The Santa Rosan Volume 10, Issue 6

National Honors Society holds its second annual Day of Tolerance.

See page 5.

This year’s musical “Once Upon a Mattress” comes to a close. See pages 8-9.

The boys tennis team gets off to a strong start. See page 15.

Junior Ashley West, this year’s Talent Show winner, sings on stage while playing her guitar. See page 4. Photo by Celine Sargis

2

NEWS

Staff of the Santa Rosan Editors-in-Chief Trevor Greenan Jenifer Moretto Simon Managing Editor Isabella Froman Photography Editor Celine Sargis Marketing Editor Bryna Haugen Editorial Board Jack Brady Lindsay Bribiescas Milena Duarte Alesana Sunia Opal White

Adviser Casey Elsa Staff Adriana Baez Raven Cipes Ally Daly Sabrina Elias Tracy Fernandez Eryn Francavilla Sebastian Froman Miranda McCann Ally McCulloch Dakota McGranahan Alaina McIntyre Esteban Nunez Thomas Pastis Kylee Schroth Ethan Vickrey

Note: The views expressed in this newspaper are those of the Santa Rosan staff as approved by the Santa Rosan newspaper staff and do not necessarily represent the opinions of the school, students, faculty or the Santa Rosa City School District. An effort will be made to print all letters to the editor, as long as they are signed. The Santa Rosan reserves the right to edit letters for length, clarity, and factual correctness, but will not guarantee their accuracy. Letters should be delivered to Ms. Elsa, room D101, or put in her mailbox.

SRHS implements Common Core standards literature. In other standards, reading and writing are more emphasized. The math standards integrate the basic math subjects to stress their connecEditorial Board tions, and more statistics are introduced because it As of this year, SRHS has switched to the Com- has been shown to be more useful in the workplace. mon Core Standards, a set of instructional stanAs for the testing, which has changed from the dards already adopted by forty-four other states, well-known STAR test to the SBAC, all of it is online.

Washington D.C., and four territories. This change The test itself uses adaptive technology to increase is partially prompted by pressure from the federal or decrease the complexity in accordance to the angovernment; however, the program is state-led, as swer given on the previous question. The theory is well as state and teacher-developed. that this method of testing tests what the students The standards encourage greater depth of know, rather than what they don’t. However, there knowledge, relying less on memorization and more may be issues with the ability of SRHS to provide evon abstract ideas, something that has prompted ery student with the technology necessary to take concern about the cost and ability to teach students the test. in the best manner possible.

The education system may never be flawless Currently, only the math and English standards because it is simply impossible to cater to every stuare developed fully, but science standards are in dent’s needs, but hopefully, with this switch, SRHS progress, too. The English standards incorporate can prepare its students for their futures even betmore nonfiction reading material, rather than just ter than it does now.

Lindsay Bribiescas

The debate team comes close to qualifying for this year’s state tournament

The Santa Rosa debate team went to the state qualifiers and was only two debates from going to the championships before it was stopped. The Santa Rosa High School debate team consists of eighteen people split into separate teams of two that each compete at tournaments throughout the Bay Area. The team have not gotten to state in three years, but was very close to making it this year.

All of the debaters are very revered as seasoned veterans, and one of the debaters, Senior Trevor Greenan, was the top ranked speaker at the state qualifier. However, it was Senior Jack Brady and Junior Lindsay Bribiescas who made it the farthest. They were only two debates away from the championship when, in a close match, they were defeated.

The state qualifiers consist of a large pool of teams all competing for the top ranking. The tournament starts with all the teams competing in four debates. The teams that have won at least three out of four rounds advance to the first elimination round, where teams are eliminated for losing. The roster of teams gradually gets smaller until only seven remain. Debates are judged by both professional coaches and parents. The parents, however, are not allowed to judge teams from their own schools.

The debate teams that compete against each other are randomly selected from the pool of debaters given, and are given another opponent to debate against. The teams that win the debate state qualifiers will go on to the state championship where the final debates are held.

English teacher Megan Whyte nominated as Outstanding Teacher of America

Recently, Ms. Whyte was nominated for an award called the Outstanding Teachers of America. A teacher can be nominated for this award if a previous student, who Ms. Whyte helps is in a college, writes a let- her students during class time. In her 13 ter to the Carlston Fam- years of teaching, ily Foundation explaining Whyte has made a imwhy they should win this significant pact on the many award. Ms. Whyte has students who have been nominated for this come through her Photo by award and, when asked classroom.

Trevor Greenan what her favorite aspect of teaching is, she responded with, ‘’hanging out with the kids.’’

Part of winning the award is that an educator must show that they honor the value of knowledge through dedication. Ms. Whyte fits this description, because she is always an optimistic teacher who looks at the good in a student instead of the bad. ’’I love it when I see the signs of students getting it,’’ she added after being asked what her favorite aspect of teaching was. If Ms. Whyte wins this award, she will receive $15,000, and the school will receive $5,000. Ms. Whyte’s teaching, and her ability to inspire generations of students, is something to be appreciated, and hopefully the Carlston Family Foundation will see this as clearly as her students can.

