Issue 2, Volume 92

The Pepperbox

October BOX BRIEFS

November 17-29: Thanksgiving Break December 2: Tigers Inc. Meeting December 5: WAIBT Tournament December 7: SAT Test Day December 5-7: AAI Fall Production December 10: Board Meeting @ MHS December 12: AIBT Tournament Want to advertise or buy a mail subscription to the Pepperbox? Email Business Manager Zane Clarke at pepperbox@nohum.k12.ca.us !

EDITORIAL STAFF

REPORTERS

Fiona Murphy Editor-in-Chief Stella Walston Managing Editor ZoĂŤ Reiss News Editor Martina Mapatis Feature Editor Jake Knoeller Sports Editor Kein Mazzotti Deputy Sports Editor Bailey Ives Life Editor Ruby Langdon A&E Editor Jack Taylor Opinion Editor Will Oviatt Photo Editor Isabel Wedll Online Editor Zane Clarke Business Manager Marisa Mendosa Art Director Zelda Geren & Lilli Bowman Social Media Isabella Kellawan, Skaidra Pulley Copy Editors

& Kamari Brown

Diego Bazan Caledonia Davey Thalia Godinez River Kiener Marisela Montoya-Tejeda Alexander Reiss Levi Robbins Tommy Robinson Gabriel Sanchez Emilio Silveira Halle Smith Tyler Vizenor Natasha Youravish Kelsey Atkinson-Hatch Miles Rodelander

The Pepperbox would like to thank Western Web, based in Samoa, for printing at-cost. Western Web supports student journalism throughout Humboldt County and has made publications like the Pepperbox possible for decades. We appreciate their dedication to Western Web keeping print media alive.

IN THE BOX Student Board. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Start Times/AAI. . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Sports Recap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Winter Sports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Boof Carts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 First Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Holistic Healing . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Trauma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Native American History. . . . .15 Movies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Help/Maria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Makers/Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 College. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Recipes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Obituary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Candles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 Fashion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Birding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Album Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 School/Fires. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Candidates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Bernie vs. Warren. . . . . . . . . . . 29 Shop Local . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Questions regarding editorial content of the Pepperbox should be directed toward its editors. Opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of Arcata High School.

Adviser Danielle Witten

O

Behind the Cover

n the cover, you can see a fake TKO Extracts vape cartridge. While TKO Extracts is a reputable brand, our investigation found that it is incredibly easy to create a fake. This specific cartridge was obtained through an anonymous source, and I took it home to photograph. It was an oppresively cloudy gray day and natural lighting was not going to work. I took a lamp and light reflective photo thing and went to work. I spent quite some time hunched on the floor trying all sorts of camera and light angles. At one point, I balanced the light diffuser on my head so that I could use both hands to shoot. I looked ridiculous and my sister had some choice comments. The cover is actually the cartridge precariously balancing on the light diffuser. In the end, I am very proud of the result and I hope it will help at least one person know if their cartridge is dangerous.

Stay safe,

Fiona Murphy

We have a website! Go to thepepperInterested box.com for breaking news and in writing for Pepperbox? more exciting content! contact the editor. fmurphy@nohum.k12.ca.us

Follow us on Instagram! @ahspepperbox

Editor’s Box

T

his issue started out with a bang. And by a bang, I mean PG&E turned out the power. In the ensuing week, Pepperbox lost a considerable amount of time to work on first and second drafts. But hey, we’ve dealt with worse. Since this was our second issue, we had a tiny bit of experience under our belts and the process went a tiny bit smoother. Even now, as I write this, it’s only 6:00pm on a Sunday, not midnight. I would call that a win.

On a more serious note, this issue was extremely eductional. We decided to cover an illegal issue, and in doing so, we had to educate ourselves on how to protect our sources. We read up on shield laws and contacted more experienced writers, discovering that, in California, we can’t go to jail for protecting sources in California. Pepperbox is extremely lucky to be able to speak to students in their own language and educate each other on the dangers of certain activities. We have that opportunity because we care about the people who speak to us and will fight for them and their anonimity, if need be. We hope that that trust can help other students and possibly save lives.

Each day, I am in awe of those who take the step to speak out. Whether at a board meeting, on the internet, or to a reporter those people are creating the narrative and telling their stories. As a member of the press, I am incredibly thankful to each and every one of you.

Thank you, Fiona

Quotable.

Look at my dirty, dirty legislative record.

-Naz Dickerson discussing candidates in AP Government.

I look like the Pope of Skater Bois.

-Jocelyn Bliven on Halloween.

I had a point, but then I totally focused on baby Yoda.

-Adam Pinkerton when lecturing on economics.

Do you know what the superior nut is?

-Lisa Yerton discussing cashews.

Yo Steinbeck is pretty lit. Bruh snapped.

-Megan Lornec during a discussion on American authors.

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

The Pepperbox’s

The Pepperbox | Page 5

News

WHAT’S GOOD

Read and ride in the library

W

orking out in the library? Seems ridiculous, right? Nope! The liNatasha Youravish brary just received two FLEXISPOT Reporter Desk Exercise Bike Home Office Standing Desk Cycle, Deskcise Pro through a DonorsChoose.org project by Jennifer Berube, our school librarian. These exercise bikes were fully funded by Chevron Fuel Your School.

At Arcata High the library is developing into a more modern environment. It’s no longer that silent time of the past, but a safe place for students to go to before school, breaks, and at lunch.

The furniture can move and is comfortable, the collection of books is diverse and current, and there are charging outlets available. The library is used to hold meetings, special events, and offers an abundance of resources for the students. The riding desks are a great opportunity for a little fun while studying or reading.

Eduardo Lopez has been on the Read and Ride machines. He believes that they improve his learning experience and gives him a better chance at working out.

“It’s convenient and kids can do that, so that’s why I like it,” Lopez said.

The FLEXISPOT Standing Desk Exercise Bikes are a great addition to our high school library because they can be used as a desk to study or read while you exercise.

“Movement during studying or reading has been shown to improve focus and learning for teenagers,” Berube said. In a student’s day they mostly are sitting, and this bike will give students a chance to move while they are on their breaks.

Good news column

Jack Taylor, Pepperbox opinion editor, library aide, reader and biker extraordinaire tests out the brand new bikes. Taylor enjoys moutain biking in his spare time, so the bar was high. However, the library bikes blew him away.

“I’ve never had so much fun on a bike, a truly thrilling ride,” he testified.

Whether Taylor will continue mountain biking, or if he will stick to the library remains to be seen.

Will Oviatt/PEPPERBOX

Having a blast at the blood bank Thalia Godinez

Thalia Godinez/PEPPERBOX

A student squeezes a brain while donating blood.

A

round 32,000 pints of blood are used each day in the United States. Each pint of blood donated has the ability to save three lives. On November 14th, Arcata High students participated in donating blood to help save lives. Over 100 students and staff signed up to donate. While the reasons for giving blood may vary from individual to individual, all the blood donated supports a good cause.

Senior Makaynea Solia said she wanted to donate blood because “it makes me feel good to help others.”

Jamie Singh, also a senior, expressed that when she was little she had a blood disease called Histiocytosis. She also shared that she “had to have many blood transfusions when I was young, so I just wanted to give back in case someone else needs it.”

John Gullam, Director of Donor Resources at the Northern California Community Blood Bank said he has been helping people assist others in giving blood for 14 years. He encourages people to go and donate blood.

“You don't know what will happen a week from now,” he said. He encourages students to consider the importance of such a small act. “It's important to give blood because the blood that we already have will be used and there is always a need for it,” he said.

Digital Team

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News

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

“We have a student board?” YES! Martina Mapatis

Emma Scott: Senior at Six Rivers Charter

Maritza Solano: Senior at Mckinleyville High

Feature Editor

Ty Vizenor: Senior at Arcata High

Will Oviatt/PEPPERBOX

Ty Vizenor wasn’t initially interested in securing a spot on the student board, so when he applied in September, he didn’t have high expectations of being accepted for the role. However, soon after Vizenor was interviewed by the school board ,he was assigned to be the student representative for Arcata High.

He’s grateful to have been chosen by the school board, especially now that they have increased the student board’s ability, ”before we would just kinda come in and do a report...now on every action item we are involved in a discussion,” Vizenor said.

It might not sound like much, but the ability to be engaged in conversation about subjects with the school board is a priveledge. “The public can only comment without response, we can participate in full discussion, which is definitely helpful,” he said.

“We have no voting power, but we can talk..”

Vizenor told me. They might not have voting power, but the board does hear us, “We each get to insert the student perspective of the school...I could put that opinion out there. They don’t have to agree with me, but the perspective will be heard,” he continued.

The student board also brings student complaints to light at school board meetings. Vizenor provides an example such as a complaint against a new class being introduced or feedback on new teachers.

Vizenor has stepped into his role as a student board member and is excited to see how it will develop over the year.

Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX

Martina Mapatis/PEPPERBOX

Emma Scott was very motivated to be a student board member when she applied this September. “I wanted to be a student representative because I feel it is really important for students to have a say in the decisions that are being made that ultimately affect them,” she said.

Her passion is captured in her strong beliefs about the relationship between educational institutions and its attendees. “The students and their education is the entire purpose of having a school and if we aren’t a part of the decision making process then the focus is being taken off the students.”

The job might be of high importance, but Scott’s description of what it requires is basic.

They attend all board meetings, “take notes, ask questions, and involve [them]selves in the discussions,” she said.

Another component of the job is informing the school board on the current events of each high school. “The week before each board meeting we write a report about the goings-on of the school which gets put into the board packet,” Scott explained.

Scott is proud of her involvement on the student board and the connection she creates between Six Rivers and the school board. “As the year goes on, I think we student representatives will make a difference in our schools and help improve our communities,” she said.

Emma Scott has a good grasp on the effect of her position very well, and it shows when she asks a question that may define the very purpose of a student board: “...without the students, what is a school?”

Maritza Solano, unlike like the rest of the student board, isn’t new to the school leadership scene. “I decided to run for the position of student board representative for McKinleyville High School because as the Associated Student Body President I felt that I qualified in understanding what happens on our campus and could be the voice between our school and the board.”

Solano dedicates some of her time between each monthly board meeting to write a report on campus events and to prepare for the next board meeting by reading the board packet.

This packet is an important resource for the student board members, because it includes the agenda, recognitions, and announcements.

She reads every packet ahead of time so she can have questions prepared for the school board and be more involved in the expected discussions so she can do her job to the best of her ability.

Having both jobs seems to be overwhelming, but she manages it just fine, “Everything that I deal with as the President helps a lot when I’m writing my report because I already have information as to what happens on our campus through club members, the athletic department, the counselors, etc,” Solano said.

Solano is incredibly involved at her school, so she’s aware of her contributions to the school district. “The board wants to know how the students feel and understand where our thoughts and concerns come from, as the representatives we do have an effect on the board because they care about what we have to say,” she said.

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

News

Law requires later 1st period Isabella Kellawan Copy Editor

I

n 2022, you might actually receive a decent amount of sleep on school nights, at least those of you who won’t graduate before then. The California State Legislature approved a bill on September 13th of 2019 requiring California middle schools to start no earlier than 8 a.m. and high schools starting no earlier than 8:30 a.m. The bill does not apply to zero period classes.

The bill was passed last year by the California legislature, but was vetoed by last year’s governor, Jerry Brown. Brown stated that school times “are the type of decisions best handled in the community.”

Now the bill has been passed by the current Governor, Gavin Newsom, who decided to sign the bill (SB-328) on October 13th. This bill will go into effect around July of 2022 or 2023.

