Eye of the Tiger (Issue 8, Volume 14)

Page 1

TOP NEWS Features

Opinion

Entertainment

Sports

Junior Joshua Ireland follows father’s footsteps to Swan Brothers Circus Page 6

Senior Maddy Furdek promotes fair distribution of LCAP funds through special ed experiences Page 7

Roseville High School arts culminate in drama’s “Seedfolk” and revived SG talent show Page 9

Girls basketball relies on balance rather than star players to secure playoff spot Page 11

EYE OF THE TIGER Roseville High School’s student-produced publication

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Eye of the Tiger

1 Tiger Way, Roseville, CA

FEBRUARY 22, 2016 | ISSUE 8, VOLUME 14

Support approach shifts SBAC segueing in, CAHSEE out turns departments toward individualized academic intervention BY MARC CHAPPELLE

m.chappelle@eyeofthetigernews.com

Staff at both Roseville High School and Roseville Joint Union High School District increasingly focus efforts to accurately target and support students in need of academic support or intervention. These ongoing efforts stand in the light of a wider educational environment of standardized testing transition. For the first time last school year, RJUHSD

conducted Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium’s California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress in place of Standardized Testing and Reporting, last administered in the spring of 2013. CAASPP addresses newly-implemented Common Core state standards. That same year was likely the last that RJUHSD campuses administered the California High School Exit Examination, as Gov-

ernor Jerry Brown signed off on Senate Bill 172 that both suspended the exam through the 2017-18 school year and implored a state advisory board to explore future pathways for high school exit exams. Having acknowledged the historical relationship between standardized tests, intervention placement, and academic support, principal David Byrd weighs the value of other approaches in achieving and maintaining effective student support systems. “We shouldn’t say, ‘well, let’s wait and see how they do on the big test,’” principal Da SUPPORT | Page 3

MARC CHAPPELLE EYE OF THE TIGER

Seniors Cali Suba and Michael Choi work during Tiger Tutoring. The after-school program is one of several campus initiatives to offer individualized support.

LCAP: the first year

Digital resources outpace analog texts

Williams Act remains roadblock for digital transition BY BRIAN NUEVO

b.nuevo@eyeofthetigernews.com

Several teachers at Roseville High School have been making moves away from textbook use in their classrooms and implementing alternative resources for teaching materials. Still, the Williams Act, a “Superior Court case to provide all students equal access to instructional materials, safe schools and quality teachers,” requires states to update and purchase textbooks for every course, according to the California Department of Education. However, the downstairs 900s hallway houses piles of unused textbooks, and has for years. While the district continues to spend money on textbooks, many of the other electronic resources – such as current event articles, sample math problems, supplemental notes, online stories, tutorial and documentary videos – are available to teachers at no monetary expense. “Everytime we buy textbooks, [teachers] always ask if there is a digital resource. Until there is a change in the Williams Act we’re sort of stuck,” Roseville Joint

Union High School District superintendent Ron Severson said. For example, Oakmont High School Spanish teacher Clarice Swaney doesn’t use textbooks at all and uses other resources, such as stories and videos to teach students rather than using the textbooks. “We agreed that we would cover the info by way of stories,” Swaney said. Swaney enjoys newer resources such as current events to help students relate to what’s going on. “We try to find more newer, relevant type articles that show some of the themes we are exploring connect to people’s lives more currently,” Swaney said. While many teachers, including many English teachers at Roseville High School have mostly or entirely abandoned the use of textbook, not everyone is ready to completely move away from them. RHS principal David Byrd isn’t quite ready to entirely condemn the use of textbooks. “I’m not ready to say textbooks are a waste and we need to stop buying them but we’re transitioning and looking at it, before we buy anything let’s make sure there’s a better way to do this,” Byrd said. Byrd encourages exploration into more convenient and accurate options rather than textbooks.  TEXTBOOK | Page 2

RJUHSD spending targets at-risk groups BY MIKAYLA STEARNS

m.stearns@eyeofthetigernews.com

ZACHARY CHEEK EYE OF THE TIGER

Senior Chris Benning instructs students during Pilar Steiner’s third period Choreography class. The counseling department now requires prospective TAs to complete an application for the 2016-17 school year.

TA parameters tighten BY GABI HUTSON

g.hutson@eyeofthetigernews.com

A new policy for students applying to be a TA will limit all teachers to only having one TA per period per term. This program will go into effect next school year. Any students wishing to TA for a teacher next year must now complete an application and turn it into their counselors in order to ensure that they can TA. The application is the student’s responsibility to complete and requires a teacher and a parent signature and must be submitted by Apr. 15 to the counselors. If the student fails to complete the form or

misses the deadline, then the spot reserved for a TA period will be filled with one of the alternate selections or the student will be assigned another teacher to assist. The catalyst of this new policy was a department coordinators meeting, where teachers discussed that the necessary amount of TAs needed is one TA per term per year – a total of two TAs a year. If a teacher feels they need more assistance than this, they will need to contact an administrator and inform them in order to be permitted. Counselor Robyn Pasco said that it was initiated due to teachers feeling that they had too many TAs and not enough work to occupy them.  TA | Page 2

Century charter school receives district authorization Charter school falls within Roseville High School attendance boundaries BY JAYDYNN SANTOS

j.santos@eyeofthetigernews.com

FILE PHOTO ROBBIE SHORT

Former Granite Bay High School assistant principal Sybil Healy seeks to incorporate the experiences of a diverse blend of students to build Century High School community.

The district school board voted in favor of authorizing Century High School’s independent charter. Former Granite Bay High School and current Adelante High School assistant principal Sybil Healy plans to develop a new charter school called Century High School. Healy’s desire to start a new high school began two years ago and is now coming to plan. Roseville Joint Union High School District’s involvement in the independent charter school extends primarily to documentation and legalities.

“[CHS] is like a separate school district basically, they’re on their own,” RJUHSD superintendent Severson said. “They have to have somebody authorize them, and so that’s what they requested, that our district would authorize their existence.” Student interactions inspired Healy’s drive to start a school alternative from other traditional schools. “A lot of [my inspiration] was students,” Healy said. “It was the students I worked with from different sites, Oakmont, Granite Bay, even now at Adelante. There are just some students who don’t fit into the regular school mold to do well and just need different options. The main idea came from students and just talking to them one on one.” Healy believes the RJUHSD community could benefit from a unique high  CHS | Page 3

INSIDE: Upcoming Events ..... 2 News ..... 2 - 3 Español ..... 4 Features ..... 5 - 6 Opinion ..... 7 - 8 Entertainment ..... 9 - 10 Sports ..... 11 - 12

This article is part one of a two-part series. In this article, Eye of the Tiger details how the district allocated 2015-16 LCAP funds. In the next issue, we look at the spending’s impact on Roseville High School programs. Roseville Joint Union High School District received discretionary funds for this school year from a newly-implemented, state-wide program. Local Control Accountability Plan funds are supposed to provide equity in education for the student body, particularly for at-risk groups such as foster and homeless youth, students who qualify for free and reduced lunch, special education students and English Language Learners. “That’s what we are doing now with our LCAP money, is trying to throw out a real safety net so that nobody falls through,” RJUHSD superintendent Ron Severson said. “So that when they are struggling, someone notices and we get them help.” The district must spend LCAP funds in a way that falls under an umbrella of eight priority areas: services for foster youth, student achievement, school climate, instruction of expelled students, basic services, student engagement, implementation of Common Core standards, course access, parental involvement, and other student outcomes. According to principal David $818,352 toward Byrd, the eight standards for intervention counLCAP expendi- selors at each site tures allow for a $472,248 on broader usage of one intervention the funds. teacher per site “They gave us more flexibility and local control in how we spend the money,” Byrd said. “So that’s been very helpful, for sure.” The district plans to funnel most of the LCAP funds into projects that fulfill the “student achievement” category. “Our LCAP funds have to address all of those [categories], but we are able, because of our circumstances, to focus more on the student achievement,” Severson said. “For the most part, efforts and money are going to student achievement.”  LCAP | Page 2

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page 2 | news

february 22, 2016

TA: Teachers push for more organized policies, process

Eye of the Tiger ROSEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL 1 TIGER WAY ROSEVILLE, CA 95678 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Marc Chappelle

“You could say this was driven by the teaching staff, so this was something that – from my understanding – is something the teachers were kinda talking about and said they’d like a different process,” Pasco said. “They felt that they had too many students wanting to TA.” The form process is designed to keep track of how many students have applied to TA for a teacher and to see if any teacher had exceeded their limited amount. Counselor Jason Bradley believes the sheet was just a way to help teachers and counselors be aware if they were following the new procedure. “We had to figure out a way to keep track of that, of how many TAs or how many students were signing up to be TA. And which

FEATURES EDITOR Rachel Barber OPINION EDITOR Andrew Smith ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Sophia Cook SPORTS EDITOR George Hughes ESPAñOL EDITOR Madeline Furdek PHOTO EDITOR Amy Adamson Zachary Cheek Nikolay Lubko COPY EDITOR Sam Mailey Johnny Mulligan FACULTY ADVISER Bobby Ritter

STAFF WRITERS Megan Anderson Jamie Bateman Blake Beaman Emily Earl Marina Efstathiu Gabi Hutson Kylie Irwin Kale Jibson Tarah Johnson Anila Lijo Jake Littlejohn Eleanor Marbella Nathan Nguyen Brian Nuevo Claire Oertly Monique Rea Cesar Sanchez Jaydynn Santos Melanie Schroeder Zachary Seminer Victoria Wilkinson CARTOONIST Viktoria Barr Taysia De Mesa

NIKOLAY LUBKO EYE OF THE TIGER

Above, a student completes her lesson on a Chromebook. Teachers have sited websites, current events and workbooks as their main educational resources.

TEXTBOOK: Teachers rely on alternative lessons CONTINUED FROM FRONT

“The reality of teaching is where, I believe, we don’t want to live in a world with just a textbook and base everything off the textbook,” Byrd said. “I think if we don’t encourage our teachers to experiment a little bit then were never going to find what’s better than that textbook option.” Government and United States History teacher Shane Harvey looks to use online resources and use the textbook as a resource guide rather than as a core teaching tool. “I try to bring outside stuff to the class,” Harvey said. “I use it more as some support material more than not.” Harvey thinks that students will learn better from more current events which can be found online rather than older and less relevant events found in textbooks. He believes that rather than have them opening up their textbooks in

Comments? Criticism? Story idea? We want to hear it. Write to us at info@eyeofthetigernews.com

class, being able to discuss current events makes learning more “fun and interactive.” “It’s just a little more fun when we can actually talk about the topics and have discussions and activities, compared to traditional take out your book and turn to page 270,” Harvey said. Spanish 1 and ELD teacher Curt Hobbs uses more workbooks and and worksheets and looks to the textbook only as a resource for help. “I use the workbooks, core worksheets to supplement the textbook learning.” Hobbs said. Hobbs uses websites with vocabulary and reading comprehension, and supplies worksheets for practice, instead of relying on lessons from textbook chapters. “If they want to work on reading comprehension, I use University of Texas, as far as practice study spanish, What I try to do is supply a lot of supplements to help,” Hobbs said.

not apply to the dance department because the students are seen more as peer teachers than teacher assistants. Senior Melissa Wade believes that this is fair as the dance department TAs do much more than just assist. “TAs come up with class dances they come up with set dances,” Wade said. “Nothing would get done if we didn’t have this many TAs.” Another senior dance TA Stephen McConnell said that it would be hard to confine the number of dance TAs due to the fact that the circumstances are different for in that department. “We’re actually teaching while a teacher’s aid is being a teacher’s aid,” McConnell said. “It isn’t an issue for us. As long as its students teaching students I don’t think they can limit it.”

CHS: School to have global focus ments.” The four core areas students will mostly focus on include Project-Based Learning (PBL), Inquiry Methods, Service Learning and Mentorships. According to Healy, all the four core learning opportunities ensure students will develop a deep understanding of subject matter and have additional opportunities to become more involved with their community. “The school’s focus is an international one that will develop the following four core areas,” Healy said. “One, integrated globallyfocused learning. Two, technology and digital literacy. Three,

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

school that focused on students and learning in an emotionally supportive community. Students will collaborate and think critically to find solutions for local and global issues. The classes will include a lot of “essential questions” and “big ideas.” “Our students will have the minimal requirements to get into CSU and UC,” Healy said. “We have structured our school to provide ongoing supports for each student to ensure that they can meet these strenuous require-

personalized academic support structure. Four, authentic learning opportunities.” According to Healy, CHS will strive for a diverse blend of students to build the school’s community and culture, and are seeking talented students in the arts. “We will encourage students from all backgrounds to attend our school,” Healy said. On Feb. 9 the district board voted to approve CHS to be a new school. The location for CHS will be at the Surewest building on Industrial Avenue, which falls in Roseville High School’s attendance boundaries.