NEWS

3

4

FEATURES

Junior Ashley West wins 2014 Talent Show Sabrina Elias Staff Writer This year’s 2014 Talent Show winner was Ashley West. The Junior blew the crowd and judges away with her talented singing skills.

Her great voice was enjoyed by the crowd and well-deserving of the win.

Senior Konstanze Franco came in second place with a song she dedicated to all her fellow Seniors. After she sang, the crowd was cheering and outrageously loud. It was easy to notice the excitement that the audience had during and after her performance.

Everyone, especially the Seniors, were all very satisfied.

Third were Seniors Matt Cox and Devon Sharp with a well-done rap routine and guitar piece. Sharp had great skills on the guitar that were played out smoothly.

The announcers Tony Bruno and Will McCulloch, both Seniors, kicked off the show with some entertaining jokes that delighted the night’s crowd, including Bruno’s elbow-licking act. The talent show was overall exciting, fun, and an excellent way to spend a Friday night at Santa Rosa High School. Many can’t wait to see who will win next year’s Talent Show.

1. Konstanze Franco sings an original song which she dedicated to her fellow graduating classmates. The song won her second place in the talent show and $100.

2.Matt Cox performs an original acoustic rap alongside Devon Sharp playing the guitar. The duo won third place and $50.

3. Co-hosts Will McCulloch and Tony Bruno display their “talents” of bird calls and elbow-licking to the audience while the results of the show were being calculated.

4. Caleb Robinson plays the Titanic theme song on the piano.

5. Eric Satterlee plays the violin along with his band, Annunaki Flow. They performed jazz variations of a variety of popular songs such as “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk.

6. In shock, Ashley West accepts first place and $200 for her original song that she performed on the guitar.

“I was just super surprised and honored to win! Santa Rosa is such an amazing and creative school. It was way cool to perform with so many talented people,” said West.

Photos by Celine Sargis

FEATURES

5

Day of Tolerance National Honors Society’s well-received event from last year makes its return

Lindsay Bribiescas Editorial Board

1. The National Honors Society put on Day of Tolerance. The club, run by Mrs. Glatt, has done this for two years.

2. Zac Good, Senior, shows students the importance of restorative justice. After getting expelled from school, he was allowed to return and now has a 3.8 GPA. 3. During the GSA panel, Haley Petruska, a Senior, describes her grandma’s marriage annullment. The former GSA President asked students to be considerate of LGBTQ individuals on campus.

4. Lillian Judd describes her experiences in Auschwitz. Judd asked students to let go of hate, as she explained the hatred that she received during WWII. 5. Dina Angress explains how she hid during the Holocaust. Angress was a former classmate of Anne Frank’s, but managed to avoid being captured.

Photos by Tracy Fernandez, Lindsay Bribiescas, Celine Sargis, and Alaina McIntyre

National Honors Society repeated Day of Tolerance as it was a huge success last year. The event was beneficial to students and an interesting way to teach tolerance. Each guest speaker had a different story and area with which students could relate. This year’s focus shifted more from just hearing about the subject and understanding it, to standing up and and doing something about these injustices, as it incorporated more modern topics.

6

OPINION

Helpful/Hurtful:

an Advice Column

This month’s

Question:

Isabella Froman Managing Editor The “best” college is a very tricky concept. The idea is tainted by bias and elitist attitudes that saturate higher education. While Harvard, Yale, and Stanford are fantastic schools, the “best” school is the one most suited to your needs.

One of the most important factors in finding the best college is your major or field of study. If you plan to major in English, you could do that virtually anywhere.

But certain schools may have stronger English programs than others, which is something to be aware of.

For some majors, such as medicine or law, the reputation of certain schools gives a student an advantage when applying for internships and jobs. Researching majors is essential to finding the best school for you — but if you are unsure about your major or your future, choose your school based on personal preferences.

To do this, think realistically about yourself — do you prefer small or large schools? Would you like a liberal arts college the size

Need advice on an issue? Don’t mind being brutally insulted? Then feel free to write to the Santa Rosan! Questions can be submitted to Ms. Elsa in Room D101 or through email to santarosan@gmail.com.

“Hi, I’m a Junior, and I’m getting ready to go to college, but everything seems so confusing. It seems like all my friends already have a plan, but I have no idea what I’m doing. What should I do to get into the best college I can?”

of our school, or would you thrive at UCLA? Do you want to go to school in California, on the East Coast, or somewhere in-between? Would you want to study abroad?

Are you very academicallyfocused, or would you prefer a more relaxed, social school? Are you involved in sports? Answering these questions and others will give you clues as to what kind of school you want to attend.

Also utilize online sources such as CollegeBoard and California Career Zone to assess yourself and find the right path toward your future.

Once you’ve selected a few potential schools, the next step is searching for scholarships. Though the majority of scholarships can be applied for only during your Senior year, underclassmen can search for the organizations and groups that provide the scholarships. Again, websites like Scholarships.com can aide in the search.

If you’re still feeling lost, talk to your counselor or any of your teachers. They can tell you when the next college information lecture is, as well as give you advice tailored to your circumstances.

But, above all, don’t get caught up in the pressure of getting into the “best” school, especially because so many of those colleges are suited to a very specific type of person. Think about what’s best for you; you’re the one who will be studying there after all.

