The Pepperbox
February IN THE BOX
BOX BRIEFS
February 18: Term Ends February 21-25: Presidents Break March 5: Junior Prom/Winter Formal February 24-31: AAI “Spring Musical”
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EDITORIAL STAFF Seri Welsh Editor-in-Chief Lila Cohen Editor-in-Chief Ian Letts News Editor Dylan Berman Feature Editor Madelyn Conley Deputy Feature Editor Emily Nalley Sports Editor Eva Johnson A&E Editor Flannery Warner Opinion Editor Ty Franklin Photo Editor Amaya Mendle-Nickle Deputy-Photo Editor Bella Fratkin Business Manager Aidan Shelton Art Director Dele Rebstock Social Media Editor Sydney Trieu Web Editor Eva Johnson Copy Editor
REPORTERS
Jeanette Thuy Haley Kenyon Ruby Auckland Bodie Lewis Tabitha Born Zoe Macknicki
The Pepperbox would like to thank Western Web, based in Samoa, for printing at-cost. Western Web supports student journalism throughout Humboldt County and has made publications like the Pepperbox possible for decades. We appreciate their dedication to keeping print media Western Web alive.
Sexism in Sports . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Nurse Kell Spotlight . . . . . . . .7 Black History Month . . . . . . .7 Lunar New Year . . . . . . . . . . .8 Dealing with COVID . . . . . . .8 Local BIPOC Businesses . . . . 9 Spring Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Tiger Den . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Manson Family . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Luis Cervantes. . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Check It Club . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 All Gender Bathroom . . . . . 12 Racist Graffiti . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Eligible Singles. . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Soulmates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Pet Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Asking out your crush. . . . . 18 Alternative Valentine’s . . . 18 Dance Moves for Formal . . 19 Self Care Tips . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Senior Traditions . . . . . . . . . 20 Romance Movie Review. . . 20 Pulling people from class . . 22 Native American Club. . . . .23 Sex Stigma. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Google Classroom . . . . . . . . 25 Testing Positives. . . . . . . . . . 25 Saltbox. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
Questions regarding editorial content of the Pepperbox should be directed toward its editors. Opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of Arcata High School.
Advisor Ariana Urrea
Editor’s Box
Seri Welsh and Lila Cohen Co-Editors-in-Chief
We have a website! Go to thepepperbox.com for breaking news Interested in and more exciting writing for the content!
Pepperbox? Contact the editor. pepperbox@nohum. k12.ca.us
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Welcome to 2022!! 2021 was quite a year, between staffing shortages and new variants, we are all ready for a fresh start. We continue to be without a permanent teacher (four months and going strong) but with the help of Ms. Urrea, we have fallen into a routine that… works well enough. This issue was substantially less frantic than the last one, however, some new and interesting problems emerged with the creation of this issue. We currently have one computer that work for laying out articles, one that works for downloading pictures, and a separate one that refuses to load Google but manages to load Adobe InDesign faster than any of the other computers. Despite our ever growing obstacles, the journalism class has endured. Shout out to our wonderful artists on staff who pulled through and created more drawings and graphics than any of our previous issues. Our staff worked hard to hand pick singles from across all grades and provide all the advice you will need to enrich your love life. We are proud to share with you Issue 3, Volume 94 of the Arcata High Pepperbox. Love, Your Editor-in-Chiefs Seri and Lila
Behind the Scenes
Quotable. “They have to be old enough to be able to drink legally to have any experiences.” -Ms. Angles talking about who should be interviewed about the American dream
“That’s the thing about lies, you can tell them whenever. That’s the problem.” -Mr. Pinkerton on lying on the reading bingo
“I’m like the soldier in the army, and he is -Alex Jioras on directions from Mr. Hoffman to put the government.” worms in his plants “That’s why I like dead people.” - Grace Talty on meeting your heroes
“My favorite color is dirt.” - Mr. Scott as he colors
“These kids need serial killers.” -Ms. Coriell recommend psychology film to Rosebrook
“I got these CBD dog treats that I just eat all day.” -Mr. Mielke discussing his drug usage
Important dates!!
April + April 11-15Spring Break + April 22- Term 5 Ends
February + February 18Term 4 ends + February 21-25Presidents Break
May
+ May 1Commitment Day + May 30Memorial Day
March
+ March 5Junior Prom + March 24-31AAI “Spring Musical” + March 4- SATs in Del Norte
June
+ June 4- Senior Prom + June 8- Senior Awards + June 16- Last Day of School + June 16GRADUATION!!
Valentine’s crossword Answer key
Favorite Love Songs Mr. Moore - “Dreamland” by Bob Marley and the Wailers “It looks at love as something fundamentally between two people, if you’re truly in love it’s all you need.” Mrs. Mauro - “Friday I’m in Love” by The Cure “It reminds me of when I was in high school.” Mr. Sidell - “You Send Me” the Aretha Franklin version “She was good friends with Sam Cook, who wrote the song, and you can really feel her conveying that special connection with him and the emotions in it.” Ella Newman, Junior - “POV” by Ariana Grande “I like the lyrics and I want to dance to it at my wedding.” Paolo Bosques-Paulet, Junior - “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley “Because it’s so popular it can be both serious and not serious which is so beautiful.” Ariana Burchill, Senior - “Cherry Wine” by Hozier “It’s really pretty and his vocal quality is simple and calm which is nice.” Cal Tucker, Freshman - “Someone Like You” by Adele “Adele’s the sh*t.”
1) Pink 2) I love you 3) Box of chocolates 4) Cupid 5) Holiday 6) Love letter 7) Happiness 8) Romantic 9) Forget me nots 10) Soulmates 11) February 12) Be mine 13) Couple 14) Secret admirer (down) 14) Sweet (across) 15) True love 16) Gifts 17) Teddybear 18) Flirt 19) Love 20) Promise 21) Admiration 22) XOXO 23) Relationship 24) Red 25) Bouquet
The Pepperbox | Page 6
News
Sexism in sports: part 2 Flannery Warner
T
Opinion Editor
his article is second in a series of articles concerning sexism in sports at Arcata High School. Everyone deserves a safe and fair practice space when training for their sports as stated by Title IX, the federal law which aimed to increase and equalize educational opportunities for both women and men. This principle may not be being followed within Arcata High’s campus. In the aftermath of publishing the first article on sexism in sports, girls from Arcata High School’s cheer team brought up many issues they’ve faced as athletes. “They [administration] don’t prioritize us at all compared to any other [boys] sports,” sophomore and cheerleader Engelina Reed shared. The cheerleaders and girls basketball players shared an overwhelming desire for simple equality and acknowledgment by the school and surrounding communities. The athletes and their coaches shared strong sentiments of wanting to see the school make a change in how it goes about recognizing their respective sports. “It’s just sad. You would think that with the year we’re in, this wouldn’t still be happening…it has made a lot of people quit, and I understand why, it’s just miserable,” Reed stated. Every year, AHS puts on a large assembly for the Arcata High Invitational Basketball Tournament, filled with interactive games, T-shirt tosses and awards for players competing in competitions. Where is this same celebration for the Women’s Arcata Invitational Basketball Tournament held just a mere week before?
AIBT and WAIBT are huge basketball tournaments that Arcata High hosts. However, the school has traditionally only hosted an assembly for AIBT. During this year’s tournaments, only AIBT was ever featured or promoted on any school-sanctioned social media account, leaving the girls to advocate and advertise for their own games. “They didn’t even post that the games were even happening, but for the boys they put up like three posts…there was even a whole trailer [for AIBT], but not even a consistent bulletin announcement for WAIBT,” senior Grace Talty said. When Arcata High’s Instagram account was surveyed, it was found that the account had posted “stories” for each of the games, both boys and girls. However, the boys were the only ones that got an actual post on the general feed. Furthermore, many of the girls feel unappreciated by the historical lack of an assembly. “It just puts off the image for the school that the guys’ teams are more important than the girls and that they deserve more acknowledgment because they’re men. It feels like the girls are really just there but like it doesn’t really matter to the school campus,” Talty stated. A new development for both the cheerleaders and the girls basketball team was the inclusion of cheerleaders on the sidelines for the girls games. “Our whole team was jittery with excitement, it was really nice to have that support…,” Talty stated as she discussed the inclusion of the cheerleaders. From a cheerleader’s perspective, Reed shared a similar sentiment. “It ended up being so much more fun to watch and to cheer for than
the boys…hopefully, we’ll continue to do it,” she stated. It’s a breath of fresh air to witness female athletes of differing sports appreciating and celebrat-
Thursday, February 17th, 2022
ing the value found in their sports. They, and the broader female athlete community, hope that the entire school will soon start to share that appreciation.
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Thursday, February 17th, 2022
Black History Month
Co-written by Guest Writer Sienna Long And Sports Editor Emily Nalley
B
lack History Month is a way that people are able to celebrate and embrace the history and culture of black excellence. It is also a month to embrace the hardships that black people and people of color have fought for. Black Student Union has a lot planned to celebrate this month. On Friday, February 11, they held a movie night in the Fine Arts Building where they watched the movie “Harriet.” The 15 through the 18 of February, they are having a call to action with posters all over the school to advocate for a safe space for BIPOC individuals. There will be different activities at Flex time everyday. These activities will include guest speakers and book readings. They will also be selling buttons with the logo seen below, and stickers that state “Black Lives Matter In Schools,” as a fundraiser for the club. These will be sold in the front of the school and all the proceeds will be going to helping the BSU club grow. Use Black History Month to reflect on how you can be a better ally, and support our Black community on campus.
