October 2012 by Granite Bay Gazette

Fall fashion

Sitting out the scares

Triple threat

G10

Cool weather, cool trends

Life in a Halloween-free home

Bell triplets dominate athletics

The Granite Bay Gazette GRANITE BAY HIGH SCHOOL w 1 GRIZZLY WAY w GRANITE BAY, CA w 95746 w VOLUME 16 w ISSUE 2 w FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

Commentary

haley massara hmassara.gazette@gmail.com

Life sucks sometimes, but that’s all right.

t’s inevitable. The quintessential senior year column in which I attempt to wax poetic about my short, sheltered little life. You already know what I’m going to say, right? That through the good and the bad, the hopelessly optimistic scholastic aspirations and the crushing disappointment; the glitz of Homecoming and the grit of 3 a.m. cramming; the pointless “drama” and the heartwarming camaraderie – that through all of it, everything happens for a reason? Nope. I’m not religious, but I am a big believer in the butterfly effect – that is, that everything we experience is the result of a long, unpredictable, and largely uncontrollable series of coincidental events. There is no deeper meaning to be had in our misfortunes, nor is there any cosmic reward in our successes. What happens to us simply happens. Said so plainly, I’ll admit, it’s kind of a downer philosophy. If you enter a raffle and win a free burrito from Chipotle, no higher power wanted you to have that burrito. You aren’t a better or worse person for winning it. And that steaming tube of meat, rice and cheese isn’t karmic payback for donating to UNICEF or introducing yourself to a terrified freshman. You won because you won. That’s it. But, if that burrito gives you E. coli, rest assured it’s not because you cheated on that quiz last week or because you slept through church. That’s the flipside of the chaos theory – when bad things happen, there’s no person or vague spiritual concept to blame. It just is. That, to me, is immensely more comforting than any organized belief could be. That I am not singularly to blame for what’s gone wrong in my life (admittedly, quite a lot). That the serious, unpreventable things – cancer, cardiopulmonary disease, economic ruin, mental illness – have no higher, constructive purpose. They simply are. I haven’t had the luxury of having high-school-age-appropriate problems for a long time now. But what’s keeping me a decently functioning human being is the knowledge that sometimes, life sucks, bad things happen to people who don’t deserve it, cells copy their DNA wrong and metastasize – and that’s OK, because I could be the next Ghandi or the next Hitler, and nothing would change. Instead of trying to force catharsis in the bad, I’m just more appreciative of what good I do stumble upon. Despite my heavy eyeliner and my taste for Amanda Palmer’s music, I am not a creature without joy in her life. I bake muffins on Sunday mornings, and watch Game of Thrones with my mom. I play card games with a group of friends at the Whole Foods’ builtin café, and grind through Japanese video games with my boyfriend by my side. These little rituals of mine might not be the kind of profound, top-ofMaslow’s-hierarchy kind of selfactualization we all hope to achieve. But they’re very dear to me. Game of Thrones might not offset all the crap, but honestly, it doesn’t have to. I’d be insincere if I ended this on some broad platitude about desperately seeking out the positive. Not all of us can believe in that. But we all have those tiny, frivolous pleasures. Isn’t that worth something? *** Haley Massara, a senior, is a Gazette co-editor-in-chief.

IT’S ON! Granite Bay students, families gear up for 2012 election season From pews to polls: does our religion change how we vote? BY LENA EYEN

leyen.gazette@gmail.com

A group of more than 1,000 pastors planned to purposely break the law last Sunday. According to the website for The Speak Up Movement, a group of such individuals believe that “the voice of the Church has been silenced by the Johnson Amendment – an unjust and unconstitutional law.” They claim this law breaks the Constitutional right of freedom of speech. The Johnson Amendment, passed in 1954, says churches that want to maintain their tax-exempt status cannot participate in any actions that specifically endorse a political candidate. On Sunday, in a protest the participants are calling

“ P u l p i t Freedom S u n d a y, ” the group of pastors planned to each specifically endorse a presidential candidate in their sermon and then send a videotape of them doing so to the Internal Revenue Service in order for it to be sent directly to the Supreme Court. Whether or not the Johnson Amendment is constitutional, the question as to what extent a religious organization can play a role in the implementation of See RELIGION, page A4

For young voters, politics runs in the family BY ALEXA ZOGOPOULOS azogopoulos.gazette@gmail.com

With every four years comes an especially tense few months for Americans, filled with arguments over who is the better candidate, what needs to be done with our country and why one specific political view is “the right one.” This election year also happens to be one in which many 18-yearolds, including students at Granite Bay High School, plan on voting.

But, many may wonder, how susceptible are teens to the influence of their parents when it comes to political beliefs? In 2004, the Gallup Youth Survey was conducted on American teens ages 13-17 and asked the question, “Thinking about social and political issues, how do your views compare to those of your parents? Are your views more conservative, more liberal, or about the same?” Overwhelmingly, 71 percent of

the respondents claimed to have political views that are “about the same” as their parents, while 21 percent were more liberal and 7 percent were more conservative. It is apparent that teenagers are easily influenced by their parents in many different ways. Not to say that all teens with similar political beliefs to their parents have not done the research for themselves. Many GBHS students have made it a point to keep up with politics, especially during an election year.

“I want to know w h a t ’s going on in our country,” said Amanda Bassett, a junior, who generally shares the same political beliefs as her parents, but she still tries to stay as informed as possible. “Mostly I have the same

Source: A poll of 227 Granite Bay High School students conducted by the Granite Bay Gazette. Gazette infographics/ LENA EYEN

conservative views as my parents, but I’m sure there are some issues where I disagree,” said Bassett. Whether or not parents talk See PARENTS, page A4

RJUHSD School Board race heats up Three incumbents, one newcomer vie for 2012 openings BY HALEY MASSARA

hmassara.gazette@gmail.com

The campaigns might be quieter and the issues narrower in scope, but this November, the presidential electoral race isn’t the only one young voters should keep an eye on. The Roseville Joint Union High School

District’s Board of Trustees has three vacancies, and four candidates are pursuing those positions. Three incumbents – Paige Stauss, Garry Genzlinger, and R. Jan Pinney – are running for re-election. The fourth candidate, current Roseville City School District board member Rene Aguilera, is running for his

Online content filter to relax, district says

Jarrod Westberg GBHS teacher, says he thinks teachers should have unrestricted online access.

Facebook, Twitter and others proven to have legitimate educational uses BY NICOLE BALES

nbales.gazette@gmail.com

It’s safe to say, most Granite Bay High School students have seen the “content has been blocked” page pop up a few times on a school computer, either while looking up

inside this issue

News

A2 – A5

Voices

A6 – A7

Second Look

Features

B1 – B8

Sports

C1 – C6

Green Screen

G1 – G20

a picture for a project or going on Facebook to check something that a teacher posted for their class. But the filtering system is about to get a lot more student and teacher friendly. The Roseville Joint Unified High

first term on the RJUHSD Board. Brandon Dell’Orto, a Granite Bay High School teacher who has been watching the race, said the Board and its policies can, depending on its members, have a profound influence on the district’s students. “We’ve had boards in the past that have decided they’re going to legislate social

(and) moral guidelines,” he said. “(And we’ve had) boards … that, more or less, just want to know everything’s OK … They trust the managers, from the superintendant down to the principals, to do their jobs.” The Gazette conducted telephone or email interviews with all four candidates and asked them to respond to several issues that will impact student life both directly,

A makeover to the Core Common Core exam to replace STAR standardized testing BY AUSTIN DOWNS

adowns.gazette@gmail.com

School District is hopeful it will have a policy fully adopted allowing social media by the end of this semester in December. RJUHSD Director of Technology Mike Fury said these newer See BLOCKED, page A5

See SCHOOL BOARD, page A4

Standardized testing will be overwhelmingly different by the time the Granite Bay High School class of 2016 becomes juniors. Instead of taking the notorious S t a n d a r d i z e d Te s t i n g a n d Reporting (STAR) exams in the

spring, these students will be the first class at GBHS to take the new standardized test for all high school students known as Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Introduced to the California Department of Education in 2009 and adopted by the state in August 2010, the CCSS has, along with 45 other states who have adopted it, set new standards for preparing students from grade levels K-12 to be successful in college and the workforce. See CORE, page A5

Burglaries hit home

Fashion police

Granite Bay residences face a growing threat.

Dress codes often change with the times.

News

Granite Bay Gazette

Friday w October 12, 2012

NAMES IN THE NEWS

sydney kahmann skahmann.gazette@gmail.com

Emerald Brigade senior receives band honor

have never seen the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, the high school all-star football showdown between the East and West of the U.S. But this year, I will. Why? Because Granite Bay High School’s own Scott Downs, a senior in the Emerald Brigade, has been chosen to be one of 125 high school seniors nationwide to perform in the half-time show. Not only has he been chosen to be one of the musicians in the marching band, but the baritoneplaying Downs will be a section leader for the low brass during the show. Last week, Downs was recognized in a special ceremony celebrating his marching band achievements that allowed him to be selected for the halftime show. Tune in to the U.S. Army AllAmerican Bowl on Jan 5 to see Downs in the halftime show on NBC (and I guess you can watch the football game too). *** For those of you who can’t wait to see the soon-to-be-released movie Les Miserables, there is a solution. On Oct 16, the GBHS and Oakmont High School choirs will perform together for “A Night on Broadway.” The choirs will sing songs from Les Miserables, Rent, Guys and Dolls, South Pacific and other Broadway plays. For more information, see the GBHS website. *** This year, juniors and seniors will get to participate in Every 15 Minutes. Every 15 Minutes is designed to teach students not to drive while under the influence, through a mock car crash. If you would like to design the Tshirt for the event, send your idea to Hailey Lederer by Oct 19. *** The blood drive is coming up on Oct 25. Give blood and make a difference in someone’s life. Sign-ups are in the nurse’s office. ***

Sydney Kahmann, a junior, is the Gazette News editor.

CORRECTIONS A headline on page A1 in the September 2012 issue of the Gazette incorrectly indicated that a girl brought drugged food to an elementary school. In fact – as was accurately reported in the story accompanying the headline – the girl was disciplined for talking about bringing pot brownies to school, not actually doing it. The Gazette regrets the error and apologizes for the confusion the inaccurate headline caused. *** In a page C3 sidebar in the September 2012 issue about the fan of the month, Jackson Rodriguez’s year in school was incorrectly identified in the headline. Rodriguez is a junior. The Gazette regrets the error. *** Accuracy is perhaps the most important fundamental of good journalism. It's the policy of the Gazette to correct all factual errors that are brought to our attention. Email us at: gbgazette@yahoo.com Identification Statement Granite Bay Gazette Published eight times per academic year c/o Granite Bay High School 1 Grizzly Way Granite Bay, CA 95746 Subscriptions: $25 per year/ $15 per half year

House burglaries plague Granite Bay Community faces string of break-ins BY GRACE MOORE

gmoore.gazette@gmail.com

When Granite Bay High School parent Brenda Kahmann heard her door ring last year, she couldn’t have expected the drama that would follow. “They rang the doorbell, and I didn’t answer on purpose because I didn’t know who it was,” Kahmann said. “They kept ringing the doorbell, and I didn’t answer.” When Kahmann thought they had left, she went to the second floor of her house to see who it had been. Then she saw a man walking back to a van and returning to her house with another man. They then began to walk down her driveway and around the side of her house, trying to find a way in. “I opened the window and I said ‘Excuse me, hello, hello,’ and they ran off,” said Kahmann, who was home alone at the time of the attempted burglary. Kahmann said she thinks the burglars were seeking an empty house to rob. Another Granite Bay resident and GBHS parent, Julie McAvoy, was burglarized during the Labor Day weekend in the middle of the night. The thief stole McAvoy’s purse out of her garage. McAvoy said she was put at risk by leaving her garage door open. The perpetrators ignored her gated house and jumped her fence, heading for her garage, though they would not have been able to see the garage from the street. These residents are not alone. Granite Bay is becoming an attractive place for would-be burglars. This past year, there has been a string of robberies: 33 burglaries from Aug 2011 to Jan 2012 ac-

cording to an online Sacramento Bee story. McAvoy treats the burglaries as “a reminder that we can get too comfortable” living in Granite Bay. “We need to be more careful,” McAvoy said. Garage burglaries have been especially common in Placer County; there have been four reported thefts of this variety in September alone, even though the majority of houses were occupied during the burglary. One GBHS student interrupted a burglary taking place in his own home. While the rest of senior Tyler Arneson’s family was away at a lacrosse game, Arneson left his house for five minutes to buy fast food. Upon his return, Arneson found three burglars waiting for him, presumably alerted to his presence by the sound of his opening garage door. One of the masked and gloved men punched Arneson in the face, stunning him and leaving with his computer, an iPod and a DVD player that they had gathered while he was away. Police believe the Arneson family was put at risk because of the location of the back door of their house, facing the wetlands. Arneson views the burglary as a “freak event.” “I don’t think (Granite Bay) is dangerous by any means,” Arneson said. “We are pretty confident that no one is going to come back anytime soon.” Aside from house burglaries, there have also been three instances of thieves stealing lawn equipment from landscapers during September and a successful Roseville bank robbery, allegedly attempted by two Folsom residents armed with a butcher’s knife and a string of minor thefts. “Don’t leave anything of value in your car,” McAvoy said. She has good reasons behind offering both pieces of advice; while parked at Chris Webber’s restaurant in Sacramento, thieves

Gazette photo illustration/ KRISTIN TAYLOR

House burglaries and other minor thefts are on the rise in the Granite Bay High School community. smashed the window of McAvoy’s car for an Adidas soccer bag. If there is one common trend that the recent crimes follow, it is that these thieves are not masters but desperate amateurs. “I’m sure if you’re trying to do something like (steal), you’ve got to be desperate on some level,” Arneson said. This poses the question of whether or not harder economic times and higher unemployment rates – especially in areas outside of Granite Bay – are the cause of this crime streak.

So far, the thieves plaguing Granite Bay seem to be generally more concerned about being caught than about having to leap a fence – none of the Granite Bay burglaries has be solved, and no arrests have been made. Local police officials recommend that residents put surveillance cameras and motion-detecting lights around houses. McAvoy said she thinks guard dogs are a valuable addition as well, so she now lets her dogs roam her yard more often. While wooden fences and large

Teacher self-publishes book

Linda Dickson co-writes college guide for student-athletes BY CHRIS PEI

cpei.gazette@gmail.com

GBHS teacher Linda Dickson displays her recently published guidebook, The Academic Athlete.

Gazette photo /KAYLYN O’DONNELL

Granite Bay High School teacher Linda Dickson sees her newly published book, The Academic Athlete, as a “concise, comprehensive, all-in-one guide for studentathletes.” Its aim – according to Dickson and co-author Suzanne Laughrea, principal of Adelante High School – is to walk students through their high school experience in a step-by-step fashion. The book covers a broad range of topics, ranging from athletic recruiting to an in-depth discussion of college admissions. At the core of the book, according to the authors, is the idea of understanding how to balance schoolwork and athletics in high school. “One of the main reasons why we wrote the book is to show students that grades act as leverage,” Dickson said. “Lots of students that we talked to said that if someone had told them during their freshman year that grades matter, they would have done things differently. We then decided that this would become the basis of our book.”

Dickson and Laughrea – who started teaching together in 1994 – were inspired to write this book, in part, by their personal experiences. “We’re unique in that we have experience as parents, educators and coaches,” Dickson said. “As professionals in both the academic and athletic world of education, we had very diverse experiences and backgrounds that we could use to write about all the pieces that make up the total student athlete.” According to Dickson, what makes The Academic Athlete different from other college preparatory books is its unique organization and structure. “Some books are too general, and some are just overloaded with information. This book, on the other hand, is a balance between the two,” Dickson said. “In my opinion, kids are generally paying too much for what they’re getting from these other books. There really isn’t any book out there that has the whole package. So what you end up having is kids buying books on every topic, instead of one, catch-all guide.” This personalized approach to the book was made possible through their decision to self-publish, rather than go through a traditional publishing house. “It was less of the concept of the money the company would take, but the control,” Dickson said. “It came down to being able to decide on how I wanted the book to look, what the cover looked like, the colors

Applying early shown to benefit students Fall 2013 college applicants begin applying via early-action and early-decision programs BY SYDNEY KAHMANN

skahmann.gazette@gmail.com

More than 90 percent of Granite Bay High School’s graduating class of 2012 entered some form of higher education this fall, as reported by the Roseville Press Tribune. According to GBHS guidance counselor Paul Stordahl, who works with a quarter of the senior class every year, around 5 percent of his seniors apply early to college. Assuming that Stordahl’s students are an accurate representation of the rest of the senior class, this would mean about 20 percent of seniors apply via either early action or early decision during the college application process. Stordahl said students should look into both early action and early decision, as there are some benefits to both. Early action allows students to apply to multiple schools, and students are told whether or not they have been accepted into the college earlier than students who apply regular decision. “Early action is nonbinding, so you can opt out,” Stordahl said. “You’re not committed to having to go to that college.”

For some prestigious universities, like Boston College, Harvard College, Princeton University, Stanford University and Yale University, there is a restrictive early action policy. Restrictive early-action policies are nonbinding, but students cannot apply to other private universities through early-acceptance programs. Early-decision deadlines are around the same time as early action ones, but unlike early action policy, early decision is binding. Thus, students can only apply early decision to one college or university. “As an early-decision applicant, (students are) committed to going to (the) school if (they are accepted),” Stordahl said. If students do not follow the “ethics” of early decision, there can be severe consequences, according to Stordahl. “They could blackball you from the whole system,” Stordahl said. Stordahl added that if, for example, a student applied to a California State University under early decision, and did not attend that university after being accepted, the student could face a lifetime ban from attending any CSU, as all CSUs are part of

plants might initially seem to be a good idea, they can actually encourage burglaries by decreasing a home’s visibility from the street. As a result, Kahmann encourages families to keep their shrubbery shorter so the view of the front door will be unobstructed. Overall, all of the burglary and attempted-burglary victims emphasize the point that homeowners should pay close attention to anything out of the ordinary. “Watch out for your neighbors, McAvoy said, “and they’ll watch out for you.”

the same system. For students to apply early, through either early-action or early-decision programs, they must know what colleges they would like to attend and must have taken their ACTs and SATs before the early application deadlines. Stordahl usually sees the earlier deadline as a problem for students, since students must “make decisions earlier,” and must be more prepared and organized. However, applying early can lead to many advantages. Senior Johnson Khor is applying early action to multiple colleges this fall. “Early (action) has a higher acceptance rate and … if you apply early you get primary consideration for scholarships and financial aid,” Khor said. “Once a school uses up all of their money and financial aid grants, they’re done, so the sooner you apply, the better chance you have (of) getting financial aid.” Khor is against early decision, because of the fact that it is binding. Students are committed to attend a college after being accepted early decision, even if they receive little or no financial

See AUTHOR, page A5 Paul Stordahl GBHS guidance counselor said early action is nonbinding and offers higher acceptance rates.

aid. “If you don’t get your financial stimulus plan, you’re screwed,” Khor said. Clare Moore, a senior who is applying early action, also acknowledges the fact that students can receive better financial aid packages. “If you apply early, you get more access to scholarships,” Moore said. An early college acceptance will also continue to motivate Moore for the rest of the school year. “(I’ll) know where I’m going and (I’ll) know what’s expected of me… so I can’t slack off,” Moore said. But for Moore, scholarships and motivation are just the beginning of her list of reasons to apply early. “(For) one college I’m applying to, you get better choices of dorms if you apply early, or you get into honors programs if you apply early,” Moore said. “So it really helps with the college experience.”

Friday, October 12, 2012

News

w The Granite Bay Gazette

ASB UPDATE Oct. 16-22 Ripple Effect, preparations well underway in student government classes

Weston Holt, a member of the Ripple Effect committee, says there will be two Ripple Effect weeks this year.

The Gazette talked to Weston Holt, a member of the Ripple Effect committee. Gazette: What is Ripple Effect? Ripple Effect is a week in the school year where we try to have the students of the school become more (as) one. We focus on something to help better our school – this year we are (using) the theme of “don’t hate someone whose story you don’t know. Gazette photo / KRISTIN TAYLOR

Gazette: When is Ripple Effect? The week of Oct 16 -22.

Gazette: Are there any changes to Ripple Effect this year? Usually we do Ripple Effect in the spring, (but) this year we are doing Ripple Effect in the fall, and … one in spring too… There’s going to be daily activities and a focus for each day. Gazette: How is student government preparing for Ripple Effect? We are preparing for Ripple Effect by the week before Ripple Effect, we are having the speaker Tyler Durman come. He’s going to talk to the school in an assembly, and hopefully he is going to get everyone’s

minds ready for the next week. Gazette: What is the theme? Don’t hate someone whose story you don’t know. You don’t (want to) be mean or … bully someone or something like that; you don’t know if (they’ve) had a hard time at home Gazette: What do you hope Ripple Effect will bring to Granite Bay High School? I hope that Ripple Effect will bring a change in heart to many people; that people will start thinking about what they say and how they act.

Fashion trends ignore dress code Teachers and faculty discuss clothing styles and GBHS policy violations BY KIANA OKHOVAT

kokhovat.gazette@gmail.com

As fashion evolves, school dress code rules generally remain the same. And as dress code policies remain the same, there have been repeated dress code violations at Granite Bay High School. “The most challenging (fashion trend) for us is the girls fashion with the short shorts and the holes in the clothing,” said Brent Mattix, assistant principal. Another factor addressed during dress code violations has to do with body shape – what may seem really short on one person may seem longer on someone else. Sometimes the dress-code-violating clothes a student is wearing might be the only type of clothes they own. “(In some cases), it’s all they have, they can’t afford to go out and buy new shorts,” said GBHS assistant principal David Vujovich. In cases like this, the student gets sent to the office where there is a drawer of clothes students are allowed to wear. “Usually … at this school, (dress code infractions occur) with the female dress code,” Vujovich said. “In the 10 years I’ve worked in other districts and other schools in the district where you might have sagging, which would be more

with the boys.” Changes to the dress code have been made to accommodate what was trending, but none have been very extreme. Dress code infractions are mostly spotted during lunch, since the students are walking around campus. Shirts that rise above the belly button lower more when the student is sitting at a desk. Even then, the administration encounters dishonest responses from dress-coded students. “Nine out of 10 times, when I go to speak to somebody who is wearing a halter top or a tube top, their immediate reply is, ‘Oh I have another shirt in my bag,’” Mattix said. That response is not sufficient, the administration has emphasized that the current clothes a student is wearing determines a dress code violation. Violations are determined by the nature of the infraction. “We have the responsibility to enforce the letter of the law,” Mattix said. “We want every student to get a great education, free of distractions.” As a result, the administration prioritizes what should be dress-coded based on campus trends. This does not mean that the administration overlooks violations. “I would say a strong majority of the time, when it comes to our attention ...we address it,” Mattix

GBHS students model dress code violations that have become more popular this school year because of the new fall fashion trends. Gazette photos / KAYLYN O’DONNELL

said. “Speaking for myself, if I see a dress-code infraction, I go and have a conversation with the (student).” If these conversations become frequent, it could lead to a suspension because continued failure to meet dress-code requirements implies defiance. Despite the administration’s attempts, the dress code is difficult to enforce. A reason for this would be that some teachers don’t feel comfort-

News Briefs

able addressing dress code violations. “The underlying message for a male teacher who reports a female student’s dress code violation is he’s looking,” GBHS Gazette advisor and AP Micro/macroeconomics teacher Karl Grubaugh said. “That’s not a message I’m interested in sending. I don’t report (female students) because I do not want to send that message.” In addition, GBHS history teacher Brandon Dell’Orto does not feel

it is his responsibility to dictate to others what to wear. “I’ve got way too many other things to do than to worry about than (whether or not) kids are dressed appropriately,” Dell’Orto said. “It’s just not on my radar of things that I’ve (got to) get done.” Of course, there is also the uncomfortable act of reporting female students to the office for dress code violations. “The frustration or the worry in this hyper-sensitive society …

is that if you’re actually paying enough attention to notice that (the clothes are) revealing on some level … then you probably shouldn’t have been looking in the first place,” Dell’Orto said. As a result, Dell’Orto has rarely administered dress code violations; unless what the student is wearing is a distraction to his teaching. “(When) my (students) aren’t paying attention because of it, then I have to do something,” Dell’Orto said.

THEATRE AT GRANITE BAY PRESENTS

You Can’t Take it With You BY MOSS HART AND GEORGE S. KAUFMAN

Alex Chesebro and Julia Doyle performed in one act plays on Oct 3. Their next performance will be the fall play “You Can’t Take it With You” on Oct 25. Gazette photo /LUKE CHIRBAS

Drama performs in multiple one-act plays The professional and intermediate drama classes put on a series of one-act plays last Wed. night, Oct. 3. This will help prepare students for “You Can’t Take it With You” the upcoming fall play. This will be drama teacher Kyle Holmes’s first play at Granite Bay High School after the retirement of drama teacher Jim Prichard last year. “You Can’t Take it With You” will open on October 25th. Karl Grubaugh has Pulmonary Embolism On Sept. 19, Gazette advisor and AP Microeconomics/ AP Macroeconomics teacher Karl Grubaugh was escorted from GBHS to the hospital in an ambulance after experiencing symptoms similar to a heart attack.