LCAP: RJUHSD spends for student achievement

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

The mission of Eye of the Tiger, a news-gathering organization run by Roseville High School students, is to inform, entertain and serve as a public forum for student expression. We will accomplish our goals by reporting unbiased news while offering student perspectives in our columns and editorials. This includes, but is not limited to, prominent issues, changes and events that have an impact on the students and communities of Roseville High School. We will strive to report with depth, accuracy and timeliness. It is not our goal to evoke controversy or sensationalize issues. We do not push moral values or political agendas. Views expressed in the opinion and entertainment sections, columns and letters-to-the-editor are those of the individual author, and do not necessarily belong to Eye of the Tiger staff, this publication or Roseville High School. All letters-to-the-editor must be signed and are subject to review by the editorial board before inclusion in the newspaper. We reserve the right to edit submitted work as needed for space limitations and content. Nonattributed editorials reflect the opinion of the staff and must be approved by the entire editorial board.

teachers they are signing up for,” Bradley said. “I think the thought behind the forms – it’s something that has existed for a long time and just hasn’t been used in a long time – the teacher would be made aware they could sign two TA forms for the year, one for each term. Once they’ve signed two TA forms that’s all they get.” Pasco thinks the TA limitation might be positive as there are plenty of students who TA and find themselves with not enough tasks to keep them occupied “Not all teachers utilize their TAs and they’ll have three a period and not have enough work for them to do,” Pasco said. “This causes kids to wander around and be bored while we could be getting them in other electives and exposing them to other things.” According to dance teacher Pilar Steiner, the new policy will

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

NEWS EDITOR Mikayla Stearns

As part of the LCAP spending plan, Roseville High School received $50,000 in discretionary funds this year – as did the other four comprehensive sites. Alternative education sites like Independence and Adelante received $6,000. The “District-wide Programs and Actions” for student achievement from LCAP include an $114,469 expense to hire math coaches, $132,250 for the release periods of IM 2 and 3 teachers, and $70,000 for professional development. RJUHSD also paid $213,637 for two full time, non-intervention counselors at Oakmont High School and Woodcreek High School. Byrd and Severson plan to ensure that all students are aware of their opportunities to take advanced classes. “We are in the midst of a district-wide effort and a school to try and go out and recruit more students and more diverse students into our AP and honors programs,” Byrd said. Those who fall into the low socioeconomic range have similar needs to pinpoint, Byrd says. “We wind up trying to do the same things for those free and reduced lunch kids as well, because

it’s usually the same kind of basic needs and basic challenges,” Byrd said. “When you look at the numbers, our free and reduced lunch kids are not often the ones who get put into an academically rigorous environment with honors and AP.” Severson cites the implementation Common Core standards as one of the biggest LCAP focuses. “This is a big one for us, the implementation of the Common Core standards,” Severson said. “So that’s where we’re paying for [the] release periods in math, and those will probably shift to science in the next few years.” RJUHSD also paid $283,349 to add three English Language Development teachers . For ELD students, Byrd is prioritizing access to technology and educational materials. The district has a total of $217,500 going towards technology, cited specifically for chromebooks for ELD, Special Education, and Access Math. “It usually comes down to the same three things: instructional support, instructional materials for EL students,” Byrd said. “We’re trying to support them and make sure they have technology in the home, instructional technology in the home. We are intrigued by the way some other schools have done it where we can check out a Chromebook to our EL students

so they can also have internet access and they can utilize technology.” Under “Intervention for Struggling Learners- Social Emotional Support,” RJUHSD allocated $105,775 for social work interns, $164,802 for marriage and family therapist interns, and $20,000 for home visits. According to Byrd, RHS administration’s outreach to foster and homeless youth remains an area for improvement. “The foster youth group is the one that we probably know least about helping, because they get helped just so quietly, by our learning support specialists,” Byrd said. “By trying to build relationships with those kids and trying to get to know who they are, those kids know who to privately and quietly go to if they need something.” Byrd, and Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English teacher Heather Gregory, hope to make strides in ELD instruction during the summer. “We are discussing some opportunities to do some things in the summertime with an ELD team in a more intensive environment and really focus on their curriculum and focus on their instruction and really focus on the way in which they structure their program,” Byrd said.

FILE PHOTO ROBBIE SHORT

SDAIE teacher Heather Gregory instructs her class of English Language Learners. Instructors will train this summer, and funnel funds to curriculum. The ELD department also receives a separate fund from LCAP relative to the amount of ELD students on a site. Roseville has a $35,550 fund, the second highest in the district. “We’re using these funds to increase the number of ELD students going to a post-secondary education,” Gregory said. RJUHSD has a specific fund of $25,000 for college trips, to expose students to a college environment. “I think it is important for [everyone] to know that a lot of our ELD students continue, and then go to college,” Gregory

said. “So all that money is not for waste. That’s talked about a lot in schools, like ‘Is it really worth it?” Though Byrd admits he sometimes regards the classifications for LCAP funds as “complicated” or “tricky,” he strives to allocate money in the most efficient way possible. “I don’t like people who work for public service who are wasting the taxpayer’s dollar, and I take that piece very seriously,” Byrd said. “And I’m not necessarily asking for more money and throwing more money at the problem.”

UPCOMINGEVENTS FEB

26

LOCAL SCHOLARSHIP BOOK CLOSES Last day to apply for local scholarships.

MAR 10-11

FEB 27

MIDTERMS Students attend first and second period on the first day. Students attend third and fourth on the second day.

JUNIOR CLASS CRABFEED Dance ticket prices will rise depending on the number of volunteers.

MAR 12

MAR 9-10

GUITAR SHOW Students in Guitar will perform in the JB Gale Theater.

JUNIOR PROM Tickets go on sale 2/29 to 3/11 during lunch. The price will be $25 or $30, depending on the crab feed.


page 3 | news

february 22, 2016

SUPPORT: Effective tracking found in incremental assessments CONTINUED FROM FRONT

vid Byrd said. “We’ve got to get better as an institution about doing those formative assessments as we go and identifying who’s learning and who’s not. And the help and the support has got to come immediately, when a student is starting to fall behind.” Byrd cites different modes of support that aim to put students on the right academic track, like the after-school Tiger Tutoring program, adjustments to class structures and teacher approach or placement in an intervention class that “unfortunately, take[s] an elective away from [students].” “I think we’ve got to figure out ways to do our own internal assessing, rely on our own teachers’ expertise for who’s learning and who’s not, and to address that and be able to do something about it as we go,” Byrd said. “For that reason, I’m not one of those people lobbying for, ‘Bring back the CAHSEE, bring back more ninth, 10th and 11th grade summative assessments.’ I don’t know if that’s gonna help us.” RJUHSD superintendent Ron Severson too finds that standardized tests carry the potential to draw unreliable conclusions for staff to go by. “The biggest problem we had with the CSTs was there was really no motivation for a college prep kid to give their best effort on the standardized test,” Severson said. “We would see a decline in scores, from the freshman to the junior year, that didn’t make any sense at all. The GPAs were going up, they’re taking more AP classes, but their CST scores were getting lower.” Byrd believes the first step in accurate identification of those in need of academic intervention comes with connection to RHS feeder schools in both data and curriculum. “We’ve got to figure out as kids come to us, where they’re at and immediately boost their skills,” Byrd said. The groundwork continues to move into place. RHS met with principals from Buljan and Cooley Middle Schools in December and January in hopes of streamlining the connection of student data for the placement jump from middle school to high school. “We’ve had some layers we’ve had to work through, because it’s a different school district we’re

getting kids from,” Byrd said. MATH: “We’re having trouble with placement right now” The math department grapples simultaneously with the rollout of Common Core-based Integrated Math and levels of uncertainty with the abilities of incoming freshmen when it comes to academic intervention. Math department coordinator Michelle Walton finds that incoming RHS students vary more widely in their math skills than course offerings may have anticipated. “We’re finding that there are kids who are five to six years behind in their math ability and struggle with whole numbers … and that’s not who, right now, Access [to Integrated Math 1] is really for,” Walton said. “We’re starting to realize we might need a class for even lower [than Access to IM1], to try and get them caught up and to find out who those kids are.” With the realization that there are students in need of additional academic support beyond the curriculum of IM1, the department faces the issue of pinpointing and resolving the needs of incoming students quickly and accurately. “We’re having trouble with [placement] right now, because we don’t have a lot of standardized test data on them,” Walton said. “Right now, we are pretty much relying on middle school recommendations.” Current freshmen carry one year of CAASPP evaluation, and sophomores, none. “It’s frustrating because we didn’t have a choice [to take IM], we were just put in there not knowing how to do anything and expected to pass with a seventy five percent or higher,” sophomore IM1 student Genesie Bryan said. Walton believes that the department’s struggles with gathering data on incoming Integrated Math students will resolve over time, as math CAASPP scores from all three years of middle school begin to file in. “We’re hoping, in another two years we will have CAASPP data for all of middle school,” Walton said. “And looking at sixth, seventh and eighth grades should be a pretty good predictor of the ones who need [additional support].” Walton finds reliance on middle school teacher recommendations

and standardized tests can pose more than academic issues. “Sometimes ... we get a kid who failed eighth grade math, just because they didn’t want to – they didn’t want to do the work,” Walton said. “They’re very capable, but it’s just more behavioral issues. Academically, they could’ve been in a normal classroom ... they get bored by the academics and end up causing more problems. And that’s been our biggest issue. And it’s really difficult to figures out those kids.” The department is exploring solutions to better assess student abilities and gather more data. “We’re talking about possibly doing some sort of test to that, but often a one-shot test isn’t always the best predictor, either,” Walton said. Walton and other teachers in the department enjoy supplementing their curriculum with Khan Academy, and when accessible, Carnegie Learning’s Cognitive Tutor. Cognitive Tutor supplements IM physical textbooks, utilizing machine learning to offer students individualized practice. “For those students who were able to access it and use it, we saw huge growth because it was so individualized and gave them problems and hints that were exactly what they were missing,” Walton said. Byrd applauds the department’s willingness to experiment with technological resources to amplify support for student learning. “Everybody thinks that Mr. Byrd’s got this binder, and I’ll open it up and say ‘Here you go,’” Byrd said. “It is a messy process trying to figure out that stuff out, but I’m committed and I know our math teachers are committed to trying things. We’ve just got to think a little bit differently. You couldn’t do this when I was [high school] age – they had chalkboards and chalk. And a book. And that’s how we learned.” Teaching the first section of IM3 this term, Walton began to find conclusion within the IM series as she and her students realize what worked and what didn’t within their IM experiences. Their conclusions and experiences help inform approaches to IM1 and 2 which make it easier to support atrisk students. “It’s really being wrapped up pretty well in Integrated 3, the Integrated 3 kids are doing some really cool stuff,” Walton said.

“They are actually really good at seeing features of graphs and how that connects to parts of the equation better than any Algebra 2 kid ever did. These are the first kids going through, and we made some mistakes, so it’s only going to get better.” ENGLISH: “We lose a lot fewer [students] through the cracks” The English department emphasizes Academic Detention, a weekly after-school intervention system, urging students failing a concept, test, or behind on their workloads take action and catch up more immediately. “By keeping up on the kids like this every single week, I think we lose a lot fewer through the cracks who might have otherwise failed,” co-department coordinator Denise Weis said. Weis sees the system helping set a positive pattern for student performance. “We’ve actually really reduced the number of Ds and Fs in the English department in a significant manner,” Weis said. “I think our last group report from last year has less than two percent of kids failing. Weis suggests that Academic Detention sets strong groundwork early and supports the remainder of a student’s high school career. “I think the lower levels are really the focal point, because we want kids to develop good work study habits, good work habits, hold them accountable enough,” Weis said. “I’ve sort of found that once you start doing that with the lower levels, the upper levels start taking care of themselves in a lot of ways.” Academic Literacy aims to support students reading significantly below grade level in preparation for CP English 9. Academic Literacy teacher Dean Gadway found inconsistent data from RHS feeders troubling when identifying intervention students. In year’s past, placement into the intervention course came through a formula between GPA, the Gates-MacGinitie reading test and CST results. According to Gadway, eighth grade teacher recommendations don’t always prove accurate. He says that school adminstration is currently considering revised methods for placing students in the Academic Literacy program at RHS.

Due to CAHSEE’s suspension, the 2014-15 school year was the last the English department offered Expository Reading and Writing – a class designed to pull up juniors who failed the CAHSEE to a passing level. Former teacher KC Worden emphasizes the importance of cultivating teacher-student relationships in both her ERWC and current courses. “Creating a safe environment for students who are either emotionally or academically at risk helps kids have a safe place to come and ask questions,” Worden said. “My new thing is saying to the kids – I learned this at a yoga class once – ‘English practice, not English perfect.’ We’re playing with English, we’re practicing English. They’re not going to come in and be perfect at English. It’s building those skills and working with them.” “Any data is good data” There are takeaways from the summative assessments rolling forward. Byrd does admit that, in theory, an online formative test in the vein of CAASPP and its Common Core standards would help immediately identify which students need additional support as a class rolls forward. Byrd also acknowledges the value behind giving all sophomores access to the PSAT this fall, citing the light the test sheds on student performance earlier, rather than later in a high school career. “I think the PSAT could be a better alternative to the CAHSEE,” Byrd said. “And an existing one that’s already there. But even that, it’s limited. I’d rather have that than nothing – any data is good data, but I still would argue we’d have to have developed weekly, or monthly assessments.” He believes the idea behind expanded formative assessments poses value to parents. “As a parent, If I get the report every month on my child ... I can do something as a parent, I’m informed,” Byrd said. “Otherwise, I get the SBAC results or the CAHSEE results, and then it’s like, too little too late.” “They’re just trying to connect” This school year, RJUHSD allocated $417,118 to the hiring of eight biliterate Learning Support Specialists, $164,802 for marriage and family therapist interns,

$105,775 for social work interns and $20,000 for home visits. Severson finds that a blanketed approach to supporting students overlooks the case-by-case nature of student needs. “We’ve got all kinds of human resources now. We have to be more nimble and be better able to identify what the kid needs,” Severson said. “Because some of them, they just need to have a healthier life, and they’re fine. Some of them need remedial skills and training to be more successful. Some of them need both.” Intervention counselor Nancy Muñoz shares Severson’s sentiment that standardized testing doesn’t tell teachers or administrators the whole story of the needs of target academic intervention students. “Even as a student myself, I always felt that standardized tests didn’t accurately portray my intelligence or my capabilities,” Muñoz said. Muñoz sees her mission to support students not solely as a numbers game, but one that stretches past academic health into both social, emotional, and physical health. “I take a holistic approach with my students,” Muñoz said. This school year, Woodcreek High School coupled freshman students with a teacher and upperclassman mentor and organized meetings a couple times a week. They also paired Englishlanguage learners, a group of native English speakers to socialize. According to Severson, it’s bridging a gap. “They’re just trying to connect, because sometimes with kids who struggle with a language don’t connect very well with the social environment,” Severson said. “So you have some upperclassmen saying, ‘no, you’re going to the football game.’” According to Severson, academic intervention applies to a broad level of achievement. “A student who gets behind in an AP course, it’s really hard to recover,” Severson said. “If you bomb the first couple units, it’s really hard to catch back up because of the pace and the pressure, so we’re looking at a school in San Jose that’s developed an early warning system for their AP kids. So that as soon as a kid starts to fall behind, there’s a plan put in place to get them caught back up.”