Feature
The Pepperbox | Page 7
The Medical Renaissance Man Dylan Berman Feature Editor Where does an Arcata High School student go when they’re injured at school, have a burning medical question, or need any form of support in regards to their health? They go to the school nurse, Jonathan Kell. With the challenges posed by COVID-19, many students are thinking about health and medicine at the school in a way they haven’t before. However, many students are unfamiliar with the job and personality of our district nurse. Nurse Kell has been with the district since 2018, handling health at the school before COVID-19 was a problem. He described how he was able to help individual students over a long period of time in a way he can’t anymore now that he’s so busy with COVID-19. “I miss that, I miss being able to casually meet with people when they need it,” he explained. “Working directly with students who want to make positive changes, working directly with students who want to go into the medical industry,” Kell said was one of his favorite parts of the job. “They’re really amazing people,” he continued. For Kell, his interest in biology and in helping others led him to the job of school nurse. “I studied marine biology in my undergraduate and got a biology degree…in my opinion [medicine] is a very real way to study applied biology, where you can apply what you’ve learned,” he explained. “It’s a way to stably raise a family while doing something enriching, and that’s what made me choose it,” he concluded. Kell recalled working at a non
Dylan Berman/PEPPERBOX
Nurse Kell stands in front of a student painted mural on campus, he enjoyed watching the mural being painted. profit before being a nurse to see if the career was for him. “I worked for a non profit organization at first just to see if I could be a nurse and handle the urine and blood and all that stuff, all the smells. It’s quite overwhelming even as a trained professional,” he explained. For who Kell is, the job of a school nurse fits very well. “I’ve always wanted to be working in a really high flow environment, I’ve always either served tables or served bars or worked in really busy clinics or worked in this,” he said. If one focus of Nurse Kell’s stood out, it was helping students. He said that he wanted to be there as a resource for injured students who might not be able to easily access a doctor. “If they have been thinking that they need to go to the doctor or something for a week or two, just come and ask me,” he said. He explained that he’ll work to connect students with their doctors and other health professionals when something is too big to be
dealt with just by him. Kell had a lot to say about his life outside of his job, saying his hobbies and family are the only way he can deal with the stress of being a nurse. “My primary soul sport is skateboarding…I still street skate, I skate the parks, I have a pass at rampart…I can still land kick flips,” he said proudly. Kell is a man of many talents. “I surf too…I snowboard as much as I can...I’m into photography, I have DSLRs, I have drones…I do crabbing and fishing,” he continued. Kell explained that without many hobbies, life is boring. Out of all of these interests, his family is his biggest hobby. “My wife’s the geology teacher here…we study the Cascades together…we’re always looking for rare minerals and artifacts.” Kell went on leave from his job as the district nurse during the first week of February, and his caring presence and dedication to student well being will be missed until his return.
The Pepperbox | Page 8
Feature
Thursday, February 17th, 2022
Celebrating the year of the tiger Sydney Trieu
M
Web Editor
any people celebrate the beginning of the New Year at the stroke of midnight on January 1. However, some of the Asian community celebrate the New Year in accordance with the Lunar calendar. This year, the new year started February 1, and it is the Year of the Tiger, which is based on the Chinese Zodiac. The Chinese Zodiac is the Asian equivalent to the Western horoscope. However, it’s based on a person’s birth year and each year is assigned a specific animal. It changes in accordance with the Chinese Zodiac calendar order. There are many different traditions and celebrations that take place across the varying diaspora of Asia for Lunar New Year, and at Arcata High School, students have their own version of those celebrations. One of the most mentioned traditions is celebrating the new year
with a family dinner. “During winter break, we’d go out and meet our relatives. [We] have a family gathering and go out for a big dinner,” senior Stanley Guo shared. This ties into one of the main aspects of Lunar New Year, as the holiday is a time to honor family and spend time together. “We take the time to spend with family…and it’s a way to connect with them,” junior Kyra Alway said. The emphasis Lunar New Year places on family shows how important it is to the Asian community. Another aspect of the celebration is the preparation. This involves deep cleaning one’s house. “We start by cleaning the house a few days before…I like the cleaning part because it brings me good luck for the upcoming year,” sophomore Andrew Trieu said. Another shared tradition between different Asian cultures is the exchanging of red envelopes. They usually contain two dollar
bills and are given to family members and friends as a representation of fortune and prosperity Each family has their unique spin on certain Lunar New Year celebrations that holds a special meaning to them. Freshman Nyrie Broderick said that her favorite memory was “when I was five or six, my grandma got me a handmade silk qipao from Taiwan.” A qipao is a traditional Chinese dress originating from the Man-
homework. Your health is more important than school work and you can make it up when you feel better. Relax, catch up on your favorite shows or whatever you want until your symptoms are gone and you’re feeling better. Make sure you get fresh air everyday. Even if it’s sitting in your backyard for 10 minutes, that is still something and will be nice instead of being cooped up inside for two weeks. Touch some grass or roll in some mud, do anything as long as you’re getting fresh air and some sunlight.
Try to stay in contact with your teachers and keep them updated. Most will be happy to help you and keep you in the loop. They are there to answer questions, and by staying in contact, they’ll be more inclined to cut you some slack, especially because you are sick with a virus that has kept the world in lock down for the past two years. Check Google Classroom everyday for new assignments or notes. Staying on top of your work before you have to come back to school will take some weight off your shoulders and that way you aren’t as stressed when you return
chu region. It is seen as the national dress of China and holds many different meanings. Gifting new clothes during Lunar New Year is done as a symbol of new beginnings. Across all of the traditions that Asian students have shared, there’s one common theme: family. Sharing these traditions and celebrations helps students at Arcata High understand one of the most important and widely celebrated holidays of the Asian community.
Ty Franklin/PEPPERBOX
February 1 marks Lunar New Year; the end of the year of the Ox and the beginning of the year of the Tiger
So you got COVID? Now what? Haley Kenyon
F
Reporter
or students, getting COVID goes hand in hand with missing school, causing students to fall behind in their studies or worse, feel unsure how to go about it. As someone who got COVID in the beginning of second semester, it was confusing trying to figure out how to stay on top of homework or even when to come back. Without guidance on how to deal with COVID, it was a bit overwhelming, so here are some tips on how to navigate it. First, make sure you take care of yourself before you deal with
to your classes. If you have one of those teachers that doesn’t post on or use Google Classroom then that’s when staying in contact with your teachers really comes into play. I know it’s tempting to just forget that you go to school and slack off, but it’ll come back to haunt you when you realize none of your work has been done, and suddenly, you’re failing your classes. So again, take care of yourself first and foremost, but stay in contact with teachers and do your homework! Stay healthy and good luck.
Thursday, February 17th, 2022
Feature
The Pepperbox | Page 9
Local BIPOC business spotlight Seri Welsh
Co Editor-in-Chief
H
umboldt County is a predominantly white community. 83.2% of county residents are white according to the United States Census Bureau. When it comes to the business ownership aspect, the numbers are even lower. According to the Census Bureau, as of 2012, there were 1,853 minority owned businesses, compared to 10,333 non-minority businesses in Humboldt County. The Pepperbox aims to provide a foundation for dynamic and inclusive community dialogue, and raise voices of marginalized people. As part of our goal, we wanted to highlight some of Humboldt County’s BIPOC businesses. Homeboldt Started by Tommy Hernandez in 2017, Homeboldt is a BIPOC and queer run clothing store based out of Jacoby Store House on Saturdays from 11-3. One of his biggest obstacles was “starting from absolute zero… and legitimately building a business, one at a time without having anybody in particular local or in [his] family to help,” Hernandez explained. Living in a predominately white county, Hernandez recalled his unique experience as a BIPOC business owner. While he hasn’t experienced outright discrimination, he acknowledged “a lack of being able to see, hear, or be around people that look like [himself] or people of color in general.” His identity plays a huge part in his business and portraying people from all backgrounds is what makes his work stand out. “I gravitate a lot towards artists of color just because sometimes that’s the style of artwork,” he explained.
People often think about disadvantages for BIPOC business owners, but Hernandez was quick to identify advantages. “I feel like I have an advantage just because the BIPOC community is close knit and we do support each other,” he said. He recognizes his responsibility as a successful BIPOC business in raising the voices of others. He’s been working with the Wiyot tribe to screen print shirts among other things. “It’s been just recently that I’ve been able to have a platform and it’s just been a privilege and an honor.” Hernandez appreciates the support of the community throughout the pandemic. “Honestly just keep doing what you’re doing. The community has been really accepting and I really appreciate that. Keep supporting the local artists, not just my store, but Humboldt County is just filled with a lot of local art. That’s what inspires me and makes it home,” he stated. Hernandez advises aspiring BIPOC business owners to “put your head down and work, it takes a lot of work... There are gonna be obstacles, it’s not always indicative of
Taken by Stacy Ashburn
Tommy Hernandez poses in his new Homeboldt apparel
Taken by Annika Botha
Business partners and sisters, Liz (left) and Christina (right) are proud to own a business together where you come from or how you look.” Two Beauties, Skin + Makeup Five and a half years ago Two Beauties, Skincare and Makeup Artistry was opened by entrepreneur Elizabeth Wilson. They are located at 523 F Street in Eureka, and are available to service by appointment. “We’re just proud to be Mexican-American sisters who own a business together,” Christine Brown, Elizabeth Wilson’s sister explained. She acknowledges that her identity has had an impact in her work. “I bring pride to my work because of my background… We had to work a bit harder and I think that really shows in our work,” she stated. It is evident that they’re hard work has paid off. Brown is continuously booked up with appointments weeks and even months in advance. “The support from clientele and other business owners has been amazing… We get really great support. Our website has been super successful,” Brown voiced. Following their recent years of success, they decided to help organizations they aligned with.
