Granger high school
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TRICOLORTIMES.COM
OCTOBER 2018 LXI-II
New PBG grading gives students control of their grades By Stephanie Gutierrez BACK TO school brings more than joy to teachers and students; it also brings stress. A new grading system has been sent out to Granite District teachers. Proficiency-based grading or as many know it, ‘PBG,’ has been put in place. Not only does it affect the way teachers score assignments, but it affects students, as well. Many may understand both proficiency-based grading systems and letter grading systems incorrectly. However, certain clarifications need to be made. With the current letter-grading systems, students are allowed to earn extra credit in any subject, and extra credit activities aren’t always related to subject matter knowledge. Hence, letter grades might not be an accurate reflection of how much students know about a subject.
On the other hand, grading using PBG allows teachers to grade students based on whether they meet or exceed standards-based expectations. Whereas with proficiencybased grading, students are provided with a variety of opportunities to show how proficient they are in a subject. With PBG, homework will not be given to be graded but for feedback on what may need to be improved. This grade will only reflect the student’s proficiency on a standard while behavior in class is counted towards citizenship. The PBG grading system focuses more on how well students master the subject they are learning instead of doing a worksheet given to buy some time. Therefore, students will be graded on how much knowledge they have on a subject. Proficiency-based
grades allow students to retake assessments until they are proficient in a subject. Furthermore, ‘points’ will not be deducted unless the student shows a lack of effort in a subject. That means no points will be taken off of an assignment if it is late. Accessing Gradebook will also be a different experience, because it will be giving a different display to the viewers. Though viewers may still see the normal transcripts, attendance, and report card, viewing PBG grades will be accessed through standards instead of assignments. This will show viewers a red, yellow, or green bar indicating the proficiency level on the standard. Teachers are trained to explain to students that when they check Gradebook, the grades given will be the ones deserved, which will
be based on the student’s effort towards the standard. Though the grading system may be new to many teachers, there are plenty of resources on proficiency-based grading, as seen on the graniteschools.org website. To many this might not be what fits best. Mr. Timothy had a strong opinion on whether having a proficiency-based grading system will allow the Gradebook platform to translate a 1-4-based grading scale to letter grades. Whereas for Mr. Stones, working with PBG grading isn’t anything new. “It shows students different parts of a subject to better understand what needs to be improved. The idea is that you’re breaking it into standards and you’ll be able to target what needs to be fixed,” Mr. Stones said. Stones has been using this continued on page 4
Step by step, Granger High’s teachers will switch to a performance-based grading system that Granite School District hopes to fully implement within two years.
Interest in swim team grows for 2018-19 season By Liliana Arreola THE GRANGER High swim team has gotten a lot more people to join this school year. Students seem to be more interested in the sport, which is a great thing. In previous years, fewer people have been interested in the sport, but this year many people have been excited about it. Elena Flores (12) has been swimming for two years. “I want to do something that is challenging,” Flores said. Challenging your body is a great thing. Being in swim can help you with that. That is one of the many reasons people join swim. People have an interest in swim for many reasons: it’s an
easier sport, they love swimming, it’s a way to challenge yourself, and it can also be because it’s the only sport they can manage. Swim helps people with stress relief. It’s a sport not many people think of, and it is one of the least common sports people join. “I joined the swim team because it is fun. Running for me is hard because my hips are injured, so swim is a great thing for me. You also get the chance to meet new people,” John Winder (9) said. Meeting new people is a goal for many and being in a sport can help with that. Many sports involve a lot of running, but for those who don’t like running or can’t run, swim is
a great thing to do. Being a part of the swim team could help students meet new people that enjoy the sport, too. When students do what they love, there are always many great rewards. “My dream is to be in the Olympics; I want to represent my country. I want to be the first of my people to take a gold medal. Swim is my passion, and it helps with the problems I deal with,” Arthur Lirano (10) said. Passion drives people to success and they can accomplish many goals when that passion is visible. Being in swim in high school could later on end up leading to the Olympics. It would be an accomplishment for many people to
be in the Olympics. Representing a country can be a goal for anyone and everyone, no matter where they come from. Being in swim could help them reach future goals they want to accomplish. “Swim is fun. There are outgoing people that are in swim. All of them accept you for who you are, they support you all the way through, and they encourage you. They are unique people that like to socialize,” Mehagan Tsosie (10) said. Many people are finding swim as a place to have fun while doing something they love. In swim, they all encourage each other and support each other in what they do.
