The Flash, Volume 30, Issue 3 - Spring 2023

THE FLASH

ARTIFICIAL A’s

A.I. chatbots are changing education.

(full story on page 2)

This cover model image was generated by A.I. https://s.mj.run/wYsMeI-x2wM hyper realistic 80mm portrait photograph of a 80’s cyberpunk style robot with, wearing a Japanese style school uniform with a tie, use 3/4 angle, superrealism, perfect cinematic lighting, bright keylight, standing in a pastel coloured environment

UPCOMING EVENTS FLASH STAFF

Front row: Milana Kozlova, Lexi Booras, Daniela

Stuhlert, Cassie Le.

Middle Row: Maddie

Papia, Kaylee Madeline, Sofia Keefe, Radian Hong, Julia McLean, Taylor Aubry, Andrea Guzman.

Top Row: Shane Byron, Mr. Rubinstein, Mackenzie

Wright, Trey Spencer.

Rocklin High School class of 2023

Graduation

June 1st, 6:00-7:30pm

With summer nearly on us, you’ll have more time to listen to longer podcast interviews about the unique life of our school! Search for “Live From M5” or scan the QR code to listen now ... enjoy!

SCAN ME

Jackson Bass

How AI chatbots are changing the world of secondary education

Mutant

Welsh corgis crossbred with penguins have escaped the school. Only lovable teacher Mr. O’Donnell and his students can stop them from overrunning the world.

This wacky premise for a screen-

play couldn’t be anything but innocuous, or so it at first might seem. However, the script for “Peng-Corgi Panic” is entirely AI-generated. And the scary part: it actually makes sense.

What for now remains a fun experiment in RHS video productions teacher Ryan

O’Donnell’s classroom may have serious implications not just for film making, but for all aspects of human society. One sector that is sure to feel the impact of AI early on is the world of secondary education. Recent developments in AI-assisted writing — specifically the explosion in popularity of OpenAI’s ChatGPT — have raised questions from

whether the use of these tools for school assignments constitutes plagiarism, to why students come to school in the first place.

On March 14, OpenAI announced the release of GPT-4, vastly improving upon the already astonishing capabilities of ChatGPT. Earning fives on nine AP exams and scoring a 1410 on the SATs, GPT-4 will no doubt bring on an entirely new set of challenges for both students and educators alike. By far the most immediately concerning capability of these chatbots is their ability to generate strikingly human-sounding bodies of text from user prompts.

Several obvious concerns present themselves, the first of which is cheating. Assistant Principal Michael Pappas equated the unauthorized use of ChatGPT for school assignments to plagiarism when it comes to the academic integrity policy, and the first reaction of many educators is to crack down on it in order to prevent dishonesty. Already, companies like turnitin.com have set out to develop tools to detect and flag AI-generated text with up to 97% accuracy. But with the release of GPT-4, and as these technologies continue to improve, it will no doubt grow harder and harder to distinguish between human and AI writing. In time, it may very well become impossible. Other ways of upholding academic integrity might include checking a student’s progress, either through document version history or with the help of third-party extensions, and implementing

more timed writes. These methods are not perfect, given that a determined student could simply type the AI-generated text into an open Google document in a way that seems organic, and timed writes take up much more time in class than standard take-home papers.

Other problems are less immediate, but perhaps more important in the long run. “A lot of times technology has been prematurely embraced, without really thinking critically about what it is that the technology is doing, and whether or not that technology is getting in the way of our educational mission,” RHS English teacher James Grace told The Flash. He, like many other educators, believes that

developments in AI, Mr. Grace prompts teachers too to reconsider “what [they] teach, and how [they] teach; and what [they] assess and how [they] assess.” He believes that the basic skills of reading and writing and the ability to think critically will help to prepare students for whatever the future might hold.

“Any writing assignment is really just trying to get the student to take a moment and form their own thoughts and opinions about a text that they’re studying,” Mr. Grace said. ChatGPT is a bot created and trained by humans, and thus reflects the biases of our current society. By doing their thinking for them, ChatGPT and other chatbots are “robbing the student of their voice.”

AI hinders learning by allowing a robot to think for students. “I’m here to teach students how to read or write, and communicate, and I’m using a tool that basically just makes that easier for the sake of making that easier,” he said.

Mr. Grace challenged students to rethink why they come to school each day: “If the reason they’re going to school is just to produce products, and those products do not reflect themselves, then I don’t see the point,” he said. AI chatbots enable students to earn a passing grade on an assignment without actually learning the skills being taught. In light of

Obviously, Mr. Grace already has the skills that he teaches, and he acknowledges the potential of AI as a tool outside the classroom even while cautioning against its use inside the classroom. “For me, I’m not too concerned with it,” he said. “For my kids and my students, I am concerned with it. Because it’s really something that can rob you of what we’re here for, which is learning.”

As a teacher of an elective class in which students are encouraged to be creative, Mr. O’Donnell contributes a different perspective on the dangers of delegating one’s thinking work to robots. “Many people aren’t thinking about how dangerous that is for us to give up our humanity of what it is to be creators — to go through the creative struggle to come

“[ChatGPT] is robbing the student of their voice.”

up with an idea, to come up with your own something that’s going to be your artistic expression, and say, I’ll have someone else do it for me,” he said. Nevertheless, Mr. O’Donnell also sees value in bringing AI into the classroom.

As an end-of-year project, Mr. O’Donnell’s students have to produce their own short film — this year, he opened up the option to students of using AI to write the script. “I don’t know if this is something I’m always going to do, but we’re trying to embrace it a little bit right now and see what that’s gonna be like,” he said. His students immediately took interest and began “throwing in some crazy bonkers ideas throwing, you know, silly characters and whatever and say write a screenplay for me, and it does that.” His only caveat is that students must include ChatGPT in their credits.

As part of his unit on “B movies” — which are “campy and trashy and fun” movies written and produced on a budget — Mr. O’Donnell and his students used ChatGPT to write the synopsis for “Peng-Corgi Panic.” In one of his classes, he took it a step further, having the AI create characters and write dialogue. He used DALL-E — an AI image generator also created by OpenAI — to create 3D renders of what a Penguin-Corgi crossbreed might look like and used Canva — which has also started to incorporate AI into its interface — to construct a movie poster from those images. While the result was certainly amusing, Mr. O’Donnell said, “We’re handing off that spark of what makes us, us to say — yay, you do it computer, it’s fun!”

Whether teachers allow it or not, some students are already using AI to help them to complete their assignments. A student who chose to remain anonymous admitted to using ChatGPT for writing assignments in various classes. “It’s more like a calculator than like cheating in my opinion,” he said, noting that the quality of the AI responses depends on the quality of the questions asked.

The student said that he does not feel his learning has been negatively affected by his use of ChatGPT, rather, he feels that knowing how to ask the right questions

is a valuable skill in and of itself. He uses the AI generated text mainly as a first draft. “When I’m sitting there staring at a blank Google doc with nothing on it, it’s hard to get started sometimes so having something to start with helps,” he said. When using ChatGPT, he has found himself getting started with his work sooner and procrastinating less.

Using ChatGPT, the student has earned several perfect scores and even extra credit. He described its performance as “flawless” with regards to his grades. Even so, ChatGPT is not without limitations. “It can’t answer a lot of specific questions because it tries to keep things unbiased,” he said. “So if you’re writing a paper, say, on a debate, or you’re trying to write an opinion on a debate it’s not super good.” Furthermore, ChatGPT has little to no knowledge of events after the year 2021, and so it isn’t much help when writing about current events.

