April 7, 2022
VOL. MMXXII, No. 3
RAM’S EAR R I O V I S TA H I G H S C H O O L
Bye bye masks; mask mandate lifted by Diana Freyre, Staff Writer
Photo by: Carmella Martins
No more masks! On Mar. 12 the mask mandate for schools K-12 was lifted, removing the requirement to wear face coverings. Lots of people had different opinions on the mask mandate being lifted. “It feels nice not being forced to wear a mask everyday to school anymore,” said senior Alex Ornelas. “Now it feels as if everything is somewhat getting back to normal.” Both students and teachers have different opinions on this issue and lots of people around campus as well. Sophomore Alondra Garcia said,“I honestly think it’s weird seeing people without face masks because wearing masks was the new ‘normal’ but I’m glad because it’s starting to feel how life was before COVID-19.” Although some are people are happy about the mask mandate being lifted, some
Senior Scarlett Dole diligently wearing her mask while working on her AP Art project.
RVHS welcomes new students from Nigeria
by Donny Roos, Associate Editor
Photo by: Kayla Delk
This year, RVHS welcomes new students from Nigeria! Joyce and Sharon Ekemere flew 17 long hours half way across the world to California in December, and moved in with their relatives. Joyce and Sharon both had their high school lives in Nigeria interrupted this past year as they moved, but are ready for what’s to come. They both said life here is very different from where they used to live, but in a good way. Sharon is currently a junior, and is excited to graduate. She has her eyes set on attending San Joaquin Delta College after she completes high school. Sharon says, “I miss my friends and family in Nigeria.” Moving to an entirely different continent, let alone country, is difficult and challenging, but Sharon keeps looking forward. “I really want to explore California and meet new people. It’s been fun so far, and school is very different. I’m also interested in learning Spanish, I think it will be easier
than French,” said Sharon. Joyce is a senior this year, and plans to attend college in California, but isn’t quite sure where yet. Joyce says she also misses her friends and family back home, but said, “I was really surprised by how welcoming Rio Vista was, I was not expecting it. The croissants are also really good here.” The journey over to the States was tiring. “It was a long process coming over here, and the flight was super long. I accidentally locked myself in the bathroom and had to yell for help,” said Joyce. Joyce and Sharon moved here to have a better college experience, and they both said that the United States’ college system is better and easier as a whole compared to the system in Nigeria. People also have a lot of misconceptions about Nigeria. “The U.S. thinks we have no phones and are poor! Trust me, we are not poor and have lots of technology,” said Joyce.
don’t really mind still wearing masks, “I honestly don’t know how to feel about the mask mandate lifting because we’ve worn them for so long that it feels normal,” said senior Greta Dole. “I still wear mine because I don’t want to risk getting COVID-19 even though I’m vaccinated and boosted. Now that it’s getting to how it was before COVID-19 it just feels weird seeing people without face masks.” Teachers have also had mixed feelings about whether to wear a mask or not. Ms. Stark, the Spanish teacher, still strongly believes that face masks should be worn. “There are still lots of students who aren’t vaccinated and I will personally still wear a mask to protect me from getting COVID-19 and to protect my students as well.”
Time to BeReal. New social media app takes over RVHS
by Brook Summitt, Staff Writer
Your friends for real. BeReal is an app that students here at Rio Vista High School have been downloading to connect with their friends. Everyday the app simultaneously sends out a notification at a different time for people to capture a photo within two minutes. The app captures the front and back camera to show what everyone is doing at that exact time. You are able to react and comment on everyone’s snapshots and it’s a fun way to check up on your friends. The senior class quickly discovered the app and introduced it to everyone on campus. “It’s fun, especially when it is at a random time and everyone participates, you get to see what everyone is up to at that specific time,” said senior Alonzo Chavolla. Of course it’s hard to keep up, especially when the students have things to do outside of school. Luckily, you are still able to post a photo late and see everyone’s post, but it’s not as fun since you didn’t capture what you were doing within the two minutes like everyone else. Senior Spencer Emigh said, “Honestly, I thought I’d never get it but once you get it it’s pretty cool, especially how it sends you a random timer to send a picture and you can see what all your friends are sending in the same time zone.” BeReal is very different compared to other social media. You don’t get to curate your feed and edit your pictures. There’s simply no filters, there is no way to lie about where you are or what you’re doing. Of course the feed
Sharon Ekemere (left) and her sister Joyce (right).
is always more interesting when out of school hours. “It’s cool that you can react to what people post,” said sophomore Jameson Bleoch. “You can comment what they call a ‘realmoji’ and it’s sort of like a reaction to your friends photos.” If you haven’t already, download the app and add all your friends. Promise it will be fun. Go BEREAL!
Spring Break! April 11-18th No School Monday, Apr. 18th