NEWSINBRIEFS JSA Club, Byrd plan for first Model UN BY ZACHARY SEMINER

z.seminer@eyeofthetigernews.com

Roseville High School’s Junior State of America club will attend UC Davis’ Model United Nations in May with the help of principal David Byrd. The club’s officers, senior Marcus Wells, junior Marc Chappelle and sophomore Rachel Barber, approached Byrd with a proposal describing the UCDMUN, how much funding they would need to attend and their aspirations for the club’s future. Byrd agreed to financially support the club with the $65 down payment registration fee and the $55 individual members registration fees. “We are so fortunate to have such a supportive administration who is willing to fund our ability to participate in the UC Davis Model U.N.,” JSA’s advisor Dana Dooley said. “Without them, this would not be possible.” Dooley believes the UCDMUN will inspire club members and create a large opportunity for the club’s expansion. “The Model UN has been well received by the club’s membership,” Dooley said. “We have a lot of interested people who are

passionate about this project. I am so excited to see how JSA students flourish in this opportunity. I cannot wait to see how this program develops over time. I am so impressed by the initiative taken by the club’s leadership to turn this into reality.” Wells hopes the club will continue to grow after he graduates. “We are really excited to get involved and participate in such a well known event and experience the structure of a Model United Nations,” Wells said.

Athletic department utilizes website to reach $10,000 BY ANILA LIJO

a.lijo@eyeofthetigernews.com

The athletic department has the opportunity to earn $10,000 from the website Yellow Pages. This website is similar to Yelp in that it contains reviews of local businesses and restaurants that are created by the community. As a community member reviews restaurants they can earn points for RHS athletics and once a certain number of points are received YP will donate $10,000 to the athletics program. Oakmont High School has already completed this fundraiser and within

a month they collected enough points and raised the $10,000. “I have already done it a few times, and it only takes a few minutes,” varsity golf coach Cory Fukuman said. Athletic director Emily Dodds has reached out to the community in hopes of getting enough reviews from the community to receive the money. Dodds placed signs around campus and emailed staff information regarding the recently started fundraiser. Fukuman feels the the fundraiser will compensate for the lack in attendance to RHS athletic games. “Our gate money has gone way down since moving into the CVC, so I think it is a great move in the right direction to help our athletic program survive financially,” Fukuman said.

invaluable in a course curriculum that accomplishes similar goals. College Preparatory English 11 students were required to complete the project, which was aimed at improving research skills for future college courses. “There’s a lot of different ways we’re already meeting those standards,” RHS English department co-chair Denise Weis said. “And the JRP didn’t quite fit our needs anymore the way it had been traditionally set up.” Junior Andrew Fardanesh saw the project as an unnecessary use of class time, as the skills practiced grew more outdated with each year. “I think it was taking up too much time and students weren’t getting a lot out of it,” Fardanesh said.

English department cancels Junior Research Project

Talent show kicks off with bands, painting

BY ZACHARY SEMINER

Roseville High School held its first talent show in six years at the Patti Baker Theater last Thursday. Talent show committee member Delaney Strong believes that the talent show was a success because of the number of people that turned up. “It went on to be a lot bet-

z.seminer@eyeofthetigernews.com

Roseville High School juniors taking CP English 11 will no longer complete the Junior Research Project. The move comes after the shift to Common Core encouraged a curriculum partially focused on research-based work, rendering it

BY ANILA LIJO

a.lijo@eyeofthetigernews.com

ter than expected,” Strong said. “Three-fourth of the theater was filled up, which was completely unexpected.” Talent show participant and freshmen Trinity Compton believes that it the talent show gave her an opportunity to showcase her singing talent. “The talent show was fun with the choir,” Compton said. “I think we should host it every year here at RHS.” Strong believes that hosting the talent show every year will encourage more students. “We were just talking in our committee about hosting the talent show every year,” Strong said.“ Hosting it every year will encourage more students to come forward with their talent.” In the end, freshman Addie Panasiuk took first place with her performance art act of speed painting.

Annual freshman project renamed BY GABI HUTSON

g.hutson@eyeofthetigernews.com

Freshmen students taking the pre-AP English 9 and Geography and World Cultures block will now know the 20% Project as the Global Citizen Project. Geogra-

phy teacher Cari Oberreuter and English teacher Deborah Sidler changed the name to more specifically reflect the goal of the project. According to Oberreuter, the project’s name caused confusion amongst students as it was unclear what the “20%” was accounting for, and she changed the name to something that better represents the essential point of the project; what your responsibility is as a global citizen. “There was a lot of confusion students were wondering whether it was 20 percent of their time, or was it 20 percent of their grade,” Oberreuter said. “So we thought this was more reflective of the essential question … That’s pretty much what they have to do with their project is answer that question in some way.” Other slight changes in the project, other than the name, will make guidelines more specific for students in the block class. “It’s essentially similar to past years,” Oberreuter said. “We’ve just made it a little bit more prescriptive. There’s a few more steps or requirements.” This year, the project could possibly appear on Good Morning Sacramento, and according to Oberreuter, they are interested in what RHS students are doing to show off their global citizenship.


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NOTICIAS Programa de remediacion CAASPP miran para ayudar los estudiantes con problemas POR MARC CHAPPELLE

m.chappelle@eyeofthetigernews.com

Durante el 2015-16 año de escuela, el personal de ambos Roseville High School y de distrito en su vanguardia los esfuerzos para localizar con precisión y apoyar a los estudiantes en necesidad de apoyo académico y de intervención. Estos esfuerzos que se están realizando en la luz de un amplio entorno educativo de las pruebas estandarizadas. Por primera vez el pasado año escolar, Roseville Joint Union High School District realizado más Inteligente evaluación equilibrada del Consorcio California Evaluación de Desempeño de los estudiantes y los progresos realizados en el lugar de las pruebas estandarizadas y la presentación de informes, la última en la primavera de 2013. CAASPP direcciones recién aplicado núcleo común las normas estatales. Ese mismo año fue probablemente la últimas campuses de RJUHSD administró el Examen de California de salida de la escuela, como Gobernador Jerry Brown firmó sobre el proyecto de

Ley Senatorial 172 que suspendió el examen a través de la 2017-18 año de escuela y rogó a un estado junta consultiva para explorar caminos de futuro para la escuela los exámenes de salida. “No debemos decir, ‘bueno, habrá que esperar a ver cómo lo hacen en la gran prueba’”, el principal David Byrd dijo. Byrd cita diferentes modos de apoyo que tienen por objeto poner estudiantes a la derecha vía académica, al igual que el después de la escuela Tiger Tutoring, el ajuste de las estructuras de clases y el maestro enfoque o la colocación en una intervención que “desgraciadamente,[s] un curso electivo de [estudiantes] .” “Creo que tenemos que encontrar formas para hacer nuestra propia evaluación, confiar en nuestros propios maestros la experiencia para que su aprendizaje y quién no, y para abordar el problema, así como ser capaces de hacer algo, ya que ir”, Byrd dijo. “Por ese motivo, yo no soy una de esas personas haciendo lobby para “traer de vuelta el CAHSEE”, no sé si eso nos ayudará”. Byrd cree que el primer paso de precisión en la determinación de las personas que necesitan intervención académica viene con conexión de RHS las escuelas preparatorias en los datos.

“Tienes que saber que los niños entren a estados unidos, donde están en, y de inmediato aumentar sus competencias”, Byrd dijo. El terreno sigue avanzando en su lugar. RHS se reunió con los directores de las escuelas primeras Buljan y Cooley en Diciembre y Enero con la esperanza de optimizar la conexión de los datos de los estudiantes para la colocación salto de escuela intermedia a la escuela secundaria. Fondo LCAP creado para ayudar a los estudiantes con baja representación POR MIKAYLA STEARNS

m.stearns@eyeofthetigernews.com

La escuela secundaria de Roseville recibió $50,000 en fondos discrecionales este año, después de Roseville Joint Union High School District dio dinero de la LCAP a cada uno de sus centros de secundaria. RJUHSD sitios deben gastar fondos de la LCAP de manera que cae en ocho áreas prioritarias: servicios para los jóvenes, logros de los estudiantes, clima escolar, instrucción de los estudiantes expulsados, servicios básicos, participación de los estudiantes, aplicación de normas comunes, curso acceso, participación de los padres y los resultados de otros

estudiantes. “Que es lo que estamos haciendo ahora con nuestra dinero de LCAP, está tratando de deshacerse de una verdadera red de seguridad para que nadie caiga a través”, dijo Ron Severson. Byrd se siente confiado en el estado de logro en educación especial y otros programas con los alumnos desfavorecidos dentro de RJUHSD. El distrito asignó $37.000 a pagar durante los períodos de lanzamiento de AP coordinadores y profesores IM, bajo las categorías de rendimiento de los estudiantes y aplicación de normas comunes. Byrd y Severson planean apoyar los cuatro grupos de riesgo de los estudiantes garantizando que todos los estudiantes son conscientes de sus oportunidades para tomar clases avanzadas. “Estamos en medio de un esfuerzo amplio de distrito y una escuela para tratar de salir y reclutar más estudiantes y más diversos en nuestros programas de AP y honores”, dijo Byrd. Administración de la escuela secundaria de Roseville extensión para fomentar y hogar juvenil sigue siendo un área de mejora. “El grupo de jóvenes es el que probablemente sabemos menos acerca de ayudar, porque Haz ayudados por nuestro aprendizaje apoyo especialistas,” dijo Byrd.

el 22 de febrero, 2016

EVENTOSFUTUROS

{

Asemblea de Peer Helping - lengua de amor Durante la clase de PE

FEB 26

{

{

Se cierra el libro de becas locales

Espactaculo de Guitarra EN JB GALE TEATRO

MAR 10-11

{

}

FEB 22

}

{

MAR 9-10

Examen de mitad del semestre FIN DE ESCUELA A LA 12:10 p.m.

}

NOTICIAS

REPORTAJES Un rivalidad de Woodcreek y Roseville combatira en el juego de balconesto se llama “El Juego 2K16” POR RACHEL BARBER

r.barber@eyeofthetigernews.com

Los estudiantes en sus según años de la escuela secundaria de Roseville seis está actualmente en una rivalidad de baloncesto con seis Woodcreek estudiantes de segundo año de los derechos de fanfarronear conocidos como “el juego 2K16”. La rivalidad comenzó cuando Roseville estudiante Jamie Bateman consiguió en un conflicto a través de Twitter el año pasado con estudiante de Woodcreek Cameron Salerno. Salerno desafiaron Bateman a un partido de baloncesto. “Él fue miedo a la me uno cara en uno, por lo que se hizo un cinco sobre cinco”, dijo Bateman. Entonces concluyeron su rivalidad en William Bill Hughes Park, incluyendo un himno nacional,

marcador funcional, coches, bar, personal médico y árbitro. El año pasado Roseville se quedó corta en vencer a Woodcreek, perdiendo el plomo y el juego en la segunda mitad. Según Bateman, el año pasado no toman el juego lo suficientemente en serio pero este año será diferente. “Creo que el año pasado entrar nuestro equipo vio como una broma, vino en sobre nuestras cabezas y llevaron a nosotros y nos golpearon”, dijo Bateman. Según Roseville miembro Blake Beaman, le encanta su equipo como su familia y no quiere jugar con nadie del equipo. “Amo a estos chicos, he conocido por años y son mis hermanos y no hay nada quiero más que al salir en ese tribunal y Woodcreek beat, Beaman dijo. Según el miembro del equipo Joe Cirrincione, Woodcreek no tiene oportunidad. “Sólo tienen un montón de jugadores realmente terribles,” dijo Cirricncione.

Policía de la escuela secundaria de Roseville salir en el final del año de escuela POR AMY ADAMSON

a.adamson@eyeofthetigernews.com

El policía Carlos Cortés se renunciar de su cargo como oficial de policía de la escuela secundaria de Roseville después de completar sus cinco años de largo asignación, conectar con y ayudar a los estudiantes a través del campus. “Me gusta trabajar con losjovenes y Roseville, específicamente con los estudiantes en la escuela secundaria de Roseville,” dijo Cortés. La estudiante en su segundo ano Kris McGee adherido personalmente a Cortés durante su primer año cuando él se acercó a ella después de que ella fue despedida de su clase. “Tengo problemas porque estaba hablando, y he enviado fuera de clase. Hacía frío por ahí y no tenía un suéter porque no traigo

uno a la escuela,”dijo McGee. “Él me compró un suéter. Él sólo Cortés me dio un suéter”. Como McGee y Cortes la relación creció, comenzó a lo ven como un modelo a seguir. “Así que para mí, fue como mirar otro ídolo, como alguien que podía ver,” es un agente de policía, pero no como cada policía es hacia fuera,” dijo McGee. Por el Departamento de policía de Roseville, una apertura subió para oficial de Cortes que se colocará en el lado derecho como el nuevo oficial de la escuela. “Una vez que entrevista a todos los funcionarios que estén interesados en la posición, que determinan quién va a recoger”, dijo Cortés. El año pasado de ya que este es oficial Cortes, habrá un nuevo oficial de escuela a partir de próximo año escolar. “Me encantaría volver, pero depende del Departamento, tienen que averiguar que quiere poner la posición” dijo Cortés.

POR MARINA EFSTATHIU

m.efstathiu@eyeofthetigernews.com

El equipo de béisbol de varsity espera ver mejoras en su campo, junto con el campo de JV, pero han llegado a través de algunos obstáculos en el camino. Debido a las reglas del Título IX, el equipo de Softbol tuvo que ser reformado y recibir actualizaciones antes de que el programa de béisbol fue permitido hacer cualquier cosa a sus campos. Ahora que se ha mejorado el campo de Softbol de varsity, béisbol es capaz de actuar sobre sus campos. De hecho, entrenador de béisbol del varsity Lance Fischer quiere ver mejoras y mejoras a las instalaciones del béisbol y el softbol. “Estamos tratando de hacer algunas cosas en nuestro campo de JV ahora que incluirá mejoras en el campo de Softbol de JV,” dijo Fischer. Según un jugador de béisbol y

Aqui, un estudiante que nececite ayudar en sus clases. Esto es posible con el dinero de los fondas de LCAP, tanto como los programas de CAASPP. Los dos creieron con el intento de ayudar los estudiantes si nececitan ayudar.

