The Roar | Volume 12 | Issue 4 | June 2017 by Whitney High Student Media

THE

ROAR

VOLUME 12 • ISSUE 4 • JUNE 2017

TREKKING THROUGH THE HEAT

SUPPRESSING SUICIDE

page 12

pag

FIXING FAMOUS FOR THE

pag

e 10

HY’

W S N O S A E N R O 3 ‘1 IEWS

THIRTEEN V

page 18

Instrument repair business takes off for computer technician Mr. Peter Davis

A WHITNEY HIGH STUDENT MEDIA PUBLICATION whitneyupdate.com

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in this issue

THE

ROAR

a Whitney High Student Media publication EDITORS BRITNEY FLINT LIZZIE SALVATO EMMA THOMAS DANICA TRAN

NEWS The beginning of an era Incoming freshmen encouraged to buy N23 Chromebook page 4

TECH

STAFF MADISON BAILEY RACHEL MARQUARDT HANAN BEGIC JESSE MORALES ENZO BIONDI CONNOR O’BRIEN HANNAH BLACKWELL MADALYN PAPENFUSS ASHLEY BLISS DEANNA PAYAN MCKENNA ELLIS DARIA POND MAXIMO ESGUERRA JACKSON PRITCHARD RYLEA GILLIS CALEB SANTOS MORGAN HAWKINS MADILYN SINDELAR MACEY HAYDEN HARVEENA SINGH ELLA HO CHING ISHIQA SUKKAR EMMA KACHMAR KENICHI WATANABE RENESE LOPEZ

Initiative to improve Admin explores new plans for master schedule page 5

HEALTH Eating healthy comes at a cost Fresh or nutritious options are more expensive page 6

LIFESTYLE Social security Benefits of private versus public social media page 7

ADVISER SARAH NICHOLS, MJE

IN-DEPTH Suppressing suicide Opinions on Netflix Original Series ‘13 Reasons Why’ page 8

OFF-CAMPUS A career-driven summer Student gains summer internship page 11 Trekking through the heat Students chart spots to kick off the season page 12

ON-CAMPUS

Plan, act, improve Strategic Action Planning Committee collaborates page 13 Changing places, different faces Staff members retire, join, accept new positions page 14

SPORTS Floored with Pride Graphics III students design new gym floors page 16 Behind Home Plate Teens employed by youth baseball, softball leagues page 17

FEATURE

Fixing for the famous Mr. Peter Davis runs instrument repair business page 18 Just Some Kids Who Four friends make official dance group page 20 whitneyupdate.com

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The Roar is a student publication produced by Whitney High Student Media. The newsmagazine is a public 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. Visit whitneyupdate.com for news, sports, opinions, entertainment and more. ON THE COVER: Noah Lewis poses for the suicide issue. Photo illustration by Britney Flint and Danica Tran.

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EDITORIAL

The best way to prevent suicide is to address it, not ignore it

fter receiving news someone has committed suicide, the public often struggles with how to discuss the cause of death and honor the deceased. Social norms make suicide taboo; consequently, whispers of gossip and speculation spread throughout the community. The silence creates an impression of shame surrounding the subject, making it only harder for those struggling with thoughts of suicide to reach out for help. The only way to end these problems is to discuss suicide widely and correctly as a public health issue in the media and school. Thus, suicide should be included in school language arts and health curriculum to provide an essential in-depth exploration of the subject. The stigma surrounding suicide makes it that much harder for those having suicidal thoughts to ask for help in the community due to the fear they will be rejected. Suicide is another public health issue and should be treated as such. If Light the Night is promoted to fund cancer research, our community needs to host an event to promote suicide awareness. Similar to those affected by cancer, support should be given to those who are considering suicide or experiencing bereavement, the deprivation of a loved one through a profound absence. If someone has overcome their suicidal thoughts or recovered after a suicide attempt, we should celebrate, not purposefully ignore it. The best way to prevent suicide is talking openly about it, as recommended by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). Their data states 50-75 percent of people who attempt suicide talk about it before; if the topic was further integrated and normalized in society, the cries for help would be heard. A main source of controversy is the depiction of suicide in the media, an issue which resurfaced due to the popularity of the Netflix show “13 Reasons Why.” In the show, a teenage girl, Hannah Baker, dies by suicide and leaves behind tapes addresses to those she feels responsible for her decision. The show has been criticized, not just for the topic itself, but more specifically for its dramatization of the act. Experts, parents and teachers claim the story glorifies suicide through its extremely graphic and unnecessary content. According to a survey conducted for this issue, 49 percent of students here have watched “13 Reasons Why.” But if the students are mature enough to take in the show’s content, they should be mature enough to discuss the topic of suicide in class. The popularity of “13 Reasons Why” provides an easy opportunity for teachers to broach the subject, especially in classes such as health, language arts and psychology. Our school should be using this opportunity to teach the necessary knowledge about suicide, especially with the second season set to air next year. This is why we included an in-depth story on pages 8-10. Currently, the topic is barely touched upon in the health curriculum. A proper discussion about suicide, following all the regulations and correct protocol, would have positive effects within our school. Students should be taught about mental health disorders from the medical perspective, as they are in psychology classes. In psychology, students are tested on knowing which mental health disorder has to do with which levels of certain neurotransmitters to chemically explain certain disorders. Since suicide is a consequence of mental disorders, classes should already include this essential information, yet the classes do not, which is a

problem the school must solve. However, even the students who do receive this limited education are in the minority since psychology classes are an elective and not required. Language arts classrooms should hold also discussions since it is a class all students are required to take, regardless of grade level. Additionally, language arts classes readily provide a method of discussion -- Socratic seminars. Students understand Socratic seminars to be genuine conversations about significant topics; it would not be a stretch to have them examine the subject of suicide in the same manner and format. It is especially important students understand all the necessary information about suicide due to the close proximity to nationally known suicide clusters. For example, Rocklin is a mere 150 miles from Palo Alto, a Bay Area city with its teen suicide rate more than four times the national average. Within the past 10 years, Palo Alto experienced two suicide clusters, defined by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention as “three or more suicides in close proximity in regards to time and space.” Due to the short distance between this school and the suicide clusters, as well as the high standards set for students here, they are at high risk for being influenced by the suicides in Palo Alto. If students are simply informed with the correct and necessary information, it will greatly decrease the risk because they will realize is always help available and there is no shame in reaching out for it. Moreover, discussions regarding suicide would end the light-hearted treatment of the subject. Currently, students constantly joke about “wanting to kill themselves;” it is extremely popular on social media with the introduction of memes including the message. The jokes about suicide are similar to the problem of humorously using sexist slurs. Students don’t realize the effect their words can have on someone who is actually struggling with thoughts of suicide. By properly educating students on the causes of suicide, school culture would eliminate its inappropriate humor. In order this school to eliminate the unnecessary stigma, and allow those struggling with thoughts of suicide to ask for help, the school must be properly informed about all aspects of the subject. Specifically, suicide should be included as a unit in health classes. It should be discussed in Socratic seminars during language arts classes. It should be a topic of Whitney United Movement assemblies. But it will take more than education to eliminate the stigma and decrease suicide risks. After being supplied the information, students must use it to properly and openly discuss suicide, especially with those who might be at risk. Without the correct dialogue and conversation, the cycle of shame and death will continue.

