Ram's Ear October 2021 by Rio Vista High School "Ram's Ear"

September 13, 2021

VOL. MMXXI, No. 3

RAM’S EAR R I O V I S TA H I G H S C H O O L

Photo by: Jorie Forbes

Homecoming was not HORRORble

The senior class float and it’s incredibly detailed portrayal of “The Shining” movie impressed not only the judges, but the crowd as well.

Senior float outSHINES the rest

Roberto Rivera-Calvo. Junior homecoming nominees were Brianna Shafer, Adriana Hernandez, Ian Viera, and George Aguilar. Sophomore class nominees were Kaity Creed, Alondra Garcia, Matt Bodle, and Marco Carillo. Freshman nominees were Letty Bellante, Jade McQueen, Brandon Leyba, and Daniel Diaz. Once finished around the track, the candidates were introduced as they were called to the middle of the football field, and the winners were then announced. This year’s Homecoming King and Queen were seniors Samuel Lara and Jenna Holden “I felt a little weird that I was nominated ever. I feel like this was a really cool high school memory to end with,” said Jenna. “I felt really good about being nominated. I found out that I won while I was in the ER so it made me pretty happy when

I got out,” said Sam. The Homecoming Prince and Princess were sophomores Kaity Creed and Matt Bodle. This year the Homecoming dance was after the football game from 10 p.m. till midnight. Many students went straight to the dance after the game, and some went home to get ready. It was hosted at the high school in between the gym and weight room. The place was decorated with clowns, streamers, balloons, a snack table, and a photo booth area. After a time of having things shut down and not having the events we want, Homecoming was finally here. Having everything from the spirit week, rally, football game, Homecoming court, floats, and the dance, the students were very excited and happy to finally have their first or last homecoming again.

by Monica Garcia, Staff Writer

this year with their float theme “Carrie”. The class float had the prom setting as their float design where Carrie is being crowned prom queen and gets the bucket of pig’s blood dumped on her while everyone is laughing at her. Freshman Bell Teisseire who played the role of Carrie states, “I was very excited but very nervous once we started moving but it was a fun experience,” Morgan Arroyo played one of the classmates who dropped the blood on Carrie, and said, “I feel very proud because they say freshmen always get last but we got second and beat some of the upperclassmen.” The juniors placed third place with their float theme being “Children of the Corn.” Their float was decorated with haystacks, students in flannels covered in blood, and holding rakes. They also had a black background with the words “JR’s OF THE CORN.” The sophomore class with “The Purge” movie theme placed fourth. Their float was based on the third Purge movie, “The Purge: Election Year,” which is centered around American independence. The class had some of their classmates on the floats with Purge masks, girls in tutus with shirts with the words “Kiss Me,” boys with tuxedos of the American flag, and the background having the words “HELP ME.” The nominees for the Homecoming court from the senior class were Jenna Holden, Samuel Lara, Cecilia Perez, and

Photo by: Jorie Forbes

After a year of having everything shut down and not being able to have events, on September 17, Rio Vista High School hosted its first Homecoming since COVID-19. This all includes spirit week, a big rally, football game, Homecoming court, floats, and the big Homecoming dance. This year’s Homecoming theme was scary movies. September 13 through September 17 was spirit week. Each day had its own dress up day of scary movie themes. Monday was “Zombieland” dress like a cowboy/cowgirl. Tuesday was “The Shining,” which was twin with your friend. Wednesday was “Scream Queens,” wear something from your favorite college. Thursday was “Lights Out,” wear all black, and Friday was “Carrie,” which was to wear Rams spirit and school colors. The seniors got first place in dressing up the most during spirit week, juniors got second, freshman got third, and sophomores got fourth place. On Friday during school there was a rally to get everyone excited and ready for the Homecoming events happening that night. At 6 p.m., the varsity football team played against Esparto High School. Before the game, the Homecoming candidates and floats drove around the field. During halftime of the game, the floats and nominees went around the track again and after they announced the winners of the floats and courts. The seniors got first place with their float theme “The Shining.” They had a view of the hotel hallway on one side of the float, where Silvia and Susana Valencia Luna stood and played the twins in the movie. “I felt nervous because there were a lot of people who I didn’t know watching me,” stated Susana. “It was out of my comfort zone but it felt really cool doing it,” said Silvia. In the middle of the float there was a door which was broken, and William Lindsay who was playing the role of Jack Torrance was sticking his head out trying to get Wendy, played by Kayla Delk. William Lindsay states, “He was played by Jack Nicholson who is a very good actor, and the character he portrays is a psychopath, so I really had to get out of my comfort zone to get to play that role, but I think everyone performed really well and I am happy with the outcome and had lots of fun.” The freshman class placed second

Homecoming Royalty Queen Jenna Holden (right) and Princess Kaity Creed (left) after winning, meanwhile King (Samuel Lara) and Prince (Mathew Bodle) participated in the Homecoming Football game.

Brazilian exchange student looks forward to experiencing American high school by Diego Torres, Staff Writer

All the way from Curitiba, Brazil, Carmella traveled roughly 14 hours here to California and she will be here for the rest of the school year. Carmella is being hosted by Ben McFarlane, who graduated last year, and his family. The size and population of Curitiba compared to Rio Vista is much larger, so you can imagine how different Carmella sees Rio Vista to Curitiba. She also says the school life here in the states are very different compared to school in Brazil. “First of all, here in the states you have 4 classes while we have 6 classes a day 45 minutes each and they’re different classes everyday. We also have to wear uniforms to school and we don’t have a mascot and no school dances.” Carmella has also noticed that we have a huge variety of snacks and wants to try all different kinds of food. “Something I really liked that I tried was ranch dressing and I also tried In-N-Out for the first time and it was amazing,” she said. Carmella would also love to visit a

variety of places while in California, from nature to cities. Some things Carmella likes to do on her free time is listen to music, talk with her friends, go hiking, do some yoga, and she enjoys watching TV. Carmella is an only child and she lives with her mom and stepdad, and is also very close with her grandfather and has lunch with him every Sunday. Carmella plans on going to college but isn’t to sure yet what she would major in and also isn’t too sure what career she would like to chase. “One of the reasons I decided to become a foreign exchange student was to see other opportunities and have a better foundation to see what type of career path I would want to take, and see if I’d like to go to college here in the states or somewhere else,” Carmella explains. She is looking forward to meeting new people, having new experiences, seeing what California has to offer her, and is excited to be here at Rio Vista High School.

