an A on a test or even answering a question correctly in a class activity.

Some students said they feel like teachers hand them out the way Oprah hands out cars.

“I feel as if it’s not fair because there is not really an opportunity for students to receive them if the teachers they have don’t hand them out,” senior Ean Mayhew said. “Is it fair to the

students who have a teacher that doesn’t hand out the cards?”

Understandably, Mayhew wants every student to have the same fair, equal opportunity to receive Pride cards.

The unfairness comes when students start cashing in the cards.

Because students can “buy” GBHS merchandise with enough Pride cards, if one student really wants socks but their teachers never hand out the cards, they won’t be able to get the socks using cards.

Instead, they’ll have to pay real U.S. dollars, while students who get cards almost every day will be able to get those socks for free.

Senior Dillon Hamilton agreed that there

is unfairness in the Pride card system. “(Pride cards) are a disadvantage that should be avoided, as there are enough struggles in life and teachers having favorites in the classroom is one of those problems that should be avoided,” Hamilton said.

“Unfortunately, like all things, life is unfair and with some hard work in the classroom, they can still receive them.”

Similar to Mayhew, Hamilton feels frustrated about the inequality in handing out the Pride cards to every student.

Government teacher Marcus Stevens doesn’t really see the point in Pride cards.

“I don’t really think about handing them out to my students,” Stevens said. “I kinda forgot about them.”

Some teachers hand out the cards like candy while others never hand them out.

Because several teachers share the same stance as Stevens that Pride cards are irrelevant and don’t hand them out, some students said there should be other ways to be recognized.

“The teachers that hand them out regularly give their students a far better chance to have their card drawn because they receive them more frequently,” Mayhew said.

It’s far more difficult for a student to receive these cards if they don’t have a teacher who hand them out regularly because people around campus don’t do good deeds to get the cards.

Most of the time, student deeds go unnoticed throughout campus. However, many of them aren’t doing it for the cards – they just want to be decent people.

All in all, Grizzly Pride cards are becoming less wanted by students, but students at GBHS still continue to be good without external incentives.

Shooting for greater sustainability

Led by Katie Angelone, GBHS goes greener by participating in Crayola’s ColorCycle program to collect dead markers

BY PAYTON BLEVINS

D

p.blevins.gazette@gmail.com

ead markers are bad for the environment.

According to Recycle Nation, markers have a two big environmental issues – a petroleum product called xylene and lots of plastic. Neither xylene nor plastic decompose, so Crayola has started a program called ColorCycle to dispose of these markers sustainably.

Katie Angelone, an Advanced Placement Human Geography teacher at Granite Bay High School, started the ColorCycle program on campus last spring.

Angelone had several motivations and reasons for taking on the challenge of disposing of useless dead markers, the biggest one being saving the environment.

“I hate that we have such a huge plastic problem,” Angelone said. “Plastic garbage is taking over landfills and our oceans, and that just makes me sad.”

Angelone takes the plastic problem very seriously and does whatever she can to help reduce the issue.

“I try to recycle and limit my use of plastic as much as I can, but it came to my attention that this ColorCycle program existed, and I thought I’d try to help in that way,” Angelone said.

According to crayon company Crayola’s website, the program Colorcycle is where people collect markers in an eight- to 10-pound box and ship it to Crayola using a FedEx label.

Angelone uses her platform to not only take action on this challenge but teach her students the role and effects of humans on the earth.

“One topic we study in AP Human Geography is sustainability, and part of our duties as human beings is to be a good global citizen,” Angelone said. “I wanted to lead by example.”

Markers die often, so the more people who can dispose of them sustainably, the better. To ensure that as many people as possible know about the program, Angelone has

done a few things to get the word out.

“I send out periodic reminders via email,” Angelone said. “There was also an announcement on GBTV last spring when I started.”

Anyone who would like to drop off dead markers can deliver them to her classroom or to the office to put in her box for her to collect later on.

Angelone has several people participating in her Colorcycle program.

“Some people just put a marker in my staff mailbox at least three times a week,” Angelone said. “Others collect them in their own room and deliver them to my room via TA or in my mailbox. That happens at least a couple times a month.”

Teachers like Jillyan McKinney help Angelone with the Gazette photo /PAYTON BLEVINS Colorcycle program.

“I donate my old markers to her pile and she sends them Kathleen Angelone poses in front of a box of collected dead markers. off,” McKinney said. “I also advertise it in class.”

Like Angelone, McKinney also believes in environmental sustainability.

“We don’t use plastics bags or straws anymore, our family uses reusable Tupperware everyday in our lunches and we recycle,” McKinney said.

“I am also trying to educate myself in regard to environmental action.”

Many students on campus share this environmental sentiment.

“I really care about the environment,” said freshman Valentina Alessi. “It’s important to me as a human being living on this planet to help by picking up trash that I see while walking my dog,” Angelone has inspired others to start these programs and care for the environment as well.

“My daughter also started the program at her school and she’s shipped off about 20 pounds,” Angelone said.

Overall, the Colorcycle program that Angelone has started on campus puts the world one step closer to a Gazette photo /PAYTON BLEVINS cleaner environment. The dead markers sent to Crayola can be a variety of colors and brands.

Focus

Pages 16 & 17

The Administrative Angle at Granite Bay High

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Campus administration takes measures to protect student and staff safety through the process of investigating drug offenses with techniques, tools, discipline and resources

BY ANGELINA KOLOSEY

T

akolosey.gazette@gmail.com

hose who work as administrators on a high school campus play a vital role in maintaining order and safety on campus.

One area in which administrators practice discipline and maintain safety as well as order on a school campus is dealing with drug offenses.

A typical American high school campus is no stranger to illegal drug use and distribution.

Although the types of drugs found on school campuses and the methods by which they are distributed have changed drastically over the years, the need to assess drug possession and sales on school campuses has not.

The process often starts with some kind of student tip.

“There would have to be some sort of a witness that was reporting a concern, and then we would call that student in and ask them questions about if it was true or not,” Granite Bay High assistant principal Jennifer Buschmann said.

Students are called in, questioned and, depending on the situation, some degree of disciplinary action is taken.

“If we find something that is drug-related then we always get our resource officer involved and go through the student handbook and educational code which says we can suspend for up to five days,” Buschmann said.

The GBHS resource officer, Dep. Shon Schoer, is responsible for dealing with the legalities of drug offenses, while the administration is responsible for school disciplinary consequences.

“I have the legal portion of it, so the school administration will handle the school portion – whether it be if there’s subsequent offenses and/or suspensions, things of that nature,” Schoer said.

“I typically will handle the law portion so it just depends. Drugs have changed so much over the years as far as the classification whether it’s a misdemeanor or a felony, etcetera.”

The resulting disciplinary consequence a student faces is situational.

“When it’s a drug, the minimum is an automatic suspension, the length of which varies by whether it’s influence, possession or selling, selling being the most severe,” GBHS assistant principal Greg Sloan said.

Overall the number of drug offenses dealt with on the GBHS campus vary each year, but administrators said they are not typically extreme.

“Knowing and catching (drug offenders), I would say definitely multiple times a year, (but) not multiple times a day or week,” Sloan said.

The administration has seen a heavy increase in certain drug-related devices such as vapes “We’ve all talked about seeing an uptick in both drugs and va-

ping cases just because for vaping, it’s a lot more readily available for students to get and for students to hide,” Buschmann said.

There has also been an increased popularity of dab pens.

“Same thing with marijuana being legal now – it’s a lot easier for students to get their hands on it, so we’re seeing a lot of things in the form of dab pens,” Buschmann said.

Administrators have also seen technological changes when it comes to drug possession and distribution.

“The way people do drugs has changed, they use technology now,” Sloan said. “We’ve got chrome books and we’ve got dab pens. A dealer in the past had scales and multiple bags and now they have cartridges. There’s a difference I guess in the method of delivery.”

In typical campus drug investigations, GBHS administrators commonly find pills and marijuana.

“Most of the pills would be prescription, someone who has access to their own prescription trying to exchange for either money or a different drug like marijuana or a dab pen or cartridges, so that would be what I’m seeing here,” Sloan said.

In their drug investigations, administrators use tools such as metal detectors and detection kits that help determine what kinds of drugs can be found in certain substances.

“It’s probably a good thing to share that any car that’s parked on our campus, we (have the right) to search with reasonable cause,” Sloan said.

The 1984 U.S. Supreme Court case New Jersey vs. T.L.O. set the precedent for searches done by school staff for the safety of students.

In that case, a student’s possessions were searched after she was brought to an assistant principal by a teacher for smoking in a school bathroom. She denied she had been smoking, but the assistant principal emptied her purse and found marijuana rolling papers, roach clips and records of drug transactions.

The student, a 14-year-old who was identified by her initials T.L.O. to protect her identity because she was a juvenile, sued, but the court ruled in favor of the assistant principal.

The same search, if it had been conducted by law enforcement, would have been illegal because there was no probable cause to conduct the search. But school officials, as a result of the Supreme Court’s ruling, don’t have to have probable cause – just reasonable suspicion.

“That includes … assistant principals – we don’t need the same level of cause a police officer would need because it’s not necessarily a criminal matter,” Sloan said.

Administrators work to address concerns they have about students on a more personal level as well.

“We certainly recognize that drug use is a problem, so we always want to support the student through wellness services,” Buschmann said. “We have something called Teen Intervene

where students meet with a wellness counselor to talk about any struggles they’re having or what’s preventing them from quitting.”

When students are investigated, depending on the situation, cooperation varies.

“It depends on the student, so some students are very cooperative and some aren’t forthcoming with all the information, so it truly just depends on the student,” Schoer said.

For administrators, the bottom line when it comes to drug investigations is to try to maintain campus safety – for everyone.

“That is our primary concern,” Buschmann said, “the safety of students, staff and the actual (accused) student as well.”

Gazette illustration /ANGELINA KOLOSEY

Gazette photo /ANGELINA KOLOSEY

Administrators use new tools and resources that help aid in the process of on campus drug investigations and offenses, a metal detector is photographed along with drug detection strips that can determine which drug are present in suspicious substances.

Students and faculty express the benefits of and their frustrations with online censorship

BY SOPHIE CRISCIONE

W

scriscione.gazette@gmail.com

ith the recent implementation of school-wide personal student chrome books, most students and teachers assumed the accessibility to online educational resources would expand.

Instead, the Roseville Joint Union High School District’s use of Go Guardian and other software programs to censor and restrict student access to inappropriate internet content seems too excessive to some educators and students, and it limits the potential use of chrome books inside and outside of the classroom.

