12.15.17
Amos Alonzo Stagg High School 1621 Brookside Rd. Stockton, CA 95207
Vol. 61 No. 4
the
exploring Senior Regjenny Yaun presents her poster to the rest of the class earlier this semester. The students were given an assignment to create a poster that describes themselves using cutouts or drawings to represent their individuality.
Ethnic Studies offers chance to learn about different cultures JuliaRosete
DEAD WHITE MALES. THAT’S WHAT STUDENTS in history classes typically study year after year in history classes. And wars and presidents. History textbooks keep telling the same story. There has never been a class offered on campus to present the side of history that is often overlooked. Until now. This year, Stockton Unified School District has rolled out Ethnic Studies as a new class, including on this campus. Ethnic Studies exposes students to the world’s multifaceted history, not just the Eurocentric side that many are often familiar with. Susan Diohep, who teaches the course, volunteered to take on the class last year and promoted it to her U.S. History students, hoping to have some of them enroll. One of those students, senior Jose Villalobos, took this class in hopes of learning something most textbooks tend to overlook. “Most of the stuff I’ve learned in this class is stuff I’ve never learned about,” he said. “We’ve learned about how the Irish had a famine, and they went to America to seek a better life.” Senior Floydkeeuna Moffitt took the class to learn more about cultures straight from something
PHOTO BY STEPHANIE JIMENEZ
“
The importance is that we see ourselves in our history. It’s the idea of school as social justice.” SusanDiohep Ethnic Studies teacher
GRAPHIC BY MARKWALDING & KEVINGUTIERREZ
Program aims to succeed NicholasRosete & ShannonBradberry
Students were taken out of their English classes last month and sent to the theater to watch a presentation about the new behavioral system called the Hero app. A simple concept, the app was created to keep track of students’ participation and behavioral habits in school. In addition to improving behavior, the Hero System was designed to alleviate the negative behavior some students project towards campus security monitors. Staff members want students to be able to talk to CSMs without any tension, the rewarding system particularly helps in this favor. In the past, the school has tried many things to change the behavioral system, but none of them worked out the way they were anticipated to. Stagg Bucks was one of these past attempts. “With Stagg Bucks, there were too many issues with trying to turn them in and trying to get done what we wanted to accomplish.” ASB advisor Ryan Berg said. Only a few students participated and it eventually began to fade away. Some teachers say the system needs more consistency . Music teacher Joseph Updegraff said that the Hero system is the exact same as past attempts to reward students for what they do on campus and change the environment. “We have tried a variety of programs and we lack follow-through with these things,” he said. “If you don’t actually do it, then it is definitely not going to work.” Updegraff said that Stagg Bucks might have worked if it was followed through with and actually done the way it was promised to be done.
Juniors Ricardo Favela and Frederick Shaddai explained how some students don’t really care about prizes or behaving properly on campus and why they don’t think the system will work. “Right now they just want to live and go do fun things,” Favela said. “They don’t really care about acting good they just care about being cool with their friends.” “If you’re a good student, you’re probably not going to be recognized by the CSMs that much,” Shaddai said. However, in order for this to work, making sure that everybody is informed is important. Updegraff is one of the many teachers who knew little to nothing about the Hero system or how it will be implemented at our school. “The fact that I have never even been educated or informed as to what the Hero System is does not really bode well for it being successful.” Updegraff said. Although some teachers and students have mixed opinions about the Hero system, it is in the hands of the administration to follow through and boost the climate of Stagg High School.
BottomLINE Local scholarship Finals
CSU extension
For seniors, today is the last day to get the local scholarship to the Career Center. Application must include birth certificate, tax forms and recommendation letters.
CSUs have extended their application deadline for some of the colleges. Seniors who still need to apply for the fall 2018 semester may go onto the CSU website to do so.
Finals will take place during the second week after returning from winter break. A modified schedule will be announced for that week.
other than word-of-mouth. “You actually get the opportunity to learn new things, not just go off of everything else,” she said. Ethnic Studies is popular in places outside of Stockton. Los Angeles Unified School District passed a measure in 2014 requiring this course as a graduation requirement starting in 2019. Supporters hope that by making this a requirement, students will have a better understanding of different cultures and feel that they are on an even playing field with their peers. The debate about whether to make Ethnic Studies a graduation requirement has sparked conversations across the country. While many argue that there is no benefit to taking the class, several studies have been conducted that show otherwise. One study by Stanford shows high school students benefit from the course. It not only boosted their grades and attendance rates but gave the students needed credits to graduate. Diohep said she feels the class serves as more than just telling history in the generic sense.
“I think the importance is that we see ourselves in our history,” she said. “It’s the idea of school as social justice, learning about the ways people have fought to make our country more inclusive and to get better rights for everybody.” The class is currently working on a unit about migration and movement, doing projects about their families and how they came to America. Moffitt felt these projects helped her understand her own culture better and her family’s history. She feels this class is important for all students take to truly learn about other cultures as well. “People come to me and tell me ‘this culture does this’ and ‘this culture does that,’ and I don’t want to go off of it because I don’t know if it’s biased or if it’s true,” the senior said. “So why not actually get facts about it and actually know that it’s true?” Villalobos said he sees the class as an eye opening experience. “A lot of people, they’re one sided to these things, and they don’t look at it from a different perspective,” he said. “That’s what this class does.”