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RAM’S EAR

October 13, 2021

9/11/2001: A day the Calendar of School Events world will never forget CURRENT EVENTS

Photo credit: Marty Lederhandler | AP

October

View of the World Trade Center Twin Towers in New York City after both were struck by hijacked airliners

by David Torres, Staff Writer

September 11, 2001 seemed like any other ordinary day. People were heading to work, kids were going to school, and other adults were doing daily errands. Everything was going regularly until 8:45 a.m. People in New York City were going about their day when they suddenly saw an airplane coming very low that ended up hitting the north tower of the World Trading Center. People soon discovered that the airplane that crashed into the north tower was American Airlines Flight 11. Flight 11 originally was planning to fly from Boston to Los Angeles. The airplane was hijacked by five terrorists who planned to crash the airplane into the World Trade Center. Seventy-five passengers were on the plane. People from this flight started to alert people on the ground about what was happening. At around 8:45 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center. American Airlines Flight 175 was also planning to fly from Boston to Los Angeles. This plane was hijacked by five terrorists as well. Fifty passengers were on this flight. At 9:00 a.m., American Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center. American Airlines Flight 77 was heading to Los Angeles fromWashington DC. This flight had 53 passengers on board. This flight crashed into the Pentagon at 9:45 a.m., which killed 125 people that were on the ground and 59 passengers that were on board. United Airlines Flight 93 was departing New Jersey and was headed to the airport of San Francisco. Thirty-three passengers were on board and this flight was hijacked by four terrorists. United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. People that were home were hearing the tragic news on radios or on their television.

“I was home from college at my parents house when it happened,” said Mrs. Brandi Gomes. “I had a friend over that night and she woke me up at 6:00 a.m. telling me that an airplane had hit the first tower. I didn’t believe her until I turned on the TV and saw it myself.” The south tower of The World Trade Center was the first one to collapse at 9:59 a.m. The south tower was burning for about an hour until it finally crashed down onto the ground. The north tower of The World Trade Center was the last one to collapse onto the ground at 10:28 a.m. The north tower took about an hour and half for it to come crashing down. At this time George W. Bush was president of the United States. During all this disaster, President George W. Bush was at a school in which he was reading a book to young students. While he was reading the book one of his men walked up to him and said in his ear that the World Trade Center was under attack. People around New York were wondering what was happening. They were going crazy, and thought that this was going to lead to war. Firefighters were giving it their all to rescue all the people in the buildings, people that were on the ground, and people that were stuck in between debris from the collapsed towers. Junior Yolanda Montano said, “Firefighters from different states went to assist in the mitigation of the disaster.” Every firefighter that was involved risked their lives to save civilians’ lives. About 343 firefighters lost their lives trying to save other people. Firefighters were risking everything to save people’s lives. The burning of the World Trade Center lasted 3 days. This year in September, 2021, it was the 20th anniversary of 9/11 in which we honored the lives of those we lost.

RAM’S EAR

Published by Rio Vista High School, Digital Publications Class 410 South Fourth Street | Rio Vista, California 94571 (707)374-6336 ext. 1224 email: rvhsramsear@gmail.com Printed by School Paper Express, Wappingers Falls, New York Letters to the Editor: To be published, letters must have the author’s name, address, and telephone number.

Editors Kayla Delk Jorie Forbes Donny Roos Adviser Julie Griffin

Ram’s Ear Staff Kyra Atkinson, Victoria Coronado, Greta Dole, Diana Freyre, Monica Garcia, Sherley Guerra, Daniel Hurley, Shannon Laurens, Braeden McCann, Jordan McDonald, Alex Ornelas, Synia Reed, Roxana Segoviano, Brook Summit, Diego Torres, Jenna Torres, David Torrez, Melissa Uribe, Jovany Vega, Kristiana Vega, Ryan Zamarripa

October 1 - Football vs Vacavillle Christian (home) (JV) 5:00 p.m. (VAR) 7:00 p.m. October 1 - FAFSA/CADAA forms available online October 1- CSU/UC applications are Open October 4 - Volleyball vs Esparto (home) (JV) 5:00 p.m. (VAR) 6:00 p.m. October 6 - Coffee and Treats with RVHS staff at the Media Center (7:30 a.m.) October 6 - Volleyball @ Vacaville Christian (away) (JV) 5:00 p.m. (VAR) 6:00 p.m. October 7 - Cash 4 College via Zoom (6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.) ID:962 5034 2745 October 8 - End of Term 1/ A Block (Mini Day) October 8 - Football @ Golden Sierra (away) (JV) 5:00 p.m. (VAR) 7:00 p.m. October 8, 9, & 10 - 73rd Annual Bass Derby & Festtival. Parade is Sunday at noon October 11 - Non Student Day!!! October 11 - Volleyball vs Highlands (Senior Night) (home) (JV) 5:00 p.m. (VAR) 6:00 p.m. October 12 , 14, 15 - Parent/Conferences (Mini Day) October 12 - Cross Country SDL Center Meet 2 (Golden Sierra) 3:30 p.m. October 13 - PSAT Testing for Juniors October 13 - Volleyball @ Golden Sierra (away) (JV) 5:00 p.m. (VAR) 6:00 p.m. October 18 - Volleyball @ San Juan (away) (JV) 5:00 p.m. (VAR) 6:00 p.m. October 22 - Football vs Highlands (home) (JV) 5:00 p.m. (VAR) 7:00 p.m. October 28 - SAT Testing for Seniors October 28 - Cross Country SDL Finals (Lagoon Valley) 3:30 p.m. October 29 - Deadline for AP Exams October 29 - Football @ San Juan (away) (JV) 5:00 p.m. (VAR) 7:00 p.m.

November

November 1 - CSU/UC applications Open November 1 - Saint Mary’s Administrative Meeting During 4th Period November 6 - Cross Country Subsections @ (Frogtown) Time TBA November 9 - University of Reno Metting (2:00 p.m.) November 13 - Cross Country Sections (Willow Hills) Time TBA November 13 - Rio Vista Wrestling Scrimmage Invitational (Rio Vista) November 17 - Cross Country Fall Sports Awards (Theater) 6:00 p.m. November 19 - Girls Basketball vs Buckingham Charter (home) (VAR) 6:00 p.m. November 19 - Boys Basketball vs Buckingham Charter (home) (JV) 4:30 p.m. (VAR) 7:30 p.m. November 25 - Cross Country RV Turkey Trot (RIo Vista) 8:00 a.m. November 29 - Girls Basketball @ Turlock Christian (Foundation Game) (away) November 29 - Boys Basketball @ Turlock Christian (Foundation Game) (away) November 30 - Deadline for CSU/UC applications Senior Alex Ornelas said, “I send prayers to the families that have lost a loved one due to the tragedy of 9/11. I pray that something like this will never happen again.” 9/11 will go down as a very important day in the United States as we remember all of those civilians that were sadly killed and all of those firefighters and well-rounded human beings that passed away trying to save the people in danger.

