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Rocklin High School | Vol No. 22 Issue 4 | June 2015 | Cover Photo by Caitlin Seggerman
FLASH I M P A C T Table of Contents Sports 4. An Injury’s Impact 5. PE Teachers Make a Mark
Feature
6-7. Intro to Impact 8. Picking Favorites: Teachers and Student 9. Friends Club + The Perfect Promposal 10. Feijoada Recipe 11. Break Down the Walls? 12. Random Acts of Kindness 13. Chasing the Sun 14-15. Photography Showcase
PC: Caitlin Seggerman
Reviews
16. Blackfish 17. Avengers: Age of Ultron
Opinion 18. Should RHS Makes Efforts to Reduce Student Stress? 19. Post Secret
Editor-in-Chief Lydia Tahraoui Co-Editor-in-Chief Elias Alba Design Editors Emily McCrary Rachel MacMaster Feature Photographer Caitlin Seggerman Photo Editors Destinee Czub Rachel Polivka Alyx Stone Assistant Editors Courtney Harper Faith Holloway Allyson Lent Sarah Lovejoy Staff Writers Riley Baldwin Marley Bauer Connor Bolli Shelby Boyajan Megan Bradbury Lindsay Carrier Grant Cluff Karl Danielsen Kendall DeRosa Garrett Gebhardt Allison Gerber Maure Gildea Efrain Gonzalez Courtney Harper Adrianna Havey Faith Holloway Allyson Lent Sarah Lovejoy Rebecca Michael Sawyer Milam Katelyn Morgan Jordan Noble Lauren Parker Jasmine Passey Melanie Seyfried Taylor Schoultz Jessica Valverde Photojournalists Allie Cleland Nicole Corsetti Destinee Czub Amanda DeLaby Arabella Martinez Taylor Sims Kaylin Smith Serena Straub
S T ORY/YOUR SCHOOL PC: Elias Alba
YO UR
[Clayton King]
With the stress of work, school, and homework, senior Clayton King has a full schedule, yet he always finds some time to dedicate to the special education classes. During his sophomore year, Clayton was involved in football, wrestling, and track for RHS. He has always struggled in school and used sports as an outlet. After a successful season of football, he began wrestling. In his years of contact sports, he suffered from several concussions, and at times participated when he was not medically cleared to do so. After an unlucky pin during wrestling practice, Clayton suffered his worst concussion yet. He blacked out and spent weeks following his injury in a dark room, unable to move. He suffers from severe headaches and can no longer participate in sports. “It was really hard,” King said, “I hated not being able to do sports or go to school without having an awful headache.” After coming to terms with his new situation, he found a new place in the special education community here at RHS. He not only helps in the PE Leadership class, but he also changed one girl’s life. Sheyenne Pigott, a junior with Down Syndrome, spent much of her time sitting and refusing
The Your Story, Your School series is part of a assignment completed by all media students during the year. Subjects of these profiles are chosen at random and published in The Flash print and online editions, the @rocklinyearbook on Instagram, and in the Tonitrus yearbook. This assignment is inspired by CBS News Steve Hartman’s “Everyone Has a Story” and Brandon Stanton’s “Human of New York.”
to participate. Her teachers and aids were struggling to find something to motivate her, but when Clayton began working with her, they found their solution. She worked well with other students and loved interacting with her peers outside of the special education classes. “He accepted her,” Tammy Scott, Sheyenne’s aide, said, “He showed us her potential by simply interacting with her and spending time with her. Clayton even began to learn sign language for her.” They share a bond that not only helps Sheyenne, but Clayton as well. “Sheyenne is awesome. She is so funny, and I love being able to help her. She makes me laugh,” King said. Over the past year, Clayton has begun to safely work out, has co-created the Special Needs Dance, and has decided to attend Sierra College in the fall of 2015. After such a traumatic event, Clayton has found many things to enjoy and things to look forward to. “I am very excited to graduate and I look forward to going to Sierra College to work towards my career, whatever it is. I know that if I work hard and try, I’ll be able to do well,” King said. BY Adrianna Havey and Lindsay Carrier
AN INJURY’S
IMPACT
People often ignore the fact that at any moment one can suffer from an unanticipated, life-changing injury. Senior Max O’Rourke, a model student and a commendable athlete, had to finish his final seasons of football, basketball, and volleyball at Rocklin High on the bench due to breaking his femur halfway through his last football season. The Thunder football team was facing long time rival Del Oro and were one touchdown away from victory. Rushing to get the win, Max was unexpectedly hit in an attempt to get a first down. The hit looked reasonably routine but Max failed to stand up on his own. He felt discomfort in his leg and received help to the sideline, knowing something was wrong. “After the hit, my entire leg went numb. Two guys helped me off the field and I thought I just needed to put weight on it. When I did, my leg collapsed and I knew something was wrong,” said O’Rourke.
