PEPPERBOX
Issue 1, Vol. 92 October 10, 2019
The Pepperbox
October BOX BRIEFS
Tomorrow! Homecoming game, parade, and dance. October 23: Cash 4 College Workshop October 26: ACT test November 4: SAT test November 7: Final registration for December 7 SAT November 11: No School for Veteran’s Day November 14: ASB Blood Drive Want to advertise or buy a mail subscription to the Pepperbox? Email Business Manager Zane Clarke at pepperbox@nohum.k12.ca.us !
EDITORIAL STAFF Fiona Murphy Editor-in-Chief Caledonia Davey Editor-in-Chief Stella Walston Managing Editor ZoĂŤ Reiss News Editor Martina Mapatis Feature Editor Jake Knoeller Sports Editor Kein Mazzotti Deputy Sports Editor Bailey Ives Life Editor Ruby Langdon A&E Editor Jack Taylor Opinion Editor Will Oviatt Photo Editor Isabel Wedll Online Editor Zane Clarke Business Manager Marisa Mendosa Art Director Zelda Geren & Lilli Bowman Social Media Isabella Kellawan, Skaidra Pulley Copy Editors & Kamari Brown
REPORTERS Diego Bazan Thalia Godinez River Kiener Marisela Montoya-Tejeda Alexander Reiss Levi Robbins Tommy Robinson Gabriel Sanchez Emilio Sliveira Halle Smith Tyler Vizenor Natasha Youravish
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 Western Web keeping print media alive.
IN THE BOX Population. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Board Member . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Valedictorians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 New Teachers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Homecoming/Coach. . . . . . . . . 10 Fall Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Microagressions . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 College Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Birth Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Sexual Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Negotiations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Fishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 LGBTQ+. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Bathrooms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Spooky Season . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Freshman/Alter-Ego . . . . . . . . 22 Frothers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Mullets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 You-UP/Entertainment. . . . . . 26 Obituaries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Album Review/Diversity . . . . 28 Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Walkouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
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 Danielle Witten
Behind the Cover T
his cover was a last minute, desperate attempt to capture the complexity of the current negotiations situation. Originally we wanted to use photos from a board meeting or a walkout, but decided that wasn’t the move. So instead, we decided to rip off a Time magazine cover, as one does. The end result ended up pretty different from inspiration, and even farther from our original ideas. The process itself was a day’s worth of our art director, Marisa, staring at a computer doing wonderful things, and me, who can barely use Indesign, asking her to do things she was already doing. On the right, you can see our opinion editor wearing my father’s clothing to create the sillouette. Below, our team gathered around a computer in an effort to make Jack look less like Jack and remove the one cuffed pant-leg he rolled by habit.
I can’t believe we pulled this off,
Fiona Murphy
Editors’ Box T
his issue was created through one of the most beautifully chaotic processes we have ever seen. We were blessed with a ginormous and mostly angelic staff. They were quick to learn and eager to work. However, their growth and the growth of this issue experienced many set backs. One half of the Editor-in-Chief team was consumed by the constant production of breaking news involving the teacher-board negotiations, while the other half got stranded in Oakland for five days without money or shoes. Classrooms were locked during lunch, forcing us to house our computers and cameras in Fiona’s car, so that our fledgling staff would have the necessary access to them. Pepperbox work was mostly restricted to classtime, which made production almost a pipe dream. Teachers were unable to take interviews, answer emails, or have time for photos which severly diminished the quality of our content. However, we prevailed. We strived for the stories that mattered. The stories that make you smile, cry, fume, and act. Somehow, despite literally every odd out there, we have produced an issue that makes us proud. We hope you enjoy,
Love, Calli and Fiona
Quotable. A judicious, well-placed f-bomb. -Alex Kantner, discussing poetry with this sixth period English class.
That baby is posessed by Heineken. -Julie Angles, responding to an old-fashioned advertisement.
I’m sorry. Wow. My body is shutting down. -Adam Pinkerton, after allowing his AP Government class to bake cake for extra credit.
We are basically just sparkling water. -Kate Oberlander, on human blood.
Beware the man in the blue Columbia jacket. -Earl Peters, context unknowm.
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
The Pepperbox’s
The Pepperbox | Page 5
News
WHAT’S GOOD The Homecoming rally was a stellar kick-off for the week!
Good news column
Nominees for King and Queen crush it in musical chair. Max Rice (bottom right) wins.
Stone Boyer, AHS Football player, is favored to be the winner of the King nomination
Will Oviatt/PEPPERBOX
The Pepperbox | Page 6
News
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Population is UP Student speaks out Stella Walston Managing Editor
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e knew it last year. We knew it the year before that, and we definitely know it this yearthe population size at Arcata High School has skyrocketed. Looking at overall statistics for how the school has grown since 2008 is astounding on its own and looking at class sizes themselves is on a whole other level (39 people in one classroom). The effect of this new situation has already been felt. “Day one I had 41 students [in period 4],” Davena Bagnall, Frenchteacher, stated. 41 students in one classroom is unprecedented for Bagnall. There aren’t even 41 seats in her classroom. Julie Angles ran into a similar problem with her class sizes. “I have 31 [students] in one class, and that’s all of the chairs that I have,” she said. Arcata High has been in a state of growth since 2011, which averages out to about an increase of 20% overall. In comparison, McKinleyville High School has been in a state of decline since 2011, and have lost about 15% of their population.
As of recent, intradistrict transfer students have been making up a significant amount of Arcata’s population- around 25.4%. The amount of transfer students may be why the school is increasing so much each year. “At this point we have closed our doors as far as intradistrict transfers] go,” Principal Dave Navarre explained. Average class size on the Arcata High campus hovers at about 30 students per class, and this can become too much to handle for some. “My other two [freshman] classes are close to thirty, so that’s about 90 freshmen...so it takes me so much extra time to prep and plan and grade,” Angles explained. So what’s to be done? “The district could look at [intra district transfer policies] and the administration could come up with a fair system of a way that families could still have some choice,” Principal Navarre said. No matter what the school comes up with, one thing is clearArcata High is growing fast and soon the quality of education is going to be at risk. Angles said it best. “I’m afraid we’re not going to have a strong output if we’re just overstressed with students.”
Isabella Kellawan Reporter
T
his year Arcata High School has seen an increase in population, mostly due to the many students transferring over from McKinleyville High School. There seems to be a common thread connecting intradistrict transfer students, “I switched from McKinleyville to Arcata because I felt out of place there, unwanted, and not included. I’m happy with my switch because I feel more comfortable here, everyone is friendly.” said junior Shelia Lomeli. Lomeli just transferred from McKinleyville this year. Isaac Urquidez has echoed a similar opinion. “I switched because of the people here, the community, and the school. People are friendlier here, there’s less friendly people at McKinleyville,” said junior Urquidez. Switching schools can be difficult, the idea of meeting new peo-
ple, especially during high school, can be daunting. However, students who transferred to Arcata High don’t seem to regret their choice. “I am very happy with my switch. It can be hard to take big steps like transferring school because we are kind of handed a school and a path to follow. I did dislike Mack a lot. I speak from my experience, but the overall vibe, community, and the kids was not right for me, at Mack as a whole people are less open, caring, and friendly, that does not speak to everyone… I want to say stay stoked, and live life to the fullest,” sophomore Jude Ortega said. This reason has been cited over, and over, and over. For many transfer students, McKinleyville High was not a good environment. “I switched from Mack to Arcata because I honestly did not like the community, there are groups, I didn’t fit in, people were fake. “ said junior Alissia Adorni. One thing is clear- many of the intradistrict transfer students at Arcata High are happy with their choice.
Will Oviatt/PEPPERBOX
Freshman fill the bleachers at the Homecoming kickoff rally.
Stella Walston/PEPPERBOX
The Pepperbox | Page 7
News
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
New addition: Aristea Saulsbury Stella Walston Managing Editor
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he NHUHSD school district has recently been graced with the addition of Aristea Saulsbury, our newest school board member. The 33-year-old member of the Yurok tribe ran for the school board for a multiple reasons. “I’ve been inspired by the number of younger women of color running for office. More importantly, I care deeply about the well-being of youth. I taught and ran a preschool for over 10 years, and now I’m ready to support another age group,” she said. Being a preschool teacher for 10 years gave her a great appreciation of the education of younger children, but she wants to make sure funding is still coming into higher education as well.
Teen Clinic be in control
“I want to collaboratively develop an effort together with students, families, staff, teachers, administrators, the board, and the broader community to advocate together at the state level to make sure high schoolers and their support systems don’t get forgotten,” Saulsbury stated. Joining the school board in the midst of the teacher negotiations might seem like a daunting task,
I’ve had more tense emails in my inbox in the past few weeks than the rest of my life combined.
- Aristea Saulsbury
but Saulsbury is prepared to deal with what might come. “I've had more tense emails in
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my inbox in the past few weeks than the rest of my life combined. That being said, entering at this point in time gives me the chance to see how many people are passionate about the district and why. There is a big, strong community that cares about making sure NHUHSD youth succeed,” she said. The teacher negotiations will also help her hone in some new skills. “While I already planned to come into this role doing my homework and learning quickly, the situation with negotiations has made it so that I am spending a lot more time getting into a lot more detail than anticipated,” she explained. As far as helping to better the NHUHSD community, Saulsbury already has big plans. “My current job requires a lot of collaborative goal-setting and decision-making. I hope to bring some
of these skills to the table to support healthy conversations,” she said. Her skills, motivations, ideas, and community centered goals will make her an incredibly valuable member of the NHUHSD school board.
Will Oviatt/PEPPERBOX
New school board member Aristea Saulsbury contemplates the issues posed at a recent Board meeting.
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The Pepperbox | Page 8
News
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Arcata’s next top valedictorian Thalia Godinez
T
oday I got the pleasure to talk to some of the brightest minds at Arcata High in the Senior class. These peoDigital Team ple have gone above and beyond and are now in the running to be Valedictorian. “They are all kids who are motivated, involved, and brilliant,” history teacher Jennifer Coriell said when I asked about the candidates. So, it's no surprise they are all in the running. Mr. Pinkerton agrees with Ms. Coriell stating that these students “are very good at asking questions when they don't understand something.” Unfortunately, I couldn't gather any tea from either teachers because when I asked who they were rooting for these teachers didn't share who their favorite is and instead kept it very professional. Jason Turmer-Lee Jason is the senior class president and has taken plenty of rigorous courses including AP and Honors Classes. His favorite being AP Bio and English. “No, I don't feel any pressure whatsoever,” he answered me. Now that’s something high school students can envy. He thinks that he will win but he also doesn't care about winning too much, cocky or confident? That's up for debate. He believes his biggest competition is Jocelyn “because she”s in second place.” In his future Jason plans to major in either Physics or Chemistry and to Minor in Computer Science.
All photos by Thalia Godinez/PEPPERBOX
Kate Oberlander As you all know Kate was sophomore year President and is now in the running to be the next valedictorian. She is “really excited and didn't really expect it,” the same can't be said for us at the Pepperbox, her academics is actually one of the things at this school we can count on because, you know, “Kate is Great.” You can usually spot Kate in French or wearing her favorite NASA attire. Her only pressure is from herself she expresses that she does this for “me and my future.” Her favorite AP class was AP Physics and Calculus because, “calculus is beautiful, Calculus is soo beautiful,” a response which fully captures Kate’s personality. Her advice for people who plan to try and become valedictorian is to “make sure you are doing it for yourself.”
