The Roar | Volume 14 | Issue 2 | December 2018 by Whitney High Student Media

DECEMBER 2018 I SSUE 2

T H E R OAR

ALSO INSIDE WHITE FRAGILITY HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2018 MOST MEMORABLE NAUGHTY OR NICE

Vaping â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the problem no one wants to talk about PAGE 11

Note from the editors USE OF HAND DRAWN AND SCANNED DESIGN

For this Issue of The Roar, the editorial board decided to utilize a hands-on graphic approach in order to enhance the page and creatively design the page layout. We think the use of this technique personalizes the story and makes the content of the story more visually pleasing. Similarly, the use of certain scanned items within this Issue allowed Staff members to create and design every aspect of their page. While the method of scanning and directly incorporating hand drawn artwork into pages increased the diversity within them, it also unified the Issue as a whole. MESSAGE BEHIND THE COVER

The design for the cover takes elements of vaping and portrays them as less severe than they actually are, with the illustrations DECEMBER 2018 I SSUE 2

T H E R OA R

ALSO INSIDE WHITE FRAGILITY HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2018 MOST MEMORABLE NAUGHTY OR NICE

of flavors inside of a student’s brain. It illustrates how students are unaware of what’s going in their body, and how it can affect them. We chose to have the bathroom tiles in the background to emphasize the location where vaping mostly takes place. The bathroom tiles represent our school specifically because of the problem we have on campus, with detectors being installed and bathrooms being shut down. We wanted to emphasize how vaping has become such a big problem on campus and how it takes place all of the time. This message ties to the Editorial, featuring how the district and teachers should not just prevent vaping and warn students of the dangers, but also inform them on how to deal with negative consequences. STAFF

EDITORS

Jessica Rose Brenden Jacoby Paige Alcala IN-CHIEF Nathan Semanski Daya Khunkhun Payton Arthur Emma Accacian Jack Silva Isabelle Barragan Aviana Loveall AJ Cabrera Nathan Marquardt Paulina Solorzano Haley Bedrin Sienna Eagle Morgan Tidwell Meghan Bucklew Riley Morelan Anjani Kedia Jadea Tisdale Dulce Negrete Taylor Butler Mason Pangman Dylan de Valk Grace Chang Katelyn Vengersammy Emily Pontes Alicia Cho Adriana Williams Chloe Prudhoe Emily Cowles ADVISER Haley Wittick Arianna Rasooli Allie Dorris Blake Wong Alaina Roberts Kiera Gunn Sarah Nichols, MJE

Vaping — the problem no one wants to talk about PAGE 11

THE ROAR is a student publication Produced by Whitney High Student Media. The newsmagazine is a public forum for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions. Columns represent the viewpoints of individual writers and are not representative of the opinions of the student body, faculty or administration of Whitney High School or Rocklin Unified School District. Staff members practice ethical student journalism by providing fair and balanced coverage as determined by community standards. Students working to publish each issue strive for accuracy by checking sources, spelling and quotes as well as obtaining a variety of credible sources. The staff regrets any errors or omissions. Visit whitneyupdate.com for news, sports, opinion, entertainment and more.

DESIGN BY A. KEDIA

In This ISSUE

THE ROAR A WHITNEY HIGH STUDENT MEDIA PUBLICATION

WEBSITE www.whitneyupdate.com INSTAGRAM @detailsyearbook SNAPCHAT @whitneyupdate TWITTER @whitneyupdate

THE FACES 5 What I stand for 6 Shoot Your Shot 7 The Quickie

THE ISSUES 8 Can You Post This?

THE VIEWS

511

9 Naughty or Nice 10 White Fragility

THE NEWS

11 Stop and Smell the Vapor

THE SCORE 14 A Look at the Lineup

THE SCENE

19 7

16 Exploring a New City 18 Tips to Help You Ace Your Tests 20 A Different Way to Play

THE SPEND 12

21 Holiday Gift Guide 17 Winter Season on a Budget 22

THE SOUND 23 2018s Most ‘Meme’rable 24 TikTok on the Clock

DESIGN BY E. ACCACIAN

THE VIEWS

eenagers are going to vape; it’s inevitable. In just the past year, federal data has shown that the amount of high schoolers who vape has risen from 11.7 percent to 20 percent, which comes out to about three million students in the U.S. Vaping is a trend that is only going to continue to grow in our society over the next few years, due to its supposedly “healthier” alternative to smoking and geared marketing of flavors advertised to attract younger generations. Schools need to accept the fact that they won’t be able to end vaping, but they should be more focused on trying popular in the past few years, there is to better educate students safety and what little long-term scientific knowledge about to do if anything goes wrong. its effects. Our generation is the guinea Every teacher could tell kids not to vape, pig. Which means that while teenagers and there could be posters hung up all are experimenting with vaping, scientists around the school warning kids against the are just starting to collect the first bits of dangers of vaping, but the rebellious nature information about its side-effects. of teens will continue to prevail, so while The school district claims that the safety those preventative efforts will help some, of students is one of their top priorities, but they won’t stop others, period. The faculty why does that only apply for when students has been so fixated on banning vaping are on campus? To keep students fully they aren’t addressing the real issues: how safe, in and outside of school, they have uneducated students to learn about the safety WHILE PLENTY OF are about vapes’ of the activities that they STUDENTS WILL effects physically choose to partake in. They CHOOSE NOT TO and/or chemically. should not only be aware of Yes, most students VAPE, THEY MAY the harmful consequences, have at least a basic STILL ENCOUNTER but should also possess A FRIEND OR understanding of the knowledge to deal with CLASSMATE WHO what juuls are and them. Through education NEEDS HELP, AND how they work, but on topics such as safe sex THEY NEED TO what aboaut the or underaged drinking, BE PREPARED TO rare side effects health classes and ACT QUICKLY AND or unfortunate parents aren’t necessarily accidents that could SAFELY TO HELP.” encouraging teenagers to happen? What about partake in these activities, the students who vape because of peer but they are acknowledging that some will pressure and don’t actually know what they make that decision either way, and they are ingesting? may as well be safe and have resources Because e-cigarettes have only become that can help them.

n o i t a c u d E d to can lea

n o i t n e v pre cation in order to

ore edu m d e e n e g problem W n i p a v g n i grow address the

The same should be applied in the case of vaping with better educational efforts and strategies developed among teachers, coaches and administrators. We applaud the administration for developing a new class on campus for students recovering from drug abuse, which our cover story addresses on pages 11-13. However, that class is based on an opt-in enrollment, and education about vaping safety and possible reactions or dangers is something all students need. While plenty of students will chose not to vape, they may still encounter a friend or classmate who needs help, and they need to be prepared to act quickly and safely to help. Educating students on what to do in a bad chemical reaction would help them know how to respond when something is wrong, and what to do if someone passes out or has a seizure, or even when to call 911. Last month’s incident on campus is just a small example and other emergencies could arise when no adults are present. Educating students helps prevent tragic accidents that could happen outside of the school grounds through equipping teens with the knowledge they need to safely use these illegal substances.

