The Silver Spur: June 3, 2016

Burke Cambpell and Amelia Cabrera will become new senior class presidents

RB High’s drama program puts on student directed one act plays

Girls softball team wins second place in Palomar League

News 2

Features 11

Sports 13

theSilverSpur June 3, 2016

Rancho Bernardo High School

In This Issue

Celebrating 25 years of RB High!

QUIZ BOWL Quiz Bowl members Kion You, Bryan Yugaz, and Omar El-Sabrout go to national PACE NSE competition in Chicago.

| News - 2

STUDENT PARING LOT Unspoken rules of courtesy should apply in student parking lot to minimize acccidents and ensure universal safety.

| Opinions - 5

SPOTLIGHT: OMID ROOHOLFADA

The Silver Spur explores the rich history of RB High as it celebrates its 25th anniversary.

Senior Omid Rooholfada masters the unconventional art of beatboxing while playing the violin.

| Features - 6

SENIOR SPREAD See where the senior class of 2016 is headed to begin the next chapter in their lives.

| Spread - 8-12

TRACK AND FIELD A look into the successful 2015-2016 RB High track and field season led by head coach Don Jones.

| Sports - 12

TRAVEL

Photo courtesy of Katelyn Negahban

Tips for efficient packing and vacation planning for the upcoming 2016 summer vacation.

Photo courtesy of Janhavi Chafekar and Salwa Khan

| Backpage - 16

Ibrahim Ali and Lynn Bi Editor-in-Chief and News Editor

Did You Know?

In the making for 25 years now, the deeply ingrained history of RB High, its administration, students, faculty, and staff conveys a storyline that stretches far beyond the confines of a number.

As RB High celebrates its historic 25 year anniversary, let’s take a look back into the history of RB High ― its campus, students, administration, faculty and staff ― and see how RB High has evolved into what it is today.

Inception The year 1991 marks the official year of inception for RB High. At the time, Poway Unified School District had only operated two other high schools, Poway High and Mt. Carmel High, which had been built in the 1960s and 1970s, respectively. As the newest high school at PUSD, RB High initially enrolled approximately 1,400 students, with an incoming class composed solely of freshmen and sophomores.

When RB High first opened its doors to its students, most of the buildings and facilities were still under construction, resulting in a split campus. As a result, temporary buildings on Mt. Carmel High and at Poway High served as teaching rooms until buildings on

RB High will have a special graduation Snapchat filter courtesy of senior Salwa Khan.

Senator Bernie Sanders once recorded a folk album titled “We Shall Overcome” in 1987.

In the United States, over 650 million long-distance summer trips are made.

Upcoming Events Graduation When: June 9 5:30 pm Where: RB High Stadium Details: Parking will be available at the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints located on Bernardo Heights Pkwy and a shuttle will take guests to RB High.

Ibrahim Ali Editor-in-Chief

When: June 3 7:00 pm Where: RB High PAC Details: Tickets will $5 for District students, but all RB High seniors will be able to get in for free.

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Celebrating RB High page 11

South Asian Culture club organizes Martin Casas will leave RB High to become principal at San Pasqual annual dance performances

Senior Improv Show

all Poway Unified School

campus were ready to move in.

“It was pretty barren; there was no vegetation,” said physical education teacher and coach Tom Martin. “It was basically still a construction zone.”

For approximately half of the enrolled students who were taught on-campus, the library evolved into a central location and hub where students could congregate.

“We didn’t have very many buildings, and we didn’t have a gym,” said AP Biology teacher Lori Brickley. ”The thing we had the most was the library; that was the center of campus.”

New and Novel As the newest school in the district, RB High attracted students and teachers alike who wanted to partake in something new. For many teachers, like Brickley, the chance to be in a reenvisioned school environment was motivation enough to make the move. “It was new, so it looked different from all the other schools, with our white pyramids,” said Brickley. “To me, the newness promised a change in the way we did education, and I’m always looking for ways to change education, to make it better, different, and reachable to more people, and that was the promise twenty-five years ago!”

SACS Choreographer Simran Cheema dances in couples Bollywood dance .

Janhavi Chafekar News Editor The South Asian Culture Club put on itsannual show last weekend at the Del Norte Performing Arts Center. The club organizes nine to 10 dances from a variety of genres like hip hop, Bollywood and classical Indian dance and performs them for parents, friends and students. The original creators of the club hoped that dance and music would be an effective way for them and their friends to experience and understand their heritage.

Mahima Advani, a junior at RB High who has participated in SACS

Photo by Alex Walsh

performances for the past two years, said that music has been one of her favorite ways to experience her culture.

“Bollywood music is in Hindi, the first language I learned, and the language I speak at home, and I definitely connect with it on a deeper level,” Advani said. “Listening to and dancing to Bollywood music has also helped me make more friendships with people that enjoy the same things I do.”

Advani also choreographed one of the allgirl routines and said it was a rewarding way to show off the skills she had learned throughout her dance career.

SACS page 2

Assistant principal Martin Casas will leave RB High at the end of the school year to serve as the principal of San Pasqual High next year.

“It’s definitely bittersweet,” said Casas.

Before Casas took on his current role as assistant principal, he spent seven years in a traditional classroom at Eastlake High School in Chula Vista teaching a wide variety of subjects.

“At Eastlake I taught AP US History, AP Economics, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination), and Bilingual US History,” said Casas.

Casas’ career thus spans 11 years, four as an administrator and seven as a traditional classroom teacher. Over the next few years, Casas hopes to continue his career at San Pasqual, a high school that has garnered his respect and admiration both in terms of athletic and academic programs. Casas attributes this to the relative proximity of RB High and San Pasqual.

“I’ve always been intrigued by the curricular and extracurricular programs at San Pasqual High School,” said Casas. “We are relatively close to them, 3 exists, so we play with them in a lot of athletic contests.

I’ve always enjoyed visiting there; it’s always been a warm welcoming place; I’ve

Photo by Janhavi Chafekar enjoyed interacting with the student body.”

Thus, when the position opened up, Casas immediately jumped at the opportunity.

Through a website called edjoin, a public education job search website, Casas applied as soon as he found out. In fact, it was the only position that Casas applied to, though through connections at San Pasqual, Casas was aware that there would in fact be a job opening sometime during the school year.

“I kind of knew it was going to open because the previous principal was promoted to assistant superintendent of the district in Oxnard,” said Casas. “So I kind of knew it was a matter of time, and I definitely had my eye open for it.”

In his four years at RB High, Casas has accrued long lasting memories and built strong relationships with both students and staff alike, something he’ll miss as he leaves for San Pasqual next year.

Martin Casas page 2

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June 3, 2016

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RB High students participate and perform in South Asian Culture show at Del Norte High SACS FROM 1 “I’ve been dancing a total of almost ten years now and seeing something that I had come up with by myself being performed in front of such a large audience made me so proud,” Advani said. “It took more time and effort teaching it to people but dance is something I love to do so it was worth the work in the end.”

The program this year also allowed nonSouth Asian students to participate in their dances as a way for others to learn about the Indian culture. Ellen Kim, a senior at RB High, says that she originally decided to just show up to the annual SACS mixer, where everyone who plans to participate gets to know each other, but was convinced by her friends to take part in her final year of high school. Kim adds that getting to learn about a new culture and spend time with close friends at the end of the year was a rewarding experience.

“It was a good experience because I met a lot of new people,” Kim said. “It was fun to try something outside my comfort zone and raise my cultural awareness.” Kim said.

Simran Cheema, a senior at RB High and the President of the South Asian Culture club, says that being in the program since her freshman year has helped expand her knowledge about Indian culture.

“Being in SACS these past four years has introduced me to the different aspects of the South Asian culture and how we can all come together to honour our heritage all while contributing to charities back at home,” Cheema said.

One of the dance’s Cheema choreographed was a classical dance that was a mix of many forms including the “Kathak” and “Bharatanatyam.” Both of these classical dance styles involve telling a story through performing arts and involve many years to practice to perfect them. For most girls, mastering the dance style takes almost

sixteen years, and it involves continuously dancing throughout their childhood.

Along with the traditional dance styles, SACS also performed many contemporary dance styles, including Bollywood dance and hip hop.

The South Asian Culture club’s main purpose is mainly is to enjoy taking part in Indian culture, but the program also uses their funds to donate to charities in India and Pakistan. Ticket, T-shirt, and food sales went towards donations for the four charities SACS sponsored this year, including The Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, Girls Rising, Uplift Humanity, and Zindagi Trust. All of these groups use their donations to allocate money to educate and provide basic necessities to poor children in rural India. To donate to these causes, the presidents of SACS have set up a ‘Go Fund Me’ project where anyone can donate to help them reach their goal of raising ten thousand dollars.

Photos by Alex Walsh

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Simram Cheema and Michael Menzer perform; Nitika Jain dances; group performanc e with program.

Performing Arts programs wrap up season with final spring concerts and showcases Lynn Bi News Editor

Photos by Lynn Bi and Alex Walsh

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: All-male choir performs “King of New York” from the musical Newsies; Adrian Holtz performs a senior solo with RB Symphony Orchestra; Concert Band performs at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido.

From orchestra and band to choir and color guard, many of RB High’s performing arts programs are celebrating the end of their 2015-16 season through a series of final spring concerts and showcases.

On May 23, RB High’s band, composed of Concert Bands 1 and 2 as well as the Wind Ensemble, performed their spring concert at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. Each ensemble first performed individually, and then all combined together for the final two medleys - Lennon’s best hits and the Lion King.

“This concert really is a culmination of the year’s events,” said bass-trombonist Bryan Ugaz. “Traditionally, alumni [of the band program] come back to watch this event.”

The spring concert has evolved to become more than simply a celebration of the music that the band performs. Alumni come back to reminisce and see former bandmates; seniors play for the last time in their high school career; and Bernardo Heights Middle School band students joined the band on stage for a sneak peak at the excitement that awaits them in high school.

“It’s been a fun year,” Oboist Brandon Chi said. “This year was amazing, and we can’t wait to get ready for next year.”

Later during the week on May 25-26, RB High’s choir department performed numbers from timeless Broadway musicals in the Choir Broadway Revue at the Performing Arts Center. Directed by choir teacher Lisa Friedrichs and accompanied by Paul Holtz, the Beginner’s Choir, Madrigals, Advanced Women’s Ensemble, and Concert Choir performed a diverse repertoire with songs from Wicked, Newsies, West Side Story, High School Musical and the like. In addition to the large choral group numbers, a mix of soloists and small group numbers were featured.

“Once you walk on stage, you’re immediately hit with heat of all the stage lights beaming down on you and you are forced to squint as you peer into the audience,” said senior Madrigals and Advanced Women’s Ensemble member Audrey Nonaka. “It’s just wonderful to sing and hear everyone come together so well.”

On May 31, RB High Symphony Orchestra presented its final concert of the year at the Performing Arts Center. Directed by firstyear director Zachary Christy, the orchestra has thrived under Christy’s leadership over

the season to become much more confident in its musical expression. As per tradition, the concert featured a senior solo, performed by senior Adrian Holtz on the double bass, and pieces by the string quartet, composed of Omid Rooholfada, Rebecca Lee, Abigail Meehan, and Michael Almonzo. At the conclusion of the concert, members of RB High’s band joined the orchestra to perform “Mars” by Gustav Holst and “Rader’s March” from Indiana Jones.

Performing with swords, rifles and flags, the Color Guard showcased the product of its hard work throughout the season on June 1 in RB High’s gym. In a sport dependant on synchronization, constant communication and teamwork, the Color Guard was able to successfully perform the sequence that they had competed with in the Southern California Winter Guard Showcase competition. In addition, two solos by captains Kristen Gillespie and Gabby Tungpalan were also featured to celebrate the graduating seniors.

“The district, PUSD, should really be proud of how well-rounded and successful all of our performing arts courses are,” said Nonaka. “Not many people get the opportunity to perform or learn at this caliber and it is a truly rewarding experience.”

RB High says farewell to Assistant Principal Martin Casas Cabrera and Campbell are elected CASAS FROM 1 “I’m going to miss interacting with the students, the stable. Friday night lights, football games are always fun,” said Casas.

“Talking to students in the small and large quads. Mostly, I’ll miss the relationships with the faculty and staff.”

As a member of the administrative staff for four years, not only has Casas had the opportunity to impart knowledge onto others, but he has also gained a plethora of skills and abilities from the people he is surrounded by everyday.

“One of the most valuable things I’ve learned is how to treat and interact with

other people,” said Casas. “I’ve learned a lot from our teachers; I’ve learned a lot from our students and a lot from my colleagues in administration. Mostly, it’s just that if people know you care, they will respond to you. I’ve always really admired and looked up to the way Mr. Lemaster interacts with parents and students, so I’ve also learned a lot from him.”

As he gets ready to leave, Casas recalls that there are certain moments at RB High that have helped define his collective experience here as one that was not only positive, but also memorable.

“It was my first year working at RB when I came into work at around 11 am

I came in from downtown because it was the swear in ceremony to become a US citizen,” said Casas. “It was a big deal for me, but I didn’t know how many people cared. When I came back, all the people here had a cake for me so that was very nice and caring.”

Casas’s philosophy that he focuses on is the idea of lending a helping hand to those who need it. Accordingly, his advice to the class of 2016 and to all students that RB High will host in its upcoming years follows a similar line of thinking.

“It’s important that at the root of everything you do there is an uncompromising will to help other people,” said Casas.

RB High Quizbowl team competes in national PACE NSC Lynn Bi News Editor During this coming weekend on June 4-5, RB High’s Quizbowl team will compete head-to-head against top high school teams across the country in the Partnership for Academic Competition Excellence National Scholastic Competition (PACE NSC) in Chicago. Among the participants representing RB High are juniors Omar El-Sabrout and Bryan Ugaz, and seniors Howon Choo and Kion You. In many ways similar to its regional North County Academic League counterpart, Quizbowl is a scholastic, trivia-based competition in which different high school teams use a buzzer system to answer questions spanning an entire spectrum of academic topics. Both breadth and depth of knowledge are imperative, as questions can range from history, literature and science to current events and popular culture.

While the team participates in local and regional Quizbowl competitions on a regular basis throughout the year, the PACE NSC distinguishes itself from other tournaments with its highly selective qualification process, its high concentration of elite competitors and its difficult question sets.

“Our greatest challenge will definitely be the both the difficult teams and the difficult set - both of which are at a caliber that we don’t face frequently,” Ugaz said.

“I am looking forward to the extra competitiveness of a national tournament,”

Photo Courtesy of Kelli Bonafede

ABOVE: Jad Barrere and Sachin Betrabet practice with Quizbowl team after school.

said Choo. “I think it’s pretty amazing to interact with people who have the same passion as you and see them perform really well.”

This year will mark the second time RB High has qualified and participated in the PACE NSC. Last year, the team had competed and placed 19th amongst the 96-participating teams, cementing its place among the top-3 teams in Southern California. You was also recognized on an individual basis for his performance during the competition.

“It was really cool to watch the immense effort he [Kion] put into studying pay off,” said Choo.

Experiences from last year in competition and the example set by You has invigorated each team member to individually study packets of past questions and practice together as a team in order to reach a strong synergy. The team aims to break into the top-12 during competition.

“For the most part last year, Kion was carrying us,” said Ugaz. “Omar and I have been extensively preparing for nationals so

hopefully this year, we will be better ‘Fourth Players’ that can support Kion more thoroughly.”

“I think our strength is our tremendous motivation as a team,” said Choo. “The pressure we put on ourselves drives us to study as much as we can.”

Although the outcome of the competition is still unknown, the tournament holds a great deal of significance for the team members, as it marks their final Quizbowl competition for the year, and for graduating seniors Choo and You, the final tournament of their high school careers.

“Quizbowl has been an incredibly gratifying and intellectually stimulating activity in my past four years,” said You. “It helped me foster my passions in a variety of subjects. It helped me discover and develop my passions in the humanities, especially in English and the arts. It also helped me foster close bonds with my team and has given me a springboard to talk with pretty much anyone in a given academic field about their interests.”

senior class presidents for next year Ian Levy Sports Editor On the last week of April, the elections for class president were held. However, for the class of 2017, there was no ballot. This is because Burke Campbell and Amelia Cabrera ran unopposed for the senior class president title. The two still had to campaign, but the results were a sure thing: Campbell and Cabrera are going to be the senior class presidents of 2016-2017 school year.

Campbell and Cabrera decided to run for office during their sophomore year, and have been friends long before that. After closely following last year’s senior class president race between John Marcus and Alex Modiano who ran against Joy Park and Kristen Gillespie, Campbell and Cabrera knew they wanted to give it a try.

