B1 THE RUSTLER King City, CA 93930 B1 GREENFIELD NEWS Greenfield, CA 93927 B1 SOLEDAD BEE Soledad, CA 93960 B1 GONZALES TRIBUNE Gonzales, CA 93926 May 9, 2012
Holiday Issue
Issue: 3
The Christmas Tradition: Do We Know Why We Do What We Do?
By: Joel Sanchez and Gisela Solis King City — For thousands
of years, many unique sorts of trees have been sold during the winter season to celebrate the Christmas h o l i d a y. P e o p l e c h o o s e to decorate these sacred trees with ornaments and lights, and many display their tree in their living room as they want to share the beauty of their tree with family, friends, a n d p a s s e r s b y. B u t , d o e s anyone know why we use the Christmas tree as a s y m b o l f o r t h e h o l i d a y, what it may symbolize, or why we decorate it? Our team conducted interviews at KCHS among staff and students regarding these questions, to see if they were able to come up with some interesting insight into the reasoning behind the traditions. We interviewed a total of five people, all associated with KCHS, and three needed to google the answers to the questions at the culmination of their interviews because they were uncertain about the questions and the questions sparked genuine interest within them. According to research presented by Why Christmas, “In 1871 the first Christmas tree was put up and decorated. The
evergreen fir tree has traditionally been used to celebrate winter festivals mostly from Pagans and Christians for thousands of years. Pagans used branches of trees to d e c o r a t e t h e i r h o m e d u ring the winter. This made them think of the Spring to come after Christmas.” When asked about the significance of a tree during Christmas, a KCHS biology teacher expressed, “It reminds me of winter, and the tree smells good”. When we asked her about the decorations and the traditions tied to these decorations, she followed up with, “Every ornament I collect has a meaning to me”. A n o t h e r t e a c h e r, M r s . Callarman, who teaches drama at KCHS was asked the same question regarding the significance of the tree—“It’s a symbol of life and Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s consort, is usually credited with having introduced the Christmas tree into England in 1840. However the honor of establishing this tradition in the united kingdom rightfully belongs to ‘ Good Queen Charlotte’, the German wife of George III, who set up the first known English tree at the Queen’s Lodge, Windsor, in December, 1800”. Her answer astonished us, as she seemed
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A traditional Christmas with Christmas tree and ornaments hundreds of years ago
Traditional Christmas Tree with Ornaments today, in current society a n o u t l i e r, s o m e o n e w h o was very educated on such an archaic topic. We then asked her about
the tradition of decorating the tree and she responded, “It looks pretty, it is festive, and it is fun.
It cheers us up in the cold winter”. From the interviews conducted and the responses gathered, we learned that beyond the history associated with the tree itself, people use Christmas trees because they are festive and the tradition helps people— f a m i l y, f r i e n d s , a n d o t h ers—bond. It also helps create an appreciation of the history behind Christmas. Still however, many remain in the dark as to why the Christmas tree exists, simply putting it up to “fit in”. Regardless of one’s motives or knowledge of trees, decorations, or tradition as a whole, it is the appreciation and love we share during the Christmas holiday that truly matters.
This 2015 Christmas Holiday, we, the KCHS Journalism class of 2015-2016, wish you, the KCHS and King City community a very merry and safe Christmas!
Little Ornament
King City’s Traditional Christmas Parade By: Andres Gomez, Alexis Gaytan, Jacob Venegas, and Luis Chavez K i n g C i t y — O n F r i d a y,
December 4th, 2015, the community was encouraged to head out to Broadway at 5:30 to enjoy the festivities and food, as the Annual King City Christmas parade embraced us with its holiday presence. A King City High School Senior, Maria Vasquez, who has attended these annual parades since she was 12, gave us a few words on what she thought the parade was going to include this year. “The parade is going to be full of joy, excitem e n t , h o l i d a y c h e e r, a n d the young and old getting together and joining in on the holiday festivities.” This year’s parade was the 17th annual night parade. In 1998, the city council changed the parade from Saturday morning, to Friday night. Ever since then, on every first Friday in December, the parade comes to town. This change allows the community to get together. More people come out to the parade now that it’s in the afternoon, rather than when it used to be held early in the mornings on Saturdays. “This change gives the parade a little different vibe—making it feel more l i k e a ‘ C h r i s t m a s s p i rit,’” Mrs. Benson, a KCHS Agriculture teacher, commented in regards to the change in parade timing. She added, “A lot more people were out celebrating the parade and there were a lot more floats — It was really a community comradery.” We continued to discuss the parade with Mrs. Benson, as she was enthusiastic about the topic. She further explained, “This year’s parade is just going to follow tradition like it has the previous years. I
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Annual King City Christmas Parade float covered in beautiful ornaments and lights liked when it changed to the night parade because that gave us the chance to decorate floats with lights which made it more fun and even more beautiful.” In addition to the Christmas parade, there is also an annual toy drive and clothes drive held from December 3rd to December 6th, 2015. These events both took place at our local King City Rite-Aid. There was also a business decorating contest held on December 4th. These activities get the community involved and heighten the holiday spirit. They also further inform the King City community of the Christmas parade, serving as precursors to the Christmas parade, an event which the majority of the community looks forward to every year. We f o l l o w e d u p w i t h Mrs. Benson after the parade, wishing to hear her thoughts and she ex plained, “My expectations
Graphic artwork done by Yesenia Chavez By: Yesenia Chavez
She hangs from the Christmas tree, frowning. And watches the kids come near by. Just to pick up their present they’ll soon throw away, in a year’s time. The parents talk and laugh as they watch the TV. It will soon enough ruin their brains with lots of immaturity.
