DIAMOND BAR HIGH SCHOOL
Student spotlight
Peter Kang
sports 16
DBHS alumni sweethearts
a&e 11
Spookiest Theme Parks
feature 7
CYBERBULLYING
feature theme 8-9
editorial 5
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STUDENT NEWSPAPER
The Bull’s Eye WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2013 COMMON CORE: EVOLVING EDUCATION
Volume XXXII, Issue II | ONLINE at dbbullseye.com | Published Monthly
DB Forum strives toward truth
Students around First in Series campus united to conquer stereotypical barriers.
New system will bring drastic changes BY EMILY WONG ASST. A&E EDITOR
America’s educational system will never be the same. In the past, the national educational system has always been based on the state and local levels. This will all change with the new standards, known as the Common Core State Standards, which will essentially synchronize schools on a national level primarily in two subjects: Mathematics and English. Currently, 45 states, including California, have already adopted the new system. Though California will fully implement the Standards by the beginning of next year, some minor alterations will continue to be made due to the state’s population and demographics. These changes will include more focus on career readiness and language skills. Several faculty members at Diamond Bar High School have
MORE ON THE COMMON CORE SEE EDITORIAL, PAGE 4 already attended various training sessions to prepare for adapting to the Common Core system. “I’ll have to not only teach chemistry concepts but reading skills. As the year goes on, I think it will make the student more well-rounded. It will shift the teacher from being the sole source of information to the student also having the skills to read things on [their] own,” science teacher Jose Marquez, who attended the training, explained. These pending educational guidelines were assembled by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, the Council of Chief State School Officers and other school-affiliated workers to set a national benchmark for students regardless of region. According to the Common Core Standards website, the goal of this change is to provide a consistent, clear understanding of the subjects in school and to prepare the upcoming generations for tasks relevant to the real world. Having an easy-to-follow academic agenda will allow teachers and parents to focus on the students’ progress and easily assist their students. “The former set of standards was a mile wide and an inch deep, and this set of standards is being described, metaphorically, as a mile deep and a little narrower,” Instructional Dean Julian Rodriguez stated.
See EDUCATION| pg 2
BY VRINDA CHAUHAN STAFF WRITER
Last Friday, DB Forum turned a regular school day into an experience of a lifetime., Held in the school gymnasium, Peer Counseling’s 15th annual DB Forum brought diverse groups of students together to discover the truth about various teen issues and featured many student-led activities and discussions.. “DB Forum seeks to acknowledge the different stereotypes and groups on campus and break the barriers they have formed among the students,” Peer Counseling advisor Sandy Davis said. At the beginning of the conference, students were split up into different groups, led by different Peer Counselor facilitators for the duration of the conference. The groups had various discussions that recognized negative and positive stereotypes, developed antibullying strategies, and reduced social isolation. The day began with introductions and mini icebreaker activities, which included acknowledging subconscious prejudices. Activities as simple as examining a lollipop with a wrapper of a certain color and opening it to find that it was a completely different color on the inside demonstrated the idea that people all subconsciously judge others by their appearance. These opening ice breakers were followed by games that recognized stereotypes and their effects on students. One activity to exhibit this was “Stereotype Bingo,” which was a bingo game with boxes that had, instead of numbers, different stereotypical questions such as “Have you ever been called spoiled or rich?” or “Have you ever been called a drama queen?” This forced
VRINDA CHAUHAN
BREAKING DOWN THE BRAHMA BARRIER - Near the end of the DB Forum hosted by Sandy Davis, Peer Counseling President April Hong spoke to the 138 attendees, thanking them for their admirable cooperation throughout the event. students to judge others based on their appearance, proving that all, even in the most minor way, take on presumptions from first glance (as they would only ask questions that they thought the person would say yes to). “Crossing the Line” was another eye-opening activity that helped reveal that students are not alone in the way they think or feel. In “Crossing the Line,” Davis announced various generalizations, and if the students felt that they had experienced these statements or the statements applied to them, they stepped forward (or “crossed the line” marked on the floor). Many students commented that they were shocked to see some of their peers step forward for ques-
tions that concerned sensitive teen issues. “I think DB Forum is amazing because you get to understand others more and you feel like you’re not alone… especially in the Cross the Line activity. It makes you realize that so many people are going through the same things that you are,” Peer Counselor facilitator Samantha Annamraju explained. The event took a serious turn in “If You Knew Me Well,” an activity meant to show that everyone had a different story. During this exercise, students revealed personal stories about themselves, private stories that few knew about, to their group. To conclude the day, students planned and performed satirical
skits about stereotypes on campus (such as UBS members being classified as snobby or brainy Asians as nerds). At the end of the skit, the group facilitators explained the stereotypes presented and the message that one’s group of friends or stereotypes did not necessarily reflect their genuine personalities. “DB Forum was a really great experience because you got to know a lot of people and make new friends. You get to know that you’re not alone in what you’re going through and I think everyone at Diamond Bar High School should attend DB Forum at least once,” junior attendee Fernanda Gonzalez said.
See FORUM| pg 2
The Shake Out comes to DBHS The three steps to perform during an earthquake are duck, cover, and hold. BY YUSHENG XIA ASST. EDITORIAL EDITOR
Tomorrow at exactly 10:17 a.m., have a table ready at your side because California is one of the more than 40 states participating in the worldwide Great Shakeout earthquake drills. The Shakeout offers an opportunity for individuals to practice proper safety procedures in the case of a devastating earthquake. “[The Great Shakeout] is an earthquake drill that many states
across the United States take part in. It’s to reinforce earthquake safety and disaster safety as well,” Vice Principal John Terry said. Diamond Bar High School is among the numerous schools that will take part in the safety procedure. When the drill bell rings, participants will carry out the three safety steps of “duck, cover, and hold.” Students are expected to drop to the ground, take cover under a desk or table while protecting their head and neck, and hold on for at least 60 seconds until the drill ends. Through the demonstrative practice, both students and staff will be prepared to protect themselves when a major earthquake strikes. “It’s important for students to take the drill seriously because you never know when [an earthquake] can happen and you want to be able
to go on autopilot when it does. If you don’t practice right, that’s when safety becomes a grave issue because now we not only have a disaster, but we also have students around that don’t know what to do,” Terry said. Students are also required to practice the correct evacuation skills that will be used in the aftermath of an earthquake. “Another benefit of having this drill is to get individuals used to exiting the new [math] building. This would be the second time around and [students] would be a lot more familiar with what they’re supposed to do it,” Terry said. Adequate earthquake preparation is imperative especially for the Diamond Bar community because the city is sandwiched between two seismically active faults. In addition to the Whittier and Chino
Fault, the San Andreas Fault lies approximately 26 miles away from the northwest border of the city. Potential earthquakes in any of those areas could cause tremendous local damage to the Diamond Bar and its residents. The first Shakeout drill was held in California in 2008 to prepare the public on how to act during a major earthquake. Since then, it has spread across the nation and gained popularity all around the world to include over 22 million participants. Shakeout drills now take place annually in California on the third Thursday of October. Schools are encouraged to not only practice the safety procedures, but also touch upon the evacuation plans, emergency supplies, and medical treatments used during the aftermath of an earthquake.