Granger high school
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FEBRUARY 2022 LXIV-3
Basketball teams tip off with strong starts By Natalie Pereira SPORTS are very important to Granger, so many students are eager for the winter season to commence. Despite student enthusiasm, there is a bit of pressure on this year’s players. “Basketball should be fun, it should be sort of an outlet for both boys and girls,” coach Shawnee Smith said, “sometimes that can be additional pressure though, so I would say self-care is really important. Make sure you’re doing all the basics. Getting enough sleep, drinking water, and eating right. Don’t neglect yourself.” Not only is physical health im-
portant, but mental health is important, too. According to Coach Stephen Tidwell, what can really help students is goal setting. “We set goals, and we try to prepare them the best we can. I want to help them build their character and try to put them in situations they can be successful in,” Tidwell said. Coach Tidwell values hard work and wants to make sure that the players are going to class and getting their grades where they need to be. “I always tell my players to believe in themselves and work hard. Don’t make excuses,” Tidwell said. Coaches also look for talented
players. Tidwell says that they should focus on shooting open threes and open layups. “Highadvantage shots are always great,” he said. Coach Tidwell is looking forward to going against Hunter since they are West Valley’s rivals. “I’m excited to see how our team does,” he said. The team relies on their coaches for support and encouragement, but in the end, it all depends on the players to bring their game out on the court. “I love to play basketball. I’ve been wanting the season to start for a while now,” Avante Lee (9) said. Lee has been playing basketball since he was in 6th grade, but discov-
ered it was his passion when he was in 7th grade. “I’m very good at driving the ball with my left hand, so that’s an advantage,” Lee said. Lee recommends others to join the basketball team to have a better experience in high school and to be aware of how fun the sport is. “I’m prepared for the upcoming season. I know that there is no point in bringing myself down in a losing game and that there is always a chance to come back and win in the next game. In situations like those, I just breathe and keep my head in the game,” Lee said, “I can’t wait to go against continued on page 3
Avante recommends that students join the basketball team to have a better experience in high school.
A different kind of sporting experience
By Whitnie Larsen VIDEO games have been at a steep uprise within recent years. The popular way to live stream is using the Twitch.tv website. Twitch has helped ordinary people become some of the most well-known gamers in the world. Now that people are finding out that they can make money playing video games, it’s becoming less of a joke and more of a serious competition. Six schools within the Granite School District have created an Esports team, where they compete in playing various video games. Cottonwood, Hunter, Taylorsville, Skyline, and two junior high schools are competing in the Ken Garff Esports Fall Festival for the first time. This festival has participants from twenty Utah school districts. Students are put
into teams of three and will play against other teams from all over the state. They played two popular games: Rocket League and Super Smash Brothers Ultimate. This event was live streamed on Twitch. Chris Larsen is the Director of Educational Technology for Granite School District. He is coordinating the district’s efforts for an Esports team. “It’s not officially recognized [as a high school sport] yet. Right now, Esports in Granite is a student-led club at the school where it is being held,” Larsen said, “there’s a chance that it will either become a sport or part of a curricular club.” To create a team at Granger, students who are interested should find a teacher to be their supervisor. Then, the adviser will reach out to Larsen at the district office.
Granite can then make sure things are working and get the club connected to other organizations that are used for Esports. Sergio Mederano (9) feels as if a team should be added to Granger. “I love the idea of an Esports team. I wasn’t a video game person, but then I was introduced, and I started playing,” Mederano said. Battle Royale games are some of the ones that were played during the festival, and they are the exact ones that people play on their own time, too. “I like Fortnite, Rocket League, Warzone and Apex,” Mederano said. Mr. McCarl is the game development and the virtual reality teacher at Granger High School. He has helped with Esports within the district before. However, there was not enough student interest to form a team in time for the Ken Garff Esports Fall Festi-
val. “Lots of people expressed interest, but no one ever came to the meetings. There are limitations to everything we can do as well,” McCarl said. The games that are being played for the Esports team are not games that kids think of when they say Esports. “Some games are too violent — we can’t be playing first-person shooter games. We can play Minecraft and Smash Bros but those aren’t team games, they’re individually played.” McCarl said. To overpass these games, the district has given Granger a router to bypass websites. Lancers who are interested in Esports should talk to Mr. McCarl about starting an after-school club. Students would have to organize a club themselves, but Mr. McCarl has expressed that he would love to be the club adviser.
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Swim kicks off By Leyla Ilyazova IN YOUR typical high school, it is not difficult to see all the athletes. Cross-country is running laps around the track, soccer players are on the field, Swim team is in the pool, and tennis players are occupied on the courts. Regardless of the sport, high school athletes devote hours to their game. Playing a sport is a big responsibility, it teaches students lessons that cannot be taught in a classroom. Many students at Granger High School students are on the swim team. The swim team helps athletes sharpen skills, get steady physical activity, reach goals, and creates better team players. Being a part of a team will guide a person in finding out more about themselves and teammates, it can give various insights, benefits, and advantages in the professional world. It’s easy to overlook the impact participation in a sport can have on students’ lives, even after their athletic career is over. “I will definitely look more into college swim teams after high school,” Brian Wilkey (09) said. Swim coaches start each season by having their swimmers set preseason goals. “We all set out to reach our goals, and we don’t stop till we’ve pushed ourselves to our limit,” Gale Cutshaw (12) said. This gives swimmers motivation needed to work progressively harder to reach their goals The importance of goal setting is that, in addition to the fact that it provides fulfillment when the goal is reached, it is something that can be used outside of the game also. Although all goals might not be accomplished, that is OK since it gives a powerful steppingstone towards progress and offers the chance to be the best person that they can be. Another advantage of swimming in a team is that it constrains athletes to manage their time through a more insightful lens. “It takes up a lot of time, maintaining schoolwork, swimming, and other activities,” Grayson Bigler (10) said. Dealing with school, home obligations, jobs, and athletics on top of all things considered, is an ability that swimmers will have to acquire. Regardless of whether the swim team has one, two, or three practices a day, swimmers will have a lot of involvement with managing their time. This will help hugely in the professional world.