Censorship based on restrictions set by YouTube has impeded some level of teaching in classes studying more sensitive subjects.

GBHS English teacher Bernadette Cranmer has encountered several instances of blocked websites, videos and pictures that she or her students needed to access in class.

“In my IB class and my honors English 10 class, I am teaching literature that has to do with war, prostitution sex trafficking, treatment of prisoners in jail (and) civil rights, so I would

expect that my students who are doing research projects would have access to information about those (subjects),” Cranmer said.

Although it is reasonable for some sites to be blocked in a school environment, Cranmer said websites and videos with educational information should still be accessible by her students.

“I can see to a degree that it’s important to think about the information that my students are looking for, but we’re talking about historical documents (and) records of things like the Spanish Civil War or Civil Rights,” Cranmer said.

AP Literature teacher Christy Honeycutt said she has also experienced the blocking of some resources she needs to teach based on parameters created to protect students.

“I support keeping students safe while online, but sometimes it is a bit excessive and hindering to the lessons I’m trying to teach in class,” Honeycutt said.

Similar to Cranmer’s English classes, students in Honeycutt’s classes had trouble accessing resources for projects on the literature subjects they were studying.

“Many groups who had poems in which there was the word ‘war’ or ‘gun’ were unable to con-

duct research on their Chrome books and had to look on their personal devices for the information,” Honeycutt said.

The level of censorship of internet resources has increased at GBHS since the decision to give all students their own school chrome books.

Students use these chrome books inside and outside of class, but they are restricted and blocked from visiting many websites – unlike a personal computer from home or a cell phone.

“I was assigned to work on a brochure about a mental disorder in my IB psychology class, and many of the seemingly educational websites were blocked, so it was hard to get the information I needed to finish my brochure,” senior Becca Nelson said.

Nelson is an AP and IB student, and she said she encounters difficulties with blocked websites and videos while trying to research or gain understanding during class more often than she should.

“This happens to me often in other classes as well, but I have gotten used to (websites being blocked),” Nelson said. “It definitely makes inclass projects and research done on my chrome book more difficult.”

Many GBHS teachers have taken advantage of

the new technology by using chrome books more often when teaching, but they also face barriers when it comes to censorship.

“We use the chrome book all period every single day in both my classes, so I’m absolutely grateful for the technology, but it’s like we’ve been given broken technology if we don’t have access to information,” Cranmer said. “We’re not trusting the student body to be able to make decisions.”

Some content, of course, should be blocked on student chrome books, especially to ensure students are on task and doing what they are supposed to do on the internet during school.

Nevertheless, most teachers said they believe the assignments and subjects that are being covered in classes should not be censored, because doing so prevents students from using the online resources they need.

“We know there are students who act inappropriately, that do things they shouldn’t do on the computer, look at things that we shouldn’t be looking at school, or maybe ever,” Cranmer said, “but that is a small fraction of the student body compared to the students who are trying to use that tool to learn.”

Administrators discuss what it’s like and what it means to be an at-will employee compared to working under protection rights that teachers receive in the state of California

BY ASHLEY YUNG

A

ayung2.gazette@gmail.com

dministrators at our school – the principal and the assistant principals – are at-will employees.

“At-will employment means that (I’m) not protected in my employment status by any contract or tenure,” assistant principal Jessup McGregor said. “At any given time, (my) employer can terminate the contract.”

This employment status differs from the sort of protection teachers receive. Teachers who’ve worked for two years in the same district are able to receive a form of protection commonly known as tenure.

“In the state of California … there are some protections that are afforded teachers once they become permanent employees (which) is known as tenure,” said Advanced Placement U.S. history teacher Brandon Dell’Orto, who is also the president of the Roseville Secondary Education Association that represents teachers in the Roseville Joint Union High School District. “In other words, they can’t fire (a tenured teacher) because they don’t like them or (don’t) agree with them.”

By contrast, at-will administrators aren’t unionized and so they aren’t protected by tenure.

“There’s not as many (administrators) to unionize (or) organize,” assistant principal Greg Sloan said. “It’s rare where administrators are unionized and have a tenure process. (I) don’t see that very often.”

Perhaps another reason for the lack of unionization is that administrators typically want more mobility than teachers. Tenure only protects teachers within one school district, but most administrators anticipate working in more than one district in their careers.

“Once (teachers are) in with tenure, it’s difficult to leave and go to another district because you’d be giving up that protection,” Sloan said.

“Administrators have a tendency to go to new schools or change jobs.

Most people aren’t trying to be vice principal for the rest of their life.

Often, they’re trying to become a principal, so they’re not as concerned

about locking themselves in for the long haul.”

Furthermore, the tenure that teachers receive makes it difficult to fire them, and the firing process is extremely complicated and often not worthwhile.

“There are processes that have to be in place to fire a teacher,” principal Jennifer Leighton said. “It’s very, very difficult. (I) have to prove that they are not competent.”

Proving incompetence includes writing an improvement plan, assigning a coach to that teacher and visiting their classroom daily. For that reason, Leighton makes it a priority to choose her teaching staff carefully.

“I sit on almost every hiring panel for every teacher and every clerical position,” Leighton said “If (we) pick the wrong person just because (we’re) in a hurry, I repost (the opening to find another teacher). We keep going until we find the right person.”

By contrast, at-will employment takes the complication out of the hiring and firing process.

“It’s actually better (to have at-will employees),” Leighton said. “(When firing) at-will employees, (I) just decide it’s not going to be worth the time investment to try to get them up to this level.”

For legal reasons, it’s safer to have at-will employees because Leighton doesn’t have to elaborate on why an employee is being fired.

“The hardest thing when (I) let someone go, is that (I) want to be able to explain to them (what) was working and (what) wasn’t working,” Leighton said. “But things are so litigious that anything you say can and will be used against you. If you start to give reasons, you could say the wrong thing and cause it to backfire.”

Perhaps this is why most employed Americans are at-will employees and why GBHS administrators don’t view their employment status in a negative light.

“A majority of employees across the country are at-will, so it’s not uncommon,” Sloan said. “It simply means that your job performance matters and how you’re perceived matters. I think any employee should

be mindful of those things regardless of the status of their job title.”

In fact, McGregor says his at-will status doesn’t create stress but rather motivates him because he knows his actions are being watched and reviewed.

“Personally, I like (being at-will) because it’s motivating,” McGregor said. “It really just creates the opportunity to do the best job that I can.”

Regardless of her employment status, Leighton makes it her priority to be responsive to the superintendent and to concerns Personally, I like (being of students and parents. At-will employment, Leighton believes, at-will) because it’s reinforces the need for administrators to work well with others motivating! and respond to feedback. “(The superintendent) knows I – Jessup McGregor, work hard and I feel supported,” Leighton said. “I hear back right away if there’s something they’re GBHS Assistant Principal unhappy with, and we’re pretty responsive. We’re responsive to parents, (and) we’re responsive to students. There’s never a time when someone complains and we ignore it.”

Administrators at GBHS share a common sentiment of wanting to do what’s best for the school.

“The people you pick for administration should really want to work hard (and) really want to serve other people,” Leighton said.

For McGregor, it doesn’t really matter whether he’s an at-will employee or not.

“I believe that if (someone) doesn’t do (their) job, (they) should get fired,” McGregor said. “We should all do our job to the best of our abilities whether we’re at-will or tenured or otherwise.”

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Athletics

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Expenses take a toll on the athletic experience

Inability to buy costly gear can cause more than just a hit to the bank account

BY PIPER BACON pbacon.gazette@gmail.com

Gazette photo /MAY LIN

Everything comes at a cost.

Granite Bay High is stereotyped as the “rich kid” school in the Roseville Joint Union High School District, and many students outside of GBHS would be willing to bet that all of the success at the school is because of its wealth.

However, it’s not that simple.

For many student athletes, their favorite sport might require them to pay to play, but just how much will a student have to sacrifice financially to reach their goals?

For most sports, the expenses start to trickle in when other factors like gear and extra lessons or practices come into play.

“We have to buy our own clubs, and this year, we bought bags, which were about $125 each, but we get to keep them,” said Yewon Jang, a junior who’s on the girls’ golf team.

According to Jang, all of the required gear for golf can cost about an estimated $2,500-$3,000.

“The school will pay for us to eat at tournaments,” Jang said lightheartedly. “Sometimes we get socks.”

Sports that require students to pay for their own gear can be significantly less inclusive, considering that the cost of sports equipment can add up.

For example, sophomore Alex Lang, who is on the boys’ JV lacrosse team, estimates that lacrosse gear can cost upwards of $600, coupled with the requested donation of $500, which isn’t required but highly recommended.

“Protection wise, I used to have a helmet that was a lot cheaper, and I’ve gotten two concussions from wearing that,” Lang said.

Lang has realized that in lacrosse, especially at higher levels, player safety can be at risk if the gear isn’t ready for the fast-paced physicality of the sport.

Being able to afford to play certain sports is a privilege that many students at GBHS have. Many students across the country are simply unable to put forth so much time and money to fulfil an athletic goal of theirs because of unfortunate circumstances.

Luckily, there’s still a sport for everyone.

“For us, it’s more of a community thing,” said junior Natalie Quilala, who competes on the girls’ water polo team. “I know of a couple people who will play and share the suits and caps.”

Though aquatic sports ask for a non-required donation of $300, there are fundraising opportunities and many other donations from donors outside of the sport.

So, if a student is unable to afford the expenses that come along with a sport, they have options to help cover the cost.

GBHS sports teams are some of the most highachieving in the region. Because most of the programs here haven’t struggled to raise funds, many outsiders are quick to assume the athletic success is mostly, if not entirely, because of wealth.

Athletes at the school beg to differ.

Evans acknowledges that GBHS is a privileged school. Parents of students are a bit more well-off than in other areas, but this doesn’t just automatically make the football team better.

“Not everyone on our team can afford the donation to play,” Evans said, “It allows us to offset some of the cost for the kids who can’t.”

On one hand, while the high costs of certain sports can limit some players from doing their best, for other sports, the region’s wealth can push for inclusivity, allowing more students to join who might not have been able to without financial support.

The school’s sports are high-achieving not because of their financial success but because of hard work and strong ambitions.

“It comes down to how hard you try,” Jang said.

“The harder you try, the more you’re going to improve, and I think that goes for just about all sports.”

