Granger high school
Tri-Color Times An open forum for student opinion and expression
April 2017 LIX-VIII
TRICOLORTIMES.COM
Billy Budd takes the stage at Granger High School Review by Skye Rouse GRANGER High hosted the theatre department’s production of Billy Budd. The play Billy Budd was an intense and fun play, but it’s not for all ages. Billy Budd has lived all of his life on a ship and when he ends up boarding a new one, things start to change for him. Since he hasn’t known anything else, he has a hard time realizing who has good intentions and who has bad ones. During the play, you will feel many different emotions from happy to sad to irritable. Billy Budd ends up making friends with the Master-at-Arms, John, who isn’t the best person on the ship to look up to. John turns his back on Billy Budd and tries to kill him, but the Captain is al-
ready ahead of him because the captain had caught him in a lie. When things get heated, Billy ends up punching the Master-atArms for pretending to care about him and kills him in one blow to the face. Billy didn’t mean to kill him and ends up getting prosecuted afterward and this has a very big effect on everyone on the ship. In a way, the play is very complex and will make you think about our government and authority in general. It will make you wonder if some of the decisions and rules that are provided are the best ones for us. Making such a big decision for an incident that was an accident made a lot of people think about what is right or wrong. I believe
that the play made some very excellent points, and I think a lot of people should question authority. I think that rules are guidelines made to protect us but in some cases, you just need to break them for the greater good. Billy Budd took place on a ship that was built very well by stage crew. You could tell where they were on the ship, and all the different rooms and decks had their own style and it was noticeable. The play was serious, but it also had a sense of humor behind it that made it enjoyable to watch. You will laugh at some parts, and maybe cry during the next scene. The actors in the play have had experience performing and you could tell.
I was honestly really surprised and shocked with this play. I don’t think that any of Granger’s theatre production has put on a show like this. I personally thought it was just as interesting as if it were to be a musical. I could tell that other people enjoyed it, because the people next to me were crying and kept talking about how good a play it was. I thought the cast was very enthusiastic and you could tell that many of them were happy to be up there. Feeling the energy flowing within the crowd and the actors on stage is an awesome feeling for everyone in the room, and being in there you could feel how empowering that was. It was a great show and made people think about life-changing decisions.
The cast of Granger’s production of Billy Budd takes a bow after an emotional performance.
Lancers take classes that help prepare them for their future By Anna Sayasith AFTER high school is when people really solidify the career path they wish to pursue. High school classes are meant to help kids explore future career paths. Granger has the normal classes that most high schools offer, but GTI classes are another type of class that Granger students can take that are much more hands-on, as opposed to traditional, lecture-style high school classes. Kayley Latimer (9) wants to be a neurosurgeon when she grows up. “Medical terminology, medical anatomy, and a couple of other GTI classes will help me with the medical field,” Latimer said. Though Granger doesn’t provide many medical classes for freshmen, Latimer is still planning on taking whatever medical classes that Granger provides. According to the classroom. synonym.com website, high school classes that benefit neuro-
surgeons are: biochemistry, anatomy, and calculus. Biochemistry covers the chemical reactions in biological processes and anatomy focuses on specific functions in the body. Most medical schools require two years of college-leveled math, preferably calculus. Harley Hennessy (9) does not have a set career in mind, but she is looking into the engineering field. “I’m taking an engineering class at the GTI right now. GTI classes are really hands-on and really help you get a sense of how the jobs work,” Hennessy said. Hennessy is also looking into some kind of career involving psychology. “I’m planning on taking AP Psychology when I can,” she said. An article by Kendra Cherry on the verywell.com website recommends having a strong background in science and math. Having strong writing and communications skills are just as im-
portant, so English and speech courses can be very beneficial. “I plan to study social science, specifically as a social worker that can help kids with disabilities,” Beatriz Juarez (12) said. Social workers help kids and families with their current conditions in life. “I think I’m really benefiting from all these classes that I’m taking. I think that those classes can really help me. I’ve been taking these classes since junior year,” Juarez said. “I’m taking a lot of law classes, like practical law. I’m doing a bunch of math classes that I hope can really benefit me,” Juarez said. Social workers need to study law so that they know what to do in certain circumstances. Wylliam Jarvo (11) hopes to follow in his father’s steps with law and corrections. Law is an interesting field that would allow Jarvo to work with other people. “Next year I’m going to take the
Intro to Corrections and Intro to Law classes at the GTI,” Jarvo said. “Since I don’t know a lot about law and corrections, I’m hoping to learn more about it. I think that the GTI classes are a great jumping off point,” he said. A lot of kids use the computers, but don’t have any interest in how they work. Tanner Smith (9) is hoping to be a computer programmer when he grows up. Smith doesn’t really know why he is interested in computers, but he has always enjoyed learning about the way computers work. “Computer programming is really the only class in my freshman year that can help me,” Smith said. High school classes directly benefit students because they lead to future careers. From traditional high school classes to hands-on GTI classes, Lancers have a lot of opportunities to consider.