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February 2022, page 2
Tri-Color Times VOL. LXIV Issue 3
The scary part of sports: injuries By Gigi Vera MANY PEOPLE think of sports as fun competition, but playing a sport isn’t always fun and games. One day, a players could be at the top of the game, then the next, that same player may be on the sidelines hurt and told to sit out the rest of the season. Sophia Than (10) plays basketball and has played for two years for the Granger basketball team. “I was playing basketball at the West Valley Rec Center. I did a lay-up, and I landed on my ankle,” Than said. After her injury, she was not able to play for the school. During the four months she spent in recovery, she went to physical therapy. “Obviously, with a healed ankle, I can’t really do anything. I couldn’t run and jump on my healed ankle because I didn’t want to break and go through the whole healing process again.” Another Lancer athlete who has found themself on the sideline before is Dori Buenrostro (10), who plays soccer and has been for
four years. “While I was playing soccer, I ran into someone and fell down and blacked out. I don’t remember anything but when I woke up and got told that I had a broken nose and had a concussion,” Buenrostro said. She couldn’t play for the rest of the season due to her injuries. Buenrostro is still recovering from the broken nose and concussion, but still enjoys playing soccer. Bobby Lizardi (12) has been playing football for four years now for Granger High School. He started playing in his freshman year, and just finished his senior season watching from the sidelines. “I was playing football and I was at running back while running with the ball and I got tackled from the back awkwardly to the point where my leg bent weirdly and snapped in half,” Lizardi said. Unfortunately, Lizardi couldn’t play for the rest of the season and just watched from the sideline supporting his teammates. “I was out for the whole season after I got hurt and it took
up to six to nine months to heal. I can walk on it pretty well. It still hurts when I put a lot of pressure on my leg, but I can walk normally fine,” Lizardi said. He is still recovering from the injuries and is now back to walking normally. While enjoyable, sports can be scary, because players never know when an injury could happen and how long they’d have to be sidelined. Getting hurt and not being able to play a favorite sport can be painful both physically and emotionally. Watching tbe team play from the sidelines can be heartbreaking. Additionally, one injured athlete can affect the performance of the whole team, which can be a lot for someone to feel the weight of while in recovery. Injuries can happen fast and unexpectedly, and that is why it is important for athletes to listen to coaches and athletic trainers when they advise players on how to best keep themselves safe and healthy while also doing what they love.
Granger High’s athletes rely on expert care and advice from athletic trainers.
Wrestling teaches values to athletes By Pilar Olvera WRESTLING is a very entertaining sport at Granger High School. Wrestling brings people together by building strong relationships and improving physical health. Wrestling, like many other sports, offers an unlimited list of benefits such as confidence, character, and self-esteem. This sport takes a lot of courage to do. Many wrestlers give everything they have to build the strength and endurance needed to compete. Wrestling changes a person’s perspective on living by making them feel empowered. Participating in a sport and having a positive experience can have a huge impact on an athlete’s social development. Sports take up a lot of time and energy, which motivates students to work hard to enjoy practice and compete. “Wrestling is a great way to teach someone life aspects like how to deal with failure and loss,” Carlos Ruiz (11) said. Wrestling teaches athletes to improve no matter what the re-
sult of each matchup is. Failure is a difficult thing to deal with and some people can’t even take it. “It’s tough, gets really hard at times, but makes you a better person and teaches life lessons,” Ruiz said. Many of these athletes use wrestling to cope with their real-life situations at home and can be a good escape. Females are strong wrestling athletes at Granger. Bailey Hall (11) went to tryouts for wrestling but was uncertain about it. “It wasn’t as hard as I thought, but it was a lot. We had to like roll around and do flips which was intensifying,” Hall said. Of course, females have different obstacles to face in sports, but as they do it, they will build up more confidence and strength. Wrestling teaches the value of dependability. People want to be reliable and trustworthy in competitions, which is important as students grow up and prepare to go to work or college. In sports, the team players depend on each other to achieve goals. With-
Wrestlers grapple on mats.
out one another, they wouldn’t be able to improve or grow. A group’s strength is dependent on every single player’s cooperation. People join sports to gain more confidence, and some may do it to prove people who have doubted them wrong. “I used to be really small, and I got picked on when I was little, so I needed something to stand up for myself,” Brady Benson (11) said. People can make you feel unworthy sometimes, but sports can be an incredible way to make a person’s life better as they get older. Memories and words that inspire a teammate to victory are extraordinary. Wrestlers meet new people and create friendships that are inseparable. “We’re more than a team, we’re family,’’ Benson said. Wrestling can help someone connect with themselves as well as others. Granger’s wrestling team values and teaches much more than just trying to win. To many athletes on our team, wrestling is much more than that.
Honors and AP classes use books.
Honors and AP worth the stress
By Arius Hardman ARE HONORS and AP classes worth it? Or is it just unnecessary stress? Lancers here at Granger can take AP and Honors classes, which have the chance to help them get college credits, better grades, and a better GPA. However, everything has its disadvantages. Sammy Beauchaine (9) says that she enjoys her honors classes because it’s faster paced, and in her mind, that’s the pace that she’s going, she doesn’t have to deal with much stress, as she usually can handle a lot of work at once and stay on top of her assignments well. On the other hand, Julia Thomas (9) says she deals with a lot of stress, and she has piles of homework and lots to do. “You know, it’s probably not the best for my mental health, but it’s fun.” Thomas said. She also says that it really depends on what teacher you have, as some give a lot of homework and while others don’t. Overall, it can be difficult to juggle a pile of AP homework on top of homework from other classes. “Participating in honors courses is important for high school students for many reasons. Some of these reasons involve immediate gains that stay with the student as he matures and moves on in life. In many cases, students rise to the challenge of harder work with a new spark. Participating in honors courses makes the student more confident and poised. The greater workload allows the student to become more prepared to deal with intense situations and
to become confident that he is capable of handling difficult tasks,” as stated on the everydayhealth. com website. While doing more challenging work may be beneficial in the end, many students still struggle to manage their stress levels and balance school with other aspects of their lives. Adrianna Pace (9) says that she doesn’t get stressed unless she misses a day of school and must make up work. “Having so much dance and plus my honors classes on top is a little much,” Pace said. She has been doing dance for years, and it’s difficult for her to balance all her work and focus on dance as well. Other students experience more stress than others, which is typically based on the various commitments they have. Dakota Sanchez (11) says that he likes all his honors classes because it makes him more engaged and challenges him more than other classes. “There isn’t much stress because I have always been taking honors classes,” Sanchez said. Overall, taking more challenging classes such as AP, honors, and concurrent enrollment courses come with benefits as well as inconveniences. “Taking more honors and AP classes makes you stand out more to colleges because it shows that you’re willing to work hard for a good grade in a hard class. When it shows up on your transcript that you took several honors classes, you are going to have an advantage over the competitors who didn’t take as many AP/Honors classes,” as stated on the pathfinder.com website.