“Both me and Amelia felt that we had good ideas that could translate well to RB High,” said Campbell. “We want to leave a lasting impact on the school.”

The duo is excited to be class presidents because neither one has really had the chance to work with the staff, or with ASB. They look forward to coordinating with ASB, and using some of what Marcus and Modiano put in place this year. One activity they are hoping to continue is the Disneyland senior trip.

Neither Campbell nor Cabrera expected to run unopposed in this election. It came as a tough shock when they became aware that no one else was going to compete against them. After all, it was partly the challenge of campaigning that drove Cabrera and Campbell to run in the first place.

“We thought for sure that we were going to have competition, and so we were really disappointed when we didn’t,” said Cabrera.

“I mean, it was still fun to campaign and make posters and interview people, but it would be more fun with competition.”

However, since the two already won the race, their only concern is to prepare for the upcoming year of planning and work. With Campbell in Peer Counseling, and Cabrera having been an HRC facilitator, the two look forward to working with ASB because it will give them a chance to really prove their leadership skills. They plan on trying to unify the campus because currently, an issue that is starting to arise is the concern

Photo courtesy of Mifiel Valdes

of clique’s. Cabrera and Campbell plan to unite the seniors so that their last year can be great for everybody, not just select groups.

“We want to make the senior class closer,” said Campbell. “We will get rid of cliques and do our best to make senior year great.”

They plan to do this by improving on activities that the seniors generally partake in. Since most students look up to the seniors, the change needs to begin with them. Cabrera plans to keep many of the same dances both informal and formal because she feels that it brings the class together. She believes that the blacklight dance was a smashing success, and hopes to bring back more dances like that next year.

Both Campbell and Cabrera hope to make sure that all events run smoothly throughout the year; however, this is a more difficult task than previously believed.

“I think that sometimes when you see something get put on by ASB, you don’t realize all the little details that get put into it,” said Cabrera. “It’s going to be tough, but I don’t think it’s impossible, and I think we’re going to do a good job.”

The biggest challenge they foresee is the challenge that many presidents before them have had to deal with. The dilemma of implementing new ideas, while still running things smoothly is one of the most difficult tasks for class presidents. They are thankful that Marcus and Modiano were able to set the pieces in place for the Disneyland trip, making it easier for next year’s senior class and all future senior classes.

There is a long road ahead for Campbell and Cabrera, but they plan on creating a great senior year, and setting precedents to be followed for future classes to come.

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Hollywood There’s a reason young voters gravitate towards Bernie Sanders “whitewashing” Janhavi Chafekar needs to end News Editor

Geoffrey Lu Editor-in-Chief You know things are amiss when Angelina Jolie plays a French-born woman of AfroCuban descent. The 2007 movie “A Mighty Heart,” featured the actor playing a character of a stark minority origin. Unfortunately, this casting decision is just one example of a broader trend endemic to American movie studios.

“Whitewashing,” racebending, or in other words, the casting of a white actor to play a minority role, alongside the statistic from IMDB that over 80 percent of lead speaking roles go to white actors, along with the controversy at the Academy Awards this year-they all point to the a worrisome subjugation of minority actors in American media.

Despite the vast population of talented minority actors, evidence indicates that the movie industry has a tendency to cast white actors in minority roles. Hundreds, if not thousands, of movies produced since the 1900s have this effect, and time does not seem to have eroded this. Most recently, Joseph Fiennes, who is undeniably of Caucasian descent, was cast as Michael Jackson for an upcoming TV movie. Three out of four lead actors in 2010’s Avatar: The Last Airbender were of predominantly caucasian descent, despite the movie’s clear Asian influence.

An outdated practice, “whitewashing” is much more subtle in practice now but should be mitigated further. Originally employed to keep black actors out of acting roles in the early 20th century, when white actors painted their faces black when playing certain roles, it has persisted as some twisted vestige of bygone times even as the world has progressed onward dramatically.

In doing so, such castings serve to hide rather than fully manifest and celebrate the full cultural diversity that exists in the world, as well as the achievements and unique story that each minority brings to the table in its fullest. In some sense, this practice appropriates stories from other cultures without fully appreciating its origins, especially, as in some cases, the names of characters are changed to match the ethnicity of the actors. Losing such an integral aspect of the heart and soul--the story--is ostensibly against the interests of both audience and producer.

As a powerful center of influence whose pictures reach audiences that number in the millions, movie studios are sending a poor message and setting a disappointing example when they fail to acknowledge our nation’s colorful swirl of diversity, while simultaneously undermining the integrity of the story being told. All else being equal, there is scant justification for purposely keeping these stories from being portrayed accurately on the big screen and whitewashing films to erase an integral nuance.

Throughout this Democratic primary there has been one constant demographic split between Hillary Clinton voters and Bernie Sanders: age. Older voters have overwhelmingly voted for Clinton, while younger voters (especially those in the 18-29 age group) have overwhelmingly voted for Sanders. An average of exit polls from all 44 states that have voted in Democratic primaries so far have shown that Sanders was favored by voters in this demographic 71 percent to 29 percent.

This big difference has often been attributed to the idea that younger voters are more left-wing than their older counterparts. Though younger people have an increasingly positive view of socialism, polling has shown that they are not more or less liberal than older democrats. Clinton voters skew older, but their opinions on important policy positions that are being debated this primary season are similar to those of Sanders’ younger supporters.

A Pew Research Center study shows that on questions about health care, abortion, social security benefits, and even free trade (an issue Sanders and Clinton actually disagree on) the supporters of both candidates hold the same opinions.

#feelthebern

The most surprising statistic is that 82 percent of Clinton voters say they support government ensuring health care, which is 5 points more than Sanders’ supporters, even though she is not running on a platform that includes any new government healthcare program.

Younger voters also have a favorable view towards free trade, a policy that is often supported by conservatives and opposed by Sanders.

This data shows that the split between older and younger voters is not mainly about ideology, but may be about what each politician’scandidacy would mean for their larger movements.

Bernie Sanders is promising a political revolution that would overturn the status-quo and begin a style of politics that would pay more attention to activists and grassroots movements, and less to powerful institutions and moneyed interests. According to Salwa Khan, a senior at RB High, Sanders’ emphasis on activism and movement politics has attracted her to his candidacy.

“What really drew me to Sanders was his activism when he was younger in college in the Civil Rights Movement, even more than his political stances,” Khan said. “I love how the people who introduce him at his rallies are always outsiders and not politicians.

As a young person that is more attractive

then a senator or governor who I don’t feel any connection to.”

Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, is a candidate deeply entrenched within her party’s establishment and partisan politics at a time when younger voters are overwhelmingly turned off my political parties.

According to Nicholas Rui, a senior at RB High, younger people get their news from a broader range of nontraditional news sources.

“Growing up in an internet age Millennials have a different access to information,” Rui said.

The case many young liberals that I have talked to around campus make against Hillary Clinton involves the compromises her husband’s administration made with conservatives, pointing especially to his signing of the Defense of Marriage Act (a law the legally defined marriage as being between a man and a woman) . However it is this same moderation that both the Clintons represent that makes them appealing to older voters who saw how hard it was for liberal politicians to be accepted by the general electorate.

Because Democrats had lost five of the past six presidential election from 1968 to 1988, Bill Clinton, a moderate southern Democratic governor, became an attractive candidate as a nominee and because of his perceived

PUSD needs to allow “competitive food” on campuses Samantha Yi Opinions Editor School lunches have evolved over the years, and these days students are definitely craving food that is not sold at our cafeteria. While food trucks are plentiful, they cannot stop here at RB High. The Poway Unified School District calls this practice “competitive food,” and has forbidden any food that competes with the school cafeteria. But why can’t we have trucks and vendors on campus?

Also referred to as “Smart Snacks,” competitive food is defined as beverages and snacks that are not sold from the National School Lunch and that competes with the district for the students’ money.

The district doesn’t want competition, which is why they have limited RB High’s student store, but food competition would actually benefit students.

First, a diversity of vendors would allow for a diversity of options, which is great for students who might be vegetarian, vegan, or even gluten intolerant.

Second, there is the consideration of taste.

Third, the school itself can actually benefit because vendors would have to share their profits with the school.

When given the option of forcing down what seems like sand and burnt rubber for lunch or savoring healthy, flavorful dishes from local eateries, most students (and teachers) would prefer the latter.

On certain days, the lunch window sells orange chicken with rice. The saying usually goes, “It tastes like chicken,” even if it’s not chicken. In this case, it might be better phrased as, “Why doesn’t it taste like chicken when it’s supposed to be chicken!”

In Asia and Europe, lunches are usually handmade from fresh ingredients, and school cafeterias aren’t just serving stations but actual kitchens with people cooking in them.

“In Central Europe, the people who make the lunches come to school at 5 o’clock in the morning, and they make different lunches everyday that each consists of three courses,” said Ron Malinovski, a freshman who recently moved from Belarus.

What Malinovski describes is far from the case here. Most, if not all, public American school cafeteria lunches are made from processed ingredients; they’re usually frozen, and they are far from nutritiousdespite what Congress might say.

Recently, the U.S. Congress fought back against the Obama administration’s efforts to improve school lunches. One of Congress’ tactics? Classifying pizza as a vegetable. Kraig Naasz, president of the American Frozen Food Institute, supported this argument by calling pizza a healthy meal. But I don’t remember pizzas growing on trees next to apples and oranges.

If a meal made from processed meats, cheeses and tomato paste is healthy, then why is America’s obesity problem so severe? At least with some pizza vendors, there are healthier options, such as combination pizza topped with numerous vegetables, but with the school cafeteria, there is only one: high caloric cardboard. Sometimes, it is difficult to know where the pizza ends and the pizza box begins.

Some might argue that a lot of food vendors would also serve unhealthy options if given the opportunity.

However, with multiple vendors and more power in the students’ hands, open competition can allow for a diversity of options: organic, sustainable, vegan, and vegetarian, to name a few possibilities. Multiple vendors may even force school cafeteria food to step up its quality because of increased competition for student money.

Students should not be limited to the sometimes ridiculous guidelines established by the federal government. Students should have options, and they should have the choice to eat healthy and to be healthy. There is a reason, after all, that competitive food is called “smart.”

Anonymity on the Internet allows teenagers to “troll” without consequences David Wang Staff Writer The internet is a vast, seemingly intangible concept. A global network of computers allows data to be transferred and accessible at any given time. Around 40% of people in the world have internet access, totalling to a little bit more than 3 billion people. In the midst of this worldwide web, an individual user often goes about unnoticed, a mere speck in the grand scheme of things. This gives people to freedom to do almost anything they wish, a power that has come to be abused and extorted in recent times.

Although people on social media have profiles outlining themselves, it is relatively simple to remain anonymous on the internet.

Many forums and sites allow guests to comment and post, and information on specific individuals aren’t easily accessible.

There is a mutual trust between internet users that people will be respectable and carry themselves in a dignified manner similar to conversations in person.

theSilverSpur Rancho Bernardo High School 13010 Paseo Lucido, San Diego, CA 92128 (858) 485-4800 | rbsilverspur@gmail.com Mission Statement:

The Rancho Bernardo High School Silver Spur is a student run organization on campus dedicated to providing accurate news and stories to the student population. In addition, the Silver Spur strives to educate its staff members on the innerworkings of journalism and prepares its students for the real world of reporting, media, and communications.

electability for taking a much more moderate tone on business interests and social issues.

Clinton’s administration, while praised by liberals for the prosperous economy, is also remembered for compromising with conservatives on socially and economically conservative pieces of legislation. This triangulation is seen by capitulation by younger liberals, who were not around to see the conservative politics that dominated in the post-cold war era. Rui notices this especially during foreign policy discussions.

“Everyone says Hillary Clinton is the most experienced, but it is also clear she is the most interventionist,” Rui said. “Older voters have lived through the cold war, and from someone born into a nine-eleven generation, I think we have a different perspective.”

The similarities in ideology show that the fight in the Democratic primary has been one not between those on the far-left and those on the center-left, but between those who want representation within the system as it is and those who want to break the system as we know it.

However, only optimists would believe others, cyberbully, and act in an otherwise this to be the case. For a myriad of reasons, undignified manner. Terms such as “internet ranging from a need for attention to no reason trolls” demonstrate this anomaly, where at all, people abuse the fact that they are one of people abuse their privilege and affect others the many internet users rather than a specific negatively. There is no way to stop a random person. Lacking an identity on the internet, person from logging into an online forum people believe that and spamming posts their actions won’t in order to derail the It seems that society as thread. You have directly result in any consequences. a whole, and teenagers no control over the They lack a sense of actions of other in general, have accountability and people, and they become less caring switch to an alternate know that. A person about the consequences can’t be punished for personality when online. A shy teenager a mean or derogatory of their actions. could transform into comment, and there a confident person on is nothing you can the internet because other people don’t know do except ignore them or reply with an even what he is like in real life. People are generally harsher comment. Certain restraints have more confident on the internet because of the been instituted on a vast majority of websites; lack of human to human interactions, which chat filters, website bans, and moderators all can bring about some good. attempt to limit what people can say or do.

The other side of this, however, is the more Many examples of such instances exist prominent aspect of the internet. People in high school life. Ask.fm, a site where use their anonymous status to criticize anonymous people ask their friends questions,

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Editors-in-Chief

Advisor

News

Features Opinions

Sports

Lifestyle

Backpage Copy Editor Cartoonist

Ibrahim Ali Max Lata Geoffrey Lu Liz Winn ewinn@powayusd.com Lynn Bi Janhavi Chafekar Kalena Tano Max Lata Samantha Yi Munira Ali Ian Levy Clara Lee Emma Rooholfada Takashi Joubert Isabella Ortiz Gwen LaMar

Staff Writers

Gabby Decano Nina Eclarin Taylor Hardey Alex Walsh David Wang

This newspaper is supported by a grant made possible by The Rancho Bernardo Community Foundation, an affiliate of The San Diego Foundation.

often contains offensive and derogatory comments, of which nothing can be done. The Burnbook app, whose short-lived yet impactful time in high schools led to the shutdown of several schools, might be the best example of how far anonymous individuals will go. By being able to post in different communities, which are divided by schools, anyone can log on and access all pictures, rumors, threats and whatnot. There is a difference between friendly bickering and a bomb threat, which caused schools in several states to be shut down.

This issue is just one part of an overarching attitude of society today. People as a whole, and teenagers in general, have become less caring about the consequences of their actions. They believe that bad things will never happen to them, that only “that guy” is unlucky and receives his deserved punishment. This ideology then transfers to the internet, and is magnified by repeated instances where crude comments or behavior go unnoticed. You may be unknown to others on the internet, but karma will still find a way to retaliate.

Editorial Policy:

The opinions expressed in the Silver Spur are not necessarily the opinions of the staff, administration, or the students of Rancho Bernardo High School. They are not representative of the opinions of the Silver Spur staff as a whole. The Silver Spur is a public forum for students to express their individual opinions.

The Other Side of the Argument

Pros of Internet Anonymity • Anonymity on the Internet allows people to express any belief even in an area that does not support that particular idea.

• Full online anonymity lets users avoid targeted advertisements.

• Banning anonymity allows the government to track and tax economic exchanges as well as silence government-watchdogs.

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Opinions 5 School should end earlier to help students stay sane? The UC system should accept Emma Rooholfada more Californians in 2017 theSilverSpur

June 3, 2016

Lifestyle Editor

Ibrahim Ali

After an exhausting day of school, you get into your most comfortable pajamas and spend the rest of the day unwinding, right?

Wrong. If only the life of a high schooler was that simple. Thanks to the enormous loads of homework your teachers gave you and the unreasonably long school days, your schedule looks more like this: 3:30 - You’ve barely made a dent in your school work and you still have to practice the piano for your recital and go to Target to buy toothpaste. It’s alright, you’ll just eat dinner faster.

4:30 - Well you were planning to finish your math homework by now but your friend called with the latest gossip on her new crush. Maybe you’ll just skip piano for today.

6:00 - You finally finished math, but now you have to finish the lab for science and the essay for english. Surely a nice dinner will refresh you.

7:00 - You finished dinner ten minutes ago but the couch is so comfortable you just can’t force yourself to get up. You turn on the TV to Netflix. Maybe just one episode of Friends…

8:00 - Oh no! You fell asleep and you still have so much work to do! Hurry!

11:00 - You finally finished! But you’re pretty sure that you made a few mistakes on the lab and the essay definitely could have been better, so you decide to get up earlier in the morning.

Finally, you get into your pajamas and go to the bathroom to brush your teeth, until you realize — you forgot the toothpaste!