NOVEMBER 30 Deadline for CSU & UC Applications

October 13, 2021

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RAM’S EAR

Playlists, snacks and Mrs. Dole covers for Mrs. chargers necessary Johnson while she enjoys Students dream of their ideal road trip

maternity leave

by Jordan McDonald, Staff Writer

Photo by: Автошкола ТЕХНИКА | Pixabay

Mrs. Dole grew up in Naples, Florida, which is right on the Gulf of Mexico in Southwest Florida. She attended Naples High School, the home of the Golden Eagles. During high school, she participated in student council and also helped with keeping up on the football stats, but she never really wanted to play sports. After high school, she graduated and moved to a new state to start college. Mrs. Dole attended Southern Methodist University, in Texas. She said her college experience was “very fun since it was a new state and very nice to meet new people.” While in Texas, she kept in touch with everyone back in Florida. She also mentioned she still visits them to this day. She went to college to pursue being a graphic designer. During college, she became the art decorator for a movie set and the company Neutrogena. Mrs. Dole lived in Los Angeles for around 19 years and worked in an art department for a movie set. That’s where she met her husband. Her husband and her came here to Rio Vista afterwards and now she lives here.

by Sherley Guerra, Staff Writer

An ideal road trip is a trip people want to take now or in the future. Every person has different opinions on what they want to do. Students like Sophomores Angie Lopez and Ariana Bribiesca Navarro, and Junior Karmen Zepeda shared their opinions on what their ideal road trip would be like. Road trips are always fun with a playlist in hand and especially with some of your favorite artists in it. Angie’s playlist would consist of having Pink Pantheress and Doja Cat. “They have great songs,” she said. Ariana would have BTS and Korean R&B in her playlist. “I like the type of music they make and the Korean songs are something new and unique,” she commented. Karmen has a playlist called “Daddy Issues.” Her playlist includes the Neighborhood and Chase Atlantic. There are essential items you must take with you on a road trip. Angie’s essentials on a road trip are snacks, chargers, shoes, clothes, and money. Ariana would take a phone, charger, cosmetics, perfume, lotion, water, and snacks. Karmen would take her phone, energy drink, water, and snacks. Movies and shows are entertaining to watch on a road trip. Angie chooses “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” to be her go-to show on a road trip. “It is funny and there is a lot to watch too,” she added. Ariana would enjoy taking the “Fast and Furious” movie series to watch on her road trip, “action movies on a road trip are enjoyable in the car.” Karmen doesn’t have any movies she would watch on her road trip. Snacks are important when you get hungry on the trip. Angie’s favorite snack to take is cheese. Ariana would take any type of spicy chips with her along the way. Karmen would take Swedish fish, “It doesn’t make me as sick as other candies.” Everyone always has an ideal car in mind for a road trip. Angie’s dream car for her road trip is a van because it would have a lot of space for her and her friends to fit in. Angie’s ideal stops are places with history in them. “I would like places with history to expierence something new like houses with history and statues discovering their meaning,” Angie stated. Ariana would take a party bus as her dream car. “A lot of people can fit in and you can do a variety of things inside of the car,”she added. Ariana’s ideal stop would be a fast food restaurant because it includes a bathroom, a place where you can purchase food, and a place to rest. A Jeep would be a perfect

car for Karmen to take on her trip because it has enough space and uses a good amount of gas. Karmen’s ideal stop would be a bathroom because it is an important stop for her to take when she needs to stop and go. There are different types of road trips to take with friends or alone. Angie would take a road trip across the USA because it’s full of places to go, discovering museums and haunted places. She would want to go with friends on a road trip, saying,“It would be more fun and we would do research to see the best places.” Ariana would take a road trip to Los Angeles and she would go with friends too. “I have always wanted to go to Los Angeles and it will bring us together even more,” she added. Karmen would take a road trip to Idaho, “I haven’t been in Idaho for a long time and would like to go again and visit family.” Karmen would go with her friends on her trip to Idaho, stating, “It would be lonely to go by yourself and have no one to talk to.” People have different answers when they tell you about their experience on a road trip. Angie drove all the way to Los Angeles before. She used to go often when she was younger and it would take eighthours to go visit family. Ariana’s first road trip was from Rio Vista to Tijuana, Mexico. She went in 2018 and drove to Mexico and then took a plane to get to her destination to go visit her family during the holidays. Karmen has been on many road trips that lasted for days like Arizona to California, Arizona to Idaho, and California to Texas. Karmen has experienced a lot of road trips in her life. Everyone has a plan on where they would like to travel. Angie would start in Rio Vista and drive to Los Angeles. From there she would go through all the states and end in New York. Ariana would start in Rio Vista and drive to Los Angeles. Karmen’s ideal starting point would be from Lira’s because of the products we can get to go out and be ready in Rio Vista, and her finish destination would be Twin Falls, Idaho because most of her family members live there and she would like to go visit again. Road trips are fun and a new memory you can make. They can bring people together when you go with friends or family. With the interviews these students have shared, it shows us their ideal road trip they have in mind taking. There are always different ways to make a road trip

She has three children, Greta and Scarlett, who are RVHS Seniors, and Willow, is an 8th grader. She has one dog, Russell, and one cat, Sprinkles. In her free time she loves to volunteer and fundraise for our local schools. She also really enjoys traveling. She has been to Japan, Italy, Indonesia, and Mexico. Her other hobbies include being a graphic designer and swimming. Mrs. Dole even designed a banner for this year’s Bass Derby. Her favorite food is sushi, specifically a tuna roll. She has strong feelings about the COVID-19 situation and about how kids often don’t wear their mask right. She said her least favorite thing about teaching is having to “tell all the kids to put their mask on.” Mrs. Johnson is out on maternity leave so Mrs. Dole is covering for her. Mrs. Dole will be here the whole semester. Mrs. Dole has been helping out around the school district for quite some time. The faculty ended up asking her if she wanted to be a substitute. Mrs. Dole said, “I’ve enjoyed watching them grow up.” She loves helping around the campus.

Ag department grows with addition of Mr.Yates by Chloe McGahey, Staff Writer

Mr.Yates is the new AG Woodshop teacher at Rio Vista High School. Mr. Yates is 24 years old, he has been with his girlfriend for five years and they have been engaged for one year due to COVID-19. Mr. Yates is one of the new favorites at Rio Vista High. He is a really good and productive teacher. “Practice doesn’t make perfect, but a perfect practice makes perfection,” said Mr. Yates. That quote means if you aren’t trying any type of practice and you keep doing it over and over again wrong it’s not going to help you. But if you are really trying you will finally get it right. This is his first year teaching an actual class. He has taught student aid at Elk Grove High/Florin High. He graduated college from Chico State University. His favorite part of teaching is when a kid gets a “lightbulb moment”, which is when they finally get something they have been trying to learn for a long time. His favorite project was his first woodshop project he’s done which was an animal tac box for the fair. Mr. Yates has had a couple scares in the woodshop but no major injuries,

“One time I was walking in the shop and I stepped on a nail and it went through my shoe but it went in-between the part of my toes that don’t touch,” said Mr. Yates. There have also been a couple of blades broken off while he was doing a project but they didn’t hit him. A lot of scary stuff can happen during woodworking. Mr. Yates did FFA for two years in junior high, all four years of high school, and one year as a graduate. He did FFA for a total of seven years. When he raised animals he raised mostly pigs. However, he knows how to raise and show all of the other animals because Elk Grove High had their own animal farm when Yates went to high school. His favorite animal to show is a pig, but the easiest is a steer. He never cried loading them up, but his freshman year he did get sad. Mr. Yates always looked at it as the animal was just a paycheck and not an animal. The most money he’s ever made off an animal was $2,000 dollars for a pig. Everyone is so glad that he is now a part of the Rio Vista High School staff.