Athletics

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Page 19

Only 15, Anika Varma is a golf sensation Young prodigy takes it to the international level with her talented ability

BY SARAH RIETZ

srietz.gazette@gmail.com

F

ifteen year-old Anika Varma no longer strives for greatness - she has reached it.

Varma’s love for golf started when she was four. Her whole family played golf, and it was only natural that she would try to be up to par.

“I used to go to the golf course with my sister and my dad and we used to play all the time,” Varma said.

Once she started, she couldn’t stop. Varma became obsessed with golf, and despite her young age, she acknowledged the hard-work it would take to be the best.

Some people might’ve got burnt out or tried another sport, but Varma has never relented in her love for golf.

“The tournaments I get to play, the people I get to meet, the exposure because I’m at the level where the swing and the scores aren’t everything,” Varma said, “basically for me, golf is my entire social life and [...] more important than

everything else.”

All of her hard work clearly paid off as she is only fifteen and has played with the professionals, as well as getting featured in multiple articles like Golf Digest India, Business Standard, Devdiscourse and more.

“I played two professional events in India, and in India, I used to play in a lot of international tournaments,” Varma said.

Varma moved to America at the beginning of this summer even with all the craziness in her life, such as tournaments every week and practice everyday. “[I moved to America] because my parents wanted me to have a better golfing career,” Varma said.

Especially at the young age of fifteen, moving countries or even cities is a huge change in someone’s life. Yet, Varma took her parents sacrifice and made something out of herself. For example, Varma recently placed top five in the 2019 Hero Women’s Indian Open, a professional tournament.

“I played the Indian Open for the

Current junior steps it up on football field

BY ALHASAN ALSAKATI

aalsakati.gazette@gmail.com

F

ootball is a game that includes passion, skill and the hustle — all attributes that Vincent Carter has. Carter is a junior who is on the Granite Bay High Varsity Football program.

He has been playing football at a very young age.

“I have been playing since I can remember, it is one of the things that make me happy,” said Carter.

last four years - I got a spot because I’m the number one junior in India,” Varma said.

The cash prize for this tournament was one-hundred thousand dollars, which Varma would’ve been able to accept had she been playing as a professional, and not as an amateur.

Clearly, Varma has astounding skills and won’t let anything get in her way on her road to success. “‘She has learned to take ownership of her game, that I think is the way to sum up our relationship so far,’” said her coach, Noah Montgomery in the article, Living in the Future: The Anika Varma Story by Amit Pandey and Aman Misra in New Delhi.

With such a great level of commitment, it would be understandable if Varma were to struggle at times with balancing golf and school. However, that is not the case.

“I want to be best at both,” Varma said, “it’s tough but it’s worth it.”

Varma is undecided on whether or not she plans to go professional

straight out of high school but is doing everything in her power to make that a possibility while also maintaining good grades so that college is an option as well.

Varma puts in an incredible amount of time and effort, but all of her achievements wouldn’t be possible without the love and support from her parents.

“It’s very stressful as a parent because I see the kind of hard work she puts in and she’s so committed to it,” said Sonal Varma, Varma’s mother.

Varma’s friends also support her in her aspirations.

“We go out [to practice] everyday together for five hours and motivate each other,” said Hanna Montgomery, a close friend of Varma.

All of Varma’s friends and family support her no matter what, as they have no doubt she will succeed in life no matter what path she chooses.

Gazette photo /SARAH RIETZ “Whatever makes her happy,” said Anika Varma perfects her swing by rotatSonal Varma. “She has her whole ing her body to hit the ball accurately. family’s support.”

He started his career at Woodcreek high Former Whitney student school by playing has high expectations for offensive tackle and himself and his team. defensive end since freshman year.

“This sport is more than a game. It connects all of us players and staff to a family…

It creates a really welcoming and healthy environment around us,” said Carter.

With his move to Granite Bay, it didn’t daunt him to continue his football experience at a new school.

“My experience at GBHS has been great. Sophomore year was my first year (here) and we gladly won section champions,” said

Vincent Carter

Carter. “It was great, we had a great season of hard work and hustle.”

Carter reflects the same feelings he had when he was young to describe why he continued with this sport in the first place.

“Every year, it is starting to feel more like a family than a team. We work hard with each other everyday… On the ups and downs, we still have each others backs,” said Carter.

His expectations from the athletic program here doesn’t falter as he’s gaining more practice and experience on and off the field.

“This will only make me better and hungrier for more. I never settle for less than what I know I am capable of,” said Carter.

Following football team to the playoffs

Players continue their season by going against their first-round opponents

BY GABBY MATHIS gmathis.gazette@gmail.com

G

ranite Bay High School is known for its programs, staff, students and of course, a successful football team.

In 2012, the Granite Bay Grizzlies won the state championships.

This year, they are hoping to make it beyond playoffs. So far, the Granite Bay varsity football team is 4-6 in their league games and rank 101 in the state.

Ryan Beidler is the offensive line coach for the varsity football team and also a math teacher at Granite Bay.

“We play in one of the toughest leagues in California, if not the toughest league in Northern California,” said Beidler.

In order to fulfill their long-time dream, they must compete through a pretty hefty season. For their league, the first round of playoffs start on November 8th and are every Friday until November 22nd. If they can make it through the playoffs, they would go to the CIF Sac-Joaquin and then NorCal Section Division I or Division II championship games. Only after that would be the final championship game be in sight.

Brent Evans is a senior at Granite

Bay and plays tight end on the varsity football team. He said that so far this season, their toughest opponent has been themselves. It is the little things that end up hurting them later on, but he said that they are doing a good job of fixing their mistakes early on.

“I feel like we can definitely clean up some of the mistakes that have been plaguing us but I have been proud of our overall effort for the most part,” said Evans.

Senior Moose Judd plays defensive end on the varsity football team.

“We just have to improve both offensive and defensive, and be ready for each week as it comes,” Judd said.

With Granite Bay competing against over twenty different schools, the players find it important to work together as a team.

“Team unity is an all time high, and we’re currently working hard to keep

it that way, and if we continue to do so, we will continue to compete,” said Judd.

Preparing for the next step doesn’t revolve only around the physical aspect; mentality is crucial as well.

“The most important thing we’ve learned this year is learning to play together. Most people think that if you have good players your team is automatically good, but that’s not the case,” said Evans. “You need to learn how to come together and play for one another, not with one another... our team is definitely one of the closer teams in that area.”

Head Coach Jeffrey Evans believes that his team has had a hard time coming together and forming the tight bond that is needed to make a championship team.

“We need to find a way to come together and be able to trust one

another. The bond of the players often outweighs and talent level discrepancies that may exist between different opponents,” Evans said. “If this group can find a way to come together, and I mean quickly, then we can beat any team that we play and make a run at a championship.”

Beidler finds that his players sometimes hype themselves up to a point where they psych themselves out.

He is hoping that all goes well in the playoffs but there are always uncontrollable factors.

“We could be 4-6 and play a team that has only lost one game and it would be a mismatch sometimes,” said Beidler.

Brent Evans realizes with their end goal so close, it’s crucial for the team to set the tone now.

“Our mind-set isn’t who do we play, it’s who plays us,” said Evans.

Gazette illustration/MAY LIN

Athletics

Page 20

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Athletes stress to balance work and play Pressure players face from missing school is hard to manage

BY DREW MCKOWN dmckown.gazette@gmail.com

T

here’s a suprising amount of high schoolers who willingly play sports with regard of the commitment package that comes with it. Most of them practice every day of the week, and have games on weekends. High school athletes juggle a lot, especially when they have to miss school for their sport.

Some sports have games on Fridays, so players have to either leave school early or miss the whole day of school.

For some athletes, it’s a pleasure to miss school. But for others, missing class is very stressful.

“Staying on top of your work is the hardest part about missing school, and making sure that you’re getting all of the information, so then you’re not only getting part of the information for tests,” said Avery Moll, who is part of the water polo team at Granite Bay High.

“By missing school, I get overwhelmed with work because I have to make up the work I’ve missed in

addition to the work I receive when returning to school,” said Mia Oliveira who’s on the cross country team.

Trying to juggle sports, school, family, and everything else in life gets very difficult.

“Leaving school was a bit hard mostly because of the work I had to make up when I got back,” Oliveira said.

When students miss school for a school sport, they can very likely miss tests, projects, or big assignments. It gets hard sometimes when trying to get their grades back up after missing those big tasks.

“I have to go in at a lot of grizz times, but usually if you can get the work in advance, it’s a lot easier,” Moll said. “A couple of tests that I missed I was able to take after school or earlier too.”

Classes progress so rapidly that absent athletes end up missing a significant amount of explanation and instruction.

“By missing my classes, it was hard to catch up because our curriculum moves so quickly,” Oliveira said.

Parents also notice the impact that missing school has on their kids that participate in athletics.

“I don’t love that students miss school because I know that sometimes there’s vital information that they’re going to miss for tests and things like that,” said Katie Moll, the mother of Avery Moll.

While some parents do not think it is okay for students to be missing class for sports, others are fine with the missed time.

“I don’t think it’s ideal, but Avery is a strong student and I know that she always thinks ahead and plans ahead so I never worry about her getting behind,” Moll said.

Students realize that their commitment to athletics will impact their educational experience, but also that the extra stress can be managed with responsibility and a proactive attitude.

“It makes the workload a little bit heavier but it doesn’t really affect your grades if you’re on top of it and you know what you’re doing,” Avery Moll said.

Gazette photo illustration /DREW MCKOWN

As athletes work to honor their commitment to their team and teammates, their time spent in the classroom is cut down. Stressed over juggling all of their responsibilities, the players have to put in extra effort.

Grizz Quiz Ella Rosenblatt

Athena Sese

Marc Sciarrino

Matthew Soran

My sister Sara Roseblatt

Kendall Jenner

Jaiel

Chris Evans

Cameron Pham

Sinky

Sparkles

Boaty McBoat

Super Shark Show

Mr. G’s Boat

Ellanore

Jaxson

I wouldn’t change my name.

Jamal

G Money

Take an all day referee class

Eat a snail

Integrated Math 3

Eat fruits

Cinnamon Challenge

I want to cut my hair and then donate it.

I want to skydive.

I want to go bungee jumping

Go to a Cowboy’s Game

Soccer

Compiled by: Lindsey Magno If you were to switch bodies with someone, who would it be?

If you had a boat, what would you name it?

If you were to change your name, what would it be?

What is one thing you’ll never do again?

What’s one thing on your bucket list?

Basketball

Baseball

I want to jump off of a huge cliff.