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Adv. theatre rocks
By Chuck Manzanares THEATRE is a big part of some people’s lives. Some students in theatre want to continue doing it next year, or for seniors continue doing it as a full-time job. Rachel Guerra (10) said she loves theatre so much she’ll keep at it, “I will keep doing it because it’s a good place—it’s my passion and I like to be able to become different personalities,” she said. A lot of the theatre students really love doing what they do, and they look up to others for motivation/inspiration, “There are a lot of people like Ms. Anderson—she’s inspiring because she can teach and act, too. She never gives up on us, she’s always positive and she always pushes us to do our best,” Guerra said. Even though some might continue with doing musicals and plays, there are some who would do other sorts of acting. Jett Larson (10) said he would consider doing movies as well, “I would totally do movies because it’s like the same concept, but you don’t get the audience feel.” “While most may think theatre is all about acting, there is a lot more that goes into theatre. I’m definitely gonna keep doing theatre, because it’s like my life. Even if I don’t wanna act, I could always get into what makes a play a play,” Larson said. The advanced theatre class is a mix of seniors, juniors, and sophomores. All are great actors, but although they might be great actors, they might not want to continue doing theatre. “I have been debating on continuing after high school because I want to become a sports medicine doctor instead, but I’ll do it for sure next year. I’ll see where it goes from there,” Jonathan Harr (10) said. “They have a few people who have made them realize theatre is something for them. I have a few people who have inspired me like Angel Herrera—he was a senior last year, and theatre really turned his life around.” Colton Hunter (11) doesn’t plan to continue in theatre. “Personally I’m not super into theatre I just needed to fill a hole in my schedule, but I might use aspects of theatre in my life. I’m not looking to pursue theatre in the future,” he said. “If I were to continue theatre, I’d look towards Disney movies because Disney is life.” Hunter said.