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Lil Nas X makes impact at this year’s Video Music Awards

by Greta Dole, Staff Writer

her. Doja Cat looked like the planet Saturn as she was in the air, which could be a reference to her album name Planet Her. She was lowered to the ground and started her performance to “You Right.” The “You Right” performance included her dancing with two background dancers to a choreographed dance. Doja Cat’s performance was very serious and subtle like she wanted. Doja Cat didn’t just get nominated for awards but she also took home one for Best Collaboration for her song “Kiss Me More” featuring SZA. Doja Cat also made this year’s VMAs exciting and interesting just by the outfits she wore. Sophomore Daisy Surla said that her favorite accessory she wore was the chair hat, “I thought it fit her personality very well.” Lil Nas X made an impact in this year’s VMAs. Lil Nas X started off strong by stealing the red carpet with his lavender suit/gown. He also performed at this year’s VMAs as well. He performed his newest song “Industry Baby” from his upcoming album Montero that comes out on Sep 17. His performance had a marching band to kick it off. There was lots of pink all around the stage and lighting. Lil Nas X proceeded to take off his shirt and switch up the scene of the performance to a prison yard, like in his music video. The name of the prison was Montero Yard after his upcoming album. In the next part of his performance, Lil Nas X stripped even more to just his boxers and changed the scenery again to prison showers. Lil Nas X recreated his “Industry Baby” music video into a memorable live performance. Lil Nas X won the award Video of the Year for his music video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” Not only did he win best music video but he won Best Direction and Best Visual Effects. Lil Nas X has made a big impact in the music industry by speaking up about homosexual men and how they are treated. Let’s hope Lil Nas X keeps doing what he is doing so he can make a difference in the world with his music. Olivia Rodrigo and Lil Nas X didn’t go home with all the awards. Justin Bieber won Artist of the Year and BTS won Group of the Year and Best K-Pop for their song “Butter.” Billie Eilish won Video for Good for her song “Your Power” and Best Pop of the Year went to Justin Bieber for his song “Peaches.” Lots of artists were up for awards and it will be great to see where all the artists go from here.

HALLOWEEN POLL OUR FAVORITE

BY KYRA ATKINSON

CANDY

KIT KAT TWIX SOUR PATCH SNICKERS FAVORITE HALLOWEEN

MOVIE

The Nightmare Before Christmas 1993 [PG] Family/Fantasy - 1h 16m

Halloween 1978 [R] Horror / Thriller - 1h 31m

Coraline 2009 [PG] Family / Horror - 1h 40m

WORST TREATS EVER RECEIVED

Are You Dressing up For Halloween this year? no YES!

ed cid de un

On Sunday, Sept. 12, the MTV Video Music Awards took place. This year female rapper Doja Cat was the host of VMAs. The VMAs took place in Brooklyn, New York at the Barclays Center. Before the VMAs start, they have a pre-show which includes footage of the celebrities attending the VMAs walking down the red carpet and interviews with some of the nominees and even fans from the crowd. Doja Cat made history at the VMAs by being nominated, hosting, and performing all in one night. Even though Doja Cat was doing every job all at once, she was most excited about showing off all the funky hats she was going to wear. Some of the other big celebrities that took part in the VMAs were Olivia Rodgrigo and Lil Nas X. This year’s VMAs was new artist Olivia Rodrigo’s first time attending and thought the energy was incredible. Rodrigo’s first song came out in January, her first album came out in May, and she graduated high school all in the same year. Olivia Rodrigo performed at this year’s VMAs and she made sure to make it her own. She performed her hit song “Good 4 U.” The stage was purple just like the cover of her album Sour. She had the crowd jumping around and singing along while she performed. Towards the end of the performance, the camera panned up and revealed that on the floor glitter and writing spelling out good, the tables forming a 4, and the background dancers making a “U.” When she finished performing, Rodrigo punched the camera, cracking it and making a dramatic ending to her first VMAs performance. Not only did Rodrigo give a performance of a lifetime, but she also won many awards. Olivia Rodrigo won Song of the Year for her single “Driver’s License,” Best New Artist, and Push Performance of the Year making her first VMAs memorable. Senior Bella Saldana is a big fan of hers and said, “Personally yes, I think she should have won those awards because her debut album is already so good and popular, and she isn’t scared to do things differently.” Doja Cat’s performance was very different from what you might expect from her. She performed two songs off of her album Planet Her, which were “Been Like This” and “You Right.” Doja Cat wanted her performance to be “emotional and intense” and “not crazy and upbeat” and her performance was just that. She started off her performance for “Been Like This” in the air and had a ring of light surrounding

September 13, 2021

RAM’S EAR

Vandalism and vaping lead The witching hour is near to boys bathroom closures by Daniel Hurley, Staff Writer

by Melissa Uribe, Staff Writer

Halloween has evolved into a day of activities like trick-or-treating, carving jack-o-lanterns, festive gatherings, donning costumes, and eating treats. Mr. Baldwin will be spending his halloween handing out candy to the little kids. If he had to dress up as something his entire life he would be Morgan Wallen. Mr. Baldwin was asked: you’re home alone and hear footsteps in your house, what do you do?” His response was, “run to the nearest exit. If I can’t, I would look for something sharp.” Mr. Baldwin wouldn’t like to run into a werewolf or a horse in a dark forest. For his first ever costume he was Frankenstein. His scariest story that happened to him was, one night he was with his ex-girlfriend and his friends at his house, and all of a sudden the power went out. Turns out that his friends cut the power and his ex-girlfriend was in on it. He says “it was the scariest moment of my life.” Senior Synia Reed usually goes out with friends and has no plans yet, but she might stay home and watch Halloween movies. In a zombie apocalypse, her first weapon of choice is not a gun, because of gun violence, but it’s a taser. She said,

“The creepiest thing that has ever happened to me was being home alone while sleeping. All of a sudden I heard a horn, went to the neighbors house to ask if they heard anything, they said they haven’t heard anything.” Synia went back home and the lights went out, but it was only in her house. Mrs. Alduenda doesn’t like scary movies, but her favorite villain is Chucky. A question she was asked was if you’re home alone and you hear footsteps in your house what do you do? “This has never happened to me, but I’d probably grab my headphones and listen to music until it goes away.” Her first ever costume was a pink power ranger. Where Mrs. Alduenda lives there’s stories about how the original owners passed away, and now haunt whoever lives there. They were told that their spirits were still in that house. She hears one noise at night and she starts to panic and get scared. Halloween has always promised the chance to be creative and become something else. There are cool costumes, tons of candy, and the best part is that everything is optional.

