Granite Bay Gazette, March 2019

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Granite Bay Gazette

GRANITE BAY HIGH SCHOOL w 1 GRIZZLY WAY w GRANITE BAY, CA w 95746 w VOLUME 22 w ISSUE 6 w FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2019

COMMENTARY

RACISM

andrew yung

Recent events spark discussions about appropriate student behavior at school

ayung.gazette@gmail.com

We all need encouragement, not criticism

BY MAX SCHWARTZ

mschwartz.gazette@gmail.com

“A

nd the people in the houses All went to the university Where they were put in boxes And they came out all the same And there’s doctors and lawyers And business executives And they’re all made out of ticky tacky And they all look just the same.”

These lyrics in Malvina Reynolds’ song, “Little Boxes” offer a perspective that, in some ways, parallels Granite Bay – a community characterized by its high socioeconomic status and the general affluence of both adults and their children.

Granite Bay High School is a reflection of the community. Having a majority of students and faculty who are Caucasian has left some minority students struggling to stay afloat in a sea of white.

Early last month, an email was sent to each GBHS parent and student by principal Jennifer Leighton.

T

here’s this amazing feeling that I, and probably all people, get from receiving compliments, from words of affirmation, from encouragement.

It’s this sense of, not necessarily validation – though it very well could be – but warm, hearty appreciation.

And receiving these nice, small tokens of affirmation can invoke a new, small sense of confidence.

Granted, it is not all the time we feel this, especially when we can tell the bequeather is not genuine (which is decidedly worse than not receiving a compliment at all), but when we do stumble across these increasingly rare treasures, there is really only positivity that can spread.

But, oh, how quickly Have we all can insults, resorted to words of pointing out unwarranteverything we ed critifind wrong...? cism and discouragement tear all of this positivity away.

We’ve all been in the position, no matter how secure and strong we are, where the words breathed out of another’s mouth have pained us in some sort of way.

Why? Because no one wants to hear what people don’t like about them. Besides being just plain mean – and often for no reason at all – it is also often completely unsubstantiated and completely frivolous.

Of course, constructive criticism has its place, but that is asked for, and I’m guessing 99.9 percent of the time, the things we say negatively about others are not warranted. Also, I’m guessing the majority of the time the things we say negatively about others happens behind their back.

This development of criticism and gossip has risen substantially recently, I believe, because of the rise of social media and the anonymity the Internet offers. All over the web, you can find negative things about anyone and anything, as even the kindest, most stereotypical generous actions can, and almost always are, given additional negative narratives.

But for what purpose? Have we all as a society been so insecure that we have to find faults in every single thing a person does?

Have we all resorted to pointing out everything we find wrong with someone, just because they wore the same clothes two days in a row or talk with a weird accent?

I would argue the answer to these are all, luckily, no of course not. I still have faith in us all, still have faith in humanity and still have faith that this is only a small phase we are going through as a society, and ultimately grow out of our crippling, debilitating ways.

I’d challenge everyone, including myself, to think twice before saying something bad about someone. Consider why you are saying this. Is it because the other person deserves it?

Because the answer is always no.

Spread kindness, not negativity.

“

The email was Leighton’s response to multiple cases of racism directed toward African-American students on social media, including incidences of blackface and the blatant use of racial slurs including the n-word.

The notice came to the Granite Bay community without any warning – the same way Leighton found out about the situation.

“It was all very overwhelming – , I thought in my head, ‘How could this be happening at our school?’ ” Leighton said.

Although this was not the first instance of racism on campus or in the community, this case was into new territory for Leighton.

“There have been isolated incidents in the five years I’ve been here (at GBHS), but very isolated that I was aware of – and all of a sudden it felt very overwhelming,” she said. “On top of it all, starting to hear from the community and to be on the news, it’s like, ‘Wow, this is

and its presence on campus something that we’ve got to deal with.’ ” Since these incidents happened, Leighton said she is trying to shift the focus of the staff from the immediate safety concerns of gun violence after the Parkland, Florida, shootings a year ago.

“My most important job (as principal) is to make sure that our students feel safe, and last year with all the school shootings we focused on the campus being safe physically, but now we need to look at how we are treating each other,” Leighton said.

Since the beginning of the year, administrators and teachers have been working together in meetings to further their understanding as it relates to the issues of race and culture.

“We have been reading a book in our faculty meetings about culturally responsive teaching,” Leighton said. “We’ve been learning about how our teaching affects others and why as teachers we might even have an implicit bias.”

With these most-recent incidents, Leighton noted the actual scenarios are being dealt with differently – and although she can’t disclose the punishments because of student confidentiality, she noted the goal.

“The most important thing is to repair the damage because, while there is a consequence, it is about how we fix the problem,” she said.

The solution will be about understanding what people of color go through as minorities.

“People of the predominant race don’t understand what it is like (to experience discrimination) because they can’t relate to being one of the 30 students that are different at this school,” Leighton said.

These incidents of racism, however, are not reported every time. The struggle of being a minority at GBHS is full of incidents unknown to the broader community. Whether it is blatant racial slurs or being treated differently because of their skin color, for persons of color, Granite Bay is not always the most comfortable place to be.

“In Granite Bay, I guess you could say I’m different,” said senior Lamont Mason, who is African American. “I am viewed as one of the black people instead of an individual.”

Mason attributes occurrences of prejudice to him being different.

See RACISM, page A5

”

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

Gazette illustration | Sidney Zabell

Frosh numbers declining Class of 2023 could end up being smallest ever at GBHS

BY ANDREW YUNG

ayung.gazette@gmail.com

I

n recent years, the Sacramento area has expanded due in no small part to the migration of many from the overcrowded Bay Area. However, as many people have moved to the region and more schools have been built in the area, an almost counterintuitive development has been happening.

Granite Bay High School’s population has been decreasing, ever so slowly.

Every year, the Roseville Joint Union High School District conducts an estimate of the incoming class of freshmen in order to plan for staffing.

Meghan Cole CP English 9 teacher discusses the consequences of a smaller class size

Although the predicted number of freshmen for GBHS has historically been lower than the number who actually show up – in part because the number does not account for inter and intradistrict transfers – the number of predicted freshmen for next year is at an all time low: just 385 students.

The decrease in students has been evident not just at GBHS, but also at its primary feeder schools – Olympus Junior High in West Roseville and Cavitt Junior High in Granite Bay. “We have been experiencing declining enrollment at Olympus for the past few years,” Olympus principal Sean Healy said.

“We’re sending fewer and fewer eighth graders (to the high school). I believe Cavitt is experiencing the same decline in enrollment.” at Olympus for the See ENROLLMENT, page A4

Seniors get college letters Students prepare to embark on the next four years

BY ABBIE GOULD

agould2.gazette@gmail.com

A

s May 1 approaches, the decision that has been looming over most seniors’ heads for the past four years is closer than ever.

In two months, these young adults will have to decide where they will spend their next four years as they pursue a college degree.

After having finished the application process in the fall, college acceptances have begun to trickle in.

“I applied to 15 different colleges and am just beginning to hear back from a few,” senior Cate Wolfe said.

Many seniors applied to numerous schools and are not quite sure how they are going to make their final decision.

“Every student is different in regards to where they see themselves after high school,” said counselor Navjot Singh. “When deciding on a college, we have students looks at multiple different things. For

See DECISIONS, page A6

Senior conduct policy changes

Traditional discipline is used as suspension alternative

BY ASHLEY LUCIA

alucia.gazette@gmail.com

S

enior conduct has been used to ensure that students remain in good standing since Granite Bay High School opened. However, more recently, there have been some major changes to the disciplinary program.

The consequence eliminates students’ opportunities to attend senior-based events. Students have the ability to land on the list for multiple offenses including behav-

inside this section news Elective enrollment in a downward spiral

Class selection process

Students opt for weighted courses instead of electives.

Returning students choose classes at a later date than ever before.

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example, do you see yourself at a large campus or a small campus?

Do you want to stay in California or go out of state? Do you want to play sports? What majors do they offer?”

Justin Mazzola said he is going to consider a few major aspects of the colleges he applied to, to help with his final decision.

“I am going to consider location, the reputation of the school, ranking of the business program and the community and feel of it,” Mazzola said.

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ior, attendance and grades.

“It started long before my time,” assistant principal Brian McNulty said. “The school board was trying to adopt a policy to help seniors realize if they give up their rights by fighting against the establishment, they (would) not be walking (across) the stage.”

Attendance is a main cause of many students finding themselves on senior conduct. The state mandates that See CONDUCT, page A5

voices Mental illness isn’t just having a bad day Depression is serious, yet many undermine its importance

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News

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Friday

Granite Bay Gazette

w March 8, 2019

NAMES IN THE NEWS

elliott hyman ehyman.gazette@gmail.com

Editor apologizes for his error

I

n a four-word quip in my February Names in the News column, I managed to hurt and offend three girls who had received the honor of being nominated by Granite Bay High teachers to interview for the prestigious position of representing the school at Girls State – a nationally renowned mock government conference.

The comment had unintended implications undermining the legitimacy of the program and its selection process, making it appear as if I believed their success was unwarranted.

I want to apologize to Emma Broers, Julia Tastor and Reagan Dolan. I’m sorry for writing that mean-spirited comment. I was in the wrong, and I want to congratulate the three of you for your incredible achievement. *** AP Literature teacher Robert Prichard has returned to campus after the birth of his first daughter – Elara Jame Prichard. Congratulations to his wife Katie and the whole Prichard family. Hopefully they enjoy and treasure these first few months as much as they can – given the state of complete exhaustion they’ll most likely be experiencing. Cheers! *** The Sports and Entertainment Marketing class received a $1,500 prize for getting first place in a Safe Driving Marketing campaign. Good job

by Jeanne Sampson and the students of the class on getting their hard work rewarded for a good cause. *** The GBHS Dance program took a class trip to Disneyland over last weekend. The class did Disneyland right from riding Space Mountain, taking classes taught by Disney cast members and participating in – and winning – impromptu dance battles. *** The winner of Boys State was announced on Monday, and the winner is Nathan Wong.

Congratulations, it is an amazing accomplishment. Now your next task is trying to fill Spencer Cova’s magnificent boots. *** St. Baldrick’s happened today.

Staff and students took to the stage during lunch to have their hair shaved off to raise money in order to help cure childhood cancer. *** Pennies for Patients recently came to an end. Boxes placed in each classroom where students could donate funds to pay for research into blood cancers. They have raised millions of dollars nationally for a good cause. Tom Farmer’s math class raised more than $800 and will receive a donut party. *** Elliott Hyman, a senior, is a Gazette News editor.

CORRECTIONS Accuracy is perhaps the most important fundamental of good journalism. It's the policy of the Gazette to correct all factual errors that are brought to our attention.

Email us at: staff.gazette@gmail.com

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Gazette photo | Elliott Hyman

Overall involvement in extracurriculars has fallen at GBHS, possibly due to cultural shifts towards academics, as exemplified by this nearly empty journalism classroom.

Participation in electives is on the decline

Program membership falls due to students choosing to increase GPAs rather than pursue passions

BY SIDNEY ZABELL

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szabell.gazette@gmail.com

he Dodo bird has been driven to extinction. At Granite Bay High School, electives might be on their way to the same fate.

“When I first came here … there were 70 kids in student government – now, there are 30,” yearbook teacher/adviser Bernadette Cranmer said. “Media is smaller, GBiT is way smaller, (yearbook) is smaller. All of us have been drastically impacted.”

But why has enrollment in electives fallen off so steeply?

Cranmer says it’s connected to an increased push for students

to fill schedules with weighted Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes so students can raise their GPAs in the race for class rank.

“If they take one of our classes, it doesn’t matter if they get an A,” Cranmer said. “Their GPA will be lowered because it’s not a weighted class.”

Junior Catherine Candy focuses on AP classes in the hope of achieving future success.

“I didn’t like how I was required to take a bunch of classes that I wasn’t interested in taking,” Candy said, “so after (physical education) and my required art (credit), I decided to take the ones that in-

terested me. (In classes) like art and stuff, the deadlines and timelines and stuff stress me out. I like doing academic (classes) because I feel it’s more relevant to my future.”

Candy is currently enrolled in AP Art History, which she prefers over a typical art class.

“Because I swim over 20 hours per week, taking fourth (period) off is better than taking an elective for me because I get more time to finish my homework and get ready for swim,” Candy said. “I want to get ahead in school and because everyone in my grade is so competitive, taking an elective isn’t really something you can do if you

want to stay in the top (rank).”

Sophomore Eden Arellano takes yearbook, a class with decreasing enrollment in recent years.

“When I got there, there were 16 people on the staff,” Arellano said.

“And at first there was 20 and it went all the way down throughout the weeks, and it was kind of crazy having so much work to do all at once. It was still so much fun … but having a small staff was kind of tough.”

Decreasing numbers puts more pressure on students in elective classes that would in the past have had more help, like yearbook, journalism, Student Government, media and GBiT. “I think (yearbook) is a great environment to be in,” Arellano said.

“The kids are so cool, and every year, somebody is going to want to be in there. I want to come back and I want to do a full year just

because I know that it’s hard on not only the staff, but Mrs. Cranmer too, to get everything done in a year’s time and to make everything to where it’s as perfect as we can.”

Contrary to popular belief, straight A’s and a perfect academic resume isn’t the golden ticket into a top college, Cranmer says.

“We have some students missing out on really phenomenal experiences in journalism, yearbook, Student Government, media and GBiT,” Cranmer said. “All these classes that are good classes where they’d be learning about problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration – real-world skills that help you in college and careers – they’re completely missing out.

“Instead they’re sitting in an academic class for something that a lot of them don’t even care about.”

Class awarded for safe-driving campaign

Sports and Entertainment Marketing wins

BY ELLIOTT HYMAN

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ehyman.gazette@gmail.com

he blight of drunk driving on teenagers and the country as a whole is quite clear at Granite Bay High School.

With the Every 15 Minutes program reminding students of the dangers of driving under the influence every two years, it’s hard to forget the damage that driving under the influence does to communities across the country.

However, in this era of ubiquitous technology, accidents because of distracted driving are on the rise. In 2016, distracted driving took the lives of 3,450 people, and 391,000 people were injured in distracted-driving accidents in 2015, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Sports and Entertainment Marketing class at GBHS participated in and won the Teen Safe Driving Campaign – a competi-

tion seeking to bring greater awareness to the issue.

“In 2013, the Safety Center of Sacramento, which works with the Allstate Foundation on the Safe Driving Campaign throughout the entire state, sent me an email, and I thought it would be a hands-on project for my marketing class,” business teacher Jeanne Sampson said. “In our department, we try to apply things instead of just learning them academically.”

One of the most important factors for Sampson was making sure the project was student-led.

“Everything was about the students driving the program,” Sampson said. “It’s a four-week competition and each week we had activities to do, so I might show them an idea, but I let each group take it and run with it.”

The class performed a range of tasks for

Special to the Gazette | Jeanne Sampson

The Sports and Entertainment Marketing class receives a $1,500 check and a banner after getting first place in the Teen Safe Driving Campaign put on by Allstate. the competition.

“The class split up into many groups, one making posters, one contacting safe driving officials, one made videos and others looked to start a social media movement,” senior Jake McKillop said.

For McKillop, the program had a deeper personal meaning because of his own personal experience.

“The campaign mattered to me because

I had a good friend of mine end up in a coma in a driving-related incident,” McKillop said. “Seeing that ordeal transpire really was eye opening to potential hazards of driving that most people sweep under the rug.”

Another student who took the message of the program to heart was junior Emma See CAMPAIGN, page A4

Students weigh their college financial aid options

Seniors face overload of scholarship, loan information

BY SPENCER COVA

S

scova.gazette@gmail.com

tudents often dread the fall semester of their senior year for one specific reason – having to complete college applications.

Little do students know that the most stressful part of senior year comes long after applications are sent away – when decisions come back in March.

Seniors accepted into their dream universities and colleges will in some cases turn down of-

fers because the tuition and fees don’t within their budgets. “(If I get into one of my top three choices, I) definitely will consider turning down the offer,” senior Brad Davito said. “Some of the schools I’ve applied to will be really expensive. Depending on how much aid I get, I don’t want to put too much pressure on my family over paying for (college).”

Even if the school might be a better fit for the student, the cost might make attendance a nonoption.

“It seems like I have to choose

between a more expensive outof-state school that I’m interested in, or a more affordable school in California that I’m not as passionate about,” Davito said.

Some students will have to put their hopes on hold. But there has been a system put in place to help bridge the gap between a student’s wildest dreams and reality – it’s called financial aid.

Financial aid comes in many different forms and sources.

“The first step should be filling out (the Free Application for Federal Student Aid),” college and

career center director Teri Keeney said.

FAFSA can be filled out by all prospective and current college students to receive grants from the federal government. The amount of funds granted to any given student is determined by personal and parental income. The higher a family’s income, the smaller the amount of money a student is likely to be given.

The amount of money a student receives after completing the FAFSA is independent from the price of tuition for any given college. Meaning that if FAFSA grants a student $4,000 per year

who is attending a state school, that same student would still get $4,000 if she decided to attend a more expensive private school.

“Another area (of financial aid) is scholarships, there are national and local scholarships and there are scholarships directly attached to the schools one may be attending,” Keeney said.

Scholarships are funds awarded to students from institutions, organizations, businesses and universities – money that doesn’t have to be paid back.

“You definitely want to Google See TUITION, page A6

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Students select next year’s courses later than usual Course selection process begins two weeks later in February than last year

BY BELLA KHOR

bkhor.gazette@gmail.com

On Feb. 21, the class registration process for Granite Bay High students went live – two weeks later than last year.

“We shifted our sequence of registration dates this year,” counselor Tiffani Gieck said. “We are concluding our eighth-grade enrollment night prior to our in-house registration process. Our school is still allocating the same amount of time, it is just rearranged.”

Assistant principal Jessup McGregor said there are two separate processes for picking classes.

One of them is for “internal registration” – another way of saying class registration for current and returning GBHS students – and the other is for “incoming freshmen,” McGregor said. “(These processes) interact with each other,” McGregor said. “That ties into staffing and hiring and all the schedule building. … So it all is really interwoven.”

McGregor said the timing is the same for the administrators, it just feels different for the students.

Current GBHS students had mixed reactions to the later starting date for 2019-20 registration.

“I feel like with a more delayed class scheduling date, it gives students more time to actually think about what classes they want to take rather than having us rush to choose what we want to do,” junior Esther Foksha said.

In terms of whether or not students actually do take the time to think about their

classes, “I believe students think about their course sequence and selections throughout the year,” Gieck said.

However, despite the extra time, this later date might give students to think of next year’s classes, they might be even more stressed than they would be without the extra thinking time.

“It gives us more time to think about our actions, but at the same time, it kind of brings us to have to do more at the same time because February is usually so crowded with a bunch of activities, like extracurriculars and other classes as well,” Foksha said. “And midterms are coming up, so everybody is just really stressed. For (juniors), the SATs are happening as well.”

Other students didn’t even realize the window was two weeks later.

“I reckon a lot of people probably didn’t notice or realize,” McGregor said. “That’s kind of my sense, that they don’t remember last year‘s (class-selection window.)”

Junior Ina Reburiano said she didn’t notice the class registration process was later than last year.

But she thinks the delay in the process this year will help in “preparing students more in deciding what class to take,” because last year she was stressed on what classes to take because she did not know her future plans.

Reburiano also said she needs the help of a counselor to decide what classes to take.

“I think there should be more guidance and more information about the class and teacher,” Reburiano said. “Some students don’t know how much (the) workload (is)

Gazette photo | Bella Khor

Counselor Tiffany Gieck, left, gives insight on future classes to a student to help them pick out their courses for next year. or how hard the class can be until they take it.”

One way GBHS counselors can provide guidance for course selection is through registration advising meetings.

“Counselors do a transcript review of every student prior to our 1:1 Registration Advising meeting, so we are prepared when meeting with a student and solidifying their course selections,” Gieck said.

There is also an updated course catalogue

that is available on the GBHS website.

“We encourage students/families to review the course catalog where there is a wealth of information on course planning, including course descriptions,” Gieck said.

Ultimately, the goal of switching up the timing is, simply, to improve the course selection process.

“We are always looking to optimize the process, and so sometimes we have an idea that we think might help everything go

ENROLLMENT: Class of 2023 is smaller than ever Continued from page A1 past few years,” principal Sean Healy said. “We’re sending fewer and fewer eighth graders (to the high school). I believe Cavitt is experiencing the same decline in enrollment.”

Healy said part of the reason for this development has been the change in the housing market.

