investigator
the
Vol. 31, Issue 1 September 2021
Green Valley High School 460 Arroyo Grande Henderson, NV 89014
Editor’s Note It was a long and dreary year for everybody last year, but the gators are finally back on campus, and hopefully we’re here to stay this time. The Investigator is ready to cover anything and everything that happens during this school year, and we are proud to release the very first issue of the 20212022 school year. The first month or so of school has already been plenty chaotic and eventful. While there are plenty of problems and plenty more controversies, just about everyone agrees that it is a step up from the last school year, which saw its own problems that we are all glad to but behind us.
On the cover
The topic of gender identity and its effect on the daily lives of students has become a topic of national interest over the past year. by Tyler Bonnette, Cherie Franklin & Brenna Knight
This issue covers all of the biggest events that we all missed while we were distance learning, from Homecoming, to Theatre productions, to all of the fall sports like Football that everyone has been missing. Seniors have been celebrating their last year on campus, while the underclassmen have been struggling to find their ways around during their first year back in person. We delve into the controversy surrounding the district’s new grading policy, which has been introduced to give students a better chance of passing while uprooting the plans of teachers. We also look into the district’s dress code that has been in place for longer than most remember. And, as school begins in-person for the first time in months, students experience the Block Schedule at school for the first time. The activities that have kept students preoccupied during quarantine are still going strong, as both Marvel and DC keep putting out more new content, and fans spend their free time binge watching anime and other TV shows. And, as the Summer came to a close, we looked back at all of the tunes and albums that our favorite artists released. And finally, with everyone having spent quite a bit of time self-evaluating after last year, we take an introspective look at the permeating ideas of self discovery and gender identity, and how the last few decades have seen them being broken down. We especially as everyone returns to school and is able to freely express themselves in-person once again. It is certainly a bigger issue than we are used to, and we are eager to continue reporting on all of the upcoming events that are expected for this school year. The year the gators returned to the swamp will certainly be one to remember.
Co Editors-In-Chief: Brenna Knight Tyler Bonnette Violet LaMela
Managing Editors: Kristel Alfaro Borbon Cherie Franklin
Section Editors: News: Stormy Byrne Emma Trifonova
Features:
Shaelyn Gamiao
Sports:
Jeremy Anderson Dilara King
A & E:
Liliana Burke
Opinion:
Neyta Flores Esquer McKenzie Shelton-Lott
Reporters:
Brandon Anderson Selenne Arroyo-Martinez Joseph Byington Kayla DeMenezes Malia Deramus Simona Grigonis Evan Halfhill Ameya Naduvalath Nathan Paet Kinsley Priebe Adrian Sifuentes Brysan Wilson Harrell
Staff Manager: Jasmine Gomolka
Business Manager:
Brook Lyn Gray-Vanderbur
Social Media Manager: Laycie Taylor
Copy Editors: Taylor Hunt Sowmya Kumar
Adviser:
Eric Johnston
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. Letters to the editor or staff may be delivered to room 825 to Mr. Johnston or emailed to him at johnsem1@nv.ccsd.net Green Valley High School 460 Arroyo Grande Henderson, NV 89014
BACK IN THE SWAMP - The quad is flooded with students to celebrate the First Friday festivities on Sept. 3. First Friday was the beginning of the year’s many planned events for students to be a part of.
Tyler Bonnette
The InvestiGator
INSIDE this
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NEWS
ISSUE
School events return to campus and bring back a feeling of nostalgia
FEATURE
Teachers liven up classrooms after a year of online learning
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SPORTS
Senior QB weighs college options
PHOTO ESSAY
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A&E
Controversy surrounds Britney Spears and her father’s control
OPINION
New CCSD grading policy is debated
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Tyler Bonnette
Change of environment
4 news
Students readjust from online to in-person classes
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By Evan Halfhill
tudents are back in the classroom. Some are excited, some would have rather stayed online and others are indifferent to it. A majority of students are happy to be back because they missed their friends, or being able to participate in clubs and activities, or just in-person demonstrations in science class. “I like being able to interact with other students,” Student Body President and senior Caleb Stewart said. “We did have it online, but it wasn’t the same. We get to do a lot of the same stuff that we usually do, like, you still can do martial assemblies and stuff, but it’s not even close to what it actually usually is,” Stewart said.
Most sports groups are glad to be back, as there is more time to be active and work together in-person. “I personally think that the pros are definitely being more interactive with people,” senior Mariah Silvia, a cheerleader, said. The Cheer team as well as most other groups in school struggled with online school’s constraints. “I really, really hated online so I’m glad to be back in person,” sophomore Brooke Wibiral said. “I have met new people, and I like that we’re active in cheer.” From the teachers’ perspective, being back on campus is generally favored over distance. It is much more direct and easy to teach students who are there in the classroom. “It’s nice to have the kids back. They’re excited to be back, and it just
makes your classroom feel like, good, good energy,” English teacher Jacque Millett said. Millett coaches Men’s and Women’s Volleyball, and also teaches English and Freshman Studies. This is Millett’s first year teaching on campus, but her second teaching for the school, as she did last year online. “I’m excited to be part of the Gator family,” Millett said. “The students on this campus, and the staff, and the administration are amazing.” Students have felt the workload change between last year and this year. “I probably get a little bit more now because online you do your homework while you’re in class during the open periods and it’s a lot easier,” sophomore Alexander Covacia said.
When online, there are plenty of issues that can be run into, which typically are not a problem during in-person school. “If your internet is down you can’t do anything for the entire day,” Covacia said. This year’s long periods allow for more time to do homework in class, which helps with the workload. “I’m really happy that we’re back. You get to be with your friends at school,” said Stewart. There will be a lot more club and extracurricular activities, and connecting with peers could be much easier being on campus. “I’ve always liked this campus because of the sense of culture you feel when you are on campus,” Millett said. “From the administration all the way to the students.”
Necessary precautions
COVID-19 regulations, policies updated for 2021-22 school year
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By Laycie Taylor
ew COVID-19 policies are set in place for the 20212022 school year placed by CCSD. Green Valley has implemented these guidelines and students must follow to protect them against further spread of the virus. Coming back to school in a pandemic requires new regulations such as wearing masks on campus at all times. Masks reduce the spread by blocking any germs from leaving your mouth or nasal area. Masks are put into place to protect others whether someone is vaccinated or not, it is there to reduce spread of germs. Some students feel differently about the policy but overall it is put in place for the safety of students and staff even if the individual is vaccinated. “I feel better about my safety overall at school with these guidelines in place. They’re there to protect us whether we like it or not,” sophomore Johnathan Carranza said. After taking a break for so long from any type of school activity, com-
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ing back could be more of a challenge for staff to maneuver around to ensure safety and reduce risk. Procedures take place during after school activities and sports. Unvaccinated students and staff involved in athletics and activities must take a COVID test weekly to prevent the spread to other members at school. Preventing the spread is the number one priority for the district administration to keep cases down. If worse comes to worse and someone does end up getting sick, there are procedures for that as well. According to the CCSD website anyone with a positive COVID test must quarantine and continue with distance learning for a minimum of 14 days until a negative test is shown. Students who can be classified as someone who has been in close contact with the positive person in all classes must also quarantine for a minimum of 14 days. “Quarantining was really boring for me, all I did was sit at home. I wasn’t the one who had COVID but my parents did,” junior Kristine Ladislao said. “I wore a mask and stayed inside the whole time while I was
quarantining. I didn’t want to spread it to more people.” “We have certain guidelines for every outcome right now. We have them for athletes, students, and activities after school. I think that we are doing the best we can. At the high school level I feel like it’s going okay. I think it’s the first time we have really had to react with COVID protocols,” assistant principal Raymond Ortiz said.
“We do have our challenges with distance learning and our staff is very stressed in that sense. We have a hotline that parents can call if their child is having symptoms or if they were sent home. They can call and have all their questions answered,” Ortiz said. “I do fear that if cases don’t come down we might get pushed back to hybrid and that was really stressful on the staff and students, so I’m hoping that doesn’t happen.”
COVID-19 Containment According to new data from the CDC, the country’s vaccination rates have been steadily climbing, and recently surpassed 55%. Nevada’s vaccination rates have also been steadily increasing, and the number of fully vaccinated individuals has passed 50%. Cases continue to climb, and the number of COVID-19 related deaths has also increased locally. Case numbers have, however, slowed down in the last month.
news 5
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NEWS in
BRIEF
Restrooms Limited An online trend that appeared recently has caused the closure of some bathrooms on campus. The trend, known virally as ‘Devious Licks,’ involves the theft or even destruction of school property, specifically within school restrooms. It began when a video was recorded of someone stealing a soap dispenser and bringing it home, and soon others joined in, taking videos of themselves stealing anything from fire alarms from the walls or entire toilets.
Bus Driver Shortage A district-wide shortage of bus drivers has led to numerous events being postponed due to a lack of transportation. Sporting events, such as weekday cross country meets and non-conference soccer games, needed to be moved or outright canceled, as the schools hosting the events had no way of transporting students to and from locations. The district is still working on solutions.
FUN IN THE SUN - First Friday was held in the quad on Sept. 3 as members of performing arts performed along side clubs that sold items during both lunches.
Tyler Bonnette
September 2021
6 news
Clubs back in business Student-led organizations return after year off campus
By Kayla DeMenezes
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oth Key Club and the Future Business Leaders of America, are back on campus and ready for the upcoming year. Advisors, Hanna Santee (Key Club) and Carami Olsen (FBLA) have many things planned for this year’s school clubs. Key Club is all about volunteer work and helping others out and FBLA is about learning a lot of different things in the broad spectrum of business skills. Even though students are back in person, there are still some precautions the clubs will have to take this year due to the pandemic. When the Key Club takes part in events this year, they will have to take the students’ temperatures, and for the trip they are going on in November the students that are not vaccinated will have to take a COVID-19 test prior to the trip. For FBLA they have to sign an athletics and activities consent waiver and release agreement. So even though there are precautions this year the clubs are still going
to move forward and work hard to make it fun for the students. “They plan on still running things normal they just have to take into account the precautions,” Santee said. “They’re just really fighting to find service events for the other students that can be done coming out of Covid.” Key Club is still trying to teach
students what it is like to give, so they have some events planned for this year and so does the FBLA. For the Key Club, some of the events include a carwash they will have in September. The funds from that are going to an organization that bags food for kids who are not as fortunate. Another event is making cards for the Tender Loving Care (TLC) Center,
Cherie Franklin
ORDER UP - Gator Pride prepares beverages for students in the quad at First Friday. Funds raised during both lunches went directly to the school’s clubs.
and they are going to make dog toys for various dog shelters. The FBLA hopes to do some community service as well, and the students in the club can pick 5 events to go to from a list of events they have at the club. “It teaches them that giving service of any sort, is not just giving away stuff, and they get quite a bit back in terms of how it makes them feel,” Santee said. “It became my way to give back and pay it forward just like others did for me.” Key Club helps the students learn that giving things away, leaves students who participate feeling great. Also for the kids that decide to become leaders of the Key Club, they get to learn a lot about leadership and how to take charge. The FBLA Club helps teach kids to go out of their comfort zone and be confident when presenting, and the students also get to learn so many new business skills. ”I just see the kids grow so much in just one year’s time, from September to May, they grow so much and I really like it,” Olsen said. “I really believe in this organization, it’s a really
Event takes over quad
First Fridays get green light while assemblies remain on hold By Selenne Arroyo-Martinez
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ssemblies and First Fridays were a great way to show Gator pride before COVID-19. With the school returning to in-person learning, cheerleaders and dancers have begun preparing for potential assemblies. The Homecoming assembly will reportedly be on the football field. “This year’s assemblies will be very different because we can’t have or do any of the same activities that we normally, and all activities we can do, we have to take Covid precautions,” varsity cheer captain and student body vice president, McKenna Rowland said. Before COVID, assemblies were held in the gym, and numerous would be held throughout the year. There would be one for Winter Week, Fine Arts, Boy Band and Girl Band, etc. “I really enjoyed getting to sit on a chair in the assemblies on the main floor when they had an assembly for
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fall sports,” junior Aby Tibesar said. Due to strict Covid protocols, the student council has to find a way to hold assemblies safely. Campus will be hosting an assembly for homecoming in October. All grades will be attending this assembly. “We’re going to have a homecoming assembly on the field on October 22nd, and from there we still need to figure it out,” Rowland said. “We can’t have more than 250 people in a room because of Covid, which is why we can’t have the assemblies in the gym this year.” First Fridays were always a big deal in Green Valley, considering tthe size of the festivities and the food and drinks being sold during the 2019-20 school year. “I love the food and the vibrance in the air. Everyone is so happy,” Tibesar said. First Friday is not only for the students to have fun - several of the school’s clubs raise funds by setting up booths. They sell food, drinks, Ga-
tor merchandise and host games. Students would also put tattoos on other students so they could embrace their inner Gator spirit. “We will be having a First Friday on the first week of September, and clubs will be selling food such as Student Council, but First Fridays are for sure coming back,” Rowland said.
Cheerleaders will be participating in these assemblies as well as the dance team. “Me and my team aren’t used to cheering on grass or without a mat, but it gives room to try new skills because of all the open space,” senior varsitiy cheerleader Isabel Jimenez said.
Tyler Bonnette
PREPARATIONS - The Gay-Straight Alliance club sets up their booth while getting ready for First Friday. Cookies, brownies and other goods were sold to raise money.
news 7
Gradebooks refreshed CCSD introduces new grading practices district wide
By Brook Lyn Gray-Vanderbur
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CSD announced a new grading system starting this 2021-2022 school year. With this change students and teachers have to rethink how this year is going to be and how the grading system will affect each individual. The grading process and percentages will now be the same no matter what class students are in. “I think the changes are being put in place so it’s not such a harsh punishment. At the end of the day, even if they weren’t able to complete that
“ It changes everything that I’ve done for years.