REPORTAJES

ZACH CHEEK EYE OF THE TIGER

Inspirado por una pelea entre estudiantes de Twitter con Jamie Bateman y Cameron Salerno, El Juego 2K16 se ha convertid en una tradicion anual en la que los equipos de Roseville y Woodcreek jugar para exigir derechos

DEPORTES

DEPORTES El equipo e balconesto de ellas califica para los playoffs de CVC para el primero vez en años

NIKOLAY LUBKO EYE OF THE TIGER

un estudiante en su segundo año Reece Brown, el campo de béisbol de JV ha comenzado a mejorar poco a poco pero que siente que tendrá constancia que le mantiene. “No es la mejor pero sé que los entrenadores han puesto en un montón de trabajo. El infield está haciendo mucho más agradable, sin embargo el outfield tiene que cortar, hace que sea difícil al campo una bola en el suelo,” dijo Brown. Según Fischer, todas las mejoras de los campos son ya planificadas, pero el programa de béisbol tendrá dinero para llevar a cabo estas mejoras; dinero que no tiene. “Prácticamente casi todo lo que quiero hacer a nuestro campo se mejora pero para uno, no tenemos las finanzas y para dos, perdimos eso Donación de [concreto $15000] que fue una gran pérdida”, dijo Fischer. “Estoy contento con las aprobaciones y cosas estoy triste perdimos la donación porque se haría por ahora, pero está tratando de encontrar otra forma para obtener esa donación.”

El equipo de softbol de ellas recibe un campo nuevo para las reglas de titulo IX POR MEGAN ANDERSON

m.anderson@eyeofthetigernews.com

Esta pasada temporada baja, el campo de Softbol de varsity experimentó muchos renovaciones y mejoras. Se realizaron cambios a la tierra del infield, piraguas, respaldo y más aspectos del campo. El dinero necesario para los casi ocho meses de renovación vino de RJUHSD. Entrenador de softbol de varsity Art Banks dijo que el programa de Softbol recibió el dinero del distrito después de que el año pasado fue contratado por la escuela secundaria de Roseville. Las principales renovaciones comenzaron a finales de la temporada del año pasado y terminaron en enero, cuando cambios menores siguen a suceder. Entre los muchos cambios en el campo, los bancos piensa que la función más bonita podría ser los bullpens nuevos. “En el campo viejo, chicas tendría que bajar la línea y cualquier

calentamiento en el césped y para los visitantes tenían que calentar en la suciedad”, dijo Banks. Bancos se siente que los cambios en el campo eran una necesidad y eran mucho más debido. “Antes de los cambios, el campo que teníamos era probablemente el peor de la CVC”, dijo Banks. “Mayoría de las escuelas en esta área tiene campos muy bonitos y ahora encajamos.” El campo de softbol ha tenido siempre una valla desmontable jonrón pero ahora el distrito ha autorizado un plan para ampliar un cerco permanente hacia abajo las líneas de falta de derecho e izquierdo y que se extiende desde los corrales hasta la valla de jonrón. Segundo el estudiante en su segundo año y persona en el equipo de softbol Karli Dugger piensa que las mejoras realizadas en el campo directamente no podría mejorar el juego del equipo pero debe ayudar a las niñas a jugar con más confianza. “La suciedad nuevo conseguimos es realmente agradable y el nuevo fondo es más de un respal-

GEORGE HUGHES EYE OF THE TIGER

Para el primero tiempo en muchos años, el equipo de balconesto de ellas ha hecho los playoffs. Por lo general, el equipo solo ha tenido algunos buenos jugadores, pero este año, entrenedor Errecart cree que todo el equipo tiene talrento. do real,” Dugger dijo. “Todos los cambios deben hacernos más confianza en jugar en nuestro campo.” En los esfuerzos para ayudar a mantener su condición actual de la cerrar-a-perfecto, el RJUHSD caminó y detuvo el programa juvenil de Softbol de niñas en Roseville utilizando el campo. Anteriormente, las niñas edad 6-16 han jugado juegos de Softbol en de RHS varsity y JV cam-

pos como parte de la organización que pone los campos a través de un desgaste adicional. “Roseville Joint Union High School District, para el próximo año, bloqueó el programa de niñas de softbol de Roseville de programación de juegos en nuestro campo, por lo que el campo puede tener finalizado,” dijo Banks. “En años venideros, es probablemente que se les permitirá volver a jugar.”


Features

february 22, 2016

page 5

Cortes mixes camaraderie and authority by AMY ADAMSON

a.adamson@eyeofthetigernews.com

Youth Resource Officer Carlos Cortes will be relocated from his position at Roseville High School after completing his five-year assignment, connecting with and helping students across campus. “I really like working with the teens, and with Roseville, specifically with Roseville High,” Cortes said. Sophomore Kris McGee personally bonded with Cortes during her freshman year when he approached her after she was dismissed from her class. “I have a good relationship with Kris, and her mom, and I have been helping her, because she was new to the school,” Cortes said. Cortes took McGee to the student services store and personally bought her a sweatshirt to and their friendship began. “I got in trouble because I was talking, and I got sent out of class. It was cold out there and I didn’t have a sweater [because] I didn’t bring one to school,” McGee said. “He bought me a sweater. He just courteously gave me a sweater.” McGee was first tempted to not accept Cortes’ help because of her struggles with law enforcement in the past. “At first, it was like I don’t re-

ZACHARY CHEEK EYE OF THE TIGER

Youth resource officer Carlos Cortes will be resigning at the end of this school year, but his guidance will continue to resonate in the minds of RHS students. ally want to be near you because I’m on probation,” McGee said. With help from Cortes, McGee has been able to turn her life around and get off probation since that encounter. “For me, with him around, I was able to get off probation and stop doing all the things that I

was doing and block out everything that was going on at home and at school, because I still had him as a person that I could talk to,” McGee said. “So it was kind of like he was a friend.” As McGee and Cortes’ relationship grew, she began to view him as a role model.

“So for me, it was kind of like looking at another idol, like somebody that I could look up to, he’s a police officer, but it’s not like every police officer is out to get you,” McGee said. Now, McGee defends Cortes and tries to help people understand what his jobs really is. She

believes he is misunderstood by her peers because they don’t know him as closely as she does. “When I see certain people that think he is out to attack, I try to comfort them and let them know that Mr. Cortes is not here to just arrest you, but he has to do that because that’s his job, if

that’s what you’re giving him the option to do, but he really cares about you and he wants you to get off probation and do better with your life,” McGee said. Since this is Cortes’ last year, there will be a new school resource officer starting next school year. “I would love to come back, but it’s up to the department, they have to figure out who wants to put in for the position,” Cortes said. Still, McGee wishes he could continue to work at RHS. “It kind of does suck that he is leaving, because he was a really cool police officer, and I’ve never had any issues with him. I’ve never seen him have any problems with other people,” McGee said. So far, principal David Byrd does not know who the new school resource officer will be, but is appreciative of Cortes’ service at RHS. “Somehow someway we got officer Cortes a few years ago, and he has done a really good job,” Byrd said. Byrd credits Cortes on his ability to connect and relate with students by not only being an authoritative figure but a friend to all staff. “A good school officer needs to know when to be firm, but also when they need to be like a teacher,” Byrd said.

Senior inspires full inclusion

by MONIQUE REA

m.rea@eyeofthetigernews.com

COURTESY JOE MAILEY

Alumnus Joe Mailey took the fire science/fire safety ROP class during his time at RHS. Inspired, he is now pursuing a career in firefighting. Because of the skills he learned in the course, he now has an upperhand to his peers during training.

ROP fires up alum career by VICTORIA WILKINSON

v.wilkinson@eyeofthetigernews.com

Former Roseville High School student Joe Mailey is currently training to become a firefighter after being inspired while taking a CTE class (formerly known as ROP) class involving the concepts of fire science/firefighting. Joe is now at the fire academy in Monterey and has been interviewing at Cal Fire for summer work. Joe used the class as a way to determine whether firefighting was for him and give him a taste of the field. “I tried out the program to see if it was for me and I have been hooked ever since,” Joe said. The ROP class clarified Joe’s asspirations to him and his family. “After taking the class, it was clear it was not a phase,” Joe’s mother Vickie Mailey said. Joe, now at the fire academy, is revisiting things he previously did in the ROP class that everybody else in the academy is just now learning for the first time, giving Joe an advantage. “I look around at everybody else that is in this academy with me and I realize that everything we’re learning in this academy, I’ve already been exposed to,”

Joe said. In the fire science class, students have an opportunity to get their foot in the door and make connections with other people in the industry to help their future. “Not only does the program set you up for success and help you make the decision whether or not it’s for you, it also gets your name out there,” Joe said. According to Joe, firefighters all around the area know each other, which could be beneficial to getting started in the industry. “It gets your name out there so if you leave a good impression at the city you’re interning at chatter goes around,” Joe said. The program involves inclass teaching, as well as hands on experience in a fire station. Students get the opportunity to learn about emergency medical training and the fundamentals of firefighting in the first quarter and then in the second, students are placed in a fire station where they are able to intern. “You get exposed to the medical portion of the fire service, you get exposed to the technical portion of the fire service,” Joe said. “You work with the firefighters and you run calls with them.” Vickie supports Joe in his career path knowing that it is

always what he has wanted to do. “He loved it and gave it his all. It was crazy hard work, physically and in class but he took to it like a natural path,” Vickie said. “The field is an honorable one, any parent would be proud.” Friends of Joe also are supportive in his decision and know of his passion. “For as long as I have known Joe he has been very committed, he is really dedicated to being a firefighter,” RHS senior Will Schabb said. According to Joe, taking the class helps students to decide whether or not they are equipped for this career. “You get exposed to a lot more early on that can really make the decision whether or not this is the right career for you not only physically, but mentally as well,” Joe said. According to College and Career Center technician Jacquie Seider, and Vickie they agree with Joe in that such classes are very beneficial to students who are indecisive about their future and offers students unique opportunities. . “I personally think the ROP programs are a vital part of a kid finding their path to the future,” Vickie said.

Senior Dani Coulter’s involvement throughout her years at Roseville High School has given her the opportunity to make several friendships, specifically with this year’s graduating class. As a child, Dani had selective mutism, an anxiety disorder characterized by the inability to speak and communicate in certain social settings. Despite this, Dani has become involved in several extracurriculars in the past four years. Dani has been a part of the Special Olympics for six years and has become a part of Sierra Ice Thunder, a competitive special-needs cheer group, this school year. Dani’s cheer coach Kelsey Robinson sees Dani as a valued member of the squad and appreciates Coulter’s growth and involvement on the team. “Dani is a prime member of our team. Socially, she’s a crack up. She keeps us all laughing and engages with everyone on the team,” Robinson said. “Athletically, she’s doing awesome learning all the different skills that come with cheerleading like jumps, stunting, and tumbling.” Robinson believes Dani’s most unique qualities are her honesty and her ability to always put a smile on people’s face. Dani enjoys being a part of the team. Especially sharing her involvement with her friends. “My favorite part of cheer is sending pictures of my cheer outfit to Sydney [Freeman],” Coulter said. According to her mother Rose Dani, Dani gets excited when she sees members of the Roseville High School cheer team at her own meets. “One time she went to a cheer competitions and ran into the Roseville High School cheer team and she was so excited because she got to see Kate Reilly and Sachi Aguillo,” Rose said. Not only does she get involved outside of school, Dani participates in events at RHS

COURTESY ROSE COULTER

AMY ADMASON EYE OF THE TIGER

Senior Dani Coulter’s involvement in extracurriculars has inspired opportunities for special needs students. Above, she participates in cheerleading and dance. as well. Dani has been apart of RHS’ dance shows for three years. “She has loved dancing alongside her friends and hanging out backstage,” Rose said. Dani is also member of Tiger Pride, a club that encourages friendships between mainstream and special needs students. Dani inspired the creation of Tiger Pride after becoming friends with seniors Maddy Furdek and Marina Efstathiu. Both girls became friends with Dani freshman year in their P.E. class. Dani’s friendship with Furdek is one of the reasons Furdek wanted to see more integration with students of all abilities. Dani’s relationship with Efstathiu and Furdek gave her the opportunity to meet more new people at RHS. “At first she was shy since she didn’t know me, but as we’ve grown up together she’s been more herself and now she’s willing to say more than she used

to,” Efstathiu said. Rose is grateful for her daughter’s friends since Dani enjoys spending time with them. “Since making more friends at Roseville, Dani loves to go out, she goes to school events like football games and she sees all her friends and they either come and sit with her or she goes into the Tiger Cage to talk to them,” Rose said. “She just knows everyone and loves being a part of things.” Dani’s friend, senior Sachi Aguillo, believes Coulter has had a great influence on Roseville High School. According to Aguillo, Dani’s involvement and positive attitude doesn’t goes unnoticed. “It’s great that she’s so involved and that she makes an effort to be apart of this school and it pays off because everyone at Roseville knows Dani,” Aguillo said. “I think her having so much school spirit helps other students get involved too.”


page 6 | Features

february 22, 2016

School rivalry reignites in “THE GAME 2K16” Pickup game to bestow street cred by NATE NGUYEN

n.nguyen@eyeofthetigernews.com

Six Roseville High School sophomores are currently in a basketball rivalry with six Woodcreek High School sophomores, competing for bragging rights in a pickup game known as “THE GAME 2K16”. The rivalry began when RHS sophomore Jamie Bateman got in a dispute via Twitter last year with WHS sophomore Cameron Salerno. Bateman tweeted multiple things regarding Salerno leading to a town wide rivalry. From there, Salerno challenged Bateman to a game of basketball. “He was scared to face me one-on-one, so he made it a fiveon-five,” Bateman said. The assembled teams then scheduled a press conference for Salerno and Bateman to square off and answer questions. They settled their disagreements on the court at William Bill Hughes Park, including a national anthem, functional scoreboard, coaches, snack bar, medical staff and referee. “We met at the press conference. Their insults towards me were lackluster,” Bateman said. “They fueled me to play better in the game.” This year’s press conference was held last Friday at Round Table Pizza on Pleasant Grove with both teams in attendance, as well as supporters of “THE