“Right as the pandemic started, Liz and I began donating to other organizations, Black Humboldt and things like that,” Brown said. Brown’s support for the community goes far beyond her business. She acknowledges her responsibility as a business with a platform in raising voices of marginalized individuals. “It’s just important for our clients and community members to know where we stand in terms of our views on things and be able to spread the word and spread awareness,” she explained. “Liz and I promised to our community that we would continue to work with different Black brands or different POC brands, stand up for our community and work with people of color in our community,” she continued. In terms of advice for people starting their business, Brown was quick with her answer. “Just do it…I feel like sometimes people tend to shy away from being themselves because they’re scared of what people will say and how it will affect their business. The right people will come to you when you’re being yourself,” she said.
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Thursday, February 17th, 2022
The return of the tiger den Amaya Mendle-Nickle
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Reporter
ore commonly known as the Tiger Den, the Arcata High School student store has made its grand reopening after almost two years of being shut down. It is a great place to get easy and accessible food during break or lunch. The student store is run almost exclusively by the students in the business marketing class. Senior Ysabella Mazzoti has worked at the student store since they were a sophomore, but since the store got closed due to COVID-19, their experience was cut short. “I really wanted to help open it back up, and I had experience working in it which is useful to the reopening,” Mazzoti said. The student store has a specific way in which it’s run. The cashier takes a student's order and the runner then brings the order to the prepper who prepares the food. AHS business marketing teacher, Tyler Fant, shares that the Tiger Den is a very important aspect
of the school, and he thinks it is a great opportunity for students to work there. The business marketing class also has a lot of guest speakers from around the community who come to the class and share business tips and how to be successful as workers. “I'm really proud of my students and what the student store has become,” Fant said. Students get to choose their positions in the store, and go through a series of interviews and applications in order to secure their jobs in the Tiger Den. “I either do drink prep or work for food. I cut bagels or mix hot cocoa, that's about it,” said sophomore Eden Beachy who is a “prepper” at the student store. The most popular menu items at the student store are bagels and pizza, says Ysabella Mazzoti. The Tiger Den is a great place to stop by to get a quick snack. It's also convenient if you have a club meeting during lunch and don't have time to go buy some-
thing. There are lots of options in the student store, however many students have made some suggestions on what they would like to see. “I think they should have fruit and maybe popcorn,'' junior Enza Zeppegno-Mendonca said. Sophomore Sionna Khattab said they should have granola bars. Freshman Ezra Kidd said Pop Tarts. Another way to reach out to more students might be to sell some allergen-friendly snacks that are welcoming to students who are gluten or lactose intolerant, or have other allergies, such as peanuts. With the Tiger
Den now open, it brings excitement back to the Arcata High community, as well as more options for students to eat on campus.
Morgan Ford. Last year’s season was cut short which was very disappointing to Ford. She hopes to get a full season, playoffs and all this year. Arcata High’s softball team is hoping to take the Humboldt Del Norte League (HDNL) title this year. Another sport that is played during the spring season is boys golf. Beck Pedersen, an AHS junior, is planning on playing golf this spring season. He can’t wait to “jam out on car rides home” after a sweet victory. Pedersen also works really hard and likes the reward of seeing his practice pay off in games. Track and field is another sport
that occurs during the spring season. Junior Alauna Thompson, a distance runner, said she enjoys a good cry before the races to get out the pre-race jitters. “I’m hoping for a longer season this year,” Thompson said. She hopes to have a season that is a little more back to normal. Baseball takes place during the spring season. “This next season, we have a lot of really good players,” Arcata High junior Cedar Cline said. “I feel like we are in our junior and senior years and we have a really good team shaping up. It should be a really fun season.” Boys tennis is another sport
that is offered during spring. “Due to COVID there have been a lot of new players popping up out of the blue, so I am really excited to meet my fellow teammates that I will be spending the rest of the year with,” senior Aiden Waters said. The final sport offered during the spring season is swimming. “The most fun part is the van rides there,” junior Sadie Breen stated. “I’m excited to be able to go to more meets. I am also excited to see some of my friends from other teams.” Best of luck to all spring sport athletes. Go tigers!
Spring sport outline Zoe Macknicki
S
Reporter
pring sports are back in action this 2021-22 school year. Spring sports began February 7, and athletes are ecstatic. This year, Arcata High School will be offering track and field, softball, baseball, boys golf, boys tennis and swimming. Spring sport athletes are excited to have their sports back after a few years of modified seasons. Softball is one of the various sports offered during the spring season. “I am looking forward to going out of town for games,” said junior
Thursday, February 17th, 2022
News
The Pepperbox | Page 11
Getting babysat by the Manson Cult Ty Franklin
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Photo Editor
n the 1960-70’s, a charismatic man by the name of Charles Manson created a cult, “The Manson Family.” The cult consisted of about 100 followers, mainly young women. They formed a commune on the Spahn Ranch in Los Angeles, California. There, Manson radicalized them with his teachings, inspired by the counterculture hippie movement and communal living. The most prevalent crime the family committed was the murder of Sharon Tate and four others at her Hollywood home in 1969. Today, questions are still asked about this bizarre group, which
inspired Director and Writer, Quentin Tarintino in his 2019 film, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” Tim Clewell, an art teacher at our very own Arcata High School, is familiar with the Manson family, perhaps a little too familiar. Clewell and his brother were raised in nearby Gasque, California. His mom was a waitress at Denny’s while his grandma worked close by. Their long shifts meant they needed babysitting help. Ms. Clewell learned of a local babysitter, Nancy Pittman, who had set up a small babysitting operation with her own three kids. “I remember her being really nice, we would go and watch Mary Poppins and stuff,” said Clewell.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until Clewell’s grandma received a strange knock on her door from a couple of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents. “The FBI came to my grandma’s house, and said we are looking for Squeaky Fromme, we have reason to believe she may be in Nancy Pittman’s house,” explained Clewell. Turns out Clewell’s babysitter was a famous Manson girl along with her prison escapee friend Fromme. Fromme was incarcerated for her attempted assassination of President Gerald Ford. Clewell’s grandma phoned Ms. Clewell. “She immediately came and got me out of daycare, and said she had gotten off work early or some-
thing like that, and I never went to Nancy’s house for babysitting again.” Former prosecutor, Vincent Bugliosi, referred to Nancy Pittman as Manson’s ‘chief assassin.’ Pittman wasn’t ever formally connected with the crimes of the Tate murders, but she was thought to have visited the crime scene to inspect the massacre with Charles Manson himself. “She was a really nice lady… that’s a cliché thing to say about people who participate in such vile acts…,” Clewell reasoned. It’s strange how small our world is, and how we may never know our own neighbors, or even babysitters.
background in locksmithing, motorcycle mechanics, business ownership and truck driving. Additionally, he has experience working on school campuses. “I worked as campus supervisor in Eureka at Zane Middle School, Winship, and Zoe Barnum,” he said. Furthermore, Cervantes worked with Gang Risk Intervention Program (GRIP), which aims to work with kids at risk of gangs and drugs by helping to engage them in their respective cultural backgrounds. As AHS campus supervisor, he looks to bring these experiences together to assist students however he can “My main motivation in this job is to just bring a positive light to school,” Cervantes said. He also wants students to know that authoritative figures on campus have the students best interest at heart. “We’re here to encourage them,
help them grow, make the best decisions they can while we’re with them,” Cervantes said on the topic of helping students. Additionally, Cervantes complimented Arcata High students for being pleasant to work with, even in negative situations. “Everyone seems to be very positive and friendly,” he stated. He also acknowledged that the students he has encountered in a less positive manner were understanding of the mistakes they made and open to doing better in the future. “On this campus, most kids are on a pretty positive page, and they’re trying to do the right thing,” Cervantes said. At Arcata High, Cervantes is looking forward to being a positive influence on campus with the students and staff. He would like students to know that if they have any questions, concerns, or simply a person to
talk to, he is there. “My door is always open,” Cervantes concluded.
A new position at Arcata High Ian Letts
R
News Editor
ecently, Arcata High School hired an additional administrative staff member, a long awaited decision for many of campus. Luis Cervantes began working at AHS after the start of second semester and serves the role of campus supervisor. “My main goal in this job is just to make sure that the school is a safe location for the students,” Cervantes said. His main objective is to ensure students remain in class as well as acting as a resource for students in need. On the job, Cervantes hopes to promote a safer, more positive environment where students from all walks of life can get along. “I’m available for children to talk to in case they need someone,” Cervantes said. Cervantes brings a variety of different skills and traits to the AHS campus, which includes a
Ian Letts/PEPPERBOX
Campus supervisor Luis Cervantes at Arcata High School on Thursday, February 3
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News
How to Check-It at AHS Sydney Trieu
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Web Editor
t’s a sunny afternoon on Wednesday, September 29. The majority of classrooms are close to empty, running on a skeleton crew. The missing students are walking down to the Plaza in support of Eureka and Fortuna High School students who were allegedly sexually assaulted by other students. These individuals claim that the administration did not provide enough support to raise awareness about the issue. Students and other community members gathered on the Arcata plaza in solidarity with their peers at Eureka and Fortuna High and shared their thoughts and experiences on sexual assault. The walkout was one of the many factors that contributed to
the creation of a Check It program at Arcata High School. Another factor was because of a 2019 grant with the North Coast Rape Crisis Team (NCRCT). NCRCT reached out to Arcata High after the success seen at Cal Poly Humboldt, according to Vice Principal Tahnia Campbell and Student Assistance Counselor Eileen Klima. One of the most important factors leading to the formation of a Check It program is students’ experience with sexual assault and harassment on campus. “Statistically, 50% of female-identifying students experience sexual harassment, and even if our school has a low reporting rate, it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening here,” according to Danielle Witten, the Instructional Coach at AHS.