Upon arrival and diagnosis, Grubaugh learned he had a pulmonary embolism, or major blood clots in both lungs. Pulmonary embolisms are conditions many patients do not survive from. The doctors believe Grubaugh’s severe clotting was caused by long plane flights. Grubaugh flew to Europe over the summer and sat still for extended hours of time, allowing blood to pool and clot in his lower extremities. The clotted blood was then pumped back through his heart, where it then got lodged in his lungs. Grubaugh returned to work on Oct. 2, and will be taking blood thinners for at least six months as treatment. - Compiled by Sydney Kahmann

UPCOMING DATES Upcoming Test Administration Dates SAT Tests: Nov. 3 Dec. 1

ACT Tests: Oct. 27 Dec. 8

SAT Subject Tests: Nov. 3 Dec. 1

GRANITE BAY HIGH SCHOOL OCTOBER 25th, 26th, 27th NOVEMBER 1st, 2nd, 3rd 7:30 PM | ADULTS $10/STUDENTS $8

A4 News

Friday, October 12, 2012

w The Granite Bay Gazette

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It will be interesting to see if the liberal-leaning tendencies of young voters remains true in Placer County, being that it is one of the most conservative counties in California, and does have an overwhelmingly strong youth vote. “The youth in Placer County…tend to vote a bit higher than in the rest of the nation,” Tim Healy said. In the end, the question is whether or not teens and young voters inherit the political views of their parents, or if when they end up being similar, it is simply coincidental and truly based on unbiased research or strong views of their own. “Everyone has the issues they care about” Wardley said. “We all care passionately about different things…people just develop their own perspective as they get older.” ze tte

Whether or not parents talk politics with their children can make a huge impression on their opinions throughout their adolescence. “Think about being shaped for 18 years. It’s not just what your parents say, but that which they expose you to as well,” said Tim Healy, a government/economics teacher at GBHS with children of his own. “(If the parents) watch CNN or MSNBC, (the kids) are probably going to have a specific ideology,” Healy said. “Of course, if they watch FOX, they’re probably going to have a different ideology.” Despite some parents having a firm set of views that strongly favors one side, there is still a handful of students who have ended up on opposite ends of the political spectrum from their parents. “Economically, my opinion is pretty much the polar opposite of my parents,” senior Tommy Gabriel said. “But on social policy we tend to agree more.” Gabriel’s political views are firmly different from those of his mother and father, but that’s not to say that he is simply following the stereotype of teenagers rebelling against their parents. Gabriel said his parents never tried to force their ideology on him, but they did make sure that he educated himself. “I think my parents did a really good job of explaining things objectively to me and not trying to persuade me to their point of view,” Gabriel said. But, however unbiased parents might try to be when teaching their children about politics, different opinions can surely lead to parent-child clashes. “(My mom and I) get into a lot of heated debates,” Gabriel said. For most families in the region, political issues are not necessarily a top priority that are discussed frequently in the home. But in households where the parents either work for politicians or are one themselves, it is much different. Dave Jones, California’s Insurance Commissioner and former Democratic representative of California’s 9th Assembly District from 2004-2011, said that, although

he himself plans on teaching his children objectively, many parents do try to be persuasive. “I think that some parents may consciously try to influence the political or philosophical view’s of their children,” Jones said. “But some may try to expose them to both sides.” Jones’ children are not yet old enough to be really aware of political issues, but Jones is excited to see how much his children’s opinions might differ from his own, and what that will lead to in the family. “We enjoy a lively debate within our family…but certainly, if (family members) have very, very diverse views, it can become awkward,” Jones said. Terry Wardley, who manages constituent services for California State Senator Ted Gaines, is another politically involved parent and she tries her best not to sway her children’s views. “Obviously I have my perspective, but I try to give them … what the other side sees (as well),” said Wardley. “For my kids, they became very conservative not so much by my talking about it, but from when they started to work,” Wardley said. “I think they came about it practically.” But with the statistics showing that 71 percent of teenagers have “about the same” political views as their parents, there is no doubt that many parents have effectively influenced their sons and daughters. “I think that some teens may be more impressionable than others, (while) others really make an effort to try to learn and understand what’s going on around them,” Jones said. It is true that the youth vote counts, and in this election, both parties are relying on 18to 22-year-olds to help out their candidates. But with these young voters having only re-

Continued from page A1

parents: Exposure to political ideology while growing up can shape future beliefs

cently been exposed to the world beyond what they might have been shown by their parents, it is hard to say how much effort young voters will really put into doing their own research and not simply vote by the party lines of their parents. “The way you grow up is a big factor of how you believe things,” Amanda Bassett said. “I’ve grown up in a conservative family.” Both President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney have worked tirelessly on gaining the youth vote, but it who appeals the most to them will be up to those

young adults. “There’s certainly big differences in how the two candidates present themselves to younger voters, so that may contribute to how they vote,” Jones said. And with 21 percent of teens tending to be more liberal than their parents, one could argue that, like in the last election, Obama will steal the youth vote. “Historically, younger people tend to be more liberal,” Jones said. “(But) as people get older…I think they become more resistant to change and more desirous of conserving what they know.”

SCHOOL BOARD: Candidates detail policies, plans, hopes for school district

Continued from page A1

form of specific policy changes, and indirectly, through the management and allocation of school funds.

opment of several academic programs during his time on the board, including the International Baccalaureate program, and that he hopes to continue such work in the future.

R. Jan Pinney Pinney, who has served on the RJUHSD board for more than 17 years, cites his experience as a small business owner when confronted with budgeting dilemmas. In an email interview, Pinney said he believes California will not get its finances balanced even if Proposition 30 – Governor Jerry Brown’s tax initiative – manages to pass. “We need to figure out how to live within a reducing budget,” he said. “We need to provide well for (teachers), but simply can’t unless we change how they work – a change that should enable them to reach more kids more effectively while also benefiting (them) financially.” He also stressed the possibility of changing the hours of the school day, as well as the continued integration of technology into the classroom. “The state budget crisis is the impetus that will allow our schools to step fully into the 21st century,” he said, “perhaps starting with altering a school schedule that was first adopted in the 1880s to accommodate an agrarian society.” Pinney said he has also helped contribute to the devel-

Paige Stauss Stauss, who has more than 20 years’ work experience in the educational system, also emphasized her role in the creation and maintaining of academic programs. “I was instrumental in bringing the (IB) program to our district,” she said in an email interview, “and it was a proud day when I watched our first diploma candidates graduate.” Stauss said she also worked to raise graduation requirements for students in hopes of better preparing them for a competitive college environment. Now, she said her focus is on promoting the adoption of the new Common Core curriculum. “The focus is on critical thinking skills, which is essential when you are training student(s) to be part of a work force,” she said. “It is really exciting to be a part of that implementation.” Stauss said she feels the election will be an “easy choice.” “We have four candidates running for three positions,” she said. “Three – the incumbents – have a proven track

record.” Garry Genzlinger After 36 years of experience in the district, retiree Genzlinger has served on the board since 2004. “I don’t have any hidden agendas,” he said. “I don’t have any (goals) other than to continue providing a darn good education for students.” His goals if re-elected, he said, include keeping the district financially solvent, ensuring current programs are kept afloat and exploring the possibility of adding new ones. “The more we can offer students, the better we are, and the better you all are,” he said. While Genzlinger indicated no specific policy or issue as something he would emphasize, but he said he thinks the board’s strength is that it functions well as a unit. “As long as I think I can make things better for kids, I will continue to run,” he said. “Students are our future. If we can’t educate our students, we don’t have much of a future ahead of us.” Rene Aguilera Aguilera is currently serving as a member of the Roseville City School District board, and he is the only nonincumbent candidate for the RJUHSD board. As a Roseville resident and Roseville High School

RELIGION: Church a ‘foundation of morals,’ not necessarily political advocacy, student says Continued from page A1 certain political ideals still looms. Advanced Placement American Government teacher Jarrod Westberg said religious organizations can talk about political issues – however, there is a line that can be crossed if they begin to endorse a specific candidate. “Once it moves into (a religious organization) supporting a candidate or ... trying to defeat a candidate, they can lose tax-exempt status,” Westberg said. “It’s technically illegal when a nonprofit, like most churches, label themselves (politically. They) are not supposed to talk about politics in a way that gets specific in terms of helping someone win, or help defeat somebody.” While some continue to debate the constitutionality of the Johnson Amendment, others focus on the role of churches that try to shape values in ways that may or may not influence political decisions. Rabbi Alan Rabishaw is the leader of Temple Or Rishon, located in Orangevale. He said there is a difference between religious teachings that are political, and those teachings whose purpose is to create strong, religious individuals. “I think religious institutions help shape values that congregants live,” Rabishaw said. “Churches and synagogues should not directly influence whether somebody votes Republican, Democrat or anything else.” Especially during such unstable times in the middle east, Rabishaw said it is

important for Jewish people to understand who they are and what they stand for. “As Jewish people ... I think we should support Israel and ... understand the threat that Iran makes,” Rabishaw said. “So that when we’re deciding who to vote for, we have to first decide that those are important issues.” Despite what could potentially be perceived as being a political stance, Rabishaw clarified that having strong beliefs is anything but political. “There certainly are plenty of people in the world who would believe that our relationship with Israel is a political question,” Rabishaw said. “But for me, it’s not, it’s a Jewish value. I’m not trying to sway political belief, as a matter of fact ... it’s kind of above politics ... it’s who we are. ... I’m just trying to help (people) understand what issues are important to us as Jewish people.” Rabishaw said he is part of a religious movement that believes in gender equality. However, his view on equal rights is not a political issue but rather an understanding of what it means to be a “modern Jew” today. “We have to educate ourselves and understand where the different candidates stand on those issues and then make our choices accordingly,” Rabishaw explained. In a poll of more than 200 Granite Bay High School students about the extent to which religion influences their political views, 29.6 percent agreed or strongly agreed that their religious views have a strong influence on their political beliefs;

26 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed with that statement, indicating that their political views are not affected by how they view religious issues. Interestingly, 44 percent of respondents said the question didn’t apply to them. Rachel Lyon, a senior who regularly attends Bayside Church located in Granite Bay, said she believes her conservative political views are shared and supported by others in the church. Lyon said the church, however, offers her a “foundation of morals” more than it tries to sway her opinion on specific political issues. Dennis Gorsuch, a deacon at Saint Joseph Marello Catholic Church in Loomis, said that, as a Catholic, every citizen should vote – in addition, he said religious organizations have the right to assist their members in gaining a better understanding of issues. “We ... believe that our vote should express our faith,” Gorsuch said in an email interview. “Our faith promotes human dignity, contributes to the common good and strives to bring good common sense into public life.” The Church’s website offers a link to the California Catholic Conference website, which is “the official voice of the Catholic Community in California’s public policy arena.” The CCC offers resource kits for individuals and families, parish communities and educators and schools in order to be informed members of both the church and political society. Gorsuch said these resources help parishioners understand the importance of

alumnus, he said he hopes to represent the interests of central and west Roseville families. “I want to keep the great team spirit that is already on the board,” he said, “but I will be one new person (who) actually comes from the other side of town.” He plans to look into changing placement of the district’s borders, he said. “Right now, if you live in west Roseville, and you have to send your student to Oakmont High School, that’s (about) a 20-minute drive,” he said. “(Changing the district’s borders) might help some of the students and teachers (be) a little bit more alert in the morning.” As a minority candidate (Aguilera is Hispanic), Aguilera said he will represent the interests of minorities and their families. “Most of (the minorities in the RJUHSD are) either Punjabi, or Asian, or Latino, (or) African American,” he said. “As a Chicano candidate, I definitely mirror (their) values and struggles.” Aguilera also plans to refinance school bonds and reconsider the way teachers are evaluated, he said. He is publicly in favor of Proposition 30. Aguilera made a point of meeting with the district’s U.S. Government teachers, he said. “I understand how important it is for the seniors to (have) civic responsibility and vote,” he said.

Gazette infographic/LENA EYEN

issues and provide background information on the position of the Catholic Church on each issue. “By availing themselves of this information, parishioners may make a voting choice that benefits from a wellformed conscience,” Gorsuch said. “Once in the voting booth, voters internalize their beliefs and values and make choices that reflect who they are as citizens.” While religion and politics are two different entities, the values held by the religious can carry over to how they view political issues. According to a survey taken in 2012 by Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, 67 percent of people agree that “it’s important to me that a president have strong religious beliefs.” However, the public opposes churches explicitly endorsing a candidate, with two-thirds saying that “churches and other houses of worship should not come out in

favor of political candidates.” The public hesitation in having political figures express religious leanings is possibly due to feelings expressed in another study done by Pew Research Center. The study shows that nearly four out of 10 Americans (38 percent) now say there has been too much expression of religious faith and prayer from political leaders, while 30 percent say there has been too little. To some, there is a point at which religion should simply stay out of politics. Allison Sims, a senior, said in an email that she believes churches definitely influence people, as that is where their values are created. However, it is crossing the line when churches specifically express who to vote for. Still, Sims said, the political power of churches can’t be denied. “It is inevitable,” Sims said. “The church will always influence people’s political ideology.”

Friday, October 12, 2012

News

w The Granite Bay Gazette

CCSS: Common Core standards soon to be implemented Continued from page A1

the Roseville Joint Union High School District, to STAR, requiring the test taker to demonstrate all schools are making a shift toward preparing a deeper understanding of thinking critically and At the core of this new standardized test is the for the first CCSS assessment in the 2014-2015 writing at a higher level. belief that students must now be able to apply school year. “(The English department) was supposed to look their knowledge on a broader and more thorough “Many school districts are beyond where we at (the results of the STAR exams) and use that as sense of testing. are right now,” McGuire said. “But for the most the basis for the strength of the student in terms For principal Mike McGuire, the CCSS is a part, (GBHS) is making progress towards these of abilities,” Davis said. consortium of states wanting to be at the same assessments.” Davis also said that, for the most part, this district level of education and testing. Despite the slow start for GBHS, McGuire has been heading in the wrong direction in terms of “In the past, you had some explained that he now hopes the accurately testing students on English standards, states that had a standard for faculty will shift its attention and the new standardized testing is a momentous education at (one level) and toward understanding what will shift in the right direction. Many school other states with a standard be asked on the Common Core And, as McGuire said, Davis acknowledged that districts are beyond exams and striving to acquire a the district is behind in terms of shifting toward for education at a different (level),” McGuire said. where we are right greater depth of knowledge on the CCSS. English and mathematics. “There seemed to have been “(The district) seemed to be chasing the STAR now. But for the “(The administration at GBHS) tests instead of trying to get ahead of the curve some issues with having different standards all over most part, (GBHS) is now asking the teachers here with these new tests,” Davis said. start making those transitions For the most part, Davis said he is confident the place.” is making progress to (towards the CCSS) on their tests, in the students’ ability to perform well on the By taking into account and adding deeper questions that actual Common Core tests, but he said a feeling the varying educational towards these cannot be answered by a bubble,” of confusion and frustration has arisen among the standards among the states, assessments. McGuire said. many states have drafted the faculty because of the district’s slow start toward Although the statewide test preparing for the Common Core. new standards for languagestandards are still in the process “I’m not too worried about this transition, but arts and mathematics. The – GBHS principal, of being drafted and formally the district seems to (be overreacting) to these states who have adopted the Mike McGuire adopted, McGuire emphasizes transitions,” Davis said. “We have been teaching Common Core now have that by shifting the focus toward our students to read and write critically regardless an idea of where to rank deeper-level thinking, the students of STAR and the (CCSS) is just what is needed.” educational success and at GBHS will be better prepared for whatever readiness. In addition to GBHS, all high schools in the Most notably, instead of having varying formats standards are in fact adopted. Roseville Joint Union High School District will and standards for each test in elementary school “In two years we are going to find out where be shifting toward the new testing. through high school, the core ideology remains we are (as a school) and One of the hardest consistent throughout all grade levels and is a how we did,” McGuire said. adaptations to the CCSS is “It’s always going to be an major factor in the CCSS. the electronic format that We have been “(Students) are going to now be performing at the ongoing process.” with it. teaching our students comes same level of proficiency but at different (points The majority of the John Montgomery, in the education process),” McGuire explained. teachers at GBHS seem assistant superintendent to read and write In addition to establishing new and improved torn by the adoption of the head of curriculum and critically regardless of and educational standards, the CCSS also addresses a CCSS. instruction in the district, STAR, and the (CCSS) is working on providing The new standardized major flaw that STAR had: guessing. On the STAR exams in the past, any student testing is now a more the district has the is just what is needed. that could statistically score in the “Basic” range accurate representation of appropriate tools. or above simply by taking a random guess on a student’s ability because “(Our) schools have – English teacher, the answer sheet without knowing any of the of the depth of knowledge begun to pilot electronic Anthony Davis information that would be required to correctly required, but preparing testing (and the) District students for this new type answer the question. Technology Team has The Common Core aims to address this issue of testing has many teachers already completed a survey with developing assessments that require the concerned about meeting the deadline in two years of technology readiness,” Montgomery said. along with having the appropriate resources. student to actually use his or her knowledge. For GBHS, the school does currently not have “Two groups were established to develop However, for English teacher Anthony Davis and enough computers to properly conduct electronic assessments (that would) measure growth (on) the the rest of the English department, the Common testing. Core is an answer to their unanswered cries in Common Core standards,” McGuire said. Luckily, Montgomery says that Smarter With adoption of the CCSS finalized, California past years. Balanced, the testing provider GBHS uses, has then joined a consortium with 26 other states to The English section of the STAR tests in the past committed to pen and paper testing so the entire use the assessment program known as Smarter has been completely based upon whether or not the district will be covered. Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and is student could answer the question on the answer Nonetheless, at the end of the process, McGuire among 19 other states in the nation that operate sheet and no free-response section was ever given. says GBHS will be tackling this issue accordingly. Now, however, the English part of the Common under SBAC. “This is an elephant,” McGuire said. “We’re just As for GBHS and the rest of the schools in Core does a complete turnaround in comparison going to eat it one bite at a time.”

BLOCKED: District discusses plans to abolish site filters Continued from page A1

I also tweet myself news stories and things of this nature,” he said. methods of teaching puts RJUHSD “But the sad thing is, I can’t access on the leading edge regionally for it at the school because they block progressive and contemporary ap- it, because they think social media proaches to helping students learn. is a bad word. But social media “The current challenge is actu- is a gateway to reach the younger ally wading through all of the as- generation.” sociated legal issues and crafting Rath has started to created a board policies and staff rules that flipped classroom, in which he creare reasonable and will effectively ates videos and then Tweets them to work,” Fury said. his students so they can watch them Permitting social networking on at home or on their mobile devices. school computers will also make the Whether it’s tweeting information filtering system more tolerable for for the class, articles or videos, Rath students and faculty. says social media allows him to get Since the Children’s Internet information to students instantly. Protection Act was enacted by “I’ve also used it in my AP class Congress in 2000, all U.S. schools were I tweeted them all the FRQs and libraries have been required to we’re practicing, and they just use block “obscene or harmful” content their phone rather than me making in order to receive discounts for copies, so you have to figure out Internet access and internal connec- how to use it,” Rath said. tions through the E-rate program (an Advanced Placement economaffordable communications product ics teacher and journalism adviser program, for which schools and Karl Grubaugh has already created libraries are eligible). Facebook groups for his classes – RJUHSD receives $150,000 in despite the fact that students can’t discounts through this program yet access the Facebook groups on every year. school computers. “Given the current economic He has two different Facebook climate and funding to schools, it’s groups – one for AP economics and in our interest to apply for these one for the Gazette. monies,” Fury “I think social said. media can be an It has really only Social neteffective tool, working and been in the last few but it doesn’t the schools has work terribly years that effective well if it’s comalways been a controversial educational use and pletely blocked subject, and all students value has been dem- to although the on district comfederal and onstrated using social puters on camstate governpus,” Grubaugh networking tools. ments do not said. require disSince many tricts to block – Mike Fury, RJUHSD Director students have it, the District smartphones, of Technology Tech Team for they are able to RJUHSD has get around what been debating its educational value the district blocks and look it up on and off over the years. on their phones while they are on “It has really only been in the last campus. few years that effective educational “I think it benefits students by use and value has been demonstrat- being another source of commued using social networking tools,” nication,” Grubaugh said. “I reguFury said. “To some teachers, this larly post messages to my Facebook medium is ideal for certain methods groups, as well as content like video of learning, for others it can be a clips and articles that are interesting large distraction.” and relevant. It just makes the whole Although this is great news to communication process much, GBHS students and faculty, there much easier.” is a bit of frustration over how long GBHS media coordinator and it took for the district to wave the teacher Zachary Weidkamp takes green flag. a more pragmatic approach to the Jason Rath, a GBHS government matter. and economics teacher, is working “The problem is, if I’m friends to incorporate social media into the with one (my students), then I can curriculum in his courses. see what their activities are and “I try to use Twitter to get in- that’s a control up to them – they formation out to my students, and can block it so I can’t see anything

or they can have it completely wide berg said. “Now (we use it all the open,” Weidkamp said. “I don’t, as time). It (also) took us the longest a teacher, want that liability.” time to ever get an image off of He used to have a class Facebook Google to make a PowerPoint. The group page, but then he shut it down stuff they restrict makes no sense as for that very reason. a teacher, but we have no say in it, He is less liberal on adding stu- which is weird.” dents as friends than some other Westberg doesn’t think a teacher’s teachers on campus – Weidkamp computer should be blocked at all only “friends” students who have and the district should put more trust graduated. in educators. “After that I “(For) sodo use it, and cial media, I use it exI think social media I g e t t h e tensively, bestudent side can be an effective tool, of it, worcause I want to know what but it doesn’t work terri- rying that my media they might bly well if it’s completely not be paystudents are doing (with blocked to all students ing attenmedia at coltion, espeon district computers lege),” Weidcially in a kamp said. “It computer on campus. tells me someclass,” thing about We s t b e r g – Karl Grubaugh, journalism and how well I said. taught them or But he economics teacher how I encoursaid the aged them, or good outthe success that they have and if it weighs the negative side affects of reflects back on the program.” social media and that it can be very He said there are alternatives to relevant to teaching, especially for social media, such as Animoto and discussions about contemporary Schoology, which have social net- politics in his government classes. working built into them, but they’re “Anything we can do to be more more tied to education. user friendly so (students) connect “Facebook is just notorious for more is great,” Westberg said. students posting things teachers “Think about how long it took to shouldn’t see,” Weidkamp said. allow computers in schools – now Social media isn’t exactly new it’s a joke, how can a computer not to GBHS. Several teachers and ad- be in a school?” ministrators tired to get the district GBHS senior Brooke Adams said to allow it last year, which resulted she feels very hindered by the strict in teachers and administrators being blocking system, but she said it will allowed to log on to Facebook when get a lot better after social media is they log in on a district computer. allowed. “When we tried it before, it was a She said sometimes she has to tad preemptive to where the school use her smartphone to research district really didn’t want to be,” academic references, which makes assistant principal Brian McNulty it more difficult because she has to said. save it on her phone, then email it to But he said teachers and admin- herself and then make a document istrators run into the same social on the school computer to print it. networking limitations as students. “I think social media should be “(F)rom time to time it can beallowed because (students) already come frustrating, though (students) don’t spend a lot of time on school need to understand that in this day computers,” Adams said. “So when and age, with cyberterrorism … (we) do (we’re) looking for schooltechnology moves way faster than a school district,” McNulty said. “The related things, so it would be more trade-off is being overly cautious to helpful than a hindrance, because some of the content versus being a no one sits on computers and plays frustration, so we just figure out a games during class.” McNulty, however, said he undifferent way to do things.” derstands the need for the district to Jarrod Westberg, a GBHS AP American Government teacher, is take its time in a fast-paced world. “One thing that I’ve learned is also supportive of more access to that schools move slowly and it Internet sources that can be helpful isn’t exactly quick,” McNulty said, in the classroom. “Five or six years ago we couldn’t “but we’re trying to do the best, use YouTube as a teacher,” West- and the school district is too.”

The Academic Athlete, above, written by Linda Dickson and Suzanne Laughrea, is an “all-inone” guide for studentathletes. Gazette photo / KAYLYN O’DONNELL

AUTHOR: Teacher writes and self-publishes book

Continued from page A2 used, down to the little nitpicky details.” After deciding that she would self-publish, Dickson started her own publishing company, DCI press. DCI press, which stands for “Design, Collaborate, Innovate,” offered the opportunity for more creative freedom in terms of how the authors could organize and divide the book. “(It was) difficult to organize because the (recruiting) process is not linear,” Laughrea said in an email. “There is so much variety for athletes. Different paths, different order, different outcomes.” The book is divided into 17 chapters, each of which is prefaced with a “Chapter Game Plan” outlining the topics it will discuss. At the end of each chapter, a summary of its main points is given through a segment titled “Top 10 Plays.” The purpose of these segments, according to the authors, is to make the book easier to access for students, as well as parents. “We wanted the book to be logical and clear,” Laughrea said in an email. “When (Dickson and I) read through the NCAA Guide, we would look at each other, shrug our shoulders, and then read back through it again. We knew if we were struggling to make sense of certain topics, other parents and students would be too.” In order to provide a remedy to this “information overload,” as Dickson calls it, the authors decided to include anecdotes from their former students, many of whom had moved on from high school to play college sports. “I look at it as a collaborative effort, because it’s our writing, but we have so many stories in there that are other peoples’ perspectives,” Dickson said. “Early on, when I’d finish a chapter, I would often show my students. Over and over, I would get comments about how the students enjoyed reading the stories and anecdotes.” Over the course of six years, Laughrea and Dickson have collectively interviewed and recorded the stories of over a hundred student-athletes. However, the most difficult part, according to Dickson, was condensing this information down into a final product. Dickson said that, ultimately, writing the book was only made possible through the help she received in both editing and publishing it. The families of the authors contributed greatly, offering emotional support throughout the entire process, while also providing inspiration and design ideas. Furthermore, this past summer, Dickson drafted the help of four GBHS alumni to help with the editing process: Alison Sale, Shannon Wagner, Laura Preston and Adam Tilford. These alumni were previously students in Dickson’s freshman English class and past Gazette editors – with skillsets that would be crucial to the book’s completion. “I knew that these kids were going to be better editors than if I were to hire professional editors, as I had a personal connection with them,” Dickson said. “For me, it was an especially memorable experience. Here I was, working with my former students, where they were acting as my advisers and my editors.”

Through their collaboration, Dickson said she and Laughrea were able to create a far better product than what they would’ve been able to achieve alone. Sale, responsible for designing the book’s cover, illustrated many of its graphic elements, helped to organize its layout and edited drafts of the various chapters. “Our relationship was definitely more of a collaborative partnership than student-teacher, but in a good way,” Sale said in an email. “I wasn’t afraid to make suggestions or critiques to her writing or organization of chapters, and she openly critiqued the design process.” Sale is currently studying music therapy at Colorado State University, after transferring last spring from Chapman University.. Sale added that although balancing the book and her schoolwork was challenging, she feels it was “definitely worth the time and knowledge gained.” “I learned so much from this publishing experience that no class here could’ve taught me,” Sale said. “I didn’t just learn how to design and publish a book; I learned interpersonal skills, a better understanding of the publishing industry and business and marketing techniques that I’ll be able to use in my schooling, even though I’m not studying journalism.” The other GBHS alumni also had pivotal roles in writing the book. Preston and Wagner were involved in editing drafts of the book and compiling its index, a timeconsuming process that progressed chapter by chapter, according to Dickson. Tilford designed the practice math problems for the academic portion of the book, also adding a segment titled “Tilford’s Tips,” on how to succeed in classes. Among the other contributors were Jim Barr, Walt Wild, Barbara Wilson, Lauren Neal, Brooke Bohan, Katie Gezi and Jessica Reese, all of whom were also involved in the editing process. As it stands now, Dickson and Laughrea are trying to publicize their book, as they believe it will be a great resource to students. As an initial measure, they plan to donate copies to college and career centers and libraries at different high schools, in the hope of having students read the book and recommend it to others. Over Thanksgiving break, they are also planning on attending the San Diego Surf Cup Youth Soccer Tournaments, where they will set up a vendor’s booth, selling books to student-athletes from all over the country. Dickson and Laughrea are eventually hoping that The Academic Athlete will become a well-known resource for both students and counselors. Dickson, now finished with the book, is inspired to continue on with her passion as an author. She is currently collaborating with Guin Boggs, the women’s basketball coach at William Jessup University, on a book regarding leadership, sportsmanship and overcoming adversity in sports. According to Dickson, the entire experience of writing The Academic Athlete ended up being tremendously beneficial. “I’ve gained valuable experience as both an author and a manager of a publishing company,” Dickson said. “I’ve already learned more than I ever thought I would.”

