The Roar | Volume 10 | Issue 2| October 2014

ROAR THE

Volume 10, Issue 2

NOVEMBER 2014

pro/con: new concrete seating Breaking down the Walls

volunteers go “a week without”

PAGE 4

PAGE 5

PAGE 14

ARE WE

READY? an in-depth look at emergency preparedness

A WHITNEY HIGH STUDENT MEDIA PUBLICATION

whitneyupdate.com

@whitneyupdate

@detailsyearbook

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In this issue

TALK

editors-in-chief

page 4 concrete seating

Ariella appleby ABI BROOKS HARMONY REILLY carsen van der linden

ON CAMPUS page 6 What is WASC? page 7 Marching band competes in new division page 8 Meet the cast of the upcoming fall play page 9 COVER STORY: Are we ready? We take an in-depth look at emergency preparedness and what students need to know.

ROAR THE

adviser SARAH NICHOLS, MJE

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THE ROAR staff missie caracut Selena cervantes camelia coffman kristen elsayegh rylea gillis olivia grahl amanda johnson

lily jones sarah martinez rachel marquardt desiree stone joel timms miranda woolley sierra young

TECH

page 12 BYOD in action page 13 What brand of headphones is best?

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UP CLOSE page 14 Volunteers go “a week without” to break regular habits

MOVE page 16 Get to know baseball player Kale Stout page 17 Dance team choreography

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OFF CAMPUS page 16 Next installment in Hunger Games series to hit theaters soon page 19 Who posted that? With so many school-related social media accounts, we help you know what’s what.

The Roar is a student publication produced

by Whitney High Student Media. The news magazine is an open forum for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions. Columns represent the viewpoints of individual writers and are not representative of the opinions of the student body, faculty or administration of Whitney High School or Rocklin Unified School District. Staff members of The Roar practice ethical student journalism by providing fair and balanced coverage as determined by community standards.

Students working to publish each issue strive to achieve accuracy by checking sources, spelling and quotes as well as obtaining a variety of credible sources. The staff regrets any errors or omissions.

For information about advertising, contact The Roar at theroar@rocklin.k12.ca.us.

Visit www.whitneyupdate.com for news, sports, opinion, entertainment and more.

Whitney High School 701 Wildcat Blvd. Rocklin, Calif. 95765 916-632-6500

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On the cover: During last block on Sept. 16, a bomb threat led to an evacuation to the soccer fields, where students waited about an hour. Photo by ARIELLA APPLEBY

staff editorial

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e are not prepared. After we experienced first-hand the chaos of the evacuation in September, we spent the past six weeks researching the issue. We talked to teacher after teacher, and despite what they tell you, we are not ready. Students, and even some teachers, would not know exactly what to do in a real emergency situation. If a time arose where student lives were at risk, there would be no way we would be able to keep 1,900 teenagers on a soccer field or waiting quietly in their classrooms.

Without knowledge of what to do in a certain situation, chances of things running smoothly are slim. Our school’s reaction to the bomb threat was the same as our reaction would be to a fire drill. Students laughed and horsed around as they spilled onto the soccer fields, moseying past the teachers directing traffic, not even knowing that there was a legitimate emergency at hand. In fact, even when it was announced that it was not just a drill, people’s main concern still seemed to be the excitement of missing their seventh period class.

Why be concerned with possible destruction and danger when students could miss an Algebra II lecture, right?

The point is, students will not even begin to care about possible emergencies unless we make some big changes to the way all 1,900 people conduct themselves in a drill situation. We have to make strides in the mindset students have. If goofing around and not taking things seriously during our drills continues to be the norm, then that is exactly the result we will receive when we truly need structure.

This responsibility falls on the staff as much as it does the students. If we’re going to be prepared for the worst that could happen, normal behavior expectations should actually be enforced rather than abandoned while students make their way to a safe destination. For example, if we had a time limit and all classes had to be in line within a certain number of minutes after the alarm went off, students would have an incentive to move quickly. Classes meeting the deadline could earn a reward and those not in the spot on time could have a consequence such as detention.

But past that, students should also not be funneled in droves through one big gate that around 10 people can get through at a time. Squeezing that many students into one tight space, all moving in the same direction, is just asking for trouble. It falls on people in authority positions to direct student traffic and make sure that the process is as orderly as possible. If we were to have a fire drill today, it is likely that several people in the crowd start shoving those around them. Unfortunately, some high school students still need that kind of supervision when walking from point A to point B. Unfortunate, yes, but there should be people there to make sure that students

TALK

ARE WE READY?

aren’t making an emergency or preparation for an emergency any more difficult to handle than it already is.

Another option is to have students walk in a single-file line or two-by-two as they move to the soccer field so that teachers would have an easier time watching them. It may sound like an elementary-school idea, but it works, and then when everyone gets to the field it would not be as chaotic.

It’s hard to get the entire student body to actually take the whole process seriously. There’s still a feeling of, ‘Oh, there’s no way something that dangerous could actually happen in a place like Rocklin!’ and it’s a little hard to imagine something like a school shooting happening so close when events like that are so far removed from normal life.

We aren’t advocating going to the extreme measures that some schools in places like Missouri have gone. We shouldn’t be scaring students out of their minds with AR-15 blanks and fake blood in active shooter drills. But we should try harder in our classes to make sure students know Vote: 17-0 that there is a time and place for taking things seriously, and a drill or emergency is definitely one of them. Maybe if we talked about it as a school and as one of the mandatory intervention lessons, students would feel more included and would have a chance to ask questions or express their concerns. When there’s a real threat, students should be told it isn’t a drill. This may help students step up.

The administration is obviously taking its own steps to change how we collectively respond to an emergency, and it’s great that student safety is a big concern for them.

What about putting a guide or informational section in the student planner of what to do in each type of emergency? For example, is a fire the same as a lockdown or bomb or other dangerous scenario? What would we do if this happened at lunch rather than in a regular class period? A guide and lesson on this could help us all be more aware. Teachers could have this type of training at a special staff meeting, too.

We need clearly designated areas to stand and wait, and we need help understanding the transportation issue, such as how to get home if something happens at the end of the school day as it did before.

Right now, we are not prepared for the worst. Our coverage on pages 9-11 is meant to explain more to students about how it all works and what administrators do.

Our surveys revealed that students feel safe but that they have questions about the plans and how we would respond in future emergencies. We hope our in-depth feature helps raise awareness of this important topic. We definitely are not ready.

STAFF EDITORIAL

TALK concrete seating

SPEND THE

STICK WITH THE

MONEY

OR

Or is there another way to spend the school’s savings?

Is the money worth spending for the concrete seating?

THE PROS

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oncrete seating might not sound so comfortable when you first hear it, but there’s more than meets the eye with this up-and-coming project. Say goodbye to mud pits and dirt, brown splattered shoes and the problem of no place to sit. This 10 year anniversary present is going to be a good one.

It’s obvious that something needs to be changed when students track mud into classrooms every rainy day. Yeah, people might be used to it, since the area behind the amphitheater is all dirt and grass cannot grow there. But why keep the dirt there if we can install concrete as a campus improvement? This will be cleaner and better than drenching your new Converse in dirt water and sploshy brown guck.