ZACHARY CHEEK EYE OF THE TIGER

Team Roseville sophomores speak with Team Woodcreek sophomores during this year’s press conference in preparation for their upcoming basketball game. GAME 2K16.” Last year, Team Roseville fell short against Team Woodcreek, losing the lead and the game in the second half. According to Team Roseville coach Reece Brown, his team needs to work together to win this year. “We lost the unit factor [last year],” said Brown. “And that’s something any team needs, and every team needs.” According to Bateman, last year they didn’t take the game seriously enough, but this year will be different. “I think last year going into it our team saw it as a joke, we came in over our heads and they took it to us and beat us,” Bateman said. “We had a lot of fans there last year and we let them down. This year we won’t let them down.” Last year, after suffering from multiple technical fouls for shattering clipboards on the court and throwing stools, Brown plans to keep a controlled rage this year. “We have to keep the techni-

cal [fouls] down,” Brown said. “Expect the clipboards to break not to shatter.” According to the players, last year the team lacked bonding and chemistry, losing them the game. “There was no chemistry in the team [last year],” Bateman said. “We didn’t really know each other that well [because] we’ve only gone to school together for about eight years.” According to Bateman, his team has made vast advancements in the team’s relationship in the past year and they’re now functioning together in harmony. “In the last year we’ve gone from being five [separate] stars into being one big mega star,” Bateman said. “We combined our talents [in this past year] to become one unit.” Roseville team member Blake Beaman loves his team like his family and wouldn’t want to be playing with anyone else. “I love all these guys, I’ve known them for years and they’re my brothers and there’s nothing I

ZACHARY CHEEK EYE OF THE TIGER

want more than to go out on that court and beat Woodcreek,” Beaman said. “There is no one else I’d rather be on the court with, I’ve known a few of them since as long as I can remember, they’re part of my family now and I love them with all my heart.” According to Roseville team member Joe Cirrincione, Team Woodcreek is bound to lose this year. “They just have a lot of really terrible players who don’t even know what a basketball is,” Cirrincione said. According to Roseville team member Jase Giorgi, Team Woodcreek is the final item on the list to conquer after playing on RHS’ JV basketball team this season. He plans on using his experience on the JV basketball team to help his team ‘THE GAME 2K16’. “I don’t know how they run things over on their side of town

but here at Roseville High School we have a really good and solid [basketball] program and through the coaching of Bobby Ritter we might have the edge over Woodcreek,” Giorgi said. “[RHS] almost took the CVC title, did take out all the scrub teams, and now [Team Roseville will] take on the true scrub team: Woodcreek.” According to Team Woodcreek’s coach Carson March, they plan on beating Team Roseville by using the stradegy of keeping quiet and practicing hard. “Last year was a pretty close game and this year will be completely different. We’re gonna run their [expletive],” March said. “Most of our talking will be on the court. We don’t need the trash talk.” According to Bateman and Brown, they are doing everything they can to be as ready as possible for their upcoming match up.

“It’s all about that one word that starts with ‘P’,” Bateman said. “Preparation. Preparation is key” Brown plans to also run multiple practices before the actual game in order to prepare his team for the match. “More practices, harder practices, more running, and more staff,” Brown said. “That’s what’s going to make the difference this year.” In the past week, Salerno’s participation in “THE GAME 2K16” was uncertain. Bateman and other fellow teammates showed respect by claiming they’d only play if Salerno played. “[This rivalry] has always been him versus me. He’s been a pillar of this foundation,” Bateman said. “And what happens when you take out a pillar of a building? It collapses.”

Junior’s charisma shines in circus by CLAIRE OERTLY

c.oertly@eyeofthetigernews.com

Roseville High School junior Joshua Ireland has become a part of the Swan Brothers Circus, alongside his co-host Andy Swan, acting as a clown. The two take on the personas of “Zippy” (Swan) and “Low Tops” (Joshua), the members of the two-man Swan Brothers Circus. Joshua had to overcome his fear of clowns in order to join the circus. Once he familiarized himself with the clown scene, Joshua quickly adapted and was no longer scared of what he was becoming. “I was basically afraid of clowns before it all started,” Joshua said. “I was afraid up to that point and then once I started doing that, I stopped.” Joshua was given the opportunity to replace one of the circus’ main performers “High Tops,” because of Joshua’s father Charles Ireland’s prior relationship with the Swan family. “I started doing it about five to six years ago when a friend of the family had their own circus set up and one brother died,” Joshua said. “I got a chance to step in and help out over the years and help them cope with it and help out with the circus itself.” Charles enjoys being able to watch Joshua follow in his footsteps, perform and improve his skills. “He has come from just standing in the ring with a look of lost puppy dogs to a full fledged juggler and slapstick comedy that would make you burst your seams laughing,” Charles said. “What other son could follow as closely in his father’s footsteps with a red nose on his face?” According to his father, Joshua is able to express himself and have no reservations while performing but it is not the same at home. “During the show, as his

RACHEL BARBER EYE OF THE TIGER

HUMANS OF RHS Senior Alex Caldwell says he finds serenity in the imaginative world of books. Their lessons have taught him maturity and have given him the opportunity to reconnect with his family after a rebellious childhood. COURTESY JOSHUA IRELAND

Junior Joshua Ireland expresses himself through performing as Low Tops the clown, working closely with his family. clown ego Low Tops, he has absolutely been more outgoing,” Charles said. “But at home, he would prefer to just stay in his room, out of the spotlight.” Joshua’s U.S. history teacher Jennifer Birch has known about his performances since their year long AVID class together. At first she was surprised, but is now able to see the other side of Joshua. “In getting to know them I found out that Josh was a clown, which is ironic because he’s very quiet in class and yet he has a job that has to be bubbly, outgoing and always up,” Birch said. “I thought it was interesting because he is so quiet in class yet he has to be outgoing in his job.” This experience has helped to shape Joshua into the person he is today. “As a younger kid, this was more thrill and excitement than anything. As he turned older, it turned him into a more responsible person,” Charles said. “Without this experience, I don’t

think he would have the ability to grow at such a fast rate that he did.” Joshua’s performances include an array of different types of entertainment. “We do a lot of gags and basically entertaining the kids,” Joshua said. “Juggling. There’s this one drumroll gag that’s really fun to do, it’s just those kinds of jokes and skits.” Joshua appreciates and values bringing enjoyment to children and their families. “Love the laughter of an audience and love to entertain them,” Swan said. “Greatest days are when kids and parents are happy, and in turn, I am. I love performing.” According to Joshua, being a circus performer is not as easy as one would initially imagine – and as with other professions and hobbies, practice makes perfect. “It takes a lot of practice especially learning how to juggle and tricks,” Joshua said. “A lot of practice at home and during the

days you’re there.” Swan has taught Joshua the ways and skills of circus performances since 2010 and recognizes both of their improvements. “I taught Josh how to juggle, make balloon animals and perform for an audience,” Swan said. “We have learned how to be more adaptive and creative.” Creative expression is vital to every person and the circus is a perfect outlet for Joshua. “It’s an overall fun experience. It starts with you getting there a day or two early, setting up the tent, like the big twentyby-forty tents and performing for the day or the four days,” Joshua said. “It’s the whole experience that’s really fun.” Charles was once a part of the same circus and has been able to see similarities between him and his son, appreciative that his son is enjoying following in his footsteps “Those days have passed me. So it is time to just sit back and enjoy the show,” Charles said.

-Rachel Barber

“Usually in the past I’ve been really socially inadequate and annoying, when I got to high school I changed my attitude and was able to learn a lot more than I could’ve in middle school. I’ve said some really inappropriate and uncalled for things and I was literally a step [away] from being expelled. After I got in trouble, I read a lot. I’ve read at least one hundred twenty books in the past four years... easily. One thing about books is that I can get lost in them, utterly, fully immersed and I forget time itself and just read it. The problem with that is I’ve gotten in trouble with [teachers] saying ‘Alex, put your book away’ in all my classes. I think that books that are educational and have meaning are much more beneficial and have helped me cope more than reading meaningless books. It’s helped me think and the books split off into many different directions. It’s helped me get through quite a few tough situations. There are hidden meanings in books which I found comforting. I used to hate my parents, as awful as that sounds. Of course I love them with all my heart, but I hated them when I was in middle school. Books helped me realize that they’re not always going to be there for me, but they’re always going to have my back in certain situations. So I – from the books – helped heal my family, helped heal my problem with me and my mother. Because we both love books, we used to compare books, and that was probably the one way that helped me and my family connect again.”


Opinion

february 22, 2016

page 7

Ensure LCAP funds reach programs in need BY MADDY FURDEK

m.furdek@eyeofthetigernews.com

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arlier this year, Roseville Joint Union High School District introduced its iteration of the LCAP fund, which created streamlined funds for underrepresented students. One of such groups should include the special education programs at RJUHSD sites. Instead of the funds going entirely towards programs to help underrepresented students, these funds have been used to pay for an Advanced Placement Improvement Program, cover release periods for math teachers and an AP coordinator and to help fund AVID field trips. Last year, I was a teacher intern for the special education class and feel that I can reveal insight to just how badly this program is in need of LCAP money to fund their programs. One of the biggest purchases the special education program was hoping to get last year was a SmartBoard, which would have significantly aided in instruction. There is an incredibly broad spectrum of abilities in the special education program at Roseville, so it is crucial that these students had the best technology available to them to further drive home the lessons attempted to be taught. However, one of these devices was never bought for the program, and the teacher was forced

TAYSIA DE MESA EYE OF THE TIGER

to use an overhead projector, a less effective tool for teaching math lessons which require a lot of visual aid. One of the four classes that every student in the special education program is required to take each semester is called “ILS,” or independent living skills. This class is supposed to prepare these students for living in a group

home or simply with less help from their caretakers, but these allotted 90 minutes were rarely used as such since the class lacked the funding for proper resources to start doing so. These students were supposed to use this time learning how to cook, clean, take care of their personal health and maintain a job in a workplace setting such as Pride

Industries. However, the class simply lacked the funding to teach these lessons, and although a few of last year’s graduating seniors in the special education program were allowed to go to Pride Industries to learn more about their future jobs, during the ILS class period, all of the other students not attending usually spent this period

watching educational videos or listening to other lectures about ILS subjects. They could not actually experience a hands-on lesson due to a lack of funding to buy supplies. One of the most unfortunate cuts that the special education program suffered was with their funding for field trips. I was told that the year before I was intern-

ing, the students went on field trips almost monthly, to places such as local grocery stores and laundromats so they could learn how to properly buy groceries or do laundry. They also would go on trips to popular community areas such as the Carnegie museum or downtown library to experience new social settings while also learning about their city’s history. In the entirety of the 201415 school year, the special needs class did not go on a single field trip, save the occasional walk to Woodbridge park. To me, it seems crucial that these kids get the experiences of visiting these important and historically rich areas in Roseville to improve their social skills, student etiquette in a nonclassroom setting, and simply getting to learn more about their community. In October 2015, RJUHSD introduced the idea of renovating the 400s computer lab to be used as an ILS classroom where students in the special education classes could practice their cooking, cleaning and maintenance skills. Although one of LCAP’s central goals is to fund the underrepresented students and supply them with the necessary supplies to achieve their goals, the construction of the 400s classroom is being funded by other district money, not associated with the LCAP. The creation of LCAP is a step in the right direction for the special education program to get the funds and materials it so badly needs; but it is pivotal this money is monitored to ensure it is put towards the right programs, as well as properly spread throughout each of the four branches LCAP claims to fund.

Admission, snack bar increases Late JRP provided reduce basketball game turnouts valuable experience BY ANILA LIJO

a.lijo@eyeofthetigernews.com

BY BRIAN NUEVO

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b.nuevo@eyeofthetigernews.com

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hough the regularly sparsely populated student section seen at Roseville High School’s basketball games can be attributed to a variety of other reasons, the high ticket and snack bar prices have done it no favors. A regular ticket for students with an ID is $5, and without this, the price goes up to $7. Now multiply this number with the twentyseven regular season games and I think the problem becomes clear. Though students will not go to each game, just probably making it out to the big home games in league would cost students more than most are willing to part with. The turnout to games has been on a steady decline since the first league game – when the school offered a special that allowed students admission for just $1. Even students who would prefer to make it out to a majority of home games, seem unwilling to part with the consistently high cost of admission. A solution that was promoted at the beginning of the school year was an ASB card, which gets you into any home game “for free” with an upfront cost of $60.

KAYLA BEAMAN EYE OF THE TIGER

This solution for the entry cost recognizes there is an issue, but will never be popular enough with students to make a sizable difference in attendance. Only the most dedicated fans will feel justified in spending the upfront cost and plan on attending enough games to purchase a card. Attendance at basketball games in the SFL was always predominantly made of students going on a spur of the moment decision when they had the time on any given night. The $5 entry fee has just given students another reason to not attend.