Editorial 10 - 0 Agree 4

THE FACES

WILLIAM LE

JAYDEN ANDREWS

NIA TRINIDAD

BRENDEN WILK

WHAT I Experimenting with typography, graphic design students express themselves with self portraits

STAND FOR

DESIGN BY J. ANDREWS, W. LE, N. TRINIDAD & B. WILK

THE THE FACES FACES

A. CABRERA

Before his Senior Mock Interview, Evan Risucci edits a video for one of his clients during Mrs. Cecelia Kulak’s sixth period Language Arts IV class.

Shoot your shot SEE HOW HIS PRODUCTIONS HAVE EVOLVED 2014

2018

At 3 a.m., Evan Risucci rushed with his camera to Sutter Hospital, where his client, Stacy Schulte was giving birth to a boy. Usually, family members casually document moments in home videos, but Risucci turned videography into a profession. Risucci was inspired to make videos while coming across an video edit on Instagram from a creator named Will Ross that he found cool. He began trying to imitate the footage by shooting scenes of cliff jumping, surfing and longboarding with his GoPro. It wasn’t until Risucci joined broadcast that he made a switch from creating GoPro edits to storytelling productions. “[Broadcast is] what really kick started this other part of my brain. I’m like, okay, maybe I could be a storyteller. Maybe, I can try to find people’s stories or tell people’s stories. I got better shooting video, and I won some awards and then that’s what kind of, like, filthy confidence for me to start producing videos that are more professional,” Risucci said. Through Broadcast, Risucci has won three Emmy Awards, one for Cinematography, one for a Commercial Spot with a partner, and one with the editor group for WCTV19. During his junior year, Risucci decided to turn his passion into a business after filling in as a videographer in a wedding. “In middle school, we would just make edits for Instagram; now, we are doing real jobs,” Jack Grove said. Risucci’s business began to spread by word of mouth and through social media. Now, he dedicates at least 12 hours for each video and an average of eight hours per day to filming and editing.

STORY AND DESIGN BY A. CABRERA

“He’s lucky if he gets two hours of sleep on certain days,” Evan’s father Mr. Rocco Risucci said. Risucci has had a variety of projects ranging from business advertising to more personal projects such as wedding videos and even the birth videos. “There’s only one moment of this … With my actors, we can retake [a shot]. If I wanted [a shot of] someone to rub the baby’s stomach. I could do that, but the actual birth, I can’t do that. That is a moment in life you can’t simulate,” Risucci said. Now, Riucci spends the majority of his time producing videos for his clients. However, when Risucci first began his business, he had to encounter financial obstacles to pay for his investments. In order to do so, Risucci worked other small jobs like mowing lawns and working at Mooyah. He plans to continue videography as a career in the future, Risucci said. “When I’m older, I’m hoping I can travel a lot… [and] make commercials for hotels in, like some random country that I don’t know how to pronounce, national parks, Canada and the ones on the very, very north tip like no one’s heard of them, but they’re probably pretty cool because they’re so desperate.”

“HE’S LUCKY IF HE GETS TWO HOURS OF SLEEP.”

THE FACES

THE

QUICKIE Insight into the minds of students What was a defining moment in your life? Being able to drive myself anywhere I wanted to without having to ask people for rides. What’s something that worried you but doesnt anymore? My Father going overseas during crisis. Who is your greatest inspiration and why?Lil Duval. He’s a hilarious comedian who lives life likie an average person even though hes rich. I want to be like him because he hasn’t forgotten where he came from and how he got there. How would peers describe you and why? They would look at me as I’m a philosopher the way that I speak. What do you see as your strengths and weaknesses?My strengths, coming to school everyday and dealing with people. My weaknesses, I don’t really have any. Describe your ideal job. Becomeing a lawyer because I like to help people and bring justice to those who deserve it most.

Coughs and Crocs with Azelya Macaranas as told to Nately Wareckiy-Cabreros and Connie Kiger

They call me a philosopher with Rayshon Palmer as told to Izzy Laber and Martine Gilbeau

What is your favorite high school memory? Going to the the SJS Finals track meet with my 4x100 team. What’s your most embarrassing memory? When I fell asleep during class. When the teacher called on me I woke up to the whole class staring at me. What’s your biggest pet peeve? Not covering mouth when someone coughs or sneezes. It’s so disgusting. Just please, cover your mouth. When was the last time you were scared? Last time I was scared was when I went Great America’s Halloween Haunt. It was probably one of the most terrifying things I had to walk through. If you had to wear the same pair of shoes everyday what would they be? I would wear my Crocs. Not only are they extremely comfortable, but obviously stylish. I’m surprised not everyone has a pair. If you have to switch places with a movie character, who would you choose and why? I would switch places with Harry Potter. Despite this childhood, he was able to escape to a world of magic. I mean, why wouldn’t you be Harry Potter? What is it like being a big sister? It’s bittersweet. Most of the time is filled with joyous laughter, but sometimes I have to deal with the complaining.