The reasoning behind this bill is to try and help teenagers get more sleep, to encourage better performances (and attendance) in school, and overall better mental health. A study by the National Sleep Foundation found that only about 15% of teenagers actually get the recommended 8 ½ hours of sleep. This is most likely due to the need to balance school, homework,

The Pepperbox | Page 7

extracurricular activities, jobs, and more in a high schooler’s day to day life. Not getting enough sleep affects the brain’s ability to learn, listen, concentrate, and solve problems.

However, this change in school times may not be completely positive. One issue that comes along with the new law would be shifting a normal school day schedule into a new, later starting schedule.

Would we cut study hall? Would we get out of school later? Getting out of school later would most likely result in sports and after school activities starting later as well.

For teachers, especially teachers with children, the school time shifting could be difficult for their schedules after school. One high school teacher had mentioned that if this does not apply to elementary school kids, she would have to pay more for her childrens’ babysitter after school, since she would have to be staying after school later than usual. Some students also have fears about the impact.

“I could sleep in more, but would probably be up later for homework.

I think it would be better for sleeping but would probably make after school activities go later, making those kids have to stay up later for homework,” said sophomore Sofia Frahm, class of 2022.

Just how this bill will affects Arcata High won’t be seen for a few more years.

Isabella Kellawan/PEPPERBOX

Only 15% of teenagers actually get the recommended amount of sleep

AAI performance Marisa Mendosa

M

Art Director

ark your calendars! On December fifth, sixth, and seventh, the Arcata Arts Institute (AAI) will be performing a devised theater piece. A production created predominantly by the students along with some financial and professional assistance from Dell’Arte.

“The goal of [the production] is to have all the students in AAI, music, theater, media, and visual, collaborate on a project,” Johanna Mauro, the visual/media teacher explained.

The students are writing the script, creating the artwork, and composing the music that will be performed during the production.

The production recieved a name befitting its focus: “Community Layers.”

Melanie Zapper is the Drama instructor, director, facilitator, organizer, and more, for the devised theater piece and described the complicated method of creation.

“They are creating on their feet,” Zapper explained, “We have these ideas based on themes and things that we’ve looked at as a class, and then we’ve started to put together scenes based on the concepts that have beginnings, middles, and ends and then they improv the scene. And then on a different day we take the scenes that we’ve improvised and we start to put scriptwork to it and then we come back to those improv scenes now with this loose script but it’s like building from the ground up, the characters, the story, how they are connected, the arc, everything is from the ground up. And it’s all all the students bringing ideas and concepts and us finding ways to make it work.”

As a basis, four themes were established to represent the stories of different people throughout the community. The stories of elders

COMING TO AHS

THIS DECEMBER Ty Vizenor/PEPPERBOX

are being represented by redwood trees, adults though sunrise to sunset, young adults by the ocean, and children with flowers.

This is not the first devised theater piece from AAI. Two years ago, Mauro learned that despite the challenge, “Something really amazing happens and the end result can be really impressive and worth the effort,” she said.

Community is an essential part of everyone’s lives, whether they are apart of it or try to avoid it. It’s always there for people to join and get involved in together as-- well-a community.

“I think that Arcata is a really unique community. We definitely are diverse in some ways that are pretty interesting,” Mauro remarked, “I think we sometimes take our community for granted.

It's sort of all around us and we’re just in and so we don’t really think about it but it has a huge effect on our day to day lives and our values and how we live our lives.”

Perhaps the production is similar to life in this way. We can’t take what we have for granted and must go out and create our own stories. Zapper described the story-building process in a way that applies to life as well, “There’s not a specific arc until you build it.”

The Pepperbox | Page 8

Sports

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

Fall sports wrap up: The pains and the gains Kelsey Atkinson-Hatch Reporter

F

all sports for Arcata High School went great for this season. All teams made the playoffs and had a strong winning force. Having senior stacked teams this year gave AHS bragging rights based on the skill and team bonding.

Can’t bring a dog to a cat fight…...This is Tiger Territory!

Football:

With the strong offensive force of Kein Mazzotti in the backfield and an explosive defense with hard-hitting linebackers, Hayden Santsche and Mateo Vincent, the football team had high hopes for the season and ended their regular season 6-4 overall.

“This seasonwas really fun even though we had ups and downs. We were connected as a family,” Santche said.

Volleyball: The AHS volleyball team sky rocketed the league at a dominating 24-8 record setting them high in playoffs. They won their first playoff game in the AHS gym. Having such a senior stacked team helped them with their season.

“I’m so proud of all we did to get where we did. We knew starting out it would be a special group,” Talula Peterman, a senior, said.

Boys Soccer: Arcata boys soccer finished 9-4-3 in league, with Fortuna as their biggest threat. With Marcus Bensen as their leading goalie and Connor Olson and Arthur Frye sweeping the field, they had high hopes. However, they did not let a relatively successful season go to their heads.

“There's room for improvement,” Frye said.

The coaches hold the players to high expectations on and off the field which helped steer them in the right direction. They powered their way into the playoffs with an impressive 7-0 win but then took a devastating loss to Fort Bragg.

Girls Soccer: AHS girls soccer team started the season with straight heat and don't look forward for it to come to an end. They took third in the league and at an amazing record of 13-3.

“The season was awesome. I love every single one of my teammates,” Jocelyn Bliven, a senior

on the team, said, “We all worked so hard this year and it paid off. This is one of the best teams I have even been on.”

Possibly the most successful fall sports team besides cross country, the girls soccer team made it to the final game of sections and took second in an edge-of-your-seat game against Middletown on November 16th.

Tennis: Girls tennis slaughtered the league and overall remained unbeaten, standing at an unbelievable 14-0 strike.

“It was really fun. We were the best in the league and had a lot of great players who made it exciting,” Simone Haggarty, a senior, said.

They continued to play hard and well through sections and were a force to be reckoned with.

No team in the area was able to compete with them.Unfortunately, they took a loss in playoffs ending their unbelievable season.

Cross Country: Cross country had a killer season. While they are possibly the least watched sport at Arcata High, that didn’t stop them from working incredibly hard. Girls rose above and beyond, placing first in every league meet while boys usually placed around second.

"The season went well, it was very good, we had a good amount of fast new freshman," Aiden Hasselquist, a senior on the team, said.

The team is now looking to build on the potential of the younger members so they can continue to rise next year.

They will be racing in sections in Hayward this weekend and are excited to see the results.

Photos from top, Adrian York eyes the ball in the first sectionals game for boys soccer. They won 7-0.

Photo by Fiona Murphy Thea Trout sprints down the field during the girls soccer game against Credo. They won the game.

Photo by Fiona Murphy Makaynea Solia jumps to reach the ball in a volleyball game. The girls team was undefeated in the league.

Photo courtesy of Ted Weller Sydni Sobota warms up for a sections match against University of San Francisco Prep.

Photo by Fiona Murphy Not pictured: Football and cross country.

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

The Pepperbox | Page 9

Sports

Thawing out for winter sports Kein Mazzotti

Deputy Sports Editor

H

ello Arcata High! Following the explosive entry of fall sports, we are looking forward to winter sports which includes basketball, wrestling and last but not least cheerleading. Sadly, since cheerleading has to finish the football season, we won’t be mentioning them in this article. (However there will be an article on them soon!) Luckily all these sports are inside because it’s getting cold and wet outside, and I'm tired of these frigid games. Who knows, it may snow again this year.

To start it off, let’s begin with wrestling, with both girls and boys on the team. They trample oppos-

ing schools one match at a time.

Hoping to go to sections and win league both this year with the rival opponent Eureka standing in there way. Omar Green has voiced his opinion and feels very confident in his team's ability to beat Eureka this year and roll through sections, having placed first in the last eight years. He also mentioned that the middle weight classes might not be filled this year due to all the seniors graduating. Max Rice feels the same way, he seems confident in himself. Rice wants to be the best this year and, “Be the best team in the entire league,” said Rice. He also wants to win state and says the team looks to be, “pretty solid.”

The girls varsity basketball team is projected to go far this year by their coaches, head coach Doug Oliviera and assistant coach Elle An-

derson. Anderson had some words about the team.

“Almost all varsity girls have played together over summer and in AAU,” she said.

She also mentioned that some junior girls, Zoe Andre and Tatum Carlin are “stepping up and leading,” Anderson said. The girls work well together and are very quick, which is gonna help them beat most teams this season. Doug Oliviera also had some words about the team and has ambitions for state champs, to do that he's starting with getting league champs then build from that and then going to section playoffs. “Lots of bright spots,” Oliviera said. There's also four or five girls still in soccer and they will tryout later. Jocelyn Bliven thinks there’s, “a lot of potential.”

Teen Clinic be in control

After losing every league game last season, this team is hungry to win. I'm excited to see them work together and “win some games, and get that bread,” Bliven said.

Boys varsity basketball is also looking good, having gone 9-16 overall and 3-5 last year. Coach Dusty Schofield is confident about his team this year. He couldn’t comment about tryouts until they are completed and they are waiting for some football players to finish their sport. Niko Zambas, a senior that played on varsity last year, said he, “thinks we’ll be good.”

He also wants to make it to states.

He talked about winning Big 5 as well. Schofield is “excited to make connections with the players and get to know them.”

Make sure to come out to support your winter sports this year!

Free, confidental, non-judgemental

Walk in: Mondays

3-5 pm

(or call any time for an appoinment)

Humboldt Open Door Clinic 770 10th Street Arcata, CA 95521 (707) 826-8610

Do you blur gender lines? Trans? Non • Education & Sexual Health Support • Birth Control Pregnancy Testing & Counseling • STI Testing & Treatment

All teens are welcome

binary? Questioning gender labels?

Supporting someone who is?

Come join our Trans and Gender Expansive Youth Support Group co-led by a trans community member and a counselor.

The group meets at 3:45 pm on the third Monday of every month at Humboldt Open Door Clinic, 770 10th Street, Arcata.

Free, drop in, confidential.

(707) 826-8610 • opendoorteenclinic.com

The Pepperbox | Page 10

Feature

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

Vape epidemic hits close to home Gabe Sanchez Reporter

Levi Robbins Reporter

O

ne hit after another, the high begins to slowly set in. As Alex* gently releases the smoke from his lungs, he watches it dissipate into the cool afternoon air. Not knowing what’s to come, Alex continues to smoke the cartridge that he had bought only a few hours before.

“I lost most of my depth perception.

Everything was blurry.

Faces were changing, and it almost felt like I had left reality.”

*Names have been changed for anonymity.

Alex is a normal kid. He’s wearing grey athletic sweatpants and a Nike athletic jacket, both seem crafted especially for comfort (a trait in clothing that seems almost necessary to high school).

We interviewed Alex on one of those early-winter Tuesdays that feels almost oppressive after the freedom that the warmth and timelessness that summer brings.

Although he was not particularly happy to relive what had happened to him almost a year before, Alex seemed prepared to help out our cause and he started right away into his encounter with a “boof” cartridge. Boof is the name given to off market and bad quality THC vape cartridges; they could contain all sorts of contaminants including pesticides, mold, cutting agents or could even be laced with other drugs.

“I got a cart from someone I didn’t know,” Alex tells us as he begins to break down his experience of using a boof cart. The cartridge he bought “looked like a normal cartridge,” he said Unfortunately, Alex was not aware that both packaging and empty cartridges can be bought in bulk online. The packaging can be made to look exactly like brands that are legal in Califnornia, such as Kingpen, TKO Extracts, and Dank Vapes.

A bit after smoking, Alex went home and began to notice that something was off. What started off as a normal high had turned increasingly confusing and frightening. “I kind of started tripping,” he explained as he told me of the growing intensity of the high. Although he couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong quite yet, Alex knew he wasn't supposed to be feeling like this. Knowing he could trust his parents to know what to do, Alex hurried to their room seeking help.

