Tri-Color Times 2019-10

Granger high school’S

An open forum for student opinion and expression

TRICOLORTIMES.COM

OCTOBER 2019 LXII-II

Vaping linked to eight deaths and hundreds of lung injuries

By Branden Alvarado THE CENTER for Disease Control (CDC) reports that as of September 23, vaping has caused 805 cases of lung injury. It also reports 12 deaths due to vaping nicotine, THC, or both. Adults can warn teens about the dangers of smoking and examples of a smoker’s lungs after twenty years, but they can’t yet do the same with vaping.

Because vaping is so new, health officials don’t have examples to show teens saying, “This is what your lungs will look like in 10-15 years if you continue to vape.” They don’t know enough yet to say that vaping is safer than other smoking alternatives. They need more time to research the full effects of vaping.

That said, a study done recently by researchers at Duke University found that e-liquids

contain extremely high levels of a chemical called pulegone. The FDA already banned this dangerous chemical from foods, because it is carcinogenic and causes liver toxicity when taken in foods.

Now people are vaping pulegone at extremely high temperatures, and the vaping industry uses this chemical as a mint or menthol flavor for e-cigarettes.

There are also bootleg THC vapes that are also putting people in hospitals. These black-market cartridges contain other oils that consumers don’t know about like vitamin E oil. Some also contain pesticides to make the oil thicker.

In addition, some contain propylene glycol, which is used to make the user have a “throat hit” so it feels harder than it is or to make the vapor feel more like tobacco.

These are only three out of the

hundreds of substances vapers may be inhaling.

David Beck, a vice principal, has been in administration for four years at Granger High School, and he agrees that vaping is dangerous. “There is a belief out there that vapes are safer than other options, I believe that part of it is that they are targeting teens,” Mr. Beck said.

Beck said that the industry targets teens by promoting it being safer than other alternatives. Companies are also being more discreet and come out with unique sounding flavors like BubbleLicious, Surf Cake, Slushie, or use names like Mario Carts and Fortnite Carts.

One way Lancers can fight this is by educating parents, teens, and people in general about the dangers and just how few facts are

known about these vapes. People need to be shown the facts—the chemicals that are in these products and what they are capable of doing to a teen’s body will cause both short- and long-term effects.

“The rise of vaping has to do with the increased availability of it now. There has also been a decrease in tobacco use,” Officer Chris Hoffman said.

The CDC reports that tobacco use is almost down by 50%, but e-cigarettes and vape use has risen greatly since 2011 its now the most common nicotine product. “There were 1.5 million more current youth e-cigarette users in 2018 than 2017,” according to the CDC. Lancers should be aware of the growing list of dangers associated with vaping and think twice before they ‘hit that Juul.’

Mr. Schaffer, an intern assisstant principal, and Officer Hoffman keep an eye on Lancers during lunch.

Shots fired mistaken for fireworks at homecoming game

By Jaxon Wolfley ON SEPTEMBER 13, Granger High School’s football team played its annual homecoming game. This was a highly anticipated game, because it was Granger’s rivalry game against Hunter High School. Granger also had a carnival that happened before the game’s kickoff.

Everyone in attendance was excited for the game. The students’ school spirit was unbelievable. Alumni from past years were also in attendance. Everyone was having an enjoyable time. “I was having fun, it was a good time,” Emma Vuckovic (9) said. But at around 9:00 p.m., gunshots were fired in the parking lot of Granger High School.

Many people in the stands did not hear the gunshots because the

crowd was so loud. People on the ground and away from the stands saw and heard the shooting. The gunshots were fired on school grounds, but not in the stands.

Several people watching the game thought it was fireworks, or even a car backfiring. This was a scary time for everyone.

“I ran away because of the gunshots. But no, I did not see the gunshots,” Braxton Peltz (10) said. Many students ran from the shots because they were scared of what might happen.

“I learned of the gunshots from on top of the bleachers. I was really freaked out and tried to tell people about it so we could leave.

I ended up leaving through the relos,” Charlie Cross (9) said.

Many thought these sounds were the fireworks being prepped.

But, once the main entrance was sealed off, many began to panic.

Eight police officers were guarding the main entrance not letting anyone in or out. These officers also had three K-9 units with them to guard as well.

“Everyone who saw the shots being fired into the ground sprinted as fast as they could away, because they were so scared,” Alex Nyguen (12) said. These events had many parents worried. Many began to call their kids to ask if they were safe or not. Thankfully, no one was harmed in this frightening event.

The police officers working the game ran towards the gunfire to ensure the safety of Granger’s and Hunter’s students as well as the patrons in attendance.

The Salt Lake Tribune report-

ed that “the game was so loud that most spectators were unaware of the shooting.”

Ben Horsley, Granite School District spokesperson, notified parents of the situation. “We are grateful for the presence of four Granite Police Officers who were assisting with security last night,” he said.

The police believe the gunshots were related to gangs. Both of the gunshots that were fired went into the ground, thus not injuring anyone. Also, these gang members did not live in the West Valley City area. None of the suspects that are in custody attend Granger or Hunter.

Fox 13 reported that “someone fired shots likely into the ground as warning shots.” None of these shots hit anything or anyone.

Lancers give PBG a 2.125

By Michaella Aguiar STUDENTS at Granger High School say that they don’t like Proficiency Based Grading (PBG). They think it’s very inaccurate. They say they put in hard work and learn information. On the day of the test, though, something may prevent them from doing their best on tests.

The test is the one thing that determines grades, but they may end up bombing that test. The past weeks students have been proving that they understand the information from the lectures and homework assignments. Although, none of that work is being put into consideration toward grades.

Many students preferred regular grading over PBG. For example, Tue Tran (11) said. She thinks it’s a lot easier to get an ‘A’ with regular grading. It was harder for her to find the motivation and understanding for the PBG. Her English teacher switched over to PBG. She noticed that with regular grading she would take the time to get to know the information.

Bailee Leatherwood (11) said with regular grading, it splits up student levels. The teacher knows how far along different students are and how the teacher can help the students.

With PBG, students aren’t just at school to move on to the next level. They are here to learn the information they are being taught and fully understand it.

Students find it very frustrating, because they are doing a great deal of work, but when the tests are scored, and they do not pass, suddenly they’re failing.

“Many teachers give a ‘three’ for a low grade, and to get a ‘four’ you have to meet a certain amount of work,” Magdalena Montero (11) said.

Many of the students said that if they were a teacher, they would use regular grading. They feel they would better understand their level of learning better.

Students don’t really know how to feel about PBG because it has many non-beneficial attributes. “I feel that many students don’t really understand PBG. They say they don’t like it because they have to do extra work to get full points,” Britney Vu (11) said.

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The

October 2019, page 2 | News

Tri-Color Times VOL. 62 Issue 2

Cliques make it hard to find friends

By Nevaeh Chavez HERE AT Granger, Lancers have a school of great diversity, but cliques are to be expected in any high school. Certain groups are more prone to be involved with one another because of culture or similar interests. Modern day cliques are similar to past decades’ peer groups, examples of these being the jocks, stoners, brainiacs, and theater kids.