Jocelyn Bliven Jocelyn is Jason’s biggest competition coming in 2nd place. She took almost identical classes to Jason as well as participating in many sports including Soccer and Basketball so she's used to competition. Her sports also have been a big part of her great health you can catch Jocelyn looking iconic in basically anything she wears. Her favorite classes were AP Euro and AP U.S History which she found very interesting, especially because they included art. She doesn't feel pressure from external sources because she has awesome parents that are both professors. However, in her words the pressure is “me wanting to be the best person I can be.'' She doesn't believe that she will win but she did share that “at this point I'm just trying to get the best grades that I can get and then see what happens.”
Michaela Macdonald Michaela believes her Junior year was what has put her in the running for Valedictorian taking five AP/Honor classes including AP Calculus and AP Physics which is amazing, I had one AP class this year and dropped it, I couldn't even imagine having five. When questioned how she felt about the pressure of her friends competing so close next to her, she said she felt none, saying “I love it when my friends are up here with me,” which to me shows how sweet and down to earth this girl really is. However, she did share that there are definitely struggles because she's a “really bad procrastinator.” Her advice for anyone planning to be valedictorian is to “stay focused.”
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
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News
New school year, new faces Marisa Mendosa
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Art Director
eva Holladay is a new math teacher on campus and previously worked in Sacramento. She teaches Personal Finance and Integrated Math 2 classes. While she was living in Sacramento, she would do rhythm roller skating, which is dancing on roller skates, as well as Latin Dancing. Holladay has wanted to teach for the past twenty years and went to Davis for her teaching credentials. As a former AHS student, she knows the ins and outs of the campus pretty well. She recommends to “Get involved. Make friends. Don’t feel overwhelmed.” Laurie Griffith is a new math teacher and has been teaching around Humboldt for years first at St. Bernard’s, volleyball coaching. For the last four years, she taught physical education at Jacoby Creek School and has done volleyball for the past twelve years. She is teaching Math 1 and Integrated Math 1 and really likes them so far. “I enjoy doing math… It’s a little calmer,” she laughed. The shift from physical education to math was nice and simple, especially with the helpful staff. “I’ve been more than welcomed. The staff has been really nice, people ask ‘can I help you?’ they come and sit down and talk with me. The students as well, they’re all really friendly students.” She started coaching to avoid being cooped up in an office for copious hours a day. Matthew Scott is not new to Arcata High’s campus and was Cindy Condit’s biology student teacher two years ago. His students have made his afternoons enjoyable teaching biology rather than just subbing throughout the district. “Having taught at Arcata High two years ago and frequent subbing
last year, it’s felt like I’ve known the staff much longer than I’ve actually worked here,” Scott said. “They’ve been extremely welcoming, as have the students.” Beyond just teaching, Scott has a passion for balloon. For the past 17 years, he has been making balloon animals, hats, and more, even making the balloon picture frame for Safe and Sober. Scott finished by noting, “Teaching has always been in the back of my mind and three years ago it seemed like everything lined up and it was time to start on this new path in life.” Chaz Arrington is teaching with the Life Skills students this year and previously did so at McKinleyville High. He expressed how different the experience has been, with the campus and staff being much larger. Before working at
introduce a similar program here at AHS. “I really hadn’t imagined what it would be like teaching here, it was just a great opportunity to be a teacher again,” Sahlman stated. Working in the auto department, Sahlman was interested in motorcycles and would take camping trips with a couple of his friends; though, that all shifted when he had a son and began chasing after his son’s passions. “I am glad to be here, and I want to get this Auto program set up as a way to teach a job skill and concentrate on workforce preparation.” Steve Hoffman is the new chemistry teacher at Arcata High working alongside Earl Peters. He is currently working at the Mack campus as well. Being at the new campus gave Hoffman the feeling of being a brand new teacher again
Marisa Mendosa/PEPPERBOX
Mack, he was a teacher at Tsurai, now Mad River, and taught there for two years. Wanting to be a teacher all of his life, Arrington studied at Humboldt State and, at least so far, AHS isn’t too different from what he expected. He’s hoping the year will go well with his great group of students. Torg Sahlman is the new auto teacher at Arcata High as well as at McKinleyville High. Previously teaching a full-time auto program at Eureka High, Sahlman hopes to
being on a new campus and having students who had never heard of him before. But despite being new, the staff members and students have been extremely welcoming to Hoffman. Sophomore, Madison Stromberg has him for chemistry and was very welcoming to the new staffer. “I really like him as a teacher. I think that he’s a good addition to our campus.” Aside from being a teacher, Hoffman is a mountain biker and
road biker. “I have won some local events like the Tour of the Unknown Coast a few years back and am a coach on the Humboldt Composite High School Mountain Bike Team,” he said. And while some may think the rift between campuses may cause some conflict of interest, Hoffman believes otherwise. “Arcata High is not as different as one may think from Mack. Staff at both sites love their jobs and are dedicated to their students. Students not only have their social circles but ultimately get along with one another in class and the campus has a community feel to it.” Christian Martinez, born and raised in Columbia, was Jaime Montoya-Arango’s student teacher last year and is teaching Spanish at Arcata and Mack High. This is his first year of teaching and he finds it both challenging and rewarding. “Everyday of teaching is still filled with countless surprises,” Martinez explained. “Each surprise or challenge is actually an opportunity for me to continue learning and growing.” Before thinking about being a language teacher, Martinez considered following a career in music. Now, he still regards music as one of his passions. “I am the lead singer and bass player in a local band called ‘La Mancha’, and we still occasionally play shows. Most of my fellow bandmates are also Latino, and our music reflects a blend of our cultures and backgrounds,” he said. As a brand new teacher, Martinez is still learning the ways of teaching he told us. “I’m so excited to continue getting to know my students better, and helping them along in their language-learning journey,” he said.
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Sports
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Keeping streaks: The AHS football team Martina Mapatis
Feature Editor ot everyone is as football obsessed as other students, so sure you went to last year’s homecoming game; but did you really go for the football? I’ve watched football all my life, so we may not be in the same boat; but I’m here to help you brush up on some knowledge of last year’s stats and our chances of winning this year.
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“We’re gonna crush em.” - Shane Purcell
Our homecoming game last year was against Hoopa and we won, 22-14. Arcata High also earned the title of league champions last year, losing only one game. Quarterback Shane Purcell predicts “We’re gonna crush em’.” Even though he’s a quarterback, he’s only a sophomore so my question is, will we? We’ve only won three out of six this season and already have three injured players. Standout player Everett Halikas sustained a bad ankle sprain in last month’s game against Balboa, but says not to worry and that he’ll be back this week. The best place to look for the
probability of us winning Friday’s game is in our past games against Hoopa. All five games we’ve played Hoopa in the past four years has been won by Arcata High, so I’d say our chances are looking good for 2019.
United in Southern California and still plays for intramural teams and at pickup in Humboldt to this day. “I started playing when I was six or seven and haven’t stopped,” Davidson said. He went to Peninsula High School in Palos Verdes, California and attended El Camino Commu-
nity College. Davidson enjoys his job as a soccer coach, sometimes jumping in at practice to play in scrimmages and embarass everyone else. “I like being fully immersed in what I’m doing, and soccer gives me the best opportunity for that. I like being on the field in the sun-
Martina Mapatis/PEPPERBOX
Stone Boyer, this year’s homecoming king front runner and Arcata High football team’s defensive tackle, said, “We’re gonna win with strong defense and overall good offense.” After putting all my trust in the soon to be King Boyer, I declare that this year’s Homecoming game will be epicly won by our own Arcata High football team. We’ll celebrate like we always do at the Homecoming Dance, poor freshman don’t know what’s coming... Join the fight and show school spirit by wearing AHS colors to Friday’s game at 7:30, see you there! P.S. LET’S GET THIS DUB!
New coach joins AHS soccer Jake Knoeller
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Sports Editor
ohn Davidson has been hired as the Arcata High School soccer coach. He has led the Tigers to a solid start in his first season. The team has a 7-2 overall record, and a 6-1 league record, with their only two losses this season coming against defending NCS champions Fortuna. Most of their games have been very competitive. “I love it so far,’’ Davidson said. “For me, it’s probably the most competitive league I’ve coached a team in.” He has coached for 18 years, including the women’s team at College of the Redwoods. “Arcata has a standard and is expected to do well, which makes it a little bit more competitive than coaching College of the Redwoods,” Davidson added. He grew up playing right defender for a club named Torrence
Will Oviatt/PEPPERBOX
John Davidson (right) stands with Tuck Bengelmann after a game.
shine and working with a team, whether I’m a coach or a player,” he said. Athletic Director Mitch Kane is also very happy to have him. “I think he does a great job with the kids,’’ Kane said. His players have positive things to say as well. Defender Dillon Rouse enjoys the new coach’s style of coaching. “I think the practices incorporate a good amount of fun but also mixed with good training,” Rouse said. Last year, Arcata finished third in league play and got to the second round of the NCS Playoffs. They have a team with eight seniors this year and are looking to go even further. Arcata’s next game is at home on Saturday, October 12th, against Del Norte, who were the runners up in the NCS championship in 2018.
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
The Pepperbox | Page 11
Sports
Back in black (and orange): AHS fall sports Kein Mazzotti
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Reporter
or fall sports this year, our school is starting off strong. Every captain has a want, a need, to win anyway, anyhow. The confidence in themselves and in their team is inspiring. They are leaders taking charge and helping out the younger kids and inspiring them to strive for more. “Me and Vivian are there for the kids,” said junior and captain of the cross country team Miles Johnson. He is currently trying to run below 17 minutes for the 5k run, which he sounds confident in achieving. WIth his team of strong runners including Jude Ortega, a sophomore, and freshman Ai-Lan Mcgoldrick. Coach James Washington has aspirations for league champs. Girls soccer started off a “little rocky,” said Junior and captain of the soccer team Zoe Leonard, “no warm up games to prepare for the season.” Having lost starters this young team has taken advantage of the situation and only lost one game so far. The team is also striving for greatness and has a good chance with such energetic captains. “Everyone all works together really well, everyone has their place,'' Leonard said. The boys soccer team started their season off going 7-2, and beating Mckinleyville twice and Eureka twice. While they did lose to Fortuna, they hope to beat them next time. “Our goals are to win league and the section title,” said Senior and captain of the soccer team, Jack Taylor. “and to beat Fortuna, ” he added. With Marek Clancy’s consistency and Arthur Frye’s big tide turning plays, they are looking good. Seniors Taylor, Levi Robbins, and Connor Olson
with support from teammates like Frye, Clancy, and Gabe Sanchez, make this team very confident in their abilities to win games. Everyone loves the new coach as well, who is “highly knowledgeable and highly enthusiastic,” Jack Taylor said. Continuing a winning streak from the year prior and taking no losses so far this season, the girls
in matches with other schools,” said Flint. She thinks there's nothing that can get in their way to victory. Having all this competition for play time has driven each player to get better and better every day. With active leadership in the planning of events like team bonding and dinners, added to the effective coaching ability from coach Shel-
Photo courtesy of Ron Perry
Team captains Kein Mazzotti, Jack Taylor, Maya Mircetich, Miles Johnson, Kendra Flint, and Zoe Leonard pose for a photo. tennis team looks good this year and is hoping to take no losses. Having a young squad might seem like a bad, thing but the teams anointed captain Kendra Flint, a Junior, thinks differently. “[It’s a] huge level of competition play against each other to compete
don Heath, this team is destined to go far. Everyone loves coach Heath and say he’s someone to look up to, inspiring them to work as hard as possible. Starting their season off strong, the volleyball team looks to win league and to North Coast Sections
hoping to hit it big this season. They did very well in their yearly Arcata Invitational Volleyball Tournament taking second place. With an older team and a lot of good chemistry, there is nothing that can stop these lady tigers this year. Having a very “unified leadership,” said Senior and captain of the volleyball team, Maya Mircetich, and a “focus on defense,” is what will lead them to victory. Since a lot of these girls have been playing together for awhile now, they all want to win together Last but not least is football, starting their season off a “lil shaky,” according to Senior and captain of the varsity football team Mateo Vincent. But they have been able to turn their season around by beating McKinleyville, Willits and Balboa, evening out their record and “getting back on track going towards league champs,” said Vincent. With the combined threats of Vincent and Hayden Santche in as linebackers on the tigers defense, there is no offense that can beat them. “All similar interests in the senior class, putting all their interests into action.” said Vincent, “best leadership I've experienced.” Having a great connection with the coach and the effort he puts into the team has inspired players everyday to give it their all. There is nothing that can stand in the way of the Arcata Tigers as they “plan on rolling through play-offs and get that section championship,” Vincent said. When I was interviewing Mateo, I asked him, who is the playmaker on the team, who can you trust to go out there and just change the course of the game, I got an awkward answer, “You,” said Mateo. It was just a little funny in the moment. Please come out and support your favorite sports teams.