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Tri-Color Times VOL. LIX Issue 8
April 2017, page 2
Granger students participate in A Day Without Immigrants By Flavianna Hawley ON FEBRUARY 16, thousands of people around the country stayed home from work and school for A Day Without Immigrants. Designed to show the pivotal role immigrants play in the United States’ economy and daily life while also protesting President Trump’s recent immigration executive orders, the protest had a large following as people in cities from coast-to-coast participated to ensure their voices were heard. Those in solidarity with the movement did the same. At Granger High, A Day Without Immigrants had its own profound effect. Many students supported the movement and some decided to stay home, hoping their absence would raise awareness for the issue. “Some of my friends participated, and I did, too. It shows how much immigrants can affect people,” Luis Herrera (12) said. Still, some students who supported the boycott made the decision to come to school and raise
awareness in a different way. Latinos in Action President Neida Mungia (12) originally wanted to participate on February 16 along with other members of the club. However, after consulting with others and coming to a consensus, they decided not to protest. But they still believe in the importance of the movement. “It’s important because it validates the feelings, the thoughts, and the presence of everyone. It goes back to what the United States is supposed to mean. Our nation is built on immigrants, so this day is important because it’s paying homage to them,” Mungia said. A Day Without Immigrants comes at a time when many people are worried about the volatile political climate and what it means for immigrants, both documented and undocumented. Many in support of the movement chose not to participate because of their immigration status and the fear that they may be in danger. But students should keep in mind that while at school, they
are safe and their immigration status is private. “People need to know that their immigration status within the public school system is confidential. We’re never going to give a list of undocumented students to immigration, because we don’t have those lists,” Ms. Robinson said. Granger’s administration echoed this. “I have never asked somebody what their immigration status is, and I’ve registered hundreds of students. That’s just not a question that is relevant to what we’re about here,” Mr. Beck, an assistant principal, said. He stressed the importance of students feeling safe while at school. “School is a safe place. If a student feels safe and comfortable, then they can learn. If a student doesn’t, they are not going to be able to learn, so our goal first and foremost is safety, because we understand that learning doesn’t take place if students don’t feel safe.” Even substitute teachers support this concept and emphasized
that while at school, students migration is such a pressing isshould not have to worry. “A lot sue, A Day Without Immigrants of teachers are sympathetic to is important to many. “We are a their students and would defend country of immigrants. They do them because this is supposed so much for our country—that’s to be a safe place. We don’t care what our country is built on,” Mr. about anyone’s legal status,” Mr. Crandall said. Crandall, a long-term Spanish substitute, said. Despite the uncertainty that many may be feeling, both students and teachers reminded others that Granger’s, and the nation’s, diversity is a strength and not a weakness. “Be confident in the nation we live in, because it’s set up to protect us. We just have to make sure that we’re doing everything on our end to make sure the government works for us and not the other way around,” Mungia said. In a time when imSome teachers display welcoming posters.
Travel bans directly affect GHS community
By Dailyn Brinas GRANGER High, is a school with an abundance of minority students, which essentially makes Caucasians at Granger a minority. People of color and their allies have recently been in turmoil due to headlines reporting the aftermath of Trump’s deportation orders. Countries such as Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Sudan have been listed in the travel ban. This problematic ban has included possible involvement with the families of Granger High students. “If my parents had been in the situation of being deported, which I personally believe is an option for all minority immigrants, it would break me. I cannot begin to imagine losing my father, ruining our dynamic as a family,” Derek Rojas (9) said. Rojas went on to explain, “It’s not something that benefits my mental health, constantly contemplating this. However, you still have to be open-minded to all possible [outcomes].” The sorrow of even a thought so malicious crossing the mind is incomparable for others who have not yet experienced the daily reality of being a minority in the United States. “I’m furious. It surprises me
that America would have voted for someone whose intentions were clearly not good to begin with. My family is trying to reserve American citizenship to become citizens in the U.S. However, the process has been taking an immense amount of time,” Christian Marano (9) said. In addition, there have been reports such as that of two Christian Syrian refugees detained at the Philadelphia airport according to the nydailynews.com website. “If the people had been settled in the United States, didn’t they go through some kind of process to be here? If you say they cannot go back, you are sending the wrong message. What Trump is doing is giving an excuse for radical Muslims to attack this country, implying that [US citizens] ‘dislike’ Muslims because of the ban. His campaign is purely based on division—dividing families, cultures, etc,” Mr. Bengali said. “It is only showing one side of the story. As a Muslim, if I go to Mali, my native country, I would have the fear of not being able to travel back to the U.S.,” he said. Essentially, separating human beings from their families and lives will only create more conflict between the two opposing sides. “The Muslims have a shop
where we go buy meat, called the Halal Market. The Muslims eat the meat when it had been killed in a special ritual, in which the animal is prayed upon before it is slaughtered. The butcher, coincidentally, happens to be my friend. He called me last Saturday and said ‘why aren’t you hiding,’ I initially began to worry and said, ‘What? Are you OK?’ ” “He responded, and had informed me about Trump. He had ordered me to hide because of this new law. I said ‘See, brother, I am not the one who is supposed to be hiding. I am a citizen of the United States. You, however, own a battleground full of Muslims, an even more suspicious setting to the government, so you have to be the one hiding before they come.’ ” “The man had then told me ‘they already did, my shop had been taken down two days ago.’ My friend no longer has a place to sustain himself, because of the actions committed by this terrifying law,” Mr. Bengali said. President Trump’s executive orders banning travel from several Muslim-majority countries are currently tied up in federal courts, but the political tension created by the bans continues to affect Granger’s community and the nation.