The closure of the boys’ school bathrooms has had a huge impact to Rio Vista High School. The school bathrooms have been closed down before, but not to this extent. There are a couple of reasons why the school’s bathrooms are being closed during class. One of these reasons is that some students do not know how to properly treat the schools bathrooms and tend to vandalize the boys bathrooms. For example, some of the students might vandalize the bathrooms by clogging the urinals so they overflow. Another example of some of the vandalism might include students breaking off the soap dispensers off the walls. The main reason for the bathrooms being closed is because students vape in the bathrooms. Previous to the bathrooms being fully closed, Vice Principal Mrs. Ingalls would only allow one student in the boys bathroom at a time, but that has not stopped them from vaping. Although the bathroom has been closed during class students still find ways to use the restroom. During class when the bathroom is closed they might go down to the office where they can use the key for the all gender bathroom, or they might use a teacher’s personal bathroom located in

their classroom. Vice Principal Mrs. Ingalls has been opening and closing the boys bathrooms and she had to say. “I feel like I would rather being doing better things, I will keep doing it as needed.” Senior Alonzo Chavallo said “I am frustrated because I get off campus lunch and it’s hard for me to use the bathroom because it’s only open during lunch and passing periods.” Senior Braeden McCann says, “I think its stupid that we have to close the school bathroom because people won’t stop smoking in the bathrooms.” Senior Sam Esperson said, “It hasn’t affected me too much, but it has made it a lot more complicated to use the bathroom during class time.” It seems all the students and some staff are a little irritated with the bathrooms being closed. It’s made it harder for the students who really need to use the bathroom during class because of the students that do not appreciate the bathrooms. Some ideas to fix the problem include using a passcode at the bathroom door. They have also talked about using the bathroom pass in the student planners. We will see the end result.

October 13, 2021

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AYSO soccer offers players Beloved teachers create comfortable environment for learning opportunity to improve skills and condition for high school season

Two of the students’ favorite teachers are some of the best teachers on campus are Mrs. Smith and Mr. Sherman. The classes these teachers teach (history and English) may not sound like anything fun, but the teachers are what make the class special with their instructing ability. The first teacher that seems to be beloved to all the students is Mrs. Smith. She teaches AP Language, ELD, English 11, and English 12. Mrs. Smith teaches her kids with a laid back environment so everyone feels comfortable, and engages with the students more than giving them a lot of sit still projects. The best method of teaching to her is to start out with all the easy subjects and work your way into the hard ones very slowly so students don’t get left in the dust. These are certain tactics she has noticed work better than others, such as reading out loud instead of quietly, or planning many things to do in a day instead of just one. “She’s not too complex. She’s funny too.” says junior Jenna Torres. Getting the students ready to learn comes in the form of grammar correction sheets in Mrs. Smith’s class. All of her classes except for AP Language get grammar warm ups to jump start their brains. The best students in her classes are always the ones who love to read and the open minded ones who love to write. If you have the enthusiasm to learn new things, you will have lots of fun reading and writing in her classes. Mrs. Smith became a teacher because of her passionate love for words and English with both its language and literature. Learning about words has always come naturally to her, “Literature is part of the humanities,” she says. The five humanities she speaks of are philosophy, language, history, art, and of course, literature. Teaching students to understand and appreciate old literature is one of her favorite parts of her classes. She is an incredible and creative teacher. It’s no surprise that students love her so much. Even if English may not be the most interesting subject, she still makes it enjoyable with her lovely personality and fun teaching methods. Another great teacher is Mr. Sherman. Mr. Sherman is widely known to get along well with his students and all of them

seem to love him. Some students even have fun nicknames for him. Mr. Sherman teaches US History and World History. He tries to relate to his students and be on their level so he can understand them more. This is only one of his traits that makes him so likeable to all his students. “He’s very laid back,” says Junior Michaela Delazzar. Mr. Sherman teaches mainly through notes, but likes to throw in some fun projects and simulations to help students pay attention, and give them something new so they do not feel burnt out from sitting and taking notes for so long. Simulations help the students “dive into history” as Mr. Sherman says. On the days before tests, instead of doing a boring ol’ review worksheet he throws together a review game so the students can have fun while keeping the information fresh in their minds for the test the next day. He makes history fun with his personality. When Mr. Sherman was in high school, he originally wanted to be a sports play by play broadcaster. Sports is something that he enjoys very much, especially baseball. He is the varsity baseball team’s coach in the spring and loves that part of his job. When he was a sophomore he joined a learning committee and came to the realization that getting into the broadcasting job is pretty difficult, and teaching was always his second choice. The two subjects that he was thinking of teaching were English and history; he chose history of course. Retaining all the information he knows now was not too hard for him since he already knew a ton of it. Even now he still takes in new information from doing research and watching documentaries. He may not spend all his living moments thinking of his class but he still enjoys learning new things from history. He always tells his students, “just because I’m teaching doesnt mean I’m not also learning.” It takes a lot to keep all this information on all these historical figures stored in your mind. These teachers are often called the nicest on campus. The way they teach their classes might make you enjoy a class that maybe you wouldn’t enjoy before. English and history may not be a lot of fun, but the teachers will make it worthwhile.

OCTOBER BIRTHDAYS March and April Birthdays October 1 Abella Bartholomew October 2 Landon Dominguez October 3 Trevor Coad October 4 Kendra Tejeda Gomez October 6 Katlin Khamdaranikone Barbara Miguel Karmen Zepeda October 7 Joshua Ayala Perez October 8 Jazmyn Vigil October 9 Angel Mendoza Perez October 10 Adonis Bartholomew October 11 Brooklyn Knoblock October 15 Roxana Segoviano Losano October 16 Emma-Jean Emmons Devin McGahey October 17 Adam Stone October 18 Kylee Carlson Jovany Vega

October 19 Angel Escalera Valentin Kathan Khamdaranikone Dylan Rasmussen October 20 Arturo Zaragoza Ornelas October 21 Jonathan Gonzalea Leyun Liu Christopher Schmittel October 22 Oscar Antunez Zaragoza Samuel Lara Giovanni Mandujano Nunez October 24 Brayan Rodriguez Zambrano Belle Teisseire Bronson Teisseire Jenna Torres October 26 Kayla Delk October 27 Hector Rodriguez Jose Torres October 28 Jenna Holden Marisela Licea Dominic Preciado October 29 Yareli Antunez Zaragoza October 30 Brandon Leyba

Photo courtesy of Daniela Roman

by Shannon Laurens, Staff Writer

Junior Daniela Roman having fun on the field while practicing her skills.