February 2022, page 3
Tri-Color Times VOL. LXIV Issue 3
continued from page 1 Taylorsville. Facing them will be exciting.” Just as the boys are getting ready for this season, the girls are feeling equally strong. “We have a really good group,’’ said Smith, “our goal is to create wellrounded, creative women who are excelling on the floor, but also in the classroom.” Coach Smith looks for hard-working people who have strong character and a good attitude. It’s important to prepare a lot, so the team practices Monday through Friday for about two hours. “There are a lot of basics to a good shot, but balance and release are super important,” Smith
said. Smith and Tidwell share similar opinions and goals when it comes to Granger basketball. “We’ve started this season strong. Taking region is something that has always been on our radar, and I think that it is definitely attainable with this group,” Smith said. Granger basketball players are very competitive and prepared to win. That’s what sports are about: to come together as a team. After all, Granger values thoughtfulness, empowerment, and students who are connected. The best thing Granger’s students could do is give their support to the team. Surely, this basketball season will have been worth the wait.
Students in the Native Nations prepare frybread, which is often served at gatherings, and it has a complex history.
The Native Nations Club is growing
By Melissa Perez Gomez GRANGER High School has always been known for having a large population of students from different cultures, and Native Americans are no exception. “As far as the number of Native American students at this school versus other schools, we probably have twice as many Native American students compared to other high schools,” said Mr. Platero. Platero is the advisor for the Native Nations club. Granger has a variety of clubs for all sorts of different ethnicities, and contrary to recent beliefs, the Native Nations club isn’t a new addition and has been at this school for around 10 years. The Native American community has always faced mistreatment and lack of recognition across the nation, and it seems that Granger’s Native American community has also faced a similar lack of attention. “Most people don’t know we’re still here— the Native American kids. Sometimes they don’t know our real history, but it’s good that we’re getting out there now,” Arianna
Cook (10) said. Cook is the club’s president. Her goal for the club is to educate the students from Granger about the history of Native American tribes, the issues they still face, and how the tribes support each other. As of December, the club has 12 members and keeps gaining more members as the club continues to promote itself across the school. They encourage all students to join, even those who are not Native American. While the club members are mostly Navajo, they still have members from other ethnic backgrounds. Nancy Htoo (9) is a non-Native American member of the club from Taiwan who joined the club after her friend invited her. A lot of non-Native American students have been excited about the club and have wanted to join after the popular frybread cooking event in the courtyard. Their frybread sale got the attention of many students and helped the club in its recruitment efforts. “The best club members are generally very young, especially
the 9th and 10th graders,” said Mr. Platero. He hopes that the younger grades in the club carry on with the club in the following years so that the club grows and strengthens. “In the next two years, we’re gonna have a really nice club,” Platero said. Mr. Platero believes the purpose of the club is for the students to build confidence and learn leadership skills. However, the students in the club mainly focus on how the club can be of service to the school. They also strive to educate the Granger community about Native American culture. “The purpose is to show everyone Native American culture, and to teach them about us, since we aren’t represented enough in education and media,” Brooklyn Atene (9) said. The club’s members are excited to continue doing activities throughout the school year and show their pride as members of the Native Nations club. They hope to host more fundraisers like the frybread sale and hopefully take part in the assemblies during the next school year.
Granger welcomes new students
By Belma Kadic GRANGER High School was originally built for 2,700 students, but it’s now home to 3,403 students, making it the largest school in the state of Utah based on the 2021-2022 student enrollment. We have a lot of students here at Granger, and even more transfer to Granger during the school year. Many students come to Granger to begin their high school experience. Some students that come to Granger are excited to join one the Granger sports teams. There are multiple sports Granger offers such as football, soccer, and basketball. Some athletes may wonder how Granger’s sports teams compare to others in the state. For example, Granger’s basketball team is ranked 62 in the state of Utah and 17 in the Utah division 6A. Granger’s football team is ranked 65 in the state of Utah, 23 in the Utah division 6A, and 61 in Salt Lake City. Granger’s soccer team is ranked 65 in the state of Utah, 21 in the Utah division 6A,
and 1,138 nationally. For students who want to be involved in school activities, but don’t want to join a sport, there are multiple alternatives. Students can join debate, AVID, astronomy club, and many more. Having activities for students makes school much more enjoyable. Many students here at Granger are freshmen starting their first year of high school. Pechsomantha Tes (9) is one of many freshmen here at Granger High School. Tes came to Granger from Hunter Junior High with the intention of joining Granger’s dance company. Coming from a junior high to a high school is a very big adjustment. “It was kinda hard to find my classes, and I’m still getting used to it,” Tes said. Tes also shared how she enjoyed that there were less periods than her previous school, which is due to our block scheduling. Although many students come to Granger for their first year of high school, some students al-
ready experienced another high school and decided to transfer to Granger later. Mauka Bernard (11) is one of those students. “I went to Taylorsville, and I moved because of the football team,” Bernard said. He also shared that the sports teams are better than his previous school, and the students are a lot nicer. Another student who joined Granger for a sports team is Alefosio Vaha (10). “Before I came here, I went to Taylorsville. Their football team is bad, so I came over here because this is Granger’s second year winning,” Vaha said. He also shared that Granger feels more alive, and the spirit is better than his previous school. Granger has many different activities and sports that are available for new students and being a part of these activities can make them feel comfortable here. Granger also hosts multiple events, so students feel welcomed and enjoy coming to school such as dances, games, and assemblies.