But wait, there’s more. With the new concrete seating, we don’t have to fight for a seat on the top of the amphitheater. Students who have always wanted to eat lunch on the top of the amphitheater will be able to soon. Now students won’t have to go up and down the stairs just to find a place to sit. It will be closer, cleaner and more available.

And yes, the trees will still be there, so it won’t feel like we’re suffering from extreme heat without shade.

The trees there are a safe haven to hide from the heat, an addition to a beautiful landscape and something for freshmen to hug when they get lost.

And soon they will be joined by new concrete seating purchased with donations in honor of the 10th anniversary. It will be just like the style used down by the cafeteria, keeping things looking nice.

Maybe concrete seating sounds boring or uncomfortable, but, it’s a great way to provide the much needed additional seating and solve a true need.

Some students have griped that they should have gotten a vote over the campus gift, especially because some donated in the class penny wars or had their parents contribute funds during Back to School Night.

It’s nice to have a vote, but students don’t always know what we need. The new seating benefits everyone on campus rather than just certain classes or types of students and can’t get outdated quickly, like technology or things we already purchase constantly.

When we’re sitting outside in a nice area with clean shoes, we’ll be glad.

THE CONCRETE SEATING WILL COST A TOTAL OF

$50,000 STUDENTS SAID...

43%

Yes, we should spend the money on concrete

57% No, we should spend the money on something else WHITNEY HIGH HAS DONATED

$5,000

THE CONS

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etting concrete seating for the school sounds like a menace from the beginning.

It is not what the school needs. True, there are safety precautions when it comes to the mud, so students don’t slip and slide or feel like it’s a challenge to get around, but the money could have been better spent. School campus is supposed to have a home-like feeling, but with this change in seating it will feel like an arena.

This same amount of money could be spread to make a wide variety of other improvements to meet our needs. First, the computers on campus are slower than ever. Also, having bathrooms with hooks on the back of the bathroom doors would be great so that students don’t have to put their personal belongings on disgusting floors. Water fountains around campus are a problem, too. Condoms and gum have been found in the water fountains. Replacing or upgrading these items would make a big difference on a daily basis.

Instead, we have to use the money we donated on concrete that is going to sit there for the next decade.

Honestly, we need to rethink the main goal of upgrades, because so far, concrete seating is not that impressive. The seating is a waste of money compared to the urgent need of computers around campus, which are slow and outdated. Students and teachers comment on this constantly in their classes, in meetings and on social media, so it should be clear that this is what everyone wants and needs.

With the incoming freshmen levels rising, lack of seating has turned into a problem for lunch areas, but there are more areas to sit in the shade. More students are spending their lunch time in classrooms getting help from teachers anyway, meaning there aren’t as many students sitting outside as there used to be.

If students had a voice for what the school does with the money, they would appreciate more about the efforts toward improvement. A part of the money DID come from the Rocklin community and students, so why can’t students have a voice in their own opinion?

Small things make a big difference. And obviously the concrete seating is a big thing that makes a small difference. Concrete seating not theMARQUARDT right choice PHOTOS BY is RACHEL given all of our other needs.

OPINION BY CAMELIA COFFMAN

OPINION BY RACHEL MARQUARDT

THE ROAR

MUD

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ON CAMPUS school culture

BREAKING DOWN THE WALLS

New program intends to break the barrier between students and create lasting unity

BY KRISTEN EL SAYEGH

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but Breaking Down the Walls has been the first attempt to bring together students for a completely hands-on experience.

“The ideal outcome is for students that don’t usually interact with each other would become friends. I’d like for us to be a Wildcat family, not super distanced from each other,” ASB community service commissioner Lauren Rowe said.

Students submitted applications to participate, and teachers each had the opportunity to submit nominations during the first quarter of the school year. The more variety of students, the more effective the program will be. Taking place in the gym Nov. 4-7, students will have the opportunity to introduce themselves through several ice-breaker games.

“I signed up because I thought it would be a really cool experience. I got an email to be a leader, too, where I’ll be able to lead some activities. Judging is a huge problem at school, and it’s nice to have a program that can help people look past that,” junior Kayla Daughters said.

The program will take place during school and will have a different set of students for each day at lunch time. The program will be initiated by the program coordinators, with leadership students helping out on the side.

The kindness lessons at intervention in September and October helped set the stage to make everyone aware. Rowe started working on her part in the program long before the start of school based on her participation at Del Oro. She hopes the program here will have the same effect.

Rowe said, “I still talk to the people I met there. Everyone was welcoming in a different way.”

n the movies, they’re labeled as jocks, chem nerds, band geeks, and melodramatic theatre-goers.

These are but a few of the stereotypical groups that roam every high school campus. But everyone wants to feel like they belong. Everyone wants to be comfortable in their own skin. Sometimes being comfortable isn’t always the right thing; sometimes students need to branch out and widen the scope of what they experience. A new program this month will make that possible.

Breaking Down the Walls is a program focused on changing the overall atmosphere of a school by connecting students. Established by Phil Boyte in 1984, it has impacted many high schools across the nation.

The program intends to bring together diverse groups and help students reach an understanding of the positive differences around them. Ultimately, it drives home the point of eliminating alienation and teaching students to embrace the idea of meeting others who may be out of their comfort zone.

“We have some great students on our campus, but all of us could do a better job of being aware of the needs of others and the impact each of us has on each other. I hope, as does everyone involved, that this program will bring a heightened awareness to everyone on this campus about the value of each person and what part we all play in making first ourselves, then this campus, our community and our world a better place for everyone,” Principal Mrs. Debra Hawkins said.

Leadership students have addressed this same topic in past years through I Believe Week, and various kindness acts,

K. EL SAYEGH

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WHITNEYUPDATE.COM

wasc ON CAMPUS

Self Survey for Self Improvement The process of becoming a better school

S. MARTINEZ

BY SARAH MARTINEZ

W

a specific criteria of the school. From there, they work ASC: that’s the Western Association together to figure out what’s working, not working, of Schools and College. Most students haven’t heard of it. and how they can improve. The school’s accreditation allows for the students to be accepted into colleges.

“It’s an organization. What we are “Colleges don’t accept students from non-accredited doing is a self study for improvement high schools. We just have to go through the process of and WASC gives us the process and evaluates us continuing our accreditation every three to six years,” on our study,” Mrs. Melanie Patterson, self-study coordinator, said.

Patterson said.

The next time the visiting committee will For the past year, Patterson has “It really isn’t WASC, be on campus is April 27-29, 2015. They will been managing the whole process, it’s ourselves, our wander around campus visiting classrooms to which includes gathering student, ongoing process of self review the schools curriculum and teaching parent and staff reports to meeting improvement.” practices as well as have specific times where with the visiting committee.

– WASC chair they will meet with students.

“The visiting committee’s made Mrs. Melanie Patterson up of principals and assistant Patterson said, “It really isn’t WASC, its ourselves, our ongoing process of self principals and teachers from other schools that visit our sight to see how we’re doing. improvement. That’s what it’s for so we can become better and better. We’re already great, but we can Everybody, parents, students, teachers, the community, always set goals for how we can improve and thats create a report on how were doing and they review it what this process is for.” and ask questions and make sure we are doing what we should be,” Patterson said.