AGREE 12-0

Illustration by R. MARQUARDT

JUNE 2017

NEWS

THE BEGINNING OF AN ERA Incoming freshmen are encouraged to purchase N23 Chromebook FUTURE WILDCATS WEIGH IN Fourth graders at Rock Creek elementary in Mrs. Lori Kircher’s class share their experiences in a 1:1 Chromebook learning environment. “Having a Chromebook is great because it’s a learning tool to use for reading and using the internet. I change my background to a funny picture of Sponge-Bob smoking. Sometimes I lose my Chromebook for a day.”

haring is something students struggle with. However the problem will be slightly fixed as every incoming freshman will buy their own Chromebook. This will offer students a new option to study and enhance their learning. Rocklin Unified School District is switching students over to learning through technology and hoping to revolutionize the way students learn. Principal Mr. Justin Cutts, Mr. Scott Collins and Rocklin Educational Excellence Foundation (REEF) have been talking about this program for a year, and they are excited to take action. “[Mr.] Cutts and I started on this last fall. He has done a lot of technology in his career over at Del Oro and I’ve been kinda the teacher tech lead on campus here, so in our first meetings we were brainstorming things we were thinking about trying and BYOD, Bring your own device, came up and the ball started rolling last fall. Later in the semester it really started to materialize into something,” Collins said.

THE ROAR

Illustration by M. HAWKINS

Collins has been teaching teachers about features on the Chromebook and Schoology to help teach students through technology. “The [district] is taking a big step to teach and learn through technology because it is more convenient, and these Chromebooks will be our first big step towards that,” Collins said. The program targets freshmen because they hope to have them start the program that way; by senior year everyone has a Chromebook. Although they are aiming for incoming freshmen, REEF is still offering Chromebooks to all students. “A device in every student’s hand connecting them with access to the internet all day in the classroom is the inevitable future of every classroom, so this is such a clear match. It’s just a matter of getting all the resources to match up in moving education in that direction,” Collins said. Since May 1, Chromebooks have been open to order. After

a large amount of traffic on their website, the website crashed but now is back open for orders until June 20. Chromebooks will be delivered to the school by Aug. 9 or 10. “We are not making it mandatory to buy, however it is highly recommended because they are cheap and come with such cool features. [Cutts] is setting aside funds, as well as working with the PTC to create some kind of insurance for students who couldn’t afford it if they broke it,” Collins said. The Chromebooks will cost $160.99 through Rocklin Unified School District. With the original price being $221.99, REEF was able to lower the cost by $61. Rocklin High School, Rock Creek and Spring View are pushing for this new change as well. Students can order their Chromebooks online at the rocklineducation

ANANTH BHANDARKAR “Since we’re getting used to [having our own Chromebooks] now, it’ll be good to keep having them when we are in high school.” SAVANNAH CUNNINGHAM “It’s awesome having technology in the classroom. We can also watch YouTube for indoor recess to play music. We can do whatever [in our free time] but people get distracted and they have to get off their Chromebook.” LAWSON SCHULER “Some people get distracted with things like changing their background over and over again, so they get their Chromebook taken away for either a few days or a week.” COURTNEY IADANZA

BY MORGAN HAWKINS, DEANNA PAYAN & KENICHI WATANABE

TECH

INITIATIVE TO IMPROVE

Administration explores new plans for master schedule

Illustration by E. BIONDI

eluctantly, Jessica Franco completed her freshman schedule with health, jazz band and Spanish II as her electives. Although she ultimately decided those three classes were more important, Franco wanted to take Art I or Ceramics I to pursue her interests. Fortunately for Franco, the administration has examined several plans for the 2018-2019 school year. The three plans will together allow students to pursue their own interests while still completing A-G requirements. After receiving the College and Career Readiness Grant, a committee of parents, teachers and principals in the school district met to decide how to budget the money. The money designated to the school will be spent on online classes, sequencing and cross-curricular courses. “Students are so focused on completing college prep courses, it deters them from taking careeroriented classes. I hoping students

will now get more chances to different career options while still in high school. They will have more tools to figure out what they want to do,” Mrs. Penny Shelton said. The plan is to start with making health an online class, in hopes it will open students’ schedules to allow them to take other on-campus electives. The program will work through a learning management system similar to Schoology, where the teacher will be able to post assignments and interact with the students via computer. Principal Mr. Justin Cutts hopes to extend the program further than health classes in the future. Next, the school would like to introduce sequencing, which would allow students to take the same class, math for example, on both odd and even days. This would give students the opportunity to complete a higher level of math classes while in high school. Finally, the school plans to include cross-curricular classes to connect

the concepts learned in core subjects with electives and CTE classes. For instance, geometry topics covered in integrated classes would be applied to assignments in a BITA class, or students would use the knowledge they learned in language arts to write a medical report. “I think it will allow students to take other electives they are actually interested in. Also, students can complete the full pathway for VAPA, CTE and foreign language classes. Because right now, a lot of kids cannot take the higher levels of these courses since they aren’t enrolled in them as a freshman, so it keeps students from exploring another other plans for their future,” Cutts said. Shelton was first to approach Cutts with the cross-curricular idea and is optimistic for its results. Shelton said, “The cross-curricular program will really give purpose to classes, and students will hopefully be enrolled in something they enjoy.”

ZACHARY SCHREINER

ELIZABETH HERNANDEZ

JUSTIN HUNCKLER

MANEET SIDHU

“[Online classes] would add time to homework, but it would allow you to take another class like broadcast or BITA instead of health and Spanish, which have more homework.”

“I would take the option [of online classes] so I can get my work done when I’m sick or if I didn’t want to be here.”

“I think it’s cool, because in math, people always ask when we will use the stuff we learn in the real world, so it gives use somewhere to apply what we learn.”

“I like [having math everyday] a lot because it helps more with homework. I have math lab even days and Integrated I odd days, so for finals and tests we get extra days to study.”