What would you do with $100 trillion? I would set aside some money in a bank account and try to not waste all the money all at once, use it to buy a better car for my parents, buy myself a high end car, and set aside a house for my parents. I would move back to the bay area and travel around the world. I would buy anything that catches my eyes and buy mansions across the world. Describe the best day you would like to have or what you had? The best day I had was when my parents went on a day trip but didn’t get back until 2 days later and I pulled an all nighter playing video games. Would you go back in time or go to the future and what year would you be in? If given the chance I would go 300 years into the future. I want to see how the world develops and experiences the new technology that I would have access to. How do you feel life is going so far as a teenager? Life as a teenager is not fun. The days seem to go by slowly and we have no say in anything we want in regards to society. DESIGN BY E. COWLES

Focusing on life with Ford Morell as told to Adrian Torres

Can You

THE ISSUES

Post This? Data shows social media leads to depression and anxiety in teens While the usage of social media is Association have shown that depression increasing, the signs of depression rise with rates have increased by 33 percent in it. Although there are perks to apps like teens a part of these platforms, and Instagram and Snapchat, they isolate teens the suicide rate has grown 66 percent from real human connections. between the years of 2010 to 2015. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Social media hurts our biological need Teens tend to say harsher words over as humans to connect face to face with social media than they would when others,â&#x20AC;? USC wellness intern Ms. Maria speaking directly to a person. Cyberbullying Minina said. gives teens easier access to hurt others, If teens donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make these connections, and there is no limit to the amount of they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know how to control their people that can view or share these impulses such as anger. Teens are used wounding comments. Cyberbullying does to reacting behind a screen, but are not not lower the amount of impact on the learning how to cope with these emotions victim, and induces depression, feelings of in real life. isolation and anxiety in teens. Many people only portray The University of British the good in their lives, causing â&#x20AC;&#x153;IT GOT TO THE Columbia reported in a study others to feel insecure about POINT WHERE that 30 percent of teens their body, social life, and I WAS SITTING surveyed have experienced or been a part of cyber bullying. FXUUHQW Ă&#x20AC;QDQFLDO VWDWXV /LNHV +RZHYHU RQO\ SHUFHQW KDG and comments release similar LOOKING AT endorphins, as drugs. People THESE POSTS, ever experienced bullying in real life. These statistics prove that actually become addicted to WISHING I there is easier access to hurting getting this attention, and COULD LOOK someone via social media than continue to put on a fake in person. persona to their peers. LIKE THESE â&#x20AC;&#x153;Social media has made â&#x20AC;&#x153;It got to the point where I was sitting looking at these PEOPLE, OR DO me feel bad before. I have had people call me names over posts, wishing I could look like THE THINGS Instagram that I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think they these people, or do the things THEY GET would say to me in person,â&#x20AC;? Joe WKH\ JHW WR GR Âľ /LOLDQD +RXVHO TO DO.â&#x20AC;? Karadesh said. said. Social media is the way Not everyone has the money this generation communicates. or resources to do the fun things that Self-awareness and the purpose it is people post about, which can cause others used for will help lower depression to feel bad about themselves. Insecurities and anxiety in teens. are just the beginning. Studies from the Blue Cross Blue Shield

STORY AND DESIGN BY A. DORRIS & R. MORELAN

NAUGHTY OR NICE

THE VIEWS The reality of

Christmas by Paulina Solorzano

When people think of Christmas, they usually think of materialistic things like lights, music, decorations and presents. However, Christmas began with traditions like spending time with loved ones and giving back to the less fortunate. Christmas is a largely commercialized enterprise. It is an unseemingly weekslong binge of expenditure and acquisition. An exercise in rank consumerism materialism, where people do not turn away from professional pursuits and remember the fundamental importance of family. Christmas does not

Christmas extremities take the meaning of the holiday to a whole new level

have the same meaning for others as it used to have. The commercialization of Christmas, heavily affects people’s views. Commercials only focus on the materialistic things about the holidays. Because of this, people only value the materials of Christmas when in the end they should see what’s important: family. People have become greedy due to the holiday season. Individuals are so wrapped up with buying and receiving gifts, that being around loved ones and helping those who aren’t as lucky have become not as important. People should start valuing what is important again such

as, coming together with your family, and with doing activities like picking out a tree or watching a christmas themed movie with loved ones. We should focus on making the holiday season meaningful for the younger generations in our families. It is so much more rewarding in the end versus focusing on objects that have no meaning during the season. The holiday season is about giving back to those who don’t have what you have. Going to homeless shelters and passing out food for those who aren’t able to know what their next meal is going to be is a generous and caring thing to do for the holiday season.

The bonding of

Christmas by Alicia Cho Christmas is a time when students can pull away from school and be with family in a cozy spot at home or go to the beach on a sunny day somewhere far from the cold. However, the result remains the same. Because of Christmas and the ways to celebrate the holiday, families and friends are closer with no work or school and can spend the birth of Christ with each other. There are assumptions Christmas is only about the presents but in reality it is because of the little things people do together Dec. 25 that makes the value of Christmas true and meaningful. Children pounce on their parents in order to wake them

and run to the Christmas tree for everyone to watch the wrappings be torn and the smiles of getting socks from Grandma. Mothers lecture the children not to touch the food prepared hours before the many family members coming over, And when dinner is ready, parents tell children to get off Snapchat or Instagram and actually talk to the cousin sitting next to them. Through these different activities, Christmas brings people closer with one another with the persuasion to communicate more and share memories. With all the events happening on the day also comes a chance for Christmas music to sing and dance with amongst close friends and family.

Through the article “Why does Christmas Music make us happy?” written by the Plasticity Brain Centers, it was revealed Christmas songs can stir up nostalgia, as there is an emotional response specifically to carols like “Frosty the Snowman,” “Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer” and “Jingle Bells.” With these Christmas songs, there is a tighter bond between a relationship as it holds an excuse to be as goofy one wishes to be, making more memories for the holiday. Christmas is more than just than average dinner feast of Thanksgiving or the candy of Halloween night.

