Stagg Line 2017-2018 Issue #1 by Stagg Line Newspaper

9.08.17

Amos Alonzo Stagg High School 1621 Brookside Rd. Stockton, CA 95207

Vol. 61 No. 1

the

Assistant principals leave legacy

WORKING the FIELDS

SaraAbdeltawab

agers here who are not comfortable with talking with their parents about it,” said the senior. While there are still family planning resources provided, such as classes about teen pregnancy prevention or other materials, the clinic is unable to hand out free contraceptives to students. “We’re not just shutting the door on (family planning resources), we’re talking with them about sex education, we’re talking with them about abstinence, we’re talking with them about respecting themselves and making good choices,” Staggs said. Instead students can get a referral to go to off campus community medical centers, even some within walking distance of Stagg. The centers even accept walk-ins from students. Healthy Start is looking into ways to bring back free contraceptives to campus. For now the commodity is suspended, but perhaps not for long. They are searching for grant opportunities and possible partnerships with other providers to cover the costs.

It seems that every year Stagg not only gains a new person to the administration staff, but as new people come along those that were well known by students leave. This school didn’t lose only one assistant principal, but three. Linda Roberts, who was transferred to Chavez High School was the first to go before the school year started. Rick Capello and Felicia Bailey-Carr have finished up packing the last of their things. From when she first came to when she left, Carr said she had seen an improvement with the students she worked with, and having to leave saddened her because right when she was building that connection she soon realized it would be time to let it go. Carr is now the principal at Madison Elementary School, where her goal is to make sure they’re ready for the challenges high school has to bring them. Carr says when she first came to Stagg she loved the energy and the teenagers, but her main goal after a lot of deliberation was to target mostly freshmen. Her reason for this was because she saw that if you started helping students prepare more for tests and improve their study habits from the beginning they would do better their junior and senior year. “My main goal was to start organizations for groups struggling the most based on the data that was shown,” she said. Carr found that if you made education fun and always showed your support towards the students it becomes easier for them to learn about things they didn’t think they would enjoy. A couple months into her first year here, Carr put together the Black Student Union. She saw this club as a way BAILEY-CARR to build relationships within the subgroups at school. “It may have just been around 50 (students) who joined,” Carr said. “But every trip we went on opened up windows and opportunities for them. For Capello coming to Stagg wasn’t his choice. He said CAPELLO he didn’t volunteer to come to Stagg, but instead he was sent here. Coming to the school he says he had a lot of anxiety, but once he settled in everything just flowed easily for him. Capello not only worked on introducing the new agriculture program for this school year, but last year he helped introduce the Literary Magazine class, also known as Creative Writing and Production. “I went to the newspaper convention two years ago and I saw they had a literary magazine,” he said. “I told myself we need to have one.” Capello says that the magazine is only one of the things he is proud of out of the many other things he has accomplished. Although he says it’s bittersweet for him to leave he’s glad to move up from second best. He will be the new principal at Pacific Law Academy. “I have a degree in law and I’ve always wanted to be a principal,” he said. “I saw this opportunity and I took it.” He also went on to say that PLA is missing the right pathway to a career in law that he wants to help bring to it. “You know it’s hard to see people who you’ve worked with for a long time leave,” Principal Andre Phillips said. Phillips said he has done interviews to find new APs, but has only had luck with getting one, who will be announced next week. Although he has to find new APs to replace ones he’s worked with for a while, Phillips says knowing Capello is only a walk away makes him feel comfortable. “The pride inside is real,” Capello said. “I think that’s what I’m going to miss the most.”

Keep updated at our website staggonline.net

PHOTO COURTESY OF LIZZETERAMOS

Senior Lizzete Ramos picks up onions, which she later transfers to bags. To get to the work site requires a one-hour drive in a van.

Long, backbreaking days in the heat teach life lessons

StephanieJimenez

nder the scorching sun, sweat drips from every part of her body. She constantly fears dehydration, or even heat stroke. She continues to drink water. The workday lasts from 3:00 a.m. until 4 in the afternoon. This continuous exhaustion in the fields was summer for senior Estefania Galicia as it was for other Stagg students.

Under the scorching sun, sweat drips from every part of her body. She constantly fears suffering dehydration, or even heat stroke. She continues to drink water. The work day lasts from 3:00 a.m. until 4 in the afternoon. This continuous exhaustion in the fields was summer for senior Estefania Galicia as it was for other Stagg students. Wanting to help her mom and herself financially, Galicia began to work the summer before her junior year. “I knew school was coming up, so I didn’t want to ask my mom for money,” she said. Galicia often gave some portion of her check to support her mom. At the time her godmother was working in the fields, which made it easy for her to get a job there. “I called her and within minutes she called back saying to be ready by 3:00 a.m. the next day.” Galicia made sure to wear the appropriate attire for this demanding job: long sleeve shirt, pants, hat and a bandana around her mouth. This protected her body from the sun but also from the chemicals. “My godmother warned me about this. There was chemicals that could burn your skin while working.” Along with the chemicals, the heat waves were inescapable. “I would hear around that people were fainting because of how hot it was,” she said. Working in the fields requires doing different tasks everyday, Galicia’s first week required her to do la pala. Doing la pala consists of using a shovel,

choosing a row of trees and removing the unwanted roots. This process would take about two minutes according to Galicia but what slowed her down was the weight of the shovel. Because of how heavy it was, she would accidently hit her legs, leaving behind bruises. After feeling familiar with what she was doing, she was transferred to cleaning grapes. Galicia had to remove the dark parts of the grapes using a specialized knife or scissors, which often cut her fingers. “Sometimes I would even cut my nails,” she said with an awkward laugh. At times Galicia would accidently cut the wrong branches making it obvious she made a mistake. Her mayordomo, or boss, corrected her, but it was never a serious problem. “Everybody there was family or somehow related. The mayordomo was easy on us.” At the end of the shift, upon hearing “Ya vamonos raza!” she’d rush to the van to go back home. “As soon as I get to the car I would knock out, I was that tired.” The vans used to give rides to the workers had no air conditioning, no seat belts or no functioning brakes. This almost led to two car accidents, she said. “I was sleeping and I suddenly felt like I was moving forward.” This was the instant she opened her eyes and realized how close they were to crashing.

Working as a teenager in the fields, Galicia sees it as a temporary job. But where she worked, adults and even elderly were out toiling under the 100-degree heat during the harvest. “Working in the fields gets you nowhere,” Galicia said. “You can’t maintain yourself if you have a family back at home.” With little experience compared to Galicia, junior Alejandro Muñoz worked over the summer in an apple field for one day. “I went with two of my friends just to see what it was like,” he said. He and his friends left before time due to the heat that day. “I don’t know how the other people do that everyday, I couldn’t take it.” By the end of July, senior Lizette Ramos realized working in the fields wasn’t worth it. Ramos spent her summer picking onions along her mom, aunt and uncle. “I honestly felt confident working there, but doing the same thing all day gets extremely tiring,” she said. Her back began to ache every time she would bend down. It was normal to see workers dragging themselves on the ground in order to get the task done. Between three people per row, buckets were filled throughout the day transferring the onions into bags. The bags are about half of Ramos’s height. Ramos said it’s ridiculous when immigrants are accused of stealing American’s jobs. “We’re willing to do whatever to earn short money. Meanwhile, others complain about us. Instead of complaining they should take the opportunity to work.” Not only was this task exhausting and painful, it did not pay enough, according to Ramos. Every filled bag of onions was worth $1.15. She and her mom were outraged because of the pay, but they felt they had no option. “If you really need the money, you just have to put up with it.”