Annual King City Christmas parade float of this parade were exceeded. The parade was a lot bigger than past years—It was a good parade.” For over 35 years, this parade has been a King City tradition. The entire community participates, including the fire department and local schools. King City High
School students join together and build a genuine float for the parade created from authentic student ideas. Every year more than 50 students go out and join the community in these parade festivities. This event is one of the few that brings the whole community together every year.
She sighs, knowing she’s only out on the tree for December. Only to be put in the Christmas box everyone will soon not remember. Her eyes begin to blur and she is depressed. As the string above her head becomes the only golden thread. She watches the same thing over and over. Becoming the one to actually see the memories and moments.
For she is, the Little Ornament.
B2 THE GREENFIELD D2 THE RUSTLER RUSTLERKing KingCity, City,CA CA93930 93930B2Dec. 16, 2015 NEWS Greenfield, CA 93927 B2 SOLEDAD BEE Soledad, CA 93960 B2 GONZALES TRIBUNE Gonzales, CA 93926 May 9, 2012
Holiday Conflicts By: Amy Sandoval, Crystal Ramos, Maria Vasquez and Lupita Garcia King City — As many peo-
ple know, the Holiday Season is here — it’s that time of year when families get t o g e t h e r a n d m a k e e v e rlasting memories, when the whole family comes together and appreciates one another’s company, when parents are still united as h e a d s o f t h e f a m i l y. We have acknowledged the fact that we have ended a year together as one, with the common mission of b e g i n n i n g t h e N e w Ye a r positively. Unfortunately a great deal of families, and many parents, don’t have the privilege of being united. Many children have a difficult time trying to figure out with whom to spend the Holidays. In the back of their minds, they are struggling with the idea that whoever they choose not to spend the holidays with, will end up getting t h e i r f e e l i n g s h u r t . We asked students at KCHS what their feelings were regarding the issue—having to decide with whom to spend the Holidays. We also asked those students who have parents who are still together or married, a true blessing, what they felt the “Good Side and Bad Side” was, given their family “make-up” during the holidays. We asked Luis Chavez, whose parents have been separated since he was about 3 years old, a couple of questions about the “bad side” of his parents being divorced. Luis commented, “The only bad thing about
having divorced parent is that you only have one parent and whatever their decision is, goes”. We a l s o a s k e d h i m i f he wished he could spend the holidays with both of his parents. Luis followed with, “No, because I don’t want to meet my dad since he abandoned me at a y o u n g a g e a n d h a v e n ’t heard from him since then”. For many students, including Luis, it may be better to have a separated family, one in which the love from one parent is true and unwavering, regardless of another parent’s mistakes. We t h e n a s k e d a s e c ond KCHS student, who w i s h e d t o r e m a i n a n o n ymous, about the positive side of their parents being separated during the Holidays. We asked—“How does your parents being divorced impact your outlook on life, especially during the holidays?” The student responded stating, “At first I saw life negatively but then I realized I still had them in my heart even though they’re not together. Having them divorced made me realize that I had to be more independent, I matured a lot faster for my young siblings so they wouldn’t think our parents separation was a bad thing.” The student went on to s a y, “ W h e n e v e r I n e e d a “guy talk” I could go with my dad without my mom g e t t i n g i n t h e w a y. A l s o , when I want to talk about girl things I go with my mom without my dad getting in the way. It also feels nice having two homes because when I have conflicts with one parents I could
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Jacob Venegas and Luis Chavez--two KCHS students whose parents are separated
run to the other”. The student’s responses to this difficult topic and question is valid and holds true during the Holidays. As family tensions often rise and emotions stir, it may feel good to “escape” and be able to find safety and love with a specific parent or family member. L a s t l y, w e i n t e r v i e w e d Gisela, a junior at KCHS, about the good things the come with having her pare n t s t o g e t h e r a n d h a p p y. She responded with, “They support me in everything
Christmas Without You When we grew taller, and thought we knew it all and one of us would fall, the other gave a helping hand and said, watch the lay of the land, see over there, you’ll sink in quick sand. Then I went one way and you another, and still, when we could, we helped each other. Now we are older, and once again we stand side by side and shoulder to shoulder. I’ve learned one thing, you’ve learned another, and we’ve both learned there is no replacement for one of the other. This poem is dedicated to my brother, someone who is always there for me. When you’re not present in my life I feel like a living memory can’t be developed. When you come back I’ll be waiting for you with my arms wide open to receive you with a big hug. This Christmas I just want to let you know that I miss you and love you. Love, Paulina Magallon
Instructor:
Mr. Andrew Persin
Staff and Photography: Jon Ramon Luis Chavez Andres Gomez Vanessa Medina Alberto Loa Crystal Ramos Jesus Ochoa Cristal Martinez Amy Sandoval Alexis Gaytan Jacob A Venegas Lupita Garcia Gisela Solis Joel Sanchez Celia Garcia Robert Reyes Charlene Burden Candy Pena Preston Widner Maria Vazquez Andy Schriver
may really affect you be cause you’re supposed to spend the holidays with family. Sometimes, not having one parent may really hurt you, or make you feel inferior…especially during the Holidays. Kids, whether “big or small” are the ones that are affected most because they are put in the middle of the situation to pick and choose with whom to make and share memories. So, this Holiday season, we first want to recognize that it is not easy; families
and holidays can often times be a tough mix. However, we hope that regardless of your current family or parental situation, you enjoy your Holidays, keeping those whom you love close to you. Whether together or apart, your parents love you and you have the choice to hug who you want to hug, kiss who you want to kiss, and spend time with whomever you choose — the choice is yours, so smile and cherish the time you have with the ones you love.
