October 2017

October 2017

investigator

the

Vol. 27, Issue 2

Untitled-9 1

9/20/16 11:23 PM

On the Cover October 2017

investigator

the

Vol. 27, Issue 2

Sarah Fernandez

A cross is adorned with messages at a memorial on the Las Vegas Strip several days after 58 people were killed while attending the Route 91 Festival.

in this issue This Issue

Different types of architecture were displayed at the Life is Beautiful festival on Sept. 23.

5 Financial Cutbacks

19 New trainer in town

About 60 million dollars cut from the CCSD budget.

Ryan Tubbs joins the athletic department as the new trainer.

11

Inked up students Several students display their body art proudly.

28 Gods among dogs Do we truly deserve to live among man’s best friends?

“

The art was so gorgeous. A lot of them you could tell that the artist put their heart into it.

junior Mariah Walton pg. 25 Hailey Gross

Editor’s Note It is often said that we must do what is best for the common good. After a tragedy occurred in the community, the response was immensely positive. This sense of a collective community rippled throughout our school and our staff.

In this issue, we covered the restrictions of communication between teachers and students and the Every 15 minutes program. As we dove into the lives of athletes and cancer survivors, we uncovered some of the untold stories of students.

Our entertainment section provides you with inside coverage of Theatre’s Shakespeare night as well as the popular Life is Beautiful festival.

As you flip through our second issue, we hope that you appreciate the variety of demograph included. We are honored to create a package of stories reflecting the diversity seen in our school who come together as a community in necessary times.

Senior Jason Scalley performs on stage during Shakespeare night on Sept. 21.

Sections news

4

feature

7

sports

11

arts & entertainment

21

photo essay

22

opinion

26

editorial

31

NEWS in

By Anastasia Koulich

brief.

QUOTABLE

Every 15 Minutes

Students

“

Shaving beards for a cause

The school put so much money into the program which made it so much more effective. junior Kevin Leong

English teacher Viviana Garner was never fond of English teacher Jason Garner’s goatee. Clean and short facial hair is what gravitates to her liking. But when a group of three teachers gang up to support a good cause, some propositions and deals need to be made that may not exactly be in favor for everyone in the group.

“I feel like I was tricked into shaving my beard,” Garner said.

To get rid of the small andpointed tuft of hair, she had a ploy, one that was devious yet helpful and thoughtful.

“My wife put together a charity to go towards hurricane

I don’t think teenagers understand the effect of drinking and driving.

The simulation was really eye opening. senior Gracie Miller

“

be him that had to shave off his beard and not me,” Garner said.

Ultimately, Garner lost the competition, resulting in a mane that is now tame and clean, just as his wife would prefer it.

Gator Gear has been a student run organization for the past four years, putting a lot of responsibility on the students that run it.

Design, communication and marketing are just a few of the obligations needed to be executed in order for the students and the merchandise to be successful.

“Ms. Hansen wants us to look at Gator Gear as if it is a business that we own,” senior Kai Lockridge said. “If we make mistakes, that is on us.”

Despite the fact that Gator Gear is not sold online, the design team spends a lot of their time planning their new creations and finding inspiration on the world wide web.

“Gator Gear is online in a way that we get all of our resources

from there,” Lockridge said.

When it comes to designing the products and the Public Relations department promoting Gator Gear, it all depends on the season.

“Right now it is Halloween and it is spooky time so we’ll obviously have some orange colors thrown on our gear,” Lockridge said. “We are even having a pumpkin carving contest and whoever wins gets a free shirt.”

Henderson Bandfest It was harsh because you never know if it could happen to you. sophomore Briana Rose Mitchell

Staff

“

Jennifer Tuttle snips away Jason Garner’s beard on Oct. 6.

Gator Gear sells attire for school spirit

By Anastasia Koulich

“

relief, and I mean, who could say no?”

Garner said.

The premise was to put together a competition in which Mark Drakulich, Clayton Tuttle and Jason Garner each had a cup during the miracle minute. Whoever had the most money donated into their cup would have to shave off his beard “I donated five dollars to Mr. Drakulich because I wanted it to

It is a great program to get students to think about the effects of drinking and driving. math teacher Andrew Lenselink

By Anastasia Koulich On Oct. 7, the band competed at the highly competitive Henderson Bandfest hosted at Basic High School. Schools from all across the valley competed. However, each school is branched off into divisions.

“Our band is in the onyx class, which has the largest and most competitive bands,” senior band member Maya Smart said.

It is comprised of four schools including Foothill, Coronado and Arbor View all of which the band competes with.

They have been preparing

since the beginning of Aug., rehearsing 7 hours per week and increasing that amount to 11 hours as they get nearer to the competition date.

It is the first time they performed for judges, who critique visual affect, musical affect, the marching, the playing, as well as how well they achieve what is expected from them, making this competition important in the grand scheme of things.

“We receive our scores with judges recordings and critiques of our show so that allows us to begin improving as a whole,” Smart said.

‘The Muse,’ as that is what

their show is called, is not alone in their creative endeavours, they also collaborate with the the fierce and ambitious color guard.

“The color guard utilizes different flags and rifles while the band has many visuals in addition to our formations to enhance our performance,” Smart said.

Despite the fact that the band received a score of 74.05 while Foothill got a higher score of 75.95, you can catch them on the football field rehearsing ardently in order to win and dominate their next competition on Nov. 11.

news 05 Sarah Fernandez

A Vegas Strong banner hangs at the Welcome to Las Vegas sign lot, where a memorial has been created for the victims.

Sarah Fernandez

By Sarah Fernandez & Shila Sherafat

O

n Oct. 1, 2017, shooter Stephen Paddock opened fire at the Route 91 concert festival on the Las Vegas Strip at around 10:05 p.m. The tragedy left 58 people dead and 546 injured, resulting in the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.

Despite the fact such a tragedy struck the town, the people of Las Vegas came together to both honor those who passed and help those struggling to hang on.

Senior Carson Kinsley donated toiletries, pillows, food and water to Sunrise Hospital’s emergency room.

For Kinsley, like others, the tragedy felt much more real because it happened in her own city.

“I just sort of realized this stuff never seems real until it happens to your home,” Kinsley said.

“I didn’t just want to sit by and

A cross for victim Angela Gomez was among one of the 58 displayed for all the victims.

watch others suffer while I could make a difference to even one person.”

The next day during third period, senior Journee Lucero went to a United Blood Services blood bank. The previous night Lucero had been very aware of the events unfolding.

“As it was happening I saw it get worse and worse and it was so terrible to be able to sit there and watch from the comfort of your home a massacre happening maybe 20 minutes from you, it felt wrong,” Lucero said.

During her mom’s lunch break the next day, her mother contacted her telling her she was planning to go to the blood bank. Her dad soon picked her up and she went to go donate blood.

“Waiting in line you’d expect it to be really somber and quiet which like some were but everyone was just talking about different things,” Lucero said. “It was nice to see that people were

acknowledging and doing all they could for what had happened but still not letting it cripple the community. Everyone was trying to keep high spirits. The people that took my blood thanked me.”

Events were held throughout the community in effort to commemorate the family and friends affected.

Junior Aida Murray attended a Vegas Strong event with her dad where their shirt design was to be printed at the event. While the event included face painting, food vendors and a DJ, contributing towards the many affected was the main focus.

“I think that the event brought together the community because most of the people that were there were collecting money for Vegas Strong,” Murray said.

“The final amount of money collected was matched by someone so the $2600 that was donated turned into a total of $5,200 being raised.”

06 news

The InstiGators are back in action The InstiGators are back in the stands, after a suspension during the 2013 school year.

They were banned from all sporting events due to throwing flour into the crowd during a football game, which landed in some of the band member’s instruments, ruining them.

Prior to the suspension, they were causing commotion and stirring up conflict, resulting in complaints from staff and administration. Ignoring the criticism, the InstiGators came to this year’s sporting events bursting with school spirit and getting the entire crowd involved.

You can find the InstiGators cheering in the student section at most sporting events. Throughout the games, members of the InstiGators teach the crowd chants so the Gator pride is heard all around.

“When I am on the field, I can hear the screams from the student section. It is crazy how intense they are,” junior football player Daniel Raspopovich said.

In order to be an InstiGator, you must have what it takes. Not only does it take being a devoted Green Valley Gator, it takes chants, sweat and tears. Some challenges InstiGators face is the

fact that some students do not want to participate in the cheers.

“It is frustrating when people don’t want to cheer, they think they are too cool for school,” junior Grant Schenkel said.

Their main goal is to have fun in the stands, show spirit, and bring home the win. Cheering motivates the football players to do their best during a game. The louder the InstiGators chant, the

Brynne Hilton

“It is so much fun getting

together with friends and showing spirit during the games.

Zach Smith

“

By Jenna Ricciardi

more students will join in, resulting in a crowd filled with energy.

“My favorite moment of being an InstiGator so far was being at the football game against Centennial. We were down the entire game, then towards the end, things got exciting and we ended up winning,” junior Ronny Mccambridge said.

Many want to join in because their friends or siblings were once involved with the club.

For instance, many freshmen

The InstiGators cheer on the football team at the homecoming game vs. Bonanza on Sept. 14.

joined the InstiGators because their peers have shared their experiences as dedicated gators.

“My brother took me to my first Green Valley game in seventh grade and introduced me to the people who were in the InstiGators. I had so much fun with them and I was so excited to finally join the club when I got to high school,” sophomore Sebastian Rubi said.

The InstiGator flag has been handed down to sophomore Jeremy Hoffman by his brother who was captain of the InstiGators a few years back.

He is now carrying on his

brother’s legacy and plans to make sure the InstiGators are improving. The club has learned from their mistakes, and are ready to support the school for the years to come.

“It is a dream come true. I have always wanted to do it ever since freshman year. It is so much fun getting together with friends and showing spirit during the games,” junior Zach Smith said.

Each InstiGator loves what they do. They look forward to every game, because despite winning or losing, they will still have the feeling of being a proud Gator, cheering along their teams.