Lack of theater repairs provokes frustration HannahWorkman
Broken lights. Torn curtains. A faltering sound system. Unserviceable seating. These are just a few of the issues that plague Stagg’s theater. The auditorium, which opened its doors during the year of 1976, has seen minimal upgrades since its inception. In recent weeks, exposed copper wiring was reported by a district maintenance worker, bringing about safety concerns for students and parents alike. “It’s not right that students have been using the theater in the condition it’s in for so long,” senior Juana Cruz, a member of show choir, said. With electrical faults posing risks of fire, Cruz has no idea as to why, for over a decade, the structure sat untouched while the problems accumulated. “During performances, there’s a strong chance somebody could’ve gotten hurt. These needs should’ve been addressed years ago.” A complaint filed by a parent and a petition formed by students prompted administration to condemn the theater. For a brief amount of time, it was uncertain whether the building would ever be accessible again. Thespians feared they’d have no place to perform plays; musi-
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cians feared they’d have no place to showcase their talents. Several days later, school officials met with maintenance workers to further assess the situation. “I was there with Steve Smith, our board member, Mike Hernandez, our head custodian, and several electricians,” Principal Andre Phillips said. “We walked throughout the entire theater. They were already starting to take out the bulbs and trying to figure out the routing of the circuits for the stage lights.” While Phillips is unable to say what the long-term plan for the auditorium is, he affirms that the current goal is to at least try to get it in good working conditions until a permanent solution is found. For the music program, the
entire ordeal couldn’t have come at a worse time. With the annual winter concert approaching, there were fears the event may be canceled or would have to take place at another school. “It was tough because instead of putting all of our focus into rehearsing, we were also wondering if we’d even have a venue,” Cruz said. Years have passed with little action taken by the district, but discussion is beginning to commence. “Realistically, I believe it’s changed this year as opposed to other years because it’s not Mr. Swope and I fighting anymore, it’s students and parents,” band teacher Joseph Updegraff said. “Now that we have students and parents who are standing up and demanding changes, something is getting done.” Various notes were taped onto equipment scattered around the theater to warn people of the risks of using them. PHOTO BY STEPHANIE JIMENEZ
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Amos Alonzo Stagg High School
OPINION
12.15.17
the Stagg Line
STAFF EDITORIAL
n 1976 those who attended Stagg must have been impressed by the theater, given the fact that it was brand new at the time. Now, more than 40 years later, it has become an eyesore and a hazard. Stagg’s performing arts program has tried for years now to get the theater remodeled. It seems that false promises have been made regarding the theater in the past. From broken lights to exposed copper wiring, the theater’s complications are not being properly addressed or completely fixed. There are plans to remodel the theatre in the future. The question we ask now is, how soon will it take for the future to be here? Other schools like Franklin and Edison, both around 10 years older than Stagg, received funding for school remodeling. Since they were built before Stagg they were able to get funding faster. Now Stagg seems to be the only high school campus left in Stockton Unified School District that needs urgent and major upgrades,
especially the theater. Back in 2008, the school district received $465 million to “improve the quality of education and students.” Stagg was given money for a brand new football field, baseball and softball diamond, and new tennis courts. The theater was supposed to receive some of that money to be remodeled. Unfortunately, since these sports facilities were put first the theater did not get any of the funding. Although SUSD has made some repairs and claims the theater is “functional” there are still major issues to be fixed. They have made some adjustments such as installing dimmable house lights and fixing the exposed wiring. For other issues, temporary solutions have been made like taping off faulty chairs. Not only have these problems been affecting performing arts students but they’ve been affecting all students. Presentations for world language classes were to take place in the theater but as a result of the
Physical Universe will help students
E
arth Science in previous years was a class on many freshmen’s list. The graduation track requires students to take two years of science, one being a lab science. This year Physical Universe replaced Earth Science. Although the name and lessons switched, the new class will better help freshmen prepare for later lab sciences. Approved at the federal level, Physical Universe is now implemented to give freshmen an idea of lab sciences. This is a great switch as the new class will have more focused lessons. Freshmen will be prepared for more challenging and demanding science practices than before. Due to more in depth and extra lessons, it would be appropriate that teachers will pile in more work throughout the school year. It seems that with the extra lessons added in, teachers will get rid of previous ones. It maybe a bad idea, to
PHOTO BY AIDANDANFORTH
Physical Universe teacher Jeremy Elwood shows his student how to access the lab experiment. The lab focused on the effects of gravity on a controlled program.
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.
theater being condemned for a short while, students were not able to present there. The poor condition of the theater has disrupted student classes and activities. As
a result, needed repairs should be among the top priorities for SUSD. We should be able to be as proud of our theater as we were in 1976.
Will Hero system work for our high school?
learn more information with the same amount of time. The lessons from lab sciences are changing, but aren’t being forgotten. To adjust to this change, lab science lessons will be spaced out more. With these extra gaps, Earth Science lessons will fit according to how relevant they are to the lab science. Teachers will implement an Earth Science subject into their regular lesson plan, explaining how the lesson relates to Earth. It would be fascinating to learn more about how stars, or how Earth’s tectonic plates move. As an added bonus, the Physical Universe students will understand that for their later science classes. These freshmen will have better background knowledge to aid them in higher levels. The change will also benefit the higher level grades. The switch to Physical Universe will create a better learning curve for all students and subjects. With the previous plan, various freshmen who took Biology would have missed Earth Science. This left many previous juniors to rely on eighth grade memory to cover questions on the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test. With the new plan, juniors are more prepared to answer the questions on the PSAT including those that they may have never been taught. Students who took Physical Universe and moved to lab sciences will also run into old lessons. A lesson they may have aced or flunked will either be boring or stressful. Having to sit in a classroom and review the same lesson is a problem students may face. Still the extra review may help to prepare students and challenge them. Physical Universe and the new science plans will better prepare students for higher level classes and tests. The real world insight draws students into more engaging lessons. For some students, they will hate the new more in-depth subsections. For other students the change will make coming to class a lot more exciting and will better the scores on the PSAT for all students.
Aidan Danforth
STAGG LINE Staff & Policies STAGG LINE
GRAPHIC BY SARA ABDELTAWAB AND ALBERTO VALENCIA
Broken theater needs to be fixed I
A
s most of us know, the Hero system is being introduced to the campus for the first year. This may confuse some including myself since the Stagg Bucks idea was introduced just last year. The two ideas do seem to be almost the same, besides one being an electronic point and the other being a wooden token. Unfortunately, the Stagg Bucks idea failed to prosper because it wasn’t taken very seriously. The small wooden tokens were rarely given out, and no one really used them. Matter of fact, I remember finding one just lying on a table in the cafeteria. Since no one claimed it, I just took it and to this day it sits in the drawer of my desk. There are many more reasons why the Stagg Bucks didn’t work, but that’s not the point. Instead of focusing on why a past idea didn’t succeed to its potential, I’d rather give tips on how the Hero system can work. Just because one idea didn’t work doesn’t mean a similar one will have the same fate. Starting out, the Hero system does seem to be doing better
than how the Stagg Bucks started out. I actually have a point that was truly earned. The point was a reward of wearing my student ID when an ID check was going on in class. I’ve also heard that points will be given out for people who attend sports games hosted at Stagg. This will be a great way to reward students for having school spirit as well as boosting attendance. Giving points to the winners of the occasional lunch games would also be a good idea. Not only would it bring more students involved in the games, but it would also help with the problem of not staying consistent in giving out points. It’s good to stay consistent. It would be disappointing to give out points for the first month or two and then just stop. Now the subject of what to actually do with these “good deed” points. The store should be advertised more since many students may not know much about it. These announcements could happen at lunch when ASB plays the music. Posters around the campus would also
Check out staggonline.net to hear Youen’s opinion on Hero
Donavin Collins help for people who don’t hang out around the quad. As far as the store itself, recent observations show that Hero points are going to be available to use at the student store in the future. This is a great idea because more students would rather use them during lunch rather than after school. My only suggestion is that one Hero point is equivalent to one dollar. For those who would like to stack up on their points, a good reward would also be pretty nice. It doesn’t have to be something big like a brand new car. A gift card to some restaurant would be more than acceptable. Everyone likes to eat. Of course, there are many other suggestions that I couldn’t come up with. This brings to mind the idea of having a little idea box for students to give their input. It can be anything from a reward suggestion to even an idea on how to make Hero better. With improvement, I’m certain that Hero will truly succeed.