BY ENZO BIONDI & RENESE LOPEZ

JUNE 2017

HEALTH

Eating healthy comes at a cost

L. SALVATO

Fresh or nutritious options are more expensive

Do you prefer unhealthy food However Kenzi Palmer has made the decision to go from an over healthier options? unhealthy lifestyle to a healthy one. “I used to eat macaroni and Yes cheese pretty much every day of 40.3% No the week, but now I’m on a protein 59.7% shake diet where I drink two shakes a day and then I get to eat one meal,” Palmer said. This shake diet includes metabolism pills, fat burning pills, two types of protein powder, protein bars and snacks, a cleanse and a detox. It lasts 30 days and costs $300. This diet has been a big change for Palmer, because as an athlete, she usually eats hearty meals and snacks throughout the day. However, daily snacks are not on the menu. “It’s hard being a softball player, in season especially, and being on this diet because most of my teammates go to Chick-Fil-A or Taco Bell before away games and I can’t,” Palmer said. She has also experienced the difference in price between these two lifestyles. Palmer said, “It’s also so much cheaper and easier to go through a drive thru than to actually make myself something healthy to eat, so I just do that.”

eople choose to eat healthy for a variety of reasons. Some people eat healthy to feel clean or detox, some to lose weight or to bulk up. Whatever the motivation, it is often costly for a student. Many don’t have a lot of time or money to go to the store to buy healthy food. So what’s the alternative? McDonald’s, Taco Bell or Panda Express. These fast food restaurants may seem like a quick solution to the problem of deciding where to eat; however, the quickest solutions aren’t always the best. For some students, eating unhealthy isn’t an option. Since freshman year, Hayli Pera has had to completely cut out foods that contain gluten. “My body just wasn’t digesting it and whenever I would eat it, I would just throw up,” Pera said. When Pera goes out to eat with her friends and family, she has to be extra cautious about what she puts in her body. “It’s really something that I have to look out for when I’m deciding what to eat, but restaurants have become really accommodating, which is helpful,” Pera said. As a senior, Pera pays for a lot of her food, so she has felt the impact of increased prices when it comes to purchasing healthier foods. “The financial aspect has been a little difficult because finding stuff without gluten is a little pricier, but it’s not too bad,” Pera said.

54.1%

Zest Vegan Kitchen Veggie Wrap $

Sometimes

27.8% No

Yes

Can you match the price to the food? Chipotle Burrito $

B) $9.25

McDonald’s Cheeseburger $

C) $6.95

Little Caesars Cheese Pizza

Farm Fresh Juice Co. Juice Bowl $

SOURCE: 209 responses via Google Form May 15- May 22

THE ROAR

A) $1

D) $5 E) $8.99 Answers: E, B, A, D, B

18%

Are you affected by the cost of food?

BY ASHLEY BLISS & CONNOR O’BRIEN

LIFESTYLE Teens consider benefits of private versus public social media

BY the NUMBERS

SOCIAL SECURITY A

s her college experience speedily approaches, Carly Windham prepares for the transition from high school to college student. In an effort to rebrand her image, Windham changed her Instagram handle from @lotionmyfeet to @carlywindham. Windham came up with the username @lotionmyfeet four years ago as a joke originating from the show “The Good Wife.” “I changed my account because I wanted to look more professional for college. I’m trying out for the University of Nevada-Reno pom squad [cheer and dance combined team] and I didn’t want to have to explain it to possible coaches or teammates during tryouts,” Windham said. Similarly, Justin Kraft also uses social media to cultivate an image that will attract college football recruiters. Recently, Kraft tweeted out the news regarding his full ride scholarships to the University of California, Davis and Sacramento State University. “Twitter is an easy way to contact coaches through direct message and just following each other. I post my scholarship offers to show other schools that one school wants me, so that other schools want to offer me more scholarships,” Kraft said. In order for coaches to access Kraft’s profile and status, he keeps his Twitter account public. His Instagram can also be followed by anyone due to its public setting. “My Instagram has been public ever since middle school, and I haven’t really cared or thought about it since. I just let it be if someone random follows me on my social media; I just follow people I know. Though, I should probably be more careful with keeping track of who’s following me, you never know who it could be,” Kraft said. While easy access is one aspect of a public

M. SINDELAR

Is your Twitter account public or private?

profile that differentiates it from a private profile, Lyndsey Melton keeps all of her social media private to prevent strangers from following her account and viewing her content. “I don’t want random creepy people following my account. I mostly only have it [on private] for safety reasons. I don’t want people automatically seeing what I’m doing,” Melton said. Through Instagram’s option of having a private account, high school students have began making “finstas,” or fake Instagram accounts that are set on private access, used mainly to share with friends about the personal side of one’s life. “The purpose of a finsta is to post things you wouldn’t want all of your normal followers to see. Someone could use them to just post whatever they want, whenever they wanted, without the fear of someone snitching on them. I think it’s become popular among high schoolers because it’s an easy way to showcase your life to only a few people rather than 1,000. The difference is that on a finsta you can really post whatever you want without fear, because you know everyone following it rather than a ‘realsta,’ [real Instagram account] where you are more cautious,” Ava Jeung said. As technology continues to advance, and the presence of social media in teenagers’ lives continues to grow, different avenues for expressing oneself follow suit. With social media comes with the responsibility of managing posts as well as paying attention to safety considerations, however the debate between the use of private or public accounts continues.

BY ELLA HO CHING, CALEB SANTOS, & MADILYN SINDELAR

66.7% Public

33.3% Private

Do you have a fake/ spam Instagram account (finsta)?

YES

45% 55% Is your Instagram account public or private?

74.9% 25.1% Private Public Do you believe college admissions are affected by social media?

83.9% YES

16.1% NO

SOURCE: 209 responces via Google Forms May 15-22.

JUNE 2017

THIRTEEN pieces of

ADVICE

SOURCE: Mrs. Marnie Thomas, school psychologist

1. When you are feeling depressed/alone, minimize social media use. Comparing yourself to others could bring you down even more. 2. Schedule positive activities into your weekly routine. 3. Exercise is a proven intervention to decrease depression and improve your mood. 4. Walk. Run. Bike. Dance. Shoot hoops. Swim. Zumba. 5. Take time out for yourself to breathe, meditate, do yoga, or whatever helps ground you. 6. Take action to reduce bullying and foster positive connections with others. 7. Be open to talking to a professional. They can help you find ways to cope with you situation, manage your painful feelings and figure out how to move towards your goals. 8. Help is always available. National Hotline: 1-800-273-8255 or text ‘START’ to 741741 9. Listen without judgment to those around you. If you are concerned about what your friend is saying, ask directly. 10. Always take your friends’ warning signs seriously. They may not seek help for themselves. 11. Assure your friend that help is available and never agree to keep their suicidal thoughts a secret. Get an adult involved. 12. Share concerns immediately with a trusted adult who may be a family member, school counselor, coach, teacher, mentor or a friend’s parent. 13. While not everyone will have a helpful reaction to your attempts to share your emotional distress or thought of harming yourself, keep trying. There are always more people who want to help you. You won’t feel this way forever. BY BRITNEY FLINT & LIZZIE SALVATO