Even for parents of players who make it out to most games there is an increased ticket cost that, if those students’ parents both come and attend all 14 home games it adds up to $196. This isn’t even including food or the possibility of siblings admission and more than just home games. In addition to the ticket costs, prices at the snack bar have gone up for several items from $.50-$1. These prices honestly, suck. It’s three bucks for a gatorade, and that’s a 100 percent rip off. Paying for food is becoming similar to prices you would see at movies, and as a JV player who

consistently buys the chicken strips and fries for six bucks – it adds up. Whenever I go after a JV game I spend close to $10 just to get a quick snack from a snack bar that doesn’t really satisfy me or anyone else. I could theoretically drive to a gas station buy a hot dog, gatorade and ticket back into the game for under what I’m spending now. The high costs for attending basketball games are only hammering down the nail on regularly low turnouts. Rather than increase costs to account for a lack of attendance, find other avenues to draw students back out to games.

ontrary to most students’ reaction after hearing the recent death of the Junior Research Project, I was pretty upset. As much as most juniors despised the JRP, some of us did like working on it. By no means am I an overly excited student who enjoys regular work at school, but I did appreciate the process and what we got out of its completion. I understand it was time consuming, taking away three weeks of class time to work on the project was a large commitment. I also understand other’s frustration with it carrying half your grade, and that value may well have needed some adjustment. But I believe that the JRP had value – it was a refreshingly different sort of assignment compared to my expectations. With just confirmation from your teacher, the choice to whether you wanted to pursue a topic or not was your own. That freedom was something I think is lacking in most other assignments. Getting to truly understand and research your topic was a valuable experience that I’m disappointed most students won’t have the opportunity to undertake. This focused study opened up perspectives that you may have not con-

sidered of. For instance, my topic of beauty pageants, was one that I originally started to regret after hearing early feeback. Several people came up, applauding me for my decision to pick an “easy topic” to work on, whose assumed argument for my project was the typical and widely documented view that beauty pageants hinders child development. And I honestly did believe them for a while until I dedicated time and researched more in depth on how beauty pageants got their bad reputation. A first glance brought up stories backing up the stereotypes and reinforced my early regret. While these stories aren’t fabricated and there is some merit behind the stereotype there was more to the story. I found the other side, and read about girls who found new confidence from participating and how it has formed confident young individuals. Though my views at the end may not have changed, I have a deeper understanding and appreciation for the goals of pageants And the presentation that followed the research phase allowed other students and I to share findings and gain some experience with public speaking. Listening and getting to understand the topics other students spoke about was a reward in its own. We got to see different angles and each student’s view unlike the stereotypical perspective of that particular topic. With the JRP gone, a lot of tobe juniors are missing out on an opportunity to appreciate a new topic that they likely would have not known about otherwise.


opinion | page 8

february 22, 2016

Morality of cheating up to students BY SAM MAILEY

s.mailey@eyeofthetigernews.com

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y friend who is enrolled in the APUSH - Language/Composition block told me about a teacher that accidentally discovered a classwide group chat dedicated to cheating. Running alongside the rapidly evolving platform for tech-based curriculum is students abusing this new age of modernization, which cannot be stopped by administrative or teacher efforts; any efforts focused on stifling a particular tactic would only inspire another to develop – a virtual whack-a-mole. The group chat is no new tactic for cheating, but while convenience and efficiency are growing the chats’ popularity, cheating still remains inexcusably dishonest – to an extent. I’m not sure if administrative consequences ensued upon the chat being discovered, but I know that certain consequences are normally inevitable, which should serve as a sufficient deterrent for cheating.

JAY HOLLAND EYE OF THE TIGER

The group chat exemplifies the lengths to which students will go to avoid actually working, and it breeds poor work habits. Some work ethics cannot be taught or broken in by the threat of consequence, they simply must be learned the hard way – whether it’s failing a test or the whole course. The student’s effort is usually evident in their test results. This is unavoidable without honestly

studying the material, whether or not it was obtained honestly is only in the student’s control. Academic detention or zero on homework are unlikely to reform work ethics, eventually students need to feel the real results of their irresponsibility to realize the consequences. The drive to unethically utilize technology stems from one common denominator: laziness. Students would rather devote more

time to figuring out new cheating methods than actually doing the work, which is understandable. A gray area in the ethics of cheating lies in the assumption that copying and not absorbing the information go hand-in-hand. Effort is usually exposed in test scores, but this isn’t the case if the student cheats responsibly. That wasn’t an oxymoron. Irresponsible students copy and turn in the work without knowing

what they just copied; however, responsible students, when they don’t do their work on their own, review the material or attempt to learn it, these students are usually more apt to avoid a low test score. If cheating is going to be tolerated in any form, it should be the latter. Although it only enables the original laziness, some students see avoiding the work yet still learning the material as a win-win. This habit is tempting to stay in, and I can’t blame those who use it to their advantage. This tendency should only stretch into the realm of homework or classwork. I also recall my friend telling me about an in-class essay prompt sent to the group chat, which was beyond any excusability. The gray area doesn’t not apply to the difference between cheating homework and cheating a test, simply because they aren’t comparable. Homework is a part of the process of learning material and students can go about learning in their own preference, but tests measure understanding. However a student works, their efforts should be aimed at doing well on the test, so when a student cheats on a test it’s indicative of a student who was too lazy to even study the material they copied or even complete the work altogether. Homework completion should be left to the student’s discretion, but tests should be left honest.

Continue preparations for textbook transition VIKTORIA BARR EYE OF THE TIGER

BY ANDREW SMITH

a.smith@eyeofthetigernews.com

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oseville Joint Union High School District should continue making preparations for inevitable adjustments to the Williams Act. Rather than wait to make a hasty transition over to digital forms of instructional material, prepare what will be needed for efficient transition now. The Williams Act, passed in 2004, in part to ensure access to materials – specifically, it mandates that schools provide all students access to textbooks. Though fixing an issue at the time, the William’s Act concerns of lack of access to instructional materials, and the mandated renewal of textbooks instituted in response is not up-to-date with the current trends of educa-

tion. Evidence of its irrelevance is common on-campus: stacks of untouched textbooks in the back of classrooms and students’ homes, online copies of novels and use of outside online sources in class. There is diminishing utilization of paper-back materials.

Teachers do not struggle to find content without the guidance from textbooks. I have not used, or honestly ever seen an English textbook in high school. A majority of work in these courses, and others similar to them, come from worksheets

provided by the teacher, online articles or novels. Teachers regularly promote more student-friendly online sources over counterparts in textbooks. Websites like Khan Academy have lessons supplemented by videos and simpler practice

problems with explanations, these websites streamline users important information. Even courses that utilize textbooks could transition to online materials. This change would only serve to further students’ comfortability with technology and allow a wider accessibility to the content. Despite current limitations from the Williams Act RJUHSD’ increased spending on technology begins to set up what will be needed for district-wide progression onto digital platforms. Current limited introductions of Chromebooks and iPads builds the necessary stockpiles for mass use and helps accustom campuses before more significant changes that await. My own experience with these online products has been predominantly positive. I appreciate the ease of access it provides, allowing me to work on assignments from class just off my phone. I am interested to see the developments the district will make down the road. Continue to prepare for the future, a majority of courses on campuses are already doing so.

Increased timespan of block courses benefit students

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lthough my freshman year I had a bad experience with my block class and found the courses uninteresting, I have found a new appreciation for the system. Through experiences in other block courses, I have realized different aspects of the block classes that create a better class atmosphere and lead to better success for students enrolled in them. The main reason I enjoy block classes is because the teachers do not have to rush through their material. Though the same number of school days, students have more time to catch up on homework. I could not survive AP USH without the split classes because the homework can take so long and usually we receive multiple reading guides at once. Rather than receiving it one day and then it being due the next, we get two

BY JOHNNY MULLIGAN

j.mulligan@eyeofthetigernews.com

days to complete the assignments. As a result of the increased time-frame, teachers seem to more effectively plan out their schedules – giving students a much better awareness. The block classes also allow a teacher to spend four weeks total on a unit rather than two weeks. Trying to cram all that information into two weeks would be difficult. Although you learn the same amount of information, the

key to memorization is exposing yourself to the same thing multiple times - over time. This unique class structure allows the students who choose to review their work have many, many more expositions to the topics. Even if you do not study every night, when you work with the same unit for four weeks you go over similar information and time periods over the unit and can make much better connections between topics. The year long classes also go all the way up to the AP tests. Having your AP class in the fall leaves almost an entire semester break between the test and when you took the subject. Classes in the spring also force the teacher to finish teaching a few weeks faster than normal. This creates different, but equal, disadvantages for those students. In a year long

block class few days are actually lost to the AP deadline and teachers can have review sessions for the month or two before the test. Block class length also allows extra time to fix bad habits. A student can have problems for the first nine weeks of class and still end up being successful. In a normal class after nine weeks you have the midterm, in a year long class that is just a progress report. Students can then look back and fix the problems they had before. The classes also create much better relationships between students. We have all been in an awkwardly quiet socratic seminar that never really takes off. When you do not have a great relationship with the entire class students often shy away from publicly voicing their thoughts in a socratic. It gets even worse when the teacher refuses to give their input and the

class ends up sitting in awkward silence with the occasional question and awkward few worded responses. Socratic seminars are some of my favorite things in my year long classes. The talks get much deeper and personal when everyone is willing to talk. We get much more out of these talks and they further improve class relations. Students and teacher relationships are also formed much faster, and are strengthened over time. Although students might be wary around their teachers at first, they soon warm up to them and are much more willing to come before or after school to ask for extra help. This can immensely help students because they become comfortable with two teachers at the beginning of the year and it lasts until the end of the year or longer.

Purpose for strong work ethic lost in daily grind BY BLAKE BEAMAN

b.beaman@eyeofthetigernews.com

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hile by no means a new trend, students falling asleep in classes is an epidemic that still sweeps across many of the classrooms of Roseville High School. This may be a factor of students not getting enough sleep, or it might have something to do with that students lack of interest in content and motivated to learn. Heavy workloads are often given to students, keeping them up late into the night. Having to turn around and get back to school by 7:30 in the morning is no piece of cake. It’s extremely difficult to get through the day on little sleep, but I don’t believe this to be the main cause of students’ in-class naps. As a student, I know a class that I am interested and engaged in will help me pay attention and essentially stay awake. Some classes are far more interesting than others, but for those less interesting classes, I try to keep engaged by participating and completing my work. Students need to value the time that is given to them in their classes, and it is the job of the teacher to promote a learning environment in which students are engaged and participating. All students should try to stay awake and get all of their stuff done to maintain or improve their grades in the class. Even the “high-performing” students should be doing just that, no matter how easy the class is for them. These high performing students can often sleep through a class for the entire semester, giving forth minimum effort, and get rewarded with the same grade for diligent work. Kids not considered “high-performing” could be working four times as hard as the students in that category, and get a lower grade because they just might not be as academically gifted as the other students. The grading system does not do a great job of rewarding those students who put forth their effort and time into a class in an attempt to get a good grade. However, students should be consistently working hard regardless of that fact. A consistent work-ethic will develop better study habits that will pay off on tests like the SAT and in daily interactions later on in life. I don’t think the system should be solely based upon effort, but it should have an effect on the grades of students who are staying awake in class and trying to get a good grade. I approve teachers on this campus who give a participation grade, which promotes their students to pay attention and remain engaged throughout the class. Teachers should try to keep higher performing students engaged and involved, even if they are in a class with students who don’t perform as well as them. Maybe give the students more work and keep them occupied so it isn’t such a breeze for some them. It is an advanced course, after all. Teachers need to do a better job of keeping their students awake and engaged in their classes so they can develop better study habits to help them for future classes and tests. It is also the job of the students to stay awake and be engaged in their classes so they can develop their own habits to help them improve their learning skills.


february 22, 2016

Entertainment

page 9

Student talents shine onstage

Revived show highlights student artistry

BY KYLIE IRWIN

k.irwin@eyeofthetigernews.com

Roseville High School held its first talent show at the school in six years. Junior Parker Crews emceed the show. Since there hasn’t been a show in six years, a few kinks along the way were expected. The lighting seemed to be off, and at times you could see a bit of what was going on backstage. But, since it was the first in a long time, I’m not complaining. They did they whole show with very few technical or background difficulties. As for the actual show, it showcased a lot of talent and was fun. Out of the 15 acts that went on stage, 13 groups or soloists sang. I was happily surprised with how talented and artistic the students of RHS are. The two acts that were not singing included, Rylee Hatch,

AMY ADAMSON EYE OF THE TIGER

who performed a beautiful, contemporary dance to “Torn” by Nathan Lanier. The other non-singing act won, and she definitely deserved to win. Addie Panasiuk painted a picture in just the 3 minutes and 31 seconds of the song “Hollow” by Tori Kelly. She used a large black canvas and painted white all over. At first, I didn’t understand what she was creating, but about halfway through she flipped the canvas upside down and presented the crowd with an amazing picture of Marilyn Monroe. I was astounded by the talent that went into the painting. Taking second place was Toni Whipkey, who sang “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber, alongside Anna Ostrom who was playing the guitar. The two showed the even more acoustic side of “Love Yourself,” and Whipkey had a beautiful voice.

AMY ADAMSON EYE OF THE TIGER

RHS drama students portray unique diverse characters in their first one-act play “Seedfolks”. Drama teacher Ms. White, hopes to put on shorter plays throughout the year more frequently as opposed to longer productions less often.

Drama students impress in Seedfolks BY CLAIRE OERTLY AND VICTORIA WILKINSON

entertainment@eyeofthetigernews.com

Roseville High School’s Theater Company performed a production of the one-act play Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman. The one night only production occurred on Feb. 19 and proved to be eye opening and unique. The play involved intense emotions regarding a special garden that each character had a personal connection with. The characters ranged from pregnant teenagers to teachers all with very diverse backstories, all tied to the garden. The topics that were brought up were heavy and deep which is not something one would expect

from a high school play. Partying, teen pregnancy, and death were all among the differing topics. The opening act of the show involved four monologues of different genres ranging from humorous to emotional. The intro to the play was just as good as the acting throughout the duration despite it being done in monologue form. All actors participating in the monologues were deep into their characters and awed the crowd with their talents. Since the play was a single act, it was much shorter than previous productions. Instead of a full storyline with a plot, it was more along the lines of a frame story, or multiple stories that all

connect in some way within one larger story. All the actors in the production were surprisingly professional never missing a beat. The lines were all executed well and the actors never broke character. Adding on to the dedication of the actors, junior Otter Conner-Bailey took the phrase “break a leg” seriously when he continued on with the show despite having a broken leg and being on crutches. He remained in scene the whole time and the crutches actually helped add to the character. A unique blend of characters and meaningful plot made the play both enjoyable and innovative.

Finally in third place was Julia Buckley, who sang “All Of Me” by John Legend. Buckley had a great voice, and I would even compare her to be the girl-version of John Legend. Her voice was fantastic. The show started off with Communist Reverb (Reverb for All), a band made of Patrick Hay, Tyler Cooper, and Eric Peterson. The boys started the show off with a bang, and left the crowd wanting more. As the show went on, it seemed to me like a concert. Every act had a song, and getting to hear each person’s voice and different renditions of each song was fulfilling and exciting. The show ended with the winning act by Panasiuk, and I personally, was a huge fan. Crews emceed the show very well. He introduced and gave recognition to each act. He even told jokes and showed his mini “talents” in between acts and during stage delays. Overall, I was very impressed with Roseville’s students who were able to put the show together and be apart of it. I think everyone did a very good job backstage. Their hard work payed off, and the people in the crowd realized that. The students who performed were phenomenal and very talented, and Roseville should be proud to have these students walking around on its campus.

