September 2023

Mrs. Baca

Atascadero High School's Principal

As the new school year starts, there are many things we can look forward to. One of those is the new principal, Mrs. Baca. Since she is new to us all, we decided to learn some interesting facts about her.

She told us about her passion for learning and teaching and how she wanted to be involved in the school system from a young age.

Her parents instilled the importance of education in their daughters from a young age; they raised her and her five sisters to be respectful, ethical, and strong individuals. Among Mrs. Baca and her five sisters, they hold six bachelor's degrees from either Fresno State or Fresno Pacific University, and three of them have Master's in either education or psychology.

My favorite thing about being a principal is seeing students grow and reach their individual goals they set for themselves. Being a part of students making it over a hurdle they didn’t think was possible. I truly believe in all students!

Mrs. Baca Intervew

“I always knew I wanted to be in education from a very young age. I really enjoy being a foundational part of a child’s life, to help them grow and reach their full potential.”

-Mrs. Baca

Text by Kayleigh Luna

Her core values are integrity, transparency, and empathy. She believes in open communication and working together to benefit all our students, staff, and community. She believes in shared decision-making and collaboration as we face new challenges and celebrations together!

When asked why she is passionate about education?

EDUCATION

—

In high school, she was senior class president, an FFA member, and raised hogs for the fair every year; she played volleyball, soccer, and cheerleading and was involved in several clubs around campus.

She received her Bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies from Fresno State in 2009, completed her multiple-subject teaching credential with a supplemental credential in English Language Arts from Fresno Pacific in 2011, and completed her Master's in Educational Leadership and Administration from Fresno State in 2015, along with her administrative credential.

Grace

“You guys! The students! You matter and you are the reason I do this every day! I want to make a difference in your lives, so in return you can go into the world and make a difference! Be the change you want to see in the world! “

-Mrs. Baca

WORK AND PLAY

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She used her education degree to teach English for many years before moving to an administrative position. This year at Atascadero High School will be her 9th year as a principal. Her experience as a principal means she knows she has to have strong core values. She values integrity, transparency, and empathy. She promotes open communication and shared decision-making. Mrs. Baca hopes to help improve this campus with a more collaborative culture, pride, safety, and inclusion. When she is not at school, she travels with her family. Traveling is one of her favorite things, especially since she has been to 49 out of 50 states. She is married to the amazing Joe Baca. He's in the law enforcement and is from Paso Robles. She also has the privilege of being a stepmother to her amazing daughter, Grace Baca. Mrs. Baca is a well-balanced leader, values her personal life, professional relationships, and quality time.

Mrs. Baca we welcome you to AHS!

Family

Vacation

Speak Up!

An Interview with

How to report bullying at Atascadero

Text and Photos by Rio Lima

silence is|

silence is scarring silence is staining silence is.....

Have you considered speaking up about bullying at AHS but aren’t sure how?

In an interview with Mr. Shorba, he reveals many ways to report bullying and lays out the reporting process for us.

“On our home page, there’s a button that says ‘No Bullying’, you click that and fill out the form. ” Shorba suggests the best way is going to the office. “It’s always great when people do because we can address the situation more quickly. You can also email AHS_Cares@ atasusd.org, which sends a report to the administrative team. I will say, if you make a report, the best thing on our end is to be able to talk directly to the people involved.”

Have you ever been worried about reporting an incident due to retaliation?

Many hesitate to report due to not knowing how the report will be handled. In the interview, Shorba explained that “We go through a similar situation as law enforcement, where we interview the victim, we get any witnesses, we ask, where did it happen, when

did it happen, and who else was there. Knowing the timestamps of things is helpful because we might be able to pull videos. It is typically best to report as soon as an incident so that staff has a more reasonable time finding any evidence on video."

"Reporting can always be done anonymously, especially with the no bullying form on the website. However, the more information we have, the better we can respond to ensure the situation stops. We never say who made a report when we interview people, so we keep things as confidential as we can."

Does AHS also deal with cyberbullying?

As for online bullying, the school takes care of that too. "Have screenshots of those things," Shorba explains. "The more information we have, the better we can respond." The question we typically have to ask here is, what is the school's connection to the incident? We aren't the Instagram police, so we need to consider the time and date(s) of when things occurred. If it didn't happen during the school day, we would have less ability to respond to it from a disciplinary standpoint. But if it affects school, we may have more ability, so I would report and see what can be done case but case. In addition, having the information on small things can help later down the road for many people."