Coaches and players have bad days By Miguel Acosta PLAYERS deal with a lot of pressure from academics, sports, and personal life. Coaches go through a lot of stress as well, and it may be hard for coaches to maintain a good relationship with their students and players. Coaches may coach more than one team and teach classes. With all that stress you never know what kinds of problems may come up in the players or coaches’ lives, like dealing with a loss of a close family member or friend, parent getting a divorce, etc. Nonetheless, coaches and players have a way of making a player feel like they are there for them. Edward Lolani (12), the captain of the varsity football team, trusts his teammates and his coach to help when another player on the team needs help. “Coach would let the players know about a player who has had something happened to them, so that way we can be there for the player and help with positive attitudes,” Lolani said. “Coach never forces someone to play if they’re having a bad day or if something is happening with that team member. It is up to the person to decide if he is comfortable enough to tell a coach.” While they may occasionally have bad days, coaches stand ready to help players with their problems. “We’re explicit in our support. We take him aside and have private meetings with him to see what we can do to help. We encourage our players to be nice to each other. We’ve had kids lose loved ones and parents go through divorces, etc,” Mr. Chandler, boys basketball head coach, said. And when things get tough in their personal lives, the coaches turn to each other for support. Chandler remembers this happening in his life last year. “Absolutely. We all have bad days. I try not to bring that with me, but sometimes it just happens. Last year, my father went through a heart attack and a triple bypass. We had a game right after, and I wasn’t as mentally present as I could have been because I was worried about my father’s recovery. Everybody is human, everybody has stress, and everybody has a whole life outside of basketball. Sometimes they blur together,” he said.
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October 2108, page 2 | Sports and Student News
Tri-Color Times VOL. LXI Issue 2
Businesses have opinions about Lancers’ behavior By Karla Landeros EVERY day at GHS, there are students who go to the nearest stores and restaurants to eat. They go to Little Caesars, Dollar Tree, and they also go to Quickly, a nice place for Boba tea. With students flooding into their stores, the store’s management definitely carries opinions about Lancers going into their stores to buy their products. In most places, stores get a little tired of having to clean up after students from Granger. Anastel Nuusila, a worker at Beans and Brews, enjoys having GHS Lancers at Bean and Brews, butshe wishes the students would clean up after themselves. “Sometimes they go and sit on our patio and that’s fine, but they come in with their Little Caesars boxes and make a bit of a mess. We have to clean it and, yeah, it’s cool that they come in. I don’t mind having students in the stor. It’s just the mess that’s left,” Nuusila said. She added that Lancers come into Beans and Brews in large groups. She says it’s fine, but
that she and her coworkers are constantly telling Lancers to get their drinks and move on because it gets too full and busy, considering that they have around 80 student customers and around 40 non-paying students coming in during lunch time. “We’re really busy and they’ll come in with their whole group and stay here for a bit. Since there’s a lot of people here, we do sometimes have to tell them that they have to buy their drinks and leave,” Nuusila said. Since each business has different customers, they also have different numbers of clients each day. Dollar Tree gets very few in comparison to Fresh Market or Little Caesars, where stores are packed and long lines are filled with students. In many businesses, store workers mentioned a student attitude that needs to be fixed. On the other hand, when asked about respect, management said Lancers are respectful towards the store. “The majority are respectful, just the disrespectful ones are more obvious. They are louder about
it, so they get the most attention,” Ben Brown said. Dollar Tree isn’t a popular place for students to go during their lunch, but they do have a few students coming in the store. Jonni Stauter, a worker at Dollar Tree, thinks it’s good that Lancers come in, but she doesn’t feel sure about our students. She often feels that students take stuff from them without paying. “I think it’s good, but sometimes I think that people are walking out with stuff that they are not supposed to,” Sauter said. At this rate, someday, Lancers might end up losing their lunchtime privileges. Starting October 1st at Jacksons, only students making purchases will be allowed in the store. If Lancers want to keep their privileges, they have to step up their game. Being responsible and respectful is the only way Lancers will be welcomed at local businesses. A good place for Lancers to start would be to clean up after themselves, pay for everything they take, and return to campus as soon as possible.