Family planning services cut SamanthaBaker

For 20 years Stagg has provided students with free contraceptives to promote safe sex. That service is no longer available. Healthy Start was insured by Delta Health Care, the insurance company that bought the birth control. They suffered from budget cuts and lost money while supplying them. The contraceptives would usually cost $10 but the insurance would only cover $8, and they had difficulties gaining reimbursements. They provided them despite their losses, yet the company decided to leave Stagg along with their nurse, Judy Masterson. “They really strongly believe in teen pregnancy prevention, but they couldn’t afford to keep providing the service,” said Deanna Staggs, integrated resource specialist for Stockton Unified School District. A senior who wished to remain anonymous and who used to take advantage of the resources now has to make her own appointments off campus

and through her insurance. “I think it’s kind of wrong because there’s teen-

GRAPHIC BY KEVINGUTIERREZ AND SERINASIENG

BottomLINE Rally today

Game tonight

SAT and ACT

After school, students are invited to join the Homecoming rally at the large gym. It begins at 12:30 and will go on to 1:30.

Today Stagg football will play Laguna Creek at 7:15. The junior varsity game will begin at 5. Homecoming king and queen will be announced during halftime.

Upcoming SAT testing dates are Oct. 7, Nov. 4 and Dec. 2. ACT dates are Oct. 28 and Dec. 9. To register or to find more infromation go the Career Center.

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Amos Alonzo Stagg High School

STAFF EDITORIAL

OPINION

9.08.17

the Stagg Line

An open campus is a privilege S ome were excited to become juniors for it. Seniors were excited to put their new car to use. Yet, administration had other plans that would prove to be a shock to most upperclassman. Yes, as some may already be aware, there are no more off-campus passes. For some time now Stagg has gone from being a closed campus to having off campus passes, but this year administration didn’t want to deal with all the consequences. For previous juniors and seniors, in order to obtain an off-campus pass a student would have to have at least a 2.5 grade point average, yet this year there’s no way around it. The juniors and seniors, whom this affects the most, were upset to find out that they can’t leave campus during lunch to get a quick bite to eat. Yet, what some students don’t understand is that there are many reasons why we lost this privilege. Reasons range from students coming in

nearly 10 to 15 minutes late to their fifth period, to not showing up at all, to sneaking students who don’t have an off-campus pass with them. But are these behaviors really the fault of only the students? Administration had many chances to enforce the rules of an off campus pass, but they failed to do so. Each time a student returned to campus late they should have got a check on their lunch pass, which counted as a strike. Three strikes meant you got your pass confiscated. If the campus security monitor don’t enforce rules why should we expect students to follow them? Although it is the fault of the administration for not enforcing the rules of an off-campus pass, there are some students who do understand where the frustration is coming from. Standing outside during your lunch break watching students go in and out of campus becomes a hassle, especially when students come in late. Not only that, but if students were to

show up late to class they would miss important instruction and would do worse in that class. While many rumors have circulated of possible requirement changes to obtain a pass, Principal Andre Phillips has

debunked this assumption. Rather than completely eliminating the pass, they could possibly find a more effective way of enforcing the repercussions of defying the rules that come with an off campus pass.

Equal pay should be Reliance a right, not an option on tech has bad W effects on the youth omen are getting paid less than men. That’s a fact. According to U.S. government data in 2015, women got paid 80 cents for every dollar a man earned. While a 20 cent difference doesn’t seem so big, that quickly adds up. Over the course of a year that can become thousands of dollars, and hundreds of dollars over a career. You would think that these wage gap issues would’ve been fixed or at least, but instead we’re left with a court ruling that allows this pay gap to continue. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a lower-court ruling that said pay based exclusively on previous salaries was discriminatory under the Equal Pay Act, which prohibits pay discrimination based on gender, although, it doesn’t seem to stop employers. From afar the lower-court ruling doesn’t make much sense because the Equal Pay Act involves gender discrimination, not salary discrimination. However, if women are already getting paid less than

Leslie Coronado men, then all of their previous salaries are likely to reflect that. This means that if their pay is based off of their previous salaries then they will continue to be paid less for the same work that a man does. Meaning that it’s legal for employers to pay women less for the same work that a man does and women will never catch up in terms of pay. It’s disheartening that the glass ceiling still exists, but it seems like it’s here

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ALBERTOVALENCIA AND AMBERLYBUTLER

to stay considering our current president’s regards towards women and the many politicians that agree with him. The higher court system also seems to be pushing any progress made back, proof being this recent decision. Not to mention that there hasn’t been any significant annual change in the pay ratio since 2007, according to information from the U.S. Census Bureau, meaning that, according to the average percent of women’s earnings compared to men’s since 1960, women will not reach equal pay until 2059. This is a ridiculous amount of time to wait for equal pay, and it will stay ridiculous unless we do something about it. Although the Equal Pay Act might have helped raise women’s pay, it’s clear it didn’t work and that the United States needs something stronger to enforce and ensure that women receive the equal pay, the equal rights that they’ve been fighting for since the beginning of this nation. We need an amendment. This would not only give women, but also people of color, the constitutional right to be paid the same as white males too. It may seem drastic, but so was women’s suffrage and outlawing racial s e g re g a t i o n , both of which occurred not even 100 years ago.

STAGG LINE Staff & Policies STAGG LINE

Amos Alonzo Stagg High School 1621 Brookside Rd. Stockton, CA 95207 The Stagg Line is a member of the National Scholastic Press Association, whose awards include the following: ff All-American: 22 times ff Hall of Fame ff First Place, Best of Show: 6 times ff National Newspaper Pacemaker: 7 times Stagg Line journalists over the years have won many awards and scholarships, including California Journalist of the Year, National Story of the Year and National Photo of the Year.

The Stagg Line newspaper is published monthly and distributed free to students and staff members. Our website staggonline.net is updated regularly with online exclusives. The Stagg Line is a long-standing open forum for free student expression. That means, student editors and reporters make content and style decisions with the adviser offering guidance. The staff editorial, which appears at the top of this page, reflects the opinion of the entire staff and therefore is not signed. A personal column is signed and reflects the writer’s point of view. Readers are welcome to submit letters for publication regarding any story published or any school issue. We will make every effort to publish any letter that is not libelous, obscene or inflammatory. Letters longer than 250 words may be edited for length. Letters may be given to any staff member, delivered to A8 or emailed to dbott@stocktonusd.net.