Basketball

Marco Gonzalez Tennis

Wrestling season swings back into action Athletes in the program prepare for a new year to compete

BY HASAN ALSAKATI

aalsakati.gazette@gmail.com

W

inter has arrived which means wrestling season is back in business. Granite Bay High School’s wrestling team participates among the winter sports and their program is one of the best in the Sacramento area.

Last year, the wrestling team had a great season. They were placed in top tier tournaments and performed well for their status.

Elias Mendoza is a junior who has been a part of the team since freshman year.

“Our season went really good last year.

I placed at a lot of good national tournaments, and did really well, and not to forget, we also won league,” Mendoza said.

“My goals for this year are improving my discipline and trying my best to not be as lazy.”

Many wrestlers participated in important and challenging tournaments. Gabe Jensen is a junior who has been in the program since freshman year and could relate to the topic due to his experience.

“Last year, I did not do as well as I wanted to, but I did alright in the tournaments by going 4-2,” said varsity wrestler Gabe Jensen. “I placed in really good tournaments around the country, but my main goal was to go to state.”

Pre-season is a huge part of the season.

Students reunite with their teammates and work to be in the best physical shape pos-

sible before the beginning of the season.

“We have been doing pre-season work twice a week, and it helps me a lot,” Jensen said. “I tend to get out of shape in the summer but this helps me get back in shape and ready for the beginning of our season.”

Wrestling pre-season work started August 28th. Vinny Perry is one of several players who have to attend fitness sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm.

“This is a really important year for the team and I. We have really high expectations. Our skill set is really good,” Perry Special to the Gazette /Justin Matsuda said. “We have really talented players who know what they are doing so we have noth- Junior Gabe Jensen, left, begins in a balanced position to prepare to win his round against an opponent from Whitney. ing to expect but the best from them.”

Athletics

Page 21

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

SECOND LOOK Fall

SPORTS

Update

Girls’ water polo wins fALL SPORTS fourth straight SFL title UPDATE

BY ANGELINA KOLOSEY and ASHLEY YUNG akolosey.gazette@gmail.com ayung2.gazette@gmail.com

For the fourth year in a row, the girls’ varsity water polo team has won the Sierra Foothill League title. The Grizzlies clinched it with an 11-2 victory against Whitney in a home game on Oct. 28.

“Our team this year has done extremely well,” senior Abbie Monk said. “As of (Oct. 28), we became league champions for the Sierra Foothill League, and we are still undefeated in our league.

“We could work to improve our passing just to ensure that all our plays and counters end in good shots on goal. I think all of the members of our team have a close-knit relationship, and we are all friends in and out of the pool, which is a great thing to have in any sport.”

Gazette photo /SANDY SONG

Gazette photo /SANDY SONG

Cross Country The GBHS cross country teams had a recent meet at Bella Vista High in which the girls finished second in the 5-kilometer event with 107 points and the boys finished 12th with 284 points.

“The team has done super well so far,” senior Josh Anderson said. “We could definitely improve our track record for injury.

This would happen by just making sure we are listening to our bodies and doing the proper strength training to avoid injury. The team is so much fun and super encouraging.

We all get to support each other and when one person PRs it can really be like everyone PRed.”

Gazette photo /JULIETTA GOLOVEY

Girls’ Tennis The team won SFL league, going undefeated 10-0, advancing them to playoffs.

“I’m very excited for the rest of the season,” senior Shreya Iyer said. “I hope we do well later the rest of the season. So far, we are undefeated.”

Girls’ Volleyball The girls’ varsity volleyball team is currently ranked 56th in the Sac-Joaquin Section and 472nd in the state. The season ended with a 3-0 loss to Del Oro in an away league match.

“Our team did improve as the year went on, and hopefully next year we can have the end result we want,” junior Leah Conforti said. “Everyone on the team gets along pretty well, not everyone is going to be best friends as you would expect on a team of 14 girls, but for the most part we all get along well.

Football The GBHS varsity football team was defeated 22-7 in a game against Rocklin last Friday. The Grizzlies, who finished 2-4 in SFL play, face Downey tonight in a SacJoaquin Section Div. 2 playoff game.

“I feel the schedule we play is very challenging and our record doesn’t always accurately represent our abilities,” senior Brent Evans said. “Our team just needs to clean up our big mistakes by working hard in practice and continuing to get better.”

Gazette photo /LINDSEY ZABELL

Gazette photo /LINDSEY ZABELL

Grace McGuckin, top left, races against her opponent towards the finish line. The girls’ varsity volleyball team, top right, works together to score a point using a strategic play. Ty Peterson, middle left, runs the football down the field and defends against an Oak Ridge player. Maddi Kim, middle right, practices on the court. Victoria Wells, Malia Greenwald, and Natalie Wilcox, bottom left, crash down onto a Rocklin opponent trying to shoot. Idris Newsome, bottom right, tackles an Oak Ridge player at the Homecoming game.

Gazette photo /JULIETTA GOLOVEY

Arts&Entertainment

Page 22

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Apple Hill: Home of the Apple

Granite Bay High students head up to Placerville to buy fruit from various vendors

BY MAYA SNOW

msnow.gazette@gmail.com

A

s the leaves start to change color, many Granite Bay residents are putting their freshly carved pumpkins out on the doorstep, bundled-up students begin to head up to Apple Hill.

Apple Hill is a unique pumpkin farm up in Placerville that consists of several different areas with different vendors, activities, and home-made food.

GBHS Senior Alex Nash visited the farms in Placerville for the first time this year.

“It is very welcoming and it reminds me of fall. Apple Hill gets me in the mindset of being thankful for each other,” Nash said.

Most experiences at Apple Hill revolve around the food.

Sophia Millane, a sophomore at GBHS, loves to go up to

Apple Hill with her friends and family.

“Picking apples from the trees with my parents and my twin sister (is my favorite thing to do while up in Placerville),” she said.

Senior Emily Craven goes to Apple Hill with her family every year.

“My favorite part about Apple Hill is eating apple pie,” Craven said.

High Hill Ranch has everything for sale from candles and wooden wine racks, to delicious apple donuts.

Senior Taylor Whalen also loves to go to Apple Hill with her friends.

“My favorite part of Apple Hill is the pumpkin patch and caramel apples,” Whalen said.

Right after entering High Hill Ranch, there is a huge fishing pond in the middle. “(My favorite memory at Apple Hill was) fishing rainbow trout out of the pond,” Millane said.

The apple cider is another delicacy that students are willing to make the 45 minute trek up the hill to buy.

“Seeing all of the fresh produce, and the apple cider are the best,” Nash said.

Many students have very fond memories of Apple Hill.

Junior Celia White is also an avid fan of all-things Apple Hill. At Apple Hill, she likes to get caramel apples, while adventuring around with her family.

“My best memory is from when I was younger and go through the maze with my older brother,” White said.

Heading up to pick apples is always great for families, and people of all ages.

“I think it is good to support the farms in this area, it is also a very family (friendly) environment.”

“I think that everybody should experience Apple Hill at least one time in their life, especially during the autumn season,” Nash said.

Gazette photo /MAYA SNOW

Arts&Entertainment

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

MarioKart hits IOS

BY AARMAN SAINI

asaini.gazette@gmail.com

M

ario Kart has hit a new level with it’s new Mobile Tour version available in iOS and Android app stores around the world.

Unlock new characters, gain points by racing for a victory, level up and compete with friends.

The new game leads to many fans thinking the game to die very soon.

For example, the game is very repetitive and the overall game gets old fast.

Freshman Miya Mcclymont said, ”Mario Kart has been around for a while and creating a mobile app where it was a brilliant idea. It retains some concept of the other most recent Mario Kart games, but most would agree that isn’t the same because students can’t play against friends.”

The new game doesn’t offer to play with friends and family, and that’s originally where most of the sun generates from.

“Another reason as to why Mario car has been losing popularity is that it just it just isn’t the same experience. And great

comparison would be watching a movie at home. Yes, people get the same content on their own TV, but once they sit down they realize it’s not the same as going to the movie theaters in experiencing it.

Mario Kart, like all video games, are more exciting an environment where everyone is pumped and involved- just like it is at the movies.”

The game doesn’t offer that old adrenaline rush given when playing the

Page 23

Nintendo takes students on a walk down memory lane when a childhood favorite game joins the appstore older, nostalgic Mario Karts.

“I quit within 5 minutes…” Miya said.

Another, freshman Alexander Alizadeh, said,” [The] game is not fun anymore [and it] got old.”

Again, the game was too repetitive that many got bored of it.

“I’m a decent fan… [the game has] no new features… I have quit.”

Again, the game hasn’t really add any-

thing, but has excluded more in the new version of the game.

Emily Haggerty, freshman and big fan of Mario in general, said, “ I think the game is really fun. It brings out my competitive side and I just enjoy it general.”

Haggerty really enjoys the game and series.

“Yes, it is getting old, really fast. Likely because there are no new updates.”

Because nothing has been really changing, it is just the same “game modes” being played over and over.

“I’m a fan of the game, and the idea of it, but it was executed poorly, because of the lack of updates and new information.”

Again, since there is no new features, it makes the game boring.

“I like the feature that I can add friends and like to try and beat their score. I don’t like though the lack of me actually being able to play with them.”

Not being able to play with friends is a huge dislike between fans.

Overall, Mario Kart Tour is a fun game at first, but the game is repetitive and has lost its relevance rather quickly.

Gazette illustration/MAYA SNOW, inspired by MarioKart creator Nintendo

Gazette illustration/MAYA SNOW

Are games > mx+b?

BY DIANA JONES

djones.gazette@gmail.com

M

ath just got a little more interesting. A popular trend going around schools, is downloading games on a graphing calculator.

Maddi Kim, a freshman at GBHS, has a graphing calculator, but doesn’t have any games on it.

“Games on calculators would be a fun way to pass the time,” said Kim. It is a very easy process to download these games onto calculators. Students simply use

websites to download them to their computer and then finally onto the calculator.

Geometry Dash, Snake and Pacman are just some of the games students download. And most of these games cost nothing.

“My friend plays Tetris on her calculator. It’s really fun,” said Kim. Some feel like these calculators are very distracting and they should be banned.

“These games are just as distracting as phones,” said Sydney Howes, a sophomore at Granite

Bay High School.

But others find them as a fun way to waste time in class without the teacher noticing too much.

“I play Snake on my friends calculator a lot and it’s a good way to waste time” said Kira Allen, sophomore at GBHS. “In my AP stats class, we do use TI-84 graphing calculators but I rarely notice the games,” said Mrs. Kunst, a math teacher at GBHS Although not everybody has chosen to download these games onto their calculators, many

math classes are required to have the kind of calculator that is capable of getting these games.