by Roxana Segoviano, Staff Writer

The AYSO soccer team is an organization that brings soccer to the Rio Vista, Isleton, and Delta areas. Juniors Berenice Sandoval and Daniela Roman are members of the team. Overall AYSO is a great opportunity for improving soccer skills and having fun playing the sport. Usually, AYSO is an all-girl team but, this year it’s going to be co-ed due to shortage of players and COVID-19. The team practices very often in Rio Vista. Junior Berenice Sandoval has been playing in AYSO for 2 years. She wears jersey number 10 and plays forward. Her experience overall has been amazing. It gives her more experience playing soccer so she can get ready and play for the High School Varsity team. “Since quarantine started, I’ve been really rusty and I just want to get back to playing and enjoy the sport,” Sandoval said. She would also need to focus on getting better and stronger on shooting, and getting more condition. She and her teammates also have fun at practices, doing drills, and bonding as

a team. The AYSO soccer team also plans a trip to go to a college soccer game as a team bonding trip and so they can learn new skills. Junior Daniela Roman’s jersey number is 7 and her positions are forward and mid. “I’m excited to take dubs, play Co-ed, and face different teams in this season,” Roman said. One of Roman’s goals is to make it to the finals and win, or at least make it to the semi-finals. This season she also wants to help her team overall improve and individually. “My most memorable moment is when we went to San Francisco to play in sectionals,” said Roman, “Although we lost, we definitely grew closer as a team.” Even though AYSO is going to be coed, Juniors Daniela Roman and Berenice Sandoval are looking forward to having an amazing and successful season. Participating in AYSO is a great opportunity to get familiar with the sport and have fun while doing it. It is also a great opportunity to make new friendships along the way.

ARTIST OF THE MONTH hannah patin “Hannah continuously asks questions to progress/learn, and it really shows in the final product she produces.” - Mr. Rivera

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Agriculture Mechanics class allows students to leave high school with valuable hands-on experience by Victoria Coronado, Staff Writer

Rio Vista High School’s agricultural mechanics class has had new life breathed into it this school year. The program was taken over by Ms. Bartlett, the high school’s newest Ag teacher. Ms. Bartlett specialized in mechanics when she went to Chico State so she has a lot of ideas for the ag mechanics class, some of which she has already done. As of this article being released, the Ag Mechanics 1 class is underway. Students have already done a number of projects since the start of the class. First they made marshmallow shooters out of PVC pipe. Then they learned how to solder copper pipes together as well as how to fix or redo an electric circuit. One of the bigger projects the class has done was painting the student parking lot. All the lines are now a bold and bright white. Next they were taught how to tie proper knots for different situations. And as of this article being written, one of the latest things the class has done is MIG welding. MIG welding is a type of welding that uses an electric arc to heat up a piece of metal which causes it to melt and join. Ms. Bartlett also has future ideas for how she wants the mechanics class to go. The next thing she plans to do is have the students stick weld. This is another type of

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welding that uses a consumable electrode to melt pieces of metal together. Another project the class hopes to get done is making some kind of barbeque pit. There will also be another mechanics class next block which will be Ag Mechanics 2-4, the next class in the Ag Mechanics Pathway. Along with learning more advanced mechanics topics, the students who take this class will have to go through a job interview process and create a personal portfolio for themselves. Ms. Bartlett wants to get her students ready for things that her students may encounter after high school. The class is planning on doing a fundraiser for the winter season. They are planning on creating snowmen out of different pieces of metal to sell. This would help support the program and help them buy materials and tools for the class. The class also gets some donations from companies like Paul Graham and California Welding who they also purchase a lot of their items from. Ms. Bartlett has done an amazing job with the ag mechanics program so far. She is hoping that when her students leave her class, they will leave with more hands-on skills and general useful life skills. The future of the mechanics program is in good hands.

Ram’s Ear

Conﬁdential Covid Questionnaire 1. Grade Level Responses

2. Gender Responses

Staff

Gr. 9

Male

35%

Gr. 10

21%

Nonbinary

Gr. 11

22%

51%

4. Non vaccinated: Do you want to get vaccinated?

YES

42%

40%

55%

Female

3. Have you received the Covid-19 vaccine?

YES

44%

Gr. 12

17%

Decline to state

42%

Partially

Non-vaccinated who answered “Yes” to question 4

5. What has stopped you from getting the vaccine? Frehman Female: Money, time, my parent not being amenable to it Sophomore Male: Just haven’t had time Junior Male: Just waiting until the vaccine is safer Sophomore Female: My mama Junior Female: People who don’t get the vaccine are more likely getting covid and dying Senior Male: My dad doesn’t want me to he thinks it doesn’t work Junior Female: I didn’t have time and I’m afraid I would get sick and not be able to go to school. Senior Male: I didn’t want it at ﬁrst

Non-vaccinated who answered “No” to question 4 Photo courtesy of UC Davis

6. Why don’t you want the vaccine?

College of the Month: University of California Davis by Jovany Vega, Staff Writer

UC Davis is a public university that was founded in 1908. This year, it had 105,850 applicants. And almost half of the students got admitted. UC Davis is ranked 10th nationally among public universities. It’s ranked number one in the nation in agriculture, veterinary medicine, sustainability, and for diversity, inclusiveness, and internationalization. This fall’s admission rate was 49 percent. To be able to meet UC (University of California) requirements, a GPA of 3.00 or higher is required. Tuition and fees have a cost of $14,646. UC Davis doesn’t only look at the student’s GPA, they also look to see that you are a well-rounded student. You need to show you are prepared for university, show leadership skills, and be prepared to overcome challenges. The size of the UC Davis campus is 5,300 acres. A good way to get around on campus is on bicycles. On any given day there are over 22,000 bikes on campus. There are a lot of things to do on campus. The campus has a 150,000 square foot fitness center, over 800 student clubs, 5 coffee shops, 21 campus eateries, and 25

division 1 teams. The official mascot is Gunrock the Mustang. The students at UC Davis are referred to as Aggies in honor of the school’s agricultural heritage. Every day is an opportunity to try something new, like meeting new people, trying out new restaurants, going to a museum, going to a bowling alley, etc. Davis, California has a lot to offer for the students. It is a very friendly and welcoming town. It’s population is 66,016 and more than half are students. There are 60 miles of greenbelt (natural undeveloped pieces of land that surround urban areas). Farmer’s market visitors are about 10,000 per week. Something that makes Davis special is that it was the first city to create bike lanes. Ninety-eight percent of their roads are bike friendly. UC Davis is a very inclusive and prestigious university. Their motto is “Let There Be Light.” It is a great place to have all the resources you need to have a successful education while enjoying yourself and others. It’s a good experience for all students to get themselves out there and try new things.

Senior Male: Because I don’t trust it Sophomore Male: I just don’t want it Junior Female: I want to wait for it to be out for awhile and know all the affects Senior Decline to state: I believe that the vaccine will hurt me more than beneﬁtting me Freshman Male: I don’t think it has been tested enough Junior Female: This vaccine hasn't been here for a long time it's recent. I know our government wants the best for economy but I don't know what's in this vaccine and the side effects it can have now or later on the future. Junior Male: I don’t want to if my parents don’t

7. Have you had Covid-19? Brook Summitt, senior

YES 13%

87%

As much as it’s understandable to quarantine yourself, I realized that being by yourself locked up in your room for 10 days straight will most absolutely drive you crazy with boredom. I feel like I missed out on so much of my senior year. I feel like it’s almost as if it’s traumatizing that we are to get tested and told we’re positive then have to quarantine ourselves away from everyone else.