Mr. Bengali works with students who have just started learning English, and his students come from around the world.
Military-minded Lancers must attend JROTC classes at Taylorsville.
Lancers prepare for military service By Katherynne Jaco BEING in the military can seem scary to some people, but at Granger, there are some brave seniors who are currently in Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps or JROTC and plan on joining the military as soon as they graduate. Seventeen-year old Maria Vargas (12) said the army offers many different opportunities. “I like knowing that I will be able to protect my country and people,” Vargas said. She has had friends and family that have been in the army and have told her how awesome it is. That also got her interested. Her family and friends said it feels wonderful to know you are not only helping your country, but also other countries, and in the process, you meet new people. These Granger girls haven’t even graduated yet, and they are ready to protect their country and the people in it. That alone seems hard to do and require courage. To be in JROTC, students have to stay in school and maintain good grades. When applying for JROTC, students don’t need to have good grades, because they help get grades up, but to stay in it, students need to keep grades at passing levels. The mission of JROTC is “to instill in students in United States secondary educational institutions the values of citizenship, service to the United States, and personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment,” according to Title 10 of the United States Code published on the gop. gov website.
Yecenia Suaste (12) not only has JROTC for first period, but she also has dance for second, which can be a lot to handle for a girl who also has lots of homework to worry about. Suaste became interested in JROTC because she likes a challenge and she enjoys growing with others. “Motivation was key. We cried together and placed together,” she said. Sharol Brand (12) said encouragement towards JROTC came from her mom and aunt. They both joined JROTC when they were younger, and Brand wanted to follow in their footsteps. Her mother was very proud of her. All these girls were nervous going into JROTC, but they became strong, independent leaders coming out of it, regardless of all the people that doubted them just because they’re girls. “Right now, I feel proud that I’ll be serving my country but also showing that just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I can’t be as strong as a man,” Vargas said. “It’s fun and awesome because you get to learn new things and meet new people.” In JROTC, lots of students enjoy taking leadership positions and putting them into action. They like doing service which not only helps the community, but also them personally by helping them become independent. Suaste’s advice to those interested in joining JROTC in the future is to “be committed if you are willing to take the challenge. Be physically and mentally prepared,” she said.