[TEAMMATE’S VIEW]
“It impacted everyone. It motivate d me because I played next to him for ten years and then he got hurt,” said Dustin
Max’s injury profoundly affected him, his athletic teams, and the school as a whole. “My injury had different impacts on everything. Everything changed for me to not be able to play anymore. The team dynamic changed, and it was cool how the school supported me,” O’Rourke said.
PC: Dylan Linton
One of the most affected by Max’s injury was his longtime teammate and friend, Dustin O’Halloran. The two had been playing football together for ten years. “[Max’s injury] impacted everyone. It motivated me because I played next to him for ten years and then he got hurt,” said O’Halloran. Max’s injury affected a great deal of people both directly and indirectly. It also generated new opportunities for him as well as football teammate Brenden Barry, who had lost many influential people in his family in a short amount of time.
[MAX’S VIEW] “A lot of new opportunities came up after my injury...I took away from my experience to always make the most of every opportunity because anything can change at any moment,” said Max.
“We sold the Max Effort T-shirts to help the [Barry] family and I got to see how much of a positive impact that I or anyone can have on people,” said O’Rourke. The majority of people with substantial injuries remain negative throughout the course of the injury and recovery. However, Max managed to generate positive outcomes during this tough time. “A lot of new opportunities came up after my injury. I was planning on playing at Yale but now I have the opportunity to play at Boise State. I took away from my experience to always make the most of every opportunity because anything can change at any moment,” Max said.
BY Jessica Valverde and Kendall Derosa
sports | 4
PC: Elias Alba
[PE TEACHERS MAKE THEIR MARK] Teachers can be very impactful figures in a teenager’s life. What can be overlooked, however, are the coaches and physical education teachers who teach students more than just algebra or the names of presidents.
“[Depue] would do every single move with us,” remarked sophomore Marisa Snyder, reflecting back on the ballet unit in freshman p.e. “He is a very cool dude,” she added.
Some P.e. teachers on campus double as coaches for our teams after school hours. They put in the extra time, make connections with all of their students, and watch them grow.
“His coaching style is very good,” Lexi Stushterove said, “he tries to make your mistakes a teaching moment and encourages us.”
A very well known and loved staff member, Mr. Muscarella teaches p.e. and coaches girls’ volleyball. Sophomore Skyler Vega explained how Muscarella has been a fatherly figure to all of his girls he coaches. “[He is] extremely passionate about volleyball,” Vega said, “You’ll see him screaming on the sidelines all game, every game.” Muscarella always looks after his girls and will make sure that they have all the support and advice that they need. He always gives them college and life tips, as well as p.e.rsonally connects with each one of them. Mr. Depue is also a well-loved coach and P.e. teacher here on campus. He coaches JV girls’ soccer and teaches a variety of P.e. classes.
Another well known staff member of RHS, Mr. Jason Adams, is very much loved and appreciated around campus. Mr. Adams devotes his time between coaching varsity football and teaching p.e. classes such as weights and his infamous p.e. retake class. “Mr Adams is a very good teacher overall, he is very fun and involved, and is there to explain to you when you need it. He is very understanding,” said Zach Hardin, a sophomore in Adams’ Athletic Weights class. Rocklin High School has some pretty amazing teachers, but outside of the classroom, these coaches make a different kind of impact on students. These staff members go above and beyond to help their students thrive, and should be appreciated for all that they do.