“Our students are suffering in silence,” she continued. Even though there is such a high percentage of students who have experienced sexual harassment or assault, many don’t know how to report that something inappropriate happened to them or feel that they won’t be supported by administration if they do. This is where the Check It program comes in. The program is about “bringing awareness to and improving the culture around safety in terms of sexual violence and sexual harassment,” teacher and club advisor, Emanuela Giangregorio, said. The Check It program aims to do this by educating students about how to report that they experienced sexual violence. To accomplish this, the NCRCT will be bringing graduated members of
Thursday, February 17th, 2022
the program from Cal Poly Humboldt to teach the new members of the Check It program about recognizing and reporting sexual harassment and assault. According to Witten, those students will then help to educate the entire school about what they’ve learned. “I hope Check It is a way to empower youth, especially women and all genders at Arcata High …, to encourage [students] to talk about topics that people stigmatize or avoid … [and] a way to create support and community for people who’ve been hurt in the past,” said senior and club member Meadow Jennings. “I’m 45 years old and I’ve watched the world get better, in this regard…but I know that we still have a long way to go,” said Giangregorio.
It’s official! The FAB bathrooms are open to all Madelyn Conley
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Deputy Feature Editor
ext to room 605 in the Fine Arts Building, two gender-neutral bathrooms have been made available for all students including those who do not identify as cisgender. The original idea was brought up by Melanie Zapper and has been continued by the Sexuality and Gender Acceptance Club (SAGA). A cisgender person’s personal identity and gender corresponds with their birth sex. Transgender people’s gender identity differs from their birth sex. Non-binary and gender-neutral people have a gender that blends elements of being a man or a woman, or a gender that’s different than either male or female, while some people don’t identify with any gender at all. “At one of the early SAGA meetings this year, it was brought up
that a lot of students didn’t feel safe in the bathrooms,” SAGA club advisor, Julie Angles, said. Feeling uncomfortable while using the bathroom has been a major problem for non-cisgender students that some don’t use the bathroom at all until they get home after school. “Other than that there’s just the nurse’s office which you have to ask the office to get back there. You have to say you have to use that bathroom which can potentially be outing for some students,” co-president of SAGA, Vito DeMarino, said. SAGA “recently did a walk around of the school to survey what the bathroom situation is for gender non-conforming students and the results weren’t great. That’s where most of the inspiration came from,” DeMarino said. Ms. Zapper is one of the only
teachers whose class is near the bathrooms and is the one who changed the labels to all-gender. The week that SAGA took their walk around she realized that even though she always tells her students to use whatever one they want, that they weren’t officially labeled so it may look like there aren’t any alternatives for the other students. “It’s not that they’re new all-gender bathrooms. The moment they built this building and they were single stall bathrooms that lock, I have told every student to use whatever one was open,” Zapper said. Since the bathrooms in the FAB are tucked away and far from the gym, SAGA’s goal is to create an all-gender bathroom in the gym. Angles said that they are also hoping to make the stalls completely private by making sure the
Madelyn Conley/PEPPERBOX
The all-gender bathroom sign in the FAB
doors go from ceiling to floor. “We want one gender-neutral bathroom for every pair of gender-segregated bathrooms, which is not really that ambitious,” DeMarino said. “We’re trying really hard to make it better but of course, there is more that can be done,” Ms. Angles said.
Thursday, February 17th, 2022
News
The Pepperbox | Page 13
Peeing without prejudice Bella Fratkin
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Business Manager
ate speech targeting Black and Jewish people shook the Arcata High School campus on January 5 when a swastika and racial slurs were discovered on the boy’s bathroom wall. “It’s disappointing, it’s disturbing and it’s sad,” AHS Principal, Jim Monge, said. “I was surprised that we have people that would say stuff like that. I know there’s crappy people everywhere, but I didn’t expect them to be that evil,” AHS freshman, Wil Hulse, said. Hulse was one of the first to see the vandalism. He reported it to a counselor who was passing by and the graffiti was painted over later that day. He was able to take a few photos before they were covered, and he posted them to his Instagram page with the intention to spread awareness about the graffiti. According to the pictures, the message contained the N-word as well as antisemitic messages and a swastika. . “We’ve done an investigation. We’ve got cameras outside the bathroom…we’ve put the word out for students to talk to a trusted person, we’re trying different avenues but we’re still investigating, it’s still on our radar,” Monge said. Messages were sent to parents that notified them about the vandalism. Monge reflected that students should have been included in the communications and that they will be in the future. Though this has impacted the entire school community, it was especially harmful to certain students within the racially targeted groups. “It’s really scary. There’s tons of hate all over, but when I know that it’s targeted at me, it’s just scary,”
said junior Ruth Amita Godlin-Sullivan, a Jewish student at AHS. Godlin-Sullivan pointed out that she finds herself hiding her Star of David necklace when she feels unsafe. She spoke to the subtle antisemitism that she’s experienced at school from fellow students. “There’s always been jokes and things people have said not realizing that I was Jewish. It happened a lot when I was younger. Even knowing I was Jewish, people would make jokes about Hitler and Nazi’s and the Holocaust,” Godlin-Sullivan stated. She said that it normally isn’t an instance of blatant antisemitism, but instead, the normalization of jokes pertaining to the Holocaust and Hitler. “Even if I wasn’t Jewish, it’s still crazy how this is still happening. But because I am, there’s another level to it that’s just kinda surreal,” she explained. Arcata High, like many other schools and public places, is often tagged with all types of graffiti, but what sets this instance apart are the racial and religious overtones, Monge explained. “It went above and beyond,” he said. Monge expressed that school should be a community where everyone feels welcome. “I know that the majority of the students at Arcata High, who they are and how they act, are great kids, so I’d hate to have one student try to make a statement or do something that reflects poorly on the larger group,” he said. He also spoke to the fact that whoever did the graffiti isn’t just affecting how safe Black and Jewish students feel at school but the custodial staff who have to clean it up. “They’re probably not intending to, but they’re targeting a different group than they thought,” Monge
Bella Fratkin/PEPPERBOX
Interact club painted murals in one of the girls bathrooms as part of their efforts to limit graffiti on campus explained. Jim Hogan, the head custodian for the school, is no stranger to graffiti. He says he has to cover all kinds of graffiti at least a couple times a week. But even for Hogan, this instance was different from all the rest. “This particular time really saddened me because for us to be in that spot in this day and age really opened my eyes to ask why this is still happening,” said Hogan. He also commented on the threat to the already tight funds that something like this poses. Hogan finds it frustrating that money allocated to improving the facility has to be used to cover up graffiti
multiple times a week. “It’s like swimming up river,” Hogan stated. In light of the racist graffiti, students in the Interact club have refused to give up on the school’s message for an inclusive and safe space for all. They have been working on painting murals in the bathrooms in an effort to prevent graffiti. However, change will not be possible until people consider simple words like the ones Hogan would offer to the vandals if he had the chance. “Love others as you would love yourself. If you can’t love others, who can you love?”he said.
Eligible singles of W
e spent countless hours scouring Arcata High School’s campus to find its most desirable, flirtatious, and eligible singles. The quest was treacherous, but after tons of evaluation and research we have gathered your 2022 candidates. We asked them several crucial questions in the hopes for the Arcata High community to really get to know them and possibly even consider them their own.
Alex Gorge (Senior) Height: 6 inches
Eye color: Beautiful light hazel
What do you offer to potential suitors: Knows the whole Jeremiah Impatient song
Something interesting about you: Best door dasher in Humboldt
Biggest pet peeve: When women are treated unfairly in the Workplace
Whats one song that will always Get you dancing: Thot sh*t by Megan Thee Stallion
What do you look for in a partner:
Cal Tucker (Freshmen) Height:
Can shotgun a caprisun in sub 3 secs
Without shoes 5’7
Olivia Railsback (Junior)
Best feature:
Height:
Fuzzy crocs
1 yard
Dream/ideal date:
Dream/ideal date:
With a girl
Ev’s trap house
Something interesting about you:
Turn ons: President of the chess club
I am a starting wide receiver on the AHS varsity football team
Turn offs:
Biggest pet peeve:
What is the last thing you googled:
Toes
How would you describe yourself as a lover: Very public
Biggest fear:
Not president of the chess club
Why is it hard being so attractive?