Voices

Granite Bay Gazette

A Section

Friday w October 12, 2012

What has become of Halloween?

GAZETTE The Granite Bay

GRANITE BAY HIGH SCHOOL 1 GRIZZLY WAY GRANITE BAY, CA 95746

Editors-in-Chief: Nicole Bales Lena Eyen Haley Massara Chris Pei

Our costumes were once innocent ... Commentary

News Editor: Sydney Kahmann Voices Editors: Emma Gracyk Kiana Okhovat Lifestyle Editors: Meghan Carlsen Kristin Taylor Madison Touloukian Green Screen Editors: Hayley McAvoy Jonah Poczobutt Joseph Puhala Alexa Zogopoulos

madison touloukian mtouloukian.gazette@gmail.com

Sports Editors: Austin Downs Amber Les Brad Wong Online News Editors: Chase Evans Mary Haney Kate Hurley Ashcon Minoiefar Illustrators: Chase Evans Lena Eyen Hayley McAvoy Emma Gracyk Photographers: Kaylyn O’Donnell Luke Chirbas Kristin Taylor Staff Writers: Austin Alcaine Kevin Burns Tamren Johnk Summer Haenny Nicolette Richards Myles Slattery Thomas Taylor Advertising Manager: Megan Hansen

Adviser: Karl Grubaugh

The Gazette is published eight times per academic year by students in the advanced journalism class at Granite Bay High School. Content is determined by the staff and does not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of Granite Bay High School’s faculty, administration, adviser or student body. Students are protected in their exercise of press freedom by the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States and California Education Code 48907. Signed editorials and columns reflect the views of the writer. Letters to the editor and guest commentaries are encouraged and must be signed, although anonymity can be granted on a case-by-case basis. The editorial board reviews letters to the editor, advertising and guest commentaries and reserves the right to edit and refuse material. Reasons can include length, clarity, libel, obscenity, material disruption of the educational process at Granite Bay High School or violation of copyright laws.

Send Letters to the Editor to: gbgazette@yahoo.com Identification Statement Granite Bay Gazette Published eight times per academic year c/o Granite Bay High School 1 Grizzly Way Granite Bay, CA 95746 Subscriptions: $25 per year/ $15 per half year

e all know that scene from the movie Mean Girls. The one in which poor Cady gets all dressed up for the infamous high school Halloween party, only to show up completely embarrassed over her costume. To non-highschoolers, this costume was incredible. It was scary, disturbing and completely accurate for her portrayal of a dead bride. However, instead of receiving props for her daring ensemble, she was laughed at. What happened between elementary school and high school that made girls think of Halloween as an excuse to wear fewer items of clothing than normal? The costumes that the “popular” girls were wearing in Mean Girls should not even be considered costumes. Since when do bunnies wear knee high fluffy boots? And I’ve never seen a leather cat or a mouse in a nightgown. Yet these were the girls who got all the compliments. Now, I can’t sit here and tell girls that dressing like this is wrong. That’s not my job. But I might sit here and ask – when did wearing clothes with less coverage than a bathing suit become acceptable? In all honesty, I feel like Halloween is turning into a day for girls

to dress up as sluts and not be called sluts. I vividly remember scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed after Halloween last year and being shocked at the things girls were wearing. It wasn’t even the lack of clothing that shocked me the most. It was that these were the girls who I had overheard making fun of others for dressing “like a slut” in their Facebook photos. There’s no difference. Halloween is just another day. Yes, it’s a day for costumes, but not for an extreme lack of clothing. Does anybody remember those days when we would get so excited for Halloween? Everyone would wear their costumes to school; we would see girls in pretty princess gowns and guys in teenage mutant ninja turtles outfits. I, being an awkward child, wore a flamingo costume. (And yes, I still have it). Then we morphed into junior high students, where girls began to venture out into wearing bolder costumes such as “German Milkmaids” and fairies. While this wasn’t as forward as a girl in a leotard and boots, the evolution of the sultry Halloween girl began. I remember hearing a few years ago that a group of junior high girls wore boxers and button-up shirts to school on Halloween. It doesn’t sound bad, but guess what they were dressed up as. Congratulations if you guessed a one-night stand – you’re right. Being the naïve only child that I am, I don’t even think I knew what a one-night stand was in seventh grade. As we entered high school, we decided to never wear costumes to school. That would just be weird. But after the school day ends and the weekend arrives, the crazy costumes emerge.

I could be wrong, but I don’t remember nurses ever wearing tiny white dresses, red fishnet leggings and absurd push-up bras. And I’m pretty sure the devil isn’t a busty blonde girl in fiveinch pumps. Ladies, if you want to dress like this, go for it. I don’t want to come off as an ultra-feminist woman who is imposing her beliefs on anyone. I just want people to be aware that Halloween has become less about the thing covering your skin and more about what’s not. So girls, as Halloween rolls around, please be aware of your costume choice for this year. Being overly dramatic, you can presume that slutty costumes will probably cause you to engage in unnecessary sexual activity. And we all know, thanks to the sexeducation teacher in Mean Girls, “don’t have sex. You will get pregnant. And die.” *** Madison Touloukian, a senior, is a Gazette Features editor.

Gazette illustration/CHASE EVANS

The underestimated flip side to stress ‘Fight or flight’ is more beneficial than you would think

Even when I had free time, I felt like I should have been told on multiple Commentary have been doing something else because there was occasions to breathe, relax and always something that needed to be done. take a chill pill. Because of While people tell me I shouldn’t stress or worry, my busy schedule, I am generally I disagree. stressed out. While too much stress can cause physical and Last year I juggled band, art, emotional harm, stress in small doses can be good. track, gymnastics, school and Stress is a natural physical response when friends. It was typical to see me people feel threatened or in danger. Stress keeps carrying a painting, a track bag and the body alert and focused. a trombone home from school. If Stress helps people perform tasks more effisomebody offered to help because ciently. Think about it. This is why the habits of they saw my hands were full, I told “cramming before a test” or “waiting until the last them, “No worries. I’m used to it.” egracyk.gazette@gmail.com minute” exist. Some people are able to get more Everything I had going on was done when forced to do so. enough to drive anyone insane. While I am not a “wait till the last minute” student, I find In art, I earned the nickname “Dilemma” because I was stress useful in getting tasks done. always stressing out about something. I do not stress myself out on purpose. Because I care about When I was in art, I stressed over calculus. In calculus, I was reaching deadlines and doing well, I tend to panic naturally. worried about my sketches. At lunch, I worried about the hisThe morning of a math test, I find myself nervous even tory assignment I didn’t read the night before.

emma gracyk

though I thought I prepared myself enough the night before. My anxiety causes me to triple-check my notes the morning of the test. When the test reaches my table, I will occasionally smile at a question because it may be an exact problem from the homework that I looked over that morning. If I had not stressed out, I might have not been certain how to do the problem. Of course, there is such a thing as too much stress. I have had weeks where everything – SAT prep classes, band concerts, track meets, AP testing – seemed to fall on my plate at once. Yet, if I did not worry and was relaxed all the time, I would not have been able to handle all of my activities, because I would not have been as focused on getting my work done. Though I may stress along the way, for me, meeting a deadline is one of the most rewarding feelings, making it worth the anxiety. *** Emma Gracyk, a senior, is a Gazette Voices editor.

Filtering the internet might have its disadvantages

eing blocked when attempting to access a website is one of the most frustrating events students can encounter at school. The effect it has is of course dependent on how often you use the school computers; however, a majority of the students spend an abundant amount of time on the computer at school – which is when they are most encountered. The whole point of researching forces you to open your mind and expand your knowledge, obviously by learning new ideas and concepts. That’s when the situation may get dicey. History has taught us that knowledge can be your most powerful asset. People in the Renaissance learned by digging up manuscripts and books from

changes and the Roman evolutions that Empire that have occurred were long lost from the during the The voice of the beginning of Middle Ages. Granite Bay mankind. The Gazette Now, the monarchs purpose of of that time filtering the internet is not period understood the power necessarily to limit learning. of knowledge, going through That would completely defeat pains to ensure that the people the whole purpose of school. knew as little as possible, However, it is important intellectually. The more people to realize the very clear know, they more they will start distinction between computers to think for themselves, think and humans. Computers are of new ideas that steer away from the status quo and change. robots, operating based on finite mathematical equations. Change is a concept that most In other words, it’s black and are not comfortable with; it’s white. easier being conservative. This is the exact opposite In every event in history, of humans. The human race there had to be some sort of revolt, revolution or war to help is in no way, shape or form black and white. There is a evolve society. In essence, it is very large grey area in the what keeps us from stagnating. way we function. That grey Today is a result of all the

EDITORIAL

area is the result of a trait that makes human beings so unique: character. We have it, and computers don’t. Character constitutes all of the emotions and feelings that make life so confusing. It’s what shapes us and defines us for who we are. And obviously, it is what makes each of us so distinctly different from one another. The idea of blocked websites can be viewed as similar to movie ratings: G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17. Since NC-17 rated movies are quite rare, we will consider R to be our highest movie rating. Movies that are under the “R” category are in it for a very broad number of reasons. Some movies are placed under R for foul language, while others are placed under R for scenes that are graphic and gory.

As a result, most parents have taken their children under 17 to see an R film, because it could have been easily been rated PG-13. That’s the grey area. Computers don’t take this into consideration. Because its functions are based on blackand-white operations, any websites that have been coded as “R” are blocked, no matter the content. Chances are, it is for liability. In a world where suing is quite common, the school district does not want to take that chance. And who would? But there is still hope, this predicament may soon change for the better: there is promise that social media sites will become unblocked in due time. Until then, however, we will have to do the best we can with what we can still access.

Friday, October 12, 2012

News

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Dear Society, stop YOLO-ing HEARD on The internet slang meaning ‘you only live once’ has gone a bit too far

t’s true, you do only live once. I don’t mean to delve into any religious issue, but it’s a fact that you are only in this body, in this state on earth, once. So my question is why would you want to cut that life short? With the rise of YOLO came the rise of stupid, asinine things done by people, especially the teen demographic. When I first heard YOLO, honestly, I thought it was in reference to Yolo County. Suffice to say I was confused. Once I learned the true meaning – you only live once – I came to appreciate YOLO in its purest form. Live with no regrets, carpe diem, live every day like it’s your last are all some of the other clichés that go along with YOLO. I’m all for taking advantage of the opportunities that are presented so you never sit around and wonder what might’ve been or regret something. But YOLO has turned into a big excuse to go out, party and get blackout drunk. I’m pretty sure if you black out, get raped and become pregnant with an STD, you are going to regret it. Better yet, if you get high as a kite and then decide it’s a good idea to swan dive from a roof, you may not live to tell about that crazy story. Just a thought. My cousin goes to a charter school in Davis called Da Vinci. There they have posters that say “Carol never wore safety goggles. She said YOLO instead.” Then it showed a lovely picture of a blind girl with the caption “STOP YOLO-ing.” YOLO has been twisted and

Commentary

hayley mcavoy

hmcavoy.gazette@gmail.com

manipulated into something that is completely reckless, dangerous and flat-out stupid. There are reasons why this doesn’t happen every day. We as a society understand the concept of rules and consequences or else the country would be lost to anarchy. Then YOLO comes around and encourages people to go out, screw society and be a “rebel.” I cannot say how many times I’ve heard people say, “screw it, YOLO,” then go and do the absolute stupidest thing of their lives. YOLO does not give you an excuse to be dumb. However, I would be a major hypocrite if I didn’t at least recognize some of the good implications for YOLO. My current cover photo, for Facebook, is a picture of me, my cousins and my best friend spelling out ‘YOLO’ while atop of Half Dome. I believe this is a proper

use of the phrase. Why? Because we weren’t doing something stupid that would harm us. We had just accomplished a major feat that average people do once, if at all, in their lifetime. We were checking it off our bucket list, not endangering our lives. On Sept. 14, eight teens were involved in a car accident. The driver was merging onto I-80 and collided with a truck on the freeway. The vehicle was overturned and two passengers weren’t wearing seat belts. Over this past summer a Ponderosa High School junior, Zach Pickett, dove into a pond and hit an unknown sandbar. He is now paralyzed from

the chest down. These are some not-so-pleasant reminders that you really do only live once, and a single decision you make can drastically affect your future. YOLO in its purest form is a wonderful mantra to live your life by, but has been manipulated over its short existence as an excuse to participate in reckless activities So please, stop YOLO-ing.

the

BAY

Who would you vote for in the November election?

“Romney…my entire family is Republican so I (have to) stick with the Republican way.”

*** Hayley Mcavoy, a senior, is a Gazette Green Screen editor

freshman

Kendall Lilley “I would vote for Obama because I am a Democrat, but I really don’t pay attention to politics very often.”

Anna Seban, Lauren McAvoy, Brigid Lummis, Hayley McAvoy, and Nicolas Seban spell out YOLO after climbing Half Dome.

Pseudo-fans, jump off the bandwagon

sophomore

Gazette photo /HAYLEY MCAVOY

and watch every game just to Commentary switch when a new winning team comes along? The answer is simple – to have bragging rights. Fans want to show how superior hat has happened to the they are by cheering for the loyalty of rooting for a best team. single sports team for a Although they might not lifetime? think so, always rooting for the These days, it is a rarity to find best team is just plain annoying a fan who has liked one team for to the loyal fans of the most kburns.gazette@gmail.com his or her entire life. successful team. When these Fans seem to be obsessed with fans brag about their newfound love for a new having the no. 1 team be “their team,” as if rooting team, they disgrace the world of fandom. for a team that doesn’t play well is embarrassing. These fans are called “bandwagon fans,” because Fans should take pride in their team, win or lose. they jump onto the bandwagon of whichever team The point of being a loyal fan isn’t to show how looks the best. you picked the best team – it is to support the team These bandwagon fans were apparent at Granite and organization. Bay High School in 2010, when the San FranThe Cleveland Cavaliers are a great example of cisco Giants won Major League Baseball’s World how an organization has gotten screwed by their Series. In a matter of a couple weeks, the majority fans. of sports fans in school went from not caring or In 2011, the Cavaliers, after losing three times in knowing about the Giants to their no. 1 fans. the Eastern Conference Finals of the NBA PlayAll the support of the Giants was probably much offs, lost star player Lebron James in free agency appreciated by the organizato the Miami Heat. Along with the departure of one tion, but many students of the best players in the NBA, Cleveland lost a went around acting huge amount of its fan base. like Thousands of Cavaliers supporters turned their gaze to the Miami Heat in a second, betraying their once-loved team to join the newest fad in the NBA. But why? Why cheer for a team, buy jerseys

Show some loyalty to a team

kevin burns

they had been fans of the Giants for years. The same goes for the San Francisco 49ers the past couple years. Once the 49ers started to do well and made the playoffs last year, many fans of football at GBHS became fans. It was frustrating as a 49ers follower to watch six years of interceptions from quarter back Alex Smith and general mediocrity from the team. In 2011, when the 49ers had a 13-3 record and lost in the conference finals to the New York Giants, the success was bittersweet for us fans – we were happy that the 49ers were winning but irritated with all the new “fans,” many of whom had no idea about how badly the Niners had done in past years. These bandwagon fans of the 49ers didn’t care about how the team did for all the years before, but once they start winning they loved them. The 49ers aren’t the only example of teams that have had many fans “jump on the bandwagon.” The Miami Heat is one of the best teams in basketball. With the addition of Lebron James and Chris Bosh in 2010, there does not seem to be any more room on the Heat bandwagon. In any given city in the USA, there is a possibility that there are more Miami Heat fans than fans of the most local team. Even if their team wins the Superbowl, World Series or NBA Finals, bandwagon fans are looked down upon by the sports world. Their lack of loyalty shows that they are not true fans who support one team despite their wins or losses. It’s ok to like the best team or the worst team, but when a new team tops all others, be sure to stay loyal.

Bobbie Spiro “I’d vote for the incumbent Barack Obama...I think that Romney hasn’t showed that he is skilled in the manner of foreign affairs… when he went overseas he made everybody mad insulting (London’s) Olympics.”

junior Reed Klaeser “I don’t align with parties at all. I try very hard to keep my self in the middle and choose based on their (policies) and the person…I am leaning toward Mitt Romney”

senior

*** Kevin Burns, a junior, is a Gazette staff writer.

Gazette illustration /LENA EYEN AND EMMA GRACYK

Ashcon Minoiefar

Thumbs Up

Thumbs Down

Thumbs up: Time to take the PSAT! The PSAT is less expensive and shorter than the real SAT!

Thumbs down: The SAT is here. Juniors and seniors, you better study.

Thumbs down: Raking leaves… enough said.

Thumbs down: “I would vote for Obama. Homework… I think there needs to AP and Honors be a bit more regulation of the game and I homework… think Romney and Ryan are going for the opposite extreme.”

staff

Thumbs up: Cold weather is here. Sweatshirts, Uggs and jeans oh my!

by Summer Haenny, staff writer.

Brandon Dell’Orto Gazette photos /LUKE CHIRBAS

–Compiled by Summer Haenny

Second Look

Second look

Friday, October 12, 2012

An Ageless Homecoming

w The Granite Bay Gazette

GBHS kicks off the school year with bonfire, royalty and much more

wGazette photosw Kristin Taylor ď ˇSenior Megan Zabrowski, above, smiles in surprise after hearing she is Homecoming queen beside beaming king, senior John Haff. Alumni Ian Fitzgerald and Megan Harris, middle left, return to GBHS to crown royalty, Fitzgerald dressed in proper king attire. Sophomore Tatum Thompson, middle right, escorts junior prince Tommy Thompson, as both hobble down the carpet at the Homecoming rally. Seniors Emma Farrell and Will Schue, below left, sit atop a brontosaurus on the prehistoric themed senior float. In tune with the music, senior Beau Hershberger shakes his hips to the beat during the senior football and cheer routine, below middle. The Lincoln of Stockton trojan goes up in flames at bonfire in anticipation for the Homecoming game, bottom right.

Lifestyle

Granite Bay Gazette

Friday w October 12, 2012

Commentary

Trick-or-where’s the treat? Some families are withdrawn from Halloween festivities

meghan carlsen mcarlsen.gazette@gmail.com

I am more than college and majors

BY KRISTIN KURPERSHOEK kkurpershoek.gazette@gmail.com

A princess, a monster and a superhero knock on a door only to be met with the disappointment of a dark house and no candy. In their trick-or-treating days, most people have encountered that one house that seemed oblivious to the fact that it was one of American kids’ favorite holidays. Free candy from a seeming never-ending supply of houses ranks pretty high on a kid’s list of fantasies. Although most people in the Granite Bay community tend to celebrate Halloween festivities, there are a few who treat it like any other normal day. Youjin Ko, a senior at Granite Bay High School moved to the United States from Korea, where Halloween does not exist, when she was a child. Since her parents lived in Korea for the majority of their lives, they were rooted in Korean traditions and did not celebrate Halloween for many years after first moving to the U.S. “They didn’t really understand the trick-or-treating concept,” Ko said. From their perspective, the atmosphere was scary. Having people knock on their door at all hours of the night was annoying and asking for candy from strangers seemed odd. “[At first] they thought [trick-ortreaters] were really annoying, but now we buy candy,” Ko said. Although still not crazy about this holiday, for the past few years Ko’s parents have began to pass out candy in an effort to assimilate into the American culture.

hat do you want to be when you grow up? It’s a question that has been ingrained into our minds from the moment we could talk. Our responses weren’t taken very seriously then but, as time went on and we grew older, our answers seemed more definitive. From my own experience, this question became the main inquiry of surrounding adults the moment I started high school and the problem has only increased since then. Where are you going to college? What is your major? What do you want to do with your life? These questions seem to be the first and only questions I am asked at any adult social gathering of any kind. I understand people’s interest and I truly appreciate their concern for my life and my future, but really? Is this all my life has become and all my future depends on – my college and my major? To be honest, I don’t know what college I want to go to or what major/career I want to pursue. When I answer questions this way I usually get one of two responses – “Oh…(long pause). That’s OK,” or, “That’s the best way to go! You are too young to know anyway.” Who’s to judge my response to this question in the first place? If I say I’m going to Harvard University to be a brain surgeon then I score well on society’s standards. If I say I’m not even going to go to college and try my luck as a professional basketball player (at 5’3’’, by the way), then I receive a polite smile and a sarcastic “Good luck!” The basis of my irritation is not so much that I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with my life (although it would be helpful to know that information), but that my life has been reduced to two simple pieces of information. I’ve long wanted to ask the question in return. “What are you going to do with your life?” Our lives are not fully formed just because we are out of college or have a career established. Thinking that you’re done developing because you’ve graduated and have a steady job is what leads to mid-life cresses. There’s so much more that people can do past this age level. We should be excited about that too, asking questions about what we hope to do with our lives each and everyday. My life, I hope, is more than a college name and how “successful” society deems my career to be. It may sound cliché, but I hope to live for something more than that – something outside myself. But the kind of approach the general population takes towards the next generation’s future is like reducing it to a simple math problem of college + career = fulfilled life. It’s kind of pathetic to shrink our lives to formulas of what we think will bring us happiness because happiness itself is not mathematical. People are different, their strengths and weaknesses vary and their goals and purposes do as well. So what do I want to be when I grow up? I’d like to continue to value my family and friends as some of the greatest blessings in my life. I’d like to deepen my faith and grow as a person. I’d like to make a difference for the better, no matter how big or small it is by society’s standards. Now this all sounds pretty cheesy written out, but I think deep down in all of us these wants and desires for something more ring true. It’s why we even go to college in the first place – to move forward in life and achieve goals we hold for ourselves. College shouldn’t be reduced to the prestige of the name and the piece of paper at the end – it should be an experience. A career shouldn’t be reduced to the salary and the promotions or benefits – it should be about a passion.

*** Meghan Carlsen, a senior, is the Gazette’s Lifestyle co-editor.

B Section

See HALLOWEEN, page B7

Gazette illustration/HAYLEY MCAVOY

Young love striving to last after graduation High School Sweethearts’ relationships continue outside of high school BY MEGHAN CARLSEN

mcarlsen.gazette@gmail.com

Almost every graduating class from Granite Bay High School crowns one couple as the “High School Sweethearts” for their class during the senior superlatives voting process. But each of those couples then walk across that stage, graduate and leave GBHS, leaving us to wonder, “Where are those two lovebirds now?” The High School Sweethearts from the graduating class of 2012 were Cole Chapman and Carina Musolino, and they are happy to report they are still together today. While Chapman went off to Humboldt University to study Fine Arts this past fall, Musolino went to Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo to do her general education requirements. While their relationship devel-

inside lifestyle

Top Ten

SAT Tip of the Month

Random Student

How To

College of the Month

oped at GBHS, Chapman and Musolino officially met while they were still in seventh grade at Cavitt Junior High School. Upon their graduation, they had been dating for five years. “We had an awesome time at (GBHS),” Chapman said. “(It was) one of the best times of my life so far.” Chapman feels they thrived in high school because their friends were supportive of their relationship and they all got along with out too much high school “drama.” Now they are at different colleges, and that is a new experience for Chapman and Musolino. However, Chapman feels it isn’t very hard to stay in touch because Facetime and Skype make it feel like they are almost together in person. “The hardest thing is the jealousy of having other guys around her as a temptation,” Chapman

Preview of the fall play Putting on a new production with a new teacher.

said. “I trust that she will do the right thing. It’s just hard, knowing that she has a lot of fun with other people when I could be having a lot of fun with her too.” Chapman and Musolino’s plans together for the future are a little uncertain at the moment. Chapman explained that they have discussed moving in together or, to the contrary, breaking up to go explore life on their own. “We are just trying to figure it out,” Chapman said. “But as of right now we’re just completely confused.” Nonetheless, Chapman’s and Musolino’s relationship has continued on from GBHS and Chapman attributes that to the trust and honesty between them. “It’s a very strong connection,” Chapman said. “We can’t lie to each other … I don’t intend to hurt her and I hope she doesn’t intend to hurt me.” Another recent High School

New Clubs introduced to GBHS Students take the initiative to create clubs for their interests.

Sweetheart couple has been separated by distance after leaving GBHS. William Anderson and Alexandra Pink graduated two years ago from GBHS to go off in different directions for college. Pink is now at UCLA to study political science while Anderson stayed at Sierra College in the hopes of eventually transferring out and becoming a nurse. When they were named High School Sweethearts during their senior year, they had been dating for three and a half years after meeting each other their freshman year in biology. “During high school, we did consider ourselves high school sweethearts,” Anderson said. “We would constantly talk about the future and what we would do about our relationship while off at college.” According to Pink, their attitude when leaving for college was to

Alexandra Pink One partner of the High School Sweetheart couple of 2011 is currently at UCLA.

be “open” about their relationship. They both agreed that the distance was challenging. “It wasn’t hard to stay in touch since we texted everyday,” Pink said. “But it was hard to talk as often as we used to since we were both always busy.” At GBHS, the couple became best friends and Pink felt she grew very close with his family. She said they had a lot of fun together at GBHS. Anderson played football and Pink played soccer and was involved in student government.

Students have parent teachers Parents bond with their kids while on campus.

See COUPLES, page B7

B2 Lifestyle

Friday, October 12, 2012

top things to do this fall

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Fall play directed by new teacher Drama gears up for new production BY EMMA GRACYK

egracyk.gazette@gmail.com

Spend the day enjoying the fall food and festivities at Apple Hill.