April 2017, page 3
buy that yearbook: jostensyearbooks.com Side by side: reporters offer opinions about teacher visits to homes
Opinion by Jasmine Raya WOULDN’T it be a bit odd if one of your teachers were to visit you at home? Well believe it or not, word has been going around that Granger High school is just starting a new home visit policy. In other words, Granger High School teachers will soon be visiting students at home. It sounds strange, right? Many people love the idea of home visits and many others believe that it is an invasion of privacy and I agree. Why? Well for starters I, myself would not feel comfortable with a teacher visiting me at home because that’s the only time I do not have to worry about school or anything that has to do with school. Teachers are meant to stay at school and teach there. It’d be OK if a teacher were to visit my home if I were younger like in preschool or grade school, but since I’m are in high school, I really see no need for teachers to be visiting my house. Let’s take students out of the equation. How would the parents feel if teachers were to unexpectedly show up at your doorstep? Most parents are anti–school and would not like the idea of a teacher visiting their home. Not only that, but there are a lot of students with problems at home and having a teacher over probably wouldn’t be the best idea. Maybe not everyone has at home problems, but not everyone would want a teacher visiting. I wouldn’t say it was a bad thing either, but parents do get busy and don’t really have time to meet with a teacher. And there’s always the chance that a teacher could get a little too involved and report information that does not need to be reported, which will cause chaos at home, at school, with the student, and of course, the teacher. For example, if the teacher saw that the
house wasn’t too stable and reported that to the authorities, it’d do a lot to the family, maybe a not-so-stable home is what they are used to. However, school will be affected if you have an overly involved teacher. How? Well with your teachers being a little too involved in your personal life and knowing a little bit too much about your personal information, that can affect the relationship that the two of you have. The student may start disliking that teacher, and that is probably when disrespect will soon start to occur. Not only that, but that student may lash out and disrupt the teacher’s class. That may not always be the case, but if a teacher does cause chaos, then, yeah, of course some hatred towards that teacher will grow. The outcome does not always have to be negative, there can be a positive outcome as well, maybe the student actually needed help, but regardless I still believe that a teacher should not visit a student’s home. A teacher’s environment is school, we go to the teachers, the teachers do not come to us. We go to school to learn, and our teachers do not come to us and teach us at our house. Perhaps they are not there to teach, but if not, then why visit? What’s the point in visiting a high school student’s home? More than 3000 students attend Granger High School, so I highly doubt teachers have enough time to teach school, visit homes, and live their own personal lives as well. Perhaps it is to check up on how a student lives or maybe the environment that the student lives in, but like I was saying, if that’s the case, then a teacher can get involved in something they shouldn’t and just cause chaos. It’s best if teachers just stay at school, there is no need to visit homes.
Opinion by April Hendriksen IN CASE you didn’t hear, two teachers from Granger might come to your house sometime before the school year ends. Personally, I think it’s a great idea, especially after talking to Dr. Dunn about it. This program is not just some random parent/teacher conference where a teacher comes to your house and talks to your parents about your grades and behavior. In fact, it’s more about parents. According to Dr. Dunn, it’s about building a support system around our parents, becoming acquainted with the people backing up Granger’s students. “This is not a spy mission,” Dr. Dunn said, it’s more of an olive branch towards families. Believe it or not, we need school. We need to be able to read our job descriptions, write out e-mails, and know how to manage our paychecks. The purpose of teacher home visits is to give parents a friend in the education system. With a friend in the school, a parent may be more open about their student’s education, or more comfortable expressing their concerns for the way the school is teaching their student. A primary concern, I’m sure, for most students, is the fact that they feel targeted by the faculty, whether it’s due to low attendance, citizenship, or grades. However, the fact of the matter is that the teacher who comes to your house may not even be your teacher. The Granger home visit list includes every student in the school. A teacher could just randomly pull a student’s name off the list and visit his or her home, regardless of attendance records or grades. The visit promises to be a half-hour if going well, and if the family doesn’t want them there, they will leave. Personally, I like the idea of a teacher coming to my house. I think that if a teach-
A lack of money doesn’t equal laziness
Opinion by Stephanie Gutierrez BEING afraid that maybe this will be the last meal eaten for hours. Waking up every morning, wishing for a change. Trying to help provide for the family as much as possible. These are the thoughts that dominate people experiencing poverty. Going to school is important for many, but for others, finding the strength to get out of this zone, the poverty zone, is more important. Poverty is as harsh as one makes it sound. Many wish for a better life, but sadly there are people who have learned to accept it. Moving from place to place. Having to say goodbye to those friends just met. Moving for hope of a better opportunity. Sadly, it’s easy getting used to being a drifter. Students get distracted by thinking that maybe working a job would help the family in some way. Knowing that going to school is something important for moving on in life, but having all thoughts return to the idea of a job right now. Dropping out of school while thinking that it’s a way to get out of poverty might not be worth the price, because it means losing the opportunity to learn about a higher-paying job for the family’s well-being in the future.