The Pepperbox | Page 12
Feature
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Discrimination|Microaggressions Isabel S. Wedll Online Editor
H
umboldt County, or more specifically Arcata High, is perceived to be a very liberal or “woke” area, but that is far from the truth; discrimination and microaggressions are very common against people of color, both inside and outside their communities. White settlers claimed the Native American land of Humboldt County in the mid-1800s during the Gold Rush when all that mattered was to strike it rich. Along with the settlers came extreme racial tensions. A 1929 Advance yearbook, with worn faded pages and pictures of white faces, gives insight to life as a teenager in Humboldt County. A story from Norma, a decendent of Isaac Minor from the yearbook, implies that the Spanish never settled here, and it was mostly people moving here from other parts of the U.S. in search of a better life. “Those who live in Humboldt County today can have no appreciation of the terrible difficulties that confronted the pioneers of this country,” Minor wrote, “Those wars and those times are now only a memory yet they are part of history.” The terrible difficulties for the pioneers that Minor illustrates throughout her story were the conflict with Native population. And likely occured when settlers took land from the natives. Racist tales are scattered throughout those almost 100-year-old yearbooks in Ms. Witten’s classroom, but that sentiment did not completely disappear as they collected dust. In December 1985, my mother, Marcela Sada, moved to the place where her mother was from;
Microagression and discrimination according to Miriam Webster. Humboldt. Coming from Mexico, she received an extensive amount of questions from her new Sunny Brae classmates. “I don’t think this came from a place of discrimination, but a place of curiosity and ignorance,” Sada said, “They asked me if my classroom had electricity. But then they asked me if I rode a burro to school. That part I do think came from a racist place.” As my mother’s education progressed, she didn’t experience many microaggressions or discrimination until she went to Humboldt State University. At HSU, she was met with a more diverse campus, but with it came discrimination from the Hispanic/Latino community. “[I’m] half Mexican, half American. A lot of the Chicanos would say things like: ‘oh you think you’re white because you hang out with white people,’ if I hung out with somebody that wasn’t Hispanic. So I got a lot of shit from them,” Sada said, “None of my ‘white friends cared about my ethnic background.’” This happens more often that one would think within minority communities. Meiwan Gottschalk,
junior, has had similar experiences. “You’re not considered an equal, you’re just ‘that adopted Asian’,” Gottschalk said. As the interview continued, Gottschalk and an anonymous source brought up the bullying they have experienced because of their ethnicity. “When I was little, a kid came up to me and asked me if I slammed my face into a pan,” an anonymous source told me. In a study from 2011-2013, 6.3% of Asians in California experienced bullying and harassment because of their race. In Humboldt, this statistic increases to 10.5% of Asians. Let’s delve into more of the data revolving around race/ethnicity at Arcata High. Every year that there is data for, white students are the largest population at Arcata High. At AHS in the 2018-19 school year, there were 945 students and 644 of them were white. Throughout the state, on the other hand, Latinos or Hispanics are the largest group of enrolled students. Of course, this data isn’t as specific to districts or high schools. Furthermore, it is important to take into consideration if the area
Isabel Wedll/PEPPERBOX
is urban or not. Urban areas tend to be more diverse. For comparison, let's look at the second-best high school in Los Angeles County, Abraham Lincoln Senior High School. There were 612 Hispanic or Latino students out of 656 in the 2018-19 school year. Area and population are major factors in a school’s diversity. Abraham Lincoln is practically the Latino/Hispanic equivalent to Arcata High’s whiteness. Clubs like the Black Student Union, and the Native American provide a common ground for students of color to confide in each other. These clubs give a sense of security in a white-majority place. A sense of equality amongst their peers. “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal…” Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence. As much as we’d like to think that our ideas on equality are true in the United States, it is not. There are copious problems here dealing with race or ethnicity. As a country, however, we can fix these, as long as we choose to educate ourselves about our diversity.
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
The Pepperbox | Page 13
Feature
The con of stressful applications Caledonia Davey
T
Editor-in-Chief
he pressure of the future has turned into a ton of bricks and has been placed directly on my chest. I am gasping for air but none will come. I am forced to pick off the bricks one at a time, but I must do so before time runs out and the lack of oxygen is the end of me. My lungs are screaming, my ribs are cracking, my vision is getting darker. This, dear reader, is what senior year is like. My head is constantly swirling with college essays, applications, scholarships, grants, FAFSAs, savings, and the attempts at tackling my seven period day with my four AP classes. But, I’m also trying to join clubs, get a job, participate in sports, be co-Editor-in-Chief of Pepperbox, and set myself apart from the crowd. Additionally, I am trying to have a social life, go on trips, make new friends, enjoy my life and enjoy being sixteen. I am stretched so thin my skin has become translucent. Neither of my parents went to college. I grew up in the absolute boondocks of Southern Humboldt, with eight students in my whole school. I taught myself to read and taught myself multiplication, all on my own. My parents have never pressured me into being “the A student” (thank goodness) but they have never helped me be “the A student” either. That was all me. My parents never reminded me to do my homework and never badgered a teacher who gave me a bad grade. They never punished me for failing a test, nor ever awarded me for getting straight A’s. And because of that, I have put pressure on myself to reach that
level of excellence my parents never even thought about. College was my way out. My way to be anything other than a “farmer” (we all know what I’d be growing). My way to escape the continuous cycle of wasted lives within my family. College has always been my way to be more. At the same time, it has been my biggest challenge. To me and my life, college was just out of reach. So, it was up to me to do everything in my power to make it not so. I was always put under the impression that going to college was as big of a deal as being president; not very many people made it, and those that did, never slept. It was unaffordable and only for pure geniuses. The applications took months to complete, and even if you got in, paying for it was next to impossible. There has been so much work up to this point that I am at now that it’s become all too much. The applications seem like this giant mountain that I don’t even know where to begin with. Financial Aid seems like a long tedious request that will almost certainly be denied because, as I’ve always been told, college isn’t meant for everyone. It’s all so huge I had too much anxiety to even begin the process. The constant knowledge that this is what determines the road of my whole entire life freaked me out. The notion that one sentence on an application can keep me from my dreams made me simply refuse to even begin because that would just bring me closer to the moment when I would have to stare the Decline Letter in the face. I was so overcome with not only the enormity of the application process, but the enormity of the importance of each application in the determination of the rest of my life.
Knowing that every single box I filled out on my computer screen had the power of making or breaking my whole life’s goal frankly scared the shit out of me. To the point where I simply had too much anxiety to ever begin. And then, I forced myself to start in on my FASFA application. It took me twenty minutes. I started in on my Stanford application. I finished half of it in a little over half a day. There was all of this enormous build up literally for nothing. What seemed like this big hulking task turned into a very simple little chore. I literally almost didn’t make a FASFA because I had gained so much anxiety over all the years of build up. And then it took me twenty
minutes. Dear reader, college applications are not that big of a deal.They are, in fact, actually very easy and not very time consuming. If you mess up, if you turn in an application that isn’t good enough to get you into the school you want, there is always next year. If school has been too much of a stressor, take a year off. Travel, work, enjoy life and all it has to offer. Take time to just be, before you hop into another thread of due dates, late nights, and countless anxious hours. Or, take that leap. Write those college essays, fill out that financial aid form, make that FAFSA. Just do it. It’s not a mountain, it’s not even an ant hill. It’s all just a little lump in the road that will probably take you twenty minutes.
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The Pepperbox | Page 14
Feature
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Birth control: what you should know Lilli Bowman
Social Media Director
*Information from Planned Parenthood*
H
your cycle and take 2 days to be effective. Combination pills contain two hormone dosages first taken on Sunday and take 7 days to be effective. The patch is 91% effective with typical use and needs to be replaced every week for 3 weeks
This method is also 91% effective with typical use. These methods can cause more side effects including intermenstrual bleeding, mood changes, missed periods, weight gain, decreased libido, vaginal discharge, etc.
ere's what you need to know! There are a wide range of birth control methods with an even wider range of health benefits and deficits. It is very important to know how each type of method can affect you mentally and physically. It is also important to know which methods are more effective than others in order to reduce chances of pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. 1) Condoms, diaphragms, cervical caps, sponges and spermicide are barrier methods of contraception which are only used during sexual intercourse to prevent sperm from entering the uterus. They can be up to 98% effective although there is a 12% to 30% chance of failure. Condoms are always advised to use even when there is another birth control method because they can prevent any sexually transmitted diseases which other methods cannot do. However these barrier methods can increase your risk of a urinary tract infection (UTI), or, if left in for too long (over 24 hours) can lead to toxic shock syndrome which can be fatal when there is a release of toxins from a bacteria overgrowth (Staph) 2) Birth control pills, patches and vaginal rings are methods that release certain doses of hormones (estrogen and progestin) for that month, preventing ovulation therefore pregnancy. These need to be prescribed by a doctor. Birth control pills are taken 5 days after
Lilli Bowman/PEPPERBOX
(21 days) and on the fourth week it is taken off and menstrual bleeding will occur. The vaginal ring is a small flexible plastic ring that is inserted into the vagina. It works like the pill and the patch but needs to be replaced every month.
3) Injectables, such as Depo-provera or DMPA, are regular shots that contain the hormone progestin every 10 to 12 weeks. The progestin prevents ovulation and with no egg in the tube the sperm will not be able to fertilize which pre-
vents pregnancy. This method is 99% effective (1 out of 100 people get pregnant per year). Although in real life the method is 94% effective since the shot isn't always taken on time. There are several side effects of the shot including: Irregular periods post first shot, changes in appetite, weight gain, change in sexual desire, nausea, tenderness in breasts, and headaches. 4) The most effective and long lasting birth control methods include male and female sterilization, Intrauterine device (IUD), and the implant. Female sterilization, also known as tubal ligation, is a procedure of sealing, cutting, or blocking the fallopian tubes preventing sperm to enter the uterus and fertili the egg. There is a 0.5% chance to get pregnant which is usually an ectopic pregnancy where the fertilized egg implants itself outside the uterus, which is very unlikely. Male sterilization, also known as a vasectomy, is a procedure done under anesthesia. This is a short procedure ( approximately 30 minutes) but there is a 0.15% failure rate because the doctor can miss the tubes that are able to grow back. The IUD is the most popular method of birth control that can last from 3 to 12 years ,depending on the type of IUD. The most common IUD for teenagers is a Skyla, Mirena, Liletta, and Kyleena because they are hormone free or a low dosage of hormones. These types of IUDs have less than a 1% chance of pregnancy. An IUD is a T-shaped device that is inserted into the uterus which is a procedure of about 5 minutes. Implants are small match-stick sized rods that are inserted underneath the skin of the arm releasing progestin (the same hormone in patches, rings and the pill) with a 0.5% failure rate.
