Rio Mirada April Issue

Rio v. Jesuit charity game raises $1700

Art students’ selfportraits in Crocker

SPORTS | PAGE 15

Friday, April 5, 2019

BACK PAGE | PAGE 16

THE MIRADA

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Rio Americano High School, Sacramento, California

Vol. 53, Issue 6

Defendants take stand in college admissions scandal trial Katie Newton Annalee Gorman Mirada Staff

RIO ROBOTICS PROGRAM BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE Despite bad breaks in competition, the team developed students’ skills and set the program on track to grow Alyssa Christopher Mirada Staff The Robotics team has placed 14th out of 54 teams at the Idaho Regional FIRST Robotics competition.

Sadly the team has not moved onto the Regional Championship in Houston, Texas this year.

This was the competition to close off their competition season of 2019.

The team has been working a long six weeks to build and prepare their robot to compete in this years 2019 FIRST Robotics Competition.

“We have 30 team members, lead by our two coaches, Matt Cole and Michael Waltz,” said team captain, senior Shane Becker.

The team has traveled to four competitions in 2018 which include: Fresno, Davis and also Houston, Texas.

“In 2018, we won our first regional competition and went to the world championships in Houston, Texas,” said Becker.

The first semester of the class the students learn beginner coding, soldering and welding.

The second semester is the six week build season for The FIRST Robotics Competition, after New Years.

Following end of the year project(s) that include: Tetrix robots as well as building table and chair stands.

Top: Senior Emily Maxey and Hudson Burke make finishing touches on their robot at Idaho competition.

Bottom: The arena where all teams’ robots competes to load boxes. Whichever team loads the most boxes launches the rocket and wins. Photos provided by Christopher.

There are three groups of students and they are sectioned off to work on different topics. These include: leadership, building and media.

Leadership works on reaching out to schools and programs to show what the robotics program is and organizes fundraising.

The fundraising goes towards the cost of entering into the competitions and the use of money also go towards paying for transpor-

INSIDE >> News|1-5 Opinion|6-7 Features|8-13

tation of the robot and students to the event.

Building is for the students that mainly focus on the construction and brainstorming of how the robot will be made and built.

The media team is all about putting the name and information about the team and class. They make weekly videos, updating

SEE ROBOTICS PAGE 3

Center Spread|8-9 Sports|14-15

The college admission scandal has gripped national audiences and made headlines throughout the country, but William “Rick” Singer, a guest teacher at Rio in the 80s and the ringleader behind the largest criminal act colleges have seen, has local ties.

The scandals unveiled in the past weeks ended with many questions about the future of college admissions. Around 50 individuals were arrested, with two from the Sacramento area. Standardized test administrators, coaches at elite universities and over 30 parents aided Singer in the scams and were a part of those arrested.

Arrested individuals appeared in court last Friday and trials began Wednesday at the U.S. District Court in Boston, with crowds and protesters accumulating in the area. None of the accused pleaded guilty thus far, but when Judge M. Page Kelley clarified their charges and rights, some requested modified bail conditions.

Federal education officials also sent eight universities letters informing them of a preliminary investigation that will search for fraudulent ties within the colleges. These schools included UCLA, Stanford, Yale, Wake Forest, Georgetown, University of Southern California, University of San Diego and University of Texas, Austin.

The crimes consisted of cheating on entrance exams, pretending to be recruited for athletics and bribery. Of the arrested individuals, charges ranged from racketeering and money laundering to conspiracy to defraud the government and obstruction of justice.

Counselor Emily Greene followed all the news reports, like many Sacramento natives, and found the news shocking.

“It makes me sad to hear that that would even be going on,” said Greene. “The whole thing is kind of wild.”

Administrators and coaches weren’t the only ones involved in the cheating scandal.

Singer owned the Edge College and Career Network on American River Drive, though his main college preparatory program was known as The Key Worldwide Foundation.

His fraudulent business earned him a suspected 25 million dollar total between 2011 and 2018.

The Key acted as a charity that aided un-

ONLINE >>

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The Mirada |NEWS| Friday, April 5, 2019

page 2

MIRADA FROM THE PAST Rio Gets Taste Of Far East March 9, 1973 If you were walking around campus last week and saw an attractive young girl wearing a colorful kimono, it must have been FuMiko Muramoto, a foreign exchange student from Asiyha, Japan. Miko, who is living with an American family in Alameda, California for a year, visited Sacramento and Rio during AFS exchange week. Christine Smal, Rio’s AFS exchange student, spent the week with another family in Vallejo and attended classes at Vallejo High.

Miko, an 18 year-old senior at Encinal High School in Alameda, thinks schools here in the United States are much easier than schools found in Japan but expressed no disagreement with our system of education. She likes the more relaxed feeling and is tired of the overemphasized pressures her schools impose on students.

Students reply to news:

Students respond to events from around the area and around the nation

NATIONAL

STATE

LOCAL

LAWSUIT

Supreme Court rules to deport immigrants any time and place

Calif. must pay federal gov for speed rail project

The World Cup may come to the South Bay

Son sues parents for giving birth to him

The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of President Trump with a 5-4 vote granting federal state officials to punish convicted immigrants and send them back to home countries after they’ve served prison time.

The case had began as a California class-action lawsuit by a group of undocumented immigrants who had claimed they had a residency form; their lawyers argued that they should have a court hearing. There were many civil rights lawyers that claimed that immigrants should be allowed to have a bond hearing so that they were not forced to remain in custody until their deportation case was completed.

After the San Francisco high speed rail train, Trump demands for $3.5 billion back from them. Leaders of California’s speed rail project told President Trump’s administration that the money they were asking for was “legally indefensible” and too far fetched. The project was given 929 million dollars to complete the speed rail, but quickly thrown off by a take back of 2.5 billion dollars that the state has already spent. The issues with the administration began when Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a change in the project in his State of the State address. Now, California must reach a certain point of construction of the project by 2022.

North America is set to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and Sacramento could be a venue. Levi Stadium, located in Santa Clara, California, is the front-runner for the main venue for the tournament. The South Bay is one of 23 cities that were selected to be candidates of the major tournament. With recent success of holding other serious world soccer games like the Gold Cup and Copa America, the stadium has a strong chance of being the one chosen. All of the world’s top soccer players play, and the goal is to put the United States on the map for a high profile soccer loving country.

A 27 year old Indian man plans to sue his parents for giving birth to him without his consent. He believes that it is wrong to bring children and babies into our world because of all of the pain and suffering that they must go through.

Critics have attempted to persuade him so that he can understand that babies do not have the ability to choose whether they can be born or not. His parents admire his beliefs, and will accept any fault if he can come up with a valid reason for why it is right. To him, completing this, would gradually phase out humanity from the earth and would make our planet much better.

“They shouldn’t be arrested if the police who are arresting them do not have documentation showing whether they are allowed to come into the country or not.

-Mikey Crimmins (10)

“The high speed rail has taken a lot more time and money than originally planned. The agreement with the federal government seems reasonable to keep the project on track” - Gracie Szjeda (9)

“I think it would be really exciting to host the World Cup. No matter which stadium actually becomes the venue for the game, the World Cup would benefit the economy in California.”

-Chase Iseley (12)

“I think what he’s saying is scientifically illogical.

Not only do babies not have a choice in whether they are born or not, failing to reproduce would wipe out the human race.”

-Atila Rezaei (11)

“If there is a reason then they can be arrested but if police officers are arresting them because they assume they don’t have documentation they shouldn’t be arrested.”

-Valeria Pantoja (10)

“If the state of California can’t build the high speed rail on time then they should owe the money they owe back.”

-Ethan Thompson (11)

“America is the place in the world where futbol is not taken seriously and bringing the world cup to America can be a real eye-opener to the rest of the world.”

-Matt Miller (9)

“Suffering and pain is what everyone goes through and yet a lot of people are still happy to be here.”

-Rebecca Palafox (9)

CALENDAR Senior Untalent Show 4/13, 6:00 p.m - 8:00 p.m., Small Gym & PAC 2nd Saturday ArtWalk: Make Local Art Accessible 4/13, 10:00 a.m.- Noon, DOCO (Downtown Commons) Spring Break- No School 4/15-4/19 Pay-What-You-Wish Sundays @ Crocker 4/21, Crocker Art Museum Spring Play 4/24, 4/27 7:30 p.m.- 10:00 p.m.

AP Calculus AB and BC Exam Study Session 4/27 9:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m., classrooms D-2 and D-3 Sacramento Earth Day 2019 4/28, 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m., Southside Park Senior Ball 5/4 8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m., Greek Orthodox Church

Pocket Points minimizes phone use Katie Newton Mirada Staff Walking into class, a red tally mark streaks across the board: another Saturday School assigned. For a long time negative consequences have been used to restrict phone usage, but now a more rewarding method has appeared.

Pocket Points, designed for teachers and businesses, targets the obsessive behaviors of teenagers with their phones, in a rewarding way.

Pocket Points is a mobile app, designed by students at Chico State, that attempts to reduce phone usage during class.

Principal Brian Ginter has provided teachers with the information they need to implement Pocket Points in their own classes, after being approached by a director of San Juan Unified.

“It’s being used in colleges across the country, so my boss put out an email to all the principles to ask if any of us would be interested,” said Ginter. “I asked teachers and I got about 20 or 30 of them who were like ‘Yeah I got time might be interested.’”

While some teachers express interest, other are hesitant or against the program despite the company’s claimed benefits.

According to Pocket Points employees, in the time frame that they

Example of the Pocket Points homescreen. Photo provided by Katie Newton have used the app in colleges it has raised the GPA of kids who have been using it by 0.276 points.

These impressive claims are not guaranteed, since a lot of success depends on the students’ effort and dedication to limiting phone time.

The app has not proved to be completely smooth-sailing either.

“The only problem were finding right now is because our schedule changes, whenever we have a regular day instead of a block day they [teachers] would have to go in and change times all the time, which could be problematic and might deter some of them from using it,” said

Ginter.

The app determines how much time one spends off their phone, not on it, so punishments can’t be administered by tracking phone activity on the app.

The Pocket Points application must be opened for it to calculate how much time a student refrained from using their phone. Students might be tempted, however, since they can benefit from the accumulation of points.

“Teachers can set up things in the app to where you can get to drop an assignment or lowest test score,” said Ginter. “There’s also national companies that have affiliations with this app so that when you get so many points you get food or clothes from these places on the points that you’ve earned.”

Restaurants like Jamba Juice and Chick-Fil-A offer promotions like free or discounted food. An increasing amount of companies develop deals with Pocket Points, like the clothing brand Lulus, who offers 20 percent off dresses, or Lyft, who offers a free ride with an accumulation of points.

Other schools in the district utilize the app, such as Encina, and Mira Loma is looking at it, too.

The decision is up to teachers at this point, and there are opinions supporting both sides. Lucky for students, it’s not an all or nothing situation, and some teachers may choose participate while others opt out.

