September Newspaper

THE ANTLERETTE

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the antlerette

September 2017 IN THIS ISSUE

High School: Not a Musical

by Jordan Ritchie, Staff

High school is said to be the Also, why is there always only one adventure of our lives. As kids, we dream of unattractive girl in the entire school, who becoming captain of the football team or gets a makeover and suddenly everyone’s prom queen…or maybe our visions are a little fawning over her? And when I say makeover, on the morbid side and all we can do is dread I mean trading her glasses for contacts and being written about in the notorious Burn buying a new dress, because according to the Book. High school films over the years have movies She’s All That and The Princess definitely proved themselves to be Diaries, that’s all you need to do to transform entertaining, witty, and laugh-outyourself from “ugly” to “beautiful”. Also, this loud hilarious, but they are girl somehow manages to end up with the extremely false and overmost popular, attractive guy in exaggerated depictions of real the school, like Bianca Piper high school life! and Wesley Rush from The Apparently, DUFF. If this “makeover” high school students theory were true, every break into song teenage girl in the world would whenever they feel the get one without hesitation. need to express their This next trope, I think feelings, as seen in everyone is familiar with: Overthe High School https://typesetbeta.imgix.net/rehost%2F2016 the-top cliques with clever %2F9%2F13%2F9bf0c3bc-654a-43b8-8c42Musical films. names, like “The Plastics” from 9ae06efe98b2.jpg Everyone also just Mean Girls. Yes, we all have our so happens to be good singers and dancers. friend groups, but is there really a superior In real life, if someone were to initiate a clique with a catchy name everyone learns to random musical number, barely anyone worship like royalty…or maybe runs and would know the lyrics or dance moves. And cowers from just at the sound of their not to mention, unless this took place during footsteps? How do these names even come lunch, everyone would be late to class. to be? I doubt that they originate from an Imagine having to tell your teacher, “I’m intense brainstorm session. sorry, ma’am, I heard the bell, but I was in the Continued on Page 2. middle of a spontaneous musical number.”

The Movie Industry in 2017 Is the movie industry falling or is it getting a resurgence? First let’s compare the current box records for this year and last year. Over the last 8 and a half months, production companies have been releasing many new movies and started new series………Page 5

Events in North Korea Since 2013, North Korea has been threatening various countries, including South Korea and the U.S. These claims have involved missile threats towards various areas and now, their sights have been set again on Guam, a U.S. territory. U.S. President Donald Trump responded to these threats with “North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.”……………………………………………………Page 7

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Managing Your Year

by Asiyah Mohammed, Staff

A new school year means new stress. The teachers begin piling homework on your back, scheduling quizzes you’re not ready for, and you’re still going to sleep at 1 AM. You want a good grade in the class, but thinking about how many hours you’d have to put in for it just hurts your head. Then you avoid doing it all together. The stress creeps in as you fall slowly behind in the class, and once you’re behind, it feels like you’re too late. So you continue to fail doing your homework since it doesn’t matter because you’re not passing anyway, right? That’s one way it can go, or you can successfully finish the year strong with as little stress as possible.  Admitting and Accepting The first step to solving your problems and getting through the year stress-free is understanding that stress is just a part of the process. It’s high school! You’re going to get stressed whether you're working a job, taking AP classes, or just being a teenager in general. Stress is inevitable, but how you deal with it is up to you. Instead of balling up in blankets watching Netflix and hoping everything will go away, sit in a calm place and take a breather. Think about the things that are stressing you out, and how you can change them. Using a thought process for your problems can help you create a way to

fix them. For example, maybe the reason you're so tired is because you're not sleeping enough. Some problems can be solved simply and others not so simply. Some problems can’t be solved at all, but it’s important to work around these harder problems rather than dwelling on them.