Thomas Pastis Staff Writer Well, first of all, never, ever, ever measure yourself up against your friends. Every single other person is out to make your life harder, including your friends, so they must be lying about having a plan to distress you.

The transition from high school to college can often be a difficult one.

There are so many moving pieces in play, and you have to juggle schoolwork, extracurriculars, and many other things. Obviously, you’ll want to go to the most prestigious school that costs the most money that you can. If you don’t, you’re obviously lying to yourself, so drive yourself into the ground getting into one of them. Thankfully, there are many surefire ways of getting into a prestigious school like Harvard, Stanford, Chico, Yale, Cornell, etc.

If you’ve got good grades, you’ll get a second look, but if you’ve got below a 4.83, you’re gonna need to do something to raise your GPA. Bribes work pretty well, but don’t rule out cheating either.

Even more important than your GPA is the SAT or ACT. If you know anything about standardized tests, you know that every single answer is C. (Or is it B?) Or, you can impress the Scantron machine by writing “YOLO” with bubbles.

Whichever method you choose, you’re guaranteed a perfect score.

Colleges then look at your extracurriculars. Everyone who applies to the

good schools is a savant who has already saved a small country from starvation and cured cancer with one hand tied behind his back, so there’s no way you can beat them in extracurriculars.

If everyone does relatively the same things, try writing down extracurriculars that no one else does. Say you won a participation medal in your fourth grade relay race. Maybe you can balance an entire table setting on your head, so proudly write that in as one of your talents. In a pool of absolute geniuses, you need something to set yourself apart, and ‘Level 120 Dungeoneer’ will at least grant a second look from the Stanford admission board.

One of the most important things to a college acceptance board is the essay, and you’ll be up against some stiff competition in this area. Other applicants will be writing beautiful essays about their dead grandfather who gave them the motivation to succeed, blah, blah, blah. College boards don’t want to hear a heart-wrenching story about hard work and success. They want risks.

Therefore, leave the entire essay blank. Send them ten blank pieces of paper, and on the last one, scrawl in Sharpie: “I’m not gonna be a part of your system, man,” then draw yourself in the margin leaning back with sunglasses on. College boards want daring applicants, not by-the-book writers. They want to be surprised, not impressed, so capitalize on this.

I suppose it doesn’t really matter what you do anyway, because everyone wants you to fail, and whatever college you apply to will reject you because you’re you. If you don’t believe that everyone wants you to fail, take me or my co-columnist, for example, the people giving you advice on how to succeed in life. We benefit from every single person who fails to get into the prestigious colleges, because we have a greater chance of acceptance. Think about it.

OPINION

7

Staying successful throughout high school A students’ grade is made up of many different assignments and tests that can often be difficult to balance.

Photo by Celine Sargis

10 tips for preparing for a test Eryn Francavilla Staff Writer

Getting and maintaining good grades Ally Daly Staff Writer It is hard to keep up good grades once you have them or even get good grades at all. Here are some tips for strengthening and maintaining a good grade.

While doing homework, you want to eliminate all distractions. This could mean a tv, a phone, or other loud objects. Finding a quiet place to study is also a helpful idea. Clear out all irrelevant interferences with your work.

Another tip is to get into a healthy routine for study habits. When you get home from school, try taking a short break and enjoying a snack, or just relax and prepare yourself for the homework ahead.

One other idea to assist you is to reward yourself.

Tell yourself that if you finish twenty pages of math homework, you can go eat that chocolate chip cookie that has been calling your name. It is healthy to take breaks; just make sure you aren’t taking them so frequently that it causes you to not be focused.

A very essential aspect of good study habits is to have a good environment. Working on a flat surface is helpful and keeps you organized. You can even possibly have a glass of water by you that helps you relax after a stressful problem.

Use your planner to keep track of current homework assignments, upcoming tests, and other reminders. SRHS is lucky to have the Home Access Center which can be used to view current grades and clarify mistakes before the end of the quarter.

It is important to have at least one friend in all of your classes that you can contact outside of school for homework questions. Get their information and you can use each other as study buddies.

A large part of getting good grades is really quite simple; get in a healthy routine and you will be set.

Testing gives everyone stress. However, when you prepare correctly for an upcoming test, not only will you do better, but it will relieve some stress. You can do better by: taking notes, highlighting, using flashcards, using a bright light, keeping all electronics away, and sitting at a desk, as well as taking breaks, getting a good night’s sleep, reviewing before the test, and eating healthy brain food.

By taking notes, usually from class, it enables you to go over what was talked about in class as well as gives you a good source of material to review.

Along with taking notes, you must highlight key words. Not everything you write in your notes may be important, so by highlighting you can seek out the key material.

Once you’ve highlighted, something that may be of use to you is flashcards.

Flashcards are good if you’re reviewing vocabulary or dates. Going through a fast answer and solution one after the other is a good drill for your brain and will help you memorize what you need to know.

Also, one of the best ways to study is to use a bright light, so that you you can see your work. Make sure all electronics are away so there are no distractions. By sitting at a desk, it keeps you very attentive.

Being able to sit up straight is a key factor of staying awake. Taking breaks is also important, as they help you renew your energy so you can keep studying.