ON THE JOB Matthew Taylor is a sophomore who works as a gymnastics coach at the gym Fliptastic.

Q: What do you do at work?

A: I work with children and improve their balance, strength, and coordination of their body through gymnastics and conditioning. I also have a blast working with kids and love going to my job.

Q: What are the pros and cons of your job?

A: The pros are I get to make money while doing something that I love, I build friendships with my students and my coworkers, and I get to see how excited my kids are when they learn new skills or tricks.

A: How much do you make?

Q: Depending on how many how many hours I work, since it varies, I normally make 120 to 150 dollars every two weeks.

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The Mirada |NEWS| Friday, April 5, 2019

College CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 derprivileged kids when tax filings from the foundation showed otherwise. Singer sent 337,000 dollars that were supposedly charitable donations to the same address as his own foundation.

Not only did Singer acquire large sums of money, but the prestigious universities were paid, too. USC athletics alone received approximately 550,000 dollars from Singer’s organization.

The scandal raised questions about college admissions, including who students can trust for reliable advice or why the desire to go to a prestigious college so overwhelming.

Greene’s outlook on the topic explained the motivation for such crime. Like many individuals, she began to wonder if college competition has gone to far.

“There’s a lot of pressure with

Robotics CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

people on events or new information regarding the team and student activities relating to the class.

The teacher: Matt Cole is in charge of selecting students to be put into these groups based on skills they have shown throughout the class based on the first semester.

The class focuses on learning how to code, weld and solder in the first semester. In the second semester the students focus on collaborating and working on the robot for the six week “build season”.

On March 27th through the 31st, the team traveled to Nampa, Idaho for another competition.

the name of a college,” said Greene.

“Just like a name brand, students want to show like ‘Hey I got into this school,’ but at the end of the day it’s where are you going to be comfortable at, and if you even like that school that you’re going to.”

Not only was the scandal concerning news for counselors, but it made students disappointed as well. Sophomore Emma Hutchinson felt upset with the reality of the situation.

“I think that some people paying to get their kids into college is completely unfair to the students who work hard their entire school career to study what they love while others simply pay their way in,” said Hutchinson.

This year, many top universities experienced a large drop in acceptance rates due the mistrust in the process, yet the competition for admission continues to rise. With the increasing stress of attending a top college, some tried to take unfair advantages for a spot.

Most colleges don’t verify extracurricular activities or the information in applications, making lying

easier than it may seem. In recent years, many colleges pride themselves upon “holistic evaluations” where grades and standardized test scores aren’t the deciding factor in an application.

This makes verifying an application difficult by trying to fact check everything the applicant included.

Bribing a school for admission can be hard to catch because verifying extracurriculars is nearly impossible.

Several admissions deans were interviewed during the cheating scandal and admitted that application fraud is hard to find mainly because the application process is based off of trust.

The increasingly competitiveness of college can make applying stressful and a feeling that attending a top school is necessary to succeed.

“Just be real with yourself. If you apply to one of those prestigious schools that you don’t get into and you still want to go there, it’s okay to start at a community college and transfer over. There’s thousands and thousands of colleges,” said Jensen.

They had six matches, getting put in fifth place after the third match.

After the sixth they fell into 14th place hoping to be picked to be in an alliance to play in the finals.

They soon got picked by the number eighth alliance and had to compete against the number one team.

After two rounds the team was no able to move on.

Although they lost the competition, they were all proud of themselves and how far they already came this season.

This year on March 20 through the 23, the Robotics team went to the Sacramento Regionals at UC Davis.

“Our last competition in Davis, our robot functioned in every match and we stayed in the top 10 ranked teams until the final round” said senior Shane Becker.

Their robot placed 16th out of 55 teams.

They had four rounds of the robots picking up and placing balls in cargo ship. Bumblebee the robot was ranked third out of teams for fastest scoring times.

Although in the final match their robot was not able to compete against the other two teams and win.

Even without the budget of other larger teams and a significantly worse drivetrain, drivers were able to complete nearly every task above average.

In this year alone, the robotics team has raised around $10,000 in sponsors that include “Aerojet,” “Apple Inc.,” “Gala” and “Intel.”

The class has also traveled to many local elementary schools to show students and teachers what the program is all about.

Elementary kids get to watch a quick video constructed by students in ro-

“Now colleges can own up to that and the class of 2020 can have a better chance of getting into top tier colleges because they’ll pay attention and look for certain aspects and not base admission off of wealth.”

-Tatum White (11) “You should have your kid vouch for themselves and do everything by themselves and make sure that they have the talent to actually get into a

good college.

-John Evrigenis (10)

botics, and see how the robot is made.

They then get to watch a short clip displaying how the competition game works.

The FIRST Robotics Competition changes the rules of the games each year. Each team has six weeks to create and build their robot for the competitions and to eventually move onto World Finals.

The finals are hosted in Houston, Texas.

The robotics class is a great and exciting class where you can learn many different types of skills.

It teaches metal and computer work, while also teaching life skills.

This includes teamwork, communication and even cooperation with others around you.

Peruvian spends semester in U.S. Kaitlyn Shellooe Mirada Staff Starting a new school can be tough, but starting new school in a different country is tougher. Senior Sofia Bernales came to the United States for the first time in January from Lima, Peru to live with her cousin and to experience another country.

“I never knew my dad’s side of the family and they all live here, so I wanted to come and meet everyone,” said Bernales. “I also wanted to improve my English.”

At first speaking English all the time was complicated, but since she has gotten here it’s improved drastically.

“At first it was difficult because it seemed like everyone was talking so fast and the slang was different,” said Bernales. “Now, I get stuck sometimes on the translation, since now I know more words in English.”

At home, she never spoke English unless it was in her English class.

In Peru, they have 10 periods a day where the students stay in one classroom the entire time while the teachers rotate in each period. Since the age of three, she has been in the same building for school. The transition to America was scary for her to come to a new and bigger environment.

“I was scared at first because I’ve never been to a different school, so I was worried about making

Sofia Bernales travels all over Peru. On a class trip she enjoyed a scenic jungle view in Tambopata, Madre De Dios. Photo provided by Sofia Bernales. new friends,” said Bernales. “Having a cousin made things easier, since people knew him and it was nice to be introduced to people.”

The transition between the two different countries was tough. “I use to be able to walk to school, since I lived so close, and I didn’t have

to get up as early,” said Bernales.

The requirements for graduation are different as well. “Health and credit recovery are probably my favorite classes, because we don’t have them in Peru,” said Bernales. “You use a lot of technology here, we don’t in Peru unless it’s

for computer science, but using technology has been very helpful.”

They don’t use tools like powerpoint or word as much, so Bernales is excited to learn this new skill.

Not only is school different, but socially it was a different adjustment.

“Back home we never had to ask for rides because everything was walking distance or we took a bus,” said Bernales. “Here, I feel like I don’t have much control as I did back home since I have to figure out a ride.”

Bernales likes to travel and got to wonder around Peru with her friends. She plans on going different places a lot more when she’s older. “I want to go to Brooklyn and go to the famous museums,” said Bernales.

Bernales has enjoyed experiencing the things she loves. “There’s a lot of nature here,” said Bernales.

“Back home there wasn’t a lot of trees or nature, unless you were in a certain part of Peru, you rarely saw it in the city where I lived.”

Plants have been an important part of her life, and has a garden back home. She is in the process of making a garden at her cousin’s house.

Bernales plans to leave early April, but may come back a few weeks later. “It was cool to be the tourist in a different city,” said Bernales. “Lima is the main city in Peru, so usually I’m not the tourist so it was a cool change.”

Rebecca Smith Commentary

The real college scandal

N

ow that the upper one percent’s college admission scandal has become old news, a bigger scandal in California is surfacing: although tax payer’s dollars fund public universities, the number of California residents attending these colleges is steadily decreasing.

To maximize tuition fees, out-of-state students and international students are taking the place of in-state students. Although these public universities are paid for by resident’s tax dollars, students are forced to relocate and pay the drastically more expensive out-of-state fee.

Universities publicize their average student profile to show students what it takes to attend a specific university, but even when students exceed these numbers and fill their time with extracurriculars, they are still being rejected.

It is well known that the UC system boasts some of the best universities in the world, but they are still public schools.

University of Washington is a prime example of a public school that is known for accepting a majority of Washington students. UCLA and UC Berkeley compete for the best public school in the world, so to expect that someone would get in just because of their residency doesn’t make sense, but it’s clear that there’s a problem when a qualified student is getting overlooked and rejected because their tuition is significantly lower.

Admission should never be guaranteed, but when comparing two equal students, the favor should go to the student from that specific state.

California students shouldn’t feel the need to spend hundreds of dollars applying to public universities up and down the state just for the slight chance that they’ll be accepted. The higher out-of-state fee should start with the application. If the application fee for an in-state student is $65, then the out-ofstate should be $80. This would increase funding to that school and encourage more in-state students to apply.

San Diego State made around $2 million on applicants that were rejected this year.

The number of California students applying to a UC has increased, but the percent admitted hasn’t kept up. According to the San Jose Mercury, in 2018, UCLA admitted 12 percent of California applicants, UC Berkeley admitted 17 percent and UC Davis admitted just over a third.

Now, more graduates than ever before are picking up and moving out, families following behind. California is losing smart students and taxpayers.

At the rate this college scandal is growing, California students are going to have to hop on a plane and watch the state border disappear behind them in their pursuit of higher education.

The Mirada |NEWS| Friday, April 5, 2019

page 4 TRANSPORTATION

Jump Bike tops Uber in Sac Audrey Snider Jane Snider Mirada Staff Sacramento is the first of 16 Uber cities where both car and bike services are available but bikes are more popular. The new scooter program is an alternative transportation methods are hoping to reduce carbon emissions.

With Jump bikes being introduced last spring, the bikes have generated an average of 6,500 rides daily. According to a study done by the Sacramento Bee, 53 percent of Sacramentans have rented Jump bikes over taking an Uber ride.

Uber initially bought the Jump bike brand in hopes to decrease urban congestion and when the company did so well, they were surprised.

This alternative option has the potential to reduce Sacramento commute traffic.

“I think it is better to Jump bike to work not only have control of your commute but to decrease traffic congestion,” said senior Rileigh Buzzard.

Sacramento is taking a step in the

Junior Ben Glasgow rides a Jump Bike around Downtown Sacramento with his friends. Photo by Jane Snider.

direction of being more efficient in traveling. The CEO of Uber, Dara Khosrowshahi, said that Sacramento presents an example of safer and

smarter ways to get from one point to another.

Many factors contribute to the reason why the capital city is so pop-

ulated with these e-scooters.

“Downtown a lot of things are closer together and there are many places that are bicycle accessible in the city. The city is pretty flat and not very hilly so it’s easier to get around on a bike,” said junior Sophia Vryonis.