Pectus excavatum doesn’t stop Josue Salazar By Alexis McArthur There have been a lot of improvements on the wrestling team in the past few years. They won region last year, and they continue to show improvement. One really cool thing about the wrestling team is how diverse they are. Josue Salazar (12) is on the wrestling team. He began wrestling in his junior year and is continuing this year. His story is a little different than the rest of his teammates, but it is just as inspiring. Salazar has a medical condition called pectus excavatum. Pectus excavatum is a condition in which a person’s chest bone is sunken into their chest. Salazar said “My organs are all pushed together, and it inhibits my lungs from being able to fully expand and take in deep breaths. It is also the cause of my asthma,” he said. “I don’t think it affects me when I wrestle, but when we have to take our shirts off to weigh in, I think the other guys underestimate me, and they think I won’t be a tough competitor,” Salazar
said. “My condition is two times worse than most people’s.” As a consequence of this condition, Salazar can’t take very deep breaths, he sometimes runs out of breath a little faster than the other wrestlers. “The only way I think my condition affects me is through my asthma,” Salazar said. Although he has asthma, there is not a noticeable difference in his performance. “Josue is a really good wrestler. He has good technique and he is really strong,” Arleth Antonio (10), another wrestler on the team, said. “Being a girl wrestler is hard because it is a male dominated sport, so to see him persevere through his condition and not let it hold him back gives me a lot of inspiration and motivation to keep wrestling,” said Antonio. This is her second year wrestling with the team, and she is very passionate about it. Salazar’s coach had a few things to say, as well. “I think very highly of Josue, and I also don’t think his condition holds him back. He is a very hard work-
er and a strong wrestler,” Coach Vidal said. “Josue has a very good attitude about everything, and we are very lucky to have him on the team. He is a valuable member, and we can learn a lot from him.” According to the mayoclinic. org website, some symptoms of pectus excavatum are chest pains, heart murmur, respiratory infections or having a rapid heartbeat. If a person with pectus excavatum is unhappy with the appearance of their chest, it can be corrected with surgery. The condition is associated with genetic or connective tissue diseases. “It doesn’t hurt or affect me in my everyday life. I love wrestling, and I’m trying really hard to get better at it this year,” Salazar said. Wrestling is a great choice for Salazar because he only has one match at each meet, so his asthma doesn’t flare up like it would if he were playing a different sport that required sustained effort. Salazar loves wrestling and is looking forward to the upcoming season.
Josue Salazar isn’t embarrassed to be different, and he is excited to compete in the upcoming season.
Alejandro and Alan like going to Fresh Market to buy some lunch.
instagram.com/tricolortimes Freshmen ready for football
By Payne Ioanis When the seniors of 2019 depart, Freshmen football players will hop out of their baby cribs and start to lift the power of the Lancers for 2022’s Lancer football team. While no one knows if the Lancers will be dominant this year, they have some players who are going to be leaving next year as graduates of the class of 2019. “This year is my first year in football for Granger High school and my last year here. I regret not joining earlier. If I was a freshman again, then I would start football right now, Anfernee Boaz (12) said. You will find something that will interest you in some way,” he said. “I am an offensive right tackle, and this is my first year in Granger High school. This year has been intense, I would say the season is going great right now, it’s really fun so far. I will be playing football every year. I do not regret joining at all,” Victor Tausinga (9) said. All of the football players that have been experienced the tough times have been successful so far, and they have good advice for the freshmen football players. “To all the freshman out there, I would say to work hard and be coachable, because if you were a senior or junior that has experienced tough times over the yearslike me or my other peers then you would understand,” Ian Alexander (12) said.
“I am a senior this year and I suggest the freshmen this year to work hard and be coachable. Not only to be coachable but come to football with an open mind. We want you to be energetic, so you can work hard and be the best of your best. I started playing football when I was eight years old, and I am persevering because of all of my hard work up until now,” Ammon Tavai (11) said. All of this was dedicated to the freshmen who didn’t get to play a sport this year. All athletic non-active members of the school should start on a sport they would think their talent really fits. Being able to catch all the attention in football is an opportunity not to be missed. “I started as a freshman in football for Granger High school. I started all the way back in middle school, and so far, so good. I have two positions in football: offensive tackle and defensive end. Both positions on each end face off against each other. I am a starter for both sides so it’s a lot of pressure and really tiring,” Dominik Keti (12) said. Granger has been on a good track recently and they’re pushing strong. The seniors are not yet able to get any recruiting from any college communities, but they are getting to where they need to be. Football can help earn scholarships to successful programs, and it helps students stay on track to their goals.
