Elective enrollment declines because

Current Page 8 Granite Bay Gazette wFriday, February 7, 2020 E lective enrollment at Granite Bay High is on the decline as fewer and fewer students are enrolling in optional classes – and one reason could be that students feel pressure to take higher-level Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate classes. Media teacher Zachary Weidkamp said he thinks “students are not enjoying high school because of incorrectly perceived (academic) expectations.” Weidkamp said students should broaden their horizons outside of the academic realm. “You can never go back and repeat the high school experience again,” Weidkamp said. “I think the culture is bad for students and limits their ... options.” According to Weidkamp, colleges are looking for more well-rounded students, not just for those with the highest GPA. “I don’t think that students and parents really fully understand what colleges are looking for in students,” Weidkamp said. “I also don’t think that colleges have clearly communicated what they are not looking for.” According to prepscholar.com, taking electives is a good way for colleges to gauge a student’s interests and abilities and can also help them gain an advantage over other students who took a less well-rounded schedule. GBHS assistant principal Jessup McGregor said he agrees that colleges are concerned about much more than pure academics. “Without looking at the numbers, my impression is that there is a large concern over GPA and (getting into) college,” McGregor said. “They’re looking to pick classes that will make them ... competitive after high school.” Numbers aren’t just dropping at GBHS. During the 2017-2018 school year, over 230 elective teachers were laid off in New York alone, according to publicschoolreview.com. The website also reported that students who took certain music classes scored approximately 44 points better on the math portion of the SAT than students who didn’t. Some might argue that 44 points can be the difference between getting into an Ivy League school and getting rejected, which is something some students take extremely seriously. However, there are two sides to the issue. “I feel like ... some people feel the need to take that extra AP class instead of doing something that they’re interested in, but I would say on the other hand, sometimes people are actually interested in that AP subject material,” senior Faraaz Godill said. This is a reality at GBHS, as many students are genuinely interested in their AP classes, regardless of whether or not they earn college credits. Although it’s obviously not impossible to take high-level classes alongside electives, it’s not easy. Many students find themselves in a tough position, having to choose between one or the other as each option takes up a class slot and, depending on the course, time they could be spending on something else. But, it can be done. Godil also participates in electives in addition to the challenging classes that he takes. “(I) take AP classes but … also participate in speech and debate,” Godill said. “I wouldn’t say it’s mutually exclusive.” BY BRENT EVANS bevans.gazette@gmail.com Elective enrollment declines due to academic pursuits Students choose to take weighted classes to boost their GPA instead of taking non-weighted courses

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Almost every high school has a notorious teen hangout spot. For Granite Bay High, this spot used to be the parking lot at the high school, often called the “GBPL.” However, the school administration recently began locking the parking lot, which is now deemed as off limits after school events. “The school has gotten reports that people involve themselves in reckless driving and nefarious actions on the weekend in the high school parking lot,” assistant principal Jessup McGregor said. “Because of this, we had to make the decision to close off the lot on weekends to save teens from themselves.” This new change caused teens looking for trouble to find a new location to host their mischievous activities, and this new spot happens to be in close proximity of GBHS – Hillsborough Park. “A lot of people go there after school, GBHS sophomore BY DYLAN ROWE drowe.gazette@gmail.com

Hayden Swanson said. “They mostly go to vape, smoke weed or get drunk.” Students going straight to the park after school pose a problem for both students and Granite Bay High staff. If something were to happen to the students, the school could ultimately be held responsible. “We have a level of responsibility of students from the time they leave their house in the morning to the time they get back home,” assistant principal Greg Sloan said. Hillsborough Park itself gives teens a haven for participating in questionable, and sometimes illegal, activities. “This park is a magnet for drug deals, and drinking with underage people,” a former GBHS student’s mother, Nicole France, said in a Facebook post. “This is nightly occurring, which authorities are well aware of yet do not do anything about.” Public parks like this one are supposed to be a place for small children to play, however now parks near Granite Bay High have morphed into a place for teens to drink and smoke. “Surprisingly not as many fights happen (in Hillsborough Park,)” said a former male GBHS student who asked to remain anonymous because of his involvement in previous altercations at the park. “Especially for the amount of drunk kids (who) hang out there.” Many GBHS students visit the park after school hours, and according to some participants, some bring drugs with them – which they leave in their cars during the school day. “If students are keeping paraphernalia in their cars to use after school at another location, there could be at school or out-of-school consequences, like juvenile parole or a more harsh punishment,” said Placer County Sheriff’s Deputy Shon Schoer, the school resource officer. The park is monitored by a private security company at night, and sheriff’s officers rarely patrol the area, encouraging more teens to spend time there. “You can almost always find people you know at Hillsborough doing something,” said a senior GBHS girl who asked to remain anonymous. “I saw teens there messing around on Christmas.”