BY Allison Gerber
s
PC: Caitlin Seggerman
IMPACT This year’s issues of the Flash are each centered around a theme. For the fourth and final issue of the 2014-2015 school year, the theme is Impact. Like a spark lighting a fire, movements are started when just one person decides to make a difference. The smallest of flames can ignite an enormous wildfire, and the smallest of actions can create an everlasting impact. An impactful experience or person has the power to change lives; the power to change our school and our community forevermore. Rocklin students and staff alike have made connections that shape the course of their lives. Programs, clubs, and people have permanently impacted our little world of Rocklin High School. -Lydia Tahraoui and Elias Alba 2014-2015 Flash Editors-in-Chief
[ picking FAVORITES ]
PC: Destinee Czub
PC: Taylor Schoultz
TEACHERS Mr. Douglas: “I was very close with the class of 2001 I had them in 8th grade, I had some of them in 10th grade, 11th grade, and the class advisors. I traveled with them. When I came to Rocklin High School, they were sophomores and that was the year I was diagnosed with cancer. They were so supportive of me during that time period. I was very close to them because of that. I didn’t feel alone here at work and their support, I really believe, is why I was able to beat cancer.” Mr. Berry: “I would say each class period as a whole teaches me something different. I would say any TA, peer teacher, anyone who has gone out of their way to help me out. My students have made me more patient, they provide good feedback for the lessons and tests, and continue to show kindness, patience, perseverance. The list goes on and on for what students have taught me.” Mr. Sturgeon: “I have had several students inspire me throughout my 15 years here at RHS. However, there is one, who continually inspires me on a regular basis; Ariya Jahanbakhsh, a junior. Many have seen, but don’t know Ariya. But if you take the time to know “the seemingly slow kid with the travel bag in tow,” you will come to find a bright, witty, warm, and “wicked smaaat” person. To me, he is the poster child for resiliency, and despite his physical disability, he makes life continue when a lot of us would just give up.” Mrs. Toepke: “The class of ‘97, the very first one to go through here, because they were constantly the guinea pigs so I think I learned more from them than they did from me. They really helped me shape the department and let it become what it is now. I have had individual students that have inspired me through stuff they are going through. Their life isn’t that easy and they are going through very tough things, yet they put on a brave face and they keep going and it really teaches me not to wallow in my own stuff.
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STUDENTS Janae Wada: “I came in as a freshman and I developed this desire to be as articulate, eloquent, knowledgeable, and respectable as I can be. I saw her and how knowledgeable she is and how she knows what she is passionate about. It was inspiring. I am really into English, but she has just inspired me to be as respectable as I can be as a human being.” Johnny Flowers: “Mr. Trejo is my best friend. I can always go in and get help from him and he’s very chill about it. He never makes fun of me when I make mistakes even though he could. We have a really good relationship. He could make fun of me, but he doesn’t which I respect him for that. I love him for that. He’s inspired me to actually try in math. I’ve always had a natural ability to do it, and I used to get A’s and when I got into high school, I got a B last year in Algebra 2. Now I am in pre-calc and I actually try now. I actually want to learn it and get an A in it because it is cool.” Luke Hulsmann: “Mr. Berry is my favorite teacher. He is really cool and he is always making sure that I am doing my work and completing my notebook. That actually made me pass last semester. He has inspired me to actually try, do better in school, and be a better person. He makes me want to be a better student and succeed in school.” Erin Hopkins: “My favorite teacher is Mr. Werner because he works really hard to help his students succeed and he is always really excited about chemistry. He’s always happy and excited. It’s exciting to have a teacher who is so excited to teach us. It really helps to learn when you have a teacher who loves what he teaches compared to a teacher who is boring.”
BY Melanie Seyfried, Taylor Schoultz and Shelby Boyajan
[ FRIENDS CLUB ] PC: Laura Maranta
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tudents that work to break down the boundaries that seperate people bring a warm, loving atmosphere to the campus. The Friends Club is a group of those people who seek to build relationships with the Independent Living Skills (ILS) students on campus.
on the tradition and bring it to Rocklin. It started with just nine members, but in its second year it grew to 23 members, and today has about 50 members. All of these people are building connections that encourage a more inclusive community.