October 2108, page 3 | Student News and Opinion
Tri-Color Times VOL. LXI Issue 2
The effectiveness of STEM education in Granger’s network needs analysis By Ivan Padilla The STEM field is projected to grow by 13 percent from 2017— 2027. STEM curriculums and careers are expanding, according to the idtech.com website. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. When it comes to science, the U.S. comes in 24th place, worldwide. In mathematics, we placed 38th. For as great as the U.S. is, there is an obvious problem with its education system, and these numbers prove that. The U.S.is not ignorant to the problem, however, and teachers have been actively trying to fix it. One of the ways they’ve been trying to amend this problem is by implementing STEM education. STEM education puts an emphasis on the aforementioned subjects. In recent years, many middle schools have been changing into STEM-oriented curriculums, such as Kearns, West Lake, and Valley Junior High. At least
Another student voiced his that believe the STEM curricufor West Lake, this has been a new change that was brought into disappointment with his STEM lum hasn’t provided any advanexperience, “They just gave me tages. When asked the question action two years ago. With so many schools in the more work, and it made me re- if they have seen an improvement in attitude and grades, area turning towards this was their response, STEM, some people “I’ve seen no differmay believe that there ence in grades or atis some efficacy to titude,” said Ms. Funk what they are doing. (‘09), a science teacher. Unfortunately, both She’s not alone in students who have her assessment. been to STEM schools “I have seen the opand teachers who are posite,” said Mr. Ecteaching STEM do not cleston, a freshman agree. math teacher. “Going to a STEM STEM might be an middle school has effective way to teach not helped me in high school,” Tobe Thetthe youth of the U.S. Thetsombandith isn’t satisfied with STEM curriculum. sombandith (10) said. science, technology, “If I could have gone engineering, and mathto a different middle school that ally frustrated,” Kevin Sebastian ematics, but not all teachers and wasn’t STEM, I would have done (10) said. “They really push you students agree. Well, one thing is it,” Thetsombandith said. there, and I think if I would have for sure: this situation deserves However, some students aren’t paid more attention, I would have more than just an examination of necessarily angry with the STEM learned a lot more,” Sebastian ad- anecdotal evidence. It requires a program as much as they are with mitted. thorough examination. things out of their own control. Nonetheless, there are teachers A meta-analysis of the effec-
tiveness of STEM programs in the United States conducted by Cleveland State University had a positive outlook on STEM. This meta-analysis covers studies published between 1980 and 2010, with a total of 91 studies. This analysis found that when it came to three points of engagement, capability, and continuity STEM programs were effective. So despite an anecdotal dissatisfaction with STEM education, teachers and students should stick with it. They should trust the science. In the grand scheme of U.S. education, STEM programs are effective. Ineffective instruction or implementation could be causing this discrepancy in the personal accounts of students and teachers in Granger’s community. With additional analysis and revision, the Granger community should feel the positive effects of STEM education in the lives of students and teachers alike.
The journey from Shorecrest to Granger includes better pizza
Opinion by Macaela Williams HAVE YOU ever moved to a new state? Or to a new school? For those people that have I’m sure you’d agree with me that it’s not easy. I mean imagine you are perfectly comfortable living where you are because you know everyone in your grade, you have your besties, your crush that likes you back,your family, and out of the blue you move. Now you live in West Valley City, Utah. That’s right you moved from Shorecrest High in Seattle, Washington to a place called Granger High in West Valley City, Utah. It’s going to be an adjustment going from a small school with maybe a thousand students in the
whole school to a big school at least three times the size. Another thing that is different from where I lived is that people in Seattle are somewhat stuck up. But here most people you run into are actually pretty nice and want to know things about you. A really unique thing here at Granger High School is how diverse the school is and how the majority of people seem to get along-unlike my old school in Washington which would have many fights or huge disagreements during the school year. Something else that’s so different at Granger High School is that we have a dress code, and it’s actually enforced. Some other things that I think
are really cool at Granger, are that there’s more opportunities to find out what you actually like doing! For example, I love writing and informing people about things, which is one reason why I’m apart of the staff for the Tri-Color Times! Another example of this is that if you want to be a nurse or a mechanic there’s classes for that, too. At my old high school in Seattle, we didn’t have even half as many options. Another really cool thing is that Driver Ed is a class at school and it’s really cheap. In Washington, you had to pay at least $500 for just the class and you have to go to a special school, and you don’t get elective credits for it.