Tri-Color Times Staff Editor-in-Chief Jocelyn Roberts Managing Editor Haidee Smith Copy Editor Abby Shepherd BTS Editor Melissa Perez
Student News Editor Elma Kadic Student Life Editor Karina Onofre Sports Editor Whitnie Larsen Social Media Editor Angie Ramirez
Reporters Jose Acevedo Adrian Aguirre Kelly Ayala Althia Emijwa Mapu Fuatogi Arius Hardman Emma Hernandez Rylee Hiss Leyla Ilyazova Karmela Johnson Annika Jones
Reporters Belma Kadic Adriana Lucero Mia Mariche Irae Mautoatasi Pilar Olvera Natalie Pereira Kimberly Rosales Rachana Rin Belen Suazo Amired Vargas Gigi Vera
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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First Time with BTS Review by Melissa Perez If you were to tell 12-year-old me that I would travel to California with my sister to see BTS along with 50,000 other fans without my parents finding out, I would’ve called you crazy. In fact, I call myself crazy, because the idea that we were able to pull off such a lie and experience the best days of our lives dancing and singing to the top of our lungs, while being so close to BTS–and seeing them four times–was not something we could’ve ever dreamed of five years ago. A story this wild doesn’t just start there. I come from a very religious family where simple things like short hair and staying out after dark are forbidden and looked down upon. You can assume from this that listening to “mundane” music, such as BTS, was out of the question from the start. It’s ironic, though, because if it wasn’t for my mom, I would’ve never found out about BTS back in 2017. I probably also wouldn’t have found myself five years later at a merch line before their concert, unnecessarily early in the morning, lying to my mom and telling her that I was back at the Airbnb just barely waking up. I’m getting ahead of myself—let’s go back to 2017. My mom was running late to pick me up from school, and I didn’t want to be lonely, so I sat with a small group of girls that were all sitting uncomfortably close to each other, just staring at a phone. They showed me the BTS’ song, ‘Blood Sweat and Tears,’ which they were oddly excited about, and I thought I might as well listen since I had nothing better to do. As soon as the song played, the flowers bloomed, the seas parted, the stars aligned, and I had an epiphany—I’m just being dramatic, but I did replay the song an unhealthy number of times for a couple of weeks afterward. I showed the song to Sara, my older sister, and naturally, she became a fan as well. We got really into their music, and by the time their minialbum Love Yourself: Her had come out, we were pretty big fans–or for
official purposes, ARMY. By the end of 2018, my sister and I had become passionate enough about the group that we were ready for our first big act: going to the movie theater. Yes, it’s as ridiculous as it sounds. BTS had released their first documentary, Burn the Stage: The Movie, and we obviously needed to go see it, but of course, our parents couldn’t know. They didn’t know we listened to BTS, and going to the movies was forbidden, so we had to go in secret. We pretended we had some…errands to run, and that we wouldn’t be home until later that day, and to not call because we would be too…busy. I mean, we’ve never been caught for doing anything bad before, and we’re relatively good daughters, so it wasn’t that big of a surprise that they didn’t question it. Once we got approval, we were off to the movies. I was overly excited as well as nervous; I felt like I was on fire, or perhaps that was just hell finally catching up to me for lying to my mom. Whatever it was, the experience was exhilarating. I felt like I
was in a coming-of-age movie where I was a rebellious teenager doing crazy teenager stuff, like lying to parents, and going to the movies. Don’t laugh; this was serious back then. We had never told a lie that big to our parents before, and you know how these things go: you get away with one lie, so you do it again. So, we did it again, and again, and again and the things we did got crazier each time. We would come up with a new and better lie; it’s a miracle we never got caught. Soon enough, it was 2020 and BTS’ Map of the Soul tour got announced, and Sara and I knew that we needed to go. It was a crazy idea, and we had no clue how we were going to pull it off, but we agreed that one way or another, we needed to make it work. Before we even came up with a plan to convince our parents to let us travel out of the state, Sara bought us tickets. Is it a stupid idea to buy tickets for a show you’re not even sure you’re able to attend? Yes, but we didn’t just buy tickets for one show; we bought tickets for three shows. Three shows–with glorious seats, and none of them were even in the same city.
Could we have actually made up a lie big enough and convincing enough for our parents to let us travel while making sure they don’t find out we were going to a concert? I guess we’ll never know because COVID hit the U.S. almost immediately after. The tour was put on hold, and the next thing we knew, we were spending a year in quarantine just staring at a screen. They would perform online concerts from time to time, but it didn’t feel the same. BTS and ARMY did everything we could to try to distract ourselves from the fact that COVID wasn’t leaving any time soon, which meant we weren’t going to see each other in person any time soon. It was a sad and frustrating year, and just as soon as I thought things couldn’t get any worse, the tour was officially canceled. It was the most devastating moment of my life, and my sister’s, too. However, she had a feeling when she got her money refunded, that this wasn’t the end; and she was right. A few weeks later BTS announced a new tour? No, it doesn’t really count as a tour. There were only four dates all in one stadium in LA. We obviously had to go to all four; tickets were refunded which meant that Sara still had the money saved up, plus the dates were close to each other. Did we really have an excuse not to go? Yeah, we probably did have a lot of excuses, but we could worry about all of that after we got the tickets. Nothing was more important at that moment than getting those tickets. So, we got ready for war. Thousands and thousands of ARMY were buying tickets for just four days, and we wanted to go to all of them? It was a crazy idea; we were absolutely crazy, and crazy lucky too. We managed to get presale codes, and after hours spent each day of pre-sale on the verge of tears and peak frustration, we managed to get three out of four sets of tickets. It was the most stressful experience of my life. Thousands of people crashing a website and too many people taking the seats we wanted. We soon gave up on trying to get super close seats and resorted to picking out random seats, and in the midst of those random seats we bought, we noticed that we accidentally got Gold VIP Soundcheck tickets.