Although the city acknowledges that bikes help reduce carbon emissions, the city plans to propose a fee on each ride of Jump bikes that will go towards implementing more docking stations for the bikes. These stations will help prevent walkways from being crowded with parked bikes.

“I think that the fee would help clean up the sidewalks of the bikes and it would create a more balanced dynamic between walkers and bikers,” said junior Noah Vanderkar.

The Jump bike brand does have some cons being that it is more difficult to find an open bike especially when you have to locate it and then walk to find it. Although Jump is more popular, Buzzard says that unlike Uber, using the Jump app is harder than using the Uber app.

“The Jump app is more difficult to use because you have to locate

where the bikes are and walk to them rather than like Uber, the ride comes to you,” Buzzard said.

The bikes cost $1 for the first 15 minutes of the ride and then 7 cents for every minutes after that.

That comes out to about $4 every hour which is a reasonable amount for an hours worth of transportation.

A downside to the bikes is that you must be 18 years or older to rent them.

Uber has been working to upgrade the Jump bikes with new features to make them even more successful. A phone mount was added so riders can use their phone GPS while riding around town. The brand has also increased the efficiency of the bike lock to a light cable lock which is rolled up on the bike.

The newest addition to the brand are these electric scooters which were introduced in February. These scooters are stand-up scooters with hand brakes but are not allowed on sidewalks.

Summer is coming up so it could mean that Uber’s Jump bikes will take over Sacramento. These red bikes will be filling the streets soon.

TEACHER OF THE ISSUE

Dave White: ballet dancer to English teacher Isa Searle Lydia Ellis Mirada Staff The lights have just gone down and the curtains are closing. You leave the stage and hop on the bus to drive to your next location on tour. It all sounds like a dream, but this was English teacher Dave White’s reality for 15 years.

It all happened by chance. When White was going into college, he had an open slot for a class and dance just happened to fit the category he needed.

“I thought ‘Well, I need a one unit class so why not?’ so I tried it and I did pretty well,” said White.

He instantly had a liking for dance due to the many different aspects that go into making ballet what it is.

“It’s a unique endeavor in that it’s a sport and an art wrapped up into one,” White said, “I always found it was a unique combination of physical strain, like breathing heavy and trying to keep your muscles working, and yet you’re in this artistic mode at the same exact time.”

A big part of being a successful ballet dancer for him was going on tour. It was an amazing experience and allowed him to see so much of the United States.

‘The touring is a lot of fun,” said White, “I probably got to go to around 20 different states and they treat you like a prince. You’d get limo rides and they’d put you in apartments or pay for your plane ticket.”

White poses for his resume photo which he used to apply for different ballets. Photo provided by White.

Another huge plus for him was to dance forever. He had to leave it how it whipped his body into shape. in his thirties because he wanted to Dancing tirelessly for hours on end go a different direction with his life. every day gave him lots of strength “I quit just because I was getting and endurance. older and I wasn’t gonna be a super Unfortunately, White wasn’t able star,” White said,” I was 34 and I

White dances during a college performance in Chico. Photo provided by White. wanted a decent job and a wife and a “Lately in the last ten years, kids family. I was worried about injuries will start to mob together and lose and you don’t have insurance for control,” said White. “Sometimes that, so I just kind of let it go.” it’s my fault because there’s a lousy After White left his dancing ca- lesson plan and they’ll start to gang reer behind him, he moved on to up on you but it can get pretty loneteaching. Teaching keeps his daily ly sometimes when your lesson goes life interesting and exciting. off the tracks.”

“It’s different every year and He’s been teaching ever since and pretty much every day,” said White. still loves it every day. But there’s no “Every Fall when we start, it’s a new doubt that his dancing years were a group of kids and you’re a little bit dream and probably hold many of older, a little bit more distant. It’s his greatest memories. just fresh” There’s no doubt that his dancing Although teaching is refreshing years were a dream and probably for him, students don’t always make hold many of his greatest memories. his job easy. Students tend to start ganging up on teachers.

Recycle your Mirada

The Mirada |NEWS| Friday, April 5, 2019

page 5

MEDIA

Influencers setting trends on campus Annalee Gorman Mirada Staff The internet has become the latest job in recent years with a growing number of social media influencers. They can be anyone—bloggers, YouTubers, fitness gurus or celebrities—but their main purpose is to engage their following and use their credibility to promote products.

Social media has become a powerful tool for marketing, with seemingly limitless ways to do it. According to Jelle Fastenau the consumer psychology writer for Crobox, paying social media influencers is an effective way to make revenue.

For every dollar spent on influencer marketing, marketers make $7.65. This turns social media into an idea marketing platform by allowing markets to save money on advertisement.

Using influencers or product ambassadors in the past year has become increasingly popular through platforms like Instagram. A consumer market infographic by Elizabeth Del Giudice and Jessica Bevilacqua of St. Joseph Communications outlines the importance of promoting products through Instagram.

94 percent of marketers who use this technique find it effective and can generate over 11 times more revenue than traditional marketing techniques.

Now, companies are seeking to invest in people to advertise their products and the rising industry of this job becomes apparent. More business are seeking social media influencers in hopes of expanding the industry growth to 20 billion dollars by 2020. Social media influencers are the new marketers.

If a “macro influencer” like a celebrity with more than 10 thousand followers were to have a 2.5 percent like rate, they can expect to make at least 250,000 per post. Conversely, someone with 1,000 to 10,000 followers (“micro influencer”) with a like rate of eight percent can earn a minimum of 180 dollars per post according to Social Media Today.

Primarily Instagram is used where

Andrew Nelson, Ashlyn Gardner, Emily Segale, Chase Iseley, Jonathan Feld, and Alex Nguyen all wear matching 4AM sweatshirts at school. Photo provided by Gardner.

99 percent of social media influencers an ambassador for something they spend their time promoting product really enjoy. to the 77.6 million people who own It even allows students to prothe app. mote colleges by posting about their The rise of influencers can be experiences and tagging them in credited to the average person. Al- posts. Colleges like UC Berkeley though celebrities earn the most per use influencers to help raise money post, non celebrities make up most or raise awareness about upcoming of the market. Charisma, passion and projects and reach out to potential expertise draw more followers and candidates. consumers to learn about and buy the Most colleges have Instagram acproduct. Essentially, social media in- counts showing that influencing isn’t fluencers act as external salesman to just a job for people promoting their further inform others about a special favorite products. It’s widely used to product. have colleges influence the interestBecoming a social media influ- ed applicant. Social media is changencer has become easier than ever. ing the way people market products, Powered by IBM Watson, some themselves, or ideas. companies are able to match people The growth of high school stuup with product depending on their dents in marketing can be attributpersonality. ed to their want to add relevancy Tim Podgaetskiy and Val KhFortune 1000 brands are able to the product they use. It allows a ramtsov showcase their merchanto connect and with influencers by generation that uses social media in- dise. Photo provided by Podgaetsanalyzing demographics, contextual stinctively to create a career for their kiy. and psychographic information to generation.

YouTube and the website I’m putting identify traits the person has with the Junior Lina Pawlak is an aspiring together.” specific product the company wants influencer with her own fashion line.

More companies reach out to mito sell.

“I felt like creating clothes and cro influencers as they are easily apBeing an influencer is now rec- putting together good photos to do proachable and in some cases, more ognized when applying to college. something with my time,” said Paw- knowledgeable about the product According to the National Associa- lak. “I want to eventually send my because of their passion about the tion of College Admission Counsel- clothes to higher influencers that product and not the money. ing, colleges encourage charismatic have similar styles so they could Influencing is now the fourth teens who are passionate about being possibly promote them to Instagram,

most popular job among generation Z as most teens vlog, or have Instagram; influencing is the new normal.

Teenagers are creating their own brands through social media influencing and expressing themselves and their ideas.

Another teen startup at Rio created by senior Tim Podgaetskiy called “Flymingo” uses entrepreneurship to provide insight about their brand and the impact of influencing.

“We use social media platforms to lead by example and show people exactly what we are doing with our brand,” said Podgaetskiy.

Podgaestskiy considers himself an influencer, showing people how his brand inspires others through its posts. He believes inspiring will encourage his followers to pursue their interests as he did.

To many, influencing is not about the money, or the followers, but it’s about passion. It allows groups to come together and draw inspiration from clothing and following risk takers.

Many have taken advantage of the growth of social media influencers, and created businesses to pursue their passion, and turn dreams into reality.

Endorsed by the 49ers defensive tackle Arik Armstead, a group of four boys (Andrew Nelson, Alex Nguyen, Adrian Gallena, Amadi Okugo and Mitchell Dixon) created 4AM and gained traction for their clothing brand.

“Basically we were just messing around printing this logo we designed with the help of Feezy,” said junior Amadi Okugo. “We decided amongst each other to start a clothing brand.”

With the help of their Instagram account (@4amtakeover) people are able to witness their enthusiasm about creating a business. To 4AM, influencing means gaining support and motivating people to achieve their goals.

“We hope that we can inspire groups of friends to come together and take on challenges together rather than being a sole individual versus the world,” said Okugo.

VACCINES

National vaccination debate spreads across states Annalee Gorman Mirada Staff According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), since 2001, the number of children in the U.S who haven’t received vaccinations has quadrupled. A recent trend in opting out of vaccinations has spurred controversy over the effectiveness of immunization.

This upswing created communities of those who are more susceptible to sickness and revived diseases eliminated by vaccinations.

The immunizations protect against 14 deadly diseases, and the rise of unvaccinated kids has led to the spread of diseases like measles and whooping cough.

From January to March of this year, 387 cases of measles have been reported over 15 states, breaking the record of total cases reported in the past year. The CDC warns against opting out of immunizations, explaining that measles will infect 90 percent of unimmunized people who breathe in the virus.

“I think everyone should have

their own say in whether they want to be vaccinated,” said sophomore Lucy Prieto. “They know that they are protected even if other people who don’t get vaccinated are sick.”

Several states allow parents to opt out of vaccinations for religious or philosophical beliefs, safety concerns, or a lack of information from a doctor. This change in state legislation resulted in a two percent increase in unvaccinated children.

“Vaccine hesitancy” has become more prevalent in society today and allows parents to make their decisions about health.

A study conducted by Chephra McKee and Kristin Bohannon of the Texas Tech University School of Health and Pharmacy showed that 77 percent of hesitant parents reported having concerns about the types of vaccinations.

Their research showed that some parents believe it’s beneficial to contract certain diseases and use natural immunity as a prevention method.

Others believe that inserting chemicals to fight diseases causes defects or they feel that the diseases which vaccinations prevent are

unnecessary.

Through social media and acquaintances, information becomes less accurate, and making an informed decision can be overwhelming. Making an educated decision can make discerning between the information easier and address safety concerns.

Rumors of the harmful nature of vaccinations have not been scientifically proven yet. One common myth is that vaccines cause autism.

Andrew Wakefield, a British surgeon published in a prestigious medical journal, “The Lancet” claimed that autism can be a result from vaccines.