But, other math classes do not use graphing calculators. “ In my 1M1 and IM2 class, we use the online free calculator, Desmos, so I never see the graphing calculators in my students hands.” said Kunst.

This trend has been around for a while, but it is not a big concern to teachers.

“Hopefully class is engaging enough so the students don’t feel like they need to [play on] games,” said Kunst.

Students download games onto graphing calculators for a little extra fun in class

Arts&Entertainment

Page 24

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Thanksgiving Food Guide

creamed corn cornbread

candied yams Candied yams are a simple, easy to make Thanksgiving dessert. They consist of mashed sweet potatoes covered with marshmallows over top. They are then baked and served fresh out of the oven. Candied yams are guaranteed to be a hit at any Thanksgiving gettogether.

Creamed corn cornbread is a simple recipe that takes less than 30 minutes to make. It consists of cornmeal, salt, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda all combined in a bowl and whisked to perfection.They mixture is then poured into a skillet and baked at 425 degrees.

This cornbread can be served hot or cold, and is the perfect side to top off your Thanksgiving dinner.

sautéed carrots Sautéed carrots are made with sliced slivers of fresh carrots, which are then sprinkled with a dash of salt. The carrots are then placed in a pan and sautéed.

For finishing touches, you can top it off with butter and parsley for the perfect Thanksgiving side dish.

pumpkin pie

cheesy mushroom and broccoli casserole Cheesy mushroom and broccoli casserole is a musthave dish for every Thanksgiving dinner. This dish contains rice, broccoli, cheese, with a splash of heavy whipping cream for extra thickening. With the perfect balance of mushroom and broccoli, you are guaranteed to get a mouthful of deliciousness.

Pumpkin pie is arguably one of the most infamous Thanksgiving dishes to exist. These pies can be homemade, or even bought at a local pumpkin patch such as Apple Hill or Bishop’s Pumpkin Farm. Every bite has a creamy paste of pumpkin puree, and a crunchy golden crust.

PHOTOS/FOODNETWORK.COM

Students share their most-loved Thanksgiving dishes

BY PAYTON BLEVINS

I

pblevins.gazette@gmail.com

t’s that time of year – Thanksgiving is right around the corner.

Many GBHS students look forward to the foods that come with this time of year.

Freshman Alex Bose has always been a fan of thanksgiving foods. “My favorite food to have on Thanksgiving is mashed potatoes,” Bose said. “I love

Martinelli’s and apple pie as well.”

Bose’s family also has a secret pudding recipe used every year. “We call it the Bose Pudding,” she said.

Many families have recipes that they either made themselves or have been passed down by additional members in their family.

Freshman Alhan Sommers has enjoyed each year on Thanksgiving at her aunt’s house with all of her close

family. “I enjoy having pumpkin pie, apple pie, turkey, and also mashed potatoes,” Sommers said. “I feel like turkey is mandatory to have on Thanksgiving.”

According to freshman Lakeesha Selvaratnamalso, stuffing is one of the most necessary foods to have on the table at Thanksgiving.

Math teacher Lisa Kunst enjoys hosting Thanksgiving at her house

each year and providing a space for her family to enjoy each other’s company. “My husband and I cook the main dishes such as turkey mash potatoes and my aunts and uncles will bring the side dishes,” Kunst said. “A sort of pot luck.”

Although many have different preferred foods on this day, it is safe to say that Thanksgiving can be a day filled with tasty food for all involved.

Reviews

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Page 25

The Gazette staff shares the best food, music and movies from the last month.

Nektar Juice Bar

BY SHREYA DODBALLAPUR

BY MAREESA ISLAM

sdodballapur.gazette@gmail.com

wOrder: Acai Peanut Butter Bowl wMenu Highlights: Coconut Vanilla Vegan Ice Cream, Pink Flamingo Smoothie wAddress: 1410 E Roseville Pkwy #110, Roseville, CA 95661 Quick Take: The peanut butter bowl was healthy, delicious and filling, topped with bananas, green apples, and agave nectar that melted in my mouth. I would definitely get this bowl again.

mislam.gazette@gmail.com

Gazette photo | SHREYA DODBALLAPUR

‘Magnets EP’ by Sam Feldt

wOrder: One medium Coconut-Berries Acai Bowl wMenu Highlights:Build Your Own Acai Bowl, large selection of coffee and lattes, food options including waffles and sandwiches wAddress: 1611 Lead Hill Boulevard #160 Roseville, 95661 Quick Take: They had great acai bowls with generous portions, however, I wish customer service was better.

‘In the End’ by The Cranberries kfernandez.gazette@gmail.com

SPINNIN’ RECORDS

wGenre: Alternative Rock wProducer : Stephen Street wSkip To: Hello Quick Take: In the wake of Dolores O’Riordan’s tragic death, the final Cranberries’s album is a beautiful tribute to the trailblazing singer.

The album “In the End” is reminiscent of the band’s unique sound of the past, while simultaneously creating a new piece of music unlike anything they’ve created before.

‘Terminator: Dark Fate’

BMG

‘The Joker’

BY JJ HILL

BY TOMMY GRAY

jhill.gazette@gmail.com

tgray.gazette@gmail.com

wLead Actors: Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger wDirector: Tim Miller wPlot Summary: Original cast members return for a throwback which opens the saga to a new timeline focused around Dani Ramos, a new female protagonist.

Quick Take: With a plot somewhat inconsistent with prior movies, Terminator Dark Fate delivers incredible action sequences and a pretty good story line.

Gazette photo | MAREESA ISLAM

BY KATE FERNANDEZ

BY GABBY MATHIS

gmathis.gazette@gmail.com

wGenre: Dance wProducer : Sam Feldt wSkip To: Post Malone Quick Take: In my opinion, this album had a refreshing new take on the dance genre. This album is so unique and relatable that I wish there were more songs on it. If you are looking for new music to add to your playlist, Magnets EP is a must.

Cielo Acai Cafe

BLUR STUDIO

wLead Actors: Joaquin Phoenix, Zazie Beetz, Robert DeNiro wDirector: Todd Phillips wPlot Summary: Arthur Fleck’s life as a strange, mentally ill loner begins to spiral into madness to create the infamous Joker.

Quick Take: “Joker” is a brilliantly acted, intricately produced work of art that will leave you with a permanently-open lockjaw and a lot to think about.

For a longer look at this month’s Gazette reviews, visit GraniteBayToday.org

WARNER BRO’S STUDIO

Arts&Entertainment

Page 26

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Not so Forever 21 Popular clothing store faces bankruptcy

BY PIPER BACON

Y

pbacon.gazette@gmail.com

et another popular franchise is nearing its end.

On September 29, 2019, Forever 21 filed for a Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

An employee source from Forever 21 says that they’re not able to disclose much information, but they can say that they’re closing every store in Europe and Canada along with 178 across the USA, including the nearest location in Roseville at the Westfield Galleria. “(Forever 21s demographic) is a big, big market and competition is probably crazy,” business teacher Bill Patterson said.

Patterson believes that high competition with other large companies, especially Amazon, is what hurt Forever 21 the most and that they’ve stopped making enough money to keep their stores open.

In most cases, most people wouldn’t have guessed that a brand that sells fashionable and reasonably priced clothing would be filing for bankruptcy.

However, many people predicted this fate for Forever 21 a while ago, and it’s just now starting to come to fruition.

“They sell a lot of clothes that, in my opinion, are kind of ridiculous,” senior Solange Conley said.

Conley shops at Forever 21 for basic pieces that will go great with her style. She enjoys layering clothes, and while Forever 21 has many options for basic pieces, many of their clothes can be absurd.

“You’ve seen the memes on the internet that happened a few years ago where Forever 21 would have a cute (article of clothing), and you turn it around it says something weird that’s embroidered on it,” Conley said.

This trend hit Forever 21 hard when they sold “quirky” clothing for a period of time and deterred many customers looking for good fashion.

Even though their styles have improved today, the old trend gave them the reputation for being an untrustworthy store to shop at.

Gazette illustration/KATE FERNANDEZ

Nevertheless, people still shopped there for their reasonable prices for relatively cute clothes. “(Forever 21) is the only store I really shop at because I’m kind of broke,” sophomore Ashley Chen said. “Everywhere else in the mall, like Pacsun and Brandy Mellville, is expensive.”

Chen is an example of Forever 21’s target demographic: teenagers.

According to Business Insider, Forever 21’s main demographic is teenagers and college students, neither of whom have much money.

Since Forever 21 is cheap and (mostly) fashionable, many younger women go to shop there.

However, it is also the younger women who are promoting an entirely different strike within the fashion industry, that being the fight against fast fashion.

Fast fashion is a term used in the world of fashion retailers to describe cheap clothing that is produced rapidly by mass-market retailers to keep up with the latest trends.

While it’s a good method for large business franchises, many millenials and much of generation-z have been boycotting fast fashion

BY LINDSEY ZABELL

Camp Flog Gnaw

T

Tyler, the Creator’s seventh annual festival will be held at Dodger Stadium this weekend Gazette illustration/KATE FERNANDEZ

Special to the Gazette/ STEPHANIE SAMSON

Top Trends

Last year’s 6th annual Camp Flog Gnaw was held at Dodger Stadium, featuring performances from artists including Rex Orange County, SZA, and The Internet.

Caboodles

yler, The Creator’s annual curated festival, Camp Flog Gnaw, is quickly approaching, featuring performances by BROCKHAMPTON, Blood Orange, and Juice WRLD at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Among the lineup are dozens of talented artists as well as a mystery performer that is yet to be announced.

The festival name itself is a palindrome for “Golf Wang”, which is Tyler Okonma, better known by his stage name Tyler, The Creator’s clothing line.

Several GBHS students and alumni are attending the weekend-long event, which will take place on November 9th through November 10th.

Senior Zack Haug is just one of a handful of students that has wanted to go to this festival for several years.

“My brother actually goes to UCLA so him and his friends were all going there together and he knew that I’d been interested in going for a few years so he asked me if I wanted to go with him,” Haug said.

Class of 2019 alumni Stephanie Samson is also attending the festival and has high hopes for the turnout.

“Last year I decided to go when Tyler announced the date and everything and I bought my ticket right when the went on sale and that was like way before the set list was even announced,” Samson said. “In a way it was like a leap of faith and then the same happened this year.”

Because the tickets are upwards of $200, the price tag is what prevents many people from being able to attend.