Editor-in-Chief

With so much work to do and so little time to do it in, it is inconceivable for a high schooler to maintain sanity and a healthy lifestyle while thriving academically. In order for us to function as best as we can, the length of the school day needs to be shortened to accommodate for the various activities students have outside of school.

Most students work more productively in the sanctity of their own house than in the loud and uncomfortable environment of the classroom, so what good does it do to keep kids locked up in school when they could be at home doing the homework for that class and effectively processing the lesson? In fact, teachers do not teach for much of the class time, insteading giving students loads of class work. If we’re going to do class work all day long, we might as well just do it at home, where we can focus without the added distractions.

Some may argue that class time is crucial because students can collaborate with other students and the teacher. However,

Cartoon by Gwen LaMar

after a short period of time, collaboration turns into socializing period. The brain can only focus for so long before it needs a break, but with school and homework consuming every minute of our lives, there is no break. These unreasonably large piles of homework force us to choose quantity over quality.

With the majority of our waking hours spent at school, the extracurricular and social aspects of life are failed to factor in.

After school, we have little time and energy to do anything other than homework, and sometimes, we don’t even have the energy to do that. Having more time after school permits students to pursue their passions outside of academics without damaging their health. This will benefit our future more than that extra math class.

Less time spent in school per day can significantly increase all aspects of our daily life. With a campus as diverse and unique as ours, it is our duty to mankind to let the creative side of the students of RB High loose. There’s no telling what they can do, if they just had time.

The University of California, or UC system boasts some of the best universities in the world, attracting tens of thousands of applicants during each admissions season.

Fortunately, the UC system is becoming more and more accessible to out- of stateresidents; however, for the majority of instate applicants, the opposite is already a major reality.

For the 2016 application cycle, the UC system has come under fire for displaying an inherent bias against in state applicants.

A new, 116-page, state audit released in March accuses the University of California system of hurting local students by admitting too many out of state applicants. Alongside stricter entrance recommendations, the audit also advised a cap on enrollment and recruiting more California residents, especially underrepresented minorities.

Out of state UC students are expected to pay nearly three times the tuition of their in state counterparts, allowing the public school system to compensate for budget cuts. However, the fact still remains that the UC system is publically funded, and should therefore should not base admissions decisions on tuition fees or budget hurdles.

Given the pattern of rising tuition amongst UC schools as well as little to no priority placed on in state applicants, the UC system is more comparable to private universities rather than public ones.

The focus of the UC system should lean towards providing equal opportunity for all students, with priority placed on in state applicants.

Creating equal opportunities means opening doors for students who would otherwise not be able to access the benefits of higher education. California’s 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education provided free tuition to the top 12.5 percent of California’s public high school graduates. Today, even as the number of students enrolled in public universities within California has grown exponentially, the plan’s enrollment thresholds remain largely the same.

If the UC system continues to prioritize out-of-state applicants over in-state applicants, it also stands to lose diversity among the student body, a key aspect of any college. Priority admission should therefore not only be granted to in state students but also to low-income students.

This is because a decrease in the number of enrolled low income students consequently results in a decrease in diversity.

The best way to combat budget cuts is to request more state funding. Compensating for these budget cuts through a myopic focus on enrolling more and more out-ofstate students stands to only hurt students.

Though it is true that the UC system is able to fund additional programs because of increased revenue from out of state students, the benefits do not outweigh the harms. Therefore, the UC system should reform its admissions process with an emphasis on equal opportunity.

“Gap years” are a good option for students who are unsure of their future plans Gabby Decano Staff Writer President Barack Obama’s daughter Malia Obama has decided to take a year off or a “gap year” after graduating high school and will end up attending Harvard in 2017 instead of 2016.

A gap year is a period of time in which students take a break after graduating high school. In other words, it’s a “gap” between their last year of high school and their first year in college.

Are “gap years” beneficial for students, or do they pose as a detriment towards one’s educational drive in college?

According to PBS, it explains that there are a variety of gap-year programs that students can apply for. To request a gap year, after a student receives a college admissions letter, the student needs to explain

what he or she will be doing for the period of time not in school. After receiving the thumbs-up, from time to time, students need to also confirm that the activities they plan on doing during their gap year are still being continued.

Gap years can be viewed beneficial, for it allows students to take a break and to explore their interests and passions.

After four years of high school, you’re now faced with the sudden shift into college and the lingering thought of “Am I ready for this?”

Some of us may feel that we don’t have a single clue what we want to do for the rest of our lives. Despite the encouraging advice of our loved ones and school counselors, we can often feel that attending college and paying expensive tuition fees may be a waste.

With gap years, you’re given the opportunity to have some time to still think about what you want to pursue in life.

Let’s ramp up Grad “Nite” with spending their entire “grad night” at RB High. The kids who are going to parties Editor-in-Chief instead are definitely ready to leave and never come back, so PTSA absolutely needs Grad night, or rather Grad “Nite” to get Grad Nite out of the gym. This isn’t because edgy, unconventional spelling unreasonable considering it has recently been makes things at least twice as cool, is an at other places off-campus and that other event with a purpose: to make sure kids schools within the district are holding theirs are safe on graduation night. I’ll concede, at outside venues. For example, Del Norte’s after graduation, our undeveloped teenage will be at the Miramar Speed Circuit, and Mt. minds think we’re adults and that we can Carmel held their 2015 Grad Nite at Party go party and drink to celebrate the end of Pals (a venue purposefully set up for parties high school, so the PTSA has its heart in the in Sorrento Valley). right place. Parents deserve to feel that their To help gain attendance, PTSA needs kids are safe, but our Grad Nite has many to work in conjunction with ASB. Right problems that need now, ASB has no to be addressed. real power or input, According to the National Firstly, there is no so Grad Nite is a Highway Traffic Safety way Grad Nite will campus activity Administration, there is a ever be one-hundred run almost entirely seven-percent hike over the percent perfect; off-campus. Given teenagers are ASB’s success national average in drunkgoing to make bad over the past year teenage automobile fatalities at decisions no matter advertising on the night of high school what.

The goal events, they should needs to be reducing be included in the graduations. the statistics of process. The PTSA teenage drinking and is made up of mainly driving, which are sobering to say the least. parents, and parents are great, but they According to the National Highway Traffic don’t always think like teenagers do, and Safety Administration, there is a seven- ASB can. percent hike over the national average in Lastly, Grad Nite is a lock-in, which drunk-teenage automobile fatalities on the makes sense given the aim of the event, night of high school graduations. Grad Nite but that’s a thought that turns kids away. isn’t going to get that number to zero, but it There’s a process for early release, but it can help reduce the spike. involves bringing a note at the beginning of To meet that goal, the PTSA has to the event and having your parent come and consider who they’re specifically targeting. show proper identification. A modification Chances are that the kids indicating early to make the lock-in more agreeable is to let that they’re going to Grad Nite will be parents notify the PTSA that their child can going to Grad Nite no matter what or at leave early at the beginning of the event least partaking in safe activities the night of or even earlier in the day at the graduation graduation anyway. The kids who will be ceremony. In addition, students will have endangering themselves and others probably to check out of the event, and the PTSA aren’t jumping to go to Grad Nite, so with will either call or text the parents to notify that in mind, the PTSA needs to focus on them that their child is leaving. This still those students in particular. allows for a safer night than completely Let’s be honest. If someone’s willing to free teenagers. submit themselves to being locked in our In conclusion, Grad Nite is a great idea, gym, which I barely trust my shoes touching, but its execution needs to be altered so that for hours and hours, they’re probably okay it can live up to its full potential.

Max Lata

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Senior Nitika Jain feels that doing a gap year is a smart decision since you get to re-energize yourself.

Jain said that if one took a gap year, she would use the time to study a language or travel abroad in Asia.

However, Jain also explains the drawback of taking a gap year: there are different requirements when applying for college that make the admissions process pretty troublesome.

“It’s easier to get into college right after graduating from high school, but after taking a gap year, there’s different requirements you have to make,” Jain said.

Gap years pose as a great opportunity for those who want to extend their knowledge or want to explore more about themselves and discover their passions and interests.

According to the 2015 National Alumni Survey managed by Nina Hoe, PhD, with the help of the Institute for Survey Research, Temple University, and the AGA Research Committee, it shows various

influences of individuals who made the decision of taking a gap year. Data shows that 82 percent wanted to take a break from their studies; 85 percent wanted to travel and learn about other cultures, and 92 percent wanted to take the time to personally grow.

It’s important that we do the things we want to do that would ensure personal growth. We could perhaps study a language we’ve always wanted to learn, or study abroad to explore different parts of the world, and maybe even find our passion there. You may also take part in internships that could give you more inspiration for you potential career path or take mission trips to help others in need.

Gap years are not for everyone. If you feel that you’re ready to attend college with a clear, driven mind, go for it.

Don’t use the idea of a “gap year” to do nothing. Ideally, gap years are for those who want to make the most of their time away from college while being devoted to finding themselves and their passions.

Door dings are a common occurence: students need better parking-lot etiquette Ian Levy Sports Editor Junior Cody Goking walked to the student parking lot from his 6th period class one day only to find his car scratched and damaged.

“The person who hit my car luckily left a note with his contact information,” Goking said. “The damage didn’t seem like much, but fixing a car is expensive.”

Damages as experienced by Goking are a commonplace occurrence, especially with the large concentration of inexperienced drivers in the student parking lot; however, Goking was able to contact the offender and settle the issue. This is a marked difference with the case of junior Zach Brown, whose car was involved in a hit-and-run in the student parking lot. No note was left, and Brown was held financially responsible for all the damages.

“Everyone makes mistakes,” said Brown.

“They just need to leave a note.”

Prior to receiving the parking permit, student drivers must meet certain qualifications. Among the requirements, includes the attendance of a Start-Smart class

through the San Diego Sheriff’s Department or California Highway Patrol by the student and parent, the passing of a parking permit test, and a permit registration application.

Valid insurance and registration for the car students will be driving is also required.

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Everyone makes mistakes.

They just need to leave a note.” - Zach Brown, junior

While all these measures are put in place to increase student safety in driving, students have reported that fenderbenders and minor dings are still common occurrences. Moreover, students have also noted an epidemic of a lack of courtesy and responsibility for such accidents.

The high frequency of such hit-and-runs is particularly concerning as many students at RB High work to pay for their cars, and are responsible for any insurance or car-related expenses that may incur. Even minor scratches can be extremely expensive to fix.

One issue that contributes greatly to the damages of cars in the student lot is the

size of the parking spots themselves. The spots are miniscule. Some students resort to parking in two spaces with one car; however, there are not enough spaces for every student to do that. Cars are parked mirror to mirror in many cases which is why it’s not shocking that most people have difficulty pulling in and out of the spaces, and a large number of people get into minor scrapes, dents, and accidents while parking in the student lot.

One solution to these damages could be increasing the size of the spots. The senior spots are larger, and because of this difference in size, there seems to be less dings and scratches on senior cars. If we were to widen the spots by just even a little bit, there would probably be a reduction in incidents.

Another possible solution would be for the administration to provide information to student-lot parkers on the best practices and procedures to follow in cases of accidents. The ideal solution would be camera surveillance in the parking lot, but this is expensive. The simplest solution of all, however, is to be respectful, responsible and just leave a note.

6 Features

theSilverSpur

June 3, 2016

Sophomore, Mitchell organizes benefit for dog rescue Prom Court 2016: Kylie Yamane and Raymond Velasquez

SMALL ACTS OF KINDNESS - Taylor Mitchell organizes ard sale for German Shepherd Rescue. family room the day before [the garage Isabella Ortiz sale],” Mitchell said.

On April 30, Mitchell woke up at 5 AM Copy Editor to post signs and set up the garage sale.

The best way to make an impact is to Even the rain couldn’t stop Mitchell, and start with passion. For animal-lover and after over five hours, she sold over half of sophomore Taylor Mitchell, it wasn’t her items.

“What made the experience even better difficult to translate her affection for her own rescue dogs into motivation was that the rest of the items went to to raise money for the Coastal German Goodwill,” Mitchell said.

Shepherd Rescue.

In total, she raised over $500, all of which Mitchell already had strong connections she donated to the shelter. This feat is even to the local shelter, as her family had more impressive considering Mitchell had already fostered dogs from it. After hearing never done anything like it before. Her love that the Coastal German Shepherd Rescue of animals, though, drove her to follow desperately needed a new van to transport through with this act of generosity.

“My family has donated, fostered, dogs from high-kill shelters to San Diego, she decided to turn her spring cleaning into walked dogs and of course adopted three,” Mitchell said. a charity effort.

Her favorite part about the event was The week prior to her garage sale, she posted on Facebook to ask for donations that she knew exactly where all of the money would go. Beyond that, she felt and notify people about the event.

“I actually had multiple generous families, overwhelmed by the positive response who were either moving out or did some within her community.

“I felt so proud that we were able to [raise cleaning) donate items,” Mitchell said.

She and her family dedicated hours to the money] and was thankful for everyone cleaning and organizing their items, in who supported it,” Mitchell said.

She actually hand-delivered the proceeds addition to those donated by others.

“We had over 200 items sitting in our to workers from the shelter, who were

Photos courtesy of Taylor Mitchell holding an adoption event at the Del Mar Petco location.

“It was so nice to see the faces of the people volunteering, and they thought it was amazing how we raised this much in just five short hours,” Mitchell said.

Her selflessness reached beyond the garage sale, as she and her mother stayed at the adoption to aid the shelter’s efforts. She encouraged people looking to adopt and emphasized “how much a dog can change your life.”

This act of kindness is not an isolated event, though. Mitchell has dedicated herself to helping Rancho Bernardo, where she has lived for her entire life.

Mitchell emphasizes the importance of benefitting others over receiving a reward for herself because “the feeling of helping others is enough of a reward itself.”

She encourages others to engage in small acts of kindness, whether it’s a garage sale or some other form of giving back to your community.

“I will 100 percent continue to do things like this because I love the feeling of helping others and seeing how much of a difference I can make,” Mitchell said.

Senior, Moluf spreads kindness through Project Friendship Taylor Hardey Staff Writer Kind, hardworking and dedicated are just a few words that could be used to describe Julia Moluf, the founder of Project Friendship.

Project Friendship works to simulate RB High’s Best Buddies program at an elementary-school level by teaching students to treat their peers with kindness and respect, especially students with special needs.

Moluf moved to San Diego shortly before her freshman year from Oregon, where in middle school she had TAed for a class with special needs. As soon as she got to RB High, she jumped right into the Best Buddies club, and by the end of her sophomore year, she had applied to be chapter president.

She secured the position, and has been the president ever since.

Moluf’s dedication to Best Buddies stems from her experiences watching her buddy Hailey Ausen struggle with many things that we often take for granted. Moluf’s experiences have taught her to remember to be thankful for the life she lives as well as not worry about the small things she tended to overstress about before. She is also inspired by Ausen’s positivity; Ausen is a constant ray of sunshine in Moluf’s life.

Moluf’s dedication towards helping students with special needs runs deeper than just Best Buddies. Moluf hoped to expand Best Buddies and spread awareness of students with special needs to elementary students, and so she designed the Project Friendship program.

“When I was young, I didn’t even know what a disability was, and I didn’t know why some people looked different than me or acted different than me,” Moluf said.

Moluf decided that it was time to teach kids

Kylie Yamane is a fouryear member of the award-winning varsity dance team, Tour De Force, and Raymond Velasquez is a captain for the State Champion varsity football team.

Senior Rooholfada innovates a new combination of musical instruments

VIOLIN BEATBOXING- Rooholfhada shows off his talents at the TEDX RB High conference.

Photo courtesy of Isabella Ortiz

said. “It feels like you’re playing two instruments at the same time.”

Staff Writer This unprecedented mix forces the performer to control both the rhythm and It’s not often that you hear of a beatboxing the melody of the beat, which is a difficult violinist, but RB High’s own senior Omid feat already.

Rooholfada is a member of this highly On top of this challenge, Rooholfada had specialized niche of the music world. few resources to hone his beatboxing skills.

Having played piano since the age “There’s no standard source of beatboxing of five and violin since the fifth grade, expertise,” Rooholfada said.

Rooholfada had already developed a Instead, Rooholfada primarily relied on strong foundation in music when he Pentatonix and YouTube tutorials. Social decided to branch out. media first introduced Rooholfada to the “My musical background definitely art, and once again, social media allowed helped me with rhythm,” Rooholfada said. him to spread his new interest.

Kevin Olusola In addition to of famed a performing and People are usually cappella group and discussing beatboxing pretty impressed; few Internet sensation at the TEDxRBHigh Pentatonix inspired c o n f e r e n c e , people have heard him to venture into Rooholfada has about combining the the oft-overlooked shared his music violin with beatboxing.” via Soundcloud and field of beatboxing.