EDITORS
REPORTERS
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.
SaraAbdeltawab & StephanieJimenez editors-in-chief
ShannonBradberry
AngelVasquez news editor
AidanDanforth
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.
SamanthaBaker opinion editor
CarlosDavalos
StephanieMatsumoto features editor
SolomonJuarez
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.
LeslieCoronado entertainment editor MariaCastillo sports editor JuliaRosete web editor KevinGutierrez photo/graphics editor
DonavinCollins
OleediaHarris BriannaRodriguez NicholasRosete SerinaSieng AlbertoValencia MarkWalding
ADVISER
HannahWorkman
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Current and older issue PDFs are available at issuu.com/staggline
12.15.17
Amos Alonzo Stagg High School
Lack of gun control puts everyone in danger I
t was only five deaths.” Following the tragic mass shooting in Tehama county in November, that sentence was what I heard in almost every discussion. I can’t really blame people for thinking this way, though, compared to the shooting in Las Vegas that killed 58 people and injured 500 in October, or the Pulse Nightclub shooting that happened last year in June, killing a total of 49 people, this mass shooting really doesn’t compare. Americans have become accustomed to just accept these shootings as the norm because they occur so often. This year alone, according to buisnessinsider.com, there have been 307 mass shootings. Compared to world averages, Americans have the most guns per person, least amount of gun control action after mass shootings, and deadliest shootings in history, according to the Washington Post. What exactly is being done about this? People tend to think the worst when they hear gun control, wanting to express their Second Amendment rights however they please. Just because the right to bear arms exists doesn’t mean laws can’t be written to define it. According to CNS News, there are today more than 20,000 gun control laws currently in effect — federal, state and local — in the United States, obviously all of those laws aren’t helping much. These laws aren’t working because they aren’t targeting the right areas. There will always be guns and there will always be gun violence, but it can be lessened with some reforms. When looking at data, twothirds of deaths by bullet occur from suicide. To lessen this problem area, mental health services should be expanded to everyone. Giving
OPINION
the Stagg Line
3
Angel Vasquez
those who suffer from these problems the help they need will cut the amount of the problem from happening in the first place. Furthermore, there should be strict limits on combat-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. Automatic and semi-automatic weapons should not be accessible to anyone in the general public. These types of guns are made for war, they’re otherwise too dangerous. There really isn’t a reason to have them, and if someone does in fact have a legitimate reason they should have to possess a special license to carry one. Additionally, as cars have to have insurance, guns should too. If there are more expenses that go into buying and keeping a gun, people will have to seriously consider the cost of buying and owning
Gender roles are learned from society
ART BY SERINASIENG
a firearm. This solution is also good in terms of pleasing both sides of the gun control debate Above all, efforts to lessen gun violence should focus on multiple solutions and unity with neighboring states. No matter how much guns get outlawed, guns purchased in another state can be sneaked in from one place to another. So in order to prevent this, there should be more correlating laws with them. Mass shootings aren’t going to be solved with the prayers of senators and congressmen. In order to save lives and prevent injuries, change has to happen. Gun control doesn’t have to focus on banning guns; however, focusing on small changes and accommodations can definitely improve the issue as well as please the masses.
Moore has no right to run in Senate election
Y
ou *blank* like a girl!” This phrase we’ve all heard at some point or another, whether it was from a movie, TV show, or in person. And as we all know, it’s not used in a positive way, but rather as an insult to tell someone that they’re weak or not good enough. It’s pretty nice to hear that being girl is bad thing and automatically gets you associated with negative traits. I don’t think it would be so bad if “you *blank* like a boy” existed. But it doesn’t. In its place we have “man up”. It’s used to tell a person to toughen up, because that’s exactly what guys are associated with. Strength and courage. Even though we live in world where women are supposed to have equal rights and more opportunities, there are still certain standards that they are held up to, as are men. Most of these standards are taught and enforced on children at a young age, from either their parents, peers, or even advertisements of toys. When walking into the toy section of any store, there is a clear divide between the boy’s side and the girl’s side. The boy’s side is often times very blue and has things like monster truck toys, Legos, Nerf guns, and plastic toolboxes. Boys are expected to be manly and have interests in fixing things up, getting dirty, and have an interest in cars. The girl’s side is very pink and dainty, with plastic tea sets, smiling Barbie dolls, Disney princess costumes, and kitchen playsets. Girls are supposed to be interested in dressing up, cooking, and being pretty. It doesn’t come off as much of a surprise that kids would feel forced into these roles as teenagers and adults, even if they don’t see it as that. So it’s not very surprising to find, at a young age, boys who cringe in disgust at anything “girly,” which is seen as shameful, and typically has a negative connotation. Meanwhile, if you call anything “manly” it’s automatically something sought after
Stephanie Matsumoto ART BY SERINASIENG
and has a positive connotation. There’s also the fact that girls who challenge the typical gender roles of being pink and dainty and instead dress in more boyish clothing, engaging in more masculine activities, like video games and rough physical contact sports, are more accepted by society, plainly called tomboys. Whereas boys who challenge gender roles are bullied and called out for acting like a sissy, and they are told they need to toughen up because it’s shameful to act like a girl. It’s a negative trait. They also face a lower chance of social acceptance than typical tomboys do. Apparently it’s okay to “act like a boy” if you’re a girl but not okay to “act like a girl” if you’re a boy. These gender roles forced on us are still issues that still persist in our society and although it’s getting better, with more liberal society encouraging people to break out of the social norm, it still needs to become a standard. Some celebrities like Jaden Smith have taken up the challenge of breaking these gender roles by wearing skirts, his reason being that he would like to take the brunt of the criticism for wearing a skirt so that in the future boys won’t get made fun of for wearing them. If more people were to speak up on this, or take actions similar to these then I believe that we could begin to be more accepting about deviation from the norm and stop enforcing these gender roles onto children and people in general, then we would end up with a society that is much more accepting of each other.
S
exual harassment towards women has different forms. It may be when a drunk man whistles at a woman, or when a boy touches a girl inappropriately. But these are just incidents from immature guys who don’t have anything better to do, right? There’s no way professional or grown men would do something like that? Wrong, very wrong. In today’s society, unwanted sexual advances are expected to happen. It’s so normalized that even people of high power can say that they’re going to grab
women in private areas. A recent incident would be Alabama’s Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, Roy Moore. This is written before Dec. 12, when the election took place, but regardless of the outcome, he shouldn’t have been allowed to run at all. Moore ran in the Alabama Senate race against Doug Jones, the Democrat candidate. During the race, several allegations of Moore sexually harassing women, some underaged, while he was in his 30s have surfaced and he denies all of them. It’s hard to think that not one of the women’s stories is true considering the detail they recall. Leigh Corfman says that she was only 14 when he attempted to initiate sexual contact at his house. Then there’s Beverly Young Nelson who was 16 when she was working at a restaurant he visited regularly. Not only did he allegedly sign her yearbook, calling her a “beautiful girl,” but one night when he offered to give her a ride home, she says that he assaulted her. Past those two accusations, there’s at least seven more women who have come forward.