Staff, parents, and students are divided into six different focus groups where they are asked to evaluate

Self-Study Coordinator

Mrs. Melanie Patterson Focus Chair Leaders

Mr. Tim Farnan Mrs. Jennifer Henry

Mr. Peter Buck

Mr. Patrick Floyd

Pathway to College

Get ahead of application anxiety

BY DESIREE STONE

H. REILLY

Important Dates CSU Application window: now – Nov. 30 UC Application window now – Nov. 30 Test scores due in Dec.

THE ROAR

Fall isn’t just about the leaves falling off of the trees, sweater weather and Pumpkin Spice Lattes from Starbucks. Fall is the time of year that the bulk of high school seniors are applying to college.

With this topic being very high on most seniors’ priorities, senior counselor Mr. Patrick Floyd does his best to ease his students concerns.

“My biggest advice to the seniors is to research, research, and research your colleges and college major. Learn about their college major opportunities as it relates to your career choice, housing requirements, consider both in-state and out-of-state schools along with private colleges. Once you apply, be diligent with checking your student portal for any deadlines or missing documents,” Mr. Floyd said.

Students currently in college know the stresses that come with the application process. Sonoma State University freshman and WHS alumni Ellen Mamula gives advice to her senior and junior

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friends about applying to college to hopefully prevent them from being at the same stress level that she was at less than a year ago.

“Applying to college was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Something I wished I would have asked about or been told is meeting deadlines for applications like submitting test scores long before they’re ‘due’. If you wait until last minute you will be biting your fingernails like I was,” Ellen Mamula said.

College and Career Center coordinator Mrs. Sally Randazzo weighs in on what mistakes students make the most when applying to schools.

“Not following directions and not meeting deadlines are the biggest mistakes [seniors make].

Ask for help and don’t let the process overwhelm you–set your own deadlines for getting things done well in advance of the actual deadlines.” Mrs. Sally Randazzo said.

Marching band students describe their experiences at halftime shows, competitions, practices

BY OLIVIA GRAHL

twice a week, for three hours at a time.

“We got really ahead on all of our practices and show music during the summer. We’ve really just been cleaning up the show.

Like, the first time when you’re doing the new show, you’re really nervous. But after you do it two or three times, it’s kinda more routine and you start to focus on the small things,” trumpet player Austin Leverenz said.

Despite the weekly practices, most band members have individual practice at home each day.

“You need to practice outside of school because we don’t get that much time. We don’t have as much practice time as other sports on campus, so it takes quite a bunch of individual time, like figuring out what to do or going into intervention,” Carroll said.

The marching band season ends Nov. 15 with their last show at the Lincoln Band Review.

Leverenz said, “[Marching band] teaches you a lot of qualities like patience, like when you’re out there doing the same thing over and over.

It also teaches you how to listen and follow directions. As far as the rest of the season, I’m really hoping to accomplish a lot more and get up to that first place position. We were really surprised that we did so well [in our first competition]. Our staff has really been pushing us so we can get up to that first place position.”

marching band

M

arching band season is in full swing with their first competition having been on Oct. 4 in Reno, Nevada. The team scored second in their division and third overall in sweepstakes.

Sweepstakes awards are out of every band, from every division, all scored together in one category.

“I think it was our first time getting sweepstakes. We made marching band history this year,” drum major Kristina Carroll said.

At a competition, schools are put into divisions based on their band size. This year, the marching band is competing in Triple A, for medium sized bands.

“Marching band grew. My freshman year it was small and we all knew each other and it was nice.

Last year, it was the biggest [it has] ever been. This year we went down a little bit in numbers but we’re doing really well,” Carroll said.

Besides competitions, marching band performs during the halftime show, and in the stands at football games.

“Football games we’re still performing, but we’re not being judged. We look at it as practice for the real thing. Competition is like the real thing. You’re being judged and there’s people there that know their stuff. At a football game, people don’t really know what we’re doing,” Carroll said.

Between competitions and football games, the band practices

ON CAMPUS

MOVING TO THE BEAT

Scan the QR code to see the marching band compete at Oakmont on Oct. 11.

Drum major Kristina Carroll stands with the marching band as they wait for their turn to perform at Oakmont on Oct. 11.

Photo by D. PAYAN

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WHITNEYUPDATE.COM

fall play ON CAMPUS

Meet the cast of “You Can’t Take It With You” Cast members reveal the difficulties of playing roles in the 1930s

BY SIERRA YOUNG In this classic comedy, Alice Sycamore and Tony Kirby, the vice president of his greedy father’s prosperous company, are star crossed lovers who come from families with irreconcilable differences.

Alice insists that their families meet, but the Tony accidentally brings his family on the wrong night, and the humble and simple Sycamores clash with the conservative and aristocratic Kirbys.

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Scan the QR code to watch a clip of rehearsal.

SHOWS Thurs. 11/13 5:30 p.m.

Fri. 11/14 5:30 p.m.

Sat. 11/15 5:30 p.m.

Thurs. 11/20 5:30 p.m.

Fri. 11/21 12:30 p.m.

Sat. 11/22 12:30 p.m.

TICKETS sold starting Nov. 1 on whs.rocklinusd.org $10 general admission $7 students/seniors

1. MRS. JULIE HILLIKER as the director “I want [the cast] to experience growth in their acting. [The story] is set in the 1930s, so the speech is different and they have to learn about that era.” Hilliker is the new theatre teacher and director this year. She has directed at a Granite Oaks after school program for three years. She chose to put on “You Can’t Take It With You” as her first high school production because she wanted something classic yet comedic. “I knew the set was fairly simple and this is the first set I have designed and built,” she says. Hilliker says the casts’ strengths include enthusiasm, ambition, and integrity.

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4. GABBY DEMSKY as Essie Sycamore “Essie is a really bad dancer so I have to trip and fall a lot, which is a challenge.” Demsky will be making her high school on-stage debut as Essie, Alice’s sister. Demsky says her ability to easily project her voice helps her as an actor. She auditioned because Demsky is a lot like Essie. “She’s really bubbly and outgoing,” Demsky says.

5. JONAH PETTY as Grandpa Sycamore “Grandpa relates to me in that he believes that you shouldn’t go through life not having fun.” Jonah Petty has been in “The Crucible”, “The Sound of Music”, “Evita”, and “Almost Maine”. He has auditioned for every play during his high 2. HARMONY REILLY as Alice Sycamore “It’s tough to play a character who has had more life experience than you.” school career. Petty is excited to be in his first on-stage comedy and play an older character. “As an actor I like to expand my horizons and lately I’ve been playing lots of Reilly says she auditioned for the female lead because this is her senior year. She kid roles. I want to try my hand at age again,” says Petty. has been in “The Crucible”, “The Sound of Music”, and “Almost, Maine.” At the cast announcement, her dad locked her in the car and ran to see the list.