Having a lack of education limits long-term earning potential and things such as senses of belonging and self-esteem. Living in poverty doesn’t mean being homeless. Nor does it mean being completely poor. Many go into poverty because of family illness or something as simple as unemployment. Or maybe it just comes from generations of poverty, which is systemic poverty.
We don’t all have richness in our blood. I, as a student of Granger High, have seen the reality of poverty, where friends have left school due to lack of income in the family having felt the need to help out. Many students have seen their parents sell their most valuable belongs in order to have enough to pay the bills. Parents working 12-hour shifts isn’t enough. Sometimes having two jobs isn’t enough to provide for the family. In Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, he stated that our first necessities are physiological survival, then security and safety. Next to those are sense of belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. The reality is that if you’re living in poverty, you only have the first two needs met, which would be survival and security/safety. If you have a job and you’re so worried about getting enough to pay
rent or bills, there is no way that you would get to having a sense of belonging. Sense of belonging means having long term relationships with family and work. If you’re constantly having new jobs, then how are you reaching your sense of belonging? Only 10 percent of the world population reaches self-actualization, which is having all of your goals realized. If you get to think about it, it would be considered the wealthiest people that get to this stage. If you break it down to the three systemic stages we have here in the United States, lowerclass, middle-class, upper-class. The lower-class people would be considered poverty or at the verge of poverty, considering it survival, security and safety. If you’re in middle class, you get to sense of belonging and nearly get to esteem. Which leads us off with self-actualization. As told, only 10 percent of the world’s population gets to this point. While getting a job now might mean more money now, students should remember that more education usually leads to higher wages and more career opportunities. It’s probably better for you to work hard at school now in order to get a job that helps your family more later.
er is going to come to my house, then it’s a good opportunity for them to see what it’s like at home. A complaint I frequently have for my teachers is that they just don’t get it: my friends and I have a ton of things to do at home. I feel like, if a teacher can see just a snippet of a student’s personal life, that there will be a bridge of understanding made between them. If a student comes in late and the teacher has been to their house and knows that they have siblings they take to elementary school and junior high in the morning, the teacher will be less likely to scold and more likely to be sympathetic. I also really like the moves the school has been making to connect students with teachers. In addition to teacher home visits, teachers have been ‘students for a day’ in classrooms with schedules of their own, so that they can empathize more towards their own students. Teachers are also pretty cool people. I know they can kind of be terse and uninviting in the classroom, but that’s mostly when we’re misbehaving and not doing what we’re asked. I know that most students aren’t fond of teachers, but most students haven’t had a mutually satisfying conversation with their teachers either. Most of the time, students are discussing frustration with how their grades aren’t up to par or what they or their parents want. Teachers in turn get frustrated—either because they’ve been disrespected or a student refuses to do the work assigned. There’s also a major age gap between students and teachers. To wrap up, I find that this is a great idea, regardless of what others say. A teacher coming to your house for a halfhour or more isn’t going to hurt anyone. It may even help benefit you as a student after having an actual conversation with someone in the education business.
Tri-Color Times Staff Editor in Chief Amanda MacKay Managing Editor Skye Rouse Reporters Doris Ah Ching Ryan Beckstead Bryon Brinley Dailyn Brinas Oswaldo Cabrera Valencia Kayla Carter Kiana Dalpiaz Stephanie Dorantes Mesa Fullmer KayLynn Gonzalez Lopelini Hafoka Flavianna Hawley April Hendriksen Lupita Hernandez Tina Huskic Katherynne Jaco
Photo+Online Editor Hella Rigby Social Editor Vanessa Holt Sports Editor Taylor Wolfley Reporters Chuck Manzanares Ramon Martinez III Madison McCurdy Daryl Midgley Stephanie Gutierrez Hailey Piper Jasmine Raya Ariana Rojas Mireya Ruiz Ozzy Sanchez Anna Sayasith Karen Soriano Gabriela Thompson Arei Turner Alexandra Valdez Anissa Voa
The Tri-Color Times serves as a student forum for student opinion and student expression. The views expressed herein reflect neither the opinions of Adviser John Carlisle and Granger High School, nor those of Granite School District. The Tri-Color Times invites and publishes letters to its editorial board; all letters will be edited for taste, length, and liability.