District implements interaction rules

By Skylar Jones In response to misconduct, CCSD has issued a policy against communications through texting or social media between students and teachers.

“It is very inappropriate for a teacher, an adult, to be messaging an adolescent,” sophomore A’Raya Glasco said.

Teachers and other staff will be only allowed to contact students on approved platforms, such as through CCSD emails or Remind.

“There are so many apps that create a safety net that there is no

The InvestiGator t GVHS

reason to use personal contact information,” dean David Hawley said. “If a teacher in band, athletics, or drama needs to, they can send out mass information on a one way street through Remind.”

These platforms record every message, rather than the easy removal of texts or social media contact, which lawmakers hope will prevent illegal activity.

“I think it’s a good thing. Even if it starts as educational, misconduct could still happen,” sophomore Talula Gettings said.

However, teachers will still be allowed to text groups of stu-

dents, but not between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. The goal is to prevent inappropriate relations, but it may inadvertently make reaching out to teachers more difficult for students.

“I once texted a teacher while in online school because the teacher had given her phone number out.

It was only about school work and it would have been more difficult to email her,” Gettings said.

The policy was passed in response to teachers from several schools, including Valley and Legacy High school, being arrested on allegations of sexual

misconduct. If a situation arises where the policy is broken, there could be consequences for those involved.

“It’s all depending on the circumstances and what communication was sent back and forth, but it could go anywhere from a reprimand by the principal to removal,” Hawley said.

CCSD created the policy in hopes that further incidents can be stopped before they have the chance to occur, but no one can know for certain whether it will truly have any effect if teachers and students don’t cooperate.

news 07

CCSD marks down budget The Clark County School District is cutting $50-$60 million dollars for the 2017-2018 budget due to unexpected low revenues and increasing employee costs.

Therefore, in order to balance the budget, reductions will have to be put in place.

One of the main focuses now is how the district can get the funding back up.

“It would take a new legislative session where they would have to allocate more funds to our district,” social studies teacher Scott Otter said. “It would be a collective job of the school district and schools individually managing their expenses better.”

While CCSD is trying to balance out the budget, individual schools will have to provide solutions of their own.

“Nobody wants anything to be cut, so it is going to be left up to our administrative team and also the coalition they built with the other students, teachers and support staff to make those tough decisions,” Otter said.

The administrative team will have to distribute the cuts evenly among the different programs.

These cuts will have effects on both students and teachers.

“Largely across the district, little bit. Maybe if a teacher left

or quit, that position wouldn’t be replaced,” Otter said.

It will take prudent thoughts by the administration to make cuts that are best for the school, along with every other school in CCSD. “Ultimately, each individual school is going to have to make some really tough decisions,” Otter said. “The things that are important to Green Valley and our students are different than some other schools. I do have faith that our administration will do what is best for our community.”

Although the budget cut affects everyone in CCSD, every individual school will be impacted differently.

“Green Valley is very lucky in the fact that we got some extra funding from the state this year.

We don’t normally get it like other schools do, so that will help us tremendously,” Principal Kent Roberts said.

A bill was passed by the legislature this year called “SB178” which provides extra money to the schools that have more students who are financially unstable and second language learners.

“The state allocated extra money to help those students because those students usually don’t tend to graduate or perform as well in school, but we never have that kind of problem at Green Valley

because everyone here seems to graduate,” Roberts said. “In our particular case, we’re going to be able to use that money to pay for some salaries of teachers which will keep them here.”

Any change in the school’s budget could have an effect on not only the teachers but the different school programs. These programs include sports, music, and clubs.

“I think it will impact all the

“I do have faith that our ad-

ministration will do what is best for our community.

Scott Otter

“

By Sydney Lum

programs equally and it is always important to make sure that each program is running sufficiently,” student representative, Junior Mackenzie Mitchell said.

When losing funding, no matter how large or small the budget cut is, could impact programs.

These different programs will have to take matters into their own hands in order to keep the budget for their program the same.

“The best way to get funding back up is fundraising, especially

each program having their own fundraisers,” Mitchell said.

As the deficit leaves employees wrestling with the budget, decisions about the cut will be inclusive and not decided by one, autocratic individual.

“I would talk with the administrative team and if something has to be cut, they would have a say in it,” Roberts said. “Ultimately, I am the one who will make the final decision.”

Even though this is a major deficit, cutting little to nothing is the ultimate goal.

“No matter what budget crunch happens, we try to keep people here, but it all comes down to dollars,” Roberts said.

Everyone in CCSD is waiting for this shortfall to be over with.

It is worrisome, especially for all of the workers in the district.

“There are five different employee groups. There are aministrators, teachers, custodians, school police, and school police administrators, which all have different contracts,” Roberts said.

Although the Clark County School District is going through a struggle at this time, each school, individually, will handle its own business; what is going to be cut and what is most beneficial for the school itself to cut and keep is decided by them.

08 feature

15

Every

minutes

“Dear Mom and Dad, every fifteen minutes someone in the United States dies from an alcohol related traffic collision, and today I died. I never had the chance to tell you.......”

By Erinn Veach and Kiara Thomson Experience is the best teacher, and the Every 15 Minutes program provides as close to a real life experience as possible to convince teens that the warnings are true.

Since before the time teens are taught to drive, the mantra “Don’t drink and drive” is drilled into their heads. Growing up, these are nothing but empty phrases that will be needed in the distant future. Despite the weight these phrases should have, the majority of teens brush it off, thinking it will never happen to them. Little do they know, one fourth of young driver accidents involve alcohol and upwards of 20% of them involve distracted driving.

“Every 15 Minutes has been around for many years to serve as a public notice of the dangers of drinking and driving, especially for teenagers. We set up a fake crash scene but it looks very real, and everyone treats it very real,” Community Relations Bureau officer Bret Hyde said. “We have

The InvestiGator t GVHS

had local tragedies here that have touched a lot of lives, so we take this very seriously.”

Every 15 minutes a student is taken out of class by the Grim Reaper, signifying a death in a motor crash. They remain out of class the entire day, and are cut off from communication with the entire outside world. Students that have died go and stay in a hotel, unable to be seen by friends or family.

There is also a staged crash, including actual students made to look like they are dead. The driver goes to an actual jail, the dead to the morgue, and the injured are airlifted to the hospital.

The next day, a video is shown to all upperclassmen, portraying the aftermath of the accident.

Speakers come in and give emotionally charged speeches, furthering the program’s message.

The police department and other emergency responders operate the entire program.

“The police and local government are the ones who really pushed for the program,” assistant principle Ray Ortiz said.

“Every Henderson school goes

through this every two years.

The emergency response people involved are very serious about the message it gives. They want to reduce teen deaths and keep students safe behind the wheel.”

Started in California in the 1990s, the program’s main goal is to educate the next generation of drivers. By seeding the risks of driving distracted or intoxicated into their minds now, it will hopefully improve the state of the nation’s roads for years to come.

“Some students might think twice about getting into a car with someone who is either drinking and driving or texting a driving,” Ortiz said. “It’ll motivate them to have that conversation with the driver like, ‘Can you put the cell phone away while driving or can you give it to me and I’ll handle the texting.’ It will make the roads a safer place.”

Not only will the program defer students from driving distracted or intoxicated, but parents as

Senior Sarah Augente and senior Neville Miller wait for the assembly to begin on the “Every 15 Minutes” crash site on Sept. 28th.

feature 09 and get to see the world’s reaction.

“Being in this defiantly made me have a different outlook on life. Hearing my mom identify my body while I was in the body bag made me realize I need to spend as much time with my family as possible,” senior Olivia Eggleston said.

This year’s simulation was homecoming themed, the crash taking place on the way to homecoming. Four students were involved in the mock crash, senior Jenna Scott portraying a drunk driver, Olivia Eggleston dying on scene as her passenger, Neville Miller paralyzed for life as the driver of the other car, and Sarah

“

Being in this definitely made me have a different outlook on life. Hearing my mom identify my body while I was in the body bag made me realize I need to spend as much time with my family as possible.

Sarah Augente

“

well. Seeing the tragedy happen to their own child inspires them to be a safer driver for both theirs and their child’s safety.

“I hope this teaches parents as much as it will students,” Ortiz said. “Parents get away with a lot of things they’re telling their kids not to do. It’s like the ‘Do what I say, not what I do,’ situation.”

From a parent’s perspective, this entire program is a revelation. It reminds them that they are not invincible either.

Students going through the experience of no longer being able to see a classmate or friend affects not only their driving mentality, but also their overall mentality when it comes to life.

Seeing the real consequences can make students realize that they may not be as invincible as they thought. Witnessing the scene of the crash will make the subject one that hits close to home.

“Once the student body sees a friend or a classmate impacted, it makes it a bit more personal,” Ortiz said.

The few that actually get to be a part of the program are the most vital. Students are selected by teacher recommendations, for the program wants the kids that will impact the student body the most. Leaders of teams and programs, students who are more widely known often cause the ‘ripple effect’ to spread.

“I knew when I was chosen to be one of the victims that die, I automatically thought about my cheer team. I knew the girls would be deeply impacted because I am their captain,” senior Sarah Agente said.

If just witnessing the crash is impactful, being a part of it is significantly more effective. Students have to watch their parents give them a eulogy and they see their gravestone. They are extracted from their life as if dead,

Agente as his passenger who dies during a fight-for-life.

“The officer told me I was going to be the driver of the other car and be paralyzed from the neck down. That was some deep stuff to hear. I knew that being in this program was going to change my life,” Miller said.

All of four of them got to see the real behind the scenes of what would happen in the situation of a crash of this magnitude.

Senior, Jenna Scott was this year’s impaired driver. Scott

“This has truly put life in perspective of treasuring every single day, and my children growing up and everything they are exposed to and what can truly happen.” ~Beth Bower, Sarah Agente’s mother

was the only person in the crash without life-threatening injuries.

When police arrived to the scene, she was asked to step out of the vehicle and participate in a series of tests to dictate whether she was intoxicated. After multiple tests the police turned her around and locked her hands in handcuffs. Scott was then placed in the police car and sent to jail.