Mr. O’Donnell called AI the “largest disrupter” to education he has seen in his lifetime. “Public education is monumental, like a Titanic, it’s very difficult changing direction. And here we have a massive iceberg that is right in front of us, and we are unable to move quickly,” he said. “I think that we are completely in the Wild West, new territory and new layers.”

Mr. Pappas said, “If you think about some of the things that we have out there that are available for people to use right now, you wouldn’t usually see schools at the forefront of using all that technology.” He explained that schools must take the time to “vet” technology before they bring it into the classroom. “Our goal is to know, hey, are our students demonstrating learning? Right? And so that’s something we’re gonna have to work through.”

Maybe Mr. O’Donnell’s next AI-generated script should be titled “AI Panic,” a story about how lovable teacher Mr. O’Donnell and his students tackle the artificial intelligence threat to his classroom and the world.

By: Radian Hong, Editor-in-Training

Though they disagree on whether or not using ChatGPT constitutes plagiarism, both the anonymous student and Mr. Pappas used the analogy of a calculator to highlight the potential for ChatGPT as a tool in the classroom. However, Mr. Pappas noted that even with calculators, which have been largely embraced in secondary education, students are still taught arithmetic in primary school in order to fully understand the steps behind calculation. “Maybe there is a point down the line where it is a tool to complete an assignment,” said Mr. Pappas. He compared the use of ChatGPT in the classroom to the calculator and non-calculator section of a math test — depending on context, a calculator use could be an essential part of the assessment, or it could be cheating. “We’re looking at different skill sets on here that in which, hey, that’s okay to use a calculator if it means that you’re understanding the concept and getting to the result,” he said.

Whether a tool or a trick, AI will only get more robust in the foreseeable future.

“We’re handing off that spark of what makes us us ...”

Quantumania Shrinks Expectations

By: Shane Byron, Staff Reporter

Ant-Man returns? Kang The Conqueror? M.O.D.O.K? The second worst Marvel Cinematic Universe movie? Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania directed by Peyton Reed is the 31st movie to be included in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Reed’s first MCU project was released on February 17, 2023 making $106.1 million on opening weekend making it the 14th biggest opening weekend for the MCU. This movie follows Scott Lang and his family which was heavily affected positively after their heroic efforts in Avengers: Endgame but barely focuses on this and instead is basically a Kang the Conqueror introduction film.

Kang is a highly respected and loved villain from Marvel Comics dating back to 1963 and was announced to be the next “Big Bad” in the MCU which fans were extremely excited for. He was first introduced in live action in the TV series Loki being played by Jonathan Majors and when it was announced he would be the main villain of Quantumania fans were rejoiced. Because of this, it was a highly anticipated film that has been received very poorly. Quantumania is currently rated at 48% on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic which makes it the second worst project in the MCU according to critics.

A reason for this movie underperforming that is floating around the internet, was because of the story being “messy” while the movie has no stakes when one of the most menacing villains in Marvel’s catalog is headlining the film. This reviewer agrees with these criticisms and adds on saying that the ending was the worst out of any MCU project. How the inclusion of some characters were useless just like the attempt at this film having stakes. Further exploring these points, the inclusion of characters such as M.O.D.O.K and Bill Murray’s character were depressing attempts at a money grab with both characters being poorly written with no additions to the story.

On the other hand, this movie is extremely important for the future of the MCU and is a must watch for followers of the cinematic universe and is also an entertaining watch for the average viewer to enjoy if you aren’t looking for the perfect movie. And of course the best parts of this movie are the performances of Jonathan Majors as Kang and Paul Rudd as Ant-Man. They both have great dynamics in every interaction with every character and each other which gives hope for the recent underwhelming MCU. Majors as Kang is the future of Marvel and proves it

in this film while Rudd continues to be the perfect casting for the loveable Scott Lang.

Rocklin High School (RHS) sophomore Reegan Chima saw the movie in the theater and shared, “The logistics of it (the film) don’t make sense” which agrees what many viewers on the internet and critics have to say. Reegan also shared with this reviewer on RHS’ journalism podcast, Live From M5, sharing “...what they (Marvel Studios) need to fix... their story tropes are getting a little stale” relating back to The Flash Issue 2 Volume 30, agreeing that the “Marvel Fatigue” is hitting hard.

In all, this reviewer believes that this movie underperformed compared to other MCU projects which differs from peers but agrees with other reviewers to a certain extent. I give Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania a disappointing 2 out of 5 stars.

From day one it has been a human custom to compare ourselves to one another. Socially agreed upon ideas of beauty ingrained in our systems, paired with time until it is accepted as a norm… you have a beauty standard. Beauty standards take effect all around the world. Students here at Rocklin High School [RHS] who have viewpoints from different countries were interviewed. RHS sophomore Daisy Cambri says, “For example when I went back to the Philippines, my home country, it was a complete culture shock because everyone wanted to be similar to the Korean beauty standards like skin bleaching…”

It’s no secret that the extent of trying to fit into a beauty standard can be harmful. The desire to associate with beauty standards is strong enough in society, people are willing to inflict harm on themselves to achieve beauty. Do you think we can differentiate changing ourselves to please others,

from changing ourselves to feel more confident? Cambri said, “I’ve seen a lot of people who touch in more their culture instead of fitting into a society of other cultures’ beauty standards… It would be easier for me to fit in and adapt to Filipino beauty standards because I am Filipino.” We must recognize that we are a society of different cultures, as Cambri explained that she can not associate herself with western standards simply because she is an individual of her own culture.

RHS senior Nicole Nigei, a foreign exchange student, said, “It’s [a] culture thing for my Japanese family, people being skinny is really important but also at the same time for me I’m brazilian. I was born in Brazil, my parents were born in Brazil, but we are all Japanese so it’s weird and hard because we’re between both beauty standards so we don’t really know what beauty standards should we follow.” Media is poisoned with internalized ideas of beauty. Younger

must learn how to embrace their ethnic beauty rather than blindly following the next trending influencer. RHS sophomore Reegan Chima said, “I’ve tried now to actively seek out people that are in the same culture as me that make me feel like I’m not the only person here that is like this.”

This shows that social media really can be a double edged sword. In contrast to finding your own culture being embraced in media, Chima said, “In social media you’ll see someone that is this perfect definition of beauty that we’ve created. I feel like it makes younger girls especially a lot worse about themselves.”

By: Trey Spencer, Staff Reporter

Use this QR code to listen to Staff Reporter Trey Spencer’s long format interview about modern beauty standards on our Podcast: Live from M-5.

FACE YOUR SELF

“You have a choice, you either conform to these beauty standards or you do your own thing because you are your own beauty. “ - Daisy Cambri

The Willow Project:

Harmful Or Helpful?

Rocklin High School Teachers Mark Hardy and Bill Kimmel discuss economic and environmental perspectives to the recently approved Willow Project.

Approved by The Biden Administration on March 13, 2023, The Willow Project has amassed large amounts of controversy from all areas of the political spectrum. The Willow Project is a large-scale oil drilling project by ConocoPhillips in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve.

Drawing criticism from climate change activists, The Willow Project is expected to produce 239 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions throughout its duration, almost equivalent to adding around 2 million cars fueled by gasoline to the roads each year. However, this oil drilling project is also expected to produce around 600 million barrels of

oil in total, allowing for a decrease in the United States dependence on foreign oil. “The United States historically has been a large importer of oil. Oil is more readily and cheaply available in Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, particularly from the Middle East”, said Rocklin High School [RHS] AP Microeconomics teacher Mark Hardy.