Did we almost throw a tantrum screen while trying to get tickets? S we got Gold VIP Soundcheck ticke ther away in the crowd but were still sidering the fact that the website wa Let’s not focus on the negative that mattered. We agreed to buy our nearing the time of the concert date website was not an option anymore Now that we had the tickets, we h ally going to attend the concert, and parents. We had to come up with a plan w could or couldn’t go, and after a lo decided on what to tell them: Sara Melissa is tagging along so Sara do Now, I know what you’re think and most unbelievable lie you coul but they believed it. In fact, they t was figuring out if we would drive I mean, think about it. They cou would’ve been lonely in California nothing but rot in my room during this was a good change of scenery. After we got the approval, we housing, clothes, and enough food four concert nights. Luckily, we ha to be our travel buddy during the tr concert. With her help, we were able to price and also figured out how to thank you to Lulu. It was a lot of work, and it took t fine and set by a few days before w transportation was set, and clothes may I add). At that point, we just ha Soon enough it was the day of d 4 am to go to the airport. I was so s surprising I didn’t pass out. It was th on a plane after almost a decade, an it to go to a concert. Once in our first stop in Oaklan We were in a different state, in a everyone around us was heading to mean, it was ridiculous; you couldn them talk about BTS, but it felt com
As we flew over LA, everything that we had done to get here and ev It was the craziest thing we could h over LA, and we were able to see t up in the sky. At that moment I knew that this doing this. However, once we arrived, we h lem: getting home. After a very lo we got home and started to unpac delivered to us. Then, we faced ou has no drinking water. We tried ordering a pack of bott eral grocery stores, and they were a we decided to buy Capri Suns—oh, rade? Nope, out of stock on all flav thick, sour, throat-damaging Sunny I won’t lie to you; I did get on a p
m and nearly punch the computer Sure, but that didn’t matter because ets. The other tickets were a bit farl really decent seats; especially conas not functioning the entire time. es; we got the tickets and that’s all r fourth set of tickets from resellers since buying tickets from the actual e. had to figure out how we were actud our first challenge was telling our
tion while my saliva was thick, and my lips burned from the bottle of Sunny D I had to drink from. We woke up the next day at 7 a.m. and we went to a nearby 7-11 to buy water. As soon as we got home, Sara made breakfast and I chugged down water while getting ready. Once we were done and looking cute, we headed over to the venue. It was 1 p.m., and considering we had soundcheck tickets, we were already late. We got to the venue and saw the huge crowd of people all lining up in different areas around the outside of the stadium. Now things were getting real. Some people were lined up for photos, others
and now Sara was getting us four chicken tenders with tater tots to share for $13...plus tip. Sara was the first to break the silence, “Do you remember anything?” “No.” After we had eaten, we went back up the six stories to attempt to get merch, and we unsurprisingly failed, so we went back down again to rest. After soundcheck, we had over an hour until the concert actually started, and we spent it all eating two chicken tenders each and going up then down six stories until we were back to our seats. Next thing I knew I was standing up again with my lightstick–ARMY
for merch, a few were already in line to get in, and then there was the two-hour long bathroom line, which we joined right after we got our VIP badges. After that, we didn’t have time for anything else so we just got in line for soundcheck.You’d go inside the venue (not the seating area, mind you) to then sit on the ground, because there was no other option until you were called to get seated. So, we just sat there and waited. There was no reception the entire time. Later than sooner, it was time to go in. Walking inside felt surreal, and I’m saying this mostly because I don’t have any recollection of the 15-minute process to get our free gifts and walk down six stories to our seats. We got to the floor, and at that point I was dizzy. I know I had several moments where I thought the whole experience felt real but walking to my seat– that was too real. Sitting down and watching the time get closer was overwhelming. My heart was racing, my head was pounding, and then soundcheck started. Seven boys come out onto the stage. As soon as I saw them, all events that led to this moment seemed so irrelevant. It didn’t matter that my feet ached and that the air was getting colder. It didn’t matter that my mom could’ve called me at any moment saying, “Where are you? Send me photos.” It didn’t matter that my eyes still stung and felt puffy from sobbing all night because we had no water. The planning, the stress, the trip, the overwhelming number of firsts we encountered all before this moment felt so insignificant, and I had forgotten all about them. Because BTS were a few yards in front of me, and they were real. They were real, and I saw them. Not behind a screen, not through videos that other people took, but with my own eyes. They were all there, and I could see them so clearly. They were singing their songs and having so much fun, and they looked so amazing and so beautiful and so...tall?! I mean they were giants. I tried to keep track of seven giants running around a stage while trying to adjust to the loud sound of the music and still trying to convince myself that they were real. And then, they were gone. My eyesight turned liquid immediately. Were three songs really over that fast? Did they actually perform three songs? Why could I not remember a single thing? Did I not fully experience it? I knew nothing other than the fact that my cheeks were soaked, and Kim Seokjin was the most beautiful— “MELISSA, WE JUST SAW BTS,” Sara’s grip on my shoulder could’ve broken a bone. She was crying too, or maybe those were just my own tears confusing me. I’m not even sure I replied, but I grabbed my phone immediately after, and FaceTimed my best friend, sobbing. “Britney, they were REAL. I saw them. They were right there. RIGHT THERE. Britney, they were real, and I saw them...Okay, we’re gonna go eat now. Bye.” So, $13 chicken tenders. Reality check hit fast. We had just seen the dreamiest men on earth,
bomb–shining bright, and I was screaming at the top of my lungs while trying to remain a steady grip on my phone that was recording. I’ve never heard sounds so diabolical come out of me before. I was screaming like I was responsible for the cheers of everyone in the stadium. Every now and then, however, I would take a moment to let it all sink in, and I would look at the boys on stage, and then I would turn around and look at all the other 50,000 people in the stadium. I would stare at how pretty all the lights looked when they were synchronized, I would listen to how loud everyone was. I was overwhelmingly happy that as soon as the final song, Permission to Dance, started playing, I got so emotional that I called my best friend once more. It was a bittersweet moment. I had lived the best night of my life, but sometimes throughout the night I would feel a bit sad that I wasn’t able to turn around and dramatically squeeze Britney’s hand to yell in her ear, “THAT’S THE SONG YOU LIKED.” The most I could do was FaceTime her, and show her the pretty lights and the confetti, or maybe just colorful pixels— the reception was awful. When the boys were gone, and the crowd had quieted down, my sister and I were showing Britney the confetti and attempted to decipher what she was saying over the loud background music. “ I [inaudible] con—” “OH, YOU WANT CONFETTI?” “[Inaudible].” “OKAY, WE’RE GONNA GET YOU CONFETTI. BYE.” After we were done picking up confetti and everything was really over, we went up the ramp one final time. I won’t lie, it was not a sentimental experience at all. My feet were about to fall off and the hunger I felt was unbearable. My sister seemed to be doing worse than me and repeatedly said, “Good thing we didn’t get multiple floor tickets because I wouldn’t have been able to do this again.” I mean, is it really that difficult to have an escalator?! We were going up those damned six floors just to aimlessly walk around outside in the cold while trying to find our travel buddy to then stand in line for an eternity just to take a shuttle back to our car. We were outside in sketchy LA trying to get food at ungodly hours, and by the time we were home, I gave up on looking at the time. It was a nightmare, and I felt like I was ready to die—but no, that didn’t matter because I did it all over again the next day, and I honestly can’t remember any of the issues we faced before the second show. Was it a struggle? Yes, but would I do it again and again and again each time just to experience the show once more? Of course. Each day was magical in its own way, and whatever problems I had before or after just disappeared as soon as the lights in the stadium went down and all the ARMY bombs lit up in their mesmerizing colors. Each show was unique, and being able to experience it all with my sister after years of being in the fandom made it so much more worth it.