Demetrius Beam
assignment,” math teacher Reynaldo White said. “The grade needs to reflect what they actually do, and focus on the work they have done.” There have been many changes, and the most talked about are the new grading percentages. Summative assignments, like tests, quizzes and projects, will now be 75 percent of a student’s grade. Formative assessments, like homework, daily in-class assignments, or warm-ups will now only be 25 percent.
“I want my students to feel motivated to do all of their work,” English teacher Catherine Davis said. “But let’s face it, logic prevails. Sometimes, students are going to look at something and say, ‘Hey, that’s only worth 25 percent of my grade. I could take the hit by not doing that assignment.’” With the grading system changing, students are now aware of how much each assignment holds, value wise. Some believe that the mindsets of students and teachers will be different. “It changes everything that I’ve done for years. It changes how I weigh assignments. Over the many years that I’ve done this, I’ve developed something that seems equitable, something that seems fair and reasonable to the students,” social studies teacher Demetrius Beam said. “As somebody who has been teaching AP honors classes for almost 20 years, I am really in it for the advancement, learning and the benefit of the students. So when a policy seems to create an unfair grading environment, I have to try and adapt.” New developments were in the works for many months before being finalized by the district. “What you will find is some schools already had specific grading policies. I worked at a Title I school my first three years and we had the minimum F, or if you were missing an assignment it would automatically be 40 percent,” Davis said. “Grading has always been different from school to school and from department to department. But this is the first time that a huge centralized change has been implemented.” The roll-out of these plans is meant to increase student success rates. CCSD has made it more difficult
to earn a failing grade, as there is no way to get any grade lower than a 50 percent or turn in an assignment late. This makes it easier to bring a class grade up in case there are missing assignments. However, some question the connection with how students will adapt to their lives after gradu-
wide, some departments are having to adjust much more than others. The English department, for example, has not had much difficulty adjusting. “There are many aspects that we already had in place. For instance, in our department we were already moving to the formative and summa-
Emma Trifonova & Violet LaMela
ation. “I think that as high school students, everybody talks about the real world outside of high school,” Beam said. “Whether that’s employment, military jobs...there are deadlines that exist everywhere.” The minimum F prevents students from getting zeroes in the gradebook, even when it comes to missing work. Besides that, it stops low test scores from dragging students down as much as it would otherwise. “If students don’t do well on an assignment, it still shows them that they need to go back and re learn and fix any misconceptions before, so they can improve that F but without dropping their grade drastically,” White said. With this change being school-
tive system that the math teachers have done here for many years. There are a lot of things, such as the retake policy, that teachers already used, but now it’s unilateral and across the board for all schools,” Davis said. Every teacher on campus has been tasked with adopting these new policies in their classroom, in an effort to keep more students on track. The district hopes that the plan will improve performance in every school. “They’re going to be beneficial to the students and learning how to meet those deadlines and plan accordingly,” Beam said. If we have an individual or we have a small group of students who are struggling to meet deadlines because of working extra hours or medical issues, it’ll be beneficial to them.”
September 2021
news 9
Senior celebrations
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Class of 2022 sees busy start as senior year begins
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By Stormy Byrne
s the last year for the class of 2022 approaches, everyone is wondering exactly what senior activities will look like, given the new COVID-19 policies to deal with. And here is to diminishing everyone’s fear, as it seems these activities will still be continuing. “We’re taking it day by day,” senior student body treasurer Enjoli DePhillipo said. Senior Sunrise kicked off the year in recognition of the beginning of their final year of high school. “All the seniors get together to celebrate being a senior and that they have pride in our school,” DePhillipo said. The class of 2022 showed up extra early to catch the sunrise in its entirety as they wore their senior crowns, which were available for purchase a week prior during both lunches.
“You’re there for all the moments,” senior Elijah Douville said. “And when it’s happening, you’re like
have decorated their spots with whatever they want, whether it represents themselves or something they are
It’s going to be as COVID friendly as we can possibly make it. Enjoli DePhillipo
‘oh, that’s pretty cool.’” Seniors were able to purchase and decorate parking spots, a tradition that has been missed dearly. Students
passionate about. “I think for mine I’m either doing a sun or moon thing,” DePhillipo said. Another monumental event up
and coming for the senior class is the Homecoming celebration this October. Seniors this year will have the opportunity to help and build their last class homecoming float to celebrate the conclusion of their high school career. “Same with other classes, but it’s kind of mainly focusing on seniors,” DePhillipo said. Coming up later in the year, the annual senior trip, which is still up in the air in terms of where they will be traveling. As for the senior breakfast, student council members are unsure if it will still happen with the current COVID rules in place. “It’s going to be as COVID friendly as we can possibly make it,” DePhillipo said. “If there has to be adjustments, it’s going to be adjusted.” For more information on what is in store for the senior class this school year, be sure to check out the plans for the Class of 2022 on their Instagram page at gvclassof22.
Hardy-Har-Har Homecoming Annual week of events set for return to campus
By Brysan Wilson Harrell
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tudents are back on campus, starting the school year back in-person after over a year online. Plans have finally begun for Homecoming Week to return for the first time since 2019. The theme this year is “Pirates of the Caribbean.” While school is still different from how it has been before, students and teachers are making the most of the school year. “We didn’t have everything since we were not in school. This is why
Homecoming is super important to all seniors,” student body president and senior McKenna Rowland said. “We want to make this a night to remember for everyone. The theme was the hardest part for us - to create the best spirit week everyone would want to join in on.” The spirit week begins Monday, Oct. 18, and features a variety of different pirate-themed dress up days. It begins with a classic pajama day for Monday’s “Sleeping on the Deck” day. Students can wear bling on “Pirate’s Booty” day, and dress up in matching outfits with their squad on “Pirate
Crew” day. The week finishes with Thursday’s “Back from the dead,” which entails throwback outfits, and Friday’s “Sailing home” day, where students wear their respective homecoming shirts. An assembly will be held on Oct. 22, followed by a parade at 4 p.m., and ending with a carnival at 5 p.m. The Homecoming Bash will happen that same night after the football game is over. “This year is going to be amazing with how much work everyone is putting into this dance,” freshman Diamond Darrett said.
We want to make this a night to remember for everyone.
McKenna Rowland
Brenna Knight
September 2021
10 feature
More than a mascot
A look behind the costume of GV’s namesake, Gator Joe By Emma Trifonova
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reen Valley’s elusive Gator Mascot, a costume of many faces, has had a history of providing school spirit throughout the school’s hallways and in the classroom. Senior Aidan Michaelson, a member of Gator Pride and a former Gator Mascot (also known as Gator Joe), realized there was more to the job than just putting on a costume. “I volunteered for it because I thought it would be fun,” Michaelson said. “And then I ended up liking it.”
who the Gator was,” Michaelson said. “One of my friends did it and he told me that I should do it,” This friend is now a graduate of Green Valley High School, but has influenced Michaelson to continue the Gator Mascot tradition. Michaelson reflects on this day and is glad that Webb pushed him to pursue this role. Michaelson remembers his overall time as one big happy memory. “I liked being around people, there is no specific memory,” Michaelson said. Michaelson does not have one
“ It is interactive and you’re having fun.
Mark Rerecich
Michaelson decided to be the Gator Mascot on a whim, but as his involvement as the school’s Gator grew, he realized he genuinely enjoyed the adventures and experiences that being Gator Joe gave him. “I wasn’t really nervous,” Michaelson said. “I feel pretty comfortable around the people.” Already feeling at ease, Michaelson made a smooth transition from a Gator Pride member to Gator Mascot on top of that. He flowed easily between both responsibilities and excelled in them. Fond of his time as the Gator Mascot, Michaelson recounts the memories he holds close from that time. He remembers his time as the Gator Mascot in a good light, but not only did he gain happy memories from his time as a Gator Mascot, Michaelson also tributes the person who led him down this path and in the first place. “I remember fist bumping a lot of people and people trying to find out
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specific memory that stands out from the rest because being the Gator Mascot for the students and having interactions with them gave him joy. It takes only a student with pure Gator spirit running through their veins to enjoy every aspect of being the Gator Mascot, even in its simplicity. Not only did Michaelson truly enjoy his time as the Gator Mascot, but he also made a conscious effort to be a good one at that. Michaelson made sure to tweak and change his schedule to incorporate being a dedicated Gator Mascot to the school and its students. “My schedule changed and I had to prepare a little bit more than I normally would have,” Michaelson said. “But it was pretty straightforward.” Hence, whether its First Friday or Mundane Monday, the Gator never fails to
bring a smile to students’ faces. “It is really beneficial because it helps,” senior Mark Rerecich, a member of Gator Pride, said. “Whoever is ahead can see their friends and help build pride amongst the student body.” In hopes to catch the mysterious face behind the mask, the students have created a game challenging each other to find out who the mascot is first. Albeit competitive, it is on friendly terms and elicits a sense of unity throughout the school and its students. “Typically amongst Gator Pride, it is whoever wants to do it, because it can be a very uncomfortable suit to wear, but normally, it has a lot of fun faces,” Rerecich said. Although the Gator suit is not the most agreeable attire, the students are willing to sacrifice their comfort in order to dip their toes into some school spirit and give back to the school. “For my sophomore year, the Gator Mascot was one of my friends,” Rerecich said. “I would mess with him, like tap him on the shoulder and hide.” Not only does the Gator Mascot get to have fun participating in school spirit, but he also socializes with the students. Wearing the mask not only brings the wearer joy, but the students as well, through all of the social opportunities it offers. “It is interactive and you’re having fun,” Rerecich said. “It has been going on since Gator Pride was in control of the mascot, so five years now.” Being the Gator Mascot provides an easy gateway of interacting and joking around with your peers. This makes it a job for both introverts and extroverts to volunteer and put the mask on if they want due to its easy going social benefits. In addition, it also involves the whole student body to participate in school spirit and feel included. Shaelyn Gamiao
September 2021
12 feature
When hot meets cold
Teachers, students take summer trip to Iceland
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By Malia Deramus
water, amazing, crystal clear, the best stuff you can ever drink.” With the water being pure in Iceland, food grown and made there is said to taste extremely good. Iceland does not allow any imported foods from the United States - all their food is made or grown domestically. The most famous vegetable grown there is tomatoes. “We had tomato soup everywhere we went. I think I must’ve had 10 bowls of tomato soup. It was so good,” Mazzone said. The group was taken to multiple locations, one being Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, and then to the
he plane descended to the ground after seven hours of an overnight flight. The air dropped from the dense 100 degree weather of Nevada to a freezing 40 degrees and below. The ambient sound of birds and flowing water of Iceland distinctly differentiates from Las Vegas. Social studies teachers Kristina Lewis and Harmony Mazzone, along with five students, traveled to Iceland over the summer. In total, two seniors and three juniors at the time participated in the international field trip. Multiple questions were brought up about SCENIC VIEW - Several GV teachers and students the trip due to safety con- pose as a rushing waterfall cascades behind them. cerns from COVID-19. In The waterfall, located in Bláskógabyggð, is one of the the end, precautions for most popular destinations because of its size. the trip were made and the Iceland adventure was a success. Senior Simran Arya, who was a junior at the time, attended the trip. “We had to have proof of vaccination and we had to get a specific COVID test. The airports were pretty quiet,” Arya said. These trips are organized by Education First Tours, also known as EF. Every year, trips like Iceland are created for high school students to dive deeper into the intricacies of other cultures and for them to learn the background of historical sights. Lewis has been orchestrating trips through EF since 2010. Some of the previous trips south side of Iceland which was more she has been on include Europe, Irecalm and country-like. They mainly land and Japan. The next trip this upstayed in Reykjavik, however. The coming summer will be to Scotland. population of the city is only 122,853 Iceland is very unique from other citizens which, compared to Las Vecountries because they hold one of gas, seems very small. the 25 wonders of the world, the Blue “It’s a big little city. I guess that’s Lagoon. Since Iceland is almost enthe best way to say it. There only tirely powered on geothermal energy, 360,000 people who live in Iceland which is energy using the heat from total. So, when you think about the below the Earth’s surface, natural resize of their cities, it’s really nothing,” sources are abundant in Iceland. Lewis said. “It’s the water, everywhere you Population is not the only differgo it’s the water,” Mazzone said, ‘’The ence from Las Vegas. The temperawater in Iceland is completely glacier ture drop is a big change too. Las Ve-
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gas ranges from temperatures such as 110 degrees to 60 degrees depending on the season. Iceland temperatures are much colder. “It was freezing in Iceland, it was 40 degrees. That was their summer weather, they were telling us how warm it was there,” Arya said. The group traveled with two other tourist groups as well as a tour guide to help them throughout the trip. The country holds a lot of different treasures such as glaciers, museums, and tons of greenery. “It also was incredibly green. They don’t grow a lot there but there’s moss and other things that grow on
with spikes underneath to dig into the ice. These are better known as ice cleats. Glacier hiking can be extremely dangerous without a guide, but for the group, they saw it as a life changing moment. “To stand on top of the glacier and just be like, holy crap, I just hiked a glacier. I don’t know if anything will ever top it in my life,” Mazzone said. The best part for most of the group was sightseeing waterfalls. There is an abundance of waterfalls in the country that hold the most picture-worthy credit. Every waterfall has a unique difference to it. “I can’t remember the name because it’s in Icelandic but it was the third one that we went to. There’s a path that you could walk behind the waterfall and supposedly a person buried treasure there at some point,” senior Isabel Letourneau said. The fun did not stop at night. Iceland over the summer does not get dark during sundown. Hotels have blackout curtains, allowing sunlight to be blocked at night. Besides that, going out during the night almost looks just like any other regular day. This changed perspectives for everyone, almost as if time did not exist. “It was nice to be outside for most of it because of last year, being inside all the time. Everything we did was an experience, learning experience and Kristina Lewis cultural experience,” Lewtop of the lava rock,” Lewis said. is said. Some of the main attractions were Most of these memories outside hiking glaciers, walking through the of the United States are once in a continental divide between Europe lifetime opportunities that students and Asia, seeing many different watypically do not get to see. That is why terfalls and the city life. these annual trips are so important to “They don’t have a lot of politics Lewis and Mazzone. It is an exciting, there. They have a whole road dedinew way to have fun and learn more cated to LGBTQ pride and they have a about the world outside of the U.S. lot of graffiti around everywhere, it’s “It was an amazing experience, so pretty. They appreciate it a lot with Iceland is extraordinary,” Mazzone local artists and local photography said. “It’s the kind of place you don’t shops,” Arya said. think of going but you go and it During glacier hiking, everyone changes your life. You’re on top of the was required to wear hiking boots world.”