SUPPRESSING SUICIDE Students, professionals share their opinions on the Netflix Original Series ‘13 Reasons Why’

magine coming to school the next day and hearing that a fellow classmate has committed suicide. Someone’s son or daughter, someone’s best friend, gone. The reasons an individual feels compelled to take his or her own life can range from a cry for help to depression to bullying. Bullying during a person’s high school career is not an uncommon occurrence. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services noted that about 49 percent of students in grades 4-12 reported being bullied by other students at school at least once in the past month. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The popular Netflix series, “13 Reasons Why,” based on the 2007 novel by Jay Asher, highlights the subject of suicide as well as topics such as bullying. The show follows the journey of 17-year-old Hannah Baker who takes her own life and leaves behind a box of cassette tapes explaining the reasons why she did what she did. Her co-worker and friend, Clay Jensen, gets a taste of the struggles she faced by listening to her story on the tapes. “13 Reasons Why” gained attention because of debate surrounding whether the show has raised awareness about suicide or has glorified it as a solution. “I believe unintentionally the producers really did kind of romanticize the suicide, and that is one of the reasons that contagion is a true concern here,” Dr. Christine Moutier, chief medical officer at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, said in an online broadcast. Some students who have seen the show also believe the series portrays the sensitive topics in an incorrect manner. “[13 Reasons Why] does kind of make suicide seem like not such a big deal

and more of an act of revenge which can have a bad effect on some people,” Sophia Dick said. Although the show has been criticized by many, others believe it brings attention to topics such as suicide that need to be discussed. “I think that everyone loved ‘13 Reasons Why’ because unfortunately, they can all relate. It makes people take a step back and realize that this stuff happens. I think that everyone should watch it because it’s a real reality check,” Lane Field said. In a Netflix feature about the show, series creator Brian Yorkey defended the necessity of discussing the subjects present. “We did want it to be painful to watch because we wanted it to be very clear that there is nothing—in any way— worthwhile about suicide,” Yorkey said. “13 Reasons Why” has raised extreme controversy on whether the show is safe for teenagers to watch. Atir Mirza sees both sides to the recent debate. “If you’ve had any previous experience with suicide, depression, or you usually have negative thoughts that trigger you, don’t watch ‘13 Reasons Why’ because it’ll stimulate your thoughts about yourself. Like all TV shows and movies, there’s always some kind of reliability between the person who is watching and the character in the movie or show. On the other hand, if you have a strong mentality and don’t usually get affected by what people say to you or what goes on in your life, then it may be okay for you to watch, and if anything it’ll help you understand and foresee what people think about before, during, and after their suicidal thoughts. You may even be more aware if you should ask your friends if they’re okay, or anyone else that may seem like they’re not themselves. It may seem unnoticeable, but there’s always a slip

up. It’s just a matter of fact if will you be able to recognize that slip up and react to it,” Mirza said. Towards the end of the series, Hannah Baker is shown visiting her school’s guidance counselor, Mr. Kevin Porter, in a final attempt to find a reason to live. She confides in him about being raped, and he ultimately lets her down. Despite the fact that this character was unable to help his student overcome thoughts of suicide, another way students here can get help is by talking with a peer counselor. Peer counselors are available for students who need advice, a place to vent or someone to listen. “A peer counselor’s job is mostly just to listen to the students. A lot of the time kids come in because they just need a person to talk to. Talking out loud helps you sort out your own thoughts and feelings, and a peer counselor asks questions that can help guide you to a conclusion of a problem you’re having or just provide comfort,” Emily Manzer said. With the show drawing attention towards suicide, students should be aware that there are always resources available to those considering taking their life. “If you are thinking about suicide, you have to tell someone. I cannot express the importance of getting help from a professional and talking to a family member or a friend that you know will support you through this. If you talk to anyone about what you’re going through, you can get different perspectives on other options that you might not have seen before. There are always other ways to get through what you’re experiencing,” Manzer said. Students have the ability to receive advice from their fellow students if they are thinking about suicide, or if they have been approached by a friend who is having suicidal thoughts. “As a peer counselor, I’ve learned that not everyone seems to be doing as well as you think they are. For anyone who knows another is thinking of suicide, I would tell them that they need to direct their friend to professional help and to stay with them or stay communicating with them as long as possible so that you can ensure their safety,” Andrew Perkins said. Suicide is a real problem that cannot be ignored. Whether it’s talking it out with a trusted individual or watching a TV show to gain awareness, precautions must be taken in order to prevent the loss of a peer, someone’s child and a friend. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day from anyone who needs someone to talk to. Call 1-800273-8255.

IN-DEPTH

My Story “I was running for Junior and they wanted it taken Class Officer and I got down. I was fine with it and my posters approved for didn’t care as long they my campaign through were taken down without leadership so I made trouble. I thought it would copies. After the leadership be over after the day was workshop on Sunday, done, but people had taken we put them all around pictures of my posters campus. On Monday and posted about them on morning during third social media. It was really period, I got called down hard to see because I never to Mr. [Travis] Mougeotte’ meant to offend or hurt s room and I had no idea anyone in any way with my why. When I got there, he posters. I was just making told me that I wasn’t in a joke. I apologized on trouble, but if I saw people twitter for my posters and taking down my posters if I offended anyone, and I not to get offended or hoped the ordeal would be freak out. Someone had over.” gone to the office and told them that my poster with the “13 Reasons Why” joke on it was offensive

AVERY VAN DER LINDEN

ANDREW PERKINS

ATIR MIRZA SOPHIA DICK

JUNE 2017

IN-DEPTH

THIRTEEN views on ‘13 Reasons Why’ “Personally, I believe this show promotes suicide in a good way. With that being said, there are some very unrealistic scenes. I think that the signs of her were very apparent and caused awareness for those in today’s society with their peers. This show was a good eye-opener for me just to see and learn signs of those struggling so I can help out those suffering and get them the help they need.”

ASHLEY WILLIAMS “I think ‘13 Reasons Why’ promotes suicide prevention in a good way. It shows how little things can affect people, especially teenagers, and how words can impact someone’s life more than you may think.”

ROBERT JONES

“I think the show depicts the real life struggles that teenagers face, and it brought awareness to the effects of suicide in a way that young viewers can relate to. I think the show is a good depiction of suicide and has helped bring awareness and efforts of suicide prevention. It also touched on some sensitive subjects, which I think was an important part of making the show more real and relatable rather than trying to shelter the true reason that bring people to point of suicide.”

“Suicide is a touchy subject, and it can lead to someone’s happiness, but also may lead to others sadness.”

LUCAS SIMMONS “I haven’t watched [‘13 Reasons Why’] but I think people need to be more aware of how serious suicide is and how it is all around us and the people we are surrounded by whether we know about it or not. We need to respect other people and if we know of someone that is going through something like that, or has suicidal thoughts.”

KAILIE HARGIS “I think [‘13 Reasons Why’] is good and it brings more awareness to suicide. Suicide is not the answer and you should always ask somebody for help. The main character, Hannah Baker, didn’t really ask for help. She just hid her feelings and blamed other people after she passed and made them feel bad about themselves. She should have confronted them before she committed suicide.”

HALEY CHAMBERS “I think ‘13 Reasons Why’ is a really eye-opening show. It really brings in perspective how sometimes actions that may seem innocent or harmless can impact people in ways you couldn’t imagine. It really makes you think twice about your words and actions, and I think it’s a great show that promotes awareness for suicide and reminds people that suicide is a serious irreversible action.”

JUREN PORRAS “I thought [13 Reasons Why] was a great show. Even though it was sad, I think it sent a strong message that you never know what’s going on in someone’s life.”

TREVER GIBBS “[‘13 Reasons Why’] provided an unrealistic solution. When you commit suicide there is no chance for everyone to realize how or why you killed yourself. You don’t have a chance to spread guilt.”

