The View January 2013

PG 8

HONORS CLASSES: ARE THEY FOR YOU?

January 2013

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PG 6

PG 7

BULLY MOVIE

SPARK NOTES: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

MAKES POINT

HOW TO SURVIVE A BUSY HS SCHEDULE

The View

Registration issue

Desert Vista High School

2013-2014 STUDENTVUE REGISTRATION 1. Log in to your studentvue account (where you Already thinking about what class your usually check your grades) plan to take? A new procedure will help and click Course Request, make the process easier. beneath Course History.

by Rachel Gorelik

2. Click on the button that says “Click here to change courses.” This will take you to a page where you can search for classes.

3. Type in either the name of the course or its code.

Click the circle beside the word “Request” to add it (do both semesters).

4. When you’re done, you should have 12 classes (2 semesters for each class) beneath “Selected Course Requests.”

5. You have to choose 4 semester alternates, arranged in order of preference. To select, click the circle beside “Alternate” instead of “Request” when searching for classes.

6. Changes save automatically. Your requests will be locked in on the assigned day you meet with your counselor.

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And there you go. Now you know how to register online for the 2013-2014 DV school year.

Class of 2017 Experiences DV For First Time

By Jack Harris

Walking into their future school, with their entire high school careers ahead of them, Ahwatukee 8th graders attended Desert Vista’s Open House on January 14th.

Over 700 incoming freshman from Altadena Middle School and Akimel Middle school, and other schools in the Phoenix area, entered DV’s large gym to begin their high school journey.

“Our motto is excellence through performance,” said DV Principal Dr. Anna Battle, who started off the night with a motivating speech, before passing the podium on to DV’s department heads.

The night was also highlighted by performances from the DV

jazz band and freshman cheerleading squad, as well as the choir’s singing of the national anthem.

The Class of 2017 was able to explore and inquire about the over 80 clubs that DV offers. Club tables were set-up not only in the large gym, but also the small gym, giving incoming students an opportunity to explore any and all options for their next four years.

As big of a night as this it was for students, the night was just as important for clubs.

For the first time, clubs from speech and debate to hockey all approached students, asking them to keep their club in mind.

Different pitches were used, including the passing out of flyers and candy, display of state championship trophies, and even performances with

Besides students, parents roamed the gym halls with their students. For them, this was a night of definite excitement and sadness.

But a reassuring Dr. Battle was able to calm nerves in her speech, and sent everyone home in an anticipating mode.

“We do not minimize the support parents offer their children,” said Dr. Battle. “The dedication you show...helps us to know that you want your child to excell.”

Now the incoming freshman will have to worry about filling out their schedules, Thunder Day, and the beginning of their high school lives.

The DV Band was one of many clubs set up at Open House Night.

2 News

The View

January 2013

A PLACE TO START

ECAP assesment helps students figure out career interests

Who takes the ECAP survey in the library during 3rd period to plan his future career path. The Counseling center works with all studetnts to help with their schedules. Photo by Maya Olson

Rachel Gorelik

Staff Writer

Several months ago, most freshmen took a test. No one studied for it, no one prepared for it, and no one received a grade; everyone took the same one, and everyone put in different answers - no one got any questions wrong. The tests were called ECAPs, and instead of a grade, students received five main paths.

Education and Career Action Plans (or ECAPs) are given to all freshmen at DV. They’re made up of answering multiple choice questions and arranging activities in order of pleasurability;at the end of it, you get five main

paths, among other things, that, based on your answers, are set to fit you most in a job.

“The main goal of ECAPs,” Mark Kulik, a counselor at DV, said, “is that [freshmen] learn about the different programs at Desert Vista, so that they can connect it to whatever interests they have and map out their 4-year plan.”

And it seems that it has other benefits. “It gets people thinking about what they want to do, and what fields they want to go into when they grow up,” freshman Stephanie Phlipot said. “It can give them ideas if they haven’t thought about it yet.”