ART BY AMBERLYBUTLER

Hannah Workman

n this day and age, it is extremely difficult to find a teenager who does not have a smartphone or multiple social media accounts. Most millennials are tied at the hip to their devices, both figuratively and literally. While technology can be helpful, studies have shown that it also negatively impacts today’s youth in numerous ways. Compared to previous generations, Millenials are less likely to go out with friends or on dates and more likely to endure feelings of loneliness, which often leads to depression. Many teenagers are considered to be sleep deprived, meaning they sleep less than seven hours per night. Technology is largely blamed for this epidemic as the percentage of teenagers who are lacking in sleep rose dramatically when smartphones gained popularity. An inadequate sleep schedule can contribute to irritability, mood swings, and poor performance in school. Grades may suffer not only due to lack of energy, but also because students are distracted by their devices. Instead of completing their homework or studying, students spend hours scrolling through their Instagram feeds or posting stories on Snapchat. This time can certainly be used in a more effective manner. There are only so many hours in a day, days in a week, and months in a year. It is important to remember that we must unplug from our electronics every once in awhile and take in the beauty of the world around us. If we spend too much time looking down at our phones, we may miss out on special moments that we can’t get back. Rather than attending a concert and watching the performance behind a metallic screen while recording the event, we should put our phones down and enjoy the show. Doing so would give us an opportunity to take in all of the sights and sounds of the event. Instead of sending funny vid-

eos in a group chat, let’s get together and make memories that will last a lifetime. In order to grow and have healthy relationships, real human interaction is what we need and as people, it’s what we all ultimately crave. Without the ability to communicate, our personal and work lives will be lacking significantly. Whenever somebody tells you that communication is the key to success, they aren’t lying. So many teenagers are slaves to their devices, living inside of a false reality. It’s easy to lose sight of what’s happening and what matters most when your brain is constantly wired to them, when you have grown accustomed to existing through a piece of technology. We must not let our existence become a mirage.

EDITORS

REPORTERS

SaraAbdeltawab & StephanieJimenez editors-in-chief

ShannonBradberry

AngelVasquez news editor SamanthaBaker opinion editor

“

It is important to remember that we must unplug from our electronics every once in a while and take in the beauty of the world around us.”

DonavinCollins AidanDanforth CarlosDavalos SolomonJuarez

StephanieMatsumoto features editor

OleediaHarris

LeslieCoronado entertainment editor

BriannaRodriguez

MariaCastillo sports editor JuliaRosete web editor

NicholasRosete SerinaSieng AlbertoValencia

KevinGutierrez photo editor

MarkWalding

AmberlyButler graphics editor

HannahWorkman

DonBott adviser

Current and older issue PDFs are available at issuu.com/staggline

9.08.17

Amos Alonzo Stagg High School

OPINION

the Stagg Line

FREE SPEECH IN CONFLICT Unfair violence to some who protest

People should work to prevent violence, not fight over it

“ I

Sara Abdeltawab

was in the fifth grade when I was finally able to understand what people meant when they said America was the land of “freedom and equality.” Yet, now I’m grown, I’ve realized those comments about America were lies. America isn’t the land of “freedom and equality.” Right now America is the place you come to with the fear of being kicked back out. America is the place you come to if you want a white supremacist to say “you don’t belong here,” or “go back where you came from.” This is what America is really built on and it sickens me. Aug. 12, 2017 – a day when Nazi supporters, white supremacists, and overall everyone who loathes people of color came out and protested because the statue of Robert E Lee was being taken down. What struck me the most was that Lee was a racist, his statue in some respects represented racism, so why did these people have to protest against its removal? If policemen were at the scene then how come these non people of color could protest with their guns and discriminatory language with no one stopping them, because “everything was under control.” Yes, people of color do at times get

away with protesting, but they would never get away with protesting with weapons in the way that these people did. DeAndre Harris, an unarmed African American, was beaten by white supremacists in a parking garage because Harris and his friends were counter protesting. That’s not even the worst part; the beating happened right by the Charlottesville Police Department, yet there were no police at the scene. Which brings me to my overall point, what’s the difference between protest involving mostly whites and those involving mostly people of color? Why

could one group of people who support something that represents racism and superiority protest and not be charged, but when the script is flipped any other race would be handled with more authority. I’m not saying these people don’t have the right to protest, because according to the First Amendment they do. Yet, at what point does it stop becoming a protest and start becoming a wake-up call that our officers don’t treat every protest equally. Our own president even said “the media has treated them (the protesters) unfairly.” I’m sorry, but the only people who have

ART BY AMBERLYBUTLER

been treated unfairly are the Black Lives Matter protesters. One day after Charlottesville, citizens in Louisville stood up and had their own rally to show their condolences for those people of color who were not treated fairly, and guess who decided to show up? The police. They did not have guns or people that were going to crash into a bunch of others but instead they had the strongest weapon of all, their voice. Even then police found the need to stop them, why? If we have the freedom to protest then we should treat every protest equally.

Amberly Butler

t seems commonplace today to turn on a news channel and see nothing but updates on violence. Before the Texas floods happened, the news was saturated with coverage on the Charlottesville protest, mostly on the president’s reactions to it. Supporters and opponents of the protest have had overwhelming fits of tension, especially at the presidential rallies. However, when a protest like that happens, shouldn’t we be more focused on preventing these events instead of fighting over the president’s ideas, or even focusing on how to prepare for those events. On Aug. 12, the day after the protest in Charlottesville, President Trump spoke about the event. In his speech he said, “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence. On many sides.” Then he repeated the phrase again, “On many sides,” suggesting that the troubles were everyone’s fault. Most importantly, he refused to condemn the white supremacists and neo-Nazis who were at fault of the death the previous day. On the following Monday, after 36 hours of not hearing a word from Trump on this issue, an anonymous White House official released a statement on his behalf, saying he meant to condemn the white supremacists. At this point, his actions

They’re worried about his constant change of mind, and prosecuting the people responsible.”

have begun to speak louder than the statement released. Not to mention he only gave the follow-up remarks because, “well someone told me I had to.” I feel like majority of the people involved are so focused on how Trump has had his foot in his mouth. They’re worried about his constant change of mind, and prosecuting the people responsible. Yet, they don’t even consider the idea of trying to prevent such violence from happening again. Instead they are causing more violence. Not only is Trump’s actions causing an uproar of protests, it’s causing more violence. During his rally in Phoenix on Aug. 22, protesters waiting outside had to be separated by police because of fights and breakouts. Eventually, police used tear gas to disperse the crowds. The president’s ideas on this do matter, and I understand that his mistakes weren’t small, but we should be focusing trying to find a solution, or a way to prepare for future events. Instead we are focusing on the mistakes Trump has been making, and how his words keep changing. With all of his responses it’s like he is treating it like some news cycle, instead of bring light to the situation like he should.