PEYTIN JANDA

SOUFIANE RHOULAMI

ALEXA KIRST “I don’t think it was intentional, but the producers kind of made her suicide seem like an act of revenge even though I don’t think that’s what they were going for.”

“I think ‘13 Reasons Why’ really portrayed high school pretty accurately, unlike other shows that you could just be like ‘Wow, that’s not even how high school is.’ In ‘13 Reasons’ like I’m sure people are like woah that stuff really happens or people actually say that to other people at my school and they can relate so they have a connection with the show that’s why it’s so powerful. I don’t think it promotes suicide I think it gives people a glimpse of all the bits and pieces that could lead to someone taking their own life. Hopefully people realize like little stuff matter and maybe be more careful with their actions towards other people.”

“It was pretty good because the drama was intense, but it was a little too graphic when it showed Hannah cutting her wrist.”

DEE RUBY

CHRISTIANA CHUA

“While the recording of the tapes and the revenge plot was a bit over dramatic, the whole premise of the show is important. I don’t think it causes negative effects. For someone who is suicidal, this show is about the regrets of someone who did commit suicide. The show tells people to get help.”

CAMERON AHYAEE THE ROAR

BY BRITNEY FLINT & LIZZIE SALVATO

OFF-CAMPUS

a CAREER-

DRIVEN

SUMMER

Student gains summer internship as a result of CTE experience

hile some classes are nothing more than 82 minutes every other day to her, Trixy Ibis found a class this year that became the foundation for her career goals. Ibis took the everyday, off-campus class, CTE Health Careers, a course that begins with eight weeks in the classroom setting before students are assigned to medical units to assist professionals. Ibis spent her year at Roseville’s Kaiser Permanente in the telemetry and post-anesthesia care departments. During her time there, Ibis prepared patients for surgery, oversaw their recovery and shadowed the jobs of nurses, doctors Working with the nurses and assistants. and doctors taught me the However, importance of teamwork, Ibis feels she walked away responsibility, professionalism with more than and accepting my mistakes. just knowledge in the health field. “Through CTE Health Careers, I not only gained so much medical knowledge, but I learned I had the potential to use my voice to make change. Working with the nurses and doctors taught me the importance of teamwork, responsibility, professionalism and accepting my mistakes,” Ibis said. Due to the proficiency Ibis showed in her unit, she was offered an opportunity to continue her practice after the school year was over. Her supervisor in the telemetry unit gave her an application for a paid summer internship at

“

TRIXY IBIS

Kaiser, which she obtained. “I’m really excited to continue working in the telemetry unit with all the amazing people I met there. I’ll be doing a lot of the same tasks, but I’ll get to be more hands-on as well, which is good experience for the future,” Ibis said. After her internship ends in August, Ibis will be attending University of California, Merced, to work toward a bachelor’s degree in biological sciences. Following her undergraduate education, she hopes to go on to earn her Doctor of Pharmacy degree, which will allow her to practice as a pharmacist. The school is working to expand the CTE program to meet the 11 essential elements of a high quality program, set forth by the California Department of Education. Mr. Jason Feuerbach feels the classes are beneficial for students who already have a career goal in mind. “These classes offer the students an opportunity to experience a kinesthetic learning environment that focuses on that particular area of study. Leadership components are embedded into the curriculum that focus on the personal development of the student,” Feuerbach said. Working in two different departments in the hospital, Ibis was able to explore different pathways before she decided pharmacy was the best option for her. Ibis said, “I got to witness many different medical professionals and see what their jobs entailed. When I first started, I thought that I wanted to become a surgeon, and they told me it was possible, but that the schooling is really expensive and it takes many years to begin practicing. After shadowing some of the doctors, I realized that I was actually really interested in pharmacy and it would be an easier pathway for me.”

“

JULIEN HALE “I was in the emergency department at Sutter Roseville. With this, I took advantage of the resources in there, so with the doctors and the surgeon I was actually able to observe a surgery.”

ILLUSTRATIONS BY JESSE MORALES

BY MACEY HAYDEN & JESSE MORALES

GABBY BARQUET “I’ve gotten so many opportunities to talk to people at the hospital in all different units. It helped open more doors for me and consider new career opportunities in different areas of the hospital.” JUNE 2017

OFF-CAMPUS

TREKKING

THROUGH THE

HEAT

Students chart hiking spots to kick off the season

Hidden Falls Known for its 30 miles of multi-use trails, at Hidden Falls you can walk, run, bike and ride horses. Hidden Falls is located between the communities of Auburn and Lincoln, north of the Ophir and Newcastle area. The main attraction of this hike is the two-deck viewing spot for the 32-foot waterfall. This regional park is open every day of the year, but it gets particularly busy during the holidays. Hidden Falls is 16.7 miles away from campus.

Miners Ravine Trail This trail is located in Roseville and is great for walking, biking, running long-boarding and in-line skating. This trail is 7.5 miles long and is all asphalt, so it is a smoother, less intense option for beginning hikers. The trail is mainly surrounded by grasslands, so it is best for exercise purposes, rather than a scenic getaway. Miners Ravine trail is 8.1 miles away from campus.

Lake Clementine In Auburn, Lake Clementine is a reservoir on the North Fork American River Canyon. It is known for its 150-foot dam, often used as a backdrop for Instagram photos. Lake Clementine has a trail of 3.5 miles and is suitable for running, hiking and biking. In addition to the trail, there is a lake big enough for swimming, boating and even wake boarding. The hike to the lake is about three miles from the parking lot. Lake Clementine is 26.7 miles away from campus.

THE ROAR

BY MCKENNA ELLIS, EMMA KACHMAR & JACKSON PRITCHARD

ON CAMPUS

PLAN, ACT, IMPROVE

R. MARQUARDT

Strategic Action Planning Committee provides advances in educational system growth plans

R. MARQUARDT

2 1 During the Strategic Planning Committee meeting Feb. 14, Atir Mirza, Mr. Eric Means, Sydney Schreiner and Katie James listen to ideas presented by other members. 2 Members review lists of strengths and weaknesses to come up with mission statements at Whitney Oaks Golf Club.

fter being given four areas of improvement, the Strategic Action Committees have been meeting to produce plans and present to the entire Strategic Action Planning Committee May 25. These plans include providing a framework of skills to develop purpose, passion, and personal goals through a variety of class selections and develop instructional practices to staff for a more engaging and challenging curriculum. Alongside they are planning to define and communicate the diverse student opportunities to effectively promote the educational system, and provide vertically and horizontally goal-setting while emphasizing cross-curricular partnerships and promotion of deeper learning experience. Atir Mirza, a member of the Strategic Planning Committee, met alongside board members Feb. 14 to give the Strategic Action Committees four mission statements. These committees developed plans to implement the mission statements. Both committees then reconvened to hear out and vote on the plans presented.. While developing mission statements, Mirza and other members of the Strategic Planning Committee were told to see the weak aspects of the school in a positive light. “Even if there were negative concepts about our school, it was told in a way where it wasn’t negative, but more like an area we can improve on. Our ideas got shared with the original big group committee and were created into a rough draft ideas of what our school needs to work on,” Mirza said. As part of the Strategic Action Committee, Erica Broadway was tasked with focusing, as well as amplifying

MR. ERICH MEANS “I hope to be able to provide a framework for teachers , staff and students to obtain goals of the mission statement.”