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
The Pepperbox | Page 15
Feature
Sex ed: Staying safe and healthy Skaidra Pulley
T
Copy Editor
he Planned Parenthood waiting room actually shows good movies. Students who’ve visited have watched Kung Fu Panda, Frozen, and even Mean Girls. It’s all part of the plan to make sexual health comfortable for community members of all ages. Planned Parenthood, however, is not the only provider of sexual care for teens in Humboldt County. Mad River Hospital and Open Door Health Clinic also offer a range of services for teenagers and their families. Open Door offers the Arcata Teen Clinic every Monday from 3:00 to 5:00 P.M. Teen Clinic offers free appointments with medical professionals who can give basic examinations, checkups, and give out birth control. They also have lots of free information and educational materials available. Regina*, a senior at Arcata High, gets most of her care from Open Door and says she has had a great experience so far. “The care was really good and it wasn’t awkward at all. I have to wait a while for my [IUD] appointment but they gave me birth control pills and condoms for that time.” The Mad River Hospital supports a separate women’s health clinic, staffed by OBGYNs and other specialized professionals. Their main offering for teens are contraceptive care and pelvic exams, important after a sexual assault or unsafe sexual experience. Planned Parenthood, located in Myrtletown in Eureka, has the widest range of services for teens. An unaccompanied minor in California can access birth control, HIV testing, emergency contraception, abortions, pregnancy testing, STD testing and general checkups
for men and women. Parent permission is not required for any of these services. Often, the biggest worry for teenagers accessing care on their own is paying for it. Some students are listed on their parent/guardian’s insurance and worry that their parents will find out about their appointment when they receive the billing information. If the patient doesn’t feel comfortable with information about their appointments showing up on insurance, they can submit a con-
ant, since her parents didn’t know about her appointment. Being sexually healthy isn’t only whether you have STDs or not. It includes mental, physical, and even social welfare in terms of sexuality. For teenagers in high school, drinking and drugs can often lead to unsafe situations. According to Julie*, parties can often be hotbeds for unhealthy activity. “Everyone is drinking and smoking and dancing. It’s a lot of fun but you have to stay close to your friends to make sure they don’t do
fidential communications request. This form, which needs to be submitted to the patient’s health care coverage plan or health insurer, will have the bill for the student’s care sent to them personally, so that they don’t have to worry about parents finding out. Julie*, an Arcata High senior, recently got an IUD at Planned Parenthood in Eureka. Since Julie is covered under MediCal, all the care she received at her visit was free, and confidential. No information from her appointment showed up on insurance later. For Julie, this was really import-
something they might regret later,” she said. “Making healthy choices can be harder than people think,” said Sophie, an Arcata High student. “Sometimes it’s alcohol or weed that makes you do something you might not be entirely comfortable with. Sometimes, it’s how you feel about the person, especially if you’re close friends or family.” What it all comes down to, many students expressed, is communication with your partner and awareness of yourself. A common theme in many interviews was that the less you know, the more vulnera-
Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX
ble you may be. Former McKinleyville High student Hailey Boyum emphasized the importance of knowing your own body and establishing what you personally are comfortable with. “One way teenagers can explore their sexuality is with masturbation,” Boyum wrote. “[Masturbation] is still largely a hidden topic... For many teens, this area of sexuality offers them an opportunity to develop a private perspective, including preferences, rules, and ideas.” While younger students might worry about being framed as a “slut” or ruining their reputation, most seniors stressed that talking about sex isn’t as taboo as it used to be. In fact, ideas and attitudes around sex have changed a lot for older students since their first year of high school. Regina* said that for her and her friends, sex has become ‘less of a big deal.’ “There’s less stigmatization and I’m a lot more comfortable with my sexuality,” she said. Her advice for younger students; “Every situation is different. Just don’t be afraid to ask questions and get information. Even if it’s an awkward question or situation, getting that info is important. Information is power.”
Planned Parenthood Eureka: (707) 442-5700
Open Door Clinic: (707) 826-8610
Mad River Hospital (707) 822-3621
Uncertainty plagues Negotiations Fiona Murphy Editor-in-Chief
S
ince the negotiations story broke, one question has dominated my life. Why?
Why aren’t teachers getting their demands? Why did negotiations fail? Those questions just kept growing, and growing, and growing. I have spent hours pouring over budget reports, actuals, news articles, and state budget proposals. My lunches were taken over by research and interviews with teachers, classified staff, and administrators; after school became time for board meetings and listening and re-listenting to my interviews, organizing notes and ideas in order to try and find out why all of this was happening. Even now,
the full picture is still emerging. “Things changed this year in regard to funding for our school,” said Superintendent Macdonald. The school district lost two main sources of revenue this year. Gap funding, created by the State in order to repair damage done to education during the recession, ended for the Nohum district last year.
“We became fully funded in 18/19, after that all [the state] will give us is COLA,” said Vickers, A COLA refers to a cost of living adjustment, or a yearly funding increase to keep up with inflation. According to the state, the district has now reached full funding. But, the teachers, who also suffered during the recession have not, adding to the financial stress they now face. “Teachers willingly partnered with the District, waiting patiently for the delayed funds with the agreement that they would be compensated as the District was reimbursed for those funds,” wrote JoAnn Moore, English teacher and negotiations chair for the Nohum teachers union. The average amount of money Nohum teachers lost when they didn’t receive a COLA, during the recession, amounts to $30,000, according to the union. The second major budget change came from a new governor, according to Vickers. Jerry Brown, former governor, would find money in unusual places and hide it away until budget proposals rolled around. He then had a pot of money to dole out to school districts. Money that was sorely needed by California schools, who are 13% behind on per pupil spending when compared to the rest of the United States. Gavin Newsom, the current governor, does not. The costs to the district also rose this year. Pension costs and health insurance rates grew. But
this has happened continually each year. And will continue to happen.
But why was the effect felt so strongly this year? Why didn’t the district prepare? The district resorted to cutting benefits from staff. The certificated and classified staff, who eventually settled for fully covered “Oak” insurance with no COLA, found themselves asked to contribute $5,500 towards health insurance for the year. That is nearly 12% of an entry level teacher’s salary, compared to only 5.1% of the average administrator’s pay. As the union found a $5,500 demand unacceptable, further negotiations stalled until August, after teacher contracts expired. At that meeting, the district’s offer was still decided to be too high, $2,500 per year per employee. This offer, too, was rejected by the union. The district continued negotiations well into the school year. Moore has lost three days of teaching for negotiations so far, when she would usually have missed none.
Her students have lost three days worth of teaching. When another district offer was rejected by the union and the district declared impasse, the two groups reached a breaking point. Now, teachers prepare for a possible strike. They sit 15% below the cost of living, according to Moore. Some even take second jobs to pay for basic living expenses. The district worries over deficit spending and a possible state takeover. Students are locked out of their classrooms. And have began to ask what happens to them if teachers go on strike.
Will we have substitutes? Will we have school extended into summer? Will we get our recommendation letters on time? Continued on page 18.
On October 2nd, students at both Arcata and McKinleyville high schools walked out in support of the teachers. At McKinleyville High, the Macdonald invited the students to discuss the ongoing negotiations and answer questions. At Arcata High students and one parent spoke to a crowd on All phots by Will Oviatt/PEPPERBOX the Arcata Plaza. Naz Dickerson adresses the crowd at the walkout in support of the teachers.
Teachers Underpaid and overworked, the idea of losing fully covered health insurance and a cost of living adjustment became an angering future. In past years, the union and district presented their opening negotiation demands in April, reached agreements by May, and signed their contracts by June. That did not happen. It was delayed until August. That’s when the district’s budget would be finalized. But their contract lapsed. “We had no choice but to delay,” said JoAnn Moore, negotiations chair, citing the districts first offer of the staff paying an increase of $5,500 per year for health insurance unless negotiations were delayed. “The district promised their books would be closed by [August] [...] the numbers would be better,” she said But, the district did not offer fully paid health insurance or provide a cost of living adjustment, an annual percentage on top of a staff member’s salary to account for increased living expenses. Already paid 15% below the cost of living, according to the union, the average teacher would be put under extreme financial stress if asked to not only pay more than previous years for health insurance but forgo a cost of living adjustment. Feelings of resentment surged when teachers learned of the salaries of administration and district administrative staff. As of 2018/19 the superintendent was paid $158,000 and the most a teacher could make was $83,118. “The breadth and depth of what is required of an administrator can be vast and in most cases administrators work more days during the year,” said Superintendent Macdonald when asked about the difference. While administrators do contractually work more days, teachers cite hundreds of hours outside of contractual time. The impact of the work done outside paid time was emphasized when teachers refused to continue to do that work without a contract. Students felt that impact. “You can’t put students first when you put teachers last,” said Dorian Koczera, Six Rivers math teacher.
Students Until teachers took the step to stop working outside contractual hours, most students were blissfully unaware of the crisis teachers and administration were facing. Besides teachers wearing black on Wednesdays, the ongoing negotiations had little effect on students. All that changed. On September 19th, students met distraught teachers. Doors are closed at lunch.
This isn’t anything you did. We are sorry, they said. “I have seen teachers cry because they are forced to make us take a stand,” Madison Berube, Arcata High junior said. After doors closed, union negotiations became a topic of conversation. Students decided to take action. On October 2nd, students clad in black streamed out of their classes under the quiet eyes of their teachers. “Blows to our educators affect our students,” Naz Dickerson, an Arcata High senior and an organizer of the school walkout, said, “I feel obligated to advocate for the students who are not seen except by the teachers. [...] Do you care about the students?” As the discussion grew throughout the school, students did what they do best, they asked why. They asked their teachers, and received unclear answers. They asked administrators, and received political answers.
Administration Fear of deficit spending and less funding created seemingly unanswerable questions. A new governor meant a whole new budget. Pension costs rose, health insurance costs rose, overall revenue shrank--all from just one budget year to the next. The district had become accustomed to Governor Jerry Brown’s habits of school funding. They could count on a yearly bonus from his office. They also became accustomed to a yearly “bonus” the state gave to pay back the lack of funding during the recession. When the school reached 2007 level funding, not adjusted for inflation, that bonus dried up.
Could they afford to pay for staff health insurance? Would giving a cost of living increase reduce the district’s coffers to a dangerous amount? The district pushed negotiations to August, that’s when they would have the state’s budget. They would know how much state funding they could rely on, how much they could give their teachers. The state’s funding did not seem like enough. “You have to be super thoughtful about how you are spending your money,” said Macdonald, “We don’t want to create a yo-yo effect where we have to use some money then make a bunch of cuts.”
Science teacher Cindy Condit brought her students’ work to the special session board meeting and graded throughout the meeting. In her speech to the board, she outlined the time she puts in outside of contractual hours. 8 minutes per assignment, 1 assignment per week, 25 assignWill Oviatt/PEPPERBOX ments per class. The Northern Humboldt school board listens to speakers at the board meeting
The Pepperbox | Page 18
Feature
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
More than a business, a family Emilio Silveira Reporter
We call her My Lady. She is 65ft and weighs 80 tons. She may smell like fish to some, but she smells like money to me. She takes care of us when we are out fishing. She gets us to where we have to go, and she works with us. I consider her my partner in crime. My Lady is beautiful--gray and blue like the ocean sky and water. My grandpa owns her. We consider her family, as she is the boat that brings us to the crab and tuna and helps us make our living. When he was younger in the Azores, Portugal, my grandpa started fishing because he truly enjoyed it. Then, he packed his bags and all his fishing knowledge and moved to Arcata, California
on September 1st, 1971. He moved here for a better life for himself and my grandma , uncle, cousin, and myself. My family crabs and fishes on this boat for a living. I'm working on the boat right now cutting fish for customers and it’s not as easy as it seems. You have to cut the fish a certain way,get at least 50% of the meat off the fish, and if I’m not doing that I’m cutting rope for crab pots. I get out of school early and go to work because it gets me ready for life and how you have to bust your butt to make a living because nobody’s going to do it for you. This is why I value this experience because life isn’t always going to be fun or easy. I enjoy fishing with my family. It’s brings us together. Even if you don’t catch anything you’re making memo-
ries and learning as well. My family has taught me so much about working on a boat; from how to tie a boat to the dock, to learning how to cut a fish. It
Emilio Silveira/PEPPERBOX
My Lady (right) stands tall in Humboldt Bay.