6. NIKKI BEAUDRY as Penny Sycamore 3. STORM MCTAGUE as Tony Kirby “Something we have in common [is that we] have a habit of trying to “The role is perfect for me. Tony is a suave, rich gentlemen. I’m just not help everyone but most often end up making things worse.” Beaudry has rich.” McTague did not originally try out for the lead male of Tony. He was helping his been in theatre since her freshmen year. Throughout her four years she has been friend rehearse, and ended up with the part.” in “Stage Door”, “The Crucible”, and “Almost, Maine”. “I realized how fun of a role Penny is. She’s part of some really funny scenes and I’m so excited to perform a comedic role for the first time,” says Beaudry. The only challenge of playing Penny, she says, is due to the fact that Penny is an older character from a much earlier time in history.

THE ROAR

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ON CAMPUS school safety

ARE WE

READY?

BY ARIELLA APPLEBY & ABI BROOKS

I

t can happen so fast.

In the blink of an eye, everything can change.

“I took that phone call. The second part of it, and when he hung up on me, I turned around and said, ‘Evacuate the school right now.’ I ran into my office and called 911,” assistant principal Mr. Jason Feuerbach said.

At 1:24 p.m. on Sept. 16, an unidentified male made a call to the front office, claiming there were two bombs on campus.

“He said there was one in the cafeteria and one in the boys’ bathroom under the awning. Then he said you have four minutes and 25 seconds, and he hung up,” Feuerbach said.

Right after the call, assistant principal Mrs. Jennifer Hanks pulled the fire alarm. By 1:29 p.m., students and teachers were on the soccer field. By 1:52, 28 minutes after the alarm was pulled, emergency services arrived.

Students were not aware that the alarm was based on an actual threat rather than a typical fire drill. Comments on the field and over social media ranged from excitement to frustration about where to go, why students were detained and how to retrieve their belongings, which were locked in classrooms overnight.

“There’s always room for improvement. When I left that day I felt pretty good about it, because given that in our 10 years that we’ve never gone through something like that,” Hanks said.

Steps taken in emergencies are created through each individual school; some aspects are created from the district and some steps are authorized by emergency responders.

“The emergency services folks have certain ways they want us to do things. There are steps that we have to follow and they have people that have examined very carefully some of the situations that have occurred in different parts of the country. They try to see what could have been done to keep the problem from happening, or a eliminate any injuries that were caused by handling it differently,” emergency coordinator Mrs. Sherry Mauser said.

Hanks’ idea for successful communication during emergencies is as simple as downloading the Whitney High School app.

“I think the app is really going to help, because I can do push notifications from my phone. I would love every student, every parent, everybody to download the app because I can put out a push notification that, for example, the fire drill was caused by popcorn. For the people nearby or hearing the sirens, it’s really going to help out during emergency situations because the app is officially run by WHS admin,” Hanks said. *continued on next page

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WHITNEYUPDATE.COM

“How much longer are we going to be out here?”

“What’s going on?”

“WHERE IS MY CLASS?”

“Can my mom come pick me up?”

“How am I supposed to get home without my car keys?”

“WAS ANYONE ABSENT TODAY?” Each administrator has special jobs so that in emergencies like the bomb threat, everyone will be organized and ready. Jobs range from writing everything down to informing to emergency responders what has occurred so far.

“My job under any evacuation whether fire alarm or bomb threat or anything is what’s called a ‘scribe.’ and I basically follow the principal around and I write everything down along with the time. I have a radio and I’m writing down what time the police arrived and everything I see or hear with times,” Fawcett said.

Hanks, on the other hand, has a very different job in emergency situations.

“Technically my title is called ‘logistics,’ but it kind of varies. It just depends. Like on the day of the last emergency I’m sounding the alarm, but if the alarm goes off then I’m going and checking where did the alarm go off. I’m dealing with things like are we accounted for all the kids and how are we going to make sure that we get them home,” Hanks said.

Feuerbach’s job is to deal with the emergency as it is happening. He talks with emergency responders and makes sure everything goes as it is supposed to.

“I deal with the immediate threat and the emergency responders. Whatever’s going on and where it’s going down, that’s where I am,” Feuerbach said.

Drills often take a long time to go through. Getting 1,900 students down to the soccer field can prove to be a difficult task.

Part of the challenge is that teachers may continue mid-lesson before getting students out of the classroom and headed toward the assigned evacuation spot. Once they lock doors and send students toward the soccer field, the mass of people can mean for slow movement — especially if not everyone takes it seriously.

“Anytime where we have a lot of people together in any public event, it’s always a big concern. That’s one of the reasons we have security personnel for different things, like football games. Its one of the reasons why we try to keep students under certain

amount of control,” Mauser said.

Before the bomb threat occurred, administrators had been making progress to reform the emergency evacuation plans. At the time the incident occurred, teachers had not reviewed or practiced any kind of emergency training specifically this year.

Teachers mentioned questions and uncertainty about the difference between a fire and a bomb threat, or a lockdown, or what to do if something similar were to happen at a major event such as a football game.

“We are going to develop emergency plans for each sports venue, but for now there isn’t [any emergency steps],” Feuerbach said.

He has been working with the athletic director at Rocklin High School, Mr. Davis Stewart, to come up with a plan for emergencies.

“We are going to develop emergency plans for each venue, so for the large gym, the small gym, the soccer fields, the baseball fields, the softball diamonds, the football stadium, the pool, the tennis courts. Each one will have their own, I will work with those coaches on it. [This will involve] all coaches, all levels, the entire staff,” Feuerbach said.

Mauser said having Officer Davis at school and security personnel at football games is to keep students safe if anything unexpected comes up.

“We have to look at each situation individually, because we could have you all in the amphitheater on a special Friday when games are going on and something can go on and we need to look at a special procedure, so if that happens we can evacuate you in a certain area or stay put if need be and keep you as safe as possible,” Mauser said.

At Senior Eghosa Igbinedion’s old school, Palm Desert High School in Southern California, they had multiple drills in order to prepare for the worst.

“To get ready for emergencies at my old school, we had fire drills, earthquake

How safe do you feel?

red binder?

78% FEEL SAFE 47% FEEL CONFIDENT IN AN EMERGENCY BUT 82% THINK WE NEED MORE DRILLS TO PREPARE SOURCE: 144 responses to a poll on Survey Monkey from Oct. 15-23 “Because we have the on-campus cop, I feel like we would be pretty safe if something were to happen.”

— KYLE JOHNSON “I feel pretty safe, but during the fire drill nothing was organized and even some of the teachers weren’t taking things very seriously.”

— RYAN MONAHAN

THE ROAR

“It’s like 100 degrees.

I need water!”

“I don’t feel as safe since the bomb threat because now we know people have the ability to do bad things and we might not be able to stop them.”

— KAYLIE WASHBURN “I’m not really concerned about safety, I think we would be pretty prepared for things that could happen.”

— SOUFIANE RHOULAMI

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“I feel pretty safe, we live in Rocklin, and if anything did happen, admin would be able to take care of it .”

— KOURTNEY NHAM “I feel safe on campus, but things were really unorganized during the bomb threat.”

— ALANAH FRANKEL

Teachers have a red emergency binder in each classroom with maps, procedures and class rosters. When they lock the door during an evacuation, they use a green door magnet to indicate “all good” or a red magnet to mark if there’s a problem.