The final tip is to get a good night’s sleep. Nothing is better than feeling awake and ready to go for the day and your test. Just make sure you take a quick look at your notes and anything else you studied to review everything before the test. Make sure you eat healthy brain food on a daily basis to always keep yourself fueled and ready to go. With just these ten steps, you can and will be fully prepared for any test that comes your way.

ONCE

UPON A

MATTR

RESS

The musical’s lead roles: Tomas Gonzalez as King Sextimus

Zora Franicevic as Queen Aggravain

Joseph Pharr as Prince Dauntless

Josh Peck as Jester

Kira Findling as Lady Larken

Jon Brings as Sir Harry

Chris Calloway as Minstrel

Miranda Williams and Sarah Withers as Princess Winnifred

Joe Song as Wizard

1. Senior Zora Franicevic and Junior Joseph Pharr sit in their normal positions, the Queen on the throne and the Prince slouching on the ground. Their relationship takes a sudden turn at the end of the play when the “mouse devours the hawk.”

2. Senior Josh Peck, the Jester, flips, slips, and slides along the stage with a helping hand and a strong heart. His immutable energy was an entertaining additive even with the comical role he assumed.

3. Sophomore Chris Calloway, Senior Josh Peck, Junior Kira Findling, and Senior Jon Briggs stand together in the final act, revelling at the mute Queen, talkative King, and a courageous Prince. Calloway acted as the new Minstrel while Sir Harry and Lady Larken were played by Briggs and Findling, respectively.

4. Acting as Winifred’s second half, Sarah Withers sings a melody describing her life before coming to the castle. “Winnifred is a strong, unique person that isn’t afraid to be who she is,” said Withers.

Photos by Lindsay Bribiescas and Tracy Fernandez

The cast behind the curtain Jack Brady Editorial Board Hitting the stage on Friday, February 28th, Once Upon a Mattress became a two-week event that pulled in a large audience. The characters that were widely appreciated by viewers included the delusional Queen Aggravain, the wizened Cardamon the Great, and the doltish yet athletic Princess Winnifred.

The play followed two paths, both relating to the Queen’s decree that bans marriage within her kingdom until the prince is wed.

Her son, Prince Dauntless, wishes to marry but, because of the ever-changing and nearly unbeatable tests masterminded by the Queen herself, no woman has a chance to become his bride.

The second story follows the conflict between Sir Harry and his pregnant, “would-be” bride Lady Larken, who needs to marry him to avoid scandal within the Royal Court. The play was broken into two Acts, while the en-

tire performance spanned over two and a half hours. The performers were accompanied by a pit band behind the sheet, conducted by Kira Bombace. The only major role that was divided between two actors was Winnifred, played by Seniors Miranda Williams and Sarah Withers.

Though school musicals have been notorious for sapping energy, the cast clearly gave it their all and worked every night. All in all, the musical brought not only entertainment to those who watched the show, but to those who worked it. Like the drama class, the musical puts a large stress on cooperation and efficiency. Numerous back-up roles were also required to support different stage set-ups, as well as a seamstress who made costumes from scratch.

“What I loved most about being a part of this years musical was getting the chance to play princess Winnifred, a character who I truly feel is a real part of who I am. Playing her every day in rehearsal put a smile on my face and made my life wonderful,” said Williams.

10

OPINION

Cellphones in class: The pros and cons Pro: Useful tool for education Kylee Schroth Staff Writer In a recent survey, 68% of middle and high school students, as cited by Putnam County High School, regularly bring cellphones with them to school. Most high schools have some policy on cellphones, whether it is banning them just in class or altogether during school hours. Some do not have any specific rule at all, and may depend on the teacher. Whatever it is, students still continue to bring and use their cell phones.

There are many advantages of having cell phones in classes, especially regarding parents. Communication, what phones were made for, is a big reason. If teens want to be picked up at a certain time, it would be helpful to text or call their parent beforehand.

The camera feature on many phones is also very helpful with projects,vocabulary, and lists that need to be copied down.

Some teachers in schools that permit phone use allow students to take pictures of vocab and different study items.

This is more time-efficient and more accessible for the students.

The internet is now very easy to reach on cell phones.

In group projects or other assignments, students may use their phones to research things and define words. Calculators on phones are also very useful if one does not have a calculator handy.

Of course, there are also many cons to allowing phones in class, but this should be debatable and the pros should be considered when making rules for cellphones in school.

Con: Unnecessary distraction Raven Cipes Staff Writer The ongoing debate associated with cellphones is whether or not they are beneficial or distracting when placed in a classroom setting.

SRHS’ rules state that cellphones must be turned off during class, but are allowed to be used at allotted times, such as lunch and break.

These rules are very fair due to the fact that many schools ban the use of phones during school hours all together.

Phones have very advanced technology; they are useful for a variety of things, but are used mostly by teenagers for social networking and texting. It is understandable that they can be used for instant research by students, but this is mainly the only advantage. There are

numerous cons to allowing cell phones in classroom.

They are distracting; every time a text or notification is received a sound goes off to alert the person. If students don’t put them on silent, these sounds will be very distracting to the teacher and everyone else. Another reason is temptation. With all these amazing features that phones are capable of, it would be very hard to have one sitting on your desk without the temptation of checking Facebook, Instagram, or even just replying to a text.