“Properties in the Eureka Union School District are very expensive and may be out of the price range for young families with children to move in,” Healy said. “The problems, I feel, are at a much larger scale due to the housing market and shortage of affordable housing in this area.”

The decrease in the number of students who are in the pipeline to attend GBHS, however small, has been a trend that has been happening the last couple of years.

“We (are) certainly seeing a decline in our student population,” Healy said. “We’re down about 20 students from the previous year, and we don’t anticipate an increase anytime soon.”

However, Healy said a smaller school is not always a bad thing.

“With a smaller student population, it makes it easier to build

strong, positive relationships,” Healy said.

But smaller schools also have to adapt, and that often means having to reduce the size of the faculty while maintaining the same quality of educational programs.

“When the student population decreases, we also have to decrease our staffing,” Healy said.

Gazette photo | Michela Smith “However, we’re still expected to provide all of the same ser- Freshman English students listen to an audio recording in class. vices and resources as we did be- of the 2019-20 school year rolls for her and many other students fore. This means everyone needs around in August and all the new who choose to attend. to do more with fewer staff mem- freshmen actually show up.

“Granite Bay is a great school, bers to do the work.”

“I know that people are saying so I’ve heard, and I am excited This need to change the num- that our class is (going to be) like to attend next August,” Sollazber of faculty members based on 300 people, but (with) kids from zo said. “I personally am going changing class size is not only other schools and transfers, there because my older brother Ryan applicable in the junior high will probably be more,” said Julia Sollazzo and older sister Rachel schools, but also at the high Sollazzo, a current eighth grader Sollazzo are currently attendschool level. who plans to attend GBHS. ing GBHS, and they’ve stated Meghan Cole, a teacher at Sollazzo said that while she is amazing aspects about this high GBHS who teaches primarily excited to go to GBHS next year, school that made me wonder College Prep English 9, said that she does understand why some why someone wouldn’t want to having fewer students in class, potential students would choose go to Granite Bay. “Because of them,” Sollazo there may be “less sections of CP other schools over GBHS. “I think that people are going said, “I am excited to take dance, English 9 classes, along with all other primarily freshman classes to other schools because there photography and art, because like Health and PE 9.” Likely, are more opportunities for other, I’ve heard so many amazing this was result in many teachers possibly, advanced (private) high things about, for instance, dance having “to pick up sections of schools that supposedly could and how fun and educational it provide a better education for is. I have always been intrigued other classes to fill in.” by art and photography, and I That is why many remain opti- students,” Sollazzo said.

However, Sollazzo said she look forward to attending those mistic that the estimated number will end up rising once the start still believes GBHS is a great fit classes.”

smoother,” McGregor said. “This is one of those times.”

So will this year’s pattern of incoming freshmen registering first, and current students second, continue next year?

“We’ll reevaluate it in the end and then shift to thinking about doing it next year,” McGregor said. “Just doing the things the same way they’ve been done is not usually a good way to go.”

CAMPAIGN: Students win big for GBHS business program Continued from page A2

Wittich.

“I think some people only did the project because it was a class assignment, but others really took it to heart,” Wittich said. “I usually wouldn’t go for any higher positions, but I thought this would be a good project to go for, and I’m glad I did.”

Wittich worked on two separate projects, each primarily done online.

“I worked on the Snapchat program where we had to take as many pictures on Snapchat with people as possible and hashtag the safe driving campaign and the ‘They Say’ program that was primarily on Instagram,” Wittich said.

Wittich got to spread awareness to others, but she also gained a greater understanding of the problem for herself.

“People are aware that accidents happen, but most don’t really think about the effects or how common it really is because of distracted driving,” Wittich said. “It was good to participate in the campaign before I got my license because it was kind of a reminder even before I could develop any bad habits.”

The class had to work together effectively in order to win the competition.

“Our class really worked well together in that our teams were efficient,” McKillop said. “There was a lot of teamwork that allowed for objectives and goals to

be met. A lot of communication and debate allowed for the overall project to go successfully.”

The hard work of the class paid off in a variety of victories in contest events, an overall program victory and a bounty of prizes.

“We won $1,000 for the business department, a pizza party, various gift cards for students and a $500 bonus for winning the roadmap competition (for performing tasks outside of the set guidelines of the competition),” Sampson said.

The prizes helped reinforce the rewarding experience for the students.

“It was pretty cool to see that we won,” McKillop said. “It’s always nice to be awarded in competition, and given that our class worked on the campaign for at least a month, it was nice to see our efforts bear some fruit.”

After five years, Sampson continues to participate in the competition because she continues to see benefits delivered to her students.

“The program makes the kids think outside of the box,” Sampson said.

“They weren’t always comfortable with it, but overall I think they finally got it and ended up being proud of themselves.”

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Yearbook class faces staffing issues over past year

Course has seen sharp decline in enrollment, with just three current students in the class

BY SOPHIE CRISCIONE

scriscione.gazette@gmail.com

The Ursus yearbook staff currently consists of just three students, compared to the typical spring staff of more than 20 students.

After combining with the Introduction to Journalism class, there are now 17 students – 14 intro journalism students and three yearbook students – working collectively to complete the 2018-19 yearbook.

Yearbook teacher and adviser Bernadette Cranmer said the size of the yearbook class and other electives at Granite Bay High School has decreased sharply, especially among upperclassmen, as a result of their determination to take weighted classes in the race to finish with the highest possible class rank.

“In my opinion, the pressure for students to have a certain rank in their class and the pressure for students to take so many (Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate) classes, even if they’re not interested in them, is what’s destroying all these electives,” Cranmer said. “We’ve got students taking four AP classes at a time, which leaves no room for supporting any of the electives that we’ve got here at GBHS – and we’ve got some fantastic ones.”

Junior Ashley Altmann, a yearbook stu-

dent who plans to become the staff’s editor in chief next year, agreed that many students are pressured to take more weighted classes, but she also thinks some students can’t handle the workload of the yearbook class.

“I do think many people are wary of the class due to the workload, which is a lot, but fail to recognize that if more people signed up, the work for each person would be more evenly distributed and easier,” Altmann said.

Some former yearbook staff members said they decided the tasks and the stress involved in taking yearbook weren’t for them, and that the class was different than they anticipated.

“I didn’t like how I didn’t get to express the creativity that I thought I was going to,” said former yearbook student Clare Thompson, a junior. “I thought I was going to be designing more things, but it ended up just being given a template and saying put photos on a page, put text on a page.

If you didn’t get everything done, it had a huge impact on your grade and affected everyone else in the class, and I didn’t like having that much pressure on me.”

Cranmer said if yearbook were to count as a visual and performing arts class, more students would consider signing up for it.

“I think it would be great if it counted

2019 This year, just three students are enrolled yearbook for spring.

2018

Yearbookstaff staffwas was previYearbook previously ously higher in numbers, higher in numbers, with 16 with 16 students students enrolled inenrolled the classin the spring. class last spring. last Gazette infographic | Sidney Zabell

for VAPA,” Cranmer said. “Instead of students taking photography or guitar or other art classes, they could take yearbook and it would count toward requirements.”

Cranmer is working hard to ensure a high-quality yearbook is completed, even

CONDUCT: New form of punishment uses restorative justice, fewer suspensions Continued from page A1 if students are absent more than 10 days, their cases need to be evaluated, regardless of the reason for their absences.

McNulty said the GBHS administration has developed its own procedure that does not permanently place students on the list for attendance or grades.

“The state is laying the law – you’re now an attendance problem,” McNulty said. “If you change around your attendance – you’re no longer tardy, you’re no longer absent – you are now off senior conduct.”

Grades are another potential cause of placement on senior conduct. When students are not passing a class, they can find their name on the list. However, if their grades improve by the middle of the spring semester, they are then taken off of senior conduct.

There seems to be one area where the most change is prevalent in this decades-old policy – behavioral offenses.

The GBHS administration has set out to significantly decrease suspension rates and transform their disciplinary tactics to align with a new trend in the education system – restorative justice.

The Roseville Joint Union High School District be-

gan implementing the changes during the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year.

Superintendent Denise Herrmann’s initial 100-day plan can be found on the RJUHSD website. The plan cites a 50 percent reduction in suspensions compared to the 2017-2018 school year rate for the first academic quarter.

GBHS has utilized restorative justice practices this year to meet one of the administration’s current goals – student growth. The replacement for many first-time offenses for seniors is being placed on the senior conduct list.

“If you are going to get suspended this year (for) something, it’s probably pretty serious,” McNulty said. “In years past, more suspensions were handed out for different offenses.”

The administration has been working with these new practices to ensure students are experiencing growth in character rather than just facing the same broadly assigned consequence.

“This tool has been enforced for a long time – this isn’t anything new,” McNulty said. “We are now using it instead of just suspending.”

Despite its attempts at student growth, some students said they think the new disciplinary tactic is ineffec-

with so few staff members. This would be even harder to achieve if it weren’t for the great deal of assistance the yearbook staff has received.

“The Gazette staff has written some stories for us,” Cranmer said. “Journalism 1 is

doing some interviewing for us. We’ve got alumni and parents giving us photos. I’m shooting photos and we even have students who were on staff last year that are coming back in and helping us put the pages together.”

tive.

Although the administration is attempting to align “I do not agree with this process because all senior with a more progressive form of discipline, some critconduct does is drag things on longer than need(ed),” ics of the focus on senior conduct said suspensions can said a senior boy who asked to also offer the same opportunities for remain anonymous. “An initial growth. punishment can and might be “I also think suspensions offer needed, but there is no reason to room for restorative capabilities bedrag it on.” cause (students) have the ability to “If you are going The senior boy has been on secome back to school and still learn nior conduct since January, and without it following them,” Miyashito get suspended he said it’s been ineffective in said. this year (for) some- ro Still, promoting any character growth Miyashiro said she supports and is also an unnecessary conthe new emphasis on senior conduct, thing, it’s probably sequence. but she noted that it’s important that pretty serious. In “The students deal with enough the news practices be implemented consequences at home,” he said. properly. years past, more Senior Kyla Miyashiro also be“(Restorative justice) offers stususpensions were lieves senior conduct is an inefdents a chance to learn from their ficient replacement for a proven mistakes rather than only seeing it as handed out for form of punishment. a punishment – it provides opportudifferent offenses.” nity,” she said. “All this also depends “I think major offenses should still be held under suspension be(on) how it will be conducted by adcause I think senior conduct isn’t ministration.” as effective,” she said.

Beyond all of the controversy with – Brian McNulty, With the new policy curbing disciplinary tactics, McNulty said he suspensions, some students have wants to remind students of the goal assistant principal expressed concerns over senior they have been working toward. conduct being used in cases that “It’s important to remind (students) warrant more extreme consequences. to look toward the end,” he said. “Graduation is a cul“That’s the prerogative of the administration,” mination of 13 years of you doing the best that you McNulty said. “It is definitely a grey area, and (we) possibly can for all of us Grizzlies.” try to be as consistent and fair as possible.”

“

”

RACISM: Minorities treated differently on campus and in Granite Bay community Continued from page A1 “I think that people are threatened by me, when I walk into stores I can see that there is a sense of unease to a certain degree,” Mason said.

Mason said he does not reflect the prejudice he receives.

“Sometimes people stereotype me before they actually meet me because of my skin color and not for who I am,” Mason said. “If you know me, I’m actually a safe person and not crazy. There feels like a target on my back, especially around Granite Bay.” The instances are not novel to him, as they have been happening since middle school.

“I’ve been suspended for a week (in eighth grade) while my white friends who were doing the exact same thing were only suspended for three days,” Mason said.

According to Mason, he’s been the victim of assumptions that not only were wrong, they were dangerous.

For example, when he was in eighth grade, he was once pulled into the principal’s office searched for cocaine.

These kind of assumptions of him committing crimes don’t just happen at school – and they happen because he looks different than his neighbors. “ I was parked outside of my house, and I was standing outside on my phone, and a neighbor thought I was robbing my own home,” Mason said.

However, not all of the prejudice he experiences is subtle – he has been the subject of racial slurs both on and off campus by fellow students. “ I have been called a bowling-ball n*****’ to my face, f***** n***** and a cotton-picking n***** by someone in a group chat with a bunch of guys from my grade as a straight-up slur,” Mason said. “None of my friends who were in it told me until a week later.

These students are on the campus of (GBHS) where I am every day.”

For 2018 graduate Kasey Yean, being around the typical GBHS girls – white, skinny, wearing expensive clothes – was challenging.

“I always thought there was something wrong with the way I looked because I wasn’t skinny or white like the girls in Granite Bay,” Yean said.

These feelings of insecurity led to Yean to want to go as far as changing her body. “ I was always wanting to get a nose job from 12 years old, which hearing that now is heartbreaking that as a little girl I wanted that just so I could fit in with those

girls,” Yean said.

Yean’s body-image issues eventually turned into eating disorders.

“I starved myself to lose weight so I could be skinny,” she said. “My last year at (GBHS), I lost 15 pounds from restrictive eating. It goes to show how long-lasting the standards at (GBHS) could affect someone’s life even after so many years.”

Students of color can also be separated from their white, wealthy counterparts by class.

Stephen Hernandez, a mixed-race Latino senior at GBHS, was born into a working-class family.

“Some of the people that have darker skin are also affluent in this community, so even if I can relate to their experiences of a dark-skinned person, I can’t relate to them on an economic level,” Hernandez said. “It feel like there are very few people on this campus that can genuinely relate to the whole of my experiences, and that really gets to me socially sometimes.”

Hernandez noted that the general affluence of the Granite Bay community sometimes leaks into classroom discussions.

“In my government class people were talking about the working class and people were raising their hands and saying that the working class should just work harder,” Hernandez said. “We are already working hard, man, that’s not the issue, and it just doesn’t seem like people are being understanding.”

Because of the escalating racial tensions during the administration of Pres. Donald Trump, Hernandez has had to have novel conversations with his family.

“My mom has told me to be careful – some people are not going to like you because you are brown,” Hernandez said. “A mom talking to her child about that, I wish (it) didn’t need to be said.”

In response to the rise of racist incidents on campus and in the community, some teachers have stepped up to try to start conversations about tolerance.

“These are not political conversations – it doesn’t matter if you are conservative or liberal,” said Kyle Holmes, the GBHS drama teacher and theater coordinator. “I think that the political climate that we live in right now can discourage people from having these conversations.”

Holmes said he has to be very intentional in order to understand the struggles all of his students go through – and even then, he knows he comes up short.

“I check all of the boxes for visible and invisible

Source | 2016-17 GBHS School Profile

privilege,” Holmes said. “My job – as a person who has been, whether I chose it or not, born into privilege – my job is to listen and advocate.

“I have never had anyone follow me through a store.

I have never had anyone talk to me differently or look down on me, or felt unsafe because of the color of my skin.”

Holmes said that when a student speaks up and advocates, it is rewarding to him as a teacher.

“When (my students) are going to administration and

Readgranitebaytoday.org The Gazette

saying, ‘Hey, we’d like to talk to you about this because we have some ideas on how we can do this better moving forward,’ then I’m like great, I’ve done my job.”

In the end, Mason and others said it’s important for all students, and especially those who aren’t minorities, to be mindful of what they do and say on social media.

“Watch what you say and watch what you post,” Mason said. “Stand up to people who make racist remarks, be more aware of what you do, because you never know what will come back to you.”

News

Friday, March 8, 2019

A6

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Personal finance course braces for 2020 changes Students will be required to take final in person, starting for next senior class

BY SOPHIE CRISCIONE

scriscone.gazette@gmail.com

FFFThe infamous and entirely online personal finance course, required in order for all Roseville Joint Union High School District seniors to graduate, will soon be taken partially on campus.

Starting with the class of 2020, students must take the course’s final assessment on campus with the supervision of a GBHS staff proctor.

Several different assessment sessions will be offered to students throughout their senior year. Once registered for a session, students are expected to have prepared themselves for the exam by working through the entire course.

Although the exact dates are unknown, an email sent out to all GBHS students and parents from assistant principal Jessup McGregor, reported that “assessment sessions will begin as early as the first month of the 2019-2020 school year.”

This means that any current juniors hoping to complete the course as soon as possible will have to wait until their senior year begins to take the final assessment.

“I want to take the course closer to the date I am taking the exam so that I don’t forget everything that I’ve learned,” junior Becca Nelson said. “I was originally planning on getting the course completed over

the summer.”

Although some students might find it inconvenient, administrators said the changes being made to the final will make it easier to ensure that all seniors are actually completing the course.

In past years, seniors were known to pay other students to complete the course for them.

“I’m very supportive (of the decision to change the final) as it will help ensure that students complete their own work,” McGregor said.

The growing issue of students failing to responsibly take the personal finance course, and learning little or nothing as a result, is a possible cause for the implementation of an on-campus final.

“It is not a hard course, but it has the reputation of being boring and unhelpful so kids frequently try to get answers or get someone else to do it for them,” 2018 graduate Jack McGrail said.

A seemingly pointless course to many seniors does, in fact, teach some of the most valuable skills that nearly all students will need after high school concerning their personal finances.

“Now that I am getting paid, budgeting on my own, and doing my own taxes,” McGrail said, “I think if I paid more attention to the course, I definitely could have used some of the information that is taught.”

Gazette photo | Sidney Zabell

Seniors are required to take the RJUHSD Personal Finance Course to graduate from Granite Bay High School. Starting in fall 2019, the final must be taken on GBHS campus, monitered by personel to discourage cheating and sharing of answers.

DECISIONS: Most college admision letters arriving within month of March for seniors Continued from page A1 Mazzola also applied to 15 different schools.

“I’ve visited most of them,” Mazzola said, “and there is definitely a top three for me, so if I get into one of them, my decision will be a lot easier.”

Wolfe said she also has a few favorite colleges from her list of schools where she applied.

“My top schools are (the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of California at San Diego and the University of San Diego), in no particular order,” Wolfe said.

Now that the deadline is getting even closer, seniors say tthey are beginning to get more nervous.

“I check my email every day for college decisions,” Mazzola said, “ I feel a lot more stress because I really want to get into my top schools, and it is very nerve-racking waiting for the decisions to come in.”

English and IB World Religion teacher David Tastor said he saw a lot of emotions from students when he taught seniors.

Tastor said he saw “stress, sadness frustration, anger, tension” and more in his students during decision time.

“I think that the hard part is that you

have kids who have busted their butt, and have been told the only reward for busting their butt is UCLA or Cal or Stanford or Penn, but the reality is you bust your butt for whatever comes your way,” Tastor said. “You cannot control any of what happens in an admission office.”

Most college acceptances go out in the month of March, so a majority of seniors are going to be hearing back from a lot of the colleges they applied to – including notifications from the University of California and California State University campuses.

“I am beginning to feel more stressed because UC applications are coming out in March,” Wolfe said.

After hearing from all of the schools students applied to, they will have to make their final decision.

Singh recommends visiting all options either online or in person.

“We (as counselors) recommend that students take virtual tours or go visit the campus with family and friends during spring, summer or winter breaks, and we also have admission representatives come from various schools and programs in the College and Career Center during the school year,” Singh said.

“This gives students opportunities to meet with the admission representative and ask questions about the campus.”

Wolfe said visits and a focus on her future area of study will help her make the final choice.

“I think I will make the decision on my own by touring the colleges and researching my major within each school,” Wolfe said.

Ultimately the final decision is up to students – but it isn’t easy.

“Choosing a best-fit school is difficult for students,” Singh said. “Some students may not get into their dream school and then have to decide between schools they received offers from, but at the end, we want to make sure the student is happy with their choice and is ready/excited to start the next chapter of their life.”

Tastor has a similar perspective.

“I tell students to really ensure what it is like to be away from home, make sure the area is an area where you want to be, that the school offers what you want,” Tastor said.

He said his main concern is for students to make sure they will be happy with their decision and school.

“For kids to be in that place where they feel less than –because they haven’t heard yet, or their friends got in, or ‘I have a higher GPA than that kid’ – and it just becomes really catty instead of just accepting the gift you’ve been given,” Tastor said.

TUITION: Seniors overwhelmed with options for college loans and fears of student debt Continued from page A1 search the scholarships at your school – a lot of them will be automatically applied for, but some of them won’t be (and) you might have to apply for them separately,” Keeney said.

Scholarships are awarded for a variety of different achievements and subjects – the key is to find the ones that match up best with each unique individual and apply for them.

“There are several websites to go to for resources, like Scholarship 360 and Sally Mae, College Board scholarships and Going Merry, to name a few,” Keeney said.