Social media has always been a platform for self-expression and voice. That’s why many students who are interested in social justice and politics post online as a form of activism. GBHS junior, Jill Lewis, posts and reposts various political content on her Instagram stories. “They can range from informative pieces from sources that aren’t seen to often — someone who has something interesting to say,” Lewis said. Lewis believes it’s important to post different content because she often sees the same sorts of perspectives promoted on Instagram. “(I) see people who share the same post to their story, advocating for a certain topic (in the same way),” Lewis said. “But (they) aren’t always aware of the other side of the topic.” Therefore, Lewis hopes adding her perspective will add to the political conversation. “By posting these things, I hope to bring just another view and perspective to the table,” Lewis said. “Personally, I tend to have a more conservative perspective on things, so when I come across something I think may be beneficial for those who may not have seen or heard it, of course I’ll bring it to light. We should all be aware of different viewpoints.” This encourages Lewis to keep posting political content on her Instagram stories, despite the drawbacks. “If making sure students and my peers are informed of the other side means posting it and sometimes losing followers, I’m good with that,” Lewis said. “(Posting political content) can definitely make someone mad or feel frustrated because they feel like their idea is being put down. It all comes back to being respectful… and knowing that sometimes not every conversation ends in agreement or changing someone’s mind.” GBHS senior, Jordan Greenfelder, also takes to Instagram to participate in political discussions. He also sees a long-term future on the platform. “I try to post up to date information regarding hot topics or things that could be crucial to the election right now,” Greenfelder said. “My main goal is to try and get a big name on social media and start making podcasts to inform the public on issues that are being brought up. I hope to create a platform where people don’t feel nervous or scared to ask questions and people can have open-minded conversations that don’t lead to hatred but compromise.” Ana Chen, a freshman at Stanford University, runs a magazine for writing and artwork called “It’s Real” to destigmatize mental health in Asian-American communities. However, they actively use social media to engage with their readers. “‘It’s Real” uses Instagram and Facebook because our audience of teens and young adults have responded positively to social media platforms,” Chen said. “(We’re able) to curate a presence that is accessible across the country, and to tailor our image to a specific audience. (We’re also able) to respond immediately to our audience.” Chen hopes to grow her social media presence over the next year. “One of our goals for 2020 is to foster more conversation among our staff and audience by posting stories or prompts on issues related to Asian-American identity or mental health,” Chen said. “I’d love for It’s Real’s Instagram to become a safe space for discussion on Asian-American identity and mental health.” Social media as a means of enhancing a political discussion is a relatively new phenomenon. It’s really only linked to the last two presidential elections. “Obama used Twitter,” said AP Government teacher, Jarrod Westberg. “He was the first president to use it, and that was really big in the 2012 election. He got young people to work for him and he was really successful. Obama just killed it with the age group (that) uses social media.” Politicians use social media to promote their message because it’s effective. “It’s the number one thing for politics,” Westberg said. “It’s like the only way for politicians to get their message out compared to what we use to do, like read the newspaper or watch the news or watch the debate. People are going to look at memes on the actual debate now. They’re not going to watch the whole thing.” Social media has been so effective, the app TikTok just recently banned politicians from running political ads. “They banned political ads on TikTok because all the companies are trying to get into TikTok,” Westberg said. “And TikTok is all bummed out because it’s supposed to be (a) fun, goofy, youth platform, (but) the political groups are targeting everyone and everything.” Despite the benefits, students should also be wary of the consequences. “Social media… is used in ways that have been completely different than the past,” Greenfelder said. “It has created a more polarized climate in my opinion and information is being presented to the public that shouldn’t be. When it comes to the individual, I think it is amazing because you can find any narrative you want.” Chen believes that it’s important these political discussions move outside digital spaces and actually create positive change. “A commonly cited problem (of social media) is “slacktivism,” or activism that does not reach beyond the screen, (like) turning one’s profile picture a certain color but not backing up that action with donations or other more concrete actions,” Chen said. “Social media also promotes a mindset that the most successful activists are the most visible ones. Sometimes, activists risk curating a personal brand over promoting their cause.” Online platforms spark societal changes in their community Soclal media activism Social media activism