Moore campaigned because it was a close race, and he still had a chance despite the accusations. Alabama is a Republican state, and people were willing to vote for him just because he would represent their party. It’s horrendous that not even what’s happened will stop people from voting for him. They would rather have a man who was already unfit for office before these accusations rose than have Jones. Regardless of whether the accusations are true, what kind of message is it sending the public? If you’ve ever harassed and/ or violated women then you’re perfect material to be a senator or even president? It’s disgusting how many other politicians have admitted to abusing or sexually harassing women while still being public figures that people idolize. If Roy Moore wins, he should be expelled from the Senate the moment he’s seated. Refusing him that position of power is important to stop the idea that it’s okay to sexually harass anyone. If we continue to accept these kind of people into our government, nothing will ever change.
Leslie Coronado
ART BY LESLIECORONADO AND SAMANTHABAKER
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FEATURES
Amos Alonzo Stagg High School
12.15.17
the Stagg Line
New Years unites culture On Hmong New Years, students gather together to meet people, catch up with friends, and spend time with family SaraAbdeltawab
For those who celebrate Hmong New Year it means more than just a new diet. As the harvest season comes to an end, new beginnings start to open up. According to HCCA Hmong New Year is the idea that families could put up their harvesting tools and throw on their traditional clothing to celebrate the end of harvest season and the beginning of a new year. Senior Npai Vang says that Hmong New Year is very big in her family, from dressing up in the cultural wear to going out to the different events, she says she enjoys it much more than American New Years. She said there are many activities that go on at these events, such as dancing, ball tossing, and singing. “These different events are more than just celebrating Hmong New Year,” Vang said. “It’s a good time to catch up with family or find you someone to marry.” Vang went onto say that during Hmong New Year a man could approach a woman by asking for her last name to show a sign of interest. Unlike American New Year, which is only held on one day, Hmong New Year is held on various different days in different locations each week. At each event Vang says that there is a certain traditional apparel that the men and woman could wear that represents them as an individual and their culture. Even though there are many things going on in one day Vang says she enjoys the overall experience whenever she attends the event. “My favorite part about the whole thing is getting to eat Hmong food that I don’t get to eat on a daily basis,” Vang said. “And being able to see family you haven’t seen in awhile.” Although Vang is very engaged in the celebration of Hmong New Years, for senior Abby Thao the event is a chance to learn more about her culture in which she says she takes a lot of pride in. “I feel like older Hmong people enjoy it more because it’s a time of coming together and teaching the young people about the culture,” Thao said. Just as Vang, Thao says some of her family members also dress in the traditional attire to leave an impression. It’s not just the clothing that leaves an impression, but she says the day itself means very much to her and her family because it’s like carry a legacy of the culture through each generation. “Unlike American New Years we actually learn so much,” Thao said. “Our culture is fairly unknown so Hmong New Year helps spread it around and help make it more known.” Yet, between men and woman, Hmong New Years could be celebrated differently. Senior Xeng Vang says for him it’s more of letting the bad luck out and bring the good luck in. “Usually there’s different festivals going on, but my uncles and I go hunting instead,” Vang said. “We wear different clothes before and after we hunt so that we could release any bad energy. Vang said his favorite part about the event is getting to meet other people and just enjoy having a good time with his family. He also said that there are different booths throughout the event that are selling things like food, clothes and drinks. “It isn’t just for Hmong people,” Vang said. “All ethnicities could come out and just have a good time celebrating the new year.
GRAPHIC BY ALBERTOVALENCIA AND SERINASIENG
Jewish customs carry the past StephanieJimenez Turning 13 is more than becoming a teenager in Judaism. Turning 13 involves endless hours of practice trying to pronounce words correctly in Hebrew. Turning 13 is the “ultimate test,” as Math Department Chair Andrew Walter said. For the celebration, known as a bat or bar mitzvah, a child prepares years prior by learning Hebrew. When Walter turned this age, he had a tutor assist him. “You learn how to speak and read in Hebrew,” he said. It’s a tradition for the celebrated individual to read from the Torah, the Jewish bible, in Hebrew in front of numerous adults in the temple. Since Hebrew script has no vowels, this process, Walter said, is “nerve-wracking.” Although he sees it as a stressful step it certainly brings confidence afterwards. The tradition symbolizes a welcoming to the religion as an adult. “It’s having a stronger connection to Judaism.You’re part of the religion now.” Walter, father of three, has been part of his two sons’ bar mitzvahs. “I know what they feel.” He admits feeling more nervous than his younger son Ian. “It’s an overwhelming joy,” he says, seeing his sons accomplish this. To him it’s “good to see a maturity change” among his sons days after the celebration. In the religion, Jerusalem is considered as holy city. With its significance, his children would want to visit the city after they all have completed their bat or bar mitzvah. In three years, Emma, 10, will have completed her celebration. After her ceremony, a family trip take place. The Jews’ escape from Egypt and liberation from slavery is significant in history and also in Judaism. Passover is a week spent remembering “how lucky we are for slavery to be over,” Walter said. In that week, anything can be eaten but yeast. Avoiding yeast refers to the little time Jews had to wait for the bread to rise during that time period. Matzah, a cracker, was commonly eaten instead of
other food. The eternal light during Hanukkah plays a meaningful part during the holidays. When the Jewish temples were destroyed by the Greeks and Romans, people lost hope. After everything was cleaned up, the Jews would light up oil lamps for every day. But they had a limited amount of lamps for a week. When the seventh day arrived, they left to another town to obtain oil they needed. After a week, the last oil lamp that was lit remained flaming throughout their lasting trip. Jews believe this long-lasting flame to be a miracle. During Hanukkah, a candle is lit for seven days to represent the eternal light. “Our family gets together for one night and celebrate. We live too far from each other to do it for the whole week,” Walter said. On Rosh Hashanah, or Jewish New Year, “one makes amends with people and think about
what you did wrong.” In other words it’s a week of reflection. Silent meditation is something Walter does with his family during Yom Kippur. Also known as the Day of Atonement, this event centers on confession and cleansing. For 24 hours, one cannot consume any food or liquids. The purpose of this day is to “clear yourself through prayers.” The passing of a person in Judaism is a different process compared to other religions. “For one month, you don’t look at yourself in the mirror. You focus on the experience and in the life of the person,” he said. Yahrzeit, an event meant for “A common theme in Jewish holidays is how to make yourself better and make the world better as well,” Walter said. According to him, Jews tend to become lawyers, doctors and teachers. “It’s about giving back.” Read more of Walter’s story, including his father escaping the Holocaust at staggonline.net In the day of the celebration, middle child Ian speaks to the rabbi at the temple. The rabbi is about to hand him the Torah which he has to read from later on. PHOTO BY STEPHANIE JIMENEZ
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Tradition continues within new country
Kamran and her family maintain traditional customs in order to keep the feeling of home SamanthaBaker
Check out staggonline.net to watch senior Abby Thao describe her Hmong New Years. PHOTOS BY SARAABDELTAWAB AND STEPHANIEMATSUMOTO
During the new year for Hmong people they celebrate at differenet events each week. They do a ball toss and have different dance and signing competitions.