Although there are scholarships that are not based on academic achievement and grade-point average, for a majority of scholarships, academic achievement does play a factor.

“The higher GPA you have, the more likely you’ll get a better scholarship or money off your tuition,” Keeney said.

Outside of scholarships, there are alternative opportunities to receive aid through individual schools.

“There is work study where you work in exchange for finan-

cial aid,” Keeney said. “They might say ‘we’re gonna cover $4,000 per semester, but you have to work so many hours.

Pretty much all campuses offer a work study program.”

These opportunities are generally not widely advertised and often require inquiries at the admissions officers at a given college.

“You can talk to your admission adviser to plan it out beforehand,” Keeney said.

If all attempts to receive financial aid are exhausted and a student’s financial bridge still hasn’t been crossed, there are other options available.

“There are loans, but you do not want to go into debt so that should be your last resort,” Keeney said. “Student loans (are) the biggest debt (category) in the country.”

There are two types of loans available for students to consider: parent and student loans.

“Student loans can be subsidized,” Keeney said. “Meaning you don’t need to pay it back until you finish or quit school, and interest doesn’t start until then either.”

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GAZETTE

The Granite Bay

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

Editors-in-Chief: Spencer Cova Abbie Gould Max Schwartz Andrew Yung Sidney Zabell Voices Editor: Emily Hansen News Editor: Elliott Hyman Lifestyle Editors: Kavana Gonur Ashley Lucia Jordan Blair Green Screen Editors: Bella Hamilton Dylan Rowe Lindsey Zabell Sports Editors: Landen Acosta Akhil Shah Sidney Stipanovich Online/Social Media Editors: Bella Khor Maya Snow Mia Taylor Staff Writers and Photographers: Sophie Criscione Raha Elahi Kate Fernandez Sydney Herrenschmidt Gwen Mynar Michela Smith Lily Williams 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-by-case basis.

The editorial board reviews letters to the editor, advertising and guest commentaries and reserves the right to edit and refuse material. Reasons can include length, clarity, libel, obscenity, material disruption of the educational process at Granite Bay High School or violation of copyright laws.

High school is what we make it We’re fortunate to be students here at GBHS

G

ranite Bay High School is my school.

Along with most other schools, the dialogue from students frequently contain phrases like, “I hate my school” or “I can’t wait to leave this place.”

This might be just a combination of teenagers wanting to have words to say that are filled with angst to “fight the man” and following others saying it.

I’ll be honest, I am guilty of it also. The general vibe of Granite Bay High hasn’t always been the best, there is obviously general affluence in the area that fuels amounts of entitlement, people that aren’t always genuine – you get where I am going.

However, flip a few words and you’ll find almost every

high school has those similar problems.

Especially reflecting on the front page of this newspaper, Granite Bay seems like it’s not a great place to be at the moment.

I’ll go ahead and disagree with the apparent masses and say that I am happy and proud to be a Grizzly.

We have opportunities here that not many teenagers have. I, for one, have been able to be a part of a national award-winning paper – no, let me put that differently: we have computers and a budget that allows us to create a paper.

Not many schools can say that.

For athletics, we have incredible facilities that are filled with top-notch coaches who have led teams to multiple championships.

I’ll get away from the whole “we are lucky to be here” kind of thing, because when you

grow up in a small community, you don’t really see outside of the bubble.

One of my favorite experiences of high school was being on a bus for junior prom and the song “Young, Wild and Free” came on over the speakers. Everyone put their arms around each other and sang the song, smiling, having a great time. As everyone was singing, I realized how short and how great high school is, that my friends there were the ones who I am glad I surrounded myself with. The joy of that moment was hard to forget.

When you repeatedly voice how bad a school is and how everyone at the school is bad, you are just digging yourself deeper into the mindset – and it becomes true.

You are only going to be here for four years. These are years that you aren’t going to be able to get back.

COMMENTARY

max schwartz mschwartz.gazette@gmail.com

*** Max Schwartz, a senior, is a Gazette co-editor-in-chief.

It’s time for us to move on from ‘The Tribe’

The student section name marginalizes the perseverance of Native American tribes

F

lorida State Seminoles have the tomahawk chop.

Kansas City Chiefs have headdresses and war paint.

Washington has a racial slur for an NFL team name.

Cleveland Indians had Chief Wahoo.

And Granite Bay High School has The Tribe.

That’s not great company.

The term “tribe” is associated with “Tribal Nations,” of which there are over 570 in the United States. Native Peoples are the only ethnicity in the United States that have political status - sovereignty; Tribal Nations are extra constitutional and are not subject to state law, they are considered domestic dependent nations.

Why are Tribes sovereign? Well for one,

they are the original inhabitants of this land and as such, entered into treaty negotiations with other countries before America even existed, and only nations can make treaties.

Or maybe Tribes received sovereignty because Pocahontas was taken from her family and raped by colonizers at the age of 12. Maybe because the Southeastern tribes were force-marched on the Trail of Tears resulting in 20,000+ Native Americans dead.

Maybe because 300+ Native women and children were gunned down and buried in a mass grave at Wounded Knee shortly after Christmas in 1890.

Or maybe Tribes received sovereignty because while in 1492 there were approximately 15 million Native Americans in North America, in 1900 there were only 250,000. Genocide.

After all of that, Nasurvival to a Friday night in tive Peoples and their the end zone with face paint advocates fought for legal and hot dogs. protections that would How can we continue to preserve their land, their have conversations about the culture and their lives. marginalization of students on The rulings from Johnour campus when we support son v. M’Intosh (1823), our sports team under the banCherokee Nation v. Georner of a racist trope? gia (1831), and Worcester Granite Bay High School. v. Georgia (1832) (known It’s time. We need to find as the Marshall Trilogy) a new name. We are on the acknowledged the nation wrong side of history, and if status of Native Tribes in we allow it to continue (for the the United States Susake of “tradition,” inconvepreme Court. nience, or any other excuse) A “tribe” is not a we are all complicit in perkholmes@rjuhsd.us student cheering section petuating the racial discrimi- it is a nation of people nation and marginalization of that have endured centuries of colonization, Native American Peoples. And I know we assimilation and extermination at that hands are better than that. of the United States government. And they *** have survived. We do a tremendous disserKyle Holmes teaches drama and is the vice by diminishing their perseverance and director of the theater arts department.

GUEST COMMENTARY

kyle holmes

Mental illness is more than just a bad day Not every negative feeling is indicative of a mental disorder

A

s someone who has spent years dealing with mental illness – whether that has been on my part or someone else’s – I have recognized some of the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses.

That isn’t to say that I’m all-knowing and can recognize mental illness in anyone – in fact, mental illness can differ from person to person. However, I feel that I have had enough experience on my own to have a general knowledge on the subject.

In turn, I feel that I generally know the difference between real mental illness and a regular bad day.

For whatever reason, when people claim that they have “really bad depression” or “really bad anxiety” after a bad day or two, it really irks me.

In fact, I can’t stand it.

I have loved ones who are medically diagnosed with mental illnesses that can be crippling at times, and can even crush

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their spirit. I myself have fought different internal battles for a considerable portion of my life, and I have sought professional help in order to help overcome these challenges.

Personally, this internal turmoil has at times completely controlled my life, and it has prevented me from functioning in a typically normal way for me.

So when people relate their temporary or minor issues to a comparatively larger mental illness, I feel that they are in turn invalidating the quite real problems that some struggle with.

I don’t mean that others’ struggles are not valid. Everyone is allowed to feel how they do, and express the difficulties that they are having. That is not the problem for me.

The problem for me is when someone equates a rough day that they had to depres sion or other mental illnesses people experience.

Feeling nervous for next period’s quiz isn’t terms with my issues, and I generally feel the same as suffering that I have a grasp on how to handle personal problems. In an anxiety attack that addition, I have become involved speeds your breathing with several other people’s menso much that it feels tal issues, so this is a sensitive like you are suffocattopic for me. ing.

By claiming to have a serious Feeling distracted mental illness after a couple of during an extra-long mood swings, you simultanelecture isn’t the same ously reduce the magnitude of as breaking down cryreal problems that people face — ing because you can’t problems that others are trying to seem to retain any come to terms with, and possibly information in class. overcome.

Everyone has the The process of coming to terms right to their own with these types of problems is kfernandez.gazette@gmail.com emotions. It can be already incredibly frustrating, difficult for some, and by comparing those problems however, to understand the difference to everyday struggles, the process only between everyday negative emotions and a becomes more frustrating. real illness that wracks one’s brain.

Everyone’s emotions are valid.

I think the reason this bothers me But having a rough day because of a so much is that I have worked for sleepless night and a long day at school is not the same as being depressed. years to come to *** Kate Fernandez, a junior, is a Gazette staff writer.

COMMENTARY

kate fernandez

Friday, March 8, 2019 w

The Granite Bay Gazette

Voices A9

The fate of the earth is our responsibility HEARD We must take action now or regret our decisions later on the BAY T COMMENTARY

he earth that we know and love is not going to last forever. Humanity has fallen into a habit of unsustainable practices that need to be stopped if we’re going to leave the earth the same way we found it.

As a disclaimer, I must add that I know I am part of the problem. I certainly don’t live a zero-waste life, and I’m not always careful of my impact on the environment.

That being said, my goal is to become more conscious of my own mark on the environment so that I can begin taking steps to reduce my waste and unsustainable practices.

I’ve started making minor changes that might seem rather minute but will hopefully make a difference in the long run.

For instance, I use reusable water bottles instead of plastic. I use washable containers as opposed to plastic bags.

I recycle any cans or bottles that I use.

I pick up litter if I see it. I eat local or home-grown fruits and vegetables.

I know I still have a long way to go. But I think everyone should be able to make at least a couple of lifestyle changes for the sake of the earth.

The first step, after all, is to realize the impact we truly have on the environment.

Be aware that the average person produces 4.4 pounds of trash per day,

ending up in a landfill. Consider how transportation contributes about half of the carbon monoxide in the air. Think about the greenhouse emissions from everyday electricity use.

The next step is to make changes to at least reduce that impact. Carpooling, recycling and composting are all easy ways to help the earth thrive.

Ethicalconsumer.org is one website that makes it easy to be an environmentally conscious consumer. It ranks brands of everything from makeup to technology according to the company’s ethical and sustainable practices.

Changes like choosing one brand over another are too simple to not enact. But the decline of the environment needs change at an even greater scale, and that’s where our legislation needs to step it up.

I

believe this will be the generation to take the first big steps toward major environmental conservation.

In fact, that’s really our only option – if we want to avoid the impending terrors that scientists have told us we will experience in our lifetimes due to greenhouse emissions, our changes needs to be drastic.

I’m not a climate expert, but I trust the 91 scientists from 40 different countries who wrote the Paris agreement, and I personally think we should heed their advice.

As Californians, we all know the devastation that wildfires are capable of inflicting. That destruction and grief will be commonplace if greenhouse emissions are not reduced drastically.

Fortunately there is hope,

What elective do you think is the most popular among students?

emily hansen

“I would say probably the dance classes.”

ehansen.gazette@gmail.com

and there are certainly preventive measures that can be taken.

We are heading in the right direction.

I am proud of what California has accomplished so far in reducing our footprint on earth. Charging for grocery bags and limiting plastic straws are two minor changes that will be impactful and hopefully encourage other states.

In the end, if we don’t change direction, there will be no one to blame but ourselves for our downfall.

Most importantly, we have to remember that even small modifications to our quotidian lives can help.

I’m 18. I can’t be in Congress.

But I can recycle, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

Change starts with the little things. *** Emily Hansen, a senior, is the Gazette voices editor.

freshman

Kerri Caulfield “I think the group fitness class is really popular.”

sophomore

Dylan Samuel Gazette illustration | Emily Hansen

Self-care can turn into self-sabotage

Relaxing is wonderful, until it becomes procrastination

I

t’s 8 o’clock at night, and I’m soaking in the tub with a Lush bath bomb. Life is good, and for a brief half an hour, my worries have melted away into the scented galaxy of steaming water.

Again, life is good, until that 30 minutes turns into two hours and suddenly it’s 10 o’clock and my self-awarded “self-care” ends up being one royal procrastination session.

The only thing I had really gotten done before this luxurious pampering session was one piece of homework. The rest of it – those two papers that need to be written in two days, the presentation that I have had assigned for three weeks with nothing on the slides besides the pre-set template words, and those 50 math problems I said I’d do two chapters ago – have all been pushed aside.

Bah, I think. It’s not a problem, I still have time.

But the next day, I write only

half of those essays and then repeat my so-called self-care routine all over again.

The bath was sparkly and soothing, but it doesn’t stop the ominous feeling of impending doom and self-chastising that is sure to come the day before those essays are due, the night before the presentation and in the two hours I have to finish those 50 math problems in addition to an online quiz.

Suffice it to say, it felt terrible, and I’d taken the concept of “self-care” and used it as an award for my own mediocrity and unwillingness to do work.

In the long run, all I did is give myself more stress and panic, when I could have been sleeping at night with a peaceful mind and the knowledge that I had been productive.

That’s not what self-care should be.

In an article in U.S. News and World Report, the author verifies that self-care can be

done wrong, noting that “when misinterpreted, self-care can be counterproductive.”

It even addressed my illegitimate version of self-care – “doing whatever you want” definitely goes along the lines of my two-hour break.

Another author notes that if your version self-care is having negative consequences (my resulting waves of trepidation and my less-than-desired grades), then it’s time to revamp your self-care routine to something else, like meditation.

Other forms of self-care include committing to a healthy diet, getting enough quality sleep and organizing your life, according to “Self-Care: 12 Ways to Take Better Care of Yourself” by Tchiki Davis on Psychology Today.

There seemed to be a common theme between these three articles, as they all had featured experts on the topic of self-care who emphasized the importance of sleep.

“There would be a lot less of a need for bubble baths if people were going to bed on

time.” nization is the type of self-care This quote in the U.S. News I need in order to keep all of article really hit home for those bad vibes away, not a me, as I had Lush bath in just enjoyed the middle of (wallowed) in homework. a bath with a Moral of sparkly Lush the story: Do bath bomb (deyour research! nial and ignoSelf-care is rance), yet all more than I truly wanted just the idea after those of candle-lit two hours was bubble baths to sleep for a and pamperweek. Sadly, ing sessions.

I only got It’s about around four doing what bkhor.gazette@gmail.com hours of sleep you can do to because of my help improve “luxurious pampering session.” yourself, and if that means I Self-care is currently beshould start using the planner ing promoted in all forms of that I’ve been ignoring in my media, and there’s no denying backpack for the entire year, that it’s important to give your then so be it. mental and emotional health a I’m not giving up galaxy break and a boost. However, baths and bubbles, though. I’ll it is important to realize what just plan them into my schedself-care really is and how ule using my planner. to integrate it into your life Two birds with one stone! properly. *** In my circumstances, there Bella Khor, a sophomore, is a was too much rewarding and Gazette online editor. not enough organizing. Orga-

I

junior

COMMENTARY

bella khor

A new era of tolerance is long overdue

t’s not a revolutionary concept. It’s not a profound revelation. It’s not a novel idea. It’s tolerance. Acceptance.

It’s not that hard.

There is no excuse for being intolerant of others just because of the color of their skin.

Enough negativity is circulating in this world without having to add the unjust horrors of racial discrimination.

The Gazette believes that Granite Bay High School should be a place that emanates the ideals of equality and acceptance.

As a generation, we should reform the way people think about others. We can be role models for those younger than us and pave the way for a better society.

There’s no need to mimic the mentalities of generations before us. We have the opportunity to be one of the first generations that accepts everyone, regardless of race, and that is something we must seize.

We can end the cycle of ignorance and intolerance by starting the change with ourselves.

In 2019, there is no room for racial discrimination.

Our society has come so far in regards to acceptance and ameliorating the tragic inequality of the past. We

“I would say dance.”

have to continue this progress.

Who wants to live in a community Even though we are better off than where no one respects each other? our ancestors concerning equality, the Communities should be cohesive contemporary times we live in bring and uplifting, not something to fear.

The voice of the challenges as well. During this digital In our community, we need to age, derogatory comments can spread celebrate diversity instead of creating Granite Bay in an instant and have the power to hostile tension.

Gazette hurt a multitude of people.

Granite Bay High should be a Social media has made it too easy welcoming place. We have the ability for perpetrators to hide behind a to make that change by being aware screen and spout their abominable words with few of how our words or actions affect the lives of others. repercussions.

We need to stop projecting negativity into the world.

We can derail that power by stopping any hate Often racism can show up in a less blatant, but still comments in the first place. Use social media to supequally appalling, configuration. Such a concept is port and appreciate others instead of dragging them demonstrated by stereotypes. down.

It’s important to remember that even if comments As children, we’re taught the golden rule in kinder- are not necessarily spiteful, stereotyping is also a garten. “Treat others how you want to be treated.” form of racism.

Racist remarks certainly do not emulate that idea.

Not everyone fits in a box or schema of characterIn fact, studies show that racism is extremely istics, and attributing those to them only because of detrimental to mental health. And evidently so – such their race is outright offensive. comments will inevitably take a toll on those endurWe all have similarities and differences, regardless ing them. of race.

Racism also creates a community of mistrust and Everyone is different. Everyone is unique – and disrespect that even further breeds feelings of hatred. that is something we should celebrate, not condemn.

EDITORIAL

Cole Phillips “The most popular elective is probably dance.”

senior

Brad Davito

“I would say dance.”

staff

Mr. Honberger Compiled by Lily Williams

A10

Friday, March 8, 2019

News

w

The Granite Bay Gazette

Second Look DANCE takes on DISNEY

Gazette photo | Emily Hansen

Gazette photo | Emily Hansen

Gazette photo | Lily Williams

Gazette photo | Lily Williams

Gazette photo | Lily Williams

ď ˇSofia Novaresi and Walker Yarbrough, top left, stand soaked after riding Splash Mountain in the rain.

Kabe Teague and Jayden Taylor, top center, ride the Incredicoaster. Deserie Milburn, top right, laughs with her students. Sammy Gimblin places a Disney hat on Cole Phillips, center. Members of the class approach a dance workshop, bottom right, in matching outfits. Rebecca King, Kate Caulfield, Jayden Taylor and Kabe Teague, left to right in photo at bottom left, enjoy their time in Downtown Disney.

Gazette photos by Lily Williams and Emily Hansen

Gazette photo | Emily Hansen

Lifestyle

Granite Bay Gazette

B Section

Friday w March 8, 2019

COMMENTARY

Transgender students find community School community has become more welcoming

ashley lucia

BY JORDAN BLAIR

jblair.gazette@gmail.com

alucia.gazette@gmail.com

I have no shame in sharing my story now

M

y freshmen year, the least important year on paper, but my most significant year so far was plagued by stress and an overwhelming lack of control.

The previous six months of my eighth grade school term were filled with anxiety, doctor appointments, and a whole lot of unanswered questions. I was suffering from constant dizziness, fatigue, and frequent fainting spells.

No one knew what was wrong with me.

It took over four months, countless specialist visits, and strong feelings of isolation before uncovering any answers.

My diagnosis was simple yet complex in the most miraculous way possible‒I was healthy.

It was the summer before my freshman year when a little known neurological disorder, Dysautonomia, found its way into my life.

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) was the term used to define my lengthy list of symptoms.

The basic analysis of the syndrome is the dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system. In other words, the system controlling my breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, temperature regulation, and digestion amongst many other vital involuntary actions was not functioning properly.

And this held drastic effects in the year to come.

My transition, as some call it, into high school proved to be much more difficult than my peers as I struggled to accept and adapt to the new obstacle I was facing.

Feelings of isolation intensified as I not only needed to find ways to manage my symptoms, but also overcome other challenges such as my mother’s recovery from a lengthy hospitalization with its own unanswered questions.

In the beginning, I spent time questioning how this was fair and why I had been dealt this bad hand.

Once I opened my eyes to the fact that I was stronger than I believed, I saw some real change.

Things were not perfect, but I had received the best answer possible, and one that I would quickly grow to see as manageable.

I was initially blind to the support system surrounding me, but after accepting the fact that it was necessary to ask for help, the feeling of isolation began to diminish.

I was learning to thrive despite the looming challenge that was unpredictable and complicated.

Looking back, I am proud to be where I am now‒comfortable with who I am.

Anytime my day does not fare well due to my personal health obstacle, I reflect on my freshmen year and the strength that I found within myself then and will always have now.

*** Ashley Lucia, a junior, is a Lifestyle editor.

ver the years, the LGBTQ community has become much more talked about within the community.

Many students on our own GBHS campus are a part of this community. The school attempts to ensure that these students are in a safe and accepting environment.