However, for Phlipot, the ECAPs weren’t necessarily personally helpful. “Maybe a

little, but for the most part, the results didn’t really reflect what I wanted to do. Some of the fields looked like something I’d be interested in, but for others, I would never think of going into that field,” Phlipot said.

But is this opinion shared by the majority of students?

“Each year freshman have completed a survey, where we were asking if it was helpful, and overwhelmingly, they said, ‘Yes, it was helpful,’” Kulik said.

Jessica Symmes is one of the freshmen who believe the ECAPs were personally helpful.

“I want to be a dermatologist, or a doctor, so in the medical field,” Symmes said. “It reassured me in what I wanted to be.”

And even in a broader spec-

trum there are benefits. “It allows you to decide what your interests are in correlation to jobs. Then when you have a job, you like it, so it’s not just that you’re getting paid, it’s doing what you like,” Symmes said.

But even with all that, it’s always important to remember that ECAPs are only a tool, and therefore its results are only guidelines.

“Students are the ones who decide; ECAPs don’t decide it. It’s not the plan that tell the students what they’re going to do or what their goal is. The plan is there to help them reach their goal,” Kulik said.

NEWS 3

January, 2013

Sparknotes makes good back up plan Teachers caution it is not the only way to learn

By Maya Olsen

The Pros:

Sparknotes can help save your grade if you are studying for a test the night before. Sure, there are plenty of good reasons to use Sparknotes. But even the great and mighty Sparknotes has its flaws.

You probably shouldn’t only rely on Sparknotes to save your grade.

Although Sparknotes are very helpful, they have their downsides.

It’s up to you to decide whether or not Sparknotes is for you.

● If you need a quick summary on any chapter, or any book in general, Sparknotes has great summaries on a wide range of books and poetry. ● Sparknotes has all the main characters and gives details about the characters personalities, etc. ● Quotations are also on Sparknotes. It analyzes the quote and helps you understand it better. ● It’s a lot easier than reading the entire book.

The Cons: ● You can learn a lot more by reading the actual book. ● Characters may be easier to understand if you read it. ● Sparknotes doesn’t have ALL quotations. It only has the ones that are deemed “important”. ● Summaries are great and all, but they don’t always have all of the information you were looking for.

Making Good Choices “Reasons vary from a change of mind to some Each year, students make students got jobs over the a choice. summer and didn’t want Actually, it’s a number to quit; maybe they started of choices. Take that extra to take honors, but then zero hour or stick with they decided there was only six? Go for the honors too much work involved,” or play it safe? Take a risk Amie Hickel, gifted student with that new elective or counselor at DV, said. stay with something you “Sometimes it’s teacher know you’ll like? preference, although Registration is a key part we don’t make teacher of every student’s high changes. The one schedschool career. It happens ule change we warrant is four times: four registraoccasionally students took tion sheets, four collections something online or during of signatures, and four sets summer, and we hadn’t of classes. That’s at least changed it yet.” twenty-four decisions that Junior Kasia Bishop was have to be made, all of one of the students who which may not be correct made several class changes the first time round. this year. “This year at the In the first half of the beginning I changed from 2012-2013 school year, Anatomy to Physics, and there were around 2000 at the end of the semester I course changes made, changed from AP Spanish which means (assuming to Honors Spanish 7-8,” each pair of course changes she said. “For the first one, is for a different student) I really felt [Anatomy] that at least one-third was very specific. I kind of of students in DV made signed up out of impulse, course changes so far this but then I thought Physics year.

By Rachel Gorelik

was more necessary for different careers. For Spanish, I couldn’t really handle the bulk of paperwork, and it didn’t really help me learn.”

Freshman Dahjae Robinson also made a few course changes. “I dropped out of my honors classes so I could have more time after school to do activities,” she said.

However, despite the regularity of course changes at DV, there still seem to be disadvantages to changing a course selection, both for administration and students.

“The difficulties involved are our classes are so full that it’s hard to find room in classes students are looking for; if they had said it before, we could have accommodated them,” Hickel said. “It’s time-consuming, both on the part of the students and counselors, and we like for teachers to have rosters and to know for sure what students are

Besides having books for sale, Sparknotes also has a website popular among students. Photo by Maya Olson

Put thought into which classes are right for you in their class on the first day of school.”