However, his study was debunked by numerous studies, his entry was removed from “The Lancet,” and Wakefield lost his medical license.

The rising fear of vaccines creates a health risk for all. The American Journal of Epidemiology explains that many unvaccinated people tend to live in the same areas. This results in a community of people unprotected against disease.

If polio or another illness were to infect an unvaccinated person living

in an unvaccinated community, the disease can potentially to spread to nearly everyone living there.

The decline of deadly diseases or highly contagious ones like whooping cough can be attributed to vaccinations according to the CDC. A vaccine works as a practice test for antibodies, preparing the body to produce the correct cells to fight of illness.

By producing correct antibodies, the body can fight off disease without any knowledge of it being there, and not causing an infection upon injection.

The inactivated virus allows the body to quickly reproduce the antibodies from memory and boost the immune system cells.

However, the vaccine does not act instantly. It can take days for the body to produce the correct antibodies needed to fight sickness.

Research by the World Health Organization shows that receiving the vaccine allows for a 98 percent effectiveness rating.

Recently, teens have been looking for ways to get themselves vaccinated if their parents opted

them out in previous years. An unvaccinated 18 year-old kid was kicked off of Reddit for creating a thread asking about how to get immunized without consent from a parent or guardian.

Amid breakouts of deadly disease, many are utilizing social media as an information source and are questioning their anti-vax parent’s decisions. The vaccination fear has taken over the internet, and created an awareness movement about the importance of health.

At the age of 16, teens can make confidential appointments with their doctors, but until they are adults, medical decisions cannot be made without a parent or guardian present.

As a result, anti-vaxxer children are fact checking their parents to ensure that the decision is educated and not based off of incorrect studies.

“I think having an open conversation with parents is important,” said junior Emily Hegland. “If the kids go behind their back to get vaccinated, they are entitled to make their own choice and challenge their parents reasoning.”

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The Mirada|Friday, April 5, 2019

Opinion

The First Amendment: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

How can you tell when kids have not been vaccinated?

THE MIRADA

Cartoon by Sofia Bernales

The Student’s Voice Editors-in-chief Kaitlyn Shellooe Rebecca Smith

Oh! They’re easy to spot.

Web Editor Jared Moisey News Editors Alex Lydon Emma Phoenix Opinion Editors Emily Borg Synia Thrower Features Editors Athena Acevedo Katie Newton Jessica Sheppard Sports Editors Mickey Doolittle Luke Richards Distractions Annalee Gorman Photo Editor Jane Snider Staff Malek Amaya-Safi Sam Bacceli Alyssa Christopher Lydia Ellis Eamon Lopez Martin Michael Mehrdadi Isabella Searle Audrey Snider Adviser Michael Mahoney Published monthly during the school year by students in Rio Americano’s newspaper class, the Mirada is the independent voice of the students and the campus.

The Mirada welcomes story ideas, comics, letters to the editor and opinion pieces from all members of the school community. Submit articles to the box in A3 or the main office.

Contact the business manager for information on advertising, but we reserve the right to refuse any ad.

Contact us: email: theriomirada@gmail.com Twitter: @riomirada2019 Online: riomirada.com Mail: Rio Americano High School 4540 American River Drive Sacramento, CA 95864

OUR VOICE

YOUR VOICE

Parents opt-out of child vaccinations V accines are an important necessity to life, but also they are in fact the topic of much debate.

Controversy has followed vaccinations since they were first put out into the public.

Getting vaccinated is one of the many privileges obtainable in the United States.

Due to many important medical advances, vaccinations can protect people from more diseases than ever.

Vaccinations inject a deadly virus into a person’s body so that when a living virus comes, the body knows how to fight it off.

Safe and effective vaccines have limited the types of diseases that could kill or harm people, especially children. At its peak in the 1940s and 1950s, polio would paralyze or kill over half a million people worldwide.This is no longer the case because of the vaccine, polio has been eliminated in the US for more than 30 years.

Scientists go through 10 to 15 years of research and tests before the vaccine is available to the general public.

Although after getting a vaccine the spot of the injection may be sore or red, the vaccine still does its job. Nevertheless, there has been a major recent debate on whether or not to vaccinate your children.

to even attend school to make sure there are no outbreaks of any diseases spread by childrens’ weak immune systems.

If families strongly disagree with vaccinating their children they have to sign a form stating that, but this only pertains to public schools.

If students are not vaccinated, they have a higher chance of getting a disease than a person that has been vaccinated for the disease.

There are many reasons people may not want to vaccinate their children, but quite honestly they should. By not vaccinating a child they are exposing the child to diseases and could be putting other children in danger of contracting diseases as well.

If people want their children to be able to go to school with hundreds of other children they need to be vaccinated. It is not fair to the other children who want to be safe from diseases--especially those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.

The only viable exception from getting vaccinated is a religious reason, but other wise people should be required to get vaccinated.

Vaccines are easy to access and people who don’t have health care or funds to pay can oftentimes be given aid to keep themselves safe from disease for free.

“I do think that vaccinations should be required because science doesn’t lie, and nor do the results. Doctors are being paid to do research so we won’t get caught with these diseases.”

“I think for certain things you should have to, especially for smallpoxs and chickenpoxs, but for things like flu shots it is not very detrimental to us.”

Schools require certain vaccinations to be able

250 WORDS

Senior showcase part two Suzanne Cook Guest Writer It takes a village to put on an event such as the Senior Showcase.

Everyone must do their part and respect the time and effort of the volunteers who are willing to donate 100 plus hours of their personal time putting it together.

Yes, 100 plus hours are what each of these three parents put in to make last year’s event a success. They raised $25,000 last year. This is in addition to their full-time jobs and

family responsibilities.

In the high school years parent volunteers are in short supply.

At Rio lately, those limited resources have been spread thin due to focusing on their own student’s program (i.e. band, civitas, RAAB, etc.) with their time.

Last year the PTSA had a hard time slating the executive board for this year. We started the school year short a Secretary and VP of Fundraising.

My daughter (Class of 16’) sat in as Secretary until Freshman parent Kaylee Allen signed on. We are still

short a VP of Fundraising.

Thanks to Kelli Wheeler, the PTSA has created One Rio to bring each of these separate groups together as one community.

To say we didn’t do enough is frustrating and exhausting. There was a total of 9 remind messages sent to 71 students, including one on December 9th stating “only received 13 applications.

We need 45 for this event to happen. Forms and money are due by Dec. 20 with a link to download the forms, which had been sent at least two times prior.

Seniors are either 18 or approaching it. This is the legal age of adulthood.

It’s a time to begin assuming responsibility for oneself in preparation for college or independent living, and to accept the consequences of not making time for such responsibilities.

The Mirada | OPINION| Friday, April 5, 2019

page 7

College scandals shock nation Every

vote counts

Allison Weichert Guest Writer Most colleges are tough to get into. As a current senior I know this firsthand. All through high school I have spent many long nights studying and working hard to get into my dream college. Most students who dream of attending a top school work hard, and unfortunately that work doesn’t always pay off with acceptance. That might in part be because of Lori Loughlin and many other wealthy, famous parents. These parents have allowed their children to not work hard, but to work around the system. They have found the shortcut of paying large sums of money to college admission consultant, Rick Singer, to get their children accepted to elite colleges.

In other words these parents bribed college admission officers and coaches to accept their children.

Loughlin and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, paid $500,000 to get their two daughters into USC. In the aftermath of these discoveries, Loughlin was dropped from “Fuller House,” and the Hallmark Channel where she appeared in many popular movies and television shows. Her daughter, Olivia Jade, is a social media influencer and she has lost many of her brand deals of products she uses as well.

With further investigation, a litany of names start to form with similar scandals. This may account for part of the reason it is difficult for medium income or lower income teenagers to be accepted into college, all of the slots are being filled with teenagers who parents bribe the colleges.

As outrageous as this is, it should not be a major shock. The wealthy in our country have always been more likely to succeed even when they lack merit. There are many more opportunities for rich people to be able to be accepted

Emily Borg Mirada Staff

A

Cartoon by Emily Borg into college legally than for lower income people. Parents can legally pay for more SAT prep classes to ensure higher scores, they can afford college counselors to read (or write) their child’s college essays, they can hire tutors to ensure their children have straight A’s, and more. These parents can legally buy better chances to get their children to be accepted, which others cannot afford. The line is so thin between legal and illegal actions in this case that these people crossed the line easily by bribing admissions to get their children into ivy league colleges.

This scandal enrages me on multiple levels. It revealed to me

once again the unfair split and advantages that wealthy people have in America in all aspects of society. This scandal also enrages me because these people fill slots in colleges that others who have worked harder for can not achieve.

As for a punishment, a jail sentence might help send the message that our society does not condone cheating.

However, in my opinion, this serious scandal represents a much broader problem that must be addressed: the massive and unfair split between wealthy income people and low or middle income people. People are living in mansions with butlers and writing

checks to bribe college admission consultants at the same time that people are living in the dirt on the street with no home, no food, and no hope for higher education.

Until this problem is fixed and we start to distribute the wealth a bit more fairly through charity, these scandals are going to continue to happen.

Homework: helpful or harmful?

Katie Newton Mirada Staff

I

t’s 12:45 p.m. and your phone lights up with a facetime call from your friend.

As you crawl across bed, crumpling some abandoned APUSH flashcards and answer, your friend greets you asking how to do the math homework. Sound familiar?

Most students struggle with the overwhelming amounts of homework each day; homework must be limited.

Less homework could mean no more sacrificing social lives for grades or starting off the week with a mental breakdown on a Sunday night.

The adjustment to the amount of homework must be made in moderation. Nobody thoroughly enjoys homework, but that’s not to say completely erasing it will benefit students either.

Students need to be prepared for college and life, but also need sleep, social lives and time to be teenagers.

Students often forget how fortunate they are to have an education.

Instead, teenagers find themselves complaining about homework.

The fact that school is a privilege is often lost in the shuffle between classes, practice and homework.

The overwhelming sums of homework create an unhealthy mindset and atmosphere among students. It is not uncommon to walk down the hallways hearing kids say they would rather die than show up to school for another opportunity to be assigned more homework.

This attitude is not only negative, but could become dangerous to student’s mental health. If decreasing the amount of homework is all it takes to remove stress from school and improve the moral of students, it is worth it.

Though showing up to school creates stress from the myriad of assignments, missing school is almost worst. Being sick for just a few days can leave students with so many make-up assignments that some would prefer to just tolerate their symptoms through a day at school.

The student attending school sick suffers, but furthermore it puts other students and staff in jeopardy of catching the sickness as well.

Aside from health, students do not benefit from their assignments when they are rushed due to hours of homework. Using Slader, or looking up answers in the back of the book, has become a lamentable excuse for alleviating some of the anxiety produced by homework.

There are ways to succeed and retain information without spending every spare moment doing homework. The pressure to

“Homework should be assigned in moderation.” accomplish more has crippled the truth of this fact.