In 2014, Theatre at Granite Bay’s production of “The Laramie Project,” spiked discussion in the community about topics surrounding the LGBTQ community.

“I think ultimately it was a very positive experience for our community,” Theatre Arts Director Kyle Holmes said “It encouraged conversations about how we love and accept one another even if we’re different,” Holmes said.

More recently, the theatre program aided in initiating the use of ‘We Welcome’ posters all over campus.

These posters symbolize the inclusivity of the theatre program on campus. They serve as a reminder that school is a welcoming place for all people despite their race, gender, or sexual preferences.

The GBHS LGBTQ club has become a safe space for students and supporters of the LGBTQ community to come together and be around loving and accepting peers.

While the school environment has become more inviting towards the LGBTQ community, many students still feel out of place in their own bodies.

According to a study done by American Academy of Pediatrics, there is an alarmingly high rate of attempted suicide amongst transgender youth.

More than 50 percent of transgender males reported having attempted suicide. Almost thirty percent of

O

females and forty-one percent of non-binary youth reported suicide attempts.

Sophomore Jayden Brown has recently gone through his own transition.

“Before I felt very trapped,” Brown said. “I couldn’t act as myself.”

After his transition, Brown said he finally feels like himself and is more comfortable with his appearance.

Though transitioning was a freeing experience for Brown, he continues to

face difficulties being transgender.

“My parents weren’t very supportive,” Brown said. “They continued to refer to me as my dead name.”

Brown also continues to struggle with dysmorphia, as he doesn’t feel masculine enough in his own body.

Thankfully, Brown has found some closure in the staff of Granite Bay. “Teachers here are very accepting and supportive,” Brown said.

However, while teachers provide Brown with acceptance and support, Brown finds that his peers don’t always do the same.

“It’s easy to get bullied here for being transgender or gay,” Brown said. “If I say I’m not a girl to a student, I still get made fun of.”

“Granite Bay, unfortunately, is not really a school of diversity,” senior Maryanna Agafonov said.

Though Agafonov feels that the school has become more diverse over the years, she feels there is still pres-

sure for students to fit in due to fear of being judged by their peers.

“Students at Granite Bay often feel uncomfortable around LGBTQ students,” Agafonov said. “ (And) even more around transgender students.”

“I think to be a transgender youth in Granite Bay is very difficult,” Agafonov said. “I know a lot of transgender students who feel kids don’t react kindly.”

“I think a lot of people at our school are scared and confused,” Agafonov said. “They don’t know how to react to people who are different than themselves.”

Though the judgment is not always face-to-face, Agafonov feels it is still a large struggle transgender students face.

“Often kids respond by ignoring, excluding, making snide comments, and whispering about transgender individuals,” Agafonov said.

“We are all people, and even if we don’t agree with someone’s ideologies, it’s still imperative we respect the choices the individual has made for themselves,” Agafonov said.

Though Granite Bay has taken large strides in creating a safe environment for all students, some feel there are still things we can do to bring awareness to the struggles transgender students face, and make them feel more accepted at school.

“I can’t go to the bathroom anywhere,” Brown said.

“It’d be nice to have a gender-neutral bathroom here and there.”

“If a student feels more comfortable using the bathroom they identify with, then they should be able to,” Agafonov said. “There should be more conversation about acceptance and respect of individuals of all races, genders, sexual orientations, and beliefs,” Agafonov said.

Agafonov believes there needs to be more inclusivity on the GBHS campus because no student deserves to come to school and feel unsafe, ostracized, or alone.

“We are all students who deserve an equal, safe environment to learn and flourish in,” Agafonov said.

Gazette illustration | Ashley Lucia

First student Drama program competes studies abroad at Lenaea theatre festival Junior Meryl Isaacson leaves for Australia

BY LILY WILLIAMS

lwilliams.gazette@gmail.com

L

eaving your home, family, friends, and school for 6 months may seem like a lot for a high school student.

To Meryl Isaacson, they were all risks she was willing to take to experience a new journey across the world.

For the first time at Granite Bay High School, junior Meryl Isaacson decided to take the steps to study in another country, Australia.

“I’ve always wanted to live in Australia and I thought studying abroad would be the perfect opportunity to finally go,” Isaacson said.

Isaacson originally was inspired by the idea of studying abroad because of her father, Jay Isaacson, who also took on the adventure in high school.

Adjusting to a new lifestyle and moving in with an unfamiliar family can be a difficult task for anyone. However, Isaacson still managed to make new friends and make the best of her new life for several months.

“I was worried about living with a family of complete strangers and being so far from

home,” Isaacson said. “But they’re very nice and helpful in trying to make my stay here the best it can be.”

Those who are close to Isaacson are also having to adjust to a new life at home. Although Meryl’s mother, Valerie Isaacson-Stock is excited about this opportunity for Isaacson, she has had to adapt to a household without her youngest daughter.

“I am excited for Meryl to learn about diverse backgrounds and cultural differences,” Isaacson-Stock said. “But I really miss her a lot at home and the house is much more quiet.”

Isaacson’s ambition and persistence is what ultimately led her parents to trust in her ability to live on her own. Isaacson’s strong-willed character relieves a lot of worry among family members.

“Meryl has always been extremely independent, capable and determined, Isaacson-Stock said. “She did all the research herself and many months of preparation to go; this was completely driven by her.”

A close friend of Isaacson’s, Elizabeth Griffin, has also noticed the difference in daily life without her. However, she is glad that someone close to her is able to experience something

See ABROAD, page B2

Students win awards for monologues and student-directed performances

BY SIDNEY STIPANOVICH

sstipanovich.gazette@gmail.com

T

his year GBHS drama students showcased their creative talent through thought-provoking entries at the Lenaea High School Theatre Festival.

Each year, the Lenaea Festival hosts high school students, providing competitions and workshops for a variety of categories such as Student Directed One-Acts, monologues, and costume design.

Theatre Arts Director, Kyle Holmes, is familiar with the festival, as he attended it as a high school student.

“Since before I was teaching, (students) were going to the Lenaea Festival,” Holmes said. “I went when I was in high school too, so I went as a student which was a lot of fun.”

Students began preparing their entries two months ahead of the festival, and by February the entries were ready to be performed in front of the Festival’s respondents.

Some students who entered into the festival were rewarded for their original performances and entries.

In addition to senior Emma Harlow winning bronze for her monologue and becoming a finalist for costume design, senior Devin Manzo won Outstanding Original

Script for his one-act, “We’re Normal,” and the performance of the one-act directed by Daniel Patterson won bronze.

“We’re Normal is about a group of teens in a small town city, who form a LGBTQ+ club in a school (where) it is not okay to have one,” Manzo said. “One specific boy is then tricked into going by a friend, and learns about their stories and hardships they face in their daily life.”

Manzo’s idea for the piece stemmed from a multitude of inspirations.

“I came up with this idea from a little of my own personal experience, mixed with some politics, and other friends that I have,” Manzo said.

The name “We’re Normal” is a reflection of Manzo’s view of equality, and what he believes sexuality represents.

“I think that (the title) shows that just because someone’s sexuality isn’t heterosexual, doesn’t mean they are (a) completely different species,” Manzo said. “Especially when it’s something that they have no choice over, and no one should treat them differently because of that.”

Senior Kyla Miyashiro acted in “We’re Normal,” and played the

Gazette photo | Ashley Lucia

Devin Manzo, the writer of “We’re Normal”, and Daniel Patterson, the director celebrate role of the main character’s best friend.

“It was a phenomenal experience that I wish I could relive all over again,” Miyashiro said. “I adored my cast and growing close with them and becoming friends with them.”

Miyashiro says the strong bond between the cast contributed to the one-act’s success.

“This year we actually medaled for our one-act, and it is the first medal a one act has received at this festival in Granite Bay history,” Miyashiro said. “This was due in large part because of the amazing cast and the chemistry we all had becoming close and sort of like a See DRAMA, page B3

inside lifestyle Top 10

B2

Faculty Focus

B3

If you really knew me

B4

Students complete community service hours The requirement offers new opportunities

B3

Winter play featuring many new students

St. Baldrick’s event continues at GBHS

Drama program welcomes all students

Students support an important cause

B5

B6

B2 Lifestyle

Friday, March 8, 2019

Link Crew inspires GBHS freshmen The warm welcome is passed along

BY KATE FERNANDEZ

kfernandez.gazette@gmail.com

S

tarting high school can be quite intimidating to the average eighth grader who is a soon-to-be freshman.

Luckily, new students at Granite Bay High School have Link Crew leaders to guide them. Every year, as nervous middle schoolers get closer and closer to starting high school, a select few GBHS juniors and seniors get ready to welcome them into GBHS. Fortunately for these middle schoolers, they are in for quite a treat.

At the beginning of the year, future freshman kick off their high school experiences with Grizzly Retreat.

This orientation had everything from a costume contest to a dance in the quad at the end of the night. For many students, this was a great experience.

“Coming from private school & literally not knowing anyone or anything at or about Granite Bay, I didn’t know what to expect,” said sophomore Sarah Kondas about her Link Crew experience starting high school.

“It was fun anyway and cool to tour the school before we actually had to start, and to get to know some classmates… I didn’t really have any expectations because I had no clue what public school was like. I think it had a pretty positive effect on me because I loved the community and how they promoted new friendships,” said Kondas.

Some had such a good experience they went on to be Link Crew leaders themselves, like Ipsha Pandey, a junior who did Link Crew for the first time this year.

“I’d recently moved to the area

before Grizzly Retreat and was lost when I came here. It was Samreen Siddiqui, a then Link Crew leader who helped me throughout the day, even though she wasn’t my leader,” said Pandey. “She was the first person who I befriended here, and it really helped me. I wanted to give someone else that comfort.”

These Link Crew leaders, who guide the new freshmen through unexplored waters, often find their experiences as a leader to be as amazing as theirs as a freshman.

When asked about her favorite part of being a Link Crew leader, Pandey said that it was, “welcoming the students on the Grizzly Retreat, [as] the energy then is amazing.”

This energy and compassion is a vital component of being a good Link Crew leader who is ready to show incoming freshmen the ropes.

However, the Grizzly Retreat isn’t the first time that many future freshmen have been ushered into the school. In fact, for many incoming freshmen they are introduced to the school at the eighth grade orientation.

This orientation, “Provides a platform for questions and answers, showcases our great campus, and hopefully gives future students a sense of comfort knowing that maybe Granite Bay High School isn’t as overwhelming as they make it out to be in their minds,” said Andrea Rothman, the Link Crew Coordinator as well as a PE Teacher at GBHS. At this orientation, a few Link Crew leaders volunteer to tour hundreds of eighth graders around GBHS, introducing them to different activities and programs that future eighth graders can participate in.

as great as this.

“It’s different not being able to see her everyday and not being able to hang out with her,” Griffin said. “But I know this is something she’d been wanting to do and it is going to be a great opportunity for her.”

Studying abroad can be a tedious process. Hours of paperwork, tons of signatures, and long discussions with your academic counselors have to be

TOP 10 St. Patrick’s Day Foods

Special to the Gazette | Andi Rothman

GBHS Link Crew leaders pose before the dance at Grizzly Retreat where their classes may be on campus.

“We just walked around the school High school is an entirely new chaland let them go into the classrooms lenge for new freshmen, and a little to see what it was like, ” said Maria bit of empathy on behalf of the more Abraham, a junior Link Crew leader experienced upperclassmen can relax who ushered in the freshmen. “I feel the minds of anxious eighth graders. like the eighth graders had a chance “First days of high school for to see what the next 4 years of their freshmen can be a scary time,” said life would look like,” said Abraham.

Rothman. “New school, new teachers, “They could learn about where to go new halls to navigate, and new kids to and where things were located.” get to know.

As their tour continues, student life As expressed by Rothman, link carries on around the eighth graders, crew leaders serve a very important giving them a taste of their soon-to-be purpose.

They are there to support day to day life. GBHS students from freshmen as they are introduced to a every grade are seen walking throughwhole new experience. out campus, or studying for their next “Freshmen make connections with period. These students will serve as upperclassmen, tour the campus berole models for the incoming freshfore school starts, build relationships men, which is what makes the Link that otherwise may never happen,” Crew program so special. said Rothman.

“Link crew leaders are “I chose to do Link Crew last the ones to help build these foundasummer cause I understood what it tions for freshmen, which is what was like to not know a lot of people makes them so valued.” at school,” said Abraham, continuing Rothman also said that bridging that with, “I just wanted to be a familiar gap is what makes Link Crew so valuface to the incoming freshmen.” able.

Link leaders benefit by learning Familiar faces like Pandey’s and leadership skills, and people skills that Abraham’s help to ease incoming will take them far beyond their high freshmen who don’t have a clue what school years. high school is really like, let alone

ABROAD: First Grizzly travels overseas Continued from page B1

w The Granite Bay Gazette

completed. For Isaacson however, it was a dream of hers that she wasn’t willing to give up on so easily.

“The paperwork and application was a lot of work and took a long time,” Isaacson said. “But it’s something I’ve wanted to do since 6th grade.”

Being that Granite Bay High School has no experience with students studying abroad, Isaacson was the administration’s ‘guinea pig’. GBHS school counselor, Navjot Singh, was able to help Isaacson through the process.

“As her school counselor I worked closely with

her to make sure she was taking the classes that fit her academically and what she was interested in,” Singh said. “It is our role as counselors to make sure students are on track for graduation.”

Many students will study abroad at younger ages for several different reasons. Some go to be inspired, to obtain a new mindset, or to find a new perspective. Isaacson is hoping to return home with more knowledge on facing difficult situations.

“I’m hoping this experience will make me realize how much I appreciate the comforts of home,” Isaacson said. “I’m also hoping it will help me have a broader outlook on the world and how other people live.”

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Irish Soda Bread

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Requirements: Create a new Google logo with the theme of, “When I Grow Up, I Hope” Scholarship awarded: $50,000 and a technology grant for the recipients school

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Friday, March 8, 2019

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Students shine through community service hours Service hours becomeprogram opportunities or community as a whole.

BY EMILY HANSEN

ehansen.gazette@gmail.com

E

very community requires the help of others to thrive and flourish, hence the reasoning behind Granite Bay High School’s senior community service requirement.

In order to graduate, seniors are required to serve the community for at least ten hours and describe their experiences in a short write-up.

However, the extent students serve the community goes way beyond the requisite hours.

Many students find this box being easily checked off by an activity that they have done for sheer enjoyment.

“I volunteer at Breakaway every single year and I love it,” senior Natalie Ruybal said. “It’s one of my favorite volunteering opportunities. I just do it for fun, I don’t use it toward my required hours.”

Other students are involved in organizations dedicated to different charities or multiple service projects, such as the National Honors Society, Key Club and National Charity League.

“The main volunteering I do is through NCL, which I joined in seventh grade,” senior Piper Wenstrom said.

A personal connection to the type of community service also reinforces the passion to give back to the organization,

“I volunteer at Roseville Theatre Arts Academy and I’ve been volunteering there on and off for about 3 years,” senior Chloe Boyan said. “That theatre really helped me learn and grow so I love volunteering there because I can meet the kids that I used to be like.”

It’s also popular for seniors to find a volunteering opportunity in line with their career interests, such as Ruybal and Wenstrom who were able to combine their passions for the medical field and giving back to the community.

Wenstrom found her passion volunteering at Sutter Hospital every Sunday morning.

“I would basically assist doctors, nurses and patients in whatever they needed.

Sometimes I would bring flowers to patients to cheer them up or grab coffee for their family members to get them through a rough day,” Wenstrom said.

Ruybal currently volunteers at the Cal Urgent Care in Rocklin for sixteen hours a week as part of her ROP class. In addition to learning more about medicine, it is also a way for her to give back to others.

“I work as if I’m a medical assistant. I help patients out with their paperwork, give them shots and take their vitals.”

Ruybal said. “I get to build connections with people.”

Junior Collin Wills takes another ap-

proach to community service by participating in St. Baldricks.

“I got involved in second grade. My first year I raised about $200 and the past few years it’s been around $1,000,” Wills said. “It’s a great way to spread awareness about children’s cancer.”

Even for those who aren’t yet seniors, community service is always a great way to help others, get involved and make a difference.

“Since I was moving so much when I was little, I always tried to get involved in my community because I never knew if I was going to move or stay,” Ruybal said.

“Volunteering helped me to build relationships in my community.”

Despite the fact that community service is a requirement for graduation, Granite Bay students have found the joy in helping others.

“Obviously volunteering looks good on college applications, but I think that it should be about giving back and doing something good for your community instead of using it for selfish reasons,” Wenstrom said. “I highly recommend dedicating at least one day a month volunteering somewhere you are passionate about.”

Lifestyle B3

Special to the Gazette | Natalie Ruybal

Many students volunteer at Bayside Church in order to receive service hours.

LENAEA: A huge success for theatre program Continued from page B1

family.”

Manzo wanted the cast to incorporate their own creativity throughout the act, and his script allowed them the flexibility to do so.

“I didn’t write exactly how I wanted a character to say a line,” Manzo said. “It was up to the actors and director of how they wanted to say the line, and that way whoever reads it, can interpret it however they want to.”

Manzo felt mixed emotions

the day of the performance, as he had not yet seen how the cast had interpreted his script.

“I was filled with emotions; scared cause what if no one likes it, but also really excited cause I had zero part with any of the rehearsals, the casting, nothing,” Manzo said. “I sat in the back just in case I needed to cry, and then a swarm of people that I’ve never seen before came in, so I couldn’t cry anymore.”

Manzo was even surprised by his own script at certain moments.

“I laughed at things I didn’t even think would be funny when writing it, and the audience seemed to like it too, so that made me feel good,” Manzo said.

Holmes says that the Festival is a great learning experience in addition to the competition.

“The students show up and they really appreciate getting to not only share the stuff they’ve been working on with respondents and other students, but also to see some of the other stuff the students are doing too,” Holmes said.

In addition to seeing other performances, Manzo was also able to learn about himself through the festival. “(After winning,) I was very surprised at first. I was like ‘Are you sure?’ In a way that you know is untrue, but you ask anyways.” Manzo said.

“Nevertheless I am happy and proud of myself, and I think that this is a statement of what I’m supposed to do in my future.”

Special to the Gazette | Devin Manzo

The GBHS Theatre team gathers together for a group photo at the Lenaea Festival.

Faculty Focus Student

Spotlight

How many years have you been teaching?

22 years.

What is your favorite class to teach?

AP Calculus.

Scott Becker

Question one goes here?

I didn’t like engineering work, and always enjoyed school. I also initially wanted to be a coach or be a PE teacher.

What are your doing in the talent show?

Singing, while my friend Bella plays the piano.

Sofia Arias

- Compiled by Sophie Criscone

What is your favorite holiday? Why? Valentines Day! Because I love showing love to the important people in my life.

What is your favorite animal?

Sharks! Specifically, Lemon sharks.

Gazette photo | Sophie Criscone

What is your favorite part about your job?

That it’s not the same everyday

What is your favorite season? Why? My favorite season is winter because I love cold weather and dressing for cold days.

What is your favorite food?

Rice. It makes me happy.

-Compiled by Maya Snow

B4 Lifestyle

Friday, March 8, 2018

Do Teachers Have Cliques Too? Teachers comment on potential cliques within departments

BY MICHELA SMITH

msmith.gazette@gmail.com

I

t is said by many students and parents within the community that Granite Bay is home to many cliques.

However, many wonder if cliques are found only in high school students, or if they may appear amongst teachers as well.

As different departments within the school often gravitate towards one another, teachers often find that they tend to stick close to those within their own departments.

AP European teacher Mike Valentine does believe that cliques amongst students or teachers is specifically relative to Granite Bay. “You would likely see the same at Woodcreek, Rocklin, wherever you go,” Valentine said.

Despite cliques however, Valentine believes that Granite Bay is a very welcoming environment and is ideal for teachers due to its positivity.

Spanish teacher Gerardo Solano also feels cliques are common, but that Granite Bay is

no different from other schools in regards to forming specific groups.

“This is my fourth school here in California,” Solano said, “I’d say that the environment here is about the same as everywhere else.”

“Teachers have very busy jobs,” Solano said, “There is not much time to socialize.”

“During lunch time when we normally get together, and it’s usually as departments,” Solano said.

Solano believes departments tend to migrate towards each other, as it’s just the nature of the job.

“I would not call it cliques,” Solano said, “I’d call them groups of friends, or simply colleagues.”

“Departments play a role because those are the teachers that you see the most,” Solano said, “We tend to have more in common.”