There are also disadvantages for the students themselves.

“If you were learning something behind the class you change into, or something ahead of them, you can’t keep up and your grade might drop,” Robinson said.

“I think the problem with course changes is that it makes you look like you’ve given up on something even if you really haven’t,” Bishop said.

But there are benefits if the amount of class changes is lowered.

“Benefits are the class sizes will be more stable,” Hickel said. “We staff the entire school based on the selections students make for classes. The teachers commit to the class, so the students have to commit to the class.”

“I just think about what classes I can do. I just want to be able to know I can succeed in them, and know I can prosper.”

So what can students do to choose classes more carefully?

Robinson gave an example of her thought process during registration. “I just think about what classes I can do. I just want to be able to know I can succeed in them, and know I can prosper.”

Bishop suggested a more straightforward approach.

“Really look at classes realistically,” she said.

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The View

One Down, one to go

By Taylor Arehart

The first few weeks after a long break can be difficult, especially when you have to readjust your sleeping schedule and include doing homework. The fact that it’s winter makes it even harder to want to go to school, since it’s still dark out when school begins.

Waking up so early that it’s pitch black outside is hard for everyone, but it’s particularly hard for students. Staying up late and waking up in the afternoon has become a nasty habit for many of them. As a result Desert Vista students are realizing just how hard it is to get up, even though it’s always been harder to bounce back from winter break rather than fall break.

“SATs are coming up,” Senior Sheyda Vadipour said. “and I have regular classes to worry about so it’s pretty hard.”

Many students agree with Vadipour’s opinion; they’re all stressing out about passing important tests and keeping up with the

T

he movie “Bully”, directed by Lee Hirsch is about 5 lives of bullying, one of them is a 14 yearold boy named Alex Libby . Alex lives in Sioux City, Iowa and has been bullied severely. Being at school, Alex is verbally and physically bullied. He is bullied persistently to the point when he even thinks about committing suicide.

The Movie was so important it was reviewed everywhere across the country and affected millions.

“Alex, a 14-year-old in Sioux City, Iowa, whose daily routine includes being teased, humiliated and assaulted (especially on the school bus), cannot bear to tell his parents what is going on. He even sticks up for his tormentors, who he says are “just messing around” when they stab him with pencils and call him vile names”

rest of their classes. Not to mention the freezing temperatures that make it hard to get to sleep and wake up every day.

“It’s hard for me to fall asleep,” Sophomore Sheridan Collins said, “because my feet are frozen!”

While upperclassmen are having a tough time adjusting to second semester, freshman think of it as just another quarter. Getting used to waking up at 6 or 7 in the morning is- again- hard for everyone, but freshman get to take days off because of AIMs and holidays.

The breaks are short enough not to get off schedule and long enough to relax.” Freshman Mikayla Starkey said, “my teachers also understand that we’re just returning to break and still adjusting.”

Although students in different grades have different opinions on second semester, they all have to do the same thing; wake up- early- take notes, go home, do homework, stay up late, and wake up early- again.

Just remember that every early morning is one morning closer to summer break, where you can wake up as late as you want.

January 2013

Can’t Wake Up? Set your alarm a little earlier each day as school approaches. Even if you go to sleep at 4 AM the night before, you’ll be tired enough to actually sleep Sunday night.

Homework and studying are boring: Ease back into it. Do both in increments of 20-25 minutes, take a break, and start back up again. This way your actually focusing and not slacking off.

Notecards are also hady for any type of test.

But I’m so excited for summer!

Relax. it’s still 5 months away. take it one day, on week, one month at a time.

The end of 4th quarter is the time to really get excited, not the beginning of 3rd.

said New York Times reporter, A. O. Scott.

There are kids across the country that are bullied everyday not only in school but online too.

“1 out of 4 kids are bullied and up to 43% of students have been bullied while online” says the Stomp Out Bullying Organization.