Although Lancers still have similar groups, they have a few new interests among groups such as the whole phenomenon with anime lovers and the “VSCO girl” stereotype. In many ways, modern day cliques seem to reflect past generation peer groups.

“Lower status crowds are more heavily influenced by current events, popular culture, and social media,” as stated on the bigthink.com website.

Most people frame cliques as a negative thing, as they often lead to social isolation or not feeling like a student belongs. High school cliques are just human nature, many feel the desire to sort ourselves into groups for reasons of familiarity, security, and support.

Some students may believe that cliques are more of an issue than a solution.

“No one is willing to make friends or be social.

I hate it and as a senior in high school, I can say that school has not been a good place for me to be.

People can be rude, close-minded, and too stuck-up to make friends,” Alex Ariaga (12) said.

In some ways, these opinions make total sense.

People want to come to a place where they feel wanted and accepted. Research shows that the more popular kids tend to be affluent, attractive, and wellknown. Students who aren’t as well-known often do not look upon them highly.

“If you think about it, people are just resources by the more people you know or friends you have.

That person could be the door to more opportunities,” Andres Panada (11) said.

Opinions like these open up a whole new conversation about cliques. They are often built from clubs and sports, or even a certain interest in a school sub-

ject. Often at Granger, Lancers notice sports teams tend to flock together. Knowing these people and becoming a team member can build them up and create opportunities that they never knew were there.

Granger also has a lot of students that may be known as floaters. These are the students that don’t really have a specific group that they hang out with.

These students are generally shy but also polite and friendly. They are friends with someone from every group and get along with most people.

There is a very large difference between a friend group and a clique. Some groups stick together for a long time. Others drift apart after a while as people form new interests, make new friends, or just come to find out that they have less in common.

People can move in and out of different groups and can be a part of several at once. “Kids are scared to make friends and be vulnerable. There is a bunch of cliques so it’s harder to associate with other people,” Gabriel Carillo (11) said.

The Kidshealth.org website offers lots of information about how cliques attract people for different reasons. For some people, being popular or cool is the most important thing. Cliques give them a place where they can get this social status.

Other people want to be in cliques because they don’t like to feel left out. Some people simply feel it’s better to be on the inside than the outside.

Clique membership is usually tightly controlled by the leaders. These social leaders are the ones with the power to decide who should be regarded as cool and who should not. This type of membership control usually happens in cliques of girls. As many great kids have found, entry into a clique isn’t guaranteed.

In fact, a girl who is seen as likeable and popular may actually be excluded from belonging to a clique. That’s because her personality or confidence may pose a threat to the leaders. She might not be a good follower, especially if she can be popular enough on her own. This is why the opinions on cliques in high school are so varied among students.

GTV broadcasts Lancer Live every day

By Ioana Johansson STUDENTS at Granger High School say that GTV is beneficial because it shows them important dates for important events. Lancers will often watch GTV during second period. However, there are some teachers who forget to play GTV for their students.

GTV is a program where student reporters do morning announcements and inform students about events. Two whole classes are dedicated to making GTV, and it is managed by Mr. Ganze in room J108. They announce things like homecoming, sporting events, and a blood drive happening after school. Students put their time and effort to make it happen.

The district added extra minutes to all second period classes so that students can be informed.

GTV seems to have a good variety of stories, but there is room for improvement. “They need better mics,” Hanna Johnson (9) said. They have good information, but if no one can hear what they’re saying, then it is easy to question the point of watching.

The school website includes a button called, ‘G-Media,’ and

Lancers who have any announcements to put onto GTV can make suggestions there. It includes a link to the YouTube channel for anyone who misses the announcements. GTV has announcers as well as reporters who interview Lancers and staff. They will ask questions about certain events that are about to happen.

GTV is a great medium to get the information students and parents need. Lancers even admitted that without GTV, they probably wouldn’t even know when homecoming was. If Lancers need information for school, GTV is very beneficial and it’s a video and is therefore makes the information easier to digest.

If you have ever watched GTV, then you would know that they just give you the facts. They smile every now and then, but sometimes they just look at the camera with a straight face. Students have also noted that reporters need to work on enthusiasm.

Some kids don’t watch GTV and don’t know what it is. They get all their information from their friends. “Students came up to me and ask to make [GTV]

clearer,” freshman class president Zach Bohn (9) said. It’s obvious that some students don’t really understand what’s going on.

Students who are doing an exceptional job at sports and academics will be rewarded by making it on to GTV and our school website. Other things are showcased on GTV as well.

“They should have clips of the kids doing their work, playing sports, or just being in class,” Noelia Facio (9) said.

“They need to get names right,” Tue Tran (11) said. Some students may be embarrassed when they are recognized on GTV, but their name is mispronounced.

Students seem to want GTV to incorporate other elements that go beyond just announcements, but there seems to be some agreement that it is a valuable source of information here at Granger.

As with any student-run production, there’s room for improvement this early in the year.

The lighting needs improvement because they’re just filming in the hallway. Students suggest that the crew should find locations that have better lighting.

Katy Gidney (12) prepares for her first game at the region tournament at GHS.

Girls tennis wins state academic award

By Whitnie Larsen WHEN kids think of sports, many students might think of football, soccer, or basketball. Not many people think of tennis, as it’s not considered a very popular sport at Granger.

However, the girls tennis team at Granger High School is one of the best teams here at school, and they’re the smartest tennis team in the entire state with a teamaverage 3.9978 GPA for varsity.

They are currently second in the region and have won most of their games. They practice five days a week, have three teams, and provide team equipment for the players to use.

“I’m definitely worried about playing Taylorsville. I watched them play one of our seniors, they’re aggressive. When the girl didn’t hit the ball right or she lost a round, she’d slam her racket against the ground. They’re just intense to play, I’m nervous,” Camille Hoang (11) said.

Taylorsville is one of the team’s biggest opponents. Hoang also shared information about the three teams which are: Varsity, JV, and Exhibition. Hoang said that over the summer, they practiced twice a day, first from 6:00-8:00 a.m., and then again from 6:008:00 p.m., and now they practice after school.

Hoang says that the expenses for the team are fairly cheap compared to other sports. It’s around $140 for all the team expenses.

However, that doesn’t include shoes and rackets. The school provides rackets for girls who do not have their own or can’t afford them. Usually, rackets would cost around $100 to $200 dollars while shoes are around $100 to $200 as well.

Mariah Valle (10) described what it’s like being on the exhibition team. “The exhibition team has mostly freshmen, there’s a sprinkle of sophomores, like me,” Valle said. She noted that

she doesn’t mind being on the team, she’s meeting new people who enjoy the sport. Valle also said that she wins and loses about equally—it’s not about the wins for her, it’s about having fun.