“I believe that students do form cliques,” math teacher Lisa Vaughn said.

“However, in a classroom where it’s common to have multiple class levels in one class, cliques aren’t as apparent” Vaughan said.

“Teachers definitely form cliques as well,”

Vaughn said, “It’s natural to gravitate towards people that share similar interests with you.”

“It’s easy for me to say my “clique” is with the math department,” Vaughn said, We (the math department) go through our days sharing similar experiences.”

“It’s reassuring and comforting to have the ability to share these experiences with each other,” Vaughan said.

Vaughan believes the relationships created amongst teachers help create a positive environment for everyone.

According to staff members here at GBHS, cliques are not a something that is solely associated with Granite Bay. Teachers believe the schools overall environment is positive and nurturing, despite any cliques involved.

“I feel very supported and valued as a teacher at GBHS,” Vaughn said.

“From interactions with my boss, to my coworkers, and even my students,” Vaughn said, “I believe I teach at a school where teachers have a voice and are respected.”

flourish

Club Club Name: Leave the Gun, Take the Canoli President: Alexandra Miller Gazette: Why did you start this club?

1) Whales eat 1/2 a million calories in one mouthful.

“

If you really knew me, you would know I play Basketball.

Gabi Birch

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

3) No number before one thousand contains the letter “A”

Gazette: What do you want participants to get from this club?

”

”

Nick Parker

”

If you really knew me, you would know that I lived in Hong Kong and Japan.

Hana Rosenblatt

If you really knew me, you would know that I got stung by a stingray when I was 9.

”

- By Sydney Herrenschmidt

Student

2) The American flag was created by a high school junior and they received a B-

4) The Eiffel Tower can grow up to 6in in the summer, because iron expands

Compiled by Raha Elahi

“

Aiden Keefe

Facts

First: Last year we had an assembly… about victims of a school shooting where there was like cases open and you could donate money to that. It really impacted me and it really actually made me feel helpless. And I realized that there was something I could do. This was kind of like taking action against that.

First: It’s a way of healthy coping to deal with a really large problem. Together we can work together and form relationships. We can also help people who are hurting.

you would know...

“

Read the Gazette RANDOM...

If you really knew me,

“

Let your words

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Gazette photo | First Last

Cate Wolfe

Gazette: What is your favorite food?

Cate: Sushi Gazette: What is your favorite sport?

5) Neil Armstrong’s hair was sold for $3,000 in 2004

Cate: Crew

6) Bananas glow blue under black lights

Gazette: What do you do in your free time?

7) Wimbledon tennis balls are kept at 68 degrees Fahrenheit

First: I love skiing at Squaw Valley and wake surfing behind the boat.

Compiled by Mia Taylor

Gazette: Who is your favorite singer?

Cate: Billie Eilish Compiled by Abbie Gould

Friday, March 8, 2019

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Lifestyle B5

Non-drama students join cast of recent school play Cast of She Kills Monsters contains many new students as actors

BY MIA TAYLOR

mtaylor.gazette@gmail.com

T

he drama program has never failed to deliver a show loaded with talented performers.

In their most recent production, She Kills Monsters, viewers were pleasantly surprised to watch many new faces take on the big stage alongside some of Granite Bay Theater’s star actors and actresses.

Unfamiliar to drama class, but familiar to peers and teachers, these students who joined the cast of SKM decided to involve themselves in something they have never previously done. “ It’s my last year and I don’t want to regret anything,” said senior Brad Roe, “I want to be involved in everything I can before I leave and not look back knowing I didn’t at least try it.”

Additionally, senior Brayden Schauer said, “ I joined the show because a few of my friends were doing it.”

“I thought it would be a great opportunity to try something new,” Schauer said.

Navigating uncharted waters can be intimidating for many, however drama veterans quickly embraced all the new cast members, and helped in creating a

welcoming environment for all.

“The drama program is so amazing, the students involved are the most fun-loving group of kids I have ever met,” said senior Kate Caulfield, “I felt like I was a part of their family the minute I decided to join”.

“I got pretty close with a ton of the drama kids,” said Roe, “Playing games backstage and laughing while being quite enough that no one could hear us was definitely a highlight.”

Although students had a lot of fun during the process, it took a considerable amount of time and effort to create the large production.

The cast began practicing months in advance to prepare for the show’s debut in February.

“We had rehearsal 2-3 hours every day,” said senior Brad Davito.

Davito said as the show progressed, their rehearsals became 3 hours and ended at 9:00pm.

“It was a big time commitment, but we had plenty of breaks between scenes to eat or do homework,” Davito said.

Under the guidance of teacher Kyle Holmes, the novice students were all able to become performers in the span of a few months.

The positive atmosphere that Holmes has cultivated in the drama program plays a fundamental role in how well the cast was able to produce the show.

“The drama culture is the so accepting and loving,” said Caulfield, “I truly think it is all because of the wonderful teacher Mr. Holmes” “Mr. Holmes is so great,” Schauer said, “You can

Special to the Gazzete Jen Mcdermott

Multiple students outside of the drama program audition to be a part of the play She Kills Monsters tell that he really cares about his students.”

For these students, joining the cast significantly impacted their lives in a positive way.

They highly recommend anyone thinking about joining the program to do so, and encourage other students to step outside of their comfort zones to create new experiences.

National Park of the month

Ollalie National Park •

• • •

Ollalie National Park is known for its beautiful waterfalls, and hikers are attracted to the sights from around the states.

Moderate hikers love the Twin Falls hike, while experienced hikers travel to Cedar Butte.

Mountain bikers travel along the 20 mile Ollalie trail The park is only 45 minutes From Seattle, WA and remains west of the Cascade Mountains.

National Park Service

A landscape view of the Ollalie Trail. Snowfall covers the trail and the pine trees creating a beautiful, surreal scene for hikers.

-Compiled by the Lifestyle Editors

“I highly recommend that everyone try drama at least once during their high school career,” Davito said, “One of my biggest regrets is having not joined the theater program sooner.”

“There is so much fun involved in acting,” Davito said, “Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, it could be an amazing experience for you.”

B6 Lifestyle

Friday, March 8, 2019

GBHS shaves for St.

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Baldrick’s

Students shave their heads to show support for childhood cancer

BY KAVANA GOUR

kgour.gazette@gmail.com

H

air is more than dead cells. It serves as a defining physical characteristic and a source of expression for a person.

Unfortunately, those who are fighting cancer lack it after going through chemotherapy.

Granite Bay High School students, through St. Baldrick’s, won’t falter to show empathy at the annual head-shaving event held on March 8th.

Participants will “be having their hair shaved on the outdoor stage in the quad [with] music playing on the speakers and [donations being accepted] for all of lunch,” said Colin Wills, president of the GBHS’s St. Baldrick’s club.

The donations will be sent to the St. Baldrick’s organization, where they will be given as grants to children’s hospitals around the country.

The event has been successful, with GBHS raising over $6,500 last year from the event alone and St. Baldrick’s having raised over $250 million so far.

The cause has resonated in multiple student’s hearts and inspired them to become shavees.

“I wanted to shave my head before, [and] I’m not gonna shave my head for nothing,” said Hannah Thrash, a participant in the event held last year. “[I wanted to] find a good cause. I know people have done [St. Baldrick’s] in the past, [and] it seems it’s a good thing to do. So I ended up [participating].”

According to Wills, simply seeing the shavees postshave is what evokes the inherency of this event.

“Each year after I shave my hair, many people will ask me why I got such a noticeable haircut, and it is the perfect opportunity to spread awareness of the cause,” Wills said.

One of those who asked Wills is William Ingram, a shavee for this year’s St. Baldrick’s event.

“I remember[ed] people like Wills showing up bald one day and I didn’t know why,” Ingram said.

“I asked about it, and I figured out a way I could do it late and still get in. I did it one year, and I just kept doing it.”

The cause doesn’t just reach students, however - teachers are involved in the event as well. Darrin Pagel, mathematics teacher at GBHS, got involved when his son began the event at another school.

“My family got involved with St. Baldrick’s eight years ago when my son Peter was a student at Creekview Ranch Middle school and he, along with my wife, organized Creekview’s first St. Baldrick’s event,” Pagel said. “It was a great event and I believe Creekview continues to run the event. We had some friends who were dealing with cancer and thought this could be a way we could support them.”

Shaving one’s head might be a large decision - but it’s one that in the end proves to be worth it.

“A lot of people will hide behind their hair. I feel (that) shaving your head is very liberating,” Thrash said. “I forgot that [the event] was done in front of the entire school, and it was nerve-wracking, but it was [also] very liberating.”

There is no force to shave your hair though - there are other ways you can contribute and still make a

nominal difference.

“Even if people do not want to shave their hair, they are welcome and encouraged to donate to our school’s event,” Wills said.

You can do this by going on the St. Baldrick’s website and navigating to GBHS’s school-specific event, where you can click on the “Donate” button and complete your donation. By doing so, you’ll join the many people who have already donated to shavees participating in the event.

“Personally, I’ve had maybe 10 or so people donate. Each person that raises money will [also] have like, five to 10 people donate,” Wills said.

St. Baldrick’s, however, is more than just an event to shave heads for cancer. Shavees do multiple things to prepare for this school-wide event.

Some, like Wills, dye their hair green for the day.

Others, like Ingram, grow their hair out.

“I grow my hair out pretty long for it, so [shaving it is] a drastic change. That makes it more fun for me and other people around me. So I was able to grow my hair really long this year, so that was definitely fun,” Ingram said.

The St. Baldrick’s event has been rooted - no pun intended - back to 1999, where founders Tim Kenny, John Bender, and Enda McDonnell pondered how they would give back for the good fortune of their business. It was upon noticing McDonnell’s thick hair that Bender came up with the concept of St. Baldrick’s.

“It originally was a play on St. Patrick’s Day in March. But they wanted to just highlight the baldness after the event. Their whole theme is green and green colors, kind of St. Patrick’s Day,” Wills said.

Gazette illustrations | Abbie Gould

Sports

Granite Bay Gazette

Friday

COMMENTARY

C Section

w March 8, 2018

landen acosta lacosta.gazette@gmail.com

Aggression helps in sports

A

ggression has been known to improve athletic performance as well as mentality.

In order to be competitive in athletics, one must develop aggression during practice and games.

Many experts agree that a heightened state of aggression can contribute to the level of a team’s success.

Aggression can look like many things, like drawing fouls, not allowing competition to walk all over you and making opportunities for your team to win.

Mentality is a large part of how well one performs athletically and helps a team be successful.

One develops a sense of aggression through practice.

Practicing aggression will hone a specific skill set to your sport as well as in life.

For example, in football, you can be afraid to get hit and make tackles. Being a ruthless competitor can help with your athletic performance during games.

Not everyone starts out in a sport having a natural aggression toward an opponent.

Developing this mentality does not come easy for some, such as myself and took me nearly two years to toughen up.

A person’s personality will play a large role in determining how aggressive of an athlete they will be or can become.

Some athletes agree they have had to change who they were as people to become fierce competitors in the sport they play.

Those who do not will realize this and spend lots of time developing an aggressive and competitive mentality to further advance themselves in their sport.

Being a student athlete myself, developing an aggressive mentality in the sport of rowing has helped me immensely.

Rowing is psychologically taxing and requires a heightened state of aggression to power through intense workouts and not give into pain.

I did have to change some of who I was. This is where some of the controversy stems from.

Some feel that changing who you are for the purpose of sport is bad, and you should not have to change who you are for anything, especially a sport.

Although some may feel developing aggressive traits can have a negative effect on your life, many agree the positives outweigh the negatives.

I can attest to this on a personal level that me having to adapt the rigorous mental game of rowing by becoming a more determined and aggressive person has prepared me for life and to further advance myself in anything I set my sights on.

Developing a competitive mentality can help anyone approach tasks and obstacles with a better mindset and can set one

*** Landen Acosta, a senior, is a Sports editor.

Commits reflect on the recruiting process

Photo Illustration | Akhil Shah

Seniors required to sign letters of intent before officially committing to universities

BY AKHIL SHAH

ashah.gazette@gmail.com

A

fter four years of tiresome practices, gruesome games and hours of time spent around sports, Granite Bay High School’s finest athletes are awaiting their collegiate careers.

This process however wasn’t easy for many students.

Recruitment processes are typically lengthy as collegiate coaches across the nation have to handpick hundreds of high school athletes to scout.

Senior Hana Rosenblatt, a girls varsity soccer player, faced these difficulties as well.

“I first made a list of colleges I would go to, it ended up being about 25,” Rosenblatt said.

Most athletes consider a variety of schools, meeting both their academic and athletic interests.

Soccer recruits typically attend ID Camps, a place where their skills are put on showcase for coaches across the nation.

“A lot of girls and coaches attend these camps. If they like what you do then they reach out to you and attend games and other showcases of your,” Rosenblatt said.

Coaches for different sports take on different processes for recruiting, and often seek for different attributes in their future athletes.

Sydney Page, a senior at GBHS and athlete for Capital Crew Rowing team had to undergo a process unlike other sports.

“My position on my team is a Coxswain, so I steer the boat and give commands,” Page said. “Coaches wanted to hear audio recordings of me giving these commands and evaluated me in that manner,” Page said.

Page’s recruitment process entailed her sending these recordings to coaches, and receiving feedback from them.

“I had to push forward in the process both academically, and with whatever else coaches wanted from me,” Page said.

Paige Tattersall, a swimmer for GBHS, committed to Pepperdine University last fall.

“The whole process was really stressful, and I had my parents perspectives kicking in too. Now that it’s all said and done it’s a relief,” Tattersall said.

Though her process was equally difficult, Paige had the help of her family through it all.

Her brother, Evan Tattersall, graduated from GBHS in 2018 and went on to play football at The University of CaliforniaBerkeley.

“Having my brother and my dad’s perspectives helped, but they had different recruiting processes since it was for football,” Tattersall said For all three girls, their recruitment process were finalized with the signing of

What makes a good leader at Granite Bay?

Team captains discuss qualities they attribute to leadership position

BY MICHELA SMITH

msmith.gazette@gmail.com

S

ports culture is often times more complex than one is lead to believe.

The drive to earn the highly esteemed title of captain creates a sense of leadership and responsibility among players.

What exactly constitutes a captain is often hotly debated.

Whether it be skill, leadership, responsibility, or dependability is something to be determined by individual teams and coaches.

Recently, there has been a trend of choosing captains not only based on skill, but on the quality of their leadership on and off the field.

Another aspect is seniority vs being qualified. Due to the fact that there are rarely ever juniors that are captains, there is an unspoken rule that captains are seniors.

Jeff Evans, coach of the Granite Bay High School varsity football team, explains that players who demonstrate leadership are preferred to be captain over a player with skill.

“We are looking for those mentally tough individuals that understand that leading is a full time job and commit to that lifestyle.” Evans said. Putting a premium on hard work rather than talent alone has been a long .

“We are not very interested in the ‘great player’ that does not value or respect their education and the people around them. We have no time for those individuals.” Evans said.

Furthermore, seniority is not the deciding factor when

a letter of intent.

These letters essentially end the recruiting process, and signify the athletes’ decision to play athletics of their individual sport at the collegiate level.

Each college has different requirements regarding what their signees can or cannot do after signing the agreement.

Rosenblatt, Page, and Tattersall all signed their letters of intent in the fall to officially end their lengthy process.

Rosenblatt will be playing soccer at the University of Pacific, Page will be rowing for UCLA, and Tattersall will be swimming for Pepperdine University.

After much thought, consideration and exploration of choices, a multitude of Grizzly athletes have signed their letter of intent already, while others will be signing in the near future.

considering captains on the football team.

“Juniors are most definitely considered.” Evans said.

Football in particular, has different variations of captains, two chosen by outgoing seniors, one chosen by the coaches, one decided by the school staff, one voted on by the weight training class and one is chosen by the upcoming senior class.

Due the wide variety of people in the decision making process, the total six seniors are expected to be representative of the team as a whole.

Senior Joseph Young made clear the duties he faces as a captain.

“There are no off days. You have to hold yourself to a higher standard than everyone else. You have to make sure everyone is giving their all and no one is bringing the team down. “ Young said.

The overarching premise that captains are meant to be leaders and demonstrate responsibility is common among different sports.

Senior Peyton Mitcheom, captain of the GBHS girls basketball team, explains the duties she is expected to perform.

“I led the warm ups and some drills during practice. I also had to make sure the team had enough energy before the game and during practice,” said Mitcheom.

Being held to a higher standard comes with taking a leadership position on a team.

“One of the hardest parts that I didn’t anticipate was having to deal with some drama throughout the year and find solutions.” Mitcheom said.

However, the importance of seniority is not agreed upon, however, across different sports.

As a captain, Mitcheom emphasizes the value and responsibility of seniority.

“I do think [seniority] is important because you are reSpecial to the Gazette | Joe Young spected but you also have to be really invested in the sport Joe Young tackles an opponent during a game against in order to be captain,” Mitcheom said.

Grant High school.

inside sports Fan of the Month Grizz Quiz

C2

Upperclassmen play on jv team.

Track and field dropoff.

C3

Juniors experience playing on jv.

Number of athletes joining track and field drops off.

Athlete of the Month C3

C2

C3

Spring sports update Jam packed schedule for spring sports.

C4

Sports C2

Friday, March 8, 2018

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The Granite Bay Gazette

Ready to kick off the competition at Powderpuff Senior and junior girls prepare for the upcoming annual football game

BY SYDNEY HERRENSCHMIDT sherrenschmidt.gazette@gmail.com

A

nother year means another game between junior and senior girls fighting to be the victor of a game of Powderpuff football.

Beau Boyan, a sophomore enrolled in the ASB class, is in charge of Powderpuff this year.

“I chose to commission this (event) because it’s very fun and the attendance is so big that I know I’m making an impact,” Boyan said.

Though Boyan has enjoyed commissioning this large event, it hasn’t been easy.

“The most difficult thing about being in charge of this event is probably keeping organized because there is just so much that needs to be done,” Boyan said.

Although Boyan has to deal with being organized, there are also pros to running Powderpuff.

“So far I like talking to the coaches because I really enjoy the teachers being coaches,” Boyan said.

Not only are teachers coaches for Powderpuff, football players coach as well.

Everett Hayes, a senior who coached Powerpuff last year, invested his free time into powderpuff coaching.

“I decided to coach Powderpuff (last year) because I thought it would be really fun to pass on my love of football to all the girls,” Hayes said.

Hayes has decided to continue coaching the seniors again this year.

“I am coaching again because coaching last year was one of my most memorable moments and I want

to make another great memory,” Hayes said.

The biggest goal Hayes has for this year is to coach a winning team.

“I want to avenge our defeat from last year and go out on top,” Hayes said.

Hayes has a strong belief that the seniors will dominate this year.

“I think we are going to win because we have a year of experience now and I also think we may have a couple of secret weapons this year to make it happen,” Hayes said.

Ashley Lindsay is a junior who is ready to play her first game of Powderpuff ever. “ I decided to play Powderpuff this year because all my friends are doing it and it seemed like fun,” Lindsay said.

Lindsay is ready to make another high school memory with friends.

“I think I am most excited about just hanging out with new people and having fun,” Lindsay said.

Seniors who participated last year have high hopes

for their team.

Senior Reagan Tonda played left tackle for the offensive line last year and is determined to win this year.

“I’m doing it again this year because I think it’s such a fun event and a cool way to create memories with friends,” Tonda said.

Even though the seniors lost last year, Tonda still enjoyed the experience.

“The game reached my expectations because it was full of energy and excitement,” Tonda said. “Everyone was hyped up.”

One of the main reasons Tonda enjoyed the event was because she had the opportunity to play football.

“It’s cool to play a sport I would have never played if it wasn’t for powderpuff,” Tonda said.

Tonda has faith that the seniors will redeem their spot on top this year.

“We are excited to come back this year and are ready to take on the juniors,” Tonda said.

FAN OF THE MONTH: Natalie Ruybal supports her friends

BY SYDNEY HERRENSCHMIDT sherrenschmidt.gazette@gmail.com

Many students at Granite Bay High School represent Grizzly pride every game day, but senior Natalie Ruybal is a student that exceeds fan expectations at every athletic event.

Natalie Ruybal has participated in water polo and swim throughout her high school career, so she knows what it’s like to have supportive fans at her games and meets.

“My favorite sport to watch is either football or basketball,” Ruybal said. “It is cool watching my friends play and I love supporting them.”

Basketball game days are Ruybal’s favorite days

because of the tribe. Ruybal has waited to secure her spot in the front of the tribe since freshman year.