where they had no say on whether we ong time of debating, we had finally has a week-long business trip, and oesn’t feel lonely. king: “Melissa, that is the stupidest ld come up with.” And you’re right, trusted it so much their only worry there or fly there. uldn’t control Sara’s work, and she a for a whole week, and I had done g the eternal COVID lockdown, so
immediately started to search for to survive a week in California and ad Sara’s friend, Lulu, who agreed rip since she was also attending the find a house for a relatively cheap feed ourselves for a week. A huge
too much brain power, but it was all we left. Housing and food were set, s were set (which were super cute, ad to pack and go. departure, and Sara and I woke up at sleep-deprived and nervous that it’s he first time Sara and I were getting nd it’s weird to think we were doing
nd, things were starting to feel real. different time zone, and suddenly o the same place: LA, to see BTS. I n’t pass by someone without hearing mforting, and honestly, a bit silly too.
g started to dawn on me. Everything verything that we were about to do. have ever pulled, but we were flying the ridiculously sized stadium from was real and that we were actually
had encountered our first real probong time and a $39 Uber ride later, ck and wait for our groceries to be ur second and biggest problem: LA
tled water multiple times from sevall out of stock. So, in the meantime, , they didn’t have those either. Gatovors. But they did have a 30 pack of y D…Perfect. phone call and sobbed out of frustra-
February 2022, page 6
Tri-Color Times VOL. LXIV Issue 3
After many schools, Granger feels like home Opinion by Karina Onofre FOR YEARS, Utah has been known as a predominantly white state. According to the worldpopulationreview.com website, 86.43% of Utahans are white, while the remaining 14% is a mix of Hispanics, African Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Pacific Islanders. With that said, it can be difficult to come across a school in Utah that is diverse in its student population. Personally, I’ve been to 3 different high schools in the 3 years I’ve been in high school. Every single school was a different experience. The teaching, students, and atmosphere are completely distinct from each other. A big part of that contrast is based on the city and area the school is located in. When I walked into one of these schools, I either felt safe or felt an instant rush of anxiety. Nowadays, it’s easier to express yourself and be
who you are, but not at Copper Hills High. Copper Hills was one of the worst schools I have ever attended. As someone who has anxiety, the thought of going to school would wear me out completely. Although I don’t want to bash other schools, I do want to highlight things that made me personally feel more or less comfortable during my experiences there. The main thing that is important to me is diversity. Let’s start with the first thing I noticed: the halls. I paid attention to the topics of discussions and the amount of white and whitewashed people in the halls. It was almost like many students were scared to be themselves. Personally, I was horrified to express myself because the school had judgment written all over it. Not to mention, most of the students were stuck up and just rude. Now, let’s get into the de-
mographics. According to the schooldigger.com website, 67.6% of the school is White, 22.3% is Hispanic, and only 1.2% are African American. According to the Niche.com website, Copper Hills is #56 in the most diverse schools in Utah. One thing that always stood out to me was the number of students in the LGBTQ+ community that were scared to come out due to the environment and religious influence. Pronouns and sexualities seemed never to be acknowledged like they were at other schools, and it was so hard to make friends because almost everyone didn’t believe in your personal morals. On the other hand, West High is the #1 most diverse school in Utah. 44% of the student are Hispanic, 35% are White, 5% are African American, and 4% are two or more races. Right away, I noticed a huge difference in the
diversity. If you ever attend West, you can physically feel that difference as well. I transferred to West High from Copper Hills in April of 2021. As I was in the transfer process, I would walk in and notice, almost immediately, the difference in students and staff. The halls were more diverse, as well as the classrooms. The school encouraged you to be yourself and to speak up about social issues. I was on the drill team for a portion of the year, and that was one of the most diverse drill teams in Utah. At Copper Hills, the drill team was all blondes — it was challenging to build up the courage to be the only Latina on the team. Everyone at West was very inclusive, and I could generally be whoever I wanted to be. On the other hand, the drill team at Granger is comprised of more ethnically diverse talent. At Granger, there is a vast
majority of racial and ethnic identities, countless amounts of LGBTQ+ students, and less judgement. In the halls and classrooms, you hear an incredible diversification in the languages, unlike other schools. 60% of the students are Hispanic, 21% are white, and 4.3% are African American. Granger is the #7 most diverse schools in Utah. I’ve been at Granger for about a month, and I’ve already built an abounding amount of confidence. When I walk into school, the anxiety lifts off my mind and I’m instantly driven to talk to more people. Ultimately the people in all these schools affected my confidence and mental health in differing ways. For me, diversity in a school’s student body made the most difference for me in terms of my confidence and ability to make friends.