Santa’s Workshop
When we were young I followed you, We played, we fought, and had fun a time or two.
and I feel the happiness when we are all together as family and we can be who we really are.” We also asked her—“What do you think keep your parents together?” She was quick to respond by expressing, “I think that my parents are still together because they still love each other, they go out on dates, and, most importantly, they trust each other. They have good communication.” During this time of the year, during the Holidays, having separated parents
Stephanie and Raquel, two KCHS students whose parents are together
By: Cristal Martinez, Alberto Loa, and Vanessa Medina King City — This year our 2015-2016 KCHS Journalism Crew and Crew Leader Mr. Persin, have been working diligently to provide well-written, creative, and innovative articles for our community in order to not only keep our community informed, but also to keep them happy and excited to read the Mustang Legacy. It sometimes feels as though we, the journalism students, are elves working in Santa’s workshop…especially during the holiday season. For the purpose of this article, our team has taken on the role of elves, and Mr. Persin, our leader and educator, has taken on the role of Santa. Our team, a few of the hardworking elves and the driving force behind the great Mustang Legacy, asked our fellow diligent elves in the factory some important questions. When asked how difficult it is to meet Santa’s deadlines, one elf, Elf. A. Sandoval, expressed, “For me, it is not too difficult to meet Santa’s deadlines because he gives us enough time to prepare”. While we write and create each day in our workshop, all of us elves know what we have to do and we have worked hard from the beginning of the school year to provide our community with compelling stories. These stories don’t generate overnight—it takes us elves many days on the factory line to produce a great story, a story that both the KCHS students and overall King City community will enjoy. We asked one of our efficient elves, Elf A. Birdy, how the factory is symbolic of a journalism class—“It is a good and interesting experience, as all of us work cooperatively to create a valuable end product. We are learning how to become better writers and helping Santa as it is his first year here with us in his position”.
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Elves hard at work in the factory Sometimes, us as elves have difficulty meeting the deadline, as some of us have struggled to organize. However, we recognize that just like children need their presents on Christmas morning, our KCHS students and community need their pa-
Joanne Banuelos
Columnist South County Newspapers PO Box 710 King City, Ca 93930 jban73@msn.com
• King City Rustler • Greenfield News • Soledad Bee • Gonzales Tribune
Joanne Banuelos individual King City Chamber Member.
pers delivered on time. So, with these deadlines in mind, we work our little tails off to make it happen. A third elf, Elf L. decided to comment on Santa and was caught taking a break from the factory line saying, “ He is a jolly fella—Santa is a very jolly fella because he has a great smile on his face.” When asked about this year’s elves and the work they had accomplished, Santa explained, “My elves are doing an amazing job. They are constantly keeping up with the work at hand, meeting deadlines, and producing quality articles. I am so happy to have this group of elves this year…they are special.”
Ultimately, we enjoy our time in the workshop and we have all managed to meet our deadlines and continue to bring great articles to the community. We want to show our school and community how Santa has taught us to bring our words, thoughts, ideas, and creative aspirations to life! A closing message from Santa: “I am very proud of my elves…they never cease to amaze me. I am blessed to have such a great group of workers, of people. Enjoy our Mustang Legacy as they have put in plenty of hours on the factory line polishing their stories! Happy Holidays!”