-Omid Rooholfhada Olusola unique Facebook videos. approach to the “People are usually craft encouraged pretty impressed,” Rooholfada to combine two totally Rooholfada said. “Few people have heard disparate styles of music. about combining the violin with beatboxing.”

“I really liked that Kevin combines cello Rooholfada hopes that the Internet will and beatboxing,” Rooholfada said. unique perpetuate beatboxing’s influence as a approach to the craft, which involves a blend budding art form. of cello and beatboxing, also encouraged “It’s like a little quirk that people Rooholfada to combine two totally disparate randomly get interested in, but the styles of music.

Internet has allowed it to spread,” With Olusola as his role model, Rooholfada Rooholfada said. decided to combine his violin skills with his For now, though, Rooholfada is one newfound talent for beatboxing. It certainly of the few pioneers fronting a unique wasn’t easy, though. movement that fuses classical music “It’s physically hard to do,” Rooholfada with beatboxing.

Isabella Ortiz

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PROJECT FRIENDSHIP- Moluf teaches students about treating others equally. to understand students with special needs. She emailed 26 school principals a powerpoint filled with ideas for something she called “Project Friendship,” and the replies she received from them were incredibly enthusiastic.

“

When I was young, I didn’t know what a disability was, I didn’t know why some people looked different than me and acted different from me.”

-Julia Moluf, senior

Through Project Friendship, Moluf has already spoken to students at more than five elementary schools. When visiting schools, Moluf speaks either to one class or to the entire school in order to teach students to treat all of their peers equally, specifically those who may

Photo courtesy of Julia Moluf

have special needs. Julia also hopes to inspire kids to join Best Buddies when they move on to high school.

Moluf’s ultimate goal for Project Friendship is simply to teach kids that everyone should be treated equally and to spread awareness about the Best Buddies club. Moluf also hopes that with the spread of awareness, companies will start to accept more workers with special needs and give them jobs.

As for her future with Best Buddies and Project Friendship, Moluf plans to join Best Buddies in college. She also applied and was chosen to serve on the Best Buddies Young Leaders Council, a group of 20 students from around the country who meet and work on spreading awareness, creating sports teams for students and forming friendships for students with special needs. Moluf was one of only 9 new students to be chosen this year.

Moluf’s hope for students here at Rancho Bernardo High is that we will continue to be kind to students with special needs and continue to exemplify the principle of no place for hate.

Rooholfhada’s Soundcloud: @midooholfada

From senior to freshman: advice to get you through the next four years Dear Freshmen, So, you’ve finished your first year of high school. By now, you’ve probably had a lot of your hopes disappointed, but also a lot of your expectations exceeded. A lot can happen in a year, and I’m sure your life has been changed in some way by your experiences at RB High. As monotonous as school can seem on a daily basis, I assure you that your next three years will pass incredibly quickly.

Some days, it feels absolutely horrible to drag yourself out of bed, but I can guarantee you that you will meet at least one person (a teacher or a friend) who make this whole “public school” thing seem worth it (side note: public school has more socioeconomic diversity than private schools, and that’s a good thing). Some of your proudest

moments will take place in a classroom, and you will get so many chances over the next three years to show this school why you’re special. You will meet some amazing people and some not-so-amazing people, but every person you meet can teach you a lesson about the world. Yeah, even here in our tiny suburban “utopia.”

As a senior who has seen it all, I urge you to exit your comfort zone at some point.

Go to a football game, hang out with a new group of kids, join that club you’re secretly embarrassed to be interested in. Even if you end up embarrassing yourself, that fleeting feeling is far superior to the lingering regret of “what-ifs,” because regret lasts forever.

Chances are, in five years you’ll look back on an embarrassing moment and laugh about it. Seriously!

Never be afraid to stand up for yourself, either. Everybody has a right to feel safe in our school, and if someone is making you

“

You will meet some amazing people and some not-so-amazing people, but every person you meet can teach you a new lesson about the world.”

feel any other way, you don’t need to tolerate it. The same goes for people who make you feel like less: no one here is any better or worse than anyone else, regardless of their GPA or number of Instagram followers.

You’re just as important as anyone else, and I bet you there are lots of people who couldn’t do without you in their lives.

Approach situations you come across as a student. You’re here to learn, and it’s not expected that you’ll know everything. No one who actually matters will look down on you for being unsure, so ask questions when you have them. You cannot always rely on someone else to ask that burning question you have, so you don’t have to.

And you know that grateful feeling you get when someone actually does ask the question you’re privately stressing about?

Well, imagine someone feeling that grateful towards you. Like I said before, exiting that comfort zone of yours is sure to pay off.

My final piece of advice to you is this:

while you should be proud of who you are, nobody’s perfect. Constructive criticism is not insulting. Everyone has flaws, and it’s our lifelong mission to grow out and away from them. There’s no better place to test the waters of human relationships and workplaces than high school, so use what happens to you here to adjust a bit to a fastapproaching adulthood. While it’s easy to forget that the world is bigger than just us, we must all strive to improve it by improving ourselves. In fact, the only thing we can actually change in this life is ourselves, so make those changes good ones.

And remember: These years will fly by faster than you can blink. Make the most of them!

Sincerely, A Senior

Class of 2016,

Cla ss o f 6 1 20

We have enjoyed every minute with you at RB high, but like all great journies, ours must come to a close. join us in celebrating the future rocket rides across the galaxy of our fellow broncos.

Sincerely, ibrahim ali, lynn bi, gwen lamar, max lata, clara lee, Geoffrey lu, isabella ortiz and david wang The seniors of the silver spur

e Jun 6 201 october 2015

Aug ust 2015 First post on Humans of RBHS

First post on Humans of RBHS September 2015

ASB puts on highest-attended dance ever, Homecoming: Gods and Goddesses

RB Football “finishes the mission” beats Mt. Carmel to win CIF title

November

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American Academy of Dramatic Arts Johanne Buot Elise Feyedelem

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Trina Caparas Marissa Dixon Theresa Hoang Katelyn Negahban Nikita Sam

California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo

Ashley Ferrin Sarah Mele

Kelli Bonafede Pouria Fariborzi Erik Graber Sahil Gupta Elitsa Vutova Emma Whitwam

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California State University, Chico Matthew Sandubrae

Cal State East Bay Samantha Morris

California State University San Marcos Trenten Bradford Jordan Calero Alexander Canizales Nicholas Coast Matthew Crowley Ruby DeFalco Anissa Elhaiesahar Nava Elhaiesahar Spencer Elmore Kaitlyn Flores Tessa Fritz Giselle Hernandez Jay Hernandez Aryana Hughes Rodolfo Knochenhauer Nicole Lopez Robert Marks Kailey McGurrell Benjamin Moorhead Daniel Morris Ashley Niebuhr Hailey Trice Antonio Pequeno Nicholas Richardson Amanda Risher Leticia Sanchez Sadaf Sayar Kassidy Sellin Cameron Shadroo Kyle Wagner Sean Wheeler

Cal Poly Pomona

Alejandro Arellano Jay Shah Cameron Sims

Cal State Long Beach

Parth Chhasatiya Kaori Emerson-Shurilla Cindy Lai Brian Lucht Hanna Mekuria Emahn Yahyapour

California Lutheran University Mercedes Sacca

City College

Kalantari Behmardi

Claremont McKenna Samantha Lee

Concordia University Irvine Alisa Pimenteo

Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising Emily Pontanilla Florida Southern University Lamarr Crouch

Grossmont College Kristina Loshak Simon Orny

Glendale Community College Jackeline Huerta

MiraCosta Community College Nazaneen Amiri Eric Barnett Christopher Cadet Roya Eskandar

2015

Miramar College

Jennifer Alejandro Ashley Alvidrez Kourosh Amani Joan Arenas Aria Asrabadi Sara Badeanlo Eliana Bahou Kenneth Becker Arteen Binaei Lauren Bounyavong Linda Brady Ashlee Bunn Adrian Charbono Kyle Chernicky Rohit Cheruku Ian Cogan Corbin Cook Nathaniel Craig Bethany de Castro Colton Debord Randa DeHaan Brad Dela Llana Eric Deverill Brianna Donat Peter Eligio-Alva Travis England Abigail Feinberg Adrian Fernandez Micheala Ferrer Sara Ghadimi Kristin Gillespie Anastasha Harren Zachary Holm Yueh Hsiung Kate Hustosky Brandon Jonas Pamela Jones Trevor Jost Anthony Kazadi Molly Kennedy Diana Keshavarzi Mahta Khojasteh Chance Kubinak Mozelle Lacdan Kenneth Lacsa John Long Darius Mamaghani Gabriella Marsden Gregory Martin Moorea Mattson Blessie Millan April Mo Camille Morris Francheska Navarro Keri Nguyen

Sarah Nigro Kia Noormosavi Olivia Norlin Makenzie Orloff Leonel Paredes Karolay Perez Grant Parlett Natallie Rada Liam Rupic Karen Schraeder Aakriti Sinha Megan Standifer Mingyue Sun Savannah Tennes Jacob Thompson Broxton Tolentino Mifiel Valdes Alicia Wayland Brianna Wiederhold Cameron Willenbring Tristan Williamson Siu Wong Tiara Wright Bailey Wussler Jarett Yochum

Palomar Community College Jordan Albert Michael Almanza Armin Baboldashtian Christian Bennett Sedric Blanco Laurie Borders Alexandria Brown Dylan Cader Jazrellyn Cajucom Nathaniel Craig Pablo Bartolome Kevin Cruz

Saddleback College Ariana Tringali

San Diego State University Veronika Alter Carissa Bernhardt Marilynn Do Paige Doherty Erin-Hannah Enriquez Timothy Ho Nathaniel Jalbuena Tuomas Karhu Salwa Khan Seo Lee Isabella Lopez Jack Miao Julia Moluf Audrey Nonaka Brendan O’Rourke Samantha Talansky

Diana Tse Christine Vargas

David Koster

Krystyna Demchenko Brandon Dimmick Eric Estepp Annarenee Fonsecca Shayna Freedman Miller Georges Luis Guison Angelica Hanson Cid Hernandez Andrew Hogan Seung Lee Nathan Lovato James Lucas Patricia Martin Jerry Mbamo Patrick Minas Savannah Nakhonethap Benjamin Emery Nichols Kelleigh O’Donnell Tyler O’Hara Liam O’Keefe Izabella Orozco Emily Park Charles Penn Luka Ristic Javier Rocha Julia Rollon Erica Ruffoni Oguz Sayim Cameron Shepherd Kobe Smith Matthew Solis Matthew Sommerhalder Chad Soto Stephen Spring Patrick Theis Aaron Tivadar Alexandria VandenHeuvel Carly Weingartner Blake Yates

Cameron Gallaher

Point Loma Nazarene University Maurice Flores

Riverside City College Devaughn Vele

Riverside Community College Michael Leto

San Francisco State University Elizabeth Gravelle Hamed Samee

San Jose State University Vanessa Dee

Santa Barbara City College Sonoma State University Juliana Mamaghani Ciara Peterson

UC Berkeley

Michael Frank Kevin Hu Clara Lee Beini Liu Jackie Patterson Nicholas Rui Jared Shao Connor Tou Sydney Yang Ellin Zhao Katie Uh

UC Davis

Sally Baek Yoon Ko Abigail Meehan Jordan Wolfman Katie Provoast

UC Irvine

Luke Ichishita Armaan Naghdi Alexander Painter

UC Los Angeles

Haldan Assad Sadaf Dadafshar Alyssa Dsouza Arjun Durbhakula Adrian Holtz Harrison Mahon Manvita Mareboina Christopher Routh Callum Sydserff Michelle Tenggara David Wang Justin Wolfman Hannah El-Sabrout

UC Merced

Adrian Darian

UC Riverside

Maral Ansari Kevin Brewer Simran Cheema Heather Choi Chloe Hull

y

Februar

2015

2015

Nathan Nichols Jacob Painter Jordan Primrose

The class of 2016, Principal LeMaster’s first, graduates as RB High’s 25th group of seniors.

Hundreds attend Board of Education meeting to debate transgender changing rooms

RB Football “finishes the mission” beats Mt. Carmel to win CIF title

Four More on Planet Cali Abraxas Transitions

December

venturing out into the galaxy Aims Community College

Dartmouth College

Arizona State University

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

Halle Torrez

Sabrina Cyrus Lucas Dent Bryan Fu Nathaniel Gottlieb Mitchell Lindgren Jeffrey Molino Yu Sen Shao

Belmont Abbey College Melissa Neyhouse

Binghamton University Victoria Manvelian

Boise State University Chloe Kaagan Nicholas Nielsen

Boston University Ellen Kim

Brigham Young University Idaho Abigail Bleakley Noah Butner Benjamin James Domenica Baque

Brown University Kion You

Butler University Tyler Whang

Colgate University Justin Mailom

Colorado Mesa University Connor Shadroo

Colorado State University Pueblo Charles Hanson

Columbia University Sachin Betrabet Lynn Bi

Max Lata

Brendan McGeeney Tommy Winship

Emily Carr University of Art and Design Arjun Menon

Georgia Institute of Technology Anthony Barnum Caroline Doi

Gonzaga University

Mario Maldonado-Santos Shane Stoike

Gordon College Rebecca Bellino

Grand Canyon University James Edmonds Anna Unnasch Olivia Unnasch

Hofstra University Donia Firooz

Maryville University of Saint Louis Julie McCardell Mesa College Mekial Anwar John Avorh Hamilo Bileh Torey Franklin Matthew Holmes Ashleigh Jameson Joah Jason Eric Kaufman Elizabeth Kellerman Francesca Labrana Sierra Larkin Casey Leonard Kaivan Mohsenzadeh Matthew Montalbano Matthew Nelson Skyler Ng Ircio Parra Taylor Patrick Kenneth Rayburn

Thomas Resasco Midnite Rhodes Boburkhon Rustamov Alaric Sanchez Stephanie Sundell Gabrielle Tungpalan

Michigan State University Mikey Sheposh

Montana State University Ian Barnes New York University Ethan Hyson Maya Iyer Deijah Martin-Valle Hunter Thompson

Northeastern University Michael Fitzgerald

Northern Arizona University Kendall Harter Sierra White

Notre Dame de Namur University Noah Tekle

Ohio Wesleyan University Duncan Copeland Golan Silver

Oregon State University

Saint Mary’s College of California Wesley Anderson

School of Art Institute of Chicago Julie Kim Larz Vahamaki

Stephen Jordan

University of Pennsylvania Nia Akins

University of Rochester

University of Alabama

University of Utah

Thomas Nelson Community College Tatiana Rodriguez

United States Naval Academy

Kerah Lewis

University of Arizona Karlee Bags Maya Guerrero Shawn McCarthy Spencer Nichols Courtney Ransom

University of British Columbia Timothy Hillmer

University of Kansas

University of Oklahoma

Kaylee Romeo

University of Kentucky Utica College Sarah Devlin

Christopher Abosamra

University of Colorado, Boulder

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

University of Florida

Renee Tournoux

Thomas Meiser

Saint John’s University

University of Michigan

Matthew Macatula Jonathon Thompson

University of Oregon

Riley Dixon

David Condie

Rachel Ruff Collin Wirkus

Pacific University

Madison Francis

Jiwon Jung Lane Reynolds USC Tristan Caparas Nathan Chang Kayla Folts Kayla Koerting Isabella Ortiz Carly Shihadeh AiVi Tran Kylie Yamane

Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology

Jacob Gorman

Ryan Penic Micah Tison

University of New Mexico

Carolyn Olmsted

Jonathan Marcus Taisei Negishi Katherine Phillips

Amanda Behling

Vanderbilt University Ibrahim Ali Minsoo Shin

Washington and Lee University Matthew Marcus

Washington State University Madison Levesque

Western Washington University Samuel Hagshenas

Williams College Geoffrey Lu

Xavier University Michael Langford

Yale University

Amir Rezvani Omid Rooholfada

SENIOR MEMORIES A collection of quotes from seniors that highlight key moments of their years at RB High

My best memory is just meeting a bunch of people in different grades.

- Adrian Fernandez Hanging out with people after prom because up until this point, I have no been in school very often. I haven’t really been close to a lot of people here, I mean, I saw friends every now and then, but hanging out with them, and really connecting with them on a personal level just made me feel like I’m a lot more attached with everyone. - Arjun Durbhakula

Who was your favorite teacher?

What is your fondest memory at RB High?