At the door, Alex jammed his hand on the door knob while reaching out to open it. “I lost most

of my depth perception,” Alex said.

That’s when he started to panic. Stumbling into the room, “Everything was blurry. Faces were changing, and it almost felt like I had left reality,” he told us.

The final sequence of events in Alex’s story are such a blur that he had trouble remembering exactly what happened. What Alex does remember is how his heart started to race and his breathing quickened by the second, both symptoms characteristic of a panic attack. Alex could feel his body tingle as his vision began to fade into black, becoming darker by the second. “I blacked out, but I could still hear everything,” Alex told us.

His parents decided that he needed immediate medical help, so they carried him down the stairs to the car and rushed to the emergency room. He reflects back, “People think ‘It won't happen to me,’ so no one thinks about it when buying cart.” This “It,” that Alex is referring to, is the likelihood that a cartridge is contaminated with a substance that has the potential to hospitalize its user.

Alex’s experience of using an unregulated boof cartridge, laced with an unknown substance, is a story that has become all too common within the last six months.

Media facets seem to be focused on a “A National Vaping Crisis.” CNN flashes pictures of atomizers and vape cartridges across the screen.

Fox News gargles out lines about the potential dangers of vaping.

My parents come home to tell me that they had heard that someone had died of a vaping related disease in Mendocino County on the radio.

A Snapchat Discover News Story explains in as few words as possible how the Center for Disease Control has identified a possible source to the “vaping epidemic”.

Across the nation, there have been 2,172 (as of November 13, 2019) cases of e-cigarette, or va-

Feature

Friday, November 22nd, 2019 ping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI) as reported by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).

This statistic, along with the 37 deaths that have been reported, has led the CDC to launch an investigation into the source of this epidemic. After laboratory testing of patients with EVALI, the CDC found Vitamin E Acetate in all samples. This data, corroborated with other research done by the New York Department of Health, solidifies Vitamin E Acetate as the central maleficent component in black market cartridges. Alex had no idea what was in his cartridge and it was most likely not Vitamin E. He is extremely lucky that it wasn’t.

Vitamin E Acetate is a lipid (oil) commonly found in cosmetics, but is used as a cutting agent in cartridges for its color and viscosity according to the CDC. Although the chemical is considered safe in makeup, the combustion and inhalation of it coats pulmonary tissue and saturates macrophages (immune cells). These engorged white blood cells, although normally integral in the body’s natural immune response system, start to attack lung tissue, inducing respiratory illness.

What was in Alex’s cartridge?

Where did his cart come from?

We decided to try and find out.

Alex gave us the name of the peer that gave him the cartridge he used that night--Sam*. We went out to find her, and we didn’t have to look more than a few buildings away from the journalism lab. The weather was cold and with the assurance of anonymity, Sam was eager to answer our questions and go back inside.

“It was mostly [fake] TKO carts,” Sam told us. “I don’t really do that anymore. It was just for a bit while my friend was selling them.”

Although she was not able to recall a customer by the name of Alex, she was willing to answer some of our more “off topic” questions regarding the subject of

cartridges, telling us of a girl she knows trying to get a few fake “carts” off her hands.

“She orders Kingpen packaging online, fills them with stuff she has and sells them for like eight dollars.

They're fake,” Sam explained.

With our investigation into the source of this cartridge beginning to feel more and more like the plot to an old noir novella, Sam led us

legitimate branding. This makes it all too easy for dealers to fill carts with whatever they please.

“They can add stuff to it or just make it from moldy or bad product,” Davis told us, and all the high schoolers and other customers that buy these boof cartridges wouldn't know the difference. Customers feel safe purchasing these black market products because they see no noticable difference between these cartridges and the ones sold at dispensaries.

Mariellen Jurkovich, the director of the Humboldt Patient Resource Center (HPRC), a local dispensary, has been working in the cannabis industry for the past 14 years.

She shed some light on the subject of boof carts.

Everything that is sold in the State of California through licensed dispensaries is required to go through testing with labs that have to be licensed through the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC).

Anyone who sells cannabis products to dispensaries must have a license in the State of California through the BCC, and they must turn in their testing results. The rigorous process that a product All photos by Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX must go through before Left, two fake castridges. Above, a vape hitting the legal market pen with a fake cartridge. insures that all products to a former dealer named Davis* are safe for consumption. But even who she said she once helped flip before regulations were required, HPRC was testing its product. product.

“I required testing back then, We caught up to Davis later that afternoon. Lucky for us, he and we were seeing a lot of growseemed to be educated on the topic ers were using very bad pesticides of fake cartridges and their state in in their plants,” Jurkovich said.

The problem with the black the black market. market sale of these cartridges “They’re all fake, if they aren't from a dispensary they're fake is that this illegal sale is not regand sometimes even those are,” ulated. The off-market product explained Davis. Just about any- does not have to meet any testing one can order nice fancy pack- standards. Along with that, packaging that is designed to look like aging can be ordered that appeals

“They’re all fake, if they aren’t from a dispensary they’re fake and sometimes even those are.”

The Pepperbox | Page 11 to people looking for product at a lower price. Fake warning labels and strain testing labels provide a false sense of security that their products are safe for consumption.

Along with the appeal of lower prices, people under the age of 21 cannot go into dispensaries, making the black market their only option. The CDC has reported that 14% of patients that have vaping related illness are under 18 years old, suggesting the impact unregulated black market products have on minors who are unable to obtain cannabis in a safe, and legal form.

As Jurkovich put it, “A lot of parents are feeling like they need to get their kids products because they know they are using them. It's kind of like ‘I'm going to pick you up if you've been drinking and I'm not going to say anything because I don't want anything to happen to you.’”

Another problem with black market cartridges are the cartridges themselves. “Some of the cartridges they are using are not regulated cartridges, so when they get too hot and you burn them, they'll cause some really serious toxins to go into your lungs,” Jurkovich explained.

With the national media coverage of the deaths and illnesses related to vaping, people are scared.

“We have noticed a decrease in purchasing of vape pens. Even with us, some people are so scared of what they're seeing right now that they're not going to be buying anything like that,” Jurkovich said.

Boof, or bad, cartridges have left their mark aross the country. With thousands of famiies affected, it is only a matter of time before the crisis affects someone you know.

Just beacuse someone has not experienced the efffects of boof cartidges first hand does not mean they have nothing to worry about.

It is imperative that teenagers are aware of what they are using. It is naive to remain oblivious the the dangers of boof cartridges.

The Pepperbox | Page 12

Feature

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

Meet the teachers: First jobs River Kiener Reporter

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irst jobs tend to be a part of someone’s life that sticks with them for a while. Normally people start getting jobs during their teenage years, and it is pretty common for high schoolers to start looking for work and applying at local businesses. Teenagers are at a point in their life when they start to need some money. Unless your parents are loaded or very generous, they aren’t going to give you money freely anymore. Most high schoolers will take any starting job that interests them, and because most high schoolers are still living under their parents’ roof and eating the majority of their meals at home, these tend to be jobs that don’t pay super well and they probably don’t want to do for the rest of their life. Entry level jobs vary from food preparation at a restaurant to lawn work cutting grass and trimming hedges for people to cleaning or doing maintenance at a variety of local businesses. For American Government and Economy teacher, Adam Pinkerton it was janitorial work.

It was a sunny day in Arcata during fourth period, and I walked down to Pinkerton’s class for an interview, only to encounter his locked door. However, I was able to catch him on his way back to his classroom in the hallway.

Pinkerton’s first job was cleaning and maintenance at the Salvation Army in Fortuna. I was surprised. I thought it might be a job at a restaurant or in construction.

Pinkerton told me that he started working there at the age of 15 years old. He was just a sophomore in high school. The year was 1998.

He wasn’t a huge fan of the work, but he enjoyed getting paid, as we

all do. Pinkerton’s first job helped him understand that showing up on time is important, and he gained a lot of experience in cleaning and fixing vacuums. He can now fix just about every single type of vacuum. Pinkerton’s boss at the Salvation Army would often rotate, but each one of them taught him to take responsibility for his work-a skill which he still possesses to this day.

Throughout Pinkerton’s time at the Salvation Army, he learned that there were going to be certain jobs he wanted to do later on in life, and he obviously didn’t want to do cleaning his whole life.

His early experience taught him a good work ethic and to do the tasks given to him even if he didn’t like it which can be applied to any job in any field. Another Arcata High teacher also began his work life with a cleaning job: Wood and Metal Shop teacher, Lex Rohn.

It was about a week after my interview with Pinkerton, on an overcast day during fourth period, and I walked down to Lex Rohn’s woodshop. He also did cleaning and picking up jobs for landscapers and construction companies here and there, but it wasn’t a job with a fixed schedule. His first real job was at a racquetball club that had recently opened in his hometown at the time of Ventura, California). “I started out cleaning, and maintaining the locker rooms, then I progressed to stocking, then running the front counter, and finally I progressed to instructing lessons,� Rohn told me. He was around the age of 14 or 15 during his sophomore year when he took up the job. Rohn was a fan of the work, especially at first. He started playing Racquetball for fun, and when the gym opened up in town, he went down and got the job. It was convenient because at the time Lex Rohn didn’t have his

Always find a way to make it good.

- Lex Rohn

driver's license, but it was close enough that he was able to ride his bike. Although that particular job didn’t shape what he did as a career, it did eventually progress into another job at a gym.

The reason he did start off with jobs in the health industry was because it was fun at the time and was something he was interested in at that point in his life.

Rohn already knew how to work hard at the time when he got the job, which was one of the reasons he got it, but he did learn that it wasn’t always going to be fun, and you just had to buckle down and do the task even if you got tired of it. “Always find a way to make it good,'' Rohn told me, he continued by explaining that in life even if you go into a job where the topic interests you, there are going to be times when you hate it but you have to push through.

 � �� � ��  ­­ � €

•

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

The Pepperbox | Page 13

Feature

Holistic healing with Talula Peterman Zelda Geren

Social Media Director

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welve teenage girls gather in a hotel room at night.

Three at a time would lay on the bed, belly down.

Someone stands over them, waving around flames and glass cups until the girls start to feel a strange sensation on their backs as these cups are placed there as a form of massage. This is a look into many nights with the Arcata High volleyball team, travelling for tournaments, when we would all beg Talula Peterman to “cup” us.

Cupping massage therapy, is an ancient form of massage, in which glass cups are placed on the skin to create suction and draw out unwanted toxins. The cups would leave red marks on our skin where toxins were prominent and we would all go to bed feeling refreshed from the treatment. This is just one example of Peterman’s aspirations towards improving her health and others’.

To me, Peterman has always embodied sunshine. She is always looking on the bright side and that optimism is contagious to all around her. Over the last few years I have had the pleasure of getting to know her and watch her grow into the positive, inspiring person she is today.

Peterman suffered from an inflammatory brain disease freshman year, causing her to miss nearly an entire semester. After, she felt the effects of a brain injury, including having trouble walking on stairs. During her recovery, Eastern medicine was essential.

“When I was super sick I went [to acupuncture] all the time and it was the one thing that really healed me, and I was like this is incredible,” Peterman told me.

Acupuncture is a form of al-

ternative medicine, in which thin needles are inserted into the skin.

It can be used to treat almost anything, pain being the most popular, and it is fundamental in traditional Eastern medicine. Although some discredit its ability to alleviate pain, Peterman states that, “If you want it to work, it can do crazy things,

acupuncture.

Although Peterman’s mom, Kristen Burrel, is a registered nurse, she supports and encourages Peterman’s use of Eastern medicine. They even have a drawer full of medicinal herbs. “[My mom] really inspired me.