AMY ADAMSON EYE OF THE TIGER

Freshman artist Addie Panasiuk (above) speed paints, while Junior Jessica Lewis (below) showcases her voice.

Black artists bring needed attention to cultural issues BY TARAH JOHNSON

t.johnson@eyeofthetigernews.com

This year’s Black History Month has completely opened up the stage for African-American artists, with big stars like Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar producing more and more works of black excellence. Both of these prestigious artists have made their marks on not only black America but the rest as the nation as well, preaching their messages of togetherness and harmony in the black community with no mercy. With Beyoncé performing her new powerful single Formation and Kendrick taking the Grammys stage to perform several hits off of his award winning album To Pimp A Butterfly, both artists delivered powerful political messages regarding the highly controversial Black Lives Matter movement and the overall conflicts with black people and police, which has taken America by storm. One day before the nation came together to watch Super Bowl 50, Beyoncé decided to unleash a new song and music video that upends traditional representations of black people. In celebration of Black History

Month, Beyoncé doesn’t hold back in her new, high quality and visually striking video that has sparked controversy across the nation. With just some of the scenes depicting scenes of devastating loss due to Hurricane Katrina, along with the powerful footage of a young African-American boy dancing in front of a line of armed policemen, Beyoncé’s “Formation” video doesn’t fail to break all barriers. Both the video and song scream black power, and challenge the common stereotypes surrounding AfricanAmericans. In a time where oppression appears to be steadily crawling its way back to our nation (did it ever really leave?), there is not a moment more perfect for Beyoncé to restore forgotten historical contexts and unhinge political messages. Well renowned artist Kendrick Lamar faced backlash against his award-winning 2015 album To Pimp A Butterfly, which is the epitome of black power and contains fiery lyrics that challenge the stereotypes that AfricanAmericans are commonly placed it. It came as a surprise to some that he was asked to grace the

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Beyonce performs her single Formation at Super Bowl 50 while promoting the Black Lives Matter Movement. normally generic Grammy stage with this controversial album, and he certainly did not disappoint. With a visually striking performance that entailed of a bonfire that blazed as black men who originally entered the stage as mock-inmates tore out of their holdings and transformed into energetic beings, Kendrick left all of those watching in awe as

he delivered arguably one of the most powerful performances to take place at the Grammys ever. Not only was it the lyrics of his songs that entranced all viewers, it was the passion in which he delivered it in, emanating fiery rage directed towards those in white America who are the perpetrators of black oppression. “Formation” is all about embracing black beauty, and

Beyoncé should be credited for taking such a huge risk on this song. Although she most likely had an idea that a wave of protests would follow her new song, she proceeded confidently anyways, perfectly symbolizing the entire meaning behind the track: fearlessness and the power of African-Americans. Kendrick’s stellar Grammys performance represents the

struggle of all struggles, with him not only linking his own personal life being brought up in the streets of Compton to his songs, but also making it relatable for other certain members of the black America also struggling with their daily lives. While both artists obviously made these masterpieces of songs for the enjoyment of listening, it’s actually much more, with Beyoncé rewriting America’s traditional understanding often black community, and Kendrick doing the same, also making it known where he came from and how your background doesn’t always have to bring you down, but rather make you proud of where you end up. Both Beyoncé and Kendrick are forces to be reckoned with, and take on controversial topics like the Black Lives Matter movement and the conflicts surrounding black Americans and police brutality. Even though some are reluctant to admit it, “Formation” and To Pimp A Butterfly stand for something bigger than ourselves, and hopefully both of these artists continue to start conversation about what needs to change regarding black oppression in the future.


february 22, 2016

page 10 | entertainment

Deadpool lacks professionalism The Life of Pablo

mixes West’s past

BY VICTORIA WILKINSON v.wilkinson@eyeofthetigernews.com

Deadpool, the Marvel film which has been highly anticipated by many, came out Feb. 12. While some people found it to be obnoxious and juvenile, the movie was humorous with a somewhat intriguing plot line, depending on your sense of humor. A lot of the jokes and references made throughout the film were ill-humored and childish, but some of them were just so illhumored and childish that they were funny. You ever laugh super hard at a really corny joke? It’s like that. While most jokes were well delivered, some of them would have been funnier had the execution of the joke been more appropriate. Teenage comic book fans would appreciate the film primarily because of all the action and fighting and gore. However, older comic book fans are able to see past that and evaluate Deadpool for his true character: egotistical, annoying and irreverent. The movie is supposed to be an X-Men movie, but it really does no justice to the original X-Men. The producers tried to give it the same feel that X-Men movies carry out, but drastically failed. Many X-Men fans had high expectations for Deadpool and were most likely pretty disappointed with the outcome. It isn’t that the movie was bad. The movie itself was pretty funny with a decent plotline, but the trailers and teasers for the movie set it out to be much better than the reality. It got my hopes up just to throw them right back down to the ground. The budget for the movie was

BY BEN FURDEK

entertainment@eyeofthetigernews.com

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lower than typical superhero movies, and because of this, the graphics and action shots were not as high quality as other Marvel films. The majority of all action was in the beginning of the movie so it left nothing to look forward to for the rest of the duration. In the original comic book, Deadpool broke the “fourth wall,” which is diverging from the plot at hand and messing with the terms of his reality. The movie does succeed in delivering this making it clear that Deadpool knows more than just his reality but it does make the watcher wonder, how much does Deadpool really know? While I was watching I found myself wondering if Deadpool knew he was in a movie? Who he was played by? And if he was really just playing along with this plot of the movie? In traditional superhero movies the protagonist is very much in the film and only aware of the reality he is in in the movie, not knowing it is in fact a movie. However, this wasn’t a superhero movie really. Deadpool is an

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Above, Deadpool (Ryan Renolds) speaks with Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), his girlfriend. Deadpool delivers in comic relief but lacks in plot. Its humor was juvenile, but did live up to superhero expectations. antihero after all and I guess they decided to stray from the norm of Marvel movies because of this reasoning. What made this movie tolerable was the originality of the plot and of the character of Deadpool. Usually superhero movies are about doing good and the main characters are upstanding citizens who only kill when they have to.

FASHION: SENIOR ASSATA BAKER

Senior Assata Baker rocks her professional and classy street-inspired style. Her mother’s personality and fashion sense is also influential to her aesthetic.

ZACHARY CHEEK EYE OF THE TIGER

Youthful trends combine with classy sophistication by Gabi hutson

g.hutson@eyeofthetigernews.com

What would you describe your style as? I would say my style is more mature, I don’t want to say in general. But for a high schooler it’s a little bit more out there and classy

Is there anyone or anything that inspires the way you dress and how you style yourself? Not necessarily, I just kind of look at Nordstroms models and I kind of just look at that and put my different outfits together. I kind of just follow their trend and find stuff that I end up likng. What are some of your favorite places to shop at?

I only shop at Nordstroms, I buy shoes from Macy’s sometimes but for the most part I only shop at Nordstroms. Like jewelry, accessories, clothes, everything. What are some staples in your closet? I have a lot of boots and heels. I love boots. I have a bunch of big jackets, I have a couple of fur ones, I have Michael Kors jackets. That’s pretty much it for the winter. When it gets a little bit warmer I do a lot of like printed shirts, floral shirts. Have you always had a good fashion sense? When did it develop and was there anything in particular that inspired it? Yes, I believe so since I was a little girl I always wanted to pop

ZACHARY CHEEK EYE OF THE TIGER

out from the crowd by my clothing. But my style I have right now, I believe it really started my junior year of high school. I was ready to change out of the “high school” look and grow into something more mature but with a twist of my personality. My mom really inspired me from the beginning. I always loved her look of sassy sophistication. Most of my wardrobe is my mom’s. We have the same style, but mostly we both get our ideas from Nordstrom catalogs.

On the other hand, Deadpool is an antihero and always looking for his next kill, he is somewhat a piece of garbage with no direction in his life. He tries to make it very clear in the movie, stating multiple times that the one thing he is not is a hero. Overall, the movie was okay and pretty funny but I cannot say I would enjoy watching it again because it really just irritated me.

Rapper Kanye West released his long-awaited studio album, The Life of Pablo exclusively to TIdal, the subscription-based music-streaming service. It’s an intentionally messy album of many different styles, feelings and artists. There are parts of this album that make you feel like you’re in church, parts that feel like you’re partying and parts that are laid back. The point of this album is still what it always is on Kanye’s albums: himself. He talks about his faith (“Ultra Light Beams”), his troubles staying away from other women while being married (“FML”) and reflects on past relationships (“30 Hours”). Usually Kanye’s albums stick to a specific style whether it be slow and autotuned like 808s and Heartbreak or with non-stop intensity like in Yeezus. This the first album where Kanye doesn’t stick to a certain style but instead mixes many different styles he’s used in the past

into one album. The highlight of this album has to be the first song, “Ultra Light Beams.” This track is about Kanye’s faith in God with features from The-Dream, Kelly Price and a legendary verse from Chance The Rapper. Chance says “You can feel the lyrics, the spirit coming in braille.” This is also the first time West has featured a church choir in one of his songs since his first album The College Dropout in 2004. The only downfall of this album are some excruciatingly bad lyrics from Kanye. Most of the time his lyrics are good but there are some cringe-worthy moments. He makes up for this, though, with catchy beats. Even though Kanye didn’t hit us with any new styles this album, it’s still one of his best. Instead of sticking to one style, he puts all kinds of styles on this album, giving it the diversity that is missing in rap today. He raps about himself being a “38 year old 8 year old with rich people problems,” and he’s right. He’s still got his massive ego, sporadic and obsessive trust in God and for the first time in years, humility. For everyone who predicted Yeezy’s career was on the decline, he gave us one of his best albums and continues to shape modern music, once again, proving the critics wrong.


Sports

february 22, 2016

page 11

Girls end seven-year playoff drought BY MARINA EFSTATHIU

m.efstathiu@eyeofthetigernews.com

The varsity girls basketball team is heading to the playoffs for the first time since the 2009 season. The Tigers hold the number 7 seed in the Sac-Joaquin Division II bracket and will host the 10 seed, Del Oro, tomorrow at 7 p.m. This year, the Tigers concluded their season with a league record of 7-7 and posted an overall record of 15-12. Until this year the varsity girls basketball team has not had an overall winning record or a winning league record since the 200405 season. According to coach Josh Errecart, from the beginning of the season the girls varsity basketball program was heading off in a different direction than in years past. The team has frequently relied on a single standout player up until this year. Katie Simon led the team to playoffs in 2009 and Lindsay Anderson and Shelbie McKay both took the lead role in 2014 and 2015, respectively. All three led the team in points, rebounds and other statistics. According to Errecart, this season has been different as the team

BY JAKE LITTLEJOHN

j.littlejohn@eyeofthetigernews.com

GEORGE HUGHES EYE OF THE TIGER

GEORGE HUGHES EYE OF THE TIGER

Varsity point guards juniors Shelbie McKay (left) and Skyler Rubey (right) have both been key assets for the Tigers this season. McKay is the team’s leading scorer and Rubey led the girls to a 65-53 win over the Oakmont Vikings with 14 points last Tuesday that secured them a spot in the playoffs. is really well balanced. He said that there is no single key or star player on the team and that the team has 12 active girls that can play on the court and the so called “bench players” would have been starters last year. “The best part about our team was that we generally had the deepest team top to bottom that we have had maybe ever,” Errecart said. “So even though we did have few stars, I think that the huge advantage was that our depth was ridiculous and caused

rotation issues and dilemmas between coaches.” According to junior forward Isabelle Bautista, everyone made an impact on the team and on the court - this particular aspect of the team helped the girls earn their playoff spot. “I think it really helped because we can sub people in and out so they won’t get as tired and the bench energy stays up like the starters do,” Bautista said. “It gives us an advantage because other teams might have seven

key players but we have a whole team.” Another one of the team’s advantages this year has been the fact that the team is filled with players with more of a background in basketball. In years past, the basketball coaches have had to seek out athletes and turn them into basketball players. This year they had more to work with. “Prior to this year we were always trying to create basketball players out of athletes and I think

finally we have basketball players,” Errecart said. Errecart believes that this has been the biggest difference so far this season compared to past ones. Bautista is excited for postseason competition but also feels the pressure of the playoff atmosphere. “It is pretty cool since a Roseville team has not made it in a while so there is that and there is obviously pressure because we feel like we should perform,” Bautista said.

Players use club volleyball to prep for season BY KYLIE IRWIN

k.irwin@eyeofthetigernews.com

This year, the varsity boys volleyball team has a number of boys that play together in the same program in the off-season. Sophomores Jacob Cole, Cooper Baddley and Brian Nuevo and juniors Neal Reilly, Sam Toomey, Tommy Morin and Landon Bones all play for the Northern California Volleyball Club. Reilly, Cole, Morin and Toomey all play for the same team, while the other boys are scattered throughout the club. Reilly, a pin hitter, feels that playing with his high school teammates outside of the high school season provides many benefits regarding the team’s togetherness and performance. “With any sport, you have to build up chemistry from the beginning of the season,” Reilly said. “With us four already playing together for the past six to seven months, we already know where to go when certain plays happen.”