After the AP Test, me and my friends played a lot of card games. It got really loud, and my sister got reprimanded for cursing.

- An Phan My fondest memory so far is beating Torrey Pines at the Palomar. I feel like I’ve been very involved in high school, even academic and sports.

- Howon Choo

Partying until 4:30 am in the hotel at Science Olympiad State - Omid Rooholfada My fondest memory at RB was winning Junior Class President and seeing Haylie crowned as Homecoming Queen. - Julia Moluf Every moment is my favorite - Aivi Tran Mr. Pyle asking us what’s on our mind everyday - Alisa Pimentel

Yvonne Eibeck - Ian Barnes

Andrene Dziubinski - Brianna Wiederhold

Paul Messerle - Spencer Nichols

Coach Joe - Aaron Tivadar

Tom Farber - Paige Doherty

Andrene Dziubinski - Greg Martin

Justin Wolfe - Elise Feyedelem Davette McFadden - Alejandro Arellano

I’m looking forward to serving my country in the united states navy and I’m very excited that i’m finally at a point in my life where I don’t have to just sit back and watch as other people do things. - Tom Meiser

My biggest dream is to make a difference in the way machinery works for the future. I’d like to make thing as efficient as possible.

- Ian Barnes

My future plans are currently to go to UC anta barbara. Hopefully I will graduate with a major in sociology

What was your favorite class?

My biggest dream is to travel to as many countries as possible, and hopefully see the majority of the world - Spencer Nichols

Last year in Journalism when we finished our Christmas issue and batted a baloon for the remainder of the period.- Max Lata Being a part of the Royal Regiment and winning medals from championships - Brianna Wiederhold

Jeff Carpenter - Alyssa Dsouza Jeff Carpenter - Pouria Farborzi Jackie Wight-Crivello Maurice Flores Elizabeth Winn - Sadaf Dadafshar

Lori Brickley - Alex Painter

and a minor in psychology. I know it’s going to be hard to find a job with those degrees, but I hope to go to grad school - Howon Choo

When my friend Polina threw me suprise party - Sabrina Cyrus

Estefania Sevilla - Nitika Jain

Marie Morris/Jeff Carpenter Deijah Martin

I’m looking forward to using what I learned in the past four years to make the world a better place for me, my family, and the world. - Devin Dunn

Wind ensemble tour - Carolyn Olmsted

I aspire to defend and protect lives, I plan on joining the CIA after college. Aaron Tivadar My biggest dream is to inspire others. - Paige Doherty My biggest dream is to belt out a song on a Broadway stage.

- Elise Feyedelem My biggest dream is to own my own company and become an entrepreneur, as well as an innovator.

- Alejandro Arellano

AP Physics E&M - Ian Barnes

Bronco TV - Aaron Tivadar

French - Maurice Flores

AP Art History - Spencer Nichols

Dance - Greg Martin

English - Sadaf Dadafshar

Drama/Art History/Gov - Deijah Martin

English and Gov - Polina Chavez

APES - Alex Painter

AP Psychology - Sadaf Sayar

AP Biology - Nitika Jain

AP Spanish - Parth Chhasatiya

AP Biology - Alyssa Dsouza

Yearbook - Mozella Lacdan

AP Psychology - Pouria Fariborzi

AP Gov - Julia Moluf

AP Biology - Paige Doherty Madrigals/Choir - Elise Feyedelem US History/Civics - Alejandro Arellano Math - Brianna Wiederhold

What is your biggest dream?

What are your future plans?

My biggest dream is to work at Walt Disney and make rides or buildings.

To help spread joy and happiness whenever people go to Disney.Brianna Wiederhold My biggest is dream is to just overall be successful and actually grow up I dream to be working hard for not only myself but for a family one day.

-Greg Martin Travel the world and complete culinary school and AmericCorps.

- Polina Chavez

Describe your experience at RB High in one word

Procrastination - Tai Ding

Priceless - Polina Chavez

Surprising - Greg

Connecting - Paige Doherty

Turbulent - Will Gavelle

Motivating - Sadaf Dadafshar

Developmental - Aaron Tivadar

Enlightening - Spencer Nichols

Pivotal - Omid Rooholfada

Restless - Maurice Flores

Amazing - Brianna Wiederhold

Adventurous - Ian Barnes

Incredible - Julia Moluf

Intriguing - Pouria Fariborzi

Consequential - Ibrahim Ali

Unforgettable - Mozelle Lacdan

Rollercoaster - Alyssa Dsouza

Unforgettable - Alejandro Arellano

Legendary - Parth Chhasatiya

Enriching - Nitika Jain

Everlasting - Sadaf Sayar

Asymmetrical - Alex Painter

Emotional - Elise Feyedelem Surreal - Lynn Bi

Transformative - Max Lata Profound - Geoffrey Lu

Features 11

theSilverSpur

June 3, 2016

One Acts Festival showcases talents of RB High’s actors, writers, and producers Isabella Ortiz Copy Editor RB High’s drama program puts on great productions throughout the year, but the annual One Acts Festival gives students the chance to write, produce and act in their own shorter plays, even if they’re not already in drama. On May 12 and 13, audiences enjoyed five live one-act plays in addition to a short film by RB High’s Digital Media team.

The process started with auditions, during which actors auditioned for the One Acts festival as a whole. Then, with the help of director Marie Morris, the playwrights cast people for their productions from this common pool.

After the audition portion, actors and writers began meeting for rehearsals about two times per week, for two hours, and sometimes even on weekends.

Although this schedule allowed for more flexibility compared to lengthier

ONE ACTS - From left to right: stage productions, but rehearsal required more than merely memorizing lines. Each group still had to work hard and overcome certain challenges.

“The biggest part was putting it all together,” senior and On the Flip Side actor Michael Fitzgerald said. “We had to practice everything, down to stage cues and which side to exit on.”

For Callum Sydserff, senior and director of What the Fresno?, the best part of the experience was that he knew the actors well.

For Fitzgerald, the most enjoyable part of the experience was playing off of his castmates’ personalities and humor.

“I had five other guys onstage with me, so we constantly asked ourselves, ‘How

Photos by Isabella Ortiz can we make this as funny and interesting as possible?’” Fitzgerald said.

Although senior Aaron Tivadar’s On the Flip Side made audiences laugh with its witty dialogue and raps, it was performed alongside drastically different plays.

Senior Deijah Martin-Valle, for example, wrote Blackout as social commentary on police brutality; senior Mifiel Valdez and

the Digital Media team created The Living Dead, a scary short film; and Sydserff introduced audiences to the unique world of absurdist theater with What the Fresno?

Because of Sydserff’s specific artistic vision, which led him to produce a “finely tailored” play, he allowed little room for his actors to interpret his work, but he still allowed some creative freedom from his cast.

“The props, like the banana and the potato weren’t my own ideas,” Sydserff said.

“Some of the speeches changed, too, and I didn’t control all of the sound effects.”

Everything finally paid off during the two performances of the one acts.

“I felt a sense of accomplishment because it was my own idea from the beginning; then, I saw it germinate and eventually turn into an awesome product,” Sydserff said.

The One Acts festival is the perfect outlet for students to let their creativity flow and see their individual ideas come to life. It may be a young tradition, but the talented students have already made their mark on RB High’s stage.

RB High celebrates 25 years

California adjusts munimum wage to $15 an hour

25 YEARS-RB High’s placard stands tall after 25 years.

Janhavi Chafekar

Photo by Janhavi Chafekar

News Editor

Celebrating RB High from page 1 Though RB High’s campus was relatively modern at the time’s standards, it was by no means perfect. According to Martin, P.E facilities were for the most part, largely underdeveloped as students and staff moved onto campus.

“We didn’t have lights [stadium lights], and we had to do major fundraising to get lights for our stadium,” said Martin.

“The campus had a lot to be desired actually,” said Brickley. “In the science building we had art teachers because there were only six science teachers and ten rooms.

Nonetheless, students and staff still flocked to RB High with the vision of a new beginning.

Trials and tribulations Through its 25-year history, RB High has faced numerous hurdles and difficulties. A quick glimpse into RB High’s Wikipedia page reveals a host of so called “controversies” for which RB High had gotten media attention. For Brickley, however, these moments were a chance for RB High, along with its students and faculty, to redefine its image.

“There were some things that happened in the past that we got some bad press for like harassment,” said Brickley. “And from my perspective that’s one of the great things about RB High because we took that and said, ‘that’s not who we are, we’re not gonna be that community, we’re gonna be a community that supports each other and cares about each other.’”

Early in RB High’s history, some students, according to Martin, were disruptive and challenging to deal with. Locker-room fights seemed to be a common occurrence, with Martin even having to break some of them up.

“It was definitely a different clientele of students back then,” said Martin. “But it’s still a great place to teach.”

Though RB High’s history is marred with some rough edges, it’s portrait remains intact, arguably stronger than ever as a result of these hurdles.

Defining a community Since its founding in the early 1990s, RB High has expanded to become the home of a vibrant student body and community. North, South, and East buildings were added to original

buildings (distinguished by the white pyramid ceilings) in order to accommodate a larger student enrollment. Today, RB High boasts 68 athletic teams, 69 clubs, organizations such Science Olympiad and Speech and Debate, and it is constantly evolving.

“I think now we’re experiencing a renaissance in terms of the community that we’ve built at RB High,” said Brickley.

“We’ve grown up; we’re okay with ourselves; we like who we are, and we take care of each other, and I think that’s all that matters.”

Despite the changes in enrollment and school boundaries with the opening of Westview High and Del Norte High, the willingness to give back to the community that RB High embodied has not changed. With 12 ervice organizations as well as dozens of students who volunteer individually, community service permeates the campus culture.

“There are other schools that have this reputation for having super gifted kids, but that’s all you hear about, you don’t hear about the giving back,” said Brickley.

Perhaps the event most representational of RB High’s emphasis on community is seen by the Humans Relations Conference. “[The Humans Relations Conference] was pretty unique to us,” said Brickley. “It’s always been a part of our thing, to promote empathy and understanding.”

Glimpse into the future Under the guidance of Principal Dave LeMaster, RB High has been witness to a myriad of positive changes on campus and in the student body. In particular, LeMaster noted the development of a dynamic sense of community and school pride.

“One of the things that I have noticed is an increase in school spirit and pride,” said LeMaster. “Now when you come to school, especially on Fridays during the football season, everyone’s wearing blue. I see less trash on the ground at lunch, and I see students participating in a lot more community service projects.”

In addition, LeMaster strives to make RB High a more inclusive, accepting campus.

Ultimately, RB High looks forward to many more years of providing a safe, welcoming place for students to learn and grow.

A plan to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 by 2022 could help improve the living standards for millions of Californians who work in farm labor, restaurants, and retail. At the same time, it could drastically change how industries that rely on low-wage labor function, which is causing concern over the significant increase from even left-leaning economists.

The plan was negotiated by Governor Jerry Brown, leaders from organized labor, and state legislators, and it plans to raise the minimum wage by about $1 every year until 2020. The vote was taken almost completely on party lines in both chambers of the legislature, and with all but two Democrats voting for it, with no Republicans voting for it. This legislation will potentially increase the living standards for 6-million workers, who currently earn a minimum wage of $10 an hour. The law was opposed

by Republicans and business groups like the California Chamber of Commerce and California Restaurant Association.

Though this bill would increase wages for many Californians while also hopefully increasing their purchasing power (a consumer’s ability to buy products and services), some economists fear it would cause businesses to cut working hours for their employees or prevent them from hiring

new labor; therefore, also causing prices to go up, which would then place the burden on the consumer. This may especially be a problem for California’s produce market, who would have to compete with farmers from other states and countries where the wages are lower.

According to Vox, a web publication that specializes in public policy affairs, even left-leaning economists worry about the drastic minimum wage increase.

In an article by Timothy Lee, Vox’s senior economics advisor, many advocates of increasing the minimum wage believe that going to $15 an hour may be major economic impacts because there are no prior examples of such a large wage increase.

Lee states that companies generally hire employees when each woarker’s labor exceeds the costs of employing them: “The higher the minimum wage is, the harder it will be for employers to afford to pay workers. So if the minimum wage gets too high, job losses are inevitable.” He also adds that this significant wage hike will take place all over California, and not just the big cities, which could cause problems in less affluent, especially rural areas, where the median income is less than somewhere like San Francisco or Los Angeles.

Andrew Krueger, another economist who believes in increasing the minimum wage, wrote in an editorial in The New York Times that he feels like raising it this high

may be counterintuitive: “Although some high-wage cities and states could probably absorb a $15-an-hour minimum wage with little or no job loss, it is far from clear that the same could be said for every state, city and town in the United States.”

Most of the cases against the increase come from a fear of rural and less affluent areas being able to absorb the costs the new law would bring, unlike larger cities where the larger minimum wage has already been tested.

Though there is criticism over the legislation from both conservative and liberal economists, some still feel like the wage increase will benefit the economy because it will increase living standards for millions of workers over the state.

The law mainly affects the private sector; however, it does affect the wages for minimum wage laborers who work for the state government. This includes in-home healthcare workers, teachers who work overtime (and get paid twice the minimum wage), and other public sector workers whose wages are linked directly to the state minimum wage.

Through the Ages: Minimum Wage 1920-----$0.33 1968---$1.65 1980---$3.10 2008---$8.00

Trouble with pests within the walls of RB High Clara Lee Lifestyle Editor Any RB High student who has taken AP Biology under Lori Brickley, or “Brick,” knows that the end of the year Kombucha lab is always a little bit of a challenge because the jars have to be protected from the threat of rats. Our high school is currently experiencing a peak in difficulty in preventing rat infestations, a chronic problem at RB High.

Brick, in addition to many of the science teachers, has to take extensive measures to prevent her classroom from becoming overrun by these pests.

“This microwave is not a microwave,” Brick said. “It is a way to store food so that the rats cannot get in; the rat droppings are all around the microwave, but they can’t actually get in.”

Unfortunately for the science building, some precautions are futile, as lab equipment is still damaged by the rats’ ability to chew through any and every material.

Additionally, they live inside of the ceilings

and within the walls of classrooms in the science building, which can lead to some smelly situations.

“Recently, we have had rats die in the walls, so we have to put up with the smell of decaying bodies, before the district people come and pull them out of the walls,” Brick said.

Furthermore, rats living in the ceiling will leave their feces all over the ceiling tiles, to the point of concern when moving the ceiling tiles. Occasionally, the district will send someone to thoroughly clean the ceiling, but in peak seasons, like now, it gets difficult to keep the problem under control.

The district’s pest control is working to try to regulate the problem. Teachers first need to contact Assistant Principal William Egan, the administrator in charge of facilities at RB High. If the problem is something that our head custodian, Mel, cannot handle, then Egan, serving as the middle man between teachers and the district, submits a work

order to get somebody from the district out on campus.

“I feel confident with the district support right now,” Egan said. “There’s a new guy who started working that position in pest control just this year, and he’s been very responsive. After I emailed him and submitted a work order, he was there the next day.”

Although the problem is somewhat severe, the district is limited to using conventional methods, like setting traps, while students are still in school. If the problem persists into summer, the district may use chemicals.

The rat infestation must be combatted by both teachers and the district. Rats will only live where they can find food and water, so RB High’s staff must take action to keep open food sources out of reach. The rat problem may never disappear, but hopefully RB High will find a way to keep it manageable.

A Capella music comes out of the shadows to influence music culture Emma Rooholfada Lifestyle Editor Recently, every #1 hit seems to follow the same pattern: a series of electronic sounds accompanied by three minutes of repetitive lyrics about a boy and girl that are madly in love. While this type of music does tend to be catchy, it loses individuality in the process.

A cappella has recently become a booming industry, rapidly increasing in popularity. Still, many people have misconceptions of a cappella, like only nerds can do a cappella, it is boring to listen to because there are no instruments, or a cappella groups are unoriginal because they only cover songs instead of making their own.

Others know nothing about a cappella

besides what they see in Pitch Perfect. their voices and adding unneeded Surprisingly, a cappella is not about instruments, a cappella groups make the college girls having pillow fights and song interesting with the most powerful breaking laws… for the most part. instrument of all, their voices. Recently, There are many different types of a more a cappella groups have beatboxers cappella groups, ranging from barbershop as well, which has given a cappella songs quartets, to religious an exciting twist. groups, to large Pentatonix, There are many choirs, like our very consisting of different types of a own choir groups four singers and here at RB High. capella groups, ranging a beatboxer, is Each group has a probably the most fom barbershop unique style that adds popular a cappella to the originality that group of today. quartets, to religious defines a cappella.