Coach Sanada has been head coach of girls tennis for three years. “This year is really good for the girls, I’ve noticed some of their improvement from the beginning of last year to now— I’m proud of them,” Mr. Sanada said. He also said that last year, the team only had a few seniors, but this year they have 14 seniors.

Recently, the girls played against other Utah teams in St. George. Tika Phouthavong (12) said that it was extremely hot there, but that she had a lot of fun with her teammates. “We ate crickets, it was weird. They tasted like sunflower seeds, the sour cream and onion kind,” Phouthavong said.

“We made Tik-Toks too,” Diana Ruiz (12) said.

Ruiz also talked about the struggles about playing in St. George. “They didn’t have cold water, and it was extremely hot.

There was also more wind there, which affected how we played,” she said. They also looked on the bright side, saying they were near the rocks, the view was pretty, and the vibes were great down there.

Another round of games that the girls will play is the region tournament.

Katy Gidney (12) said she is excited to play, and she likes having all the people there. “I’m mostly nervous to play against Hunter,” Gidney said. “Last time I played them, the girl I played had a good ground stroke.”

She said that the brackets and elimination processes work well.

She said she first plays Kearns, if she wins that then she plays West Jordan, and if she wins that game then she plays Taylorsville.

‘State’ begins October 3.

October 2019, page 3 | Sports

Tri-Color Times VOL. 62 Issue 2

Student attitudes affect athletes’ morale

By Angelica Dwight Granger takes its sports seriously.

Athletes dedicate most of their extra hours to their sports. That makes for early morning practices and after school training.

Being an athlete in high school is very time-consuming, therefore they have to really love the sport to play it.

Many students love being Lancers and have crazy school spirit. Lancers are all about being connected, so they have a pretty good support system for their teams. That said, the wins and losses of the athletes affect the school spirit of the students.

Students here are typically pretty supportive of teams and like to show appreciation to athletes by coming to games.

Tony Afemata (11) says more than 200 people come to the football games but he wishes there were more. “We do feel support from our peers, but when we take a loss, they talk down on us saying things like ‘the football team

sucks,’ ” he said.

On the other hand, Addasyn Everill (11) said students don’t even really come out to support the soccer team, therefore they don’t hear negative or positive things. These athletes spend hours training for their sport, so these students might not know what they’re speaking about.

Most students are supportive of the teams, and they generally come out to the big, home football games where these athletes showcase their talent. Students have their own opinions about the school’s teams, but that does not entitle them to criticize athletes without knowing all the information.

Anthony Gill (10) hears what it’s like for athletes in the halls.

“I do hear things around school, usually inappropriate things about our teams—especially after a loss,” he said. Gill also said if he received hate like he hears, he wouldn’t feel supported.

Elijun Tima (11) agrees with

Gill. “It depends on if it affects the school, because most students don’t go to the game to even know what happened,” he said.

With Granger students taking so much pride in their school, athletes can definitely see the difference when their peers are disappointed. This lack of support doesn’t feel good, plus receiving hate after a loss would discourage anyone.

Peers have the ability to be such a good support system for the teams but when they get disappointed in their athletes, it affects the next game.

These athletes are working hard in practice and in the game—whether they win or not.

Not everyone sees what goes on behind the scenes: the sleeplessness, the sweat, the tears, and the hustle. Critics should focus on that without immediately throwing out hate after a loss. There’s a lot more going on than just the outcome of a game or the talk in the halls after a loss.

Players provide insight into football team

By Jenny Jimenez A. don’t give up.” That means a lot in the life of an GRANGER High School has a beautiful football athlete. Bates said he wished that him and his team team. Every year they begin playing in August for had met their head coach years earlier instead of this their season and play ten games. Two of the players year. They’re still getting used to him. Some players provided insight on what it is like to be a football are not adjusted yet to their new coach. Bates is very player. passionate for football. “My favorite thing about it Landon Bates (11) is on Granger High School’s is playing under the lights on Friday,” he said. football team. Being on the team is about more than Amin Tovai (12) is on the football team as well. just winning. He enjoys making new friendships and Tovai loves being on the football team. He sees the meeting new people. Most of all, he loves playing team as his brothers. He has been on the team for with his brothers. The most fun thing about being on four years now. He really enjoys helping everyone the team is spending reach a common time with his team. goal at the end of The football team the day. practices every day Tovai was also in the morning from very excited to play 5:30 until school against Hunter. starts and then for Granger did not two hours after end up winning school. It is never that night, but it exhausting when it was definitely a has a purpose. They new learning expepractice every day rience. He knows except for Fridays, that Hunter and because that is game Granger are both day. very good teams, so To be on the footthere was definitely ball team, or any competition that high school sport, night. a student needs to Tovai said that have good grades Amin Tovai encourages his new teammates to work hard. working on little and a high CPA. To be things and focusing on the team, players must have at least a 3.0 GPA. on what his team needs to do is a good way to push Playing on the team motivates Bates to keep good himself. Watching videos of old games helps mogrades as well. tivate Tovai. He could see what he did wrong and “My team already knows what to do,” Bates said. strive to not make the same mistakes again.

Losing a game affects the school because the stuAdvice that Tovai has for the incoming football dents may have doubts about the team. Losing af- players is to “be committed and come with an open fects the team in a good way by making them hungri- mind.” Tovai always went with an open mind ready er for a win. In short, failure can lead to motivation. to play. He encourages players to work as hard as “Trust the process,” said Bates. they can. Tovai does not have any shame in sayOn Friday, September 13, the Lancers played ing that Granger has only won once this year. Tovai against Hunter High. Bates had a lot of hope that would not change anything about his team. they were going to win going into the game. Bates After losing, this team did nothing but work said it was the most exciting game of the season. harder. They never let words get to them. A lot of Advice that he has for incoming players is “just people do not realize it, but this team is golden.

Volleyball players are supportive

By Naomy Romero VOLLEYBALL is one of the many sports played here at Granger. Most of the players have been playing for years, even before they started high school.

Volleyball recently finished its pre-season, and the team is now preparing for their big games.

To get ready for their games, they have long practices after school. This year, the team has bonded well over the summer by spending time together and having a support system within the team. Communication is important for these girls so they can work together as a team.

Volleyball has a support system called ‘big sis, little sis,’ where a varsity player has a junior varsity as their ‘sibling’ and that junior varsity player goes to their ‘big sis’ for help anytime they have any struggles. This system helps the team improve and gives the girls a chance to work together.

A challenge the girls face while working as a team is building trust, according to Jaylina Taula (9). The team is improving more and more every day, the season has just started, and they are excited to see how the season will play out. Taula prepares for a game by eating light food, lis-

tening to hype music, and staying focused.

Taula played in a club outside of school for a year before coming to Granger. The volleyball team is working hard and has high hopes for the coming season and region play.

The team has been preparing for their games with daily practices. They practice MondayFridays and practice usually lasts up to two hours. Physically, they prepare by practicing and they prepare mentally by focusing and warming up before the game.

Penelope Vann (10) likes to stay focused and have fun working together as a team. “I put myself in a state to stay focused,” Vann said.