Preserving one’s culture can be hard after moving to another country. Encountering new traditions and celebrations may lead to forgetting your own, yet keeping one’s culture alive within your family can be rewarding and bring you closer to one another and your history. Maha Kamran and her family lived in Pakistan before moving to the United States last year. They have managed to keep their culture alive in this country by passing down history and traditions. She and her family also recognize the main three Muslim holidays: Ramadan, Eid Mubarak and Eid al-Adha. “They told us about everything, they told all the history before, and so we celebrate everyone who is Muslim.” During Ramadan she and her family fasts from dawn until dusk for 30 days, eating and drinking only at night. During the night they eat food such as samosas and drink juices. The holiday is to celebrate, according to the Islamic belief, the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad. In the second holiday, Eid Mubarak, the point is just to enjoy oneself. Kamran and her brother receive money from their parents and have special dishes such as biryani, a sweet noodle dish, and naan with kebab. “My favorite food is biryani.” During Eid al-Adha, the third holiday, Kamran and her family get a cow, which they have slaughtered by a professional, and share the meat among themselves and family members, as well with the needy. Eid al-Adha is to celebrate the prophet Abraham and his willingness to sacrifice his son when God commanded him to. They then have family barbecues with the beef and also throw parties to celebrate. “My favorite part is when we get money and when we have barbecues, those are the good parts.” After Ramadan, Eid Mubarak, and Eid alAdha, Kamran and her loved ones go and have a family picnic. Kamran misses her life back in Pakistan, but by celebrating these traditional holidays she feels closer to her family and home. Although some may think her traditions are unusual or they may not like them, such as their tradition of slaughtering the cow, she doesn’t pay any attention to the negativity. “Some would say ‘why do you slaughter such a beautiful animal?’ and I’d say ‘don’t ask me because it’s not me doing that.”
COURTESY OF MAHAKAMRAN
Kamran wears traditional Pakistani attire. She and her family enjoy foods such as naan with kebab and biryani during their celebrations. Keeping one’s cultures and traditions and embracing those of a foreign country can be difficult, but by doing so you can broaden your understanding, connect to more people and your family, and bring you closer to your own history.
Quinceañeras signify The holiday season is not just about Christmas more than just parties BriannaRodriguez
Within Hispanic culture a young girl’s coming of age is a big moment. Quinceañeras are put together to celebrate a girl’s 15th birthday and mark her transition from childhood into womanhood. Growing up, girls look forward to celebrations like these. For junior Marissa Pimentel it was inevitable that she would have a quinceañera. “This tradition is very strict in my family. It’s a normal thing for all Mexicans to do,” Pimentel said. Despite not having a say in whether she wanted the celebration, Pimentel was COURTESY OF MARISSAPIMENTEL grateful to have one. “The thing I remember the most was the waltz Junior Marissa Pimentel is caught being hoisted into the air with all of the chambelanes and by her chambelane de honor during the waltz. damas,” Pimentel said, “I got to dance with everybody, I grew up to fulfil the traditional tasks Senior Ulices Contreras has had with most of them. Everyone in done during a quinceañera, it his fair share of being a part my quince meant something to is also important to make one’s of quinceañeras. “Being a guy me.” For her it was important to own day unique and different you’re trying to make it special choose people who held a special from others. “I had the most fun for her. It’s an important day, so place in her heart to be a part of with the folklorico dance,” De La you don’t want to mess up and Fuente said. “It’s a traditional her court. make sure everything goes right As far as planning for a Mexican type of dance with for her,” he said. the dresses. You don’t see girls quinceanera, the tasks that With all the fun and need to be done are similar to performing this dance often.” memories this day can bring to When people think of a wedding. Sophomore Natalie the quinceañera, it can also bring quinceaneras they think of a De La Fuente dreamt of the day lots of stress. Junior Aline Arias girl. People often disregard of her quinceañera. “I started shares the most stressful about the importance of males in planning about a year in advance. planning her quince. “I waited making the whole celebration It didn’t take that long since I a month for my dress that I come together. The boys knew exactly what I wanted,” De ordered online and when it came in a quinceañera are called La Fuente said. Nowadays this it was the wrong dress,” Arias “chambelanes.” Chambelanes are celebration has become more said. “I had to go to the shop chosen to be a part of one’s court modernized as time has passed. and order the right one when my to honor the quinceañera and Even though it is important quince was two weeks away.” help make her day special.
GRAPHIC BY NICHOLASROSETE
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Amos Alonzo Stagg High School
ENTERTAINMENT
the Stagg Line
12.15.17
’Tis the season... for holiday sweaters Students and teachers wear festive sweaters for different reasons during this time of year. Here are some reasons why.
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I feel like it brings good feelings and the holiday mood.” SarahJohnson Junior
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It’s fun and goofy like me. I like to celebrate my holidays right.”
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I started collecting sweaters in the seventh grade and it’s just turned into this big problem.”
LeonardoLeon Senior
IsabelGonzalez Junior
If everyone is having fun and in the Christmas spirit then I’m having fun.”
It’s festive and just gets me in the spirit of things for the season.”
Even if they’re itchy and all they just have a really cool look.”