That’s not always easy, but by removing the smaller problems, you make it easier to deal with the things that you don’t know how to handle.  Managing Your Time So what else can you do to help yourself this year? Maybe you’re juggling hard classes and a sport. Maybe you think you don’t have enough time for studying because you have a job after school. Most of

High School: Not a Musical

by Jordan Ritchie, Staff

But considering the personalities – and lack of intelligence– of Regina George, Karen Smith, and Gretchen Wieners, maybe they did get together and say, “Let’s name ourselves after recyclable material!” We definitely can’t forget about the evil cheerleaders that rule the school. They’re fabulous, vicious airheads who date jocks and practically live in their uniforms.

They are always batting their eyes, plotting against their enemies, and sashaying around campus in their pleated skirts, adorning their school’s colors…right? Wrong!

Not all cheerleaders live in the world of Bring It On. Unless if cheerleaders washed their.

This last trope is a stereotype not many take notice to because they tend to

the time we forget that there are twenty-four hours in a day. So, define your day. From morning to night, what are you doing? Write down what you do each day and how much time you spend doing it, then look at the remaining time. After all your activities, from eating, to cleaning, to sleeping, and work, how much time is left? If there is time, make that time your study time. If there is no time, then make time. Figure out which activities are priorities. Making time for school will improve your grade if it’s your priority.

take the backseat in teen films: nerds. Every teenager with a TV knows that all nerds are intellectual dorks with no social life who can’t even hold a normal 5 second conversation with a girl. Take Michael Eckman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s geeky friend from 10 Things I Hate About You. Sorry to burst your bubble, but this is one of the worst depictions out of all the high school stereotypes! Band “Nerds” at this school have admitted to being geeky, but they pride themselves in their differences and personalities and have enough friends to qualify for a social life. Some even have girlfriends. Some are even girls! Imagine that, girls are actually smart and like playing instruments! Shocker.

So next time you pop 10 Things I Hate About You into your dvd player, don’t take all of the tropes and stereotypes to heart. Whether or not they take presence in fiction or real life, because they are completely different. To conclude this point, I end with a quote by my favorite fictional teenage journalist, Bianca Piper, The DUFF: “In the end, it’s not about popularity or even getting the guy. It’s about understanding that no matter what label is thrown your way, only you can define yourself.”

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Purple Maroon

by Mckenna Morris, Staff

The capacity of the human mind to crumble Keeps our minds torn and jumbled But we underestimate The ability of the human heart to regenerate Determination doesn’t mean a thing Sitting here idly with our untied shoestrings Don't let promises of failure scare you into submission Where there is hope, there is always ambition Even when my only ammunition is my love And all I hear is the call of the mourning dove I will remember the warmth in your smile And your legacy will make my journey worthwhile But first, let's rebuild our trust To fix the shattered path that lies between us When I look into your eyes, I see unbridled fire And I know your faith will never expire Watching the dawn, our hands might grow cold But we share the knowledge that the sunset burns gold M.M.M.

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Advice to EGHS Freshmen

by Maya Corona, Staff

It’s that time of year again: new classes, reunification with peers, and excessive homework assignments leaving high school kids scrambling to get back into the grind. As returning students, we often dive into the familiarity of the high school scene with little hesitation. However, for incoming freshman, this is an intimidating and foreign terrain that they have yet to explore. The transition from junior high to high school is overwhelming and challenging; there is little warning of what lies within the boundaries of these walls. So how does one have a successful first year at high school? To get those who need it through this time of uncertainty, chaos, and self-discovery, here are a few words of advice from someone who managed to survive her freshman year with minimal scarring.

help is the best way to understand the subject.

Get involved! Go to dances and football games! If there is a club or activity that looks interesting, sign up! High school is the time to experiment with your interests and figure out what you’re passionate about. Not to mention, extracurriculars look great for college and are the best ways to meet new people.

Find a balance between your school work and your personal life. High school is the time when your grades start to count, though this doesn’t mean you have to spend five hours studying for a test. Stay on top of school work, but remember to make time for family, friends, and yourself, because these will be the most important memories you take from your high school experience.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. About nine times out of ten, someone has the same question as you, so don’t be intimidated to ask your counselors or peers for advice and support when you need it. Remember, teachers are there to help you, and asking for

Who Will Leave Their Mark

by Benjamin Rodriguez, Staff

High school. These are two words that bring so many memories to almost everyone we know. These four years of our life are known as the factor that helps us decide “who we are” and what our roles will become. Many of us find our educational goals or that group that defines us socially.