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Head of the class
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Teachers focus on making up for lost time in classrooms By Jasmine Gomolka
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ith school back in session, teachers are making an effort to better their student’s learning environment. As students and faculty, we know that the previous school year was tragic to many, including last year’s high school graduates. It has affected many high school traditions such as football games, homecoming, and prom. Teachers are taking it upon themselves to lighten up this school year for everyone to make up for missed time and traditions by making their working environment more entertaining for students. “Absolutely, I enjoyed my job less last year. It did not affect my performance too much because I was able to realize that it was temporary, and then still be able to think, ‘I need to present good content for my students,’’’ Scott Otter said. “So I was able to kind of pretend, but in reality, just for me personally, it was not a fun year.” “I like the interactions with students in person; the back and forth communication is just different. If it was a long term thing, I probably would have wanted a different job, but since I realized it was temporary, I was kind of able to keep a good attitude to get through it,” Otter said. Losing a school year affects everyone differently, even to this day. M a n y teachers lost their passion due to not being able to see the students in person.
I try to keep my environment really relaxed and enjoyable, that’s why I tend to play music. Melinda Stender
Their job is to be involved and engaged with the kids and they could not do that last school year. Even the students were infuriated with it because they were unable to see or interact with friends, and they could not physically learn in school. “I enjoy working here. I think we have a great culture, but I also enjoy the topic that I teach, so you will find in the future if you enjoy your job, you are happy with it, and when I am happy I am more fun, and more engaged, I put more effort into things that my students enjoy, and so I am fortunate in that regard. If I did not like my job, I would still try to be that way,” Otter said. Teachers’ commitment to their jobs has a huge impact on students and their school environment in general. Students become more interested in the topics and lessons if they see their teachers are involved and entertaining. It truly affects students’ mental capacity during the long school hours and overtime at home, keeping them interested and engaged in the work. “Mr. Mauro truly cares about his students and enjoys teaching. He does care about each individual student and can remember little things about them. He will be like, it is okay, you need to calm down a little bit. He is defi-
nitely understanding and he gets that things happen in life. And, he makes it known that if you need to go out in the hallway please go ahead, you need to talk to me, I am here, and he genuinely loves it. And he just makes us feel so free,” sophomore Rayne Burrell said. Last school year has taught both teachers and students to be more caring, compassionate, and understanding that things happen in life without any warning. This year, it has helped teachers with reaching out more and making their classrooms more comfortable and a safer feeling environment for their students. “Last year I tried to be very empathetic to what my students were going through because I knew that everybody was having issues. It was so nice to just be able to just visit with people last year and bring them a little happiness in their day, rather than focusing so much on the academic side. This year, I’m still trying to do that. It’s just a little difficult because there are so many students that it makes it difficult to get to spend a little bit of time with each one,”
Ceramics teacher Melinda Stender said. Most teachers are trying to make this year relaxing and peaceful since the past year had been chaotic. To do so, they have been checking on students more often, playing music to calm them down, being more positive, and some have become more lenient concerning grades because they understand that school is stressful. “I try to keep my environment really relaxed and enjoyable, that’s why I tend to play music. I go around and talk to my students throughout the class to see how they are doing. I also try to be very positive, and if I see that they’re having a bad day, I will check in on them and see if they need anything, or I’ll let them have a little bit of relaxed time so that they can de-stress a little bit,” Stender said. Since it is very early in the school year, teachers are still trying to learn more about students, and students with them. Some have assigned projects that are personal to the students just to learn more about them to gain an understanding of their backgrounds. “My favorite project was the original pinch pot because my grandpa’s favorite things were bowls, so when I made one I put a lot of meaning into it and then it was like it went onto being his bowl. So, it was like a flashback and brought back memories. We jot down different ideas that we could put into something and we get to make it. It is like y o u r m e m ory is coming alive,” senior Faith Torti said.
Cherie Franklin
Opportunity for identity Students communicate need for understanding
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By Violet LaMela
ysphoria. Being in a state of generalized unhappiness, restlessness, dissatisfaction and frustration. The word in itself is one quite familiar to those struggling with themselves because of the opinions of their peers, internal feelings and the fine line between who they are and who they are ‘supposed’ to be. “I feel like giving someone gender dysphoria because you don’t care enough to respect them is just really messed up,” junior Justine Lebica said. “We’re all just trying to figure everything out, there’s no need to make it harder than it already is.” During their adolescent years, many teens are consumed with self discovery and figuring out who exactly they are meant to be. This is when students begin getting more involved with different activities such as, finding a new hobby, getting a job, joining a club or even participating in a sport.
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However, one of the most important forms of self discovery is found through something less fleeting - specifically transitioning into who someone wants to be. “The transition to the lifestyle? Well I mean, it wasn’t very hard because I was just showing the world my true self, if that makes sense,” junior Lex De Asis said. “I didn’t have to change anything about myself because I was just emphasizing who I already was.” Within the last decade, society has slowly become more and more accepting of different forms of self-expression whether it be a change in hair, a different take on clothing style, tattoos, piercings, etc. One of the biggest things that has begun to be perceived in a more serious manner is gender identity, which has given many people a chance to take a deep dive into themselves and their feelings, leading them to simply better understand who they are. “Sometimes I feel more feminine, sometimes I feel more masculine, sometimes I’m just in the middle,” senior CJ Pratt said. “When I first found out about the term gender fluid I was like, ‘Oh
my god, that makes so much sense for me, that’s definitely who I am.’” Gender fluid is the term used to describe a person whose gender identity is not fixed. Meaning that it can change over time or from day to day. Non-binary is a term used to decribe indivduals that do not conform with ‘male’ or ‘female.’ “A lot of people say that non-binary and gender fluid are the same, but I don’t think that way. When you’re gender fluid you can switch, every other day or week or even minute,” Pratt said. “Like the beginning of the week I felt very femmine and dressed very femmine, but I still brought a jacket just in case I wasn’t feeling that way anymore by the end of the day.” When first introduced to the idea, one may have a lot of questions; so to start, it may help to understand that sex, gender and sexuality are three completely different concepts. Sex is a label. It refers to a combination of biological characteristics: hormones, anatomy and physical appearance of a person. It consists of female, male and intersex and it is almost
feature 15 always assigned at birth. While gender and sexuality are both social concepts, sex is strictly physical and biological. Sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves (or do not) through relationships. Typically, sexuality has everything to do with who someone is attracted to, but since it varies from person to person, there is no precise definition. Sexuality is ever-changing and fluid. With so many different people across the world who present themselves in so many different ways, it is nearly impossible to have a set definition. Gender, however, refers to the personal identification of themselves based on an internal awareness. It is used more broadly to denote a range of identities that do not correspond to the established ideas of male and female. While male and female are the most common genders, there are others that base themselves on different factors, such as who
they, etc. It is all just a matter of which combination they feel most comfortable using. “I’m nearly fifty and a native english speaker,“ Callicoat said. “But I think it is important to be open to change no matter how old you are.” They/them is most often used to refer to someone who is gender nonconforming which can be genderfluid, non-binary, etc. Being unsure of someone’s pronouns is never disrespectful - all one must do is ask and listen. If mistakes are made, it is best to simply just apologize and correct the error. To be safe, they/them can always be used before any other pronoun when referring to someone else. “If you don’t know someone’s pronouns the best thing to do is just ask them, but you can always just use they/them,” Pratt said. “It’s not right to just assume because of what someones wearing or how they look, it’s actually pretty disrespectful.” The more that people ask about one anoth-
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Violet Lamela
I didn’t have to change anything about myself because I was just emphasizing who I already was. Lex De Asis
they feel comfortable presenting themselves as and who they are. This is where pronouns and gender identity come into play. “My pronouns are she/her, but I have friends who go by they/them,” Lebica said. “At first it was hard to get used to because I wasn’t used to using the word ‘they’ to describe one person, but it got easier over time.” Whether society realizes it or not, people frequently refer to one another using pronouns. The only difference is when using prefered pronouns, sometimes both “he” and “them” can be used to describe a singular person. Overall, while some people may view it as an inconvenience, many may argue that it is a minimal change being made, and that the English language is constantly changing, along with many of the things that society has deemed to be ‘correct.’ “Our language is changing, it’s always changing. We don’t speak the same way we did 50 years ago,” English teacher Angelique Callicoat said. “I feel like anyone who is pushing against this needs to get on board or you’re gonna end up getting left behind.” In short, preferred pronouns can be any combination in order to accommodate one’s comfortability. For example, someone can use she/her, he/him she/they, they/them, and he/
er, the easier it will be to normalize respecting people’s pronouns as a society entirely. Asking also creates a safe place for those first discovering themselves or even for those who have already found what they are comfortable with. This gives everyone an opportunity to help understand one another. Everyone deserves to feel comfortable with themselves and feel as though their feelings are valid. Even if it does not conform exactly with what society is used to, it should not make any person less deserving of respect. After all, everyone is dealing with something in their lives, and it goes without saying that everyone deserves to feel safe in their own skin. “It’s hard enough to be a kid, the least that we could do is refer to them publicly how they want to be referred to,” Callicoat said. “I mean there is already so much separation, social, monetary, it’s like surely we can just get that straight and make everyone feel good.” Often, people make assumptions about the gender of another person based on their appearance or name. Feminine presenting does not always equal a woman, masculine presenting does not always equal a man. Some people present themselves in the societal idea of “masculine” and “feminine,” but others do not. Some try to do neither; others try
September 2021
S h e r H e e y e e H Th16 HeSh Them TheyHim Them feature
to do both. Some people are more “feminine” presenting, but prefer they/them pronouns or he/him pronouns. “You can’t really assume someone’s pronouns by their appearance, everyone has their own sense of style,” Lebica said. “Because everyone is so used to just guessing, it will be kind of hard to break that habit.” Presentation does not equal identity, Sex does not equal gender. Sex does not equal identity. People are their own people. Fluidity is the most important part of trying to understand and accept such “untraditional” concepts. People have their own ever-changing ideas of themselves, their sex, their life, their body, their perception. Clothes do not define identities. Making these assumptions can lead to potentially harmful outcomes, even when it’s an honest mistake. “One of my friends who’s actually non-binary is more masculine presenting, but they go by they/them. It would be rude to use he/him because that’s not what they’re comfortable with,” Pratt said. When making these mistakes, the best thing to do in order to correct oneself is by spending some time deconstructing your definition of gender. In modern day society, people have
developed a mindset that strictly limits gender roles; for example, women look like X and men look like Y. The problem with this is that there is no one way for men and women and people to look. “I’ve been trying to remove the words ‘wife’ and ‘ husband’ from my vocabulary and instead use the words ‘partner’ or ‘spouse’ just because what you say sometimes can be hurtful,” Callicoat said. Appearance varies depending on the person,
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“It’s okay if you make a mistake, it happens. Just as long as it wasn’t intentional and you’re genuinely trying to get it right,” De Asis Said. To those who have little to no experience with the subject, it may seem incredibly confusing to get used to. After all, there are plenty of people who use pronouns and terms that have not even been listed here. It would be difficult to simply know everyone’s pronouns and identity without any confusion, but that is why many people in society are working on having a better understanding of gender and how students identify themselves. “The whole concept is very new to me - I’m still wrapping my head around it,” English teacher Adam Patai. said. “But if someone prefers a certain pronoun, I have no problems with it.” As teachers, students and others continue to learn more about the topic, there has been a growing effort to educate and inform everyone about gender and the effect of the topic on individuals. Many see it as a change worthwhile. “You don’t know what you are dealing with in a class of 45 students, so let them reveal to you what that is,” Callicoat said. “Giving someone the ability to say what they prefer is just incredible.”
You should be open to change no matter how old you are.
Angelique Callicoat
so the idea that each person will look like their pronouns is incorrect. This could also cause confusion for people as well, as it is a new concept to society, and a significant number of people are still getting used to these new ideas.
Violet LaMela
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Courtesy of Amy Liu
TIME TO WORK - Sophomore Amy Liu writes an email to a sports club. Liu started her organization Second Touch during the summer of 2020.