“I get most excited about the tribe at basketball games,” Ruybal said. “The tribe always has so much more energy in the front rows and it is cool to finally be the seniors in the front.”

Not only does Ruybal support the basketball teams, she also brings her spirit to the soccer field.

“Besides basketball, I watch soccer games the most,” Ruybal said. Though soccer has become a

winter sport and sometimes the weather isn’t perfect, Ruybal always looks forward to supporting her friends in rain or shine.

Because soccer and basketball are over, Ruybal plans on going to baseball games and showing her school pride.

“Because it is senior year, I am trying to go to as many events and games as possible,” Ruybal said.

“I always make sure I am demonstrating my school spirit at events because I know it makes a big difference if there is support at your games!”

Gazette photo | Sydney Herrenschmidt

Natalie Ruybal takes time to watch a variety of sports at GBHS.

Upperclassmen play on junior varsity teams Rules allow juniors to remain on JV teams

BY LANDEN ACOSTA

lacosta.gazette@gmail.com

S

Special to the Gazette | Glen Peach

Jaclyn Ohlsen dribbles the ball to pass an opponent during junior varsity girls’ game against Del Oro.

ports at Granite Bay High have become a large part of our school’s culture.

Granite Bay offers several levels of teams for each sport to give all students equal opportunities to develop as athletes.

Specifically, the JV or junior varsity teams, are known to consist of underclassmen players.

Junior varsity is a great starting place for many underclassmen to further develop their skills to further prepare them for the varsity level.

In the past, the JV team was restricted to underclassmen at Granite Bay, but is now open to juniors.

The idea stemmed from giving certain juniors the chance to play the sport they love even if they may not have been able to make the varsity team.

Although some may feel discouraged due to the fact they did not make the varsity team, regret was not a word the juniors used to describe their experience on JV “Being a junior on JV was sort of hard for me to sit back and watch all of my friends I’ve known for years play together on varsity,

however I met some really cool freshmen and sophomores during the amazing season we had,” Carson Rae, a junior on the JV boys’ soccer team, said.

Contribution to the team's success was also was a huge factor in Rae’s love of the team.

“Our final game of the year where we won league was my favorite game of the season,” Rae said.

Allowing athletes to play on JV has created opportunities for students to grow and develop to potentially play at the varsity level.

“The season was really fun and one of the most enjoyable things I’ve ever had,” Jaclyn Ohlsen, a junior on the girls JV basketball team, said.

As well as the social aspect of playing on a school sport is huge for many kids that want to be involved.

Giving them the chance to play if they are unable to play on varsity is huge for our school culture.

“Being a junior on JV helped me meet some really cool people I most likely wouldn't have otherwise,” Ohlsen said.

Overall, allowing juniors to play on JV has benefited Granite Bay in the sense we have more school pride.

Keeping kids across the campus involved in school sports is essential to an all inclusive environment that will make kids feel wanted and accepted at GBHS. “I loved how well we bonded and got along with each other,” Ohlsen said.

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Friday, March 8, 2018

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The Granite Bay Gazette

Sports C3

Track and field drops off Team sees a decrease in upperclassmen athletes during this year’s spring season

BY KATE FERNANDEZ

kfernandez.gazette@gmail.com

s Granite Bay High School athletics carry on into the spring season, participation gradually decreases, particularly within the track and field season. Several juniors and seniors who have ran track for the past two or three years have decided not to continue with the sport this year, much to the dismay of the coaches and teammates who are by their side throughout the season.

While track participation is decreasing, many athletes who are on the team continue to express their affection for the sport.

Junior Eva Shaw is an athlete who has done track as well as cross country all three years of her high school. “(I) Started track because it optimizes my energy levels so I can ultimately focus better on my academics and also helps me to make better connections with the friends and people I already know,” Shaw said.

Shaw believes track is advantageous for many reasons.

“It gives me experiences and new opportunities that are only beneficial.” Shaw said. “I also think the pain and the team work ethic working together is also really good for the long term.”

While some may view the sport as too physically challenging to be enjoyable, Shaw and other athletes have said that the experiences gained from participating in track are very beneficial.

Sophomore Alex Miller, who is currently a distance runner on the track team, has also expressed her satisfaction with the track program and its environment.

“It’s really positive, everyone wants to help each other out, and everybody wants each other reach success,” said Miller. “It’s definitely more of a family atmosphere, because even though it’s an individual

A

sport, there’s a lot of caring about your teammates and wanting them to do well, as opposed to wanting to beat them.”

Despite several athletes in track who have expressed their happiness with the program, there has still been a decrease in participation.

While reasons could vary from person to person, some have theorized that different priorities have been the cause for the loss of athletes. Some students believe it becomes more difficult to play a school sport in high school.

“I think part of it is because as you progress through high school you’re getting less and less time to do things, so people are prioritizing school work over sports.” Miller said. “I have noticed that a lot of upperclassmen drop out, but hopefully freshmen will get interested in it again next year.”

Tristan Paperno, a senior on the track team, has also noticed decrease in athletes.

“There has been a decrease in participation in track.” Paperno said. “Some of the reasons I’ve seen are people wanting to focus more on academics.”

The academic rigor and extra curriculars of junior and senior year may be why many athletes quit the sport.

“Lots of senior and juniors opt out of track, either because they get employed or they get too involved with their academics,” Shaw said.

The expectations are generally higher academically for students during their junior and senior year.

Many juniors and seniors decide to take one or more Advanced Placement classes, which can significantly increase a student’s workload.

In addition to AP classes, volunteering, clubs, college preparation, and a variety of other tasks that fill up a senior or junior’s year, playing a sport can become a little bit too much to handle.

Senior Cate Snedecor, who ran track previously, made the decision to leave the team this year.

The track and field team runs warm up laps to prepare for an after school practice.

“I decided to not do track this season because over the years I found a greater passion for long distance running, and I wasn’t as excited about track,” Snedecor said. “Also I have four APs this semester so I was a little overwhelmed doing track with school right now.”

While athletes such as Snedecor who discontinue a sport often do so for multiple reasons, academics seem to be the leading factor among these athletes.

Even if the sport is a fun and an important aspect of the athlete’s life, a student’s grades and academics are often what come first.

“If a sport is hurting your grades then maybe take a step back, but if they aren’t and you’re having fun, do sports,” said Snedecor.

Even a captain of the track team may have to reassess their priorities when considering what workload they can handle.

Nick Beck, a senior who was a captain of the track team last year, has quit the sport this year.

Gazette Photo | Kate Fernandez

Beck enjoyed challenging himself to improve during the track season.

“I did it because I was naturally good at running, and I knew that I could get better if I just worked on it, and I heard that the coaches were really good,” Beck said.

Though track had been a large part of his high school experience, Beck had certain motivations to leave the team.

“I wanted to work a little bit and get a job resume going,” Beck said. “Also I’m taking online classes right now, and track was just one of those things that had to go.”

No matter the reason, school and other school-related activities often, if not always, come before sports, and track is no exception.

Grizz Quiz Swim

Basketball

What is your dream college?

Anderson Marks Lacrosse

Hannah Hopping

Hailey Rietz

Golf

Softball

USC

Pepperdine

Chapman

NYU

Morehead State

Engineering

Education or psychology

Business and marketing

English and film studies

Biology

The new environment and meeting new people

Living by the beach

Having a new refreshing change

Learning how to live on my own

The new experiences and new memories

Being with all my friends and family

My friends

My friends and family

My friends and the teachers at GBHS

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

What would you like to study in college?

What are you most excited for about living in a new place?

Paige Tattersall

Preston Fu

Compiled by Lily Williams

My puppy Malachi, going What will you miss most to mikuni, and going to the about GBHS? gym with my friends Are you playing your sport in college?

No

Bella Ternero commits to Long Beach St.

Bella Ternero Ternero s is excited to experience playing soccer in college.

BY SOPHIE CRISCIONE

scriscione.gazette@gmail.com

Years of hard work paid off for GBHS sophomore varsity soccer player Bella Ternero, who recently committed to play soccer at California State University, Long Beach.

Playing the game since she was only four years old, soccer has been a huge part of Bella’s life and will continue to be as she progresses through high school, on a club team and school team, and onto a college team.

She has been playing on the San Juan Soccer Club Elite Clubs National League team for almost three years, and started on the Granite Bay varsity squad as a freshman last year.

Ternero’s ongoing passion for soccer is partly due to her love for the excitement and fight that comes along with the game, as well as the strong connections that are made with teammates.

“I love coming and seeing my teammates, who are also my best friends, everyday, and experiencing wins and losses with people who are like my family,” Ternero said.

Committing to Long Beach State soccer was a year and a half long process that involved a great

deal of communication, dedication, and hard work, and Bella says she couldn’t have done it alone.

“My dad and my coaches have definitely helped me the most through it all. My dad was always there to train me and help me through the hard times, and my coaches have always believed in me and helped communicate to college coaches for me,” Ternero said.

Playing soccer in college has been a dream of Bella’s for as long as she can remember, and she is hopeful for what her future at Long Beach State has in store.

“I’m excited for the new experience all around - to meet my teammates and play the sport I love with great coaches at a great college,” Ternero said.

Friday, March 8, 2018

C4

w The Granite Bay Gazette

SECOND LOOK

Spring sports starts GBHS team schedules through mid- April

Swim March 8 & 9- GBHS @ Roseville invitational March 21- GBHS vs. Whitney March 28- GBHS vs. Folsom April 3- GBHS @ Oakridge April 10- SFL Champs Prelim April 11- SFL Champs Finals Boys Tennis March 12- GBHS vs. Oakridge @JRSC March 19- GBHS @ Folsom March 21- GBHS @ Whitney March 22 & 23- Norcal Tournament @ JRSC March 26- GBHS vs. Del Oro @JRSC March 28- GBHS vs. Oakridge @ Broadstone April 2- GBHS @ Rocklin April 4- GBHS vs. Folsom @ JRSC April 9- GBHS vs. Whitney @ JRSC April 11- GBHS @ Del Oro

Special to the Gazette | Dave Gershon

Track & Field March 9- GBHS @ Sturgeon Invite March 16- GBHS @ Lancer Invitational, Husky Invite & Dublin Distance Carnival March 19- GBHS vs. Del Oro & Whitney @ Whitney March 27- GBHS vs. Oakridge March 29-30 Stanford Invitational April 2- GBHS vs. Rocklin @ GBHS April 5-6- GBHS @ Arcadia Invitational April 6- GBHS @ Thunder Invite April 10- GBHS @ Folsom Baseball March 8- GBHS @ Davis March 15- GBHS vs. Placer @ James Field March 23- GBHS vs Campolindo March 26 GBHS @ Del Oro March 29 GBHS @ Yuba City April 1- GBHS @ Folsom April 3- GBHS vs. Folsom April 5- GBHS @ Folsom April 8- GBHS vs. Rocklin April 10- GBHS @ Rocklin April 12- GBHS vs. Rocklin Boys Lacrosse March 8- GBHS @ Sacred Heart March 12- GBHS vs. Monte Vista March 14- GBHS @ Oakridge March 19- GBHS vs. Amador Valley March 22- GBHS @ Jesuit March 28- GBHS @ Vista Del Lago March 30- GBHS @ Marin Catholic April 4- GBHS @ Davis April 6- GBHS vs. Serra April 9- GBHS vs. Jesuit April 12- GBHS vs. Vista Del Lago

Gazette photo | Sidney Zabell

Boys Volleyball March 13- GBHS vs. Oakmont March 15-17 GBHS @ Battle of the Bay Tourney March 19- GBHS vs. Oakridge March 21- GBHS vs. Rocklin March 23- GBHS @ Placer Tourney March 26- GBHS @ Folsom March 28- GBHS @ Whitney April 1- GBHS @ Oakridge April 2- GBHS vs. Del Oro April 9- GBHS @ Rocklin April 11- GBHS vs. Folsom Girls Lacrosse March 9- GBHS @ Acalanes March 12- GBHS @ Justin Sienna March 15- GBHS vs. Davis March 22- GBHS vs. Bella Vista March 23- GBHS vs. Novato March 26- GBHS vs. Amador Valley March 29- GBHS @ Vista Del Lago April 2- GBHS vs. Saint Francis @ Mather April 5- GBHS vs. Rio Americano April 10- GBHS vs. Monte Vista April 12- GBHS @ Christian Brothers

Special to the Gazette | Dave Gershon

Special to the Gazette | Glen Peach

ď ˇAs winter sports wrap up at GBHS, spring sports are offically underway. At the top, senior Mattie Thomas bumps fists with his base coach after a hit in a preseason matchup agaisnt Pleasant Grove High School. In the middle, seniors Justin Mazzola, Omar Kanaan, Preston Fu, Jacob Ellis, Doug Christie Jr., Adam Honer and Josh Zhand pose for a team photo during senior night. In the middle left, senior Zach Taylor makes one of many pitches during a preseason matchup agaisnt Pleasant Grove High School. In the middle right, the varsity basketball team poses for a photo on senior night, honoring Sage Smith, Miriam Lebastchi, Kendall Prager, Peyton Mitcheom and Sydney Herrenschmidt. In the bottom left, the track team warms up with jogs around the track early in their season.

Softball March 12- GBHS vs. Rocklin March 14- GBHS vs. Rocklin March 19- GBHS @ Folsom March 21- GBHS @ Whitney March 23- GBHS @ Rio Linda March 26- GBHS vs. Del Oro March 28- GBHS @ Oakridge April 2- GBHS @ Rocklin April 4- GBHS vs. Folsom April 5- GBHS @ Oakmont April 9- GBHS @ Del Oro April 11- GBHS @ Del Oro Compiled by Sydney Herrenschmidt

Gazette photo | Kate Fernandez

GS The Gazette’s arts and entertainment guide.

March 2019

GREENSCREEN St. Patrick’s Day Superstitions

PAGES 8 & 9

Gazette photo | Maya Snow

Page 2

March 2018

sneak peek.

Gazette illustration | Lindsey Zabell

Gazette llustration | Lindsey Zabell

Gazette llustration | Maya Snow

wSee page 3 Grizzlies show off talents

wSee pages 8 and 9 Superstitions

wSee page 16 Hair Dying on campus

Tunes can boost mood and calm nerves

UPCOMING

COMMENTARY

EVENTS FOR

Different genres of music can have a unique impact

lthough I don’t know how to play an instruscientifically proven to boost mood and serotonin ment and can’t sing to save my life, music release in people, making it a great genre to has been an important element in my life. listen to when I’m having a bad day.

Ever since I can remember, my mom would play One of my favorite ways to listen to music is in music around the house and in the car. I grew up person at a concert. Concerts bring people closer listening to the classic rock from the ’80s and ‘90s. I to the music, letting them hear the artist live and was brought up on ABBA, Pat Benatar, and Journey. dance to the beat with hundreds – or thousands My mom would play the song “Dancing Queen” by – of fans.

ABBA on repeat, leaving it permanently memorized My first concert was an American Idol tour in my head. The theme song of my childhood, if you when I was eight. I went with my dad, stepmom will. and my sister. I only remember seeing David As a young child, music was something fun and it Archuleta sing “It’s too late to apologize” by intrigued me. My favorite toy as a child was one of Maroon 5. Although I was young, I knew I was bhamilton.gazette@gmail.com those mini pianos your parents get you from Target, in love. and I would jam out for hours.

If you haven’t been to a concert, I highly suggest you attend.

Even with music being a big influence in my life, I never did get For the past decade of my life, I’ve been trying to go to as many the hang of playing an instrument or being able to sing. I joined a concerts and music festivals as possible. choir at my Catholic school in 6th grade and that’s where I realized The experience of holding your favorite artist’s hand, meeting I suck at music new people and being able to enjoy music live is an experience I Now that I’m older and I choose my own music to listen to, I can wouldn’t pass up for the world. tell that my choices in genre always reflect my mood.

Music has impacted my life in multiple ways, but especially by When I’m sad I usually listen to throwbacks that are kind of degiving me a new view on things and boosting my mood when I’m pressing. When I’m happy, I’ll listen to songs with an upbeat tempo feeling down. And with music, there’s a genre for everyone to and happier lyrics. enjoy.

When everything else around me is chaotic, I know that I can So if you’re ever feeling down, try listening to your favorite put in my earbuds and escape from reality, even if it’s only for the song. It helps. Trust me. duration of the song. *** To me, music is an escape from all the pain and hardships in life, Bella Hamilton, a senior, is a GreenScreen editor. giving me the chance to breathe and relax for a moment.

At the moment, my favorite type of music at the moment is EDM, otherwise known as electronic dance music. EDM has been

A

bella hamilton

Guide to

GreenScreen

Page 3 Talent Show

Page 6 Horoscopes

Pages 10 Top Tweets

Food Reviews

Page 7 Spring Fashion

Page 11 Oscars Awards

Page 5 Follow Friday

Pages 8 & 9 Superstitions

Page 12 Music Reviews

Page 4

GBHS MONTH

March 8 St. Baldrick’s March 14 & 15 Midterms March 29 Powder Puff

Page 13 Movie Reviews Page 14 Chinny & Wandy Page 15 Musical Page 16 Hair Dyeing

March 2018

Page 3

serious skills.

TALENT SHOW

Gazette illustration | Lindsey Zabell

Students prepare to showcase their skills in performance

BY RAHA ELAHI

years, always performing “something related to music.”

Junior Sequoia Torrez is also performing something musical.

Torrez will be singing a piece for the upcoming event.

“My friends kind of peerpressured me to [join the talent show],” she said.

Torrez is performing in the talent show for the first time at Granite Bay High School, although she has been a part of similar events in the past.

The junior is not nervous about presenting to the audience, because she is a natural performer.

Torrez has sung professionally, singing in her local church and various local businesses.

She doesn’t know whether or not she will perform for the competition.

“I just kind of want to do it this year to feel it out and then, maybe next year,” she said. “If I enjoy my time.”

Ashlyn Gregory will also be participating in the talent show.

The freshman will be performing “a traditional hula dance… from Hawaii.”

“I joined the talent show just because I thought my hula dancing talent was kind of unique, and I just wanted to share it with everyone that was going to be there,” she said.

Her mother also encouraged her to participate in the competition

y Zab

She said the students who signed up “just want to showcase their talents.”

Tamara Givens, Student Government advisor, also said something similar.

The talent show “(provides) an opportunity for (students) to share their talents with the school,” Givens said.

Many new students have signed up for the talent show.

In addition to new faces, some students decide to participate in the event for multiple years.

“This year, we have a lot of new people, and then we have some who have done it before,” Givens said.

“We’ve had kids do all four years… and then other times we do have a lot of new talent.”

Some of the acts this year include singing, dancing, and playing an instrument.

“We have some dancing this year...we have more bands this year than we’ve ever had, but a lot of it is singing or playing an instrument.”

Senior Chance Vano is an example of one such performer.

Vano originally decided to join the talent show because he “(wants) to perform.”

He is performing “a classic jazz song” with his fellow band members.

The senior has been a part of the talent show for the past three

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school talent show.

Junior Emma Gordon is head commissioner of the event this year.

As a former assistant commissioner, Gordon has experience in organizing such an event.

because the dance is “really… unique.”

Gregory is looking forward to performing for the audience.

“I’m a little nervous because it seems like there’s gonna be a good amount of people, but also excited.”

Among her acquaintances, she expects to see her family in the audience.

“Hopefully some of my friends [will also come],” she said.

Participants are judged, and the winner of the competition will be awarded a cash prize.

Students looking forward to attending the talent show can be prepared for a night full of surprises.

Ashlyn Gregory, Sequoia Torrez and Chance Vano are just a few students who will be presenting their talent..

If any community members are interested in attending, the talent show is set to take place on March 7, 2019 at 7:00 PM in the theater.

Admission prices for the event are $6 with activities, $8 for students without activities, and $10 for anyone else.

It is a popular competition, as Givens expects the theater to be pretty close to being full, if not completely filled up. “[The talent show] gets a lot of attendance,” she said.

“We pretty much almost fill the… theater,” she added, although attendance increases with a greater number of performers.

Givens says “more people come” because “[performers] have more family to come and more friends to come.”

Audience members can support their friends and family and enjoy an evening full of talent.

She wants to “encourage more people to come” out to witness the incredibly talented students of Granite Bay High School.

Gazett e illus tratio n|

T

he students of GBHS are talented, and there is no better way of witnessing this than coming to the

ell

relahi.gazette@gmail.com

March 2018

Page 4

sunny side up.

Glazed and Confused Bacon and Butter

BY ELLIOTT HYMAN

ehyman.gazette@gmail.com

B

acon and Butter is the best brunch place in the Sacramento area. I know that’s a bold statement, but I can back it up.