In a student survey, 70 percent of students said teachers also should be required to attend and pass a test for mandatory emergency training.

Mr. Tim Farnan tied the evacuation to a lesson for AP government students

11

school safety

A. APPLEBY

drills and lock-down drills. We had them twice a semester to make sure we were ready. It really helped us to be prepared,” Igbinedion said.

Compared to her old school’s emergency preparations, the system here is different. She said tthe multiple drills during the year made a big difference.

“Drills would help because even though it’s not real, it helps get us ready for if something real happens. Nobody was prepared for the bomb threat, and it was crazy.

Everybody was just swarming through the school,” Igbinedion said.

Mr. Tod Furtado shares how he handled the situation being a new Spanish teacher.

“It was a new experience for me to a certain degree. Not knowing exactly how the procedures went, I felt that I did well. I’m not concerned about the threat, I’m more concerned about what I’m supposed to do,” Furtado said.

He said he wasn’t bothered as much by the threat being a veteran in the military.

“My military background definitely helped me understand the threat we might be in, after learning it was a bomb threat. I knew we were in a safe distance having worked with explosives from ignitions and things like that in my military career. I think it helped a lot. Naturally military people want to control a situation, so I felt it was my duty to do that so I think I assisted the administrators in that regard,” Furatado said.

Masuer said the best thing to do is to be “overprepared” for emergencies.

She said, “We need to look at a special procedures so if that happens we can evacuate you and keep you as safe as possible. If we had a natural disaster [the police] might not be available to us. We try to think through anything that is an emergency, we have to have the plans [for] more than just having a safety drills.”

The bomb threat was embedded in a lesson on how government changes. The class learned that in order for government to change, they first had to recognize that there is a problem.

“We used [the bomb threat] as a teachable moment because in AP government we have to go over policy and how policies are implemented and how policies are designed and reviewed. Students were talking about [the situation]. They were talking about the good things and the bad things and the heat and stuff like that. We looked at how an organization designs policy, and reviews it. As a class we looked at what went well and what didn’t go so well,” Farnan said.

The class looked for ways to improve emergency situations, discussing the pros and cons of each solution they came up with.

“Someone came up with having a different bell or a different signal for different alerts. They came up with the idea of a different path to get to a designated area. The students talked about how we could set up better communication, and access to water the day of the bomb threat because it was so hot,” Farnan said.

Farnan explains the good and the bad effects of practicing fire drills.

“You want to drill enough to where the kids feel comfortable and it’s efficient, but then you also have to understand that there are instructional minutes in the day and you can’t get crazy, so I guess it’s kind of a balancing act,” Farnan said.

The class talked about their priorities and how they felt during the bomb threat.

Farnan said, “My students in both classes said they felt safe. That’s priority number one: protecting your students and if they felt safe throughout the entire process, that’s probably a good thing.”

ON CAMPUS

teachable moment

WHITNEYUPDATE.COM

TECH

byod

Chromebook’d

“Bring Your Own Device” policy becomes more relevant with new devices

S. YOUNG S. YOUNG

T

he school’s recent purchase of Google Chromebooks for this school year proves to be a beneficial tool for students as well as bring major changes to how classroom lessons are taught.

“It’s like an extra resource. We have our textbooks, now we have our Chromebooks and the Internet to look stuff up,” Midori Garman said.

Chromebooks are slowly being integrated into the daily lives of students and teachers. The push for teachers to use Schoology brings an even greater push to use Chromebooks.

Teachers, like Mr. Shawn Robin, have already taken to incorporating them into classroom lessons.

“In Mr. Robin’s class, we usually do worksheets on Schoology that we need to lookup using the Internet,” Garman said.

Robin thinks Chromebooks are not only the way of the future, but an integral way to study history.

“Everybody can have a primary source document they can edit digitally in front of them, instead of the teacher having one projected on the screen, “ Robin said.

But with the good, comes the bad.

The Chromebooks are not without kinks. Difficulties with the WiFi prevents them from functioning properly due these

S. YOUNG

L. JONES

BY SARAH MARTINEZ

iLearn

devices being a web thin client, essentially Students bring their own devices to school meaning they only provide a web browser Modern day schooling has been overrun with technology. Everyday, classrooms and use web based applications, like use computers to take attendance, Chromebooks to take quizzes, doc cameras Google Drive and Google Docs. Without to show worksheets and projectors to view videos or slideshows. Our culture has WiFi they are rendered useless. adapted to this new way of education, students are bringing their own personal Other times technology is not the one to devices to school. blame, but the user.

“It would be nice to bring my laptop to “People get distracted and search the school for English, but my parents don’t Internet, some kids don’t pay attention to want me to bring it to school because it the teacher, and other times it was hard could get stolen.” — MORGAN JONES to log on, especially for new students,” Garman said.

Most of the funding to purchase the Chromebooks came mainly from the Common Core funding as well as from the schools general funding.

“The Chromebooks are a more reasonable priced tool compared to some of the other things we could have bought.

We chose them because they’re cost effective,” Mrs. Sherry Mauser, the admin who overlooked the project, said.

Mauser said, “I see many more students having tablets or other devices that they can carry back and forth to school that they use all the time. I think that’s more of the way of the future. I would imagine we’ll soon be seeing our textbooks online more than we’ll be seeing textbooks being carried back and forth in their backpacks.”

“I bring my dads Samsung tablet to school not for academics but mainly just for watching Netflix during lunch because my phone doesn’t connect to the school wifi.”

— KENNETH VILLORENTE “At home I have a laptop but I don’t really need to bring it, because the only class I would need it for is Spanish but I have an app on my phone that does the job for me anyways.” — MATT SANCHEZ

54 people said buying

BY LILY JONES

Chromebooks was a good idea while

17 said it was a bad idea 13 people bring their own device to school while 87 do not Source: 144 student responses via SurrveyMonkey

THE ROAR

12

TECH

“My phone is an iPhone so I just use the Apple ear phones. They’re alright.

I don’t like that when you put them in they always fall out.”

headphones

my vote

— MAXIMO ESGUERRA

“I don’t like big headphones. They bug me.”

S. CERVANTES

— LIZZIE SALVATO

listening to BEATS

“I use Apple headphones because I just got a new phone and they came with it.”

— ELISABETH MILLER

Headphone popularity varies based on comfort, price and style

BY SELENA CERVANTES

T

hey are essential. It doesn’t matter who you are, who you hang around, or what kind of music you listen to. When you’re in a public setting, headphones are a must. There’s a variety of brands, shapes and sizes available.

Some people prefer the inconspicuous ear buds, whether they are made from silicon ear gel or hard plastic, while others prefer the classic bulky over-theear headphones that tend to stand out.

Headphones in general have come a long way. There are so many different kinds that it can be hard to differentiate between which ones are the best fit for you.

A survey with 219 responses indicated that more than half the students at this school own an iPhone, iPod or iPad, but many students do not use the widely white standard-issue earbuds that come with those products. Students say they get dirty too easily or are uncomfortable. Others stick with them because they’re free and come with Apple devices automatically.

If you’re a Beats by Dre fan, they have wireless over-the-ear headphones, regular over-the-ear headphones and earbuds.

