Eye of the Tiger (Issue 6, Volume 12)

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TOP NEWS Features Long-time science teacher Gene Domek to retire after 28 years

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DECEMBER 16, 2013 | ISSUE 6, VOLUME 12

1 Tiger Way, Roseville, CA

Freshmen put up strong academic showing BY KEVIN CHAPPELLE

kevin.chappelle@eyeofthetigernews.com

EVELINA KISLYANKA EYE OF THE TIGER

Steve Williams, RJUHSD executive director of personnel services, uses an iPad at the district board’s meeting last Tuesday, Dec. 10. The board approved a $1.7 million dollar expenditure on the installation of increased Wi-Fi coverage and the purchase of mobile devices for students and teachers district-wide, along with a new computer science course pathway at RHS.

District making technological strides More Wi-Fi, mobile devices to come to schools

BY OLIVIA HILLMAN

olivia.hillman@eyeofthetigernews.com

By the end of this school year, students at Roseville High School should be seeing more technology in their classrooms, thanks to a recently approved $1.7 million district expenditure on increased Wi-Fi coverage and mobile devices. The funding, which was approved by the Roseville Joint Union High School District board at its meeting last Tuesday, will be used to purchase more than 2,700 Google Chromebooks and to potentially increase Wi-Fi coverage by 900 percent for district school sites.

Though the purchases will be made for the entire district, RHS is to serve as the pilot school for RJUHSD’s new forays into technology. RHS teacher Marie Criste and the Google EdTechTeam worked together to coordinate the Google Apps for Education Festival to be held at RHS on Feb. 8 and 9 after Criste attracted the team to hold the event in the RJUHSD district, specifically at RHS. Gary Stevens, assistant superintendent of business services for RJUHSD, plans on having the new technology and Wi-Fi implemented on the RHS campus in time for this event.

“That is our first target point to make sure that we have Roseville High School Wi-Fi’d, if you will, and also set up with the Google devices so that they can be very successful there,” Stevens said at the Dec. 10 board meeting. “Marie Criste … is really the spearhead, I think is the best statement, for that particular festival. She’s secured the Google interest, and she’s pushing forward on that.” The funding allows for an increase in Wi-Fi coverage from 100 megabytes to 1000 MB, or 1 gigabyte, with little incremental increase monthly for Internet con TECH | PAGE 2

 FRESHMEN | PAGE 4

AP teachers worry about RHS says hello to computer science Common Core change BY ISABEL FAJARDO

isabel.fajardo@eyeofthetigernews.com

MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER

Students in RHS’ current computer science option, ROP AP Computer Science A, work on programming a small robot. RHS students will soon have the option of taking three additional courses in the subject.

In the upcoming school year, Roseville High School will be introducing two new linked learning courses: Exploring Computer Science (ECS) and Instructional Technology (IT) Essentials, dubbed Tiger Tech. These two courses are planned to be year-long and blocked, with alternating days. RHS teacher Mike Fischer and technology coordinator Marie Criste brought both classes to the attention of principal Brad Basham. Criste has already agreed to teach both classes. ECS has to do with hardware, software, networking and operating systems in computers. It will also deal with coding and basic computer science. “I think ECS is a class that everybody should take; it teaches you to think and work with technol-

EVELINA KISLYANKA EYE OF THE TIGER

ogy in a different way,” Granite Bay High School IT teacher Jared Amalong said. “At some point, you’re going to work with and emulate technology, and [the course] does a great job of teaching students to think critically and to problem solve.” Tiger Tech is more hands-on and enables students to have more power in the classroom. The class is supposed to be divided into three teams: a Google Chromebook team, an Apple team, and instructional technology teams. “My idea is that there will still be a tech team that will help out with tech issues, computers being broken, but what I’d like them to do is kind of be like instructional leaders,” Criste said. “They would then work with teachers with an instructional plan of how’d [the teachers would] like to incorporate  COMPSCI | PAGE 2

ELD focuses on redesignation BY ROBBIE SHORT

robbie.short@eyeofthetigernews.com

Even in her senior-level courses, Roseville High School student Chanthy Heinrich is older than all of her classmates. Having turned 20 last April, Henrich is currently one of the oldest students attending RHS, more than six years older than the school’s youngest freshmen – but she has a good reason. Heinrich started school at RHS two years ago, after emigrating from Cambodia, by which point she had acquired a level of schooling in her native country that qualified her – at age 18 – as a junior at RHS. She is currently a third-year English Learner, and did not speak very much English when she first arrived. Now approaching the halfway point of her “super-senior year” – which is really her third year on campus – Heinrich has her mind set on one goal: graduation.