“Being the drunk driver was really scary. An officer went over with me that I would have to choose a couple of the intoxication tests to purposely fail. I chose to stumble walking on the line and I tried to appear unbalanced,” Scott said.

Arriving to the jail was not the end of the road for Scott. She was given an orange jumpsuit and waited to get mugshots taken of her.

“Everything felt so real. I was treated like a real inmate. People looked at me funny and wondered why I had blood all over me. I tried to remind myself that it was fake, but it was so surreal,” Scott said. “After I sat in my cell for awhile, I was taken to City Hall for my trial.”

Still in her orange jumpsuit, Scott walked into a courtroom filled with the “ghosts” of kids involved in the program. She was sentenced over fifty years in federal state prison and was not offered bail.

“The whole experience in the court room was emotional. When I walked in I saw my parents and their faces just dropped. That was the most devastating part was seeing them so sad,” Scott said.

Unfortunately, the passenger with Scott did not make it out alive. Senior, Olivia Eggleston instantly died in the crash. She was extracted from the car and went through the windshield. Eggleston’s body laid on the hood of the car motionless for everyone

to see.

“Laying there was really hard.

I wanted to move so badly, but I couldn’t. When the first responders got there and were using machinery to open the car doors, I wanted open my eyes to see.

Not knowing what was going on around me was the scariest part,” Eggleston said.

First responders were responsible to decide which victims to save first, because Eggleston was already dead she was the last person taken out of the scene.

When the coroners arrived on the scene and identified Eggleston, her body was placed in a body bag. Before, she was put in the car to be sent to the morgue, Eggleston’s mother was asked to make sure that was her daughter in the bag. The energy of the audience shifted during that point.

“Being in the body bag wasn’t too bad, I mean it was a little hot in there. I didn’t focus on that too much because all I could think about was how my mom was crying,” Eggleston said.

Eggleston’s body was brought to the morgue and was able to watch the process of how thing operate.

“It was cold and different from anything I expected. When we got there they actually had people being identified based off a numbering system. That was crazy to see because the people who are dead there are now just a number. It was really emotional though, because when I got there they said to me that a teen boy actually died that day and was brought there,” Eggleston said.

Senior, Neville Miller was saved, but unfortunately had to suffer being told he was paralyzed from the neck down. Being told such gut wrenching news would definitely affect your outlook on life.

“The scariest part was when

“This made me realize that even if I’m not drinking and driving, someone else’s bad decisions can effect me. It shows me that I need to make the most out of the life I have because it can end at any time. ~senior, Olivia Eggleston

October 2017

10 feature the firefighters put a sheet over my body and began to use the Jaws of Life on the car door to get Sarah and me out,” Miller said.

Miller was placed on a gurney and put in an ambulance. He was rushed to the nearest hospital and placed under medical attention as if he was a real patient.

Miller had to give permission to the first responders to cut clothing off of him and hook him up to machinery. First responders took Miller directly to the Emergency Care center and began to run tests.

“Riding in the helicopter was fun, although I couldn’t really enjoy it because I was stuck in a neck brace. That was super uncomfortable, but I knew it was all part of taking on this role,” Augente said. “I remember when we got to the hospital they rolled me to an emergency room. That’s where they checked my vitals and identified me.”

Although, everyone involved is aware that this situation is fake, at times it just feels so real.

“The most devastating part for me was hearing how my mom reacted. She was so heartbroken that she didn’t even want to come in the room and seem me with all the blood. When they gave her my time of death, I could hear her crying,” Augente said.

Coming out of this, these students have all the knowledge and experience, just one step behind being real, to spread the word of the program’s lessons. Seeing themselves dead, paralyzed, or in

prison for a lifetime, even if just fake, gives them a unique perspective most do not have.

“Think of your risk and reward.

Do not drink and drive or be distracted when you drive. It would hurt you and others,” Scott said.

The impact this program leaves behind on a community as a whole is insurmoutable.

Its lesson on making the right decision gives everyone involved and those watching insight into just how precious life is.

“

The whole experience was so real. After the doctors ran the tests on me, I got to see my mom and she was crying. It was sad. We don’t really get too emotional together, so seeing her get like that really opened my eyes.

“

Neville Miller

“The whole experience was so real. After the doctors ran the tests on me, I got to see my mom and she was crying. It was sad. We don’t really get too emotional together, so seeing her get like that really opened my eyes,” Miller said.

Surviving the crash was one thing, but the role Miller played forced him to realize that his life would never be the same. He would be living a life without the ability to ever be truly independent. All due to one mistake someone else making a bad decision.

“My one message to kids is don’t drink and drive and think about how your actions can affect others,” Miller said.

The first victim that was rushed off the scene was senior, Sarah Augente. Augente was in critical conditions and had the most life threatening injuries. She was rushed onto a gurney and put in an emergency helicopter. The “Flight for Life” took Augente to the nearest hospital and rushed her to get emergency medical attention.

Erinn Veach

Students get

Brynne Hilton

Geometric shapes. Flowers.

Minimalism. Quotations. These are just a few of the trendy tattoo designs that students want inked permanently onto their bodies.

As students become more independent in making their own decisions, tattoos are just another one added to the list. However, getting a tattoo is a committment that takes a lot of thought as it will last a lifetime.

“My tattoo says ‘Mahal Kita’ which means I love you in Tagalog, which is the national language of the Philippines. The decision making process was easy once my sister decided to get the same thing,” senior Peighton Johnson said.

While some people get meaningless tattoos just for the fun of it, some have a deeper meaning to them. Tattoos sometimes symbolize an illness or the struggles that teens endure everyday.

“The semicolon movement is for depression, which I suffer from. Basically the semicolon stands for the continuation of your story because a semicolon continues a sentence. So do ellipses, so I got ellipses because I wanted something more personal,” senior Zoe Konsur said.

Parents also play a big role in high schoolers getting inked. The legal age to get a tattoo is 18 in Nevada, although with a parent or guardian’s permission, teens of any age can get a tattoo.

“My dad has a lot of tattoos so he didn’t care. He was actually the one that suggested we get matching Volkswagen Bus tattoos,” junior Makenzie Campbell said.

Parents with tattoos are usually more lenient when it comes to allowing their children to get tattoos.

“My parents both have a lot of tattoos so they didn’t really hesitate to let me get one. I went to their regular tattoo artist which gave them peace of mind as well.

My oldest sister was also getting

inked up

the same tattoo, at the same time so that helped them say yes,” Johnson said.

The average tattoo can cost anywhere from $50-$500, depending on the detail of the art and how long it will take to complete. Most small tattoos cost about $50-$80, depending on the studio. Simple tattoos, such as Konsur’s, Johnson’s and Campbell’s, take about 15 minutes to complete.

Konsur plans to get more tattoos in the future such as a quote on her ribcage and another arm

range of prices, pain levels, and stories behind tattoos make them increasingly more appealing to everyday high school students.

“At first, my mom was completely against [getting a tattoo].

Once I actually got the tattoo this past summer, she thought it was cool,” Campbell said.

“Basically the semicolon stands for the continua-

tion of your story because a semicolon continues a sentence.

Zoe Konsur

“

By Abby Culpepper

feature 11

tattoo.

“I want to get more tattoos when I’m older. I’m not exactly sure what I want but I know I want more. I for sure want to get matching ones with my mom,” Campbell said.

Tattoos are almost always associated with the thought of pain, this can often play a huge role in making the decision to get a tattoo or not. Both Konsur and Johnson believe their tattoo did not live up to those rumors.

“I did a lot of research on how much it would hurt since that was a big factor in my decision making process. I ended up getting numbing cream because I was so nervous that it would be super painful,” Campbell said.

Because tattoos are going towards being less of a taboo among our generation, seeing more high schoolers with them is becoming part of the social norm.

As the social norm changes, students are being given access to things that use to be strictly for adults, like tattoos. The wide

Brynne Hilton

October 2017

12 feature

feature 13

“We maybe need to look at a completely different grading structure, something like zero, one, two, three, four, five, so that we don’t have those discrepancies anymore,” CCSD Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky said.

“I think schools can definitely choose to do that, we wold give them permission because it wouldn’t change what an A or B was, and it would be able to be reported on a transcript as an A, B, C, D, D. So yes, I think we could, it’s trying to get everyone to agree.”

Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky explains grade inflation’s impact on the district on Aug. 29.

Shila Sherafat

Grade Inflation (noun) /grād in’flāSH(e)n/

the assigning of grades higher than previously assigned for given levels of acheivement

flation. The little inflation of a grade here and there because of personal situations or occurrences is quite prevalent, but the problem is said to exist in a much more macro scale. Grade inflation can sometimes occur over the course of many years.

According to data given by administration, the average GPA over the last ten years has not inflated. In fact, it went down from the school year 2007-08 until 2012-13. In the year 2013-14, it shot back up by .09. In the last school year, 2016-17, it was the highest it has been in the 10 year

time span analyzed.

Given this, grade inflation at Green Valley seems to be happening at a much more micro scale, where students beg for their teachers to round up their grade, much like what Ortiz was talking about.

Alejandro Banuelos, senior IB student, considers it important to weigh the effects of grade inflation on his future college self based on his high school career thus far.

“Grade inflation is one of those things that’s hard to recognize, especially if you’re a student,” Banuelos said. “I definitely do think it’s prevalent and it’s probably happened to me before but I just haven’t noticed it.”

Regarding higher-level high school courses, Banuelos believes that grade inflation is perhaps more widespread.

“They [teachers] still view us as young kids or they think our schedules are jam-packed,” Banuelos said.

Ortiz expressed a similar sentiment, but had slightly different reasons.

“In general kids are somewhat concerned with their grades,” Or-

tiz said. “In upper-level courses they’re hyper concerned because the difference between a .25 GPA is potentially getting the advanced diploma or getting a scholarship or even valedictorian status.”

Conversely, Kevin Leong, junior IB and AP student doesn’t view grade inflation as a common occurrence in higher level classes.