New teacher dances into our hearts BY ASHLEY YUNG ayung.gazette@gmail.com Gazette illustration/KATE FERNANDEZ

Apopular elective at Granite Bay High School, the dance program, has an annual overflow of students and only one teacher to manage the classes each year. That is, it did until now. Primarily teaching freshman English, Meghan Haflich, formerly known as Meghan Cole, has stepped up to teach Dance 1 this spring semester, opening up another opportunity for students to experience dance. Students who would be set to benefit from this improvement are freshmen. It’s a common piece of advice passed to incoming freshmen to keep their hopes low for a dance class. “When I was at Olympus, I was encouraged to join the dance program, but I didn’t, as I would never have gotten into the class as a freshman,” junior Raha Elahi said. A circulating speculation about the apparent bias against freshmen in the dance classes is that the upperclassmen requests for dance get priority, and the numerous schedule requests for dance make it difficult to get freshman into a dance class. “I think it’s worth it to sign up for dance as a freshman now with all the new spots in 4th period,” Gonsiorowski said. With the customary overflow of students wishing for a dance class, there was a chance for an additional class to be opened. “(This year) the conversation came up that a lot of kids at Granite Bay are interested in taking dance, but (dance instructor Deserie Milburn’s) classes (were full),” Haflich said. This was part of the reasoning behind Haflich’s addition to the dance program.

“The understanding that I took away from (my conversations with) Principal Leighton is that we’re going to try to (open up more classes) so we can open (the program) to all grade levels,” Haflich said.

With a lifetime of dancing experience and a passion for fitness under

her belt, Haflich is well equipped to take part in the program. She is currently working on getting her teaching credentials for physical education to add to her credentials in English. Haflich mentioned that she was trained in “jazz, ballet, contemporary” and other forms of dance when she attended the Northern California Dance Conservatory (NCDC), and danced her way “all throughout college” at Chico State University.

“(When I was at GBHS) I joined the drill team and was the captain my junior and senior year,” Haflich added. “We went to competitions down in San Jose and competed against local high schools.” In addition to the drill team, Haflich was also a teacher intern for the GBHS program and family friends with Milburn.

“(Milburn) is the genius, and she has all of the knowledge. It’s really cool being able to take all of her (knowledge) and let (it) soak in,” Haflich said. Neal didn’t know who Haflich was before taking her class this term and has enjoyed her time in the dance program so far. “So we’re just we’re really in this moment of like collabing and we’re not just kind of doing everything we’ve done before we’re just seeing where can we together, take the program.” BY BELLA KHOR bkhor.gazette@gmail.com Gazette illustration / BELLA KHOR Meghan Haflich, new dance teacher expanded the dance program at GBHS.