This movie is a very important movie to see. “Bully” shows real life stories of real experiences with bullies. These experiences can help everyone who sees this movie to have the need to help those who are being bullied.

The movie “Bully” is being shown at AMC 24 in Ahwatukee on Monday, Jan. 21 at 5:30 pm.

Come to see the movie “Bully” to be inspired to help those who are being bullied everywhere. After seeing the

Cold weather and a long break make returning to school difficult

movie, find out what you can do around DV and your community to help fight bullying and stand up for those who need it. Start this year with a fresh start! I know I will!

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The View

January, 2013

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Daily Tight-Rope Walk:

by Rachel Gorelik Staff Writer

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4) Do some work ahead of schedule. If you know in advance that one day that week is going to be very 4) Do busy for you, and some work you have (preferably up - extra time never assignhurts) and then take that out of your ahead of ments free hours to find how much extra y o u time you will have. can do schedule.

3) Use extra time well. Don’t waste beforethe extra time you have - even if it’s hand, it’s as little as fifteen minutes, it’s still always better to save it than squandering it best to in between homework and chores. try to do And if you know that you have extra time as much as you can the that day, plan out something you enjoy do- day before. That way, you ing, or something you’ve wanted to do for a won’t have to rush or worry while but haven’t had time to do; relaxation as much on the actual day. is key for a busy schedule since you can get Same with any day - if you so easily overwhelmed with one. And make have homework you can sure to insert that extra time somewhere finish off the day before a in the middle of your busy hours, to give busy one, or even spend yourself a break. half of lunch lessening your homework load on that day, the schedule won’t be as busy and stressful for you.

5) Schedule yourself a free day from time to time. If there’s a week when you’re aksdflakk.jsd.kjfhaw.ekjchsjakdw feeling more tired than usual or just unwell, or if you’re having a few bad days in a row where you can’t bring yourself to do the things you have to, give yourself a break. Choose a club or event that you don’t positively have to or want to go to one day that week, and take the time that would have been taken up by that to do something you like, or even to just relax or rest.

You’ll feel better because of it.

Tips to balancing a busy schedule

1) First of all, plan out a schedule. At the beginning of each week, know approximately what you have planned for each day after and before school (clubs, sports, events, etc.) and estimate the amount of time each will take. Then, from that time, put in the time for things like dinner and driving time and develop a solid block of the hours that are taken up each day outside of school.

2) Estimate the time for your homework/ chores. Now, out of the solid block of hours busy each day, you can find the hours you have free. Within this slot, you have to fit your homework, chores, and other necessary things. Go subject by subject, or chore by chore, guessing about how much each one will take. Then round to the nearest hour

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The View

January 2013

Deciding on classes tough choice for all

by Rachel Gorelik New school year’s resolutions: registration time coming closer It’s that time of year again.

No, not the one for the new year ’s resolutions you make to exercise more or procrastinate less or whatever other promise you can’t keep - it’s registration time.

Across the school, all the teachers, counselors, and administrators are that bit more busy with preparing for the soon-to-come barrage of school applications and class registrations.

And one by one, students are slowly realizing that the moment is soon approaching when they’ll have to send those class registrations in, which means there are classes to choose, recommendations to get, and, to put it simply, decisions to make.

Some haven’t even begun yet, but others have already started to think about it; one of these is Ipsha Banerjee, a freshman at DV. “I sort of planned out my four years in high school, and the classes I’m planning to take, but also taking testing for honors and AP classes into consideration,” Banerjee said.

“I plan to continue taking choir next year; I guess my other elective would be Foreign Language, or Spanish.”

However, as can be imagined, there are still

some if’s. “I don’t know exactly what classes I’m taking in my last two years. In a couple of the core, like math and history, I know what I’m going to be taking because it’s already kind of planned out for you, but for others, like science, I don’t really know yet,” Banerjee said.

Banerjee isn’t the only freshman who has begun to think long-term. “I am actually looking at all the the credits I have so far to map out my next year,” said freshman Nina Patel.