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Tri-Color Times VOL. LIX Issue 8
April 2017, page 4
Here We Go, Lancers!!! The transition to high school challenges freshmen By Mireya Ruiz HIGH SCHOOL can be a rough transition or it can be one of the easiest transitions. Some junior high students wince at the thought of high school while others don’t worry. At Granger High School, freshmen came from junior highs such as Valley, Granite Park, West Lake, and so on. The first year of high school can be somewhat rough, as some experienced students would say. When third quarter comes around and counselors go to the junior highs to register incoming freshmen, many emotions are felt. These include excitement of the new classes, but also the feelings about going into a new school with new people such as teachers and peers can be hard. Some freshmen were worried and nervous when going into high school. “When we were registering for our classes, I was a little nervous. I didn’t know anyone at Granger. I’m kind of social. If a teacher puts me with someone, I can get along well with them. However, it’s different starting in a new school with lots of other teens,” Mark Calderon (9) said. While many have felt something somewhat close to Calderon’s experience, others had a dif-
ferent opinion. “I didn’t really care about going into high school. I had lots of friends that were already in high school, so going there just meant we all got to be together. Plus, my friends from other junior highs were going to go to Granger, so we were all going to be reunited,” Jordan Thomas (9) said. The transition to high school is just the first part. The other part is being able to get through high school with a comfortable experience, meaning trying to get the grades where they want them. “I’m not doing too well academically,” Calderon said. Many other freshmen can relate. The first year of high school can be rough because classes are harder than they were in junior high. The pace feels a little faster for those who have a hard time processing and remembering the concepts for a specific subject. Not only that, but statistics show that approximately 40 percent of high school students are chronically disengaged from school, according to a 2013 article on the forbes.com website. A lack of motivation for all classes can lead to credit recovery, summer school, and even a failure to graduate. Unfortunately, lots of freshmen have failing
grades. They will have to do either credit recovery or summer school if they plan to graduate. “Lots of these freshmen aren’t taking ‘Skills for Life’ seriously, which helps them in the long run. The time that’s provided for them on Mondays and Tuesdays is supposed to help them catch up in classes that they’re behind in. Instead they’re too busy talking to their friends and playing around,” Mr. Timothy said. In other words, freshmen are falling behind in their classes and not putting in an effort to make up their grades. All excuses aside, teachers believe in their students. If the students wanted to make up their grades, teachers would try their hardest to help. For students, success means going after school, putting in more work and effort— then they’ll get the result they’re hoping for. At Granger, there are on average about 30-40 F-grades throughout a class of 30 students. That averages out to more than one F-grade for every student, which isn’t good. Some students try to get their grades up, but others see an F-grade and let it be. Hopefully, freshmen will realize that they need to keep their grades up and just try their best.
Mr. Timothy, a Skills for Life teacher, helps students transition from junior high to high school.