Alongside these countries, the United States has also previously imported oil from Russia. However, tensions due to the war between Russia and Ukraine have led to the US banning the import of Russian oil. “Seeing that impact of that Russian instability on neighboring Europe and many of our allies, basically helps to underscore that if we are getting significant oil from overseas, any sort of tension overseas, there is a strong argument to not be dependent on others for sources of our energy, particularly unstable countries like Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, etc”, said Mr. Hardy.

While also decreasing the dependence on other countries as oil sources, The Willow Project brings certain economic benefits to the table. “You do have to mention the benefits for Alaska. Job creation, revenue creation, even Native Alaskans on the North slope are divided because they recognize the potential ecological harm as well”, said Mr. Hardy. “Many see the benefits to local tribes and so forth for job creation and revenue creation there as well. Economics is all about weighing costs and benefits against one another.”

The possible environmental impacts have brought criticism from all sides of the political spectrum. Protesters have also been saying that President Biden broke one of his main campaign promises of no more drilling on federal lands. “Specifically, his promise was

to not let any new oil or gas drilling projects. Biden and his spokespeople have justified this by saying these were existing leases that were approved under the Trump administration, that their hands were legally tied. They also defend the fact that they have actually shrunk the project from its original proposal”, said Mr. Hardy. The Trump Administration originally approved the project back in 2020 to function with five drill pads, which The Biden Administration reduced down to three drill pads in their approval of the project.

“A scientist is really going to ask the

cost-benefit question that you would see from ecology or economics”, said RHS AP Environmental Science teacher Bill Kimmel. While we are transitioning towards renewable energy, oil production isn’t going to disappear. “If the reality is that we have to use these fossil fuels for the next twenty years, there is an argument to be made to use the cleanest fossil fuels that have the best geopolitical relationship”, said Mr. Kimmel. “If [The Willow Project] is the cleanest oil that you can extract from an environmental perspective, and you don’t extract oil that is more environmentally damaging, maybe in a really sensitive salmon habitat or in a place with high human population density, then using this oil would be environmentally better than using oil from a different place”.

Many consumers simply swipe to the left on their cell phones to take a glance at the top stories of the day, and belive the headline to tell the full story. In reality, news stories are much more complex and detailed than a single headline can tell.

By: Taylor Aubry, Editor-In-Chief

“There is an argument to be made to use the cleanest fossil fuels that have the best geopolitical relationship. That would be a scientist’s argument.”

-Mr. Kimmel

The Secret to a Language

Numerous techniques of learning a foreign language are circling around the media. Should Rocklin High School up their game?

In many American public schools today, the traditional way of teaching a language is through memorization of vocabulary, studying terms, verbs, tenses and such. This process is what most students at Rocklin High School are introduced to when studying a foreign language. However, is it really effective to treat language learning in such a way?

First, we need to understand how we learned our first language and the importance behind it. When a baby is born and typically if surrounded by a mother, father, or siblings, they will listen to them speaking. Although they cannot comprehend the words, the human brain is able to start recognizing speech patterns and sounds. According to the article Language Acquisition and Brain Development, “During the years of language acquisition, the brain not only stores linguistic information but also adapts to the grammatical regularities of language.” This means that not only does your brain catch the sound of the word, it also catches the grammatical use of the language and the certain sounds the language has.

Now although it is true that acquiring a language as a child is a lot easier than a teenager or adult, the same principles

can still be applied to language acquisition if there is a desire as well as materials to do so. To acquire a language, one needs visual and or auditory content such as picture books or tv shows. When watching a show in a different language with no translation subtitles, the brain is forced to make assumptions based on what is going on in the visual aspect, and then connect the words they hear to the picture it saw. The same applies to picture books, the brain connects the picture to the letters and words on the paper. With this method fluency takes time just like any other method, however the level of fluency achieved over a period of time and ability to speak is much more effective than memorizing flashcards, the traditional way of studying a language.

Zachary Fujioka, a sophomore currently in Spanish three Honors, believes RHS should teach students to acquire a language rather than study it. Usually, the biggest difficulty with learning a language is the speaking aspect and having the ability to keep up with the speed of a native speaker. Fujioka said, “I think the biggest negative is that we need to be able to

speak with native speakers, obviously it won’t be easy to do but I think it would be very beneficial.” With English, there are many instances where we just don’t say the proper word for example “I dunno” instead of “i don’t know.” This applies to other languages as well and Fujioka said that, “Obviously when you learn a new language you don’t know it right off the bat but immersion helps you familiarize with the language and the uses that are not just textbook but slang and stuff.” The issue about immersion in RHS where there are so many diverse people with different goals is that it is hard to accommodate everyone, therefore using a traditional teaching method ensures students pass the class. However this leaves people like Fujioka at a disadvantage since instead of immersion,“ in a language class in general [students] tend to just learn vocabulary and conjugations.” Accommodating to every student is difficult, however Fujioka said, “I think separate classes would be useful, like the teachers would be able to speak the language more and the students would be able to be more familiar with

the language.” In other words, have one class for people who want to become fluent in a foreign language and another class for those who just want to have their graduation requirements out of the way.

Omer Mohammad, a freshman currently taking ASL 1, has a different situation when it comes to learning the language. Since ASL is a visual language and not an oral language, language immersion does not work since to immerse yourself you need to use your listening skills as well as visual and with ASL you are only able to use visual resources. Omer said, “I think Rocklin High school teaches ASL well, but there are some improvements that can be made. A lot of signs are updated very frequently and the books they use in ASL classrooms are not always up to date.” Omer also commented on the structure and overall environment of the class. He said, “The overall structure of the class should be changed a little bit because most of it is kind of just seeing the sign and then learning it. There is not a lot of engagement. There are partner activities but I think there should be more of those to kind of help students learn how to sign naturally and become fluent quickly.” Unlike Spanish, ASL offers students to decide the pace of their studying as well as how they study the material. Omer said, “I think it allows students to learn at their own pace if they want to go back and look at signs. There are a lot of resources that are available if you want to go back or learn separate signs or even if you want to go ahead.” The experience of a student learning a language is a more common story among students, however the experience of a teacher learning a language is not something that is discussed.

Stephanie Arino, the French teacher at RHS experienced the method of language learning as we know as language acquisition. Mrs. Arino was sent to an international school in France which is where she learned French. She said that, “At that time I knew no French at all, but when you are immersed you learn better. I was thrown into a school where only French was spoken and I had to learn to survive and apparently survival is the best way to learn a language.” As a foreign language teacher at RHS, Mrs.

Arino believes that full immersion is the most effective way to learn a language saying that, “In Europe it is done completely differently. If I had to pick between the two I’d choose full immersion like Europe and other foreign countries do it.” The question that persists is if language acquisition is so effective, why can’t RHS create an environment where foreign language departments can use full immersion? The answer lies in the core values of RHS, one of them being that everyone gets multiple chances to succeed. Mrs. Arino justified this, saying that, “We can’t do that here at RHS for one reason because this is a school where we give everyone a second, a third and fourth chance and you can’t do that with full immersion.” However another issue is considering the students who are just trying to get the foreign language credit to graduate. When Rocklin High School first opened, they modeled Del Oro which had two separate paths, one for language acquisition and one for the credits to graduate. Mrs. Arino said, “I would think it would be best to have two paths, a path for just needing to get the year or two, and a path for students who really want to become fluent. We tried that for a while but at Rocklin High School they don’t like segregating. They don’t like us to force kids all together who are similar, they want everybody to work together and learn from each other. However, that doesn’t work for foreign languages.” Mrs. Arino’s French three Honors class focuses more on full immersion compared to the French two and French one classes. The positive aspect about giving multiple chances to students is that some may gain

a desire to keep learning, however that is not the case for everyone. Mrs. Arino said in regard to that, “We give them a second chance and we still make sure that they are trying, however they don’t really learn the language and it’s a fake lesson and a fake system for them”

Language is what causes deeper human interaction. Movements of our mouth and the sounds that produce, connect people and create communities just from that. Languages intertwine with culture and when learning or acquiring a language, one also gains a deeper understanding of one’s identity and culture. Mrs. Arino encourages students to learn a language, saying that, “It is so important to open up your eyes to the world and by learning a new language you learn a new culture and you understand you are not the only person in the world.”