Try the seasonal pumpkin-flavored drinks at Jamba Juice and Starbucks.

Gather all of your friends and have a pumpkin carving contest.

Rake up a big pile of leaves – then jump in them.

Break out the boots, scarves, and comfy sweatshirts.

Be a super-fan and attend all of the GBHS football games.

The actors have been busy at work two hours after school, Monday through Thursday, perfecting the 2012 fall play “You Can’t Take it With You.” Written in the 1930s and winning the Pulitzer prize for drama, “You Can’t Take it With You” focuses on an oddball family who does not do things the normal way. “They practice ballet in the living room, play the xylophone, hunt for snakes and listen to commencement speeches in their free time,” drama teacher Kyle Holmes said. The “normal” daughter of the family, Alice Sycamore, played by senior Abigail Schmalz, gets engaged to Tony Kirby from Wallstreet. Tony brings his parents to dinner to meet the crazy Sycamore family. The play is a comedy and the audience should be prepared to laugh at the crazy characters. “We are literally a bunch of neuroses with strange quirks,” senior Thomasina Tallerico who plays Penny Sycamore said. “People should be able to relate to it. They should be thinking ‘I get embarrassed by my family all the time.’” While the characters may be crazy, the overall message is about doing what makes you happy. “They’re happy and content with each other and the lives they lead, and they don’t need money or riches to be happy because you can’t take it with you anyways,” Holmes said. This is the first production Gazette photo /luke chirbas at Granite Bay High School with New drama teacher Kyle Holmes gives helpful advice to his actors on stage at a rehearsal for their upcoming fall show. Holmes as director. When drama teacher Jim Prichard Holmes took an interest in theater while growing up. Prichard had been the drama teacher at GBHS for a retired last year and the position He did a lot of community theater and participated in long time. Many phenomenal productions were put on opened, English teacher Holmes took over the drama by him, such as High School Musical and Grease. department. In addition to English, Holmes has a back- theater all four years of high school. He went to UC Irvine where he majored in musical theater for two “It’s obviously intimidating at times and can be a ground in theater and journalism. years. little overwhelming” Holmes said. “(Prichard) ran a “When Jim Prichard said he considered retiring, Mr. “That’s when I decided to get a degree in English great program but I’m not him. I’m going to do things McGuire and I had a conversation where I said this is instead because I always wanted to teach theater (…) my way and hopefully it will all come together and something I’m interest in pursuing and it’s been my but (because) there were such few theater jobs I knew we’ll meet and exceed those expectations he set.” dream since I was a kid to be a theater teacher and run I had better odds in being an English teacher” Holmes Though it may be hard for some students to have a a drama department,” Holmes said. said. “I was just so fortunate to fall into this situation.” drama program go through such a change with a new Although this is Holmes’ first production at GranWhile Holmes is eager to take on the job, Prichard’s ite Bay High School, this is not the first play he has shoes will not be easy to fill. See PLAY, page B6 directed.

Foreign faces

Your Names.

New languages appear at GBHS

Your Faces.

BY GRACE MOORE

The Gazette.

gmoore.gazette@gmail.com

Enjoy the extra hour of sleep that you gain with Daylight Savings

BOO somebody!

Grab some hot chocolate and stay in for a movie night

Start counting down the days until Thanksgiving Break.

- Compiled by Kristin Kurpershoek

There is an impressive amount of students who have come to Granite Bay High School from all across the globe. The reasons these students have for crossing oceans and borders appears simple – many of these students and their families admire American schools. However, their stories are all unique. Charlotte Densham, England New junior Charlotte Densham of southwest England found the linguistic transition awkward, claiming that problems arose when she used the word “atrocious” in one of her classes. “I call them trousers, you call them pants,” she said. “To me, pants are underwear.” She chose the IB program with the hopes that the credits would transfer to universities back in England. In comparison to her classes in England, she finds her IB classes easy. The level of dedication GBHS students put into their school sports surprised Densham. “Sports are so much bigger here,” she said. “I don’t think England is as strict sports-wise.” Densham, who came here this year from her home in Swindon because of her father’s job, is adjusting to

Gazette illustration/CHASE EVANS

the change of pace well, though she regrets the lack of public transportation in Granite Bay. “I can’t get anywhere without relying on my parents,” Densham said. Luckily, for Densham at least, Granite Bay seems to make up for the lack of transportation by having comparatively excellent weather, when compared to the constant rain and chill of England. Despite the differences, Densham is finding it easy to make friends – she met several other girls who were new to GBHS during the August Grizzly Retreat, and has continued to make new friends during her time at GBHS. Camille Mallet, France Sophomore Camille Mallet will be here for one year as an exchange student. She came from Fontenayle-Comte, a town in France

where her school has only 700 students. She chose the U.S. as her destination to get to know American culture and language. Technically, she’s halfway there – Mallet is actually originally an American, having been born in Maryland. However, she grew up in France. Mallet is currently enjoying classes like Photography and Honors Chemistry. Oddly enough, her favorite class is Spanish, which comes easily for her because of the similarities between French and Spanish. In her opinion, GBHS students’ French is generally pretty good. “It is more difficult (to make friends) here,” Mallet said. At her old school, her entire class schedule was shared with 30 other students and coming here is a big change. The GBHS Color Guard, See FOREIGN, page B7

Friday, October 12, 2012

Lifestyle

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Students have cars, but who pays for them? Examining resources behind vehicles

Now the only portion of her car that she has to pay for is her gas, and the methods she uses have worked out well so far, acOutside of the walls of Granite Bay High cording to Leben. According to seniors, many rumors float School, many rumors float around saying that students are wealthy and don’t have to the campus that some juniors are given a brand new car on the day they get their pay for any expenses. license or their sixteenth birthday. However, one huge item that GBHS Aside from the students that have jobs students find themselves having to pay for and pay for all or some expenses, some is their car. GBHS students are in fact given a car on Many people may wonder, do GBHS their sixteenth birthday or soon after that. students have the responsibility of paying Still other students receive passed-down for their car, insurance or gas, and how do cars from the family or get one of their they pay for all these large payments? parent’s cars while their mother or father On average, the typical insurance bill gets a new car. for just one car is roughly $15,000 in the Inversely, there are GBHS students who state of California. Can students who have have turned 16 and have the responsibility to received their license but pay for their own car find themselves without expenses afford such The majority of a car. an extreme amount of On both ends of the money? students usually spectrum, when students This mainly affects pay for some are rolling into school juniors and seniors on in either their shiny new aspect of their campus considering to Mercedes or used Camry, legally drive a person car. usually some other stumust be 16 years of dents sitting in cars will age. have some judgments – Senior Kelsey Veith Senior Paige Martin about them. pays for most of her “Juniors have nicer cars car, aside from insurprobably because their parance. Since freshmen ents pay for them,” senior year she has been saving money by acquirPaige Lebeau said. ing jobs throughout high school. But not all seniors appear to have this As she worked to get money for her car, bias. Martin believes that her senior class Martin gave half of her earnings to her parents to put in her savings account for a car. have more luxurious cars. Senior JC Nichols has a Nissan X-Terra. Her method of saving money has proven He paid for the car himself, and continues to be effective. Now, as a senior, she has to pay for gas. He affords this by worksaved enough to buy a car on her own. ing for his dad over the summer and does Some GBHS students cut a deal with chores around the house. their parents and only have to pay for a Senior Kelsey Veith had to take ROP portion of car expenses. Business Relations class in order to receive “I paid for a third of my car and I pay for a car from her parents. gas every other week,” senior Elise Leben Veith’s parents bought the car, but Veith said. is responsible for paying for insurance and Leben pays for her gas by babysitting gas costs. and saving money that she gets from her “The majority of students usually pay for relatives and friends from birthdays or some aspect of their car.” Veith said. events. BY MADDY HARRIS

mharris.gazette@gmail.com

New clubs on campus

Gazette illustration/LENA EYEN

Many student interests presented to GBHS BY THOMAS TAYLOR

ttaylor.gazette@gmail.com

A myriad of new clubs have sprung up this year to fill Granite Bay High School students’ free time with activities like Geocaching, helping the homeless, learning French and slacklining. One new club that was started this school year is The Geocaching Group founded by juniors Alex Rocca and Kevin Kheiu. “(We) started (the Geocaching Group) because we thought it would be a good activity for people who did not want to participate in sports,” Rocca said. “(Geocaching is) an outdoor treasure hunt,” he said. “People put coordinates online of things (they’ve hidden) and other people download the coordinates and try and find (the treasures).” Geocaching even attempts to keep the local wildlife areas clean by participating in a program called Cache In Trash Out. “When (the club goes) out Geocaching we bring trash bags,” said Rocca. “So we basically clean up the places we go to.” The Geocaching Group has about ten active members but is eager to add more “Geocachers” to their roster. If you are interested in finding treasure in a local park, and keeping it clean at the same time, then Rocca and Kheiu urge you to contact them. Another new club is called The Next Mile Club, which strives to feed and clothe the homeless. This club hopes to make a real difference in the lives of less fortunate people everywhere.

“It is a club that collects money and athletic wear for the homeless and donates it to homeless shelters,” said club president Ally Hughes, “We donate the money to homeless foundations that help (their predicament).” The club has several new members and is looking to make a major impact on the high rate of homelessness in cities in California such as San Francisco and Los Angeles. The president of the club, Hughes, and the treasurer, Sierra Alejandrez, have a large amount of people in their club but are also open to new members to help them in their endeavor. French Club (Societe Francaise) is another club that has been added to the GBHS club list. These dedicated French speakers have a certain passion for speaking French and participating in French culture. “(The club is) mostly French food and movies, and also practicing speaking French,” club co-founder Shayna Hansen said. There are plenty of people who are interested in participating in French culture in their free time. “We have lots of people who speak little or no French,” Hansen said. This means that you do not have to be fluent in the language to have a great time in the French Club. For information about joining, contact Shayna Hansen or Austin Redfern. Another new club definitely has a large following. The club is called Granite Bay Slacklining Club and it has spread through the Granite Bay student body like wildfire. “(Slacklining is), pretty much just like tightrope-

Gazette photo /KRISTIN TAYLOR

Seniors Phil Canete and Max Benz gather to help represent their wrestling club during Club Day. walking but you are walking on a line similar to a tow rope,” club co-founder Curtis Mar said, “The lines are either one or two inches (wide), it depends on what you prefer,” The club is still open to anyone who wants to try

If you really knew me,

you would know...

Nina Murphy-Cook

I was at Disneyland and I met Scotty McCreery. I was in line for Thunder Mountain and he said “Hi” as he passed me getting off the ride.

Chandler Dale

I really like country music and my favorite artist is Taylor Swift. I like her song “Tim Mcgraw” the best.

Rachel Will

I used to live in San Fransisco. I loved living there because I was able to go to the beach a lot.

slacklining. For information contact the club’s founders—Curtis Mar, Eric Costigan and Nick Gainer. The club is the largest of the new clubs. “About 30-40 members who have actually shown up for the club,” said Mar.

Follow Granite Bay Today on Twitter

- Compiled by Kristin Kurpershoek

Your names. Your faces. The Gazette.

B4 Lifestyle

Friday, October 12, 2012

w The Granite Bay Gazette

GBHS trash misses the recycle bin Students and teachers want to raise awareness

Student

Spotlight

BY TAMREN JOHNK

tjohnk.gazette@gmail.com

Guillermo Lada Bibao

New senior from Madrid, Spain comes to GBHS Gazette: Where did you go before coming to Granite Bay High School? G: I lived in Spain and Madrid. Gazette: How do you like it in the U.S. so far? What major differences have you noticed in comparison to Spain and Madrid? G: I like it. It’s very different from Spain, but you get use to it. School is way different, but I like it (because it’s a lot easier). Gazette: What are your plans for the future? G: I might go to a University here and probably live here.

-Compiled by Nicole Bales

Most people know that recycling is an essential part of our world and our community. But every day, more and more valuable recyclables are being thrown into Granite Bay High School trash bins when they could be recycled. Going against this trend, sophomore Michaelan George sees the value in helping out our environment by recycling. “At our house, I gather all our plastic bags, paper and boxes and then bring them down to a recycling plant at another high school because we don’t have one here,” George said. “We then gather plastic bottles, glass, and cans to recycle at another (recycling plant.)” George sees the positive effects that recycling has on the community. She believes that recycling helps the environment because it reduces and reuses our wastes in our area. “Basically our entire food chain would be all messed up because of all the trash that we don’t recycle,” George said. According to the information supplied by the National Recycling Coalition, recycling and compost usage diverted nearly 70 million tons of material away from landfills and incinerators in 2000, which almost doubled from 34 million tons in 1990. George doesn’t think students want to take the time to throw away all their recyclables in different recycling bins when they can do it all in one shot in a normal trash bin. “We need to advocate recycling more at school,” George said. “Maybe have recycle bins in classrooms or next to trash bins outside during lunch.” Biology teacher Heidi Rounds-McKeen is another avid believer in recycling. “We recycle everything at our house,” McKeeon said. “My husband is recycle crazy and checks up on the garbage to see if I’ve recycled the right things or not.”

Gazette illustration/LENA EYEN

Similar to George, Rounds-McKeen sorts out and recycles any paper, plastic goods, cans and bottles and takes them down to the recycling center. She is aware that GBHS is less recycling friendly. “We don’t recycle very much on our campus which really is surprising to me,” Rounds-McKeen said. Rounds-McKeen believes that GBHS students

should participate in recycling more at our school. “I know we have our paper bins in our classrooms,” Rounds-McKeen said. “But I think because we don’t really make a big deal about it, kids throw garbage in even the paper bins.” Rounds-McKeen believes that recycling could be

See RECYCLING, page B6

Teachers and technology

Gazette illustration/LENA EYEN

Websites such as Twitter and Facebook make communication easier between both teachers and students alike BY THOMAS TAYLOR

ttaylor.gazette@gmail.com

Gone are the days when your teacher could barely figure out how to use their overhead projector. Teachers are becoming increasingly tech savvy in an effort to keep students up to date on their homework and assignments. Teachers’ use of social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Edmodo are on the rise. Some teachers are using new ways to keep in contact with their students after school hours. It used to be a strange thing to have a teacher’s phone number or email but now students and teachers are beginning to connect through social media sites. Most teachers are already using a purely educational website known as Blackboard.

“(I primarily use Blackboard) because I am the most familiar with it,” long time GBHS math teacher Darrin Pagel said. Blackboard is a very functional and straightforward website that provides links to homework assignments, lessons and help. It is capable of handling lots of homework and lesson help, but there is no space for social interaction between students. Teachers creating Facebook and Twitter accounts to post homework and talk to students have slowly become a new and prevalent practice. “Originally I had no intention of using twitter as I felt that Blackboard was a great resource,” chemistry teacher Damien Lawrence said. Lawrence said that his students were not using Blackboard as much as he thought they were. “So I asked what (a better solution

was), and a large majority said twitter would be superior as it would remind them daily.” Lawrence said. This daily reminder on a site that many teenagers use is a helpful tool to add to Blackboard’s use. Twitter is very beneficial to reminding students to do their homework but it does not have all the functions available to Blackboard. These social networking sites, especially Twitter, are not specifically designed for academic use. Facebook is a little more conducive to academic work because a teacher has the option to form a poll or post longer instructions than on Twitter. One site that is rising in popularity amongst GBHS staff combines the social aspects of Facebook and Twitter and a purely academic powerhouse like Blackboard is Edmodo. Edmodo is an interesting beast of a website. It allows for polls, comment-

ing, posting, direct messaging and all the other features that you would expect from Facebook. The site even looks like Facebook. It has the classic blue and white color scheme with the Edmodo symbol prominently displayed in the top left hand corner. Underneath the logo a column runs down the side organizing your classes, messages and calendar. “It has more of a resemblance to Facebook.” Guzman continues, “It has more of a relevance to adolescence.” In the center of the page everything looks identical to Facebook with a profile picture for each user and a timeline packed with academic help and questions. “I thought (Edmodo) was more user friendly than Blackboard.” English teacher Tino Guzman said. Edmodo is noticeably quicker to load and the layout feels much more spa-

Tino Guzman Guzman is an English teacher experimenting with academic web sites.

cious compared to Blackboard. Edmodo also makes joining a class group much easier then the clunky Blackboard style. Guzman is employing the site on a trial period to see whether his students enjoy using it. GBHS students are already forming their opinions on this new website. “Edmodo is better,” junior Reed Klaeser said, “because it is a separate experience from our social lives.”

Your names. Your faces. The Gazette.

Friday, October 12, 2012

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Lifestyle B5

Children of GBHS staff

How life works for teachers’ kids BY AUSTIN ALCAINE

aalcaine.gazette@gmail.com

A student being related to a teacher in high school is a common occurrence, but at Granite Bay High School there are not one but five teachers who attend school along with their children. Brandon Dell’Orto GBHS Advanced Placement United States History teacher now has a freshman son attending GBHS. “It has been great, being able to talk to each other in the morning and catch up on what’s going on,” Brandon said. Since both Nathan and Brandon Dell’Orto spend the majority of their day at GBHS, it allows them to spend more time together. Brandon hopes his son will take his class when he is a junior. “I think (the advantage would be) he will be able to ask me questions all the time,” Brandon said. While Brandon will be an obvious resource for his son, Nathan may feel the pressure of the higher expectation. “I might find myself subconsciously expecting more out of him,” Brandon said. GBHS is viewed by some as a competitive school and with those expectations of succeeding it can be harder for students who have parents that teach. However, Brandon tends to be understanding of the pressures that students feel. “If he gets a B in one of his classes, life goes on,” Brandon said. Children of teachers are realizing that their names are already well-known around campus, even as freshmen. “It’s kind of strange having my dad here,” Nathan said. “When I introduce myself to seniors they immediately know

Gazette photo /LUKE CHIRBAS

Freshman Nathan Dell’Orto and GBHS teacher Brandon Dell’Orto are able to spend more time together while they’re both on campus as student and teacher. my dad.” However, most children of the teachers here know that they will not be getting any special treatment, and they will not be graded any easier or given any extra opportunities other students are not offered. “My dad told me that he would not treat any different than any of the other students in his class,” Nathan said. Even though Nathan will not be treated any differently, he still emphasized how much he still enjoyed spending more time

with his dad. Military History and World Studies teacher Dale Mortensen also has a son at GBHS. “I love having my dad as a teacher here,” Dane Mortensen, his son, said. He sees the benefits of having a teacher as a father when he needs support both in and out of the academic world. “My dad helps me get through some of the tough problems I have in my history class, and he is … helping me … push

myself in sports as well,” Dane said. Dane emphasized how much he enjoyed having his dad as a teacher at school and acknowledges that there are special conveniences due to having a parent as a teacher. Other than the obvious reasons of being able to ask parents/teachers questions on the class they teach, it also gives them more time to spend with each other on a daily basis. Although most people would think that

having a parent for a teacher would give the student the upper hand in class, most of the teachers are actually pushing their kids to strive for better grades and expect more from them. Both Nathan and Dane said that they loved being able to spend more time with their parents everyday and enjoy the extra perks of having them around. “It’s nice always having a ride to school,” Dane said. “(And) sometimes I even get a good lunch.”

Teachers and coaches pick student leaders Leadership opportunities arise for participants in school activities BY SUMMER HAENNY

shaenny.gazette@gmail.com

Student leaders are a big part of the Granite Bay High School community, and the way they’re chosen in programs across the campus – as well as what they do for those programs – are as varied as the programs themselves. From student government to yearbook, from athletics to the Gazette, choosing student leaders is a very selective process. Consider the school’s student government program, which chose its 2012-13 leaders and members at the end of the previous school year. Candidates must complete an application and go through an interview process. “It’s about a month-long process,” student government adviser Tamara Givens said. “The application goes out … (and then) we usually do interviews within a couple of weeks after that.” When students go in for an interview, the session is conducted by the student government cabinet, the adviser and an administrator – a panel of six to eight students and adults. The cabinet consists of the student body president, the senior class president and the activities commissioners for both leadership classes. The rest of the students are selected by Givens from both classes.

This fall, student government accepted more new applicants than ever before. But some applicants were rejected, which led to some student criticizing the process as biased. Specifically, some students have argued that applicants who are friends of students who are currently in the program are accepted at higher rates than nonconnected applicants. But Brandon Borjon, a cabinet member, said the student government leaders go to great lengths to avoid bias when choosing class members. “Even if my friend applied and I said, ‘I really want my friend in,’ there are other people that have to agree that that person would be good,” Borjon said. One of the things that student government prides itself on when interviewing prospective applicants is the system of checks and balances. Student leaders also pride themselves on trying to keep all bias aside. The football program at GBHS is a huge program – with a huge number of leaders. Senior Johnny Cooley is one of 12 captains on the football team. He is a running back and has been playing football for 11 years “I lead by example, I don’t talk (a lot) but when I need to talk, I talk,” Cooley said. “And people listen.”

Cooley said he takes his leadership inspiration from his own father. “My dad pushes me,” Cooley said. “It has really helped me in the long run.” During the week, Cooley spends 15 to 30 hours training for an upcoming football game, but he is quick to credit his successes to others on the field. “A running back is only as good as his offensive line,” Cooley said. As the editor in chief of the yearbook, senior Cady Chow has the daunting task of editing all the pages that go into the yearbook and make sure that all school events during the year are accounted for. As editor in chief, Chow sacrifices a lot of time to make sure that every page of the yearbook is perfect. “I have been really dedicated to the book,” Chow said. With perfection comes sacrifice – this year Chow has had to give up volleyball to be able to carry out her duty of trying to ensure the yearbook will be a great book. Bernadette Cranmer is the new yearbook adviser this year. Cranmer said Chow makes a great leader inside and outside the classroom Gazette photo /KRISTIN TAYLOR “Cady is a very organized person,” Cranmer said. “She is very detail oriented. She is patient Senior JC Nichols, one of the captains of the GBHS and very supportive of her classmates.” varsity soccer team, is on the field with his captain armband. Photo courtesy of

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CollegeBoard SAT

un-Official SATpractice guide

Match the words in the first column with the definitions in the second column. Each chalkboard is its own separate game. Answers can be found on B7.

Chalkboard 2

Chalkboard 1 1. Vapid 2. Expunge 3. Proclivity 4. Obfuscate 5. Incontrovertible

a. Biting, bitter in tone or taste b. To obliterate, eradicate c. Humiliating, disgracing d. Indisputable e. Lacking liveliness, dull

6. Variegated

f. To render incomprehensible

7. Ignominious g. Rudeness, irritability 8. Petulance 9. Vex 10. Acerbic

h. A strong inclination towards something i. Diversified, dinstinctly marked j. To confuse or annoy source: sparknotes.com

- Compiled by Lena Eyen

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B6 Lifestyle

Friday, October 12, 2012

Random facts

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Random club of the month

A list of facts you will never need to know but will always find interesting

One of 2,128 GBHS students is randomly selected every issue

President: Hannah Calton and Maddie Breining

96% of the U.S. population lives within 20 miles of a Walmart.

Gazette: When and where does your club meet? Hannah: We meet at (Hannah Calton’s) house, 5723 Oak Creek Place every Monday night from 7:30 to 8:30.

You can’t swallow without your tongue touching the roof of your mouth.

Why should people join your club? Maddie: (For a) fun atmosphere... It is a great club for developing connections with students that you would’ve never met without Young Life.

Seven Eleven is called Seven Eleven because it used to be open from 7 am to 11 pm.

There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.

What’s the goal of your club? Hannah: Have fun, make new friends and strengthen relationships with others and share the word of God in an exciting way.

Prior to 2004, caffeine was on the International Olympic Committee’s list of prohibited substances.

The average American will watch 9 years of television in his/her lifetime.

The object most choked on by Americans is the toothpick Studies show painting your room Source: http://www.allrandomfacts.com

Young Life

Jordan Holt, freshman

Gazette photo /LUKE ChIRBAS

What is your favorite nail polish color? Dark blue.

Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate.

If you could be any celebrity, who would you be? Christie Rampone, because being on the women’s soccer would be so much fun.

How many siblings do you have? Two, named Brennan and Summer.

–Compiled by Kristin Taylor

What are you looking forward to this year as a freshman? The dances, spirit rallies and all of the school sports.

What is your favorite frappuccino flavor from Starbucks? Oreo Cookie Crumble.

Do you have a favorite memory from Young Life? Hannah: Going to Woodleaf (a Younglife camp) last November and having a giant snowball fight on the field. Maddie: Meeting new friends at Young Life summer camp from different areas and staying in touch with them. (My) favorite memory at summer camp was western night and ‘Christmas in July’ night.

–Compiled by Maddy Harris –Compiled by Tamren Johnk

RECYCLING: Easy changes can have drastic results on GBHS

PLAY: New drama teacher leads new actors to success on the stage

a good easy way for GBHS to be more eco-friendly. “I think we can get recycling containers on campus,” Rounds-McKeen said. “We should have an advertising campaign, have it be a part of the bulletin and have signs to make it very clear that (we are) recycling.” Rounds-McKeen always asks her students to recycle any passed back or finished paper and plastic bottles in class instead of putting them in the garbage. She believes that if GBHS starts small by having recycling bins in the hallways or in the teacher’s lounge they can later build off of that. “I think that maybe if we start recycling at school, then it will start habits that will become a more normal thing at home,” Rounds-McKeen said. The head custodian at GBHS, Michael Whiting, believes that if students recycle more on a daily basis, they then could use the money to buy other products.

teacher, the drama students have been welcoming to Holmes. “I love how refreshing Holmes is. He’s got his own style and he breathes life into drama,” Tallerico said. “He makes us all eager to do what we do.” Holmes runs the drama program more structurally than Prichard did, in the sense that Holmes hands out calendars that says exactly when things should be done. “He’s planned out and knows what he wants,” said senior Abigail Schamlz. “He’s excited to see us every day and he tells us how much he loves his job. We love Prichard and we love Holmes.” While there is structure, Holmes provides freedom in his drama classes. “He makes it so that we have something we could

Continued from page B4

“The best way to (advocate) recycling is to put out more recycle bins,” Whiting said. “Students should recycle so less trash can go into the dumps, (which) would make my job a little easier.” GBHS campus monitor Kathy Hale uses her own time to dig through garbage cans for recyclables. “My job is walking around keeping the campus safe,” Hale said. “So I just started recycling (because) it’s something to do.” GBHS assistant principal Brian McNulty agrees that the school could do more to advocate recycling. “We need to make sure people see why recycling is a good thing,” McNulty said. “We are just a smaller part of the bigger world.” McNulty believes that if we behave as a healthy school, it’s not only going to help our community, but also teach people how to be healthier at GBHS in general. “If we can make a difference, then it will grow throughout our community,” McNulty said. “It will grow throughout our world.”