8. Do masks at school prevent the spreading of Covid-19?

YES 70%

30%

Sumain Chiv (12): I feel that masks are pretty effective and look pretty good on me It sucks booty especially when it’s at football games I mean it’s outside Bri Shafer (11): i think it’s smart wearing masks at school and at events. it may get annoying but it’s helping us in the long run. we just need to keep enforcing it at games and school because i see a lot of kids not wearing masks William Lindsay (12): Wearing masks is a simple and effective precaution that should be taken. There is no justiﬁable reason not to wear a mask when it is potentially saving lives. Julian Mena (11): I think it’s a necessary precaution Isaiah Holley (9 ): As long as we could take them off outside it’s totally ﬁne

October 13, 2021

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Are you a multi-tasker?

Photo by: Monica Garcia

McDonalds may be a good first job for you

Student section coming back better than ever

by Diana Freyre, Staff Writer

After not being able to attend football games due to COVID, The student section has not disappointed this year. Last year there was no football season, but this year was a turning point. Senior Braeden McCann really wanted to make his last year the best and most spirited. Student sections have become an essential element at high school football games, and students are enjoying every second of it. But what the student sections are really all about is cheering on the team through the good plays and the bad. For the players on the field, hearing their friends cheer them on can really make a difference. “I’m going to miss it a lot,” said Braden McCann. “I think student sections really help

hyping the crowd and the players get more motivated and make the crowd go wild!” said Robert Calvo, senior. Mrs Turk has also been a big part of helping with the student section. She has helped with buying anything needed to make the crowd more and more hyped. Shoutout to Mrs Turk! “I really think with Mrs. Turk helping us and us having these crazy ideas, it really goes well together,” said Robert Calvo. Overall this year hasn’t been the greatest with COVID and having the student section be more and more involved with the games had really helped bring in more people in and bring on the football season with the best spirit and best students to help!

by Alexander Ornelas, Staff Writer

There are a few people from Rio Vista High School that work at our famous McDonald’s here in town. Two of the three employees are seniors, Dominic Rogers and Alex Ornelas, with Tydan Hernandez being the only junior out of the three. There is also one RVHS alumnus named Taurus Byers that works there as well. It may seem fun at first to be working at the world’s largest fast-food restaurant chain, but during rush hour, that thought will quickly be erased. One second, there could be two cars at the drive-thru, but the next second, 10 cars can just pull up out of nowhere, and all of a sudden you will have to be working quickly and precisely to make sure all the orders are correct. All the employees have a specific job to do while on their shifts, some jobs include taking orders on the headset (Lane 2), bagging orders (running), or the least liked job, presenter, who takes care of the beverages and hands out the food at the second window. “My favorite thing to do at McDonald’s is drive-thru because I just sit in one place but if it starts getting busy then

it can be stressful,” senior Dominic said. If it is barely your first day, then you will most likely be in charge of taking care of the french fries. Once you get the hang of taking orders, your responsibility will go to taking orders at the front counter. Working at Mickey D’s is a good first job because it can teach you to be more responsible because you have to maintain work, school life, and any extracurricular activities. “I first noticed that everyone was always in a rush and it was also very loud,” Tydan Hernandez commented. “You can also get very irritated and stressed out, so some days are good and some days are bad,” Alumnus Taurus Byers also said. “My first day was really confusing so it was a bit overwhelming, but being able to work with people I like makes a hard job a bit more bearable.” McDonald’s may be a hard job at first, but it can also be fun and teach you a few things. You can learn how to become more responsible, more accurate, and also can help you later down the road with college.

Let’s Rally! School comes together to celebrate Lots of planning resources by Synia Reed, Staff Writer

At Rio Vista High School, rallies are always one of the best parts of football season. A couple hours before the games students gather at school and celebrate school spirit. Right after the bell rings for school, the whole school goes out to the quad for the fight song. The fight song is our school chant to represent ram pride. Freshman Letty Bellante says, “Homecoming this year sounds really fun and exciting, and so does the Rally.” Every game day, which are usually on and weekends. Some of the most important rallies are the Homecoming rally and the first rally of the year. Students at RVHS favor rallies the most because it’s always fun for students as they shout their class chant. School chants are the main importance of rallies, each grade gathers together in meetings during advisory the day before the rally, and practices their school chant to assure that they are the loudest in the gym compared to other grades. The Seniors usually always win, because of how much school spirit and appreciation they show towards Rio Vista High School. Freshman Destiny Lopez said, “I’m kinda nervous for Homecoming, but excited at the same time for the rally.” Some of the many fun games that occur at rallies are musical chairs playing and each member from each sports team comes down to the gymnasium floor and introduces themselves as their fellow classmates cheer them on and show appreciation and support. Teachers especially like to participate in games and activities at rallies. The

most known teacher to win musical chairs at rallies is history teacher, Mr. Sherman. He has been teaching at RVHS, and each year he participates in musical chairs. The rally that everybody gets the most excited for is the Homecoming rally, freshman Destiny Lopez says, “I’m kinda nervous for Homecoming, but excited at the same time for the Rally.” Mainly because the night of the Rally is the Homecoming game, then the Homecoming dance. Each grade gathers together in meetings a day before the Homecoming rally, and practices their school chant to assure that they are the loudest in the gym compared to the other grades. Senior cheerleader, Jeanette Chavez said that, “Everyone needs to get hyped, and it’s better when people are involved in every grade.” School chants are the main importance of rallies. Freshman Cesar Escaoera says, “I’m super excited to play football after the homecoming rally.” The Homecoming rally consists of games, activities that occur at our regular rallies, tug-o-war between the JV and varsity football teams, musical chairs, the cheerleaders performing in their routines and having the crowd participate in their sing-alongs. Freshman Faith Jelly says, “I’m excited for Homecoming”. Students at RVHS know how to show school spirit, especially at rallies when it means the most. Rallies are just the best way to make memories at RVHS. From musical chairs, to cheer routines, to cheerleaders participating with the crowd, rallies are one of the many highlights of the year here at Rio Vista.

available for future

by Jenna Torres, Staff Writer

There are a lot of good resources at Rio Vista High. If you use them you will see that you have a lot of options, and opportunities to have the future that you have always wanted. It is very necessary to think about what you want to do well in advance. If you come up with a plan now, then you will be able to have an easier way to continue your education beyond high school. “I have two ideas for what I am wanting to study and major in,” said junior Berenice Sandoval. “My main idea is to go into medical school to become a sonographer, but if I go into medical school I am going to start off by attending a community college for 2 years then go to UC Davis and finish schooling there.” Her backup plan is to attend Sac State for 4 years and study criminal justice so that she can become a forensic scientist and go into the CIA. “I’m planning on going to Solano Community College to play soccer, and be an intern for athletic staff, said junior Daniela Roman. “If I decide that I don’t want to do that then I will go and transfer over to either Sac State or Cal Poly and finish my 4 years there, and if I go to one of those 4 year colleges then I am going to study physical health and become a physical therapist.” Use the resources that the school provides. Talk to the school counselor Ms. Alduenda because she can answer any ques-

tions that you may have, and find out what studies that you may be interested in. Every college has requirements. You will need to finish all A-G classes and attend all of them for a certain amount of years in order to apply for a UC. A lot of UC colleges do expect a certain GPA also. There are numerous things that you should look into and research because you need to know what you need to do in order to be accepted into the college that you are planning on attending. Daniela and Berenice have a solid idea of what they are wanting to do, and by having their ideas they know how well they need to excel in order to get where they want to be.