BY HANNAH BLACKWELL & MAXIMO ESGUERRA

individual and system capacity to promote organizational transformation. The committee she is on planned on doing this by improving the teacher-student interactions through multiple steps starting next year. This plan will require approval by the entire Strategic Action Planning Committee before being implemented. “The beginning of the plan is to gather resources and information by allocating funding and surveying teacher needs. Then, the district would observe and possibly partner with other districts and organizations to see if workshops could be provided that would be beneficial to our staff,” Broadway said. As the internal facilitator Mr. Erich Means is also involved in both the Planning and Action Committees. As internal facilitator his technical role is to help to keep people focused and answer questions, but he has taken the role farther by attending many of the Action Committee meetings. “I felt it was important for me, if I was going to ask people to do this stuff, I should be doing it also. In attending the meetings, the process goes smoother because I can answer questions instantaneously,” Means said. Since the Action Committees presented their solutions, the Strategic Planning Action Committee has refined everything into a solidified plan and is to be presented beginning of June and again in August. From there, the goal is for everything to tie back into those actions as well as to give everything direction. Every three to five years, the actions will be re-evaluated to update them to needs of the community.

MRS. KERIANNE WOODS “I want to promote school spirit among incoming and current students by highlighting the awesome things we already do and making sure everybody knows about it.”

XZAVIER CALDWELL “We plan to develop more coherence among students, teachers, staff and parents. We are trying to be the best we can to promote student success.”

JUNE 2017

ON-CAMPUS

CHANGING PLACES, DIFFERENT FACES MR. LARRY LABROT

Photo I, II, III teacher

Q: How many years have you been teaching? How long have you been teaching at Whitney? A: I have been teaching for about 37 years, starting in Los Angeles and Westminster, California — nine schools total. I have been at Whitney for 11 years, since the year after the school opened. Q: Why do you enjoy teaching? A: I just like working with students. Turning a hobby into a career is basically what I did. Q: What will you miss most about Whitney? A: I think [I will miss] the cycles. Teaching is a wonderful career because it ends every year and you start over. It is not often where you have jobs starting new and fresh each new year. Q: What are your plans for retirement? Are you going to continue your business after teaching? A: I will still be working. I have 32 weddings right now for this year. So I will do wedding photography with my wife. The business is hers, so I just work for her.

MR. SCOTT COLLINS

Government, economics, AP World History teacher

Q: How are you preparing for the shift between a teacher into an assistant principal position? A: This summer, I will be the summer school principal. This position has been a “crash course” in administration, so to speak. Budget meetings, personnel decisions and discipline issues are a few of the issues which are dealt with the as summer school principal. Q: Why did you decide to teach the AP World History classes specifically? A: When we moved from Los Angeles three years ago, we bought a house behind [the school]. We thought it would be great if I could work at Whitney someday. Then they posted a history job, and the rest simply fell into place. AP World has been a truly wonderful journey. Helping sophomores through their first AP course is an exhilarating and rewarding challenge. I am so very thankful to have had the opportunity to work with so many tremendous students. Q: What are you going to miss most about teaching high schoolers? About Whitney? A: I am going to miss the bond with the individual students you form in the classroom. At Whitney, I will miss the terrific friendships I have formed with all of the splendid staff members. Whitney is a magical place to work that I will miss dearly.

SAMANTHA LOPEZ

MRS. SARAH NICHOLS

RYAN WALKER

HRIDAYESH JOSHUI

“Mr. Labrot is a great teacher. He taught us important aspects of film photography, and gave us great tips to improve our photo. It’s cool learning from someone who’s had experience owning a photography business. I think it’s good to get the business and photography perspective.”

“It’s been great working nex door to Mr. [Larry] Labrot for all these years because of his willingness to share his professional expertice with my own students. His lessons on light, his photoshop know-how and his professional buisness perspective have made both me and my students better.”

“Mr. Collins really expressed self-learning and use of the interwebs. I really enjoyed being able to work with my peers online in an interactive way. It wasn’t all about notes and lectures. I also liked his life lessons. He taught me how to deal with stress and not worry about the small details of life.”

“I will miss Mr. [Scott] Collin’s encouragement to work hard and his enthusiasm. There was one time some students from photo wanted to take pictures, and Collins immediately starts posing for them, and they took a lot of photos of him doing dumb poses. I wish him the best.”

BY HANAN BEGIC & MADALYN PAPENFUSS

R. MARQUARDT

J. MORALES

Staff members retire, join mid-year, accept new positions

Q: What inspired you to go back to teaching? A: I have been thinking about how many more years I have left in education, because I’m getting to that point in my life where I have to start thinking about what retirement will look like one of these days. I don’t plan on doing that anytime soon, but it is looming off in the future. Q: What do you look forward to most about your new job? A: I love teaching all the subjects, and when I was in middle school I got to teach English and social studies one year, and then I taught mostly math and science other years. I really am looking forward to the opportunity to teach all the different subjects, and to teach California history.

MRS. VICKI FAWCETT

Former assistant principal’s secretary

H. BEGIC

Q: What will you miss most about Whitney? A: I’m glad that I made this choice when I had seniors because I would probably not have been able to do this, leaving a class that I had gotten used to. Because you do form relationships with the students and their families and so forth, and it would be hard to leave mid-high school, I guess I should say. It seems like kind of natural thing to be graduating and I’m gonna graduate except instead of going off to college, I’m gonna go off to fourth grade.

Q: What is your new position at Sierra College? A: I [just began a position as] the administrative assistant for the nursing program. Q: What are you most excited about with new opportunities at Sierra College? A: Just some change, something different and working with kids who have already decided what their career path is and helping them achieve that path. Q: What will you miss about being at a high school compared to what you expect at the college level? A: Everything. I like the hustle and bustle of the high school, I like that there’s always something going on, and every day is different. I really like seeing the kids mature from freshmen to seniors and witnessing a huge change in them from walking into classes as a freshman up to seeing them graduate and walk across the stage. BY HANAN BEGIC & MADALYN PAPENFUSS

M. PAPENFUSS

MRS. BROOKOVER

Class of 2021 Counselor

Q: How was the transition, getting the job during the school year? A: My colleagues were just really helpful getting me started and I didn’t feel overwhelmed with it. It also helps that I’ve been a counselor for 10 years, so it was just learning the new policies and figuring it out, asking a lot of questions and taking it day by day. Q: What are you looking forward to for the 2017-18 school year? A: I’m looking forward to getting to know my students and their families and starting from the beginning and seeing it the whole way though, just to be able to start from scratch. The counseling team has a lot of things planned for next year, and we’re excited that now we know here are the four of us and these are the things we want to get underway. Q: What else should our readers know about you? A: I have twins at home, a boy and a girl, that are 11 months old. Other than that, I’m just excited to be starting this next chapter.