There are some benefits to homework, however, including how it teaches students valuable time management skills. Additionally, some homework improves test scores and understandings of concepts by providing extra practice with the material.

Homework should be assigned

in moderation, only for necessary practice and studying. Students should receive no more than 30 minutes per class because staying up past midnight for projects and tests is more harmful to a developing adolescent than less homework.

Some schools try to void this issue by starting school later so students can sleep in, but if they were given less homework they would not need to stay up late to begin with.

The alternative “don’t take as many hard classes” is not helpful, either. In order to get admitted into a UC or other competitive universities, an intense class-load is required.

Regulating the hours spent on homework would allow students to have social lives and extracurriculars, without the stress of what’s due the next day.

Balance is important, and this goes for academics also. Not one factor should be weighed down by excess amounts of homework.

Too much homework is certainly harmful, but a limited amount just might be the answer to providing stress-free, helpful practice for

classroom full of students were asked one question: if you had to pay to vote, would you?

Although poll tax is no longer a factor in today’s world, between 1889 and 1910 in order to cast a vote, people had to pay a poll tax.

This was put in place in many Southern states in attempt to eliminate certain groups of voters.

In today’s world it is a privilege to vote and if people can vote, they should. People do not hold a high enough value to be able to vote, and have their voice be heard.

Voting allows citizens to vote for their favored political party; but, it also allows them to see how important their citizenship is. In order to cast your vote that person must be a legal citizen of the United States.

Being able to vote is one of the most valuable rights to U.S. Citizens. Around 150 million Americans can vote but many give up their right to vote. Those people have no say on who the next leaders and representatives of the U.S. will be.

Voting allows citizens to have a say in what the government does.

They have the power to change the things they do not like. Citizens have the right to vote for a bill to lower taxes or vote for a person that says that they will lower taxes.

Voters from ages 18 to 24 who are voting in presidential elections has decreased from 50 to 39 percent. In the non-presidential election in 2014 was only 16 percent, which was much lower than the 2016 presidential election of 39 percent.

Although, in the 2016 election 53 percent of young women were reported registering to vote while only 42 percent actually voted.

Many people do not see the reason why they should vote because my one vote won’t matter. If every voter thought that, nobody would vote; every vote counts. President John F. Kennedy won the presidential election against Richard Nixon in 1960 by one vote. This goes to show how important each individual’s vote is.

Issues on today’s ballots relate to concerns that students may have about college and how it will affect their future. If the students that can vote, do not, other generations will make those decisions for them.

Young voters take up almost half of the voting population and they have the potential to change/influence this country.

While this is true older voters are still more likely to vote. Although older voters have more experience and understand more about politics, their voices should not overpower the voices of the younger generations.

People might also not vote because they are not educated about politics. In today’s world technology makes it easy for people to become educated on possible new leaders and/or possible news laws.

Citizens that have the power to vote should use it and make a difference in how their country works.

Every vote counts.

page 8

The Mirada | FEATURES| Friday, April 5, 2019

Jump bikes in downtown Sac Sacramento has adopted a new mode of transportation: Jump Bikes. Instead of Uber or Lyft or walking endless blocks, Jump Bikes are a cheaper way to explore downtown. For $1, you can spend 15 minutes riding around. Each addition minute costs $0.07 for a total of $4 just reserve the bike through an app on your phone, similar to Lyft, Uber or Zipcar. Once you start pedaling, your speed is boosted by a 250-watt electric motor up to 15 mph, a speed imposed by the city. There are places pick up and drop off the bike all over the area and they’re posted on a map on the app. For more information see the Jump Bike article on page 4.

Spring on a b

Muesums and tours

Sacramento is full of history, especially in Old Sacramento. Grab lunch and listen to live music on the street corners, buy candy in the colorful candy shop or enjoy the view of the famous Tower Bridge and the beautiful river.

Tour underground Old Sacramento and see how streets and buildings were “jacked up” to avoid flooding. See hollow sidewalks, sloped alleyways and two underground spaces. The guided tour is an hour and a half and costs $12 for kids ages 12-17 and $18 for adults.

Revisit the best elementary school field trip by touring The California State Railroad Museum. It’s open everyday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and admission is only $12. Train rides are available at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and don’t need to be reserved; it’s a first come first serve basis.

Crocker art Museum

Crocker art museum offers tours everyday and features California art including some of Rio’s own portraits (see page 16 for more information). On the museum’s website there is a list of events they host. These include classes for both kids and adults, tours of special exhibits and self-guided audio tours.

Silver Orange/Holy Diver: Rio bands like Free Candy perform at locations like The Silver Orange and Holy Diver. The Silver Orange is a non-profit and Holy Diver is similar to Ace of Spades. The Silver Orange supports young, up-and-coming artists with concerts and Second Saturday art shows. These locations allow you to support local artists and offer new music at a low price.

The Mirada | FEATURES| Friday, April 5, 2019

g break budget

page 9

Bike Trail: The American River Parkway is right in Rio’s backyard and stretches 32 miles from Old Sacramento to Folsom if you’re looking for a workout.

Enjoy the blooming trees and flowers that appear in late April. For a less strenuous ride, the Sacramento River Parkway is just 9.3 miles. Whether you’re biking, jogging or just walking, the parkways offer a beautiful, scenic route of Sacramento.

Picnics As the weather gets warmer and the sun sets later, picnics are a great, cheap way to spend time with friends and enjoy the sunshine. Grab some cheese, crackers and fruit from the grocery store and head over to William B. Pond, but don’t forget bug spray and sunscreen!

For students who are staying in Sac for spring break, here are some inexpensive activites to recommend:

Thrifting Goodwill, Crossroads, True and Eco Thrift are perfect if you’re looking to buy the latest spring fashion on a budget. Crossroads is a consignment store, so the clothes are nicer brands which means a higher price than other traditional thrift stores, but still less expensive than off-the-rack. True is run by an organization called WEAVE (Women Escaping A Violent Environment) and the part of the proceeds from the store benefit this organization.

page 10

THE MIRADA|Friday, April 5, 2019

FEATURES

All That Jazz

For junior Sam Floores, music is more that just sounds Junior Sam Floores practices jazz guitar in his band class. Photo provided by Sam Floores.

Katie Newton Mirada Staff Every morning, Junior Sam Floores arrives at zero period to rehearse with his nationally ranked high school band. His accomplishments reflect his long lasting commitment to playing the jazz guitar.

“I started playing jazz guitar in 6th grade,” said Floores. “I wanted to be in jazz band at Arden, so I felt that the guitar was the best instrument and I ended up liking it a lot.”

His innate talent led him to be recognized through his advanced band classes where he participates in both AM Jazz Ensemble and Smamble, which showcase their skills around the globe.

Floores traveled to Savannah, Georgia with PM Jazz Ensemble, which he was in last year, and New York, Ireland and Monterey with AM Jazz Ensemble to participate in prestigious showcases for high school bands .

“I would’ve never been able to travel as much without music,” said Floores.

Their trips have not only been fun experiences to celebrate hard work, but also opportunities to meet some of the biggest names in jazz in the biggest hubs for professional musicians.

“Last year in New York City I got to sit in with a famous jazz band at a club called Jazz Standard,” said Floores.

He met a band named “Mingus Big Band,” a jazz ensemble that performs weekly at the club that

Floores had the opportunity to attend.

Meeting professional musicians inspires Floores and his peers to push their musical capabilities and expand their love for it.

Pat Metheny, jazz guitarist and composer, sparked interest in the jazz genre. “[Metheny] introduced me to jazz and I was inspired when I saw him play,” Floores said.

Following Metheny let Floores to become completely immersed in the jazz and the jazz fusion genre, allowing him to learn more about the music that interests him.

In music, students can emulate famous artists by playing their tunes, or even be influenced by them to create music of their own.

Not only does Floores enjoy jazz, but he appreciates other styles like

R&B, which focuses on musicality in some similar ways to jazz.

Floores’s love for music extends beyond the trips and professional artists that influence the industry.

For him, music balances mental health with school, band and life.

“It’s a stress reliever,” said Floores. “Whenever I get stressed I play songs.”

Having music as an outlet allows Floores to relax, have fun and simply enjoy the art of guitar.

The talented Rio band further fuels his passion for music, and gives him people to share his love for music with.

“At Rio, everyone takes it [band] seriously,” Floores said. “Music is the focus and at other schools it’s not as much of a priority.”

Guitar will follow Floores through college, as he hopes to

minor in Jazz Studies and Music.

He doesn’t plan on making a career out of it, but rather foster his love for the guitar by just staying in touch with the instrument.

The local band community, as well as music communities across the world, have given Sam Floores a reason to love music, and the guitar gives him a reason to be a part of it.

UPCOMING CONCERTS: Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival 5/8 - 5/12, New York Smamble Night 5/1, 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. PAC Spring Concert 5/3, 5 p.m. - 10 p.m. PAC

The Mirada | FEATURES| Friday, April 5, 2019

Finding ‘joy’ on the trail Sophomore to spend 30 days hiking near Yellow Stone Katie Newton Mirada Staff If she is not baking, reading or playing lacrosse, one might find sophomore Anna Swanson backpacking.

Backpacking is no easy task, with Swanson spending at least five days on the trails with nearly 30 pounds of gear on her back, but she loves it nevertheless.

“I started backpacking the summer after fourth grade, so I think I was like 10 on my first trip,” said Swanson. “The longest I’ve gone was 13 days. I did that this past summer in Yosemite and it was so much fun.”

A handful of local students participate in five day backpacking trips sponsored by InspireOut or other companies, but Swanson often takes backpacking to the next level.

This summer she will endure a 30 day backpacking trip in Wyoming, put on by the National Outdoor Leadership School, or NOLS. “I’m really excited because I signed up for a thirty day trip this summer,” said Swanson. “I actually miss the last day of school but that’s sort of great.”

The trip will take place along the Wind River trails, southeast of Yellowstone National Park.

“It’s supposed to be around 100 miles but I’m guessing more than that because my 13 day trip was 70 miles,” said Swanson.

The company NOLS offers a variety of courses around the globe, including Swanson’s journey in Wyoming. This month-long backpacking trip provides a great opportunity to get to know people from all over the

foods unforgettable, but many of the hikes leave backpackers with some of the greatest views the Earth has to offer. On one trip, Swanson hiked to the top of Cloud’s Rest in Yosemite.

“The view up there was amazing and some people say that it rivals the view from half dome on most days,” said Swanson.

At the top they saw a man who promised his group ice cream, so he walked up the mountain with a Yeti strapped to his back filled with mini containers of ice cream.

“We had just been discussing all the food we wanted to eat when we got home, because it was in the middle of our trip, and we were hungry,” said Swanson. “He felt bad for us… so we had ice cream on day 7 of a 13 day trip at the top of a mountain Sophomore Anna Swanson stopping to pose in front of a lake on a hike. which was awesome.”