Roseville High School freshmen have had a lower failing rate this year compared to last year. The percentage of freshmen with a D or F in a class dropped to 17.8 percent. According to principal Brad Basham, normally 25 to 30 percent of freshmen have at least one D or F, usually in math or English. He believes this is partially due to Freshman Pathways. “Right now, this freshman class is getting some additional supports that others didn’t have,” Basham said. Part of the support that freshmen now receive is the Freshman Pathways program at RHS. Former English and AVID teacher Melissa Jones, along with teacher Deborah Sidler, now teach the new Freshman Seminar class. Freshman Seminar is one of the four choices involved with Freshman Pathways – the others being a positive power class, a pre-Advanced Placement path and AVID 9. According to Jones, the class teaches concepts such as study skills, conflict management, financial literacy, critical thinking, writing skills, and career and college research. Jones believes that Freshman Seminar helps students with their other classes. “In general, it’s going to make them a better student, so that whatever courses

She’s having a tough time getting there, though. Because she entered RHS later than most EL students, Heinrich is struggling to scrape together enough credits to graduate this year. She is currently enrolled in four core classes at RHS, as well as a course at Roseville Adult School, and her schedule looks the same for next term. She will also have to take a class over the summer to get her final 10 credits and graduate in August. Her schedule is so loaded that she doesn’t even have room for the only remaining specially designed academic instruction in English (SDAIE) class that RHS offers – SDAIE English Lab, which will be offered for EL students this spring – in addition to dealing with the overall elimination of SDAIE classes this year that has affected all EL students. “It’s really hard,” Heinrich said. “The hard ELD | PAGE 2

MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER

“Super-senior” EL student Chanthy Heinrich completes a bookwork assignment in her fourth-period CP Biology class. Heinrich, who came to RHS two years ago after immigrating from Cambodia, will not be able to come back to school next year if she is unable to pass all of her classes this term, partially due to the program’s new focus.

BY SAMANTHA PAUL

samantha.paul@eyeofthetigernews.com

Roseville High School’s shift to the new Common Core State Standards is causing several of its Advanced Placement teachers to express concern about the new curricular additions the standards may bring to their courses. The most common worry the AP teachers have is that they will not be able to accommodate the time needed to complete the new assignments due to the alreadycrowded nature of the courses’ schedules because of the amount of curriculum they have to get through to prepare their students for the exam. As RHS’ content standards adjust to Common Core over the next year, there will be many changes to overall curriculum and classroom environments. The new Common Core standards will also be adding new literacy standards. Principal Brad Basham believes that the focus will be slightly altered in all classes. “You’re going to see more reading and writing going on in all of your classrooms,” Basham said. This additional reading and writing will at times come in the form of essays and other writing assignments in classes that generally do not incorporate much writing, like in math and science courses. The assignments will also appear outside the regular curriculum of the course and thus will take time away from the regular coursework. AP Psychology teacher Mark Andre AP | PAGE 4

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page 2 | news

Eye of the Tiger ROSEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL 1 TIGER WAY ROSEVILLE, CA 95678 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Robbie Short NEWS EDITOR Ian Souza FEATURES EDITOR Marian Abdelmalek OPINION EDITOR Meghan Julin ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Isabel Fajardo SPORTS EDITOR Nick Espino Matt Tawlks COPY EDITOR Olivia Hillman PHOTO EDITOR Madison Macha Evelina Kislyanka ONLINE EDITOR Marc Chappelle ESPAñOL EDITOR Emma Carlson BUSINESS MANAGER Monica Linsangan FACULTY ADVISOR Bobby Ritter STAFF WRITERS Logan Ash Catherine Barber Kevin Chappelle Kira Clifton Bryce Crouch Simiron Dhadda Michelle Im Gabriel Lira Sarah Looper Roy Loya Netzy Ortega Michaela Paul Samantha Paul Anna Porretta Katelyn Rolen Nick Sapp Hanna Sex Haylee Sex Dean Sideris Morgan Simpson Nikaya Southworth Aaron Souza Marissa Stone Nick Trezza Sydney Valenzuela Will White Hana Zarea