ASB: good intent, wrong idea

n social media, students have the ability to speak their mind about what’s happening on campus, and before we could get through the first week of school there was already an uproar. Not over a fight or a new fashion statement someone made but over a photo of a piece of paper that had an idea for Spirit Week. Yes, those five, simple fun days a quarter where we get to dress as our favorite superheroes or in our class colors became a controversial topic in short time. The photo going around on sites such as Twitter or Instagram showed an idea a student in Associated Student Body had for a class competition. For the day, students could “dress as a different culture,” such as seniors dressing like Africans, juniors as Pacific Islanders, and so forth. Immediately after its posting, the idea faced great backlash, accused of being cultural appropriation. Wearing another’s deep, enriching culture as a costume was seen as inappropriate and ignorant, and I agree. Having each class adopt one culture was a mistake. Why assign a culture when it would be so much better to have students be their own? Last year we had a multicultural day as part of Spirit Month where students got to show off and educate others about their own culture. I remember being fascinated with some of the outfits people came in with, ranging from vividly colored, traditional Hispanic dresses to flags being shown proudly, and being excited whenever someone asked about my own. It was a day of interest and exposure to many other cultures students weren’t aware of before. The second mistake was having that much faith that students would show spirit that day appropriately. Students making their own interpretations as to what cultures would look like should’ve been a cause for concern. As much as I’d like to believe that everyone would want to do great research and respectfully honor someone’s traditions and heritage, it’s far more of a dream than a reality. Though it wouldn’t be the fault of everyone, this day could’ve easily become a racist mess. Someone could have felt that it would’ve been appropriate to carry a bowl of rice and said she was Asian or draw on a mustache and call himself a Latino. Thinking under extreme circumstances, what’s the first thing that would come to the

Stephanie Matsumoto mind of an uneducated person when they hear that they should dress like an African? I’d really hope it isn’t blackface. Rather than do good, the idea would only make acceptance and appreciation a laughing stock. Though the idea was poor in thought, I want to defend ASB for the overall plan since the intentions were good. The day was part of a festive around the world Spirit Week, which would be topped off with a rally celebrating all countries and cultures. It sounded like an exciting idea, one that hasn’t been done before recently. Not that I don’t enjoy dressing up in my class color or as a superhero but this week would actually have meaning behind it unlike most other ideas. The diversity at Stagg is something that many schools don’t have the luxury of having and should be appreciated. Students come from many different backgrounds and have stories to be told in forms of

ART BY SERINASIENG

their culture. Especially in this day and time, when not everyone is accepted for who they are by the color of their skin or where they’re from, promoting this would’ve been great for the school. While the day would have been very offensive, the controversy is now far in the past and wasn’t even ever approved. It was a piece of paper with an idea written over the summer that any sensible person would’ve denied once given the chance. The whole ASB should no longer be the blame of that whole fiasco and it shouldn’t effect the rest of our year. However, the message has been loud and clear to ASB’s ears. They made a mistake, just as any human would and will certainly learn from it in for future.

Amos Alonzo Stagg High School

FEATURES

9.08.17

the Stagg Line

Solar eclipse enlightens students

Those of all ages get to experience a once in a decade event AidanDanforth

Sophomore Winston Beck, having seen previous science wonders like the blood moon last year, was excited for the solar eclipse. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he said. Once every 39 years an odd natural phenomenon occurs when the earth’s moon aligns perfectly between earth and the sun. On Aug. 21 students, teachers, parents, astronomers, and practically anybody in the continental United States could look out into the sky and experience the occurrence. Though the eclipse could only be viewed in its full entirety on it’s path of totality, which ran through Oregon, students were still excited to experience the event. Sophomore Katherine Mejia was eagerly awaiting the eclipse on that day. “I have never seen one before,” she said. A total solar eclipse occurs when a new moon engulfs our sun entirely and leaves our earth into a brief place of darkness. The last total solar eclipse to happen in the United states was in 1918. Knowing about the rarity of the situation Mejia was impatient for solar eclipse. “I will be watching it for sure,” Mejia said. A path of totality, will drastically change the blue sky in the United States. As the moon started to cover the sun, the temperature went down from its usual 100 plus degrees. Trees were bristling and shade became ever more present on the campus. Junior Marcus Noriega witnessed this while he sat in his third period class and was shocked about his class atmosphere. “I didn’t expect it to get so dark,” he said. More and more does the sidewalk share the same complexion of the staff parking lot. Science Department Chair Marcus Sherman recalls his memory of his first solar eclipse during his third grade class at Carl Sandburg Elementary. The distant memory of seeing it as a child jumped started his excitement for the solar eclipse. “Why wouldn’t you want to see something that you could see for free that comes every 60 to 70 years?” Sherman said. He was more than willing to spare some time from his lesson plans to explain the solar eclipse. During second and third period, teachers took their students out after their lesson plans. At the final moments before the moon shadowed over the sun, students and teachers were outside their classrooms counting down the minutes. Some teachers even had special contraptions made for the event such as science teacher Thomas Gilbert, who set up a sun spotter that displayed the eclipse. Other teachers were setting up their reflecting telescopes or odd contraptions. Whether it was a Pringles can, tissue box, or paper plate, students were orientating themselves to display a mini eclipse on their device. At 10:15am the solar eclipse is ever more present, students flood outside their classrooms to witness the black crescent in the blue sky. Junior Malia Christinao was ready to get her hands on the solar eclipse glasses that her class was sharing. “I couldn’t wait,” Christiano said. The sky became dark and chilly than the hot morning. Students packed around any diagram that would display the eclipse. Lucky for Winston Beck he had his own pair of solar eclipse glasses, he was grateful for his grandfather’s old pair of glasses. Just like Beck students will be able to recall the grand space anomaly that will only happen until 2045.

Check out staggonline. net for a video on students’ reactions towards the solar eclipse and their experience.

PHOTO BY MARKWALDING

Blanca Arias and Alicia Robertson, juniors, look at the solar eclipse through a hole in a paper plate. This allows them to see the shape of the eclipse without damaging their eyes.

“

Why wouldn’t you want to see something that you could see for free that comes every 60 to 70 years”

MarcusSherman Science Department Chair

PHOTO BY MARKWALDING AND KEVINGUITERREZ

Students wore special head gear such as Jernee Cline (Left) who wears solar eclipse glasses in her agricultural science class.

Stagg Welcomes Its Newest Teachers Lupe Cruz Justin e McGehe

Juliana Santa Cruz James Buntin

Sylvia Parede s

Brandon Enos Phillip Seibel

er Christoph Rothrock Delton Lowery

Benjam in Harriso n

Jonathan Stevens Marie Mandujan GRAPHIC BY SERINASIENG

9.08.17

Amos Alonzo Stagg High School

FEATURES

the Stagg Line

Athletics hopes to SUMMER stories enforce rules better “ sharing

Whether it’s on warm beaches or on a long car trip down south, students make interesting once in a lifetime memories underneath the summer sun.

DonavinCollins

This year, students who continued to play sports noticed an unexpected change in the policies regarding physicals, but more importantly attendance. Senior Khalisha Perkins noticed that the coaches were more on top of student athletes attending school and turning in their physicals. She said, “This year is way more strict, like I know for example that in the golf team our coach has been focused on physicals and attendance a lot.” With these stricter policies, more and more students have been cut off from the sport they play. Perkins even witnessed one girl not being able to practice. “On the golf team, there’s a girl who the coach wouldn’t let go out to play until she got her physical,” she said. “She couldn’t even get her physical for a while because of how packed Healthy Start is.” With the Healthy Start filled with students, it takes more time for them to get their physical which makes it harder for the coach and player. With students noticing coaches being more on top of their athletes for missing school and not bringing in proof of their physical, the policies and rules are often blamed. However, Assistant Principal Megan Russo disagrees with the idea of new policies. As she oversees athletics here, she also is always aware of any new policies regarding sports, none of which are new this year, according to her. She explains that the attendance policy has not changed this year, which contradicts with what many students, including Perkins, think. She added, “Part of attendance is keeping your grades up and if you’re grades aren’t up, you can’t be involved in sports either.” As far as the physical status, she said, “Students have to get a physical every school year.” However, Perkins was still able to use a physical from last year. This is because the administration is still trying to transition from accepting physicals from within a year to physicals from the current school year. This transition creates a confused idea among the students who are told they can’t turn in a physical even though a year hasn’t passed. Russo also denied the idea of coaches being told to push their students to turn in their physicals. As a second perspective for attendance, Athletic Director Hung Nguyen said, “For the past years, the policy on attendance has always been the same.” Therefore, it is not necessarily supposed to be stricter this year. However, like the physicals, students have noticed the coaches being more pushy on attendance. Whether they were told to do so or just decided to be more strict, students like Perkins easily notice the difference from the previous years.