I’ve made the 30-minute trek to Sacramento many-a-morning only to stand in the cold for 30 more minutes – you see, if you don’t want to wait in line for an hour you have to get there at 7:30, an hour before opening at 8.

If that doesn’t tell you people like it, then take a look at the employees and clientele – hipsters, hipsters everywhere. Hipsters have their pros and cons but one indisputable fact is that they know their food, and they come to Bacon and Butter in droves.

It takes an effort to eat at Bacon and Butter between the drive and wait for a seat but it delivers on every promise.

The difference between B & B and most breakfast places is immediately clear because, as my grandmother said: “you can always judge a breakfast place by its coffee”, and they have great coffee.

The restaurant has a cute interior and exterior with a trendy, yet comfortable vibe.

The menu is filled with incredibly creative options but specializing in the savory realm of things.

Some of my personal favorites include all of their hashes, the biscuit sandwich, and the chicken & waffle.

The Gazette staff shares the breakfast places that are ‘bacon’ us go crazy.

Four Sisters Cafe

However, the must-get dish for newbies is the grilled cheese benedict.

Let that sink in for a second. Grilled cheese for breakfast. Every time I get one, it feels like I’m doing something wrong, almost an affront to societal values concerning what constitutes breakfast and what doesn’t.

Basically, it’s one of the best-grilled cheeses you’ve ever had, on a challah loaf, topped with bacon, hollandaise, and two perfectly poached eggs. It is a perfect “treat yourself meal” for when you are feeling particularly glutinous.

While it might at first seem excessive, the coupling between the hollandaise top with the cheesy interior works incredibly well and it’s the meal that keeps bringing me back again and again.

Gazette photo | Elliott Hyman

Bacon and Butter, a breakfast eatery in Sacramento that serves a wide variety of breakfast foods.

BY SIDNEY ZABELL

szabell.gazette@gmail.com

S

unday mornings are reserved for breakfast, right?

Four Sisters Cafe is a bustling corner an otherwise nondescript shopping plaza, located a few minutes beyond the Roseville Galleria. I’m a seasoned guest of the restaurant, this having been my fourth or fifth meal there.

The wait at 9:00 am was roughly 20 minutes, but was unavoidable as they don’t take reservations on weekends.

The hostess gave us the option of sitting inside or outside with a heater, but we opted for the cushiony booth seats indoors.

Each table had a gorgeous succulent, complete with salt and pepper shakers for people who like to spice it up.

For drinks, I went with their freshsqueezed orange juice. Each glass is finished with a twisted slice of orange, a nice touch to the fruity drink.

A few minutes of perusing the menu left me confident in my decision – the fresh fruit waffle with a biscuit on the side. The fresh strawberries, bananas and blueberries sounded exquisite, a perfect way to top off a hearty waffle.

The meals took a short wait of just 15 minutes or so to arrive at our table.

My waffle and my dad’s pancakes were placed on stunning pastel plates, each reminiscent of classic Fiesta ware dinner plates.

Hot maple syrup was drizzled across

my waffle, and each bite had a fantastic balance of crunch and fluff. I made sure a piece of fruit was included in each bite, a good decision on my part.

The biscuit was less than stellar, but the fresh jam provided was tasty, without a doubt. It felt a little too soft for my taste, as did the potatoes that came as a side on my dad’s meal.

Four Sisters was a uniquely refreshing way to start off a Sunday morning. While not perfect, I’d definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a laid back restaurant with cute decor and a menu that makes it hard to choose.

Gazette photo | Sidney Zabell

Four Sisters, a cafe located in Roseville, that specializes in waffles, breakfasts and great service for all diners.

Safeway Deli

BY AKHIL SHAH

ashah.gazette@gmail.com

S

afeway breakfast burritos are unquestionably the move when you wake up late on a Sunday morning.

The night before, when I’m out with friends, living up my senior year until 1 a.m, there is nothing I look forward to more than waking up at noon and driving to Safeway for a burrito.

What’s better than a tasty, meaty and filling burrito for $3.99?

This “fast and casual” deli setup will have you in and out of Safeway with a burrito within 10 minutes.

However, this exquisite burrito’s quality is solely dependent on who builds it.

Some entry level workers at Safeway will unfortunately mess up in the process of folding the burrito.

It’s critical to have an experienced, well-trained employee at the hands of your breakfast.

There are plenty of options you can choose to have on your burrito.

From meats like sausage and bacon, to veggies like

bell peppers, tomatoes and onions, the varieties and combinations make this burrito even better.

While additional meats are an extra charge, I thought the combination of bacon and sausage was a must have.

As if all that doesn’t sound delicious enough, customers have the option to have potato fries added to the burrito for no charge.

You heard me right, potato fries in a breakfast burrito.

Personally I thought this was the key to it’s taster and size, you simply cannot go wrong adding these fries to your burrito.

This fine breakfast item isn’t something small either.

It comes out to be a good sized burrito that will leave you stuffed for a good portion of the day.

It’s such a quick and simple meal, you cannot go wrong buying this food for a quick breakfast.

Whether you’re on the road, running late for school, or simply just crave a quick but healthy meal; Safeway burritos are good for all those things.

I highly recommend this breakfast item to anyone who enjoys food. Seriously, head over to your local

Safeway and order this item from the deli. You will not regret it. Unless of course, you’re on some crazy diet thinking that starving yourself will make you fit into that prom dress. While that can be taken as politically incorrect, work with me here girls.

You deserve this outstanding burrito as well. In fact everyone deserves this fine breakfast food.

Gazette photo | Akhil Shah

Safeway Deli is a quick and easy way to grab breakfast on the go or on a budget.

March 2018

Page 5

current.

MIXTAPE - UMBRELLA ACADEMY

Artist of the Month Makena Gulino

1) How long have you been involved with the art program?

I’ve been involved in the art program since freshman year.

2) What is your favorite piece?

I did a tree and it opened up to a lavender field, and it was a painting symbolizing my dad and my step-mom getting married and it was my wedding gift to them.

3) What is your favorite medium?

BY GWEN MYNAR

cmynar.gazette@gmail.com

Acrylic.

1. Phantom of the Opera Medley - Lindsey Stirling This song is a composition of songs from The Phantom of the Opera musical played on Violin and supplemented by guitar, bass, and drums. This song is truly epic in both tone and the complex nature of the piece and the talented required to play it so well.

2. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - They Might Be Giants This song is both educational and informs us of the history of Istanbul as well as being a song that rocks hard. A must listen and a highlight of the Umbrella Academy soundtrack.

3. I Think We’re Alone Now - Tiffany A song that makes you wanna get up and dance. Music speaks to a primal part of our brains, making everyone want to get those hips shaking and those toes tapping. This 80’s classic encapsulates the vibe of the era perfectly.

4. The Walker - Fitz And The Tantrums Another classic, this song is such an absolute banger, it will make anyone shuffle their feet and is another excellent choice for anyone who wants to dance to the beat. Fitz and the Tantrums have such a unique and recognizable sound, distinguishing themselves from other artists in the genre.

Instagram

FOLLOW FRIDAY

Follow @livtthompson for cute and interesting posts of her buds.

Compiled by Lindsey Zabell

Gazette photo | Lindsey Zabell

Compiled by Lindsey Zabell

FRESHMAN 2022 vs .

VS. SENIOR 2019 What is your favorite place to eat?

Daryn: Jack’s Urban Eats Jace: Chick-Fil-A What is your favorite music genre?

Daryn: Reggae Jace: Rap

Gazette photo | Michela Smith

 Daryn Connor, GBHS freshman.

Gazette photo | Michela Smith

 Jace Foddrill, GBHS senior.

Compiled by Michela Smith

Page 6

March 2018

have the stars aligned?

RELATIONSHIP HOROSCOPES Does your astrological sign give insight into your relationships?

BY BELLA HAMILTON

F

bhamilton.gazette@gmail.com

or years, people have looked to horoscopes to predict their days, years, love lives and financial standings.

Each astrological sign has a corresponding sign that is considered an ideal match for a romantic relationship.

Scorpio, Sagittarius, & Libra

Pises, Aquarius, & Capricorn

Scorpios are mysterious and believe in being extra cautious when it comes to long term relationships. Although Scorpios can come off as unfeeling and not emotional, the Scorpio is just keeping their guard up until they know they can trust their significant other.

A Sagittarius is very open and easily intrigued by the person they are dating. In a relationship, a Sagittarius likes to be brutally honest and does not have enough patience for an emotional person, given their logical minds. Sagittarius’ need a partner who is willing to grow throughout their relationship and someone who prioritizes their growth together as a couple. Libras love dating and being taken out, but are often confused about what they need and expect from a relationship.

Libras are known to dislike confrontation and conflict, preferring to speak with their significant other in a peaceful way, rather than confronting them.

Libras also enjoy being comfortable in a relationship and is looking for a partner that reminds them of home.

Aries, Taurus,& Gemini A Taurus is a sign that values loyalty and stability. Taurus believe that relationships are not something to be taken lightly, waiting for the right person to spend their future with. Taurus are very connected with their bodies and are drawn to other earth signs. Another trait that a Taurus will bring into a relationship is being protective of their significant others.

In a relationship, Geminis are known to like dating but have a hard time settling down with one person. With a Gemini, independence is one of their highest priorities which is a driving point in them not settling down. Geminis are creating and dynamic, making them great problem solvers and helps them work through problems in their relationships. If you are in a relationship with a Gemini, they need their partner to let them take charge.

Aries are the first sign in the astrological calendar and known to be one of the most independent signs. Aries tend to prioritize their partners in their relationships and expect the same in return. Aries are also known to be good listeners and believe that a relationship involves equal attention from both parties.

Pisces is the most emotional sign and take love very seriously. Also, Pisces are known to be more hesitant to share their feelings with someone, so a Pisces needs to be with someone that is direct with their emotions in a relationship. After they get past the initial stages of a relationship, a Pisces can become a very affectionate and loving sign.

Aquarius are known to be one of the most generous signs, even coming off as over the top or eccentric at times. An Aquarius is a sign that is witty and very communicative who is looking not only for a significant other, they are looking for a best friend.

Although Aquarius’ are viewed as superficial, once someone gets to know them, they realize that an Aquarius is a very complex sign. In a relationship, an Aquarius brings a new spin to a relationship and love.

In a relationship, a Capricorn is looking for a long term relationship and feels that casual dating is a waste of their time.

Instead of trying to impress a Capricorn with gifts, show them stability. Capricorns value having an emotional connection with their partner rather than a physical one.

Capricorns are loyalty and family oriented, always pushing their partner to be their best

Gazette illustration | Dylan Rowe

Virgo, Leo, & Cancer

Virgos are looking for a soul bond with someone in a relationship which makes a Virgo come across as picky in their dating life. Even after picking someone that meets their standards, Virgos can still be hesitant to share their lives with their partner. However, after you gain a Virgo’s trust, they will give you their whole heart. Virgos are known to be responsible and kind, making them a great person to be in a long term relationship with.

Leos are very passionate and love the idea of falling in love. For a Leo, falling in love is easy, although their expectations are usually set too high. Leos love to be taken out and pampered by their significant other.

In a relationship, Leos are looking for someone to adventure and try new things with. Cancers are known to have a defense up while looking for a significant other. Although once you get past their outer shell, a Cancer can be very open and loving towards their significant other. Cancers believe that loyalty is an important aspect of every relationship and becomes very attached to their significant other. Although the sign believes

March 2018

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Page 7

stylish finds.

hrifty hinking

Thrifting is an easy, ecofriendly way for students to find vintage clothes at an affordable price

n |B tratio e illus Gazett n

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BY DYLAN ROWE

drowe.gazette@gmail.com

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he clothing industry is one of the biggest in the world, with all of the clothes being made, new styles and shopping trends can emerge. One of these not so new shopping trends for young adults in this day has been second hand shopping, also known as ‘thrifting’.

As newer generations become more and more conscious of their carbon footprint, young people continue to discover innovative ways to be eco friendly.

Thrift stores allow shoppers to buy cheaper used clothing which could be seen as a win for the shopper and for the planet.

Second hand stores have also resurrected old fashion styles and made them relevant again, keeping the ‘vintage style,’ in youth clothing choices.

As the seasons go by, trends and styles often change and adapt due to weather, making impossible for consumers to keep up with buying high priced clothing season after season. Used clothing, being what is can be sold at a significantly lower price while satisfying the customer the same amount.

The clothes that stores advertise generally become

what is fashionable in that particular season, but thrift stores allow consumers to shop for clothes meant for year round wear.

“Some popular brands are selling long sleeve shirts, and are starting to sell miniskirts,” sophomore Hannah Lang said. “Both of which have become staples for girls outfits this spring.”

In an age where vintage style is the style, thrift stores make it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for, at a reduced price.

“I’ve noticed that stripes are really in nowadays,” junior Charlee Emmett said. “Along with oversized collared sweatshirts which are easy to find at basically any thrift store.”

It may be easier to shop for in style clothes at big named consignment stores, but, ethically shopping is

an all around lucrative activity.

“Shopping at Goodwill and finding a clothes that I actually like is sometimes a challenge,” junior Nick Parker said. “But when I find a few items that I actually like it makes me feel so accomplished.”

Many students on campus have an insight on what the upcoming spring season will have in store for fashion.

“I think the pants people choose to wear will have a more diverse range,” senior Moses Huish said. “I expect to see more patterns and textures rather than average joe jeans that we’re all used to.”

Fashion items in each new year usually are likely reflect that of the political temperature. As more and more people become aware of the change that needs to happen environmentally, they will also change their styling options to mirror this revelation.

Thrifting clothing items also allows for people to take bigger fashion risks. When consumers expand their style choices different more diverse trends are able to expand.

Change is essential for growth, and while thrifting is a small way to help out the environment, everything makes a difference.

Pages 8 & 9

March 2018

feeling lucky?

St. Patty’s Day Superstitions

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Gazette illustration | Maya Snow

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Granite Bay students dive into their irrational habits and fears they have during the (un)lucky month of March

BY MAYA SNOW

msnow.gazette@gmail.com

inch, punch, first of the month. Ireland in the 15th century was a very superstitious place. People would do that routine every first to banish the witches. Pinching would be taking a pinch of salt, because they thought it weakened the witches. Punching would get rid of the spirits.

In 2019, people are a lot less superstitious than people in the 15th century.

People wear green on this lucky day to keep themselves for being attacked by leprechauns. Legend has it that is you wear green, they can’t see you. People pinch you to remind you of all of the trouble you can cause by not wearing green.

But as Saint Patrick’s day arrives, many GBHS students start to feel a little more superstitious than normal.

Folklore revolving the month of March include hanging up a horseshoe to collect the good luck, wearing green and obviously, catching leprechauns.

P

“When I was little I believed in Leprechauns because my mom would put gold sparkles on the ground and said the glitter was from them” senior Andrew Martinez said.

Making leprechaun traps is a big part of many childhoods around Granite Bay. “I used to make traps for leprechauns,and my mom would say we caught them but they ran away” Martinez said.

“In pre-school, I made leprechauns traps with my class, but we didn’t catch anything.” junior Meri Riley said.

For some students, catching these little creatures “I still make traps for them. The are very sneaky though, so it has been tricky.” said Arias.

Even if it isn’t Saint Patrick’s Day, many people are still superstitious about other things in life.

Junior Sofia Arias is superstitious all year long, but she works extra hard to keep the bad juju away during March.

“I always make a wish at 11:11, and I knock on wood (so that I won’t jinx

myself).”

Junior Olivia Teemant, on the other hand, is not superstitious.

“I do not believe in leprechauns, but my mom used to make traps for them.”

But, sometimes, people have lucky shirts, hats or socks.

“I wear my lucky jewelry on game days.”Teemant said.

“I have the same routine before a football game,” Martinez said.

“I am superstitious, and I wear green on St. Patrick’s day do that I won’t get pinched.” Riley said.

The day of the Irish is very lucky and many people do things that they wouldn’t normally do.

“I try to eat green food for every meal” said Arias.

“I wear my lucky green shirt, but mainly because I don’t want to get pinched by my friends” Martinez said.

“On Saint Patrick’s day, I love to wear my gold four leaf clover to get in the lucky spirit!” Teemant said.

Gazette illustration | Maya Snow

Page 10

March 2018

current.

Top Tweets Spirited tweets by Granite Bay High School students

BY KAVANA GONUR

Netflix Picks

kgonur.gazette@gmail.com

Twitter

BY DYLAN ROWE

drowe.gazette@gmail.com

1. The Umbrella Academy “The Umbrella Academy,” a Netflix original show, follows a far from ordinary modern day family of gifted adults. In the show there are seven now adults that were born with special powers each unlike the other. After childhood the adults are brought back together due to their fathers unexpected death, and are forced to go on adventures to save the world. This new and modern television show allows views to see a mix of a classic superhero story mixed with family drama.

2. Shameless Shameless, a show with an ongoing nine seasons, is a great show for avid Netflix watchers to binge. The show is about a impoverished dysfunctional family that lives in the Southside of Chicago. This show gives watchers an insight into life in Chicago with a bustling family of all ages and personalities. Each episode is filled to the brim with drama, partying, family bonding, and comedy, none of which disappoint.

3. The Incredibles 2 If you’re ever in need of a break from the all too serious movies and shows on Netflix, look no further than “Incredibles 2.” This adventure packed movie can bring the whole family together for movie night or just a lonely movie session.

The movie, a sequel to the first “Incredibles,” did a great job following up the highly accredited. Overall the movie while it can be a thriller at some points can make any bad day into a good one.

Get you a girl who is vaccinated Noah Lutz @n_lutz25

5 Retweets

43 Likes

Customer: I’ll take an XL tostada, Me: They’re all the same size.

Customer: no tomatoes Devin Manzo @ManzoDevin

0 Retweets

2 Likes

Love everyone & everything that you have Paige Tattersall @paigetattersall

0 Retweets

22 Likes

To all my friends constantly creating and releasing original (and amazing) music, I AM SO PROUD OF YOU FOR SHARING ART!!! KEEP IT UP!!!

Chloe Boyan @548chloeb854 3 Retweets 28 Likes

Hangout Location of the Month: Teable

What is it?

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eable is a Boba Tea and Coffee shop in Rocklin that has attracted many students from GBHS. Its late night shifts appeal to many who are unable to work right after school due to athletic or further academic obligations. Although originally Teable became a popular place for students to work, it has become a prime hangout spot for students looking for an optimal environment for studying and socializing.

What to Look Out For

U

nlike many other study locations including Starbucks and Bloom, Teable is open until 12 am every night allowing those who need to cram for tests a full night to do so.

Anyone is welcome and no matter what time of night you show up there’s always at least a small group posted up that you can join.

Gazette photo | Mia Taylor

Teable restaurant allows Rocklin and Sacramento residents to enjoy bubble tea and various other delicacies at an affordable price.

March 2018

Page 11

lights, camera, action.

2019 tion stra

illu ette Gaz

19st Annual Academy Awards takes place in Los Angeles

BY RAHA ELAHI

relahi.gazette@gmail.com

L

ights, camera, action! Hundreds of spectators are seated in the audience, each one in a stunning (and no doubt

expensive) outfit.

What could have brought so many celebrities together? Two words: The Oscars.

On Feb. 24, the 91st annual Academy Awards took place at the Dolby Theater in the starstudded city of Los Angeles.

The event was opened with a performance of a few Queen songs by Adam Lambert and the remaining members of the band in honor of Freddie Mercury.

As there was no host, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph started off the awards with a few comments.

They presented the award for best supporting actress to Regina King, who played in If Beale Street Could Talk.

After that, Free Solo took home the award for best feature documentary.

Black Panther also won the nomination for production design, with Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart.

The awards then continued, and Bohemian Rhapsody’s John Warhurst and Nina Hartstone took the award for sound editing.

Green Book also won the award for best film.

The award for animated feature film went to Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse.

The most important award of the evening went to Green Book

for best picture.

The Oscars weren’t too different this year. There were celebrities, fashion and more, but there was also a greater representation of women, people of color and other minorities.

To put this in perspective, Oscars in the past few years were criticized for their lack of diversity.

Award speeches were full of the usual cramming of as many thank you’s as humanly possible, but a few stood out.

Olivia Colman’s acceptance speech for winning actress in a leading role made many laugh with its humor and sincerity.

Colman’s thank you’s, inspiration and lack of direction made her shock at winning utterly adorable.

In addition to Colman, Spike Lee paid tribute to Black History month and the contributions of African-Americans to the history of the United States.