By Kristel Alfaro Borbon
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n average it costs $600 a year for a child to play sport. Furthermore, an athlete that is not financially stable is six times more likely to quit their sport, than one that is financially
stable Sophomore Amy Liu has noticed the value of sports on a child’s life. In order to fix this issue she has started a non-profit organization that battles sports equipment expenses in athletes’ careers. “My non-profit organization is called Second Touch,” Liu said. “The goal is to get second hand jerseys and sports equipment from the soccer teams here in Las Vegas and donate them to countries overseas for kids that do not have access to this type of equipment.“ Liu’s goal is to potentially ship overseas as the organization keeps expanding. Right now the organization is currently focusing on soccer equipment, but they plan to spread to other sports. “Currently we are looking at things in Mexico and Canada because they are the closest, but we want to eventually branch out potentially overseas as we get bigger,” Liu said. “We are starting off with the girls’ uniforms right now, but we want to move over to the boys as well.” The equipment will be shipped to various soccer programs that will give this equipment to their athletes. This will allow for athletes to practice with the right materials in order for them to succeed. “We reached out to recreational organizations that have annual rec soccer programs in those areas,” Liu said. “It’s not really specific
Liu touches the world
Non-profit battles athletic expenses around the world teams, more like programs and organizations that host a rec soccer season every year.” Sports have always been a large part of Liu’s life and childhood. She swam competitively for three years, played soccer, and is currently a player for the GVHS Varsity tennis team. “I’ve always been involved in sports in some shape or form, since I was really little,” said Liu. “I just wanted other kids to be able to experience that and be involved in sports that they love, and get the equipment that they need to do so.” The first step in this long journey is to get teams that are willing to donate their equipment to a good cause. This includes reaching out to a lot of clubs and coaches in order to organize dates for shipping. Establishing these connections with teams takes time and can often take a lot of patience. “We’ve talked to teams about it and they are on board, we just need to get all of the information,” Liu said. “We’ve been reaching out to the teams in other countries as well, and we want to build that network first before we start shipping.” Shipping to other countries is a long process that requires a lot of research as well as connections. Creating the network and finding the best match for the equipment often becomes a challenge due to the distance between the teams. “We are going to reach out and we’re going to get people that are involved in these sports teams and other organizations and work on
contacting them and emailing them as well as setting up voice calls in order to propose our nonprofit organization.” Liu said. Liu has created a team that she knows she can rely on. The team is made up of her co-founder Lily House, the soccer community, and Liu’s parents. “My co-founder is a club player for an ENCL Heat team, and the soccer community is actually very tight so basically everyone knows people from different teams,” Liu said. “We’re able to get connections through her teammates, parents and coaches.” Fighting for a good cause often has its challenges and downsides. Communicating back and forth with so many groups of people requires time management and organization skills. “The most challenging part is definitely coordinating. We solve this by keeping a collective calendar with all of our meetings and frequently updating the team and their team manager,” Liu said. This non-profit organization is dedicated to help children that want to accomplish their goals and want to create a healthy lifestyle. “It means to me an outlet that I can use to work for and it gives me a reason to build connections with other people,” Liu said. “These kids spend so much time playing these sports and they love them so much, and it is very lovely to see.”
September 2021
LET IT FLY - Senior Josiah Vitale sets up to throw a pass during a game against Coronado on Sept. 10. GV won the road contest by a score of 35-14.
Aferdita Vinca
E M A G E H LOVE OF T Senior quarterback offered D1 scholarship By Liliana Burke
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uarterback. Leader of the offense and the person in charge of backing the team, motivating them to make it through the game at their best efforts. For this football season, the starting quarterback position for varsity football is filled by senior Josiah Vitale. Vitale has been offered a D1 scholarship to play football for Northern Arizona University. This could be a huge accomplishment for any aspiring athlete - the odds of receiving this kind of scholarship being less than 1%. There are about 125 D1 programs with 85 scholarships available each; this means there are roughly 10,000 D1 scholarships available nationwide for football players. “When I found out I was offered a scholarship, I was shocked and felt blessed to have this opportunity,” Vitale said. Some people train from their first step when it comes to sports, while others develop an interest later on in life. In the case of Vitale, his interest for a career in football started earlier in life. “I decided to play football because as a kid my dad always wanted me to play football, so I wanted to try it out,” Vitale said. “My dad always said I can be something great so now I play football so I can help my family get away from their struggles.” Vitale has been playing football a classic American sport invented in 1882, for approximately 9 years
- nearly half of his life. “I played different positions in middle school, but the start of high school is when I started playing quarterback,” Vitale said. “Other positions I have played were positions like safety, running back, and slot receiver.”
average TV viewership of a regular season NFL game of football was 14.9 million people. “In quarantine, I just trained at home, and worked out at home,” Vitale said. “Sometimes I would just go to the field right there at Thurman White to just throw the
“ When I first started playing quarterback as a freshman, I was not nearly as good as I am today. It took a lot of time to get to where I am today.
Josiah Vitale
Football may be known as America’s most popular sport but it also plays an important role in people’s individual lives rather than just being something that millions of people enjoy watching. “I train every day, sometimes even on Sunday. During the day I train for like two to three hours every day,” Vitale said. Several athletes lost seasons and practice time when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and people all over the world had to quarantine. However, that didn’t stop certain athletes like Vitale from training in any way they could. For 2020, the
football.” When jogging out onto the field, Vitale has an important job to lead the offense and give guidance to the other positions in play. When in such an important position, an athlete needs to be in the right mindset to call for good plays. “When I am getting ready to play a game or go to practice, I just think about football and just nothing else, I just make sure that I do everything right, don’t mess up,” Vitale said. Being distracted on the field can be dangerous not only to the score of the game, but to the safety of an
athlete. Many athletes get injured at a point in their sporting career. In fact, in the US there are more than 3.5 million athlete injuries per year. “In 2017, I broke my wrist so that was a minor setback, since I couldn’t really play. I had to sit out that season cause I was in a cast for 12 months,” Vitale said. “What I did was just rest and let it heal up, and to come back when I took the cast off I started moving it and seeing what was wrong. I was fine so I just worked out my wrist and then I was good to go.” To play a sport and grow in skill while doing it requires a lot of dedication, time, and effort to try and improve your personal game. “When I first started playing quarterback in my first year of high school as a freshman, I was not nearly as good as I am today,” Vitale said. “But it took a lot of time to get to where I am today.” Vitale is approaching the end zone of his high school career and is moving onto new things for his college years. However, Vitale still has his own goals to accomplish this school year. “Honestly I just want to take [the team] to the state championship and just win,” Vitale said. The football team under the direction of head coach Brian Castro and leadership of Vitale has won 3 of 4 games so far (at time of writing) with 1 loss against Palo Verde. It is only the beginning of this school year’s football season so there is still much to see from the program and players like Vitale in the season to come.
September 2021
20 sports
Legacy lives on ice
Fan favorite’s retirement plans canceled via Twitter
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By Dilara King
arc-Andre Fleury was arguably the most valuable player on the Golden Knights. He won multiple awards which include The Vezina trophy, William M Jennings and the NHL all star team all within this year. Fleury found out on Twitter that he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks just one year before his retirement. At first there were rumors he would retire and not finish out with the Golden Knights like he had originally planned. “It was stupid for him to find out on twitter instead of in person,” Senior Ian McKenna said. Fleury decided that going to the Blackhawks would be a good opportunity for him to see a new side to the game he valued the most. Many were shocked to find out that The Golden Knights traded Fleury knowing his reputation of being
the best goalie. Fleury left a legacy of having a kind hearted and welcoming personality with his fans. His fans are sad to retire the jersey number 29, but his legacy of love will always stay on the ice no matter how far he is. There have been suspicions that the Knights will not be as successful without Fleury since they will have a weaker defensive line. “Fleury was one of our best players,” McKenna said, “He is a part of the reason we won many of our games.” Fans of The Golden Knights and Blackhawks are excited to go against each other to see if Fleury really did have a magic touch on the Golden Knights or if it was just a good couple seasons. The Blackhawks placed 20th in points percentage last season and fans say that Fleury moving to the Blackhawks will not only change their team dynamic, but also push them higher in the standings.
Transfer gets Messi Barcelona fans devastated to see best player leave
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infogol.net
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Brenna Knight
By Dilara King
ionel Messi from Barcelona was announced to be moving to Paris-Saint Germain, also known as PSG. Messi had played for Barcelona ever since the age of 16 and won many awards throughout the years which include; 2021 Copa America winner and Golden Boot winner, Fifa Under-20 World Cup: 1 (2005) Olympic Gold Medal: 1 (2008). Messi had a family-like bond with each of his teammates and even his fans were devastated to see him leave. He unfortunately got transferred due to Barcelona being in debt 1 billion euros. Messi suggested that they could cut his pay in half, but that was still not enough to keep him on the team. “I was surprised to see Messi leave. Trades happen all the time, but I never thought they would trade Messi,” junior Cameron Ancell said. Fans say that Messi being on PSG
will be interesting because there is strong conflict between Messi and Sergio Ramos. “What is going to be weird is that Ramos and Messi do not like each other, but they are going to have to learn to work together as a team or it will be wasted talent for a stupid fight,” Ancell said. Messi’s goal in his years to come is to win another championship along with the four he has won in previous years. Messi said in an interview with CNN that, “We have the same goals. It’s got impressive players, one of the best squads in the world, and hopefully we can achieve that goal.” While the start of the conflict was unknown, it has lived out for over a decade. Until this year came around Ramos offered Messi and his family to stay at his place instead of going from hotel to hotel. This dissolved the long living feud between Messi and Ramos.
Takedown in Tokyo
sports 21
Delayed Olympics see records shattered By Adrian Sifuentes
T
he 2020 Tokyo Olympics, despite being delayed by a year, caught the attention of citizens worldwide. Cultures from all parts of the globe tuned in to watch the best of the best compete for gold. This long awaited event had viewers on edge, and it was clear to see why each representative had a reason to be there. From a 14-year-old Chinese diver scoring two perfect tens to the first openly non-binary U.S. athlete, this year’s Olympics had so much to offer the world. This year’s Olympics started off with a bang. Many viewers woke up bright and early to gaze upon NBC’s telecast of the Friday opening ceremony. We were greeted with an explosion of fireworks erupting around Tokyo’s empty stadium while dancers and performers began to tell a story of Japan’s history with props and visual effects projected onto the floor of the stadium. Soon after, a parade of athletes marched into the stadium holding
their respective country’s flags and waving them proudly in the air. Due to COVID-19, there have been concerns of athlete performance being affected by the lack of crowd reaction. However, many people agreed that simply showing up to the games despite how devastating the effects of the virus have been highlighted a feeling of togetherness that the world so desperately needed. The variety of sports presented offered not only an exciting experience, but something for just about anyone to watch. Whether it was volleyball, karate, surfing, weightlifting, badminton, shooting, archery, you name it and it was there! In fact, some students at our school took particular interest in watching a sport that speaks to them personally. “It’s like the best people from every country are competing against one another,” senior Nikolas Slatoff said. As someone who followed up on the Olympics, Slatoff stated that he enjoyed watching wrestling the most. “It’s just a sport that I do and I love watching the best. It’s what I strive to be,” Slatoff said.
Brenna Knight
It is not out of the ordinary for someone to be so captivated by the Olympics. “It only happens every four years and I just want to see people be great,” Slatoff said. “There were a couple buzzer beater moments where like a wrestler was down at the last second and he came back and won it.” Olympic wrestler Gable Stevenson was among the few Olympians to truly pull off a groundbreaking victory. It was a toe to toe match against three-time World Champion Geno Petriashvili after he destroyed Stevenson’s early lead and put himself ahead 8-7 with less than a minute left on the clock. As time winded down, Stevenson’s final takedown landed him a score of 10-8 when there was barely a second remaining in the competition. There were surely many jaw dropping, eye opening, and even record breaking moments this year. A 29 year old visually impaired man from Brazil, Yeltsin Jacques, won a gold medal in the men’s 1500m T11 (T11 representing visual impairment) with a time of three minutes and fifty seven seconds shattering the previous world record that had been held since the London 2012 Olympics. Another miraculous person to commemorate this year was 14-yearold female Chinese diver by the name of Quan Hongchan, who scored two perfect tens by all seven judges in the women’s 10-meter platform final and recieved a gold medal. Hongchan’s overall score was 466 points, which completely smashed the previous record. The athlete took up diving as a way to support her sickly mother and joined the sport back in 2014 before later joining a club in the Guangdong province of China. Hongchan is a shining example that practice does indeed make perfect, but another Olympic athlete who is a representation for many people like them in the world is the first openly non-binary American Skateboarder, Alana Smith. Smith said they felt happy to be alive and be a visual representation for humans like herself. Smith placed last in their event, women’s street, but wrote in an emotional post that they were proud of who they have become and how hard they worked to get in the spot that they are in today. “I wanted to walk out of this knowing I unapologetically was myself and was genuinely smiling,” Smith wrote on Instagram, “Last night I thanked
whoever it was out there that gave me the chance to not leave this world the night I laid in the middle of the road. I feel happy to be alive…” However, there were some unfortunate moments that took place this year. Artistic Gymnast, Simone Biles, withdrew from the competition after failing to land a vault with two and a half twists. She stated that she was not mentally prepared to compete and therefore felt it was best if she left entirely. Fortunately, she did walk home with 2 more Olympic medals to add to her ever growing collection.
“ I think that an athlete should always put their mental health first.
Mia Price
After being a huge role model to women across the country, Biles has truly left her mark on the world with her amazing talent. “I think that an athlete should always put their mental health first so I fully support her decision to step back. I think her only options were to either take a break and get her mind right or stay safe and possibly seriously injure herself,” said senior Mia Price. “I think she is an amazing gymnast, obviously the best in the world,” said Price. Being able to be a part of something so great is a huge accomplishment to all athletes who competed in this year’s games. Whether they placed last or won a gold medal, simply showing up giving it their all is something to applaud entirely. The constant training, preparation, and dedication that went into this event, despite being delayed, proves that they all had what it takes to be there. “I think overall the games were amazing. I was not only glad to see Americans do well but also countries like the Philippines who had never had certain medals before,” said Price.
September 2021
22 sports
Fall Sports
Previews
Men’s Soccer
PUSH FORWARD - Junior Edwin Lagunas-Monroy takes a free kick against SECTA on Aug. 30. GVHS lost the game, 2-1.
Cherie Franklin
By Taylor Hunt
Football
In hopes of tackling the new season, the football team could not have asked for a better start. The team has won four out of their first five games, including a win over Basic in the Henderson Bowl on Sept. 24. Coach Brian Castro knows these results do not come easily, and there is more than just the on-field practice that contributes to success. “The kids need to be close, they need to care about each other and trust each other,“ Castro said. “If you have those two ingredients then, you know, the kids are going to natural-
ly be close, be bonded and they are going to want to play hard for each other.” The coach and athletes voice the support and energy they have for each other, pushing everyone to their highest potential. “As a team, freshman year we were a good team, but we didn’t have that team camaraderie,” junior Anton Keeling said. “We were all there individually, but now, we’ve all been playing together since youth, so we all know each other so we play more like a team than other teams.”