M. PAPENFUSS

E. KACHMAR

ON-CAMPUS

MRS. TAMARA FERNANDES

New assistant principal’s secretary

Q: Where did you work before coming here? Why did you decide to come to this campus? A: I was the assistant for the superintendent at a school district in Sacramento. I’ve lived in Rocklin near Whitney for 16 years, and my eldest daughter graduated from here in 2010, so my family has a lot of Whitney history. I love the positive culture and community here. Q: How was the transition from your previous job? A: It was a different transition because I went from a pre-K through eighth school to all high school. But the staff is very welcoming, and I’ve had a pleasant experience so far. Q: What are you excited about for the next year? A: I’m looking forward to making new connections to the staff and students, and seeing growth of school progress and activities. I’m excited to see students grow throughout the year. JUNE 2017

SPORTS

FLOORED with PRIDE

Graphics III students design new gym floors

E. THOMAS

hat do sports events, dances, rallies and other gatherings such as clubs or assemblies have in common? They all happen in the gyms. For the past 11 In Ms. Whitney Lum’s Graphics III class, Emily Harris and Hanan Begić years, the gyms have provided vital space finalize the new gym floor designs. to host all sorts of schoolwide events. The process progressed as the students “Once we figure out which company However, these floors require specific we are going with that specific bid, upkeep that is currently behind schedule. reached their deadline to turn in their designs and Feuerbach and Cutts began there will be a timeline built in. They “For gym floors, you are supposed to reviewing the submissions. The two will probably start with the small sand a certain depth into them every designs chosen were made by Harris and gym sometime middle of June, and seven years; that hasn’t happened here. Hanan Begić. they’ll be done with both gyms by early We are finishing year 11 here, so we are “Emily had about six versions and August,” Feuerbach said. actually four years behind schedule. they really liked all of them. After it Feuerbach hopes students will be Because of the way they’re waxed, we proud of their facilities whether they are supposed to take all that off, repaint was selected, Emily made adjustments and edits to her designs. She was a solo are attending a sporting event, rally them, redo them and recoat them,” or assembly. He wants to make them athletic director Mr. Jason Feuerbach said. designer on the volleyball court. The more personal and customized. This process began as the new director basketball court was a collaboration Feuerbach said, “We are trying to do of facilities, Craig Rouse, saw the need to of three designs, and Hanan made the final one. It was a combination of a lot of work in just that building, from update the floors. Then Feuerbach and principal Mr. Justin Cutts began working designs from Begić, Alannah Frankel and the gyms to the lockers. It’s just a lot of Matthew Aquino. Hanan was a designer blank white walls and floors that are with students in Graphics III to include that made the revisions,” Lum said. just very basic. We are just trying to them in designing the new floors. They The next step included Feuerbach add that culture piece where kids can brought in templates and examples and Cutts selecting the new gym floor walk in and be proud.” for students to work off of and gain designs and making final edits. inspiration. “We got several different prototypes One half of the class was assigned and pictures and then narrowed it to designing the new volleyball court down. We then made adjustments and and the other half was assigned to the narrowed it down again, made more new basketball court. Students took the adjustments and then about early April, templates and incorporated the main “I don’t really think it will affect the floor or ideas, but also made it their own working the district put it out to bid with various anything but I think it companies,” Feuerbach said. within the assigned guidelines. shows the school cares. The bidding process entails Feuerbach “Students had to make designs that I think it shows that and Cutts meeting with companies, who were school colors and showed school the school isn’t only spirit. The Whitney logo had to be at the give them bids, or the amount of money focused on one thing the project will cost. Once all the bids center of the basketball court and the Women’s Freshman and it looks at all the three point line had to be a different tint are received, they must decide which Basketball sports individually.” company to go with based on the money than the other wood,” graphics teacher the district has set aside. Ms. Whitney Lum said. The money will come from the Students were required to submit two “I think it’s a necessary school district, but any additional costs designs for the assignment, but Emily part of our school willrequire fundraising. Harris submitted six. because we’re growing “We’ll have to decide does athletics, “A lot of them were variations of the and achieving new and basketball or volleyball go out and same one, like one had a gray floor and different things. We one had a normal floor, or one had the W fundraise to cover the extra costs or are also planning on slanted and one had the W not slanted. It upgrades that we want,” Feuerbach said. doing the locker rooms. When a bid is selected, construction was just little things, but it makes a big I think it’s really cool Men’s Varsity Volleyball will begin shortly after. that we are advancing.” difference,” Harris said.

Athlete’s Perspective KATELYNNE FINTA

JAXSON HAYNES

THE ROAR

BY MADISON BAILEY & EMMA THOMAS

SPORTS

Behind home plate Teens employed by youth baseball, softball leagues

ROCKLIN GIRLS FAST PITCH SOFTBALL UMPIRE USA SOFTBALL CERTIFIED

rom the 4-year-olds hitting off tees to the 14-year-olds throwing fastballs, boys and girls of all ages and abilities in the community team up to play baseball and softball. Typically, every youth team plays on Saturday and additional games are dispersed throughout the weekdays. In order to play a game, at least two umpires are needed, and youth leagues have looked to teens in the community to serve as game officials. Four recreational leagues are available for youth players — Rocklin Girls Fast Pitch, Rocklin Pony, Rocklin Little League and Tri City Little League. Each league has different requirements and training processes for umpires. Rocklin Little League umpires must attend a classroom rules clinic as well as an on-the-field mechanics clinic, each of which are six hours long. After completing the process, participants are encouraged to create a business card and pass it out to team managers, who will hire them for games. Although the rules of baseball are fundamental to officiating, Rocklin Little League Umpire-in-chief Art Hernandez believes it is bigger than the game. “The junior umpires program is not just about baseball, but it’s about giving your time back to a program that helped you grow as a competitor

BY RYLEA GILLIS & ISHIQA SUKKAR

and a person. It allows young men and women to not only become better players, but more importantly, build confidence and self-esteem,” Hernandez said. Hernandez feels these character traits are built through the situations officials face in the game. Umpires have to make calls that can be controversial or upsetting to a team, and sometimes adults are vocal about their disagreement. Drake Speed has experienced such a situation during a game. “As an umpire at any level, you’re going to get heckled by the coaches and parents for making calls they don’t like. One time I called strike three on a kid and his dad got up on the fence behind me and berated me the rest of the game. All I did was ignore him,” Speed said. Students who want to get involved in the youth softball and baseball leagues, but are not interested in umpiring have other paid opportunities, such as working in the snack bar. Cameron Ortmann has been working for Rocklin Girls Fast Pitch for three years. Ortmann said, “When my sister started playing softball, I started working in the snack bar because I was not old enough to get a job working at other places, and the money is pretty good for it being an easy job.”