If your grades aren’t up, you can’t be involved in sports either.”

MeganRusso Assistant Principal

As an addition to the noticeable changes this year, Nguyen has started using the tryout cards. The new method requires students to submit their physical and contact information to Nguyen. After doing so, he’ll give them a yellow tryout card along with their physical. The tryout card is required to go to practice. Without it, the student can’t play the sport. Other schools in the Stockton Unified School District have already started to use this method. Russo had a positive take on the tryout cards. She said, “The tryout cards are more organized because everything goes through the athletic director.” She also agreed with the tryout card method because it makes us more uniformed with other schools in the Stockton Unified School District. From a student perspective, some students including Perkins disagree with the new method. She said, “I’m not even sure why they started the tryout cards.” Perkins believes that they’re not important, but doesn’t think they should be abandoned. “They should be a little less strict about it and worry about other things.” This tryout card, according to her, creates extra stress both the student athletes and administration. With the new tryout card, many student are left with extra work. With this extra work comes better organization for the administration. In one place, they can find the necessary information for any student athlete. It also keeps us more uniformed with the other schools in our district.

Yosemite National Park in California is full of beautiful sights. It’s famous for its giant, ancient sequoia trees, Tunnel View, the Bridalveil Fall and the amazing cliffs of El Capitan and Half Dome. Senior Daniel Herrera was lucky enough to visit this historic place for the first time this past summer. Originally, Herrera and his family were going to go to San Diego, but a turn of events led them to decide to visit Yosemite instead. While there, Herrera saw trees and waterfalls, and he even spotted a deer. Herrera and his girlfriend along with his family decided to get as high up on a waterfall as possible. “I felt like an adventurer,” he said. “It was an amazing trip, and I loved it.”

Usually ghost adventures take place in movies or on a show, but during the summer senior Jeffrey Calero decided he wanted to experience this thrill firsthand. It was around 1:00 a.m. when Calero and some friends decided to go to Eight Mile Rd. to look for ghosts. He had heard urban legends about how it was haunted, and he wanted to see so for himself. “There was a creepy vibe, and we thought we heard a little girl’s voice,” he said. “We thought someone was just messing with us.” But when Calero’s friend pointed out a white figure in some trees, he and his friends all ran to the car. “It was scary, but worth it.”

Long-term severe illness affects Valles’ performance LeslieCoronado Winter break, a festive time of celebration, turned out to be full of hospital visits and depressing news. Richard Valles, a junior, was diagnosed with Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria found in the stomach that can help lead to cancer in the future. Thankfully he was able to be cured with the help of antibiotics. However, Valles still had abdominal cramps and pain. “(The doctor) said that I could still get cancer, so I thought I was going to get stomach cancer,” Valles said. “I was really worried.” The doctors ran another test on him and found out that he had Crohn’s disease instead, an inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract that doesn’t allow the body to take in nutrients. It’s a rare disease with less than 200,000 cases in the United States and while it can be treated, it can’t be cured. He was still relieved that it wasn’t cancer, despite all the downsides that came with Crohn’s. As a result, Valles couldn’t attend high school and had to be home schooled for the rest of his second semester. He ended up getting better grades as a result, from getting C’s and D’s his first semester to getting A’s and B’s the second semester. “It was really fun because the teachers were nice,” Valles said. Now he’s back on campus. However, he still ends up missing some school every couple of weeks in order to receive treatment for Crohn’s or stay home whenever his symptoms flare up. Previously, Valles only had a mild case of Crohn’s, but due to the prescribed medicine, at the

“

COURTESY PHOTO BY RICHARDVALLES

(The doctor) said that I could still get cancer, so I thought I was going to get stomach cancer. I was really worried.” time, being ineffective, it allowed the disease to grow into an almost severe case. He is currently going through a treatment with Remicade, a medication that prevents a protein from attacking

RichardValles Junior the healthy cells in digestive system and in turn prevent the painful inflammation caused by that, every couple of weeks. “They do it through an IV and you have to stay there for a few hours and in a week you start

to feel better,” Valles said. “It’s pretty boring.” In addition to the treatment, he also has to be careful about the types of food that he eats in order to prevent any inflammation and pain. He always has to check the labels of foods, and ask for the ingredients list when at school or ordering at a restaurant. He also has to make sure that their isn’t anything like cheese or dairy in the food he eats. ”When it’s at its full effect, your body does not take any nutrients,” Valles said. He lost 30 pounds the last time the disease was at full force and had to deal with his body going soft, and his muscles going away. It was a terrible experience for Valles. The worst part was the pain, however. He still has to deal with it, as a result of the disease being a constant. “It just really hurts,” Valles said. The teachers are very understanding of his disease, knowing that he’ll have to miss class every couple of weeks in order to get treatment. He also had a flare up recently and after emailing all of his teachers, they told him to just bring an admit. His parents are also very supportive of him, diet wise, making sure to not eat any of the foods that he can’t eat in front of him, like dairy, and try to accommodate his diet as well as they can. “(My family) won’t eat a bunch of cheese in front of me,” Valles said. After a couple of years, the symptoms will fade a bit or go into remission although they won’t disappear completely, nor will they ever.

When sophomore Penelope Bowden went to the beach this summer, she had planned to have a fun day. She was at New Brighton Beach in Santa Cruz, soaking up the sun and taking a dip in the ocean. When her foot sank deep in the sand after a wave retreated back, another large wave crashed against her forcing down. Bowden immediately knew something was wrong, but she couldn’t quite figure out what. After scooting back to shore, she looked down at her leg. “It was super swollen and I started going into shock,” she said. “I couldn’t even put any weight on it, and my cousin had to carry me to a chair.” Later on when she got home, her mother took her to the emergency room and they found out the unfortunate news. “I broke my tibula and my fibula in my leg,” Bowden said. Since then, Bowden has only had one surgery on her leg. Luckily, it was a clean break, and she is on her road to a steady recovery.

Moving to a new town or state isn’t uncommon — it happens quite often. This summer, senior Teresa Luna moved to Stockton from Los Angeles, where she grew up. Immediately, she found things to be quite different from her birthplace. “People here say ‘hella’ a lot,” Luna said. “I’ve never even heard that before.” So far, she has noticed a big change in herself since she has moved. “I’m quieter and not as mean as I was back there.” Luna finds Stagg to be much smaller than her old school that was three stories high, and also much more diverse. So far, she is happy with the way things are going, and looks forward to spending here senior year here.