If you could be an animal, which one, and why:
Any woman over 6 ft tall
A domestic house cat, that wants to be pet all day
Hidden talent:
Biggest fear:
Plucking eyebrows
Christopher Robin
Arcata High School Ella Elvine-Kreis (Senior) Height: 5’5
Eye color: Chamomile
Favorite pickup line: They come to me
Best feature: Knees
Hobby: Saving the ants
What do you look for in a partner: Somebody fertile
Hidden talent: Taco tongue
Biggest pet peeve: When they talk without being spoken to
Last thing you googled: Axolotl pics
Cedar Birdsall (Junior) Height: 172.72cm
Best feature: 6-pack
Dream/ideal date:
Haven Fricke-Smyth (Senior) Height: 5’8
Eye color: Eye of ender
Chuck-e-cheese
Favorite pickup line:
Hobby:
I’m no weatherman, but you can be expecting 2-3 inches tonight
Stretching
What do you look for in a partner:
What do you offer to potential suitors:
Spirit
I don’t know... I’m kind of a sh*tty person
Where do you see yourself in five years:
Hidden talent:
Working at a Chuck-e-cheese
Lets find out...
Something interesting about you: I have asthma
What is a song that will get you dancing: 1-800-273-8225 by Logic
Last thing you googled: Gorillas
Biggest fear: God
Hobby: Rides horses *wink *wink*
Something interesting about you: *Laughs hysterically*
Turn ons: Plays mine craft
Turn offs: Doesn’t play mine craft
Nadia Smith
Winters Mays
“I do believe in soulmates but more in an aspect of friendships. I have experience in that friendship and no matter how far apart me and that friend were we always had that strong mental connection.”
“I definitely do, because I think there is definitely someone for everybody but it can change while you get older.”
Amadeus Garcia Brown “I think a soulmate is a person you really connect with on a level which you can't with many people. I don't believe you just have one soulmate. I think there are just a few people you can connect in such a level.”
Sofia Fram
Maxwell Sims
Do soulmates exist?
“I don't know, but I think there are people in your life that can mean a lot to you and care for you in the way a so-called soulmate would.”
“I don't really believe in soulmates. I think people just form connections over certain things and getting close after time.”
Sloane Joyner
Rubee Rathbun
“I don't feel like there is another thing which is deciding who you are gonna be with forever, I feel like you should decide that.”
Lilly Rust-Kelly
“Yes I feel you probably do have a soulmate and it will be that person which every experience will be better then with everybody else.”
“Yeah, I do in a way, but also I believe that soulmates doesn't have to be love, it can be platonic.”
Thursday, February 17th, 2022
Valentine’s
The Pepperbox | Page 15
Finding love with your furry friends Ruby Auckland
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Business Manager
s we all seemingly know, Valentine’s Day is a holiday that celebrates and acknowledges the profound love and devotion between two romantic partners. However, it also marks a dreadful day for an abundance of lonesome individuals, reminding them that they may have to spend another year with only the company of themselves. Though this day may be viewed in a bitter manner, it can also be
heartening and captivating. Honor it as an opportunity to recognize and appreciate your personal understanding of love, which could be the love you and your pets share for one another. The genuine bond between hu-
mans and their pets is unbreakable and absolutely pure. Pets provide us with much needed companionship, emotional support and above all, unconditional and impartial love. The dynamic relationship is mutually beneficial, as we both gain emotional and physical satisfaction. Although we may not realize it, our attentive pets are always there for us, remaining by our side through thick and thin. One idealistic way you could display your love to them on Valentine’s Day is by taking them on an adventure. Humboldt County is such a beautiful and charming area, which consists of countless gratifying aspects that our pets adore more than we know. Perhaps you could take them to one of our many beaches or take them on a hike in our magnificent coastal redwood forest. Feeding your pets a memorable and favorable meal would also be a wonderful way to express your love to them. In the end, the most necessary and essential thing you can do is give your pets your undi-
vided attention. The definition of “love” has a variation of meanings. We often consume ourselves with the idea of romantic love, but by doing so, we tend to neglect the other variants of the word; which are generally more stable and available, especially in the long term. Everybody has their own definition of love. It’s an indescribable feeling that is deeply confusing and complicated, yet feels so clear. Love is everywhere, subconsciously running everything but most people misunderstand it. In a broad sense, Valentine’s Day celebrates the overall ineffable and transcendent human emotion we call love, whether it’s the love you share with your pets, friends, family or yourself. Each and every strand of the dynamic word has its own powerful toll on humans, and they all deserve to receive recognition on this special day.
Graphics by Emily Nalley and Ruby Auckland
The Pepperbox | Page 18
Valentine’s
Thursday, February 17th, 2022
The do’s and don’t’s of Valentine’s Dylan Berman
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Feature Editor
on’t on’t-do it over text or dm It just has to be in person. Doing it over text takes so much away from the experience, and makes it seem like you’re too afraid to talk to them face to face. For many, you being bold enough to make a move and really say how you feel to them in real life is a deciding factor in how they feel about you as relationship material. Don’t-do it in front of a crowd Don’t This is a sure fire way to be devastatingly humiliated if they reject you. It also puts a huge amount of pressure on them to say yes because everyone watching wants them to. Overall, it’s going to be a painfully uncomfortable experience for both of you. Look for a time when
it’s just you and them around. Don’t-Wait forever to do it Don’t I have had so many friends torture themselves for months or even years constantly debating whether or not the person they like feels the same way. They do this while being too scared to actually ask the person and find out. Asking someone out can be absolutely terrifying, but not doing it isn’t worth the suffering of waiting forever. When you like someone it feels like you could never handle them rejecting you, but as soon as you find out they don’t feel the same way, moving on becomes a lot easier. If you don’t ask them out, you can never move on because there’s no closure. If you never ask them out, you
also may be missing the opportunity you have if they do happen to like you. Just go for it, and get it over with, like ripping off a bandaid.
mates and friends as an acknowledgment of friendship. However, as we become adults, many people feel that they either need to celebrate Valentine’s Day in the traditional romantic way or ignore the day completely. Ignoring the day is fine, however, there are other things you can do to have a fun day. Despite the push from advertisements, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a good time on Valentine’s Day. Although many stores sell premade Valentine’s cards, it can be more fun to find something different. Going to thrift stores and finding vintage Valentine’s cards is a super fun alternative. Valentine’s Day traditions are rooted in romantic love, but you can also turn the day into a time to celebrate the other love in your
life, such as your friends. An alternative Valentine’s Day activity is having a Galentine’s Day. This can be a fun night in with your friends making your favorite foods and watching romance movies. Another great way to spend your day is by hanging out with your pets. Treat your pets to a brand new toy and their favorite dinner. Spend your day going on a walk with your dog. You could also enjoy some self-care time by doing a relaxing face mask and watching your favorite movie. There is a stigma that you have to do something important on Valentine’s Day, when that really isn’t necessary. However, in the busy world we live in, we should take any opportunity to slow down and do things
Do Keep it simple DoNo need for background dancers, flower arrangements and a musical number. Just say it to them when you’re alone together and the moment feels right. This makes rejection less humiliating and will save you money. Don’t babble on for five minutes before getting to the point. “Would you like to be my girlfriend/boyfriend/partner?” is all you need to say. Maybe start that sentence with their name. It’s romantic hearing someone call you by your name. Do-think it over before asking Do them out
Do you REALLY like them? Or do you like your idea of them? Do you like them, but know you are star crossed lovers who could never be happy together? Or do you just like their attention? Are they a rebound? If you’re already second guessing the whole darn thing before it’s official, it’s probably not going to work out. It may be hard but sometimes the best decision is to not ask them out at all. This advice may come too late for some, as Valentine’s Day has just passed, but best of luck to any lovestruck suitors still waiting to tell someone how they really feel. I hope all your crushes feel the same way, but for the record if you follow this advice and still get rejected, neither me nor anyone at the fine institution of the Pepperbox take responsibility.
Breaking Valentine’s traditions Dele Rebstock
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Social Media Manager
hroughout the years, Valentine’s Day has had increased pressure around what the day should mean. February 14 has been a day associated with romance and love since the 14th and 15th centuries. During the 18th century, it became more common for people to share tangible acknowledgments of Valentine’s Day through written cards, flowers and chocolates. Now, many people think of Valentine’s Day as a consumerist holiday that encourages materialism. The pressure to celebrate romantic love through overspending discourages people from celebrating Valentine’s Day altogether. In elementary school, it was common for us to bring Valentine’s cards or candy to our class-
that make us happy.
Dele Rebstock/PEPPERBOX
Assortment of Vintage Valentine’s Day cards featuring festive art, found at thrift stores
Thursday February 17th, 2022
A&E
The Pepperbox | Page 19
Dance moves for Winter Formal Bella Fratkin
Business Manager
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ith another stroke of pandemic chaos, the winter Formal will occur in the Spring, formally. Arcata High School, being a mostly white school, could probably use a little help in the whole dance aspect of the school dance. Having the dance moves of my middle aged father and being of the caucasion persuasion myself, here are my humble suggestions for COVID safe, socially distanced dance moves for you to practice. Social dis-dance moves, if you will. If you’re looking to impress while staying socially distanced, The Windmill
might be the move for you. To Windmill, simply imagine you are a human Bey blade spinning across the dance floor. Make sure to keep your arms flailing and out at your sides at all times for maximum effect. It’s perfect for extroverts and introverts alike. It will get you attention and keep unwanted visitors away; win-win. You and the room will be spinning so much you can save your hard earned cash with the free buzz. Given the setting, only appendages above the waist are allowed to be windmilled. For my more anxious crowd, I feel you, and I couldn’t leave you out. If you find yourself sad or awkward at
most dances consider The Shy Shuffle. For this move, you’ll first need to locate the nearest corner. Next, point your gaze to the floor, put your hands in your pockets, and shift the tips of your feet in towards each other. Now that you’re in the maximum awkward position, all you need to do is shuffle your feet from side to side. If you really want to go for the wow factor, you can periodically get out your phone, pull up your calculator app, and punch in random numbers. It wouldn’t be a school dance without the awkward couples trying to dance together in between everyone else. But for my long distance lovers, who are literally used to going the extra mile to stay together, this one’s for you. I present to you, The FaceTime Fiesta.