Friends Club works to openly build and support social connections with ILS students at Rocklin High School. Junior Michael Foster finds the meetings encouraging, “The people that go to Friends Club I feel are open and willing to change and make differences in our community. I hope and I wish that more people would open themselves up to the differences that it will make.”
“I feel like our society today looks at people with disabilities differently, and if I can just be there to give them a friend to talk to, it makes all the difference.” Foster said.
Friends Club was created in January of 2012 by Cierra Connelly. She was a new student to Rocklin High and her previous school had a similar club, so she decided to carry
Throughout the month of March, juniors had the wonderful opportunity of getting ready for prom. Emily Orchard, a junior at Rocklin, was asked by junior Spencer Matthews. Emily usually gives people she knows nicknames based on actors or Disney characters and she refers to Spencer as Liam Hemsworth, giving him inspiration for the promposal. “I went over to her house and asked her. You know how she calls me Liam Hemsworth, so the poster says ‘I may not be the real Liam but will you go to
BY Jasmine Passey and Riley Baldwin
Prom?’ with tiny Liam pictures on the poster,” Spencer said, “She always asked me to hang out but I’m pretty busy and always had something going, so I decided to ask her because she is so nice.”
PC: Craig Yerkes
PERFECT PROMPOSAL
With extra dances, regular meetings, and just the fact that members of the Friends Club are actually making friends, the school is being changed. Walls between students and ILS students are being broken, stigmas are being eliminated and the students of Rocklin High are coming together.
Prom was a new experience for Emily since she does not usually wear dresses or makeup. “I am a tomboy,” Emily said. Everyone enjoyed the night, “It was awesome!” Sarah Knight said, “Emily was really great, we all had an awesome time.”
BY Jasmine Passey
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PC: Creative Commons - Fotos GOVBA
BOLD FLAVOR:
Mrs. Andrew has been Rocklin High’s culinary instructor for several years, a commitment rooted in her love for food, which plays a significant role in her family. Whether she is cooking at school or teaching, Mrs. Andrew shares her passion and love through taste.
Mrs. Andrew found a recipe for the dish that brings her family together.
“Everybody in my family are really good cooks, and food was really central to our family life. I jokingly say this, but ‘food is love’. It’s how you express that you care about someone. It’s nurturing in the most basic way that something can be. Food was also a huge part of all of our family gatherings,” said Mrs. Andrew.
Feijoada, coming from the Portuguese word for “beans” is a savory stew that has countless differing recipes but always consists of black beans, beef, pork, onions, and garlic. It is also traditionally served over white rice with a side of orange slices. Cooking time typically requires several hours and Mrs. Andrew’s family takes advantage of the opportunity to gather together and make a meal everyone enjoys.
One particular dish that is meaningful to the Andrew family is feijoada (fay-zhwah-dah), the national dish of Brazil. After discovering her love of Brazilian food through her husband,
DO IT YOUR SELF:
“It’s hearty, rich, and very simple but totally filling. It’s homey, comfortable, and a little exotic,” she said.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
1 lb. dry black beans 3 quarts water 1 whole onion small diced 1 heaping Tablespoon minced garlic 1 teaspoon fresh thyme minced 1 teaspoons fresh oregano minced 1/2 lb. pound uncooked bacon, diced 1 lb linguica sausage, sliced 1/2 lb. beef ribs or steaks cut in chunks 1/2 lb. pork chops cut in chunks salt to taste
Rinse the beans then place in a large stock pot. Cover with the 3 quarts of water. Add all other ingredients except the meat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours. Add all meat. Continue simmering for 2-3 more hours. Salt to taste. Serve over white long grain rice.
Recipe by Taudine Andrew; reported by Maure Gildea and Grant Cluff
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?
BROKEN
DOWN PC: Taylor Ruiz
D
WALLS
uring Breaking Down the Walls there was a noticeable change on campus. Aside from 100 people missing everyday, students were more talkative and willing to have conversations with strangers. Because of all the new acquaintances, more people were saying “hello” to each other and there seemed to be more comradery all around.
back into their old friend groups.