GRAPHIC BY ANGELVASQUEZ AND SOLOMONJUAREZ

Amos Alonzo Stagg High School

StephanieMatsumoto

Though it may seem like more of a dream than a reality, people of all ages can meet up with their favorite characters like Captain America, Moana, and others from cartoons and movies. Besides seeing characters come to life, those of all ages can find merchandise such as original art, plush animals, and old figures and books that they wouldn’t be able to get in stores. Under the roof of the Stockton Arena, fans of comic books, games, anime, and other parts of pop culture gathered together for the sixth annual Stocktoncon on Aug. 19 and 20. Steven Andrade, a junior, got to experience it for the first time. Though he was interested beforehand, he was never able to go because he struggled to find a ride or friends to go with him. This not only was his first time at Stocktoncon, but any convention in general. “I kind of imagined it a bit differently,” An-

9.08.17 ENTERTAINMENT Fans excited by the interesting costumes and cool merchandise

drade said. “I expected more cosplay and more people.” However, Andrade found many positive aspects in the convention as well, which caused him to want to go to more cons in the future. He found posters of his favorite Korean pop groups such as GOT7, Twice, and BTS, saw cosplays that were interesting, and join a friendly environment. “Everyone may be different, but at Stocktoncon they can just be themselves and everyone has that in common.” Nadia Dutra, another junior, also has an interest in K-Pop. Though she didn’t expect it, she saw a lot of merchandise of different bands and artists that booths were selling. Dutra is very interested in the Korean pop culture such as Korean dramas and music. To connect with other on campus who also enjoy it, she started up a Korean club on Wednesdays. In order to spread the word and catch the interests of others, she wanted to buy items at the con. “There were a lot of hats, jewelry, and posters for the club and I thought I could hang them around campus.” Besides looking around the Korean booths, Dutra also spent time taking pictures and talking with the special guests and people who were cosplaying. Though there wasn’t many people dressed up as characters from animes she watches, she saw many video game characters she recognized. Talking to others with similar interests made her feel comfortable and included. “It was really welcoming because I didn’t feel a lot of people judging what others were dressed

Check out staggonline.net to watch students’ at Stocktoncon.

the Stagg Line

PHOTO BY STEPHANIEMATSUMOTO

Junior Steven Andrade holds an Eevee plush from Pokemon while looking at more merchandise at a seller’s booth. Andrade enjoyed looking around at pop culture items he couldn’t find in stores. as,” Dutra said. “I know a lot of people cosplay and I think it’s a good way to express themselves.” Being able to dress up as pop culture characters has been a hobby of Dan Tran, a sophomore, since last summer. Going to conventions is no stranger to Tran who has gone to other nearby ones like Grape City Con and Central Valley Con. At Stocktoncon, he cosplayed Reaper from Overwatch, which was an outfit he made all by himself. He caught the attention of those who attended as well as bought some posters and figures of char-

acters he liked. Conventions like Stocktoncon allow him to make outfits and show those who would appreciate it. “I like putting stuff together and it all just seems really fun to me,” Tran said. “The reason I cosplay is to express my creativity.” “It was really welcoming because I didn’t feel a lot of people judging what others were dressed as,” Dutra said. “I know a lot of people cosplay and I think it’s a good way to express themselves.”

‘Leap!’ sends wrong PRIDE FESTIVAL People find an exciting event, message, includes unnecessary romance welcoming atmosphere AmberlyButler

Eleven year old orphan Felicie dreams of nothing but becoming a dancer and will do anything to get there. At first the plot of “Leap!” seems like another empowering film about following dreams. However, after a closer look it is not exactly the inspiring movie you would think. It is the late 19th century in France, and Felicie and her best friend Victor live in a hideous orphan-

This film follows the story of a young orphan and her friend following their dreams. It motivates the audience to work and reach their goals regardless of their situation.

age together. Felicie had always dreamed of becoming a dancer, inspired by her music box with a small ballerina inside. Victor, was a great inventor and hoped of working with Gustave Eiffel, the best inventor in France. They both escape their prison of a home to follow those dreams. Soon after being separated by her friend, Felicie finds herself in the opera building. After being caught trespassing, the maid of the building decides to lend the now homeless child a hand. She gives her a job scrubbing the stairs, and a place to stay. While working one day she received a letter for one of the students. Here she gets the idea to steals the identity of the famous ballerina so she can instead join the ballet school. Though the maid knew this wasn’t at all the correct way for Felicie to achieve her goals, she supported her. As the movie unfolds, we watch her failures and successes as a dancer. Though she is less talented than the other girls, she is a quick learner and gains the help of a retired ballerina. Unfortunately for her, the fake identity is caught, but the choreographer of the opera gives her a fair chance, seeing that she is an orphan and they pity her. She practices day and night. However, the day before her big audition she skips practice to go on a date with a boy. Yes, we get to see the mess of unnecessary love connections between her and an older boy she had met in the auditions. Honestly, it is pointless to have a love connection between children if the story is supposed to be an empowering movie aimed towards such a young audience. Besides Felicie, Victor also gets a taste of success. His desire to be an inventor lands him a job with his role model, the famous Gustave Eiffel. Unlike his friend, Victor actually worked to achieve his dreams. The movie does have bits here and there about actually working to achieve your goals, like the hard work Felicie put in to be a good ballerina. However, it seems to get away with the idea that because she was an orphan people would help her out of sympathy, which isn’t very realistic. Overall, the plot was less empowering than I initially hoped. But despite the many issues with the plot overall, I still found myself rooting for Felicie. Maybe that’s because it’s easier to wish well for an orphan than to look down upon them. Maybe they felt bad about mistreating an orphan. Though the idea of the story is good, it seemed like every other motivating movie.

NicholasRosete

In today’s society, finding a sanctuary where you can express who you are and what you believe in isn’t the easiest task. Thankfully, Stocktonians are allowed to do both thanks to the Annual Stockton Pride Festival held at the end of August every year. This festival, located at the Weber Point Event Center in downtown Stockton, provided a judgement-free zone for all from 11 in the morning to 6 in the evening. Being the sixth annual festival with countless booths, music, food trucks, and activities, attendees were able to enjoy themselves despite the hot weather. After paying an admission fee of $5, you enter into the event where you can almost sense a feeling of unity and togetherness. Flags were draped all over trees and booths while rainbows were everywhere you look. No one looked upset or seemed to not want to be there. Every person had either a smile on their face or food stuffed into their mouth. There were many activities that attendees could partake in. Some of these activities included listening to the speeches of the directors, checking out the posters that provide historical information about the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender community. Others included eating from the various food trucks, or simply walking around and enjoying the positive aura that surrounded the venue. One of the many booths included Lincoln’s Gay Straight Alliance Club as well as Tokay’s. Last year, Stagg’s GSA was at the event but due to the timing of the event, they weren’t able to have a booth, according to club advisor Susan Diohep.