“A lot of the work given in IB

“Grade inflation is one of

those things that’s hard to recognize, especially if you’re a student.

Alejandro Banuelos

“

I

n light of problems with the grading system, a lot of conversation has sprung up across the country in relation to grade inflation in high schools, both public and private.

“When I taught, there would be marginal kids, maybe they got a C. They would come crying to you the week before grades are due, saying ‘I’ve had a tough time, my parents are having problems ,”Assistant Principal Ray Ortiz said. “Tugging on the heartstrings on the teacher, that’s one thing.”

Public institutions suffer from other various types of grade in-

and AP classes are just analyzing and assignments that aren’t that basic,” Leong said. “When I was in honors classes two years ago, some of the work I got were just big packets that were just for a participation grade.”

Classes that result in a test at the end of the year, such as AP

and IB, tend to have more assignments that are meant to prepare students for the test rather than exist only for a grade. Considering that these AP and IB tests can serve as college credit, the work provided to students focuses more on precision rather than completion.

“In the higher level classes, teachers take more time to grade the assignments for correctness which prevents grade inflation in those type of classes,” Leong said.

This conversation opens the door for questions about our current grading system, and whether it is truly optimal.

In charge of curriculum, counseling, and testing, Assistant Principal Bernadette Hawkins explained how grading standards are set.

Each separate department sets standards, which then go through Department Chairs and are brought through an Administrator for approval, according to Hawkins. This is done at the beginning of every school year when teachers turn in their course expectations.

Standards are set by looking at several other regulations, which

October 2017

14 feature are reviewed every year as well.

The Clark County District has given schools some suggestions on certain standards they should follow, but nothing has been set in stone, according to Hawkins.

“We will look through AP College Board standards, past grading practices, district standards, regulations, and then we’ll base our standards on those regulations so that we comply with the law,” Hawkins said.

Schools have more autonomy now which allows for schools to conduct their policies based on teachers’ curriculum.

With the new comprehensive grading system, test and quizzes to class word or homework categories are determined by the level of class. “[The grading system for math used to be a school-wide 80 to 20,” Counselor Kelli Grimm said.

“Now there’s a 90 to 10 in some of the departments. That’s really the biggest change I’ve seen over the years.”

The change was set by the Nevada Board of Education.

“The standards that were set a n d will be set for mathematics or a n y end of course exam course, w i l l be set by the State Board o f Education a n y where between 10 to 20 percent,” CCSD Superintendent Pat Skorkowsky said.

Skorkowsky explained how the review of the standards rarely happens, only when there is a change in the system.

“Because the end of course exams are changing from a highstakes exam to a medium-stakes, this is the time where they will set that,” Skorkowsky said. “End of course got set up initially like

average gpa unweighted

Sarah Fernandez

[the proficiency exams], if you didn’t pass the end of course exams, you had three more chances and if you didn’t pass you weren’t going to graduate.”

This changed, as the end of course exams got changed to being part of the final, where it doesn’t keep you for graduating.

“Really there is a lot of latitude that is given to a school, or a site-base,” Grimm said. “There is this autonomy that is given to each school, so those are their practices.”

In fact, due to this autonomy, Hawkins explained that schools choose to have overall grading standards, or choose by department through the teachers.

Skorkowsky agreed and said schools could potentially set different grading scales.

“Some schools now have a minimum F, meaning that if you turned in your work and there’s nothing there, there will be a 50 there,” Skorkowsky said. “The reason is that people believe that there is too much of a difference to make up from zero to 60 for the F range.”

To Grimm, grade inflation has occurred because of several other

Biggest Decrease 08-09 to 09-10 -0.09 Biggest Increase 12-13 to 13-14 +0.09

The InvestiGator t GVHS

reasons besides discrepancies in the current grading system.

“I would think we’ve definitely seen [grade inflation] because of competition, because of the parent impact, there’s a lot of factors you have to look at,” Grimm said.

These same kids receiving inflated grades, may also be taking the SAT, which is another heavily stressed upon requirement of the college admission process.

“If there is grade inflation occurring, students get into a comfortable state where they say like ‘oh, I’m acing my classes I should do good on the SAT,” Banuelos said.

A study conducted by Michael Hurwitz of The College Board and Jason Lee of the University of Georgia, revealed that for the past decade, students’ GPA’s have been on the rise while SAT scores drop continuously, according to Business Insider.

The root of grade inflation can sometimes begin with the graders themselves. The relationship between a student and a teacher can have an effect on what grade the student receives, regardless of what level of class the student is in.

“I think teacher bias, when it comes to grading, applies to all classes. I don’t think it’s just limited to an honors class or an AP class,” AP and Honors English teacher Angelique Callicoat said.

While students in AP and IB classes are known to be given

more empathy by teachers due to amount of workload, grade inflation occurs based of the focus on the effort of the individual rather than the actual work.

“If I have a hard working kid in a regular class, I could perhaps be guilty of grade inflation for a kid who I know has just given everything they have got and the same would be true in an honors class,” Callicoat said.

Rewarding students for their effort is also sometimes due to endeavors the student has accomplished.

“Grade inflation happens when children are working really hard.

I think it’s hard for teachers to not award that even though logically it may not be deserved,” Callicoat said. “If they show initiative such as showing up every day, they’re turning in every assignment, and you see them just working really hard in class and going above and beyond.”

Awarding students for the amount of effort put into their work can end up hurting students in the long run.

“Grade inflation would negatively impact students, particularly students who are moving on into higher level academics.

Suddenly they’re in this university but they’re used their public school being awarded for effort, even though they don’t realize it.

Instantly, it’s all about accuracy and they find their grades dropping,” Callicoat said.

feature 15

Living to tell the unbelievable Out of the thousands diagnosed with thyroid cancer, senior Karon McCorley is one of many survivors.

McCorley has also been involved with a couple of cancer foundations that are both rooted in Las Vegas.

“I have been volunteering with both of my cancer foundations, Candlelighters and Nevada Childhood Cancer Foundation (NCCF), and they will always invite me out, so I like to go out and have a good time with them when I can,” McCorley said. “I have been involved with them since around 2013, they met me back when I was still going through chemotherapy.”

McCorley was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in October of 2012 and later had his thyroid removed in November of the same year.

“There was a lump in my throat, but everyone thought it was just my Adam’s apple. Eventually, we went to the doctor and they mentioned to me that cancer was a very likely possibility. My mom started crying, but I just sat there because I had only heard of cancer, I did not really know what it was,” McCorley said.

Although McCorley had the thyroid cancer for a significantly shorter period of time compared to the other multiple forms of cancer, it still took a toll on his daily life.

After the tumor was removed, he went through chemotherapy, a treatment for various forms of cancer that uses chemicals and other drugs to kill cancer cells in an attempt to slow down the spreading of the cancer. He was treated for three months using these methods.

Because of the chemicals and other drugs that are used during the process of chemotherapy, hair loss is expected. It does not happen instantly though, it comes out over a long and extended period of time.

“The [doctors] give you this specific medication and they tell you that you are going to go bald

Brynne Hilton

Senior Karon McCorley holds up a representation of what is important to him.

“To be honest, I’m just

thankful I didn’t have to go through the things a lot of my friends had to.

Karon McCorley

“

By Kaeli Britt

in a couple weeks, but within the first week you’re thinking, ‘I feel fine, I probably won’t actually go bald,’ but then your head really starts to itch and you literally scratch all of your hair off,” McCorley said.

Through the two cancer foundations that McCorley is involved with, he gets to see other patients who have dealt with and are currently going through different types of therapy that cater to all the different forms of cancer.

“It’s really sad, but sometimes doctors can’t remove the whole tumor in fear of paralysis or you could get a new disease after treatments,” McCorley said.

“To be honest I’m just thankful I didn’t have to go through the things a lot of my friends had to. You see through other people how radiation affects you when they’ve gone through worse things longer.”

Since McCorley had his thyroid

removed within approximately one month of his diagnosis, he hardly missed school compared to people with different types of cancer. His chemotherapy lasted for about three months after his surgery and he eventually developed a scar on his neck.

“Luckily, I only missed about a week of school and then I came back with this huge scar on my neck. It was kind of awkward having to be around other peo-

ple, some of them used to make fun of me, but some other people didn’t,” McCorley said.

Right after McCorley had his surgery, his voice was subtly altered to sound more rough and raspy compared to his normal voice and his neck movement was severely restricted.

“Back then, after his surgery, he wasn’t really able to move his head or his neck around all that much and his voice was really raspy. At least now, he can talk more clearly versus how he used to sound. Now he’s able to move his neck a little bit more freely too. Obviously, he can’t jerk his neck continuously, but he can move it more now than he could right after he got his thyroid removed,” senior Thomas Raymond said.

Despite his past setback, Karon continues to succeed in just about everything he sets his mind on, but does things in his own way.

Rather than going about his daily life in a boring fashion, McCorley prefers to add his own fun twist to his daily activities.

“Karon is a really good kid.

He’s hard-working and very kind. He can be a bit of a goofball sometimes, though,” math teacher and key club advisor Hanna Santee said. courtesy Karon McCorley

Senior Karon McCorley in the hospital in 2012.

October 2017

16 feature

a & e 17

Green KidsNV&Sings Coupons StudentsA andStorm teachers use their academic badges in order to avoid breaking the bank Up

M

Green NV, an acappella group, ost students do not realis a new twist on the movie ize that there are “Pitch many Perfect.” student and teacher dis“Green NV ishere our inacappella counts available the Valgroup.

We sing covers of different ley. songs, but are without instruIf shows yourany thing and ments.

It’stojust purewhile voices.

I’ve you want see one saving been in Green NV for three years some cash, then head on down now and this Sophomore year, I’m co-stuto The Strip.

Diana dent conductor,” junior Brown has recently takenHeather advanDrusedum said. tage of such deals.

The self-taught group has been “You can show up to the box selected to showcase their covers office at Treasure Island and in school concerts, acappellooyou can up reviews to a 35%and student zas, pop get show conventions across the valley. The group addidtionally performs for different gigs and events locally.