Q: What made you want to volunteer for youth softball? A: I wanted to give back to the programs that helped me develop my skills and love for the game. I really love helping the next generation of girls, and if I can help them be successful then I am all in. Q: What was the training process to become an umpire? A: First, I had to complete a field training and then attend a rules clinic. To be certified for Rocklin that is what I did, but depending on what league you are working for there are different requirements. It is a lot of repetition and practice. You will do scrimmages and little kid games until you work your way up to a USA softball umpire. Q: How does umpiring affect playing softball yourself? A: I know a lot more rules and technical things that help me understand the game and sometimes I can even help get calls changed in favor of my team. Q: How much do you make? How many games do you umpire every day week? A: I am in my fifth year and in the beginning of the season, I made $30 a game but now I am USA softballcertified and I make $45 a game. On a weekly basis, I try to get in about five games, but it depends on homework and my own softball load. JUNE 2017

R. GILLIS

SIERRA BEDRIN

FIXING FAMOUS for the

A. KANEAO

Instrument repair business takes off for computer technician Mr. Peter Davis

Mr. Peter Davis poses with RJ Kaye Kaneao, the guitarist for Bruno Mars, at the Anaheim Convention Center Jan. 20.

orking with popular artists, Mr. Peter Davis, a usual face on campus for all the computer-fixing needs, makes custom instruments and conducts repairs for stars such as James Valentine, the guitarist from Bruno Mars and the guitarist for Poison. Since the age of 4, Davis has been playing the guitar and performing around town in various churches. “I didn’t seriously start playing until I was probably 10 or 12. My mom’s side of the family were very musical. I grew up with my uncle playing, and I grew up with the guys from Tesla hanging out at my grandparents’ house and different ’80s rock stars there all the time and getting to know them and just interest in music itself just started,” Davis said. Performing nightly at youth groups, Davis faced issues with his own equipment, sparking his interest in fixing instruments. “It started out with playing at my church at night, and typically at night,

BY MORGAN HAWKINS & DEANNA PAYAN

everyone is already closed, so I was finding that the gear I was using at night was breaking down, and nobody was around to fix it. So using my technical knowledge that I knew from working on computers, I just got in and figured out how the circuitry was working on the pedals and I just started fixing them. Pretty soon different kids would ask me ‘Hey, can you fix this’ and I’d be like ‘Sure, bring it in!’ and then I started doing more guided training with different friends that are louviers, who are people who fix instruments, and asking questions while they were working. There was a local shop in Rocklin called Sun Father Guitar, so I would ask Jesse, one of their main louviers, all the time to just watch what he was doing,” Davis said. Soon, others started to ask for his help with fixing their music equipment, giving Davis the idea of creating a one man business called RVT Customs. “I have a small business that I do zero advertising for, so it’s all by word

of mouth. The whole premise of that started out as building guitar effects pedals for myself because I couldn’t find what I was wanting. Then that just started to take off onto other things and now it’s turned into building custom effects and custom pedal boards and guitar repair. It started out as a hobby, but now it’s turning into its own thing,” Davis said. As business started to boom, a new working station was a necessity. “Before we bought our house, we lived in a two-bedroom apartment and I was doing a lot of the work on our outside balcony in our washing closet, like with the washing machine. I was cramped into a tiny space, working with a sander and a soldering iron. Sometimes it would be absolutely pouring and it would be cold or hot and it was just miserable. When we bought the house, I was working inside and my wife was like, ‘Hey I need to borrow your truck. I need to run some errands,’ and I was like ‘okay’ and she ran to

either Home Depot or Lowes and bought me a work bench. So that’s become the go-to place,” Davis said. Working hard in his garage proved to be successful after receiving messages from well known celebrities around the country. “I am working with the guitar player from Bruno Mars, so he and I are working on trying to figure out what he needs for the next tour, not the 24K Tour, but the one that’s after that. Because of his touring, we are missing connections but we still text back and forth and are emailing and calling and kind of hammering things out and making sure the details are there. I’ve also done work for the guitar player in Poison. It’s kinda of funny I’m working for the bands I used to listen to when I was younger, but they are just normal people as well. They just have a really interesting career,” Davis said.

“

Bruno Mars, but my buddy RJ and I were friends for a couple years, just personal friends, and we just hit it off really well, but career-wise we didn’t really talk about anything. We were actually on the phone talking when there was a knock on the door and he received a Grammy in the middle of our conversation. I asked ‘What did you receive that for?’ and he was like ‘I play for Bruno’ and I just had no clue. That was like the first celebrity I came in contact with,” Davis said. Getting to know various celebrities has allowed Davis to travel to Los Angeles every January to show off new music equipment among many stars, like John Mayer. “Every year now I go down to L.A. in the first part of January and there’s this huge, by invitation only show. So getting to go down there and hang out with everybody that you’ve met like James Valentine, and my buddy RJ with Bruno Mars, and this year John Mayer

FEATURE

was hanging out. Two years ago I was just walking around and ran into Bono and started talking to Bono. It’s like finding yourself in a position when you’re walking around with celebrities being normal people, and just being down to earth,” Davis said. Overall, Davis isn’t out for the fame or popularity, but just to see the interesting instruments artists use around the world. Davis said, “My favorite part about working with bands is just seeing the gear they use. I know that sounds really weird, but it’s learning what they use to get what they want. A lot of kids coming up in the music scene over-think things, and I was the same way, where they want to achieve a certain sound or tone by using six or seven different effects and then once you started looking at them you realize, no it’s just their skills and knowing how to use minimal effects to achieve what we are hearing.”

I am working with the guitar player from Bruno Mars, so he and I are working on trying to figure out what he needs for the next tour.

“

P. BOREAL

2 1 At the Anaheim Convention Center, Mr. Peter Davis poses with Mark Lee and James Valentine from Maroon 5 Jan. 23. 2 Davis plays his MusicMan Stingray at Destiny Community Center April 16. 3 Brian Wampler of Wampler Effects and Davis take a picture together at the Anaheim Convention Center Jan. 21.

M. LEE

With many well-known artists like Bruno Mars, Poison and Maroon 5, Davis mentions how sometimes it’s hard to believe who he’s talking to. “There were two times where I’ve kinda been star-struck, one was with James Valentine from Maroon 5 because I just didn’t realize who it was. He and I were talking and just having a casual conversation and it stuck out to me that ‘Oh my god, you’re James Valentine from Maroon 5’ and I just kinda like went ‘Ahh,’ and he kinda chuckled and he was like, ‘Yeah man, yeah it’s cool.’ The other time was when I was doing a show with Danny Gokey from ‘American Idol.’ I was going in for our rehearsal and it didn’t faze me at all when I got the call to do the show, and so I was on my way to the rehearsal and about five minutes before we got to the venue I just got sick, and was like ‘Oh my gosh, what am I doing.” I didn’t know Danny, just that he was on American Idol and that’s it. Turns out it was really nothing,” Davis said. One friend in particular, the guitarist from Bruno Mars, received a Grammy while on the phone with Davis. “I didn’t even know he was with

B. WAMPLER

MR. PETER DAVIS

JUNE 2017

FEATURE

Just Some Kids Who...

Four friends bond through dance, form official group

Have been dancing all together for

years Have a combined dancing experience of

years

M. ESGUERRA