“I had wanted to go to Flog Gnaw previous years but couldn’t afford it,” senior Kendyl Kring said. “I have a job now so I saved up and bought the tickets when they first were released in May.”

Pumpkin Spice Latte

Caboodles! A new way to store your make-up on the go.

It’s very durable because it’s made out of plastic.

Caboodles can be customized by using stickers or paint.

TARGET.COM

lzabell.gazette@gmail.com

businesses because of poor working conditions for their employees.

In third world countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka, workers are being exploited in poor working conditions while being paid less than a living wage. All of this is to produce new trends as fast as they can for big businesses such as H&M, Gap, and Forever 21.

Because of fast fashion, clothing stores are able to produce fashion quickly for a much lower price to draw in more customers.

“Although I don’t support (fast fashion), I do find myself walking into those stores, but I try not to,” sophomore Jerimae Pielago said. “Most of my clothes are hand-me-downs or thrifted.”

Pielago is just one example of several students who have begun to boycott fast fashion.

Forever 21 just so happens to be one of the worst culprits of this.

“You could walk into (Forever 21) on a Tuesday, and on Wednesday, there’d be entirely new things,” Pielago said.

Another affordable clothing brand has one foot in the grave, and buyers will need to start looking in other places as quick as they can.

When the lineup was released in early August, several fans and attendees were shocked by the “mystery headliner” which was represented by question marks on the official lineup.

“I’m (most) excited to see who the guest performer is,” Haug said.

Many fans have suspected the mystery performer to be Frank Ocean, as he has been absent from the on-stage performing world for several years.

“I have a suspicion it will be Frank Ocean based off his previous history with announcing concerts and a couple other things hinting towards it,” Kring said. “(I) don’t want to jinx it though.”

As the festival date is quickly approaching, many students look forward to seeing several sets from their favorite artists as well as meeting up with other friends attending.

“I’m excited to meet up with all my friends if I run into them at all and just experience it all,” Samson said.

What sets this festival apart from so many others is its variety within artists as well as its roots.

“Camp Flog Gnaw started in a parking lot with just Tyler’s friends performing,” Kring explained. “I think it’s stuck pretty close to that same feeling even though it’s expanded so much since the first one in 2012, which is very unique and something huge festivals like Coachella, Lollapalooza, and even Outside Lands lack.”

Another thing that sets this festival apart from others is the type of music styles that are showcased by several artists.

“This festival is unique in itself because Tyler creates all of it essentially which isn’t that common to see now for an artist to make their own music festival and to have other artists they can vibe with,” Samson said. “It’s different because the style of music that encapsulates Camp Flog Gnaw is very specific.”

Call of Duty Mobile

The infamous “Pumpkin Spice Latte” is a delicious fall time drink that you can get from almost any coffee shop.

The drink can also be made at home by using just a few ingredients.

STARBUCKS.COM

Call of Duty Mobile is a free online mobile game made for Android and IOS devices.

The game has recently gained popularity among GBHS students.

TECHNEWSEXPERT.COM

Compiled by: Ethan Case

Arts&Entertainment

Hamlet, with a twist

BY SOPHIA HARIMOTO

T

sharimoto.gazette@gmail.com

he Granite Bay High School Theatre production company has spent hours of behind-the-scenes work in preparation for their fall show— Hamlet— and now, the big question is whether to see or not to see the play.

GBHS put their own spin on Shakespeare’s play by having most of the male roles played by female students, and vise versa.

The story follows the internal and external conflicts faced by young Hamlet after her father was murdered by her Uncle Claudius. She is tasked with avenging her father’s death, and in doing so, Hamlet must weigh her decisions in regards to whether it is morally right to take away someone else’s life.

“I have always had Hamlet on my list of plays that I wanted to do, (because) I think it’s an amazing story… that really captivates people,” said Kyle Holmes, the head director and drama teacher at GBHS. “It was kind of just waiting for the right cast of people to make it happen, and I think we have that group this year.”

The GBHS rendition of Hamlet is atypical to the original Shakespearean transcript, however much of it was preserved. For example, Hamlet, who is traditionally the role of a male, is played by junior, Maya Seagraves.

“I was hesitant to even consider auditioning for the role of Hamlet, for the same reason I was captivated by her,” Seagraves said. “I was fascinated by, not only the external conflict Hamlet faces, but by her internal conflicts as well — her prison

of mind.”

The cast has put in hours of work rehearsing and set-designing in order to make the show possible. “(The behind-the-scenes work for the play included) hundreds of hours of rehearsals, lighting design, set building, costuming, props, business and marketing, and projection work,” Holmes said. “Our set team and our multimedia team have done a great job with it all.”

Junior Jayden Smith, who plays Marcellus in the production, agrees that it took a lot of hardwork in order to make the show performance ready.

“We just ran through (the play) so many times to the point where we felt right and got into the groove of the show,” Smith said. “Hamlet (played by Seagraves) and Claudius (played by senior, Jack Dugoni) just really got to feel and know their character (to the point) that when they would say their lines, they understood what Shakespeare (truly meant).”

However, before anything could be officially put together in harmony, it was important for the cast to encompass the distinct personalities and behaviors of their character. In order to do so, the cast had to overcome certain challenges.

“The main challenge I had to overcome was self doubt,” Seagraves said. “I really struggled to believe that I could portray all the emotional complexities of such a well known character, but with the help of my directors and the support of the whole cast, we have created an amazing show.”

The first showing of the play was debuted on

Page 27

Award-winning drama program performs its fall show in a smaller black-box theater

October 31, and although there was a small proud of the work the cast accomplished. The last crowd due to it being Halloween, Holmes beshowing of the play is on November 9, at 7:00 lieves that it was a great first show for the cast. p.m. in the GBHS theater.

“Opening night is so fun because it is one of “Whether you are doing a middle school, 30 the first times you’re really in front of people,” minute version of Hamlet, or you are doing it Holmes said. “It was a smaller crowd because it professionally in high school, I think taking on was Halloween, but it kind of worked out persuch a complex and complicated text is amazfectly because it was a great opportunity for (the ingly difficult,” Holmes said. “This cast and crew cast) to really get a feel for how their work was have been incredibly creative, and they have going to resonate with people.” approached all of the problems that this show Seagraves agrees that performing for an audilays out with patience and maturity. They have ence has a significantly greater effect than when just done a really beautiful job creating a very simply running through the show at rehearsals. complex piece that I think is going to resonate “It’s amazing how much the audience adds to with our community. the performance,” Seagraves said. “We really respond to their energy, (and) I loved… finding little moments to connect with the audience.”

The play also featured a unique audience arrangement in the black box theatre, where the audience was close enough to interact with and analyze the characters.

“We have kind of reconfigured where the audience sits to create a black box stage, where the audience sits (about) three-quarters of the way around the stage,” Holmes said. “Hamlet is such an internal show. There are so many soliloquies where Hamlet is speaking out loud trying to figure out what to Special to the Gazette / KYLE HOLMES do, and we really wanted the audience to be a part of that.” wSenior Jack Dugoni as King Claudius attends a play Taking on such a complex play is not an within the play. Sophomore Cate Stipanovich plays an easy thing to do, but Holmes is extremely actor, as Hamlet, played by junior Natalie McLean, ‘dies’.

Several students have joined fan clubs to support their favorite groups

Fandoms prevalent at GBHS

BY JJ HILL

E

jhill.gazette@gmail.com

veryone enjoys watching movies and listening to music, but what if you felt a special connection with the characters in the movie, or the artists who dedicate themselves to performing for your entertainment? Fandoms run rampant on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram, but what makes them tick?

For many, listening to music in another language is somewhat of an oddity. If you can’t understand what the musicians are saying, it makes it difficult to connect to the message the artist wants to share with you.

“I don’t mind the language barrier when I listen to LOOΠΔ because I don’t want to hear what they have to say,” said Sean Turner, a current senior who listens to what teenagers his age would enjoy in Korea, often

known as K-pop. He enjoys the fresh melodies and beats of their music as opposed to the message they want to convey.

“I listen to Playboi Carti, and I can’t understand anything he said. I don’t see the difference,” Turner said.

The only part of the fandom he doesn’t like to associate with is the section of it which contains most of the hyper-fans of the band members.

“I had a friend who introduced me to them, but I tend to distance myself from the highly exclusionary nature of fans who aren’t just there for the music,” he said. This section of the K-pop community, known as “stans,” take the normally music-centered group of fans and morph it until they obsess over the personal lives and looks associated with the genre.

However, while the K-pop community is based off of something that already exists, there are fandoms

which are created almost entirely out of the blue with no source material.

Furries, who create art of anthropomorphic, bipedal animals, are an example of this.

“Freshman year I was drawing a lot of animal characters and my friend called me a furry, but I didn’t know what that was. I looked it up, and realized I definitely am one,” said Alia Ybarra, current senior who is part of the community. She draws both anthropomorphic characters and feral characters, the latter being animals as they are in real life who have humanlike emotions and characteristics, akin to the Warriors book series.

“I have a lot of characters,” Ybarra said. “One is a wolf, since it’s my spirit animal, one is a husky, which is my favorite dog, and one is a fox.”

Much of the art and literature which surrounds the community is created to stretch members’ creative

limits, allowing for an open and inviting platform to take a shot at storytelling. Junior Erin Basca is creating an entire overarching story involving her characters.

“It’s no different than creating any other type of character, and I just want to make them as fleshed out as possible,” Basca said. “The furry community is just another venue to work on my characters. It’s definitely what draws me in.”

While the community faces scrutiny for the apparent oddity of its nature, there are a multitude of welcoming and loving people involved within. She has even been able to share her art and create some for others through her Instagram account, @ nightsoils.

“It’s a very diverse community, and many of the people involved are incredibly accepting. It’s great,” Basca said.

Freshman vs Senior: Who is your favorite musical artist?

Rex Orange County because he can have a sad song with a happy beat. alex bose

Gazette illustration/LINDSEY ZABELL

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Junior Erin Basca displays her characters on her Instagram account, @nightsoils.

Compiled by: Payton Blevins

Post Malone because I like how I can always jam to him. kelsey cole

Gazette

Page 28

CORRECTIONS Accuracy is perhaps the most important fundamental of good journalism. It's the policy of the Gazette to correct all factual errors that are brought to our attention.