35% This year, Green NV has been invited to attend a workshop at OFF Disney. While there, the students will have the opportunity to train with a legendary contemporary

discount the Cirque du Soleil acappellafor composer, Diek Sheron. ‘Mysteré’,” Brown said. show, coolbeen experience.

If“It’s you ahave waiting toYou see meet lot ofyou different people. a new a movie, are also in luck.

In choir, it is all also about perfect Local businesses offer disvowels, but in Green NV, there’s

10% to sing with a “I’m excited OFF

new group or people, and growing that bond with them.

counts to student and teachers.

Freshman Delaney Domingo Molly Martin jumps at the chance to gain a discount at the movies.

“If you show You up to thea larger ticket more free reign. have booth at the movie theaters with selection of songs that more peoID know you can 15%to,atsoait’s movie ple andget listen nice of your choice,” said. to see other peopleDomingo get excited to “You havesenior to go Anna to school all day hear us,” McGovern so it’s nice to get a discount to said.

One of the most important as-

“

By Madison Cox

By Gabriella Ghasserani

pects of acapella is following the beat, which is the expertise of the vocal percussionist. The main help us out and it gives students priority in acapella is to replicate the chance to have fun.” noises of certain instruments and toTeachers help create thealso same effect spethat can receive instruments would cial discounts.

Mathgive. teacher Kel“This is has my had first the year in Green ly Wagner opportuniNVtobut I was in an acappella ty do so.

Wagner talked about group two teacher years in middle why shefor thinks discounts school,” freshman Ava Danko are so helpful. said.

“I’m excited “I use the very chance to get for 15% the off songs we areand doing this year, beat Michaels JOANN fabrics,” cause [Green is so different.

Wagner said. NV] “I spend so much The sound depends on you, money on my classroom that itthe is music and vowels fall on you. If nice to save 15%, which can add you mess up slightly you could up to hundreds of dollars worth ruin an entire song.” of savings for myself and my High schools around the nakids.” tion have started contemporary acappella groups and are working to gain recognition for their talent and hard work.

Most groups are self-taught, 15% meaning they have student conOFF ductors rather than teachers leading other students. Each individual singer has their own re-

sponsibility to ensure pitches do not fall flat.

For most, singing is not the only benefit and reason for joining these groups. Many groups 10% are tight knit and filled with the OFF same people every year, but invite new freshmen to join their groups make memories that Deals and are also offered at a lot of last after places. high school. different “I’m excited to sing with new Subway, Burger King, andaTaco group of people and growing Bell all offer students 10%that off bond withpurchases. them. Acappella so on their Urban is Outdifferenttopshop, from choir,” fitters, and freshman Charlotte Molly Martin said. “If you look at Russe also offer 10% off for those the two side-by-side, they are on showing a student ID. two completely different sides of Different discounts and barsinging. I’m excited to have those gains seem to when be offered everycool moments you are just where, from clothing stores to in sync with everyone.” world famous shows on the Las Green NV implements music Vegas Strip. into the lives of many and brings Before paying, online students together.check While a lot or of ask discounts areconofworkif isstudent required , students fered.

Youform might be surprised tinue to bonds between how muchgroups that student ID could multiple and push the end up savingto youlearn this weekend. participants on their own.

EXPRESS CAR WASH 1630 W Sunset Rd. Henderson, NV 89014 quickycarwash.com

Bend it

sports 17

like

Bender

By Gabriella Ghasserani

D

edicated, hard working, funny and great teammate are all words senior Maggie Bender’s teammates use to describe her.

Bender has signed with Northern Arizona University to continue to play soccer in college.

Since her freshman year Bender has played on the varsity level for women’s soccer.

Last year as a junior, she was recruited to three different colleges; Dixie State, University of Las Vegas Nevada, and Northern Arizona University.

“I didn’t want to stay here and once I visited Arizona I fell in love with the campus,” Bender said.

To many athletes, sports are not just a fun activity, it is their life, their break from school.

It is their passion. To Bender, soccer is much more than an after school activity.

“Soccer means everything to me and it is all I think about,” Bender said.

Most players start when they are young and dream of the opportunity that Bender has been given. Many parents start their kids young in sports so they can advance over the years, Bender started soccer at the young age of 4 to give her something to do.

“My parents just put me in soccer to see if I would like it.

For a while I was a ballerina and a soccer player, but even-

Brynne Hilton

tually chose soccer,” Bender said.

This year, Bender is the captain, a large responsibility that her teammates said she is taking well.

“She helps us improve as players by telling us what we need to work on which helps us to be better,” junior Hailey Thomas said. “As a teammate, she is super supportive and when we are in a tough situation in games she always has a positive attitude to encourage the team and to make us keep working harder.”

Senior Lianna Soifua also feels Bender is a great leader and helps keep the whole team come together.

“Maggie is very supportive no matter what is going on and always stay positive,” Soifua said. “She is always communicating which is huge in any sport. Leading by example is another way she shows leadership in what she does and sets a good example, which helps the team. Before a game she plays pregame music to get the team hyped for their game which helps us as a team to bond.”

Many high school athletes have dreams of continuing to play the sport they love in college and beyond. That is just the case for Bender.

“I hope to play college all four years and maybe get drafted afterwards,” Bender said.

“Coaching is something I am also interested in, maybe I will be able to coach for NAU after I graduate. If not I want to be a dentist.”

October 2017

18 sports

Fall Sports Season Recap Football Varsity won the

HENDERSON BOWL 35-21 on Oct. 13

Senior Kristine Davis hits the ball during a match on Oct. 6 vs. Boulder City.

Season’s scores Wins

6

Loses

1

Varsity football rushes out onto the field before the game on Sept. 14.

Shila Sherafat

Womens’ Volleyball Season’s scores OVERALL

Wins Hailey Gross

Tennis

10

Loses

15

CONFERENCE

Wins

6

Loses

1

Both teams reached the

REGIONAL FINALS Season’s scores Wins Tennis wins a match against Eldorado on Sept. 11.

Shila Sherafat

The InvestiGator t GVHS

20

Loses

8

GYRO WITH FRIES & A DRINK $5.99 1205 W. WARM SPRINGS HENDERSON, NV 89014

sports 19

New trainer on the block

Sports trainer Ryan Tubbs helps out an athlete after suffering a minor injury on Oct. 5.

Alyssa Hulse

T

he athletic department has received a new sports trainer. California University of Pennsylvania graduate Ryan Tubbs is beginning to fit well into the Gator family.

“I graduated from California University of Pennsylvania in athletic training, in 2015. After I graduated, I worked at a high school in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. I was there for 2 years,” Tubbs said.

Tubbs had to go through intense training, as well as schooling that would qualify him for the job.

“First, you need to get a 4 year degree at an accredited athletic training program at a college.

Once you graduate, you have to pass a national certification exam that regulates what it takes to be an athletic trainer,” Tubbs said.

Tubbs is thrilled to have been assigned to [Green Valley] as his new school. He has had nothing but positive things to say about the students and staff. Tubbs praises the behavior and politeness of the students, as well as their ability to listen to him.

“The school has been so good to me. It’s one of the best schools in the area. All of the kids, faculty, and staff are great. I’m really enjoying my time here so far. Everyone’s very respectful, very coop-

erative. They do everything I ask and it makes my life a lot easier when everyone is getting along and being respectful. That’s most important,“ Tubbs said.

Tubbs was a former basketball and volleyball player back in high school. A playing injury his senior year of basketball allowed him to take a look into the field of sports training. It was from then on that he decided sports training was the job he hoped to have in the future.

“I tore my post terrier collateral ligament, in my right knee.

It’s basically the opposite of the ACL. The PCL kind of sits right behind it. It’s the main stabilizer of the knee. I tore that and went to my athletic trainer at my high school,” Tubbs said.

Tubbs explained how his athletic trainer was the one to diagnose him and was able to give him the answers to what was wrong with him.

“I thought that was really cool because I felt that a lot of times other facilities didn’t really have the answer to sports injuries and my athletic trainer did. So, I thought that was awesome,” Tubbs said.

Now as an athletic trainer himsef, he helps injured students find the answers to their injuries. One of the students he helped was Sophomore Christopher Lyons, a player on the JV football team.

“When I first got back from California and I had a messed up ligament, he helped me exercise it and get it better. He’s cool and he’s super fun to talk to,” Lyons said.

Despite the fact he enjoys what he is currently doing, Tubbs has other aspirations as well.

“I like what I’m doing right now, but I do have aspirations of going back to grad school. Hopefully, to be a physician assistant at some point. But that won’t probably happen for another 2 or 3 years,” Tubbs said.

“Igoing do have aspirations of back to grad school.

Hopefully to be a physician assistant at some point.

Ryan Tubbs

“

By Hannah Serquina

Tubbs is determined to be the best he can be for the athletes at school. He is motivated to work hard and help the athletes recover from anything that comes their way.

“I’ll try my best to get them back as soon as possible. I’ll try to make it a smooth transition from getting injured. It’s very tough psychologically for an athlete, getting hurt and for me having to

tell them that they might not be able to play,” Tubbs said.

The best part of Tubbs’s job is definitely being there for the kids and having the capability to change their lives. His most memorable part of his career was being able to assist a wrestler in his senior year that had everything on the line.

“Last year, a wrestler that I worked with tore his LCL. It was in the middle of the season, he was a senior and had a full ride to Iowa State. He was basically projected to be a state champion wrestler. I had to rehab him and do everything I could to get him back,” Tubbs said.

A month later, Tubbs patient was cleared and was able to play in the playoffs.

“He didn’t need surgery for it, we just did conservative therapy and treatment. He ended up winning State. That for me, was the coolest part of my job. I get faced with situations where a scholarship is on the line and the athlete’s season and career is on the line. It just makes it all worth it to help them get better,” Tubbs said.

Overall, Ryan Tubbs feels that the most rewarding part about his job is the impact he makes on the kids and the help he gives to them. Tubbs said he will do his absolute best for all the future athletes that come his way.