She has been there, obviously, for

Photo courtesey of Davis Bell

Right: Talula Peterman poses outside with her newly dyed blue hair.

Below: Flame is used to heat the air inside of the cups. When they are placed on the skin, a suction effect is created. The suction draws out toxins in the body and relaxes the muscles.

Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX

and it's all dealing with pressure points, it’s super cool.”

When asked how these types of treatments compared to her experience with Western medicine, she said it is, “Way less invasive and is a much better option for people who are allergic to medicines, or are somewhat wary of Western medicine, like I sort of am.”

She expressed to me that although she’s on pharmaceuticals, she truly credits her recovery to

my whole journey like she’s the one that drove me to the hospital all the time so she saw how it helped me too, from an outside perspective. So she knows that’s what’s best for me and is the biggest supporter of that kind of medicine,” Peterman explained.

I asked Talula what specific types of Chinese medicine she is interested in studying in the future, and her face lit up as she told me, “all of it. I’m interested in all of

it, definitely herbal work, like tonics, tinctures, stuff like that. It’s super interesting how they all work and affect different parts of you, and they all come from the ground and I think that’s one of the best feelings you can get because your body is meant to process that and not super harsh chemicals,``she explained.

That is a belief I’ve always held as well, and we agreed upon the fact that the same is true of foods, and if it comes out of the ground, you will process it better. I asked Peterman what she would say to someone looking to improve their health, and she explained that, “I would probably ask first how their diet is, because that’s the biggest factor to most illnesses, diseases, stuff like that. It all starts within yourself and you can influence so many of the things that you don’t know that you can. Once you learn how to control the really important things about your body [with diet] you’re set.”

Peterman is vegan, like myself, because of the anti-inflammatory benefits. We bonded over how eating certain foods can make us feel gross, and debunked the myth that vegan food can’t be delicious.

If you are interested in some of her favorite recipes or eating more health-conscious, you can take a step towards your own health at her food instagram: @lulassoulfood.

“What does health look like to you?” I ask Peterman at the end of our interview.

“Health is, like, that happiness inside yourself, and like knowing that you are well, you feel good about yourself, you feel energized,” she explains to me after a brief pause. This seems to be Peterman’s goal for her life. For her, and those around her to feel healthy and happy.

The Pepperbox | Page 14

Feature

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

Childhood trauma highest in state Isabel S. Wedll Online Editor

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round 75% of people in Humboldt and Mendocino Counties have experienced one or more traumatic events during their lifetime.

The general definition of trauma is, “a psychological, emotional response to an event or an experience that is deeply distressing or disturbing,” according to The Center for Treatment of Anxiety & Mood Disorders.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are traumas that occurred during a person’s childhood. They leave their victims with a laundry list of possible health and behavioral problems. Heart disease, alcoholism, and severe depression/ anxiety are just a few examples.

There are three main types of advanced childhood experiences, abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction. Each type has subcategories: under abuse, there are physical, emotional, and sexual; under neglect, there are physical and emotional; and under household dysfunctions, there are mental illness, incarcerated relative, the mother being treated violently, substance abuse, and divorce.

The more ACEs a person experiences, the higher the likelihood they will have a physically, emotionally, and mentally draining life.

“75 percent of Humboldt and Mendocino residents had experienced one or more ACEs. Statewide, 61 percent of adults experienced one or more ACEs,” Juniper Rose wrote in an article for the Times Standard, “Adverse childhood experiences in Humboldt-Mendocino highest in state.”

Humboldt and Mendicino counties were combined to achieve a more accurate sample size of 312 participants. People in Humboldt/

Mendocino have reported that 30.8% of them have experienced four or more ACEs. This can be seen at Arcata High.

Great levels of toxic stress plagues AHS. Unfortunately, toxic stress can cause just as much harm as drugs and alcohol. Stress goes unnoticed as just another simple factor of life.

“Traumatized people chronically feel unsafe inside their bodies: The past is alive in the form of gnawing

High doses of adversity not only affect brain structure and function, they affect the developing immune system, developing hormonal systems, and even the way our DNA is read and transcribed.

- Dr. Nadine Burke Harris interior discomfort,” Bessel van der Kolk (Dutch psychiatrist) wrote in his book The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. “Their bodies are constantly bombarded by visceral warning signs, and, in an attempt to control these processes, they often become expert at ignoring their gut feelings and in numbing awareness of what is played out inside. They learn to hide from their selves,” van der Kolk wrote.

“Children are especially sensitive to this repeated stress activation, because their brains and bodies are just developing,” Doctor Nadine Burke Harris said at her 2014 TED Talk. “High doses of adversity not only affect brain structure and function, they affect the developing immune system, devel-

oping hormonal systems, and even the way our DNA is read and transcribed,” Harris said.

Basically, toxic stress levels cause our own bodies to harm or poison us. Depending on the number of ACEs results there is an increase in possible health problems.

“For a person with an ACE score of four or more, their relative risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was two and a half times that of someone with an ACE score of zero,” Harris said,“[For] depression, it was four and a half times.

For suicidality, it was 12 times. A person with an ACE score of seven or more had triple the lifetime risk of lung cancer and three and a half times the risk of ischemic heart disease, the number one killer in the United States of America.”

People who have experienced ACEs can combat these stresses in many ways to help prevent these health problems from developing. I discussed coping methods in-depth with an anonymous source.

“I’ve faced numerous challenges related to the negative experiences of my childhood. From substance abuse to depression and anxiety, I still struggle with the long-lasting effects of trauma,” they said.

This individual, while the victim of past trauma, is learning to cope.

They are working to counteract the effects caused by their ACEs. “[I am always] seeking to learn more about myself and how the brain works,” they explained, “recognizing negative thought patterns and triggers then being able to move away from them, [...]seeking spiritual ways to connect to the world, exercise, eating healthy, spending time with family, and therapy.”

For people who have not experienced trauma, or are not very affected by what they have experienced, it may be hard to understand the implications. But you

can change that. “Developing empathy is one way others can learn to understand ACEs,” my source said, ”Learning how negative experiences can affect adults and kids can help people navigate through relationships. Learning how to listen to someone who’s had trauma.”

Empathy is the key to resilience, and creating a better, stronger society.

If anyone reading this article relates to any of the ACEs please reach out for help. Here are some resources: Arcata High’s crisis counselor Ms. Klima, teencounseling.com, North Coast Resource Center, and many more.

Isabel Wedll/PEPPERBOX

The Pepperbox | Page 15

Feature

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

History month replacement causes controversey “President Trump’s decision shows his disregard for the original people who lived in this country long before Europeans ever

Bailey Ives Life Editor

“

November is actually Native American heritage month, but no one really validates that,” Sophomore LeMonie Hutt mentioned.

LeMonie herself is an active Hoopa tribal member and is very prominent in her community.

During Barack Obama’s administration in 2012, he officially made November Native American Heritage month. Obama did this to make cultural celebration more widespread. However, on October 31st of this year, Donald Trump changed the focus of November from Native American Heritage Month to National American History and Founders Month.

Unique

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November is actually Native American heritage month, but no one really validates that -LeMonie Hutt arrived, and moreover a disregard for the hardships those people faced because of European explorers,” Junior Oliver Segura said.

National American History and

Founders Month was meant to celebrate the first European founders and colonizers of America. Some see the change of focus from the Native Americans to the people who founded the United States but also massacred the native people as disregarding the hardships and efforts made by the Native Americans to get to where they are today.

“November, or the fall season as a whole is hard for Native Americans,” Hutt said.

November call attention to all the struggles they went through, from fighting for their land, being pushed westward, all the while fighting for their lives.

“I feel that Trump’s decision was derisive and a blatant attempt to show that he does not care about native Americans and their history,” Junior Alyssa Pedicino said.

Affordable Gifts

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Not everyone shares these views. Some see the announcement as a positive way for history to be remembered.

“I feel that he changed it to represent the founders of Americafor building such a great and open country,” Junior Bryson Brandon pointed out.

Brandon also explained that it may be an effort to move on from the past and not base the current America on its past actions.

“I think it’s a travesty, I see no justification to change that, at all, it’s too bad,” U.S. history teacher Jennifer Rosebrook mentioned.

This controversy will most likely continue. Whether the United States will remember its past and attempt to reconcile it, or if it wil choose to move foreward without it remains to be seen

Everyone on Your List!

Open Every Day on the Arcata Plaza Follow us on Instagram! @plazabeinspired

The Pepperbox | Page 18

Feature

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

How to help for the holidays Meeting Maria Thalia Godinez Digital Team

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his holiday let’s all give thanks for everything we have been blessed with, from our families and our friends to being in a position to help others. A lot of us take things like our beds and clothes for granted. We spend excessive amounts of money on garments we might use once or twice without even batting an eye.

The way I see it, some people don't have it like that. Right across the street there is a homeless population that is looked over and seen as less than. This holiday, I challenge us as a community to do more for them, because they are people too.

Recently, I had the opportunity to reach out to the Department of Human Services to see what can be done to help. They referred me to Darlene Spoor, the Executive Director of Arcata House Partnership. Arcata House Partnership is an organization that provides services for the homeless and hungry.

She shared that there are many things students and families can do to assist people who are homeless over the holidays.

One of them would be to donate items such as warm clothes, toiletries, blankets, sleeping bags, and bus passes or gift card donations.

They are open the first Saturday of every month from 10 to 2pm.

As a school, we can hold coat or blanket drives that can be donated to Arcata House Partnership or to our own school homeless population. At our school 20 students have been reported as homeless.

Eileen Klima, our on-site crisis counselor, and she shared that homeless students would appreciate things like “movie tickets, gift cards to fast food places, restaurants, or anything to do

Emilio Silveira that is fun because they normally can't afford those things.”

If you can't afford to donate, there a lot of other things you can do. For example volunteer.

You can volunteer at the emergency weather shelter, which pops up when the weather is extreme and always needs help. This year there will be a holiday dinner held on December 14th for the community that could really use volunteers.

Remember that homeless people are human beings, they want to be acknowledged as such.

Be kind and helpful to these people. Refrain from being rude, teasing, bullying, or belittling people who don't have the same luxuries as you. Understand that not all of them are on the streets due to substance abuse, as this is a really negative stereotype that has been consequently stigmatized in our society. Also understand that these people have been through a lot. Even though most of them will appreciate you reaching out and helping out, some will not respond the same possibly due to distress.

Spoor shared that “If someone is in distress, call the police for assistance.”

Also, do not try and intervene if you don't know what is happening or if they appear to be under the influence of a substance or suffering from mental health conditions. Please remember that people aren't just homeless or hungry during the holidays. This is a year round thing and people need help all the time so don't just pop up once a year because it's a holiday. Stay committed to helping your community year round. Reach out to Arcata House Partnership, they are always looking for volunteers in the community.

Stay up to date with local politics and reach out to city council members to advocate for the people in our community whose voices aren't beLilli Bowman/PEPPERBOX ing heard.

Reporter

M

aria Coelho a hero-a knight in shining armor-when I'm late in the morning. Maria is Portuguese; her family moved here in 1957 to better themselves. Maria, her two kids, and husband all graduated from Arcata High. Before Maria started working for the high school, she worked as a medical office manager but decided she wanted something new.

I bet Maria gets tired of filling out my tardies when I'm late, but she always smiles and is happy whenever I walk through those doors. Maria is a hard working lady, and she buys tuna from my family business, so I decided to get much more in depth with her.