MarieleJones Junior
DeborahBerg Teacher
EnriqueRamos Freshman
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GRAPHIC BY STEPHANIEMATSUMOTO
‘Coco’ brings Mexican ‘Hey Arnold!’ Film: culture to the screen Answering important questions in an outstanding way from where the show had left off CarlosDavalos
The Mexican culture celebrates Dia de los Muertos every year throughout Mexico. Disney has taken their idea to create their perspective on the Mexican holiday. “Coco,” the newly released animated adventure contains wonderful and colorful settings that draw the viewers into it. Addition-
Contains stunning and colorful visuals, along with an engaging storyline that everyone can enjoy and relate to.
ally, with the Mexican heritage theme throughout the film, it becomes a learning experience for all viewers. “Coco” revolves around the holiday of Day of the Dead, a topic that brings many Hispanic viewers to the theaters. The movie includes coverage of popular Mexican traditions such as making an ofrenda, which is setting up photos for ancestors and families on a table so their spirits can come and visit. Miguel Rivera, the main musical protagonist in the movie, accidentally finds himself in the Land of the Dead, which is filled with alebrijes and families who have passed away. An alebrije is a spirit guide that leads the dead into the Land of the Dead. After settling down and meeting up with his deceased family members, Miguel finds out that the only way of returning to the Land of the Living would be by getting a blessing from one of his dead family members. His great-great-grandmother, Imelda, agrees to give him her blessing, but at a cost — Miguel will have to give up his passion of music. After hearing this devastating news, Miguel decides to set out on a journey in hopes to get his great-great-grandfather’s blessing instead. The film itself has outstanding graphics, colors, and creativity. It constructs a pleasing picture for the eyes with a great mix of soft colors and pops of bright colors. The soundtrack ranged from soothing music to upbeat and happy.. In many scenes, Disney shows that they’ve put in extensive work and dedication into perfecting the quality of the animation. Although Disney catches a lot of people’s attention with the excellent graphics, the movie lacks small details within the plot that left me confused at times. It seems that Disney spent more time working on the cutscenes and neglected to focus more on scenes that build up the plot. Disney’s attention to detail in regards to picture was outstanding, but in terms of having a flowing plot I was a bit let down. Overall the movie is phenomenal, it gives the audience a clear and fun way of understanding of the holiday and culture of Dia de los Muertos. It’s full of surprises, and brought me to the edge of my seat in anticipation in terms of just what was going to happen next. “Coco” did an excellent job of balancing humor, action, and sadness. Disney was able to present a great message that is easy to understand by any person watching the movie, and kept any flaws to a minimal.
Check out staggonline.net for Raygoza’s thoughts on the film
ShannonBradberry
In 2002, the creative team behind the series “Hey Arnold!” left fans in suspense and curiosity because the show was taken off the air. As time passed, the show faded from the minds of its viewers. On July 21, fans rejoiced when a clip of a new movie based on the 90s hit cartoon was shown at San Diego Comic-Con. “Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie” picks up from “The Journal,” where the last Hey Arnold! episode left off, where Arnold, nicknamed “football head,” learns more about his missing parents and yearns to find them. He and his classmates win a contest to travel to the country of San Lorenzo, which turns out to be far from the luxurious place they imagined it to be. As the original gang goes on their new adventures, the audience will watch and be reminded of their childhood, their favorite animated characters coming alive after 15 years of being pushed to the back of their minds. New elements, such as the pirate La Sombra and his crew, bring a fresh new feeling to the old classic. An emotional high point of the movie was Helga’s video, which won them the foreign trip. It was a time capsule of past episodes dedicated to all the good deeds Arnold has done for people in the past. The city came together to produce the short clip; characters such as Monkey Man and Stoop Kid that were forgotten returned with almost identical voices as the original. With the show being built off Arnold’s world, it was good to see old characters shine against the main plot. Things that were unimaginable as a kid came true in the movie such as Helga’s and
Stagg grad takes us behind the scenes Corey Jackson, who graduated from here in 1997, has spent years working in animation and graphic design, including a time on the “Hey Arnold!” television series.
Q - As an animator for the Hey Arnold! Cartoon, how was your experience? CJ - It was a lot of work, but a lot fun too. I was able to learn different techniques in animation. Q - How much work is put into animation? CJ - For every second in an animation, at least 50 people have worked on that second. Q - What’s the difference from liking to draw and actually taking it on as a career? CJ - It’s nice if you know how to draw, but knowing how to draw in the style of the show will find you a job in animation. Q - What should a student understand about the working world of animation? CJ - Animation in video games is much more complicated than animation in television. GRAPHIC BY DONAVINCOLLINS AND OLEEDIAHARRIS ART BY SERINASIENG
Arnold’s eventual kiss and the reunion of Arnold and his parents. The things that have been unanswered and hoped for throughout the series were presented in unexpected ways that satisfied curiosity. Despite all the triumph, the movie consisted of setbacks when Arnold and his classmates were kidnapped. Surprisingly, Helga’s in-
famous locket not only saved the day but was a major key to everyone’s survival and broke the sleeping curse that has haunted Arnold’s parents for all these years. From a 15 year break, “Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie” proved to be a great comeback and had a satisfying story line. It was unexpected and did justice to the original series.
12.15.17
Amos Alonzo Stagg High School
SPORTS
the Stagg Line
Rugby causes knee injury
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Against all odds, Watterson continues to play rough sport LeslieCoronado
During a scrimmage between members of her own team in Oregon, The Generals, Emily Watterson tackles an opponent. Now she plays on a local rugby club in Sacramento. The position she plays are loosehead prop and forward.
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Her grandfather had gone to Cal Poly and participated in the rugby program. He played until he got injured and wasn’t able to anymore. However, he still shared his passion for the game with his granddaughter Emily Watterson, a junior. “He got really excited and we used to watch rugby games,” Watterson said. She then started playing rugby in eighth grade and has continued to play since. The game itself is like a mix between soccer and football, with a field that’s used in soccer, and the playing style and the way the points, or tries, are scored is like football. Some of the unique parts of the game is that there isn’t any padding used and the ball is tossed backwards and underhand. “It’s a really fast game,” said Watterson. “If you panic, you usually go down to the floor because you’ll get tackled. If someone sees that you’re panicking with the ball in your hand, you’re automatically on the floor.” She especially loves how physical the game is and currently plays as a loose head prop, which serves as defense. These players stop people on the opposing team who have the ball in their hand by tackling them and don’t normally score. “It’s my favorite part,” Watterson said. But she did stop for a bit, due to a knee injury she had sustained during a game. Watterson had gotten tackled wrong by an opposing player. “My knee got blown out,” she said. “I tore ligaments, not major ones and I fractured a pretty good area of the bone around,” Watterson said.
Tackling is like riding a bike. Once you learn it, there’s really no forgetting about it.”