Negotiations continued The rocky negotiations seemed to be a breaking point for many teachers. As conversation surrounding salary and benefits seeped into each classroom, animosity seeded in negotiations toward higher paid administration who were negotiating against the union blossomed.
The superintendent has a Tesla. His secretary is paid more than me. How can admin get paid three times more? Those sentiments grew, and grew. And eventually, the district declared impasse.
ers and classified staff can heal from these new wounds? Will teachers strike? Will demands be met? What will happen next year, when costs continue to rise and the district is still reeling from loss of revenue and possible, from deficit spending this year? The district had agreed to pay for staff healthcare through September, but as we enter October, the monthly contribution teachers must pay towards their health insurance is unclear. Anger is building. As students look to the future, we don’t know what will happen.
But will a third party help mediate between the two groups? Can the entire district, administrative staff, teach- Here is where the story begins.
may seem like it’s easy but don’t let that fool you. It takes lots of time to improve on anything but the more you practice, the better you’ll get.
The Pepperbox | Page 19
Feature
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
LGBTQ+ at AHS: Are we there yet? Ty Vizenor
O
Digital Team
ne in four. That’s how many LGBTQ+ teens attempt suicide. This is no ‘decades old study of a community long forgotten,’ but a study from two years ago. According to the Trevor Project (an organization designed to prevent suicide among the LGBTQ+ youth) transexual youth are even more at risk, with a shocking 41% having attempted suicide in their lifetime. It doesn’t end there. LGBTQ+ students are more likely than heterosexual students to fall into depression or partake in drug use. Two years ago this came to a head when the Mckinleyville High School football team wrote their “69 Commandments,” which included several racist and homophobic slurs. This is not uncommon, tales of homophobia and misogyny have historically come out American locker rooms. So now, in 2019, while all of these issues continue to persist and even worsen in some cases, how do we solve this? How do we improve the lives of those in this community? First, we must confront the fact that these are not simply national problems, homophobia is everywhere. The question remains what does homophobia look like on campus? “Slurs,” said Six Rivers Senior Opal Luna. “Just like homophobic slurs. Just people talking to their friends all the time and I hear it. Or people are shouting across the entire campus. So that’s always fun. Makes you feel real accepted.” This feeling is a common theme among those in the LGBTQ+ community on campus.
“One guy said I grabbed his ass after we brushed by each other,” said former student Tyler Vaughn-Sanchez. “And some random guy called me a faggot.” However despite the occasional outright aggression, members of the community remain resilient. “I’ve taken a lot of hate and horrible comments but at the end of the day, the only person whose feelings matter is my own,” Junior Brooke Bisgrove explained.
“The only issues the LGBTQ community faces stem from non accepting, close minded, ignorant assholes.” - Hannah Davis Senior Hannah Davis summed it up, “The only issues the LGBTQ community faces stem from non accepting, close minded, ignorant assholes.” I asked members of the LGBTQ+ community on Arcata High’s campus to sum up their experience LGBTQ+ person in one word. The answers went from “chill” and “unpredictable” to “empowering.” This clearly emphasizes the diversity of experiences in the LGBTQ+ community on campus. So how do we push progress locally on campus? “Arcata High is overall a very supportive school.” Bisgrove said. “But there needs to be more emphasis on the fact that it’s okay to be who you are in school and outside of school.” Davis added that “one thing
1 in 4 41% 40%
LBGTQ+ teenagers will attempt suicide. of transexual youth have attempted suicide in their life of homeless youth are apart of the LGBTQ+ community
that Arcata High doesn’t do in accepting the community is they don’t provide equal sex education” the passionate Davis said. “I feel sex education that includes all genders and sexual orientations would be very beneficial to the community and our allies.” Eileen Klima, the resident student assistance counselor on campus, has a potential improvement. According to the Human Rights Campaign LGBTQ+ youth make up nearly 40% of homeless youth. To help solve this she plans to increasingly include parents in the counseling process to avoid problems that plague the LGBTQ+ community such as homelessness. Students at Six Rivers High, the high school who shares a campus with Arcata High, shares similar perspective. Opal Luna, member of the Pirate council (essentially Arcata High’s ASB with a cooler name) explained that Six Rivers is generally very accepting. She added that in their classes they “definitely have discussions relating to issues a lot, especially English classes.” This is contrary to Arcata High who, as far as I know, do not have their English classes read one book with a gay protagonist. This discussion of LGBTQ+ rights is not a new one. I myself can remember the sigh of relief breathed by many when the Su-
preme Court legalized gay marriage. I realized, among many others, that sometimes the world is capable of change. We often walk around in this mindset of consistency in America. However this mindset fortunately sometimes isn’t accurate. Tegan Hesseltine, a junior on Arcata High’s football team recently came out as bisexual to his team. “No one cares at all” Hesseltine said last week. “Everybody knew and they kind of just shrugged it off.” This presents a stark contrast between the despicable acts of the Mckinleyville team a mere two years ago. So despite all that we criticize, as important as those criticisms are, we seem to be moving in the right direction. According to a collection of Gallup polling for 30 years approval of gay or lesbian reletionships is at the highest its ever been at around 73% and support for the trans community is also rapidly expanding. However this is merely support. Action must accompany this support if we wish to see changes. We need to stand as allies with those who are threatened to protect them and push a narrative of acceptance with our peers. If we cannot accomplish these two tasks, there is no progress.
The Pepperbox | Page 20
Life
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Gender neutral bathrooms: Meeting needs Ruby Langdon A&E Editor
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magine you have to pee, like really bad. You’re looking everywhere for a bathroom and when you finally find one, you read that the sign says it’s not for your gender. Now imagine every bathroom sign not fitting your gender identity. Using a bathroom you don’t identify with is always an option but it’s not the most comfortable or validating option. This is a reality for many non-binary and non-gender conforming people all over the world: the awkwardness of not wanting to be seen by others in the bathroom or getting a gut feeling that you’re not in the right place and it just feels wrong. “It felt confined and squished. Never once did I use the boys bathroom, but there were so many days where walking into a bathroom full of cisgender girls didn’t feel right either. It was really uncomfortable, but then I had to just fake it and deal with it,” former Arcata High School student Mariasha Self said. Students beyond the binary feel awkwardness and invalidation
going into bathrooms that don’t match their identity while others don’t give much thought to it at all. Gender assigned bathrooms have been around for ages, and it’s not something all people put in the thought or effort to change. “I honestly feel like most of it is just it’s not something that people who don’t experience it think about, and it’s not necessarily malicious intent. I just think that people don’t think about it, and they should,” Lo Monahan, a gender fluid Arcata High junior, explained. People that don’t experience struggles with gender identity don’t always give much thought to how this affects people that do deal with these different identities. Separate bathrooms may not mean much to a majority of people in life, but as things move forward the importance of validating people and their identity has become highlighted as something important in society. It doesn’t always seem like a big deal but having a space where everyone feels comfortable is really important. In school, students’ needs should always be accounted for. At our school we actually have
two gender neutral bathrooms by the woodshop on our campus. Navarre said that hopefully in the future we will have even more on our campus. “This change came from meetings with students. They met with me and they expressed a need, and do I checked with my maintenance people, we came up with a plan, and that’s what came out of that meeting,” Navarre told me. Even though we have gender neutral bathrooms on campus and it’s a good change for our school most people don’t know about them. If we end up with more gender neutral bathrooms on campus then hopefully students with differing gender identities from male or female will feel more comfortable and valid in our school environment. “The United States has gendered bathrooms mainly due to a push for women’s facilities in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Women in the workforce and laws were passed mandating restrooms in their workplaces. Because of this many city building codes still require businesses to have separate bathrooms,” Madaline LaBanca, an Arcata High alumni who
Ruby Langdon/PEPPERBOX
Binaried bathrooms at Arcata High School. While there are geneder neutral bathrooms, they are little known and out of the way.
now studies studies human sexuality, told me. Important issues change over time and now these are the changes we need to make people feel welcome and valid with non assigned bathrooms for those who need them. Gender identity is hard enough for non-conforming people to deal with in their body alone, worries about where to go to the bathroom or any other day to day tasks only make it more difficult. Working to make people around you feel comfortable and validated is important. “The idea of gender dysphoria is largely rooted in western society’s idea of a gender binary and the specific behavior that goes along with it. Many cultures across the globe have more than two genders and many more ways they can be expressed and experienced,” LaBanca said. The best thing we can do to make a change for those who have felt discomfort in their gender and in bathrooms all over is to be accepting of those around us. Even as someone who hasn’t experienced the same thoughts and feelings being open minded toward others helps those who need support. Making people feel comfortable is something that means a lot to anyone but especially to someone that deals with difficutl feelings just trying to do everyday tasks. Letting others feel capable of being their true self without confinement is a step towards a world where hopes for the future of gender can become a reality. “I hope that [in the future] we don’t perceive people as only their gender, and we see them as they are on the inside and realize that all people deserve the same amount of respect,” Brooke Bisgrove, a student advocate, said.
Life
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
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Ultimate spooky season suggestions Zoe Reiss News Editor
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t’s that time of year again. For some, spooky season begins September 1st, for some it starts October 1st, and for some it never ends. Regardless of how long your spooky season is, here is a list of movies (ranked from least to most scary) that will help you get into the spirit of the season.
It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown -One of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of all time. You will laugh, cry, and your mind will be blown.
Young Frankenstein -Mr. Peters likes this movie and if that doesn’t prove its excellence and perfection, I don’t know what would.
Ghostbusters -One of the most well known Halloween movies of all time. This exquisite film has an even more alluring theme song. The super clean special effects add another layer of masterpiece to an already perfect film. The Nightmare Before Christmas -I’ve never actually watched this movie but people seem to like it. “A movie for every season,” junior Stella Walston said. Beetlejuice -A slightly sexual story about haunting and being haunted. Honestly, you just have to watch it. Coraline -Although this may look like a kids movie, the level of creepiness is so extreme I cannot watch it. Instead, I turned to senior Maya Mircetich. “I watch it once every two weeks,” says Maya. “It’s my favorite movie. Period.”
Highly Spooky
Not Very Spooky Casper -Do you believe in ghosts? If not, you just hurt Casper’s feelings. You will spend this entire movie wanting to hug a not tangible white blob. He’s cute though so it’s okay.
The Addams Family -Do you ever have mildly destructive and evil urges that go against what society deems “normal” or “healthy”? Watch the Addams family to discover kinship and feel accepted for the first time in your life. E.T. -Have you ever wanted a friend? I do. Watch E.T. to see what true connection and friendship looks like, even between different species. Hocus Pocus - Three witches, a talking cat, Satan, possession, teen romance, and zombies all in a small eastern town. Rocky Horror Picture Show -Join Janet and Brad (lovers) on a wild ride through the house of a mad scientist who is an alien transvestite and his entourage of singing servants. Halloween -The name says it all. This movie is a halloween must see for those special few who enjoy horror movies.