B3 D3THE THERUSTLER RUSTLERKing KingCity, City, CA CA 93930 93930 B3Dec. GREENFIELD 16, 2015 NEWS Greenfield, CA 93927 B3 SOLEDAD BEE Soledad, CA 93960 B3 GONZALES TRIBUNE Gonzales, CA 93926 May 9, 2012
Lady Mustangs Begin Hoopin’ By: Preston Widner and Andy Schriver King City — The King City
High School’s 2015-2016 Girl’s Basketball preseason began last week with away games at Seaside High School. This year, twenty-four athletes are participating at the varsity and junior varsity levels—each team with twelve players. Many of the athletes have worked hard in the off-season in order to improve their skills for this season. On December 1st, the Lady Mustangs traveled to Seaside High School to begin their preseason. The varsity girls team lost, trailing 49-62. The junior varsity team won, with a final score of 37-26. Both teams battled and it was great to see them working together on the court. The following game was a varsity competition against Coast Union High School, where the Mustangs came out on top, 44-34. We spoke with KCHS junior and varsity baller, Lauren Johnson, about her feelings on the upcoming season—“I think we got a big chance to make it to CCS this season. We all work as a team and we all get along.” The girl’s varsity team works hard both on and off of the court, keeping good academic and athletic standing. It can become a struggle, keeping grades up, over a 2.5 and performing at one’s peak. We followed up with Lauren Johnson regarding the issue of juggling grades and school. She expressed her thoughts saying, “My grades never effect my playing time because I learned early on how to balance my school and athletics because I played on a travel team since I was 10 years-old, and I highly believe in my team.” The following preseason contest, and the Lady Mustang’s first home appearance, came on Tuesday, December 8th against
North Monterey County High School. The varsity fell short with a final score of 69-43 but the junior varsity grasped their second victory of the season with a final score of 45-34. Alyssa Richardson, a sophomore and starting point guard on the junior varsity team, had some words about the victory at home against NMC: “In the beginning we had a really great rhythm, but after half time we came out slow. However, we regained momentum in the second half of the third quarter when we switched to man-to-man and shut their girls down”. When we asked her about her expectations for the season, Richardson followed up with, “We need to keep working as a team, communicating, and helping each other improve in order to continue with our success”. This has been a different year for many of the returning players on the junior varsity squad. This year the girls have a new coach with a new mission. When asked about how this team differed from last year’s team, Cassidy, a returning sophomore and one of the JV’s captains explained, “this year we are coming together more as an actual team and doing things together, whereas last year we were not as close, not as close as a winning team should be”. When asked about her thoughts on this year’s JV Coach Persin and his mission, Nancy Andrade, a 9th grader and starter on the team expressed, “Coach Persin is a different kind of coach. He expects greatness from us. Coming onto this team, I didn’t imagine having an actual team, but Persin has created a team within us and knowing that he has so many plays for us helps us become more prepared and helps us communicate more”. Varsity head coach Frank Padilla and assistant Jessica Potts, have been working hard
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Coach Persin giving his pointers during a time-out against Seaside High School with the girls, preparing them for the season ahead. The girls admire their varsity coaches and recognize the hard work they put into coaching their girls. Grace Shepherd, a freshman playing on the varsity squad explained, “They really care about making sure we know how to play and comprehend the game. They are understanding and when we come to them with questions, they are able to provide us with effective explanations. Since I am a freshman, and new to High School basketball, they have helped guide me”. Junior Varsity head coach Andrew Persin is in his first year coaching at KCHS and is also teaching at the high school.
An Addiction
Turn left. Turn right. The girl standing in front of me is mocking me. My eyes stare at the golden waves that flow from her head and she does the same. For every time I move, she moves. I am her and she is me. Turn left. Turn right. My eye quickly catches the little things. The stomach isn’t flat enough, the legs too weak, the feet too big. The arms are built too strong and the nose is too long. Many voices whisper thoughts into my head, piercing the shrinking confidence as it flees into a corner. You’ll never be pretty enough,
bonds. My girls support each other, communicate on the court, and work hard. We will have an excellent season, and I know my girls will rise to meet my expectations because they care enough about each other to do what they need to do to be successful—I couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls”. Though the season has just begun, we wish both the varsity and junior varsity lady ballers luck in the games to come. We recognize the hard work they are putting into their practices, which is directly translating to their stellar performance on the court during games. Keep it up girls!