“I want to take Foreign Language in Spanish next year. Also, since I haven’t taken my PE credit yet, I’ll take that either in the summer or next year.”

And there are a few definite things she has marked for her last two years. “I’m continuing in my Foreign Language all four years, and I hope to be taking a couple more AP classes.”

Meanwhile Hanna Dooley, also a freshman at DV, doesn’t know yet exactly what changes she wants to make next year. “I know Spanish 5-6 for sure, but I’m not sure about a Fine Art yet,” Dooley said.

“I might do my Fine Art in senior year, but I hope to take easier classes in my senior year, and get the harder ones over with first.”

At the very least, there seems one trend consistent in the planning of classes next year.

“Next year, I want to

DV Freshman students already thinking about next year’s classes photo by Rachel Gorelik

continue taking all honors like this year, and maybe challenge myself with harder classes,” Patel said.

“Next year, I probably want an AP class, and a history class since we don’t have one this year,” Dooley said.

“Next year I probably want to take harder classes, and try to get in more during school,” Banerjee said.

All three want to take more difficult classes; across the board, it looks like the plan for the three of them is to challenge themselves more next year.

“I want to get more indepth with my classes,” Banerjee said. “I want to take more courses like the ones I’m taking.”

So maybe, in a way, registration is that time of year again - maybe not for new year’s resolutions, but with the decisions for upcoming classes, schedules, and credits drawing nearer, it’s at least time to form some new school year’s resolutions.

SCHOOL LIFE Favorite core class English: 30% Math: 40% Science: 13% History: 17%

Fourth/fifth lunch Fourth: 43% Fifth: 57% Do you think your 4th lunch is overcrowded?

Yes: 50% No: 50% Do you think your 5th lunch is overcrowded?

Yes: 50% No: 50% Extra-curricular activities Sports: 50% Theatre: 10% Etc: 27% None: 13% Hours of homework 1: 50% 2: 24% 3: 13% 4+: 13% Do you have a full schedule Yes: 83% No: 17%

January 2013

Planning your schedule around a sport

Highlights from freshmen being on varsity

Hailey Harward is a Freshman that made the girls varsity volleyball team.

This year she made All Arizona Team Honorable Mention as a freshman! Way to go!

Rachael Kramer The transition from one school to another is hard but it’s an exciting time because you are finally going to high school. Deciding what classes to take is the fun part because you have so many choices!

Of course you have to take your basic classes like math, english, and science but you get to choose if you want to take a higher level class. If you plan to play a sport in high school, keep that in mind when

choosing your classes.

Playing a sport takes a lot of dedication because in most sports you have practice 6 days a week for 2 hours a day and it’s hard to get all your homework done.

I recommend not to take all honors classes because most of the honors classes usually have more homework and you are doing more difficult things then the non honors class. In my opinion taking 1 to 3 honors classes is enough because then you can

manage all the homework on top of a sport.

When playing a sport you are always going to have to manage your time wisely, meaning that you might not be able to hang out with your friends that day because you have to finish your homework.

When you are in a sport you usually leave school early to go to an away game, this means that most of the time you will miss all of your 7th hour class or you will miss part of it. So

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choose your classes wisely because you don’t want to have your hardest class of the day be your 7th hour class, so when you get your schedule check to make sure that your 7th hour class won’t be a class that will be hard to make up.

When planning your schedule keep these tips in mind and you will have a worry free freshman year!

Foreigners exchange home for here Foreign exchange programs are a great way to learn a different language, in the country that you’d love to visit and live in for a period of time. Here is Keanu Dirks on his very own foregin exchage story.

Q: What country did you come from?

A: Germany.

Q: Why did you decide to take part in this foreign exchange program?

A: I wanted to see America and its culture.

Q: Did you know the language when you came here?

A: Yes, I was learning English for about 6 years.

Q: Do you get to stay here forever?

A: No, I am here for the whole school year and i leave in June.

Q: What things do you do here that you do not do in Germany?