All you need to do is pull out your phone and call up your boo. Then, hold the phone out in front of you and sway side to side. It will feel just like they’re in the room with you…until the terrible school wifi inevitably crashes the call. So no matter if you’re spinning yourself into space, shuffling like nobody’s business, or trying to bum a hotspot in order to save your relationship, remember to have fun and don’t take yourself too seriously.
Prioritizing self care during COVID Amaya Mendle-Nickle
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Reporter
he COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly been a tough time for everyone. For almost two years, many of us have been in a state of worry, fear and anxiety. Many people have especially struggled with mental health, as well as staying motivated on a day to day basis. Even though things have lightened up a bit and we are no longer in lock down, it is still very important to take care of our mental and physical well-being. Each person is unique and has their own activities and pastimes that bring them joy. The term “selfcare” is broad and can definitely look different for everyone. One of the things that has made COVID times a lot better is spending time outside.
During the first few months of quarantine, many people spent time going on walks and runs at the beach among other things. We live in a beautiful place, and there is endless opportunity for fun outdoor activities. You can also get some exercise while being outside, doing things such as biking or skateboarding. Since the beginning of COVID, it seems more families than ever have spent time together, enjoying more free time to enjoy each other's company and try new things. While we spent so much time in our houses, many of us took up new hobbies and skills. One self-care idea for those who love to cook is taking the time to learn new recipes. This is not only fun, but it can help to further your cooking skills for the future; bake some cookies, make a fancy pasta dish, have a su-
shi night. Cook anything to your liking. While you cook, music is always a good way to keep it fun. Whether it is listening to music, or creating it, this has been another popular form of self-care. Music is a great outlet for when you are feeling down, and it not only helps you connect to what you are feeling, but it can also connect you to friends and to those around
you who share the interest. As we continue to move forward, and the world opens up, it is still important to take the time each day to practice self-care. Mental health is something that should always be prioritized and talked about. Spreading positivity and happiness in the future is of the utmost importance and carrying out selfcare activities will help with this.
Seri Welsh/PEPPERBOX
Humboldt residents enjoy at beautiful sunset in Bayside
The Pepperbox | Page 20
A&E
Thursday, February 17th, 2022
Forgotten senior traditions Emily Nalley
P
Sports Editor
eople start to imagine their senior year from the day they start elementary school. It’s the year that most people turn 18, get more freedom and start planning for whatever they want to do after high school. Throughout this year, a number of traditions take place, making it even more memorable. Over the years, however, some senior traditions have been lost as students navigate extensive college applications and plan for their future. Zoom school didn’t help with our lack of senior traditions either and last year’s seniors didn’t get to have any of their normal activities. This leads to a less fun and memorable senior year. Arcata High School has always done a version of a senior trip. The
past few years, however, they have just been doing a senior picnic because of the lack of involvement and money from the senior class. While this picnic can still be fun, past senior classes have been able to go to Six Flags and the Redding Water Park. Another senior tradition that has never actually been approved at Arcata High is senior parking spots. This is a tradition that schools all over the United States participate in. This tradition blew up when it went viral on TikTok, featuring students painting their spots with a spectrum of colors and designs to represent their different vibes. Every senior who wants one gets a spot and this painting saves their spot for the rest of the year. This tradition is fun, makes money for other class trips and reserves a parking spot for the seniors who
want one. Another tradition that hasn’t taken place at Arcata High school in a long time is a senior sleep out. This is where the senior class would stay overnight somewhere on campus. Usually there is a school barbecue for dinner and then a breakfast made by the school in the morning. This is usually done in the beginning of the year to kick off senior year or at the end of the year on one of the last Fridays. Senior sunrise and sunset are two traditions that do happen at Arcata High School. This year’s senior sunrise was more of just a hangout in the fog before school because it was so cloudy. Senior sunset usually happens there and seniors can bring snacks and drinks to share to have a picnic and watch the sunset. One of the biggest senior class
traditions around the country is the senior prank. Seniors will spend hours brainstorming, planning and setting up a creative and fun prank. Arcata High School participates in this tradition, some years more than others. This prank is usually seen as a final farewell to the school, teachers and anyone involved in the students’ high school years, which is one of the reasons why it usually takes place closer to the end of the year. These traditions are part of what brings the senior class together. It is something that is very important when it comes to Arcata High’s senior class because it consists of more than 230 students. Hopefully when COVID starts to end, there will be more school spirit than ever and more of these fun traditions will come back.
mantic relationships. “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” (2003) stars Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. Hudson’s character plays a journalist that writes a “How To” column, and her latest project is writing about how to get a guy to leave you in 10 days. To help her article, she finds a guy to go out with, so she can get him to dump her in 10 days. Meanwhile, Matthew McConaughey’s character is on a mission to get a woman to fall in love with him in 10 days; and they end up as each other’s experiments. The premise of this movie works so well because Hudson and McConaughey have great on-screen chemistry, which makes the viewers root for them even though they don’t plan on falling in love. “Love Simon” is one of the few
quality romantic comedies that came out later than 2010. “Love Simon” came out in 2018 and is based on the book “Simon Versus the Homosapians Agenda” by Becky Albertalli. This movie was a great depiction of the book, which is not always the case with the book-to-movie process. “Love, Simon” follows a closeted gay high school student. Simon starts an online relationship with an anonymous student, and he tries to discover their identity. I think that this movie is a quality teenage romance, which is something that a lot of movies don’t execute. These are some of my favorite romance movies, especially for Valentine’s Day, but there are so many more great movies to choose from.
‘Love, Simon” follows the story of a closested, gay high school student as he tries to uncover the identity of his online romantic interest
Movies for the romantic season Dele Rebstock
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Social Media Manager
he Valentine’s Day season is a great time to re-watch your favorite romance movies or watch a new one. Personally, I believe that the best romance movies or romantic comedies came from the late 90s up until about 2010, with few exceptions. A perfect Valentine’s movie is, “Valentine’s Day” (2010) which is an all-encompassing romantic comedy that follows many plot lines and stars a variety of romantic comedy actors. This movie shows how strangers can impact each other’s lives, and how ups and downs can make love stronger. I love the movie “Valentine’s Day” because it shows love at all ages, both in friendships and ro-
20th Century Studios
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The Pepperbox | Page 22
Opinion
Thursday, February 17th, 2022
Operation extract-a-kid Ian Letts
I
News Editor
t is safe to say that the severity of COVID-19 amongst Arcata High School students and their families was not realized until school started back up after winter break. As for myself, I was always aware of the dangers of COVID. However, school was one of the last places I thought I would have to worry about when it comes to contracting the virus. Even though this mindset was a commonality for a lot of people, AHS seemed to be taking the pandemic very seriously coming back from break. I knew they had begun providing at-home rapid tests for any students who wanted them. I had improved the masks I wore to school as a result of the Omicron variant’s exceptionally contagious nature. In addition, I knew the virus was spreading to new communities in Humboldt County after the holidays, which made some worried about the prospect of school. Nevertheless, I could only focus on the much more pressing matter of the AP Environmental Science homework I should have done the week before. However, upon reaching Arcata High school, my outlook changed very quickly. The parking lot was concerningly manageable. The hallways were oddly empty. The classes were smaller than ever before. It felt like the virus had impacted our campus directly for the first time and school during the pandemic had never felt more treacherous. Pre-winter break, the Jenga tower of COVID-19 on campus had remained stable, only wavering every few weeks. But that first
day back from winter break, my perspective on the pandemic drastically changed, and it began to feel as if the tower was one move away from collapsing. These recent developments made it clear that the only thing keeping us safe was our own ignorance. Our already depleted classes shrunk even further following a series of mysterious disappearances, which seemed independent at first glance, but were compartmentalized due to their similarity. Eventually, they were connected to COVID.
In order to combat the virus on campus, the school administered a procedure I like to call “operation extract-a-kid.” In order to combat the virus on campus, the school administered a procedure I like to call “operation extract-a-kid.” A positive test, which was an increasingly common occurrence at the time, resulted in administration extracting the students from class through a simple, ominous phone call to their teacher. They would then, with silence and stealth, extract the students’ belongings from their classroom. That student wouldn’t be heard from by the general public for at least five days. This prompted much speculation amongst others who were unsure about their infection status, as it was never clear to students who had witnessed the kidnapping whether the person leaving actually had the virus. A student being called out of class for COVID was a scary enough occurrence.
Emily Nalley/PEPPERBOX
An Arcata High student is abducted by the indivisible hand of COVID-19 However, an even more menacing prospect was a teacher testing positive at school, which I had the misfortune of experiencing firsthand. When I arrived at the classroom of the teacher in question, I was confused by the sight of both my teacher and a substitute in the room at the same time. It very quickly became clear my teacher had tested positive, which raised another question: Why were they still there? It seemed like common logic for the person with COVID to not linger in a classroom full of students (after all, when a student tests positive, this doesn’t happen).