We hear the stories of our older siblings remembering high school, as a time in their

life they will never forget but will not ever want to go back to. We will all, no matter where we are, affect or be affected by the surroundings that we are in. There is always a give and take, but the choice of leaving our mark in Elk Grove High is entirely our own.

Every student and faculty member that comes in those gates before 8:00 am every day is leaving a story behind. Some may

Use. Your. Lockers. Too many freshmen walk around campus weighed down by all their books and binders. These are what lockers are for! It’s more practical AND easier on your body to only carry what you need, so make that trip to your locker during lunch or passing period to lighten the load.

Respect your teachers and peers. Most returning students at Elk Grove understand the code. Hold doors open for others. Treat others how you would want to be treated. If you don’t like a teacher, save it for outside of class. Have respect for yourself and others.

End of discussion.

Find your you, and own it. High school is a time of highs and lows, so the less time spent worrying about being “popular” or what other people think is less time stressing about things you can’t control. The best way to enjoy your next four years is to surround yourself with friends who you know have your back and stay true to who you really are, because it will be over before you know it!

leave a fragment of their story, not because this high school wouldn’t listen to the story they had to tell, but because they thought the bigger mark would be the one the school left on them. This year, leave your mark.

Leave it by trying to share your voice in our school, making a difference in even the most “insignificant” of moments.

Be everything you can be. When we live our life to its full potential, we are telling our story. Be purposeful, even if you think no one is listening, because that’s the stories we remember the most.

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What to Know About Synergy

by Jenna Quarnstrom Staff

Beginning this school year, Elk Grove High School joins other schools in the EGUSD in switching from Schoolloop to Synergy, a cheaper program that combines two programs the school used to use.

Most students remember Schoolloop, the user-friendly website that made checking your grades and talking to teachers easy. However, unlike the new program, teachers could not publish grades easily. To publish grades, teachers had to use a program called SisWeb, which didn’t connect directly to Schoolloop, so teachers would have to transfer information between

the two programs. Schoolloop was also a pricey program. Synergy is its cheaper alternative with the added bonus of teachers being able to take attendance on the same program.

Many students and teachers are having trouble with Synergy. It is not as user friendly as Schoolloop and requires more steps to do the same task. Teachers cannot look up a student’s information when they need to, and trying to post documents for their students is a decidedly harder task now.

Students are also having trouble logging into

Outlast 2 Game Review

by Christian Ajos, Staff Outlast 2 is a first person survival horror game. It was released April 25, 2017.

The game was published by Red Barrels for PS4, Microsoft Windows, and Xbox One. The game takes place in the arid canyons of Arizona filled with homicidal, religious hillbillies.

at certain points. It also acts as the cut scenes.

The game has many good aspects and many bad aspects. Let’s start with the atmosphere. The atmosphere of the game is perfect for the setting. Its depiction of the near pitch blackness of the Arizona gorges and canyons adds to http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/app the scariness the developers s/414700/header.jpg?t=1494442005 are trying to convey. When Outlast 2 you wear headphones, the ambient noise will returns with the same in-game mechanics as really set you on edge. Every little snap or the previous Outlast. The lovable camera rustling grass will make you turn around in that eats through batteries faster than a the game to see if there is a threat nearby. vacuum sucks up dirt. The return of the many The graphics have also improved since the items you can pick up but can’t use as last Outlast game. The details of the game weapons. There are also new features added have been enhanced. The details put into to the game. One of the game’s new features making the town and canyons makes it feel is the camera mic. It allows you to hear like I’m actually there. I felt that they sounds while hiding in a barrel. I find this to removed some of the gore. It was the gore of be useful while hiding from that psychotic the game that really gave it its horrific feel. pickaxe wielding old lady. The downside of The plot mechanics of the game were a big the mic is it adds to the battery drain of the iffy, but Outlast 2’s storyline was interesting. battery forcing you to run around in the dark It was set in a backwoods mining town filled if you run out of batteries. Another new with religious psychotic residents constantly feature is the recording feature. This feature out for your blood and that of your pregnant allows you to analyze situations of the game

their accounts, due to the passwords being already set by the school.