Dating culture evolves alongside technology By Emma Hernandez SO MUCH is new when it comes to dating or getting to know someone. Yanira Mendoza (12) is in her last year at Granger. From observing, Mendoza said that about every year, there’s always something new with dating or the stages beforehand, especially with this age group. Social media has always been a place for couples to go and be public with their relationships. TikTok is a new trend with couples and it’s becoming common. “I would see a lot of couples interacting with social media by being active on YouTube, or having a little couples page on Instagram, but TikTok is really a big thing for them now to give off a good look or impression to them,” Mendoza said. As the years go on, the number of platforms that couples seem to post about their relationships on have increased. Another thing with social media and the internet is the possibility of getting catfished. Mendoza’s opinion about using dating apps and online dating is that it can be scary. “To me, it doesn’t seem like a real thing. People are smart and might be pretending to be someone else or can look like someone else. You never know who you are talking to,” Mendoza said. You could be talking to a girl you think is your age or it could
possibly be a fifty-year old man. You could be talking to someone, but once you meet in person, they could look totally different or that vibe you felt over the phone may not be there in person. Erick Armas (11) sees that catfishing happens in-person as well and has its own term: “maskfishing.” With the COVID pandemic, people have the option to wear masks or not. “You get used to how someone looks with a mask, and you could be making your own vision about how they look without it, and seeing them suddenly without it throws you off,” Armas said. It’s not so easy avoiding both catfishing and mask-fishing. “Pre-date cyberstalking” is what 72% of people admit to doing before seeing a person and people, which mostly involves research Facebook or Instagram, as stated in a survey on the chicagotribune. com website. It’s a smart way to be safe and get an idea of who you’re getting involved with. There’s always new lingo with dating. Armas explained what a couple of new common phrases mean. Not all words are new, they’ve been around before, but they recently sparked up and became common again. Words Armas has been hearing more recently are toxic, red flag, green flag, ghosting, and many more.
“Green flag is just what you want in a person or they’re overall pretty positive, red is the opposite. Toxic is basically what a red flag would be, it’s someone you want but they’re either manipulative or hypocritical,” Armas said. Ghosting is leading someone on or getting someone’s hopes up and leaving that person out of the blue just because. Alexa Guapo (12) has recently been in a relationship throughout a bit of high school, so she has gained dating knowledge with her experience. Guapo says that couples still tend to do traditional things like giving gifts, opening doors, or meeting parents, which is the most important to her. There’s a lot of things couples could do for fun. It just varies depending on if they like going out or not. Guapo has a thought about kids getting to know each other. “It’s important to understand who you’re with and understand if that person wants to take things slow,” Guapo said. Some may feel like it’s not a big priority nowadays and they just rush into things. It also seems as though many people just stick to talking for months and never make it official, and that’s what dating is now. While some stay traditional, others are opting for more casual, digital ways of finding a partner.
Yanira thinks that TikTok is really a big thing for couples who want to create a look or impression.
Chicken might be great for eggs, but they’re challenging to manage.
Chickens make great pets
By Jose Acevedo MANY STUDENTS at Granger High School have pets. Many have cats, dogs, hamsters, fish, and even birds. There are few students who choose chickens. Why do students choose chickens over other pets? Before thinking of going out and buying chickens, there might be some requirements to consider. One of the requirements is how many chickens a household can have. Another requirement is if a permit is required. In West Valley City, where Granger High School is, there are no restrictions on how many chickens a household can have, and no permit is required. There are many reasons why people get chickens over other pets. The main reason people get chickens is the eggs they produce. Chickens lay eggs year-round. This could save hundreds of dollars a year. The average cost for a baby chick is $5, depending on the breed. Average cost of a chicken coop is $600, depending on the size and build quality. There is more to a coop than just price. When considering a chicken coop, there are many things that will need to be thought of beforehand, such as the quality of
the coop. Some of the essentials when choosing a chicken coop include the need to be waterproof, secured, and well ventilated. If the chicken coop is not secured enough then the chickens will be at risk of danger. Chickens have many predators. Some of the predators that endanger chickens the most are pet dogs, foxes, hawks, raccoons, and rats. However, there are many ways to protect a chicken from predators. One way to protect them is getting them a strong and safe chicken coop. Another way to protect them is to put them in their chicken coop at night. The last way to keep a chicken safe from predators is to make sure that the fencing is dug deep enough to keep out diggers. When Albert Zavala (12) was younger, his family bought chickens. Zavala’s sibling wanted the chickens, so their family went to a farmer’s store to purchase them. At first, they had five chickens, but now they only have one. Zavala currently has a Plymouth Rock chicken, which is great for breeding for egg-laying. Zavala did have some other pets, a redeye bunny, and a hen. Unfortunately, both escaped. Zavala also has two birds and a cat.
February 2022, page 7
Tri-Color Times VOL. LXIV Issue 3
Granger’s Cafeteria welcomes students from around the world with 91 flags.
GHS demographics keep changing
LAT enjoys doing it. Helping Granger’s community.
The LAT projects have been successful
By Haidee Smith LAT WAS embracing winter as the season of giving. LAT, or Lancer Action Team, is a class like LIA. They do service projects at Granger and the community surrounding it. LAT has done amazing things including cleaning up the Jordan river, hosting the SpEd HOCO dance, and helping at Headin’ Home Horse rescue. LAT’s most recent service project was an event called “Grinchmas,” like penny wars. Grinchmas is a competition between classrooms. Teachers were given two different jars: one for positive, and one for negative points. Students donated change to either jar which corresponded to a point total. LAT students then went around to calculate how many points each teacher had. While most of the students in LAT thought it was a great event, there were some challenges with it. LAT hosts Grinchmas every year, but this time around, there were issues with getting it approved. However, in the end, Ms. Neibaur (the administrator of LAT) worked it out with the finance office and Dr. Dunn. To get Lancers to participate,
there were rewards and punishments. The losing teachers included: Mr. Hsu, Ms. Timpson, and Ms. Vanduyn. Their punishment was to get pied in the face. The winning teachers were Mr. Schmeling, Mrs. Fichialos, and Mr. Eden. They all earned a pizza party for their 4B classes. Another issue that LAT faced was counting the coins. Ahtziry Garcia (11) enjoyed getting to go around to classrooms and collect the money but struggled with calculating it into points. “My favorite part was going out to collect the money. Students would always put money in to help. The part I probably struggled with was the amount of money we had to count,” Garcia said. Garcia wasn’t the only one to have struggled with this. Other members agreed that it was challenging. Nonetheless, it was a great event that raised a lot of money. The money raised was used to buy Christmas gifts for less fortunate families at Granger. LAT raised just under $7,000, coming in at $6,958.04. 11 families were able to be helped through LAT’s efforts. After collecting the money, the next step was to go shopping for the families. The president of
LAT, Karen Almaraz (12), was super excited to be able to go get things for them. “I’m super excited to do the shopping! Gathering the gifts for the families is going to be fun. I imagine it like shopping for my own brothers or parents,” Almaraz said. Students in LAT feel as though it is rewarding to be able to see all the money, they raised going towards those in need. After LAT completed the shopping, they needed to wrap and deliver these gifts. Every gift was wrapped during 4B in Ms. Neibaur’s room. After everything was wrapped, LAT students will sort the gifts by families. Members of LAT were then able to deliver the gifts in the evening. The class planned to go caroling to the houses to deliver everything. While LAT was delivering gifts on December 14th and 16th, the families waited until Christmas day to open them. Although it’s a long and complicated process, and LAT enjoys doing it. Helping Granger’s community is what the class is all about. Members of the Lancer Action Team cannot wait to do it again next year, and appreciate the support they received from faculty, staff, and students.