Having a positive mindset is important or else they tend to lose focus. Confidence is another big thing to have while in a game.

With trust being an issue, they like to warm up together before the game and hype each other up.

Pre-season has been tough for the volleyball team, they have played many schools and have won only one game so far. Vann thinks the team could do better and improve. A lot of the girls on the team have been playing since they were younger and have lots of experience.

Tri-Color Times Staff Executive Editor Lindsey Bell

Managing Editor Jocelyn Roberts

Reporters Aguiar, Michaella Alvarado-Perez, Branden Beltran Ruiz, Aizza Chavez, Nevaeh Cruz, Michelle Cuadra, Ashley Dwight, Angelica Francisco Vazquez, Jessica Gaona Aranda, Elisa Gillette, Alexus Glines, Grace Gutierrez, Stephanie Howell, Breawna Ilyazova, Leyla Jimenez A., Jenny Johansson, Ioana Laguna Arellano, Scott Larios, Ariana

Reporters Larsen, Whitnie Linan, Destiny Luna, Alyssa Melendez Duron, Pedro Morales Morales, Karen Osman, Falhado Pallares, Lesly Puentes, Leila Ramirez, Yazmine Rocha, Christian Romero, Naomy Sola, Steven Solorzano, Adrian Soriano, Krystina Tavares-Juarez, Enrique Tolentino, Maritza Williams, Macaela Wolfley, Jaxon

The Tri-Color Times serves as a student forum for student opinion and student expression.

The views expressed herein reflect neither the opinions of Adviser John Carlisle and Granger High School, nor those of Granite School District. The Tri-Color Times invites and publishes letters to its editorial board; all letters will be edited for taste, length, and liability.

Tri-Color Times c/o Granger High 3580 South 3600 West West Valley, UT 84119 (385) 646-5320

October 2019, page 4 | Features

Tri-Color Times VOL. 62 Issue 2

Seniors win spirit bowl in close contest

GHS/HHS Rivalry Car Show

By Enrique Tavares THIS YEAR, the annual homecoming car show turned into a rivalry car show with Hunter High School. Hunter students seemed to be missing at the car show, though, as their attendance seemed low. However, the car show was still a successful event with people who came and participated.

“I wanted to see what kind of cars people drove in my community,” Bryan Lopez (12) said.

Several students came to show off the cars they own. There were cars such as a Neon SRT, Honda Civic, drifters, and more. It could be considered impressive that high school students own those types of cars.

One might wonder why those students chose to bring those cars to the show. Obviously still being high school students, participants said that the car they brought was their only car, their cleanest car, or just because their car was truly one-of-a-kind. Some might be pretty messy when it comes to their cars. It takes a lot of effort to keep them clean and fresh, but it’s definitely worth it.

The car show had many different cars “Car shows are exciting, and there is a lot to see in them,’’ Mr. Murillo said.

David Miller in particular had

a great experience displaying his car at the show. “I like it because it’s a smooth ride, and I like the color. It’s my queen—I treat her special,” Miller said. He really loves his car, even after only having it for a month. That’s one strong connection in such a short period of time.

Mr. Miller had a lot to say about why Granger allowed Hunter to participate in the car show this year. “We are challenging Hunter, if they don’t show up, they’re scared,” he said.

Since Hunter didn’t show up, I guess they really were scared.

“It’s open for any staff and students from anywhere, to enjoy the car show, carnival, and game,” Mr. Miller said. The car show was a success, and Coach Miller explained how he plans a car show.

“You get the word out with posters and go to auto body stores,” Mr. Miller said.

Car show attendees went to this year’s car show because their friends wanted to go, while others make it a habit to go every year no matter what. Coming every year to these events takes some serious dedication. Overall, the students there who attended or participated found that the event a total success. Students weren’t the only ones who came to this event, teachers did, too.

By Leila Puentes THE SCHOOL spirit during the homecoming assembly was truly amazing and spectacular. It felt this way because of how the other students got into the assembly, especially roll call. It is inspirational because people can feel the excitement, and some people appreciate the dance routines and SBOs. This is all felt because of the school spirit.

The roll call was truly exciting and amazing because Mr. Hopkins, a former Granger teacher, came back to do the roll call like he used to at spirit assemblies.

When he did roll call, everyone was very hyped up and excited to see Mr. Hopkins again.

Everyone was yelling the phrases that Mr. Hopkins told them to say and see which class was the loudest so that they could win spirit points. Spirit points were awarded to each grade as they displayed school spirit throughout the week and assembly. As usual, the seniors won overall, but they did not win roll call this year. Most of the juniors were surprised and very happy about winning the roll call.

The excitement in the air was extraordinary because people were stomping on the bleachers, yelling from excitement, and of

course cheering for the assembly. During the assembly, there were performances from the Excaliburs, Dance Company, and the cheer team. When it was The Excaliburs’ turn to dance, it was very extraordinary. Everyone in the audience was supportive and hyped up to see the performance was amazing.

When the performance was done, everyone was cheering for them. The Dance Company’s performance was very exciting to see too, Lancers could feel the excitement and electricity in the air.

“Yes, I am excited for the Excaliburs, and no I am not worried they have been practicing constantly. They are improving a lot, and they know what to do. It is a different hip hop dance routine, but we hope you really like it,” Ms. Lago, the drill coach, said.

The cheer team’s routine was also very exciting to see, and everyone was very cheerful and super supportive. The crowd was in awe when cheerleaders launched other cheerleaders into the air to finish their routine. The air was filled with anxiety concerning the cheerleaders’ safety, but they were careful and have practiced those intricate throws many times.

When all the performances

were done, everyone cheered loud and proud for the performers. The performers might have felt inspired to keep on doing what they love by dancing and performing for people.

There were activities after the performances like “Minute to Win It”, and the “Nutella Game” which was very cool, hilarious, and funny.

In the “Minute to Win It” game, a person in the middle of the room yelled an object that he or she wanted. Then, the other Lancers had to find the item, run to the leader in the middle, and the fastest person won. It was very funny, because some people slipped and fell, bumped into people, ran with all their might to win.

Then, during the “Nutella Game,” competitors had to lick Nutella off a thick, plastic panel, and the person who finished first won. The games during the assembly also brought joy and laughter.

“Of course, I am excited about the assembly, I am most excited about the roll call. The SBOs are actually planning homecoming really well, and I am very confident about the assembly, dances, and activities,” Ms. Brown, the SBO advisor, said.

Granger High’s cheerleaders prepare for their aerial stunts at the homecoming spirit assembly.

Several teachers at Granger High are also OG(HS) Lancers

By Jessica Francisco SEVERAL of Granger High School’s teachers actually graduated from Granger High. Many of them had different homecoming experiences than what students experience now.

One of those teachers is Kenton Burton (‘83). He graduated from Granger in 1983, and now he is now teaching 11th grade social studies. “When I attended Granger as I remember I did not go to the homecoming assembly, but there was a big parade going through Lancer Way which I did go to,” Burton said. “It was really fun that day seeing everyone celebrating and having fun.”