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Life
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Dear freshman, please follow this advice Will Oviatt
Photography Director
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epublican or Democrat, sexist or feminist, everyone agrees freshmen are the festering wound of our school. Upperclassmen don’t like you. Teachers don’t like you. And you probably hate yourselves too. Why wouldn’t you? Life as a freshman is hard, and I’m all for hating on freshmen, but... there are no buts. This article is worth 100 points. And TECHNICALLY, I was not given a format to follow. So I’m just going to be honest and write, and if it’s not what you wanted, you can edit out my vulgarity yourselves @ Fiona and Calli. What makes being a freshman worse than being a furry? It’s a
question many ponder. Not to fret, I’ve taken it upon myself to ask seniors for insight to help you disgusting creatures. “Create a positive reputation for yourself early, most people are meeting you for the first time and first impressions can stick more than you may think,” senior Makayla Smith said. While it seems like common sense, not everyone got the memo. Delicious Strawberry Blonde senior Arthur Frye took no note of this. “My biggest regret freshman year was shaving my head, don't do it,” he said. For those of you don’t have the pleasure of remembering, Arthur was “gently pressured” by the soccer team freshman year into shaving his entire skull. He looked
like a pale pink Steve Harvey who couldn’t grow facial hair. I know it may be hard to resist following this advice, and I hear you, but Frye is
Don’t be friends with Will. - Jack Taylor still haunted by painful flashbacks. Makayla also believes you freshies should take advantage of clubs and extracurricular activities. Being involved is a great way to gain a sorely needed sense of purpose and will help you meet new people. People who will hopefully guide you freshmen away from making everyone else want to inhale glass. Golden boy senior, soccer team captain, and part-time deity Jack
Taylor had some intellectual input for freshmen as well. “Senior boys don’t actually care about you freshman girls,” he said, “and don’t be friends with Will.” As Jack’s best friend I can’t say it doesn't hurt, but he’s dead on. While senior guys may seem like they truly care about you, you’re really just a glorified pit-stop for them. And yeah don’t be friends with me, I’m awful. In the end, a few key points were hit on by almost everyone I interviewed. “Stay organized,” “grades aren’t everything,” and “don’t eat at a certain unnamed Mexican place near campus unless you want to shit yourself.” This is the holy trinity of tips to get you freshmen through highschool. Take note of it.
The alter-ego hero of Arcata High Thomas Robbinson Reporter
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here is a wizard that walks the halls of the Arcata High campus coming to the rescue to save teachers from the doom of their tech issues. His name is Chris Gonzalez and his office is in an undisclosed location on the second floor. His lair is filled with computers in dire need of his help, although he is rarely there. He spends most of his time cruising in and out of classrooms swiftly saving teachers from their technological troubles. He receives countless work tickets each day. Since the beginning of August this school year he has had 267 work requests, which excludes urgent calls from teachers to have their projectors fixed so they can show a set of slides they got from Facebook. Chris started working at Arcata
High in 2016 and since then he has cleaned up the computer systems allowing for more tech in the classroom to benefit students learning and online gaming firsthand. Something that many of you might not know is that Chris essentially lives a double life. On many weekends you can find him
heckling at local bike races. Heckling is the act of yelling things mean, nice, or just funny to riders as they pass by you. The majority of hecklers attempt to yell absurdities that I cannot repeat in this publication, but they are almost always to their good friends who are racing. Gonzalez has a heckling
Will Oviatt/Caledonia Davey/PEPPERBOX
persona named Duffman, a character from the Simpsons who is a beer company spokesperson that mainly just says “Oh Yeah.” Gonzalez’s biking costume is very impressive. He sports a red cape, blue spandex cycling clothing and an impressive sign that reads “Duff.” Although I would assume Gonzalez enjoys adult beverages occasionally, the Duff in Duffman is ironic since he is almost always standing in Redwood duff when he heckles racers. Many people do not realize the extensive behind the scenes work that the tech team at Arcata does everyday in order to keep the computer systems and old projectors of the school working. Even more people don’t know that Chris Gonzalez has a long standing heckling costume that you might catch him wearing if you show up to a local bike race.
Life
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
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Frothers: Arcata High’s surfer celebrities Martina Mapatis
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Feature Editor
The bowl cuts, let’s talk about that!” I say. Half a second of silence is followed by an uproar of laughter. Towards the end of the last school year Jaden Coate and Adrian York went full send with a bowl cut, Taj Oritz and Spenser Stratton got bangs, and Nate Ferguson wasn’t present so he never had the opportunity. Did they make it work? Yes. Did others follow? Yes. Did myself and others mourn the loss of good hair? Maybe. These enigmatic surfer boys are the most recent celebrities on the Arcata High campus. “We’ve all been best friends pretty much forever” says Jaden. Four out of six of the boys grew up less than a mile away from each other in Trinidad, with Adrian in Arcata and Stone Buxcel from all the way in South Dakota. Throughout the years they’ve bonded over their mutual love of surfing and embarking on Humboldt adventures. Jaden left Humboldt but returned after living in the bay area for one year. The first 2-3 months
after Jaden came back, the boys went surfing everyday. This inspired them to take their surfing adventures public. Jaden summarizes the group’s thoughts as, “Dude this is pretty sick, people should see this”. Jaden himself photographs, films, and edits the videos, but I was surprised to learn that he wants to have a career in professional videography and produce videos for surf sponsors. The Frother’s Youtube channel was started in September 2017, has a total count of 3,076 views, and 189 subscribers (one of them being myself). If you don’t get the name, trust me you’re not alone. Before one of them explained it to me last year, I had no idea what it meant. Searching “frothing” on Youtube results in videos on how to froth milk, add the word “surf” after, and you find thousands of surf videos. “If you're like psyched off like waves or something they call it frothing” says Taj. After talking to them, I knew this was why they surfed; and according to Jaden, it’s also why they are such good friends, “It was the frothing that kinda brought us to-
Courtesy of THE Jaden Coate
Taj, Nate, Stone, and Adrian reckon the waves look rad.
Courtesy of THE Jaden Coate
Spenser, Stone, Taj, and Adrian prepare to shred the gnar. gether, in a sense, not the waves.” During this summer, they went to Southern California for fresh waves. They tell how easy and calm the waves were compared to Humboldt, but none can say the same for the community. “I’d say 80% of the waves we surf, most people from like southern California wouldn’t even go out,” Nate said. Beaches down there were super crowded, even with the boys arriving at 4 A.M. there were already 60 people in the water. When they tried to talk about the waves or weather, the people were evasive and rude. Contrary to SoCal, the boys have a lot to praise about the Humbodlt surf community. Taj says there aren’t many kids who are a part of the community, but when they first started surfing, “The older people would help us out and tell us where to go” said Adrian. They describe the community as mellow and open to helping everyone get a good wave. Big Wave Dave, a well-known local surfer, died on Sep. 16 surfing the North Jetty. Hours after the incident, members of the Humboldt
surf community and more gathered at the Jetty to talk, share stories, and surf in memoriam. “He waits for the biggest wave and just gets it and just best wave anybody’s seen all day” says Spenser. These boys are truly something else: their original style, goofy lingo, sometimes hair. What’s interesting to me is that they’re the future of Humboldt surfing, and I reckon this from their responses. All of them said they would never stop surfing until the day they die, because it produces a feeling like no other and Humboldt waves are, “so much more rewarding.'' This doesn't mean all days are perfect. In Spenser’s opinion, “A lot of times we drive like an hour round trip, half hour there half hour back, and it’s just horrible”. Jaden then offers an optimistic outlook I could only perceive as characteristic, “But when you get good waves and you drive an hour and a half and it’s just you and your friends, just you guys on the beach no one else even there, that's the reward you get out of Humboldt County surf.
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Life
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
A lifestyle: the mullet movement Tommy Robinson
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Mullet Man
he mullet is back in many people's minds, and resurfacing on the back of their heads. There could be many reasons for this phenomenon, such as easy maintenance, versatility, or the resurfacing of 80’s nostalgia we see in pop culture today. The hit Netflix series “Stranger Things”, showcases many impressive mullets and has, most likely, inspired many to join the mullet movement. The iconic American ‘cut “is really a lifestyle” in the words of Junior Teagan Hesseletine, who sports a clean classic business in the front party in the back mullet. He shows his commitment by making all his jeans jorts and tees tanks. The mullet came into my life and
onto my head after a bet and as an attempt to have a truly beautiful student ID, since then the mullet has stayed. There is a resurgence of this haircut in the mountain bike community. At a local mountain bike race in the beginning of September, there were multiple mullets excluding mine. One rider sported a dreaded mullet, made of thick long matts of hair, a style choice that is a little too gnarly for me. One question that is yet to be answered is do mullets make you faster or do fast people get mullets? When asked if his mullet improves his athletic ability sophomore Chet Keasey commented: “There's no doubt in my mind that mullets are the future of athletics.” His mullet has an exquisite fade
from the short front to the cascading thick hair flowing off the back of his noggin. According to my personal estimation, the shaved sides of the mullet improve aerodynamics, speed, agility, acceleration, endurance, hydrodynamics, and strength by 420.69%. There is no scientific literature to back this up but Hasseltine agreed saying, “mullets are a definite performance enhancer especially in sexual performance.” My mullet has brought me great success in most parts of my life.My long hair no longer falls into the way of my bowls, bowls of cereal that is, or any other type of bowl that my hair used to get in the way of. The mullet is back and this is just the beginning. In a year mul-
lets could be the trend, coaches could be encouraging their team to get mullets. The world as we know it could change for the better if everyone embraced the mullet and the mullet lifestyle.
Will Oviatt/PEPPERBOX
Robinson’s luscious mullet.
Mr. Peters is back, again? Bailey Ives Life Editor
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ost of us have had the funny, eccentric man known as Mr. Peters for a chemistry or an AP bio teacher. It has always been a hit or miss if you get the pleasure of having Mr. Peters as your teacher. It’s hard to tell when he’s being sarcastic or not. Walking into room 303 and looking at the myriad of dangerous chemicals and the chemistry memes on the walls, you ask yourself, What kind of man is Mr. Peters? Does he really trust high schoolers around all those chemicals? He’s a small, witty, creative, freakishly intelligent man. When I asked him interview questions I thought that he was going to respond sarcastically, but it seems that he has a soft spot for the Arcata High community by the serious-
ness of his answers. Peters decided that my interview questions were flawed. He gave me little corrections and he even rewrote some of them himself. Apparently there was a rumor Mr. Peters was supposed to retire four or five years ago. Peters though, shot that down. Currently at this point the rumors of Mr. Peters retiring is a fallacy. So you can stop worrying if you’ll ever have the iconic chemistry teacher. Mr. Peters in one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. “Teaching chemistry has been the ‘bread and butter’, meaning it’s paid the bills, but AP bio is my favorite subject since it’s college-level material in my major.” From my experience he’s kind of a recluse, if he’s not in his classroom and he’s not playing in the well known teacher band Ju Ju and the Plague, then you will not be able to find him. It’s almost as if
he can apparate he comes and goes so quickly. He was unsure what his favorite memory has been so far, “I don’t know. Maybe playing in the “teacher band.” Me. Peters is one of the best teachers I have ever had. He is considerate, he cares about each of his students individually. He has a unique connection with every student. When asked about having to say goodbye to his students he said “I would say it [is] rewarding since I believe students are moving on to bigger and better things.” With his unique teaching style and his sarcastic tendencies he is one of the most wanted teachers on campus. When he does retire (which is undecided) “I will spend time getting back in shape, relaxing, gardening, traveling, and playing and recording music.”