EmilyWatterson Junior
PHOTO COURTESY OF EMILY WATTERSON
Due to the severity of the injury, she had lost interest in playing the game and told herself that she wouldn’t play anymore after she recovered. However, she realized that her love for the sport outweighed her fear and she ended up playing anyway. She even plans to continue playing in college, with either Washington State or UC Davis as her first choices due to their great rugby programs. “I know that I won’t get any scholarships for rugby because I’m not the best player but Washington State has a really good rugby program and Davis too,”Watterson said. Since there aren’t any rugby teams in Stockton, Watterson usually
Pharms not bothered by comparisons
Shiannah Hershberger and Savannah Iske prepare for weightlifting competition MariaCastillo
Monday is for squats, Tuesday bench press, Wednesday deadlifts, Thursday leg day, Friday open gym, Saturday team workout, and Sunday ... a day off. That’s what the week looks like for freshmen half-sisters Shiannah Hershberger and Savannah Iske. Both sisters were encouraged to join BoxFit Elite Training when their mom decided it would be better for them to do something productive. They have now been going there for a year and have definitely seen a change. Hershberger said, “When I first started I would lift 10s on both sides but now I can do 45s so I definitely feel stronger. I also found that I don’t really like junk food anymore.” Although she enjoyed lifting, she wanted to leave it and try boxing, but her mom had signed a contract that wouldn’t allow her to. “When the contract is done,
I want to do boxing, but my mom said she has to think about it,” Hershberger said. Her sister plans to stay lifting and hopes to achieve her goals. When Iske first started at BoxFit she would lift 40 pounds but now she lifts 135 pounds on bench, squats, and lunges. Iske said, “My goal is to lift 150 in everything, but I want my deadlifts to be the highest.” Both sisters motivate each other with friendly competition. They tease each other when one lifts more than the other, but at the end of the day they both want to see each other succeed. Hershberger and Iske are training to compete in Olympic weightlifting against other gyms. “There are two sides to the gym,” Hershberger said. “One side is for the people who just go to work out and the other side is for the people who are going to compete.” In the competing side there are more rigorous and intense
SamanthaBaker
PHOTO BY CARLOSDAVALOS
Savannah Iske, freshman, performs a deep squat while keeping her head up to try to maintain an appropriate back posture. Iske lifts a 40 pound weight bag. workouts. These workouts include walking on hands, lifting heavier, and box jumping higher. Their trainer pushes them through the tough times. Iske said, “I look up to my trainer because he’s so committed to see
us do better. He keeps us going when we feel like giving up.” Hershberger and Iske are excited to start competing in a couple months. Until then they will be dedicated to putting their all into training.
Boxing inspired by father OleediaHarris
After being persuaded to take up boxing by his father, sophomore Joshua Cortes started to take on the sport that he now looks at as a lifestyle. “When I was younger, all I used to do was watch my dad when he started practicing jiu jitsu.” When his father would practice, he would get motivated when he saw that his children were watching him fight. After seeing how dedicated his dad was toward boxing, Cortes wanted to also get involved. His dad is now his biggest supporter and helps him train daily. Joshua Cortes (right) aspires to one day be a boxing coach or trainer. He wants to teach kids not only how to box, but the meaning of it. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSHUA CORTES
ends up playing in Sacramento, where other people also meet up to play. Since they don’t have an official field, they make due by practicing in parks in the city whenever everyone on the team has free time, making it difficult to coordinate, although they manage at least two weeks of practice per month. Not to mention that the coaches themselves are volunteers of sorts. Because of that, Watterson would like to create her own rugby team in Stockton someday. “My actual coach is a lawyer, and we have secondary coaches who also work,” said Watterson. “So we end up playing whenever we have the chance.
Before seriously starting boxing, Cortes wasn’t really into sports. “I didn’t used to be into sports, but the more involved with boxing I get, the more motivated I am to try new things.” He said that he now tries to stay in multiple sports including wrestling at Stagg. This takes a lot of dedication but it has all really benefited him in the end. Cortes has been involved with martial arts and boxing since he was 5 years old. However, he didn’t start being as committed as he is now until a few years ago when he really started taking more interest into the sport. “I do boxing, jiu jitsu, kickboxing, and wrestling.” As he started becoming more dedicated, he started training more vigorously. He trains for about three hours a day at Valor Training Center which is located on Lower Sacramento Road. An hour is dedicated to boxing, while two hours is dedicated to kickboxing. Cortes said it helps him stay well rounded and encouraged. “Every day boxing benefits me, it helps motivate me to keep my grades up so I can still fight.” Since he wrestles as well, Cortes makes sure it doesn’t interfere with his boxing training. “I practice everyday including weekends after wrestling practice.” His wrestling practice consists of practicing different takedowns and going over mat tactics. He goes on to say, “I remember if I’m going to reach my goals in the future, I can’t give up.” Some of Cortes’ inspiration comes from the local boxers Nick and Nate Diaz. “They help me believe that I have a future outside of Stockton.”
Being compared to siblings can be difficult. You may be constantly compared to their personalities, their accomplishments, their goals in life, all because of a familar sounding last name. Janelle Pharms, a sophomore, is very familiar with this situation, but she has worked hard to not be defined by the actions of her older sister. Pharms became interested in basketball while her sister, Jasmine Pharms, was on the basketball team at Stagg. She would always come to watch her sister’s games, and would cheer her on from the stands. Watching her sister defending the basket and blocking shots from her opponents while she played gave Pharms the inspiration to pursue the sport as well. Janelle Pharms She decided to join her elementary school basketball team during her eighth grade year, and has been playing ever since then. The experience would hopefully prepare her for high school level. “When I came to high school I figured I would just do basketball too,” Pharms said. When joining the basketball team, Pharms has often been compared to her sister, but she hasn’t let that deter her from focusing on developing her skills. She makes sure to play her own game and has even made sure not to have the same team number that her sister had, which was 44; she is number 20 on the team. The feeling of having to be just as good, if not better, is stressful and can cause many to feel the pressure. However, Pharms doesn’t let the comparisons bother her, instead she is glad that she is being compared to someone who is good. “It motivates me to try and be better than her,”she said. She feels as though she is a great asset to the team, encouraging her teammates to hustle during games and motivating them to aspire to be their best. “When we’re slacking and walking down the court then I’m the person who says something.” The basketball team’s coach, Shannon Markley, has confidence in her abilities and believes with hard work that she is a promising player and will have a good season this year. Not being compared to her sister by her coach has allowed Pharms to strengthen her own skills and to work on her own weaknesses. She is able to become her own person, separate from whatever expectations there could have been. Pharms uses her physicality to advance her position on the court, but she doesn’t deal well with fouls against her because of her aggressive disposition while playing. With maturity Markley feels that Pharms could grow to be one of their top players on the team in the next few years. “I think she’s progressing really well.” Markley said. “She’s gaining strength, she’s gaining confidence, she’s working on things that she needs to get better on.” By focusing on her own goals and skills without worrying about those who compare her and her sister, Pharms has found individuality on the same court her sister once played on. “That’s why I play my game.”
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NEWS
Amos Alonzo Stagg High School
the Stagg Line
Mass shootings spark gun debate
Julia Schardt, a retired teacher of nearby Cleveland Elementary School, recalls the mass shooting that occured while her students were outside during recess. She describes the out-of-body experience she still feels when reflecting back on that devastating day.