9 STORY AND DESIGN BY A. CHO & P. SOLORZANO

THE VIEWS

WHITE fra·gil·i·ty

noun the quality of being delicate

From data revealed in the The Stanford Open Policing Project, You’re on Twitter one day and decide to post a comment about police officers generally stop black and hispanic people at a much how minority’s lives matter, in an attempt to create awareness. higher rate than white drivers. Consequently black drivers are 20 Your post highlights your firsthand encounter with racism and percent more likely, and Hispanic drivers are 30 perent more likely spreads the message that prejudice among ethnic groups to get a ticket, than white drivers. affects some races more than other. Then all of a sudden people It’s in situations like these that racial barriers are still highly start posting and replying back to your comment by saying that divisive and separate white people from those of color. Their groups of all races face racism, and it isn’t that significant since justification of racism only being seen in the past is completely invalid because, although it was legal in the past and is illegal now, everyone experiences the same type of hardship. While you see the prejudice behind skin color is still prevalent. the argument that people of all races and ethnicities are entitled Students are unknowingly largely impacted by this fragile to equal opportunities and rights, the point of racism not being significant completely disregards your opinion and experiences as race viewpoint. A student of white descent filling out college applications, or any forms for the matter, will have no trouble an individual. It has become a common habit among people of all generations indicating their race. However someone of a Middle-Eastern, Indian, or any other minority background will often have to identify to use social media as a platform to voice their opinion, whether it as a loosely-related race. These minute factors that do not seem be regarding politics, racial inequality or pop culture. However an to affect white people and shield them once again from being increasingly common controversy keeps circulating people’s daydiscriminated against, lead to inaccurate self-identification for to-day performance on social media: white fragility. By definition, white fragility is discomfort and defensiveness on people of color. the part of a white person when confronted by information about There is nothing wrong with wanting to create a society for racial inequality and injustice. This act of defensiveness is usually all majority and minority groups to receive equal opportunities a result of people of color raising awareness about the racism they and recognition. However, when people start being defensive against others for sharing their personal deal with on a daily basis. People categorized as white and fragile hardships, by diminishing their credibility often take offense to this because they believe that everyone faces IT RAISES A QUESTION TO and saying everyone deals with problems racism equally, with a justification that all lives matter. WHETHER Although I believe that all people deserve equal consideration and any race can be part of the minority, THEY Someone who has never been been and validation in society, there are certain privileges that not UNDERSTAND denied access to a country for their all races get to experience. The consequences of severe racial WHAT discrimination seen in the past are still highly prevalent and religion or been forcibly removed from RACISM visible today. I am not talking about Jim Crow laws or Japanese their permanent home due to their REALLY IS. Internment Camps, which have left a permanent and lasting ethnic origin can’t say that racial or impact on people’s mindsets, but situations that people deal ethnic hardships do not exist. Neither can someone at school who with today on a much smaller scale. By being white in today’s blatantly copies another person’s culture for stylistic purposes or says derogatory terms against black people make claims that society, some people escape numerous chances to experience discrimination. racial barriers no longer exist.

STORY AND DESIGN BY A. KEDIA

THE NEWS

STOP and smell the

VAPOR

the problem no one wants to talk about - how it’s being prevented on campus

ne in six high school students reported using e-cigarettes in the past month, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Over the past few years, vaping has become increasingly popular among young adults and teens. Devices come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, resembling anything from a USB port to a pen. They also come in multiple flavors, such as cotton candy, raspberry and strawberry, drawing in younger generations and causing teens to become addicted more easily. Although it can start as a one-time use, vaping can quickly escalate to daily usage; in some cases it becomes so extreme students feel the need to use the bathrooms on campus to smoke. You are at school. It’s second period, still early in the morning. You’ve just asked your teacher to go to the bathroom. You meet up with your friends in the bathroom and pull out your Juul. It feels normal, until you start having trouble breathing. Each breath becomes harder and harder to take, and no one around you

knows what to do to help. Why would you tell a teacher? You’ll just get in trouble. So, what would you do if you were in the bathroom or a party and you suddenly fainted? Would you know what to do? This is a rare situation, but in the case it actually happens, the truth is that knowing a simple procedure to save yourself or a friend when vaping is not as widely discussed and can help in an emergency. Nicotine poisoning occurs when a lethal amount of nicotine is consumed and it cannot be treated at home. Call 911 if the person is unconscious. Do not try to cause the person to throw up. While waiting for treatment, ensure the person is drinking water. Regarding school incidents, during second period, Oct. 31, a student visited the bathroom and upon returning, had a medical emergency in class following the use of toxic substances, possibly including a smoking device. Students in the class spoke up about the experience and how it made them feel. “It was really scary because no one knew what was going on or how to help them; they had droopy eyes and a blank face, and I knew something was wrong,” classmate Camryn Buchholz said.

STORY AND DESIGN BY S. EAGLE

For more info on e-cigarettes and nicotine addiction, visit therealcost.org and cdc.

“I do a sport after school, so I need to change, but I can’t because all the bathrooms are locked, and it makes things a lot more difficult,” Simmons said. Not only are the bathrooms locked, but sign-out sheets are required in every classroom, and teachers are also making the rule to leave phones in class while in the bathroom. In addition, the staff was given a presentation at the November faculty meeting by the Tobacco Prevention Program for Placer County to aid in prevention. “This was simply a vaping awareness training, where staff was briefed on what the devices look like, the seriousness of the epidemic and how they are used. RUSD and Rocklin PD have worked to get vaping detectors installed at all the high schools in Rocklin. Whitney should have vaping detectors installed in the bathrooms in the next few months,” Assistant Principal Mr. Jeff Dietrich said. Whether students choose to vape or use any sort of e-cigarette, it is important to be aware of what is going in their bodies. The chemicals in these devices, such as diacetyl, are known to cause not only heart disease and heart attacks, but lung disease and irritation as well. It can be difficult for parents to figure out what to do in the situation that they find their child vaping, and

one parent specifically decided to speak up about her opinion. “I really don’t think vaping is okay; there hasn’t been enough solid testing to find out what it does to kids, and I definitely am not okay with that uncertainty, so if I caught my child, she would be grounded,” Mrs. Bobbilyn Westbrook said. If parents want to take a more active role toward prevention, there are now more readily available resources at school. The Student Assistance Program (SAP), developed by CoRR (Community Recovery Resources) helps advise students struggling with drug usage. Right now, parents have to refer their student. Students can also do this completely voluntarily, and it can be offered to them to reduce what would normally be a five-day suspension to three days as long as they complete an eight-week program. The program started in October and runs Thursdays from 2:503:50 p.m. for all students suffering from all kinds of addiction. Students are educated on addiction and its consequences to work towards a healthier mental state and improved performance in school.

“I FEEL BAD FOR THE PEOPLE THAT WILL BE HOOKED FOR QUITE A WHILE JUST BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO LOOK COOL.”