Name/PEPPERBOX
Earl Peters, scientist extraordinaire, grins at his yearly explosive demonstration.
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A&E
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
The up-and-coming of YOU UP Gabe Sanchez Reporter
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s beloved Petty Ed members leave the stage, a new band is stepping up into the spotlight. Emilio Zuniga quietly strums a guitar as I walk across the low lit stage where YOU UP is preparing for one of their daily rehearsals. Zelda Geren, a former member of Petty Ed, is quick to introduce me to the crew. Zuniga the drummer, Alexus Roberts the lead guitarist, and Quiller MacQuarrie the bass guitarist. They begin to tell me their biggest musical inspirations; Surf Curse, Freddie Mercury, Goth Babe, Joan Jet and Led Zeppelin are among many. As for their music style, they are still waiting to find it. “We want a surf rock kind of
vibe,” Geren said, “like The Strokes. We’re also very inspired by The Cure.” YOU UP has one song completed and are currently working on another. Their goal is to eventually have a set of songs to perform that is enough for a full show and they are well on their way. “We’re a little scattered and sometimes the 90 minutes just isn’t enough time,” Geren said. “We are working on starting to meet up once a week outside of school.” YOU UP is starting from scratch. With Geren being the only experienced band member, they are working diligently together to find their voice. Although YOU UP might not be working as quickly as last year’s Petty Ed, they are putting much more time into the quality of their
songs. “Last year we had something new everyday and we would just roll with it but this year we are putting more thought into the songs and their lyrics,” says Zelda. Last year’s band members had experience in jazz bands and orchestras, among other things. YOU UP, in great contrast, comes from a self taught background. This unique background is very unlike previous bands, putting an exciting twist on the music to come. “I think that it brings another level of creativity because we aren’t as structured, which I think is cool. There’s a lot of potential,” expressed Geren. Geren explained to me how AAI made music a priority in her life, “I’ve always loved music but AAI put more focus on it, its really cool
Gabe Sanchez/PEPPERBOX
having time everyday to sit and create and to learn how others create music.” This newly formed group of artists are taking their passion of music and coming together to create a new sound. As they continue to work, there is much to come from our new local band, YOU UP.
Entertainment out of this world Zelda Geren
Social Media Director
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s much as we all love birdwatching, the Marsh can get a bit repetitive. And you can only go to the beach so many times before the beauty of it all starts to drive you crazy. If you’re like me, you may be looking for new things to do as the weather shifts to the stormy, foggy Humboldt we all know and love. When the option to hike, swim, or surf isn’t available, let’s face it, Arcata is boring. However, you can always find fun things to do at Outer Space. Outer Space is a volunteer-run venue on 11th street for both local and traveling bands and musicians. When you walk in, the DIY sense comforts you immediately. The walls are covered in paper-plate moons and stars an the lighting resembles that which you might mind at a house party.
Instead of plastic cups there are several unique mugs and glasses brought in by members of the collective to be used in the space. Behind the stage, a black velvet sheet is hand decorated with glitter stars and galaxies to remind you where you are. They have live music every weekend for about $5 on a sliding scale at the door and it is always lots of fun. Aside from music, there are also lots of events sponsored by the collective. In the near future, the collective is hosting an open mic poetry night on the 27th of October, a casting call for a local film on October 20th, and several other musical performances ranging from EDM to canadian folk. There’s something for everyone, and you can check their instagram @outerspacearcata for upcoming events held at Outer Space. This weekend, the venue is holding their Sounds from Space music
festival. Three days of live music and activities all day long, starting today and going through Sunday. A ticket for a weekend long pass to the event is $33-$50, sliding scale. $33 is literally a buck a band, so you’re getting your money’s worth. The headlining bands are Over Yonder, Pills for Thrills, and Sad Krotch; and although you may have never heard of them, they’re guaranteed to be lots of fun for those who want to dance or get to know our local music community better. Among the 33 bands, one of Arcata Highs own groups, Sundays Forever, will be performing on Sunday afternoon. In addition to music, there are
booths and activities to be held outside on the streets surrounding Outer Space for free. A skate ramp will be set up and available for use for free. There will also be local community groups and businesses with tables outside full of fun things to buy, eat, and drink on Saturday afternoon; all while listening to some of the best local music Humboldt County has to offer. Bring some friends and make a weekend out of the Sounds from Space Festival. Volunteers have been working hard to provide you with three days full of local fun for all ages. I can guarantee you it’ll be more fun than birdwatching.
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A&E
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Clubs, gone but not forgotten Honorable Mentions:
Zoe Reiss News Editor
Nap Club:
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n June 2019, the Nap Club died after two years of sleepy meetings. This club had over 25 hours of dreamy lunches spent in room 211. The club’s members were known to be some of “the most alive looking at school, especially after lunch,” senior Iris Mahony-Moyer recalls. The untimely death of this club is mourned by club advisor Will Bagnall and founder Cecilia Ammon. Since this club has died, students have been utilising their lunches for unrestful activities such as eating or homework. The student population at Arcata High has started looking more and more zombie-like since the death of the club. Students have been wandering the halls absentmindedly, bumping into countless objects and people, slurring their words in class, and absorbing zero information in classes. This loss has affected our entire student population.
Snow Club- The Snow Club melted away in the recent 70 degree weather. The Muse- The Muse Club wilted due to lack of inspiration. Creative Writing- The Creative Writing club wrote themselves into a state of exhaustion and without nap club, could not recuperate.
AHS Bike Collective:
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he Arcata High School Bike Collective Club died last school year. The club is survived by advisor Will Bagnall and president Tommy Robinson. The club died because “the bike commuting community wasn’t stoked enough to have a club,” President Robinson remarked. The bike collective could have been seen cruising on their one bike ride to the Arcata Marsh. This club was of utmost cultural importance to most Arcata High students. Arcata students honor this highly respected club by gathering at the meaningful location of the first, and only, ride (the Arcata marsh). Students at the marsh seem to be surrounded by the smoky ghost of this deceased club. The sound of spinning wheels has been heard throughout the Arcata High School halls leading to the well known rumor that the school is haunted by the bike club which just really wanted more than one 2-mile ride.
Zine Club:
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he death of the zine club occurred last spring when it’s passionate members graduated. They published multiple self-produced magazines with art and writing The Zine club’s purpose was to “publish all types of media,” bereaved club advisor Danielle Witten said. She is still in mourning. “My heart hurts everyday that the Zine Club does not meet,” she expressed sorrowfully. The Zine Club was unique in its production of art and writing without having to go through the hoops of formal publication. They produced 2 zines in their two years as a club: a feminist-themed zine and a culture themed zine. The club was usually frequented by Arcata High graduates Jazmine Fiedler and Mira O’Barr. “Mira and I were the only people that ever consistently came to Zine Club,” Jazmine Fiedler recalled. “We named ourselves co-presidents and never even had a vote.” Although it was a tentative dictatorship, the loss of the Zine Club at Arcata High is noticeable through the lack of cultural and feminist knowledge in students.
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A&E
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Zane and Jack’s album review Zane Clarke
Business Manager
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hroughout the years, Chance the Rapper has released a lot of music, gaining more and more popularity as time goes on. He’s an incredibly respected artist throughout the music community, and as a rapper. He has been on top for quite some time. After three critically acclaimed mixtapes, Chance the Rapper finally released his debut album, “The Big Day.” This near 80-minute album from Chance the Rapper completely revolves around his marriage. Chance has always been known for his unique sound, but it seems in this album Chance has strayed as far as possible from the Chance everyone loves. Much of his unique wordplay and vocals have changed completely, and it seems to be for the worse. While his past work was headlined by clever play on words, quirky yet insightful lyrics, and the occasional high-pitched vocal that became simply known as the “Chance voice,” this once refreshing creativity and energy has ground completely to a standstill. Chance talks a lot about his family and his life throughout this 22 track album, and after listening, it almost comes off as cringey dad rap, like something your parents would make you listen to in the car because they think it’s “cool.” Many words have been used to describe this album from multiple people around my school and the internet. Words like ‘unpleasant,’ ‘substandard,’ ‘inferior,’ ‘poor,’ ‘straight doodoo,’ and pretty much any other words for bad. On his song, “The Big Day,”
Chance tried to use his classic gospel sound while managing to get a rant on the track as well, I talked to Arthur Frye about the song, “who let him release this shit,” he said. Chance experiments with lots of different sounds from attempted 90’s rap from a white dad on a 9-5 job on “I Got You” to out of place 2000’s guitar riffs on “Let’s Go on the Run” and Chance even managed to make a Michelle Obama quote sound bad on “We Go High.” After this bad of a project you have to wonder, “where does he go from here?” I think he learned that noone is feeling this new Chance and he better get it together or it will just be all downhill from here.
Jack Taylor Opinion Editor
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efore the music even starts, something feels different about this record compared to Lana Del Rey’s previous work. Dedicated fans may make note that even the artwork is an immediate departure from past timesevery single one of her previous albums consisted of a solo Lana, almost always posed in front of some sort of car. Combined with the playful title that starkly contrasts her previous albums-(Ultraviolence, Born to Die, etc) the record clearly stands out as a departure from the norm. When the music starts, it's clear that this change has not only came through the aesthetic,
Interscope Records, Sara Shakeel
Photo illustration of the two album covers. Design by William Oviatt, image credit to Interscope Records and Sara Shakeel.
but through the music itself. With this maturity comes an album tightly packed with the same stunning vocals and heartfelt emotion of old, but with sharper lyricism, and a newfound understated quality to her music. From the opening song (and title track), we are immediately cast into what becomes a staple of the record-soulful self reflection in lyrics over an ethereal piano backdrop, with just enough of a hint of light, floating pop-rock to keep the music in that genre-blending mix that will keep you guessing where each song will go. A mishmash of various literary, film, music, and general cultural references is present throughout the album. From “Mariners Apartment Complex” allusions to John Elton’s “Candle in the Wind,” to the various references to Sylvia Plath in the closing track, Lana stays true to her tradition of sharp insights and references.. The closing track “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me too have” is the crowning, melancholic victory lap that the album not only deserves, but needs. Over a hauntingly beautiful piano, Lana lays bare her most personal and affecting songwriting yet. In the solemn poetry of the song, we see her most poignant lyricism yet. It's incredibly honest, soul spilling work. Despite the best efforts to put it into words, there's simply a magic that resides inside the record that cannot be explained. It's only rightful that the women who said “I really do believe that words are one of the last forms of magic,” put together a pop album that goes beyond the modern connotations of the genre and places it into something different entirely.
The Pepperbox | Page 29 Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Opinion
Delving into Arcata’s diversity Natasha Youravish Digital Team
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oing to Humboldt was not the move. I did not want to move from a lively city filled with culture and leave all my friends behind to live in a small town in the country where it’s cold all day everyday. No, San Diego to Arcata was not the move. When I arrived on the Arcata High School campus, the first thing that I noticed was that there was no police. The campus was small. There were many white people. Everywhere, white people. There were not a lot of my people. My people are Mexicans or as the saying goes, “Viva la raza.” My people are brown or saying goes “Brown Power.” My old school was 24% White, 54% Latinx, 7% Black and 8% mixed race. The entire school population was 2,253 with 91 teachers. Now compare
Kamari Brown
that to Arcata High. There are 857 students and 43 teachers. Arcata High Students are 72% White, 11% Latinx, 2% Asian, 1% Black, 12% mixed race. If we look at the city ratios in El Cajon, the population was 102,894 and Arcata is just 18,000. While Humboldt County has 136,527, San Diego has 1.42 Million.