After not being on the field for over two years, the men’s soccer team is looking forward to making their return. Forward Austin Colbert understands the importance of being with and for his teammates, especially after such an unusually long break between seasons. “The team performs most through communication. Communicating with my team helps us get a better understanding of how to engage in
the play and on the field,” Colbert said. “Having that chemistry gives us spirit and we work together better when we are able to be close.” Coach Jacob Rivera knows just how important it is to be connected with his players. “It’s fun to give them a hard time sometimes so that you know they know we care about them and want them to be successful,” Rivera said. “We do it so that they can get opportunities to go do things at the next level, and it’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish.”
ADDING ON - Senior Damon Bischoff kicks an extra point vs. Chaparral. Green Valley won easily, 63-0.
Cherie Franklin
Cross Country
IN IT TOGETHER - Women’s and men’s cross country compete at a meet on Sept. 18. The men placed fourth and the women seventh.
KEEP ON RUNNING - Senior Spencer Ploeger runs in Mount Carmel Classic. GVHS took part in the event in California.
courtesy of Brian Decania
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courtesy of Brian Decania
sports 23
Women’s Volleyball
Cherie Franklin
GETTING READY - Junior Lily Meyers and the varsity team prepare to receive a serve against Sierra Vista. The Gators lost the match three sets to none on Aug. 24.
Women’s Soccer Kicking into the soccer season, there is a real sense that the team can be just as successful as it was a few years ago, when GVHS won 17 out of 22 games. The team’s talent top to bottom has given new head coach Brittany Day confidence for this season. “We have a lot of talent on our squad, varsity looks really good this year,” Day said. “I felt like even though we missed last year, we still could have gone to State, but this year I feel confident in the girls and a lot of them are comfortable with
each other already.” With comfort comes more fluidity on the field, and even though it has not been a great start to the season, Day knows there is still a lot left to do. “I think people misjudge the performance level and what it takes for those athletes to really perform at the level that they do,” Day said. “I would just encourage people to come out and watch these girls because we have some amazing athletes, and their talent just showcases everything that they have to offer.”
Girls’ Golf
A new season comes with new faces, including new head coach Analicia Gonzales. With her many years of coaching, this stands to be one of the more unique building processes for her and the women’s volleyball team. After a year of COVID, the experience of teaching the athletes is more exciting than ever. “Being my first year as head coach, and with COVID, I definitely knew it would be a building year, but getting to teach the game of volleyball to these girls has made it more pleasurable,” Gonzales said. “I was excited and a little nervous just be-
cause I knew it was a lot of building, but I’m proud of their will to get better and the girls who are stepping up to help teach the other kids and bring them together.” As half the team is made up of junior and senior girls, they have taken an even greater role in stepping up and setting positive examples. “I’m proud that we can talk about a problem and fix it without any attitude or problems,” junior Aiyana Alchawa said. “No one’s blaming anyone, we just fix it as a team because when we’re struggling as a team, we make up as a team.”
ON THE ATTACK - Senior Kylie Camp dribbles the ball against Foothill. The game ended in a 2-2 draw on Sept 24.
Danneisy Ochoa
Tennis
ACE - Senior Benjamin Hanson (left) and junior Laryssa Kalayanaprapruit (right) serve against Bonanza High School on Sept 17. The men won 14-4, and the women won 11-7.
Cherie Franklin
Aferdita Vinca
AIRMAIL - Freshman Reagan Robinson blasts a ball out of the bunker during golf practice on Sept. 8. The team was preparing for an upcoming tournament the next day.
September 2021
24 photo essay
4
1. FOLLOW ME - Junior Cruz Renteria leads an attack during a soccer game against SECTA. 2. SERVICE - Junior Pierce Larkin serves the ball in a September tennis match. 3. HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS - Junior Aby Tibesar-Magassa prepares to spike the ball in a match against Las Vegas. The point would go on to give the Gators the lead for the remainder of the set. 4. IN THE AIR - The Cheer team performs a stunt at the football game on Aug. 26. 5. READY TO RUMBLE - The football team’s offensive line prepares for a scoring drive in their first home game of the season.
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Back in the Swamp The InvestiGator
3
As sports, clubs, and student activities return to campus, it is increasingly obvious that they were sorely missed. Eager to impress and improve, students returned to their hobbies and passions with renewed desire for excellence. This photo essay features this same passion and drive in a series of photos of everything from the first home game played since the events of COVID-19, to students discussing which is scarier: the ocean Cherie Franklin or space. Meghan Murphy
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photo essay 25
1. POSE! - Students take a selfie at Senior Sunrise on Aug. 28. 2. GOOD POINT - Senior Isabella Kingsley listens to a discussion on the dangers of the ocean at a Speech and Debate team bonding event. 3. GOOD TO BE BACK - Junior Alexandria Golda dances to the sounds of Band at the September First Friday activities. 4. SUDZY - Members of Key Club wash a car for a fundraiser held in September. 5. RILED UP - Gator Alumnus and students alike begin to pack the stands in preparation for the first football game held at the Swamp since the events of COVID-19.
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September 2021
Grasp a deeper meaning Summer albums reflect artists’ growth
By Shaelyn Gamiao
P
lay. The noise of the world seeps deep into the background, replaced with the soft hums of the newest song of the summer, drowning out all sense of reality. Music has evolved throughout the years, redefining itself not only as a means of communication but a safe space for generations to come. The year-and-ahalf-long break, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, bred opportunity in the industry for singers and songwriters-alike to showcase their newfound selves and branch out into different realms of the music world.
SOUR Olivia Rodrigo took the world by storm with her debut, ‘Sour’. This “spicy Pisces” used her broad understanding of adolescent struggles to translate the heaviness of heartbreak and humiliation carried by individuals who are left alone with their thoughts long enough to process that weight. The first track, ‘brutal’, sets the atmosphere for the rest of the songs on the album, centering itself around the emotional baggage that comes with failed romance and teen anguish. Her fatigued journey and irritation with the way she is perceived is executed almost to perfection, placing blame on pop culture for romanticizing our youth. Rodrigo illustrates the effects of toxic relationships in ‘1 step forward, 3 steps back’, highlighting the unhealthy dynamic of “walking on eggshells” -- to avoid the inevitable pain and demoralization that comes after
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those shells break -- only to validate that behavior because “the roller coaster is all [she has] ever had.” Rodrigo takes a melancholic approach through self-examination in ‘enough for you,’ seeking validation and reciprocation from a significant other in hopes of making them stay, with a looming fear of eventually being discarded. Rodrigo’s ‘happier’ makes note of faulty “eternal love” promises that have become a trend amongst young couples. The song is more of an outlet for her to cope with the absence of that person, as opposed to raw criticism of the narrative. She addresses the guilt of envy and the unattainable beauty standard in ‘jealousy, jealousy’, and how the pressure to meet societal expectations as a teenager is burdening enough, let alone in the limelight. Her acknowledgment of the “their win is not my loss” perspective demonstrates the type of emotional maturity encouraged in this generation to counteract feelings of insecurity, and how it acts as a temporary mask to suppress those intrusive thoughts until they return. Wrapping up the album, ‘hope ur ok’ speaks to victims of abuse from her past and those casted out by society, as an effort to comfort these individuals with her words. Rodrigo’s ‘Sour’ raised “emotionally in-tune” to a higher level, channeling her innermost feelings into song.
CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST Tyler, the Creator’s studio album ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ topped charts after its release in late June, just in
time to make it onto summer playlists. The album is experimental and nostalgic, boasting monologues about jet-setting, and featuring a unique mix of sounds and voices to narrate his entanglement with a best friend’s lover. ‘Corso’ and ‘Lemonhead’ open with melodic, but chaotic beats, flaunting his wealth, and fortune, without much remorse for his lack of respect towards a relationship that does not involve him. He makes use of Youngboy Never Broke Again and Ty Dolla $ign on ‘Wusyaname’ to portray this infatuation with his love interest and a desperate need to hold her attention, willing to offer anything she desires for reciprocated love. The Lil Wayne feature ignites ‘Hot Wind Blows’ yet again flexing lavishness and greed, in a sense of accomplishment from the hustle to reach that point. ‘Massa’ inverts the focus on materiality, with his vivid lyricism, and gravitates toward personal revelations: “the flower gets its petal, they pluck it but never use it,” and “we only get one life to live.” His shifting perspectives and developing self-respect provide a different type of humanness and vulnerability than previously featured on the album, confronting his reluctance to confide in anyone: “eyes open if I pray ‘cause I can’t trust God either,” and the consequences of being in the spotlight because “everyone [he] ever loved had to be loved in the shadows.” He meditates on his past and the ways in which he has evolved from his controversial past on ‘Manifesto’ and vents about nonconforming to
the expectations people hold against him, criticizing cancel culture. ‘Rise!’ speaks to his haters, stunting on the people who doubted him, and asking them not to leave, so they can watch him succeed, despite all the judgment. Contributors, Lil Uzi and Pharrell Williams, on the bass-heavy ‘Juggernaut’ deliver violent but organized vocals appealing to the central theme of wealth and the privileges that come with it. Typically described as an epic poem, ‘Wilshire’ is a story of an affair between himself and a friend’s lover. The eight-and-a-half-minute-long track goes through the timeline of the relationship, from the moment they meet, to their eventual fallout. When initially weighing his options, jeopardizing the state of his friendship seems like a price worth paying, in order to entertain the affair, but the regret and shame of disrespecting his friend grows more intensely, making the idea almost unthinkable. Similar to Kanye West, he has created a genre of his own, with his experimentality and vision.
DONDA Kanye West has long been a staple in the hip-hop community and has vastly contributed to the evolution of music. His creativity and discography categorizes him into a genre of his own, allowing him to fulfill his own archetype, influencing the sound of an entire generation of artists. His tenth studio album, ‘Donda,’ has been years in the making, and in the months leading up to its billboard-heavy rollout, West hosted stadium-sized listening parties to re-
a&e 27 enact the events which have molded his perspective and worldview. ‘Donda’ holds a persistent theme across the album of the ways in which confiding in maternal wisdom and a devotion to Christianity have helped him progress. Dr. Donda C. West, after whom the album is named, has a presence as a guiding light to lead him through the darkness. The first track, ‘Donda Chant,’ opens with an eerie, disoriented loop of his mother’s name, voiced by Syleena Johnson, imitating the fading heartbeats in her last moments, designed in a way which forces you to visualize her passing. Grappling with bipolar disorder in the public eye is enough to drive anyone away from the madness. On his fourth track, ‘Off The Grid,’ West makes clear that he is not a product of his environment, and severs his connection from a world controlled by the media that has a foothold in so many lives. ‘Hurricane,’ currently dominating in streams over the other tracks, makes use of The Weekend’s euphoric voice to transcend the audience, and underline his newfound three-dimensionality. West’s reverence of God and the faith he now has to withstand the turbulence in his life mirrors his neglect towards family and relationships, while attempting to balance a life that is constantly moving. “Even if you are not ready for the day, it cannot always be night.” An excerpt from “Speech to the Young: Speech to the Progress-Toward” is recited in his mother’s voice as the intro to ‘Praise God.’ The song notes West’s spiritual awakening and how it has sculpted his “new sight” in the face of
adversity. The media and music industry-alike are notorious for demonizing artists, painting them in a negative light, and have proceeded to take advantage of their situations, for West in particular — following claims of his label’s decision to release the album without his consent. ‘Ok Ok’ addresses this betrayal and disloyalty, along with the superficiality in the industry, and the lack of complacency with his current success, striving to accomplish more. West’s frustration with being misunderstood in ‘Believe What I Say’ — sampling Lauryn Hill’s ‘Doo Wop’ — and not being able to get his point across because of how unclear his intentions are, until he finally gets “across and pass the point,” exercises the “ends justify the means” philosophy. The invalidation and pressure to internalize all his feelings is what will “make [him] die early,” not his Twitter presence. ‘24’ pays tribute to Kobe Bryant, expressing West’s exhaustion with carrying the weight of grief, asking God to set him straight because “nothing else ever feels right.” He speaks to his conflicting self with the sentiment that everything will be okay in the end, despite all negativity clouding the air. The opening verse on “Jesus Lord” exposes a raw version of West, touching on regression, anxiety, addiction, and bittersweet memories of his mother. Navigating his grief and despair, hip-hop’s largest ego laments feelings of loneliness and, in some sense, abandonment, while searching for purpose through God. i.scdn.co euphoriazine.com etonline.com static01.nyt.com
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Happier Than Ever Billie Eilish’s journey inwards to find emotional clarity is transformed by the initial gentleness of her voice with growing intensity
Certified Lover Boy Drake’s toxic masculinity and honesty sculpt his views on love, fame, and ambition
The Melodic Blue Baby Keem incorporates a variety of flows across the album, complemented by features: Kendrick Lamar, Don Toliver and Travis Scott
28 a&e
#FreeBritney
Spears continues to fight for freedom on social media By McKenzie Shelton-Lott
F
or years Britney Spears’ safety has been a topic of discussion. Everyone has wondered about Spears’ safety and general health. Recently, for the first time, the public has had their opportunity to hear her side of the story. Spears’ career began in 1992 when she appeared in the cast of the Mickey Mouse Club. She quickly rose to stardom in 1998 (at only 16 years old), after releasing the music video for her hit song ‘Baby One More Time’ and going on tour.
“ This isn’t morally
correct and it should go against human rights.