However, Mr. Burton did not experience the homecoming dance in his high school years. “I didn’t go to any dances in my high school years. I was too shy to ask anyone to be my date to homecoming” Burton said.

For football games, Kearns High School was Granger’s rival. Mr. Burton did not play football, but he was one of the managers in charge of the team. “Throughout the years of Granger, it has been remodeled and rebuilt into this school we attend today, which gives us more opportunities,” Burton said.

He thinks that students should experience homecoming at least once during high school. “They should definitely consider it,” he said.

Another excellent faculty alumni member is Nicole Robinson, who now teaches 12th grade history. Robinson went to Granger for two years, then she moved to Hunter High School. While she attended Granger, she did not go to homecoming or any dances, but she did go to home football

games for Granger.

“Students should experience homecoming at least once during high school. It is like an American tradition,” Ms. Robinson said.

Many alumni teachers that graduated from Granger are now teaching at Granger. “It is really nice to see former students come back to their old high school and see students experience the same things we experienced,” Robinson said.

Another GHS alumni faculty member is an English teacher who attended Granger and experienced all the dances, games, festivals, and car shows that the school had to offer. Ms. Green’s experiences at homecoming were incredible for her. She loved going to homecoming with her friends and her date. When Green was in high school, she got nominated for homecoming princess, and she had an amazing time.

Back then, in order to attend homecoming, you needed to have a date. It was not mandatory, but if you did not have a date people would not like going alone. Ms. Green said that students rarely went alone—everyone had a date. “I think that was really fun because people actually asked others to be their date, and it was fun seeing girls getting asked by the boys,” Ms. Green said.

In Ms. Green’s day, homecoming nominations for queen, king, princess, or prince were a huge thing. You had to do a video on why you wanted to be nominated and build/decorate a shield. The competition was big. Everyone had to vote in their classes on who they wanted nominated.

Homecoming this year was really different from the ones

that alumni teachers attended.

At this homecoming and others in previous years, we didn’t need a date we could go in groups of friends and still have so much fun. Many people still asked each other, but those who did not get asked went with their siblings or friends. “Students should definitely go to homecoming, especially in their senior year and have a great time,” Ms. Green said.

These three GHS alumni want today’s Lancers to take homecoming into consideration and go at least one year or all four years in high school—they’ll have a good time.

Ms. Green and Mr. Burton are GHS graduates from the ‘80s & ‘90s.

October 2019, page 5 | Features

Tri-Color Times VOL. 62 Issue 2

Homecoming requires a lot of planning by Granger’s SBOs

By Christian Rocha THE STUDENT Body Officers at Granger High control and plan many events that occur throughout the year.

Homecoming is one of their first and biggest projects. A large number of students attend this event since it is the first big event of the school year.

Despite there being tons of kids attending the dance, no one really seems to know what goes on behind the scenes.

Many things go into making homecoming successful, such as planning, budgeting, and preparing for any problems that they may have to face during the big events. Student government does not get enough appreciation for all the hard work they do after school.

Maria Torres (12) is the student body historian. Torres, with the help of the other officers, spent hours planning Granger’s homecoming dance since the summer began.

The theme for the dance, “Autumn in Paris,” was a very interesting one. Some might wonder why student government decided to go with the theme and what it truly means.

“There has been a constant theme of knights, so we decided that we should change it up. ‘Autumn in Paris;’ came up during a meeting. Paris was to give off the feeling of love, and in what better season to feel love than autumn?” Torres said.

Of course, with the planning of the event, there was a budget they had to keep in mind. The SBO’s had an idea of how many students were attending homecoming. Their guesses ranged from 1,000 to 2,000 students. The district offered up to $3000 for the decorations, music, and food.

After all the dust had settled, they still had an extra $600 left over from the budget they were given.

Saturday morning came and at 8:00 a.m., the SBOs got to work. Bringing the food, putting up decorations, and fixing speakers were some of the tasks they had to face. It wasn’t until 2:00 p.m. when they completely finished.

The planning of any big event is quite stressful as many may know. There are many new additions to student government this year. That meant that this was most likely some student government members’ first time planning such an event. Each member had a part to do, if even just one member forgot or just didn’t do their part, it would just wouldn’t work out for the rest.

There had been an incident during the homecoming football game at Granger High School, the day before the dance. There was a gun involved in the incident which made the students nervous. This alarming situation made the SBOs worried about students being afraid to attend the homecoming dance. Even with all of that, there were around 1,300 students who attended the dance.

“Homecoming is the first event of the year, so we wanted to make an astonishing impression on the students and show what we are capable of creating. With that in mind, it added another layer of stress,” Torres said.

The planning did not go as smoothly as hoped. With planning such a big event, there was bound to be some complications. For example, some of the food they planned on bringing had run out of stock at the last minute, decoration orders did not come in on time, and there was some miscommunication among the officers.

Overall homecoming was a success with students feeling safe and happy at the dance. the SBOs deserve a big congratulations for doing such a wonderful job.

Homecoming’s theme ‘Autumn in Paris’ made for a magical night

By Krystina Soriano LINES, lines, lines. There was a large line at the homecoming dance for those who hadn’t paid for their ticket in advance; the line didn’t end until about 8:45 p.m. Tickets were $10 per person in advance and at the door.

The tickets were small cards with an Eiffel Tower on them. On the ticket, it said “Autumn in Paris, Granger Homecoming 2019.”

The wait itself in the line, wasn’t very long. The staff was trying their hardest to get attendees through as quickly as possible. School staff was walking around the line to make sure those who paid in advance knew they didn’t have to wait to get inside. All they had to do was walk inside and hand their ticket to the lady under the arch.

Many people were dressed formally while a few wore more casual attire. There were many long dresses, short dresses, tight dresses, and poofy dresses as well as tuxedos, button-ups, and t-shirts. There were many color combinations among couples and friend groups whose clothing matched. The dance had it all. The guys wore sneakers or dress shoes. Many of the girls arrived in high heels, but they took to carrying them around instead of wearing them.

The decorations were lovely. There was a leaf covered

arch when students first walked in, and there were white tablecloths and Eiffel Tower Centerpieces on the tables.

There were stringed lights on the windows, a large LOVE sign, leaves decorating the tablecloths and walls, and the hanging light globes changed colors throughout the dance to red, blue, green, and purple. The decorations were overall enjoyable to look at.

There was a DJ who played music everyone knew from now and from the early ‘00s. There were songs like “Senorita” by Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello, “Little Einsteins Remix” by 886Beatz, and “Dilemma” by Nelly featuring Kelly Rowland.

The music levels were fairly high, and attendees almost had to yell at each other to hear each other, even far away from the dance floor. Two thirds of the people there were dancing—these teens loved to get groovy. on the dance floor.

The food there was good enough to grab seconds and thirds. They were serving what resembled fried ice cream.