Soon afterward, optimistic teachers talked about follow up projects the school was planning: Little things the whole school could participate in to reinforce the message they had already been given.
“I don’t think a lot of people see the culmination of Breaking Down the Walls,” said Gillian Flowers, a leader in the peer counseling department, which organized the program. However, another peer counselor admitted that the program’s impact faded. “The first few weeks after [BDtW] you could feel it more,” said Bunny.
What happened to those plans? It took two months for them to finally come to fruition with a single activity involving post-it notes and a twitter page, which were great when they happened. Senior Daniella “Bunny” Chudzinski agrees, “I thought the post it notes were really awesome.” As nice as they were, the events were too far apart. Now, the school appears to be content to let the walls build back up. Breaking Down the Walls helped many people make new friends, but there hasn’t been much change to campus life since then. The problem that has arisen is almost silly in its simplicity: people just forgot. So much went into the program for a week, and then it abruptly disintegrated. “At first the people in my group would say ‘hi’ to each other, but after a few weeks it went back to normal,” sophomore Kaiulani Kawamoto said. Like a lot of other groups at Breaking Down the Walls, Kaiulani’s left each other to drift
Was she changed by the experience? “No.” Breaking Down the Walls didn’t have the huge long-term impact people thought it might, but maybe expectations were just too high.
Initially, the program was designed to work in conjunction with rallies, football games and other functions to help improve the school. It’s difficult to measure how much impact Breaking Down the Walls really had. The school has always tried to provide a tolerant environment for students, but this can be undermined by the impenetrable cliques that dominate teenagers’ social lives. Breaking Down the Walls’ primary purpose was to weaken the barriers segregating these friend groups. Now, most friend groups are back to normal, with a few exceptions. According to Flowers, these little victories are what will eventually result in a more united student body. But as for Breaking Down the Walls itself? Its impact has felt pretty small.
BY Karl Danielsen and Connor Bolli
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RANDOM
ACTS OF
KINDNESS
30%
I
n the busy weeks preceeding the end of the school year students often feel the pressure to raise their grades and prepare for final tests and AP exams, on top of stress stemming from their personal lives and sumer plans. For some, these burdens can be overwhelming and discouraging. Luckily, RHS provides peer counseling for those who need advice and someone to listen.
of teens admit to bullying others.
Peer counseling consists of a handful of students that work with others to aid them in anyway they can. “It gives me the opportunity to talk to students and to help them in anyway they need and I can reach out to the student body in a way I wasn’t able to before,” said senior peer counselor Alana Madamba. The students that come in are usually in need of assistance involving school, but the peer counselors are there to listen to any problems. Alana advocates for students to “reach out to us, because we’re always here to keep it confidential and [keep] an open mind.” Unfortunately, cyberbullying is a serious issue among teens, but the peer counselors counter this by trying to spread positivity online. Recently, the peer counselors have joined together and created the RHS Random Acts Twitter account (@RHSrandomacts), which has since acquired nearly 500 followers.
15 15% of high school students were electronically bullied last year.
Rocklin High makes an effort to recognize students that excel in their academics, sports and involvement with the school, and not just the most obvious figures. “People that may not be recognized at school can at least be recognized on Twitter,” said peer counselor Gillian Flowers. The page has received a great deal of positive feedback. Senior Demi Demello was the first person recognized on the page, “it felt really nice to be one of the first few people… I was kind of shocked.” Freshman Will Dowden was also recognized, “It felt really good. It was cool that somebody felt that way about me. It was really nice to see that.” For a while now, the account has not been updated. With that being said, we can expect to see the peer counselors coming up with other creative ways to spread positivity on campus.
BY Lauren Parker
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10 seconds
When bystanders intervene, bullying stops within 10 seconds, 57% of the time.
c h a s ingt h e S U N
A
little over two years ago, this world lost one of the most inspirational, positive and beautiful women on the face of the planet. Heidi Greenwood was loved across Placer County and set an amazing example to the younger girls in her church and the students on campus here at Rocklin High School. Despite her premature death, she made an impact here that has withstood the test of time.