James Karigianes
Everything changed for Spears in 2006, after her divorce from Kevin Federline. She became a serious party girl and within the next 14 months, she began to spiral out of control. Spears began going through multiple public episodes, including one in Feb. 2007 when she walked into a hair salon and proceeded to shave her own head. Other incidents included Spears attaching a photographer with an umbrella as well as the drama surrounding her high profile custody battle. On Jan. 31, 2008, Spears was hospitalized after an episode. James Spears, her father, was named temporary conservator over Spears and her estate the next day. Since 2009 people have been questioning the safety surrounding the conservatorship. Everything changed in 2019 when her father stepped
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down from his position as conservator due to personal health reasons. During his time away, Jodi Montgomery, Spears’ care manager, took over as conservator. In 2020, Spears made it abundantly clear that she preferred Montgomery over her father as her conservator. This simple idea that she preferred Montgomery, not only confirmed everyone’s suspicions about the conservatorship, but sparked a worldwide movement called #FreeBritney. When #FreeBritney began trending, speculation also began to skyrocket. People all over the world analyzed her posts, past performances and even her family’s behavior. Many people believe that the #FreeBritney movement created a larger platform for Spears to make her voice heard and speak about her side of this story. “We are only hearing about this now, so this has opened up a bigger space for her. Especially since there are so many people in support of her. It is definitely helping the cause,” sophomore James Karigianes stated. Many questioned the judge’s decision to place James Spears as Spears’ conservator. People wondered why her father and the judge believed that Spears could perform all over the world but that she could not manage her own finances. “I think she deserves more freedom. This isn’t morally correct and it should go against human rights,” Karigianes said. In one particular instance, videos began surfacing of one of her performances from 2018 when she claimed to be sick. During the concert she stated, “I am about to pass out and I am sick. I have, actually, a 102 fever right now.” This was once again brought up in May 2019 in transcripts from a closed-door court hearing in which she called it the “scariest moment of her life.” This alarmed many of her fans. “It seems like they make her perform no matter how she’s feeling at the end of the day. I could not imagine feeling that way, especially around your father. You’re supposed to feel loved and safe,” junior Ann Zernich said.
What seemed to be the most alarming part of this entire situation is the fact that many people did not know that this was going on. “I would have never noticed without all of the TikTok and Instagram posts. I am sure we are only hearing the beginning of it. I can only imagine the full story,” Zernich stated. Fans attempted to analyze Spears’ posts, more specifically her TikToks. People began to grow more and more concerned as in her posts she seemed to be distraught. Her audience even believed that she was trying to leave them a message and they began trying to decode it. As #FreeBritney grows, so does the amount of information presented. Fans have been able to observe and analyze different parts of Spears’
life based on her own words. She stated that she felt this conservatorship was “abusive” and that it has done “way more harm than good.” She also stated that she’s “always been scared of her father.” Montgomery has even come out and asked the courts, as well as the media if anyone really believes that Mr. Spears’ involvement is in the best interest of his daughter. As of Sep. 7, 2021, James Spears filed to end the conservatorship stating that the conservatorship “has helped Ms. Spears get through a major life crisis” but that “recently, things have changed.” Many believe that Mr. Spears filed for the legal agreement to end due to the severe backlash he has faced recently. He stated that he has received death threats and hateful messages as a result of his daughter speaking out. Fans all over the world have heard Spears cry out to the courts to let her have her life back and while this story is still developing, it has become abundantly clear that #FreeBritney has given her case more hope than ever. Ultimately, it is all up to the judge but the movement will continue to fight until she is free.
courtesy pixabay.com
Battle for the
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N E E R C S BIG
Superhero cinema debate rages on between DCEU and MCU
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By Joe Byington
arvel and DC have been rivals since the two were created, and they have been the two kingpins when it comes to superhero comics. It is only fitting that as they venture into their respective cinematic universes, they would start rivaling each other at the box office as well. Early on, Marvel took control of the superhero movie scene, while DC fell behind and struggled to catch up. However, with some of the recent movies that have come out, they have made efforts to try to catch up to Marvel. DC has stayed relevant mainly thanks to their cartoons, TV shows and comic books. Their movies have been considered by critics to be subpar in relation to Marvel, with few moments where DC does well, such as with their Batman films. Lately, however, there have been a lot of new DC movies that have received praise, which definitely helps their case while competing with Marvel. Disney, who owns the Marvel Franchise, recently purchased 21st Century Fox, which includes the Deadpool and X-Men properties, so Marvel’s horizons have recently broadened exceptionally. This can be seen as a good or bad thing - only time can tell whether it will hurt or help the MCU, which is currently in Phase Four. It has been confirmed that the MCU plans to venture into the Multiverse. The new Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer confirms that there will be plenty of alternate timelines. There was also the season finale of Loki, which revealed a potentially major villain to face. A lot of people are excited to see what Marvel does with their new movies. “I’m excited for the new stuff they’re doing,” junior Tyler Eenhuis said. “There’s a lot they’re going to be able to do with the new expansion.” The DCEU has had a lot of hits as well as a lot of misses. They created The Dark Knight, and they have had a lot of hits recently, such as The Sui-
cide Squad, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Shazam and Joker. They have had their fair share of misses too, however, like Batman vs. Superman and Birds of Prey. Their biggest struggle so far has been creating a universe in which the movies link together. Even
“ DC hasn’t been close to Marvel since Iron Man.
Tyler Eenhuis
though they’ve had Justice League movies, there have not been any movies comparable to The Avengers saga, where we get a big team up. This has to do partially because there were a lot of characters we had never even had the chance to meet before. Marvel has done a good job at introducing everyone and getting everyone to understand each character, before beginning to let them start interacting together. DC has mostly failed to do anything of that status. “DC hasn’t been close to Marvel since Iron Man. The Dark Knight was the only thing DC did well for the longest time,” Eenhuis said. DC’s problems have been claimed by some to be their characters and their casting, but that has rarely been the problem, with castings like those of Ben Affleck as Batman, Jason Momoa as Aquaman and the rest of the Justice League characters. The casting is great even in the newer Suicide Squad movie. They brought back Margot Robbie to play Harley Quinn, and casted new members like John Cena to play Peacemaker, Idris Elba as Bloodsport and Sylvester Stallone as King Shark. So, their casting is certainly not the problem; the problem has to do with the
fact that there is not much of a relationship with any of these characters, unlike Marvel, who has made the audience grow attached to even the smallest side characters. DC’s failure to do this makes it seem as if fans just do not like the actor and the character. It is the filmmakers who are at fault. DC has incredible potential, with their comic books and characters being extremely highly regarded, as well as stories that they can build off of. They have so much that they can work with, but that is only if they decide to create movies that build attachment to characters with a high overarching villain, like what Marvel did with Thanos. If they can do this, it will open up so many opportunities. This could involve them venturing into the multiverse and introducing an extremely high amount of characters, some of which that nobody has met before. If they can do this with success, they have a chance to catch up. There are many who feel that Marvel failed to create a Civil War that lived up to the comic book version. If DC’s own version can be created with success, it has potential to create some competition in the movie scene. There is potential for both universes.
The only difference is that Marvel has already used up their biggest stories with Civil War and the Infinity Saga - DC has hardly scratched the surface. However, Marvel is continuing to release content so DC needs to start revamping their universe soon. They need to start introducing a large amount of characters - they have already done that with Shazam and Aquaman and Wonder Woman. They can continue to introduce characters that can come together and provide the material for intricate and complete sagas. There is nothing but untapped potential on the DC side, and if they pull it off, they will have nowhere to go but up. Still, Marvel has only continued to succeed in their ventures, so it will be interesting to see where they both go.
dccomics.com marvel.com
September 2021
30 a&e
Bystander 9/11
Advanced Studies Theatre class honors 9/11 victims with tribute play By Ameya Naduvalath
G
ator theatre tackled the show “Bystander 9/11” by Meron Langsner, which describes the week following the tragedies of 9/11. The show was rehearsed and eventually performed on Sept. 10 and 11. In the past, the theatre program, under direction of Jennifer Hemme, has presented many musicals varying from “RENT” to the world premiere of “17 Again.” Last year, the quarantine introduced a variety of challenges, and Hemme discussed jumping back into a routine after losing the chance to perform regularly in 2020. “It is really hard to teach theater online, and to connect with students. That’s what theater is - it is connection. So not having that was really challenging,” Hemme said. “I think everyone is excited to do a piece. They are anxious to perform again so they have to move very fast to be prepared for each class period, each rehearsal, for us to get it all done in time.” Senior Sophia De Lima first joined the theatre program sophomore year and feels eager to perform again. “It is really great to finally be doing a production here at school, performing, and putting myself out there again,” De Lima said. “The whole point of [theatre] is connection and chemistry, and not having people there in a scene with you is really hard because you’re not feeding off the energy that they’re giving.” “Connection” is one of the major factors of this play specifically, which
is why the cast’s main focus in the weeks leading up to the event was getting into the right mind frame by being as genuine as possible. “If you see the script, it only looks like it was meant for three people, mostly written from the narrator’s perspective, and then there are two other people,” De Lima said. “Technically we are all playing different people at different times. We are trying to focus on what we’re doing in a moment and then transitioning to that kind of character.” This proved to be challenging, as the event occurred at least two or three years before any of the cast members were even born. “We all got to do some homework: look up videos of what happened in 2001, know who was around that time and we all had to create our own emotions, our own movement, our own planes of where we are going to go and who we’re talking to,” said sophomore Alana Marie Ching-Sam. “[Hemme] gave us that all-ability to just create a character.” The research and creativity ele-
Simran Arya
SPEECHLESS - Members of the Advanced Theatre class gasp in shock during the performance of ‘Bystander 9/11.’ The class presented three different shows on Sept. 10 and 11.
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ments ensure that the actors understand their expectations and implementing the knowledge can ease this task. Learning the background of the event was vital for the proper execu-
the viewing audience. “As far as CCSD policies, they don’t have to wear a mask while they’re performing. The audience will be socially distanced, and when
tion of this production. “I think it is a very unique opportunity to get a perspective on why that day is so memorable and so difficult for so many people. It’s going to be very eye-opening,” Hemme said before the show. “Part of acting is putting yourself into the character’s point of view, so it’s important for the students to have the opportunity to research and understand real topics that actually affected people instead of funsy little fantasy things all the time. Real things are important.” Hemme’s biggest concerns were the COVID-19 restrictions and producing a play that complied with these limitations. “Because it is class, we won’t have any after-school rehearsals until the week of the show. [Students] will have to be tested if they are not vaccinated-- most of the class is vaccinated,” Hemme said. “I’m trying to keep people socially distanced on stage as much as possible.” Regardless of any constraints, the cast performed an informative, earnest, and compassionate manner for
they purchase a ticket, it’ll automatically socially distance them,” Hemme said. “The actors are far enough away from the audience that they fall within that range of safety.” US history classes, first responders, and military personnel were invited to view the show for free to honor emergency workers who responded to the attacks and gave their lives to save countless others. “I think it is a piece that deserves to be seen,” Hemme said. “It is something that the students worked really hard on to be authentic and honest on their portrayal of the characters that really lived through that experience.” Sophomore Anthony Rasmussen watched Gator Theatre perform after hearing about the production through their Instagram account. “They showed clips of the actual 9/11 event, and they had the callings of talking to their loved ones on the crash.” Rasmussen said. “I felt it was informative and gave a good inside view of what it was like to be in New York and being someone that lived there.”
Liliana Burke
a&e 31
Back to the Banks
netflix.com
Netflix hit releases second season making a splash
A
By Kinsley Priebe
n adventure ensues on an island divided. The working class pogues who live in the South vs. the prosperous kooks who live in the North. On Apr. 15, 2020, Netflix came out with a new original tv show called “Outer Banks.” Having only two, ten episode seasons, it has taken young adults by storm since then. With its mysterious and drama full sun soaked scene. It has yet to leave fans unsatisfied. As the hysteria wore down over the popular Netflix show, “Tiger King,” a true crime docuseries revolving around Joe Exotic and Carol Baskin. Outer Banks swooped in and stole the spectacle. Ranking at number one for nine days on the Netflix “Top 10” list, it has yet to only earn a 78 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.6 out of 10 on IMDB. There are not a lot of in between reviews about this show, people either love it or hate it. Set in a coastal town of North Carolina, the show follows pogue John B, played by actor Chase Stokes who has acted before but only gained his popularity because of Outer Banks (OBX for short). As he searches for his missing father, he recruits his three best friends
JJ, Pope, and Kiara to hunt for a legendary treasure, which they discover is tied to the disappearance of his father. This journey places them all in imminent danger and near death ex-
is immense. Almost every episode ends with some sort of cliffhanger whether it is if a character gets away, is killed, or gets caught the need to keep watching is always there.
The drama, the love, the mystery, oh and I just cannot handle the suspense...
Paige Brown
periences as they evade the corrupt police officers. “Outer Banks is so amazing! The drama, the love, the mystery, oh and I just cannot handle the suspense. It’s too much, now I have to go binge watch it all over again!” freshman Paige Brown said. There are many adjectives one could use to describe this show. Although dramatic covers it pretty well. The gripping suspense of this show
Per most teen centered shows the characters have a sort of fun and carefree attitude to them. OBX does a great job portraying this as they continue to defy the law and disobey their parents. It also does a good job of showing how under all of that there are still individual issues they all deal with. There are some realistic aspects to the plot of this show, but there are a lot more unrealistic ones. Neverthe-
less, that is what makes the show so much more interesting to watch. The possibilities of the plot are huge due to the fact that almost anything could happen. Madeyline Cline, who plays Sarah in OBX and becomes John B’s girlfriend, also gained her popularity from the show, yet she can also be spotted in season two of Stranger Things. Cline and Stokes began receiving speculations of a relationship outside of the show in April of 2020. Nothing was confirmed until Stokes made an Instagram post in June of them on a picnic captioned “cats outta the bag”. The wonderful trope of found family is continuous throughout all twenty episodes. The bond only grows deeper between them as it seems the whole world turns against these five teenagers. This show is a 9 out of 10. The mystery pulls viewers in while the detail and suspense grasps them. Sometimes the plot can get a little hectic because of the extreme possibilities, but that just adds to the fun. For people who have thought about watching it but have not yet, it is highly recommended. Even for those who think it may be overrated, theres no harm in giving it a try. It may be surprising with how good it is and become a favorite.
