December 18, 2019
VOL. MMXVIX, No. 8
RAM’S EAR R I O V I S TA H I G H S C H O O L
70,000 blue jackets in one place
by Jorie Forbes, Editor-in-Chief
walk, they encountered a snowstorm that got stronger and stronger the longer they walked. They were dressed in their formal FFA attire of a corduroy jacket and dress pants or skirts. Their hands froze and they couldn’t feel their feet. Despite the forty degree weather and snow, every night they ate ice cream from a popular midwest fast food restaurant called Culver’s. One evening, they went out to dinner with students from an Indiana FFA chapter. They enjoyed Brazilian barbeque and mingled, sharing stories and common interests. Ms. Bartlett said, “I think it helped the students work on social skills. They had the opportunity to meet and make friends with people from different states.” On the fourth and fifth day of the trip, they toured the Indianapolis Speedway and walked around the Indy Zoo. “It was a great opportunity for students to travel outside of California and spend the week with 68,000 FFA members from around the country,” says FFA Advisor Mrs. Reis. “They had the opportunity to visit with colleges and businesses from all over the U.S. We got to experience Culver’s ice cream for the first time.” The trip was made possible in part by donations from our generous community members. One of the fundraisers was a Lockeford sausage dinner hosted at the
Montezuma Fire Department (a big thank you to them for also donating $500 and to Chris Mingay and Jay Forbes for making the event possible). To raise additional funds, people were “clucked” - their yards were decorated with brightly painted chickens. They paid a removal fee and an additional $25 to choose the next victim. The trip increased the enthusiasm of
Eight FFA members visiting the Indianapois Motor Speedway in Indiana while on their trip to the National FFA Convention. From left to right: Wyatt Hagan, Sam Esperson, Jessica Mingay, Jorie Forbes, Meraiah Groves, Lane Eggers, and Aidan Walker. Advisors Mrs. Reis and Ms. Bartlett not pictured.
Porter encourages students to live their lives to the fullest
Photo courtesy of Ms. Bartlett.
by Taylor Fitzgerald, Staff Writer
Bass Club members Dominic Vieira and Boone Hurley (left to right) holding their four biggest catches from the second tournament at Clearlake, including Dominic’s 5.51 lb Largemouth Bass.
Rio Vista High has one of the coolest history teachers. He is very supportive and has very high spirits about being one of RVHS’ teachers. While being interviewed, he said, he doesn’t plan on a different job, he has had other part time jobs, but nothing tops being a teacher and he will stay teaching until it’s time to retire.
New Bass Club getting students hooked on fishing
by Tuck Forbes, Staff Writer
This year RVHS has added a new kind of club. A bass fishing team club. This club represents RVHS in bass fishing tournaments around California. The club is currently made of eight members separated into four teams. They are Co-Presidents Carson Spradling and Chase Ludlow, Chris Nunes, Ryan Witcraft, Daniel “Boone” Hurley, Carter Lira, Dominic Vieira, and Drew Mackey. Each team has two fishermen and one boater. The boater has to be 19 or older and the fishermen have to be students of RVHS with a GPA of 2.5 or better. These teams compete against other high schools in the Student Angler Federation (SAF) for scholarships and the chance to get recognized by a college and maybe receive a full-ride scholarship.
In their first tournament at New Melones they did good with one team placing in the top ten. Boone and Carter got eighth out of 53 teams and had the second biggest fish with a total weight of 9.62 lbs and a big fish that weighed 3.89 lbs. Drew and Dominic ended up placing 41st out of 53 with one fish weighing in at 1.88 lbs. Chris, Ryan, Carson, and Chase did not catch a qualifying fish. When asked what it is like to fish in a tournament Boone said, “It was different because you have to catch quality fish to win instead of just fishing for fun.” The second tournament this year was fished at Clear Lake. Even though there was only one team from RVHS there, made up of Dominic and Boone, they ended up placing 18th place out of 49 with five fish
the FFA attendees and advisors. President Lane Eggers said, “Personally, I have a lot of energy now to improve what we’re doing as a chapter and a lot of ideas.” They are excited to incorporate some of the improvement ideas they learned. Hopefully it won’t be another seven years until they have they have the opportunity to return.
Photo courtesy of Ms. Bartlett.
What were 70,000 teenagers doing in Indiana dressed in blue corduroy? Attending the 92nd Annual National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Convention, of course! For the first time in seven years, FFA members and advisors from Rio Vista attended the convention, along with approximately 68,000 other high school students from around the country. The seven students and two advisors braved snow flurries, sacrificed sleep and walked endless miles during the five day trip. They attended convention sessions and exposition, socialized with fellow students from other states, toured popular attractions, and had a blast. The trip was delayed by a day after the attendees’ flight was cancelled. But that didn’t slow them down. They arrived in Indianapolis just in time to see Old Dominion in concert that night. The next couple of days were spent at events in the convention center. They attended speaking sessions hosted by the national officers in the local NFL stadium, went to the career exposition, visited booths for every state’s FFA affiliate, and learned about new ideas for the Rio Vista FFA chapter during workshops. Most mornings, in less than forty degree weather, they walked fifteen minutes to the convention center from where their van was parked. During one such
weighing in at a total weight of 14.57 lbs and a big fish at 5.51 lbs. Normally this fish would have placed but in this tournament the biggest fish weighed in over 7 lbs. In their third tournament the team was represented by one team made up of Chase Ludlow and Dominic Vieira. They came in at ninth place out of 15 with a total weight of 4.91 lbs and a big fish at 1.81 lbs, which was caught by Dominic. The Bass Club originally started with Ms. Chesnut as just a place for students that liked fishing to hang out. Once Ms. Bartlett was asked to be the advisor she asked them if they wanted to compete against other schools. This was how they got into competing. The bass team (Continued to page 2)
Mr. Porter has been a teacher for five years. He says the best thing about his job is the relationships he has with his students. He likes showing his history students how to enjoy learning, even though “it’s the hardest thing to do.” Before Mr. Porter starts his day teaching he listens to his favorite tunes in the car as he heads to work everyday, and at the end of the day he takes 15 minutes to himself. There’s a quote in Mr. Porter’s class that he looks up to and said, “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that counts. It’s the life in your years,” by Abraham Lincoln. He had one himself he wants his students to live by: “Live life to the fullest with no regrets.” Mr. Porter worked hard to be a teacher. He took six years total of schooling, two years graduate and four years undergraduate, and his college major was in social science. Mr. Porter was born and raised in Castro Valley, CA. He also attended high school there, where he graduated in 2007. Castro Valley High is where he enjoyed sports and hanging out with his friends. He played football for three years and track and field for one year. Track and field was the one he enjoyed most. In conclusion, Mr. Porter has shown and proven that he is willing to do everything it takes to help his students succeed. He helps all of his students when they need help so they can pass his class and graduate. He shows so much love for his students and truly cares for their education.