By: Celia Garcia
King City —Gym: the place
By: Rachel Wilkins
positive energy throughout their season. To culminate our interviews, we spoke again with head JV Coach Persin. We asked him about his expectations for the season, how he would achieve these expectations, and his thoughts on the team in general. Persin was quick to comment: “I am here to build great people, great students, great players—I am here to build confidence. My players are held to high expectations and our program is based around a “team mentality”… team over everything. We win and lose battles together. We sweat, cry, laugh, and celebrate together. So far, our team has come together quickly and we have formed some amazing
The Value of Friendship
By: Vanessa Medina where I can forget about the world, where I can feel free to be myself. I started my journey because I started feeling insecure about myself which I did not like at all. A women should always feel mentally confident about herself, never insecure. I struggled multiple times when I first started working out. I wanted to give up at first but I didn’t let myself. Also, when I first started, I didn’t think eating clean, was so important. Eating clean is about eating more of the best and healthiest options in each of the food groups and eating less of the not so healthy ones. This means embracing foods like vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, plus healthy proteins. It also means cutting back on refined grains, added sugars, salt and unhealthy fats. I thought that just working out five times a week would make a difference, but I was wrong. As I got more into working out, I started looking up facts about being healthy and how to maintain a toned body. I began to eat clean have more fresh foods. Not only did I look up facts about how to maintain a toned body, but I also researched different types of workouts. The more I went to gym the more I craved a vigorous work out. Getting to and staying at a healthy weight requires both physical activity and a healthy eating plan. There are many benefits to working out—According to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention: physical fitness works as an antidepressant, reduces stress and anxi-
When asked how it felt to juggle his responsibilities as an educator and coach, Persin explained, “It isn’t easy. Nothing in life is. However, I make time to be excellent in both areas—teaching and coaching. I find it vital to be a teacher-coach because the relationships I make with my student-athletes directly translate into their success both on and off of the court.” The KCHS Junior Varsity girls placed FIRST this past weekend, December 12th, as they beat San Benito 31-26 in the championship game of the 37th Annual Bob Hagen Tournament. The girls beat Salinas, Alisal, and San Benito to earn their championship trophy! The girls hope to carry this
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Vanessa Medina squatting, working out her quads, at Bailey’s Fitness in King City ety, clears cortisol (the stress hormone) quickly out of your system, and calms a frantic mind. The CDC further states that working out may lower your risk of getting diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. I tend to stress out a lot and when I’m feeling stressed I just go work out and I have noticed my stress level decreasing, putting my mind at ease after a workout. My favorite thing about working out is that it strengthens my heart and makes me stronger physically and mentally. I learn from the best and get the best tips from Lyzabeth Lopez, a Holistic Nutritionist and personal trainer, who posts tips, videos, and meal plans on social media. I urge you to look her up and see how she might help you on
your journey. I feel like everyone should set a goal to go on a weight loss journey. Taking that journey made me feel good about myself; I am now very confident. Now I am able to wear what I want and still feel very confident with myself. So, if you are feeling insecure, seem to be stressing, or have low selfesteem, take on the journey of building a better you. I just don’t understand how some people view working out as too much work—life, in general, is hard work…so stop making excuses! It’s rough at the start, but in the end it will turn into a healthy addiction that you just can’t live without. I know it’s my addiction because there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t want to break a sweat!
never be skinny enough, never cool enough. Turn left. Turn right. The words start rising, from the depths, to consume the happiness as it struggles to stay afloat. Sooner or later, it will be devoured, as quickly as a candle is blown out. Turn left. Turn right. The words stop ascending. I look up at myself. The mouth curves into the most beautiful smile, the eyes deep as chestnuts with hints of green only found in the most exquisite of meadows, the hands welcome and outstretched. The laugh is so warm that it makes the soul break down its
walls of fear, and the voice so calm that it is listened to even in doubt. Turn around. I look back over my shoulder, and the girl glows with hope and beauty that was shunned by the world that only brings people down. And she winked once, and as I turned back around, the mirror shattered into thousands of diamond shards, the cutting edge that made the doubt was no more. For every second I walked away, I knew that never again would the doubt come unless it was welcome. But the true beauty came from within, and that is all that mattered.
Mirrors
King City — Many of us have lost a friend either because of a misunderstanding, loss of contact, or problems left unsolved. Many of us lose friends, some of us feeling pain while others, no pain at all. And sometimes you regret not trying to fight for that friendship, you regret not cherishing every moment because in those moments you weren’t thinking of tomorrow…or the absence of a tomorrow. Often times, you looked yourself in the mirror, blaming yourself. However, blaming yourself is not always the healthiest way to solve the problem. It becomes a harsh reality, but sometimes, many times, in order to make more friends, perhaps better friends, you must sacrifice the relationship with other friends, perhaps friends who were not worth your time in the first place. It is important to recognize that there are always new people out there with whom to spend your precious time, and create precious memories. Do not hold onto a relationship you feel may be worthless, especially after you have tried your absolute hard est, when the other person involved has done little to nothing to fight for the relationship. Accept the loss and let go. I have lost multiple friends. I didn’t cherish my moments with them, like I should have. I always thought that we would be together, standing by each other’s side until graduation and perhaps part ways afterward. However, the parting ways came sooner than I expected. The journey was worth it…seeing them every day, talking happily, etc. and then… nothing at all—it was gone. It hurt… a lot… like being stabbed in the chest a million times. But I fought hard to make things right and to try and help change things between us, bringing them back to how they once were. Unfortunately, my efforts came with no reward, no friendship. It was lost. The worst part of it was… it was all over a boy. It was stupid—really, really stupid putting our friendship on the line, over a boy. Even