September 2021
32 a&e
Different culture of cartoon
“
Japanese animation gains international popularity By Brenna Knight
O
ver the course of the prolonged pandemic, students have been finding various ways to entertain themselves. Multiple shows have become popular, catching the interests of the bored, including shows such as Outer Banks, All American, etc. At the same time, however, Japanese animation has also caught the eyes of many viewers. Anime (Japanese animation) has multiple genres to accommodate to your liking; Slice of life, romance, shonen (animation targeted more towards young males), action and more; There are plenty of genres to choose from. For senior Jasmine Pacheco, her favorite anime are Durarara (action fiction/thriller), Free! (sports drama), and Mob Psycho 100 (action/comedy). Not only are the multitudes of genres a great factor to what makes anime so enjoyable, the immensely detailed animations really pull together the stories and the plot lines they have to offer. “I say those are my favorite because I could watch them repeatedly and not get tired of them if that makes sense. They also keep me entertained,” Pacheco said. Stories these authors and artists generate are truly amazing, and have clear differences with animation in the west. Popular western books, such as the Harry Potter series have movies based on them, similarly there are anime based on manga. Manga is a style of Japanese comic or graphic novel/book. Although, there are some anime that are not rooted from manga, and vice versa. Popularity for many anime have risen as this part of Japanese culture is becoming more main-
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All the attention got one foot in the gate of anime and most people got hooked once they started watching more and more.
Elyse Gamiao
stream. According to Epicstream, a Buzzfeed-like website featuring anime, Korean dramas, etc, the most popular anime as decided between 187 countries is Naruto. The runner ups in popularity are Attack On Titan, Pokemon, and One Piece. The data was measured by Google Search and Google Trend popularity. While the years go by, animation has improved tremendously in multiple aspects being animation style, plot, and character development; and watching anime improve over the years has been interesting to watch and experience. The animation over the years has vastly been refined and focused on detail. In comparison to Sailor Moon or Dragon Ball Z, anime such as Jujutsu Kaisen or My Hero Academia has a much more modern design, which is more appealing for the audience to watch. “I have watched anime since I was a little kid, but I have gotten more into it over the past couple of years. I got into anime because I love the art, plot, and it sort of became a huge thing recently which brought my attention even further into it,” sophomore Elyse Gamiao said. As anime became more wanted and desired, social media curat-
ed an aesthetic for it. This aesthetic can falsely bring in an audience who only watch anime for it being ‘trendy’ and not appreciate it for what it is. Although this audience is hypocritical because most of the viewers who are watching for the trend, are those who previously made fun of anime and did not have an open mind at the thought of anime. “Before it became a ‘trend’ a lot of people thought that people who watched anime were weirdos - at least from the stereotypes I have heard in the past,” sophomore Elyse Gamiao said. “I think there was all this prejudice because a lot of people didn’t watch anime. So their general opinion about it was something like ‘only geeks watch those lame cartoons’.” Despite the negatives of being into anime for the aesthetics, it might not be a bad thing to be into anime for the trend. The animation might appeal to the audience so much that they change their opinion and gen-
uinely enjoy the animations. “Honestly, I get why some people would say that watching anime just for the aesthetic of it ‘isn’t how it’s supposed to be’ or that ‘it’s wrong’, but all the attention got one foot in the gate of anime and most people got hooked once they started watching more and more,” Gamiao said. The animation has been a topic talked amongst teens for quite some time now. The criticism that comes along with the fans who have watched has been something to be insecure about and hide from society. Since anime has become more internationally popular, the stereotype around the fans has been less extreme. While the backlash on this topic has died down, there is still minimal criticism, especially on those who show their support for anime. “I definitely think people who watch anime get judged in a way, but I also feel like it has to do with how they present themselves, if that makes sense. Some people revolve their life around anime and can’t tell the difference from fantasy and reality and that’s where I think it’s borderline,” senior Jasmine Pacheco said. Anime should not be looked down upon, but rather it should be seen as any other type of media. As this part of Japanese culture expands internationally, it has become more natural to hear from others and be welcomed. Basing opinions off stereotypes can stop people from seeing some of the best shows that the genre has to offer.
opinion 33
?
Lost in the hallways
Classes of ‘24 and ‘25 explore brand new school after hiatus
I
By Nathan Paet
magine this: the last time you were on a school campus prior to the distance learning gap year was in middle school, and then suddenly you are a high school sophomore. This year’s class of 2024 and 2025 students had to go through exactly that on Aug. 9, 2021, the first day of school for every CCSD student. This year’s learning curve that this set of underclassmen students face is inexplicably difficult for anyone that is not aware of the severity of not having a smooth transition from middle school to high school. Typically, you would be able to prepare yourself for high school by being taught the right things in eighth grade. The underclassmen this year did not have the opportunity to properly go over material for required courses headed into high school, as well as the fact that they were unable to grow themselves and mature as people throughout their last year, or in the case of freshmen, last years of middle school. However, freshmen had to go through their eighth grade year on a computer screen, and sophomores had only completed half of their eighth grade year prior to jumping straight into high school. For both of the freshmen and sophomores, their last year of in-person school prior to the year of online schooling was in middle school. Things like the size of the school, two floors and what seems to be an endless amount of hallways, four times the amount of students that clutter the campus, and more classes with more teachers and classmates to get familiar with. On paper it seems like the underclassmen this year have a lot more than just the troubles of a new school year. Sophomore Christian Santos is one the thousands of underclassmen that had to go through a first day of high school without a proper middle school sendoff. “It took a couple of days to get it down. The school is definitely bigger, two floors, there’s a lot more kids,
and the kids are so much older and mature,” Santos said. For many students, such as Santos, a week or two into school would be enough for the proper adjustment. Though, a few weeks may not be enough for some. There are still plenty of underclassmen still struggling to adapt to their new-unfamiliar surroundings of high school rather than middle school. The betterment of a student’s learning comes from the environment that they learn in. With this in mind, students need every resource that they can get their hands on in order to help themselves get acclimated with high school. Whether that be clubs to get them involved, or other students and classmates that are able to sympathize with the hardships of starting high school, there is always a way that people can find comfort in a
time of confusion. The environment, nonetheless, could also be extremely detrimental to a students’ ability to succeed. With new environments, there are bound to be new challenges that arise in which students, underclassmen this year especially, must learn how to overcome and work through rather than let it hold them back. Teachers have had a vital role in assisting students adjust to the high school climate and atmosphere. They have always been a consistent resource that you could go to in the case that you do need help. This year however, they seem to have more on their plate given that the underclassmen need to play catch up due to virtual learning. When you are in the habit of logging on a computer screen and not having the teacher-student connec-
tion that is essential to learning, then jumping right into school and being forced to face “normality” again. Having that connection with a teacher may be one of the most challenging parts of this year for a lot of students. “Overall, there wasn’t as much I had to worry about… In the beginning, they were also very helpful when it came to adjusting,” Santos said. What seems to be a layoff year that many students take to get back into the habit of schooling, underclassmen may take this opportunity to get in the habit of getting into high school in itself. During these times of what seems to be the end of the world to many, The many challenges that they face will and can be detrimental to their scholastic success, but in a matter of time they will adjust to the high school atmosphere.
Neyta Flores Esquer
September 2021
34 pro/con
Grading policy debate adds New requirements helps students stay on track
By Jeremy Anderson
A
completely revamped grading system has been introduced to the school district, and not only will it give students more flexibility, but it will also give them every opportunity to pass and succeed in their courses. As it is known, 2020 was one of the most difficult school years of recent memory. Distance learning created an added stress most students had not experienced before, leading to a large uptick in failing grades across the county. By the end of last school year, Superintendent Jesus Jara introduced potential grading policy changes for the 2021-22 school year to fellow educators throughout the district. Those potential grading policy changes were implemented into multiple schools. These changes will push students to new heights in their ability to pass, succeed, and graduate with flying colors. Increased passing and graduation rates will give students more confidence in their own abilities at school, and will also improve the school’s look. One of the biggest changes is the 75/25% split when it comes to summative and formative assessments,
respectively. Summative assessments refer to quizzes, tests, and other assignments that tend to cover a specific unit. As these are 75% of a student’s grade, the grade received on these is what will most likely determine a final quarter or semester grade. Formative assessments are the “practice” for the summative assessments. This can include assignments such as vocabulary in a government class, a problem sheet in math, etc. The focus on practice-oriented assignments plays a large role in absorbing knowledge and understanding it rather than just memorizing it, which the previous grading policies used to set students up for, often leading to great struggles. More advantageous to students, though, is the minimum 50% policy, ability to retake assessments, and the removal of late work penalties. The minimum 50% policy regards both quarter and semester grades, to which even if a quarter grade falls below 50%, it will be raised and finalized at minimum 50%. “That minimum 50% really boosts the school’s GPA,” Stoll said, “And it helps students maintain way better grades, too.” Specifically, as freshmen and sophomores are the main group of those who take the full course load
Kristel Alfaro Borbon
The InvestiGator
of 8 classes, those aforementioned changes act to benefit them the most. If a fourteen or fifteen year old is barely learning to handle school after COVID-19 shut schools down, imagine how difficult it is for them to handle eight in-person classes under the previous grading format. Underclassmen would be put under greater pressure than ever before if nothing was changed. “Loads get taken off their shoulders knowing there are safeguards in place to really help them out,” Stoll said, “I wish we had this a few years ago.” In terms of retakes, the ability to retake assessments varies per teacher, but the general guideline is a student must schedule to retake within 3-5 days of the original test date, giving plenty of time to both the student and teacher to set aside time for the retake. Lastly, late work penalties are no longer in effect for any assignment, outside of tests, granting the essence of time to students across campus. “I really don’t stress about deadlines anymore,” Stoll said, “ I mean I know I can turn in work a bit later without consequences.” As such, many students view that they’ll have an easier time this year than ever before, considering the fact
that they now have the ability to retake, and will no longer have to rush over a plethora of formative assignments. “To people who disagree with the changes,” Stoll said, “I’d say it’s now about actually learning stuff and not stressing over a letter grade.” Although there is no longer a late work penalty, there are still various “late” work deadlines, including a week before the end of each quarter. As the other side is bound to say that this will encourage students to wait to the last minute, there is very much still an urgency to turn in assignments as close to, if not at the deadline to avoid an overload of work at the end of each deadline. “Deadlines still make people work at a certain pace,” Stoll said, “I know I’m not gonna overwork myself at the very end of the quarter.” Another suggested negative apart from the new changes, regards how teachers will be overloaded with late work that will make their job even harder. However, as suggested, students are not going to wait until the last minute, and teachers have to give students a middle ground. “They have to understand we have seven other classes and their work isn’t more important than anyone else’s,” Stoll said.
pro/con 35
new aspect to school work Gradebook overhaul creates numerous issues
By Brandon Anderson
O
n Aug. 9, 2021, students walked into their classes and were told by teachers that CCSD had implemented a new grading system largely devoid of student accountability. As many teachers and students would come to realize, the new system would effectively alter many of the rules students had known for their entire educational careers. With many students returning to on-campus learning this fall, there have been numerous discussions around the educational system as to how much of a crutch students should be given in terms of readjusting to a more traditional learning environment. Some policymakers believe that students must be eased back into school after a distance learning campaign that saw grades fall across the board; some teachers and administrators argue that students should be held accountable for their work and should not be coddled. “We want students to show mastery of standards, we want to give them opportunities to show that they can do things,” English teacher Catherine Davis said. “At the same time, the real world has deadlines like college has deadlines.” Students procrastinating their assignments is nothing new in the realm of education, but in past grading policies there were consequences. Late work penalties long served as a form of reinforcement that would largely encourage students to get their work turned in on time. For many students, the potential of losing points for a late
assignment was the only thing keeping them from completely drifting off course in their studies. Now policymakers in CCSD have unofficially supported procrastination by removing the ability for teachers to penalize students for late work. What has transpired with this policy is nothing short of normalizing laziness amongst the student body, something that could form lifelong bad habits in students. For many, the writing on the wall is clear as day. Now that students know they almost
the implementation of this policy, students can just as easily write down the correct answers and turn in their assignment the next day for full credit. This may not seem like a big deal to most, but it actively deprives students of an understanding of their mistakes and instead prioritizes efficiency over comprehension. Contrary to popular opinion, new regulations surrounding retaking summative assessments also pose problems. The seemingly righteous ‘second chance’ could cause some
have an entire quarter to turn in assignments without penalty, it is likely that some students will allow their work to pile up until the end of the grading period. Essentially, the new late work policy eliminates any existing incentives for students to stay up to date with their course material. New regulations regarding the retaking of summative and formative assignments further complicates the matter. The revised policy states that students will be allowed to redo any and all assignments from the current grading period. In theory, this policy sounds great, but a closer look reveals its shortcomings. For instance, many teachers review assignments in class and reveal the answers to the aforementioned work. Through
students to view their first attempt as a practice run that doesn’t matter. Teachers already struggled to get their students to study for exams in the past, but with students being given a second opportunity there could be an even larger disinterest in studying. Cheating is also at the forefront of many educators’ minds as the summative reassessment policy gives students the advantage of knowing what to expect on the exam in specificity. This change in policy has forced many teachers to find new ways to ensure test security and fairness across the board. There is only so much that can be done to change a test however, meaning that students who retake assessments have seen the assessment
already in some form. Thus, the summative retake policy is not indicative of a student understanding a topic, rather it only displays that a student can memorize a few details. “We don’t want students to be able to predict their whole outcome [on retakes]. We want to give them an opportunity where they can circle back and relearn concepts and prove their mastery on that summative reassessment,” Davis stated. The retake policy also diminishes the hard work of exceptional students who s p e n d numerous hours each week studying and completing their assignments. In essence, this policy tells hard working students that their commitment to education is deserving of the same treatment as students who do not commit themselves to their schoolwork. This is obviLiberty Cote ously a disheartening thing for high-achieving students, and once again, eliminates any reason for students to go above and beyond what is asked of them. Possibly the largest overlooked aspect of the new grading system is the inevitability of educators being stuck with considerable amounts of work to grade at the end of the quarter. As any teacher would agree, the end of each grading period are often the busiest parts of the year. Therefore, it is not surprising that teachers are already feeling the pressure. “We’ve all just been through the craziest school year ever, so the timing of this [policy] was really hard to swallow,” Davis said “It just seemed kind of tone deaf to everything that we have all just been through.”