Regardless, our class did not see a significant increase in positive cases that week, so our teacher did the right thing…I guess. While the horrors of COVID on campus were traumatic for many, they were relatively short lived. Students began returning to school. The parking lot was back to its usual self, poorly designed and impossible to navigate. The hallways swelled to their standard, cluttered nature. Campus life was going back to normal. The school was beginning to stabilize, and it finally felt safe to be a student at Arcata High again.
Thursday, February 17th, 2022
Opinion
The Pepperbox | Page 23
Native American club mural Madelyn Conley
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Deputy Feature Editor
t took four years to finish, but the new Native American Club mural is now being displayed in the science wing next to classroom 301. I’ve been a part of the club for two years now and our president of three years, senior LeMonie Hutt, has been here since the beginning of this project. “My freshman year, Native American Club was super small and had like three solid members, and that’s kinda how it went my sophomore and junior year too, and then there was the pandemic which made it difficult to get people to create this mural,” Hutt recalls. I have been working on this project for two years, and I agree that the work put into this mural was tremendous. We would meet after school, on the weekends, during school breaks and at lunch. While it was hard work, it was an enjoyable experience. “We had a lot of different people come together to help us, even some who weren’t a part of Native American club who just wanted to help,” Hutt said. “It was a community of people that really just wanted to be there and wanted to make the mural and were volunteering to put the time in to create something that was powerful,” senior Meadow Jennings said. She’s not a member of the club but was a part of the group of people who came to help support us through this process. We played music, learned about Native American culture, painting and made new friends. Our advisor, Korby Skoglund, was a tremendous help and taught us everything we needed to know about acrylic paint and mixing colors.
“My favorite part besides drawing it out was the last bit of it when everybody was coming together to finish it out. Everybody was doing pieces of it and critiquing each other and helping each other and it was just awesome. All of a sudden, the canvas was a lot brighter because of the amount of work people put into it,” Skoglund said. This mural not only represents our Native American Club but also the culture and history of the Native tribes in Humboldt. From our depiction of the houses, plants and tools, we made sure to paint a scene that would resemble the true conditions that these tribes lived in and continue to utilize in ceremonies and their ways of life. “My favorite part was seeing everyone come together and work on this project. A lot of people who weren’t Native American asked questions about different village sites, so I got to share some cultural history while making the mural,” Hutt said. Even though I am Native American myself, I feel that my knowledge about my culture is limited. However, I learned a lot while working on the mural. I am also not an artist, so having the opportunity to be educated on different ways of painting was beneficial. “I'm not very talented at painting so the actual art was the hardest part,” said Native American Club member and sophomore Sasha Neyra, expressing a similar message. Considering none of the members of our club consider themselves to be artists, we’re all extremely proud of the outcome. “It’s implementing more inclusiveness on campus and having Native American representation in a way that everyone can enjoy and see. It definitely was a long
Madelyn Conley/PEPPERBOX
The Native American Club mural sits in the science wing next to room 301
process, but I did find it really enjoyable,” Hutt said. Hutt’s feelings were echoed by her fellow creators. “It will make people more aware of the community in general and our club,” Neyra said. “I hope it’ll bring some awareness and be a piece of art that triggers thought and conversation and overall awareness about Indigenous people and Native tribes,” Jennings said.
“It’s my people. It represents the people of this area. These are our local people,” Skoglund said. I hope people feel drawn to the mural and actually stop to notice not only the art but the message behind it. This unique and special project is important to all the members of N.A.C., and we hope it is equally important to students, staff and the surrounding community.
The Pepperbox | Page 24
Opinion
Thrusday, February 17th, 2022
Hollywood profits off teenage sex LeMonie Hutt Guest Writer
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any of us Gen Z kids were raised off of teen films from our parent’s era. We were taught that sex in high school is the most important coming-of-age experience. The movie “Clueless,” for example, proclaimed that finding happiness at this age meant finding our sweetheart, and the ultimate high school failure would be “a virgin who can’t drive.” As consequence, we largely inherited pressure from Hollywood, whose principal goal was to make a profit off the over-glorification of teenage sex. Teenagers are not one-dimensional. We have family responsibilities, academics to worry about, jobs, and, most importantly, feelings. So, it’s my goal to rid our generation of the negative ideas around sex we have generationally inherited from our parent’s era. I feel that the media’s depiction of sex has negatively affected our self-worth, priorities and boundaries in multiple aspects of our lives. Our relationship with sex is complex and is one of the first arenas for experimentation with our minds and bodies. In my opinion, the education we need to navigate sexual health is not fully provided, even in our health classes that are supposed to do just that. Instead, United States health classes collectively preach abstinence that serves to demonize the naturality of sex. Teaching abstinence further ingrains misogynistic gender norms into our society; where girls are submissive and boys are dominant. I’m not trying to suggest that
teens engage in sexual activity, but rather to educate and encourage a better sexual education curriculum because, for many high school students, health class may be the only formal sex education they receive. It’s my senior year, and I’ve learned nothing from my high school education about healthy sexual relationships. I have had to do my own readings which have led me to believe that we can deconstruct this inherited shame around sex. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy affirms that teens would choose to delay sexual activity if they had a trusted adult to have an open conversation with.
I believe trust comes with being able to converse without shame or biases. I believe trust comes with being able to converse without shame or biases. In sex education classes that describe sex as primarily vagina and penis penetration, sex becomes more like an accident, a situation simply building to the point of penetration. Sexual education uses single definitions of sex terminology that are not inclusive of the different ways our identities affect how we experience sex. This is detrimental to teens going through a time of development that includes sexual exploration and confidence when building adult relationships. In the occurrence of spontaneous sex, there is potentially no
Lila Cohen/PEPPERBOX
Pamphlets from Arcata High School health class discusses the topic of teen sex preparation, no discussion between partners, or even a demonstration of what consent looks like (note that consent involves agreeing to the type of sex). This is mostly due to the stigma of “spontaneous sex.” Spontaneity with sex is rooted in rape culture. It encourages one participant to make an unreflective decision where formal consent does not take place. Violation usually occurs in response to “the heat of the moment” that may be only felt by a singular person. The stigma of spontaneous sex is rooted in the idea that enjoyable sex can only occur at a whim, all because sex is too taboo to talk about. Yet, Sex Psychotherapist, Todd Baratz, says “The best sex is anticipated.” Planning sex allows for both partners to take the time to prepare themselves to make sure they are both mentally and physically safe by taking the precautionary
steps of getting tested, finding birth control, talking about boundaries, preferences, expectations, and finally deciding if this is what YOU want. Communication is a necessary component to satisfaction with respect to both parties. Before deciding to make the mature decision to engage in sexual activity, there needs to be a conversation in the relationship, simply say “hey do you want to have sex at some point in this relationship?” Then be ready to go in-depth with the topic and whether the answer is yes or no, respect it. It is at the core, an individual decision, so if partners disagree in the future of their relationship that is a reasonable reason to break up because that type of relationship is not what either partner signed up for. Sex needs to be talked about, starting at a young age. Let's Talk about it! De-stigmatize it! And most importantly, express ourselves!
Thursday, February 17th, 2022
Opinion
The Pepperbox | Page 25
Vanishing act of google classroom Eva Johnson
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Copy Editor
any people have gotten COVID throughout this last month that we’ve been back at school. An issue for students is the teachers’ lack of consistent Google Classroom. After a mandatory five-day minimum quarantine as a result of a positive test, completing schoolwork is a complicated process, and the only advice for students is to check Google Classroom. This message is seen in emails and the school bulletin, but students are reporting that teachers are not posting assignments and materials to their Google Class-
rooms. When participating in art classes with in-school projects, science classes with labs and world language classes when you are more likely to need help, what are students supposed to do? And even teachers that do use Google Classroom post assignments with little to no directions. Not every assignment can be explained over email when more directions are needed. Students sit at home, completely confused, with COVID and whatever symptoms come with it, knowing that they are missing most of the instructions. After recovering and being able to return to school, schoolwork be-
gins to pile up. We’ve all been there, where we miss a day of school and suddenly feel that overwhelming pressure of having to make up old assignments on top of the new ones. The stress only increases with COVID. Students are out for hours upon hours of class time, receiving little to no information, and dealing with a pandemic. During this time, isn’t rest and recovery more important than stressing about school work? Then, students come back to find themselves in no position to catch up on anything happening. Students might feel that most teachers expect them to do that hard test in the next week, make
up that work in a couple of days and have individual projects done in an hour. Some students feel that it’s not worth getting tested and maybe having to stay home if they are positive because of the workload. It’s not that students don’t understand that teachers and school administration are doing their best. However, it is incredibly frustrating to leave school and have directions that can’t be followed with the inconsistencies of Google Classroom. To remedy this situation, teachers could be required to use Google Classroom for both at home and in school students.
The positives of testing positive Aidan Shelton
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Art Director
ith the new Omicron Variant, more Arcata High School students are catching COVID than ever before, but typically with mild symptoms. This has actually made the virus appealing to some teenagers for several reasons. Some pros of getting the virus include an excuse to miss school with no repercussions, having some quality time alone with all of the voices in your head and a chance to fit in with all the cool kids that got it at the super spreader party. You can plan your quarantine vacation with your friends thus having a shared quarantine and most of all, you get a cool “I survived COVID” badge! Now that you’re convinced, here are some ideas to get COVID. The most common way to get the new trendy variant is to lick every door knob in a five mile
radius. You could also have an anti-vaxxer spit in your face for having different views than them. It’s pretty easy to do as you just have to say something they don’t agree with. There’s also my personal favorite, which is to swap spit with a friend! This can be a great friendship bonding activity and can also be used as a tactic to get out of the friend zone. If you’d prefer anonymous mucus, you could steal used rapid tests and eat them. They’re surprisingly tasty and low on calories. Or maybe you’ve been in a coma this entire time, and the entire pandemic has just been a two year long coma fever dream. Another way you could get it is to go to the airport, get on the next plane and continue to hop from plane to plane for the course of a couple of days. You’ll be sure to get it and maybe make a few friends along the way!