Completion of the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and CADAA (Ca Dream Act Application) form allows stuents to apply for federal, state, and institutional adi in the form of grants and scholarships. The form is available online Oct. 1.

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Homecoming drought is over by Braeden McCann, Staff Writer

September 17 was Rio Vista’s first homecoming game in over a year. Before the game started, each class went around the track with their floats for a test run and showed everyone what they looked like. The varsity football team played a really good game, but unfortunately lost 30-29 against Esparto. The score kept going back and forth, Rio would score and then right after Esparto scored. The varsity Rams team suffered a lot of injuries this game and a few people might be out for a couple of weeks. “Something me and the team can improve on is better understanding our responsibilities and communicating more on the field,” Diego Torres said. Senior Diego Torres is one of the captains on the team and plays quarterback on offense and outside linebacker on defense. The first half of the game, the football team was up 15-7, once the second half started the Rams fell apart and Esparto had the ball most of the time. The Ram’s

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RAM’S EAR

offense did really well during this game, but their defense couldn’t stop Esparto’s run game. “One thing we need to improve on our defense is fill the holes and better execute defensive schemes,” Boone Hurley, the varsity captain and the running back on offence and defensive end on defense stated. Once the game was over the Homecoming dance started, it was held at the high school down in the breezeway between the gym and the weightroom. This year’s homecoming game was a great game to come back to in two years. Even though the varsity team lost, it was a very intense and fun game to watch. Many people went to watch this game because they knew how much it meant to the football players and the students to play in this game. Even though the Rams lost, the students managed to have a great night at the Homecoming dance.

Athletes of the Month

Marco Carrillo

Jameson Bloesch

Marco is currently leading the league in rushing yards for the season, and is a quiet leader on our team and is an excellent example in the classroom. - Coach Medders

Jameson is doing a good job learning to play the quarterback position. He competes well on Friday nights, shows up to practice every day and works hard.-Coach Medders

Daniela Roman

Sherley Guerra

Daniela has such a positive attitude, She has an important role on the team as our setter. Daniela does not show frustration when things aren’t going perfectly, instead she listens intently to instructions and then smiles and does the task at hand. - Coach Ann

There are many great things about Sherley. She’s always at practice, trying her best to learn and improve. She’s a solid back row passer and hitter. Sherley is also very positive person, encouraging her teammates daily. In addition, her academics are stellar! Way to go Sherley!-Coach Saldana

Adriana Hernandez

Lacie McWilliams

JV Football

Varsity Football

Photo by Jorie Forbes

Varsity Volleyball

Varsity Ram team lines up and salutes the flag during the National Anthem.

JV Volleyball

Losses continue to plague team by Ryan Zamarripa, Staff Writer

On September 3, the Rio Vista Rams took on Big Valley Christian in their second game of the season. The team was on the road for this game, and this was the first game the Rams had with their full team and new players. Noah Bidou, junior safety and tight end, said this after the game, “As a team we were very confident up until the end. It was a very winnable game and we were the more talented team out there.” He also said, “Being two key positions on the field was making me pretty nervous. I had to watch a lot of film and was always on my toes during the entire game.” This was Noah’s first game due to him joining the team late, and he felt that joining late might have had an effect on his performance. Sophomore cornerback Damien Castellanos said, “The team lost hope. It was a very competitive game but once it got towards the fourth quarter we had players hanging their heads, they looked like they just gave up.” Damien also said that going into the game and heading into the third quarter, the spirits were high and the team was very confident. He said that he personally believes that if they were to play them again in the season, there would be a completely different outcome. The last player interviewed was Freshman Runningback Isaiah Holley. “Although we lost the game, there were a lot of positive things from the game,” said Isaiah, “Our defense looked a lot better compared to the first game. The new players definitely helped out the team.” He said although they’ve lost their first two games, he still believes that the team will be able to compete once the league starts. The Rio Vista Rams ended up falling just short to Big Valley. The final score was

20-16 and the game came down to the very last play of the game. It was a very close scoring game and the Rams made sure to keep their heads up, although they lost the game. The following week on September 10, the Rams took on their rivals the Winter Warriors. Going into this game it was very intense. Every player was focused on one goal and that was to beat our rivals. The Rio Vista Rams were coming off a very close game against Big Valley so spirits were still high and they were ready to perform. “We definitely didn’t perform our best as a team,” said sophomore quarterback Jameson Blosech, “Mentally we lost the game after they scored, once we lost mentally it started to lead more and more towards physical mistakes.” Jameson said he was experiencing bad leg cramps but did not want that to be heard as an excuse. Freshman Justin Byers was also interviewed on Tuesday and said, “The team didn’t perform our best. We definitely could have blocked better and held the blocks for longer.” Justin is at tight end and as he said in his interview, “It’s a lt of pressure playing tight end. It’s a key position in the game and that’s a lot of pressure to not mess up.” He said he is new to playing this position so he’s still trying to get used to his role. Justin said the defense in the beginning was playing really well, but once they scored it was just nonstop. The Rams ended up losing this rivalry game 28-0, starting the season off 0-3. The Rams were having trouble on both sides of the ball. They will be hoping to come out next game with a win, and get out of their beginning of the season slump.

Varsity Cheer

Adriana is a great student and athlete, everything she does she gives her best efforts. She doesn’t complain and always supports the decisions of her coaches and captains. She maintains a positive attitude and is encouraging to her team mates. Adriana is a wonderful addition to our squad and we are lucky to have her! -Coach Gornto

Alex Ornelas

JV Cheer

Lacie is kind and inviting to everyone. She respects the coaches and Captains, follows instructions willingly and attends practice regularly. She takes her role in stunting seriously and comes to every practice prepared to put in work. Lacie does well in all her academic classes and represents our squad in a positive way. We are so happy and proud to have her on our team! -Coach Gornto

Cross Country

Kayla Delk

Alex and Kayla are fantastic team captains and put in the work it takes to have a successful season. -Coach Gomes