September 2021
36 opinion
Repressed Expression
Students nationwide fight against dress code regulations By Neyta Flores Esquer
E
ver since women began to even attend school, there has been a limit to what they can and cannot wear. Across the country, five-year-old girls starting kindergarten are forced to stray away from tank tops or certain bottoms. Middle schoolers get sent to the Dean’s office for leggings or a rip in their jeans. Fifteen years olds get reprimanded for showing midriff. These things have led young girls, and students overall, to question if the dress code directly discriminates against female students. Over the years, the evolving public school dress code has continued to objectify and affect women and their bodies to the point where it has made them uncomfortable, thus making female students question why their clothing choices and bodies have become the focal point of their school discipline offices on a daily basis. These girls are continuously worried, and simply uneasy about the fact that people are consistently looking at them and their bodies while making assumptions and evaluations about them based on their choices of clothing. To this very day, female students - or girls in general - who make certain clothing choices, such as a shirt that shows their shoulders, or a skirt that is a little shorter than others deem “professional,” get perceived in a certain way for it, along with having to deal with the consequences given by the school staff. In an attempt at avoiding school referrals, young girls are forced to perceive themselves as immature, unprofessional and raunchy for simply showing their shoulders or other parts of their body or else they will be punished by their school staff. When girls wake up and choose their outfit, they have the underlying thought in the back of their head wondering if they will get dress-coded that day. Male students rarely ever even think that thought. A big part of why women are fighting this fight is not because
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they want to “show off their bodies” at school, nor is it because women are searching for some sort of excuse to go against rules. It is because of control, conformity. These girls are choosing to be vocal and going against authority because the situation makes them uncomfortable. Schools across the country, across the globe even, are controlling what girls can and cannot wear, along with picking and choosing who to punish. The Clark County School District dress code states that a shirt must have a minimum of three-inch straps or else it is dress code, and it is illogical because not every girl has the same body type. Three inches to one girl may be very different to another. This logic is similar with plenty of other rules, such as tank tops and skirts only being allowed a mid-thigh. Young female students have different body types, at differ-
ent ages. An analysis of dress codes in Washington D.C. (by the National Women’s Law Center ) quite literally showed that public high schools found the rules still largely falling on female students, most specifically due to their body types and how they look in their skirts, shorts, midriffs and shoulders. Growing up as a female student in the Clark County School District, the evolution of the school dress code has been quite frustrating. In middle school, twelve-year-old female students would get dress-coded for leggings and a sweatshirt, having a single rip in their jeans or showing the slightest bit of midriff (even with a cover-up). When one would get dress-coded, the consequence options were either wearing a shirt that said “Tomorrow I will Dress for Success” or getting sent home. School d i s tricts
and dress codes claim that the rules are set in place to keep the educational setting professional and make sure education itself is not interrupted; however, schools have no shame disrupting class time to send these girls to the office or even back home. Looking through the rebuttals for the said dress code, there are reasonable ones. School rules are set in place to impose order, which is understandable in such a setting. To avoid violence, crime, etc, in schools, they impose rules such as avoiding bandanas, hoods, etc. Moreover, certain dress code rules are out of hand, such as the ones directed towards young girls. Tank tops being against dress code in the state of Nevada, at almost 120 degree heat is frustrating. Straps have to be, as stated before, at least three inches wide to be worn; in other words, they must be covering one’s shoulder. And along with different body types affecting this rule, something as simple as the weather is something female students cannot control. Along with this, there are parents, during this pandemic, having to go out of their way to find clothes in dress code, or simply worrying about if the clothes bought are in dress code or not. These families expecting a warm welcome back to school after being gone for over a year have instead been given added stress due to districts around the country micromanaging female students and their wardrobe. Overall, there are so many underlying problems with dress codes and their subliminal target towards women, but because it takes quite a while to create some sort of large, societal, women-oriented change, all they ask for is peace when it comes to their bodies. There still must be some sort of order, but let women wear their tank tops, their shorts, etc. Allow women to feel at ease going to school, or anywhere, in what they feel content in. Stop shaking your head at these young women for simply being free and wearing what makes them comfortable and confident.
opinion 37
Back to B L O C K
Students struggle to adjust to new schedule
Brenna Knight
By Simona Grigonis
C
hanging times and changing circumstances call for new routines. Through the years students have gotten used to the simple six class, forty-five minute class periods. During the online filled school year of 2020-2021, Green Valley High School made the switch to an eight class block schedule. This new routine has a beneficial intention, yet has caused much controversy amongst returning and incoming students. Back in the Spring of 2020, when news of the block schedule started circulating the halls, resentment of this idea was pretty well-known. The typical student’s immediate response varied from feeling uneasy to immense annoyance; the sole idea of having to sit through more classes for longer periods of time made students overall dread the school year. It is now the second year of the school’s block schedule, and the many talks about this collective experience being online concludes that very few
students were able to stay completely active and productive in their classes. The student collective hates to admit it and while it is unfair to place the blame on students put into such odd circumstances, it is undeniably true. “Last year, it was just kind of a mess,” sophomore Connor Slay said. “It didn’t feel like a block schedule when you were at home rather than at school. Here you actually get to feel the block schedule.” Although it was much easier to sit through the “block” period during online classes, many students are actually finding in-person blocks more refreshing and not tedious. This may be because many teachers have chosen to not teach from bell to bell and rather give students time to work and get caught up. Students are finding this much more productive whether or not it is the teacher’s intention. Some teachers have found that it is not as easy to teach from bell to bell for an hour and a half, which incidentally has played to students’ advantage. The idea of longer classes in addition to more classes sounds like a
dull and long school day. However, when it comes to electives, students can learn and experience things they truly enjoy. These classes are full of topics specific to their interests and future career desires, which many students lack in their core classes. Core classes and credit requirements widely limit the electives students may take. Although the school provides various specific electives all the way from business to fashion design, many students are unable to take them. A positive aspect of the block schedule is that with more class periods, there is more room for students to take electives. Without the block schedule in past years, many upperclassmen are just now being able to take classes they have always desired to take. “That’s one thing that I really like about this school, that it has a lot of electives and it helps people better understand what they like,” Slay said. “[Block Schedule] gives a lot more opportunities for people to decide what they want to do.” A specific group of students that
the block schedule has come to affect is the rigorous International Baccalaureate program, which focuses on diving deeper into specific topics in the core subjects. The IB program has taken a hit in past years, with the schedule not allowing the program to truly be built like it should be. Each year, less and less students participate in the program because of how crammed and complicated it had been for students to schedule their classes into six periods. The limitation being that short classes do not allow students to delve deeper into discussions which is the basis of the IB program. “IB classes are small in terms of the number of students, so we do have a lot of discussion based days,” senior Sohini Mandal said. “I think that discussions require a lot of class time, which is something the block schedule allows for. I think that in some classes I would rather be covering the material daily just so that I can get a better grasp of the material.” In terms of confusion for the entirety of the student collective, this seemingly simple block schedule has caused an uprising in confusion and going to the wrong classes on the wrong days - possibly one of the most embarrassing mistakes that now happens on a daily basis. Even being a month into the school year, students are still struggling and even overthinking the layout of the block schedule. Even lunch, the most popular “period,” has caused confusion for many students as they have different lunches on A days and B days. “I have a different lunch every day, it switches and for the life of me I cannot get used to that,” Mandal said. “It’s either at 10:49 or 12:15 and it’s such a wide difference in terms of when I go to lunch.” The typical past school schedule was always straight to the point, easy to follow, with the same daily routine. Students would get so used to the routine that they would walk straight to class, with no thought - almost like robots roaming the halls. Now, each day talk of whether it is an A day or B day echo through the halls as students prepare to go to their first class of the day.
September 2021
38 opinion
the
Paradox of CHOICE
How people become unmotivated by an abundance of decisions By Sowmya Kumar
A
fish in a fishbowl speaks to another fish. “You can be anything you want to be—no limitations,” the fish says to the other fish. Your first thought is probably something like, “well this fish is dumb because it is obviously trapped in the fishbowl, where there are limits.” An obvious solution to overcome this would be to provide an escape from the fishbowl, opening up an endless number of possibilities on what the fish could do. Though by breaking away from the trapped normalcy of the fishbowl, it leads to paralysis, which eventually results in the death of the fish. This is the paradox of choice, where having an abundance of options can leave you with a choice you are unsatisfied with, or not making one at all. In a society where we are taught to grow as individuals, we value maximizing our freedoms and one way to do so is to increase the number of choices we have. And thanks to the rise of the beloved Internet and social media platforms, opportunities are at our fingertips. Create Pinterest collages to fuel your Y2K obsession, network with entrepreneurs on LinkedIn, or shoot your shot at becoming the next Addison Rae on TikTok. Safe to say, it can be overwhelming. As American novelist Jonathan Safran Foer once said, “Sometimes I can hear my bones straining under the weight of all the lives I’m not living.” But how does it impact kids in the classroom? With experiencing the aftereffects of online learning in the pandemic, students have choices that are more abundant than ever. Outside video lectures, post-lecture recordings, or other technological aids are all alternatives to the sole live-inperson option students thought was their stand-alone choice. With this, there can be positives like making money from a part-time job on the side, as you can take online courses at your own time and pace. Though even something as simple as sending out messages for the club you are a part of on campus can get complicated. Should you choose Remind, email, Discord, or through
papers and the word of mouth to let members know about important announcements? This kind of complicated game of this or that can quickly negatively impact your motivation levels when it comes to even thinking about studying. If you spend so much time contemplating over how you should choose to learn a new piece of information, you end up losing a lot of energy you could have dedicated to actually learning the content. Although, students are not the only people in an educational setting that have been struggling to choose something that creates the best results. On the other side of the coin, pandemic learning has greatly affected the teaching methods educators use when presenting lessons to their students. And now that we have
Elyse Gamiao
The InvestiGator
been slowly coming back to in-person learning, teachers are faced with using traditional methods of teaching or branch out to experiment with new apps, software, or visual aids that can boost memory retention of the material they are presenting. So now the main problem is overcoming dealing with this choice overload in a consumerist society? And well, it’s difficult, to say the least. When asking Psychology teacher Ms. Rasmussen about her thoughts on how teenagers can control the number of decisions presented to them, she echoed the same thoughts. “It’s hard because you’re trying to make a kid be extremely insightful about themselves. And when it’s right now as a teenager, you’re growing your independence, your confidence,
and it’s hard to have someone tell you no,” Rasmussen said. One way is to recognize that sometimes, limitations can be good. Though, this is not to say that having choices is bad. “Kids love choices. You go to Dutch Bros and there’s 1,000,001 choices. Now is that overwhelming or is that the freedom to choose and try different things?” Rasmussen said. But narrowing down your options can help you focus on the few choices you have in front of you. How else are you supposed to choose the right birthday fit on Princess Polly without the filter option? Additionally, the hardest yet most rewarding route you can take is to have low expectations for the outcome of a situation. Obviously yes, set standards for yourself, but the less effort you put in overthinking a situation, it can lessen the guilt we place on ourselves from picking a ‘better option.’ And when it comes to education, the endless decisions carry on after high school. Whether you choose to go to trading school, university, or jump start a business, it’s important to continue to set standards for yourself. In fact, professionals and university students have struggled with the same helplessness when it comes to something as simple as planning class schedules. Imagine the choices as being in an ice cream shop, with endless flavors to choose from. You can experiment with new flavors and add multiple scoops, but you can also run the risk of creating a bad mix or taking on more than you can eat. Feeling plagued by this phenomenon, a solution similar to setting standards for you can be found. Instead of trying to maximize our options, becoming a “satisficer” can yield optimal results. So what is the difference? While maximizers keep a look on for the best possible option, satisficers seek an option that is good enough. Our lives are spent through making decisions: however minuscule or large they may be. And sometimes as ironic as it is, creating that metaphorical fishbowl for ourselves is all that we need to change our view on decisions in order to have liberation rather than paralysis.
Reunited at last
By The InvestiGator Staff
T
he first year back on campus was bound to be an interesting one, and there has already been plenty going on. The year without school put a lot of things into perspective for the students - the little things that everyone missed about school, and the things that everyone did not necessarily miss. So many students have been able to experience all the things that were lost to them the year before. Theatre performances have returned, athletes have been continuing their sports careers and the InvestiGator has gotten back on track. Everything has been going well… for the most part, at least. It does not mean that everything is perfect, though. There are still struggles left over from last year’s worries, and while we have made our return to campus, it still feels like it is not a normal year. Masks are just the half
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of it - by now, it has stopped feeling out of place for everyone to be wearing them. No, this year has already had its fair share of issues, policies,
Certain extracurricular activities and field trips have been postponed until further notice. Every now and then an email gets sent home from
The year without school put a lot of things into perspective for students.
and controversies that have left teachers and students alike feeling the stress of in-person school. Sports events have been getting canceled due to the shortage of bus drivers.
the principal about a student or staff member testing positive. And there are still other hiccups that make school just a little less fun. Less parties, potlucks and over-
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all unique activities that might have been better if not for the pandemic. A lot of students have felt like there were less things to look forward to about this year. It is a valid outlook to have - there are factually less events to get excited about this year. But there was still a First Friday this month, there are going to be Homecoming festivities and there are going to be more sports to attend. It might not be the way that school years have been in the past. But there will still be so much to look forward to. So many events to go to with your friends. And of course, so many things for the InvestiGator to report on. There have been issues and controversies that make it difficult, but it is up to the students and teachers to enjoy the year as much as possible. Whether it is a student’s first year, their last, or somewhere in between, it will certainly be one for the history books as we tackle everything that the world plans on throwing at us. Kristel Alfaro Borbon
September 2021
Cherie Franklin | PHOTO
Senior Allan Bervera dribbles the ball during a home game vs. SECTA on Aug. 30. GV fell to the Roadrunners in a close one, 2-1.
GOING FORWARD
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