Generation Z speaks digital dialect as natives
Opinion by Emma Pratt The online language that our generation speaks is intriguing. We are able to put tone, sarcasm, and even emotion into online writing. Deanna Hoak, a copyeditor with a master’s degree in sociolinguistics, posted this last spring: “It’s kinda cool how our generation has created actual tone in the way we write online…. Like whether we: write properly with perfect grammar, shrthnd everythin, use capitals to emphasise The Point, use extra letters or characters for emotion!!!!!, and much more….” Some people say that this textbased language system is just random. If that were the case, then how do you understand when your friend texts you “Fine,” they’re mad? Why do you read thE ENDING OF THIS SENTENCE WITH A LOUD VOICE IN YOUR HEAD? It really is interesting to see the way that the online language has been altered to become what it is now. This way of online writing is more than just incorrect English, but a new language. Hoak agrees: “I see this as different from typical language change because it is specifically aimed at conveying nuance in short and immediate written
form,” she wrote. There are many other professionals that have said we’ve created a new language. A post, replying to the original, said, “My class taught some of the nuances of this to our English teacher. It makes perfect sense linguistically that we would create this complexity to ease communication in a medium without body language or tone, but what my teacher was really floored about was that none of us had ever ‘learned it’, we’re ‘native speakers’ of a whole new type of English.” It’s interesting to think that we are native speakers to this language. We understand it with perfect clarity, yet we didn’t have to learn it, we just understood it. Some even refer to this new language as a ‘digital dialect’. Although many think that this digital dialect is a good thing, some people think otherwise. “Socially, I think we’ve fallen back. We’re so used to texting and being online, that we’ve increased anxiety. Online, we can wait for a notification, read what someone says, and then decide if we want to respond or not. In real life, we can’t do that. I think we’re afraid of the uncertainty,” Ja’Reese Barber (10) said. When you view this digital
dialect in a different perspective, you can see the negative sides. “I can see both sides. Technology connects us with others, but that connection is less meaningful than in person. It also stops us from learning important life lessons and experiences. We use technology every day, and it’s so easy to get distracted. I feel like it’s become a habit for me to be on social media,” Hannah Neilson (9) said. Neilson also feels that, as high school students, we want to be involved with each other, and be connected. “Teens in general are viewed as less. We are expected to act as adults, yet we are treated as less. Whatever is socially expected of us, is our highest point. We can’t see above that, because that is what everyone expects us to be,” Neilson said. This digital dialect may be overlooked, because people think that teenagers are just teenagers, and we don’t know anything. Maybe this social language pulls us closer together online, but it pushes us apart in person. If we are so attached to our social media that we get distracted from real life, have we advanced or fallen backwards? I think we’ve advanced technologically, but socially, I think we’ve backpedaled.
Another huge difference just for me personally is the weather. I don’t know how many of you have been to Seattle, Washington but it rains there… a lot. Seattle basically has bipolar weather. We call it that because it can be a perfect summer day, and out of nowhere it’ll rain. Another thing is that at Granger the food is better, and we have more options. For instance, Granger’s lunch staff must order out our pizza, because compared to Shorecrest, it’s way better. Shorecrest had open campus for lunch like we do here, but there wasn’t much around to go to, unlike here where you have A-Fresh, Carl’s Jr., and so many other choices.
There are positives and negatives to everything. Seattle has lots of exciting and fun things. Utah has a lot of culture. People are different everywhere no matter where you go. The atmosphere, the food, the experience, the points of views, the way people say things, just everything. Seattle does and will forever have my heart and be the place where I have my roots. Utah will be a great lesson and experience for me. I’m excited to start new here but it’s not gonna be easy. I’m ready to meet and have experiences with new friends as we learn and grow together. There you have it: the new girl’s opinion on Granger.
Tri-Color Times Staff Editor in Chief Jelena Dragicevic
Social Media Editor Jocelyn Roberts
Reporters Miguel Acosta Camila Aguero Liliana Arreola Landon Burton Erik Carranza Lesly Castillo Alex Cervantes Mirella Chamorro Angela Cortez Tyler Danh Paola Estrada Elena Flores Ariana Gomez Krystal Hernandez Payne Ioanis Karla Landeros
Reporters Isaac Lemus Alexis McArthur Analicia Montoya Nancy Otuafi Ivan Padilla Stephanie Gutierrez Lina Philip Anita Pinilla Emma Pratt Carlos Salinas Ivan Siete Leilani Tima Nancy Torres Mariah Valle Destiny Wallace Macaela Williams
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.