To increase your chances while doing these shenanigans, wear your mask backwards. This has the reverse effect of attracting the COVID instead of repelling it. To get that spicy new variant, you could also find out that you got into a car accident with your parents on March 13, 2020, and have been in a coma on life support ever since. Everything that has happened since then hasn’t been in the realm of reality but a dream. Or just consume every essential oil a pyramid schemer has to offer. You might not catch the Rona but you’ll definitely catch something. However, the best way to get out of school is to wake up. You now see a bright light in the distance. Wake up. Please just wake up. I can’t go on without you, please, wake up. You now must make a choice between waking up or accepting the light. Please, if you can hear me, wake up.
Aidan Shelton/PEPPERBOX
Pepperboxer invited COVID into her system by licking a doorknob
Accept that the accident wasn’t your fault and let everything go that was holding you back, and then walk into that little light in the distance, or wake up to the truth. But for now, you’re in the dark. You must choose. You’ll be sure to get out of that darn schoolwork now!
The Pepperbox | Page 26
The Saltbox Public displays of affection Opinion
Thursday, February 17th, 2022
Things we’re salty about
Eva Johnson
P
Copy Editor
ublic displays of affection, more commonly known as PDA, are the bane of my existence. Well, during school hours at least. As a senior, I’ve almost made it through the complicated roller coaster called high school, and I’ve learned to deal with the majority of challenges that come with it. However, one thing that continues to piss me off is the amount of PDA that I’ve witnessed. I don’t care who you are and who you are with. It’s the fact that it’s eight-thirty in the morning, I’m barely awake and I have to walk past three couples that can’t seem to keep their freaking hands off one another. I only want to walk down the stairs and hallways without being bombarded by love (if that’s what you can call making out in school).
I don’t think that’s too much to ask. School is not a place for romance. We are literally learning in a place designed by a prison architect. Is that the kind of romantic environment that high schoolers find appealing? Get yourself together. Go somewhere scenic, maybe the beach during sunset while you watch and listen to the waves, to up the love factor. If you are with someone that thinks making out near the high school stairs is sexy, you are one hundred percent settling. Do not settle. Go find someone who would rather make out at the beach than in a school hallway with people walking by. It’s utterly ridiculous, and no one cares enough about your relationship to want to see how in love you may be. I’m a bit pessimistic on love, I’m not going to lie,
Two students hold hands in the hallway but it doesn’t take away from the fact that seeing people rubbing up against each other when I’m trying to eat my lunch makes me want to vomit. Please let me eat in peace. If you really need to express your love to each other that badly, maybe write a letter. It’s a lost art and more romantic anyway. Af-
Eva Johnson/PEPPERBOX
ter school, I couldn’t give two s**ts about what you do, but if I have to encounter one more couple blocking the hallway because they want to show off, I might scream. I’m not joking. Be in love as much as you want, but don’t force me to endure it when all I want to do is go home, please and thanks.
COVID is not a joke, I promise Emily Nalley
B
Sports Editor
y now, everyone should know that there is rapid COVID testing outside of the Principal’s Office, and if you didn’t know, now you do. One would think that most people who are in line to get tested are thinking that they might have COVID or have been exposed. So, tell me why so many people don’t wear their masks in this line. It seems like common sense that if they think that they might have COVID, they would want to protect those around them. And even if they don’t and they are just in the testing line to be safe,
they would want to protect themselves by wearing a mask properly, and wearing a mask properly. Not below the nose or just loosely around your face. The nose wire should be pinched to frame the nose correctly. All of us are tired of this too. After two years, everyone just wants to get back to normal and with so many people being so idiotic we keep having surges. The testing line seems like one of the most likely places for that person to be. It just seems weird and ironic to me that so many sport naked faces during the middle of a pandemic.
Also, when some people who have found out that they have COVID have been hanging out with their friends afterwards and talking about how they are happy to have the virus COVID. What is that? Do people not know how many people have died or have life changing problems? Over 870,000 people have died in the United States according to the CDC and people are out here not wearing their masks in the COVID testing lines? Rapid tests are already in high demand in the United States and there are many other people who are struggling to get tested.
We are lucky to have access to them at Arcata High School and people aren’t taking it seriously. Consider the safety of those who are testing all of the students. They don’t deserve the disrespect of students who aren’t wearing their masks. Nobody deserves the extra risk of people not wearing their masks in the testing line. To help protect yourself and others around you KN95s are the best mask to wear. And for your information you can pick them up for free at school so there should be no excuse to not be wearing one.
The Saltbox The freshmen P.E. Blues Thursday , February 17th, 2022
Aidan Shelton
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Art Director
f you don’t know already, your physical education credits can be waived if you participate in four seasons of sports. However, the sports you do freshman year don’t count towards this. The reason why? Because up yours, that’s why. Like seriously, it has to be as inconvenient as possible for you to skip “physical” education, where half of the grade is based on if you dress down or how well you can hide in the locker room for two hours. I know it’s to “encourage you to
Opinion
The Pepperbox | Page 27
Things we’re salty about
try new sports,” but then, you just get a bunch of kids showing up to like three track practices for their last credit. It also really devalues four year athletes and the amount of commitment it takes. And why in God’s name does two sports seasons count for only one semester? You will do more physical exercise in like half a practice of football, track or any other sport besides golf. (Yes, shade intended, you guys literally have your own type of car so you don’t have to spill your champagne and crumpets walking from hole to hole). But back to the pure stupidity
that is the P.E. Waiving system. Being a freshman on a sports team can be a real challenge, depending on the sport. Being on a varsity team as a freshman means that you’re competing against literal grown men while being like 14 and starting puberty. That’s easily worth way more than a class consisting of taking a lap around the school and then sitting in the weight room. Why is P.E. even a requirement anyway? With the current system, there is two types of people. There is either the kids who try wildly too hard that it makes it not fun
for everyone else in the class, or people who are lacking the motivation and effort to try just the bare minimum. If you want kids to not be lazy and out of shape, make P.E. worth people’s time. Or require a sports credit that can be waived with P.E. Don’t ask me, I’m not an administrator or someone who makes the school curriculum. I´m just a hormonally enraged seventeen year old who has consumed way too much caffeine in the past 24 hours. Screw you and screw your stupid P.E. class. Salt over.
This unconscious disorder has led to a drastic increase in the congestion of the school hallways, particularly in the dreaded central staircase. Choosing to go up this staircase to reach the math wing is a deadly choice with consequences including excessive waiting, mild annoyance and slightly bruised shoulders. Perhaps most lethal of all is the fact that you are slowly jostling along up a staircase in a giant crowd of people during the middle of a global pandemic. It cannot be overstated how dangerous this jumble of bodies can be, especially with so many students deciding that the pandemic is over when they leave the classroom and unmasking in the halls as a result. Luckily, the solution is as simple as the problem; just stick to the right side.
Even if you want to get to class just that one second faster, quickly hit the bathroom during that oh-so brief passing period or dash to the parking lot to join the after school car congestion fiasco, is it really worth it when you consider the people you have to push along the way.
embrace order and walk together in harmony. So, next time you get to the foot of that staircase, make the right decision.
Hallway traffic etiquette Noah Meisel
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Guest Writer
rom the moment we are born, we are taught the simple truth that the right side of the sidewalk, road or pathway is the correct side to move along (England and Australia have it backwards). Despite the early age at which we learn this norm, it seems that many people have a case of selective amnesia and are wandering down the corridors and stairwells on whatever side they please, just to get to their destination one second faster. This tumultuous behavior is especially shocking considering that an enormous number of students are in the middle of driver’s education. These students are learning about the importance of traffic law and its positive influence on travel. At the same time, many are choosing to blissfully ignore the rules when it doesn’t suit them.
We all have a choice to either fall into disorganized chaos and endure drastically longer inter-classroom traveling times or embrace order and walk together in harmony. We all have a choice to either fall into disorganized chaos and endure drastically longer inter-classroom traveling times or
Taken by Noah Meisel
The stairs are left in disarray after students hurry to lunch
Valentine’s Day Crossword
Across
1. The color of the gemstone that’s a symbol of universal love 5. A celebratory day of festivities 8. “She’s a hopeless _______.” 10. “I just married my __________.” 12. A saying on valentine’s conversa d -tion hearts 13. Referring to two things 14. Opposite of sour 15. “Will I ever find my _____ _____?” 18. Synonym of tease 20. “She broke her ________.” 21. Synonym of appreciation 23. The state of being connected 24. The color of a sea crustacean with a long body and muscular tail 25. An arranged bunch of flowers
Down
2. An affirmation of affection 3. “Life is like a ____ __ _________.” 4. god of love 6. A form of expressing love through writing 7. Track 7 of “evermore” by Taylor Swift 9. A type of flower 11. Harry Style’s birthday month 14. The person sends you gifts but you don’t know who they are 16. Synonym for present 17. A stuffed animal 19. The opposite of hate 22. Hugs and kisses