Beats can be found in most electronics stores such as Best Buy or Fry’s Electronics.

Although they are made to be good quality, long lasting, and specialize in certain niches such as sound isolation or studio, they tend to be on the expensive side. Beats can

range anywhere from $100 to $400.

Another popular brand is Skullcandy, which also offers earbuds and over-the-ear headphones. Skullcandy headphone are generally more affordable and are also good quality. Skullcandy specializes in sound isolation, and their earbuds tend to be limited to the silicon ear gel type. Skullcandy headphones can also be found in most electronic stores and range anywhere from $10 to $100.

“I’ve always liked my [Skullcandy] headphones because they aren’t to expensive and work pretty well. I prefer the squishy earbuds mostly because they are easy to hide under my hair and they don’t hurt my ears like the plastic kind,” Nikki Tucker said.

Sony headphones also tend to be affordable and work for music lovers. Sony produces a range of different types of headphones such as earbuds and over-theear headphones. Sony headphones offers a variety of specializations whether you’re looking for just basic earphones, sound isolation, tangle resistant, ear loops, or water resistant. Sony headphones are both easy to find and come at reasonable prices and range anywhere from $18 to $80.

Aaron Humphries said, “I have the big [over-the-ear Sony] headphones mostly because I like how comfortable they are and they’ve lasted me awhile.”

13

An inside look Sony

Beats

Skull Candy

Sony provides Earbud Headphones, DJ Headphones, EX Series Headphones, Over-the-Ear Headphones, Noise Canceling Over-the-Ear,Wireless FM Over-the-Ear, Extra Bass Over-the-Ear headphones, and many more.

The big pro about Beats is that they have a huge variety of makes and models. Whether you’re looking for regular headphones or for something in particular, such as sweat resistant, and over the ear loop, wireless, built in remote and microphone Beats has it. Beats also come with a number of specializations like their Power Beats, Beats Wireless, Beats Solo, urBeats, Beats Mixr, and Studio Beats.

Skullcandy offers earbuds, over-the-ear headphones, and gaming headsets. They also tend to come in a various number of models and sizes. Skullcandy offers Ink’d 2 earbuds, Jib earbuds, TiTAN earbuds, Smokin’ Buds, Hesh 2.0 over-the-ear headphones, Crusher Over-the-ear, Uprock Over-the-ear, and many more. For gamers they offer PLYR 2 Universal Wireless Gaming Headset and SLYR Gaming Headsets for XBox. 360, PS3, and PC.

WHITNEYUPDATE.COM

a week without

a week

OFF CAMPUS

WITHOUT

Six students give up a vital part of their lives for one week

BY RYLEA GILLIS & AMANDA JOHNSON

KELLEN ANDERSON - Fast Food

ADAM JOHNSON - Twitter

BEFORE "Fast food is something that my family

BEFORE “As of right now I don't have a phone

AFTER

[resorts] to if we [don't] have time for a family meal. I eat fast food like 4 times in 7 days. My plan is to just keep on going and I'm gonna have to work my hardest to not fall for the temptation."

"This week was hard for me because I couldn't get [food] on the way home from my soccer games or when my family went out to eat. I stuck to it the whole week because I never quit things I commit to. I stayed rather healthy, so that was a positive. Overall, the week was really not too difficult for me. I recommend other people to take the challenge themselves."

so I use it to message people in order to communicate with my peers. This week I'm gonna focus on other parts of my life and use the time I'd normally use on Twitter towards something else. It will be difficult to communicate with people and be up to date on activities.”

AFTER “This week it was harder to communicate with everyone. As I anticipated, I had more time to do other things, like write songs, and watch Netflix.

It sucked cause I always think of things to tweet, but I couldn't tweet them.

But it was also nice to have a break from social media once in a while.”

KENNA SMITH - Makeup

EDGAR GRANADOS - Working Out

BEFORE "I wear makeup basically everyday but

BEFORE “This week I had to find something else

AFTER

only a little. I want to look good but I also like looking natural. The biggest challenge will probably being confident without wearing makeup to school in front of everyone."

“Not wearing makeup this week really didn't affect me that much. Instead of spending time on makeup, I replaced it by doing my hair. I got to sleep in more so that was nice. Sometimes I would feel weird at school when all my friends were wearing makeup and I wasn't, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I learned that wearing makeup is an easy thing to give up & it saves you time in the morning.”

THE ROAR

to keep me busy. I played lots of video games, like FIFA. The biggest struggle while not working out was I could feel myself gaining weight and I felt like I couldn't control it. I was still able to drink protein shakes but I couldn't drink my pre-workout, so that was negative.”

AFTER “Over the past year, working out has been a pretty big part of my life because I really enjoy it and seeing a change really makes you want to do it more. My biggest challenge this week will most likely be not eat too much junk food because I'm not exercising.”

14

OFF CAMPUS

#aweekwithout

students tweet things that they could not go a week without!

Did you know...

50 Million Americans eat fast food each day Acne cosmetica, cosmetic induced acne, tends to be stubborn and can last for years 74 percent of Internet users use social networking sites

ALEXA MILLS - Starbucks

a week without

@moodyfeminist: I couldn’t go #aweekwithout (or a day without) COFFEE. I’m definitely addicted @Bailey_Adkinss: I couldn’t go #aweekwithout working out. Being healthy is very important to me, so I eat right and exercise @cole_chambers1: I couldn’t go #aweekwithout Snapchat. Snapchat is life @ashleyceragioli: I couldn’t go #aweekwithout music. It keeps me sane throughout the day @: I couldn’t go a #aweekwithout my doggy.

She’s my best friend

BEFORE “Ever since fifth grade, I’ve had a

AFTER

routine of going to Starbucks before school every morning. I just find it easier than making my own breakfast. I think the biggest challenge this week will be the change of routine, but maybe after a week without Starbucks I’ll realize that I don’t need it that often.”

“This week was a challenge for me, but it was also an eye-opener. I had to give up my daily routine, but it allowed me more time to get ready for school. I enjoyed having breakfast at home for once. I realized that Starbucks isn't a necessity.”

60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese 36 million people in the United States are subscribed to Netflix Excessive television watching increases the risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

ALLIE BURCH - Netflix BEFORE "When I'm done with my homework or

don't have anything to do I just go on netflix and watch movies and shows.

Right now I'm in the middle of Orange is the New Black and I'm addicted to it, so it's gonna be really hard for me not to watch it and know what happens next."

AFTER “I didn't watch Netflix the en-

3 in 4 regular caffeine users are addicted

tire week and it was really hard. I just kept myself busy with other activities.

It was nice not staring at a screen for two to three hours each day.

I learned that I don't need to watch so much TV during the week because it distracts me from other more important things.”

Too much caffeine can produce mood swings, insomnia, increased tension in the muscles, and also impair your digestion and nutrition absorption

PHOTOS BY AMANDA JOHNSON

15

WHITNEYUPDATE.COM

MOVE kale stout

Tale of KALE

One student juggles the complexities of being a high school athlete with college ambitions

BY CARSEN VAN DER LINDEN

Y

ou can’t really define a “normal” teenager. We all go to different schools, try different activities, dedicate ourselves to different things, and lead vastly different lives. It’s a time of self-discovery and finding out what you’re passionate about. But throw in the pressures of trying to attain decent grades and a group of friends that you enjoy, and it can become difficult to find out who you are.