 Students tend to leave trash that could easily be recycled and put to use in another way

Continued from page B2

be doing, but ultimately it’s up to you and what you take care of,” Tallerico said. “He really teaches responsibility and taking care of your own business.” Holmes goal is to make the drama program entirely student-driven. He wants students building the sets, doing the advertising and helping with the costumes and props. “At the end of the day, I want students to be able to look at the show and say ‘(I) did that.’ That ownership is really a powerful thing for kids,” Holmes said. Holmes is working with Steve Dolan’s Construction Technology ROP class to help with set design. “I want students to take ownership in the drama department,” Holmes said. “I want to be a teacher and advise and direct them and point them in the direction, but at the end of the day, I want them to feel like they did it.”

Read the Gazette online: www.granitebaytoday.org

Gazette photo /KAYLYN O’DONNELL

Friday, October 12, 2012

Lifestyle B7

w The Granite Bay Gazette

College of the Month:

FOREIGN: Relocated kids adjust Continued from page B2 which she joined to make friends, is keeping her busy with practice and competition, but she makes time for writing. Mallet keeps a blog where she records the sights and sounds of events like Homecoming, and uses it to stay in touch with her friends and family in France. According to Mallet, American high school is just like Glee. One American dream of hers is going to prom, which she accuses Americans of taking for granted. Jose Luna Mexico Sophomore José Luna moved here from Mexico City last year after having lived in

England and San Diego as a result of his father’s job as a Mexican diplomat. He’s finding all of his classes except Honors Pre-Calculus to be fairly easy. Luna is particularly saddened over the slow but inevitable retreat of his British accent, which had garnered him many compliments in better days. “People would say, ‘Oh, I like it!’,” he said. Amir Karamlou, Iran Recent immigrant Amir Karamlou, a junior from Iran, came to Granite Bay in July of this year and is having few problems with his several AP classes. “I did this when I was a freshman,” Karam-

lou said. “I love physics.” His sister and parents are still in Tehran, the tumultuous capital of Iran. There, religion is compulsory and boys attend separate schools from girls. Karamlou moved here from Iran in order to avoid the military education required for all boys in Iran. American schools would be a better fit for Karamlou and were a significant factor in his decision to come to the U.S. Karamlou appreciates the chance for the freedoms he would not have enjoyed otherwise, and is very grateful for the kindness many GBHS students have shown him. “(Coming to Granite Bay) was a really big change. I remember the first time I was here… I knew nobody and I was scared to death. I was feeling awkward,” Karamlou said. “But then I met some people who were really nice and friendly. In fact, almost everyone here was really nice to me.”

HALLOWEEN: Students abstain from celebrating Continued from page B1

Who: 5,493 students

Gazette illustration/CHASE EVANS

Where: San Diego, California Tuition and Fee Cost: $39,970 Acceptance Rate: 47.5% U.S. News Ranking: #92 (National Universities) Mascot: Diego Torero Athletics: - USD belongs to the Division 1 level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association. - USD has 17 Division 1 teams. - The Jenny Craig Pavilion houses volleyball and basketball events along with a fitness center available to all students. - USD contains club sports teams that compete against other schools. Academics: - There is a 15:1 student to teacher ratio. - USD was ranked first in the nation for undergraduate study abroad program. - The average class size is about 20 students. - USD contains 42 bachelor degrees, 49 minor and 34 master degrees. Fun Facts: - USD has a 180-acre campus - Ranked 4th in the “Most Beautiful College Campus” list by U.S. News and World Report. - USD was established in 1949. - USD has about 200 clubs and organizations. - 96 percent of freshmen and 46 percent of undergraduates live on campus. - Student Life Pavilion offers dining options, student activities and a full-service market. - USD has five national fraternities and seven national sororities. -Compiled by Tamren Johnk

how to... Wear a - Compiled by Tamren Johnk

scarf

For most, Halloween seems like a holiday that kids use as an excuse for a sugar high, but it is actually very controversial in some religions. People who are dedicated Jehovah’s Witnesses do not partake in any Halloween festivities for a few reasons. They believe, in the past, Halloween was a day when the souls of the dead would come back to earth and people would dress up to appease them. Furthermore, Jehovah’s Witnesses practice what they believe is a strict interpretation of the Bible and find Halloween has no scriptural founding. Kelsey Green is a senior at GBHS and a practicing Jehovah’s Witness. On Halloween, the Green family just goes about their routine as usual, treating it like any regular day. “We don’t get many trick-ortreaters, but if we do, we don’t give out candy because then we would be partaking in the festivi-

Church. Bayside celebrates ties,” Green said. As a child, Green never felt like holidays – usually in the form of big crowds, bright lights, and she was missing out on anything loud music – and even puts on a special. Even when her friends Trunk-or-Treat event for kids in would wear their costumes to the community. school, or go out at night, she reTrunk-or-Treat mained strong is similar to trickin her beliefs. We don’t give or-treating in the “My parents sense that everymade sure that out candy beone dresses up and I understood cause then we passes out candy. why I wasn’t celebrating would be partak- The difference is it takes place and I felt that I ing in the festivi- that in the Bayside was doing the ties. right thing,” parking lot, and kids knock on she said. trunk doors of cars However, – Senior Kelsey Green instead of front Green is aware doors of houses. that Halloween Stephanie Shaull has changed is a senior at GBHS and also and is not typically about people very involved with putting on the worshipping the dead. Although event. she still does not agree with or “Bayside puts on Trunk-or-Treat participate in the celebration, she is able to respect the beliefs of because it’s a more positive, and other religions and people who do [it’s a] smaller area for children celebrate. to connect and trick-or-treat in,” Shaull said. On the other side of the reBayside tries to avoid makligious spectrum is Bayside

COUPLES: High school love continues on Continued from page B1 “We supported each other in everything we did,” Pink said. “We had so much fun and some of my greatest memories at (GBHS) were with him.” After dating for over four years, Pink and Anderson relay that they are currently not together after breaking up when Pink left to go back to school in September of 2012. “Being away from each other all the time was hard because sometimes we would barely even know what was going on in each others’ lives,” Pink said. “So mutually (we) decided we needed to not talk for a bit to grow stronger apart before we can be fully together (in a relationship).” Despite their recent break up, they still keep in contact and Anderson feels they still consider themselves best friends. Pink is certain that this isn’t the end for their relationship. “I know we still have a future,” Pink said. “I know, for a fact, I will never find anyone who is going to treat me the way he did or make me feel as happy as he did.” At least one High School Sweetheart pair

has, after graduating from GBHS, gone the full distance as a couple. This past July 14, Jena Grondona and Miles Burris of the graduating class of 2007 were married after over seven years of dating. Jena and Miles Burris were named High School Sweethearts when they were graduating from GBHS and had been dating for over two years. While at GBHS, Jena thought they fit the title but she wasn’t so sure that they would make it all the way to that special day. “I did not expect us to be able to end up getting married because the chances are so rare,” Jena said. “I always hoped that it would happen but I never expected it to.” After gradation, Jena went to Azusa Pacific University to participate in the cheer program while she majored in communications and minored in sports management. Miles went to San Diego State University to play football and study business management. Jena explains that she had hoped to attend SDSU with Miles and a couple of her friends but ended up not getting in. She went to APU but transferred to University of California at Santa Barbara to finish her last two years of schooling because she felt a degree from that college might advance her chances in the job market. “I’m really glad it ended up being the way it was,” Jena said. “(Being at different colleges) just helps you develop as your own person so that you don’t become so dependent on the other person.” However, before they went to pursue their plans in college, Jena and Miles started their

ing any political statements or specific stances because they want to be welcoming to everyone, according to Shaull. Trunk-or-Treat is mainly put on for the safety and enjoyment of the children, not for any religious statement. Bayside feels it is a very familyoriented environment and safer than kids roaming the neighborhood streets by themselves because of the size of the venue and the many chaperones. “Trunk-or-Treat is one way for us to bring some joy and fun to our community by opening up our campus,” Angie Wysocki, Trunkor- Treat coordinator for Bayside, said in an email interview. Although different countries and religions have their separate opinions on Halloween, Americans typically view it as a time for parties, friends, and treats. “I think that (those) who celebrate Halloween celebrate because it has become a family friendly community event,” Green said, “and not because of its origins.”

relationship at GBHS. Jena feels one of the reasons they were able to make their relationship work at GBHS is because they put their friends first. “Friends are so important, so our time at (GBHS) was really awesome because I think we balanced that well,” Jena said. During college, they were physically apart, and sometimes this proved to be a struggle for the couple. “I think that the biggest struggle was that we were both so busy and so…we really had to make an effort to have a chunk of time set apart to really be able to talk on the phone,” Jena said. After exhausting college days, the couple would try to catch up during late night phone calls. However, they would feel frustrated whenever the conversations were not finished. Despite the struggles, they made it through college, and are now on their way to starting a future together. While Miles was drafted to the Oakland Raiders football team this season, Jena is searching out graduate-level schools in order to study marriage and family therapy. Jena attributes the fact that they are going strong as a couple to the element of friendship and communication they have between them. “We both just enjoy each other’s company,” Jena said. “We do really feel like we’re each other’s best friend. We laugh a lot together… and rarely get on each other’s nerves. We work well together.”

MOODS: Change in weather alters temperament Continued from page B8

-Compiled by Lena Eyen Gazette illustration/LENA EYEN

Continued from page B5 – The un-Official SAT practice guide answers: 1. E, 2. B, 3. H, 4. F, 5. D, 6. I, 7. C, 8. G, 9. J, 10. A

The season itself may not be the problem for many students, but the seasonal confinements. “A big reason why I don’t like fall or winter as much as I do summer is school,” said Nasri. “I do not like being locked in a room for six hours. During the summer I have freedom as to when and where I do things.” Spring, on the other hand is its own animal. “(During the spring) I am in a bright, happy (and) transitional mood, wanting change,” Oliver said. Another important component in winter mood swings is the activity level of the GBHS student body. “During the winter I am often indoors, and not as active as I am during the summer,” Nasri said. Many GBHS students also believe that seasonal changes affect their work ethic in school. “When we reach the winter time I see my grades drop because at that point I realize I’m only about half way through the school year,” Nasri said. Whether it is the summer, winter, fall, or spring that is your favorite, one cannot disagree that each season tends to alter frame of mind. “I like all of the seasons,” Nasri said. “I just like some better than the others.”

Gazette illustration/ LENA EYEN

B8 Lifestyle

Friday, October 12, 2012

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Falling into

fall

Adapting to the darker days of seasonal weather change

BY MYLES SLATTERY mslattery.gazette@gmail.

When fall comes around, many Granite Bay High School students realize that the spring in their step is gone and they are falling into a slight depression. For junior Blaise Nasri, winter marks the start of the depressive symptoms. “I can no longer be the happy-go-lucky guy I am because it feels like my brain is telling me it is survival mode time,” Nasri said. As the sun sets at an earlier hour, GBHS students realize that their moods are being altered by the environment. “Winter for me isn’t as enjoyable as summer because everything feels gloomy – all it is is bad weather and school,” senior Sara Howarth said. Another important feature in mood modification due to seasonal change is the attire worn during the fall season. “During the summer I can wear virtually whatever I want, but in the

other seasons I have to wear things I don’t like, (such as) coats and pants,” sophomore Brett Munkdale said. When articles of clothing are layered on, they restrict the sun from reaching the skin, causing a lack of a key vitamin needed for life, vitamin D. According to the Animated Dissection of Anatomy for Medicine Medical Encyclopedia, people who

have little exposure to sunlight, or stay indoors during most sunlit hours may experience vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D is proven to do things such as relieve stress or even reduce body aches. Although this may not seem to have a huge impact on GBHS students, a small nuance such as vitamin D deficiency can be a vital feature relating to seasonal mood swings. While many GBHS students enjoy the summer time over other seasons, some GBHS students thoroughly enjoy winter. “I like winter because of the holidays, the sweatshirts and the food,” Howarth said. For many students, winter is a time to stay indoors and watch movies. “I am in a snuggly, calm mood during the winter, I love cuddling with my dog Louis and watching movies all day,” junior Jennifer Oliver said. Snow activities also play a role in the moods of GBHS students. “One big reason I somewhat enjoy winter is being able to go to Tahoe,” Nasri said. “Snowboarding on weekends brightens my view on my least favorite season.” See MOODS, page B7

Gazette illustration/LENA EYEN

Sports

Granite Bay Gazette

C1 Section

Friday w October 12, 2012

Commentary

Bell triplets dominate their sports From left to right, freshman Liam Bell fights to shoot the ball for a goal, freshman Brigid Bell bumps the return of serve and freshmen Maggie Bell gets ready to run another race

brad wong

brwong.gazette@gmail.com

Division III sports provide a way to keep on playing

s a competitive tennis player, I hope to continue my favorite sport well after high school, starting with college. While I am one of the top players in Northern California, I’m not quite good enough to start for #1 University of Southern California or many of the top Division I schools. For the DI schools I could go to, most of them I have not heard of or are in places that do not interest me one bit. There are students at Granite Bay High School who are stellar athletes and have scholarships to some of the best schools in the nation. But for others, myself included, they don’t have that opportunity. Through my recruiting process with colleges, I’ve found that the perfect balance of sports and academics is offered through Division III athletics. Initially I was wary of playing for a DIII school and skeptical of the quality of its athletics. But I’ve since taken a closer look and realized that many top DIII schools beat DI schools, like Emory University’s recent win over Georgetown in men’s tennis. It can be discouraging to find out that you can’t be an athlete at your dream school, but Division III schools offer an avenue for students to continue their athletics. For me, I could have either played for an average DI college or I can be part of a top ten nationally ranked DIII program that has the chance to win a national title. I probably will not get the same competition in DIII as I would at a DI school, but I would receive something I value more: balance. At a DI school you eat, drink, and sleep your sport, and I admire those who thrive in that intensity. But for those who seek a little more time for their academics, Division III gives you have that option, because you’re a student first. It’s true that DIII athletics are not as strong on a consistent basis as DI, but a lot of the schools are still competitive and can compete at a high caliber. You most likely won’t receive any scholarship or be on the television every week, but you can be part of a truly unique experience that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. I know that there are plenty of students like me who work hard to excel in their sport and may be in a similar situation. From my experience, I’d like GBHS students to realize Division I sports isn’t the end all, that competition does exist in schools other than USC, University of North Carolina and Michigan. If you are like me, the best thing to do is acknowledge there are tradeoffs for deciding one way or another. It’s also important to decide if you’ll be satisfied at that school without the sports. But most importantly, students shouldn’t miss out on playing their sport in college solely because they can’t play in the top tier. Rather, I encourage that people should explore the world of DIII sports so that others can continue to pursue their passions, possibly as one of the best in the country. *** Brad Wong, a senior, is a Gazette sports editor.

Gazette photos / KRISTIN TAYLOR

Siblings Liam, Brigid and Maggie are standout athletes as underclassmen BY JOEY PUHALA

jpuhala.gazette@gmail.com

People claim athleticism runs through genetics, and Granite Bay High School appears to have living proof. Freshman triplets Liam, Brigid, and Maggie Bell have all found athletic success at GBHS in a matter of weeks. “We initially got into sports because our family loves them,” Brigid said. “We really just grew up playing sports because our mom wanted to keep us out of trouble, and then we all just grew to love it.” The Bell triplets got their start with sports at a young age. Since then, they have all tried, and succeeded in, many

different sports. “We first got into sports when we played indoor soccer at age 4 and from there never really stopped,” Maggie said. “Everyone in our family has always been athletic, so I’ve never thought of not being an athlete.” Although involved in many sports over the years, the siblings have come to excel in different individual sports. “Initially yes, being a triplet we all started with the same sports; soccer, tennis, swimming, etc,” Maggie said. “But over the years we have all grown to like different sports.” For GBHS, Maggie runs cross country. Outside of the school however, she plays

Sports Briefs Rising Star

cross country coach. “To make the varsity team as a freshman takes dedication to the training program and the ability to run and race at a higher level,” Kehoe said. “Both of which Maggie has done throughout this cross country season.” It’s clear, however, that Maggie finds playing soccer to be a more exciting teambased sport than Cross Country. “You have to chase a ball and pass to your teammates which gives you more of a purpose to run than just for a time,” Maggie said. Eventually Maggie hopes to follow her

Parents are involved in sports for better or worse Devoted parents make impacts on child’s sport BY KRISTIN KURPERSHOEK kkurpershoek.gazette@gmail.com

Supportive parents watching their kids at the Granite Bay Junior Grizzly football game filled the bleachers at Grant High School, when chaos ensued. The Granite Bay players were involved in a game of survival of the fittest – every time the Grizzlies would try to advance across

the field they would hit a brick wall; or in other words, the other team’s defense. While Granite Bay players were taking some tough hits, the plays were clean, so the referees continued to let it go. Eventually, it became too much for one grandparent in the stands and he gave the refs, the coaches and the other fans a piece of his mind. Granite Bay’s parents attempted to calm him down, but he would not be dissuaded. Eventually, the conflict became physical as one parent tried to subdue the irate grandparent, leading to a wrestling match in the bleachers.

Balancing both sport and school Students make sacrifices in order to maintain a high level of performance BY SUMMER HAENNY

shaenny.gazette@gmail.com

While playing sports at a competitive level can be very helpful to a student athlete by helping them get a scholarship for college, the work required can be very detrimental to school work. Playing at a competitive level takes sacrifices like staying up late to get homework done, or being unable to study for tests.

Natalie Gonzales, a senior, played soccer at the highest level for two years in seventh and eighth grades and is currently playing on a select team. “During the season I had school, went straight to soccer practice for two hours and then came home at almost 8 p.m. many times a week,” Gonzales said.

inside sports Grizz Quiz

competitive soccer and runs club track. “I’ve been playing soccer basically all my life. This is my 11th year with the sport and my 7th year with my comp team Placer United.” When it comes to her involvement with cross country, she owes a lot to the close relationships with her teammates. “For cross country, I love having the team to train with, and at meets everyone supports each other, which helps with the nerves,” Maggie said. “If it wasn’t for my team, I don’t know if I would even continue the sport.” She runs for the varsity cross country team, coached by Carla Kehoe, who has been incredibly successful as the GBHS

Soccer rallies after injury The boys’ soccer team learns to play without their star player, who faces challenges of his own.

See TRIPLETS, page C5 During a home boys’ water polo game, parents spectate their children and show their support

Helicopter parents, those who hover close over their children, are pretty common, especially in the Granite Bay area. Though being involved in their kids’ lives is not necessarily bad, there is a point in which it can be taken too far. Granite Bay High School senior Bryanne Cross is a Junior Grizzly cheer coach and attended the game that began with aggression on the field and ended with parental fighting in the stands. In Cross’s opinion, the Granite Bay boys were taking some tough hits, but she felt that the See PARENTS, page C5

I have definitely lost a lot of sleep by staying up until 2 a.m. in the morning trying to finish work but I don’t think that I would ever stop playing soccer because of it. – Junior Sydney Talmi

See TRADEOFFS, page C5

Gazette photo / KRISTIN TAYLOR

Postseason Push

Boys’ water polo and girls’ tennis are confident of possible section titles BY MADDY HARRIS

mharris.gazette@gmail.com

This fall season for athletics has been going pretty well for boys’ varsity water polo, with a record of 11-7. Going back to last year’s season, the team dropped one game to Woodcreek, leaving their undefeated league record for the past 13 years, broken. However, according to head coach John MacLeane, they have won the Sierra Foothill League title for the past 13 years. As far as the different aspects of

Off Campus Sports Students pursue their athletic passions outside the high school.

the game, MacLeane said,“we are not playing best in any phase of our game.” “There is lots of room for improvement and there always will be,” senior Jack Elinthorpe said. MacLeane predicts that the team will probably win SFL and be number one seed going into the play-offs. This fall, boy’s water polo has played against some of the best schools in the state, including Rocklin, Woodcreek and Nevada Union. See SECTION, page C5

Boys’ Water Polo After a previously disappointing season, the team hopes to work harder for better results.

C2 Sports

Friday, October 12, 2012

The off-campus appeal at GBHS

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Many students play sports not offered through school BY KEVIN BURNS

kburns.gazette@gmail.com

Granite Bay High School offers 23 different on-campus sports for the students. Yet for some, their passion for their sport lies outside of school. The rise in popularity of many nonconventional sports like crew rowing and martial arts has sent teens searching to find the newest athletic experience. Junior Reed Klaeser does crew, a variation of competitive rowing, which is categorized into two styles of rowing. “Sweep rowing is when you have one oar,” Klaeser said, “and skull rowing is with two oars.” Klaeser, who rows both styles, travels every weekday right after school and every Saturday morning to Lake Natoma to work out and practice with his team. “It’s a combination of aerobic and strength (exercises),” Klaeser said,” (and it’s just) like biking; it’s tough”. Crew is a sport mainly played on the East Coast, and became more popular after it was shown in the movie, “The Social Network.” Crew races can range from 500 meters to 160 kilometers, but the standard rowing distance is 2000 meters for Olympic style, and 1000

meters for master’s style. Klaeser said his main event, the 2000 meter race, is very tough and physically demanding especially on his hands. Klaeser played soccer at GBHS during his freshman year, but decided to switch to a sport where he can have more individual gain. When he decided to make this switch, his mom, Lisa Futch, fully support his decision. “Every teenage boy needs to get exercise,” Futch said. “Crew is a great way to do that.” Despite her son’s soccer career at GBHS, she said she thinks crew is the perfect sport for Klaeser. “I wanted to play a sport where I can improve more from effort,” he said. He puts in a lot of effort to get better. Not only is crew a unique after-school sport, but Judo is also gaining fraction at GBHS. Junior Nick Ontiveros does Judo, a form of martial arts. It specifically focuses on Brazilian Ju-Jitsu, which Ontiveros said relates to wrestling. “It’s good exercise,” Ontiveros said. “It doesn’t take up much of your time.” Despite the small time commitment, Judo is a sport that takes a lot of concen-

tration and hard work. “I did previous martial arts (and it helped a lot),” Ontiveros said. “But (Judo) seemed cooler.” He practices in Sacramento two to three times a week and has a tournament on Saturdays every couple of weeks. Both Klaeser and Ontiveros hope that students from GBHS will pursue sports like crew and Judo, concern is whether or not the students at the school will have the same passion for off-campus sports. “It would be awesome to have (a rowing team) at Granite Bay because

we would have more people,” Klaeser said. “More people can push you to do better.” Klaeser said he believes the best way to get students to join crew is to get a crew club, which will show kids how fun it is to be on a team and race against other clubs across Sacramento. Many rowers have tried to do this, and the sport has a growing popularity with high school students. Ontiveros, similarly to Klaeser said it would benefit to have more people try Judo because it is a growing sport and it is best to get experience before.

Boys’ soccer struggling with injuries Varsity team hopes to win its first Div. I title despite absences BY BRAD WONG

brwong.gazette@gmail.com

Many Granite Bay High School soccer fans can remember how impressive it was to watch the Thompson trio dominate the soccer field in recent years. Even with the oldest of the three, Ty, gone, Tanner and Tommy have continued to make a mark on Granite Bay High School soccer. Last year, Tommy Thompson had an impressive 23 goals, nine assists and 55 points. In the few games Thompson has played this season, he has had three assists, three goals, and nine overall points. However, the soccer team will miss Thompson due to a torn left meniscus that will sideline him for the entire high school season. Without one of their best players, the future for the team this year is in question. Despite his absence, the team remains optimistic about their success, especially with an overall record of 11-1-2 and no losses in league so far. “Granite Bay Soccer has a great program with or without me,” Thompson said. “We have

Grizz Quiz

Composed by Hayley McAvoy

What are you dressing up for Halloween?

What’s your favorite candy?

enough key players that have the ability to keep Granite Bay on a winning track.” Along with Tommy being out for the season, his older brother, Tanner, is currently out from games due to a recurring injury. Coach Steve Fischer acknowledges the talent that the team is missing. “We miss both Tommy and Tanner because they contribute heavily to our skill level and add a lot to our scoring punch,” Fischer said. Thompson’s absence has proven to be a learning experience and has pushed the team to come together and work harder to maintain a high caliber team. “The team has really rallied and picked up the slack, the boys win by playing hard and giving more of themselves,” Fischer said. “We have found ourselves having to rely on each other more, instead of having the Thompsons figure so heavily in our results.” Senior Daniel Sedin agrees and believes it is tough to lose such a great player like Tommy, especially since he is a scoring threat every time he has the ball. Sedin has noticed that even with

Jenny Gilbert Girls’ Golf

Thompson’s absence, the team has risen to the occasion and is playing as a more cohesive team. “Everybody has had to step up since Tommy’s injury,” Sedin said. “But players are stepping into their roles and making plays when they need to be made.” This season will prove to be a trying one for the boys’ varsity team; league games and advancing in the playoffs will be much more difficult. Regardless, Fischer and Sedin remain confident in their team’s ability. “This team hates to lose and they play very gritty soccer, we will continue to play with great courage and passion,” Fischer said. While Thompson’s absence will affect the GBHS’ team, it has an even greater effect on Thompson’s future plans in soccer. Currently, Thompson will be out for an estimated six months before being able to play high level games, but can start jogging in around three months. Thompson will still graduate a year early with the class of 2013 and has kept in contact with the University of Indiana coach who has backed Thompson as a player for Hoosiers’ soccer. “It will be a bit of a challenge to get back to top form, but injuries tend to drive athletes to work

Lauren Bonham Girls’ Tennis

Tommy Thompson Senior soccer player is out for the rest of the season with a torn left meniscus.

harder than ever,” Thompson said. “I intend to do just that at Indiana to become a better player than I ever was.” While Thompson’s collegiate path remains mostly unaffected by his injury, his professional goals have changed drastically. Prior to his torn meniscus, Thompson was being scouted by the San Jose Earthquakes and practiced with the first team multiple times, and the organization expressed interest in a possible contract. Now, this opportunity has been put off, but Thompson still aspires to get another chance to play with a top team in Major League Soccer. Despite his challenges thus far and some disappointment in his professional search, Thompson remains resilient. “The harder I work the faster I’ll be back,” Thompson said. “I will do whatever it takes to get back.” possible.”