October 2017

a & e 21

Senior Haylee Clark and Junior Antonia Librizzi look onto the audience during their “Welcome to the Renaissance” performance.

“[Shakespeare Night] gives me the chance to help [the underclassmen] out like the upperclassment once did for me.” senior Issac Glover

Several theatre students dance whilst singing in their “God I really hate Shakespeare” performance.

Senior Ryan Heaton sings in the number “God I really hate Shakespeare.”

By Brynne Hilton “Shakespeare Night is an opportunity for a lot of the younger theatre kids to realize there is more to theatre than just T.V. shows and movies,” senior theatre student Issac Glover said.

On Sept. 21-22 Theatre held the first event of the school year, Shakespeare Night. Students performed any scene or monologue from Shakespeare that they chose. Some excerpts were from Romeo and Juliet, King Henry, and any other of his works.

Senior theatre student Jason Scalley had the chance to perform the song, “God I Really Hate Shakespeare,” and he did an excerpt from King Henry.

“It’s a collective of Shakespeare’s work,” Scalley said. “But there’s more to it, we play games and interact with each other.”

Students have been preparing for this event since the begining of the school year. They picked their parts, memorized them and made sure they were in the right tone in order to portray their their characters correctly.

Scalley said some of the common advice the upperclassmen give to the new students partici-

An Evening with Will pating.

“Don’t wing it, know your lines, become the character you are protraying,” Scalley said.

After students learned and memorized their parts, costumes were the next key part to their performance.

Students had to dress in costumes that represented the Renaissance period. For the boys costumes included; tights, pointed toe shoes, big floppy hats, floppy button up shirts along with puffy pants. For the the girls, the majority of them were in long skirts with multiple layers, their shirts were either off the shoulder or puffy, and around their waist they had a corset. Students could pick the colors for their costumes as long as it matched and fit the character they played.

“I love my costume,” freshman Analeeya Oddo said. “It portrays my character perfectly and I felt like a Renaissance princess.”

Theatre students have a tradition before every show. All the students in the show stand hand in hand in a circle in complete silence. This allows students to calm down before the show, getting rid of any nerves they may have.

“This gets us ready for the

“I was really excited to

finally perform on stage.

I really love the theatre program and I am really excited to finally be a part of it.

Analeeya Oddo

“

Brynne Hilton

show and gets our energyin focus,” Glover said.

Some students get ready for their performance days in advance. Some read their lines to themselves in class or read to themselves while looking in the mirror. Any chance that students have to practice their lines they will take it, because once that spotlight is on they need to be able to overcome the nerves and stress.

The key to do that is to memorize the lines, and practice, practice, practice.

“I’ve been doing it that way for a while now,” Oddo said. “Reading my lines in the mirror helps me unwind and gives me confidence.”

With this being some new theatre students’ first show, upperclassmen have taken on the role of showing them the ropes and what happens backstage. It prepares the new students for theatre season and allows them to perform on stage alongside the upperclassmen.

“I was really excited to finally perform on stage,” Oddo said, “I really love the theatre program and I am really excited to be a part of it.”

For the audience, this is a night for them to learn about Shakespeare and his works. English class may focus more on his famous works, but Shakespeare Night focuses on all of them.

“It’s important for students and even adults to learn about his work,” health teacher Cythia Castro said.

Shakespeare Night consists of huzzahs, music, costumes and jokes, but it mostly consists of theatre students helping the underclassmen get accustomed to the performance life and showing them how the theatre program is run.

“I love seeing the underclassmen,” Glover said. “It gives me the chance to help them like the upperclassmen once did for me.

October 2017

22 photo essay

GV presents a...

Grease

HOMECOMING Brynne Hilton

Varsity football makes their way onto the field before the homecoming game on Sept. 14.

Varsity football players celebrate a touchdown together on Sept. 14.

Class of 2019 ride on their thefloat homecoming parade The Class of 2019 rides on float theirduring winning during the Homecoming parade on Sept. 14.

The InvestiGator t GVHS

Junior Mekeidric Ivey makes his way onto the track for the pre-game show on Sept. 14.

Senior Cozette Van Wie gets crowned Homecoming Queen on Sept. 14.

a & e 23

HALLOWEEN ON THE BIG SCREEN Now that it is the spookiest time of the year, Halloween movies are at the top of everyone’s watch list. October is the month to get your adrenaline rushing with some new horror movies that are coming out, a few good classics and fresh releases.

The movie, “IT,” was based off of the novel by Stephen King, a famous horror story writer. The main characters include a scary clown and a group of children.

King is famous for all sorts of horror novels that have been turned into movies, but his remake, “IT,” broke records in the box office.

“I think that it is awesome that people are so interested in seeing a remake of a movie that came out over 25 years ago.” science teacher Anthony Evans said.

The movie has brought over $120 million dollars to Warner Bros just from the first weekend the movie was released. “IT” was a horror movie about a shapeshifting clown and it could not be better. Coming from a person who has never been really been afraid of clowns, they creep me out a bit more than they ever have before.

“I saw the original ‘IT,’ so it was very exciting that a second one was coming out. I would recommend this movie to people who like horror movies,” sophomore Nyle Usher said.

Oct. 20 is going to be the day the fourth chapter of Insidious is released to theaters, Insidious 4: The Last Key. “Insidious looks good, it seems scary, but it looks good. I would watch it if it’s on tv, and it has a good plot line,” Evans said.

The trailer had a couple jump scares and it was super creepy.

The movie is being produced by Blumhouse Productions, the producers of other horror movies like “The Purge,” “Get Out,” and “The Visit.”

“I’d probably go see the movie, the trailer was kinda funny, the concept seemed stupid, but it still seemed scary at the same time, so I would recommend this movie, based off of what I saw,” freshman Ethan Kiefer said.

1980 and since then has been redone as a television series from 1987-1990, a movie remake in 2009 and more.

“I didn't really like ‘Friday the 13th’ as much as other horror movies I have seen, like ‘IT,’ it

Nicholas Horrilleno

“I don’t love the idea of a doll running around trying to kill people. I saw the first Chucky and did not enjoy it and because of that, I would not go see the new one,” Evans said.

This is the 7th Chucky movie that will be released, following “The Curse of Chucky.”

However these horror movies getting too repetitive. The plot lines are similar and the characters have the same type of personality and motive.

“The first Chucky was good, and the second was okay, but I feel they have too many movies about Chucky and it’s getting old,” Kiefer said. “The horror movies are getting too repetitive and non-entertaining,” Another classic and horrifying Stephen King novel that was turned into a movie is “The Shining.” A family of three moved

“

It was very suspenseful and it was made by Stephen King who is a great person and writer.

Matt Spittler

“Friday the 13th” has been remade several different times throughout the past 37 years.

Friday the 13th is a horror movie about a homicidal killer, Jason. Jason took over murdering the people at Crystal Lake after someone decapitated his mother.

The original Jason came out in

wasn’t that good to me,” junior Emanuel King said.

Chucky is returning to the big screen Oct. 20 in his newest movie, The Cult of Chucky. This newest chucky is about him coming back to kill a group of people who had been “lucky” enough to deal with this crazy doll before.

“

By Victoria Rodriguez

up to the snowey mountains to watch over a very famous hotel, which previously had a murder take place. The lead, Jack, was played by Jack Nicholson who creeped me out when attempting to recreate the incident from the 1970’s. Overall, it was a pretty good movie. Nicholson did a decent job at playing the role of the psychological dad and truly captured the creepiness his character is supposed to have.

“It was a very scary psychological horror moive. It was very suspenseful and it was made by Stephen King who is a great person and writer. I love his books and movies, ‘The Shining is my favorite,” said senior Matt Spittler.

October 2017

a & e 25 Hailey Gross

Maycee Labo

is

Maycee Labo

Beautiful

By Meka’la Parker

M

usic festivals are something to look forward to.

The iHeart Radio Festival, EDC, and one of the most popular festival, Life is Beautiful.

The Life is Beautiful festival is held every year in September in Downtown Las Vegas and runs over the course of three days. On average, over 100,000 people attend each year and that number continues to grow.

Life is Beautiful consists of top name artists, such as Chance the Rapper, Lorde and 2 Chainz. Big name performers grab the audience’s attention with their Top Hits.

“They had a really good line-up this year,” senior Brant Hershberger said. “This was definitely one to remember.”

Tickets can range from $135

to $2,500. The event uses money to help support local charities such as Pigs for The Kids, which raises money to help find a cure for childhood cancer. On average, young adults, ages 16-22, attend Life Is Beautiful. Not only are there big name artists, but there is also a wide variety of food and art that gives festival goers a great opportunity for photos.

“Honestly, there’s so many places to take pictures,” junior Mariah Walton said. “They have great backgrounds and there’s live music which helps the hype.”

For the avid concert-goer, the festival is just another event. For others, it is the biggest festival they have yet to be a part of.

“This was life changing because of the experience and bonding with my friends,” senior Kobe Black said.

Many restaurants also partici-

“This was definitely one to remember.”

Brant Hershberger

pate in the event. Donut Bar is a big hit among Life is Beautiful.

They serve above-average sized donuts for around $8. Another foodie hit at Life is Beautiful is Dirt Dog. This is an American restaurant that serves hot dogs with toppings such as the most popular one, bacon.

“The food was great. Some of it was a bit pricey, but it’s worth it,” Black said.

Underground artists come to this event to display their greatest pieces of artwork. The event takes over old motels, museums, and cars to help artists get the limelight on their one-of-a-kind artwork.

“The art was so gorgeous. A lot of them you could tell the artist put their heart into it,” Walton said. “The artwork gives great backgrounds for Instagram pictures,” Walton said.

In order to help raise money for their charities, Life is Beautiful brings in well-known speakers to help bring light to the charity and talk to the people attending the event to bring awareness. Bill Nye (the science guy), was the most well-known host and was one of the main speakers. Many were extremely excited to see him.

“I wasn’t expecting to see [Bill Nye]. We grew up watching his videos in class so it’s weird seeing him in person,” Walton said. “He said a lot of inspirational words and brought attention to what’s going on.”