Moving to such as small town was shocking. Driving through Humboldt all I see is: hippies, homeless, and really pretty nature. While driving through San Diego, you would see 8-laned highways and 5-laned roads, tall skyscrapers
and huge mountains, a lot of public transportation and tourists everywhere. Both San Diego and Arcata share something in common--the beach. The sand here is brown and the water is super cold. I have only put my toes in it because I heard you can get hypothermia so I wanted to test it out. On the first day of school, I cannot describe how uncomfortable I felt and how alone. I didn’t know anyone, and I didn’t see any of my own people. I sat down in class and was surrounded by white people. All of my teachers are white. In San Diego, there was more diversity, and it was a little segregated--not legally--it just happened naturally that everyone wanted to hangout with their own culture. The white people were with the white people and black and brown pride stuck together. There was a lot of hate for people that came from the Middle East, and they would constant-
ly be jumped and bullied. There were too many race fights to count. That was very different about schools too there are a lot of fights in San Diego vs Arcata and the students were very mean and not welcoming at all which I noticed at Arcata High there are many welcoming students I’ve talked to many new students and we can all agree on that. When there were more people that means more competition the schools were very competitive, especially in sports, sports was a very big thing everyone wore their lettermans to school while at Arcata High I haven’t seen 1 lettermans jacket. But when everyone is competing everyone has to hustle or they’ll be left behind there was a lot of gang activity and too many drugs in schools going to Arcata High is a great vacation from it. The dress code was very strict since gangs has such a huge impact on schools.
to be changed for sure , Yes I except it but I definitely wish it was different” Jonah Moore, Arcata senior who was raised in Humboldt County, said, “I grew up in Humboldt so it’s not really a huge problem for me as much as it would be for a new
student to the area but if I did move somewhere else I’d for sure have culture shock” Fortunately diversity numbers are going up each year, little by little. “I would love to see more diversity. This year is the most
diverse it’s been the past few years it’s definitely refreshing. I’m from southern California and it’s mostly colored people there and the whites are the minorities so coming here was a shock for me,” said Susan Clark-Luera, an English Teacher, “Students of color feel isolated and put up with racial slurs, misunderstanding and lack of representation.” When asked if the culture here is good for the kids from here, she said, “Well people are open minded but most people are sheltered in this community unless they’ve been out traveling which most people haven’t because this is a poor town” Either way the diversity numbers in Humboldt are thankfully rising whether it’s the good weed or the tall redwoods
Driving through Humboldt all I see is: hippies, homeless, and really pretty nature.
Reporter iversity is on the rise at Arcata High School. While nearly all of the students are white, the percentage of students of color is steadily rising each year. Since 2015, the white population lowered almost 10 percent. The Latinx population rose 5% making up most of the growth in diversity. The Asian and Black population remain relatively the same at 2.3%. However, mixed race students also contribute to the changing demographics. Students identifying two or more races and/ or ethnicities rose 2.9% to make up 8% of the total population of students. On the whole, the Photo courtesy of Max Pixel Arcata area population rose by Diveristy at Arcata High and in Humboldt County is low comalmost 1,000. “Diversity needs pared to the rest of Calfornia
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The Pepperbox | Page 30
Opinion
Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Opposing: Are walkouts useful? Alex Rice
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Reporter
ou might want to walk out of the next walkout you attend. Walkouts are in good heart, but there are better alternatives that are more effective, and don’t rely on undeveloped opinions. “I think if they actually cared they’d volunteer to go around & pick up trash,” Bodie Lewis, a sophomore going to Arcata High, said about the climate walkout. If you’re already out of school, why not look for wrappers & cans lying around? After all, if you aren’t willing to get your hands a little dirty for something you’d leave school for, do you really care, or are you just trying to get out? Lewis also stated, “a lot of the people are walking out wherever they want, instead of the actual walkout.” Kai McCutchen, a Junior, said, “I think walkouts should be more school based.” This applies very well to one of our most recent walkouts, where students everywhere walked out of school for climate change, a massive global issue. Most people’s reasoning for walkouts is that they “raise awareness,” but the chance of someone knowing about the walkouts but not climate change is so low, the tiny amount of people who will find out about climate change from the walkouts won’t make any difference whatsoever. Another important issue with school walkouts is how they’re always on the side that almost everybody who lives here is on. Sure, there are conservatives here, but their opinions haven’t changed ,even when completely surrounded by people of opposite ideas, so I don’t see how they would be affected by a bunch of teenagers walking out of school to repeat
what their parents have told them. “We’re already established as very liberal, so having walkouts based on liberal views doesn’t do anything, it’s dumb,” McCutchen said. However, there are some good things about school walkouts. Gabe Patterson-Owen, a junior, says that, “All change in America comes from stuff like that, not from some politician saying something.” And, when asked if everyone going actually cares, he said, “probably not, but it doesn’t really matter, because they’re still there helping.” Joaquin Jackman, another junior, says “They are effective when it comes to fuckin’ uhh, putting pressure on the issue & on the people behind the issue.” So yes, school walkouts can be effective in showing that a large group of people want something to be changed. But again, most people hearing about the climate change walkouts already care about the issue, and the ones who don’t care won’t care about the walkouts either. People who deny climate change are considered stupid, but most people have never actually had a good talk with one. They all have reasons for why climate change isn’t an issue, and a bunch of people saying “We believe in this” isn’t going to change that.
Jack Taylor
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Opinion Editor
any teenagers often feel ignored by the “people in charge.” Often dismissed as too young, uninformed, or simply just not smart enough to participate in meaningful dialogue, teenagers often feel as if their opinions are simply not being listened to. From this sentiment, youth activism blossoms (a force that has repeatedly changed the world). Without the activism of the youth, we wouldn't be nearly as far along as a society. For the youth of today, activism often comes from a very important form of protest- school walkouts. One of the largest reasons walkouts are so important is that there aren’t a lot of ways high schoolers can organize an effective protest. Walkouts are simply the most impactful protests that students can do, for a few reasons. As high schoolers, our “job” is to go to school. With that being said, walking out of school sends perhaps the most provoking, non-violent message a group of teenagers can possibly send. That we care enough to ignore the laws requiring us to be in school, and the punishments that may come with that. These walkouts also spread awareness to important issues that
Will Oviatt/PEPPERBOX
Zoe Reiss, an organizer at the Arcata High walkout for climate action, addresses the crowd.
many teens may not be aware of. Although we like to believe we live in a very well educated, liberal enclave, the truth is that many of the students and people in Humboldt aren't aware of said issues, or may not believe that they are serious. To claim that we are simply already “woke enough”, or that we “already know” about everything is nothing less than pure laziness and ignorance. Every time a walkout is organized, the majority of campus is going to hear about it and learn more about the reasons why the walkouts were organized. In my time at Arcata High, I cannot think of a single event that has generated more dialogue and awareness then a walkout. This dialogue creates informed citizens who will be able to make conscious decisions, perhaps be inspired to participate in further activism, and soon, perhaps most importantly, will be able to vote on said issues. Yes, it is true that some people may use the “excuse” of the walkout as a reason to skip class. However, using this as an argument to not have these walkouts is ultimately a fallacy. For one, there is still punishment for those who participate in the walkouts. Skipping class during the walkout will lead to the same punishment as skipping for any other reason. Civil disobedience has a price, and every person who participates has to pay that price. For the most part, anyone using it as an excuse to cut class probably wouldn't have any qualms about skipping class, regardless of having a walkout or not. However, the vast majority of people participating are there because they genuinely care about said issues, and would like to take some sort of action and hopefully force a positive change to be made.
The Saltbox Thursday, October 10th, 2019
Opinion
Apples don’t go there Fiona Murphy Salad Enthusiast
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love salad. There, look at me, a responsible, vegetable eating, almost-adult. I like salad so much, that sometimes I don’t pay attention to what’s in it before I take a bite. But, you know what I don’t like? Apples in salad. Do you know what I sometimes find as I take a long awaited, blissful bite of a salad? A DAMN apple. Apples don’t belong in salad, they are fruits, they are good on their own (if I pick them myself, but that’s a whole other topic), but they simply don’t belong in a delicious green salad with a balsamic vinaigrette. The sweetness of the apple becomes sickly and wrong when mixed with the lovely crisp vegetables. The texture seems
grainy, out of place. It is wrong on so many levels. My salad eating experience is completely ruined when I feel that first soft crunch of an apple. There is a moment of betrayal, of pure horror as the flavor overwhelms the dressing, an all wrong flavor for a salad. I can’t even pick them out, the juice invades the surrounding area with a vengeance and the ghost of a sacrilegious object haunts the once perfect salad. Too many times, I have had my day completely ruined by the act of one ignorant person. One person who’s taste buds are dismally lacking, who’s thoughtless act costs me a salad. It’s time for that to stop. It’s time for people to realize that apples belong in pie, cobbler, maybe with peanut butter, but not in a salad. Ever.
The Pepperbox | Page 31
Things we’re salty about
Answers at last Ty Vizenor
Fashion Historian
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enjoy arguing, a lot. Anyone who’s ever been in a class with me knows this. Throughout my high school career there has been one argument that has come up more than any other. No I am not talking about women’s rights, healthcare or war, I’m talking about an issue that is so divisive yet so important to our national discourse. Yes. It is settled. Sweatshirts are in fact shirts. You ask “Where’s the evidence Ty? Aren’t they in a category of their own?” WRONG! It is simple. Let’s break it down. T-shirts are shirts. What exactly makes them shirts except for an outdated societal oppression. Long sleeved shirts are considered shirts as well. Yet we block sweatshirts from the shirt world because they are just a bit heavier
(and inherently more cozy). How can we sleep at night knowing that we discriminating against sweatshirts just because they are a bit thick? This cannot stand. We must end this outdated and problematic classification. Sweatshirts are shirts, end of discussion.
Bathrooms are for peeing, not vaping Stella Walston
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Vape Hater
know you see me, because you have the audacity to all give me the same dirty look at the same time, as if I've shown up simply to annoy you and ruin your fun. And you know that I see you, because you watch my eyes flit from person to person before resignedly sighing and walking all the way to the other bathroom. I honestly don't know how you're all still getting away with it, but no matter. I'm taking this moment to very kindly ask you to please, PLEASE stop vaping in the bathrooms.
To start off, it's illegal. I know that if you're at the point where you're actively vaping in a public school, you probably know that and just don't care, but it was worth mentioning anyways. Then there's the matter that it's a public bathroom. We have them because people need to use them for normal bathroom purposes, not so they can pose in front of the mirror and take videos of themselves and their friends Juuling on Snapchat. If the roles were reversed, I'm sure you would understand. Imagine walking into a bathroom, fully expecting to be able to do
your business and then leave, but being suddenly confronted with anywhere from 4-12 girls glaring at you like you're the one in the wrong for interrupting them. You could just barge through them and go anyways, but there's a weird kind of taboo on interrupting this extremely important event. It’s created a backwards kind of culture where illegal activities trump normal bodily functions. I, for one, am sick of it. Also, could you just be nicer? I am one hundred percent sure that all of you have had to use that bathroom at some point, so if somebody
walks in to do just that could you maybe recognize that it's time to leave instead of looking at me like I killed your cat? Honestly, I REALLY don't think that I'm asking a lot, considering that it's a school. bathroom. (I really can't stress either word enough). Anyways, now that all of my grievances are laid out, I hope that you can use some common sense and give non-vapers back their bathrooms. After all, if I were to blow smoke in your face whenever you walked into a room necessary for human function, I doubt you would like it very much either.
“Wildberries has a wide selection and great variety!” -Madilynn Durham, Class of 2021
“Join us at Wildberries for lunch!” -Sophia Thoele, Class of 2021