A: Well, in Germany we can’t drive until we are 18 and I can drive here. Also Q: Would you come back and do this senior year? the high school system is 5th to 12th grade so that is pretty much the only differ- A: I dont know, its more like a one time experience ence to me. andit’s so different because where i am from everuthing is so small. Including the city and school.

Q: Would you ever like to move to the states?

A: I would, but it is very difficult because you have to get a green card and a job. Q: Wheather here.

A: The weather here is beatiful. It is so much warmQ: What were your thoughts about the exchange program? er then Germany , it would be snowing so much A: I liked the idea, I thought it was very cool and I was excited to make this there by now. change.

Q: How is this experience?

A: It is very remembrable, remarkable and unlike anything i’ve done.

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The View

January 2013

The Pros and Cons of Honors and AP Classes

by Ali Keeslar

TiPS For Creating Your Schedule

• Be sure to consider how

your extracurricular activities will fit in your schedule

• Determin how much stress you can handle

• Think about how your

classes now are challenging you and make the necessary change

• Consider your future, if you

plan to attend a university, taking a course with Rio credit is a good choice

•Think about which course will prepare you for college better

• Ask your parents and

teachers whether or not an advanced course is a good choice for you

Consider all of your options for next year The thing about picking classes is that there are so many choices it can be difficult to choose one that matches your personal skill set. Regular, honors, and Advanced Placement (or AP) classes, are diverse courses for different people with different skills.

Regular is for the average student. It moves at normal speed with some different coverage than an honors class. For those students who want a bit more of a challenge than a regular class, honors is the best choice. It moves through the units and sections at a faster speed and may go more in depth in topics.

But what are the advantages of an honors class? Why should you take a harder class when an easier class covers most of the same material? If you take an honors class rather than a regular one will you be more likely to get into college? All of these questions come to mind when trying to decide which classes to take.

The truth is there are many pros and cons to honors classes. For example, for students that get bored with the speed of regular classes can get a refreshing challenge from honors classes. But on transcripts honors and regular classes look virtually the same, because honors classes aren’t weighted (a B in honors would equal an A in a regular class). The only courses that look different are AP classes, the high school equivalent of a college class.

While this fact about honors classes and transcripts may be discouraging, there are also many other advantages to honors. The challenge of the class and workload may be make you better prepared for college. If you really enjoy a specific subject, the honors course will give you a more in depth look at it and you may learn more in there than in a regular class.

There are other advantages in taking an honors class. College credit can be gained in honors classes by participating in dual enrollment through Rio Salado at the price of a regular community college class price.

Many classes that Desert Vista offers have the option of dual enrollment. Rather than taking the difficult test at the end of an AP course or waiting until college and taking the same class at a high cost, you can take a class that offers dual enrollment, pay the cheaperthan-a-course-at-a-university fee, and not worry about a huge test at the end of the year that determines your fate. Dual enrollment is It is important to review your schedule also advantageous for students who want to before registering for classes. When creating get their basic college classes out of the way your schedule consider your extra-curricular before actually going to college. activities, such as sports and clubs. If you A con that is associated with honors classes want honors or AP classes in your schedule, is heightened stress. With the more difficult make a balance of both regular and advanced coursework and the larger amounts of work, classes so you have time for homework and stress is inevitable. It is all about how much your hobby. you can handle. Some stress is good, but feeling When registering for classes for the new completely overwhelmed is not. Consider the it is necessary to weigh the pros and cons of amount of stress you can take when choosing regular, honors, and AP courses. Evaluate your classes. your strengths and weaknesses and the areas Speaking from my own experience, despite where you want to improve. You may want to the difficulty of honors courses, I enjoy the choose and honor class for your best subject challenge. I’m a person who doesn’t mind and a regular class for your worst. It is also the work because I feel like it is preparing advisable to talk to counselors or teachers and me to succeed in the future with college and ask them what the advanced classes are like. my future career. I created a schedule with Honors classes are valuable but you may want appropriate challenging classes and classes to weigh the advantages and disadvantages where the stress level is low so I don’t torture before making your schedule. myself in classes where I feel I can’t succeed.