It was very creamy and soft. Surprisingly, they didn’t melt throughout the dance despite the area’s large crowd that created quite a bit of heat. This may have been the only thing on offer other than small bottles of water, but there

were plenty to go around.

There was a spot to get photos taken with a date or group right in front of the finance office for free and a pay-to-play photo booth next to the stairs in front of the counseling center. The free photo spot was a full hedge wall to make you and your photo look the best. The photo booth had plenty of props for attendees to use and play around with, such as hats and wood mustaches on sticks.

Those who came to the dance came with friends, dates, family members, or even by themselves. There were many couples there who danced together. Lots of small groups and large groups separated to rest, dance, and eat. Other groups stayed together and did everything together. Numerous students who came to the dance went out to dinner before or after it. Lots of students asked single or lonelylooking students to dance.

The energy at the dance was wild. People were dancing and singing. There were kids chasing each other around The Commons. Students were laughing, shouting, and having a fantastic time. Some students met new people and made some great new friends. There were even kids from other schools at the dance, and they had a lovely time at Granger’s homecoming dance as well.

October 2019, page 6 | Student Life

Tri-Color Times VOL. 62 Issue 2

Anthony thinks that they train you well for the heavy workload in AVID.

Involvement brings satisfaction

By Maritza Tolentino WHEN STUDENTS are involved at Granger, they get a different experience than someone who is not involved. Being in school activities will greatly improve high school life.

“Not everyone will participate in the dress ups we have here, but when you do, you enjoy school so much more by competing with others here,” Rachelle Medina (12) said. For freshman year, Medina was involved in volleyball.

Even if she did not play very well, she had a lot of fun getting to know more people and getting to know what she likes and does not like.

Medina saw that dance company was a better fit and has been in it since. She has also been an Excalibur since her junior year. “I love dancing, and since I get the opportunity to dance in school, I did. One of the best things I could do here in high school is be involved,” Medina said. Her advice to people would be to go out there and find what you like and do it even if it is just for fun.

Out of all the sports, clubs, and classes, there are so many different ways to be involved whether that is being part of FBLA or DECA or any other club offered here at Granger. AVID is one of those classes that students can take to be more involved in school. It can make a big difference in being successful.

“As a first-generation college student, I’d feel lost without the AVID program. It helps students get to where they want to go,” Anthony Castro (12) said. AVID requires extra work in school but

it will be beneficial in the long run.

Athletic programs provide another way for students to get involved. Soccer conditioning is going on now to help these future players get fit and ready for tryouts.

“To be involved in the soccer team, we want the players to be doing well in school, not just on the field,” Jose Perez (12) said.

He’s called the president of the soccer team. He mentioned how working with the boys is such a great experience and it’s cool, even if he is not a player. It all started as a joke since he was always with the guys and eventually, he was given the president title. He wouldn’t have had this opportunity if he were not constantly involved.

The girls tennis team has also been doing well. “Being part of the tennis team is honestly like being in one big family,” Alyssa Macchio (12) said. Macchio started playing tennis this year.

She wanted to be more involved in school since it is her senior year. She is looking forward to trying new things and being able to see where it takes her in life.

She did mention that it was stressful to balance tennis, school, and work all at once, but she is staying on track. Macchio is pushing herself to do better even while being involved in school activities.

The only real way to become part of something is to be willing to get out there and enjoy an activity. Go out, dress up, participate and that high school life will be so much better.

Hip hop music influences fashion styles

By Scott Laguna THE MUSIC culture of hip hop started out as a form of art that shows expression and emotions.

It started to change around the year 2015, though. In the early 80’s through early 10’s, it used to be about lyrics and having fun in the studio with friends. Then, hip hop culture started evolving around 2015 with face tattoos, colorful dreads, and wearing clothing that is trending. Back then, they used to wear baggy pants and baggy shirts.

There are some artists that have talked about how being in the studio is kinda stressful in this generation, because they are trying to make music catered to what their fans want to hear and listen to. In the old generation of hip hop, they would just get in the studio to make a couple of tracks about what the artist liked and had fun being lyrical.

In the new generation now, anybody could be a rapper just by using autotune and doing what everybody else is doing. Back then, they would have to be talented at rhyming, word play, us-

ing AA BB CC formula, and being an MC. Ro Lian’s (11) favorite genre is hip hop because the beat is more hype. Lian thinks most of the music now is catchy, but it doesn’t have a good message. In terms of fashion, several of these artists are getting name-brand clothing, colorful dreads, and face tattoos.

Lian said that he thinks these trends are going to die out, but there are going to be some people that are going to keep doing it. The reasons why those trends might stay alive is because they want the attention, and they got famous from doing all of that.

Lian thinks they should bring back old school beats and meaningful messages.

Ronaldo Tolentino (12) considers xxxtentacion his favorite artist because he talks about the truth, the struggles, and what people are going through in life.

Tolentino thinks of the new generation of hip hop condones drug use, but that there are some artists that have meaning in their work.

He likes that some artists aren’t

afraid to try new things.

Old school rappers used to try to tell people not to do drugs, but many of the newer artists talk about drugs and money often. Tolentino also isn’t a fan of rappers using autotune, because it is not their real voice. He thinks they use it because it is trending or that they want to sound like robots.

Tolentino thinks that the new generation of rappers should bring back the old school culture and focus on the fashion.

Luis Torres (12) likes like all music genres, such as hip hop and Spanish. Torres said that the new generation is here for now, but nothing lasts forever, and it’s going to start to change back to lyrical writing with meaning and messages.

With this new generation, anybody could be an artist by using a similar trap beat and the same thing with autotune. Sooner or later, the old generation is going to come back with lyrical meaning to it that tells a story. Music in the old days was at its best, and there are a lot of people that would agree.

Students fill their free time with a variety of activities

By Ashley Cuadra FREE TIME is important to have during the school year.

Students need time to relax after a full day of learning and doing homework. Free time lets kids relax, do activities, and spend time with others. It is time to destress and do something other than schoolwork.

Now everyone is different, but many appreciate spending their free time doing things such as shopping, going to parties, hanging out with friends or family, gaming, going on social media, or watching TV. Jake Turcsanski (10) and Chase Turcsanski (11) spend their free time together by making movie trailers. “We were bored and decided to make trailers,” Jake Turcsansi said.

These trailers have different genres such as action and drama. They post these trailers on Instagram for their friends and others to see.

Time to relax is also important for health— social, mental, and physical. It is socially important because students need to spend time with friends and family. Next, it is mentally important because they need time to take a mental break from everything. It would also be very tiring if they never had a chance to relax physically. If there were no time to rest, then they would feel exhausted every day.

Yudith Mendoza (11) usually spends her free time finishing up homework or spending time with loved ones.

Over the weekend, she finds herself cooking food with her parents, going out to the mall, or watching TV with her family. “I am definitely productive with my free time,” Mendoza said. She is productive by finishing up chores and cleaning. Mendoza said she also enjoys spending the other

portion of her free time with others and overall having a relaxing time.

