Eye of the Tiger (Issue 1, Volume 12)

Page 1

TOP NEWS Opinion Juniors and seniors offer perspectives on class rivalry Page 6

Features Entertainment Freshman Juliette Oliver fights for chance to compete in European yoyoing tournament Page 7

Sports

Freshman Marc Chappelle appreciates the simplicity of Apple’s latest iPhone software redesign Page 8

Connect with us online

Varsity girls volleyball places third in Reno tournament Page 10

EYE OF THE TIGER www.eyeofthetigernews.com

Roseville High School’s student-produced publication

facebook.com/eyeofthetigernews

1 Tiger Way, Roseville, CA

SEPTEMBER 16, 2013 | ISSUE 1, VOLUME 12

First responders save Grove after pacemaker failure BY ROBBIE SHORT

robbie.short@eyeofthetigernews.com

PHOTO COURTESY OF PHILIP WOOD | ROSEVILLE PRESS TRIBUNE

The crowd at the Sep. 6 varsity football game against the Rio Linda Knights looks on as retired medic Terry Zahniser climbs through the press box window to help administer CPR to history teacher Ron Grove. Grove’s heart stopped beating after a wire in his pacemaker shorted while he was announcing the end of the game. Zanhiser and others eventually revived him, and he expects to return to school today and will make a full recovery.

It was just like any other Friday night. Students, parents, teachers and alumni gathered in the bleachers of Roseville High School’s Hanson Field to cheer the Tigers on to a victory against the Rio Linda Knights during the varsity football game on Sept. 6. As the end of the fourth quarter neared, the Tigers were up 16-14. Then, with just seconds remaining in the game, the Knights prepared for a field goal that would decide the outcome of the contest. Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the stands as game attendees heard calls for a medic coming from the press box. History teacher Ron Grove, long-time announcer of the home football games, had fainted while at the microphone during the game’s final seconds. “We were just talking, having fun, laughing about things,” said teacher Ron Volk, who runs the scoreboard during the games. “We work kind of as a team up there, telling where the ball is, how much yardage, that kind of stuff, so we were all in the middle of doing what we do and having a good time and he just collapsed.” A wire from Grove’s pacemaker

shorted and caused his heart to stop beating, rendering Grove without a pulse. “When somebody collapses like that, there’s gotta be something seriously wrong,” Volk said. “Sometimes there’ll be a seizure situation or something like that that doesn’t last very long, but we knew right away that he was non-responsive when he went down.” Though Volk initially radioed the paramedics staffing the onsite American Medical Response (AMR) ambulance parked in the field’s end zone, his calls for help into the radio carried through the open window of the press box, causing several game attendees to come to Grove’s aid. Greg James, RHS Class of 1984 and the father of current RHS junior Bradley James, was one of the first people to respond to the situation. “I was probably three or four rows down from the press box, right below the window, when I kind of heard the commotion,” James said. “I basically just ran up the bleachers and dove through the window of the press box, and Ron was right there on the ground, right below where he’d been announcing the game.” James has served as a fire captain for the Roseville Fire Department  GROVE | PAGE 4

State votes to end STAR RHS seeks greater flexibility for Title I funds BY AARON SOUZA

aaron.souza@eyeofthetigernews.com

Students at Roseville High School, and across the state, may not be taking the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) exam this spring – or ever again for that matter. Last Friday, the state assembly followed the senate’s lead by ratifying Bill AB 484, which would discontinue the use of most K-12 standardized testing. “[It] would end STAR testing as we know it,” RHS principal Brad Basham said. Governor Jerry Brown also said he supports the bill and that he will sign it into law. Common Core has been adopted instead of STAR in 44 states. Common Core is a set of testing standards that emphasizes criticalthinking skills rather than pure memorization. According to assistant principal

Judi Daniels, however, the transition from STAR could be difficult. “It would not surprise me to see some challenges,” Daniels said. “It’s going to take some time to transition.” Common Core offers a new set of curriculum standards that focus on problem-solving, communication and critical thinking. This, combined with its relatively low overhead costs and the design of the testing allowing students opportunities for retakes, convinced many states to make the switch. Common Core is designed to help students apply their knowledge in real-world situations. Basham considers this an improvement over STAR, which focuses solely on the facts a student knows. “The information that I get from these assessments will give me much more valuable feedback,” Basham said.