Maria’s first year at this school was good. She enjoyed it and had fun working with kids. “Never a dull moment,” she told me. First thing that comes to her mind when she sees me is “Oh hey tuna.” Her hobbies include walking, cooking, & reading. She enjoys eating anything and is not really picky at all. She explained food from Portugal to me as “very hearty, fattening, & delicious.” She enjoys watching the movie “Grease” and enjoys country music.

When this hard working lady has free time ,she relaxes and hangs out as much as possible.

She visited the beautiful and amazing islands off of Portugal called the Azores twice and loved it there.

Will Oviatt/PEPPERBOX

Hard at work, Maria answers the phone.

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

The Pepperbox | Page 19

Feature

Making waves in Makers Tommy Robinson Reporter

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ucked away in the back of the school through an unsuspecting door there is a hub of innovation that is largely driven by passionate, highly skilled students.

The CO-LAB is a space unlike any other on the campus where technology meets art, on a screen and in real physical products.

The tall ceilings and open space feels more like a studio than a classroom. Professional machines such as laser engravers, 3D printers, CNC machines, vinyl cutters, and even a virtual reality system.

The CO-LAB is lead by teacherJason Sidell who is an extremely well versed, nerdy, and resource-

ful teacher. He is an average sized man that strongly resembles a post chemotherapy Walter White from Breaking Bad, with his shaved head and goatee facial hair. He recognizes the resemblance and dressed up as Walter White (Heisenberg) last year for Halloween.

On any given day Sidell can be found helping students create designs in computer based art programs, 3D model a house, fixing a laser engraver, or even setting up the brand new CNC Plasma cutter which can cut through sheets of steel. In Sidell’s words the COLAB was created to teach “practical skills for use in the real world.”

The program was started in 2013 to bring a creative engineering program to AHS, there have been around 1,000 students who

have been in the program since it was created and there are currently about 130 students enrolled in COLAB classes.

Zelda Geren/PEPPERBOX

Laser engraving in the CO-LAB

The program is very important to many students who not only are enrolled in one of the CO-LAB

classes but often come in at break and lunch to work on projects or maybe just do some virtual reality archery.

Senior Aiden Hasselquist who is in his second year of Makers commented, “I love the freedom to create your own project and solve unique problems which is unlike many other classes at the high school.”

Current projects the students are making include complex three dimensional video games, topographical laser cut and engraved maps, and boxes--lots of surprisingly cool boxes.

Many people do not know about the COLAB and how awesome it is. There is truly endless capability for extremely high end work to be done in the COLAB.

Work and school, the timeless struggle Diego Bazan

C

Reporter

lock ticking. Kids chatting.

Teachers annoyed. Papers flying across the class, and then, four hours later, burgers sizzling, meat slapping, and people chatting, side work bein’ prepped, and the milk shake machine zooming, “chaching” cash register flyin open, receiving and giving back change.

I work five to six days a week, 40 hrs a week in seven and a half hour shifts. After work, I bust out homework, writing and writing.

It never ends, from stressing out about the new study guide we got to getting ready for our test. My main point is, school and a FULL time job is difficult, but I’m not

giving up any time soon.

Why do I work? I’m not as lucky as most people, and it’s on my family here.

Some of our families don’t have enough to always be helping kids out so we have to rely on ourselves too.

What’s the date? Is it the end of the month? Beginning of the month is pay day. We pay rent, bills. And then we help out our families. We help out our family because you see in Mexico that there aren’t opportunities like there are here. If you don’t have firewood, you’re cold as hell. So you have to call someone who has firewood in order to get heat, otherwise you freeze. My grandpar-

ents live in Mexico in the countryside, halfway up the mountain, so it’s colder. It’s full of poverty.

There’s no wealth over there. If you try to have wealth you’ll get it taken away. And if you try to work in something illegal, you’ll get killed.

So, I work for my own money.

And I’m glad I do. It’s hard, and some people may not be able to, but I can and I will for as long as I can.

A lot of my family members run businesses. Forestry you start in january and ends in September and that's when landscaping jobs construction and plenty more work is still running .

I have learned how much work

it takes to have a little bit of money in your pocket. How I would always complain about my parents not giving me whatever I wanted, then I started to understand at the age of 7. That’s when I started working with my uncle on a dairy farm. He would pay me $80/ month. You know what I did with this money? I would buy boots, jeans, shirts, and lunchables.

So many Hispanic families don’t have as many priviledges as others from here. While these other families are earning more than minimum wage, others are still earning less. People barely have enough to cover their bills.

So I work, and I will keep working.

My main point is, school and a FULL time job is difficult. But I’m not giving up any time soon.

The Pepperbox | Page 20

Life

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

College application update: Oh no Skaidra Pulley

N

Copy Editor

ovember. The month of looming deadlines, sleepless nights, and seasonal depression.

November, the peak of the oh so wonderful college application process. At least, for those of us dumb enough to pay $60,000 for an old man to tell us to read Emily Dickinson.

At Arcata High, the myriad of opportunities available after high school aren’t going to waste and seniors are applying to every program possible. Students are applying to four years, two years, art schools, exchange years, and everything in between.

Cece Eggleston is applying to CSU’s and UC’s, one of the most popular routes after highschool for California teenagers. Her decision to go to state schools was based on her desire to go to a four-year in California, and her confidence that she would be able to succeed in the biology program at these schools.

At the time I interviewed her, she had finished the CSU application, but had not yet started on her UC’s, which are due November 30th.

“It’s not really that hard, it’s really just filling out forms,” Eggleston said, “But pouring your heart and soul into essay questions is scary and gets emotional.”

While many students love the large campuses and inclusiveness of the state system, others look for a more personal and individualized experience when it comes to college. Jocelyn Bliven, while she’s also applying to some UCs, is focused mainly on small, liberal arts schools in the East and Midwest.

She started working on her applications (18 of them!!) in mid-July.

Just to be clear, in July most of us were still at the river, hadn’t opened an email in months and

the school’s challenging academics were a factor in her decision, she was mainly looking for a campus culture that she’d feel comfortable in.

“I’m a member of The Church of Latter Day Saints,” Macdonald said, “So I just wanted to go to a school where a lot of people would have the same beliefs.”

Since she is only applying to one school, Macdonald’s application process was not nearly as extensive as some, though it did include writing six essays. She started looking at the requirements in August and submitted her application through BYU’s website in mid-October. Hannah Davis and Ben Aldag also look for different Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX things in schools than most College deadlines creep up on senior of us. Both of them want to students. pursue the arts in college, Davis in musical theater the 2019 Common Application had and Aldag in music performance. not even been released yet.

However, both are making sure to “One of the things that makes diversify their studies, with Davis liberal arts colleges so hard to get majoring in psychology and Aldag into is that about 50% of their ap- studying jazz theory. When I asked plicant pool are people from prep her how she felt about the applicaschools who have entire classes on tion process, Davis grimaced. how to get into college and have “I hate it,” she said. “There’s alSAT people either take the SAT for ways something you have to do”. them or help them study for the She did have some advice for SAT.” Bliven said. “One of the ways students applyyou can make yourself more com- ing next year or petitive is to hire someone who those still in the knows how to get into those places thick of it now. to help you work on your essays “Instead of and stuff...I did that and so he’s ba- looking at it as a sically someone who’s entire job is scary thing,” Dafiguring out how to market your- vis said, “Look self in the best way”. at it as an excitAnother school system, one that ing new chapter many of us overlook, are the reli- of your life that gious schools. Michaela Macdon- you are in comald is only applying to one school; plete control of.”

Brigham Young University. While Students who

aren’t sure what they want to do after high school or choose to attend a two-year can sometimes feel pressured or judged.

Allie Sanchez isn’t 100% sure what she wants to do in the future. Rather than go on to college, she’s choosing instead to go on exchange through Rotary next year.

“This will give me time to think...I’ll also be able to meet tons of people I wouldn’t have a chance to and learn a new language opening myself up to way more people and opportunities,” said Sanchez, “There are so many valuable lifelong skills that people gain from going on exchange. I really want to just see as much as I can as soon as I can and experience new things every day that open my eyes and help me see the world in a different light than I ever have.”

Sophia Edmiston is going to Central Oregon community college next year and plans on transferring to Oregon State. For her, it’s cheaper and smarter to go to a junior college, especially since it means she’ll get in-state tuition at Oregon State.

“It’s important to know that you don’t have anything to prove to anyone by going to a four-year off the bat,” Edmiston said. “It doesn’t make you any better than anyone else depending on where you go.

It’s more important what you do with your education later.”

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

Life

The Pepperbox | Page 21

Thanksgiving lefotvers? We got you Kamari Brown Copy Editor

A

pparently, Thanksgiving is a time to “gather with family and friends to give thanks for the many blessings we all are advantaged and privileged with,” but half of us only mess with this holiday for the food (A few white girls just love the ‘aesthetic'. You know who you are.)

Personally, I grew up eating Salvation Army grocery bag Thanksgiving, but whether or not you’re with the struggle--rich or poor--you always seem to end up with some type of leftovers. Everybody knows them old turkey sandwiches and soup get real old, real fast. Your mom (or dad *go him* etc.) did all that work and put their everything into that Thanksgiving dinner for the leftovers to be left in the refrigerator going bad because you’re not tryna eat that turkey sandwich a third day in a row. Whatever your fridge is stuffed with; turkey, potatoes, stuffing, or pie, these recipes won’t have you eating none of that regular boring junk. I’m talking INSTAGRAMABLE meals. Y’all teens hear me? Yea, I know you did.

These recipes taste incredible and got the fancy look you would see in a recipe magazine. I’m guessing some of y’all buy those.

Starting off with that stuffing.

Here’s an easy and creative dinner for using this nasty bread trash. Thanksgiving version of

chicken and waffles! This recipe is easy, you just put some stuffing (you could even use mashed potatoes) in that waffle maker that you barely ever use until it’s crispy, and finish those thangs off with turkey (for the

your own.

More ideas for that extra turkey are chili, enchiladas, curry, (though Ms. Witten doesn’t see no teenager making “complex” stuff like that, my culinary students out there, prove her

chicken substitute), mashed potatoes, gravy, any other Thanksgiving leftovers and a lil cranberry sauce. You can do a little bit of the same thing, throwing together leftovers into some savory crepes, eggs benedict, nachos, and sliders, make it

wrong) or some quick and simple turkey quesadillas. Add a lil cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes? Shhmack. 2 main ingredients out the fridge.

Now for the leftover potatoes.

You can use these up fast with

some potato cakes, plain or sweet potatoes, and you can even mix in some stuffing if you like. Just shape some into a patty and cook em like some pancakes. There's plenty of sweet potato recipes you can make, you might not have any left after these. Use your sweet potatoes for mini pies, cakes, pastries, etc., finally some dessert.

Another thing you end up with extra in the fridge. Pie. But you know that’s the one that’s gonna go fast, so you better get to it with some milkshakess you heard! This recipe is quick, easy, and mouth watering. Put any amount of any kind of pie, ice cream, and milk into your blender, once you pour it into your cup you know it’s missing something.

Awe you gotta hit it with some whipped cream. Maybe some other toppings, chocolate sauce, graham cracker crumbles, crushed pecans etc., a few minutes later and it’s gone quicker than it was there.

There, now y’all can use up all the leftovers WITHOUT eating the same thing over, and over, and over again.

Enjoy all sorts of delicious combinations by thinking a little outside the box. And hey, maybe you cancontinue the creative use leftovers into the holidays. A Christmas cookie milkshake? A panakes garnished with Hannukah gelt? Get creative and use those leftovers.

A berry tart was generously provided by Ramone’s for a last minute photo op.

Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX

The Pepperbox | Page 22

Deaths

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

The tragic demise of an AHS hero JackTaylor

T

Opinion Editor

he Red Truck was born into this world as a humble, base model work truck, commissioned by RE/MAX real estate company. After a childhood spent working for the Humboldt based office, she was finally put out of commission, where it was sold to the Taylor family. After joining the family, she was immediately put to great use. She was driven by Russ Taylor for two years of high school, until he graduated. After three years, she was put to test by Jack Taylor, who drove her until her death.

Those who knew the red truck knew it to be a staple of the Arcata High parking lot, a bright red beacon that was always there, rain or shine. Ever reliable, she never missed a day of school for maintenance, or any sort of trouble. (although one or two tardies were had as a result of its habit of jamming the steering wheel, especially in the sand).

Although small and underpowered, the Red Truck had a spirit of never giving up much like the little engine that could. Trips to the sand or dirt always provided a thrill as not getting stuck involved carrying as much speed as possible over any oncoming section. Even for her lack of power (not to mention four wheel drive), her nimbleness proved its saving grace, with a total of one beach strandings in a countless number of trips.

Featuring two wheel drive, crank windows, no electronics, and a grand total of three seats, the red truck certainly wasn't going to win any luxury awards. But honey, simplicity is part of what made her so great. There was never an electronic breakdown, an unnecessary broken part, or any of the constant problems that come from unneces-

sary technology. Like any old, reliable piece of equipment, she was sure to not let you down. With a sideways facing third seat that was all but guaranteed to make the person sitting in it slightly sick, she may have not been the most effective transporter of large amounts of people, but she could carry up to 6 surfboards at once, which is quite a feat in itself. It also excelled in carrying bikes, although it took a little bit of time to devise a strap system to keep them from flying out. “We were going down the highway, and all of a sudden I look back, and my bike is basically dangling out of the truck bed,” said Tommy Robinson, recalling the days before straps. The Red Truck was simply a staple at countless beaches, trailheads, and other car parks around humboldt. Rolling up to it most likely meant the surf was going off, the trails ripe for shralping, or some sort of good times going down. I can't even begin to explain the amount of times I have been flying down Samoa road, with rain clouds in the sky, south winds in the air, swell in the water, and boards in the truck bed, absolutely frothing about the upcom-

ing session. I can't imagine a classic winter day of surf without thinking of the little red truck cutting its way through the rain storms on the way down to the beach. Will Oviatt, recalling golden times. “ I’ll never forget all the times sitting on the back tailgate, eating my chicken tendies from Murphy’s, while Jack lectured me on healthy eating,” he said.

Her final act was an act of courage that just about sums it up. When a driver rear ended it while on the sunset off ramp, she gave its life to protect the passengers in it. crumping from the bed inwards, its body chassis was destroyed, and thus she met her ultimate demise.

Much like Jeffery Epstein, the truck was killed by another driver, and not its own actions.

A celebration of life will be held at a date and location to be announced soon.

Jack Taylor/PEPPERBOX

The red truck, after the accident.

The red truck, before the accident, carrying one of many loads.

Jack Taylor/PEPPERBOX

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

A&E

The Pepperbox | Page 23

Smells like fall: Candle edition Ruby Langdon A&E Editor

Cranberry Orange

Rating- 3.5/5 Review- It just smells like cranberry and orange- equal parts cranberry, and equal parts orange. So it’s true to the name in that sense.

It smells sort of like the cranberry sauce that your aunt brings to Thanksgiving but put way too much orange zest in.

Where it’s from- Brokentop Candle Company Price- $24.00

Leaves

Rating- 4/5 Review- First of all, it doesn't smell like leaves. It has a bit of a musty feel but not in a gross way.

It smells sort of like apples and spice but not quite like cider.

Where it’s from- Bath and Body Works Price- $24.50

Rustic Pumpkin Rating- 3/5

Review- It doesn't smell too much like pumpkin at all. It smells very sweet, like pumpkin whipped cream or like a really sweet pumpkin drink.

Where it’s from- Illume Price- $29.00

Stella Walston/PEPPERBOX

Pumpkin Spice Chai

Rating- 2/5 Review- Really sweet and strong smelling. When I opened it I could smell it immediately. It's definitely got the basic pumpkin spice and chai spice smells but just with loads of sugar added.

Where it’s from- Ashland (Michaels) Price- $6.00

Pumpkin Gingersnap Pie

Flannel

Autumn

Cinnamon Spiced Vanilla

Rating- 3.5/5 Review- It smells more like lemons than pumpkins, gingersnap, or pie.

Maybe it’s just the yellow color of the candle tricking me.

Where it’s from- Ashland (Michaels) Price- $6.00

Rating- 2/5 Review- It smells like CVS soap- the white kind, not the pink. It's supposed to smell like fig, apple, and eucalyptus, but it doesn't smell like any of those things.

Where it’s from- Bath and Body Works Price- $14.50

Rating- 3/5 Review- First off, it doesn't smell like flannel at all. It’s got a lumberjack smell, which I guess is what I was expecting to an extent. It also smells kinda soapy. Or perhaps whatever Mr. Clean smells like.

Where it’s from- Bath and Body Works Price- $14.50 Rating-4/5 Review- Smells like a cinnamon bun, so like vanilla and cinnamon.

That’s what it's supposed to do I guess. It's pleasant and not too overwhelmingly sweet.

Where it’s from- White Barn (Bath and Body Works) Price- $14.50

The Pepperbox | Page 24

A&E

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

The fall fashionistas of AHS

Marisela Montoya-Tejeda Reporter

HANNAH DAVIS Hannah doesn’t have any “style icons” she feels that people should wear whatever they feel “Why not wear a skirt one day and a button up the next day”? Hannah said. She prepares for this weather with turtlenecks, mom jeans and an oversized jacket. It seems as though no matter what top she pairs with the pair of mom jeans sitting her closet, she can always find a way to make it into a cute vintage outfit.

JIM MONGE We’ve all seen the guy in the bright orange sweatshirt that he seems to wear every day.

Well if you don't know who he is, I will tell you about him. His name is Mr.Monge, and he's the Assistant Principal of Arcata High School.

Here’s something a lot of you guys didn’t know. Monge has owned this orange sweater for about four years! Mr.Monges son goes to Oregon State and gave this well-known orange sweatshirt to his father as a gift. Now that we know that, we can see that Monge’s is disguising his Oregon State pride as Tiger pride. Watch out, Arcata!

SAVANNA SMITH Savanna is a junior at Arcata High School. She likes to wear Miss Me jeans or Rock Revivals and pairs them up with a pair of vans and cute fuzzy hoodie. She shops at Boot Barn, Kohl’s, Footlocker and Journey’s. Her style remains the same from her home life to her school life, she just puts on whatever she feels like as long as she feels comfortable.”I sometimes shop on instagram, they have great quality clothing and sometimes you can find valuable clothing for a good price,” she said.

ANA ZAMORANO Ana is a teacher’s aide at Arcata High School. During the fall and winter season she likes to wear cozy sweaters and boots that keep her warm. She shops at Forever 21, June and loves to go thrifting!

While shopping she keeps an eye out for puffy jackets, warm comfy boots to keep her feet toasty. However, Ana rarely goes shopping because she gets so caught up with school and work. Whenever she gets a chance to go shopping she mentioned that she doesn't buy very much, to be fair, she is a college student so money can be tight.

Photos by Will Oviatt

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

The Pepperbox | Page 25

A&E

A journey through birding with Danielle Witten Zoe Reiss News Editor

The cold fog creates a thick blanket over the serene meadows and ponds. The lively sounds of birds punctures through the mist creating a vibrant melody of biological diversity. Danielle Witten and I stroll through this landscape, our eyes scanning for any birds that could flit before us.

“I think it’s a dangerous sport, jogging while birdwatching,” Witten proclaimed.

An activity only joked about by many is taken very seriously by the beloved Arcata High English teacher. She continues to tell stories of moments where she has to balance jogging and maneuvering her binoculars to observe the vast skies. Adding on to the danger level of birding, Witten has accidentally stumbled upon people who have been sleeping in the bushes while she is searching for birds.

Witten had always wanted to be a birder but for a while she convinced herself to wait until retirement. Her love of birds began as a child with her “spark bird,” the mockingbird that lived in her backyard of her childhood home.

“It made all kinds of bird sounds, even frog sounds and truck or car sounds. It was remarkable. That was really neato,” she told me.

Her interest was once again piqued later in life when she began observing birds and noticing not only the diversity, but how the population of birds changes at different times of year. Witten then began sleeping with her windows

w

I was a closet birder for a really long time.

- Danielle Witten

open so she could wake up to the sounds of birds in the morning.

Although Witten’s love for birding had grown, she remained apprehensive to dive head first into the birding community.

“I was a closet birder for a really long time,” Witten recalled. “It wasn’t something I talked about.”

Witten was finally inspired to go all the way when taking a walk at the marsh. She observed a man leading a tour group who was making bird sounds with his mouth.

“At that moment, I was like, why wait Danielle? You need to become

for much of her future life to have great amounts of birding involved.

“I would like to spend the rest of my days just taking in the birds and just observing them. It’s meditative. It teaches you to focus on details and be aware of the environment around you,” she said.

Witten has also combined her passion for birding with her passion for gender equality.

“I am a member of the feminist bird club. Which is an actual thing. It’s just a group of feminists that get together, bird together, and learn from each other but also are activ-

Zoe Reiss/PEPPERBOX

Danielle Witten observing a Blue Heron at the Arcata Marsh. a birder now! There's so much room for growth, and I just didn't want to wait anymore,” she explained.

In the time since this realization, Witten has spent much of her time improving her birding skills.

She has taken trips to the Magic Hedge in Chicago (a renowned location for birders to observe rare species due to their migratory patterns), watched birds in New York City, and spotted them in Mexico.

Although this may seem like an impressive feat to many, Witten would like to someday make all of her trips surround her love of birding. In fact, Witten would like

ists for issues that are important to feminists and to promoting equality for women.”

This club has its origins in New York City but now has chapters in Boston, Chicago, Michigan, Toronto, Seattle, the Netherlands, Wisconsin, San Francisco, and Buffalo.

Witten would love to either start or join a chapter in Humboldt because she believes that it creates a safe space for those who are not traditionally included in the birding community because “Birds are for everyone.” Getting a start in birding can be difficult because members in the community can be intimidating.

“At first you're embarrassed because you don’t know that much and sometimes people with knowledge aren’t patient with novice birders or aren’t coming from an place where they want to teach people about birds,” she said.

Witten’s pursuit of birding has had a great impact in other parts of her life as well. She believes that the process of birding can be extremely beneficial to mental health as well as helping the birder connect with their surroundings.

“It’s centering and you don’t really know what’s going to happen when you go out there's an element of whimsy and wonder to it.”

She feels the lack of attention to the world around us creates a disconnect.

“We can recognize the names of brands but not the names flowers, trees, and birds that we see everyday.”

Witten concluded her thoughts on birding by sharing what she has learned through the development of her birding skills.

“We should take the time to notice and see because I think that we just lose so much of the detail when we’re rushing through life,” she said. “There are all of these hidden little secrets in life waiting to be discovered.”

Zoe Reiss/PEPPERBOX

Witten’s water bottle sporting a Feminist Bird Club sticker

The Pepperbox | Page 26

A&E

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

Zane and Jack’s Album Review Zane Clarke

Business Manager

E

ver since Dababy’s verse on “Under the Sun” on Dreamville’s most recent album, the Charlotte rapper has been everywhere. He has been on many different artists’ tracks making a name for himself in the rap industry. Many of his tracks have racked up hundreds of millions of listens across streaming services, and his new album “Kirk” does not disappoint.

“Kirk” was Dababy’s dad’s name, who passed away just a few weeks before releasing the album. The connection between the music and Dababy’s loss is obvious.