It would be nice to have a mini computer by your side at all times, but realistically, school is a place for learning, and there are too many disadvantages to allowing cellphones in class to make it happen.

As cellphones become more and more commonplace among teenagers, the debate over whether or not they should be used in classrooms has become a bigger issue for school administrators and teachers.

Photo by Celine Sargis

OPINION

Failing the Students:

Trevor Greenan Editor-in-Chief Physical education among the nation’s youth has become a consistently larger issue in recent years. With Michelle Obama’s war against childhood obesity and a generally increased concern over health in the US, schools have been faced with the burden of increasing health awareness in the hopes of preventing unhealthy habits in the future.

Among the manners in which schools have sought to solve for this is

the physical education requirement in high schools.

Students are required to complete 20 credits, or two years of high school PE, in order to graduate. For most, this means taking PE in their Freshman and Sophomore years of high school.

Many students, however, such as those participating in the ArtQuest program, don’t have space in their schedules for a PE class while obtaining math, science, English, and, later on, history credits while also completing their two specialty classes per year.

Some attempt to avoid these requirements by taking JC classes or online alternatives. However, JC classes are extremely time-consuming, resulting in only 3 or 4 credits in most cases.

Online classes, such as those taken through Brigham Young University, can be much more efficient and offer a full semester of PE per class, but cost upwards of $100 each.

As a result, the major alternative to straight-forward classes at the high school is obtaining credits through high school sports. The current district policy rewards students with up to a year of

11

Physical Education requirements create unreasonable burdens for students

PE credits for participation on a sports’ With practices nearly every day afteam. Students can get 5 credits for each ter school for the duration of the season, of two separate seasons in which they and generally greater levels of commitmiss no more than ten practices, and ment from the students involved, memcan only access the credits after having bers of these teams dedicate energy and completed a previous year of PE. time that is then largely unrecognized Although this can help with the for many, even after completing four issue, the limit of years of a varsity sport. one year of credits Even the credits that The current district through sports at are granted are received in policy rewards stumost still forces stuan unusual manner, with dents to take at least the necessity that a year dents with up to a one year of PE at the of PE be completed before year of PE credits high school. Theregetting any sports credits. for participation on fore, these students’ Without providing any a sports team, after schedules still face increased physical activity completing a sepathe limits created by for students, this makes rate year of PE. the PE classes. obtaining the required This restriction credits that much more might be condifficult for no apparent sidered reasonable were it not for its reason. negligence of the benefits of competing Ultimately, the current PE system on a sports’ team. is incredibly flawed in the way that it The purpose of PE in high school is assigns credits. Rather than rewardto encourage physical activity among ing physical activity, it only reasonably teenagers and promote a healthy style allows for the attainment of PE credits of living. However, this is a requirement through the school’s own classes, which that is far surpassed by most members for many students are unnecessary and of a high school sport. burdensome aspects of their schedules.

Get some glasses ­­— The Shame Game

Society’s treatment of weight is unreasonable and counterproductive

Lindsay Bribiescas Editorial Board Society has a skewed idea of what is “beautiful.” Weight in particular is a focal point of what beauty means today, and the ideal weight and size is nearly impossible for the average person to achieve — less than 5% of women can reach the idealized weight and size.

Being overweight can be unhealthy, but there is a distorted idea of what the “normal” weight should be. And those that suffer health issues concerning their weight do not respond well to the preferred method of shaming them into health, even while many are already exercising and eating well.

To assume that everyone that doesn’t conform to the “perfect” body type is unhealthy and, furthermore, to shame them for not looking like models, is harmful and wrong.

In 2008, a study documented the media’s tendency to publish alarmist stories about the negative repercussions of obesity, as well as placing the blame on the

individual. But doing so actually results in more weight gain, rather than weight loss.

“A really problematic facet of our society’s disgust for fat people is the perpetuation of the idea that being fat is correlated with being unhealthy. People make so many assumptions about heavy people, and seem to think that maybe they aren’t trying hard enough to lose weight.

Even the government does it, like Michelle Obama’s program against obesity. It’s all about appearance. I wish that, instead of focusing on what kids weigh, our country would focus on kids’ health, because those two things aren’t always related,” said Junior Kira Findling.

The media puts a constant pressure on people to be highly aware of their weight, when awareness of nutrition rather than weight is more effective and less harmful.

Childhood obesity has decreased by 43% in the last decade, a dramatic reduction that carries over into adulthood. The most likely cause of this is the drop in the buying of sugary and high-calorie foods separate from the economic downturns of families with children, which stems from more nutritional education.

Shaming doesn’t encourage action, it freezes it. But more than that, shaming isn’t necessary when judgments often come from distorted ideas of what beauty actually means.

12

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Miranda’s Musical Musings May Death Never Stop You by My Chemical Romance

Miranda McCann Staff Writer After abruptly ending their career and subsequently devastating fans last March, former alternative rock band My Chemical Romance briefly returned to the shelves with the release of May Death Never Stop You, a compilation of the bands’ greatest hits.