By: Milana Kozlova, Editor-in-Training

23% answered, “No.”

I cried a lot.

I was there from 11 until I was 12 but I learned French in 3 months.

159 RHS students were asked, “Is the method for teaching a foreign language effective at 77% answered “Yes.”

Chemtrails are a sinister government plot:

Some people believe that the white lines left by airplanes in the sky, known as contrails, are chemical trails left by the government for sinister purposes, such as controlling the weather or spreading diseases. However, these contrails are simply the condensation that forms when hot jet exhaust meets the cold air at high altitudes. There is no credible evidence to suggest that these contrails are anything other than what they appear to be.

Therefore I’ll rate this theory a 1.5/5.

Helen Keller was a fraud:

Ok, I’m going, to be honest about this conspiracy theory lot of you were just jumping on the bandwagon like always. Without going into all the controversy regarding Helen Keller’s actions. The claim that she was a fraud and not deaf or blind lacks evidence.

Keller’s achievements in overcoming her disabilities to become a prolific writer, lecturer, and advocate for social justice are well-documented and widely recognized. To suggest that she was not blind and deaf or that her work was ghostwritten undermines the incredible resilience and determination she displayed throughout her life and that of many other capable individuals out there who have disabilities and fought against society to be successful.

It’s important to approach historical figures with a critical eye, but it’s equally crucial to acknowledge and celebrate their accomplishments. So I give this one a 1.5/5.

Reptilian beings control the world:

CANCELLED?

This conspiracy theory claims that a species of reptilian beings, known as the Anunnaki, are secretly controlling the world. While there is no credible evidence to support this theory, some people point to depictions of reptilian beings in ancient art and mythology as proof of their existence. But I think these depictions are simply the product of the imagination and are not based on any real evidence.

But seriously, I don’t buy into the whole “reptilian beings control the world” conspiracy theory. It’s just a bunch of cold-blooded nonsense. As for that frog near the pond, I’m pretty sure he’s just hopping around minding his own business, not plotting to take over the world.

So overall I’ll give this one a 2.5/5, extra points for creativity.

The moon landing was faked:

There is a long-standing conspiracy theory that the United States government faked the moon landing in 1969. While there is no evidence that the moon landing was staged, there are several factors that have contributed to this theory, including strange shadows and an American flag that seems to be waving in the wind. However, scientific evidence, including moon rocks and photographs, as well as the accounts of the astronauts themselves, make it clear that the moon landing was not a hoax.

I’ll just rate this theory a 3/5.

Area 51 is hiding aliens:

Area 51, a highly secure military base in Nevada, has been the subject of numerous conspiracy theories for decades, including the theory that the government is hiding evidence of extraterrestrial life.

There is no evidence that aliens are being kept at Area 51. However, the base has been associated with various classified government projects, including the development of the U-2 spy plane and the Stealth Bomber. Anyways, I like aliens, and looking at how vast our universe is, there is no way there is no other planet out there inhabiting life.

Therefore I give this one a 3.5/5.

The Earth is flat:

The earth is definitely flat. That’s why we never fall off the edge when we take a stroll around the block. It’s also why

airplanes and ships never have to adjust their course to account for the earth’s curvature. It’s a brilliant observation!

We must update our GPS technology to include “falling off the edge of the world” as a legitimate navigation error.

#IAMAFLATEARTHER

J/K ... Anyways, I must say, the flat Earth theory really falls flat (get it?) when you consider that we’ve been able to

travel around the globe for centuries without falling off the edge! I mean, if the Earth were flat, wouldn’t someone have

accidentally stumbled into the abyss by now?

Despite overwhelming scientific evidence to the contrary, a small but vocal group of people believe that the Earth is flat.

and physics all point to the fact that the Earth is indeed a sphere. Maybe flat earthers are just trying to save money on travel expenses by insisting that all flights should be straight lines

This conspiracy theory is often based on misinterpretations of photographs and the observation that the horizon always

appears to be flat, even though the Earth is a sphere. However, a wealth of evidence from satellite imagery, astronomy,

instead of curving around the globe. Or maybe they just really like pancakes and believe the Earth should be shaped

like one. Who knows, maybe they’ll start a new trend of “pancake-earthers” and we’ll all have to start carrying syrup

and butter with us wherever we go.

So, I’m sorry to burst the flat Earth bubble, but it’s time to come back to reality and accept that our planet is, in fact, a

big round ball hurtling through space.

I’ll be honest this theory just makes me lose faith in the direction humanity is going, so I give it a 1/5.

By: Bhoomi Kumari, Editor-in-Training

Chase Nakumara

Jaclyn Christian

Simi Sood

Chase Nakumara

TOP SHOTS

All photos captured by the Photojournalism students of Rocklin Media. If you are interested in being a future Photojournalism student, email Mr. Rubinstein at: jrubinstein@rocklinusd.org

Parker Nichols

Ella Matthews

Jackson Bass

Jackson Bass

B a c k 2 t h e R o o t s

* a smoothie review *

“This is probaly one of the best smoothies I’ve ever had.”-Angie Marcus

I have loved smoothies since I was a little girl. I grew up in the Roseville/Rocklin area where there are many places to go to buy smoothies. Smoothies are a convenient and fast way to put healthy nutrients in your body if you don’t have time for a sit down meal. Realizing the many smoothie places around me makes me ask the question, what place sells the best one?

I decided to put it to the test and try a few different smoothie places around Rocklin. The Placer County area has a lot of different smoothie places, but some can be inconvenient because of how far they are. Finding a good smoothie place near me was my number one goal.

Three different Smoothie places later, I inspected every detail down to staff, service, sanitation, pricing, and of course,the taste. My order was the same at each place to get an equal comparison. My order was a mango smoothie. I took my friend Angie along for the ride with me on this review. The first smoothie place is about 5 minutes away driving distance from Rocklin High School, Nugget Markets. Nugget is actually a grocery store, but I’ve heard they have good smoothies. People that got smoothies behind received their smoothies before us, so Angie and I were a bit frustrated about that. Moreover, they gave out paper straws and within 5 mins I wasn’t able to drink out of my straw anymore because the paper dissolved. Angie’s straw was fine, but I had to take off the lid and drink it. It ruined the whole vibe.

The staff were extremely friendly and the smoothie corner was cute and dainty. The drink was pretty good but it wasn’t anything special. Angie on the other hand, who got a pineapple smoothie, said, “this is probably one of the best smoothies I’ve ever had…I’m definitely coming back here soon.” It was a bit busy when we went so maybe I’ll try it out again when it’s not so busy… and get a plastic straw next time.