This quintet has groups, to large choirs.” revolutionized the Although a cappella music art of a cappella. centers around covering other people’s While a cappella groups generally music, the difference between an a focus on covering common pop songs, cappella group singing a song and the Pentatonix has gone beyond expectations original vocalist singing that song is and composed its own music. With an always evident. Instead of autotuning impossible vocal range and a plethora

“

of innovative ideas within the five of them, the group demonstrates what a cappella stands for. With no musical and electronic instruments to disguise or hide any flaws, a cappella displays raw and authentic talent.

One of the reasons why a cappella is not as popular as today may be because it is not as socially acceptable. A cappella has been around for so long, much longer than music synthesizers.

Unfortunately, in our generation, trends come and go in a matter of months, and after a trend is gone, anyone who follows it is old-fashioned and “lame.”

Many see a cappella as just one of those trends.

Despite all the misconceptions around a cappella, the phenomenon has been growing, slowly, but it’s still growing.

Maybe soon, we can hear more a cappella on the radio.

12 Sports

theSilverSpur

June 3, 2016

Track closes season with CIF and state championship titles

Distance runners represent RB High Seniors Rokach and Barnum leave final mark on RB High place team finish with 60 points behind and Barnum. Rokach uses a variety at San Diego CIF section finals Max Lata runners-up Poway and champions Mt. of different jumps to help perfect Nina Eclarin Staff Writer After a long, successful season, Track and Field raced first in the Palomar League on the boys’ end, while girls placed second, losing only to Torrey Pines High School.

Although these rankings encompass the team as a whole, a lot of individual training is what pulls everyone together to win a meet. One important piece of the puzzle is the close-knit distance team.

“What was special for me was our team dynamic,” senior Will Gravelle said of his team. “For distance in particular, we have cross country and then track; we’ve put in literally thousands of miles together as a team- that creates really strong friendships.”

The distance team sent four runners to CIF San Diego Section Finals, seniors Gravelle, Nia Akins, Burak Tufekci, and junior Kassady Learn, all of them in agreement about the importance of the friendships and positive attitudes on the team. Gravelle placed fourth in the twomile event, with a personal best of 9:30.2; Tufekci came in seventh, running a 4:26.27 mile; Akins finished the 800 meter first in 2:11.18, and Learn finished out the twomile in eleventh place, with 11:49.87. Out of the four, Akins will be going on to race at the state level on June 3.

With competition growing increasingly difficult, the runners reflect over their training.

“Our coach always says that the key to success is preparation, but the key to winning is perseverance,” Gravelle said.

“It’s all about never thinking negatively, always being in the moment, and always supporting your teammates.”

Greatly contrasting from shorter events, distance events are not about explosive power, but instead the importance of careful pacing. The longer events also present the hardship of overthinking; given too much time on the track to panic, the distance runners have come to value mental perseverance.

“I think mentally, running for so long in a race is extremely challenging,” Akins said.

“The hardest thing is remembering to pace yourself and being able to push even when you’re tired.”

“Distance is more rewarding for me,” teammate Tufekci said, “not to say that it’s harder, but I enjoy constantly pushing myself.”

Overall, it’s clear that each set of skilled athletes within the Track and Field team is faced with different obstacles, sometimes even literally, and no two events are the same. Still, every individual on the team always gives it his all at each and every meet, trusting that each teammate will do the same.

Editor-in-Chief In track and field, spectators’ eyes are often on the track watching relays, hurdles and sprints, and if they’re not watching feats of speed, their eyes are cast upwards, watching pole vaulters fly.

Athletic prowess can be seen all across the field, too, especially in the high, long, and triple jumps, where seniors Yaniv Rokach and Anthony Barnum have left their marks in RB High’s record book.

At CIF Finals, Rokach took first for Division 1 in the high jump at a height of 6-7. Barnum took first for Division 1 in the long jump, with a mark of 22-2.5 and a second-place finish for Division 1 in the triple jump, with a mark of 45-1.75.

Between them in their jumping events, Rokach and Barnum scored 28 points to help give the RB High boys a third

Carmel. In addition to his two jumping events, Barnum also ran the third leg of the 4x100, helping the team qualify for a chance to compete today at the state meet in Clovis.

Because of his mark, Rokach won himself the chance to compete individually in the high jump at the state meet. Rokach competed there last year, but no-heighted, so he’s hoping to make his return to Clovis a good one. At last year’s CIF final meet, Rokach jumped the same height, 6-7, so he can jump it somewhat consistently when it matters.

If he were to have jumped 6-7 on the first attempt last year in the state finals, he would have placed 6th, so he has a good shot at a top-ten finish in California.

To achieve greatness, athletes have to be great in every aspect of their sport, and it’s evident for both Rokach

his traditional high jump form. For example, he practices jumping over a bungee almost like he’s stepping over it in the air to perfect his running approach to the bar, and in weekly practices, Rokach uses a box to focus on arching his back over the bar.

For the long and the triple jumps, Barnum’s warm-up alone is a testament to his athletic discipline. In between jumps, he puts on warm-up pants and a sweatshirt to keep his muscles warm for his next jump. To keep his run fast, he also sprints strides so that he can make the most of every jump.

Overall, it’s been an exciting season for the high, long and triple jumpers, filled with PRs and new coaching, but even though the team will lose two great athletes next year, there is plenty of young talent in these events to fill the void next year.

LONG JUMP - Barnum sprints down the runway towards the sandpit and finishes his landing.

Photo by Isabella Ortiz

Pole vaulters demonstrate dedication throughout season Track and field boys throw team

sweeps the competition

Allison Finnecy Staff Writer

Clara Lee

Using sheer body strength and a long pole to vault your body over a raised bar into a cushioned pit is not a sport that appeals to everyone. Pole vaulting is one of the most unique and dangerous events that takes place during track meets. The vaulters have virtually no protection, aside from the pit, so having good technique is crucial to performing well.

In order to master the techniques required for pole vaulting, athletes must be extremely dedicated, hard-working and willing to learn. Coach Tom Martin holds practice everyday of the week, aside from meet days from 1:30-5:30.

“In a typical week you practice anywhere from 8-12 hours, excluding time spent at meets,” junior pole vaulter Jackson Kadowaki said. “We are usually the first ones on the field, and we are always the last ones off.”

Since the practices are so long, the vaulters go through many drills and activities during each practice that help them prepare for actually vaulting during the meets.

“We have a team meeting before practice starts, and then we go to warm up. After that we do bar work, watch videos, and work on our ‘step’ to figure out how far to run on the runway,” Kadowaki said.

“After that, we get onto the pit for at least an hour.”

Although the athletes spend countless hours preparing for meets, there are still many

Lifestyle Editor

POLE VAULT - Rice vaults at thirteen feet. challenging aspects of the sport that require extra physical strength and mental toughness.

“For me, the hardest part would be when you take off of the ground. You have to take off in a very specific way and if you mess up, the whole vault goes wrong,” senior Courtney Ransom said.

Aside from having to use virtually every muscle in your body while vaulting, the athletes brains are also very hard at work because one of the main aspects of vaulting is overcoming the mental fears of the sport.

“The hardest part is by far overcoming all of the mental adversities. It is such a mentally-demanding sport, so you can’t let a bad vault get in your head,” Kadowaki said.

Since the sport is so specialized and time-consuming, it requires an extremely dedicated and knowledgeable coach.

Coach Martin has been coaching pole

Photo by Isabella Ortiz vault for many years and has played a crucial role in the development of RB High’s skilled vaulters.

“It’s rare that you find someone who’s as dedicated to a passion as he is, and I couldn’t admire him more for that,” Ransom said. “Especially in such a scary sport, having a team and coach that you trust is incredibly important.”

With all of the dedication put in by both the athletes and Coach Martin, the pole-vaulting program at RB High has earned a reputation as one of the best high school programs. The athletes on the team have come to work extremely well together after all the time spent practicing and have an extremely close bond with one another.

“It has been such a crazy ride, and I can’t imagine sharing the experience without Coach Martin and my team,” Ransom said.

At every track meet, RB High’s head coach Don Jones can count on certain events to sweep every time: the throwing events.

There are two throwing events in track and field. The first is shot put. Each thrower tries to throw a metal ball, weighing at 12 pounds for boys, and 8 pounds for girls, as far as possible. The second event is the discus throw. At 1.6 kilograms for boys and 1 kilogram for girls, these discuses are much lighter, and thus are thrown farther.

Each event requires different sets of techniques, in addition to strength. In some ways, the throwing technique can get mathematical. It is best to throw either one at a 45 degree angle, to ensure that the range of distance is at a maximum. To get more momentum, many throwers will also employ a spinning method, which requires much practice to perfect to accuracy of a throw coming out of a spin.

RB High’s boys throw team, led by Devin Lecakes-Jones, Alejandro Arellano, and Duncan Smith, have swept at almost every single dual meet, helping to keep the team’s overall points above the opposing team’s. In addition to the boys, the girls have remained strong throughout season during all of the dual meets, with freshman Lily Lagoy leading many times.

Both boys and girls teams are coached

by Coach Jordan, who helps to guide the throwers to their consistent success.

“He helps with fine tuning our technique, and he’s always telling us how to improve,” senior Alejandro Arellano said. “ It’s all about the little things now.”At CIF Prelims for the San Diego Section, LecakesJones won the shot put event, throwing a 54-08.00, guaranteeing him a spot at the finals on May 28. Three athletes made it to the finals from the throws team: Lagoy, Lecakes-Jones, and Arellano. All three made it for shot put, while Lecakes-Jones also made it for discus.

At finals, all three athletes made it onto the podium. For shot put, Arellano and Lecakes-Jones got 6th and 5th, respectively, while Lagoy placed third. Arellano threw 51-04.25, Lecakes-Jones threw 54-07.50, and Lagoy threw 40-05.25. Lecakes-Jones additionally placed 5th in discus, throwing a distance of 152-11.

“I feel like it was a good way to end my season there,” said Lecakes-Jones, who remained competitive among some of the top throwers in the county.

Although none of the throwers made it to states, their careers aren’t over just yet. Lecakes-Jones has committed to UC San Diego to throw, and looks forward to throwing shot put, discus, as well as the hammer-throw, which isn’t an event in high school track and field. Arellano hopes to continue to throw at the collegiate level at California State University, Fullerton. As for freshman Lagoy, she has much time to continue to improve, with three seasons of track and field left.

Sprinters get ready for state championship Geoffrey Lu Editor-in-Chief The starting gun fires, and the runners are off the blocks and streaking down the clay-red track with ferocious speed.

Her meticulously planned training paying off, senior Jackie Patterson starts off behind but takes the lead with a sudden and dramatic kick, leaving her competitors staring down the bottom of her spikes.

These are the sprints: short distances, fast speed. RB High’s sprints team excels in all manners of these sprint events, which include distances up to 800 meters as well as relays such as the 4x400.

This Saturday at Buchanan High School, several Broncos will be competing in the state championship sprints.

The event represents the culmination of a season of exciting new wins and records.

For senior Nia Akins, who specializes in the 800 meter, it represents a chance at redemption against her already stellar record.

Qualifying with a first place finish at CIF Finals in the

800-meter race, Akins hopes to top her sixth-place finish last year while setting a new personal record at state championships, ideally with a time under 2:07. At the same time, she feels the mounting expectation of her last meet as a high school runner.

“I feel like there’s a lot of pressure on this meet because it’s my last meet,” Akins said.

On the shorter end of fast sprints, Patterson excels at the 100-meter dash. Despite her already outstanding record, Patterson managed to exceed even her own expectations last Saturday at CIF Finals.

“I was actually surprised by my times on Saturday,” Patterson said. “I was hoping to do good, but not that well.”

By setting an 11.59 second time for her 100-meter race, Patterson set a new personal record, in addition to the best time at the meet. She looks forward to pushing herself against challenging competitors at state.

“I want to finish my senior year by getting a medal at state, hopefully top three, maybe running 11.5 flat,” Patterson said.

She also won with a 24-second flat

SPRINTS - Hariharan taking off in a 100-meter sprint during qualifiers.

200-meter race, while contributing to the 4x400 relay team’s qualification for the state championship, alongside Akins, junior Maddy Samilo, and sophomore Alina Lecakes-Jones.

The male 4x100 relay team also qualified for state championships last weekend with a third place finish, with Anthony Barnum, Torey Franklin, Collin Sanford, and Kavin Harihan working together for a time of just 42.57 seconds. Both teams have their sights set high for the final competition this Saturday in Clovis.

All Bronco sprinters this year have made great strides along with the rest of the track and field team. Senior Adrian Fernandez, whose season was cut short before CIF finals due to sudden illness, is proud of the records he has been able to set this year. Competing in a variety of sprints, he excelled this year at the 400-meter sprint, making RB High’s all-time list. As Fernandez will not be running in college, this season represents a bittersweet ending.

“I will always miss the competitiveness and the feeling of adrenaline,” Fernandez said. “But I’m happy with what I have accomplished.”

Photo by Isabella Ortiz

13 Sports Softball takes second in league, hopes to win CIF’s Senior ends a successful four years with the Bronco basketball team Emma Rooholfada theSilverSpur

June 3, 2016

Lifestyle Editor

With an impressive second-place finish in league under their belt, the girls on RB High’s softball team have their gears set towards capturing the CIF title.

With a team consisting mostly of underclassmen, seven of which are freshmen, many did not have high expectations for the season. However, the girls were not to be disheartened. Instead, they headed into the season finishing league even more triumphant than past seasons, ending with 7-3 in league and 17-7 overall.

The team even celebrated two victories against Poway High, whom they had not been able to beat for a few years now.

They relished spending the season proving to all their skeptics and to themselves that freshmen can be tough.

“In the beginning of the year, we didn’t think we were gonna do that well because we had so many freshmen, but we’ve actually been beating a lot of teams,” freshman Allison Boaz said.

Off the field, the team engaged in teambonding activities, and they enjoyed spending time together. Becoming friends outside of softball has enabled the players to better understand one another. This was a

David Wang Staff Writer

SOFTBALL-2016 girls softball team poses for a picture. key factor to their success as a young team.

“We all get along really well, especially with how wide our age ranges are this year,” senior Melissa Neyhouse said.

The team’s strong defense and pitching skills played an essential role in its success as well. Of course, they do have their weaknesses. The girls are currently working on beginning their games with more intensity and developing a faster offense.

Photo courtesy of RB Softball Although the end of the year is in already sight, the softball team still has one more, long-awaited event ahead of them. Winning CIFs has been the goal of the season since the very start, and their excitement grew substantially after taking 2nd in league.

The team has confidence in their ability to go far this year. They are practicing daily for the battle ahead. After a season of anticipation and perseverance, the team is finally ready to take on CIFs.

Baseball’s blue warriors strive high to achieve goals Samantha Yi Opinions Editor “One of the beautiful things about baseball is that every once in awhile you come into a situation where you want to, and where you have to, reach down and prove something,” said Nolan Ryan, former professional baseball player. Baseball is a game with a rich tradition and history, and many stars have risen from this sport. At RB High, 18 royal blue warriors are trying to prove something by rising to the top of the CIF podium once again.

The team is already having a great season, with a 22-8 record overall and an 11-4 record in league. The Broncos won the league title with a 5-1 victory against Canyon Crest, leaving the Poway Titans in second place.

In the San Diego Division 1 standings, the Broncos are in fourth place overall.

Although Eastlake, La Costa Canyon and Vista are a few notches above RB High, the Broncos are fiercely determined to become CIF champions.

The Broncos won the league title on Wednesday, so they are preparing for victory at their next tournament.

“Our next goal is to do well in a playoff and win Open Division Championship,” said senior pitcher Cameron Gallaher.

It’s important that the team keeps up its regular, strenuous practice routines in order to keep the winning streak going.

Practice starts with dynamic stretching and then throwing.

“We usually do position work; outfielders go with outfielders to take fly balls, infielders take ground balls; then, we’ll do situational stuff,” said sophomore leftfielder Noah Kaagan.

Situational drills consist of players organizing into two teams and running

through situations they might encounter in games.

“We also simulate games by splitting the team in half and playing a game called an innersquad,” said Gallaher.

The RB boys are committed to their sport, and it shows in their passion for the game.

For the players on the team, the sport is not just physical. It’s about the mindset.

“I like the way you have to think. Not everyone understands baseball. You have to think a certain way; you have to know the game,” said Kaagan.

Gallaher echoed this sentiment by praising baseball’s ability to challenge him and teach him how to recover and overcome.

One thing is clear, RB High’s baseball players don’t play for the popularity.They play for the sport itself. They play for every sublime moment of anticipation and release out on that sparkling diamond.