Schoolloop, the old program, let you see your grades, e-mail teachers and students, and had a “locker” for students to save documents to. Synergy allows you to access your attendance, view your grades (Grade Book), and download quarter and semester grade reports (Report Card), as well as let teachers see student information in case of an emergency.

For anyone still having trouble logging into Synergy, your username is your school ID. Your password is the first letter of your first name, capitalized, the last four digits of your school ID, the day of your birthday (two digits), and the letter “a”, lowercase. This is a learning experience for us all, and I hope we all get through it together.

wife’s. Your wife by the way is inexplicably pregnant. A plot aspect that I didn’t like and would have hoped to see more of is the Murkoff Company from the first Outlast.

Even though we knew that it was Murkoff who was behind the state of the town, they played more of a minor role in the game. The ending wasn’t all that great. The way the lights engulf Blake makes you question his state and the state of his child at the end. I really love the villains. Much like the first Outlast villains, they were the embodiment of psychotic, insane, or just plain devout. The male/female Val who kidnaps your wife and is very lustful. The word lustful wouldn’t even begin to describe Val as she licks your face at the beginning of the game. The action itself is weird enough that I am still creeped out just thinking about it. Samuel Knoth, the priest who is the leader of the Cult, is bent on killing Blake’s child and believes that his child is the Antichrist. And let’s not forget Marta.

The one who haunts you throughout the entirety of the game is the most heart pumping villain of the game. Marta is a woman who wields a pickaxe and is also the most recurring villain in the game. She literally chases you and if you hide, she will patrol the area for a while and the only way to escape is by sneaking.

The rating I would give this game would be 8.5/10. I would also personally recommend the game to anyone who is a fan of horror games and a fan of the Outlast series.

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The Movie Industry in 2017

by Zion Trunnel, Staff

Is the movie industry falling or is it getting a resurgence? First let’s compare the current box records for this year and last year. Over the last 8 and a half months, production companies have been releasing many new movies and started new series. 2017 has had the most originality so far when it comes to the movies since 2009.

Most of the top blockbusters have been made of completely original ideas such as Get Out, and the Lego Batman, or The Boss Baby, or they built on existing concepts that haven’t hit the big screen, such as Beauty and the Beast, Wonder Woman, and the new Spider-Man: Homecoming. But can originality replace good movies?

The preceding year in 2016 was one of the biggest years in movies, making 11,377.4 trillion dollars off the movies last year. So far this year has been a progressively worse year in the movie industry. As of September 7, 2017 the movie industry has

2 Hits and a Flop

by Tracy Tran, Staff Many movie hits were released this summer. Box offices reached new heights with the films: Wonder Woman and SpiderMan: Homecoming, but not every movie can be a hit. This summer’s downfall was The Emoji Movie.

Wonder Woman is a monumental milestone for the DC franchise. Topping the charts for the summer of 2017, the film has surpassed expectations for many moviegoers this summer. The Amazonian princess, played by Gal Gadot, trains on an island to be a diligent warrior. Being raised upon the island filled with only women, Diana encounters an American pilot Steve, portrayed by Chris Pine, who shows her the perils of the world during WWI. Diana soon learns of her true potential to defeat the evil that plagues the world. The film was well received and was a symbol of female empowerment as it is the first successful superhero movie with a female lead. This critically acclaimed masterpiece received three Teen Choice Awards: Choice Movie

only made 7,500.3 trillion putting this year in the 17th place slot for comparing each year's box office. In a technical sense so far, this would make it the worst year in the modern day movie as the price of movie tickets has inflated from 1999 ( the 18th place slot right after 2017). The average cost for movie tickets now is $8.89, when 1999’s movies price was little over 5 dollars. It isn’t surprising when only 4 movies made over 3 hundred million dollars as opposed to the 9 movies that made over 300 hundred million.