The next place I went to is a smoothie staple, Jamba Juice. According to foodydata.com, Jamba is one of the best well known places to get smoothies in the world. Jamba is right by the Nugget so it’s very local. I am very familiar with Jamba Juice since I’ve been going there

since I was a little girl. The cashier person was a bit mean, but I got my drink pretty fast and it tasted really good. You can never go wrong with Jamba Juice. Jamba was very clean and the price was a good deal for a smoothie. I would recommend this place for sure.

The last place I went to was Nekter juice bar which is by Golfland Sunplash. While not as convenient in terms of distance, I heard great reviews about this place so I had to try it. When I walked in Nekter it was very vibrant with white walls, green leaves and neon signs which gave me a good vibe. According to their barista, the mango smoothie is their “top seller and everyone likes it”. I probably had the best smoothie I ever had from there. You can taste almost every ingredient in the smoothie. The staff was extremely kind and the drink came out fast, they even gave me a free T-shirt! Even though this smoothie place is out of the way, I would HIGHLY recommend this place.

Rocklin has countless spots to get smoothies with some just as far as a few minutes away from Rocklin High School. If you’re a person who normally doesn’t get smoothies, I would recommend you start. There are numerous smoothie flavors you can choose from and some places even have food and sweet treats if you are a bit hungry. I believe that our area has some of the best smoothies to drink, but it’s all based on your personal preference of what you like.

Generally speaking, If I was a smoothie connoisseur, I would say Nekter is number one, Jamba Juice is number two, and The Nugget number three. Smoothie places are very common so I’m sure if you venture outside of the Roseville/ Rocklin area, you will find other amazing places to enjoy smoothies.

By: Lexi Booras, Staff Reporter

The Oscars- Year of the Comebacks. Ke Huy Quan and Brendan Fraser.

You Can Do Anything, Anywhere, but it Doesn’t have to be All At Once

The 95th annual Oscars award ceremony was held this year on March 12, 2023 and was anticipated to be a great show after the embarrassment of the 94th Oscars and movie releases of 2021 but with a very strong outing in 2022 this was a season to be excited for. The show was headlined by movies like Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Whale, Avatar the Way of Water, The Banshees of Inisherin, and many other films that will revolutionize the future of the film industry. But these films were not the story of the night, it was the comebacks and celebrations of beloved actors and actresses such as Ke Huy Quan, Brendan Fraser, Michelle Yeoh and Jaime Lee Curtis who all won their first Oscars after many years in the film industry. The deserving actors finally got their big break late in their careers which touched many people around the world. Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, and Jaime Lee Curtis all won major awards from their performances in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Brendan Fraser won “Best Actor in a Leading Role” for his incredible performance in The Whale. Many more deserving people in the movie industry were recognized, which overall led to a great ceremony. These comebacks brought the Oscars back to what it once was, if not better because

it helped the viewers believe they can do anything, anywhere, and it doesn’t have to be all at once.

Ke Huy Quan and Brendan Fraser starring in, “Encino Man” released in 1992.

Let’s take a deep dive into Ke Huy Quan. Mr. Quan came into the film industry as a child actor working with Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark which was a hit and a joy for Mr. Quan. Following this he got almost no roles and was forgotten in the film industry. It led him down a path of small studio and unimportant roles which discouraged him until his wife, Echo, kept his spirits up and he found the role of Waymand in Everything Everywhere All at Once changing his life for good.

Mr. Quan said during his acceptance speech, “Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine. To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive...” and that moves me to my point; your aspirations and joy for what you do should never have a time limit and success is different in everyone’s view.

his talent brought together what could be interpreted as bringing together the main things in life and connecting them all to become the best person he can. The love for what he does and all the people around him pushed him to be better and never give up on his dream. In many ways that was the vision between the roles that were awarded to these actors and their individual lives as their redemptions proved the values in the lines of the scripts that were so important to them and their dreams that the recognition they finally achieved in their storied careers was all worth the wait. Which in the end should remind us all the real lessons learned from these wonderful movies, to connect to

who and what you love, to do the work to make successful connections between the beautiful intertwinings that life has to offer.

Overall, your love and passions that heavily affect you and your views on the world should never be discouraged by someone but rather lifted up from the people you love. Not only should you continue to grow as a person while doing and loving who and what you want, but you should always do the same for others, evident in Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan.

By: Shane Byron, Staff Repoorter

Everyone has a joy for something different and that love is unique to the individual and no one can take that away from you. It is one of the beautiful things in life where everyone on this planet is their own person with their own views on the world. Although the redemption of the awards is a beautiful spectacle, it is the work and the joy that brings the true reward.

Moving forward, Ke Huy Quan was not the only highlighted actor of the night with Brendan Fraser also getting recognition for his masterfully acted performance in The Whale It was also a role that spoke to him with Mr.Fraser being perceived as something of a loser in the movie industry for most of his career. Yet even with all the adversity that Mr. Fraser faced, he found an ability to redeem his career.

His ability to believe in himself and

“...we worked together on a movie called ‘Encino Man in 91’” (Quan).

“We’re still here. ‘Ke, we’re still here’” (Fraser).

Ke Huy Quan and Brendan Fraser celebrate at the 95th Oscars

OPINION: MESSI =

The biggest debate in all of sports is always who is the “Greatest of All Time” (GOAT). For Soccer, Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are center stage in the GOAT debate. Leo Messi, an Argentine, made his debut in 2005 with FC Barcelona, a European Giant. On the other hand, Ronaldo is Portuguese and he made his debut in 2003 for Sporting. They have battled at the top for about 20 years now and continuously challenged each other.

As many GOAT debates are, this one is very divided although some recent events could prove otherwise. “When it comes to World Cups, neither had won the competition until Argentina emerged victorious in 2022 following a string of sublime displays from Messi. Portugal star Ronaldo had scored more goals and in fewer appearances heading into the 2022 World Cup (the biggest stage in futbol), but Messi turned things around in Qatar as he led his country the way to the coveted trophy with an impressive seven goals and three assists.” Since the World Cup was not won by any of them, Messi winning it in 2022 is what could separate them. Since, Ronaldo started from “the bottom” people tend to think that, “Ronaldo works twice as hard as Messi, Messi only has talent.” Ronaldo has worked very hard to make his way to the top and stay there for a very long time but for people to think that Messi doesn’t work hard is foolish to say.

Furthermore, another argument the Ronaldo fans are saying is that, “Ronaldo scores so many more goals and has a lot of power.” This argument could be very valid since a lot of

people believe that only scoring is what makes you the GOAT. Although Ronaldo has more goals “it should be noted that the star benefits from having played two more seasons than his Argentine nemesis thus far.” This would mean that Ronaldo has played a total of 100+ games more than Messi and only has about 20 goals more than him.

There is a competition in club soccer which is called the Champions League. This is what everyone knows from the NBA, the playoffs. Where every top team from each league comes into the competition and tries to win. “Ronaldo is the all-time leading goalscorer in the Champions League, having shone in the competition with Manchester United and Real Madrid in particular. However, Messi isn’t far behind and actually has a fractionally better goal-per-game ratio, so there is a good chance that he could overtake the Man United man if he continues to sparkle in the competition.” Although Ronaldo has more goals, Messi isn’t far behind with games to play. There is also a best player award which is given to the best player of the year according to accomplishments, achievements, and how well they have played. This is called Ballon d’Or which Messi has more of, “Messi went ahead of Ronaldo in the Ballon d’Or (Best player of the Year) stakes when he won his sixth in 2019 and cemented his superior status in that field with his seventh in 2021 to Ronaldo’s Five.” People have their own opinion for who the GOAT is but for me, it is now clear to be Leo Messi at the top.