Point guard of the varsity basketball team for four years, CIF champion, and captain of the team, Lane Reynolds can be described in a multitude of ways when it comes to her basketball career at RB High. Committed to the University of Rochester, she is on track to continue her success in basketball beyond college. However, the signs of an aboveaverage athlete consist of more than records and statistics. With Reynolds, her positive attitude and genuine love for the game and her Photo by Janhavi Chafekar teammates contribute to her overall success.

Reynolds discovered basketball at the age result,” Reynolds said. of 7, primarily because her older sister of 2 The season was also defined by the years began playing. Constantly watching her inauguration of a new coaching staff. sister’s games sparked an interest in Reynolds, While the previous staff was by no means which eventually developed into a passion. underperforming, new coaches mean “It’s always a competition in some way different perspectives and philosophies, all when you have siblings,” Reynolds said, of which benefit the players. “and basketball was yet another one.”

“This season we got a brand new coaching As with any staff,” Reynolds said. “Kyle team sport, the Williamson became our relationships “We had a very good head coach, and he was between teammates team dynamic. We all assisted by Tracy Stowe are crucial for and Bianca Roy.” are friends outside keeping the team Following her senior together and year, Reynolds plans to of basketball, and winning games. move to the east coast and that has really helped attend the University of “We had a very good team Rochester in New York. transition onto the dynamic,” Reynolds Besides basketball, she court.” said. “We all are also has academic plans in -Reynolds, senior mind. friends outside of basketball, and that “Ever since I was little, has really helped I loved helping people,” transition onto the court.”

Reynolds said. “I want to graduate from A common issue in high school sports the University of Rochester with a nursing is that personal issues or “drama” often degree and work in the Neonatal ICU sector ruin relationships and teamwork along of a hospital.” with it. However, Reynolds and her team In regards to basketball, Reynolds hopes have been fortunate to avoid such fallouts to solidify a career in coaching basketball and maintain a healthy team atmosphere. rather than play professionally.

Another reason for the team’s continual “I want to pass on what I have learned from success lies in the approach to the game. so many great people to the next generation Their “Keys to Success” consisted of of basketball players,” Reynolds said. communication, box out and rebound, and Both Reynolds’ individual ability and taking care of the ball. optimistic attitude help her to succeed on “If you can do those 3 things, in practice and off the court, the combination of which and especially in a game, you were doing is sure to serve her well at the University of the right things and would get the desired Rochester.

“

14 Lifestyle

theSilverSpur

Class of 2016 prides itselves in its ability to do difficult dance moves, like the dab Max Lata Editor-in-Chief The year is coming to a close, and once again, I can’t help but liken school calendar years to the Chinese calendar with an animal for each year. For 2015-2016, I can’t help but liken our year to one of the more majestic members of the animal kingdom: the sloth.

Yes, the sloth, and I don’t even think it’s just because I’m a senior this year and that I’ve looked at projects that take weeks and thought “eh, that’s a Sunday-night problem.”

I genuinely think that this school year, this some 11-month academic span of time, has been the one of the laziest I’ve ever seen.

Allow me to make my case. Every year there seems to be some sort of song challenge with a dance attached that the internet obsesses over for its short-lived popularity.

Three years ago we had the Harlem Shake, which while completely ridiculous, took quite a bit of effort to put on. You had to coordinate everyone to look normal for a while before being completely crazy with random props, random dance moves and just general mayhem.

But gone are those days. Gone are the days when we put time into our internet escapades. No, in 2016, we have the

Cartoon by Takashi Joubert

Running Man Challenge, which is great, creative and funny, but let’s be honest, it’s not exactly the most involved dance challenge. You wait around with your friends acting normally (which completely rips off the aforementioned Harlem Shake) before a certain snatch of the song comes on, and you do one of the simplest dance moves imaginable: you run in place. And even that simple move is taken from Ghost Town DJ’s 90s hit “My Boo.” Good job,

Dear Sylvia: With the class of 2016 parting

ways, how do I hang onto my friendships?

-Bummed over Burning Bridges Dear Bummed over Burning Bridges, First off, be realistic about maintaining friendships. You may want to keep in touch with every person who played a role in your high school experience (or maybe you’re the opposite and want to leave the past four years in the past).

From a practical standpoint, you’ll be so occupied with assimilating to your new college environment, getting into an academic routine, and making new friends that it’ll be difficult to stay friends with everyone. Difficult, but not impossible.

The majority of people, though, will have to carefully choose which friendships are worth the effort. To begin, consider which friends have loyally stood by your side through both the good times and the bad times. These kinds of dependable people will likely be the ones who will support you even if you’re separated geographically.

Just make sure that if you’re letting go of specific friendships, you’re doing it for the right reasons.

For the relationships that you do wish to keep, remember that friendships require work. Now that you’re not seeing these people every day, it’s

essential that you keep in contact. While social media outlets like Snapchat and Instagram can give you a small peek into what’s happening in their lives, the best way to preserve that special connection is by direct and personal communication. Group chats and Skype can work wonders in keeping your friendships. Even a simple text is enough to brighten someone’s day and let them know that you still care.

Another great way to stop friendships from fading into the past is by physically visiting each other.

Although this is difficult during the regular school year, breaks (or even weekends if you’re relatively close to one another) provide the perfect opportunity for both of you to return home and spend quality time together.

The most important part of keeping friendships alive is effort. Both sides must be willing and able to stay friends. The end of high school doesn’t necessarily mean the end of your connections with certain people, so if you’re willing to try, go for it!

x Sylvia Spur

guys, we had to steal that move.

Keeping with the theme of dancing, let’s just go ahead and talk about dabbing. That is just the simplest thing imaginable. Put your face into a crooked elbow like you’re sneezing, and put your other arm out. I remember when the “in” dance moves were at least challenging.

And secondly, we as a generation didn’t even stop dabbing when Hillary Clinton turned it into perhaps the most cringeworthy

thing imaginable. We thought to ourselves, “Wow, that was super lame, and we young people don’t like her, but, you know, I don’t want to think of another dance move right now.”

Obviously to dance, you need music, and even that has gotten lazy. We’ve listened to repetitive garbage and made it popular, which I can’t really say is different from any other year, but this year, we didn’t even to pick songs we could understand.

If you know even 25 percent of the words to Rihanna’s “Work” outside of the titular lyric, I’m impressed, but no one knows what’s going on in that song. We’ve gotten too lazy to even sing along.

But perhaps the most egregious example of our growing lethargy comes from the 2015 holiday season. This thing literally caught fire enough to have postal services ban it from their airplanes, and we still bought them in droves to avoid walking.

I’m talking about the Hoverboard.

Come on, really? Walking is too difficult?

You’re willing to put up with a stupid image and the risk of random combustion beneath your feet to not walk a few feet to get something from the fridge. That’s sad.

I fear for us, guys. I really do, and I’d do something about it, but they just put the next season of my favorite show on Netflix.

Earn extra money for the summer with a job Kalena Tano Features Editor When we enter high school, we begin a chapter of our lives which, according to societal standard, is extremely important to the rest of our lives. We earn our license at 16, prepare for college and furthermore begin to explore career options, and most importantly, we get our first jobs.

Getting a job in high school is an easy way to make some money for fueling that old family car that you got passed down to you or for lots (and lots) of drive-thru trips.

If you don’t have a job, it’s a great way to embrace the responsibility which high school begins to challenge us to be able to take on, and the first step is the process of getting the job.

To begin on your journey to a monthly paycheck, find a business that is employing young people in your area. In order to start working, you’ll need your social security card, a driver’s license or passport ID, and depending on the job, you may need a worker’s permit signed by your parents.

After gathering this information, you can begin your job search, making sure to not just go for your dream job, but to start small. Some businesses may prefer someone with more work experience, and so use the smaller job offers that you can get to help yourself build up a resume of experience that will look impressive when

coming from a high school student.

After finding a few job offers, the next step is to prepare yourself for the interview.

Employers like to see someone who is prepared for the job and will go the extra mile, so even if the employer doesn’t require it, use a resume builder online to put together a short resume which includes any past work experience you may have.

When picking an outfit for your interview, be sure to dress professionally and conservatively rather than in trendy clothing. Although teen job interviews may not be held to the same high standards of a professional occupation interview, showing that you know how to dress to impress is another way to go the extra mile and impress a potential employer.

When interviewing, have a catch prepared for yourself; a key idea about you or your personality that makes you the best fit for the job. For example, someone who is interviewing for a job at a daycare or other child-related job may want to talk about why they like children and want to work with them because a love for kids better qualifies someone for a job which is surrounded by kids. Talking up these qualities about yourself can help you to seem more qualified for the job you are applying for.

Getting a job is fairly simple if you are confident in your approach. Do your research, make a lasting impression, and prove that you are qualified for the job, and you will have no trouble getting the job you need to earn some extra money during high school.

Enjoy the world-famous museums at Balboa Park with an annual Explorer pass Kalena Tano Features Editor Balboa Park is a timeless piece of San Diego’s history which visitors and residents of San Diego alike have visited for years. With an array of museums and attractions to choose from, arguably the biggest challenge of visiting the park is choosing which attraction to attend. But Balboa Park has solved this problem by introducing its new Explorer passes, which range from single day to annual passes.

The Explorer passes give guests access to all of the attractions that Balboa Park has to offer all on a single card, and this accessibility makes for an amazing go-to idea for a day out with friends or family. The single-day pass gives guests the opportunity to attend up to five out of 17 park

attractions in a single day for just one fee of $45. This includes museums such at the Natural History Museum and the Museum of Man as well as exhibits such as the Japanese Friendship Garden, which normally charge an average of around $15 for admission.

I tried out this new pass with a friend, and I found that although it was hard to fit five attractions into one visit, the pass helped to organize our day. The pass, in ticket form like any regular museum admission ticket, was used quickly and without hassle at all three museums that we visited. We were able to get to the National History Museum, the Japanese Friendship Garden and the Museum of Man. The only disadvantage to the pass was that in one day, it’s difficult to get to five different attractions.

In order to get your money’s worth, you should theoretically attend five attractions, but with

Photos courtesy of the San Diego Union Tribune and BalboaPark.org

only so many hours in a day and only a limited amount of energy to consume, it was difficult even to make it to three museums; we ended up spending about seven hours there, and only made it to three museums. We still felt like we were in a rush; I wish we could have spent more time at each in order to fully take advantage of

the offer’s value.

Although Balboa Park’s Explorer pass option may seem like a terrific deal, the day goes much more quickly than expected when spending time at museums, so if you plan to thoroughly enjoy each museum, simply buying one ticket for the specific museums you want to visit may be a cheaper alternative.

Getting your money’s worth is difficult with this pass, which costs $45 for a pass to a maximum of five park attractions. But if your idea of a day well spent at Balboa Park is visiting one or two exhibits per museum and then quickly moving on to the next one, then the Explorer Pass is a great way to spend a day with your friends and/or family.

June 3, 2016

Brighten your style with these tips from RB High’s fashionistas Isabella Ortiz Copy Editor

The flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, and the weather is getting warmer.

With these changes also come new fashion trends, and some of RB High’s resident fashionistas have shared their favorite ideas to spruce up your wardrobe for the season.

Senior Reiko Simmons currently interns as a Nordstrom fashion ambassador and has gained valuable expertise and behind-thescenes experience in the fashion world.

“I like to start with basics and mix in distressed denim,” Simmons said.

By keeping silhouettes simple, it’s easier to develop a formula of various basics and then add other pieces, like statement shoes and accessories.

“A fun shoe is a great way to pull an outfit together,” Simmons said, citing booties and chunky heels as some of her favorite types.

Lace-up sandals, too, are a “new and interesting” take on the traditional strappy styles, according to Simmons.

As for silhouettes and outfit combinations, senior Carly Shihadeh takes spring as her cue to start wearing “tank tops and dresses” because they’re “super comfortable and easy to wear.”

Similarly, senior and Fashion Club president Joy Park likes to incorporate “shorts and flowy material” into her spring style.

This season also calls for a refresh for your color palette, but there are more than a few ways to do so.

For example, Park tends to wear black yearround, so during the spring, she adds “pastel colors,” but “tones them down a bit” by still keeping darker-hued pieces in her outfits.

On the other hand, Shihadeh likes to brighten up her look by adding “white and bright colors.”

Simmons leans more towards more understated colors for spring.

“This season, lighter, pastel-y colors are trendy, but not so much the typical yellows and greens,” Simmons said.

If you’re looking for some inspiration, Pantone, the world-renowned authority on color, releases a Color of the Year, which influences both runway couture and everyday fashion alike. This year, Pantone has done something new by designating a combination of two hues—Rose Quartz, a pastel pink, and Serenity, a light blue—as 2016’s Color of the Year.

These two shades blend to create a light, periwinkle-lavender fusion. Adding these pink, purple, and blue hues is a great way to freshen up your wardrobe options.

For those who prefer patterns, Shihadeh suggests incorporating florals into your outfits. If you’re looking for something new, mixing different patterns will also add a new element to your clothing.

“I love mixing stripes and florals,” Shihadeh said.

And now, where to buy all of these pieces for your ideal spring wardrobe? Simmons frequents Urban Outfitters and Nordstrom for unique pieces; Park likes to hunt for trendy clothing at stores like Forever 21 and Topshop; and Shihadeh suggests looking for spring clothing and accessories at smaller, lesser-known boutiques, like those that you’d find by the beach.

Above all, Simmons emphasizes simplicity for spring fashion.

“Don’t overdo it,” Simmons said. “Try to work with one statement piece and mix in other basics.”

Shihadeh echoes this sentiment, saying that spring fashion is all about creating outfits that are “cute and comfortable.”

Cartoon by Takashi Joubert

Lifestyle News 3 15

theSilverSpur theSilverSpur

June 3, 201612, 2016 FEBRUARY

Prince passes away, leaving behind Mostra Coffee locally crafts artisan blended coffee Icon New counselor Binswanger A Closer Look: new California laws affect legacy of groundbreaking Kalena Tano is welcomed at RBsuccess High in the area, because as Mostra says, “the best performances offer the best of life.�

Mostra works well as a local coffee Features Editor shop despite its location outside of the There are many new budding coffee shops mainstream Carmel Mountain Plaza. Other attempting to make their profits in a world World Trade Drive businesses, such as where Starbucks is king, but new coffee Southern California Ballet, are also enjoying shop Mostra Coffee in Carmel Mountain the benefits of having a local nearby shop to &$+6(( FDQFHOOHG QRZ ZH GRQÂśW KDYH WR Ranch is taking a new approach to how it run SDVVHG WKH &$+6(( 7KURXJK WKH HQDFWPHQW to when on breaks from a long day.

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WKLV LV H[WHQGHG WR VWXGHQWV ZKR ZDVWH D PRUQLQJ WDNLQJ WKH WHVW ´ brews its coffee. “I didn’t know that I liked coffee all that JUDGXDWHG DIWHU WKH VFKRRO \HDU 2YHU WKH FRXUVH RI WKH QH[W WKUHH \HDUV News Editor Mostra Coffee was founded in 2013 by much before,â€? said Southern California Much of the catalyst for the suspension of GXULQJ ZKLFK WKH &$+6(( ZLOO EH VXVSHQGHG coffee enthusiasts Beverly Matanong, Jelynn Ballet student Kalei Tano. “My friends and MOSTRA COFFEE Photo courtesy of Mostra Coffee DOO Arquines, JUDGXDWLQJ VLQFH and I really WKH &$+6(( UHYROYHG DURXQG WKH RXWGDWHG HGXFDWLRQ RŕľśFLDOV ZLOO DWWHPSW WR HLWKHU FUHSophia,)RU Mike famFODVVHV Matanong, enjoy the rich taste the coffee has; SDVVLQJ WKH +LJK a6FKRRO ate antoupdated or implement new make itexit theirexam responsibility to create RJ Ocubillo after&DOLIRUQLD they noticed lack of([LW it’s QDWXUH RI WKH WHVW %DVHG RQ VWDQGDUGV DGdifferent from other coffee shops in the decided ([DPLQDWLRQ RWKHUZLVH NQRZQ DV WKH RSWHG E\ 6WDWH %RDUG RI (GXFDWLRQ LQ FRQGLWLRQV DQG PHDVXUHV IRU JUDGXDWLRQ specialty coffee in the North County area of area in a good way.â€? Students like Tano a company which would bring these flavors to &$+6(( KDV EHHQ RQH RI WKH PDQ\ ULWHV RI WKH &$+6(( KDG WHVWHG (QJOLVK /DQJXDJH San Diego outside of large corporate chains. sometimes have breaks, and so Mostra is Rancho Bernardo. passage high school students must complete $UWV (/$ FRQWHQW XS WKURXJK JUDGH DQG Mostra Coffee, established in 2013 by a The shop currently only has one location on able to accumulate regular customers from LQ RUGHU WR UHFHLYH WKHLU GLSORPD +RZHYHU PDWKHPDWLFV FRQWHQW XS WR $OJHEUD , +RZteam with the goal to bring specialty coffee World Trade Drive near the bustling Carmel these students using their unique coffee.