Tri-Color Times c/o Granger High 3580 South 3600 West West Valley, UT 84119 (385) 646-5320
October 2108, page 4 | Student News and Reviews
Tri-Color Times VOL. LXI Issue 2
Performance-based grading cont. continued from page 1 grading system for years now. However, as he transitions into teaching new classes this year, he admits to feeling the stress of now having to redefine standards for Secondary Math II. Nonetheless, moving forward to second quarter, Stones plans to continue with the PBG grading system. Administrators know that convincing teachers to adopt a PBG system will take some work. “This is a time of transition for both students and teachers. There
will be a learning curve, but the eventual hope is that the student will be positively affected,” Mr. Beck said. At first, students and teachers might be confused about how this will affect them, but getting informed is the best choice. Knowing that there is always enough time to aim towards proficiency in a standard during class, the limits are endless. Students will be more responsible for the grades given, and there can be a great sense of accomplishment with that, too.
Travis Scott’s ASTROWORLD pleases fans
Drake in SLC on Oct. 10 By Ivan Siete AUBREY Drake Graham and Migos will be performing on October 10 at the Vivint Home Smart Arena in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. ‘The Aubrey & The Three Amigos Tour’ was originally scheduled for July 26, but for technical reasons the concert was rescheduled to October 10. This is going to be a huge concert because Drake hasn’t been in Salt Lake City for more than four years. He’s gotten bigger as an artist, and he has gotten significantly bigger since then. His recent album Scorpion is his fifth album. It debuted at the #1 spot on Billboard’s Top 200, and it crushed streaming records with 1 billion streams on the first day. It is the best-selling album of the year so far. Opening for Drake will be the Migos, a group based in Atlanta, Georgia. They started in 2008 releasing small mixtapes. Their two albums, Culture and Culture II, were very successful. Culture released in 2017 and is certified Platinum and it ranked No. 8 on Billboards 50 best albums of 2017. Migos will bring all their excitement and get the crowd ready for Drake. Leo Perez (12) bought his tickets the second they came out. “I’ve been a fan since ‘Take Care’ and the song ‘Marvin’s Room,’ he said. Perez’s favorite Drake song would be “6 God” from 2015’s If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late. Perez likes it because it motivates him to do everything. Perez was furious when he found out that the show was being rescheduled for October. Now he’s going with his cousin Pepe
and some other friends. “If Drake plays ‘Know Yourself,’ I will lose it, since it’s of my favorites,” Perez said. Elizabeth Quezada (11) has been waiting for Drake to come to Utah for the longest time. Quezada has been a fan since 2013’s Started from The Bottom. Quezada bought her floor tickets two months ago and is going with her cousins Tita and Sara. Quezada was sad when she found out it was it was being rescheduled. “All I can do it wait now,” Quezada said. Eduardo Flores (12) is the biggest Drake fan in Salt Lake City. Flores got his ticket as a birthday present for himself. Flores has been a fan since seventh grade, and he was super disappointed that it got rescheduled. Flores is going with his cousins Dulce and Jenny, and all of them are excited. “It really sucks that it’s on a school day because I won’t have time to make any day plans with my cousins,” Flores said. Flores was a huge fan of Scorpion and said it was one of his best albums. ‘Scorpion’ is a combination of both feelings and emotions and the past and future of his music,” Flores said. Flores is also a big fan of the “Migos” and is also excited to see them perform next to Aubrey. “They will hype the crowd up,” Flores said. This is going to be a very exciting concert, and maybe it will be the concert of the year. Many fans can’t wait to see their favorite artist perform live. Fans of Drake or Migos should attend this concert on October 10 at the Vivint Home Smart Arena downtown.