By: Sahil Ahmadi, Staff Reporter

TRYING THE WAITER’S RECOMMENDED

Oreos, cheesecake, frosting, and chocolate mousse, everything you could want all in one plate. Abby and I’s waitress at cheesecake recommended the Oreo dream extreme, because it is the cheesecake of everyones dreams. My first reaction to this cheesecake was, It’s really delicious, it tastes like Oreos and cream cheese. Abby’s initial thoughts were, ”It’s really well balanced, the flavors go really well together.”

Oreos filled the inside of the cheesecake but my favorite part was the big oreo on top. Though the cheesecake was very good, there was one part I did not like about it; the frosting on top. It tasted fine but it was really hard and dry. Chloe W from Pinner, United Kingdom disagrees with me. She left a review saying, “Amazing Oreo dream extreme cheesecake!! I Wish they had one of these in the UK!! Tempted to go back to Orlando just for this!!” Overall, I rate this cheesecake a solid 4 out of 5 stars

One of the cheapest ice creams at Leatherby’s Family Creamery, but still delicious. Vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, cherries, fudge, and delicious brownies is what makes up Jennifer’s brownie delight. Abby and I asked the waiter if he could recommend an affordable dessert, and he recommended Jennifer’s brownie delight. Upon the ice cream’s arrival Abby said, “This ice cream is picture perfect.” After my first bite I was stunned at how such a simple dessert could taste so good. The brownie was really good, and it was very well complimented with the ice cream.

Abby and I both agreed that the fudge was one of the best parts of the desert. Abby said, “I feel like the fudge is like the icing on the cake, it completes the sundae.” Leatherbees tells customers about Jennifer’s brownie delight through Facebook, “Jennifer’s Brownie Delight is a creamery favorite. It is not only delicious... but also calorie free (only on opposite day)!” My rating for this delightful sundae is an enthusiastic 5 out of 5 stars.

Strawberries, cookies, and ice cream. It sounds delicious but its looks can be decieving. BJ’s Restaurant Brewhouse’s Strawberry shortcake pizookie was recommended to us by our waitress because it is her favorite. My first impression was that it was pretty big, bigger than I expected.

The strawberry puree was not my favorite, there was too much and it took away from the flavor of the cookie. Abby and I agreed that the pizookie was drowning in the strawberry puree and it would’ve been much better without it. Abby recognized that, “The cookie is too thin, and undercooked.” Though I would consider this dessert so-so, I still think the fresh strawberries on top were really good, and it would be the perfect pizookie for fruit and fruit puree lovers. Gina L’s husband loves this particular pizookie and if given the chance would probably disagree with my review. Gina says, “My hubby’s favorite pizookie is strawberry shortcake. They have a small 3 dish one that you can mix and match to try. Yummy Pizookie!” The overall rating for the sundae is a 3 out of 5 stars.

BJ’s Restaurant & Brew house

The Cheesecake Factory Leatherby’s Family Creamery

VIDEO GAME + SHOW REVIEW

The Last of Us is a new TV show on HBO Max that has sparked popularity among many different age groups. What was once just a video game has become one of the top streamed show on HBO Max of all time just within months.

Upon searching for a player of the video game that had experience prior to the show coming out, I found Rocklin High School [RHS} junior Carter Ross. “I started playing the video game around 5 years ago but it came out in 2013 originally”, said Ross.

Ross added “I love the tv show and the adventure all along, I waited weekly for episodes to come out but in the meantime I havent played the video game in a while.”

Streaming for only HBO Max subscribers, those who were unable to watch the show are not fully aware of the plot. RHS sophomore Jane Wesley has watched the show over and over multiple times thoroughly and described it as “an outbreak taking over the

planet which turned people into zombie creatures as they all began to get infected. The military establishes quarantine zones, there was disagreement and dispute between the survivors and the military as to how they should go along and fight the virus. They find a girl who is invincible and believe that she is key to finding the cure.”

Jane’s favorite part of the show was “the reality of how the government would handle a situation like this if it were actually to occur in society.”

From January 15th to March 12th of this year, season 1 was released, consisting of 9 episodes total. Fans look foward to season 2 in the making but if you have not yet had a chance to watch, the amazing feedback provides reason to give it a watch before the new season comes out.

By Design Editor: Sofia Keefe

Julia’sFIVEPlaylist:FAV’S

I GO TO THE BARN BECAUSE I LIKEBAND OF HORSES

The first time I heard this song was while watching the show Psych during a breakup scene. This song could be classified as a love song, but also could be a song about heartbreak. It has a melancholy melody that makes you feel like the main character in a romance movie, after a big fight. The song starts off slow, but picks up pace, into a melodic chorus.

Here’s a snippet of the beginning lyrics:

Well I’d like to think I’m the mess

You’d wear with pride

Like some empty dress on the bed

You’ve laid out for tonight

Maybe I’ll tell you sometime

This song could be interpreted in many ways, but I see it as right person wrong time, or just a little too late. Personally, I prefer listening to this song while driving with the windows down during sunset, very specific I know.

If you’re a fan of The Lumineers, The Shins, or Bon Iver, this song is for you.

SEROTONIN HIGHS (FEAT. ALLEN HALEY)ARDEN JONES

I’ll be honest, I think every Arden Jones song is amazing, and each one deserves a place in this article. However, serotonin highs is such an amazing song, I feel it should shine in the spotlight this time. Serotonin highs is an upbeat, happy love song about how much a girl is on Arden’s mind. Featuring a small rap solo by Allen Haley, this song is the perfect summer song, and would do well at a pool party, or even just with friends hanging out. This song makes me want to dance! The chorus starts the song and ends it:

I wrote a song about you last night And I can’t lie

It’s still in my head

I remember the hook was about our lives.

Serotonin highs

That haven’t happened yet And it goes like

If you’re a fan of BoyWithUke, Thomas Headon, or Aiden Bissett, this song is for you.

LOVE IN THE AFTERNOONBLONDES

If the name Blondes sounds familiar, you might have listened to their most popular song Coming of Age. That song is actually what made me a fan of Blondes in the first place. Love in the Afternoon is about finding love when it is least expected. This song is also quite upbeat, I guess I have a preference. Blondes is a great band to listen to if you’re into soft rock. They are a real band, meaning they all actually play instruments, it’s not just created on a computer. The chorus is my favorite part of this song, because it reveals the meaning clearly:

My girl in baby blue

Young love in the afternoon, I

Wasn’t looking so I guess I didn’t see it I’d wait ‘til the morning comes I’d wait if I fall in love

I’d wait ‘cause I thought I didn’t need it

If you’re a frequent listener of Surf Curse, Cage the Elephant, or Dayglow, this song is for you.

Music is one of the main forms of recreation and expression in our society. Music is all around us, and every sound can be taken,and created into a beautiful symphony. Music is a way for me to relax, focus, and even just have fun.

So, here are a few recommendations from me ... to you!

ANGELS BOWLINGDARRYL RAHN

Oh Darryl Rahn, how I adore you. I found this artist when I was watching The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon with my mom. He was on the show as a contestant in a song creating game. I immediately looked him up and found Angel’s Bowling. This song is very mellow, and is a part of my rainy day playlist. The song is mostly acoustic guitar, and is very simple. The song tells the story of how Darryl used to tell a past lover not to be afraid of the thunder,l because the sound was just angel’s bowling. It has a warm fuzzy feel to it. I love this song because it is so sweet and intimate with the artist. Beware, you may fall in love with this artist:

The lightning flashed so bright It almost looked like Someone took a picture In the bedroom

It woke me from my dream

The one where I was standing In line to ride a ferris wheel And it felt so real

If you are a fan of Phoebe Bridgers, Bon Iver, or Mac Demarco, this song is for you.