Saturday school makes sense By Ramon Martinez III THE WEEKEND is probably the happiest time of the week where students stay up later than usual, sleep in the next day, and panic about homework the night before school begins again. Saturday school will prevent some of these pleasures listed above, but will also help raise CPAs and reduce fines at the same time. Yes, students do have to wake up earlier than usual to attend a Saturday school session, since it starts at 8:00 a.m. Getting high fines and horrible CPAs taken care of will make students and counselors feel relieved. Fines pile up, and sometimes it looks ridiculous seeing such high fine totals posted in the office window. Getting fees taken care of with cash or G-Cards is possible for some, but with larger fine totals, Granger students can attend Saturday school to get $100 subtracted from the overall amount owed. “It’s easy money to pay off for those students that don’t want use their own cheddar for fines,” Jonathan Cerritos (11) said. Going to one day of Saturday school for the weekend to clear a fine total under $100 is highly recommended. With such high fine totals among Granger Lancers, Saturday school attendance numbers should be higher. Maybe why students are not attending Saturday
school is because it’s harder for them to get to school on a Saturday morning. Clearly it’s hard for these students to get to school on a regular day. “Why do people complain? I think it’s good that they make it on a Saturday. It’s like a lesson for students missing class,” Luis Arciga (12) said. Some students come because a counselor or parent heard about the situation. These students were told to attend because their CPAs were low because they often miss class or arrive late. Helping raise CPA while completing missing work inside the school is a great opportunity. The only downsides are that it happens on a Saturday and lasts about four hours. Missing out on a day of the weekend is hard enough, but having that day be a ‘Saturday’ makes it worse. It’s horrible for students to spend their time on something that they don’t want do. “It’s a waste of my time. I have work on Saturdays, and I could pay off the fines by working that day and making the money I need to give to the school and a bit more,” Anthony Rivas (12) said. Students have things to do on the weekend, whether it’s for an upcoming sport game, baby-sitting, or working at a job. Hopefully students will tell their parents and bosses about this opportunity to raise CPA and lower fines by attending Saturday school.
School-based police officers make schools safer for everyone
By Tina Huskic GRANGER High is one of many schools to have school officers that are there for student protection. School officers have a huge job to fulfill their responsibilities. For the student body at Granger there are over 3,000 students and we have 2-3 officers during the day. However, officers also go to sporting events, assemblies, and other school functions. The school officers that Granger High School has are there for the students and the staff to keep everyone happy and safe. They are not there to hurt anyone or be rude, they are there to make sure everyone is obeying school rules and the law. It’s not easy for an officer to work at a school, because many students think they
are “snitches” and going after them for no reason. However, many of Granger’s students and staff love the school officers here because they feel safe and know it’s for the best. “I think having an officer at school is a good thing because they can handle problems that the administrators can’t. I like knowing that the school has cops, just in case something bad was to happen,” Kayla Skaurud (12) said. Many students would agree that having police officers in a high school is a good idea. That said, some students do not think that police officers are needed at a high school. Wylliam Jarvo (11) had a lot to say about school officers and how they make him feel. “They make
me uncomfortable, but they are unnecessary. They kind of just linger. If a fight breaks out, all of our faculty can stop it. Cops always give me dirty looks and they judge people and all they really do is disapprove. I don’t think they make me feel any safer. I feel like I have to be on edge all the time, even though I don’t do anything wrong,” Jarvo said. Justin Congrove (12) partially agrees with Jarvo, but they still have some conflicting opinions. “I definitely do not like them.” Congrove said. “I have had a bad experience with them, as in killing friends and family members. Some are just plain rude for no reason. I feel like school cops are OK, but it just really depends. Personally, I haven’t had
a bad experience with the school officers. I do think the school is ‘safer’ having them around.” The internet is filled with stories about how amazing officers are in general. Having protection at a high school is crucial, especially Granger High School considering the number of students attending. An officer’s only job is to protect and serve, and there is nothing wrong with that. Students can become very biased based on personal encounters with the police. Students’ opinions are also influenced by their family/ friends’ encounters with police. Officers deserve a voice here as well. “The job is very enjoyable, but it is busy. Well, I really like working with young people, it is very enjoyable. It is very dif-
ferent being out on the streets. The upside is everything that goes on and being able to participate. The downside is the very few people that cause problems here at the school. My intent is to make the school a safer place, and I think it is important to have a cop here instead of a cop having to respond [from the police station]. It is just easier and safer,” officer Randall said. In the end, it is pretty even with the number of students that like the officers at Granger High School and half that don’t. Teachers would beg to differ that cops in schools are a good thing because they control things most staff members can’t. Officers are a good thing to have in high schools.