“We need to honor each other right? With what we do and what we say. And what that does, when we do that, is that it makes a safe envirorment for everybody.”

-Mr. Shorba

How does the legal process apply to reports?

Just like in the justice system, the person being accused also must be interviewed. "We have to go through what's called due process, so the accused also has an opportunity to respond." Due process is best defined in one word-fairness." Throughout U.S. history, its constitution, statutes, and case laws have provided standards for fair treatment of citizens. The law applies to school settings and governmental laws that govern us all in the United States, even schools, but we also have the added responsibility of keeping children safe. The legal system is more transparent than in a school dealing with students. The trick is that we have to keep everything as confidential as we can, but things can come out a little at a certain point. "I know that's a concern some people have, but I also want to communicate that any time there is a report, and people are feeling retribution from that, that is something we don't tolerate ever." To combat this problem, Shorba explains that "Sometimes we put in a no-contact order." Generally, when we talk about a no-contact order, we mean an order issued after a person is charged with a crime (or bullying, in this case) and is ordered to stay away from the victim.

What happens if they don’t stop?

"When students tell me that the person has not stopped, I assure them that we addressed the issue brought to our attention before because sometimes they are unable to know what steps were taken. Again, our goal is to change behavior, so if it was reported and managed and is continuing, we need to know to take care of it. We only know about a circumstance if a staff member is aware. "A key piece in reporting is that once you make the initial report, we respond, and we always ask and say, if our response and intervention isn't fixing the issue, it needs to be reported again because we go through the next layer of consequences as a response" Shorba notes that it can be frustrating because many students want it dealt with the first time, but fail to realize there is a subtle progression of intervention and the laws must be followed. It's unfortunate that people continue bad behavior after being asked to stop, but sometimes this is the case."

What can parents and students see?

"A question on many people's minds is, How can parents or students see what is happening once an incident has been logged?" Shorba notes. The staff dealing with the situation try to do a follow-up with the students involved and their parents/guardians. We try to share as much as possible, even though confidentiality restrictions can limit what we say, which can seem frustrating. "But if it happens again, you need to immediately come and let me know." that limits the sharing of student information with other people." We can share the broad scope of our investigative actions (we spoke to the student and identified witnesses, reviewed cameras, and other security measures) but typically are unable to share the exact specifics, including any disciplinary consequences. We do collect data on student referrals, which come from staff, and have monthly meetings to review our referral data and identify problematic behaviors on campus. We then come up with some action steps to address these. We started out the year with PSA videos about expectations and would like to continue doing something like that, which also includes more of a student perspective.

"We kind of go through a similar situation as law enforcement, where we interview the victim, we get any witnesses we’re gonna ask, where did it happen, when did it happen, who else was there, especially knowing the timestamps of things, because we might be able to pull videos.”

Mr. Shorba

What can be shared legally?

Concerning a report, what legally can or cannot be divulged about a case once it’s been reported is not as transparent as the adult legal system because we are dealing with children. “When there’s that disciplinary action from the school, that becomes a part of that student’s record.” Student records are those records, files, documents, and other materials that contain information directly related to a student, good or bad, and maintained by an educational institution or a person acting for that institution. “Privacy laws govern those entries under what’s called Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) This can make it harder for student victims to know what is happening in reports.

Speak Up!

Ultimately, the only way things change our culture is if we hold people accountable for their actions, and I want all students to know that we will do our absolute best to support you in that process.

“A key piece in reporting is that once you make the initial report, we respond, and we always ask, if our intervention isn’t fixing the issue I need you to report to it again, because we then go through the next layer of consequences as a response”- Mr.

"I will say, if you make a report, the best thing on our end is to be able to talk directly to the people involved” Mr. Shorba

Shorba

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOw About Bullying

bullying facts according to stopbullying.gov

How common is bullying in schools?

Nationwide, about 20% of students ages 12-18 experience bullying.

What does bullying look like at AHS?

According to students, derogatory and targeted statements are common occurrences in the walkways on campus. Among the victims are special needs students faced with triggering, provocative statements or minorities bashed with homophobic, racist, transphobic, or sexist comments. It is a common theme that people who are not considered the norm for Atascadero are a target. The offenders are often in groups. "It's easy for [the bullies] to hide in groups. It makes it unclear who said what."student

Why do people bully?