Reclassification as full Title I school would allow allocation of funds to greater portion of school population, departments BY KATELYN ROLEN

katelyn.rolen@eyeofthetigernews.com

Due to the possibility of increased flexibility in its budget, Roseville High School may soon be able to afford classroom renovations and have greater funding for certain classes. This greater control of funds would come if RHS is able to identify as a Title I school, rather than its current designation as a Title I-assisted school. If this change occurs, RHS administration would be able to use Title I funds in any way that they felt best serves students. Currently,

Title I funds can only be used to assist specific students and programs on campus – such as students who qualify for free-and-reduced lunch and the English Language Development program. In order to qualify, 40 percent of RHS students must qualify for free-and-reduced lunch. Last year, 35 percent qualified. To try to reach this benchmark, the school had second period teachers hand freeand-reduced-lunch applications to each of their homeroom students. Administration encouraged teachers to attach grades to the applications in an effort to receive more

completed forms and try to reach the needed 40 percent benchmark. “I don’t think a hungry kid will be as successful as they could be in their education, and our free-andreduced lunch program meets our student’s basic needs so they can be successful,” said assistant principal Judi Daniels. As a Title I school, Roseville would be able to use the funding for all students, not just those classified as socioeconomically at-risk. The school will also be able to apply for grants that are only available for Title I schools. “Title I gives us the freedom to enhance all of the classes,” principal Brad Basham said. “The key phrase here is to supplement, not supplant – we can channel the funds to support [the students].” Increasing the percentage of students qualifying for the free-andreduced lunch program is not the

only way that RHS could qualify as a Title I school. The English Language Development classes, as well as the AVID classes, increase the possibility of the school receiving additional funding. “Classes such as AVID are considered underrepresented because often the student in the class is the first within their family to go to college,” Basham said. The RHS administration would spend the money received from a new Title I status on any improvements necessary for the school, such as classroom renovations and funding for classes that have previously experienced budget cuts. Some of these funds could also be used to upgrade the school’s technology. According to Basham, the administration is currently unaware when or if the school will qualify for the more comprehensive Title I status.

Teachers incorporate Google technology BY ANNA PORRETTA

anna.porretta@eyeofthetigernews.com

Using Title I funding, Roseville High School purchased over 200 Google Chromebooks, which teachers are now integrating into their curriculum. Along with the new laptops, the school created Google accounts for everyone on campus. Less than a seventh of an inch thick and weighing less than three pounds, the Samsung Chromebook has an 11.6” display and a Samsung Exynos Dual Processor. As the Chromebook has no internal hard drive, the users save their work to the Google accounts. Each user has 100 gigabytes of storage on Google Drive. Students save everything online and can access their documents from any computer. In addition, the Chromebook boots up in less than 10 seconds and is impervious to viruses and malware. With their Google accounts, students are able to share their docu-

ments with their friends and teachers and can comment, edit and collaborate on projects. The software saves all changes to documents every five seconds, so there is little chance of losing any work. Another feature of the Chromebooks is the multitude of applications available to users both online and offline. There is everything from a word processor to a webcam, and there are applications specially designed for use in the classroom. As of right now, RHS has seven carts of 30 Chromebooks each. Only three teachers are currently using them for their classes: Marie Criste’s AVID and AP Euro classes, Heather Gregory’s ELD class and Susan Sharif’s ELD class. Teachers and students are beginning to get a feel for the technology now at their disposal. In Sharif’s ELD class, the students are using the Chromebooks to type essays and collaborate on each other’s work alongside Sharif

and student interns. The English Learners are starting out very slowly on the Chromebooks, as they are learning to get accustomed to Google Documents and Google Slides, an app similar to Microsoft PowerPoint. “[The Chromebooks] elevate the level of collaborative work students can do and mimic the twenty-firstcentury workplace,” Sharif said. “It is a great training tool for them to get exposure to how academia and careers work beyond the classroom.” Criste, head of the technology department, also has been slowly integrating the Chromebooks and Google accounts into her curriculum. Criste liked the Chromebooks because, unlike an iPad, they have a keyboard. This allows for students to practice typing in class in preparation for future employment. Criste is using the Chromebooks to work together with her  GOOGLE | PAGE 2

PHOTO BY MADISON MACHA

Technology coordinator Marie Criste shows students in her AP European History class how to use the school’s newly purchased Google Chromebooks. The tech department bought 210 Chromebooks for use primarily in Title I-beneficiary classes, including English Language Development and AVID courses, but other students will be able to use them as well.

INSIDE: Upcoming Events.........2 | News.........2-4 | Opinion.........5-6 | Features.........7 | Entertainment.........8 | Sports.........9-10 | Read more at eyeofthetigernews.com.


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