32% STUDENTS HAVE VAPED SOURCE: GOOGLE FORMS POLL CONDUCTED DECEMBER 1

In response to situations like these, the U.S. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) iss creating crea cr eatiting ng new federal restrictions of the flavors being sold vors vo rs bbei eing ng ssol oldd to decrease the amount of e-cigarette ciga ci gare rett ttee users. user us ers. s. Now, flavors will be limited mint imitited im ed ttoo on only ly m min intt an andd menthol. In doing so,, th teens will thee ho hope pe iiss th that at ttee eens ns w wil illl not be as attracted flavoring tedd to the te the flflav avor orin ingg in these devices. es.. es Although federal organizations ughh fe ug fede dera rall or orga gani niza zatition onss are are attempting prevent crisis mptiting mp ng ttoo pr prev even entt this this ccri risi siss fr from om expanding, doubt ndin nd ing, g, there’s tthe here re’s ’s no no do doub ubtt it’s it’s still sstitillll prevalent ppre reva vale lent nt with students, dent de nts, s, w whe whether heth ther er iitt be aatt pa part parties rtie iess or jjus just ustt between a gr group close friends. There grou oupp of cclo lose se ffri rien ends ds.. Th Ther eree ar aree ttha hatt co cont ntai ainn marijuana, maririju ma juan ana, a, which whi w hich ch also devices that contain ferr an fe andd ea easi sier er to to hi hide de,, ye yett are seen as safer easier hide, serr wi se with th ddif iffe fere rent nt hhea ealtlthh they present the user different health ssmo moki king ng.. According Acco Ac cord rdin ingg risks than traditional smoking. Futu turirity ty.o .org rg,, to a study discussed on Fu Futurity.org, form rm include iinc nclu lude de the effects of THC in vapor fo ia.. While ia Whililee wa Wh waxx anxiety, nausea and paranoia. grow pens and dab pens continue to grow houl ho uldd be more and more popular, teens should eren er entt aware that mixing substances in different devices without being sure of what they ms contain can lead to future health problems including lung disease.

caught at school? here’s what happens:

FIRST OFFENSE: discipline by suspension or expulsion

““II think th vaping has gotten out of hand. So many many kids kkid id have picked it up, doing it in the school parking park pa rkin ingg lo lot,t, in the bathrooms, maybe even just from peer I feel bad for the people that from ppee eerr pressure. pres pr es will hooked will be be ho hook oked ed for f quite a while just because they wanted want wa nted ed to to look look cool,” ccoo oo Olivia Simmons said. vaping TThe he fact ffac actt th that at vvap apin ingg has become a trend makes it even dangerous eeve venn mo more re ddan ange gero rous us in itself. When considering the he heal alth th eeff ffec ects ts,, students stud st uden ents ts should take note that the health effects, every ever ev eryy hi hitt they they ttak take akee is fifill filled lled ed w wit with it cancer-causing chemicals, along lead. It can cause chem ch emic ical als, s, aalo long ng with witithh titinn an w andd le long lo ng-t -ter erm m da dama mage ge to to the the lungs lung lu ngss and and create cr long-term damage nicotine addiction. addi ad dict ctio ion. n. But B ut the the dangers ddan ange gers rs aare ren’ n’tt a se secr cret et,, an andd th aren’t secret, these facts repeatedly, fact fa ctss ar aree advertised adve ad vert rtis ised ed rrep epea eate tedl dly, y, from ffro rom m discussion and and announcements anno an noun unce ceme ment ntss at school ssch choo ooll to public service anno an noun unce ceme ment ntss an andd larger larg la rger er media m announcements campaigns warning teens avoid teen te enss to aavo void id e-cigarettes. ee-c -cig igar aret ette te For example, therealcost. org on Instagram to org posts post po stss graphic grap gr aphi hicc advertisements adve ad ve dramatically the effects. dram dr amat atic ical ally ly llustrate lllu lust st IInn th thee past past year, administrators have taken measures to make mak m akee it harder to vape during school. One way vaping has become more restricted on campus is through has be bathroom access during the school day. Only one or two ba of the bathrooms have been left open, which makes it hard for some students that actually need to use it.

SECOND OFFENSE: mandatory recommendation of expulsion

STORY AND DESIGN BY S. EAGLE

THREE+ OFFENSES: expulsion

THE SCORE

DAYA KHUNKHUN Q: Who or what inspired you to start playing basketball? A: I started playing basketball, because my dad introduced me, I really got into it and enjoyed the aggressive aspect of it. My dad played in highschool and he was my first coach in fifth grade.

M. MONTEIRO

Q: What has been your hardest struggles or moments in basketball? A: Doubting myself, and it’s hard because I’ll play really good at practice, then I get to games and wonder where it went. And worrying too much of what other people think of me and playing the sport for myself.

M. MONTEIRO

Q: Who has been you biggest supporter and what have they done to help you? A: Definitely my dad, he will give up all his weekends to take me to practices. He’s always practicing with me by himself, even though his hand is broken, he’ll still help me. And even when other things will bring me down or discourage me, my dad will always know how to bring me back up without being too harsh and doesn’t force me to play.

A LOOK AT THE IFE SPENCER Q: What were your hardest moments for basketball? A: “Trying out for the team, I wasn’t sure if I would make it or not, so I had to put in lots of effort and put in the extra work to make the team.”

- /$3,1,'

Q: Is there a person that motivates you? A: My family, especially my dad since he loves basketball. When I broke my arm in 8th grade, I didn’t really want to play basketball anymore because I was scared of breaking it again, but he helped me get over that fear and helped me to keep playing basketball again.

STORY AND DESIGN BY A. CABRERA

T. BARKER

Q: How long have you been playing basketball? A: This is my 5th year playing comp basketball, but I played regular basketball since I was a kid.

J. BERTIZ

Q: Do you have any struggles? A: I am in AP World History this year, and it takes a while to do my homework. I try to go to the library at lunch, and I have a tutor so I don’t fall behind.