ELD: SDAIE elimination also part of redesignation push CONTINUED FROM FRONT -est part is I don’t understand English, and a lot of vocabs, because in SDAIE class, the teacher goes slower, and explains it to you like one-by-one, but in a normal class, the teacher just talk and talk, then you fall behind and have to do your best to try to catch up.” According to Heinrich’s ELD 2 teacher Suzanne Sharif, the school’s elimination of the classes caused a rough transition for her students this term. “[EL students] didn’t really have that support this term, which was not in the best interests of the students,” Sharif said. “It was their first time not being in SDAIE classes, and they didn’t have a support class, necessarily. The school did the best they could, given the situation … I think it’s just this huge learning curve right now.” Though Heinrich says she is doing “okay” in her classes so far this term, she believes that she would be able to more readily ensure success in all of them were she still able to access that SDAIE support – something she needs to ensure if she wants to graduate. Because Heinrich’s graduation chances are entirely contingent on her passing all of her courses this year, failing any one of them will leave her 10 credits short – a possibility that left her asking her counselor if she would be able to come back for a final term to finish up that final class. Her counselor said no. “I told my counselor that, if I failed one of my classes this year, can I come back next fall, and she said no, because of my age, and I told her that, ‘So, what am I gonna do if I fail one of my classes?’”

Heinrich said. “I went to summer school, just failed one of my classes, and I couldn’t come back. It’s not supporting me.” Heinrich’s case is a unique one. However, her struggle to achieve her graduation goal came about at least partially by something that will affect all RHS EL students: an increased push to “graduate” students through the ELD courses more quickly than before, which has led to an increased reluctance on the administration’s part to allow students to stay extra years. According to RHS principal Brad Basham, based on an analysis of educational research, the school (and the Roseville Joint Union High School District) has determined that its standard for EL students need to be set higher. “We were coddling,” Basham said. “We weren’t pushing. You need a little push every once in a while … If you never push the limit, then there becomes this comfort zone and students stay where they’re at.” This push was a major factor in the district’s decision to adopt the new three-course ELD format. According to Basham, having a shorter sequence of courses should allow students to reach redesignation – their “graduation” out of the program and into mainstream classes – more quickly. “It shouldn’t take more than a year to go from beginning to intermediate, and then it shouldn’t really take more than a year, maybe a year and a half, two, to get to the point in which you’re going from intermediate in ELD 2 to advanced in ELD 3,” Basham said. “Ideally, we should be able to move a student and get them to the point at which they can be re-

designated certainly within three or four years.” Though, according to Basham, cases like Heinrich’s are not entirely dependent on the student’s physical age – rather the amount of time spent in the program – Sharif still doesn’t completely agree with the new pressure to leave the program (and school). “In the past, the school never cared how old an EL student was,” Sharif said. “It was more about, ‘Are you a good student, are you trying, and if you are, we’re going to support you, because we want you to do well, and if you’re not causing problems, that’s what we’re here for.’ [Now] it’s more kind of like, ‘Oh, well, you’re this age, and we’ve done this much for you…’” According to Basham, though cases like Heinrich’s are evaluated on an individual basis, there is a “natural progression” in terms of student age that causes the administration to encourage students who are in need of a fifth or sixth year to pursue finishing their education at one of the area schools that caters more to adults, like Roseville Adult School. Basham also said that students in Heinrich’s situation sometimes need the forced departure to gain their independence. “Sometimes they just need the push,” Basham said. “They’re afraid to leave. This is the safe place. Everyone is going to have that day in which they need to become more independent, and they’re going to need to be able to figure those things out. There are other programs out there.” Heinrich just wants to graduate. “We all need support,” she said.

DANCE SHOW

CONTRIBUTING CARTOONIST Christina Leone

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.

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

december 16, 2013

EVELINA KISLYANKA EYE OF THE TIGER

Advanced Dance students perform last Thursday as part of the dance program’s annual winter dance show. The dancers performed a variety of numbers from a range of different dancing traditions, with a special focus on holiday themes for the upcoming Christmas season. Performances were held Thursday, Dec. 12, Friday, Dec. 13, and Saturday, Dec. 14.

COMPSCI: School will also pilot new AP course in 2015-16

CONTINUED FROM FRONT technology, research the best practices and work with those. Then they go into the classrooms with the teacher and kids and help them use certain apps, use mobile technology, how to better apply those collaborative skills, all those things.” ECS and Tiger Tech do not have a prerequisite and are primarily looking for students who are interested in taking the course. However, both of these classes need at least 70 students enrolled to start, due to it being a blocked class. “It doesn’t matter what level you are,” Criste said. “If you have that passion and that drive and that love of, ‘let me figure out how to use this tool to make school better,’ then that’s what I want for the Tiger Tech program.” In addition, these classes will lead up to an Advanced Placement class, called AP Principles of Computer Science. This AP course will qualify for a weighted grade-point average and is University of California-approved. Planned to be implemented in the 2015-2016 school year, it is still unknown who will teach the class. This course will allow students to focus on logic of computer science. “It’s not just all debugging code