By Elma Kadic GRANGER High School is the largest school in Utah, and the district it lies within, Granite School District, is among the most diverse in the state. At Granger, ethnic minorities make up 80% of the student body. Unlike many schools here in the state of Utah, Granger High School is extremely diverse. Granger’s student body is made up of approximately 3403 students. This includes 44 American Indians, 133 African Americans, 135 Asians, 2157 Hispanics, 263 Pacific Islanders, 628 Caucasians, and 43 multiple race students. Since Granger is so diverse, it’s a goal for the school to make sure students feel respected and accepted. As you walk into Granger, you see 91 flags from all different countries. The purpose of the flag display is to honor and recognize the school’s diversity. It’s also a way to make everyone feel welcome. Carysma Serna (12) is a senior here at Granger. “Even just by looking at the flags, you would be surprised just how many students here are from those countries,” Serna said. Students from different countries will always know that here at Granger, they are welcomed, and their home country is just as important to the school as it is to them. Isai Gonzalez (12) had some things to say about the diversity here at Granger. “The diversity in our school just goes to show how unique our school is. Compared to other schools in Utah where there is a majority of one race or culture. Students here can learn about new cultures and backgrounds that you don’t see in most places. It has never been so cool to learn about people’s backgrounds or where they come from,” Gonzalez said. Having students from all around the world allows other students as well as teachers to learn about
different backgrounds daily. Since Granger High School students and staff make diverse students feel so accepted, many students from other countries that move to Utah choose to come here to Granger. “I have had the chance to see diversity here firsthand. So many students from different countries who come here that don’t know how to speak English eventually find their crowd and become comfortable enough to learn English,” Gonzalez said. Before a school expects students to succeed, students must feel safe both mentally and physically and feel supported, welcomed, and respected. Many agree that this can be found right here at Granger. Not only do we have so many different races, ethnicities, religions, and languages represented in our student body, but we also have many different levels of economic situations. There are 2266 students who attend Granger High School that are economically disadvantaged. An economically-disadvantaged student is a student whose household income is below average. The purpose for identifying these students is so that Granger can ensure they have access to things they need to function successfully. Granger High School considers this and strives to make sure students have everything they need to have a successful educational experience. Granger allows fee waivers for students who are eligible and unable to pay for school fees. Also available is a food pantry, free breakfast, and free lunch to these students. The main goal is to make sure students are treated equally and always feel welcome at school. Granger’s community strives to do this by welcoming new students, accepting diversity, and providing students with the things they need to be successful.
Isai thinks that it has never been so cool to learn about people’s backgrounds.
February 2022, page 8
Tri-Color Times VOL. LXIV Issue 3
Mary Poppins brings levity to Granger High By Kelly Ayala MARY POPPINS is a wellknown 1964 Disney film. The film contains many well-known musical numbers. The Granger High School theater department decided to perform Mary Poppins The Musical this school year during November 18-20 and 22. Through an agreement with music theater international, Ms. Timpson and Mr. Fuller came up with this musical to be the next production at Granger High School. Mati Turner (9) played Katie and talked about how excited the cast was to show everyone their
hard work. Turner also said that she really enjoys working with and getting closer to the other cast members. Turner claimed that the cast are really sweet and trustworthy. Turner said she really enjoys her character because she’s different from everyone else. Turner also confirms that they have the best environment while rehearsing and being there together. “All the magic is fun to put it on,” Turner said. Turner has been doing theater since elementary school. She overheard the drama counselor talking about the musical and found it interesting, so she decid-
ed to join and try her best to get in the musical. Turner wants people to know that Ms. Timpson and Mr. Fuller worked so hard and did great with the musical and that all the cast are thankful for them. Jonah Newton (12) played Bert and said that the musical was a lot of fun to be a part of. Newton loved seeing the cast grow, not only as people but as actors. This is Newton’s first year working with people younger than him. He claimed he was proud of the kids and how they improved from the first day to the day of the musical. Newton claims that he has never gotten stage fright. How-
ever, he does get jittery because he’s excited to show all the hard work. He also confirmed that he’s been working with Mr. Fuller and Ms. Timpson for four years and he’s grateful working with them. Newton said it’s a privilege and honor being in the musical and working with everyone. Emily Butcher (11) played Winifred Banks and claimed that she felt confident to perform and, like Newton, claimed that she didn’t have any stage fright during the performance. She affirmed that during rehearsals there was a lot of good energy, and everyone was very passionate while work-
ing for the musical. She also said that the cast were like a family, they spent so much time together with all the rehearsals that they started getting close like a family. Butcher claimed that Ms. Timpson and Mr. Fuller gave something special that a person can’t get from others, they also felt like family to all the cast. Butcher also added that they’re more than coaches, they were like family. “I’m proud of all the hard work,” Butcher said. The theater department is now gearing up for another production, and many are excited to see what they will put on next.