Heidi was an amazing student that always exceeded her teachers’ expectations and showed how much she truly cared about everyone and everything around her. While in high school, Heidi raced track and cross country and was even accepted into Brigham Young University in Hawaii on a track scholarship. Heidi had grown up running with her family. After Heidi’s passing, her mother, Paige Greenwood organized the Chasing the Sun Heidi Run as a way to celebrate and remember her daughter. Since the Greenwoods wanted to do something beneficial with the proceeds, they gave it to the Rocklin and Whitney track and cross country teams to use for scholarships. The Heidi Run has immensely impacted all of Rocklin and beyond. In the first year, over 800 people came to support the Greenwood family and pay their respects to Heidi. There were purple ribbons
put up all along the trail and up Thunder Hill.
“It’s made a huge positive impact on everyone because it has definitely brought my family closer together. And even though it was a hard time and still is, it has been easier with all the support and help that we have gotten,” her brother Jason Greenwood, an RHS alum, said. Heidi’s younger sister, Erin Greenwood, is now pushing herself to improve her running and was also accepted to Brigham Young University in Hawaii and Provo. Erin is mindful of the example Heidi set every time she runs. Not only was the community and Heidi’s family affected strongly by her sudden death, but so was her church. Heidi was very committed to her religion and was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, typically known as Mormons. Following her death, church members engaged in many service projects on behalf of the Greenwood family. Young girls from Heidi’s church remember her and share experiences of having Heidi as a babysitter.
PC: Riley Hughes
PC: Sarah Lovejoy
BYMegan Bradbury
Heidi Greenwood has left a lasting impact on everyone that knew her personally or knows her story. She exemplified her belief in living a happy and positive life each and every day that she was here.
BY Megan Bradbury PC: Riley Hughes
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PHOTOGRAPHY SHOWCASE Photography / fe tagrefe/
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The art or practice of taking or processing photographs. Also a creative form of self expression used to capture moments, emotions and ideas. 1. Claire Williams 2. Alina Borrowski 3. Presley Sanassarian 4. Kayla Raetz 5. Marina Stangl 6. Kelsey Lunsford 7. Claire Williams 8. Caitlin Seggerman 9. Chase Madison 10. Alina Borrowski
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BIG screen
Is Marvel getting ahead of itself with Avengers? wider audience through movies and television shows. The 1. AGE OF ULTRON Marvel has, over the past few Flash and Green Arrow are both DC characters that will years, created a large universe that has instituted a new era in the popular film industry. They took their characters and expanded them into a massive universe, making the Avengers one of the most well known franchises of today’s entertainment world. The film broke records and unified Marvel’s content in unprecedented ways.
The expansion Marvel has gone through is inspiring other franchises to do the same thing, as seen with the Lego company and Warner Bros. Pictures, among others. Last year, they came out with The Lego Movie, which included characters from other movies and books that had been previously released as Lego toys. Warner Bros. has recently announced their plans for making three more movies to expand their Lego world: a Lego Batman movie, a Lego Movie sequel (which is literally titled The Lego Movie Sequel), and Lego Ninjago. DC Comic’s film department is also attempting to reach a
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likely be in upcoming movies, as well as having their own shows. With the upcoming Justice League movie, DC seems to be trying to replicate what Marvel has done with the Avengers in depicting various heroes and then bringing them into one large team-up movie. Avengers: Age of Ultron was a fantastic film that had so many different elements to it. Although it had a lot to it, it still managed to be an enjoyable movie. There were many references to future films -- one might say too many. It didn’t feel like an end to the Phase 2 series, more like an opener to Phase 3. Though the movie was stuffed full of content to the point where the quality was hurt, it more than succeeded in being an exciting ride with the non-stop action and witty jokes that make Marvel films so entertaining.