PHOTO BY JULIAROSETE

Drag queen Helen Heels puts on a lively performance at the Stockton Pride Festival. She’s lip synching and dancing to an upbeat song. Nicholas Hatten, director of the Pride Center and Stagg graduate, was one of the main spokespeople at the festival. When asked how this event reflects the beliefs of the LGBT community, he said that he wanted to remind the community that they need to stand up for what they believe in. “You have to be willing to advocate for your own rights. Don’t assume that your rights will be taken care of.” The Pride Center used numerous outlets in order to encourage people to attend the festival. “We’ve been putting it out there on social media. We’ve been putting it out there on the radio and on TV and on PSA’s.” Though the attendance wasn’t at its peak due to the heat, many stayed for hours. Being the sixth annual festival, many were curious to know what would differ between last year’s festival and this year’s and

what would draw in the crowds. Hatten predicted that there would be exciting new entertainers, plenty of food, and lots of fun. His prediction was certainly accurate. He also said that the Stockton Pride festival is home to the best drag shows in the Northern California region. A drag show is where men dress up as women, lip sync, and dance to songs while receiving tips from any spectators who are willing. These dances are extremely animated and you can tell that the dancers are very passionate about what they do. One woman even poured multiple colors of paint on herself, creating a vivid and memorable performance. After hearing the screams of the crowd, it is apparent that these drag shows are very popular and beloved within the LGBT community.

9.08.17

Amos Alonzo Stagg High School

SPORTS

the Stagg Line

From the field to the water

Geoffrey Allen conditions for baseball by playing water polo

StephanieMatsumoto

There’s the impact of a bat hitting a ball to the impact of a body hitting the water, but besides that, there aren’t many similarities between baseball and water polo. While they are very different sports in appearance and needed skills, Geoffrey Allen, a senior, is trying to connect the two and use water polo for conditioning. On his first day, five to 10 minutes after a 200 freestyle warm up, Allen had to step out of the pool and go to the nearest trash can. After feeling lightheaded and sick due to not receiving enough oxygen in the water, the practice caused him to be knocked out once he got home. “It’s intense,” Allen said. “It’s extreme conditioning, more than any other sport like football or baseball I’ve done in the last four years.” The hardest part for Allen to adjust to is not being able to breathe when he wants. Scrimmages, to him, have been a “fight for life.” The opponent can drag him down, pull on his legs, and do what they need to do as long as they don’t touch his hand. Being underwater most of the time causes his body to feel fatigue much faster due to using muscles that he normally wouldn’t use outside of the water. “Baseball takes stamina to go a play a three hour game but it’s more standing and you only move like 90 feet and 360 at most for a home run,” Allen said. “In water polo, you can swim that in two to three minutes of playing.” Allen, who feels like he’s been on the team all four years, can rely on everyone to help him fix when he’s doing something wrong.

Senior Geoffrey Allen decided to take a break from baseball and test the waters by joining the water polo team. He enjoys bulding up stamina and sees this as an opportunity to strengthen his baseball arm. PHOTO BY CARLOSDAVALOS

“Having friends like Blaine, Leo and Bubba, those are the people that always make me feel like I’m at home the moment I get there.” Leonardo Leon, a senior, was a friend of Allen before he started playing water polo. Leon, who has been on the team since his sophomore year, is impressed by how much Allen has improved since his first day. “He’s already really good at throwing since he’s played baseball so he’s going to be a real good player for our team.” Having good cardio and stamina has been a problem that has plagued Allen since his freshman

Freshman cheer squad takes it to the top

PHOTO BY SOLOMONJUAREZ

Being her first year cheering, freshman Paulina Silva is excited for what season will hold. “I want to work hard and contribute the best for our team so next year we can bring more wins home.”

Check out staggonline.net to watch Geoffery Allen describe his transition to a new sport.

year. Improving both of those was his main reason for joining the fall sport. While he feels that he plays above average in baseball, water polo will help him get farther. “I’m just thinking that it’s like my senior year and I’m going to be going to college and if I want to take baseball seriously this is a good way to develop myself and prepare for the next level.” Though he isn’t the fastest on the team, this doesn’t discourage him. Allen wants to overcome the adverBriannaRodriguez

Coming fresh into high school people are often anxious and introverted, but some are willing to test the waters. A small group of people that displayed this desire to put themselves out there and try new things was Stagg’s freshman cheer team. “I wanted them to see what a real cheer camp was like,” Jeana Correa, freshman cheer head coach said. “Like how I did when I was in high school.” With only two experienced girls, the team showed a great deal of dedication and heart. After a couple months of practice during the summer, the freshman cheerleaders did better than what most expected at the 2017 Universal Cheerleaders Association cheer camp in UC Santa Cruz. The camp was a three-day ordeal that included an immense amount of training, private coaching, and leadership building activities that are meant to get cheerleaders ready for game days and competitions. Having a team of only six girls they took home three spirit sticks and five trophies, four of them being first place and one be-

sity of water polo and help support his team. “Even though I’m playing water polo for baseball to get me stronger I’m going to do my best in my position and be the best I can be.”

ing “Most Improved.” Throughout the camp there are a variety of competitions between the cheerleaders such as: jumping, tumbling,and flying. Believing it would be a good learning experience, Correa decided to put three of her girls in the freshman and junior varsity jump competition. One of them, Ariana Raygoza, actually won the competition overall. The first day of camp Correa had the team set both personal and team goals. “As a team we wanted to be able to do stunts that regular freshmen couldn’t do, like a toetouch basket,” Jaquelin Flores said. Within four hours of camp the girls started to cross off their goals and perform stunts designed for varsity teams. Being able to execute stunts at the level of difficulty they’ve been doing, the girls were beyond confident and found themselves proud to show off their skills. With the strenuous practices held by Correa and Alana Lujan, volunteer assistant coach, the team exhibits precision, cleanliness, and lots of energy when

they perform. “You’re a cheerleader. You need to be loud,” Lujan said. Sharp movements and deafening cheers are two things Lujan tries to instill in the girls during practice. Being an alumni and former cheerleader, Lujan compares her old freshman team to today’s current freshman team and the comparison isn’t even close. The freshmen are already showing varsity potential this early on in the season, Correa and Lujan expect the team of thirteen, to reach varsity level by the end of the season. “Our team is one of those teams that actually want to learn things and we put all our effort in it,” Flores said. Since the girls have a substantial amount of talent and training, this season they anticipate that they will be one of the, if not, the best freshman cheer team in SJAA. Hoping for a good season, Correa will continue to push the girls to their limits and the girls will continue to exert themselves in every jump, extension, and cheer.

WHO’S COMING BACK? What’s it like having many new players compared to returning players? This is the question faced with many varsity teams this fall season.

.4% .8%

Varsity cheer has 27 players with only 18 returning from last year.

Varsity water polo has 21 players with only nine returning from last year.

Varsity football has 54 players with only 18 returning from last year.

Varsity vollyball has 14 players with only three returning from last year.

Varsity tennis has 19 players with only seven returning from last year.

.8 42

Varsity golf has 10 players with only three returning from last year.

GRAPHIC BY MARKWALDING

NEWS

Amos Alonzo Stagg High School

9.08.17

the Stagg Line

Closed campus disappoints

New policy is already improving attendance after lunch MariaCastillo

ATTENDANCE CHANGES Fifth period attendance has greatly improved compared to last year. ffFifth period was second worst attended last year. ffFifth period is best attended this year. ffFirst period has had worst attendance both years. SOURCE: DISCIPLINE OFFICE

PHOTO BY KEVINGUTIERREZ

Check out staggonline.net for student and admin reaction.

dents accountable, tardies weren’t so much of a big issue for her. Other than students arriving late to class, some would not even show up until sixth period. To solve this issue, administration figured that if they close the campus, everybody would be in their fifth period class resulting in fewer tardies and absences. Finishing the first month of school, the amount of tardies and absences has decreased after lunch.