This may not seem like much of a difference, but this can lead to difference of making 2 trillion more.

Now let's compare the top grossing movies for 2016 and 2017. The biggest money maker this year was Beauty and Beast, making a whopping 504 million dollars for the year, and 2016 top movie, One making 532 million dollars last year. Based on Rotten Tomatoes, the Beauty and Beast 3D

was more average of a movie. It got a low 80% audience score, and got 70% critic score, while Rogue One got a a high 80% for both.

Comparing the rest of the top movies, it shows that 2017 was the worst year. The second grossing film was Wonder Woman that barely made 400 million, a steep drop from Beauty and the Beast’s 500 million. Last year there was a less of a grossing difference between the first and second ranked movies.

Couple this with failures like Ghost in the Shell and Great Wall that got flak for Hollywood white washing and the Emoji Movie getting canceled and flak for cash grabbing. Before it got made and released, this year seemed like a bad year for movies.

Is the movie industry dying? That's up to perception. I believe that this year in movies had a lot of potential in its blockbuster movies with movies like Get Out, Logan, Wonder Woman, Spider Man, and Guardians of the Galaxy, for example, giving hope to me as a viewer. I personally don't think that the movie industry is in fact falling, but is going through growing pains, while it figures itself out. However this is written before the end of the year, so I hope that the movies to be released will prove my points wrong and make the movie industry this year better.

Male, and the movie itself Choice Movie of the summer.

Sadly, not all movies can win the TCAs. The Emoji Movie was poorly received as critics bash the film.

Actor, Choice Movie Actress, Gene is a ‘meh’ emoji who and Choice Movie for Action cannot conform to his Adventure. society’s norms. With the Marvel released assistance of Hi-5 and the film Spider-Man: Jailbreak, he embarks on Homecoming to compete an adventure across the with DC’s Wonder Woman. phone to discover a threat Meet Peter Parker (Tom that could wipe their Holland, a smart high school phone. Even with famous boy who just so happens to voices such as, James “intern” for Tony Stark.

Corden, Anna Faris, and Peter enjoys being the Sofia Vergara, the film friendly neighborhood was terrible. The plot was hero, but soon get tired of https://images-na.ssl-imagesamazon.com/images/M/MV5BMTkzMzM3OT very linear and cringey at doing simple tasks. After M2Ml5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMDM0NDU3MjI times, making the movie discovering the theft of @._V1_UX182_CR0,0,182,268_AL_.jpg overall boring. The Emoji alien technology, Peter Movie was just a pile of risks everything in order to save the advertisements compiled into one (i.e. Just world. Contrary to the mature portrayal of Dance, Candy Crush, and Spotify). the superhero, this film gives a lighthearted Many summer films were major goofy vibe. Teen Choice Awards went to hits that broke box office records while some Zendaya for Choice Summer Movie: Female, are movies that should have never been Tom Holland for Choice Summer Movie: made from the start.

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Taylor Swift Slays Again

by Chelsea Planesi, Business Manager Way back in 2013, Taylor Swift I know many of you believe that this is embarked on her another example of Taylor Red tour, reaching Swift “playing the victim”, all over the world to but if you really look at this 1.7 million fans. At a case, it is so much more meet-and-greet than just a court case photo session, surrounding Taylor Swift. before one of her 86 It’s a court case about a shows, a country woman being groped radio DJ named while taking a photo with a David Mueller stranger; it’s a court case groped her by about sexual assault. This https://media.tmz.com/2017/08/07/0807grabbing her butt is something that too many taylor-swift-jury-questionaire-launch-4.jpg underneath her skirt. women have to go through, Mueller was fired after and too many victims are Swift’s team complained to his radio station. too terrified to come forward. Swift Claiming he had done nothing wrong, he acknowledges that her successful career sued her and her team for almost $3 million. aided her in affording and winning this case, The Grammy award winning, singerand will “be making donations in the near songwriter countersued for $1. future to multiple organizations that help On August 11th, the trial started in sexual assault victims defend themselves” Denver and Judge William J. Martinez (from Taylor Swift’s statement). Let her $1 immediately ruled that Swift could not be win be a light to the world: sexual assault is responsible for Mueller’s loss. The lawsuit never okay and, if you have ever been was then left to Swift’s mother, Andrea, and sexually assaulted, you will be supported if her radio representative, Frank Bell. Mueller you speak up. insisted throughout the trial that he had touched Taylor’s ribs, and not her butt. Three days after the trial started, it ended with the judge deciding that none of the accused were liable for tortious interference.