The 35 Best Ways to Spend Your Free Time contains a list of activities you can do during your spare time. This online list of activities is made for those who do intend to spend much money.

Maritza Tolentino (12) usually comes back home from school and goes on social media. “I normally go on my phone for a while and help my parents if they need it,” Tolentino said. She spends her time productively by taking pictures with her camera in her neighborhood, helping her family with chores, looking for a job, and cleaning her room/house.

Although she spends her free time productively, she also likes to relax by napping and watching Netflix.

School can be very stressful, so that is why it is important for students and teachers to have free time. It should be quality time for them to focus on their interests. It does not always have to be with others. Sometimes it can be emotionally and physically draining to keep up with someone else. That is why it’s important to do something personal during spare time, such as taking a bubble bath or going skateboarding.

Marwa Aslami (9) spends her free time finishing up any schoolwork along with doing chores, and afterwards falls asleep. Aslami is not the most productive when having free time. She is not always allowed to go outside or do many activities. She is limited to staying inside most of the time, but when friends can come over, her free time changes.

“We normally like to have movie marathons,” Aslami said.

Chase and Jake think that free time should be used for fun.

October 2019, page 7 | Student Life

Tri-Color Times VOL. 62 Issue 2

Balancing school and work is challenging

By Leyla Ilyazova SOME LANCERS make their way straight to their bed after school, while others have to get changed and head to work. This leads to the obvious question, “Why do high school students stretch themselves to work low income jobs?” Some students may prefer to work while going to school, even if it’s going to interfere with grades and academic performance. The reasoning behind their decisions isn’t always because they want the money to spend, but it can be because of a desire for stability for their future.

As seniors graduate and freshmen arrive, the thought of graduation increases. Having a way to afford college becomes more and more pressing. “I’m a freshman and years away from college, but I don’t have a guarantee that my parents will be able to pay for college. Therefore, I got a job and with the help of my mom, and I now have a savings account.

Everything I earn goes into it. I think I’ll look back at my savings senior year and be proud of how much stress I have saved myself,” Ruby Hartley (9) said.

Students put endless amounts of dedication into school, especially those who decide to add a job into their daily schedule.

Some students work for savings, while others decide they want to

work to support themselves. Colleges tend to be impressed by students who can manage having a job and balancing school successfully but having a job can conflict with school in many ways.

Working long hours can take a toll on a student’s grades. “I work at McDonalds and I’m there till midnight. I work five to six days a week, and it’s starting to interfere with school,” Damaris Arrazola (11) said.

Students who are dealing with similar situations to Arrazola’s are put into a ricochet. They must contemplate if they should continue working shorter schedules and struggle or quit altogether and feel the toll of no longer having a stable income for a high schooler.

Lancers who go from school to extracurricular activities and then to a real job know how it feels to have to do school assignments late at night. However, this teaches them time management skills.

After getting employed, students learn the significance of arriving on time. “Being on time demonstrates an employee can be trusted to get the job done and is responsible, qualities that are important in today’s competitive job market,” as stated on thedailymuse. com website.

In addition, punctuality is also a skill a student appreciates after getting a job. Learning to finish

work efficiently and organize time will immensely impact the futures of those working students.

A high school student who has a job should not have to be up until 3 a.m. doing homework if they know how to manage their time.

They could just as well get their homework done before midnight.

“Having a job at the airport and working five days a week has started to mess with my schoolwork,” Sabr Husein (12) said.

Working has its benefits for the people who don’t understand it firsthand. Those who do know the many consequences. “In the summer I assumed it would be easier to manage a job and schoolwork.

Now I am realizing it’s a little harder than how I’d thought it would be,” Lena Leo (9) said.

As long as someone is willing to hire high school students, there will be teenagers taking the job and underestimating the amount of commitment needed.

Getting into working comes with benefits that begin from learning the importance of budgeting to building confidence in the workplace. The consequences can be far greater, as holding a job can lead to failed academic achievement and imbue negative perspectives about work. Students should question if they are willing to put in the effort it takes to balance work and school.

Sabr is starting to see how his job at the airport affects the quality of his schoolwork.

Ro Lian pairs Champion and Jordans.

Street style hits Granger

By Pedro Melendez FASHION culture has really grown in the last 30 years. In the ‘90s, people wore baggy jeans with tank tops, and a durag with a hat on top. In the ‘00s people still wore baggy jeans, but they also wore a lot of jerseys and would match a lot.

Now things are way different.

Rappers do crazy things to their hair and wear some really different things that fans wouldn’t think they would be wearing.

People dress a certain way to express who they are, while others dress a certain way to show that they have money and to get attention from other people.

Many do not care about how they dress because it is not their main priority. Clothing can mean anything to anybody, it just really depends on their point of view.

Fashion may not always matter at school, but if dressing well and being different makes students feel good, then they should go right ahead. They shouldn’t let other people’s opinion affect the way they like to express themselves.

“My favorite brand is Jordan because I think their shoe designs and models are super clean and you can tell that they really put a lot of time into what they are making,” Brandon Soto (11)

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said. “One of my friends got me into fashion because he always wears some nice shoes with nice expensive clothing. Most of the rappers I listen to inspire the way I dress, some of them wear more relaxed clothing while others like to go all out,” Soto said.

Some think fashion matters at school, but it really depends if they care enough for it. Some people wear outfits that cost over $1,000 to school, but other people really do not care what they have on because they really do not care what others think of them.

Ro Lian (11) pays attention to street styles. “My favorite brand is Bape because the design is unique and different than what other brands are doing. A lot of people on YouTube got me into fashion, so I just kept on watching their videos, and as time passed, I started buying hyped shoes and hyped clothing. For example, I got a Bape shirt, Supreme shoulder bag, and a lot of Jordans,” he said.

“I feel like fashion sort of matters at school, but it really depends on how I view it. I started finding fashion as a way to express who I am, so I started caring about it more and more as time passed. I like to say that I’m different, so I have to dress different from other people.”

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Photo: Weston Colton

October 2019, page 8 | Entertainment

Tri-Color Times VOL. 62 Issue 2

Post Malone’s new album, Bleeding, includes many guest artists

By Ariana Larios ON SEPTEMBER 6th, Post Malone dropped some new heat that a lot of people were waiting for. The album consists of multiple features from different artists including Meek Mill, Da Baby, Sza, Ozzy Osbourne, Travis Scott and more. If you have listened to Post Malone’s albums before, a lot of them contain many melodic, slow vibes with an upbeat feel to it. Hollywood’s Bleeding also has that on this album, but I feel as if it’s more different due to all the different artists on the album.

With all the features, it gives the album a trap, play-inthe-club type of feeling. Some of his most popular songs on the album are the ones with different artists, so it seems like people are really into this new feel he gave the album.

Some songs that are on top of the charts from this album are, “Hollywood’s Bleeding”, “On the Road” (ft. Meek Mill, Lil Baby), and “Take What You Want” (ft. Ozzy Osbourne, Travis Scott). A song people were really excited about when it came was his song featuring Ozzy Osbourne.