BY Rebecca Michael
2. BLACKFISH Blackfish, a documentary film released in 2013, details
the controversy over captive orcas. To illustrate problems with captivation, it focused on Seaworld and the whale Tilikum, who has been involved in the deaths of three people. That is the main theme of this movie: death and tragedy. It’s not a feelgood movie, it’s meant to stir up sadness and outrage in its viewers. Blackfish is a Michael Moore-type documentary, intended purely to incite anger and activism against something. In the case of Blackfish, that something is Seaworld and their mistreatment of orcas in captivity. In spite of its lack of happiness, the film remains fantastic. The eerie score is reminiscent of the soundtracks of Christopher Nolan films, emphasizing strings and slow buildups to a particularly dramatic event or piece of information.
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Blackfish had a certain quality that documentaries often sorely lack: it was entertaining. While so many movies in this genre succumb to dull fact-reading (especially nature and animal documentaries), Blackfish was especially refreshing. Despite the depressing subject matter, the film is of high-quality in every way, and held my attention to a degree usually reserved for action flicks. But Blackfish isn’t remembered simply because of its quality. it made headlines because it changed the public’s perception. When the film premiered in 2013 it incited outrage in many viewers. After all, it was a tale of corruption and abuse occurring at a beloved theme park. This caused many to question the park’s methods, the safety of the animal trainers, and even the morality of keeping the creatures in captivity. In fact, Blackfish caused such an outcry that Seaworld’s attendance and revenue have decreased rapidly. Upcoming movies such as Finding Dory and Paper Towns have announced that they have edited or cut scenes featuring Seaworld or parks like it. In 2015, the CEO of Seaworld stepped down. He denies that this decision was influenced by Blackfish, but it is highly likely that the film contributed in some way to his retirement. This is just one of the waves Blackfish has made, and continues to make, causing people to think twice about how they look at animals in captivity.
BY Marley Bauer
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OPINIONS
Should RHS make efforts to reduce student stress? NO YES While stress is a very important human reaction, that is not to say we need it any longer. It gives us incentive to do things that we usually would not do, however, with all of the pressure put upon us, it can actually do quite the opposite. At RHS we put massive amounts of emphasis on grades and AP classes, putting pressure on students over every detail. As a long-time sufferer of anxiety, I have felt the effects of extreme stress first-hand. Despite the use of medicine and therapy, I still find myself constantly overwhelmed by expectations.
Recently, there have been concerns from students and teachers about stress during school. There’s an obvious hypocrisy in students who willingly signed up for rigorous, college-level courses, and then complain about them being too difficult. If one doesn’t want to deal with the stress, the simple solution is to not sign up for the class. Don’t complain, and don’t ask the course be made to suit your taste because you didn’t develop reading comprehension skills in freshman English.
Even after you sign up for classes, the workload of AP classes isn’t that big of a deal. Most allow you While, in small amounts, stress can be useful, to turn in your work at the end of a unit AND have once levels become too high, one can experience retakes to tests if you fail a test, so you don’t even negative physical reactions. Migraines, have to study the first time if you don’t want to. hyperventilation and vomiting are not helpful, and they distract students from their studies and fuel Not to mention the review books like Princeton and even more stress, creating a positive feedback Barron’s, which come with a condensed outline and loop whose effects are only negative. practice work for everything in every unit. Some claim that not signing up for AP classes can relieve students of their stress, but that’s not a perfect solution. Feelings of inadequacy can also cause stress over the student’s future. If a student does not take AP classes, they may feel they will not be able to obtain a higher education. Additionally, stress can stem from more than school. Many students’ home lives can create more stress, from siblings to take care of, to balancing school and work. However, schools cause most of teenagers’ stress, so it’s the school’s job to reduce it. BYJordan Noble
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Besides, stress is a necessary evil. Ask yourself, do you really have enough willpower to do important things without stress? Does anyone? Stress is negative reinforcement to make you do important things. Without stress, people feel no need to do anything. The very definition of a stress-free life is on where you don’t do anything meaningful. So, yes, stress hurts, but you can’t just pretend like it’s all because of victimhood. And you certainly can’t pretend to be able to live without it. BY Efrain Gonzalez
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Illustrations by Grant Cluff
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THE FLASH @RocklinHSflash www.rocklinhsflash.net @RocklinHSsports