Those who bully have often been victims themselves, whether through experiencing aggressive behavior at home or being bullied at school in the past. Sometimes they are shamed when taught social norms and pass that pain on to others. Bullies also likely feel unfulfilled by their family and life at school, bringing others down to elevate their status among peers to feel in control of one environment when they cannot control another. It's important to hold people accountable to stop negative cycles.

How do students cope with bullying?

Many students bottle up their emotions and avoid getting help, leading them to resort to unhealthy coping mechanisms such as sleeping too much, changes in eating habits, self-harm, impulsive spending, or dangerous drug or alcohol use. If you notice these behaviors in someone, check out the bullying.gov site to learn how to help and reach out to them because you can change people's lives.

How do you recognize bullying?

Teasing occurs between students that are close, involving inside jokes, laughing, and a positive atmosphere. Bullying occurs when the victim is mocked or laughed at, has fear it will happen again, or repeatedly avoids the aggressor. Aggressive behavior, power imbalances, and repetition of conflicts are all indicators of bullying.

Outside of bullying, if you see stalking, gang violence, hate crimes, or dating violence, report it immediately.

Bullying is linked to many negative outcomes including impacts on mental health, substance use, and suicide.

Text and Photos by: Corrine Stanton

would

If it was directed at you....

it feel like it was “just a joke” ?

SCHOOL LEADERSHIP WITH P.A.W.S

Something that motivates me to work hard in school, is that I want to be the child that my parents can brag about.

Logo by: Kerry Sherer

INTERVIEW WITH ANNAMARIE RANGEL

Annamarie Rangel is a senior and will be graduating in the spring with the class of 2024. Her favorite academic subject is Math due to its consistency and the challenges it poses. In contrast, her least favorite is English because of confusing grammar rules. In her free time she enjoys hanging out with her cousin in downtown SLO and shopping for yummy food or boba. They love to watch their favorite shows, K dramas, and foreign films together. Her aunt, Jeri Rangel is her biggest role model due to her unfaltering positivity and many talents. Annamarie also admires her aunt because she holds a high ranking job as the city accountant, and is able to do everything with a smile on her face.

This year Annamarie is looking forward to participating in face painting at football games, and engaging in activities with P.A.W.S. and S.T.E.P.S. through the school.

As a senior, Annamarie is a member of the executive team at P.A.W.S. Her position involves creating connections with underclassmen to encourage leadership and community for incoming freshmen. Annamarie loves her position because it allows her to speak with new students and meet people who she never would have connected to without P.A.W.S.

P.A.W.S is a leadership class that focuses on building connections with freshmen and underclassmen through school events, and supporting rising student leaders at AHS.

Photo by: Kerry Sherer

Logo by: Kate Vancleef

Upcoming Events

Hey Hounds!! Do you want to keep up with recent events for this month? Heres an overview of the major upcoming events at AHS. Make sure to check them out, and tell your friends and family to keep them informed as well.

Club Expo

Come join us September 11th15th at lunch to learn all about the clubs on campus in the Bowl.

Frosh Tailgate

Freshmen go get your pizza before the first football game of the season, September 8th, starting at 5:00pm.

Fall Academic Letter

Outstanding students head to the gym September 19th, to recieve your Academic Letter, from 6:30-8:00 pm.

Picture Retakes

Don't like your picture? September 29th is your chance for a retake! Available all day, in the library.

Black Light Dance

After the second Football game, on September 15th, come join us at the Black Light Dance!

UP NEXT

DO YOU WANT AN ARTICLE FETURED IN THE GREYSCALE REPORT?

We invite submissions from short vignettes to developed articles, poems, art interviews, and more. We also invite suggestions of recommended resources and article leads. We’re seeking articles written in a reader-friendly, popular-magazine or academic style.

We ask contributors to share stories and experiences, not just ideas; write about challenges, not just successes; and describe specific situations that will help your account come alive for the reader. We have themes but if you break from that that's fine. If you would like to contribute, please find the submission QR code and send us your article idea via our Google form.

Put pictures and text in a Google doc and send it to us and we will do the layouts. High-resolution photos are recommended.

RELATIONSHIPS ARE UP NEXT...

WHAT'S A HEALTHY VS. UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIP?

Interview with the Lumina Alliance

LAUTE APIKTE NAN... IACULIS A LARIS