TELL ME IF I STAYED TOO LONG (FEAT LIL BOOM)YNXGXR1 - EXPLICIT

This song is one of my favorites, ever. Ynxgxr1 (younger one) is a welsh artist who has been making music for a few years now. His music is a mix between pop and a little bit of rap, as well as some alternative songs. This song is pretty self explanatory in meaning, but that’s what I love about it. This song is also relatively calm, and has a positive vibe to it. It’s about not wanting to overstay one’s welcome, but also not wanting to go home. I have this song on so many of my playlists:

Tell me if I stayed too long

It’s been ages since I called back home

And the walls inside my room, they move

So I’ll sleep here one more night ‘til noon

If you’re a fan of Oliver Tree, Lil Peep, or Strawberry Milk Cult, this song is for you.

HS 10th grader, Claire Sanchez

PHOTO BY TREY SPENCER

“When people ask about [high school] stats... they’re only thinking of them [students] as a number,” R

Success = Happiness?

OPINION: Hustle and Burn Out Culture is not Healthy.

Hustle Culture: a term created by society that romanticizes and idealizes unhealthy living styles under a capitalistic society in means for success.

Hustle Culture promotes that the sole path to success is sacrificing your mental health in exchange for success and money. This type of environment starts as soon as high school with students under pressure to have their entire future and major planned out before they turn 18. With dropping UC acceptance rates and on the rise over-achievers, many believe that if they do not get accepted into what they deem is a title school, their entire future is gone. The mentality that they need to be viewed as an all-rounder has sparked an increase in burnt out students.

“The term, ‘Hustle Culture’, is kind of what I just think of as normal. Like, it’s not a special thing,” said Claire Sanchez, a sophomore at Rocklin High School, “Sacrificing your mental health, or whatever, that comes second in my mind.” Today’s world is made up of high achievers and part of it stems from where one goes to college, the starting point of adulthood. Compared to the 1990s, colleges (more specifically, UCs) are extremely difficult to get into and acceptance rates have dropped down to single digit percentages. UCs have become the golden ticket to a successful life and the reason behind that comes from the fact “it’s kind of accessible for California, well it used to be at least, and people are wanting to have better jobs now.” Starting all the way from the nineteenth century, many immigrants

have come to the US for better opportunities and futures. This drive for success and wealth carries on to first-generation children and causes overwhelming stress.

The pressure coming from both societal norms and parents makes students burn out from the need to be an all-rounder and create the perfect student image. This drive for success and perfection easily leads to a fast burn out that reflects students’ mental states.

people by their families.. There’s a flip side of that which is actually really good and healthy,” Mr. Rubinstein interpreted, “ Like, it’s a loving thing to consider your family and to think of what they’ve wanted for you, right? But it’s also, you have to be aware that they may want something for you that’s actually not right at all and in the end, it’s not loving to live a lie.”

Humans, especially teenagers or young adults, are scared of confrontation especially from their parents. Seeing families’ expectations and hopes, many would prefer to break their happiness but not their families when they think of everything their family has done to them. What they fail to realize is, it’s unhealthy and that care goes both ways in a family. Just as much as one doesn’t want to break their family, it is reciprocated on the other side. Parents generally don’t want their children to be depressed.

“--and so, I think for some people, it kind of comes down almost to how they see themselves as worthy or not; whether or not they get into that big school after all this push.” Title schools, such as UC Berkeley or Princeton, are schools that parents gush over and see it as a bragging right if their children go there. Whether subconsciously or consciously, these parents’ dreams are shoved down their children’s throats and they don’t realize the damage they’re doing to their kids. Expectations pile on top of each other and feelings of needing to stand out start to rise, being prominent in how many advanced classes one takes. “I do feel like that pressure that’s put on some

Another large reason for burn-out is because high school students are expected to know their major and what they want to do in life so early. Many decide to settle in the medical field, as it’s the “safest” option that guarantees money and a comfortable living style. RHS history teacher, Mrs. Kenitzer, overhears of many students who have their parents wanting them to go into the medical field, but she wonders, “is that something [they] actually want to do, or is it just because [their] parents want to do this?’” It’s scary for every teenager, having to know what career they want to pursue before they graduate and feeling stuck in that major. It instills lots of fear, fear of not knowing what they’re gonna do in life and fear of not getting accepted into any schools. That leads to them landing a job that’s extremely demanding, but pays enough money for

Often as people, we tend to get our value from, like, accomplishment and achievement,”

“

- Joshua Rubinstein, RHS media teacher

them to be guaranteed a future. “It kind of makes me worry if I’m, you know, a few years into college and then suddenly like ‘Wow, I don’t wanna spend the rest of my life doing this and I’ve already dug a hole, I’m too deep, like what do I do now?’” Claire worried, “No matter how much you love something, spending the rest of your life doing it sounds kind of daunting.”

“I think there’s a lot with students and their friend groups as well, like, ‘oh you’re not taking this AP class? You’re not taking this honor class?” said Mrs. Kenitzer. Arguably, the worst pressure does not come from families but rather one’s own peers. Seeing others the same age achieving great grades, better at athletics, or essentially everything a student aspires to be puts a damper on one’s self esteem and feelings of inferiority start to develop. Students look at these high achievers, and ponder, “how can they do that, and not me?” Whether this serves as a healthy or unhealthy catalyst is based upon how the student will react.

Students often compare themselves to other achievements others have: it is an unhealthy mechanism that can be blamed on the education system. The US education system focuses on learn-

ing one specific skill in a certain manner and fails to acknowledge that other students have different learning methods. When they fail essential skills or tests while scholars get perfect or high scores, they blame it all on themselves that leads to wavering self confidence in their intelligence. Involving colleges: when it comes to college acceptance, unfortunately personal bias comes to play with gender and race. This leads to certain minorities pushing themselves and forcing that burn-out onto themselves just to see an acceptance letter from a prestigious school that guarantees them for life. Seeing that rejected/waitlisted letter brings them down after they’ve worked themselves to death.

“I think so much of your job and your career is like, who you know, your work ethic, like can you be social in a interview because nobody is gonna want anybody who can’t carry on a conversation. So, you can be the smartest person but like, if you can’t interact with people then like, who wants you?”

- April Kenitzer

Mrs. Kenitzer feels a conflict between her personal feelings, and the Hustle Culture normality. “I’m definitely in a harder position because as an AP class, I am expected to teach you all these things to be successful on that AP test. That’s what all the parents want me to do,” she stresses, “I am also in [the] belief that I don’t want you guys to have this burnout and I don’t want you guys to have this ‘Hustle Culture’, so it’s like how do I limit that? But at the same time, prepare you guys as much as possible…”

“This world does not need more people that are just part of the ‘rat race’,” said Mr. Rubinstein, “it needs more people that are passionate about what they’re doing. I kind of think we need to change our standards for success in the United States. I think a lot of it comes down to the all-mighty dollar, and whether or not people feel like they’re earning enough.”

