November Highlander

Page 1

LOOK INSIDE:

New tardy policy Page 7

All about peer pressure Page 8-9

3D movies huge trend Pages 10

The Highlander Carlmont High School Newspaper Volume III, Issue III, November 2011 See us online at http://scotscoop.com

Student store gets healthy facelift No more than:

By Sabrina Leung

250 calories

Satff Writer

0.5 grams of trans fat 35% calories from fat 10% calories from saturated fat By Ryan Freeman Staff Writer

From student favorites such as Gardettos, fruit snacks, and Vitamin Water, to the popular pre-practice snack of Cliff Bars, the student store’s inventory is slowly diminishing. The list of banned items, starting with the insanely popular fruit snacks, is growing as district officials decided to step-up enforcement of the issue of “unhealthy food.” “There have been guidelines for decades,” explained Jim Kelly, the current ASB leader, “but until now, no one has stepped up and enforced them.” The California Food and Beverage Standards states, “individually sold food items must meet the following: No more than 250 calories, 35 percent total calories from fat, 10 percent of total calories from saturated fat, 35percent of total weight from sugar (natural and added), 0.5 grams of trans fat Although the student store’s inventory is declining, it seems the vending machines and food stalls are untouched by district regulations. The vending machine outside the student union, which had been re-stocked around

Student store selections drastically change to comply with the states guidelines

the turn of the month, contains snacks that do not meet the health regulations. For example, in Baked Flaming Hot Cheetos, both sold in the vending machines and from the local pit stop stalls, 37 percent of the calories are from fat. The regulations state that there must be less than 35 percent. If the vending machines and pit stops, can sell “unhealthy” foods,” then why can’t the student store? “By law we can’t compete with district food service on campus,” explained Joyce Quan, executive of the Student Store. “If a vending machine or one of the ‘Pit Stops’ decides to start selling a snack that we are selling, we either have to match their price or stop selling it.” Ironically, the district’s menu cuts seem to be hurting the kids rather than benefiting them. For example, with popular pre-practice snacks no longer being sold, athletes and

Photo by Grace Chang

parents alike are growing uneasy. Quan, whose son, Justin Quan, currently plays soccer for Carlmont, explains, “Kids come in before practice to find a snack that will give them enough energy to make it through their practice after a whole day at school.” An online calories burning chart shows the calories burned per hour of a sport for an average high school student of 150 pounds. The chart includes football players who burn an average of 633 calories and water polo players who burn an average of 704 calories. With high calorie (energy) snacks like PowerBar and Balance Bars finding their way onto the “unhealthy list,” students are going to be hard-pressed to find the proper nourishment they need to survive practice from “healthy” items like pita chips and pretzels. Continued on page 12

Shopping center security angers students By Rachel Schuster Staff Writer

Carlmont students are offended by how quick some stores in the Carlmont Shopping Center are to kick them out without a reasonable explanation. At the top of the students’ complaint list rests local grocery store, Lunardi’s, which is known for its tendency to send students out. “The manager is really annoying and mean,” said junior Byron Wu. Sophomore Kiana Yekrang and junior Luke Peterson agree with Wu, both having been told to leave after wearing their backpacks in the store and having more than three people with them. “It was ridiculous,” commented Yekran. “The manager said there were ‘too many people’ but there was like, four of us. And we weren’t even being loud! All I wanted was a pack of gum, but I didn’t even get a chance to buy it.” “I understand that there may be some people who steal things, but it’s not like you can assume that about every kid that goes in there,” freshman Claudia Leist stated, upset about the multiple incidents that give students a bad name in the shopping center. When Lunardi’s manager Bill Go was ap-

Is extra credit fair for all?

rity. “We only allow two or three students in at a time and their backpacks must be put down,” said Diane Barbosa, the owner of Beautique Beauty Bar. “Not because we are worried about shoplifting, but because there are fragile items that can be knocked down with too much chaos.” On the other hand, certain stores in the shopping center don’t have any student security policies at all, like Doc’s Bagels and the new Verizon Wireless store. “We don’t have any security regarding students here,” said Doc’s Bagels employee Sonia Yoon. “They just come and buy food and eat it and that’s all.” “Here at Verizon we don’t Photo by Nikos Frazier have any security issues,” said no offense, but in order to manage the employee Barclay Clerk. “And even if a store, I have to make rules. That’s why only student tried to steal something, all the three to four students are allowed in at a phones have alarms on them... so it’s kind time, and their backpacks must be left at the of obvious. If anything, we love students front of the store.” and actually encourage them to come in.” Students can’t help but complain how Each store has its own specific rules and unfair this treatment may seem, but other regulations when it comes to having stu stores also enforce certain degrees of secuContinued on page 12 proached about the subject, he had plenty of insight to share. “I’ll be honest: The students that come here are out of control,” Go said. “I’m sorry,

Students looking to boost their grade have found that a number of teachers reward extra credit for completing nonacademic tasks such as bringing school supplies or abstaining from using the restroom during class. According to district policy, teachers are only supposed to offer extra credit that is academic based. Furthermore, students’ grades should be determined by the quality of their work, not the amount of extra credit they complete. “My Chinese teacher offers extra credit if you bring in tissue boxes or hand sanitizer,” stated freshman Catherine Sue. Teachers offer this type of extra credit because it’s an easy way to earn points. With a low school budget, it’s difficult for a classroom to have basic materials. “I offer extra credit for bringing in paper towels and Kleenex, where students can earn up to 10 points. It’s an easy way to stock up classroom supplies. In the end, paper towels and tissues are used for labs, so all the supplies go directly back to the students,” stated Biotechnology teacher Dan Raffa. “It’s the only way to get students to bring school supplies needed for the classroom. It’s kind of academic for science to bring in paper towels because you’re going to Continued on page 12

Shadowing modified By Anna Wheeler Features Editor

The decision of where to go to high school is, in many cases, a tough one, especially when it comes to schools in the Bay Area. That’s why the shadowing program has always been so beneficial to entering freshmen students and students who are considering transferring from other high schools. Shadowing refers to when a student visits a school for a day in order to get a taste of what the atmosphere of the particular school is. This helps the student get a better idea of whether or not that school is the right one for them. However, some of those eighth graders who wish to shadow at Carlmont may be out of luck. Carlmont’s shadowing program has, in an unfortunate turn of events, been cut back 50 percent. This change may pose a problem on next year’s incoming freshmen. Kalina Wasman, an eighth grader at Ralston Middle School, is one of the students affected by this. “It’s really disappointing, because it means some people might not be able to see what Carlmont is like,” Wasman stated. Continued on page 12


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.
November Highlander by Highlander - Issuu