HŕľľHFWLYH -DQXDU\ WKH &$+6(( ZLOO HYHU VLQFH &DOLIRUQLD KDG DGRSWHG &RPPRQ to the area, and since then it has grown Mountain Plaza.

Mostra’s artisan coffee is brewed on the spot QR ORQJHU EH XVHG DV D UHTXLUHPHQW IRU KLJK &RUH 6WDQGDUGV LQ WKH FRQWHQW RI WKH to become a local gem hidden behind The shop’s name derives from the Italian with flavors originating in Brazil, Ethiopia, and VFKRRO JUDGXDWLRQ IRU DQG &$+6(( KDV EHFRPH LQFUHDVLQJO\ RXW RI the Carmel Mountain Plaza. Its Artisan word “Mostra� for “show,� “exhibition,� or Guatemala, blended with familiar tastes such VFKRRO \HDUV WKURXJK WKH SDVVDJH RI WRXFK ZLWK FXUUHQW PRUH ULJRURXV VWDQGDUGV blends bring a unique flavor to the Rancho “performance.� The shop dedicates itself to as caramel and chocolate. These unique blends :LWK ZHOO RYHU SHUFHQW RI 5DQFKR %HU6HQDWH %LOO Bernardo coffee market, and soon it is sure producing the best quality in their artisan micro- are Mostra’s “specialty blends� which pushed QDUGR VWXGHQWV SDVVLQJ WKH &$+6(( VXFFHVV7KLV VXVSHQVLRQ RI WKH &$+6(( ZDV SUHits founders to create the company.

They saw to become yet another thriving local small roasted coffee possible and give customers the ceded by an urgency implementation of SB IXOO\ E\ WKH WLPH WKH\ JUDGXDWH VWXGHQWV KDYH a lack of such coffee in the area, and so they business in the area. best performance compared to other shops ZKLFK DOORZHG WKH FODVV RI ZKR UHDGLO\ HPEUDFHG WKLV FKDQJH KDYH IXO¿OOHG DOO RWKHU JUDGXDWLRQ UHTXLUHPHQWV ³, IRXQG WKH &$+6(( WR EH H[WUHPHO\ WR JUDGXDWH UHJDUGOHVV RI ZKHWKHU RU QRW WKH\ HDV\ ´ VDLG MXQLRU (PLO\ -RKQVRQ ³:LWK WKH

public high school students beginning 2016

CAHSEE is no longer a graduation requirement

Encinitas cafe Better Buzz catches attention of coffee lovers Some highlights of the cafe include acai bowls and the “Best Drink Ever.â€? Acai bowls have become quite the popular food Opinions Editor item nowadays. People have described $PLGVW WKH KHDY\ UHVLVWDQFH E\ DQWL YDF- breaks such as the Measles outbreak in “Life’s better buzzedâ€? - for some, this Better Buzz’s acai bowls as having the FLQDWLRQ JURXSV &DOLIRUQLD *RYHUQRU -HUU\ 'LVQH\ODQG WKDW KDG LQIHFWHG XSZDUGV RI is true statement. It also happens to be the perfect blend of fruit and granola. The Best Brown signed a mandatory school vaccination SHRSOH &DOLIRUQLD RŕľśFLDOV KDYH IRXQG WKDW motto of the popular cafe, Better Buzz. Drink Ever consists of vanilla, coffee and ELOO 6% LQWR ODZ HŕľľHFWLYHO\ HOLPLQDWLQJ such pliant policies regarding vaccinations From handcrafted coffee to French pastries, caramel. Delicious. personal and religious belief exemptions that KDG EHHQ LQDGHTXDWH LQ SUHYHQWLQJ WKH VSUHDG this cute coffeeshop has attracted customers In addition to coffee based drinks, Better PDQ\ SDUHQWV KDYH XVHG DV D ÂłORRSKROH´ WR RSW RI FRQWDJLRXV YDFFLQH SUHYHQWDEOH GLVHDVHV Buzz also blends several fruit smoothies. The from all over San Diego.

WKHLU FKLOGUHQ RXW RI YDFFLQDWLRQV (ŕľľHFWLYH DQG KDV VXEVHTXHQWO\ EDQQHG DOO H[HPSWLRQV The location most frequently visited by main smoothie menu includes strawberry -XO\ WKLV ODZ LV RQH RI WKH VWULFWHVW IURP YDFFLQHV H[FOXGLQJ PHGLFDO H[HPSWLRQV San Diegans is located in Encinitas. With banana, strawberry, mango and peach. These Those who refuse to vaccinate themselves DQG PRVW IDU UHDFKLQJ OHJLVODWLRQV WR GDWH white walls that boldly proclaim, “Coffee may sound like any other fruit smoothie in 3UHYLRXVO\ LQ VFKRRO GLVWULFWV DFURVV &DOL- against a list of ten diseases ranging from Firstâ€? and “Get Buzzed,â€? it’s no wonder any old cafe, but the highlight is that they can IRUQLD LQFOXGLQJ 3RZD\ 8QLÂżHG DOO VWXGHQWV pertussis (whooping cough) to chickenpox teenagers flock here instead of a more come blended with Red Bull to give you that ZHUH ÂłUHTXLUHG´ WR KDYH WKHLU YDFFLQDWLRQV will not be allowed to continue their public generic establishment like Starbucks. Unlike extra little buzz you need to get you through FRPSOHWH EHIRUH HQUROOLQJ LQ VFKRRO +RZHYHU VFKRRO HGXFDWLRQ DQG PXVW LQVWHDG HQUROO LQ other coffee places, the unique design and the day. a myriad of loopholes to evade these vac- D SULYDWH VFKRRO RU KRPHVFKRRO In addition to their unique menus, Better creative menu has set Better Buzz apart from ,Q WKH VLJQLQJ RI WKH ELOO ODZPDNHUV FLWHG FLQDWLRQV H[LVWHG IRUHPRVWO\ SHUVRQDO EHOLHI Buzz differentiates itself from other cafes other cafes.

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YDFFLQDWH WKHLU FKLOG $FFRUGLQJ WR WKH &DOLIRU- VDLG &DSWDLQ -DPHV /D0DU ,, D 1DY\ SK\VLcoffee. There is a variety of choices ranging This means that Better Buzz doesn’t have QLD 'HSDUWPHQW RI 3XEOLF +HDOWK XSZDUGV RI cian specializing in public health and prevenfrom classic iced coffees to signature drinks stockpiled coffee beans in storage. This WDWLYH PHGLFLQH ³,W WUDLQV \RXU ERG\ WR PDNH absolute freshness. like H[HPSWLRQV EDVHG RQ SHUVRQDO EHOLHIV the Hazelnut Divinity. Some iced ensures soathat get exposed to the LQ &DOLIRUQLD GXULQJ buzz, WKH VFKRRO Itantibodies is currently hotonce spotyou for teens to go and coffees include: mocha vanilla buzz, SDWKRJHQ DJDLQ \RXU ERG\ TXLFNO\ UHVSRQGV \HDU DORQH ZHUH JLYHQ mint mocha buzz and espresso bean buzz. take pictures, do homework or to just hang In all theabout wakethe of buzz. vaccine-preventable out-out.DQG UHPRYHV WKH DQWLJHQV IURP \RXU V\VWHP ´ Definitely buzzworthy.

They are

Vaccines required for all public school students

Samantha Yi

Studies have shown again and again that vaccinations protect not only the vaccinated LQGLYLGXDO EXW DOVR WKH KHDOWK RI WKH HQWLUH population through the concept of “herd LPPXQLW\ ´ ZKHUH D FHUWDLQ SURSRUWLRQ RI D population must be vaccinated in order to FRQWDLQ WKH VSUHDG RI GLVHDVH “Students should be vaccinated; it’s for their protection along with the others around WKHP ´ VDLG &DQG\ 3LWWPDQ WKH QXUVH DW WKH 5%+6 +HDOWK 2ŕľśFH Âł , EHOLHYH WKDW WKHUH DUH QR ULVNV RI LPPXQL]DWLRQV ´

Murina Ali Staff Writer Counselor Vicky Binswanger has just UHFHQWO\ MRLQHG RXU VWDŕľľ KHUH DW 5% +LJK Working part time between Westview DQG 5% +LJK %LQVZDQJHU LV HDJHU WR EHFRPH D %URQFR Before becoming a part of the &RXQVHOLQJ 'HSDUWPHQW DW 5% +LJK PRINCEThe iconic musician enormous influence on today’s pop music trends. Photos courtesy of The Guardian Binswanger workedwasinanthe classroom Prince decorated his life by “discoveringâ€?

DV D VFLHQFH WHDFKHU DW :HVWYLHZ many bands and women in whom he saw Kalena Tano “I have been a classroom teacher potential and/or a muse. In 1980 he met IRU Editor \HDUV ´ %LQVZDQJHU VDLG Âł$QG Features Denise Matthews, who he later renamed recently in the last few years went back On April and 21,got 2016, the world to school a master’s degreewas and hit “Vanityâ€? since he saw her as a female form with the heartbreaking news that ground- of himself. He did this with other women FUHGHQWLDO LQ FRXQVHOLQJ , DOVR LQWHUQHG breaking artist Prince Rogers Nelson as well, including Tara Leigh Patrick being KHUH ODVW VSULQJ ZLWK 0U +XQW , UHDOO\ hadHQMR\HG WKH LQWHUQVKLS DQG WKH SRVLWLRQ passed in his Paisley Park studios in called “Carmen Electra,â€? the name she still Chanhassen, Minnesota.

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16 Backpage

theSilverSpur

M M ER U S

June 3, 2016 There are 61,000 people in the air above the US at any

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A senior’s plan for her European trip: Saving money and staying comfortable Introduction:

In July, I am going on a 22-day tour of Europe on a budget of roughly $2000. I will first fly into London Gatwick Airport, and then meet my two British friends before flying directly to Berlin on the same day.

Using a Eurail pass (with eight days of traveling within a month), we will go from Berlin to Munich to Venice to Florence to Rome to Milan and finally to Paris, before flying directly back to London. Traveling that much, however, can be expensive, so I did extensive research to ensure that I wouldn’t be robbed of what little money I have in my bank account.

Flights:

A typical round-trip flight to London from San Diego is roughly $1,400.Unfortunately, on my budget I wouldn’t be able to afford it. I began my search for flights in March by using G o o g l e ’s flight search e n g i n e .

While I was searching, Google would tell me what t o

As of August 19, 2010, “staycation” is officially recognized as a word in the

Oxford Dictionary. (source: Independent UK)

Tips for traveling safely

Whenever the topic of : Destination travel arises, p e o p l e often think “I’m excited for t of exotic he vacations in southern culture and on: Mexico and jazz! I wanna s Destinati ee the trips to littleFrench quarter , known yet Bourbon St., an scenic villages. d go “I can on swamp tour Behind the image s.” ’t w e t s a a of dream vacations t i t o t all the in luxurious style, food and I’m excite however, lies the deep d to see my dark truth of traveling. friend ” in! s in a Touring the world is all g a Japan fun and games until your phone gets stolen. Visiting breathtaking sceneries a n d

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do to find cheaper flights, like specifically departing from LAX, or leaving a day earlier. After a lot of refined searches, I found a round trip flight costing $1,100. I thought to myself, “What a steal!” before realizing that the cheap cost was due to the fact that I would be flying via Wow Airlines, a budget airline.

Budget airlines give you all of the essentials for a long flight, namely the flight itself. Food and water during the flight costs extra, in addition to taking anything more than a backpack. But if it means that I’ll be able to spend more money in Europe on the good food and sights, then I was all for the lack of amenities.

I can simply pack an empty water bottle (which won’t be taken away

by TSA) and ask a flight attendant to fill it up at the beginning of the flight, and bring lots of little snacks to last me the flight. As for baggage, I am only going to bring one backpack to carry-on, and check one carry-on sized suitcase. The cost to check it for both legs of the flight increased my cost to roughly $1,200, but that increase still put me $200 away from what it would have been for a non budget flight.

When buying a plane ticket, there is going to have to be a lot of give and take. What really matters to you having a good trip? Why not save money from the get-go, and use that saved money on what would really make the trip fun, like good eats? Just make sure to be completely aware of what will cost you extra on a budget flight, or else you will end up paying the same amount as you would have for a regular flight.

by Clara Lee

Packing:

I will be traveling v i a train from city to city in Europe, and will sometimes take overnight trains to save on accommodation costs. The last thing that I want to happen to me is losing a piece of my luggage because I didn’t have enough hands to keep an eye on them.

To prevent this from happening, I am bringing one backpack and one carry-on sized suitcase. In my backpack, I’ll pack the essentials, like toiletries, an extra set of clothes, electronic necessities, my travel documents, and water.

In my suitcase, I am going to pack staple pieces of clothing that I can easily create different outfits out of, like one pair of jeans, one pair of shorts, four different shirts, plenty of undergarments (because you never know when you will get a chance to clean your clothes), and two pairs of shoes, in addition to the ones I’m already wearing.

In general, when it comes to packing, it’s always best to pack less.

It’ll be less of a hassle to carry a lighter suitcase, and you’ll find that as you are traveling, there will be a couple outfits that you will most likely stick to. Variety is not necessary. This trip will all be about comfort and the sights, not personal fashion.

Accomodation:

Since I will be traveling with two others, most accommodations will be cheaper per person. In Germany, we will be staying in youth hostels,

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famous monuments turn sour as soon as someone catches a cold. Many details of traveling must be addressed and considered for the trip to run smoothly.

This annoyingly necessary prerequisite for a fun trip has been listed under the general category of travel safety.

The number one problem that plagues tourists is being pickpocketed.

Experiencing different cultures and developing a comprehensive worldview are desirable, but that doesn’t mean you have to lose your wallet in the process. Put your valuables in secure pockets, and don’t think for a second that zipping up your backpack will prevent theft.

You think you’ll feel

where each night costs roughly $15 per person. From Munich, we will be headed to Venice on an overnight train ride, which will take care of accommodation for that night. Other than another overnight train from Milan to Paris, we will be staying in more youth hostels for the remainder of the trip.

Youth hostels, our main source of accommodation, are typically busy, social, and cheap. They may not be the cleanest, but you get what you pay for. Each hostel is often located in the center, or close to the center, of the big cities. At them, you can meet other travelers and make new friendships before moving on to the next city.

If you’re looking to live in a quieter, more private location, Airbnbs are a great resource when it comes to saving money on a trip.

Many homes are located right in the cities, a n d a r e

someone unzipping your backpack, but by then your passport and savings are already gone.

Exotic places and sceneries also mean varying strains of viruses.

Careful consideration is needed to maintain your health and wellbeing. A consistent sleep and eating schedule are paramount to preventing illness. Jet lag can strike even the best of us, and sleep deprivation will sap all the fun from the trip. A small array of medicine should be kept at hand in case you do get ill. Multiple vaccines may become excessive, but simple Advil and Tylenol should do the trick in most circumstances.Preventative medicine, such as Airborne, or antioxidants, such as Vitamin C and zinc, help to boost the immune

often close to public transportation.

If you are careful and avoid the homes with expensive security deposits, each night can cost between $30 to $60 per group of people.

Another benefit of Airbnbs is that the host is typically open to helping you find your way through cities, or helping you feel comfortable while staying in their home. When traveling, staying in a clean home is something to appreciate and take advantage of.

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by David Wang

system and should be taken a few days prior to the trip in order to maximize effectiveness.

Contracting the Zika virus would certainly be memorable, but not necessarily pleasant.

Detailed planning is also required to ensure that nobody ends up stranded in an unknown country. Make sure your cellphone provider is available in that country.

Make sure you have both credit cards and cash, but remember to change your cash to the correct form of currency. As awe-inspiring as Washington’s face is, the intricacies of the dollar bill won’t impress a street vendor in Amsterdam. Go over the transportation schedule at least once so that nothing is missed, and have a general knowledge of where places are in relation to each other.

Learning the phrase “where am I” wouldn’t hurt if worst comes to worst.

Traveling with two teenagers for over 20 days will be difficult, and at times, uncomfortable. I have to do all that I can right now to save money so that I can have more flexibility to spend some during the trip itself. The last thing I want to be doing is worrying about having enough money to sustain me for the whole trip.

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