Events such as Life is Beautiful continue to capture crowds’ attention with loud music, out-ofthe-box art, and great food. With another year gone by, festvial goers will have next year’s date circled on their calendars.

October 2017

26 opinion

The perfect furever friends

By Hailey Gross

Dogs are quite possibly the most amazing things to grace this earth. We care for them, make sure they are fed, bathed and have a lifetime full of happiness.

In return, we are presented with unstoppable affection. Being a dog parent is an experience like no other. The question is do we really deserve dogs?

The most important quality a dog can have is loyalty towards their owner. A dog with good loyalty is like a dad watching his favorite football team even when they lose every Sunday.

The commitment a fur ball has to its owner is the most important thing in this entire world.

We put more trust in dogs than into Kmart when they say they will hold our items in layaway for the next hour while we finish shopping. The hearts of our companion animals, are much like our own hearts. They are fragile, so we must be gentle with them.

We can never be too nice or too generous with our love for our best friends. These wonderful beings make us more human.

Unlike cats, dogs are the reason we wake up in the morning.

To see their drooling faces light up with excitement when they see

In other words, dogs keep us feeling young.

Who can resist a furry ankle biter with the face of an angel or a Great Dane the size of a magical unicorn? No one. Dogs come in more varieties than Barbie dolls and they all have hearts as pure

Samoyed Atlas, also known by some as the best dog ever, goes out for a walk in the park.

us is almost more entertaining than watching your family argue at a holiday dinner.

as gold.

Some people can agree that relentless barking at 3 a.m. can re-

semble Beyoncé’s voice in a way.

It is like music to our ears. We must thank all of the dog kind with gracing us with their amazing presence.

Let us all be honest with ourselves, dogs are our favorite characters in movies. Throughout the years, dogs have been in some of cinema’s finest films. Honestly producers and directors can do whatever they want to the main character, we do not mind. However, if a dog dies, we all cry like little babies.

Whether our furry friend is chasing the neighbor’s cats, cars, or even their shadows, dogs are the purest beings ever and we must protect them at all costs.

In the presence of a dog, nothing else matters. A dog is always handing out wholesome love and asking absolutely nothing in return, except maybe to be called a good boy and a nice belly rub.

In the end, one thing is quite clear: dogs are quite possibly better than humans.

Sticker fad lands on Hydro Flasks schoolwide

By Maycee Labo Throughout the school’s campus, it is not unlikely to see a student, or even a teacher swinging their Hydro Flask around as they wander around the crowded halls. Many students buy their Hydro Flask with the intention of personalizing it. In other words, when a Hydro Flask is bought, the stickers along with your social platform, are bought as well.

In many ways, Hydro Flasks can be compared to a car. They are expensive and stickers can be placed on them. Just as minivans have stick figure bumper stickers with families of 8, Hydro Flasks have the “unique” T h r a s h er, Santa Cruz, Apple, In-N-Out and Vans stickers.

Quite frankly, I do not understand how a sticker of a software company is important to build

The InvestiGator t GVHS

your social platform. To broaden the spectrum, I do not understand how slapping on stickers that have no personality, or do not tell others anything about yourself is a trend.

“I think Hydro Flask stickers are really cool, but you just have to get the right ones,” junior Alexis Flynn said.

The “right ones” she later refers to as memorabilia from places visited, friends, holidays, etc.

A flimsy piece of paper shouldn’t remind you of vacations though.

Pictures, videos, and other real sou- venirs exist too.

The origin of the Hydro Flask sticker trend remains unknown, as few people had stickers last year, because having a Hydro Flask alone was enough to wow other classmate’s minds. However, slapping stickers onto various items: skateboards, speed limit signs, walls, etc. has become a sort

of “modern art.” First appearing in Southern California for a while now, specifically for the skater stereotype, the trend has spread to even our humble water bottles. So to sum things up, the trend was a way for people, especially teens, to express themselves, and show originality, but it gloomily morphed into some washed out, bandwagon trend.

Now onto the bright side of things: the removal process. To many Hydro Flask fans, those three words may have them shaking in their boots. As some may say, “it’s all fun and games until it is time to take off your stickers,” or as I say, “thanks for doing us all a favor.” The removal process is nothing shy from grueling, but when your identity is at stake, it is all about gritting your teeth and pushing through it.

Some of the tools needed for this process are razor blades, bak-

ing soda, white vinegar, sponges and other special devices. Once the stickers are scrubbed off and three hours of one’s life are wasted, the process is completed! It’s just that simple.

Hydro Flask rookies may think that once their Hydro Flask is rid of stickers that they are done, or that they have reached the absolute highest level of Hydro Flask ownership, but they are wrong, for their journey into t h e Hydro Flask cult has only just begun.

Once they have the stickers, then they have to have the straw lid, the bottle carrier, and if they are really trying to make a statement, then a flint and steel paracord bracelet will do just the trick. In conclusion, to save yourself from being drawn into the addiction that are water bottle stickers, leave your Hydro Flask at home.

opinion 27

Media awareness is essential

By Sarah Fernandez Marble floors, and the fresh scent of news. Buzzing teenagers and professional journalists.

Fancy clothes and fancier food.

This summer, Marty Baron, editor for the Washington Post won the Al Neuharth Award for Excellence. The atmosphere was full of reporters, photojournalists, and editors, all gathered together to honor Baron. At the ceremony, there was a certain sense of urgency. Students ate filet mignon dinners and listened to grand speeches, yet somehow everyone in the room seemed to have a hard time swallowing the three-course meal.

The biggest takeaway from

Marty Baron, editor for The Washington Post, is shown on a video board during his speech after accepting the Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in Journalism.

“First, and foremost, we must know who we are, and what we stand for and we cannot waiver in our commitment to a mission that has been with us since this country acquired the Bill of Rights.”

Marty Baron

“All of the journalists who

spoke, most noticeably Baron, all emphasized the same point: we have to remain objective , and keep doing our jobs.

Sarah Fernandez

“

that night is actually quite valuable. As journalists working in an ever changing political climate, where attacks against media are shot left and right by those from the left and right, the underlying principles still exist.

All of the journalists who spoke, most noticeably Baron, emphasized the same point: they have to remain objective, and keep doing their jobs.

That sounds so simple and concrete, but in reality its implications ripple into everyone’s everyday lives.

As consumers of media and news, not everyone is trained to have the same vigilant eyes, especially in relation to politics. For this, there are many reasons, but at the end of the day, what matters is what the consumer is taking away.

We must also hold accountability to those who produce the media, and also those who con-

The White House has been the center of much controversy with media over the past year.

sume it. Fake news is a two way street, and the only reason it’s not closed for construction is because people still dare take that road.

As consumers we must take into consideration the motives and reasoning for certain articles or news corporations for reporting or publishing certain stories.

If we want fake news to stop, we must advocate for truthful journalism. On top of that, we must, as smart and considerate consumers, hold other consumers accountable for what they share on social media, and where they get their information from.

At the end of the day what matters is the truth.

And it matters whether we are 17, 36, or 60.

It always matters.

Sarah Fernandez

That’s the catch. That’s what no one ever likes to admit. Because why would we admit to having another preoccupation or worry in our already busy lives?

But in reality this is not a valid excuse, it’s actually quite selfish and foolish to think that something as powerful as news can only affect some people in a limited amount of time.

After experiencing this event, it was evident that mostjournalists are living up to their reponsibilities. They are working hard, remaining objective, and holding truth to power. Most of them are trying their best to do their jobs right. In fact, the vast majority is succeeding.

Are you trying your best as a consumer?

October 2017

28 opinion

Students consider an early college start An alternative to regular high school rises in popularity There are many people who love to live life on the wild side.

Some have the guts to skydive and do not associate fear with it, others pursue their daredevil instincts by becoming an International Baccalaureate candidate, but to take that a step further, others decide to skip high school all together, sort of.

Nevada State High School [NSHS] allows students to earn a high school diploma while working towards a college degree through dual-credit courses.

This takes a lot of responsibility, dedication and the confidence that a student will prosper as an independent scholar.

A reason for such a drastic transition is a select few students do not want to be bothered with the trifles of high school, like word searches. NSHS provides a much more fast-paced and to the point curriculum.

This is not to say that high school is easy and a breeze. Undermining the work students do in these four years is an insult, but some just prefer to skip ahead to college boot camp.

“I was not a fan of busy work.

I would much rather be able to spend my time studying than sitting in class. I like how I am able to be independent in choosing what homework I do to help myself study for the class,” NSHS senior Karley Cyriacks said.

It is academically challenging, to say the least. Commitment

The InvestiGator t GVHS

is needed to pursue a college education and working in a college environment while being at the tender age of seventeen or eighteen.

“I was ready for a change and step ahead into my future,” Cyriacks said.

This step ahead saves time and a lot of dough from leaving the bank account. It is everything

“I like how I am able to be

independent in choosing what homework I do to help myself study for the class.

Karley Cyriaks

“

By Anastasia Koulich

short of a whammy.

“I am able to be two years ahead in college and save two years worth of tuition,” Cyriacks said. “By the time I graduate Nevada State, I will be one semester away from going into nursing school. It is pretty awesome.”

Students who go to a traditional high school and decide to take this path will experience a major lifestyle change in terms of school schedules.

“I go to classes three times a week, a biology lecture twice a week for eighty minutes each and a three hour lab session once a week. I take the rest of my classes online,” Cyriacks said.

Many rejoice at the the free-

dom and flexibility received that goes along with planning a college schedule that best fits you.

“There is no homework for me.

Just independent studying that awards me with doing what I feel is the best for me,” Cyriacks said.

In fact, because there is little homework, it is very important that students stay on task and disciplined in order to pass their classes and tests.

With such a small school comes a small student body. Nevada State had 345 students attend during the 2015-2016 school year. This is drastically smaller than traditional high schools that usually have numbers that hover in the thousands.

To many, the benefits that a small student body has can be surprising. Camaraderie, a sense of community and school spirit is more prevalent in comparison to large high schools.