Celia Garcia/Mustang Legacy staff
KCHS Students Celia and Ali- Best Friends today, when I look back on the experience, I shake my head in disproval. But then again, we were freshman, young and naïve. My best friend at the time, was head over heels for this boy, who I found nothing special about. She would always giggle quietly when his name was mentioned, smiling brightly at me with a knowing grin. We w e r e h a p p y, w i t h n o problems all. I should have seen this boy as a warning foreshadowing the events that would follow. Suddenly, everything came crashing down. At the time, my best friend, the one who had fallen for the boy, felt betrayed, because another close friend of ours, had somehow developed feelings for him as well. She began to flirt with him directly in f r o n t o f h e r, c a u s i n g h e r pain and anger. I reassured her, telling her that maybe it was all a misunderstanding. I advised her to talk things out before making assumpt i o n s . U n f o r t u n a t e l y, s h e decided not to listen to me. The two girls would look
at each other, giving each other the cold shoulder, but all along my friend, the one who originally was head over heels for the boy, began to develop a hatred for our other friend…the flirt. I tried to talk to both of them, to at least tell them that it was a mix-up, to not exaggerate what the other had said, and to at least think about what they were getting into. They did nothing; for days the conversation turned merely awkward, the three of us ignoring each other, not even making eye contact while we passed in the hallways at school. The two girls loathed each other, making it so obvious to the world; they would give snarky remarks behind each other’s backs. Eventually, it had reached a point when I felt the other people in our group, not including us three, were beginning to judge us, turn against us, and point fingers, and even roll their eyes See VALUE page 4
D4 B4 THE RUSTLER RUSTLERKing KingCity, City,CA CA93930 93930B4Dec. GREENFIELD 16, 2015 NEWS Greenfield, CA 93927 B4 SOLEDAD BEE Soledad, CA 93960 B4 GONZALES TRIBUNE Gonzales, CA 93926 May 9, 2012
VALUE
Vocaloid: The Cyber Idols
From page 1
at us. I f o u n d t h i s u n f a i r because all she did was develop feelings for a boy. We d i d n ’ t d e s e r v e t o b e treated that way. I would often glare at them, the “outsiders,” out of anger— they didn’t listen to me. I, of course, tried to make things right, to explain to them that the girl had done nothing wrong… she simply really liked this boy. I advised them to talk with us, talk it out. Each d a y I w o u l d t r y t o p e rsuade them to be friends again, for us all to get along, and to forget about t h i s b o y. T h e y p r o b a b l y thought that they were the only ones hurting, as they told me that it had nothing to do with me, that it wasn’t my fight but there’s. But I was in pain, being caught in between,
not to mention other personal problems I was juggling at the time. They ignored me, shook me off like unwanted dust, and simply told me it wasn’t my business and it didn’t concern me. They were wrong. I was only trying to help. I look back as I tell this story and would like to leave this message to those who are struggling with friendship, loneliness, and unwanted drama: Value and trust yourself and the positive impact you have on others. Value the times you have laughed, cried, fought, and bonded with those you hold close. Cherish the moments when you, yes you, do something amazing, turning their world upside down…in a good way. Remember and reminisce on the times when you and a
close friend solved a big problem between you overnight, because you understood each other. Cherish the promises you made and continue to make to each other—to always be there. Remember the times when you have done something unforgettable, something that brought tears to your eyes. Smile for the things you miss, and nod in approval for the obstacles you’ve avoided. These are the elements that make a true friendship worthwhile, and whether or not your friendship exists anymore, these elements happened…they were real in that moment. This holiday season, reach out and connect with someone you haven’t spoken to in some time. Maybe all they need is to hear your voice, to remember that you are still there.
He Says, She Says…KCHS Holiday Style By: Ramiro Ramos
Q
: What would you say if a friend of yours still believed in Santa Claus? She says: “I would not want to talk to that friend.”—Maria Vasquez He says: “If my friend still believed in Santa I would say good for you.”—Nick Williams
Q
: Would you dress up as Santa? Why or why not? She says: “No, because kids smell.”—Abigail Foster He says: “No, because I don’t want to be fat.”—Ulises Santana : What do you think students look forward to the most during winter break? She says: “No school and the fact it’s Christmas.”—Sarah Lopez
Q
He says: “Spending time with family.”—Uriel Cruz : What is the best Christmas you have ever had? She says: “When family and friends had a gathering.”—Carmin Casares He says: “When we rode go carts with my grandmother.”—David Shivner
Q
Submitted photo
A Symbol for Equality express verbally and nonverbally towards their students. Any teacher, regardless of the situation, can just as easily say,” Have a wonderful winter break” with the same level of satisfaction and warmth, as opposed to saying,” Have a wonderful Christmas, and a wonderful Christmas break.” Te a c h e r s m u s t b e c o m e cognizant of their surroundings, and the people who surround them. If they do not become accustomed to school policies, and federal laws, then jobs will be jeopardized greatly within our unified schooling district, as well as the rest of the nation.
New Year’s Resolutions: Are They Something People Keep?