Email us at: staff.gazette@gmail.com *** wBecause of an editing error, a headline in the October issue was accompanied by a story that was originally published in September. The correct story and headline – “False perceptions of community college” on page 13 – have now been published on our website, GraniteBayToday.org. wBecause of an editing error, the review of the

movie “Abominable” on page 25 was a duplication of the review for another movie that appeared on the same page. The “Abominable” review has been correctly published on our website, GraniteBayToday.org. wSean Turner’s quote in the “If you really knew me” feature on page 13 was actually the quote of another student, not Turner. wThe tennis photo of Hailey Montgomery on page 21 was attributed to the wrong photographer. Alexis Craig took the picture. *** The Gazette regrets the errors.

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Voices

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

GAZETTE Granite Bay

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

Senior Editors: Cori Caplinger Bella Khor Angelina Kolosey May Lin Dylan Rowe Ashley Yung Lindsey Zabell Assistant Editors: Sophie Criscione Shreya Dodballapur Kate Fernandez Emerson Ford Maya Snow Staff: Hasan Alsakati Piper Bacon Payton Blevins Ethan Case Alexis Craig Julia Golovey Thomas Gray Justin Ha Sophia Harimoto JJ Hill Mareesa Islam Diana Jones Bradyn Kesti Lindsey Magno Gabby Mathis Drew McKown Sarah Reitz Amaan Saini Simi Singh Sandy Song

Old literature may be outdated It is now time to look at more modern pieces of writing

T

he “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” “Of Mice and Men.” “Romeo and Juliet.” All of which are titles that Granite Bay High School students study in English classes to improve their abilities as writers – all while GBHS teachers forcefully shove this content down our throats.

I’m sure these classics were once novel concepts that fascinated children and adults alike, but as 2020 rears its head toward us, many students collectively groan at the notion of reading another pretentious, drawn-out story.

We are in the 21st century now, and I believe I can speak for almost everyone when I say that nobody wants to read another book that was written in the same time period as knights and witches.

Even in the last decade alone, our language and style of speaking has drastically changed. So imagine how much our diction has mutated from the days of “Romeo and Juliet.”

We need to detach from the stuffy notion that America needs a copy of “The Great Gatsby” in every classroom.

How could Shakespeare possibly prepare the mod-

ern student for a constantly evolving world that has no need for the thy’s and thou’s of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”?

For students who read Shakespeare, all the ornate vocabulary and senseless phrases make reading, much less annotating, an impossible feat.

I don’t want to whip out a dictionary and spend 30 minutes rereading a page to understand the “complex” themes that only “Mobey Dick” can teach.

Teachers are making reading a tedious obstacle that only a quick trip to Sparknotes can solve.

There are plenty of books with subtle themes and descriptive imagery that aren’t boring to a teen.

We should teach about stories that young readers can understand. No matter how impressive the writing of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is, it is useless if it is uninteresting and almost impossible for students to understand.

Students want to hear about things they can actually relate to. By injecting this slow, bland content into our heads, our teachers are killing our youthful connection to literature in America.

The plot and characters of these books feel distant

Page 29

COMMENTARY

to our present day readers, and the endless allegories and similes are boring students into submission.

There are a cornucopia of novels for us to read, analyze and annotate, but it’s time to dispel these jha.gazette@gmail.com literary seniors and bring in a fresh, new set of stories for this generation of readers to fall in love with.

So maybe before we go out and buy another book that will end up at the bottom of a drawer by summer time let’s consider cleaning the shelf and updating our catalog of American classics. *** Justin Ha, a freshman, is a staff writer.

justin ha

Adviser: Karl Grubaugh The Gazette is published eight times per academic year by students in the advanced journalism class at Granite Bay High School.

Content is determined by the staff and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Granite Bay High School’s faculty, administration, adviser or student body.

Students are protected in their exercise of press freedom by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and California Education Code 48907.

Signed editorials and columns reflect the views of the writer.

Letters to the editor and guest commentaries are encouraged and must be signed, although anonymity can be granted on a case-bycase 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 staff.gazette@gmail.com Identification Statement GRANITE BAY GAZETTE PUBLISHED EIGHT TIMES PER ACADEMIC YEAR c/o Granite Bay High School 1 Grizzly Way Granite Bay, CA 95746 Subscriptions: $25 per year/ $15 per half year

Teenagers need to live their lives Gazette illustration/KATE FERNANDEZ

The student population should be able to enjoy their four years of high school

F

reshman year, I knew exactly what I wanted. I knew that every bit of effort I would need to put in would start the very minute I stepped onto campus.

I was prepared to take as many Advanced Placement classes as I could. By senior year, you’d bet I was going to be enrolled in every single AP class I could take. Everything was supposed to go according to a very strict plan.

Skip ahead to the start of junior year.

I have committed myself to high school, but not in the way that I had before.

I have quit worrying about my grades, going to college, and I even stopped worrying about taking the SAT. I realized that the burden of stress and the struggle for accomplishment was what kept me from standing up and taking control of my own life.

In reality, it’s not my future that will determine the rest of my life; it’s what happens here and now.

Nowadays, the more you break

yourself, the better schools do.

It’s rigged for a minority of students. Those of us who can’t compete drown in a suffocating mess of numbers and insecurities.

In school, if your number isn’t high enough, you’re not worth their time.

So as we sit here in our last four years, the only thing we can do is live our best lives.

The best way to secure happiness is to simply be a teenager.

When in your life after our last four years, will you ever get the chance to put on a dress and go to prom with that boy you’ve always thought was too cute for you? He did ask you for a reason.

When in your life after our last four years, will you ever have the chance to make the final, game-winning score and feel that unrivaled rush of dopamine and adrenaline as your team celebrates around you? Not all dreams come true in college.

When in your life after our last four years will you get the chance to struggle and grow in the stunning chaos of high school life while

COMMENTARY

piper bacon pbacon.gazette@gmail.com

standing beside the same people you’ve known and cared about since elementary school? Some of them you may never see again.

I can promise you now that nothing will compare to the feeling of spending dreamy summer nights beside the people you love the most in high school, and nothing beats the freedom of just being a kid and going out and doing crazy things on weekends or even in school itself.

So, in your last four years, confess your love to that girl.

Stay out past curfew with your friends while buying pumpkins at Walmart.

Go watch a sunset from atop the press box. Make sure to bring the

most artery-clogging food you can possibly find. At least, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Skip a day of school to go do something stupid just because you can.

Miss a day of homework. So what?

Who will remember the one Spanish project you might have turned in a day late?

Life for many of us will change entirely once high school is over, and you will never be able to get back these years no matter how hard you try.

You’ll regret not living life to its fullest now more than you’ll regret having a 95% instead of a solid 98%.

In our last four years, be a kid.

Stop listening to colleges and counselors tell you that your life is over if you don’t go to a four-year college.

Absolutely no one will penalize you for going to a junior college.

I thought I knew what I wanted, but I longed for so much more than just a number.

In your last four years, don’t waste it on that stifling number that schools love to give.

Cherish what time has been given to you, and these last four years will be the best of your life. *** Piper Bacon, a junior, is a staff writer.

Voices

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Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Social media standards are unattainable Students should not change to conform to unrealistic expectations

W

hat happened to online authenticity?

Social media was originally intended to be a place for people to share real memories and communicate with their friends around the world. When I was younger, I viewed it as a safe place to share my thoughts and destinations without having to worry about judgement or comparison.

But like all things, it has evolved.

Rather than scrolling through unedited photos that took little effort to take, I see premeditated vacation photos and selfies that took hours to edit. I see unoriginal poses with specific angles that always seem to accentuate a person’s body appearance. I see deception.

It is so easy to hide behind a screen and pretend to be somebody you are not, and social media is the perfect catalyst for it all.

We have the gracious liberty to carefully select which photos we want to share with the internet, and consequently, it seems that we tend to share moments of satisfaction and pride rather than of sorrow and embarrassment.

We feel the need to display the best version of ourselves online

even if our best version is not ourselves.

Why? Because we desire verification from our peers, and the best way to achieve this form of verification is by copying what everyone else is doing.

Whether that means in the form of likes or comments, we want to be noticed and loved, even if it means we have to pretend to be somebody we are genuinely not.

However, this facade we wear online is detrimental to the overall health and well-being of our society.

We try so hard to fit in with our peers, that it starts to tear away at our own self-worth.

We can’t help but compare ourselves to those who are incomparable, and as a result, we try to change our natural habits in order to conform to society’s standards.

And, even though society’s standards are impossible to satisfy, we continuously beat ourselves up thinking that we are not enough.

Our self-consciousness often leads us to adopt unhealthy behaviors and habits that are detrimental to our overall health.

This feeling contributes to the increasing mental health statistics

COMMENTARY

that are correlated with social media.

According to a study performed by a psychology professor at San Diego State University, people who spend five or more hours on social media were 71% more likely to have suicide-related thoughts than those who spend only an hour online.

The more hours we spend on social media equates to the more time sharimoto.gazette@gmail.com we start doubting our worth.

Although the rise of social media is inevitable, its drastic effects on mental health can be prevented, and it starts with being authentic online. *** Sophia Harimoto, a junior, is a staff writer.

sophia harimoto

‘Joker’ movie is no joke

The recent film release has been negatively received by some, but has sparked important conversations since then

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ince Todd Phillips’s, “Joker,” hit the box office, there have been a number of mixed reviews regarding the film.

Overall, it’s been pretty well received among audiences, and personally, I absolutely loved it.

The cinematography is brilliant, and the amazing performance by Joaquin Phoenix deserves an Oscar. But after watching the film, I couldn’t help but think about it more and more.

When I checked the reviews, I was shocked to find the amount of negative reviews regarding the film’s final message. Critiques are worried about the violent message that people could be taking from the movie, however, this film is a must-see, and it is not toxic at all.

The main critique regarding the movie itself is that the film isn’t fun enough, and that it’s shallow. It tries to evoke sympathy in viewers for someone who doesn’t deserve sympathy, they say.

First of all, the film doesn’t have to be fun.

I think it’s refreshing to see this unique style, where there’s a pleasant mix of dark humor and suspense, like the children’s hospital scene, for example.

Secondly, I don’t see the movie trying to make you feel sympathy for Arthur, who is the main character. Some feel bad for him, and others don’t, but there are seemingly no outward efforts by the producers create sympathy for Arthur.

I can see both sides of things, because while

Arthur is a violent and mentally sick individual, he’s also been abused all his life, and lives in very poor conditions.

And while it’s true that bad things happen to everyone, the problem with Arthur is that he’s unable to cope with these things.

Another aspect of the film that people are concerned with is the fact that the movie may inspire real life acts of violence or terrorism. These people say the film is actually dangerous, and that it shouldn’t be shown in theaters.