THE SCORE

JARED DUFFEY DAYA KHUNKHUN Q:Can Canyou youtell tellme meabout aboutsome someofofyour yourhardest hardest Q: moments on the team? moments on the team? A:Whenever WheneverI Ilet letaagoal goalup upororI Ican’t can’tstop stopthe theother other A: teamfrom fromscoring, scoring,IIfeel feellike likeI’m I’mletting lettingmy myteam teamdown down team because I know that it’s my fault and that kinda sucks because I know that it’s my fault and that kinda sucks knowingthat. that.But ButIIalways alwayskeep keeptrying. trying. knowing

2 '(/$0$'5,'

Q: Howmuch muchtime timedodoyou youspend spendpracticing practicingsoccer soccerper per Q:How weekon onaverage? average? week A:Well Rightright nownow I’mI’m playing clubclub andand highhigh school, andand it’s A: playing school, about oneone hour andand 45 forty-five minutes per week per for both. it’s about hour minutes week But for usually three hours a week. both. Butabout usually about three hours a week

2 '(/$0$'5,'

Q:What Whatabout aboutyour yourbest bestmoments? moments? Q: A: Definitelywhen whenI’m I’mable abletotosave savea agoal. goal.Like Likewhen when A:Definitely they get past my keeper and their about the shoot and they get past my keeper and their about the shoot and runback backand andstop stopthem. them. IIrun

LINEUP JOSH SMITH IFE SPENCER

Q: How do you think you can improve as the season goes on? A: My touches aren’t the best. I can improve on my passes, playing more agressive and with more physical strategies.

P.T.CREDIT GERICK

Q: What are you looking to most this season? A: Getting to play with people from last season. Playing in Whitney’s stadium wil be really fun this season.

STORY AND DESIGN BY A. KEDIA

P.T.CREDIT GERICK

P. CREDIT

T. GERICK

Q:What was your greatest soccer expereince? A: My greatest experience was winning the Quarry Cup from last year. It was really fun and enjoayble to win such a special game.

P.T.CREDIT GERICK

Q: How long do you always train during the week? A: My practice is 5 days a week. We train for two hours a day. Sometimes this is quite exhausting.

On Halloween in front of The Bean, people dress up in their costumes, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, to take photos.

exploring

A. KEDIA

E. COWLES

K. VENGERSAMMY

“I really enjoyed spending time in the city. I also had fun bonding with people I haven’t talked to before,” Emily Cowles said.

“We were all sleep deprived because we were running on two hours of sleep,” Emily Pontes said.

a new city

K. VENGERSAMMY

At the Chicago Canal, Whitney High Student Media poses for a group picture on the bridge. Throughout the day they went to Millennium Park, The Bean, Chicago Canal, Wrigley Field, and Gino’s East Pizza.

“During the Chicago trip, I learned about photography in different ways that I didn’t know about and was amazed with the results.” Mason Pangman said.

STORY AND DESIGN BY T. BUTLER & K. VENGERSAMMY

THE SCENE

T. BUTLER

On Oct. 30, Whitney High Student Media traveled to Chicago for the JEA/ NSPA National Convention.

At Millenium Park, WHSM had a photoshoot with the fall landscape.

A. LOVEALL

“We stopped at a garden at Pioneer Court and I thought that would be a really good background for an Instagram photo.” Taylor Butler said.

S. EAGLE

T. BUTLER

On the first day of their tour in Chicago, WHSM visits the Wrigley Field stadium.

“My favorite moment was when Blake Wong kept messing up our DSCO video and we kept getting left behind the rest of the group.” AJ Cabrera said.

STORY AND DESIGN BY T. BUTLER & K. VENGERSAMMY

At the end of the night, students eat dinner at a Chicago style pizza place, Gino’s East, where they try deep dish pizza.

THE SCENE

Tips to help you

ace your tests

STORY AND DESIGN BY E. COWLES & A. ROBERTS

THE SCENE

Consequences of

CRAMMING Studies show that cramming is an ineffective way to study

s the clock strikes 3 a.m, students everywhere continue studying as a final, desperate attempt for understanding. Cramming at the last minute before a test is a familiar and unfortunate situation. Though a widespread and accepted practice in students, the effectiveness of last minute learning is far below that of productive studying spaced out over time. Mrs. Leah Seabrook has taught AP World History for 2 years, and, just like other teachers, has no problem deciphering which students studied ahead of time and who was packing their brain the night before. “The more repetitions you do, the more likely you are to remember it permanently, because when we cram things our brain tends to retain it for about 12 to 24 hours,” she said. A true watermark of whether one is simply studying or “cramming” is whether they are giving up sleep and working in the middle of the night. “If you are staying up late just going over the information, basically, you’re not going to retain it, you’re just going over it,” Garron Moertle said. Not only will the ineffective learning method have little to no positive effect on grades, working late will lead to less sleep. “No sleep usually equates to worse grades and worse outcomes,” Seabrook said. The Nationwide Children’s Hospital says teenagers should be getting, on average, between nine and nine and a half hours of sleep every single night. While this is ideal, the average high-school aged adolescent gets between seven and seven and a half hours every night, again from The Nationwide Children’s Hospital. Sleep is necessary for energy and focus. Without the two, students have nearlyy no chance

at succeeding on tests. However, the night before a test could arguably be the most important night for studying. “The night before [an exam] I do spend 2 more hours studying, my memory retains better studying closer to the day of the exam,” Makenzy Gilbert said. So, with Finals Week Dec. 17 through 20, how are students supposed to strike a balance? Colleges and scientific journals, like the British Journal of Educational Psychology and York University, have researched and published evidence about the “levels of processing” theory. AP Psychology teacher Mrs. Kathleen Staggs

“NO SLEEP USUALLY EQUATES TO WORSE GRADES AND WORSE OUTCOMES.” confirmed that humans remember things through either deep or shallow processing; deep processing means the brain has made connections, analysis and thought “deeper” about the topic, while shallow processing is more basic-level thoughts that are easily forgotten. “When you’re cramming, that’s basically lots of short term memory and that information is not getting encoded and not being remembered,” Staggs said. For deeper processing to occur, there has to be connections that are relevant to the student, like a pneumonic device or acronym. This theory confirms that the best way to study is over time. The more repetitions of an idea, the deeper the analysis to come out of it will be and the higher the chance at memorization.

ROBERT STORY AND DESIGN BY E. COWLES & A. ROBERTS

A Different Way to PLAY

THE SCENE

Students find other ways to entertain themselves rather than being online

espite being in an age where so many students are spending their free time playing video games or scrolling through social media, a variety of different groups around campus are getting together with their friends to play board and card games. “A lot of our group are all on the cross country team together. When we took our annual trip to Truckee in June for our cross country camp, one of the runners had brought a variety of games for us play to keep us occupied in our down time,” Josh Tajiri said. While classic games like Monopoly and The Game of Life still attract people, there are many different alternative game types that are very different from the status quo “My favorite type of board games are called Social Deduction Games. They force you to argue your point and compete with your friends. You have to figure out what role each player is and then use that information to your own advantage,” Jacob Harbert said. For instance, two new clubs have started on campus, The Game Society Club as well as Card/Board Club, as a place for these groups of friends to have fun and play with different people.

monitor what’s going on. One time we got 25 of our friends to all play Two Rooms and roles were changing every single minute,” Harbet said. According to Ad Week, the overall sales of board games in the United States have grown 28 percent, from $9.3 to $9.6 billion in the past three years alone. Tajiri said,“With the era of video games, people don’t understand that there is a lot of different ways to play the same type of game.”