Antonio location have shown no signs of illness. When she was believed to have contracted this awful illness, Kyara was taken from the care of her mother, and

by Anna Serpa, Design Manager placed in a separate In recent media, Seaworld has puddle at caught a lot of attention after two of Seaworld. their orcas died at their San Antonio and http://aldf.org/wpNo postSan Diego locations. Interestingly content/uploads/2017/08/Seaworld-Kasatkamortem enough, these orca have both passed due Death-Article.jpg has been to bacterial issues, similarly to the other 40 orcas Seaworld has previously kept. released at this date and the case is otherwise closed. The matriarch of Seaworld Kyara, the last orca born in captivity passed away in late July of this year.

San Diego, Kasatka, was euthanized on August 16th of this year after her long battle Seaworld names pneumonia as a likely with a lung infection took a turn for the culprit. However, the other orca at their San

Bacterium

worse. The nearly 42 year-old orca had been battling this respiratory infection and became unresponsive to treatment. It should also be noted that Kasatka was the grandmother to Kyara. She originally contracted this infection sometime around 2008 and was forced to endure a pregnancy even with the excruciating ailment.

It seems odd that two orcas at separate facilities have passed within approximately a month of each other with the culprit being bacteria. If their orcas continuously contract bacterial infections, are they actually caring for the marine mammals’ lives appropriately, or are they just parading them around like pageant queens?

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Events in North Korea

by Tanner Mendoza, Business Manager Since 2013, North Korea has been threatening various countries, including South Korea and the U.S. These claims have involved missile threats towards various areas and now, their sights have been set again on Guam, a U.S. territory. U.S. President Donald Trump responded to these threats with “North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.” Threats going back and forth have raised tension, not only between the U.S. and North Korea, but also South Korea and China. On August 15th, Chinese Foreign minister Wang Yi stated, “The most important task at hand is for the U.S. and North Korea to “hit the brakes” on their mutual needling of each other with words and actions, to lower the temperature of the tense situation and prevent the emergence of an August crisis.” Although North Korea and the U.S. have acknowledged their willingness to avert a deepening crisis, North Korea warns of a “merciless strike” against the U.S. if they join South Korea in carrying out their annual “war games” that started on August 21 and went through August 31.

These “wargames” are called the “Ulchi Freedom Guardian military drills” and are annually carried out by the U.S. and South Korean military since 2012 with http://cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/ about 17,500 American troops and 50,000 78/590x/north-korea-usa-live-missile-launchlatest-news-847546.jpg South Korean troops taking part in these simulations. However, Russia and China have However, though it has not affected those advised the U.S. and South Korea to forgo within America, North Korea has launched a the drills this year to avoid further threats ballistic missile over Japan as a threat to and potentially hostile actions from the show what their missiles are capable of North Korean government. North Korea sees doing. The U.N. Security Council and the U.S. these 10 day joint military operations as a have unanimously approved the strictest practice for an invasion of their country and economic sanctions to date. Although Kim “examine the operation” and will likely Jong Un’s threats are unacceptable, the display their own military might in eventual Tokyo Bureau Chief Anna Fifield has stated retaliation. Some experts say that North that it is in no one’s interest for anyone to go Korea will most likely be testing their power to war. to threaten with their new long ranged missiles. It is expected to later see the usual propaganda hostility that normally comes out of the North Korean media. Experts also say that North Korea could potentially be conducting its first submarine ballistic missile test since last year. If successful, it would allow the North Korean government to demonstrate serious military capabilities without posing immediate danger to the U.S.