The amazing people and challenge Photo by Katie Newton. backpacking provides has nurtured country. tical tasks. Swanson learns many Swanson’s love for the activity, and “For this trip I actually know no tactics out in the wild and improvi- excitement for her upcoming trip. one going on this trip so that will be sation is a natural occurrence, espeBackpacking is a reality check for interesting,” said Swanson. “Most cially when preparing food. beginners, but a passion for people of my trips I’ve actually gone with On Swanson’s trips they don’t like Swanson. She gains so much people that I’ve known for a while.” hunt for food, though she hunts too out of her experiences and hopes to Whether she knows people or not, and has a license. Instead, they bring continue to backpacking every sumSwanson gets excited for every trip, a lot of dehydrated items and things mer because of it. and knows there will be plenty of you just add boiling water to.

“I have gained my parents trust things to talk about no matter what.

“Usually we eat the heaviest thing through it,” said Swanson. “My From strangers to people she has first and the lightest thing last,” said mom has no problem with leaving known since birth, backpacking al- Swanson. me with all the necessary stuff and ways brings Swanson closer to her On a good day the hikers might knowing that I will do fine.” peers. have burritos, but since tortillas are The tremendous bonds and trust “It’s a really fun group when you heavy they usually eat this meal Swanson creates through backpackknow the people and you get along first. ing are just a few reasons why she with those people, said Swanson.

One especially bad experience enjoys the arduous task. More than All it takes are a few jokes, riddles was the backpacker’s Thanksgiving independence and practical skills and good friends or friendly strang- dinner. The meal included canned though, Anna Swanson gains a ers to pass time on the trails during chicken, freeze dried green beans, greater love for backpacking each the many hours of backpacking. mashed potatoes freeze dried mix time she hits the trails.

“The last trip I went on I only and gravy powder, all of which they “I’ve just a gained a joy for doing knew one person before the trip, added water to. it, and the people,” said Swanson. which makes it a bit more interest“This stuff was sort of disgusting “It’s just so much fun, I’ve learned ing, you get to meet a lot of people,” but we had it twice, I don’t know so much about myself and then also said Swanson. “Some of them drive why we did,” said Swanson. everything about life.” you a bit crazy but then also some of Eating on the trails is certainly them are super nice.” no luxury and there have been deliWhen not hiking or socializing, cious and atrocious meals. backpackers are occupied with pracNot only are some of the quirky

Medical internship sets up students’ futures Athena Acevedo Mirada Staff The senior-only Medical Assistant class started their daily internship last November at the Sacramento VA Medical Center, a small hospital located in Rancho Cordova that specializes in the care of former veterans.

The students of the class leave school after third period every day except for Tuesdays and intern for at least 12 hours a week to fulfill the program requirements on 360 hours in different departments of the hospital.

For example, senior Zainab Abbas is currently interning in the emergency room.

“Usually I work with the charge nurse, who supervises me for that day, because it changes every day” said Abbas. “Because we started the internship late, I usually work four or five hours a day.”

Abbas is a nurse’s assistant, who initially checks the patients in and sometimes perform medical procedures like EKGs. “I bring patients in from the wait-

Seniors Veronica Vyvoda and Zainab Abbas are medical assistants in training at the Sacramento VA Medical Center. Photos by Athena Acevedo. ing room and their vitals on the heart monitor and put the pressure cuff and gown on,” said Abbas. “I make sure everything is ready for the nurse and doctor to go in after.”

If there no new patients to help, Abbas helps the department is ready to help more people.

“I transport patients to other departments, mainly radiology for x-rays or CAT scans,” said Abbas. “I restock items in the department itself and sometimes go to the warehouse and get stuff that the nurses need.”

As well as learning hospital procedures, the students learn service and

communication skills.

“It has taught me how you are supposed to talk with patients and address their problems,” said Abbas. “ I have also learned how to project my voice more since many patients are hard of hearing.”

Hands-on experience is the best way to learn new skills and reveals to people if a job is the best fit for them.

“This internship will help me in the future since I plan to work in healthcare,” said Abbas. “Clinical experience is very valuable in figuring out if you’re cut out for becom-

ing a nurse or doctor.

Before their internship, the medical class set up the fundamentals of the position so that the students got the necessary training and certifications before they were able to participate.

“We learned about the procedures of medical assisting and how to do it properly, so we get the right results of it and the nurses and doctors can obtain the correct information about the patient,” said senior Veronica Vyvoda. “We learn about the laws and regulations and how that pertains to being a good medical assistant.”

Vyvoda believes that this class helped her out with career choices and gave her great opportunities to explore this line of work.

She recommends this class to those wanting to explore their opportunities in the field most interesting to them.

“I recommend the class to someone who is thinking about pursuing a career in the medical field, so they can see if they like the job and can continue their education if they choose so.”

page 11

Alex Lydon Commentary

Going green to make green While temperature extremes increase, hurricanes become stronger, and droughts become more and more common, concerned citizens see the effects of climate change catching up. Teens worldwide have noticed this shift in the environment and the need for reform which they’ve demonstrated marching the streets of their cities seeking change.

Sep 2014, former President Barack Obama spoke to the world at the United Nations headquarters addressing the issues of global warming and its effects on the world. “No one is immune,” says Obama to other leaders at the summit.

For many years climate change has taken a backseat to other issues such as national security, immigration, the economy and unemployment. As a nation we have set aside the issue of global warming for far too long.

As demonstrated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change greenhouse gasses have played a large part in increasing the global mean temperature from 1.8 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit. The IPCC has stated that if no changes were to be made “the net damage costs of climate change are likely to be significant and to increase over time.”

Although effects of climate change have already been seen across the globe, it isn’t too late to begin reform. Recently, efforts to curb the release of greenhouse gasses in the U.S. have been proposed through the Green New Deal.

New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who co-sponsored the bill attended a town hall in her hometown of the Bronx to address questions and concerns over the Green New Deal. The bill aims to address climate change and act as a stimulus program to decrease economic inequality.

If the United States steps forward in setting an example of environmental protection, other countries will follow. EU member states have also reduces CO2 emissions and promoted biofuels and renewable energy according to the European Environment Agency.

Action against climate change has begun, on our side as citizens we must continue to march, protest and bring more awareness to global warming. President Barack Obama’s words ring true, we have seen the effects of climate change and we must act so that we may leave our children with a better world than we were brought into.

page 12

THE MIRADA|Friday, April 5, 2019

REVIEWS VIDEO GAME REVIEW

2000-2019 Sims 4 instant sucess Sam Baccelli Staff writer The Sims has gone through several stages from Sims 1 all the way to Sims 4. The first of the games first of many versions was released in the early 2000 and instantly became a success. The most recent version of the game has been available for five years now.

Sims is a virtual reality game where you are able to create an avatar and control its life. Sims 4 had a rough start at the beginning of its creation with the removal of pools and toddlers from the game.

With the backlash of the creation of the latest game, EA released an update rectifying its errors. After that the sale begin the increased to the expected amount. Unlike The Sims 3, The Sims 4 got rid of many loading problems and glitches making it easier to play.

There are three parts of the game.

Create a sim mode, is where you create what your sims looks like and what they wear for all different situations. Live mode is the part of the game where you live out all of your wildest fantasies via your sim.

Build mode is where you can build your houses and the town that you live in.

The Sims has increased its graphics drastically from The Sims 3. The artistic style has completely changed from trying to be a realistic as possible to being a little more cartoonish. Personally I prefer the more cartoon style instead of

Audrey Snider Staff Writer

Rio student playing Sims 4. Photo by Jessica Sheppard the art style of the previous games.

The game is very user friendly.

The controls are easy to find and use. The understanding of the game and the intricacies is easy to comprehend.

The game has every aspect of game play that you could ever want. There are lots of different jobs and skill activities that you can fill your sims time with. You can do anything from owning a five star restaurant to being a CEO of a company.

You can chose an aspiration that your sim will spend its whole life working toward. With the fulfilling

of your sims goals you can earn points to buy things to make your sims life easier.

Your sims also have to do basic needs that they must fulfill like sleeping, eating, hygiene, blader, social, and fun. You must keep your sim needs full so that they stay alive, which is harder than it might sound.

There is also Mods and CC that you can add to your game. Mods allow for added gameplay that has not yet been put into the game by the creators. CC allows for new objects, clothing, makeup, hair, and many other things.

This aspect allows you to add things that you want to the game and interact with other players. It allows people to be creative and have fun doing something that they love.

Balancing all the aspects of your sims lifes is a fun challenge that will keep you on the edge. The is a little of something for everyone in this game. When you use your imagination, anything is possible in The Sims.

FOOD REVIEW

Worth having a piece of the Pizza Ezra Jaffe Guest Writer The fresh restaurant 19 Slices Pizza and Grill provides varied food choices, with pizza and hamburgers being their top selling point. Located at 4314 Marconi Ave and open Tuesday through Sunday this sit-down experience challenges neighboring fast food restaurants with reasonable priced food.

With the name of the restaurant emphasizing pizza, the immediate food selection would be their handcrafted pizzas. 19 Slices gives customers complete control over their pizzas. One can choose to craft their own or select a “19 Slices Signature Pizza”. For all pizzas, there are two sizes: 12 inch and 16 inch. The 12 inch cashes in at $9.99 while the 16 inch is $16.99.

The consumer crafted pizzas have a wide variety of sauces, cheeses, toppings, and finishes. The decision of what to add onto the pizza may seem daunting since everything added on is free.

The price of the pizza is the size selected with no extra charges.

The signature pizzas’ toppings are preselected so no difficult choices must be made.

The reasonable price may be attractive, but the true test comes

Thank You, Next shows off talent

Picture of the outside of 19 Slices pizza and it’s sign. photo by Ezra Jaffe from the pizza’s taste. The crisp crust and bread of their pizza is delicious and filling. The mozzarella cheese tastes like, well, how typical mozzarella tastes.

The part of the pizza that stands out from other establishments is the marinara sauce. The marinara carries a taste similar to spaghetti sauce, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing for some people.

This provides a different tasting pizza than traditional pizzerias.

Personally, the taste of the sauce was subpar. The liking of the pizza will all depend on if you like a spaghetti sauce tastes on their pizza.

The true gem of 19 Slices is their “100% Fresh Beef” hamburgers.

The burgers are priced affordably at $4.99 for a hamburger, $5.99 for a cheeseburger, and $7.99 for a bacon cheeseburger. Similar to the custom pizzas, all toppings are free excluding extra cheese and meat.

This allows the customer to create their ideal burger at a reasonable price. The burger itself is absolutely delicious. The beef patty is thick and flavorful. The buns have a wonderful crispness with every bite. The unlimited toppings only add to the scrumptious flavor of the meat.

These burgers melt in the mouth and are a delight to consume. It is often difficult to find a well-made, flavorsome burger at an affordable price. These burgers taste fresher

than fast food ones and are at relatively similar prices. With a $5 entry point, these burgers are a fantastic deal for one of the best burgers around.