Kevin Wydler Boys’ Water Polo

Bumble Bee

Mime

I’m too old to trick-ortreat

Candy corn

Dots

3 Musketeers

Spiders

What are you afraid of?

Scary movies

What time do you wake up at?

6:45 a.m.

6 a.m.

7 a.m.

Do you believe in ghosts?

Gazette photo /Kaylyn o’donnell

wWhile GBHS offers a wide variety of sports on-campus, many off-campus sports are an alternative for some students whose passion for their sport is not found at school.

Spiders

Ontiveros said the reason many people do not give Judo a chance because have misconceptions as to what it is. “The best way (to get people to join Judo) is to bring them to the club and show them what it is,” Ontiveros said. “Once they see it, they will be interested.” Both the athletes hope that more students will join so they are able to see that there is more than meets the eye. “I just wish that more people would give crew a chance,” Klaeser said. “They really don’t know what they are missing out on.”

SPORTS BRIEFS Girls’ Volleyball w Senior Chandler Awalt led the team with eight kills against their 3-0 victory against Woodcreek High School

wSenior Trent Brendel finsished second place among all athletes who ran Girls’ Water Polo wSophomore Kat Conen scored half of the team’s goals against Oak Ridge High School in its narrow 8-7 victory

Football w Senior quarterback Grant Caraway threw 190 yards in the Homecoming game against Lincoln High School w Senior rushing back John Cooley ran for 85 yards in that same game

Boys’ Water Polo wThe team is undefeated in league, led by seniors Max Vigeant and Nathan Pinkney who have scored 59 and 49 goals, respectively

Boys’ Soccer w Senior Austin Ketchersid leads the team in goal scoring with a total of nine, trailed by junior Felipe Zegarra Cross Country w The boys’ team took 8th place for Division II teams at the Clovis Invatational last weekend

Kat Conen Girls’ Water Polo

-Compiled by Austin Downs

Joey Scotti Boys’ Soccer

Kitty “kat”

Superman

Sour Patch Kids

Swedish fish

Spiders and clowns

Homework

6 a.m.

7 a.m.

Friday, October 12, 2012

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Getting involved is easy for Tribe member BY SUMMER HAENY

shaeny.gazette@gmail.com

Almost every Friday night, hundreds of Granite Bay High School students dress up in signature Tribe t-shirts and walk into the football stadium planning to cheer their team to victory. Sami Perry has always been a familiar face among this crowd. She became involved in GBHS sports during her freshman year when she joined the volleyball team. She is now a senior playing on the Varsity Girl’s Volleyball team for her third year. Perry first joined The Tribe, a student-run fan section, last year as a junior. She became more involved with her work in Tim Healy’s sport culture class. Because Healy is the GBHS Athletic Director, Perry was able to work behind the scenes for The Tribe. “We helped design the t-shirts and set up the tailgates,” Perry said.

The tailgates go on before most of the home games in the main parking lot, where fans are able to eat and paint their faces in preparation for the big game. Even though her Sports Culture class pushed her to get involved, her friends also kept her encouraged. “Some of my friends are the main leaders in The Tribe,” Perry said. “After the first game, it was really fun to get everyone pumped up, so we just kept on doing it.” A common sign of a Tribe member is face paint. Almost everybody in The Tribe paints their faces in some green, white, black or silver color. “(Face-painting) gets everybody pumped up,” Perry said. “And it’s re-

ally fun to do it.” Perry says that it is really important that everybody, including underclassmen and new students, are involved in The Tribe to look like a big crowd who is showing as much school spirit as possible for when we face opponents. Perry eventually wants everybody at GBHS to be a part of The Tribe. “Everyone should be in it and everyone should cheer on our sports, while keeping (the cheers) appropriate, clean and legal,” Perry said. “But still really fun and still really loud.”

She explains that, although the Tribe works to include everyone, some people might feel left out. “Everyone in the Tribe wants more people to come to every game and support our teams,” Perry said. “No matter how old you are, it’s a great way to be involved.” Perry said that one of the main things that The Tribe should work on is having its members come out to all of the sports events at GBHS. She says that increasing the fan base will show the athletes that they are “important to the community.” “The Tribe attends football games regularly, but I hope that they will be at basketball, soccer, volleyball and all other games too.” Perry believes that a strong fan base with a lot of spirit means a better performance for GBHS sports. “I think that they do better and they always seem to want us to come out and have a big crowd,” Perry said.

Sports C3

Photo Credit/SAMI PERRY

Sami Perry (far right), Brittany Roe and Naveen Chawi show off their painted hands.

Boys’ water polo recovers from last season Returning players could help win league title

Clovis did the opposite. “It was two completely different halves,” he said. This smudge on the boys’ record It’s the boys’ championship is pale in game in the compariWoodcreek son to the tournament. nearly Grizzlies are undefeated up 5-1 after We have to step is league the first quarup because there are record for ter against Clovis North. harder teams in play- 12 years With 20 offs...and to compete which was only seconds remainat that level, you have broken for game ing in the to be able to flip that one last season game, Clovis switch. against North scores, Woodputting the creek. game to a 9-9 – Brett Pinkney, senior Water “I tie, forcing Polo player learned sudden death (… )to be overtime. wary of exGrizzlies pectations win possesbecause we sion, but fail were never to score on expected to lose a league game their first attempt. Clovis North last year, but we did,” coach John counterattacks and puts the ball in Macleane said. the net. Another disappointment from The Grizzlies fail to win the last year was the failure for the Woodcreek tournament for the boys to make it to the section first time in seven years. championship game. For Ma“We got up by so much at half cleane, last year was his first time time so instead of continuing ever attending the Division II playing and attacking we were boys’ section championship game just trying to hold them,” senior as a spectator, not as a coach. Jack Ellinthorpe said. “We were “We’re not doing quite as well on our heels.” as we have been doing in the past This sense of hesitation on couple years,” Macleane said. offense was also noted by some “Which is strange because we of the parent spectators. Brett have a pretty good team this year, Pinkney noticed how the Grizzlies became less aggressive while it’s just the rest of the teams in the BY HALEY MCAVOY

hmcavoy.gazette@gmail.

area have come up to our level.” Now this year, in Division I, Macleane hopes to win all of their league and playoff games, and then to play in the section championship game where they would, undoubtedly, play Davis. “(This year) we have a lot of people who have more experience playing actual water polo and that have been playing together for longer,” Ellinthorpe said. Only two of the starting players from last year had graduated, leaving the majority of the starting line-up free from change. Those returning players include sophomore Alek Dendell and seniors Nathan Pinkney, Jack Ellinthorpe and Max Vigeant. “(Those) are the four players that would start on any team in the section,” Macleane said. “They are solid players.” However, the Grizzlies’ bench isn’t the deepest. Meaning that they don’t have a wide range of skill for the substitutes. If he were to have to substitute one of his four key players, it would be a huge detriment. “The good news is we have some outstanding players on the team,” he said. “But the bad news is we don’t have a deep bench so those players have to ‘ironman’ it and play most, if not the entire game.” This, in Macleane’s opinion was the biggest fall out of the Woodcreek tournament. The boys’ had just come off a week of “absolutely insane conditioning.” So that by the sixth day of conditioning,

then going into a tournament, their starting players were completely worn out. This, combined with the lack of intensity in the second half, is what cheated the Grizzlies out of their 8th consecutive tournament championship.

pretty easily,” Macleane said. Though they are currently number one in league with a 5-0 league record, he is still very wary to believe that the league title is theirs, since the fallout last year against Woodcreek. Playoffs are where their real season begins. “I definitely think they’ll make the playPinkney said. “I learned to be wary offs,” “But once we get there, everything changes.” of expectations be“We have to step it up cause we were never because there are harder expected to lose a teams in playoffs than are in league and league game last year, there to compete at that level, but we did. you have to be able to flip that switch.” This year the Griz– Coach John Macleane, Varzlies will be competing sity Boy’s Water Polo in Division I for the first time. “I think we should be in the section championship game. If we are not then we have underperformed this Since then, the players have been year,” Macleane said. focusing more on “playing power In Macleane’s opinion, they water polo” according to junior would be the underdogs in the Chase Cooper. championship game against Davis. This is simply defined as being “Towards the end of the season, aggressive and becoming a threat ( players are determined) more by offensively. the desire to win and not as much “We either have some really talent,” Ellinthorpe said. “As of experienced players or some renow most of us do (have that ally inexperienced players,” Eldesire), there are just a couple that linthorpe said. “(The experienced haven’t jumped on the train yet, players) need to help (the inexpebut they will.” rienced ones) and have the team “We have a lot more potential function as a unit.” it’s just a matter of how to work “We’re obviously dominating our towards that and work together as league games and winning those a team.”

Sophomore moves up to the varsity level Outside hitter branches out to step up her game BY AMBER LES

ales.gazette@gmail.com

Many senior and junior athletes at Granite Bay High School remember a time when, as underclassmen, they watched and waited to have their chance to play at the Varsity level. For sophomore Brooke Hershberger, that opportunity came early. “One day during a summer practice, I was asked to play on the Varsity court,” Hershberger said. “And I’ve stayed (on that court) ever since.” Jamie Ingram, the Varsity volleyball coach, felt that Hershberger would have “long term success” playing at a higher level. “We knew she had a lot to contribute to help better the entire team,” Ingram said. It turns out that Hershberger has been lending her talents to many teams since she started volleyball in the fifth grade. She continues to play

for a club team. “I’ve played for the Power League for six years now,” she said. “(My teams) made it to the Junior Olympics three times.” The outside hitter, now competing with other girls for positions on the court, has been working on other skills as well to improve her game. “She’s been working on her right side play as well as setting,” Ingram said. “She’s a very hard worker and puts her best effort into anything she does.” Caitlyn Hurley, a junior on the Varsity volleyball team, can “easily see (Hershberger) as a setter”. “(Hershberger) understands the game in both the mental and physical aspects,” Hurley said. So far this season, the volleyball team has an exceptional record of 23 wins and only three losses.

“I hope we make it to championships,” Hershberger said. Whether or not her hopes come true, Hershberger’s team is proving to admire the young athlete. “(Hershberger) is by far the most positive person I’ve ever met,” Hurley said. “She’s so energetic and it definitely helps the team.” Hershberger’s teammates and coaches observe the hard work and training that she puts into practices and games. But how does she compare to the older girls she plays against? “The SFL has proven to be a very young league,” Ingram said. “The teams she is playing are mostly made up of girls she plays with and against during her club season.” Hershberger says that she has “bonded” with her teammates, and has fun with them on and off the court. “I’ll just have to wait and see what happens with my future with volleyball,” she said. Hurley thinks otherwise. “(Hershberger) is a great volleyball player, and she’s only a sophomore,” Hurley said. “If she’s this talented already, her future with the sport could be amazing.”

Senior excels on defense BY MADDY HARRIS

mharris.gazette@gmail.com

Charlie Gunn, current starting defender for Granite Bay High’sVarsity Soccer team, shares his story of his rise to success. His parents began his soccer career when he was young. Charlie said that his parents wanted him to start a sport so they “wouldn’t have to take care of me for an hour”. He explains that his parents thought it was good to teach him about having responsibility and the skills to be able to work well with others. Soccer was the opportunity to teach him both. Although Gunn played other sports in fifth grade, he quit them in order to focus on soccer,. “I liked soccer more because I was better at it,” Gunn said. Fast-forward to high school, Gunn now starts as a right defensive back for the Varsity team. When it comes to his future in soccer, his plan is to tryout for college teams. “If I don’t make the cut, then I will still play on a club or intramural team in college.” Gunn said. At some point in college, he would like to coach a youth kids team. “When I have a family, I really would like to coach for my child’s team,” he said. His biggest strength is that he works well with others and he tries very hard to improve at every aspect of the game. “Practice makes perfect,” Gunn said. He also wants to “work on getting in better shape” and running outside of practice. Besides soccer, he mostly played recreational sports when he was a child including basketball, baseball, track and cross country.

Gazette photo /kaylyn O’DONNELL

Brooke Hershberger winds up before serving the ball.

Gazette photo /kaylyn o’donnell

Charlie Gunn works on his skills in practice.

C4 Sports

Friday, October 12, 2012

w The Granite Bay Gazette

Friday, October 12, 2012

w The Granite Bay Gazette

TRIPLETS: Triple threat in form of freshmen Continued from page C1

sports through to the collegiate level and beyond. “I’d love to go pro in either sport,” Maggie said. “And although it’s a select few that make it that far, with a lot of work hopefully someday that can be me.” When it comes to activities besides sports, the Bell triplets try to focus and keep up with their school. “My parents are always really supportive in whatever activities

we choose as long as they think we aren’t too overwhelmed or making our grades suffer,” Maggie said. “In our house the number one rule is that academics always come first.” “Maggie is a well-balanced student athlete that manages her school work, cross country, soccer and other activities very well,” Kehoe said. “I believe her balanced approach to her various activities contributes to her success. Her work ethics have propelled her into becoming a focused student

athletic who works hard to achieve her goals.” Liam, the male of the triplets, is on the varsity boy’s water polo team, an accomplishment not many underclassmen are able to achieve. “I’m the only freshman on varsity,” Liam said. “I’m definitely thought of as younger, but I’m not treated insanely different.” Like his sisters, Liam played many sports before settling on water polo. “I played soccer as a kid and

TRADEOFFS: Athletes

find it difficult to balance athletics with schoolwork

Continued from page C1

“My homework kept on piling up and because I would be doing it late at night and I barely got any sleep and I was tired and I couldn’t focus,” Gonzales said. Gonzales wasn’t the only one who felt the strain of practice wearing on her. Many students who play sports at a competitive level say that due to rigorous practices their grades have slipped. Sydney Talmi, a sophomore, has been playing competitive soccer since she was nine. Despite Talmi’s heavy schoolwork, including many AP and Honors classes, she will always love soccer. “I have definitely lost a lot of sleep by staying up until 2 a.m. in the morning trying to finish work but I don’t think that I would ever stop playing soccer because of it,” Talmi said. The travel schedule of competitive sports is very grueling and stressful for many athletes, even as far as New Jersey

in Talmi’s case. Because of the rigorous travel schedule competitive athletes have, they are able to be scouted by many out-of-state schools. Club volleyball is another way for students to refine their skills outside the school team. Junior Kate Hurley has been playing club volleyball for almost seven years since the age of ten. Club volleyball is a very rigorous program causing players like Hurley to miss large amounts of school. “Out of a three month time period I missed like three weeks of school added up,” Hurley said. Normally a three day tournament requires an athlete to miss at least two days of school plus the entire weekend. After the tournament is done on Sunday night, the student can be too tired to drive home, let alone go to school the next day. Because of

again in 6th grade.” Liam said. “I also played tennis in 6th grade, and I currently swim. I ran cross country in 7th grade and played volleyball in both 7th and 8th grade.” Liam has played water polo for the past five years, and finds the games to be the favorite part of the sport. “Conditioning is fun, but games are the best,” Liam said. “Within games, defense is my favorite.” Prior to playing for GBHS, Liam played for American River Water

Kate Hurley Hurley realizes the academic sacrifices necessary to be a club volleyball player.

their exhaustion, they sometimes are unfocused at school or miss the day entirely. Because volleyball has Hurley practicing three hours every other day each week, she feels the wear on her academics. “During club volleyball season it is hard (to do homework) because you have to maintain being in good shape,” Hurley said. Sometimes all of the weekend tournaments pay off. Junior Taylor Nelson has had a fair share of tournament experience and has already committed to play volleyball for California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo after she graduates from GBHS. “(Volleyball) is really important,” Nelson said. “I have been playing since I was ten so it is kind of my life.” Playing at a college prospect level isn’t pure fun for everyone and sometimes academics take a backseat role.

Polo Club, a club team in Sacramento. “I love playing water polo,” Liam said. “I cannot imagine doing anything else.” After high school, Liam plans on continuing his sport in college. “Ideally, yes, I will play in college,” Liam said. “But that’s so far away that I’m just planning on enjoying high school for now.” Brigid, the third triplet, shares the same pattern of staring sports at a young age and perusing various sports over the years.

Sports C5

“I’ve played competitive tennis, I am still playing soccer, I swam on and off, and I ski and snowboard,” Brigid said. Currently, she plays volleyball on GBHS’s girls’ volleyball team. “My favorite part of playing volleyball is definitely the closeness of the sport.” Brigid said. “It’s almost like having a second family.” It seems from the extraordinary progress from Liam, Maggie and Brigid, GBHS will be witness to another trio powerhouse.

SECTION: A preview of possible section winners Continued from page C1 Because of this commitment to play difficult schools, the team firmly believes that to be great, they have to play great. Playing many of these tough schools could be the cause of the seven losses in boy’s water polo. “We’ve always gone out of our way to play the very best teams in the state.” MacLeane said. Even though they have lost a few games, Elinthorpe feels that the team is still a lot of fun. Upcoming games for boy’s water polo in Oct. 16 and 17, at 3:30 p.m. on the pool deck. The girls’ tennis team is another GBHS sport that has been flourishing since the beginning of the season. According to Coach Rory Wood, Kammy Kecki and Chloe and Lily Forlini have put an enormous amount of dedication into the team. Varsity tennis players Chloe and Lily Forlini say the season is going well and that the team has good depth. Starting off this tennis season the girl’s record is 4-0. Their tennis section and regional matches are next month and the Forlinis hope they will be even more successful when the time comes. Woods also believes to become DI

champions, they must improve, especially in their doubles. The only losses that the team has encountered as of right now are in the Fresno tournament against Southern California and Bay Area teams. The Forlini twins agreed that the toughest team they have encountered was into Bay Area team, Saratoga High School, in a tournament this past weekend. Junior Haley Lederer has strong faith in her team and sees a bright future for the rest of the season. “We’ve been playing better than we ever have,” Lederer said. All three of these players share the consensus that there is a lot of talent and wide range of abilities on this year’s team. While the Sierra Foothill League usually presents competition for the girls’ team, this team stands above the rest. Lederer says Del Oro High School is usually there rival, but GBHS swept them in a convincing 9-0 victory. A big part of their success could be attributed to the fact that the season has progressed without any injured players. As far as the future for the girl’s tennis team, Woods says that unless something disastrous happens, they should be going to sections. So far, the Lady Grizzlies’ tennis team is confident to repeat as section champions.

PARENTS: Hovering parents of athletes

can be the cause of success or failure Continued from page C1

refs were calling a fair game. She was stunned when the man in the bleachers started yelling and would not stop until physically forced to do so. “I think he took it a little bit too far,” Cross said. “It was really inappropriate.” Moreover, the Junior Grizzly players all witnessed how the situation was handled. Cross thinks that how the grandparent expressed his opinion and the eventual brawl was not the best way to handle what was going on down on the field. “I thought it was really irresponsible, and he really set a bad example for the kids because they are only sixth and seventh graders,” Cross said. GBHS boys’ varsity soccer coach, Steve Fischer, also believes that how parents handle themselves greatly impacts how their children will handle their own difficult situations when the time comes. Fischer saw this play out with Kyle Howarth, alum and member of many championship GBHS sports teams. Fischer recalls How-

arth’s family as being extremely supportive – always making an effort to attend his soccer games regardless of weather, distance or time. However, the Howarth family faced a hardship when Kyle’s dad lost his job. Although he found a new job soon thereafter, Fischer thinks that the way he handled that experience was testament to his character. By persevering, remaining optimistic and working hard, he set an admirable example for his son. “I think Kyle probably learned more about life when his dad was going through a tough time than he ever did in winning multiple championships here at Granite Bay,” Fischer said. Fischer thinks it is his job to coach his soccer team, and the parents’ role is to support their kids. He believes parents in the Granite Bay community are more involved than most with their kids’ lives in terms of who they are spending time with, education, and sports. As a teacher as well as a coach, he appreciates the involvement of the parents because they ensure that their student-athletes are

ready for class, practices, and games. But according to Fischer, this is a double-edged sword. Oftentimes, the parents get so wrapped up that they try to do everything for their kid and the child never learns how to do it own their own. More importantly, they never learn how to fail. “Sometimes (the parents) need to let their kids suffer the punishment of bad choices (…) sometimes they need to let their kids get into trouble,” Fischer said. Although helicopter parents may think they know what is best for their kids, they may be setting them up for failure in the long run. It is better for kids to try something and be unsuccessful now, when they are still young, so that they know how to react and how to handle it later in life, according to Natalie Elkin, GBHS Advanced Placement Psychology teacher. Learning how to fail is actually a necessary skill, and kids can only develop it if their parents step away and let them make their own mistakes and face the consequences.

granitebaytoday.org

“It’s an important skill that a lot of kids don’t necessarily get because a lot of parents are trying to protect them and make every experience a super positive one,” Elkin said. Oftentimes, helicopter parents place a lot of pressure on their children. Moreover, kids naturally want to make their parents proud and parent approval is usually very important. However, it is just as crucial for adolescents to try new hobbies and explore what interest them, not their parents. “I think if pleasing the parent and making the parent happy is the primary reason, then (kids) will struggle with their own motivation later on,” Elkin said. Although there are cases in which over-involved parents can go overboard, they ultimately have good intentions. They just want their kids to grow up happy and successful, even if they sometimes go about it the wrong way. “I feel like helicopter parents are getting a bad rep,” Elkin said. “It’s important to look at the (environmental and societal) factors as to why parents are becoming this way as opposed to just judging them for being too involved.”

Gazette photo /KRISTIN TAYLOR

While the term helicopter parents has a negative connotation, they show the backing necessary to help their child succeed and can contribute to their growth not just as an athlete, but as a person.

C6 Sports

Friday October 12, 2012

w The Granite Bay Gazette

AT A GLANCE

Stats at a Glance Football Upcoming Games: w10/12 @ Rocklin w10/19 vs. Del Oro w10/26 @ Woodcreek w11/2 @ Nevada Union Record as of 10/4/12: 2-3 “I think our team will have success the rest of the season,” Kevin Blank said.

Gazette photo /kristin taylor

Girls’ Water Polo Upcoming Games: w10/16 vs. Woodcreek w10/18 vs. Nevada Union w10/23 @ Rio Americano w10/25 @ Bear River Record as of 10/4/12: 11-5 “We have a lot potential and we are getting better each and every game,” Haley McAvoy said.

Boys’ Water Polo

Junior Hannah Davis, above, keeps the ball out of reach from her Del Oro opponent during the girls’ water polo game on Sept. 13. Left, junior Dominic Scotti takes a corner kick at the Oct. 2 game, booting the ball into Del Oro’s goal box for a scoring oppotunity. Below left, football coach Chet Dickson advises his players about the next play at the Homecoming game against Lincoln of Stockton on Sept. 28. Trying to make out the tennis ball through blinding sunlight, freshman Annelis DeMarco readies herself in a match against Del Oro on Sept. 27, below right. Far below, junior Keenan Koukol prepares to shoot the ball at the Roseville goalie on Sept. 27.

Upcoming Games: w10/16 @ Woodcreek w10/17 @ Roseville w10/18 vs. Nevada Union w10/23 @ Rio Americano Record as of 10/4/12: 12-4 “We hope to take the SFL and finish in the top three in Sections,” Coach John MacLeane said.

Boys’ Soccer Upcoming Games: w10/16 vs. Woodcreek w10/18 @ Del Oro w10/23 vs. Rocklin Record as of 10/4/12: 12-2-1 Gazette photo /kristin taylor

“We’re going to try to capture the first D1 title in Granite Bay history,” Daniel Sedin said.

Girls’ Volleyball Upcoming Games: w10/13 vs. Vista Del Lago w10/17 @ Rosville w10/22 vs. Nevada Union w10/24 @ Woodcreek Record as of 10/4/12: 23-3 “Our team is doing well together,” Coach Jamie Ingram said.

Gazette photo /kristin taylor

Gazette photo /luke chirbas

Girls’ Tennis Upcoming Matches: w9/18 vs. Roseville w9/20 @ Nevada Union w9/25 @ Woodcreek w9/27 @ Roseville

Cross Country Upcoming Meets: w9/29 Stanford Invitational w10/3 SFL #2 w10/6 Clovis Invitational

Gazette photo /kristin taylor

green screen. The Gazetteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s art and entertainment guide October 2012

fall

in love with

fashion Page 10-11

Haunted house gore galore Page 13

Best Dressed for Homecoming Week Page 20

Page 2

Page 3

SUNDAY

Page 4&5 Page 6&7

Top Student Expenses

Page 10&11 Fall Fashion

Page 14&15 Halloween Costumes

Page 16

Film Remakes

Page 17

Fall Season TV Preview

Page 18&19 Movie reviews

Page 20

Homecoming best dressed

FRIDAY

MIDTERMS

PSAT

Halloween!

SATURDAY

Blood Drive

b u D

november

SAT @ GBHS

Not-so-Reality TV

Fall Traditions Local Haunted Houses

THURSDAY

Gazette illustrations/EMMA GRACYK

Page 12 Page 13

WEDNESDAY

GBHS Student Garage Bands

Page 8

TUESDAY

october 10

Music reviews

Food reviews: Italian Food

MONDAY

In this Issue

October 2012

calendar.

Reality TV shows seem to taint the television world

f you knew me well, you would know that many aspects of pop culture annoy me. A lot. However, there is one that rises above the rest to a level of stupidity that I cannot comprehend, and that is reality TV shows. I don’t know why or how this trend started, but it should be put to an end now. I remember back in the seventh grade when I heard about a show called “Jersey Shore”. I asked someone to explain the show to me and was confused to learn that it was just a bunch of unemployed, over-the-top New Jersey people that shared a house and went out clubbing every night. Really? I didn’t understand why someone would want to watch a program like that, but I didn’t really despise reality TV until last year, when I came home from school to find my sisters watching the “Real Housewives of New Jersey.” The sheer stupidity of that show bothers me somewhere deep down inside. It is needless to say that I was infuriated with my sisters and asked them why they would ever watch a show like that. “Because it’s funny,” they said. That is why most reality TV watchers claim they watch their shows, but I disagree. Shows like “Seinfeld”, “The Office” and “Community” are funny, not “Real Housewives”. I also can’t help but shudder when I see traces of reality TV in the way my sisters act or the things they say. The fact that people look up to the actors on reality TV shows as examples of normal behavior upsets me. Just when I thought it could not get any worse, three words forever tainted my television. “Honey-Boo-Boo.” This reality show about self-proclaimed rednecks who spend their days playing with their stomach fat and rolling around in the

Commentary

jonah poczobutt jpoczobutt.gazette@gmail.com

mud has taken over my living room and has me living in fear of what TV producers will come up with next. Is it too much of a stretch to say that shows like this may be lowering their viewers’ IQ? Maybe not. Every time I see even a part of an episode of Jersey Shore, I can feel the brain cells asking “Why?!” as they jump off a cliff. As new shows come and go the plot or cast never gets better. I always feel dumb watching them. Hopefully by the time the next big reality TV show comes along to topple “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” as the most superficial show on television, I will be safely away at college; far from my living room TV. But until then, I will continue to profess the ignorance and unnecessary nature of reality TV shows unless they cease to exist.