It is commonly thought that seeing the same people almost everyday can get annoying, limiting or depressing since your options for picking and choosing friends become smaller.

“I like school life at NSHS a lot more as opposed to a traditional high school life. I have a small circle of friends, which I love, but I am still familiar with everyone at school,” Cyriacks said.

Trading regular and monotonous high school days for a grown-up independent lifestyle is a serious transition, but many are choosing this path and getting their money’s worth.

opinion 29

Abundance of new options ultimately cause kids to miss out on the true high school experience

By Harley Barbre Everyone says high school is the best four years of your life. Recently, more and more students have been opting out of the regular high school experience, for a faster-paced, college style schooling. This new option is, Nevada State High School [NSHS], but going through this program is not actually beneficial for the students in the long run.

If students were to attend NSHS during junior and senior year there would be several op-

portunities missed. For example, during their upperclassmen years is when students most often have the most school spirit. There would be no school assemblies at Nevada State, no homecoming game and other fun school wide activities where the upperclassmen show off their pride.

Also, since kids would be taking college classes, they miss the senior year experience that includes going to senior sunrise, sitting in the fun senior section of the assemblies and not graduating with all of the people they

have known since middle school.

These experiences make high school much more fun for students, and really encapsulate everything the school has to offer.

Skipping the high school experience sounds great for some, especially when it seems NSHS allows students to get ahead of everyone else, but the chances corrupting normal learning progression is high.

Taking college courses while in high school is not for everyone.

Let’s be realistic, most kids in normal and honors classes can’t

handle the workload in the first place. College workload will not improve that situation whatsoever. The majority of students do not have the capacity to take in information at the fast pace that is required. Many student do not possess the discipline to stay on task, much less if no homework is involved to help them stay on task, or someone constantly setting deadlines for them.

“Many students do not possess the discipline to stay on task, much less if no homework is involved to help them stay on task.

“

Sydney Lum

In addition, there is no to little room for mistakes when it comes to grades. It is not like high school where the teacher might be more lenient if 50% of effort is put into an assignment. NSHS is like college, which is much more ruthless and demanding when it comes to grading.

At NSHS, college courses are being taken for real college credit.

The grades earned will be what is on the transcript, so if a bad grade is received, the student is putting their later college and graduate school acceptance at risk.

Most students complain about hating high school and all the people there, but the last two years are when they finally establish their stable group of friends.

This is the time when the best memories with friends are made, students now have cars to drive themselves around and parents are more lenient because their children are getting older.

If at NSHS, it might be harder to always coordinate schedules, especially because you don’t see them everyday.

There are many reasons why NSHS is not an ideal situation for students. The high school experience is important and everyone should get a chance to have it. By skipping ahead, students are trying to grow up too fast.

October 2017

30 opinion

Student disconnect continues A recent study at the University of Michigan showed college students care less about tragedies today than they did in the 1980s. In fact, the study stated that about 40 percent of college students are showing less empathy than their counterparts of 20 to 30 years ago.

Every teen in western civilization has had experience with social media. Social media can be addictive which is why a great majority of teens are attached to it. It is believed the more time young adults spend on social media, the more self centered they tend to be.

Social media is often blamed for why people are antisocial in real life because it makes it so easy for them to care from a distance. You can privately message someone or publicly post your thoughts within seconds whenever something tragic happens to show you care, even if you really are not interested.

Instead of actually visiting someone who just recently lost a loved one, you can find an easy way out of it by just sending a quick, short text like, ‘Sorry for your loss. Praying you can overcome this.’ If you are feeling like going the extra mile, you can even tweet something with the 140 characters Twitter provides you.

The ease of having ‘friends’ online makes people more likely to just close their eyes when they do not feel like responding to others’ problems, a behavior that could definitely carry over offline.

The reason why the current generation is less empathetic than past ones is because we are so used to seeing tragedy trending one after the next. Every time any social media app is opened, there is a new catastrophe happening such as natural disasters, warfare, people being stripped of their rights, or harm done to civilians by other civilians.

In September alone, there were many headline news including: a horrible hurricane season with Hurricane Irma, Jose, Katia, Lee

The InvestiGator t GVHS

and Maria, President Donald Trump decided to rescind the program DACA, Brazil ruling homosexuality as a disease and now allowing ‘gay-conversion therapy’, Mexico hit by a monstrous 7.1 earthquake, Puerto Rico with no power, food, or water due to a hurricane. When all these events occurred, social media was not blowing up with posts about helping the victims in the catastrophes, but jokes and memes were often made instead.

Usually after a few days of an event taking place, it eventually is forgotten. No one talks about it anymore as the news of a celebrity’s pregancy dominates all headline news. After a day of a tragedy, the media switches back to pointless topics. It is a never ending cycle.

Not only do tragedies not get the wrong sort of attention, but

“It’simmersed the culture people are in that contributes to the lack of sympathy.

Anthony Winchell

“

By Nora Paramo

it is a common to ignore it either because it does not affect you or because it is a chance to turn it into some sort of punchline. If someone who actually has morals is offended by a joke on a serious matter and says, ‘That is not funny,’ the jokester plays victim and complains that people cannot take a joke. Bonus points if they get people to agree with them and say, ‘This generation is too sensitive,’ to normalize cold-hearted behavior.

Now with almost every trend on the internet, people can get carried away. A very cool trend that has been taking place on social media are people showing off their makeup skills. A woman on Twitter uploaded pictures of her eyeshadow that resemble the satellite image of Hurricane Irma.

Imagine having incredible artistic talent with makeup and wasting it by recreating the sat-

Nicholas Horrilleno

ellite image of a hurricane that brought horrific damage and an unbearable amount of pain with it.

There is a time and place for everything. Social media is not the place to joke about catastrophes.

When serious topics arise and people are dying, jokes should be the last thing on people’s minds.

A large factor of people telling jokes about tragedies are for likes on social media. Nowadays, people will cross any line just to get some attention, fully aware that what they are saying is wrong.

Many people will see a lot of horrible things online posted by so-called ‘trolls,’ but do not do anything because they know the troll will not take it down no matter what they do or say. Therefore, it is as if people are just numb to the awful posts on social media.

The awful things posted online

can promote racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, classism, etc.

“Ranging from political, social, and economic factors, it’s the culture people are immersed in that contribute to the lack of sympathy,” said junior Anthony Winchell. “Social media is the platform where all that stuff proliferates. When you have a president like Donald Trump who doesn’t really care about minorities, the people who subscribe to those beliefs get empowered when they have someone like that in power.”

In order to gain some sense of feeling back as a whole, everyone needs to recognize how people have become accustomed to seeing things online that should not be normalized. If something is not done about this, people will grow up without empathy which all humans should have.

editorial 31

Inflation with education

By The InvestiGator Staff As students refresh their infinite campus desperately checking their grades, some will find themselves with more A’s than they should have.

With crosswords and scavenger hunts being counted as grades, the letter grade A loses its meaning. Many assignments are graded based off completion which not only takes away the main incentive for students to learn, but also the value of the grading system.

In The Harvard Crimson, it was reported that in Harvard and many other schools, students have an average grade of an A minus. With public and private schools across the nation coercing their students into prestigious colleges, schools are doing whatever it takes, including faking grades. Many classes

base grades off of the students ability to turn something in on time instead of academic performance. While time management is a great skill to teach students, grading a student off of a topic that they spent hours learning about is absolutely crucial.

Although receiving an easy A is every student’s dream, it does not help anyone in the long run. Even with parents and colleges vulturing over students’ report cards, faking good grades just so a student can get into a pretentious college. At this point in their lifetime, high school students should be able to handle being told the truth that their assignments are not worth an A. As students graduate and go off into higher education or the workforce, they become unaware of the quality of work that they are being graded or paid for.

It goes back to kindergarten

when we received gold stars. The kid who got the gold star would be happy for a week because they knew they earned it since it was not given out haphazardly.

That is what A’s should be. Gold stars. Not something that a student tries to get by begging their teacher.

We need to face it. Students are not getting smarter. Yet the average grade is rising as the average standardized test score is going down. The correlation is whack.

Continuing this unethical behavior in order get a kid into a school is not worth it. These students will be accustomed to cheating their way through the system for the rest of their lives’.

The grading system is old, outdated and does not pertain to this generation. As students learn through new technology, we need to update parallel to these new inventions.

speak Student

Do you think all your classes are graded fairly?

Editors-in-Chief: Sarah Fernandez Shila Sherafat Editors: News: Anastasia Koulich Features: Kaeli Britt & Kiara Thomson Sports: Meka’la Parker A&E: Maycee Labo Opinions: Sydney Lum Managing Editor: Erinn Veach Photo Editor: Brynne Hilton Reporters: Harley Barbre Bethany Casall Madison Cox Abigail Culpepper Gabriella Ghasserani Hailey Gross Alyssa Hulse Skylar Jones Casey Li Nora-Jo Paramo Jenna Ricciardi Victoria Rodriguez Hannah Serquina Business Manager: Madison Cox

“Yes, I think teachers grade fairly if you do the work.”

Holly Levit, freshman

“For the most part because most of my classes are graded with a heavy test percentage, and a low homework percentage.”

Brant Hershberger, junior

“As long as you do the work and turn it in on time.”

Staff Managers: Gabriella Ghasserani Victoria Rodriguez Advisor: Eric Johnston

Desmarie Chappel-Yasmin, sophomore “I don’t think so.

The grade system is unfair. It doesn’t take into consideration other factors in a student’s life.

It’s black and white. You either get a grade or you don’t.“

The InvestiGator is a student-run and operated news magazine. All opinions and views expressed within are those of the author and not of the student body or staff of Green Valley High School.

Letter to the editors or staff may be delivered to room 825 to Mr. Johnston or emailed to him at emjohnston@interact. ccsd.net.

Alex Saffedine, Senior

October 2017

32 gallery

ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE Junior Alexis Carver performs during a rehearsal for the fall theatre production, “An Evening with Will,” on Sept. 20.

BRYNNE HILTON | PHOTO