On the song “Intro” Dababy talks about his father's death: “Same time I got the news, my shit went number one.”

Later clarifying this line in an interview, Dababy said that within a span of 30 minutes he got a call saying his father passed and a call saying his hit “Suge” went to number 1 on the top 100 charts.

Following his success Dababy released “Kirk” on September 27th and the album blew up. In just the first week, the album received 181.7 million on-demand audio streams making it a top 5 biggest streaming week this year. Dababy was able to get big name features like Migos, Chance The Rapper, and Kevin Gates.

Following Dababy’s national success, he began to blow up at Arcata High School as well.

“Whenever I'm sad, I listen to Kirk and Dababy just sucks the tears right off my face,” Senior Maya Mircetich said, “He just gives me such good vibes.”

Juniors Eva Weller and Avery Thornburgh both claimed that Dababy has matured a lot on this album “He leveled up,” Weller said.

Dababy has grown in many ways on this album. He began to rap about important things and experiences in his life that he finds paramount to share in his music. A great example of this is on his song “Gospel,” a genius song with many features including R&B singer YK Osiris, and with gospel samples in the background. Chance the Rapper and Gucci Mane made a feature on this song which fit in perfectly to the track, this song was obviously well thought out and the features were used perfectly, proving how talented Dababy really is.

So if you’re ever getting hyped up for basketball game, just chilling with your homies, or even if you’re just jamming out by yourself, Kirk is the perfect album to listen to.

Jack Taylor

Opinion Editor

K

anye West has found God. If you didn’t realize that by now, it will become incredibly apparent by about 15 seconds into his newest offering, “Jesus is King”. Scratch that. It’s probably about when you click the play button on the album.

Following one of the longest and most anticipated album release cycles that we have seen in a long time, West’s newest offering provided quite a startling swerve into left field.

Back in the early 2000s, West’s meteoric rise to fame was heavily bolstered by the drastic changes he brought to the rap scene. In an era of in your face, hard hitting gangster rap (think 50-cent, Lil Wayne),

Album art courtesey of Insterscope and Kanye West

From top: The “Kirk” album art featuring DaBaby and his father and the “Jesus is King” record.

West came onto the scene with relaxed flows, and some pretty heavy religious tones in his work, such as hit song “Jesus Walks”. Yet his newer work seems to have strayed further and further from his earlier projects.

With “Jesus is King”, we see West fall back into the religious themes of his early work, but turned up to 11. While previous Kanye beats often employed chopped-up soul samples, his new ones often simply involve an entire gospel choir. In much of the album, West doesn’t rap at all, simply letting the choir play out in classic gospel form.

When West does rap, we occasionally see glimpse of the “old Kanye” that so many miss. Standout track “Follow God” sees West casually flowing over a chopped up soul beat, and it offers us a momentary glimpse that lets us know that he still has it. West’s rapping occasionally pops up through the rest of the album, but he never seems to be able to lock into the flow that we enjoy so much. For the most part, he seems tentative, constrained, and almost as if he is still searching for the words he wants to say. At other times, he seems to have put little to no effort into his word choice. While “Jesus is King” might lack in the lyrical department, it is in part saved by its sonics. Even if it isn’t his absolutely top-of-the-line work, Kanye’s legendary production still shines.

Still, there is just too much dragging, dead space that fills the album and prevents it from reaching the promise that it’s high points show.

Lowlights such as the introduction, “Every Hour.” still sound half finished, and out of place among the more relatively fleshed out sounds and concepts that the better parts of the album enjoy. At the end of the day, it is ultimately a good, but deeply-flawed album from West.

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

Opinion

The Pepperbox | Page 27

Education is painful, but important Stella Walston

T

Managing Editor

he beginning of a new school year brings many things: excitement, rekindled friendships, laughter, your favorite teachers, the end of what was potentially a very boring summer- in short, new beginnings.

You can sense the shift in the air as people inquisitively approach their new classes and teachers.

This all disappears in about a week.

I understand the gradual decline of happiness as the school years wears on. Trust me, I do. And I’m not saying that us students (or even the teachers) need to remain happy and energetic the whole year, because calling that unrealistic is an understatement. But where does the basic, human respect and appreciation for teachers and

staff and the overall opportunity tivists fought for years and years of being able to go to school go? so that everyone would be given I think something that many stu- equal opportunity in schools. Call dents don’t realize, or just ac- me a teacher’s pet, call me a loser, knowledge, is that being able to go call me whatever you want--but to school is an unbelievably lucky at least I have respect for those opportunity. who fought Public school for my right is a right for of free pubevery sinlic education. gle student, Our ancestors and when I’m fought tooth talking about and nail for us ancestors to be able to go fighting for to a non-disthe right for criminatory, schooling, I’m free, public Marisa Mendosa/PEPPERBOX school, and all talking about real people. The Plyler vs. Doe case we seem to do is complain about it. established that “anyone, citizen or And you know what? Nobody does stranger,” was allowed to go to pub- anything about this lack of a good lic school in the state that they live school system. I watch people comin. Suffragettes and civil rights ac- plain all day everyday about how

schools only care about test scores, and how teachers don’t teach all students with the same amount of care, and how being a bad tester means you’re doomed to fail (and I’m not saying that I don’t agree with these students), but you know what I don’t see? I don’t see anyone taking any of these issues up with people who can change them. If you really care that much about test culture in schools, then why aren’t you trying to change that?

School isn’t perfect, but nothing is perfect. At the very least, have respect for the fact that you are being presented with an enormous opportunity. School doesn’t have to be your favorite thing on the planet (cause I mean, let’s be realistic here), but having respect for your civil rights doesn’t seem like something that’s very hard to do.

The reality of wildfires settles in Ruby Langdon A&E Editor

A

fter six long hours in the car, my dad commented on the thick line of smoke blocking the sunset and covering the horizon.

We got out of the car at my aunt’s house for a moment in Palo Alto and even there the air was smokey and uncomfortable to breathe. We picked up on our journey home and headed north again. In the middle of my dad’s story about his old punk band, a blaring alarm went off on his phone “Emergency Alert SoCo Imminent Fire Threat Larkfield/Wikiup EVACUATION ORDER SoCoPSA.org.” he highway was blocked by flashing police lights and we were directed off the 101 with no further direction. We parked in an empty parking lot and tried to look for hotels in Santa Rosa, every single one was full. We saw a Chev-

T

ron gas station with lights on and pulled in to see if we could get gas, unsurprisingly nobody was there.

Every time my parents opened the car doors or rolled down the windows to talk the smell of thick smoke was painful the breathe.

At the gas station three large police trucks pulled up, officers with blue masks got out and walked around, my dad got out of the car to talk to them and as I waited in the car I started to see ash falling from the sky. I started to wonder if those thin pieces of white debris were parts of someone’s home and the reality of the situation finally started to sink in.

When my dad got back in the car, I had my sweater pulled over my mouth and nose. My head was throbbing from breathing in so much smoke for so long. The officers started cleaning ash off of their windshields and my dad followed in suit, but I didn’t notice

much of a difference due to how thick the smoke had become.

The police just told my dad to head back south and look for somewhere to stay, he told us that people were even being evacuated in Santa Rosa. We hesitantly headed south searching for any hotels

I started to wonder if those thin pieces of white debris were parts of someone’s home. with open rooms. Straight off an exit we pulled up to the first hotel we could find and it was completely full, hotels were full all the way into northern San Francisco. Feeling pretty hopeless we decided to drive all the way back to Palo Alto to stay with my aunt and uncle.

Along the way we rolled down the windows and in places I once com-

plained of the smell of smoke before felt clear compared to the air in Larkfield-Wikiup.

As we drove through the city, I looked at every hotel I could see on the street along our route, nearly every single one was lit up with a no vacancy sign. Thankfully the roads were back open the next day but climbing into the car nearly 12 hours later the scent of smoke still lingered in the car from the night before.

Watching the flames lap over people’s homes on the news always left a knot in my stomach.

Now after realizing how scary it is to be near the fires even if it’s miles away, it feels so much worse.

Knowing every single town is engulfed in smoke and emptied of heartbeats is heart wrenching.

You can know that things are bad but can’t quite grasp the gravity of it until you’ve gotten closer to it all.

The Pepperbox | Page 28

Opinion

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

Meet (most) of the democratic candidates We, uhh, decided not to draw this one , a little, uhhh, questionable?

Ty Vizenor Digital Team

All art is by Lilli Bowman

Elizabeth Warren

Kamala Harris Bernie Sanders Nickname: Crazy Bernie Main policy: Medicare For All, Green New Deal, College for all, Housing for all, Main controversy: • He is old.

• Very old.

Ty’s Score: 1 Year (left to live)

Beto O’Rourke Nickname: Robert “I gO BY bETo sO i sEEm hIP” O’Rourke Main policy: Couldn’t beat the Zodiac Killer for a senate seat.

Main controversy: took fossil fuel money, also lost to a man who read Green Eggs and Ham on the Senate floor.

Ty’s Score: 1 “Oh wait he dropped out” out of 10

Error 404 Candidate not found

Joe Biden Nickname: Corn Pop Main policy: Beating Trump (honestly couldn’t anything else) Main controversy: “You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent....I'm not joking” - Actual quote from Joe Biden, might be a racist, jury is still out on that one. Apparently he fought off a gang leader with a razor blade named Corn Pop in 1962, I don't know either just Google it, oh there's one more!

Remember that one time he FORGOT OBAMA’S NAME! Ty’s Score: 1 out of 5 hair plugs

Tom Steyer

¯\_(‘ - ’)_/¯

John Delaney

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Wayne Messam

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Michael Bennet

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Steve Bullock

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Joe Sestak

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Julian Castro

¯\_(‘ - ’)_/¯

Nickname: Copmala Main policy: Getting Trump banned from twitter Main controversy: • Was the highest ranking cop for California • threw a lot of people in jail for marijuana violations, then laughed about her experience smoking weed on a radio show • Hypocrite?

Ty’s Sentence: 80 years (in prison for nonviolent weed charges)

Pete Buttigieg Nickname: smol boi Main policy: Medicare for all for no one. Speaks six languages! (Wow………. I’m speechless. Finally what we need in this country) Main controversy: Cop in his city shot and killed an innocent man. Was met with large protests when he returned from the campaign trail. I guess he just had to do it to em.

Ty’s Score: 0% black support

Nickname: Lizzo Main Policy: whatever Bernie has Main Controversy: • Said she was Native American • Got into Harvard for being Native American as first non-white professor.

• Took a DNA test, turns out she’s 1/1024 Native American. Oops?

Ty’s DNA Test Results: 1/1024 president

Andrew Yang Nickname: Society’s sugar daddy Main policy: Universal Basic Income ($1000 a month to every American) Main controversy: • That’s his only policy.

• Also he wants to get rid of the safety net.

• Good luck.

• Also he said he supports Medicare for All even though his plan is not Medicare For All. Ty’s Score: 1000 free dollars out of literally nothing

Amy Klobachar Nickname: Cloud Boot Jar Main policy: I really have no idea because I’m too distracted by the controversy.

Main controversy: Allegedly ate salad with a comb. Also allegedly THREW A BINDER at an employee in a blind rage.

Ty’s Sentence: One large binder induced bruise.

Marianne Williamson Nickname: Avatarfangirl1283 Main policy: Told Americans that if they want to understand what’s happening in America, they should watch “Avatar.”

Main controversy: called vaccine mandates “orwellian” (oop).

Ty’s diagnosis: Measles

The Pepperbox | Page 29 Friday, November 22nd, 2019

Opinion

The thunderdome of liberalism

E

TyVizenor Digital Team

lizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are both running for the Democratic Presidential N=omination in 2020. Many have said that they represent two sides of the same coin. This could not be further from the truth.