October 2012

Page 3

music.

G-Eazy Must Be Nice BY MEGAN HANSEN

mhansen.gazette@gmail.com

ndependent rapper and songwriter G-Eazy’s new album, Must Be Nice, is a carefully crafted push toward maturity for the artist, featuring hip-hop music that sets itself apart with ‘50s- and ‘60s-inspired hooks and smooth beats. While maintaining his James Deanesque persona, G-Eazy has produced an album that reveals his serious side. While it is not necessarily astute or ground-breaking social commentary, G-Eazy does address the struggles and stress of following his dreams, introducing an element of relatability that was not previously present in his music. However, his frequent use of

ethereal female vocals is still present throughout the album, serving to soften tracks and provide a break for listeners. The title track, “Must Be Nice,” discusses economic challenges and briefly alludes to the Occupy Wall Street movement. This serious subject matter is a clear deviation from G-Eazy’s typical themes of parties and women. Unfortunately, it does not have any real depth to it-“Hello” explores a similar theme-the challenges of producing music independently. In “Breathe,” G-Eazy’s usual confidence is present in his fast-paced verses, although his rhymes are not entirely impressive. The outro of this song compensates for its lack of originality.

The uniqueness of this artist’s style can be heard best in “Mad” and Marilyn,” both containing female vocal hooks with retro sounds. “Marilyn” stands out from the rest of the tracks with lyrics that express a complexity of emotions and discuss realistic relationships not present in the other songs. This definitely comes across as the most genuine track on the album. G-Eazy has created a large body of work and while his fifth album is not entirely perfect, the music is clear evidence that this artist is learning and evolving. There is definite passion and creativity put into each track, culminating in a strong album overall. This growth and experimentation predicates future success for G-Eazy.

G-EAZY

Must Be Nice by G-Eazy was released on Sept. 26.

A-

Skip to: Marilyn

Mumford & Sons Babel

M MARKUS DRAVS

Babel by Mumford & Sons was released on Sept. 25.

Skip to: Babel

BY CHASE EVANS

cevans.gazette@gmail.com

umford and Sons broke out onto the popular music scene in 2011 with the album Sigh No More. With their new album, Babel, Mumford and Sons is seeking to come back into the popular music spotlight. There was a lot of speculation concerning the Babel pre-release. Many bands, such as Kings of Leon, the Cold War Kids and others who stumbled across fame similar to the way that Mumford and Sons did, have produced poor follow-up albums. The album exceeded my expectations and rivaled that of their hit album, Sigh No More. The upbeat, banjo-laden hits of Mumford and Sons’ past are still present in Babel accompanied by more acoustic, subtle tunes in contrast.

The first song off the album- the album’s namesake- is vintage Mumford and Sons with a fast chorus that initiates the will to sing along. “Babel” is my favorite of the songs on the album. It meshes the upbeat chorus and bridge with a soft, beautiful verse in a way that only Mumford and Sons has been able to do. This song is followed up by my least favorite of the songs on the album, “Whispers in the Dark.” Lead singer Marcus Mumford is a great lyricist, and it is shown clearly in this album, as well as in his previous albums. However, the lyrics of “Whispers in the Dark” are poor at best. They are close to nonsensical babbling about “missing his only chance.” This song is made redeemable, because the music behind it is as great as the rest of the album.

Songs that follow, such as “I Will Wait,” will be hits on the radio before no time and are some of my favorite songs. Through the many albums I have listened to, I typically hear one, maybe two, songs that I really enjoy and add to my mixplaylist; however, this album has many songs that I have fallen in love with. Soft ballads not seen before in recent Mumford and Sons albums, such as “Reminder,” are beautiful and really showcase Marcus Mumford’s amazing voice and lyrics. The decision to feature the banjo more subtly and in moderation will make this album more popular, while still retaining the classic style that Mumford and Sons has. Babel was a wonderful surprise. So many follow-up albums are typically much worse than the previous ones; however, Babel proves this stereotype wrong.

Green Day ¡UNO!

BY THOMAS TAYLOR

ttaylor.gazette@gmail.com

consider myself one of the world’s biggest Green Day fans. I own all of their albums, and I have loved their punkrock style since I was about 10. Therefore it depresses me greatly to say that the best word to describe Green Day’s new album ¡Uno! is: mediocre. At heart, ¡Uno! is still a Green Day album. Some of the songs are recognizable to the masses who only took interest in Green Day when American Idiot was released, and others go back even further to the band’s main and incredible roots — albums like Nimrod and the holy grail of every album ever, Dookie. Unfortunately, the scourge that is poppunk has tainted the songs that hearken

back to American Idiot. What’s worse is that the band did not even succeed at executing a somewhat satisfying pop-punk sound. Instead, what they ended up with was a pile of average, worthless dribble that is offensive to those who remember how marvelous this band once was. One of two redeemable songs from this pop-punk amalgamation is “Kill the DJ.” This song had my blood pumping with its less-than-creative chorus, ordering the death of a DJ playing bad music. “Kill the DJ” has the bare elements of the anti-establishment and anti-George Bush fury that was American Idiot. Other songs, like “Oh Love,” were weak attempts to return to the sound of the band’s previous albums. Instead, all these songs did was try to satisfy mainstream audiences in

effort to be played on radio stations. In that sense, “Oh Love” is similar to “Wake Me Up When September Ends,” but that is where the comparison to good songs ends. “Nuclear Family” is the only other song on the album that I would consider to be a decent attempt at hitting the mark of a punkrock band trying to go back to its roots. The song is quick, angry and filled to the brim with angst. “Kill the DJ,” and, to a lesser extent, “Nuclear Family,” are the last surviving bastions of what Green Day once was. The rest of the album is overflowing with halfbaked aspirations of an aging band that tried to tap its roots for one more glorious album. Unfortunately, ¡Uno¡ is just the first in a trilogy, and I am not looking forward to the following two albums.

REPRISE RECORDS

¡UNO! by Green Day was released on Sept. 24.

Skip to: Kill the DJ

Page 4

October 2012

listen

T he Batt le of

The Bands GBHS musicians launch bands and take off

Courtasy photo /CALVIN CARTANO

October 2012

Page 5

up.

BY ALEXA ZOGOPOULOS

azogopoulos.gazette@gmail.com

nce upon a time, years and years ago, many current Granite Bay High School students dreamed of being in a band with their best friends in high school and competing in “Battle of the Bands” competitions or recording demos like the teen characters did in their favorite movies. Though the majority of GBHS students have since given up on their “rock band dream,” some have made it a fun part of their reality. Three student garage bands at Granite Bay High— “Stereo Ecstasy,” “American Samurai” and “Roses for Lions”— entertain themselves, their friends, family and fans with their original music at local shows and with their online demos. “We’ve written about ten original songs so far and have gotten to perform them,” said Reid Bartlett, the lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist for Stereo Ecstasy. Bartlett is joined by fellow seniors David Zavesky, Lorenzo Burgos and Andrew Thacker in Stereo Ecstasy, its self-recorded, self-titled album was released on the band’s Facebook page on Oct. 9. “We’re kind of like a blend of alternative rock and late ‘60s, psychedelic rock,” said Bartlett. With being busy recording and having a few line-up changes in the band, Stereo Ecstasy has not been able to play at multiple venues yet, but they plan on performing more as soon as possible. “The only place we’ve currently performed at is Club Retro,” said Bartlett, “because we haven’t been in our current line-up for that long.” However, the performances Stereo Ecstasy has done at local venue Club Retro so far have had impressive turn-outs and were great opportunities for the band to have their music heard by more members of the community. Another student garage band that has gotten the chance to showcase their talent is American Samurai. “(We’ve played in) various places in Japan when we lived there, around here a little bit, and in New York,” said Johannes Carpenter of American Samurai. Carpenter, a senior, is in Ameri-

Courtesy photos 3 /CALVIN CARTANO

“Roses for Lions’s” senior Zak Lilley and graduates Nick Badal and Nick Jones perform an original song, top left. Very focused, Badal, top right, plays his drum set. Lilley and Jones strum their electric guitars, bottom right. “American Samurai” brothers senior Johannes, sophomore Raphael and eighth grader Gabe Carpenter create harmonies, bottom right.

Gazette photo /Alexa Zogopoulos

can Samurai with his younger brothers Raphael, a sophomore at GBHS, and Gabe, an eighth grader. “(We play) experimental artrock… (And) we’re mostly an original band,” said Carpenter. Though American Samurai does not yet have a released album, they are working on changing that—even though that will mean less time to perform for public audiences. “We’re currently recording stuff right now so we’re laying back on shows,” said Carpenter. “But we’ll probably start booking after we finish.” Roses for Lions has also been working on recording an album for their fans on Facebook to enjoy and hopefully share with their friends. “We are in the process of

recording right now,” said Zak Lilley. Lilley is in Roses for Lions with GBHS graduates Nick Jones and Nick Badal. “We play alternative rock and almost all original songs,” said Lilley, “And our rehearsing usually takes around three hours every Sunday.” All these students put a lot of time and effort into their bands, and some hope to continue with music long past high school. “I’m definitely looking to integrate music into my career somehow,” said Bartlett. “Whether it be in a band or to be solo.” Others, like Lilley, simply play for the joy of it, and without the hopes of someday becoming professional musicians. “It’s just for fun,” said Lilley,

“I don’t really want to have a career out of it.” Some teachers can even reflect on the fun they had in their own high school bands back in the good ol’ days. Kyle Holmes, the drama and sports journalism teacher at GBHS, fondly remembers being in a student garage band. “I was a senior in high school and our band name was CHP,” said Holmes. “It was a threepiece band…and I played guitar and sang…I was the lead man.” Holmes still continues to play guitar as a hobby when he’s not busy teaching. “We played a lot of alternative rock and classic rock stuff… and we got first place in our high school ‘Battle of the Bands’ competition.” CHP was successful at the high

school level, but when asked if he had ever planned on turning music into his career, Holmes said that the band was always just for fun. “I never wanted to pursue it as a career,” Holmes said. Though members of the Granite Bay community will never get a chance to see CHP perform live, Stereo Ecstasy currently has plans of performing in a competition as well, and will hopefully have the same luck as CHP did. “We may be performing at a ‘Battle of the Bands’ at Club Retro,” said Bartlett. Even if they do not plan on continuing on this path in the years to come, the members of student garage bands at GBHS enjoy getting to play with their friends and being able to express themselves through their music.

Page 6

October 2012

eat.

Mambo Italiano

The Gazette staff samples and ranks local Italian restaurants.

Pasta Pomodoro BY KEVIN BURNS kburns@gmail.com

Pasta Pomodoro is a decent Italian restaurant to go to for a light meal or a dinner with friends. I went to the restaurant and didn’t have to wait to be seated. I quickly had my drink order taken and was given bread to eat while I looked at the menu. The bread was very good and had a fluffy inside and a crusty outside. The dipping oil was delicious, and the mix of pesto and oil was very tasty and made me hungry for the main entrée. Luckily, they had Coke when I ordered it, unlike some restaurants which only carry Pepsi products.

The first entrée that I had was a bolognese, a traditional Italian dish with a meat sauce. Unfortunately, the dish was not very good, and the meat sauce was flavorless and uninviting. The noodles were cooked well, but the meat sauce was tasteless and bland. I was very disappointed with the bolognese, but the next dish, a gemelli, made up for the lack of taste. The gemelli, a type of pasta resembling twisted noodles, was tossed with chicken, in a creamy sauce. It was definitely better than the bolognese and was super flavorful and left me wanting more and more. The plate was filled with mushrooms, vegetables and spices which were tasty and complemented the chicken and noodles. The spices were great and added a nice punch of flavor

Dominick’s Italian BY THOMAS TAYLOR ttaylor.gazette@gmail.com

As soon as I opened the door to Dominick’s Italian Market and Deli I thought I had been transported to Italy. Dominick’s provided a deliciously authentic, albeit expensive, Italian meal. When I walked into the restaurant’s main dining area, I was greeted by a plethora of Italian memorabilia. The décor accurately represents a small Italian café and gives the diner a distinctly Italian feel. The service at Dominick’s was exceptional and perfectly matched the intimate feel of the restaurant. From the first bite of Dominick’s delicious fettuccine alfredo, I could tell it would not have any of the above problems. The fettuccini was perfectly prepared, and it tasted homemade. The alfredo sauce had a nice cheesy tang, and it did not overpower the predominantly creamy sauce that complimented the fettuccini pasta perfectly. Considering its cheesy nature, this is an admirable quality for an alfredo dish. As I waited for my next meal, I looked around the nicely decorated restaurant and noticed the several authentic Italian posters. The next meal was the rigatoni con ragu di salsiccia, which roughly translates to rigatoni sausage ragu. The plate was massive and would have been perfect for two people. As I took my first bite, the delicious sausage was so spicy and hearty, that it filled me with a warm and fuzzy sensation. The rigatoni, again, tasted handmade, fantastic and tender. The sausage gave the dish a slightly spicy flavor that further added to its hearty taste. The alfredo was delicious and creamy; the rigatoni was heavenly and hearty; but the giro dell’italia takes the proverbial Italian cake. This trifecta of chicken parmigiana, baked

lasagna and fettuccine alfredo was the perfect dish to wrap up this sensational meal. The lasagna was perfect, because it struck the right balance between meaty sauce and ricotta cheese. The lasagna was beautifully layered and perfectly cooked, providing for gooey insides and deliciously crunchy corners. The chicken Parmigiana element of the dish was exceptional as well. It was perfectly prepared and made the dish perfectly balanced. The only problem with this restaurant was the price. I got three dishes and paid around $50 including tip. This is a little on the pricey side, especially considering I did not have a drink with my dinner. However, this price was totally justified by the great service, awesome Italian décor and the extremely well-cooked Italian food.

Reviewer’s Grade: A

Gazette photo /THOMAS TAYLOR

to the plate, without doing too much. It gave the dish a smokey flavor and filled my mouth with a pleasant feel. I ordered these two dishes, as recommended by the waiter, who was very informed about the menu. There was calm music and a good ambience in the restaurant, and it was pleasant to sit and wait for the food. Despite the large number of people, the service was great, and the waiters and hosts were friendly and helpful. Overall, I think that my experience at Pasta Pomodoro was enjoyable, but I wish that the food was better. I am happy that it is so close to the school on Douglas Blvd and I recommend that people go to eat there for good, inexpensive food to enjoy or on the go.

Reviewer’s Grade: B

Macaroni Grill BY NICOLETTE RICHARDS nrichards@gmail.com

Instant Italian ambiance. That is the environment one immediately experiences when walking into Macaroni Grill, an Italian restaurant off of Douglas Blvd. The mood is set with glowing lights streamed across the ceiling, stonework pillars and a whole wall display just for highgrade Italian wine. With classic Italian music playing in the background, it felt as though I had actually left and gone to Italy for an evening. The service was exceptional, with a personable host and an enthusiastic waiter, getting the experience off to a great start. Appetizers of ciabatta bread laced with rosemary and calamari with a red sauce were salty and satisfying, but still left enough room for the dishes to come. To judge an Italian restaurant, you have to try their traditional Italian cream soda, in this case, Blackberry. The drink, in comparison to the original formula, had slightly too much sparkling soda and not enough blackberry syrup, making it watery and not sweet enough . However, it came in a tall, elegant glass with a lemon slice and cherry on top, making the presentation appealing The first dish, expertly recommended by the waiter,

was a parmesan crusted Sole, a popular white meat fish in the Italian cuisine selection. The dish consisted of fish, breaded and filleted to perfection with a lemon butter sauce, capers and sun dried tomato orzo. It had a crispy yet buttery consistency which was enticing to the taste buds. The orzo had deep greens mixed in, with red cabbage and dried cherry tomatoes, creating a surprisingly bitter flavor for the side dish. The final dish was the spaghetti pomodoro, the classic spaghetti with a homemade crushed tomato sauce. The all over experience was simple Italian, with great ambiance, service, and a satisfying selection of foods, making for an over all amazing dining experience.

Reviewer’s Grade: A-

Gazette photo /AUSTIN ALCAINE

October 2012

Strings Italian BY AUSTIN ALCAINE

aalcaine.gazette@gmail.com

Strings Italian Cafe is a nice place to stop by if you are not looking to spend a lot of money, but are wanting some decent Italian food. When you walk into Strings, you are greeted by a friendly staff. Personally I thought the staff was a little too friendly, because the waitress treated me like a little kid. The decor is very nice and feels a little homey, with various wine bottles sitting on shelves, along with some trinkets. The restaurant itself is decently sized with two areas- the bar in the front and the dining area, which is fairly large and could seat about 60 people. When you are first seated, you are given a basket full of bread. The bread is delicious; it is cheesy garlic bread with just the right ratio to balance the flavors of the two out. After I ordered my food, I was given a minestrone soup as my appetizer. The soup was very forgettable and bland. It was not awful, but it was not good either. For my entree, I ordered the chicken parmesan. It was good, but then again, it is pretty hard to go wrong with chicken parmesan. It was tasty and a good meal, but nothing memorable. Another dish I tried was the chicken curry pasta. It was sweet and had shrimp and sundried tomatoes in it. I actually do not like curry, but the dish was very well done and made me reconsider my evaluation of curry. The chicken curry pasta was the best dish I tried and the only notable one.

Page 7

eat.

This Month’s Picks

The final dish I tried was the chicken picatta. It was incredibly bland and had virtually no flavor. The sauce tasted like nothing and the chicken was not cooked very well. The chicken picatta definitely did not leave a good flavor in my mouth. Strings turned out to be a very average and mediocre restaurant, but it does have its good qualities. There are far superior Italian restaurants in the area.

The Gazette Ranking Panel samples dishes from each of the five restaurants this month and ranks them accordingly.

#5 Strings- Bad ambience and flavorless food

contribute to String’s last place ranking.

#4 Pasta Village- Pasta Village provided

Strings turned out to be a... mediocre restaurant.... There are far superior Italian Restaurants in the area.

decent food at a fair price, but it was unauthentic and lacking in ambiance.

#3 Pasta Pomodoro- the smokey

flavor of the gemelli was good, but not enough to overtake Macaroni Grill.

#2 Macaroni Grill-

Flavorful food and good ambiance land Macaroni Grill a second place ranking.

Reviewer’s Grade: C

Strings Italian is located off Douglas Blvd.

#1 Dominick’s- All three of Dominick’s

dishes could have been considered the best this week. This is easily the best Italian restaurant in the area.

Pasta Village BY MYLES SLATTERY

mslattery.gazette@gmail.com

The first thing one notices when walking into Pasta Village is the aromatic effect of Italian cooking. Although I wouldn’t call Pasta Village a hole in the wall, its visual intrigue is definitely lacking. Then the bad décor becomes more noticeable. Cheesy wallpaper and two flatscreen TVs make up the ambiance of the restaurant. As for the food, I cannot display the same displeasure. The sauce is very flavorful, the pasta is of perfect texture, the meat is surprisingly tender and the vegetables are fresh. I ordered the Rigatoni for only $9.29. For such reasonable pricing, I thought there had to be some type of catch, but I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the food. Another great thing about this joint is the ownership and employment.

Gazette photo /MYLES SLATTERY

The manager is extremely polite, and the employees are well trained. As for the drink selection, they could improve greatly. They only carried Pepsi products and your standard soda fountain collection, which to me, is quite disappointing. The portions can easily fill you up for a good two

meals. With all this in mind, I find it hard to fathom why this place is so unpopular among Granite Bay High School students. Perhaps it is the competition, being next door to Panda Express, or perhaps the simple unawareness of GBHS students. Pasta Village is as close to fast food as a quality Italian restaurant can get. I couldn’t have waited longer than 10 minutes before I received my hot dish. With a sub-par atmosphere, I had low expectations for this unpopular eatery, yet Pasta Village did not fail to deliver a satisfying dining experience. Pasta Village is an underrated eating venue that should be recognized by Granite Bay High School students. Overall, Pasta Village deserves a B, because of the average environment, but the outstanding chow.

Reviewer’s Grade: B

Page 8

economy.

TO P

Gas

Chipotle

2 3 4 5

Mall

Movies

October 2012

A large portion of the Granite Bay High School population drives a vehicle on a daily basis, and a large portion of these cars are considered “gas guzzlers.”

Chipotle is one of the most common eateries among the Granite Bay High School student population. At roughly seven dollars a burrito, one can see how pricey a

$tudent expenses.

Although many students don’t have to pay for their own gas, those who do feel the pain. With gas prices as high as they are these days, many students find themselves reach-

venture to this joint can be—tack on a drink, and your’e about $8.50 in debt. “At one point, I went to Chipotle about four times a week; now I still go about once a

BY MYLES SLATTERY

mslattery.gazette@gmail.com

ing deeper and deeper into their pockets, which makes gas the biggest expense for many Granite Bay High School students. “Gas is definitely the number one thing I

spend money on,” senior Matt Rigdon said. “I hate having to use my money on gas when there are other things I could buy, like food.”

Gazette photo /Luke Chirbas

week,” junior Tommy Thompson said. For just a week’s worth of lunch at Chipotle, you can find yourself coughing up around $60. “Even though it’s

kind of expensive, I feel like at Chipotle, I’m getting my money’s worth,” Thompson said.

Gazette photo /luke chirbas

“A lot of my money is spent at the mall,” junior Alexandra Karalash said. The Roseville Galleria is another large receptor of Granite Bay High School stu-

dent funds. “I buy almost all of my clothes at the mall,” senior Ali Feldman said. Spending money on clothes, for many, has turned from a luxury

to a necessity, and the Roseville Galleria is the place they turn to in their time of need. With over 200 different stores, the Galleria seems to have a store for everyone.

“I spend my money at the Galleria, because it has practically everything I need,” Karalash said.

Gazette photo /luke chirbas

“I go to the movies quite a bit,” Rigdon said. “And because movie tickets are like 10 dollars, I end up spending a lot of my money.” Not only are the

movie admissions expensive, but the food and refreshments are ridiculously overpriced. “When I go to the movies, I probably end up spending more money on popcorn,

soda and candy than I do for my ticket,” Rigdon said. To cut costs, many students plan their movie trips on Tuesdays, which are five dollar movie nights.

“I only spend my money on movies when it’s a Tuesday,” junior Grant Powers said, “If you don’t buy food and candy, you only spend half as much.” Gazette photo /luke chirbas

“I go to Starbucks almost every morning,” senior Gabby Romero said. Spending money on Starbucks is habitual for some students. The more

Starbucks

expensive Starbucks beverages can cost up to nearly five dollars, a hefty price for a daily beverage. “I have to get my morning coffee, or else I’ll be really tired and

won’t be able to focus,” Romero said. Because getting coffee in the morning is a part of many GBHS students’ routines, the money spent on these drinks has caused

Starbucks to make it on the list of the top 5 expenses for GBHS students.

Gazette photo /luke chirbas

culture.

September 2012

iPhone App of the Month

Youtube Video and of the Month

BY JOEY PUHALA

jpuhala.gazette@gmail.com

OFFICIALPSY

ho would take time out of their day to watch a chubby Korean man dance like a mental patient? Apparently, 300 million people would. In this month alone, the music video for the Korean hit “Gangnam Style,” by Psy, has seen over 300 million views. The video was first uploaded in July and has since appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Ellen DeGeneres Show, and even the Guinness World Records for the most “likes” on any single video. Even more shocking is that the song, which consists of almost exclusively

Korean lyrics, has topped the iTunes charts in 31 countries, including the USA. This accolade can be contributed to the recent worldwide popularity boom of the K-Pop, or the Korean Pop, music genre. The music video, however, is the real source of the song’s explosive popularity. It appears that there’s no need to understand the lyrics when you can simply appreciate the plump singer debut his new dance moves to some dangerously catchy beats. It features Psy, the artist, dressed in various classy outfits dancing and signing to the song, all the while exuding humorous facial expressions and shooting many of the scenes in comical settings – such as a sauna filled with other men. The film’s unique sense of humor caused it to BE shared and posted throughout the social media world and eventually go viral.

Page 9

SONGZA

ppropriate music is essential for good times, and luckily you don’t have to invest hundreds of dollars in songs to get this. Songza, a music recommendation program, provides thousands of “expertpicked” playlists for specific occasions and has recently released an iPhone application to mobilize their services. The app prompts the user to choose the time of the day (morning, late morning, afternoon, evening, night or late night) then the purpose for the music, such as studying or “swaggin’

Will Fredette Artist of the Month

down the block.” It then provides multiple playlists to choose from, that are suitable for the situation. What’s perhaps the most convenient aspect of Songza is the fact that it’s 100 percent free. The interface is smooth and allows you to easily share the app with friends. Songza also allows users to browse the most popular playlists and listen to them freely, which is a great way to discover some of the best music in all genres. It also features an “explore” section, where listeners can browse for music playlists under all types of filters, including genres, activities, moods, decades or even cultures. Another popular feature is how it enables users to save playlists they like for easy access later. Users are also now promoted to link their registration to Songza with their Facebook accounts, making it incredibly easy to share playlists. With thousands of playlists, Songza can truly provide a unique music.

Upcoming Concerts COMPILED BY MADDY HARRIS mharris.gazette@gmail.com

COMPILED BY GRACE MOORE gmoore.gazette@gmail.com

The Lumineers Gazette illustration/LENA EYEN

Gazette photo/KAYLYN O’DONNELL

How long have you been painting? I’ve been painting for … four to five years now … I started before high school. I was interested as a kid, but I never really got into it until I started learning from Mr. Myron Stevens. What is your current series about? Just relationships with people … friendships … like family… I try to make it so that the viewer can have a similar experience that I had when I made the painting. How do you get ideas for your art? I have a lot of influences like Alex Carder, Chet Zar and some LA style artists. A lot of inspiration comes from everyday life and interactions with people.