By Tyler Dahn ASTROWORLD is the third album from Travis Scott, and it was dropped on August 3, 2018. The majority of the rap community is talking about the debut of Astroworld. Astroworld has been on Billboard’s Top 200 Chart for seven weeks, and it peaked at #1. The artist of Astroworld is Travis Scott who is an artist in the rap game. It took two years for Travis Scott to make the album. The cover for the album of Astroworld represents the closing of six flags in Houston in 2005 according to the xxlmag.com website. Travis stated he plans on reviving of the amusement park and bring back the spirit of the park his hometown is Houston Texas. When Travis dropped his album he also released a signature shoe with Nike called ‘Travis Scott AF1’ that was also part of the album and the merch sale. “Enjoy the ride,” Eduardo Galvan (12) said. He considers Astroworld to be the best album of the year and the best of Scott’s career. Galvan bought over $200 worth
of merch from the album, and each piece of merch comes with an album. His favorite song from the album is “Yosemite,” and Galvan is traveling to Nebraska because it is the closest concert. He likes the album because the album has nothing but hits. “I think the theme is really cool,” Galvan said. Travis Scott has always been one of Galvan’s favorites. He has liked Scott ever since he heard the first song he ever dropped. Galvan enjoys when he does featured artists. Most of Scott’s beats include samples of other old school artists from Houston which he enjoys. “The artist is one of my favorites, and he is one of the best in this generation,” Junior Rubio (12) said. Astroworld is a really good album and would recommend others to buy it, but in his personal opinion he would not rate it album of the year. He would nominate Kanye West’s album called “Ye,” instead. His favorite song on Astroworld is called “Can’t Say” ft. Don To-
liver. He would not buy a ticket personally to one of the concerts of Travis Scott. “It is not my favorite album, but it is good,” Luis Curiel (12) His opinion on the album is that it is the best of 2018. His favorite song on the album is “Can’t Say.” His personal opinion is that the album is different from the old Travis Scott, but it is still amazing. He likes to listen to Scott’s music because the vibe of the music is chill and enjoyable. “Travis Scott is the best artist of all time, and he is my favorite,” Jeremiah Snow (12) said. He is the biggest fan of Travis Scott. He has bought over $400 worth of merch, and he is currently waiting for something else to drop. He is planning on going to his concerts in the near future. “I would recommend anyone that wants to get hyped to listen to Travis Scott album’s Astroworld,” he said. Snow idolizes him and wishes to meet Travis Scott personally and wants to get his merch signed.
Lancers who don’t choose college seek success By Erik Carranza GRANGER High School has over 3,000 students and usually about 700 seniors. Out of those seniors, 80 percent graduate and most of them enroll for college. There are a lot of reasons why some people don’t enroll for college. Some of these reasons are financial problems, fear of college, and having other plans in life that don’t involve college. Xazier Casillas (‘18) is a Granger High School graduate who lives in West Jordan with his mom, uncle, and aunt. He has not enrolled for college, but he has said that he is planning on going to college. He mentioned that he just wanted a break from school to have some time to himself. He’s glad to have a break from work and not having to constantly wake up early. School made him feel really stressed, and he also had a hard time trying to get on track to actually graduate. Now that Casillas has graduated, he said that life has been really boring without school. He said that all he does now is go to work, and go home. He also said that he misses seeing all of his friends every
day. “Now that I am out of high school, I rarely get to see any of my friends because everybody else is either working or going to college or still in high school,” Casillas said. Casillas’s next move is to go to SLCC and finish his generals, and then hopefully transfer to the University of Utah and get his Doctorate Degree. “College is going to be stressful due to my lack of money,” said Casillas. Gildardo Ortega (‘18) is also a former Lancer who lives in Logan, Utah with his dad and aunts. Ortega was never really into school and never really liked it. He has decided that he is not going to go to college because he already has plans for his future that do not involve further schooling. “I didn’t want to go sit in classes and take notes for hours when I could be working, hanging out with family, and making money all at the same time,” said Ortega. Life after high school for Ortega has been really calm and less stressful. Ortega is working with his dad and uncles, and he said that he has not needed a lot of the material learned in school. Ortega is more of a hands-
on learner and could never really concentrate in class with all the kids talking, and he felt that the teachers couldn’t help a lot with one-on-one teaching. School would always make him feel pressured because of all the homework he would get and not understand. Having all those due dates that he would constantly think about every day really made him feel like just giving up and not doing his work. Now that Ortega doesn’t have all those pages of homework and books he has to read, he has felt so much more relaxed because he is able to sleep more. Homework would make him stay up late at night because he would try to finish it or turn it in. However, he also says that he misses seeing his friends at school. “Friends come and go, but you can always meet new ones,” Ortega said. High school is a place for learning and preparing for the future, but perhaps college is not for everybody. There are people that just can’t handle school and have other plans. Whether college is a part of the plan or not, former Lancers seek to create their own success.