Senior Veronica Ochoa saw the off-campus passes as a way for students to become motivated. She said, “Some people might have been encouraged to meet the required grade to get the off-campus pass. Now that there are no off-campus passes, people can become discouraged.” Phillips is still looking for ways to fix this dilemma. He said, “The requirements for the pass would not change, but the

New Chromebooks make their way into classrooms OleediaHarris

In the darkness of the early morning, teachers in previous years all across campus have had to go to the library to check out a Chromebook cart. Having to wheel it to their room before the bell rings, and then make sure to return it before the day was over was too time consuming. If all the Chromebook carts were gone, then students would miss out on them. However, throughout this school year more teachers have been receiving their own class sets of Chromebook laptops. These laptops have granted access never before accessible. Students have been able to join online discussions, making learning much more interactive. Curriculum has even changed for the better by having access to much more information. There has been multiple positive changes in classrooms since increased use of Chromebooks. Sebastian Stone, a sophomore in Bonnie Villegas’ Honors English II class, said there is rarely a day they don’t use Chromebooks, and having them more accessible than previous computers not only helps his learning but his participation. “Whenever we use Chromebooks it helps me go and stay at a better pace.” Jassy Camacho, sophomore,

thinks that the newer technology provided has improved software that makes the class more interactive and interesting. Victoria Marinelli remembers feeling hesitant having to take a class to the library. “Before we had to go down to the library to get the cart and even those were the older computers so I really enjoy it (the new cart).” Since being given everyday access to a Chromebook cart students in Marinelli’s English classes have been able to do work more efficiently. “There’s a lot more reading and writing they’re capable of,” Marinelli said. In her English Development class, the

computer access has also been helpful. “It comes in handy for my students who are still learning English because they can use it as a translator when they need it.” Principal Andre Phillips is thankful that the district has been able to supply the Chromebooks through Local Controlling Funding Formula. “The goal is to have a Chromebook for every student, and we’re getting closer to meeting it.” He adds that in many elective classes Chromebooks won’t be needed. However, he did say it could be possible and useful in all classes. The first thing Phillips did after receiving the latest 15 carts

WeeklyGallery Check out our website for weekly galleries featuring senior sunrise, back to school night performances, and the new school year.

was give them to all the English teachers. “I made sure all the English teachers were given Chromebooks first because they use them almost everyday… There is such a positive impact.” Next to be supplied with Chromebooks would be the world language teachers, social studies and math. Phillips said how not every teacher will feel as if they need laptops. “Some teachers will probably say they don’t really need a cart…so if they don’t need it we will put them in the library and they can just come check them out if they ever do need them.” Junior Jacob Stillwell uses his assigned laptop for his English class to go onto Google Classroom to fill out a warm-up given to him by his teacher. PHOTO BY KEVIN GUTIERREZ

protocol would. If there was enough manpower to stand back there and check those who are not coming back to class, they would get their pass revoked.” Another solution that is being considered is to possibly extend the lunch for at least 10 minutes next year. If this happened, the whole school day would be extended, instead of getting out at 2:13 the school day would be over at 2:30.

Student show apathy towards world problems ShannonBradberry

The end of the world may be upon us, but students are still more worried about how many likes their recent Instagram post got instead of paying attention to the details of major world events. Surveys show that students here on campus don’t really know what’s going on between North Korea and America, they know the surface problem between the two counties but not in detail what it’s about. In a poll of 32 students, questions were asked involving the subject. When asked what they think the nature of this conflict is, most students knew about the feud but only things like who was involved. Senior, Lauren Guerrero, said it’s important for students to be well educated about the hostilities between the U.S. and North Korea. “Yes it’s important because we live in America. Trump is the one who is our representative,” Guerrero said. “ Whatever his actions are, it affects all of us in America because we’re under him, so it’s important to us because it could be our lives at stake if he says the wrong thing or does the wrong thing.” According to Washington news, Which Korea this ongoing are we in 87.5% conflict startconﬂict with? ed during the Korean War in 1950 when Who is the the U.S. Air president of 84.3% Force bombed North Korea? parts of North Korea leaving 20 percent of its population What is the nature dead. In recent 34.3% of this conﬂict? years, relations have been defined by North SURVEY BASED ON 32 STUDENTS Korea’s present and past tests of long ranged missiles and nuclear weapons being used to threaten America. While many see the possibility of a war as unlikely, some still believe there’s a greater chance of North Korean soldiers using nuclear weapons in an attempt to prevent a U.S invasion. Kim Jong-Un is basically making blank threats towards America because if he fires a nuclear weapon, he knows America can take North Korea off of the map, that’s also why he is threatening America’s allies such as South Korea and some Asian allies, so America would have no backup plan. According to the survey, only a few students follow this story. They often hear about it through social media and the ones that do follow it, watch it on the news or hear about it through podcast. When the students were asked to give their view on how this situation may be resolved, the safest reply for someone who doesn’t have a deep understanding of the conflict answered, “If Trump and Kim Jong-Un shake hands.” Other responses were more negatively targeted at the president and at Kim Jong-Un, suggesting that the two are being immature and need to grow up. Both America and North Korea appear to be ready for battle, but nobody is making any moves because citizens of each side don’t want a war. While some claim this whole situation can be avoided, until further notice, this conflict lies between President Trump and Korean leader Kim Jong-Un.

SURVEY SAYS

MARK WALDING

Since a half-hour lunch, according to former Assistant Principal Felicia Bailey-Carr, “sets you up to be late,” administration decided to take away off-campus passes this year. Principal Andre Phillips said, “A large amount of juniors and seniors last year would go off campus and by the time they would come back, the bell had already rung.” Students would show up late to class with food, which some teachers didn’t allow. This caused students to sit outside for much of the 58-minute class period. When it came to being tardy, teacher Susan Diohep had no tolerance. “I made a practice of if you had three tardies, it was detention,” she said. She noticed that once she started holding stu-

When junior Jacob Lloyd was a freshman, going off campus was something he looked forward to. “I got my license and I didn’t get it to go off campus, but it would have been a perk.” Lloyd understands why this decision was taken but he thinks it should have only applied for students that have a record of being constantly late. Lloyd said, “The people that have been on time aren’t benefitting from this.” Senior Brandon Alonso agrees. He said, “I don’t think it’s fair to punish every student for something not everyone did.” Alonso made sure to make the best of his 30-minute lunch, whether he and his friends went to the nearby places in the Venetian Square Shopping Center or to a slightly further place like Taco Bell, “I would go off campus everyday, but I would never be late to class,” Alonso said. “I spent that whole year being responsible just to pay for the consequences of others.” Even though the campus is closed for now, Phillips is working to resolve the issue. “We’re looking for students to fill out the off-campus applications and see who meets the requirements.” If the off-campus passes were to come back, he said the administration would strongly enforce the rules that come with having this privilege.