BY RIA DHAMEJANI rdhamejani.gazette@gmail.com

Leap Year is a strange occurrence that only happens once every four years where an additional day is added onto the calendar in the month of February. The reason for this being, is to keep the calendar synchronized with the seasons. As for where this all started, the Romans solidified it all, making it a distinct part of our calendar. US traditions sprouted later on as leap year became more of an interesting phenomenon to citizens. “(The) Sadie Hawkins dance, (is) an outgrowth of an old English or Scottish tradition where one day out of every four years a woman was allowed to ask men to marry them. Over the centuries that morphed into a tradition of the Sadie Hawkins Dance where females traditionally ask the men to the dance,” AP US History Teacher Brandon Dell’Orto said. Although there are many interesting aspects that come with leap year, such as the olympics occuring or the United States Presidential Election, there still comes a few downfalls. One of the most common downfalls to leap years are birthdays. Senior Ethan Case, has grown up with his Dad having a leap year birthday. “We celebrate every year but on the 28th if it’s not a leap year,” Case said. “If (it’s) on a leap we celebrate a little more than usual.” Case’s Dad will be turning 40 this year, making the event even more special than usual. “Normally we’ll have dinner at home, but on leap year we go out and have a fancy shmancy dinner,” Case said. “I think it’s very unique and special. To be born on a day that only happens every four years is crazy.” Case amongst many others emphasizes how rare and noteworthy leap year truly is. Sophomore Alex Warner also knows of a family member having a leap year birthday, usually meeting them for this occasion the day before or the day after in attempts of celebration. “I think it’s cool, I mean it’s kind of weird that (he doesn’t) have a birthday every year,” Warner said. As for preference in days for celebration, Warner said nothing matters to him as long as the time is spent with his family. Sophomore Jenna Herrenschmidt who knows much about the general idea of leap year, gave some thought about how she might feel if she had a leap year birthday. “I think it’d be cool, but not at the same time, especially since you don’t actually have a birthday, but you’re obviously (still) getting older, just not with an actual (date).” Herrenschmidt said. “I feel like I wouldn’t (necessarily) care if I had a leap year birthday, but I still feel like it’s cool to have a set date of your birthday.”

With February comes Black History Month, a chance to honor Black Americans who changed the course of history and made the world a better, more equal place. According to Advanced Placement U.S. history teacher Brandon Dell’Orto, the idea to dedicate a month to the celebration of black history arose from a movement inspired by Malcolm X. “One of the biggest criticisms that Malcolm X had of Martin Luther King was that he was selling out his African-American heritage to be accepted as a white person that just happened to have black skin,” Dell’Orto said. “Out of Malcom X’s black nationalism movement came out this idea that ‘you should be ok to be proud of where you come from and the nation should know the things we added to it,

that we’re not just a second thought.’” Senior Jeremiah Onyongo said he feels empowered by this mentality and wants black history to be recognized for the importance it has played. “African Americans have a rich history in the development of America that is often overlooked due to white people having control over the stories and historical details,” Onyonyo said. “Our textbooks and history lessons often focus on the European or white American perspective of the past.” Bringing black history to the surface of the story can make people aware of heroes that often go unrecognized. “Dislocated Africans built this country with free labor and they built upon that with so many great achievements after and that history is never usually told truthfully in traditional history classes,” Senior Alonzo Cannon said. “Black History Month means time to reminisce on the fight of my ancestors who fought for my freedom, education, and civil rights and to remind myself to continue to fight for fair treatment for all marginalized groups.” Senior Jada Harper celebrates Black History Month as a way to bring people together as well. “It is important to acknowledge our differences in a respectful and honorable way,” Harper said. “Speaking about race often makes people uncomfortable which shouldn’t be the case. How can we learn about other races when we are too afraid to talk about it?” February gives all Americans time to consider how much our country has progressed in terms of racial equality. “Probably our biggest national stain is that for so BY SHREYA DODBALLAPUR sdodballapur.gazette@gmail.com Gazette illustration /DYLAN ROWE

long, we allowed this institution (of slavery) to not just exist, but to thrive,” Dell’Orto said. “And even when it ended, equality was still not achieved, so Black History Month is to remind ourselves of what we had done and what we need to make sure we never do again.” Cannon said he hopes that celebrating Black History will help people understand the tensions of the past and result in a less ignorant future. “I’ve been called (the N-word) dozens of times and the word has been used loosely around me at school and other places,” Cannon said. “I don’t want to categorize it as racism because I want to be optimistic and play it up to be extreme ignorance.” Discussing these issues will help bring people together, Cannon believes. “These problems are usually not talked about by the people who don’t experience them and it sometimes feels lonely being in the minority with these problems.” Black History Month forces Americans to reconsider who is at the foreground of the story everyone knows. The conversation it creates provides the nation with an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the diversity that exists here. “The nation has to keep reminding itself that we’ve got to reach out from whatever’s comfortable and have these conversations,” Dell’Orto said. “This helps us remember what we’ve been as a nation, what we should not have ever allowed to happen as a nation, and what we should be as a nation.”