He urged people to be kind and “make the moral choice between love versus hate.”

Another inspiring speech came from Rami Malek, who won the award for best leading actor.

Rami attributed his victory

to the legacy of Queen and his friends and family.

Malek concluded by speaking about the Freddie Mercury’s impression on society.

“We made a film about a gay man, an immigrant, who lived his life just unapologetically himself,” he said. “The fact that I’m celebrating him and this story with you tonight is proof that we’re longing for stories like this.”

Malek’s message is one of many that were inspiring.

Themes present at the award ceremony included messages about diversity, love, acceptance and jabs at the president and the current political situation.

The overarching themes of the Oscars were also made apparent in the winners of various categories.

Many of the awards went to people of color and women, as compared to less diverse ceremonies of the past.

The 91st Academy awards are representative of the changes that many want to see in society.

The award speeches of many Oscar winners are a testament to and outcry against the ills plaguing society.

Hopefully in the future, award ceremonies won’t have to overemphasize diversity for Americans to take note of it.

For this Oscar season, viewers enjoyed a memorable evening full of speeches, fashion and an appreciation of movies in general.

Gazette illustration | Andrew Yung

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March 2018

groovy.

Various Artists Mary Poppins Returns Movie Soundtrack However after a collective ten more times repeating the entire album, I now have a bit of a soft spot for this new character of Jack that he encapsulated in his slightly nasal-y tenor and his solo song.

Julie Andrews’ regal and lilting voice will forever be Mary Poppins’ voice in my mind, but Emily Blunt’s gorgeous alto is something that has its own sort of magic with it.

I noticed right away that her voice had a tendency to sound a very self-assured and confident in “Can You Imagine That?”, a song that teaches the new Banks children to have fun.

This song was very upbeat and had dramatic flourishes within its tune with the sound of brass instruments and a gorgeous harp in the soundtrack, and immediately got me excited after the soothing and somewhat nostalgic “(Underneath the) Lovely London Sky”.

Another track from Mary Poppins Returns,

BY BELLA KHOR

bkhor.gazette@gmail.com

O

riginally, I did not have high hopes for the soundtrack of Mary Poppins Returns. In my mind, there was no way for the this remake to create a soundtrack even half as good as the original Mary Poppins movie soundtrack, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I was also not expecting Lin Manuel Miranda to be part of the movie and subsequently part of the soundtrack for this Mary Poppins remake.

Miranda’s British accent was very strange to hear, but he did it very well. Because the very different way he sang in the Mary Poppins Returns soundtrack in comparison to his role as Alexander Hamilton in his musical, I did not like the first song of the album, “(Underneath the) Lovely London Sky”.

“the Royal Doulton Music Hall” was notable.

I enjoyed the song for the most part, until Blunt sang the words, “Royal Doulton Music Hall.” She made an emphasis on “music” and the guttral technique was a whammy to me.

I instantly had a dislike for the song, for that small barely two second section felt incredibly out-of-character for the posh Mary Poppins.

The instrumental soundtracks of this album evoked emotion quite appropriately. I enjoyed listening to those as well.

The soundtrack only got better once I watched the movie, and now I listen to it while imagining the corresponding movie scenes.

Mary Poppins Returns lived up to its predecessor, Mary Poppins, in term of soundtrack, and I’m definitely looking forward to Disney’s other musical movie remakes.

Walt Disney Records

Mary Poppins Returns Movie Soundtrack was released on December 7, 2018.

A-

Skip to: “Turning Turtle”

Weezer Teal Album

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Atlantic Records

 Teal Album was released on January 24, 2019.

B Skip to: “Mr. Blue Sky”

BY SIDNEY STIPANOVICH

sstipanovich.gazette@gmail.com

he tweet that started it all. “@ RiversCuomo it’s about time you bless the rains down in Africa.”

The tweet that inspired Weezer’s 2018 single, a cover of Toto’s 1978 hit “Africa.” After “Africa” skyrocketed to No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, Weezer decided to capitalize on the success of the cover, and the Teal Album was born.

The cover album incorporates a variety of decades, ranging from the late 60’s classic “Happy Together” by The Turtles to TLC’s 90’s hit, “No Scrubs.” It’s impossible not to sing and dance along to the songs you’ve grown up hearing, well, everywhere.

As I listened to the Teal Album, I was excited for Weezer to amplify the covers

through some of its quirky punk-rock undertones, but the band remained faithful to the originality of each song, replicating each almost exactly.

The synthetic intro to “Take On Me”

by Tears for Fears is entirely mirrored through Weezer’s cover. Though this may be the faulty aspect of the album, as no song surprises the listener, it may also be the reason for the album’s current success.

Each original song is delivered justice through a refreshing reboot. There may not be a new sound incorporated throughout the Teal Album, but that is what makes it enjoyable to listen to. The album is a payment of respect to the many different artists covered. I’ve been playing “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” on repeat.

You probably wouldn’t add “Paranoid”

by Black Sabbath to the same playlist as “Stand by Me” by Ben E. King, but for an unknown reason, Weezer somehow makes the combination flow together seamlessly.

Although the Teal Album definitely doesn’t fully encompass Weezer’s classic sound, this album won’t fail to make you sing along the lyrics as you listen. The Teal Album is a fun record that will keep fans excited for their upcoming album, the Black Album, which is to be released later this month.

Louie Zong Nod

BY KATE FERNANDEZ

kfernandez.gazette@gmail.com

f you’re looking to relax, “Nod,” by Louie Zong is the album for you. With each song being more unique than the last, new and old listeners will finds themselves quite content with this album.

Louie Zong is perhaps most well known for his single called, “Ghost Duet,” a simple song that is mostly composed of whistles, went viral on social media for its catchy tune and chill vibes.

However, Zong’s music quality doesn’t stop with “Ghost Duet.” In, “Nod,” I feel like there is a variety of songs that everyone can enjoy.

“Starting Again,” gets the eight-song-long album rolling, with a gentle beat that sets the tone for the whole album. A relatively similar song, “Polaroid,” follows, and feels almost magical, with a twinkly tune.

This is a common trait in Zong’s music.

I

His songs often have a subtle beat or instrument that evokes strong emotion, likely due to the lack of lyrics. The majority of Zong’s music contains no lyrics, in fact, and instead relies on the beat and tone of each song to rely the feeling intended by each song.

“Nod,” is no exception. In fact, there is only one song on the album with words to sing along to, which is, “Burning Me Down.”

The rest of the songs are simply composed of beats and melodic instruments, which I find quite enjoyable.

However, for the listener who is looking for something to sing along to, “Burning Me Down,” is quite a good song. It begins relaxed and slow, but quickly picks up the pace as it builds up to the chorus. The chorus demonstrates Zong’s wide range of abilities on this album. He is able to create catchy tunes that anyone could sing along to, as well as smooth jazz pieces that one can relax to.

In all of his music, I have found that I can

immediately relax as soon as a song is turned on (especially with, “Arithmetic,” the last song on the album).

In my opinion, a large portion of music today has little substance, or is unoriginal.

Many popular (or unpopular, for that matter, it’s the same across the board to me) songs rely on a fast-paced beat that is repetitive in nature and does nothing but make someone want to move.

There is certainly nothing wrong with that of course.

However the reason that I enjoy Zong’s music so much (including, “Nod,”) is that the beats of each piece must have substance to capture the listener’s attention. In that way, I have found that this album is a game changer for me and for my personal music taste, as it does what I feel a large portion of other music cannot do — make listeners feel something, even if it’s just relaxation.

Bandcamp.com

Nod was released on February 1, 2019.

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Skip to: “Burning Me Down”

March 2018

Page 13

sit back, relax, and enjoy.

Bohemian Rhapsody: B-

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20th Century Fox

Rated: PG-13

By Raha Elahi relahi.gazette@gmail.com

s this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Is it? Could it be? Yup you guessed it, Bohemian Rhapsody!

I am a huge fan of Queen, so I knew that I had to go see this movie.

It centers around the life of Freddie Mercury as he shot to stardom.

Mercury is a man who struggles with his identity, and the audience gets a chance to see Queen beyond their music.

Freddie Mercury is played by Rami Malek, Mary Austin (one of Mercury’s love interests) is played by Lucy Boynton, John Deacon is played

by Joseph Mazzello, Brian May by Gwilym Lee and Roger Taylor by Ben Hardy.

I wasn’t quite sure what I was expecting from this film, but I was a little disappointed with what I saw.

I found it difficult to relate to Mercury, who was very eccentric, as well as any other characters.

As I sat in my seat, I didn’t feel like I was a part of the movie, just seeing

it from a distance.

Truly great movies, in my humble opinion, are set apart by their ability to catch the attention of their audiences and take their emotions on a roller coaster ride.

You need to be able to have some connection with the characters, and I really found that I could not.

What added to this disconnect was the poor chemistry between Mercury, Austin and other members of Queen.

I felt that Deacon, May, and Taylor had some decent chemistry, but Mercury never truly left his position as outcast.

They were supposed to be a family, but for the majority of the film, it never really felt that way.

This extended to his relationship with Mary Austin, which never made much sense to me.

The general plot of the movie wasn’t bad, but it’s definitely not a surprise. We all know Freddie will get AIDS and eventually die.

What really prevented this movie from greatness was its lack of depth in its character portrayal.

The only thing that saved this movie was the soundtrack. I mean, how can you go wrong with songs from Queen? Seriously, how? Queen is amazing.

The soundtrack made up for some shortcomings of this film and made sitting in a chair for two hours more interesting.

Overall, this film gives viewers an opportunity to see Freddie Mercury in a very human and vulnerable light.

As a whole, there was not anything particularly interesting, moving or deep in Bohemian Rhapsody, but it had an amazing soundtrack.

Anyone with high expectations for this film will be very disappointed.

For me, this movie was boring and shallow. But for those interested in seeing it, you can guarantee a great beat.

What Men Want: A

What Men Want: A

I

n the comical yet inspirational film What Men Want the importance of hard work remedied with the value of family and moral is demonstrated.

Facing hardships at work, Ali - played by Taraji P Henson- conveys the difficulties of being an African American woman in a male dominated workplace.

After losing a job promotion to her male counterpart, Ali visits a psychic and consumes a tea. The combination of the tea with hitting her head gives Ali the ability to read men’s minds.

Determination to succeed in becoming a partner at her sports agency film, Ali uses her ability to close a deal with an up and coming basketball star.

In the process of doing so, however, Ali hurts her love interest as well as damages friendships. Ali comes to terms with her actions and their moral standings and displays overall character development.

This film displays the balancing act of trying to be successful and being a respectable person.

Though facing adversity, Ali realizes she still must be an upstanding person and learn how to trust others.

Furthermore, What Men Want brings to light the sexism that continues to be present in the workplace. The film exemplifies day to day issues women face in a male oriented occupation, essentially delving into undesirable social circum-

stances.

With an inspiring message of accomplishing goals despite there being obstacles, and, being able to do so while being an upstanding person.

Overall, the film provided entertaining comedic relief but also provided the audience with an uplifting message.

I believe the movie was well done as a whole. The movie had realistic and diverse settings along with interesting costumes and props which added character and uniqueness.

Though it was not a profound or life altering film, it was entertaining and enjoyable.

What Men Want takes a light hearted approach to rather distinct and real issues, making it worth seeing.

Rated: R

By Michela Smith msmith.gazette@gmail.com

Will Packer Productions

March 2019

Page 14

$5 movie tuesdays.

MARVELous Movie Reviews MARVEL STUDIOS

MARVEL STUDIOS

Gazette co-editors-in-chief reflect on Marvel universe

BY SPENCER COVA

scova.gazette@gmail.com

BY MAX SCHWARTZ

mschwartz.gazette@gmail.com

I think the main problem with all of the Marvel movies is the fact that there have been so damn many.

I for one, like the movies, it’s just that the Marvel name has gone down due to the over saturation.

But just as my faith for Marvel was all but dead, Black Panther was released.

Oh my god. This was a movie and a half.

As a liberal, I was especially fond of the fact that the cast was 90% people of color. That was sick.

This movie opened in inner city Los Angeles, one of the hardest places on earth with an immediate 90s nostalgia rap.

I immediately see some gangsters, and then BAM, Wakandan warriors.

Although this part of the plot confused me, it was a really cool thing to see the juxtaposition of the two aspects of the race.

God, I hated typing that sentence.

The more and more I write in this section, I become so snobby.

What the hell was that?

‘Juxtaposition’ Anyways, that soundtrack, ohmygod.

There were frequent appearances from RBE X SOB, Kendrick La-

mar, and many other hip hop giants.

The fight scenes were incredible, and I mean very good. They were well executed with excellent camera work that really added some je ne sais quoi.

The story was terrific, although I was frequently upset that Killmonger was able to come in and just dethrone T’challa like it was his job, and have the entire audience think about that its permanence.

As I am writing this, I think that the movie did something really smart with the plot. Killmonger was from the streets, he saw the inequalities with race in America. He wanted to save the marginalized people of the world who aren’t blessed enough to be in Wakanda.

This brought the right message to the audience that it is essential to notice privilege. I’ll be honest it wasn’t entirely what I wanted to say about it, but I have run out of space.

The man next to me ( Spencer Cova) and I have a podcast called the spencerandmax show. We will pick up this topic later on in the podcast.

Is it racist to not like Black Panther? Yes. Wakanda forever.

I feel the same way about Marvel as I do quarterback Tom Brady and rapper Drake: I respect their talent and greatness but their omnipresence is invading my personal space.

Please retire and allow something new to come in.

Marvel sits on top of the sci-fi throne, as nearly every single sci-fi blockbuster that comes out is produced by the movie factory Marvel.

I can bash Marvel all I want because I hate the idea of the company, but will I still be the first in the movie theatre for every grand opening of any superhero movie? I don’t care if I’m deaf, blind or dead, I was going to watch Ant Man. I will probably target the wrath of a legion of fan-boys, but I took CP Physics and I know well enough that the concept that a miniaturized man, were such a thing even possible, could exert the same moment and force as a full sized person would make Newton spin in his grave.

That’s right Mr. Phillips, I really did listen in your class.

But it’s science FICTION so I’ll let that one go.

Even with that, I can summarize the whole movie in a couple lines: Paul

Rudd (“Friends”, “Anchorman”) plays ex-con Scott Lang who is recruited by brilliant scientist and would-be superhero Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and his gorgeous daughter Hope to steal a jacket. (No, really).

The owner of said jacket, albeit a high-tech jacket, is businessman and all-round bad-guy Darren Cross (Corey Stoll), with evil intent. (You can tell he’s evil by what he does to a cute little lamb – this is the worst viewing for sheep since “Far from the Madding Crowd”.)

By miniaturizing Lang and securing the help of an army of ants, the stage is set for a heist of a most unusual kind.

So… how does this all come together.

There is one answer: Paul Rudd.

March 2018

Page 15

it’s show time.

LIGHTS, CAMERA,

ACTION! Drama teacher and adviser Kyle Holmes writes an original play inspired by class rank

BY LILY WILLIAMS lwilliams.gazette@gmail.com

W

ith creativity and ingenuity, Kyle Holmes, GBHS Drama and Musical Theatre teacher, wrote an original musical. After months of writing and directing, Holmes is still in the process, finishing the second act and planning to open in 5 weeks.

“I really wanted our students to have that experience of what it’s like to be a part of an original musical,” Holmes said.

Holmes’ inspiration to write this musical came from the talent the Granite Bay theatre program has. Holmes wanted to write a piece that highlights the female lead’s strengths.

“We were looking for shows that we could do this year that would feature these really talented female juniors and seniors and we just could not find one,” Holmes said. “We were kind of joking and were just like, ‘let’s just write one’.”

The story of this musical comes from Holmes’ own experiences from his past. It is set in a high school in which students are controlled in life based on their level of academic intelligence.

“The story is about high school students, in this crazy world where class rank dictates everything about your life,” Holmes said. “All of the characters are from people in our

own lives that we went to high school with and used to know.”

Holmes is not doing this completely alone, however. David Taylor Gomes, a song writer from Sacramento is in charge of the music for this new musical. Gomes has had experience composing songs for musicals and in other capacities since he was just a teenager in high school.

“I wrote a musical as a sophomore in high school that won 3 awards and was produced at my high school,” Gomes said. “It was an invaluable experience because I don’t know anyone at the age of 17 who gets to do something like that.”

Gomes has been working with Holmes in the drama program for 7 years. They collaborate on the best ways to make his composed songs integrate with the story line.

“David Taylor Gomes is the guy who is writing the music and he’s been our musical director here for many years,” Holmes said. “I couldn’t do musical theatre without him.”

Writing this high school setting story takes Gomes back to his years of high school, and reminded him of the competitive environment students are apart of everyday. Gomes gives his input on the storyline and how it will ultimately benefit those who come to see it.

“We wanted to produce a realistic high school story that shows the audience what needs to be done, Gomes said. “When we put so much focus on comparison, we lose the

whole purpose of why education exists in the first place.”

Actress and singer Chloe Boyan has been helping Holmes throughout this process and has played a pivotal role in the creation of this original musical.

“Chloe Boyan has really been involved with [the musical] from early on,” Holmes said.

Boyan was given a role in this play by Holmes, and has been in several other shows put on by the Granite Bay High School Drama program.

“I hope the audience will see how hard it is to be a high school student in a competitive environment,” Boyan said. “I hope teachers and adults that see the musical won’t belittle the problems students go through.”

Holmes has written scripts before and hopes to write many more in the future. He loves to challenge his drama students and show them new theatre experiences every year.

“One of my goals for running the theatre program is to keep throwing new stuff at my kids, Holmes said. “ I definitely think I’m going to continue writing.”

Gazette illustration | Sidney Zabell

Page 16

March 2018

colorful.

‘Dye’ing to Dye their hair Students use hair dye to express themselves and their personalities

BY LINDSEY ZABELL

lzabell.gazette@gmail.com

Gazette illustr ation

| Lindsey Zabe ll

A

Gazette illustration | Bella Hamilton

lthough it is not clear exactly when the trend started, it is fair to say it may have been circa 2015 – middle school with Kool-Aid. I know that time in our lives was something we all try to repress, but unfortunately, it still happened.

Nevertheless, the trend has returned.

In recent years, the trend of hair dye has become more and more popular among teens.

Many GBHS students have also followed this new trend.

Senior Avery Mullin has been a fan of dyeing her hair ever since she was 10 years old.

“It started with one small streak, then a few more, then I went for an ombre, and now I dye my whole head,” said Mullin.

Mullin chose to dye her hair because of stylistic reasons.

“I decided to dye my hair because I love the pop of color it adds to my everyday look,” she said.

Along with Mullin, senior Maggie Milburn has also been dyeing her hair for quite some time.

“The first time I dyed my hair was in middle school when it was cool to dye your hair with Kool-Aid,” Milburn said.

Along with the physical aspect of dyed hair, many find it to be a fun way of relieving stress, including Milburn.

“As a junior I dyed my hair pink a few times because I was stressed with AP tests and (school in general) and it was a nice relief,” she said.

The colors people are now deciding to dye their hair range from some subtle purple highlights to crazy combinations, such as rainbow.

“I have dyed my hair almost every color,” Mullin said. “Purple and blue tend to be my favorites, but I’ve also dyed it

crazy combinations, such as a pink outer layer and a rainbow under layer.”

Senior Marissa Stamas has also been dyeing her hair for several years.

“I first started dyeing my hair different colors when I was in 7th grade,” Stamas said. “I dyed the bottom of my hair red with Kool-Aid, and then it pretty much just grew from there.”

Unlike Mullin and Milburn, Stamas does not dye her hair just for the expressive appearance it provides, but more for the confidence aspect it allows her to have.

“I think when I dye my hair, I gain (my) confidence back,” she said. “When I see my hair and I see it a different color, I love it.”

She has dyed her hair an array of colors, including blue, red, maroon and lilac.

“My boldest statement was a bright blue and green,” Stamas said.

Most of their peers have had positive response to their colorful looks and view it as a fun, creative outlet, but not in every case.

“I got a lot of comments from my family,” Stamas said. “My parents hated it (and) thought that it was unnatural.”

The negative comments do not bother Stamas though, as dyeing her hair was something she chose to do for herself – not for anybody else.

“It was a way of doing something that I enjoyed and not worrying about what other people did,” she explained.

Hair dyeing can be a fun trend for people to try out not only to add some spice to their look, but to most importantly express creativity or build confidence.

“Dyeing my hair allows me to further express myself,” said Mullin.

“At the end of the day, it’s just hair and if having colorful hair makes you happy then you should do it,” Milburn added.