King City — This year we de-
cided to interview the students at KCHS about their New Year’s resolutions. Our team wanted to know if these students were capable of keeping them or, like most others who say they will, fail in fulfilling their resolutions. We interviewed Felipe Pineda, a Junior at King City High School, on the issue of New Year’s Resolutions. He responded saying, “My New Year’s Resolution is to get better grades.” We followed up by asking how he would make that a reality in 2016, to which he replied, “I will make this happen by working hard and staying focused on school work—I am going to keep my word…some other people just slack and don’t commit themselves to what they said they’d do”. According to The Huffington Post, a New Year’s resolution is a tradition in which a person makes a promise to do an act of self-improvement or something slightly nice beginning New Year’s Day. People usually make resolutions because their unhappy with how they currently act or handle certain things or they want to change the way they live their lives to be a better person. Often times, people tend to make over-exaggerated
resolutions they can’t keep or find impossible to achieve. Another KCHS student, Nathaniel Perez, a sophomore, explained his New Year’s Resolution: “Be a better athlete”. Many students struggle, not knowing how to balance their school work and their sports. When asked about how he would keep this goal, given that common struggle and balance, he responded, “By training more and practicing offseason.” To be a better athlete, it takes more than just going to the practices. Perez is dedicated to achieve his New Year’s Resolution. He sounded eager to answer our questions and confident in himself and his ability to make his Resolutions, realities. According to John Norcross, PhD and an eminent professor, psychologist, and specialist in psychotherapy, 50% of people make resolutions each year. They are mostly regarding weight loss, exercising, stopping smoking, better money management and debt reduction. According to a University of Scranton research project, “Out of all the people that make resolutions, only 8% of the people achieve their goal”. This means the majority, near 42%, forget or don’t commit to their resolutions. When asked about her New Year’s Resolution, another
“I was introduced a few months ago when a friend showed me a video. I originally thought that Vocaloids were very intriguing. I’m interested because Vocaloid music is very catchy,” Devin Plaskett, a home-schooled high school boy, explained. He continued explaining,“ My favorite Vocaloid is definitely Hatsune Miku. I think ‘Levan Polka’ is a good song to start with.”
King City — The last Hunger
King City — In California
By: Jesus Ochoa and Robert Reyes
A render of Hastune Miku inside a classroom, produced by Ramiro Ramos
By: Candy Pena
By: Jonathan Ramon
gard any upcoming holiday breaks.” When nearing a holiday, like Christmas, the Judean Christians believe the holiday spirit means blessing your peers, and wishing them a “Merry Christmas, and a wonderful Christmas break.” In all aspects of reality however, this can be viewed as an oppressive act by some individuals who are dissociated from the Christian faith. What can teachers learn to say to their students to prevent any such conflicts with religious beliefs? Well, the answer is simple: teachers must ultimately learn to control what they
King City — At Miku Expo, the crowd goes wild as Hatsune Miku flashes onto the stage, bursting into the first verse of her signature song, “Levan Polka.” “I was introduced to Vocaloid in my senior year of high school. I originally wasn’t a big fan of foreign music, but I eventually warmed up to it,” admitted Hannah Wilkins, a King City High School graduate. Wilkins followed explaining, “I love the music and the characters that sing them. The songs hit me every time I listen to them. My favorite Vocaloids are Rin and Len Kagamine.” According to synthesized research, information, comments, and reviews from online articles and sources such as Vocaloid.com, Vocaloid is a program that “enables users to synthesize singing by typing in lyrics and melody.” Vocaloid’s synthesized voices are based on voice actors and singers. The phenomenon was developed during a project in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 2000 by Kenmochi Hideki and “originally was not intended to be a full commercial project.”
The most well-known Vocaloid is Hatsune Miku. According to the Vocaloid Wiki, a website dedicated to Vocaloid and subjects relating to it, Miku was “initially released in August 2007 for the VOCALOID2 engine… She was the seventh Vocaloid overall, as well as the second VOCALOID2 vocal released for the engine.” Miku was first introduced to America in 2011, in a Toyota commercial, but she is not the first Vocaloid to appear in America. She, however, was the first to make an impact. “I was introduced around 2012. At first, it was interesting,” commented Ramiro Ramos, a King City High School junior. He continued with saying, “I don’t why—I think it was because of how they sang and danced. I would recommend listening to ‘Nostalgic’ by MEIKO and ‘A Realistic Ideologist’ by IA.” No matter what sort of music genre you like, there is most likely a Vocaloid song in that category. If you ever get the chance, try listening to a Vocaloid song. You might enjoy it and find a new, perhaps hidden and unexpected interest that may open your mind to alternate types of music, characters, and experiences.