The restaurant itself provides a wonderful experience for dining.

The relative feel of the inside is a retro diner. It’s small and compact while still feeling spacious. Even while being in a relatively small building, there was never any difficulty hearing others at the table.

The kitchen is placed far enough away to diffuse the noise of the grilling burgers. The employees are incredibly polite and friendly.

There are multiple televisions in the seating area, but they weren’t loud or distracting.

The overall experience inside wasn’t anything tremendously special, but there’s also nothing to complain about.

19 Slices Pizza and Grill is a brilliant new restaurant in Sacramento that’s definitely worth a visit. The pizzas have a unique taste at a great price while the burgers are an absolute steal with their tastiness.

Ariana Grande Thank You, Next album cover Ariana Grande made history in Feb. by being the first artist to claim the top three hits on Billboard since the Beatles. Along with those three hit songs, she has put out a full album filled with top chart worthy music.

The first song in the album is “Imagine” which could be one of my favorites on the album. I think this song really shows off her natural and raw talent than some of the other songs. “Imagine” is soulful and such a beautiful song.

“Needy” is probably my least favorite song in the album. It is very repetitive, not with the lyrics, but with the music behind her voice. It doesn’t really have a solid chorus to the song which is something I always like.

“Bloodline” has unique music to it with the trumpets playing in the background. The lyrics have a ‘girl power’ message behind them and I feel powerful and happy when this song comes on. All I can do when I hear this song is sing and smile.

This song sounds special when it first comes on. There is just something different and intriguing about it.

“Ghostin” has the softest and dreamiest sound to it with the lyrics just wrapping you up in a soft and safe state of mind. This is my new favorite song because of the heartbroken and sad words that make you stop and think about her lyrics.

One of the most popular songs in the album is, “7 Rings.” This song makes you feel like you can do whatever you want to do. The music video in which goes with the song is just that and much more. The pop star hyped up the song and video previously to releasing it and she sure didn’t let the fans down.

The first single to her album was released in Nov. and “Thank U, Next” really got fans excited for the rest of the hits to be put out. “Thank U, Next” is a song dedicated to every one of Grande’s ex-boyfriends and includes an iconic music video featuring tons of familiar celebrities.

This song is so entertaining and easy to sing along to.

“Break Up With Your Girlfriend, I’m Bored” skyrocketed to the top of the charts when Grande released the music video of it. The beat to the song is similar to the other upbeat songs on the album but the lyrics are extremely catchy to follow along so I really enjoy this song.

My favorite songs from the ‘Thank U, Next’ album are “Imagine,” “Ghostin” and “7 Rings.” Ariana is immensely talented and this album indicates that even more. Some songs are too similar to others but the ones that do stand out are now my latest favorites.

page 13

The Mirada | FEATURES| Friday, April 5, 2019

DISTRACTIONS Bachelor

Bachelorette

Pet of the Issue

Raider Quiz 1) In 2019, what is the first and last day of spring?

A) March 31st/ April 1sr B) March 10th/ May 28th C) March 20th/ June 21st D) March 15th/ June 27nd 2) What is the name of the first day of spring?

A) Rebirth Equinox B) Autumnal Equinox C) Vernal Equinox D) Spring Equinox

Lily Mullen (9)

Q: How would you describe your

Q: How would you describe your

dream partner?

A: Funny and someone who loves cats

dream partner?

A: Someone who can make me laugh

Q: What personality traits do you

Q: What personality traits do you

look for?

A: Someone who isn’t too nice

look for?

A: Kind and compassionate

Q: What would your dream date

Q: What would your dream date

A: Going to mojo dojo Q: Biggest turn on?

A: Someone who is goofy Q: Biggest turn off?

A: When she smells like bakes beans Q: Favorite Disney character?

A: Stitch

A: Going to dinner than a movie Q: Biggest turn on?

A: Someone who is goofy Q: Biggest turn off?

A: When he’s mean to my friends Q: Favorite Disney character?

A: Cruella Deville

be?

Junior Mitchell Dixon and senior Rylee Rossi have been dating for five months

be?

Hana Shirkah (12) and her three legged dog Misty Q: What kind of a dog is she?

A: She’s a ten year old Walker Hound-Beagle mix.

Q: How did she lose her leg?

A: She jumped out of my dad’s truck while it was moving. She was one year old when she lost it.

Q: What is the story behind getting her?

A: We were visiting family in Ferndale and my cousin texted my sister asking if she wanted one of his litter of puppies.

Q: Who named her?

A: My sister named her after being inspired by a story called “Misty of Chincoteague.”

Q: Favorite/cutest thing she does?

Couple of the Issue

How did you meet?

RR: We met at a football game.

MD: I met her at a football game when I was a freshman and some of my friends introduced me to her. I got her snapchat and we started talking.

Best quality?

RR: Everything, becuase he’s perfect.

MD: Her best quality is her smile

Know your campus Directions: Locate the image below somewhere on Rio’s campus. The first person to identify where the picture is from and tell Mr. Mahoney (room A3) will receive $5 gift card to the Raider Store. Good Luck!

Favorite memory?

RR: When we went to San Francisco together and took the ferry.

MD: Going to dinner and ice cream, then going to look at the Christmas lights in East Sac. First Impression?

RR: Mitchell was handsome, tall, good at football and had a great personality.

MD: My first impression of Rylee was that she was very pretty, fun to be around, has a cute laugh, and a beautiful smile.

A: She sometimes barks in her sleep and it’s really funny and cute.

Q: Favorite memory?

A: When she was a puppy she liked to chase her tail and kept trying to get it.

Q: Does she have any annoying habits?

A: When you let her in the house, she wants to go out again and acts like she wants food even though I just fed her. She also barks alot especially when she is outside.

Q: What’s her favorite spot to sleep in the house?

A: She loves to lay on her back near the TV.

Question of the issue:

Does Pineapple belong on pizza?

3) What kind of spring is a rubber band?

A) Compression B) Torsion C) Tension Wave 4) What are the flowers that usually represent Spring?

A) Tulips and Daffodils B) Pansies and dogwood C) Sunflowers and Marigolds D) Crocus and Dahlia 5) Who accidentally invented the Slinky, the spring that made it into the Toy Hall of Fame?

A) R. Tradwell B) Richard T. James C) Galileo Galilei D) Jacob Richardson 6) In Japan, what flower indicates the beginning of spring?

A) Cherry Blossom B) Sacred Lotus C) Tiger Lily D) Scorpion grasses 7) What myth is associated with the first day of spring?

A) Only on this day can you see Saturn with the naked eye.

B) Only on this day can you balance an egg on its end.

C) Flowers smell their best on this day D) You are more likely to get into a plane crash on this day 8) Is Spring considered the first, second, third, or fourth season of the year?

A) First B) Second C) Third D) Fourth 9) How long have English speaking humans been using the term “Spring” for the season?

A) Since the 16th century B) 17th century C) 15th century D) 20th century 10) What is the largest hot spring in the world?

A) The Grand Prismatic Spring B) Frying Pan Lake C) Boiling Lake in Dominica D) Wakulla Spring in Missouri

1)C 2)C 3)C 4)A 5)B 6)A 7)B

Jake Greemore (9)

Sports

page 14

The Mirada|Friday, April 5, 2019

BASEBALL BLOWOUT Mickey Doolittle Mirada Staff Rio looked to complete a three game sweep on Saturday over the El Camino Eagles. The Raiders dominated the first game of the series, scoring 18 runs and a six run seventh inning. Rio walked off in game two, and were triumphant five to four.

With junior ace pitcher Daylin Munoz on the hill for game three at El Camino, the Raiders were set for a big day.

The bottom of the first cruised by, with Munoz mixing his pitches beautifully. The following innings blew by, as he painted the corners and received some help from the defense behind him.

After picking up a run in the top of the first, the Raiders had a big second inning. They got to senior pitcher Blake Moser early, with sophomore Will Linberg connecting on a base hit off the first baseman’s glove and into shallow right field.

Senior Dylan Elder followed that with a deep fly ball to right, which was misplayed by the right fielder.

With two runners in scoring position, senior Nick Keller lined a ball up the middle to score one. Senior Jake Paxton finished the inning with another single, this time scoring two runners.

Meanwhile, the Raiders continued to get brilliance out of Munoz on the mound. He finished the game with a no-hitter, issuing only two walks and struck out three.

Eagle senior pitcher Cy Logan came in for the third and shut down the hot Raider lineup. The fourth did not bode well for him, as he gave up

two more runs.

Senior Nolan Berry lead off with a slap shot into right for a base hit.

Junior Savion Ponce followed that with a ground ball to second which should have been a double play.

However, the second baseman and shortstop had a miscommunication and botched the play near the bag, allowing both runners to be safe.

Senior Brandon Shaldone followed that with a walk to load the bases, and junior Mateo Lake got hit by a pitch to drive a runner in. Next to the plate, Will Harris, fell behind in the count 1-2, and Logan hit him as well.

Controversy struck in the top of the fifth when Elder took two pitches behind the back, and Raider manager Ron Hall ran out to confront the home plate umpire. After a short argument, he headed back to the dugout with warnings issued to the Eagles. Logan had hit four batters, including three pitches flying behind those batters.

He followed this by walking the next two hitters, and was pulled after that. After Ponce drew a third base on balls, Paxton drove in the runner from third on a single. The hot lineup continued their streak when Shaldone walked.

The biggest hit of the game came on a 2-0 pitch to the next batter, junior Mateo Lake. He clobbered the pitch to deep right on a low line drive and it snuck over the fence for a grand slam. Two hitters later, senior Alec Sumner launched to left, and there was no doubt about it.

In the bottom half, Munoz completed his no no and the ten-run rule came into effect. Rio got the win over El Camino, 14-0.

Winter sports’ road to the playoffs Boys Basketball

“We started the season really well, but then we got into a slump during league. We finished the second half strong and went past our expectations as we made it pretty deep into the playoffs. Jake Paxton carried a lot of the offensive load and was a really good distributor and leader.

We went 12-3 in preseason, and 7-3 in season then made it to the semifinals in NorCal.” - Jarrod Florentino (11)

Girl’s Basketball

“It was a shaky start in the summer, but we were able to work together and defeat some very tough teams. We beat Bella Vista in one of the league games. The league changed this year so we faced off against tough oppontnts and although it didn’t end how we wanted, everyone grew on and off the court.”

-Cali Britton (12)

Girl’s Soccer

“Our biggest expectation was to win sections. Unfortunately we didn’t accomplish that. Our biggest contributor was Camille Lidster. She was an amazing offensive player. We started out kind of slow, then we started to mesh. I feel like as soon as we started to mesh our season was over. Overall it was a really fun season. Our final game we lost against St. Francis. It was sad to lose but it was good to go out to a team like that.”

-Faith McNamee (9)

Boy’s Soccer

“I’d say our season went pretty good.