Former Cleveland teacher tells story of 1989 shooting SaraAbdeltawab
Lindhurst, Olean, Sandy Hook, Cleveland — among the many schools that lost lots of students and a bit of hope. On Jan. 17, 1989, six students from Cleveland Elementary School died and 32 more were injured. Such a shooting left more than just wounds on bodies, it left wounds on the hearts of many young children as well as adults. For former teacher Julie Schardt having to identify one of her students lying in a pool of blood sparked something in her that led her to want to make a change. “It was 29 years ago but I could still remember it,” Schardt said. “It wasn’t something I could just forget.” After the shooting in Tehama County Schardt came to campus to speak to students about her story and the actions she’s taking against gun violence. The horrific scene not only left Schardt traumatized, but she came to a point in her life where she felt that she didn’t want to live in a place that held nightmares. It led her to want to do something that would prevent gun violence, something that would make a change in the lives of many. Soon after the incident happened she and others started the Cleveland School Remembers Brady Campaign. The CSR group started as a group of six colleagues who helped support one another. In the winter of 2012 the group expanded after the Sandy Hook shooting. As a whole, their main goal was to promote programs that help prevent any further gun violence in communities. “We needed to do something,” Schardt said. “This was one step further into working against gun violence.” A bystander of the scene that day started to tear up as she remembered the event. First the gunshots, then the screams, and finally the sirens. Niki Smith, a member of CSR who also spoke with Schardt that day, said that the shooting affected not only the school but the entire community. She stands alongside Schardt helping to prevent such a thing to happen again. “All I could think was, ‘How can we stop it? It’s not okay,’” Smith said. “We shouldn’t have to live in this type of environment.”
Smith works with different types of art therapy letting people draw out how they feel. She said that it was easier for students to express how they were feeling by drawing a picture. “Statistics are important, but stories are important too,” Smith said. “This helped them tell their stories.” Schardt remembers right after the event gathering all of her students into her classroom reading “Two Bad Ants” to them, a book she says she hasn’t been able to read since that day. One of her students told her that a classmate of hers was dead yet, she didn’t believe it until she did a headcount and realized she was one student off. “It was like I was having an out-of-body experience,” Schardt said. “When they asked me to identify her, I couldn’t.”
Check out staggonline.net to listen to Schardt to tell her story. GRAPHIC BY SOLOMONJUARAEZ
Top GPAs can now get off-campus passes DonavinCollins & OleediaHarris
The anticipation of waiting for an off-campus pass was thought to be over by the time junior Lucas Nincioni became an upperclassman. Unfortunately for him, the passes were taken away earlier this year due to the amount of tardies after lunch. After the announcement of the return of these lunch passes, he was quick to celebrate. Then he learned about the high requirements. “Barely anyone in this school has the good enough grades,” Nincioni said the required 4.0 grade-point average is too high. With the requirement being set high, only a minimal amount of students qualify for the privilege. “The people who have it are going to be going off-campus by themselves.” He also stressed the waste of his car because of not having an off-campus pass. “I got good grades and my license to get a car and now I can’t even use it to go off-campus.” Able to meet the requirements, junior Isabel Pich was excited about the prospect of getting her hands on an off-campus pass. However, she says that the pass isn’t that big of an advantage. “I feel like even though I have an off-campus pass, it’s still not really useful.” Like many others, Pich said that lunch isn’t long enough to go get food and that when she does go, she barely makes it back in time to eat. “Since I don’t drive, I have to hurry up and walk there.”
Pich went on to say that the only reason she uses it is because of how bad Stagg’s food is. “It’s mostly just resourceful because the food here is really gross.” She also stressed that maintaining a 4.0 GPA can be really tough, as she agrees the requirements to get an off-campus pass are too high. “The criteria should at most a 3.5 GPA because I think it can be too tough for many students to get a 4.0 GPA.” Assistant Principal Gurvinder Chauhan sees the new criteria for an off-campus pass from a completely different point of view, and thinks that it is great motivation for students and will push them to excel in school. This contradicts with the average student’s point of view. “It’s a training ground for life. When you really want something, there are things you have to do to be able to get it,” Chauhan said, adding that the criteria should remain the same instead of being lowered like many students would like. “There is something you have to aspire to do in order to get an award and that’s what real life is.”
WeeklyGallery Check out our website for weekly galleries featuring the Stagg football commercial, after-school mania, a stomata lab, and varsity basketball.
12.15.17
PHOTO BY KEVIN GUTIERREZ
Schardt said that 30,000 people are killed by guns every year, which is what drives her to keep this campaign going strong. She hopes to decrease that number. Incidents like Cleveland and Sandy Hook make people wonder, “What if it was me?” For sophomore Valencia Flores she says she wouldn’t know what to do in such a situation. “I feel like schools should try to be safer,” Flores said. “If a school shooter were to come onto campus no one would know.” Flores also said there should be more drills to prepare students for situations that involve shootings. She says if they were enforced more there would be fewer deaths. “Those kids at those schools didn’t know what to do,” Flores said. “It’s a terrible way to go.” With the CSR campaign Schardt and Smith hope to help people heal and recover from such strategies while still making the community safe. By working with legislators and law centers through their campaign both Schardt and Smith feel they’re close to achieving their goal. “There’s always going to be guns in our society,” Schardt said. “But kids should not have to worry about it.”
Language presentation provides career choices StephanieMatsumoto
Learning to be fluent in more than one language has become increasingly important in today’s diverse society. However, high school students still ask the same question; “Why do I need to take this French/Spanish class?” The World Languages Department wanted students to understand how to answer this question, and that led to a project called, “Careers in World Language.” For the past few months, students taking either Spanish or French go to the library and create slideshows that they would presented in front of their peers on Dec. 4 and 5. They separated into “sectors” such as medical, tourism, or sports and focused on careers that fall into that category. Mariel Hernandez, a junior, was part of the sports sector. While working on slides, she faced difficulty in more than one way. When her group met in November, almost everyone couldn’t work due to the internet being down. The other difficulty came from her own group, because of members not doing their part or arguments on certain subjects. “It’s hard because you might not really know the other person or
agree with them,” Hernandez said. “But I think we all worked good in the end.” While Hernandez wasn’t interested in jobs in sports, the project taught her what she could do in the future with what she’s learning now in her French class. “At first I thought it was dumb, but as we got more into it I got to learn more about careers I can pursue.” World Language Department Chair and French teacher Deborah Berg began the project after talking to others in her department on a way to educate students about careers in languages and tying it into all levels of classes. After 28 years of teaching and only knowing of three students who majored in French,
she felt like there needed to be a change in the way students viewed taking a language. “I always see a lot of people who want to go into science, which seems like the main thing people want to go into, but there’s a lot of exciting careers out there that many students never even thought they may really like.” Berg hopes to continue to do similar projects like this yearly. She hopes to spread her love of languages and focus on their importance. “Especially with how the world’s going... language skills will be more and more important in the future with jobs,” she said. “It opens many other doors that wouldn’t be open if you’re only monolingual, which makes you more valuable in any career.” Junior Amy Khaman presents her group’s project focusing on careers in transportation. PHOTO BY KEVIN GUTIERREZ