The album features 19 tracks spanning their entire discography, including four previously unreleased songs.

The album’s sound ranges from emo rock to upbeat pop, following the band’s musical and emotional journey. The first track on May Death Never Stop You, “Fake Your Death,” was released as a single and is featured in the album’s trailer.

Its contemporary melodies and dismal lyrics epitomize it as a bittersweet end to MCR’s legacy.

May Death Never Stop You displays My Chemical Romance’s works in a nearchronological order. After “Fake Your Death,” tracks from MCR’s primary four albums, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge, and The Black Parade, and Danger Days: The True Lives of the

Fabulous Killjoys wrap up the preexisting work. The last three album tracks were previously unreleased.

The ex-band released a collective statement regarding the release of the album: “As sad as it was to say goodbye to the band, we look at this collection as a celebration of our best songs, and hope the memory of them continues to bring joy to you all as they have for us.”

My Chemical Romance is best known for their third album, The Black Parade, and their affiliation with the rock scene of New Jersey.

The former members of My Chemical Romance have all individually moved on to other projects since their split.

If you enjoyed this album, you may be interested in Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge and The Black Parade and Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, both by My Chemical Romance.

Insight from a quiet observer

Tracy Fernandez Staff Writer Facilitated by social networking sites, users are enabled to share everything today, from photos to entire anecdotes. Private information becomes public knowledge, causing the boundary between personal and public information to deteriorate.

Continually pestering society to join the conversation, the buzz of

excitement compressed within our devices has become harder to ignore.

According to a study conducted by the International Data Corporation, 79% of people have their phone on or near them for all but up to two hours of their waking day, 62% reach for their smartphone immediately after waking up, and 25% say they can’t recall the last time their smartphone wasn’t near them. Easily consumed by the need to remain connected, these sites demand people to actively contribute on a daily basis.

Networking sites thrive off the excess of circulating information, gratifying those who participate with likes, retweets, and followers.

Motivated by the reward of acquiring a status of popularity, people will purposely post extreme Facebook photos and updates — according to a 2010 study by University of Southern

Indiana psychologist Joy Peluchettev and Marshall University’s Katherine Karl. Excused from advertising their public indecencies, oversharing serves as a type of entertainment to the public.

“Oversharing occurs more online than in real life because of how much simpler it is. You don’t have to think of the consequences, you just type and press post, tweet,or share. It’s an outlet for some, like their diary. I find those kind of post-entertaining and interesting because they’re so public,” said Junior Cathelina PadillaSchoop.

On Facebook, there is a “share” button, allowing a post to be publicized repeatedly. Previously, Youtube’s slogan was known as “Broadcast Yourself.” As the disclosure of private details of relationships, struggles, and sexuality becomes

The social media network encourages oversharing more of a daily occurrence, privacy is less of a priority.

According to Oxford dictionary, the definition of oversharing is to reveal an inappropriate amount of detail. Only 15% of users of social networking sites in the US admit to sharing everything online as specified by the marketing firm Ipsos’ recent survey. Desensitized by our extensive used of social media, people now have either experienced or participated in oversharing, rendering it common.

Given the luxury of delivering thoughts in an unconditional amount of characters, what is considered TMI (too much information) can become indistinguishable with the daily posts that bombard people’s feeds. However, there is only so much people can put into a single post, into a single tweet, into a single photo. And — perhaps — there’ll be silence.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

13

The Gaming Corner The removal of Flappy Bird

All hail the Flappy!

Thomas Pastis Staff Writer Not many games have had such meteoric success as Flappy Bird. Since its release, more than 50 million people have downloaded this extremely simple game. Even with the bots who continually downloaded this game to increase download numbers, this is a massive number. Flappy Bird has become what Temple Run was a year ago, and Angry Birds was three years ago. It’s on just about every iPhone, Android, and Windows device, and everyone compares their high scores. Taking down a game like this was a stupid mistake by Mr. Nguyen.

So, just why was this incredibly successful game taken down? My column compatriot suggests that it was too addicting; too time-consuming. However, is this really anything new for the gaming market? As early as the 1980’s, there were people who made it their life’s goal to have the highest Donkey Kong score in the entire world.

A game shouldn’t be taken down because it’s addicting. That’s what makes it fun. The more time you spend trying to beat your friend’s high score, the more satisfying it is when you finally break it barely clearing the last pipe as fireworks go off in your head and an imaginary choir plays ‘Hallelujah’.

Yeah, you slam your iPhone down and curse everything you can think of when you miss your high score by ONE POINT, but when you finally do break it, it’s that much sweeter. Where would the gaming market be without addicting games?

One of the possible reasons that Nguyen took the game down was that he thought that players were becoming too addicted to it, and that they were spending too much time playing. Even if the players downloaded it at an astounding rate, is it really up to the creator how the players should play the game? Nguyen created and released the game, and from that point on, its popularity was out of his hands.

The absolute firestorm of Flappy Bird knockoffs that followed the termination of the game from the app stores shows that it’s not only stupid to take down Flappy Bird, but it’s also impossible.