Do you plan on pursuing art in the future? I do plan on pursuing art as a career; I went to Chico and talked to the head of the art place and they said I could go there and pretty much do my own thing... I’ve been sending my portfolio around and getting some pretty good feedback. Why do you paint? I paint because it’s a way to express yourself visually, and I think it’s awesome that when I feel a certain way about something, I can make a painting so that people can have the same connection that I did. What do you like to portray? I really focus on struggles, sometimes good, sometimes bad,

you know, endings. I really like to focus on struggles you experience in life, whether it be the hardships at school, getting a job, being in a relationship or family problems. Like I said, they don’t always have good endings, but that’s part of the art. What is your favorite painting you’ve done? My favorite painting I’ve done is an astronaut one that I sold … it reminded me of friendships I’d made that year. It was actually really awesome because the lady that bought it talked to me about it and she saw the same thing in it … I was really excited when she said that she saw her friendships and relationships (in the painting).

On Oct. 9, folk band The Lumineers will be playing at Harlow’s Lounge in Sacramento. Green Day On Dec. 1, Green Day, one of America’s favorite punk rock bands will be performing in at Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento.

DUALTONE RECORDS

REPRISE RECORDS

Wiz Khalifa Khalifa is a hip-hop and rap artist performing in Sacramento on Nov. 11. Bassnectar DJ Bassnectasr performs in San Francisco on Oct. 20 at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium and one in Reno on Oct. 24 at Summit Pavilion at the Grand Sierra Resort.

ATLANTIC RECORDS

OM RECORDS

Pages 10 and 11

October 2012

look pretty. High-waisted shorts with a thin belt and boots are a great way to dress for the warmer fall afternoons.

Combat boots can be worn with a wide variety of styles, pairing them with high socks can be a great addition to any outfit.

DIY: lets

e c a Br Step one: You will need scissors, elastic or fabric string, small beads and large beads. (All is available at Hobby Lobby.)

Step two: Cut the string to the length that fits on your wrist comfortably.

Low-cut backs can be fresh and fun, perfect for the cool, breezy fall weather.

Step three: Tie a knot at one end.

Step four: Slide smaller beads until you reach the middle, then pick a larger, decorative bead and slide it on.

Tying any longer shirt into a knot at the waist can make a baggy top look fitted and cute. Step five: Continue sliding on the smaller beads until you reach the end, tie to two ends into a knot and you have your bracelet.

Fall back,

Fashion forward

Wearing a loose, low ponytail with a casual look can be easy and comfortable.

BY AMBER LES

ales.gazette@gmail.com

Gazette photos/AMBER LES Gazette model /Caitlyn hurley

Page 12

culture.

October 2012

Autumn

Gazette photo /kaylyn o’donnell

Traditions As October progresses, students and teachers begin their annual fall rituals

BY TAMREN JOHNK

tjohnk.gazette@gmail.com

he leaves will be changing colors, the weather will finally be cooling off and the days will become shorter. The fall season has come to Granite Bay, allowing some Granite Bay High School students to enjoy some fun fall traditions. Sophomore Melynne Evans loves the upcoming season because it allows her to spend quality time with her family. “My family and I go to apple hill in the fall every year,” Evans said. “While we are there we go to the pumpkin patch, get caramel apples and then we find honey ... because they have really good honey.” When she gets home, Evans and her family all sit together and watch a family movie. “It’s usually the Lord of the Rings trilogy,” Evans said. “We love those movies.” Evans also enjoys doing what any other person would do when the leaves begin to fall. “My siblings and I always go out to our front yard and make a huge pile of leaves, then we jump in,” Evans said. “It’s so much fun to work together and create a fun memory to associate with fall.” By participating every year in these traditions, Evans believes she is creating memories that

she will look back on when she is older. “These traditions bring my family closer,” Evans said. “I think it should be something that every family should do because it creates a better relationship with your siblings and parents.” Hailey Lederer, a junior at GBHS, also enjoys picking out pumpkins and going to Apple Hill with friends and family. “We go to Bishops Pumpkin Patch every year before Halloween,” Lederer said. “It is a part of my childhood and I would like to continue doing it because I’ve just always loved going to the pumpkin patch.” Lederer also gets into the fall spirit with her house decorations. “We have a lot of leaf decorations and we have this cute little pumpkin village,” Lederer said. “Most people ... have Christmas villages, so it’s different.” Sophomore Kaitlyn Prather also loves decorating her home for the fall season. “Every fall, literally every room in my house is filled with decorations,” Prather said. “We have pumpkins, scare-crows, fall candles or any other decorations that relate to the fall season.” Another one of Prather’s fall traditions is picking out pumpkins with her sister. “Every year, my sister and I have pumpkin

carving contests where we carve weird faces or animals in them to see who makes the best face,” Prather said. “It makes me feel a part of the American culture and more involved in what people do every year.” As a food tradition, Prather and her family make homemade pumpkin pie, key lime pie, pumpkin scones and lemon poppy seed bread all from scratch. “I love the food because it reminds me of home,” Prather said. “It’s just a really fun time to get together as a family and spend quality time together.” GBHS ceramics teacher Ron Owens also has a fun fall tradition that he does in his class. “(In my class) we create ceramic pumpkins,” Owens said. “It’s multi-purpose – if it comes down to you don’t celebrate Thanksgiving or Halloween, it is still harvest time.” Owens believes that these pumpkins are great fall gifts and something the recipients will take out and display year after year. “I tell my students that they better do a good job on them because the parents each year will get them out and they will be around a long time,” Owens said. “As far as when the seasons change, (the pumpkins) are something that parents, or whoever the student gives them to, will see again and again.”

October 2012

Page 13

halloween.

Haunted Houses Scare yourself this year at one of these haunted house locations If you can’t make it to the Corbett’s haunted house, the local Placer county fair grounds will be hosting the Callson Manor Haunted House, owned and operated by a professional animatronics prop designer to create an all out haunted house experience.

BY NIKI RICHARDS

nrichards.gazette@gmail.

Halloween, one of the greatest childhood holidays in existence, is here, and people are shopping for costumes, dusting off decorations, and sending out “Boo’s” to celebrate. It’s a time for candy, costumes and haunted houses. Jim Corbett, haunted house aficionado, and his family are pulling out all the stops for there annual haunted house, yet this year’s has a new twist. Instead of the typical walk through haunt, haunted house goers get a walk through “hunt”, where they are handed a laser gun and, basically, hunt and shoot zombies. The original plan was to have a basic haunted house similar to previous years, but due to

complications with safety hazards in the warehouse they were intending to use, a change of plans was in order. The new concept of “Zombie Hunt,” has intrigued Halloween fanatics in the area due to its originality. “It’s all interactive,” Corbett said. “You go in and are given a laser/ marker, and as you go through the hunt you kill zombies.” Each zombie has a detector that indicates when it’s been hit; they then “die” and revive again when the next group of visitors goes through. The zombies consist of returning cast members from previous years and local volunteers. Volunteer manager Cameron Pick and Granite Bay High student previous volunteer Ali Futrell gave us insight to process of developing the realistic interactions. “They have makeup artists that can

do all kinds of looks: dead, beat up, etc,” Futrell said, “(They) use this mystery red liquid as fake blood to splatter on skin and clothes.” These methods add professionalism and realism that the average garage house attempts cannot dream to meet. “They (do) a really good job of making you unrecognizable,” Futrell said “My family came through and didn’t even know it was me; they were scared of me!” Pick explained that volunteers can get really involved in the process. “I was manager, and was on a walkie talkie with the head person the entire time,” and this year, he hopes he will continue managing. “It was so much fun!” Pick said. The Zombie Hunt will take place at-----, starting October 12 through the weekend, and then on the Tuesday and Wednesday of Halloween night.

Heart Stoppers Haunted House will also be taking place this October, located Hwy 50 between Sunrise and Hazel, which will contain four haunted houses experiences in one warehouse.

Page 14

October 2012

scary

s e m u t s o C n e e w Hallo

BY KEVIN BURNS

kburns.gazette@gmail.com

Scare your friends -- or even your mom -- with these crazy costumes

For too many years, Halloween has had costumes that are scary. But that can make things too serious. Many believe that Halloween is supposed to be fun and a good time, instead of people trying to get the scariest costume. How many more ghosts, zombies and goblins can there be? That’s why this year, there has been a shift from popular costumes being scary ones, to funny ones that make people laugh. Also, instead of getting puzzled looks by friends wondering what kind of evil you’re trying to portray, they will flock to your creatively comical look.

Iron Ma

n Take the fame away from the male superheroes this year and dress up as Wonder Woman. Impress the guys with your super strength and originality. Take flight throughout the neighborhoods and show the men that women have power too.

Honey Boo-Boo Get your cheesiest dress and tiara to pull off this perfect Honey Boo-Boo costume. Put on loads of makeup and have a friend dress up as your morbidly obese mom to make people laugh all night long. It’s a fun costume and easy to wear walking around. With the release of The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises this past summer, superheroes have become popular around the world. Channel your inner comic book nerd and become Iron Man. Complete with a mask and body suit, this outfit shows your creativity and style. Don’t worry, though, you won’t need as much money as Tony Stark to be him.

Wonder Woman

October 2012

looking.

Page 15

The mustard and ketchup combo is a classic outfit to wear for Halloween, and is a perfect costume pair to wear with a friend, sibling or significant other. This costume is fun, light, easy to wear and a great costume to laugh over. Feel free to add mayonnaise or any other condiments for the perfect combination of burger add-ons if someone else wants to join. This costume duo will definitely spice up your Halloween.

Ketchup and mustard bottles

Avatar This Avatar costume of Jake Sully is a fun costume to show to the neighborhood and all of your friends. Complete with a body suit, mask and tail, you can actually feel like you are in a different body for a night. This costume will make you feel unearthly.

Gazette model /kevin burns Gazette model /grace reego Gazette photo /kristin taylor Gazette photo /Luke bf chirbas

Page 16

take two.

m l i F

October 2012

Remakes

BY AUSTIN ALCAINE

aalcaine.gazette@gmail.com

Many students at Granite Bay High School seem to think Hollywood is running out of ideas for new movies. With recently released movies such as Total Recall, Dredd, and The Great Gatsby coming out next spring, it seems like remakes and adapted screenplays are the only options Hollywood has to generate revenue. Peter Infantino, an IB film student, said, “I view it as Hollywood being very lazy, and not coming up with new ideas.” Filmmakers have remade the Friday the 13th movies a total of 11 times. However, a few of these remakes, according to some students, are better than the originals. “The Batman remakes are better than the originals,” GBHS junior Blaise Nasri said. “They added a thicker plot, and had more dynamic characters.” The redundant plots are what disappoint moviegoers when they go to see something new and clever. “When I saw The Amazing Spiderman it felt like I was watching all the previous Spiderman over again,” GBHS junior Dante Weeks said. “I think it’s a bigger risk for filmmakers to come out with new ideas,” Nasri said. “So they are just playing it safe by remaking previously successful movies. I think the economic recession has caused filmmakers to lose their confidence in coming up with new movie ideas.” However, there are a few movie remakes that are popular among students. “Some movies deserve remakes.” Infantino said, “Like Total Recall— I thought they did a good job with that remake.” Some recently released movies are not even different films, like Finding Nemo, which was remade into 3D and then re-released into theatres. The consistent trend of movies being remade or remastered has left students at Granite Bay wondering if Hollywood really has run out of ideas. According to nextmovie.com, there are currently 50 movie remakes in the works. Some of the most

well known movies being remade include Scarface, The Bodyguard, Lethal Weapon, and The Birds. Another film on the list of remakes was American Psycho, which was released about ten years ago. With 50 remakes in the near future, it’s easy to see why people do not want any more. “I’d really rather have Hollywood come up with new ideas then all these remakes,” said Weeks. “But if they’re resorting to remaking a movie as recent as American Psycho I guess that’s too much to ask.” Students are getting upset due to the lack of original screen plays. The reason for so many remakes is loss of revenue in the recent years. One of the causes of the revenue loss is that more and more people are pirating movies instead of going out and paying for the movie. “I think the recession is a major part of the cause for all the remakes.” Nasri said The movie making business has become simply more about the money than anything else. “The industry needs to realize that they’re the problem, and pirated movies are the symptom. Their failure to research what audiences really want to see in theaters is killing the industry” said Dante Weeks. As the filmmakers keep remaking more movies more people will continue to pirate them simply for the reason that people don’t want to go pay for something they have already seen. The movie industry is slowly taking an unoriginal turn for the worst, and unless filmmakers can figure out that the fans want to see original screenplays, they will continue down the same path they are going. Gazette photo illustration/Lena Eyen

October 2012

Page 17

culture.

New fall

T.V.

Gazette illustration/LENA EYEN

season

As the weather changes, familiar shows are coming back and new series are starting out

20TH CENTURY FOX TELEVISION

BY NIKI RICHARDS

nrichards.gazette@gmail.com

ew seasons of the nation’s top shows have begun, spiking interest for the brand new ones and reaffirming love for the classics. Shows including How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, Glee and many more have begun their new seasons with countless unexpected twists and perks, which are shocking TV junkies everywhere. The classic comedy, How I Met Your Mother, has now premiered its 8th season, with approximately 8 million viewers watching. Fanatic of the show and Granite Bay High student Grayson Walker is elated with the start of the new season and the returning of the show’s beloved characters. “I love Barney,” said Walker. “I love how he … gets all the women — it’s hilarious.” The witty storyline of a father telling his children the extremely prolonged story of how he met their mother, with hilarious characters and unexpected twists. captivates audiences, and has received six Emmy’s and several more

PARAMOUNT STUDIOS

nominations. Walker expressed sympathy and a sense of connection with the charming yet discouraged character of Ted. “He’s the guy that always gets the short stick out of everything, but he’s still awesome,” said Walker. The new season has the expected anticipation and just as many surprises as previous seasons. “I definitely think it’s going to be a lot better, because of all the mystery,” said Walker, “It’s comedic, romantic and dramatic. It has all aspects of a good show.” Another returning super-show, Glee, is captivating “Gleeks” with its new cast and fresh concepts. With a 3.3 out of 5 average rating for the beginning episodes of season 4, Glee is off to a great start and is living up to its relatibility the show’s known for from previous seasons. With its controversial topics and characters, Glee covers every issue that teens in the modern era deal with in every day life, explaining its extreme success in the 13-24 ages demographic. Senior Blake Lewis, an all around “Gleek,” couldn’t be more thrilled. “(The show) relates to high school with the drama, social statuses, relationships and heart breaks,” she said. “Minus

20TH CENTURY FOX TELEVISION

the random singing throughout the school day, it’s pretty much identical.” The show Modern Family began its 4th season on Sept. 26 and raked in an amazing 14 million viewers, obviously not disappointing its fan base. Student and Modern Family junky Sara Howarth isn’t surprised. “I hoped it would (meet expectations,)” said Howarth. “It’s kind of hard to live up to the past seasons.” In comparison to these classic favorites, brand new shows on the FOX, NBC, and CBS networks have failed to spike extreme interest with viewers, and the ratings have reflected it. Shows Mob Doctor, Partners and Revolution got a 1.0 out of 2, 2.1 out of 5 and 3.2 out of 8 rating from viewers for their first few episodes, statistics that are not very encouraging for producers. Surprisingly, returning shows of Hawaii Five-O and Castle got no higher than 1.9’s out of 5 in ratings, making their futures look bleak as well. The fall season of 2012 will satisfy t.v. viewers and hopefully stimulate the flow of viewers to the less-than-successful shows starting out this year.

October 2012

Rated: PG-13 By: Austin Downs adowns.gazette@gmail.com

taken 2: grade

aken 2 was almost as good as the original Taken. Almost. I was hopeful enough in the beginning; I walked into a packed movie theatre on a Sunday afternoon, which is always a good sign. The basic storyline goes like this: In this film, our hero, retired CIA agent Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) returns. On an instantaneous trip to Istanbul with his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) and daughter Kim (Maggie Grace), the traffickers who kidnapped Kim return to avenge the men Mills killed in the previous movie. However, as is the issue with most sequels, in this case, the first one was better. There were a few reasons why it wasn’t as good as the first one. For one thing, the soundtrack. It was a hopeless (and might I add obvious) imitation of the ominous Bourne theme. Though it did help add to the intensity, my discontent that they went as low as to copy the masterpiece theme outweighed my excitement. The second flaw was the ending. It was much like the first’s ending, for there were some crucial questions left unanswered. The third flaw was the acting. At time when the audience was supposed to be on the edge of their seat and biting whatever nails were left on their fingers, the dialogue between the characters sounded stiff and robotic - not much emotion. The adrenaline, fright, and excitement that lasted throughout nearly all of Taken only lasted for about a third of Taken 2. After a certain amount of time, the plot line became very predictable. The producers did throw in a bit of comic relief that wasn’t really present in Taken, which was nice. But it took away from the serious tone that the film was trying to establish; it wasn’t done correctly. Instead, it made the film appear a bit cheesy. Also, the impression of Turkey was not accurate in the film; it was made to appear as a third-war country in some parts of the film, which was completely wrong. Overall, it is not film that you walk out angry at having wasted your time, it does not cease to please.

Universal pictures

relativity media distribution group

itch perfect is needless to say, imperfect, and is quite honestly painful to endure. Main character Beca, played by Anna Kendrick, Is a snobbish freshman at Barden University who is practically forced to join an all female cappella group. At first Beca refuses, but then lightens up to the idea. She sees this as an opportunity to impose her ideas of incorporating pop songs to defeat the cutthroat cappella competition. The most compelling feature in this movie is the song mash-ups performed with perfect harmony. A one dimensional plot, sub-par acting and cheap humor; all three are substantial reasons for my aversion toward this unremarkable flick. Comedian Rebel Wilson plays Fat Amy, who tries too hard to portray the fat, confident lady who makes fun of herself to avoid mockery from her slender piers. Overall, the comedy throughout the film is poorly executed, immature slap-stick humor. There are a few glimmers of comedic relief aside from the unexceptional cheap humor. Workaholics star, Adam DeVine plays an obnoxious member in the antagonizing, male group, the Treble Makers. His sarcastic, unrefined humor is a nice change and was pretty much the only reason I could bear watch the movie. Pitch Perfect is practically a carbon copy of the hit TV series, “Glee,” mooching off the popular market created by this popular TV series. As I watched the film I couldn’t help realize that script writer Kay Cannon, had simply made an attempt to write a piece that young people could deem, “hip,” yet wrote a script that seemed as though tried too hard to please the adolescent crowd. As a result of the attempt to popularize, Cannon decapitated any type of attempt to supply sophisticated comedy. If you are looking for a dim ensemble of uncreative humor, one-dimensional plot lines, and a whole lot of average singing, Pitch Perfect is the movie for you!

ouse at the End of the Street is a horror movie that has somehow crammed all the different ‘scary’ concepts, into one film. The plot line includes an angst teen who meets a mysterious stranger, a phantom figure that haunts the protagonist, a boy with a hidden past and, of course, blood and violence. These confusing components made it hard to follow. This story starts with a teen girl and her mom who move into their dream house, which is inconveniently located next to a murder house. The legend is a girl went crazy and bludgeoned her parents to death, ran off into the woods and never to be seen again. The opening scene was very well done, making the viewers experience incorrigible horror at the very beginning. Unfortunately, as the film went on, the quality went down. The main character, Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) meets the mysterious son of the legend’s unfortunate family, Ryan (Max Thieriot) and she is immediately drawn to his stereotypical damaged persona. As the movie begins to take shape, there is a bombardment of flashback scenes that make the plot line confusing and the original back-story to the film, almost, incomprehensible. Lawrence did well, despite being a role lacking depth and dynamics. She easily fulfilled the part of a stereotypical blonde in distress. However, characters of the mother (Elisabeth Shue) and heroic police (Gil Bellows) officer lacked depth and connection to the actual story. The mother daughter relationship was not believable, making the two characters seem more like friends than parent and child. Thieriot did exceptional in his role as the damaged heart throb, making his character believable as a sweet and lonely character. This added to the unexpected twists later to come in the story line. The constant change in storyline made the original purpose of the film unclear. Over all the film was a head-scratcher, with captivating twists, and satisfying acting. This made the scary movie experience enjoyable, but not enough to cause lack of sleep due to frightening after-movie recaps.

Rated: PG-13

By: Myles Slattery mslattery.gazette@gmail.com

By: Niki Richards nrichards.gazette@gmail.com

the house at the end of the street: C+

Twentieth century fox distribution

pitch perfect: C-

Page 18

film.

TRISTAR Pictures

Rated: R By: Austin Downs adowns.gazette@gmail.com

looper: A-

rior to the start of the actual movie, I was first bombarded with at least twenty minutes of trailers. So, by the time Looper started playing, I felt as though the movie already had a disadvantage going into it. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed this movie. And I mean really enjoyed it. This movie took time traveling in science-fiction and spun it in a new, unique and dark way. To quickly summarize the gist of the plot, Looper stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as “Looper” Joe Simmons, a drug-addicted killer for the mob, with one exception. Instead of being affiliated directly with the mob in the present, the mob uses illegal time travel to send back their enemies to Joe who kills and disposes of the body, erasing that enemy’s existence in the future. Now, when the time comes to no longer work the future mob, they send back the Looper’s future self (known as “closing the loop”) and the Looper then has 30 years to live out the rest of his or her life. So, when Joe’s future self (Bruce Willis) is sent back and young Joe realizes that, old Joe is able to escape, leaving young Joe fearful for his own life due to the horrors that happen to Looper’s when they do not “close the loop.” As it turns out, old Joe sent himself back to prevent the rise of the leader of the future mafia known as Rainman, whom he has tracked down to be one of three children living in the present. Seeing time travel used in this unique aspect had me intrigued from the very beginning. Gordon-Levitt really seemed to be a match for playing a spunky naive Looper and played his part quite well and while it was an odd sight to see an old Bruce Willis mowing down mob members with dual-wield automatic weapons at the time, he performed at a level that was consistent with my expectation of him. So, if you are a seeker of sci-fi movies and have been looking to see a new one with a different take on things, Looper will not disappoint.

Lionsgate, summit entertainment, LLc

or those who are not familiar with epistolary novel published in 1999, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is essentially a coming-ofage story, told through the lens of an introverted, emotionally disturbed high school freshman who goes by the alias “Charlie.” Though for the ardent fans of the novel, it’ll likely please you to know that this film adaptation was directed by Stephen Chobsky, the novel’s author. In fact, Chobsky played a large role in both writing the film’s script and choosing the locations where the film was shot. The set and costume design did an impressive job of immersing the audience in 90’s Pittsburgh, constructing an authentic, true-to-the-novel, atmosphere for the audience to experience. For example, for the film’s reenactment of a scene from Rocky Horror Picture Show, Chobsky requested to rent out Dormont’s Hollywood Theater in Upper St. Clair, Pa., where he had seen the musical when he was younger. To this end, the film grants the audience a deeper understanding of the world “Charlie” (Logan Lerman) lives in by fleshing out the characters and events delineated in the novel. The story of Charlie is directed and shot in such a way to clearly illustrate his psyche, along with past events that shape his character. Flashbacks, coupled with voiceovers of excerpts from the letters he writes, breathe life into his personality and his struggle – even for those who aren’t familiar with the novel. The portrayal of Charlie’s friends – Patrick (Ezra Miller) and his step-sister Sam (Emma Watson) – was especially convincing. The actors give strong lead performances, their interpretation of the dialogue serving to draw out another side to the characters that wasn’t present in the novel. As for the soundtrack, the film succeeds in incorporating a majority of the songs referenced in the novel. The film weaves them throughout each scene poignantly, appropriate to the emotional context of each one. In these respects, the film adaptation serves not to compete with the novel, but to complement it. Comparing the film to the novel in terms of quality, in my opinion, is the wrong approach. Each medium serves to offer perspectives not present in the other – providing the audience with an overall deeper appreciation of the journey “Charlie” goes on and the growth he experiences as a character.

Rated: PG-13 By: Chris Pei cpei.gazette@gmail.com

perks of being a wallflower: A

Page 19

film.

Open Road films

he average “cop” movie idea has been overused and is almost always disappointing, but End of Watch went above and beyond my expectations. The movie starts off with an exciting car chase to get you into the movie. The plot in itself was pretty basic—two trigger friendly cops, who get tangled in with the Mexican cartel in South Central LA. Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña) play as two best friend cop partners. Gyllenhaal and Peña do an excellent job with their acting, showing the relationship between two partners in crime. Zavala and Taylor are marked for death after pulling over a member of the cartel and confiscating a few weapons and some money. Taylor and Zavala then proceed to go to one of the cartel member’s homes where they find dozens of locked up Mexicans. Another officer arrives at the scene and attempts to pull them off of the case. End of Watch makes you feel like you are watching a documentary about cops in Los Angeles. Taylor was making a movie about his life as a cop; the movie was filmed for the most part from Taylor’s video camera or his miniature camera which was attached to his uniform. Before the plot had even thickened into the cartels trying to kill Taylor and Peña, I was drawn into the movie whether I was watching them give out traffic citations or saving children from a burning building. The whole movie feels as if you are right beside the two cops and in the heat of the action. One of the most impressive aspects of the movie was the actors that played the parts as members of the cartel, and thugs off the street. The criminal actors looked and acted as if they had just been pulled out of jail and put in the scene, allowing me to truly despise them. This is an excellent movie and anyone who loves a good thriller or action film needs to go see End of Watch. It easily makes it into my top movies of all time.

Rated: R By: Austin Alcaine flast.gazette@gmail.com

end of watch: A

October 2012

Page 20

October 2012

decades.

: k e e W g n i m o c e m Ho d e s s e r D t s Be Wed Wild

Monday

Tropical

ď ˇOn Monday Jesse Gavia, junior, strikes a pose in his zebra print pajamas. Junior Riley Carroll shows off her teddy bear. Tuesday, senior Paige Finkemier embodies her inner tropical tourist. Sophomore Corban Anderson serenades students with his ukulele. Wednesday, senior Chanelle Canfield shows off her guns. Junior Dillon Hanlon embraces his southern roots. Thursday, senior Trent Brendel is hard to miss with his neon. Sophomore Natalie Caraway truly does sparkle. Friday, senior Beau Hershberger embraces his feminine side dressing as a spirited cheerleader. Freshman Natalie Colosimo supports the grizzlies by wearing one.

y a d urs

Th Neon

Pitch Perfect

C-

Friday Tribe

Gazette photo /Kristin TAylor

House on the End of the Street

In Theat ers

Wes

Tuesday

Pajama

Taken 2

nesd

End of Watch

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

A-

C+

SeeDark pages 18 and 19 for reviews Shadows

Looper