We were expected to win the playoffs, but we got really far. I was satisfied, my team were satisfied and our coach was satisfied. The biggest contributor would have to be Manu Rey, because he led the team with most goals and most assists. The season was really fun. I would say Jesuit was a special moment. The last match was against Central Valley, where we lost in the semis.”

-Steven Barreto (12)

College one and done may stop Mickey Doolittle Commentary

E

leven years ago, the NBA implemented article X of their draft eligibility rulebook; a player must attend at least a year of college to enter the draft. Now, rumors are swirling about the league’s desire to throw that away, and this is a good thing.

Many worry about the well-being of the NCAA, the organization that oversees all collegiate athletics. Although the organization is opposing the rule change, and many predict the change will destroy college basketball, this is not the case.

In 2005, when players were able to be selected drafted out of high school, only two of the top 10 picks came out of high school. Overall, only 40 preps were picked.

Every other athlete of the eight picked in the top 10 went to college, meaning the majority of high-ranked prospects drafted went through the NCAA. Overall, professional clubs tended to avoid players as young as seniors in high schools.

By NCAA rules, players who leave their school for the draft are not allowed to return if they fail to be drafted. With eliminating the one and done would come a new collective bargaining agreement, making it possible to make titanic rule changes.

This could be an opening for college athletics to welcome departed players back onto teams, rather than them going undrafted and getting stuck between college and the pros. The time to make these changes happen will be when the next collective bargaining agreement negotiations in 2024.

Rumors about this particular rule change have been circling for weeks. If this were put in effect, players could declare for the draft without fear they could not return to college.

This would be an extremely positive decision for the league, as it would become more similar to the MLB where anyone can be picked if they have graduated high school. This would create more security for young players who often make impulsive mistakes when entering the league.

Theoretically with both of these rule changes, players could declare every year following high school. If this gets coupled with more owner power over veterans, the NBA will become more balanced and fair then ever.

page 15

The Mirada | SPORTS |Tuesday, April 5, 2019

Rowdy Raiders defeat Jesuit Galley Crew in charity game Emily Borg Alyssa Christopher Mirada Staff On March 22, Jesuit and Rio battled it out to see who was the best on American River Drive, but this time it was not only two schools competing against one another for bragging rights but two schools trying to make a difference.

The Rowdy Raiders took on the Galley Crew for a charity basketball game.

There is always fun and friendly competition when Rio and Jesuit get together regardless of the event.

Tensions between the American River rivalry of Jesuit and Rio reached a peak during the game.

Spirited and enthusiastic students roared for their favorite team showering the players with pride and support.

However, the drive to help charity overpowered the intense competition.

“We decided to play for charity rather than just keeping the money for ourselves because we felt that if a lot of people came we’d have the opportunity to do something big for a charity,” said junior Amadi Okugo.

Diabetes is a disease which occurs when the blood glucose or blood sugar in a person’s body is too high.

A hormone made by the pancreas, insulin, helps manage the amount of glucose from food that enters that person’s cells which is then used to

Senior Matthew Lynch drives to the basket past Jesuit defender, senior Ben Miner. Photo by Emily Bord and Alyssa Christopher. make energy.

A person with diabetes has a lack of insulin and this can cause fatigue, headaches and even blurred vision.

Matthew Lynch hopes to swim

on once a year.

How long have you been swimming?

I have been swiming since I was four. I started off at Arden Hills then moved to Rio Del Oro, but now I’m back at Arden Hills.

School team only goes

What do you do beside swimming?

Outside the pool I workout and hang out with friends. I normally lift after swim practice then spend a little time working on homework and studying.

What are your goals for this season?

I hope to qualify for sections for multiple different events specifically the 50 and 100 freestyle and the 100 butterfly. It is a high standard that I hold for myself.

What are your team’s goals for this season?

I think we have a chance of winning sections this year as a team, so that is a major goal. Everyone on the team works hard and that’s exactly what we need to accomplish it.

What is your favorite event?

My favorite event is the 100 meter butterfly or the 50 meter freestyle.

Approximately 9.4 percent or 30.3 million Americans suffer from diabetes.

The schools cheering sections de-

cided to donate the proceeds from the game to diabetes research.

“We choose to play for a charity because we felt it was a great op-

portunity to raise a ton of money for one,” said senior Matt Lynch. “We are donating to diabetes.”

Both schools brought large crowds of students, faculty members and parents who all participated in raising the 1,700 dollars that will be donated to research for diabetes.

Cheering sections on both sides of the court were on their feet yelling cheers at the top of their lungs.

Raider Royalty and Jesuit Cheerleaders gave it their all throughout the game. Although both teams were competitive and wanted to win, they were all there to help a great cause.

The skill level from both teams were evenly matched which made for an intense game.

“I’m glad the game was close because it made it more fun,” said Amadi Okugo.

By the end of the game coaches and players were exhausted from all their efforts to win the game, but Rio came out on top.

The entire cheering section jumped up and proceeded to dance around in excitement as the buzzer rang and Rio had won.

This game replaced the traditional Rowdy Raiders fundraiser game where they faced off against faculty.

Although stars like Spanish teacher Brian Asher and Principal Brian Ginter were missed, this game against the Galley Crew was the start of a new era of school spirit.

Rowdy Raiders are the reigning champions of American River Drive and will defend this title in the game next year.

Lacrosse dominates season Malek Safi Synia Thrower Mirada Staff With the spring season beginning, Girls Lacrosse is set to have a strong run in league and playoffs.

The year is filled with many games with tough opponents that await on the schedule.

They currently stand with a three wins, two loss record as they’ve face hard oppositions. But, within their last five games, they’ve shown that they can compete with anyone in the city.

“We are doing pretty well for a newer team,” said varsity junior Dasha Kovalenko. “We’ve really started to work harder this year as a team and we’re getting the results of that.”

With an average of 13 goals per game and 8 goals against, their start is shown to be successful. Each game they have played has been a well fought battle excluding Alhambra’s win over the Raiders.

Rio has shown complete dominance in the shots and goals differential categories. They won one game 23-2.

“We’ve has some really good wins and we’re a really hard working team which puts us on the road to success,” said returning varsity junior Alex Martinez.

They had the most shots on goal and most assists in this game than they have had through the start of the season.

Junior Sophia Lynch had herself a game with two assists, three goals and a 1.000% shot completion.

The team has also taken initiative

Sophomore Anna Swanson cradles the ball as she drives to the pocket. Photo by Synia Thrower. to form close bonds with each other.

“Before each game we’re assigned a secret buddy and we get them a small gift,” said Martinez. “It’s a small gesture that goes a long way in helping our team come together and that bond even shows on the field.”

The most exciting part about high school sports is the rival games that you prepare for the whole season.

Rio has three main rivalry games against Christian Brothers, St. Francis, and El Camino.

The team recently had success against CB in an extremely hard fought game; it was a team effort that took them to the win.

Sophomore Anika Rogaski had one of the biggest impacts on the game. She converted on five out of six shots, and contributed to take down the school rival.

Although it’s still pretty early in the season the girls have a lot of drive and tenacity.

“As a team we’re just looking forward to gaining closer relationships and becoming stronger so that we can continue to dominate,” said Kovalenko.

Their next game is set to be one of the biggest games of the season, St. Francis. The girls hope to carry on winning and prove that they can beat anyone.

The Mirada | Friday, April 5, 2019

page 16

IN FOCUS

Artists paint their mirror

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our student artists were selected to showcase their art at the High School Self Portrait Show that runs at the Crocker Art Museum from April 4 - May 5. Each school was only allowed to submit four pieces of art and but there were more students that created portrait art so a vote was held to decide which would be submitted to the show. The gallery was filled with the

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wanted my piece to be humorous and light rather than serious by adding bright colors and elements into it.

I also tried to stray away from any obvious meaning and encourage viewers to find one for themselves.

artwork and people voted on the pieces that they liked the most. The four artists that were chosen were senior Allison Beck, senior Gretchen Kerr, senior Miranda Hansen, and sophomore Carly Tobias. The Crocker Art Museum is located at 216 O Street in downtown Sacramento.

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y process began the same way as always, I drew thumbnail sketches. I knew I wanted the focus to be on being stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of routines and schedules because that’s how I constantly feel. I chose the worm’s eye angle because I’m very comfortable with typical eye-level portraits and I wanted to try something new. Using pointillism for this piece wasn’t my original plan, I wanted to use textiles and acrylic to make a mixed media piece, but I actually started this piece at home the night before it had to be finished, and I didn’t have all the materials I needed so I used ink instead. The main theme behind this piece is that social constructs, like money, gender norms, and time, limit freedom. I focused on time because it’s currently the heaviest weight on my life. I’m unwillingly stuck in a routine of work, play, and sleep that feels never-ending.

It’s almost like the world predetermined the course of my life and how my time would be spent. I go to school, go home, work on homework, go to bed, and go to school again. High school basically consists of constant attempts to get through the week and to the weekend, but I often spend the weekends trying to catch-up on schoolwork anyways. Everyone says, “Life gets better after high school,” and I want to believe that, but I have my doubts.

How is going to school everyday different than going to work everyday? I can’t shake the feeling that the freedom that’s supposed to accompany adulthood doesn’t exist and that people don’t really enjoy their daily routines.

They simply convince themselves that they’re happier as a coping mechanism, when in reality they’re stuck in an endless cycle.

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have spent most of my four years in high school immersed in the water swimming. Every day I find comfort and familiarity in the calming waters. I find the water to be my own secret space where I have screamed, cried, and called out in agony. It’s a place for me to feel pain and acknowledge my greatest fears. I come rushing to the surface, leaving the comfort of the water, my home, and I fear I may not be ready for the challenge that awaits me on the surface. As I look up at the colors of the future I see myself and all that I have overcome in the past. I see the injuries I have overcome, the heartbreaks I have endured, and the loss I have suffered. I see these painful reminders, but most of all I see the day I walked again after surgery, the new friendships I have made, and the countless days when I have been grateful for the people and opportunities surrounding me. I move upward, breaking the surface. The reflection of the past reminds me everyday of the good in life and challenges I have faced, giving me the courage and strength to take on whatever lies on the surface.

or as long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and its effects on how I live my everyday life. Tasks that may appear simple or thoughtless to many are unendurable for me.

The fact that I feel I am unable to fully accept myself and my intrusive thoughts and behaviors makes me feel a flurry of complex emotions, most of which land in the range of helplessness and fury.

I am, however, somehow grateful for the very thing that causes me to spiral into panic. Forcing myself to break away from compulsive needs for just a moment allows me to flourish and do things I never would have thought were possible. When I first began this painting I was so caught up in the minute details that I became incredibly frustrated and realized I needed to take a step back and attempt a different approach.

I can in no way rid myself of my disorder, but I can learn to work with it as I did when creating this piece and create without fearing both the process and the end result.

This painting not only represents the way I feel as if I’m inside a whirlwind of compulsive needs, but how I am able to ground myself and break free from the cycle, if only for a moment.