Honestly, I think this is a valid concern, however there are many other films that could have the same thing said about them, and, “Joker,” isn’t.

If someone watching the film is already having those kinds of thoughts, watching

COMMENTARY

tion and debate is that the this movie may be a trigger, like the straw that broke movie has struck a nerve the camel’s back. In that with people. Art is meant case, the movie to inspire and move people, doesn’t “cause” and this film has succeeded violence. There in doing that. Whether that are many trigmeans feeling inspired to gers in the film, start conversation, inspired and therefore to write an angry review, is not for inspired to write an article, everyone. or inspiration for your own People say is stories. Of course, I don’t that the Joker want people to be inspired glamorizes acts to hurt innocent people, of violence, but this movie has people but I ssingh.gazette@gmail.com talking. That’s what I think think is most important about the this movie portrays negative and positive reviews. these sensitive topics So although I dislike reading the negative with a sense of underreviews, it’s interesting to see everyone’s take on standing for the viewer. this film. Because walking into it, you’re expectThe movie is not encouraging to learn more about Jokers new backstory ing you to love Arthur, only adaptation, but you leave thinking about what displaying his own thoughts was real and what wasn’t. That’s something the and struggles. There are many different community has in common. villains and many heros, all of whom kill This film was a dark one, yes, but it’s still a mercilessly, and are still loved by millions.

So the Joker has some violence in it, but so do very unique and inspiring film. *** most action films.

What I really love about all this conversaSimi Singh , a freshman, is a staff writer.

simi singh

Gazette illustration/Kate Fernandez

It is essential that seniors learn how to be self-reliant Teenagers heading off into the world must learn autonomy

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s a senior heading off to college soon, independence has become a trait that I am oh-so grateful for. While I may not be completely self sufficient, I do feel that throughout high school I have developed my own sense of autonomy, and that has become very valuable.

College applications, work opportunities, communicating with teachers— you name it— are all things that a senior must be able to maneuver on their own, especially since they’ll be out on their own before they know it.

And yet, I still see people my age who can’t do anything on their own, and it never fails to elicit pity from me.

As seniors, we are about to enter the world all on our own, and we’ll be more alone than we ever have been.

Tasks that we once left for our parents to do will now be ours to perform, and the steady hand that has guided us through high school will

autonomy. Within our final no longer lead us. year of high school lies an Considering this situation, abundance of opportunities to I worry about some of my practice self-reliance, whether peers. To be more specific, I it’s applying to college without worry about how they will fare the help of parents or planwhen faced with challenges ning out college finances. they were never taught to deal Our future may be with, challenges that had once intimidating, especially for been solved by their doting those who have been shielded parents. by their parents for so long.

In the process of making However, we can find comfort their child’s life easier, these in the fact that we are all parents have actually set them going to be self-sufficient up for a harsh future, where together, and we will not be they will have to learn all at alone in our personal difficulonce how to be independent, kfernandez.gazette@gmail.com ties. rather than gradually throughWhether we like it or not, we will soon be out high school. navigating the dangerous waters of our future, Besides preparing students academically, high and we better know how to swim. school also serves to prepare young students for I myself feel that I am independent enough the workspace and higher education, indepento function on my own, but I know that it will dence being one of the most important traits be difficult regardless of how self-sufficient that that is taught.

I think I am. Though I have not yet left high However, I don’t think it’s too late for the school, I an say with confidence that it will be seniors who haven’t yet developed this sense of

COMMENTARY

kate fernandez

hard no matter what, because it simply is for everyone.

Be that as it may, I’m grateful for all I’ve experienced that has prepared me for the world outside of high school. It has been challenging, yes, but I know that my experiences will pay off during rough times, whereas others may not be so lucky.

High school isn’t over yet, but for years all that anyone has told me has been that high school goes by fast, and that you should enjoy it while you can. And while I wholeheartedly agree that students should enjoy high school, I also believe that they should treat the experience as a stepping stone, from one form of education to another.

Because when high school is over, and it will be sooner than you think, things will start to move so fast that you’ll be grateful to have learned what you did, even more so if you developed a sense of independence in the process. *** Kate Fernandez, a senior, is an assistant editor.

Voices

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Youth sports are too harsh COMMENTARY

Parents can make athletics too competitive

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outh sports have gotten out of control.

In the past few years, youth sports have morphed from a fun activity with friends to grueling practices everyday and exhausting tournaments every weekend.

Youth sports are meant to encourage children to exercise, make new friends, and overall to learn what it means to work as a team. But now, all kids seem to want is a college scholarship, and some are forgetting what sports are really meant to be.

Early college recruitment is a long and stressful process, especially for children.

Coaches believe that the earlier their players are recruited, the more on top they are of the competition.

To get to this level for recruitment, players must practice every day for several hours, and participate in games and tournaments every weekend.

A four hour practice everyday is unreasonable for an 11 year old, and the long practices may ruin their ability to excel

in a sport.

These kids could be hanging out with friends and family, but instead they are practicing basketball.

The chance of actually “making it” in a sport is appealing, but is also very slim, and likely is not worth ruining a childhood.

Sports can also have a negative effect on their school life.

Many players miss several days of school to participate in their sports, and all of these days added up can have a detrimental effect on their academics.

In addition to missing school, players may also be very tired from late games and practices. This can lead to students having difficulties paying attention and in turn can negatively affect their performance in school.

Intense parents can drain the fun out of sports, and they can put too much pressure on their children.

It can be uncomfortable when a parent criticizes their kid in public. Or when

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HEARD on the BAY What is the best thing that the administration does for our campus?

diana jones

They try to relate to the students and make them feel comfortable

djones.gazette@gmail.com

parents yell at the innocent coaches for “coaching wrong.”

I understand that some youth really do love the sport they play, but the sport may not be worth ruining a childhood. .

Sports are meant to be enjoyed, but today’s society has made youth sports too competitive and intense. *** Diana Jones, a freshman, is a staff writer.

rose fayer freshman

The flu shot is beneficial for all One should consider the possible consequences of ignoring vaccines

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hen people say, “I don’t believe in the flu shot,” or “the flu shot doesn’t work,” it drives me absolutely crazy.

Do people think that doctors are just poking us with needles that do nothing?

Doctors would not be encouraging flu shots if they didn’t work. Doctors are some of the smartest people and when they’re telling you to do something, it’s serious.

People complain that flu shots cause you to get sick after you get them, but that’s just your immune response and flu shots can’t transmit infection, so people who get sick after receiving a flu vaccination were going to

get sick anyway. It takes a week or two to actually start getting protection from the vaccine.

Getting the flu is never fun.

Getting that super high fever, aching muscles, that piercing headache, sore throat, your nose so stuffed that you can barely breathe, and that dry and constant cough is unbearable.

Including the fact that you’re so tired and weak.

But you don’t have to worry about any of those things if you get the flu shot. Getting the flu shot is proven to be the most effective way to prevent yourself from getting the flu, so why not try it?

The flu shot has been proven to be effective most of the time,

so please get it. If you don’t like help prevent getting pneumoneedles, then too bad for you. nia, that terrible infection in If you really wanted to protect your lungs, which is also a plus. yourself from the flu, you would Teachers, nurses, and people get the who work with tiny needle children, patients, poked in and other others your arm for should definitely 1.6 seconds get the flu shot of your life because they are and stop way more likely complainto get the flu. ing.

Elderly people are Do not also big targets get a flu shot for this deadly too late in illness. the season So do us all a because the favor, and get vaccine starts your flu shot so working two your body can dmckown.gazette@gmail.com weeks after start to fight off you get the any signs of this shot, so if you haven’t gotten awful illness known as the flu. your flu shot already, go get it *** now before it’s too late.

Drew McKown, a freshman, Getting the flu shot can also is a staff writer.

The administration helps our school run smoothly.

sam monk sophomore

COMMENTARY

drew mckown

The administration helps keep everyone organized and on task.

hannah montgomery junior

(They) organize college presentations well, they give us a lot of options.

We need to fix our fraught relationship

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student should never feel stuck. A student should never feel like they do not have options. And a student should certainly never feel as though they are not able to receive help when they need it.

The job of the administration is not an easy one.

Often they are tasked with the thankless jobs that no one else would like to do.

More often than not they are made out to look like the bad guys, the ones that don’t care about the student population. This is not only false, but destructive to the reputation of the administration.

Sure, we all make mistakes.

There are definitely things to be learned from certain instances that occur at Granite

EDITORIAL The voice of the Granite Bay Gazette

Bay High School, but instead of villainizing the administration we should work with them to create a better functioning system. Polarizing oneself to a certain side of the argument never accomplishes anything.

We want to help benefit the school in away possible. In order to ensure that everything runs smoothly, everyone needs to get along.

Mistrust is a commonality between students and the

administration. It’s reaching the point where students no longer have faith in the administration. They refuse to seek help in fear of reparations.

The members of the administration are not the bad guys, they simply want to make this school a safer place — a place where everyone gets along and no one’s safety is put into question.

Yet students aren’t necessarily to blame here either. We are afraid because it seems as though seeking help for an issue such as drug addiction or other safety concerns may get us into more trouble than not saying anything to begin with.

We have to learn that getting along and trusting each other starts with establishing

an understanding. Nothing is going to change if there isn’t a little bit of sacrifice.

So, let’s open up a conversation. Students and the administration alike should work together to create a safe and welcoming environment. We can work together by trying to understand where the other side is coming from.

Rather than considering the other side the enemy, we should acknowledge the instances of misunderstanding that sparked this feeling. We are not each other’s adversaries.

Let’s think of this opportunity as an advancement towards progress. A chance to better the broken relationship between students and the administration.

alex alvarez senior

I think they are supportive as a team.

kathleen bacharach staff Compiled by Emerson Ford

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Current

Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, November 8, 2019

Second Look Despite a loss to Oak Ridge and a red-flag warning that affected the Bonfire Rally, GBHS students enjoyed the Homecoming fun

ď ˇSeniors Avani Singh and Alonzo Cannon smile after being crowned as the 2019 Homecoming King and Queen, top left.

Juniors Kennedy Brown and Gabe Veth, top right, dance to country songs on their first-place float.

Sophomores Alina Awais and Nicholas Grahame, above, are presented to their peers as the sophomore class prince and princess. Senior Alex Nash is escorted by her dad, far left. The members of the class of 2022 put on a rock show, left, as they dance to their float skit on Homecoming night.

Gazette photos by Lindsey Zabell and Maya Snow