The second that Flappy Bird went down, twenty more games with the exact same engine rose to take its place. Splashy Fish, Flappy Cage, Flying Cyrus, Flappy Bee, Fly Birdie. You can’t possibly take down a game this popular. Regardless of whether we like it or not, Flappy Bird has cracked the market, and even though the game itself is gone, the engine and the idea behind it lives on.

Therefore, it was sort of pointless to take the game down. Now, players download one of the sixty knockoffs created every day, three of which contain malware. It would have been much better to let the popularity of Flappy Bird run its course then make it into a gaming martyr; one that players everywhere can still easily download, despite the game’s deletion.

In summary, Flappy Bird should not be taken down because it was too addicting, should not be taken down because Nguyen expected it to be much less popular, and cannot be taken down now that so many people have downloaded it. Plus, Jack’s an idiot, so why would you listen to him?

Down with the Flappy!

Jack Brady Editorial Board Not many games have plagued the mobile franchise with as much hellish addiction and frustration as our dear, eight-bit avian friend, the Flappy Bird. Flappy Bird was released in May 2013 by Dong Nguyen, a Vietnamese developer whose brainchild suddenly went viral in late January, and then was later taken off the market.

‘Going viral’ is an understatement. Phones were thrown at baseball speeds, curses burst through windows. The game was made to slaughter time between job shifts or between classes. Why slaughter? Because when you innocently, “Just one more time”-ingly press that Start Again button, you have just ripped the head off four minutes to an hour that you can never reclaim again. I hope you’re happy. You animal.

Come late February, Nguyen decided to pull it off the markets. Smart man.

Much of the game was largely criticized by other developers and consumers alike.

The pipes looked too much like Mario’s, said Nintendo, the bird’s momentum was too jerky, said players. Even Nguyen’s success was claimed to be the cause of fake bots that boosted his

download scores, leading to the sudden popularity (said Carter Thomas of the iPhone App Store). He just couldn’t make anyone happy. However, Nguyen’s hope was not to capitalize on players, but to give them something fun for ten seconds.

You are the ones to blame for the extinction of the real Flappy Bird.

I’d understand the annoyance associated with the removal if it was more than just a one button mechanic. As a side note, the minute the game was removed, more than ten eggs hatched into Flappy Bird knockoffs on both Google Play and the Apple Store.

I don’t see why everyone got so worked up, especially now, when you have games like Splashy Fish. Or what about the Apple Store’s No. 1, Flappy Cyrus, allowing players to dodge hammers and wrecking balls as a Miley Cyrus head? Problem solved. How about adding Bieber and Putin too?

Don’t whine about this when you could and probably do still have that tantrum-throwing game loaded on your phone.

You’re playing it right now, aren’t you? Aren’t you…

I’ll admit it. I had it for a week and got to 23. I’m happy that the pixelated pheasant is gone, despite the other “Flappy” abominations. I will continue to stand by my first reaction to it.

Down with the Flappy!

14

FOOD & HEALTH

The Mexican restaurants of Santa Rosa El Coronel is a delicious and welcoming location

Taqueria Santa Rosa provides a truly immersive experience

Sabrina Elias Staff Writer Known for being the best Mexican restaurant in Sonoma County, El Coronel is a great place to have a good meal if there is a lot of room in your stomach. Located in the heart of Sebastopol, the bar and grill has beautiful landscaping and is filled with vibrant and active colors, very polite customer service, and mouth-watering food.

Choosing from the menu, the super burrito will is a delicious option.

With any choice of meat, it is served in a giant flour tortilla stuffed with rice, beans, and cheese and topped with ranchero sauce, sour cream, and guacamole. The burrito was filling and excellent, even though there was quite a lot of ranchero sauce. The customer service was fast, and the workers were kind

The super burrito from El Coronel is a delicious, filling taste of Mexican food.

Photo by Sabrina Elias

to their customers.

The restaurant is always welcoming people and has a special menu only given out on the weekends. They just now included a new patio so that customers are able to eat outdoors, just in time for the spring.

The restaurant is located at 1015 Gravenstein Hwy Sebastopol, CA 95427.

There are several Mexican restaurants in Santa Rosa, including Taqueria Santa Rosa. This restaurant serves authentic Mexican food in generous portions. The closest of three locations to SRHS is 1950 Mendocino Ave. The other two Taqueria Santa Rosas are in Montecito Center and on Stony Point Road.

Inside, the taqueria is small and casual. Limited seating is available due to the small space. Most, if not all, of the workers speak Spanish and English, which adds to the experience of Mexican dining.

This is not a fancy restaurant where you have to wait to be seated.

Ordering and paying for the meal at the cash register makes it a relaxed atmosphere. If looking for

Located on Mendocino Avenue, Taqueria Santa Rosa offers authentic Mexican food, such as the tacos shown above. Photo by Ally McCulloch

a high-end service restaurant, this is not the place.

The menu includes many traditional Mexican entrees. The burritos and tacos compete as the most popular items on the menu. The burritos range from a simple bean and cheese burrito to a Mar and Tierra Burrito, consisting of rice, beans, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, meat, and shrimp for $8.25.

The tacos come in many different variations

to please every customer.

One taco can be ordered for $2.75, or two for $4.50.

If purchased in a combo, the tacos are served with rice and beans on the side.