“THEY FORCE YOU TO THINK ABOUT YOUR EVERY MOVE AND OUTWIT YOUR OPPONENT.” These genres of games offer interesting experiences that players often would not be able to experience otherwise. They allow people to branch out of their shell and try something new. “Games like One Night Ultimate Werewolf and Two Rooms and a Boom change so frequently and so often it takes a lot of attention and rapid participation to

STORY AND DESIGN BY B. JACOBY & B. WONG

24%

market increase in the UK SOURCE: GOOGLE FORMS POLL CONDUCTED DECEMBER 1

THE SPEND

$20

bouquet of flowers “We buy each other little gifts a lot. He always comes to my house at random times, he loves suprising me and brings me bouquets of flowers just to remind me how special I am to him. I think it’s really cute because it’s not something big because I don’t need anything big from him, but it’s just something to show like that he’s thinking of me” KATIE SCAGLIONE

$30

gift basket “A basket full of goodies is a good affordable gift because you can just do candy and little things like that.” YOLANDA MORA

Holiday Gift Guide

Present ideas in variety of prices ranges help students decide what to buy their significant other for the holidays

$25

56%

store bought

candle

“One of my favorite gifts I’ve gotten Niki in the past was, a bunch of scented candles, a big fuzzy sweatshirts, big comfortable blankets, and those seem to be the gifts she really appreciates the most. Its something she really enjoys and even though it’s not the most extravagant or craziest out there thing, she really enjoys that and it’s something that she loves.” CAMERON SHAW

home made SOURCE: GOOGLE FORMS POLL CONDUCTED DECEMBER 1

$50 to $100 •Nameastar.com •Globalstarregist.com •Star-Registration.com

$15 to $20 • Amazon •Target •Walmart

$5 to $10

Name a Star

Phone Case

Gift Gi ft C Car Cards ards ar ds

•Starbucks •Visa •Any retail store

STORY AND DESIGN BY J. TISDALE AND H. WIT WITTICK

THE SPEND

Winter Season On a Budget

Local activities are inexpensive options to keep people busy during the holidays

E. PONTES

Deer Creek Farm is a boutique shop located in Rocklin. It is known for Christmas tree and gift shopping as it contains unique vintage items, inspirational gifts and treasures for your home. It is a great spot for photos and they also have a website that contains blog posts for creative at-home designs to prepare for the holidays. Deer Creek Farm is inexpensive, if not free, and a great place to go over winter break to get into the holiday spirit.

E. PONTES

Monday - Holiday shopping

1. The inside of the store sells holiday decor from ornaments to pillows. They also have non-holiday items as well like kitchen decor and picture frames. 2. They also sell Christmas trees outside along with wreaths and mistletoe. 3.Deer Creek Farm is located at 546 PacificStreet, Rocklin.

Thursday - SPCA ’Tis the season to volunteer, and at the SPCA you can help in many ways such as being a dog socializer/walker/trainer, a cat socializer, a rabbit/critter socializer, adoption counselor, pet mobile driver, a clinic assistant, an animal transport or be in a foster care program. Animals at the SPCA need love and attention, but especially during this rainy and colder time of year. To become a foster parent, you can sign up for a foster orientation class on the Placer SPCA website. Once you have attended foster orientation, you may immediately foster most kittens and adult cats since that is the animal they mostly need foster help from. All other foster opportunities require additional classes.

K.GIMENEZ

Tuesday - Ice skating Ice skating is a great seasonal activity to do with friends and family. Skatetown Ice Arena is located in Roseville as they run events each week during the holidays. Each event is family oriented and budget friendly. Events they offer are story time, pajama day, Holiday shoppe, drag queens of ice and more. They also offer youth classes for beginner skaters during different times of the week. If you are looking for an inexpensive and visually-pleasing place to take pictures, Skatetown Ice Arena is priced at $16 for shoes and a full day of skating. “I went with Raley Gillmore and it was my first time so I was falling a lot but Raley helped me and I had a good time anyways,” Kendall Gimenez said. Another option would be the Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink. It’s open November In Tahoe, Kendall Gimenez and Raley Gillmore go ice skating. Gimenez and Gillmore also expolored Tahoe to celebrate t to January and costs from $13 - $15. he season.

Friday - Christmas lights

The Hallmark Channel is airing holiday movies now through Christmas, along with Freeforms 20th annual 25 days of Christmas. Starting Dec. 1, Freeform will air Christmas-themed movies, such as “Elf” to “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.” “Usually every winter break I cuddle up and watch Christmas movies such as ‘The Grinch’ with my family, which I enjoy since I get to spend time with my family while getting hyped up for the holiday season,” Michael Hojabri said. An easy and free way to celebrate the winter season is to get some hot chocolate, friends or family and watch Hallmark or Freeform movies. Another option would be Netflix which carries movies such as “The Grinch” and “Dear Santa.”

Pebble Creek Drive is a local street known for their crazy Christmas lights. Each house typically has a theme anywhere from “It’s a Small World” to “How the Grinch stole Christmas.” “Christmas is my favorite holiday, so getting to see all the houses decorated with my friends is one of my favorite things to do in the winter”, Sara Acevedo said. Another location is the “Fab 40’s” in Sacramento. The lights are on all 40th-streets between J and Folsom Blvd. Here you can find Christmas lights galore. There is lights on their houses and also strung between and above the huge trees that are lined up and down the streets.

E. PONTES

Wednesday - Movies

STORY AND DESIGN BY E. PONTES

THE SOUND

2018â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most

memerable 2

H. BEDRIN

When a political or pop culture event occurs, social media users are always quick to create parodies that are clever reflections of the key moments. To have one final look at the yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most popular events as told through memes, check out these brilliant internet creations.