Let’s be honest, President Trump will curbstomp Warren back to Massachusetts. Her campaign resonates with all the wrong people. According to Open Secrets, a great source for financial information on candidates and elected officials alike, out of all donors to Warren’s campaign the top two professions that have donated the most are scientists and professors.

Since the 1990’s, Democrats have held the decisive states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the heart of manufacturing in America. This ended in 2016 when they supported Trump instead and catapulted him and the Republicans into the White House. If we do not win back these crucial states, there will be four more years of President Trump. This will not be done with scientists or professors. White collar pandering won’t win back the multi-racial working class of blue collar workers that have justly left us.

Bernie can and will win back this constituency. Just recently a candidate endorsed by Bernie won in Kentucky, a usually very conservatice area. Other Bernie approved candidates won generally republican districts across Virgin-

ia. This is an indication of the just how large Bernie’s true capacity to win is.

This shows that his message of justice for all has clearly resonated.

The working class of this country trusts him, despite their own political ideology, to be straight with them and tell them the truth. His top donors are not scientists nor professors but teachers. In fact, out of all donations from the service industry into this election cycle, Bernie has received roughly half.

A remarkable feat for an election

with over 20 candidates. Bernie will return the Rust Belt to the Democrats and accomplish part one of fixing this broken nation.

Although defeating Donald Trump is the first step, defeating Trump does not solve as much as it may seem to. Some people simply want to get rid of Trump so we can return to business as usual. They are fine with a world of drone strikes, endless war, relentless deportation and an immoral and unethical healthcare system, as long as their president doesn’t look and

ranked him the most progressive in the entire primary in a recent New Hampshire poll. The evidence is overwhelming. It is not necessarily that all of Warren’s policies are inherently bad, Bernie has just gone a step further. While Warren will eliminate student debt of some Americans, Bernie simply is going to cancel all of it. Warren wants to recreate Immigration Customs Enforcement Agency in a more progressive way, Bernie wants to completely get rid of the agency. It is just as Nina Turner, the national co-chair for Bernie’s campaign, said, “There was only one man who stood up to the establishment and his name is Bernie Sanders,” adding, “There are many copies but there is only one original.”

He has the movement and he has the policies.

He can accomplish what Ocasio-Cortez explained as goals for the Democratic party and larger leftist movement in America. We have spent centuries pushing towards this point in this country. This is more than just a primary, more than just an election, this Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX choice will point the Demin Warren’s recently released a ocratic Party in the direction it new plan to pay for her version of wishes to go. We need to stop nomMedicare for All. As commentator inating those who are supported for The Hill Saager Enjeti warned, by the wealthy and privileged, “Warren’s entire plan is designed since those who decide national not as a serious policy proposal but elections are neither. I can see us as an electoral conceit which is de- making the same exact mistakes signed to placate at worst and steal we have made in prior elections. at best.”

Please. I am on my knees. Please do Bernie has not wavered when it not make this mistake once again. comes to single payer.

As Einstein once said, “Insanity is This consistency is not rare for doing the same thing over and over Bernie Sanders. Bernie’s platform and expecting different results.” has not changed for the past forDon’t be insane, just vote for ty years. It is this consistency that Bernie. act like a buffoon. This is unacceptable. To act like prior to Trump’s election everything was sunshine and roses is idiocy.

As popular Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) so wisely put it, “One of our top priorities is not just defeating Donald Trump, but defeating the system, of which he is the symptom.” Bernie can do both. Warren can do neither.

Let’s make another thing clear, Bernie is 1000% more progressive than Warren. This can be seen

The Pepperbox | Page 30

Opinion

Friday, November 22nd, 2019

Save the economy, shop local

locally?” (because yes, I am that friend), is that “it’s too expensive to Managing Editor shop local.”

Okay. I can understand Disclaimer: My family that. For a high school stuowns a local business. dent, it isn’t always conall is here, and that venient to pay more for means something big something you can get on is looming on the horiAmazon. zon: the holiday season.

However, if you’re willing At some point in the next to justify paying $5 for shipyear, you are gonna have to ping, then why can’t you shop for someone. You have justify spending $5 extra in two options. You can click order to buy local? To me, at onto your computer, drop least, it makes no sense. something random in your Small businesses seem Amazon shopping cart, and way more expensive, but it’s pay five to ten extra dollars actually because they have to get it delivered to your to mark the item up enough house. Or, you could head to pay for the actual cost of into town, pick something up the item, the cost of paying with your own two hands, the employees, the cost of and pay an extra one to five rent, the cost of materials, dollars that go directly back Isabel Wedll/PEPPERBOX into your community. The 68 out of 100 dollars go back into the community when shopping at a local buis- the cost of shipping the item to the store (which is a bigchoice is yours. ness. Zero go back when shopping online. gie), and the cost of a hunPlease, please, shop localcorporations also have their cloth- shopping online gives zero dollars dred other little things called operly. back. ating expenses, or “overhead”. That Online and big box stores are ing made by these factories.

Now we all know that Forever Essentially, shop local and the price increase is necessary, and by absolutely detrimental to small local economy flourishes.

In an21 is going out of business, but the paying it, you help the community towns. They’re pretty awful for other study by thrive. the environment when you con- point still stands.

Business Alliance At the end of the day, all I want sider the amount of pollution be- Many corporafor Local Living tions simply don’t for you to do this holiday season is ing shot into the atmosphere by Economics, it was shop local. I, too, am guilty of going the textile mills making clothes for care about who shown that every for convenience over quality. And stores like Forever 21 and Zara. Of is making their product and what 10 million spent it can be hard to make a deliberate the roughly 15,000 mills in Chienvironat a local busi- choice to go out and buy presents na, only 33 are partnered with the their ness creates 57 instead of just shopping online.

Natural Resources Defense Coun- mental impact is.

When we look jobs, and every 10 But trust me, you’re going to not cil. The corporations themselves million spent on only have a much more personalat it like this, it choose where to get their clothing, Amazon creates ized experience, but also a cleaner and they don’t have to care wheth- seems impossi14 jobs. conscience. er their clothing is being made by ble to shop consciously.

HowBy living in a When you shop local, you’re gosomeone making minimum wage, small town (like ing to get much more unique gifts, a company that pumps pollution ever, I have a Arcata or Eure- you're helping the environment, into rivers and the air, or by some- wonderful, amazing, beautiful ka), and shopping you’re helping your community, one of the legal working age. in small business- you're creating jobs, you're supIn an article published by the solution for you.

Just. Shop. Locally. es, you’re most likely going to be porting your friends and neighLos Angeles Times, it was revealed According to the Business Al- supporting your friends, family, bors, you’re supporting locally that the employees that make liance for Local Living Econom- and neighbors! made goods, and you're supporting clothing for Forever 21- in a Los One of the most common excus- fair pay and small town uniqueAngeles warehouse- make $6 an ics, by shopping at locally owned hour. Minimum wage in Los Ange- stores, 68 of 100 dollars you spend es I get from my friends when I ness. All for a few dollars differles is $13.25. Forever 21 is not the goes back into your communi- ask them “why didn’t you buy that ence, if that much.

Stella Walston

only brand using these underpaid workers. Ross Dress for Less, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and many more

ty. For comparison, shopping at a chain store puts 43 of 100 dollars back into your community, and

F

Essentially, shop local and the local economy flourishes.

The Saltbox Friday, November 22nd, 2019

Opinion

The Pepperbox | Page 31

Things we’re salty about

Ruby Langdon

Stella Walston

ig fish. They are WAY too scary.

There is no reason fish should get any bigger than my forearms, even for food. It’s just unreasonable.

They have really scary faces, and I can’t handle it. Sharks are okay, and so are dolphins and squid, but fish that are supposed to be small but are freakishly big, just because they can be, are disgusting. Fish are supposed to be little. Whenever I see a big old freaky goldfish I want to vomit. They are weird and bumpy with gross faces and I just don’t enjoy it. Salmon are still gross but at least it makes sense as to why they’re so big. I am a pescatarian because I don’t like eating animals, but fish freak me out so eating them gives me the power in the relationship.

I think that fish are just chillin most of the time, but when they get massive I just hate it. My grandma made me go into a fish tube at an aquarium and I almost cried because they all looked at me. The fish didn’t care- they were mocking me and I won’t stand for it!

Usually I’m not the type of person to hate anything for something it can’t change about itself, but in this case fish have just gone way too far and I can’t passively forgive them for their actions anymore.

Have you ever looked into a fish’s eyes and felt it’s soul? The answer is probably no. For only a chosen few have the ability to see past the emptiness in those big bulging fish eyes. You know what’s back there?

Hate. I feel only hatred when a fish looks at me and this isn’t as noticeable in small fish, which is why they’re acceptable. I’m all for pretty colored things in nature but sometimes pretty things should be delicate and small.

most sought after fish on the market. These fish help keep the population of the little fish under control, and should be celebrated for being the size that they are!

Also, let’s talk about koi fish.

Have you ever seen something so beautiful? (No). And do you think that they should die simply for being who they are? (No). Koi fish are a special breed. They are extremely docile and well mannered, and live happily with other breeds of fish. The reason koi get so big is because they grow to fit the amount of water that they live in (within reason). Koi fish are not “big goldfish”- they are a breed of their own and simply beautiful.

Now let’s talk noodling. The sport of noodling is an age old tradition of walking into a river (normally in the south) and sticking your arms and legs down holes to try to get a catfish to bite them.

What fun this sounds! What a cool way to catch dinner for your family! Often times these catfish are bigger than normal- not chernobyl catfish big but bigger than the ones in a little river. But should they be mocked? You wouldn’t mock a member of the society for being bigger than average, would you?

Then why do you care if these fish are a little bigger than normal?

Big fish are mother nature's favorite child. They are creatures that deserve more love and recognition. They get a bad rap in today’s society and that needs to change.

They are judged because of their size and if we don’t allow people to be judged for that then why should we stand by while fish are given the same treatment? It’s time for all of the big fish supporters to rise up and do the right thing- to love these magnificent animals.

Fish Hater

B

Big ol honkin’ koi fish aren’t pretty to me, they’re creepy. Koi fish do not have stomachs, and they probably don't have souls either.

Don’t even get me started on catfish, cause those guys are just downright nasty! Look up “catfish face” right now and tell me their nasty little lips and whiskers don’t make you want to vomit your insides out. You may argue “You wouldn't make fun of a dog or cat for having whiskers but ohhhhh just because these whiskers are a little bit different that means I hate this other innocent animal,” and to that I say shut up. If cats and dogs had nasty catfish lips and whiskers I would probably have somewhat of a problem with them too.

Because I’m a kind and benevolent soul I don’t wish death upon all big fish I guess, I just want them to leave me alone. They can exist but I just want them to exist further away from my existence I suppose.

S

Fiona Murphy/PEPPERBOX

ince the beginning of time, fish have been roaming the earth.

They’re magnificent creatures of all shapes and sizes, and they are a vital part of earth’s ecosystem.

Big or small, friendly or scary, fish have been an international favorite not only in life, but also in food. Remember the last time you ate fish? It was delicious, wasn’t it? Most people love fish, as they should. Fish contain many important dietary needs like omega-3 fatty acids, and have the lowest fat content of any animal protein. Just look at pescatarians! Even though they don’t eat meat they can recognize the importance and deliciousness of a good piece of salmon.

Not to mention, big fish are vital to many ecosystems. Little fish are okay and all, but they exist only to feed those larger than they. Big salmon, big tuna, big halibut, and big catfish are all precious commodities and can be some of the

Fish Lover