And that’s who Kale Stout is. A teenager.

Stout doesn’t really know what he wants to do for the rest of his life. Doesn’t know who he would ask to a dance. He tries his best to maintain the grades he needs. But if he knew one thing for sure, it would be that he loves baseball with all of his heart.

“I will play baseball til’ the day I die,” Stout said. “Truly competitively, I’ve been playing for a little more than three years. But I played for my entire life before that.”

Now, normally you could say that simply loving or playing a sport isn’t something that makes someone unique. That could be said for millions of other young adults in the United States. 35 million of them according to information gathered by USA Today. So what makes Stout so special?

I doubt many of those 35 million kids can say that they are talking about likely admission with D1 schools like the University of Utah. Or that they’ve been to far too many college showcases across the country. Or that they put in over 4 hours a week practicing with a private pitching coach, not to mention the amount of hours spent practicing with a team and on their own (enough to rival the hours of a part-time job). He’s not just playing for his school, either.

“I’ve played on about four travel ball teams, and they help you talk to the big college coaches and help you through the application process. They help you get noticed.”

Getting noticed in an environment as competitive as college baseball is not an easy task. In the past two years, Stout attended and competed in so many college showcases that he has lost count. And when you’re traveling as far as Florida, the pressure is on to do well.

“I won’t have a weekend off until late November. And even then, I’ll have tournaments right up until Christmas. It’s not an easy job,” Stout said, “But at this level, If you’re serious about going on to play in college or beyond, you have to make it your job. Not just practicing every day, but every day for hours at a time. It’s the only way to become that good,” But not all of the day-to-day pressure Stout experiences comes from within. He’s always got something riding on each game he plays. He has two older sisters, both of whom used their track and field, and now push him to do his best. The rest of his family makes sure that he has the resources to make his big dreams a reality.

“Without my family, I couldn’t be doing this. I appreciate them so much. I mean, they’re paying for it and all, but they make so many other sacrifices too. They could be going on vacations or just doing stuff for themselves, but instead they pay for me to go to these showcases.” Stout said.

And Stout has to make several sacrifices of his own.

“I don’t really get to hang out with my friends anymore. They understand, because they know that it’s not easy,” Stout said, “Whenever I get free time, which isn’t a lot, I go to hang out with them. It’s not a lot, but at least it’s something.”

In addition to rarely getting the time to interact with his friends, he also has to cut out time in his school schedule so that he can focus on getting all of his homework done in school.

With such a high-pressure schedule, plenty of kids in the same situation would give up.

But even for athletes like Stout, who decide to keep going to achieve their goals, the stress can become too much to handle.

“Just the other day, I kind of broke down. I kept telling my dad, you know, ‘Something is going to snap. My back or my brain,’” Stout said, “I’ve definitely had those moments where I’ve thought about quitting. There have been times where I’ve been doing horribly, or not playing at all. But in the end it’s always my family that picks me back up. And then I have my coaches that I know are there for me, and I thank them every day for that. But even with all of that support, it’s still tough. You’re always going to hit a low. One of those times where you keep asking yourself why you keep doing this.”

Continued on whitneyupdate.com

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CARSEN VAN DER LINDEN

THE ROAR

16

TEAM effort

ON CAMPUS

It’s a

dance team

Athletic Personal HIGHLIGHTS

A. BEDRIN

J. HANKS

SAVANNAH HILL

Dance team works on choreography throughout fall

“It was my first race back, I was injured for the first half of the season. I came back and I was kind of struggling a bit, but I actually got a better time than I thought I would and I was very proud of myself. Even though it wasn’t the best I could’ve done, I was still very excited.”

BY MISSIE CARACUT

E

very step must be perfect, every move must be flawless; this is the life of a

MATT DAZEY “[My personal highlight] was when we were playing Bella Vista and I scored a goal in the last two minutes.”

M. HAWKINS

17

the girls] to support their school and [to] perform in front of their fans,” Mrs. Halley Crandell said.

The Captains push these girls to work their hardest and to help each individual dancer reach their height of success.

Krogh, who is new to the team this year, has noted that everybody must give their full attention to the leaders because they know what’s best and they keep the team together.

“One thing that sticks out to me is the fact that we’re not only a team, [but] we’re literally a family. All of us are there for each other and listen to whatever each one of us has to say [and] it’s a really uplifting experience,” Krogh said.

Dance team will continue their fall season until football ends, then will start their winter season with basketball.

A. JOHNSON

dancer.

“The hardest part is memorizing every small single detail,” Kennedy Krogh said.

The dance team has to start preparing for their performances way ahead of time to be prepared for the upcoming school year. Starting mid summer, the team starts to learn three out of five routines for their 4WRD show in December.

Throughout the fall season, perfecting the dances in order to be ready for December is crucial as they perform at major events such as the Quarry Bowl. There is much to achieve as each dancer tries to flawlessly prepare for the competition season.

“We could have up to about 10-12 routines in our heads at a time. Learning and memorizing is a skill you have to have on the team so it comes naturally or is something girls have worked up before they made [the dance team],” captain Nicole Foster said.

Foster, who is on her fourth year of dance team, is currently choreographing dances for this football season. Malia Blume, Kayla Daughters, Tearyn Cox, and Roberta Romans will also be working with her for the upcoming basketball and competition dance seasons.

These five captains, with the support of mentors such as Emma Getz and Alicia Sciscio, both assistant coaches, and the dance team members, are working their way towards their main goal of helping the team be the best they can be. “[Performing] all year round is a great way [for

ASHLEY SHIRHALL “We played a team that’s really good. My doubles partner and I, we still beat them.

We were losing 1-5, but then we made a comeback and we won.”

WHITNEYUPDATE.COM

hunger games

DOWN

WITH THE CAPITOL

OFF CAMPUS

With ‘Mockingjay: Part 1’ in theaters Nov. 21, here’s a run down of what to expect

BY HARMONY REILLY

R H. REILLY

ebellions are tricky. Either you join them or you fight against them. And for Katniss Everdeen, who inadvertently set one off, things couldn’t be trickier. In theaters later this month, “Mockingjay: Part 1” will explore the consequences of Katniss’ original defiance to the Capitol.

At the end of ‘Catching Fire,’ we saw Katniss being airlifted out of a destroyed arena. She had just shot an arrow into the force field surrounding the arena, causing it to quite literally go down in flames.

With ‘Mockingjay,’ Katniss has quite a bit on her plate: Peeta and Johanna have been captured by the Capitol, Katniss’ unintentional rebellion has grown to more than a spark, and to top it all off, Katniss has no idea what to do, because she’s still just a teenager.

What’s going to be interesting to see is Jennifer Lawrence’s portrayal of Katniss in “Mockingjay,” considering we’ve seen Katniss’

life taken from her, given back to her, and taken from her again. I would assume we’ll see Katniss trying to fit into the role of the Mockingjay while simultaneously trying to save those around her she loves.