The College Board @CollegeBoard

'2 127 6+$5( 7(67 &217(17 21/,1( #PSAT/NMSQT

3 H. BEDRIN

one taught me love, one taught me patience, one taught me pain

Spiderman follows Ironman onto the alien spaceship to save Dr. Strange

Pop culture references, teamwork Ă&#x20AC;JKWLQJ DQG Spiderman becomes an Avenger

2. PSAT With the annual PSAT in October, Mikayla Barkve shared her thoughts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;At first I was really confused [by the new memes content,] but then I saw the hashtag for PSAT. Not being in the loop was a realization like â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Wow, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand these because seniors donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take the PSAT, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a senior.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; It was weird in a sense that none of that kind of stuff is relevant to me anymore.â&#x20AC;?

3. THANK U, NEXT

Spiderman dies in Ironmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arms

In November, Ariana Grande released a single, â&#x20AC;&#x153;thank u, next.â&#x20AC;? The internet went to work, comparing three objects with another.

Spiderman dies in Ironmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arms

4. INFINITY WAR H. BEDRIN

With the release of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Infinity Warâ&#x20AC;? in May, fans were quick to combine key moments with memes like the viral Walmart yodeling boy. Jessica Becker is a Marvel fan, and she took the memes to heart.â&#x20AC;&#x153;Spider Man was killed 1. SUPER BOWL by Thanosâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; snap, and he was holding onto Known as the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Super Bowl selfie Tony Stark [Iron Man] because he thought kid,â&#x20AC;? Ryan Mckenna became Tony was going save him. But Tony canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t one of the earliest internet stars save him this time and he dies. I cried. I felt this year in February, when his personally attacked [by the meme] because appearance alongside Justin Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in high school like Peter Parker. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m taking Timberlake did not go unnoticed. physics, chemistry, and Spanish [and] he Twitter users poked fun at it in takes physics, chemistry, and Spanish.â&#x20AC;? varying memes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[The selfie kid] 5. DO U KNO DE WEY was on â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Ellen.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; I watched the Super Back in January, Ugandan Knuckles from the Bowl on TV, but I saw the meme on Sonic the Hedgehog universe exploded on my phone, actually. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see it the internet saying his catchphrase: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do you as it happened,â&#x20AC;? Daniel Katz said. know the way?â&#x20AC;?

MY FAVORITE MEME IS...

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dabbing in general.â&#x20AC;? MADISON MCADAM

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ah, stop, I couldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve dropped my croissant.â&#x20AC;? JACOB PEARSALL

AIDAN RANSFORD

G. CHANG

â&#x20AC;&#x153;You freaking fricks, when will you learn that your actions have consequences.â&#x20AC;?

STORY AND DESIGN BY H. BEDRIN & G. CHANG

TikTc ok c on the Clc ock? c c

ikTok was introduced back in early August as a rebranded Musical.ly, and since then, it has seemingly taken over the internet, but not until recently has a bigger discussion has arisen about the actual content and the nature of TikTok. TikTok is essentially the already well known Musical.ly, except the Musical.ly app was acquired by ByteDance, a Chinese company, and rebranded to TikTok. Just like Musical.ly, users can lip sync to songs and short audio snippets and post these to the app. Students have heard about TikTok, mainly through ads on social media or their friends. “I see it everyday. On YouTube, Instagram, one time I was on Tumblr and I saw an ad for it. It’s everywhere,” Zoe Cook said. Allie Dunkase sees TikTok content all over her social media accounts since her friends make fun of it on her Snapchat. She is not happy about the amount of ads she constantly sees. “It gets annoying. I feel that every ad I see on YouTube or [every ad] I see on Instagram is a TikTok ad. It makes it [the experience of the apps] a lot less enjoyable” Dunkhase said. But there are a lot of differing opinions on TikTok. Some love the app, but others despised it. “I am completely disgusted. I think it’s a terrible thing to happen,” Jason Finta stated when asked about what he thought TikTok gaining relevance. He thinks that the content coming from the app is awful. “It offers nothing. It’s not funny and everything on there is just excruciatingly cringey.” Dunkase agrees with this. “ [The app] produces bad content. The content isn’t beneficial or amusing. It just isn’t entertaining,” she said. These students think that TikTok is harmless, it simply makes bad content. “I don’t think that it’s hurting anyone,” Josh Tajiri said, “but I really don’t like the TikTok platform. It’s not hurting but it’s definitely not helping anyone. It’s just kids making stupid 30-second videos.” But many on social media are commenting on the bullying and harassment that are occuring on the app due to the app’s “Duet”

Students give their thoughts on the TikTok app and how long it will last

THE SOUND

feature. This feature allows users to record themselves next to another user’s TikTok and post both recordings in one post, but many on social media are criticizing this feature. “Interesting to see the Duet feature on @tiktok_us quickly transform into a bullying and harassment tool,” Twitter user @ ghod comments about the Duet feature. But Cook, who personally uses the TikTok app, and thinks that the app and the Duet feature is what makes the app better than the its predecessor. “I like it a lot more than Musical.ly. Being able to Duet with people makes the videos really funny. It never fails to make me laugh,” Cook said about the app. As relevant as this app may seem, students feel that it won’t last much longer. “It’ll probably last another month, maybe two,” Fi Finta said. “I think that it’s just a trend that will dead soon. It’s mainly targeted towards little kids, and it don’t think that an app like that can last very long.” But the app continues to grow, and doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon. In late October, Adam Blacker writes for Apptopia, an analytics company that specializes in app statistics, that TikTok is keeps on gaining users. “Since its official takeover of musical.ly on August 2nd, TikTok is growing substantially, making real competition for the western social media stalwarts… Comparing the three months of downloads before the rollover [the acquirement of Musical.ly by TikTok] to the three months after, worldwide downloads are up 20% while U.S. downloads are up 25%,” Blacker said. And this growth is due in part to its massive advertising, and since TikTok’s take over of Musical.ly, it is in the top ranks of the iOS App and Google Play store. Blacker thinks that all this points to TikTok’s long term success. “TikTok could be the first long term successful social app in the United States owned and operated by an Asian company,” Blacker said. Despite students thoughts on the app simply being a trend, and their love or hate for the app, it seems that TikTok is not going away any time soon.

STORY BY DYLAN DE VALK DESIGN BY DYLAN DEVALK AND NATHAN MARQUARDT