Ozzy Osbourne is known as a musical “OG”. He’s been in the industry since the 70’s and has done many appearances in music and even on TV. He was the lead vocalist for the band Black Sabbath, which was a very popular band back in the day. A reason to be excited about this song on the album is because it’s legendary. It contains basically three different styles of music that everyone loves in one. Ozzy Osbourne gives it an amazing vocal start with his rock and

roll voice followed by Post Malone’s beautiful slow voice.

To make everything better, Travis Scott jumps in with an awesome blend into the song with his usual chill rap vibes. What makes the album bomb is that it’s basically for everybody, especially those who appreciate music. If you don’t like today’s rappers, there are still songs on the album that don’t have those features. Even if you don’t like Post Malone, you could just skip to the verses of your favorite rappers. Each song has its own story & build up as to why anyone could enjoy it, and when I say anyone, I mean ANYONE. In addition, we should support people who support us and by that, I mean that us Utah locals should him some love since he has a house here and technically lives here now. Not a lot of people know this, but when Post Malone did a show not that long ago at the Great Saltair, he found Utah to be a beautiful place. After that, he decided to live here. As a matter of fact, his latest music video “Saint Tropez” was shot in Big Cottonwood Canyon. Many could see it as a surprise and wonder why he would live here, but I do not see why not. There’s no doubt that the Beehive State really is a beautiful place, and the mountains make it even better. It should be an honor for us to finally have someone shed some light on Utah since everyone from other parts of the country have certain stereotypes about our state.

Something that really gives this album its “oomph” is the fact that in comparison to his old album, Beerbongs

Don’t pass up QUARANTINE, The Loners

By Grace Glines QUARANTINE, The Loners tells the story of David, Lucy, and Will. Their lives are affected by a virus that thrives in the bodies of pubescent teenagers and immediately kills everyone else is let loose on the first day of high school.

A science lab near the school was illegally testing biological weapons, and a test subject gets loose and sought refuge in the school. Soon, the school became a battle zone similar to that of The Hunger Games.

A few weeks later, the different cliques b e c o m e gangs, and those without cliques are the scraps.

David and his brother, Will, are scraps.

David used to be on the football team, and he would have been on Varsity had a few events not happened.

He was fairly popular before getting mad and drunk at a party where he beat up one of his teammates, Sam. He had been dating the most popular girl at school, Hillary, before he found her cheating on him and threw her phone in the toilet at that same party.

Now, David has to avoid both of them to survive, which is hard when they are the leaders of the two biggest gangs: Varsity and The Pretty Ones.

Will is much more adventurous than David. He has epilepsy, and sneaks out recklessly at night,

sometimes getting into very dangerous situations. His epilepsy sometimes surfaces at bad times, causing his to seize in the middle of a fight. Recognized as David’s brother, Varsity tries to hurt Will multiple times.

Meanwhile, seniors are slowly dying all around the school. This

is because the virus only thrives in prepubescent teenagers. Therefore, the virus leaves their body as they complete puberty, all the viruses from other students immediately attack. The government realizes this and installs a machine that tests a student and sees if they can leave the school soon. Students are now taking advantage of this and seniors are dying much more rarely.

One day, David sees Lucy about to be hurt by one of the Varsity boys when she is checking to see if she is eligible for release.

She had been a Pretty One before she refused to date a Varsity boy and was kicked out by Hillary.

Naturally, he saves her by punching the Varsity kid in the face. The Varsity dies after hitting his head on the tile, and that makes it so much harder for David to survive.

Varsity is hungry for revenge.

That night, David and Will bring Lucy home.

David quickly discovers that Lucy is the girl that Will had met during summer camp, and he is deeply in love with her. However, Lucy is in love with David because he saved her from that Varsity boy.

This causes a ton of conflict between Will and David, and their relationship deteriorates little by little.

Soon, David is asked to lead a new gang, consisting of all the kids without gangs and that’s when the real action begins.

This was an incredible book. The plot really engages you, and it’s pretty relatable when you think about it. Everyone is nervous on the first day of school, afraid people won’t like them.

Obviously, the students in the book weren’t afraid that they would be locked in their high school by a fearful government, or that they would live in constant fear for their lives, but that’s just what they got. QUARANTINE, The Loners should be available at most libraries, and I highly recommend reading it.

& Bentleys, he gives you a different type of Post Malone sound. Although he’s always been very open and interested in his old music, this album gets you feeling some type of way. Therefore, I recommend to anyone who loves good music to check out his new album ASAP!

Mxmtoon keeps it sad and sleepy

By Alyssa Luna Maia, also known as ‘mxmtoon,’ is a 19-year-old Chinese-American singer, social media personality, and YouTuber from Oakland, California. Since the release of her album last year, Plum Blossom, Maia’s music career has taken off and she has received vast amounts of popularity over the internet. Her album, Plum Blossom, has been streamed over 100 million times on Spotify.

Maia became interested in music at a very young age. With her brother taking violin lessons and her father eventually teaching her how to play the guitar, it is clear that music was a prominent discipline within her household.

Over the course of her life, she has so far learned how to play the violin, cello, trumpet, guitar, and ukulele. However, the sounds more commonly present within her music are from the ukulele and musical synthesizers.

After graduating high school, she took a year off from school to focus more on her music. She had planned to go to college to pursue a degree in architecture, but that was before her music had gone viral. She has been uploading onto YouTube ever since she was in middle school, but it wasn’t until she began to use the TikTok app that she began to gain more popularity.

She had kept her hobbies a secret, but she felt compelled to tell her friends and family after she went viral. Since then, Maia has worked with similar artists such as Cavetown, Tessa Violet, peachy!, and khai dreams. Her most recent album, the masquerade, was released this year.

Her music is best classified as bedroom pop, lofi hip-hop, and folk-pop, genres that have become more popular within recent years.

I believe much of the appeal of her music comes from the themes of love, sadness, depression, and relaxation, themes I believe connect well with younger generations of people.

The tones of her music can be described as sad, sleepy, and relaxing. Her feelings are portrayed vividly through the lyrics and melodies of her songs.

I believe Maia has taken her understanding and relation to what is appealing to younger people, and she used it to create the music which has made her successful.

However, as an artist, I do not personally believe that she has many qualities that set her apart from others within these genres.

I believe that she is a good representation of all the artists within the same category, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Neither the singing, production, or composition within her songs are noticeably different to me than that of other artists.

Her voice is not necessarily distinguishable above other artists, neither through unique sound or vocal ability. The sounds present within her music could be described as typical.

I do find that her emotions and feelings can be well-understood through her lyrics, but I still don’t find them to be particularly better.

Her music is pleasant to listen to, but I believe that you can find the same experience through other artists within the same genre.

However, I do think that she most definitely deserves the publicity that she has gotten. Her personality and aesthetic value that she brings along with her music most definitely raises attention to her overall image. I think that her goal was to portray herself as a peaceful, tranquil, and beautiful artist, and she has most definitely accomplished that.