Promoting this type of lifestyle is extremely deleterious and instills fear into students’ future: fear of not having a planned out future when it’s a time they should be having fun. This time period is meant to explore potential interests that could spread to careers, not burning oneself out. This type of culture essentially drains the childhood out of students, “I would never want to look back and think, ‘man, I really wish I did blank, blank and blank,’” said Mrs. Kenitzer, “[thinking] ‘did I really have to give up all these things for that A?’” What makes a student stand out from a flood of applicants is something connecting all their extracurriculars that they enjoy doing. “If you’re a college admission person and you’re waiting for people to apply and stuff, and you only look at their stats,” explained Claire, “sure, there’s a lot of overachievers but when you’re looking at their resume like that and all you see is that they’re in all these great things, they did all these things, but you can’t tell anything about the person: all you know is that they’re an overachiever, that doesn’t really tell you about them, you know?” If all kids did an overwhelming amount of extracurriculars, school activities, and hard classes with no clear connection in a passion and just taking it to look good for colleges, they’re just like a statistic and the same as every other applicant.

Overall, Hustle Culture does not only affect students, but teachers as well. Society’s fast moving pace sets our generation up for failure and massive burn-out, which might not seem to have everlasting effects, but it creates a foundation for trauma for future generations. “It’s just this hard line of like, how do we get them prepared but then also not force that burn out?”

By: Cassiopeia Le, Editor-in-Training

Scan this QR to check out this Podcast to listen more about teachers’ opinions on students’ Hustle Culture!

PHOTO BY TREY SPENCER

DIFFERENT WORLD

“I never felt really accepted in Brazil, for like reasons.different And here, I feel like I do more than I did before.”

“Every immigrant has a lot to worry about. There’s a lot of pressure, mainly if you’re like first generation.”

NEW EXPERIENCES

Imagine a new place, different from where you’ve been your whole life, and now you’ve been tasked with living in it and calling it a home. Whether a permanent change, or temporary, this will fill you with a mixture of emotions. Anxiety, excitement, longing, and more. This is the reality that foreign exchange and immigrant students often face.

Stephanie Gomes is a senior at Rocklin High School, and it is her third year here. Coming to the United States from Brazil, her first high school experience in the U.S. was at Westmoor High. Her world changed, but she was able to make friends and new experiences there. Sadly this didn’t last for long, as the pandemic hit and Stephanie had to move again.

Moving again right after just getting settled into a new country was difficult, and the major world events going on when the move happened did not make things easier for her new life.

Moving during the COVID pandemic meant that Gomes had to readjust to a new environment in a very disconnected way, where she couldn’t even get familiar with the campus of the school she was newly attending, because COVID regulations. Finally, when the campus was reopened, Gomes had to familiarize herself with a new campus by herself.

“I got here during COVID-times and

they wouldn’t give me a tour because they said like they would give me a tour after COVID…” Gomes said, “I never got the tour, so it was very hard to like walk around because the buildings are kind of confusing.”

This was not an easy start to her Rocklin High School experience, especially since she was new to the district. It seemed like everyone already knew each other from elementary school and middle school, Gomes noticed, further creating a sense of isolation within her. Making new friends was difficult, but ultimately, this did not stop her from eventually making connections with new people at the school.

“It took me like two years to make friends, but I get that like, why that was kind of my fault because of how hard it is to talk to like people,” Gomes said, “But like, it’s not completely my fault either, you know, it’s … I guess it’s kind of because everyone kind of grew up here, like they’ve known each other since elementary school. You go around, you make friends with someone, and you’re like talking about this other friend that that other person like was besties with them in kindergarten.”

Integrating into the community is something that is difficult for any new student to do, but an additional layer of difficulty exists for someone who is not only unfamiliar with the school, but the country as a whole.

Nicole Giotoko Satie Nagai is currently attending RHS for the year. Like Gomes, she is also from Brazil, however she is an exchange student. She describes her first experience with the campus as scary and confusing. Nagai did not even know where she was going for her exchange program until three days before she embarked on her trip all the way here.

So, Nagai used what tools she did have. She walked around campus for the first few weeks with her map in hand and her ability to adapt and learn. She met varieties of new people who, Nagai says, have made her feel more accepted in ways she hadn’t been before when she was in Brazil.

“For me, it’s a little different because I never felt really accepted in Brazil, for like different reasons,” Nagai said, “And here, I feel like I do more than I did before.”

The completely different educational structure here was novel to Nagai, and also made school more enjoyable for her than it was in Brazil. Nagai immediately noticed the difference between High School here, and the academics only structure that her school in Brazil is based around. In Brazil, students stay in the same room, and the teachers are the ones who rotate between classrooms. This style of schooling is popular in Latin America, and is what is currently the most

commonplace in schools there. Furthering the differences, in Nagai’s school there were only academic classes—meaning no classes like art or any sports.

Hugo Santander is another exchange student, coming to Rocklin High this year from Chile. He also noticed the difference in class structure between the United States and those in his home country.

“[In Chile] we have like … one group of people for like five different classes” says Santander, “Like we’ll have language arts, English, and like math and all those like together. And here, everyone is in different classes, so it’s like you don’t know one person a lot or have that sort of connection with other people. So I think that that’s really different.”

The differences go even beyond classes and making connections with people, things integral to daily life can be drastically different for those new to the country. One of the most immediately noticeable changes to Santander, for example, was the meal times and sizes. This was one of the most difficult changes for him to adjust to, a process which made him lose 20 pounds when he first arrived in Rocklin.

He explains that in Chile it is normal to have a very large breakfast and lunch with a small and light dinner, but the culture of having a lighter lunch and large dinner here was novel to him and left him feeling hungry throughout the day. These shifts in cultural norms may seem as if they’re not that drastic, and should be easy to adjust to, however they

can be a significant added difficulty to people moving to new countries, however temporary or permanent the move is.

For students who immigrate, the struggles can be stressful and compound endlessly, leading to high dropout rates among these students. A study conducted by the Department of Education found that in 2019, 29% of high school age immigrants in California had not finished their high school career, much higher than the 7% incompletion rate of born citizens in California. This statistic gives a small window to the

can be an isolating experience. Both Nagai and Santander remarked on the loneliness that they have felt, and how they miss their families.

“I think when people think about it, like an exchange student, they only see like the good parts and they never really think about the fact that it’s really sad and you’re like completely lone because you live with a family you don’t know and you are forced to make new friends and learn everything again,” says Nagai.

However, things can get easier with time. With all the struggles that there are, there are also triumphs, different for each student, however all equally important. New friends being made, adjustments to their daily schedule, gaining a new understanding of the culture; these are significant steps in these student’s lives as well.

“When it gets better, it gets to a point where you’re almost leaving so it’s really sad that you’re leaving, like, your whole new life,” Nagai says.

problems immigrant students can face, and how they affect students.

“Every immigrant has a lot to worry about,” says Gomes, “There’s a lot of pressure, mainly if you’re like first generation. Like, I’m the eldest daughter, first generation and stuff, and for every immigrant it’s just really hard because it’s a completely different place.”

For exchange students, while their change in setting is not permanent, it can be just as jarring. The act of leaving your family behind to a different country, however temporary,

By: Andrea Paz Sepúlveda Guzmán, Staff Reporter

“What I’ve learnt is, like, I just feel like people should be grateful for what they have here,” Gomes says.

These students and their diverse experiences are examples of how immigrants and exchange students handle the experience and task of establishing a new life here. They have gotten to know not just Rocklin High School, but a whole new country. Their stories are ones worth telling and their perspectives are an invaluable resource to understanding each other in the places we call home e and those which can become our homes.

In 2019 29% of high school age immigrants in California had not finished their high school career

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