In ‘Mockingjay’ we can expect to delve into what wasn’t able to be explained in the book. We’ll see more of Peeta’s capture and subsequent torture, we’ll see more of the rebellion in the districts, and of course, we’ll see more Snow v. Everdeen confrontation.

From the trailers that have been released as of yet, it’s obvious that the producers and director are using darker color palette to match the mood of the film: more browns, blacks, and dark colors. There will also be plenty of explosions and blood. On the other side, I would think that any scene with President Snow will have enough white to put Mr. Clean to shame. Just an idea: the white will probably contrast with other, very nonwhite things.

Earlier in the year, seasoned actor Philip Seymour Hoffman (who portrays gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee) passed away due to an apparent drug overdose. With only one week left of filming, it was rumored that Hoffman would be reinserted into the movie through CGI, though the producer said in a statement that they would only use real footage of Hoffman in scenes he wasn’t able to film (the most impactful of which was a last monologue that was to be delivered by Hoffman but has since been taken out of the script).

Despite the tragedy that surrounded the last days of “Mockingjay,” it is still expected to beat last year’s “Catching Fire” in terms of opening weekend total gross.

There’s still time to run to Barnes and Noble and pick up the Hunger Games trilogy and devour it before “Mockingjay” is in theaters -- just make sure you bring tissues.

Tips & Tricks

Having trouble convincing your parents to let you go the midnight premier?

Try this: There are earlier showings at 8 p.m. You can still get your Hunger Games fix and enough sleep!

Tickets go on sale at the end of October.

Buy them in stores or online early to avoid getting sold out!

THE BOOK ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER

Books like “Divergent” and “The Fault in Our Stars” have been adapted into movies, leads to widespread success in the bookstore and box office

BY HARMONY REILLY

I

t’s inevitable. Whether you like it or not, movies will always be compared to the books they’re based upon. Some feel there are too many details taken out of books to make an adequate movie, while others feel movies and books are two completely different things and shouldn’t be compared to each other at all.

Whether you prefer the book or not, this is a topic people feel strongly about.

“Movies are definitely better because you can see the actors and where they are, and the [plot is] explained more than [it is] in the book,” Kaylee Harlan said.

Movies and books, while similar, are also completely different depending on who’s watching them or reading them.

“Books are different for every person that reads them. The way you see the characters, the way they talk, where they are, it’s all different, person to person.

Movies are all the same to everyone. Everyone sees the same thing in movies. The book will always be unique because it’s a one of a kind experience to each reader,” Angie Reed said.

While it may be true that books are different person to person, some simply don’t like comparing books to their movie counterparts. “[Movies and books] are two completely different things. You can’t compare them.

You have to appreciate them separately. It just won’t work to compare a book to its movie because they aren’t the same at all,” Jordyn Comer said.

For popular Young Adult books, success isn’t just measured by the duration of

THE ROAR

their stay on a top 10 book list, it’s also measured by the millions of dollars they draw in. The Fault in Our Stars, written by John Green, sold seven million copies as of May 2014, and brought in a total worldwide gross of $303 million. The Divergent trilogy sold 10 million copies as of March 2013, and the first installment of the movie trilogy brought in a worldwide total of $288 million. Yet, even with numbers in the millions for both the book and movie, some still feel the book is best.

“The books are always better. Movies can be great, but the books get more into the character’s heads, and even if the movie sucked, you can just ignore it and you still have the book,” Alex Espinosa said.

With the popularity of the books, could the success of the movies be due to the success of the books?

“Of course some movies are popular because the books were. ‘The Hunger Games,’ ‘The Fault in Our Stars,’ are all huge because the books were. That’s only a little of why they’re so [popular] though. Movies always bring something you couldn’t read in the book,” Harlan said.

And, of course, there will always be the people who favor the books, regardless.

Tyler Kim said, “The book [is better]. All the little nuances and what makes the story come to life is what you find in the book. It isn’t changed or altered to cater to an audience.”

18

Social media accounts made to promote school-related activities as well as school spirit

BY JOEL TIMMS the all the other people online.

Another major benefit of using social media to advertise school and sports events is the spontaneity that can occur with posts. As soon as someone realizes they need to let others know something that is happening currently or going to start soon, they can type a few words into a device, hit post, and soon, connected students will get that information almost immediately.

So how do you promote something that you use to promote other things? Nham stated that the posts themselves promote the accounts, and students’ willingness to get engaged and share information are a huge factor.

“I think the posts really help, because one person sees the post and then tweets, and another retweets, and soon it turns into a chain reaction,” Nham said.

Just how do these chain reactions happen though? Social media is such a large factor in students lives, that not seeing a post about an event and

sharing it with others is unavoidable.

The school social media accounts and even personal accounts of students can have a major impact on the lives of others due to the speed, visibility, and intrigue that social media today provides for just about anyone who chooses to use it as such.

Social Media Poll: Do students know the Whitney accounts?

100% % of students

Kourtney Nham, a participant in ASB’s @WhatsUpWhitney account for both Instagram and Twitter, states ASB’s vision for their use of social media, as well as the importance of utilizing the resources so readily available.

“We’re really trying to just get the word out, and get people excited about the different events we have set up, and we tweet as much as we can, retweeting a lot to spread information,” Nham said.

Posts aren’t just about anything happening at Whitney though. For the @WhatsUpWhitney account, a specific vision of spreading news and information about upcoming events requiring student participation is the focus.

“We always include time, date, where the event is, and if there is a theme, what to wear,” Nham said.

According to the Pew Research Center, as of January 2014, out of all the various Internet users, 72% of high school students or younger have social media accounts, connecting them to

social media

W

histle. Twitter post alert. Boop. Instagram update.

People are surrounded by constant reminders and ringers telling us about others’ days and events that are coming up soon. These forms of news can be utilized to tell others timely information, and to spread the word in an almost instant fashion about almost anything. The real question is; what are students and teachers doing to utilize this opportunity?

Since the beginning of Twitter, Instagram and other social media, people around the world have realized the value of being a part of an instant news source that is accessible just about anywhere, anytime. For students in ASB, running various events for sports games, organizing dances, and pretty much any other student oriented activity, Twitter and Instagram offer a major form of advertisement and spreading the news about events.

OFF CAMPUS

Who posted that?

75% 50% 25% Yes, I know all the accounts

Yes, I know some accounts

No, I don’t know the accounts

“These accounts are really great because it allows students to get information. It also allows students who are interested in helping run a social media news account like this first hand experience, which is awesome.”

— Keean Lard

“Accounts run by students at school are really helpful because a lot of the time it is much easier for student to student communication, rather than getting news from an adult.”

— Bre Eastlick

J. TIMMS

19

WHITNEYUPDATE.COM

THIS

is the life and it’s all in the 2015 Details yearbook.

THIS

is what

Thousands of photos, memories and more in 248 pages of pure color to capture the year on campus with activities, sports, club events, classes, music, art, performances, spirit and more.

THIS

is where

www.jostensyearbooks.com Or print an order form online at whs.rocklinusd.org or www.whitneyupdate.com and mail to WHS. Come to C-2 for order forms or if you have questions.

THIS

is why

The price goes up at the end of the semester, so this is the time to reserve a copy at the lowest price possible. Just $68!