The Hunger Games: Books vs. Movie Review
Religious Language in Schools: Let’s Watch How We Speak
and the rest of the United States, there are established repercussions, and restrictions that prevent our government from essentially establishing, and then enforcing, a dominant religion that would ultimately dictate all other protestant religions. Are these amendments, and other rights bestowed upon every U.S. citizen being infringed upon in the California educational system? If so, how are teachers conversing and influencing individual students enough to be viewed as an “oppressive” teacher? Any student, religious or not, is allowed the right to the same unalienable rights as the next U.S. resident. When asked about how he felt about the matter, Vice Principal, and seasoned e x p e r t o n s c h o o l p o l i c y, David Croy, expressed,” All teachers and staff at KCHS should know not to address any religious connotation’s, nor beliefs, with any of the students which would re-
By: Charlene Burden
KCHS students, who would like to remain anonymous, expressed, “I want to lose my attitude.” During their high school years, students grow up and start becoming more and more like young adults. Many start maturing by their sophomore year and aim to rid themselves of apathy and attitude. We continued with this student, asking him how he would keep this Resolution to which she replied, “By not talking back and acting so negative towards people and being respectful to older and young people.” It takes more than just saying you will do something to get it done. You have to act, you have to truly make changes and hold yourself accountable in order to achieve your Resolution this New Year. Here are some helpful hints to help your 2016 resolution become not simply a resolution but a lifestyle. > You can start small. Don’t make any resolutions that are to immense and cannot keep. > Talk about it. Speak to people you are close to and repeat it to the various times. > Ask for help or support. Ask your friends or family on how you can keep your resolution. > Change one behavior at a time. (American Psychological Association)
Games movie, Mockingjay Part 2, was just released on November 18, 2015, making worldwide fans saddened that this is the end of the seven year journey since the first novel came out by Suzanne Collins. According to current statistics from IMDB, The Hunger Games is the third highest grossing film series based on young adult books, after the film series Harry potter and the Twilight saga. As of 2014, the trilogy sold more than 65 million copies in the U.S alone. The big questions are: “Which do the fanatics like best, the books or movies?” and “How do we feel now that it has ended?” “The books are always better because the movies don’t show all the details of the story which help you understand. I feel sad that it has come to an end because I have been watching the franchise since the beginning, which was eighth grade year for me, to see it end on my senior year marks the end of my childhood”, said Jeanette Cruz, senior at King City High School. Another KCHS student, Charlene Burden, a junior and fanatic added to the conversation saying, “One of the differences between the movie and the book – in the book the dogs are hinted as the dead competitors while in the movie that isn’t men-
tioned at all. I can’t say I’m sad that it has ended but it was an interesting take on how the government took after the gladiators—I doubt it’ll happen though”. The Hunger Games trilogy is set in our world. The Capitol is the government of the Twelve Districts of Panem, which was once North America. As a punishment for a past revolution, the capitol created the Hunger games. One male and one female from the age of twelve to eighteen are chosen from each district to fight on live television until only one child remains. The main characters who quickly rise are Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark. They are both tributes to the Hunger
Games and they defy President Snow by threatening to kill themselves and there, with this act, the second revolution begins. Overall my review on the franchise is… the books are always better. I understand the story much better than the movie and it provides more detail; detail is always better. I’m upset the franchise is now over after a long journey of adventure, drama, and action. To those hopin g t h e r e will be more of the Hunger Games, Lionsgate CEO said the studio was “actively looking at some develop ment and thinking about prequel and sequel possibilities.” So to those fanatics, “May the odds be ever in your favor.”
What a Relief! By: Ramiro Ramos King City — Having trouble
staying calm? Are grades a problem? If so, look no further because there are plenty of effective methods to reduce that debilitating stress of yours. With finals coming up, and the first semester of the 2015-2016 school year coming to an end, stress begins to rear its ugly head. If you don’t feel like you can pay attention in class because your mind and body are restless, try and take slow and deep breaths. Stress can truly be tough to damage. Research online regarding stress management, found at 15 Minutes for Me, explains, “Stress in teenagers can cause illness and problems in relationships with family or friends.” Stress not only can cause problems in your personal life but in your school life as well. Charlene, a junior at KCHS, was forthright with her opinions regarding stress and student achieve-
ment— “Student stress is one of the highest cause of grades lowering.” The stress of a student can come from many dif ferent sources: it can originate in school or attack you when you least expect it outside of school. Howe v e r, s o m e s t u d e n t s c a n deal with stress better than others because they have something that can preoccupy them such as: gaming, talking to friends, working out, or resting in a quiet place. These methods have proven to be useful outlets for many people dealing with high levels of stress. Sometimes these methods don’t work though, and the stress lingers. This is why many argue that the most important thing to do when you find yourself stressed is to always think positively. It may not seem to help right away, but if you keep smiling today, tomorrow, and the day after, and continue this pattern of positive thinking, the habit you will create will change the psychology of
your thoughts, ultimately improving your overall ability to cope with stress. It may seem difficult to keep on smiling every day or in tough moments, but as long as you keep your mind in a positive place as often as possible, it will help lower your chances of surrendering to stress. When asked who stresses out the most, Alberto Loa, a KCHS senior expressed, “I think that each student has his or her own level of stress but the AP students and athletes have a lot more going on.” Our journalism class here at KCHS hopes your finals week goes by smoothly, you are able to spend quality time with your family over the holiday break, and you return in 2016 feeling rejuvenated and ready to tackle the New Year and new academic semester ahead. Remember: One step at a time. Positive thinking and positive “self-talk” will help you smile more than frown and turn that stress right around!