The menu also contains vegetarian and children’s sections. If the customer is not extremely picky, they should be able to find something pleasing off this menu.

This restaurant is an excellent option if looking for an informal, cheap, but authentic meal.

Haku Sushi is a delicious option for sushi lovers and haters alike Alaina McIntyre Staff Writer When you’re looking for fantastic Japanese food or great sushi, check out Haku Sushi, located on 518 7th Street in Santa Rosa. Haku Sushi is easily accessible and has a large parking structure right across the street.

The restaurant itself is very unique and has a distinctively Japanese feel to it. As soon as a customer walks in, whether for lunch or dinner, a waitress

is immediately there with a table ready.

The menu is relatively affordable compared to other sushi restaurants, and the quality and taste of the food is spectacular. The sushi rolls are delicious, with large quantities of fresh fish. Unlike many other sushi restaurants where there is barely any fish in the rolls, Haku stuffs the rolls with fish.

The menu itself is entertaining with creative names such as the “Thunder Down Under” and the “Silent But

Deadly”. With interesting names, the presentation of the rolls is better than expected.

If you’re not very into sushi, Haku has a wide variety of non-sushi items. They make delicious yakisoba and numerous other noodle dishes. For those who tend to stay away from meat, Haku has a great vegetable tempura and vegetarian sushi rolls. Whether you’re craving noodles, delicious sushi rolls, or you’re just looking for a great meal, Haku Sushi is a great place to eat.

Haku sushi offers both sush and non-sushi options with a distinctively Japanese feel.

Photo by Alaina McIntyre

SPORTS

Boys tennis team off to strong start

15

Lindsay Bribiescas Editorial Board The boys’ tennis team started the season off strong, winning three out of four matches, and is expected to finish close to first in league, if not first. Coach Corky Cramer “expects a lot of us, but he understands everyone’s individual limits,” said Jacob Plack, a Junior.

Many players meet Cramer’s expectations, practicing (often with Cramer) yearround, and others come out one to two months before the season. That dedication may lead the team to first place.

1. Freshman Jonathan Chi preps his forehand against a Rancho Cotate doubles team. Chi normally plays third or fourth singles, despite being a Freshman on a team with a number of returning players.

2. Playing doubles, Freshman Emil Guzman heads up for a volley. Guzman, who has played tennis for several years, usually plays first or second doubles.

3. Sophomore Nick Mueller hits from the baseline.

Partners for doubles and singles players often rotate within the ladder.

4. Jonathan Chi, Freshman, waits for his opponent to serve. Santa Rosa won nearly every match against Rancho, beating the Cougars 6-1.

16

PANTHER LIFE

Expanding education during Multicultural Week Milena Duarte

Opal White

Editorial Board

Editorial Board

Multicultural Week is a great time for students to learn about different cultures and participate in fun festivities. Each day during the week, performances are put on and special foods are available at lunch, representing different cultures.

Junior Cathelina Schoop enjoyed the colorful and active week. “I love the whole concept of Multicultural Week, especially since our school is so diverse. It really brings the students together. Every school should do multicultural week,” said Schoop.

The week kicked off with Asian Day. Panda Express was passed out for lunch, and colorful dragon dancers leaped around the quad. “Asian Day is fun because it brought my home country to my school. The dancers are also really cool to watch,” said Sophomore Aimee Holland.

It continued with Mexican Day, African Day, European Day, and ended with American Day. On African Day, the Senior Steps were crowded with students dancing and clapping to the beat of drums. The African performer Onye Onyenaechi brought the crowd to life, playing energetic music and celebrating happiness. Senior Michelle Simonds had fun participating in the celebration. “I really liked African day. The drumming was interactive and the students had a chance to be involved with it,” said Simonds.

The foods, representing the different cultures, ranged from Panda Express to delicious pasta from Mary’s Pizza Shack. On Mexican Day, tasty tortas were served with a cool glass of horchata. The African day food was delicious sweet potato pie. On American Day, the smell of barbecue filled the air and students lined up for hamburgers and sodas. “It was really ethnic and stayed true to it’s country,” said Senior Jordan Hobro.

Many students enjoy Multicultural Week and look forward to participating in the fun activities the different cultures have to offer. Mulicultural Week is a great way to learn about the world right from their school.

1. Cameron Matlock, a Freshman, and Stefan Thrasher, a Junior, enjoy playing the drums on African day. Many students look forward to playing the drums and tamborines on African day.

2. Onye Onyenaechi sings for students on the senior steps on African day. Onyemaechi involves many students in his African day performance by having them play the drumbs or a tamborine.

3. Students serve peers delicious European food on European day. The Student Government class teamed up with Mary’s Pizza Shack to provide delicious food for students.

4. Students bang on drums and play tamborins along with Onye Onyemaechi on African day. Students enjoy being a part of the performance.

5. Students hand out burgers to hungry classmates on American day. The burgers were barbequed near the music building.

6. Zora Franicevic, Benjamin Koler, and Olivia Elia, all Seniors, watch one of the dragons perform during lunch on Asian day. The dragons dance along with drums and provide much enjoyed entertainment to students.

Photos by Tracy Fernandez, Lindsay Bribiescas, and Milena Duarte