Many players on the team play club volleyball outside of high school competition. Most play for NCVC but some play for other clubs. Bones, a defensive specialist, plays for an NCVC team and recognizes the many positive effects that playing for a club team can provide. “Playing on NCVC helps both myself and other players develop a better overall skill-set for playing volleyball. Being able to play year-long helps keep and perfect the skills and game awareness that I learned from it,” Bones said. “Forming teams with players from both your own high school and others allows you to learn how to adjust to different players on both sides of the net during any form of playing. Overall, every aspect of play from individual skill to team chemistry to knowledge of the game is coached to the players of NCVC.” Roseville High School varsity boys volleyball coach Cindy Simon feels that the boys’ additional practice time together dur-

GEORGE HUGHES EYE OF THE TIGER

Junior defensive specialist Landon Bones goes up for a kill in the last day of the varsity boys volleyball team’s tryouts. Bones plays for the Northern California Volleyball Club and feels that doing so is very beneficial to his skills. ing the off-season allows them to further develop their skills and has proven very beneficial in regards to what she has seen from them so far. “The four [Reilly, Cole, Morin, and Toomey] are all starters,” Simon said. “I can tell with just conditioning and tryouts they’re hav-

ing fun, they’re laughing, they’re helping the other guys out, I think that they’re good leaders but they also know how to have fun.” After coaching the varsity boys team two years ago, Simon has returned to the role this year with high hopes and believes that this year’s team is very strong.

Simon was almost able to take the varsity boys team to the playoffs the last season she coached and hopes to advance even further this year. Last year, under coach Jason Cole, the varsity boys team had a successful season and ended up earning a co-championship title – alongside the Ponderosa Bruins. Although Cole is no longer the team’s coach, Reilly feels that the boys are still capable of a very successful season under Simon. “We’re favored to make playoffs again, but our goal is to win Sections this year because that is where we lost last year,” Reilly said. “I honestly don’t think Simon coaching will make that much of a difference. It’s up to the players more than the coach. The coach can only do so much, they can’t play the game for you.” Morin, a libero, is confident in Simon’s coaching ability because she has years of coaching and playing experience. “I’m really confident in her and I feel like we’ll do well this season again,” Morin said.

Performances of the Week FEB 15 - 21 Rubey leads Tigers over Vikings to secure playoff spot BY JAKE LITTLEJOHN

j.littlejohn@eyeofthetigernews.com

The Performance of the Week for the week of Feb. 15-21 was varsity girls basketball guard Skyler Rubey’s 14 point game against the Oakmont Vikings. Rubey led the Tigers to a 65-53 win over the Vikings to secure the team a spot in the playoffs for the first time since the 2009 season. This is Rubey’s highest scoring game so far this season and, according to teammate junior point guard Shelbie McKay, was her best overall performance she had ever seen from her. “I have been playing with Skyler for two years and that is the best game I’ve ever seen her play,” McKay said. “She just had

Athlete drug test policy would prove beneficial

confidence like no other.” The win earned the girls the seventh seed in the playoffs. The Tigers will host the tenth seed, the Del Oro Eagles, tomorrow at 7 p.m. According to McKay, the girls have been playing at a high level leading up to the playoffs and believes that Rubey helped the team make a statement in its final game. “All of this momentum will help us in playoffs and carry us into next year,” McKay said.

FEB 8 - 14 Eight of 11 wrestlers advance past League Finals BY BLAKE BEAMAN

b.beaman@eyeofthetigernews.com

The Performance of the Week for the week of Feb. 8-14 was the wrestling team’s advancement of

eight of the eleven wrestlers sent to the Capital Valley Conference League Finals Tournament on Feb. 11. These wrestlers were able to continue on to compete in the California Interscholastic Federation Division II Tournament last Friday and Saturday. Senior wrestler Christian Matlock was one of the 11 wrestlers that advanced to Divisionals and thinks the wrestlers who were sent to compete in the finals performed very well. He has high hopes for the wrestlers’ advancements. “The team performed very well at League Finals and most of them looked better than they did in previous matches,” Matlock said. “I expect us to do very well at Divisionals and hopefully some of us can advance to Masters and eventually State.” Sophomore wrestler Jake Solso, who also advanced to Divisionals, agrees with Matlock and feels that some of the wrestlers had the best

matches of their seasons in the finals meet. “I think most of us have a really good shot at placing [in Divisionals] so it should be interesting to see what happens,” Solso said. “I had my best match of the season at League Finals, and I think most of the other guys did too.”

JAN 1 - 7 JV boys beat two first place teams in three consecutive wins BY MEGAN ANDERSON

m.anderson@eyeofthetigernews.com

The Performance of the Week for the week of for Feb. 1-7 was the JV boys basketball team’s three consecutive league wins – two coming against teams that entered the contest in first place. The Tigers took on the Cosumnes Oaks Wolfpack, the Antelope Titans and the Bella Vista

Broncos on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, respectively. According to freshman center Jackson Esparaza, the boys saw an opportunity to clinch a few wins and took it. “I think that we felt like we had to win because we were already three games behind everyone else in league,” Esparza said. “We knew that we still had a chance because other teams started losing. Cosumnes got some guys hurt, so we knew they would lose a couple games and if we kept winning we could still win league.” Sophomore guard Cooper Baddley thought that the team performed well against their opponents during the week and had a good mindset coming into the games “We just came out at home and did what we did,” Baddley said. “[Our mentality for the] second half of league was, ‘They beat us the first time, we’re gonna do it the second time.’ And that’s what happened.”

Nevada Joint Union High School District established a mandatory random drug testing policy for its athletes in 2013. The policy states that any student that wants to play a high school sport in the NJUHSD will have to sign a waiver that gives their consent to be unknowingly tested for drug use at any point during the season. The ultimate goal of the policy is to discourage and possibly eliminate substance use and abuse among student athletes of the NJUHSD in order to keep students safe and maintain equal competition among athletes. The Roseville Joint Union High School District should also enforce this policy to ensure fairness and safety among its community of student athletes. Doing so would keep students from committing illegal acts and would ensure that no athletes have any unnatural advantages over others due to certain substance use. This policy may not sound appealing to many student athletes, but it will keep students clean and will definitely put pressure on students to be smart when they are playing sports. If student athletes test positive for the use or consumption of alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, methamphetamines, opiates, steroids, spice or oxycodone, they will not be allowed to participate in any sports for the remainder of the school year or will be forced to go through a complicated process in order to earn back their ability to participate. Students who test positive will have a chance to compete in their current season of sport again if they sign an athletic code suspension contract, attend all practices without practicing, show proof of enrollment in a drug test program, submit mandatory drug and alcohol tests and sign a comprehensive discipline contract. All of this is a lot for a student to have to go through to earn back their right to participate for just one occurrence. Enacting this policy would likely persuade student athletes to keep clean and to play their sport(s) honestly. NJUHSD’s goal is to keep students safe and out of trouble; it’s not just to penalize them. RJUHSD should do this too because it would be an effective way to stop a large amount of students from using drugs. Now, some might say that if this policy is introduced that sports in the RJUHSD would suffer from a participation decline due to students being unwilling to give their consent for testing. However, I believe that with the policy, the majority of student athletes would still choose to participate in high school sports because either they don’t abuse these types of substances anyway or because they love the sports that they play enough to give up substance abuse. This policy would bring significant change to the district if it were adopted. Athletes would be assured that their own success or performance would be determined by pure talent alone and wouldn’t be enhanced or hindered by anything unnatural. At the end of the day, an athlete should be able to say that they performed to the best of their ability because of their own pure, unaffected talent.


Sports

page 12

february 22, 2016

One field down, one to go Between last season and this year’s upcoming season, the softball program upgraded its varsity field using money provided by the Roseville Joint Union High School District. The upgrades summed up to almost $500,000 and included getting new infield dirt, a new backstop, new dugouts and a scoreboard. However, baseball facilities are still waiting to see upgrades.

After eight months, softball field renovations conclude BY JAMIE BATEMAN

j.bateman@eyeofthetigernews.com

This past offseason, the varsity softball field underwent serious renovations and improvements. Changes to the infield dirt, dugouts, backstop and more aspects of the field were all made inluding the addition of a scoreboard in the outfield. The money required for the nearly eight month long renovation came from the Roseville Joint Union High School District. Varsity softball coach Art Banks said that the softball program received the money from the district after he was hired by Roseville High School last year. The major renovations started at the end of last year’s season and ended in January, though minor changes continue to happen. According to RHS assistant principal Jason Wilson, the renovations cost close to $500,000. Among the many changes to the field, Banks thinks that the nicest feature might be the new bullpens. “On the old field, the girls would have to go down the line and either warm up on the grass, and for the visitors they would have to warm up on the dirt,” Banks said, “Now the girls have these really nice bullpens that are also fenced in.” Banks feels that the changes to the field were a necessity and were far overdue. “Before the changes started happening, the field we had was probably one of the worst in the

[Capital Valley Conference],” Banks said. “Most schools in this area have really nice fields, and now we fit in.” The district has also cleared a plan to extend a permanent fence all the way down the right and left field foul lines that will extend from the bullpens all the way to the home run fence. “Along with all the other things done to the field we are also extending that fence all the way down so that kids can’t get on and mess around,” Banks said. “It also makes the field feel a little more protected and a little more professional.” Freshman varsity catcher Sadie Langslet is very pleased with how the field looks and thinks that it will benefit the team during practices. “The field is really beautiful, you can tell just from looking at it,” Langslet said. “The dirt is really nice and now when we practice we get better quality ground balls and it will probably make us better.” Langslet’s teammate, sophomore Karli Dugger, thinks that the improvements made to the field might not directly improve the team’s play but should help the girls play with more confidence. “The new dirt we got is really nice and the new backstop is more of a real backstop,” Dugger said. “All of the changes should make us more confident in playing at our home field. All of us are really excited to be able to get the opportunity to play at such a nice field.”

ZACHARY CHEEK EYE OF THE TIGER

AMY ADAMSON EYE OF THE TIGER

New dugouts and a new scoreboard were also added to the field. In addition, each side of the field has a new bullpen attached to the end of its dugout. The district also plans to create fences stretching from the ends of each bullpen to their corresponding end of the removable home run fence. Players are excited to play on the new field in the upcoming season. Langslet also agrees with Dugger in that the field will give the team a greater sense of confidence. “Now that the field is so beautiful, everyone will have a sense of pride in playing at home,” Langslet said. “I also think that now that we have a good field other teams are going to be more intimidated in coming here, because a bad team wouldn’t have such a nice field.” In efforts to help maintain its current close-to-perfect condition, the RJUHSD has stepped in and stopped the Roseville Girls Softball youth program from using the field. Previously, girls ages 6-16 have played softball games on RHS’ varsity and JV softball

fields as part of the organization which puts the fields through additional wear and tear. “The Roseville Joint Union High School District has, for the next year, blocked the RGS program from scheduling games on our field, just so the field can get finalized,” Banks said. “In years to come, they probably will be allowed to play again.” Banks also said that in the near future the JV softball field will also undergo changes and renovations. “Yeah, we have been having parent work days where parents and kids can come out and work on the field,” Banks said. “There might be more monumental things that change, but for now it’s just parents and some girls.”

GEORGE HUGHES EYE OF THE TIGER

Upgrades and renovations for the varsity softball field began at the end of last year’s season. The process took eight months and cost approximately $500,000 with funds coming from the Roseville Joint Union High School District.

Baseball program plans to upgrade facilities, lacks funds Due to Title IX rulings, baseball can now upgrade its varsity field and facilities but lacks money to do so BY MEGAN ANDERSON

m.anderson@eyeofthetigernews.com

The varsity baseball team has wanted to see improvements to its field, along with the JV field, for awhile but has come across some obstacles in the process. Due to the Title IX rules, the softball field had to be renovated and receive upgrades before the baseball program was allowed to do anything to their fields. Now that the varsity softball field has been improved, baseball is now able to act upon their fields. In fact, varsity baseball coach Lance Fischer wants to see improvements and upgrades to both the baseball and softball facilities. “We’re trying to do some things on our JV field now which will include upgrades on the JV softball field as well. So for us to do what we want to do that kinda has to be done at the same time, so we’ve kinda taken that project on as well,” Fischer said. “We’re not doing this for us coaches, were doing it for the kids so we can do it for both programs.” According to sophomore left fielder Reece Brown, the JV baseball field has started to improve slowly but he feels that it will take perseverance to keep it maintained. “It’s not the best but I know our coaches have put in a lot of

GEORGE HUGHES EYE OF THE TIGER

Sophomores Anothony Lozano (left), Aiden Carrigg (above left) and Blake Beaman (above right) participate in the JV baseball team’s tryouts on the varsity baseball field last Saturday. Varsity coach Lance Fischer plans on improving the varsity field but the program currently does not have money. GEORGE HUGHES EYE OF THE TIGER

work. The infield is getting a lot nicer, however the outfield needs to be cut and there is a lot of divots and holes and what not in the outfield and it makes it hard to field a ball on the ground,” Brown said. “The varsity field has some of the same issues in the outfield but definitely not as severe as the JV field’s outfield issues.” According to Fischer, all of the improvements for the fields are already planned out but the baseball program will need money to carry

out these improvements; money which it does not have. The program was given a $15,000 donation in 2014 to put towards their fields by Timberwolves Construction and CVC Concrete but the donation was lost. “Pretty much almost everything I want to do to our field is improved but for one, we don’t have the finances and for two, we lost that [$15,000 concrete] donation which was a big loss,” Fischer said. “I am happy with the ap-

provals and stuff I’m just sad we lost the donation because it would be done by now, but we’re trying to find another way to get that donation.” Senior varsity pitcher Ryan Sleadd wants improvements to the baseball fields but would also like to see the JV softball field improve first. “It’s not that big of a deal, our field isn’t that bad. The girls JV softball field is really, really bad so it kinda makes sense,” Sleadd

said. “Our field is not horrible; we can deal with it, but it’s a rule, we gotta follow it.” Fellow senior varsity third baseman Jordan Woods feels differently and sees many pressing issues with the varsity baseball field that need to be fixed prior to upgrading any softball facilities. “The outfield needs to be redone, we need to put new grass out there,” Woods said. “Hitting tunnels need to be changed and there’s a lot of weeds in places that they shouldn’t be.” JV player Chase Nelson be-

lieves that the JV field has definitely had an improvements since last year and the varsity field is coming along nicely. “A lot of hard work went and money went into that field and maybe not the outfield, but the infield definitely looks a lot nicer than last year. I think to maintain it would be a better goal because we don’t want it to go back to what it was last year.” Nelson said. “The varsity field looks nice right now, I mean nothing is ever perfect and you can always do little improvements but nothing major.”


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