and writing lines and lines of code with complicated syntax,” Fischer said. “It’s really about how do you solve a problem, how do you teach a machine to think and write the code so that the machine can accomplish tasks and solve the problem. To get started with these programs, there is a $15,000 start-up cost for equipment such as computers and different programs like Adobe Master Collection CS5. Criste has signed up for a grant from the state to help pay for the costs. In the incident that the grant is not approved, there are also other options. “We’ll find it, internally, because we do receive a decent site budget; I’ll work with the coordinators to see if this is a program they want to help support,” Basham said. “One other possibility is the Roseville City Citizens benefit grant, $15,000 to $20,000.” Criste is also planning to possibly teach nothing but technology courses next year. “It’s so different teaching those classes than it is AP,” Criste said. “Ultimately, my goal is to not just teach kids to be these twenty-first century entrepreneurs, but to also share my passion with them so that they can then share their passion with students here, teachers here, community members.”

TECH: District aims to improve classroom instruction CONTINUED FROM FRONT -nection for the district, in addition to up to 500 Chromebooks per school site. The Wi-Fi coverage cost is projected at $500,000. From the $2 million Common Core implementation grant, $900,000 will go toward the purchase of the Chromebooks, mobile carts, charging carts, security carts, training and licensing. “We need to increase the [WiFi conductivity], so that costs money, so that a class of 35 students can all be online at the same time and not have people being dropped off or having such slow processing speed,” Basham said. “That’s one of the [priorities] and that’s a major cost.” The primary focuses before the official distribution of the technology and Wi-Fi are improving the infrastructure for Wi-Fi access, training the teachers to use the new technology and incorporate it in their classroom instruction through professional development, and rolling out the mobile devices.

“You [as a student] should be able to get access no matter where you are at on this campus so that you can do research, you can collaborate with your peers, you can study, you can – whatever it is – and you can’t do that right now,” Basham said. “If our job is to prepare you guys for college and career, then we need to make sure you guys have access to technology and that we are incorporating it into our instruction.” According to Stevens, the implementation of the added technology and Wi-Fi will potentially improve the way materials are presented and taught in the classroom, even without enough devices for each individual student. “We’re talking about enhancing the instruction practices on a daily basis, and enhancing college and career readiness … and ultimately preparing for Common Core assessments,” Stevens said at the meeting. “We’re not in a position to go one-to-one, but when you look at the position that we are in, that’s pretty exciting.”

Basham plans to distribute the Chromebooks to core math, science, English and social science classes first, and to serve as tools for the core subjects’ assessments. Chromebooks will be distributed and tested by the time current juniors take the pilot Common Core assessment with the mobile devices in April. “We’re going to target eleventh grade because those are the kids that are going to take the SBAC [Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium] model assessment, and then it’ll be the tenth grade,” Criste said. “The carts are going to be ready most likely by February, and then sites are going to be up to [each site principal] how they distribute them, to whichever teachers.” Because of this expansion in technology, the need for a new computer systems technician to fill the vacant position has grown. Student involvement has also been encouraged for the rolling out of the new devices. According to Criste, teachers

that participate in the pre-festival workshop at RHS on Feb. 7 have the opportunity to learn how to use the devices from a team of Chromebook-certified Google education specialists. “They’re going to have a technical institute – so for the IT, the tech department – and they’re going to Google-certify teachers,” Criste said at the meeting. “I’m hoping we can get 10-12 teachers going to that that then become our kind of Roseville Joint Union Google app teachers. They’re going to bring their Chromebook team out and they’re going to bring out the computer science program that we’re trying to start at Roseville.” One benefit to the increased Wi-Fi coverage and mobile devices is the ability for schools in the district to consume less paper. According to RHS principal Brad Basham, El Capitan High School in Merced used less paper this semester than RHS does in a typical week. After a site visit to El Capitan, RHS assistant principal Jon

Coleman hopes RHS will become a similarly paperless school. “Personally, I think it’d be a great way to go,” Coleman said. “The school we visited and their entire district was, for the most part, paperless. I think it’d be really cool if we could get rid of all textbooks, give each kid a Chromebook and say, ‘Here it is.’” Freshman Seminar teacher Melissa Jones believes the convenient classroom access to technology and more Wi-Fi will help teachers communicate with and assist students. “I’m teaching Freshman Seminar this year and am excited at the prospect of students having Internet access to sites like Naviance,” Jones said. “Access to Homelink to check grades and attendance on a regular basis is important too. Some teachers are even putting lessons and PowerPoints online for students to be able to access for homework and test preparation.” According to Criste, it is exciting to see the district making technology a priority. “I’m glad to have a supportive board that truly does believe investing in technology will transform learning,” Criste said.


december 16, 2013

School district applies for CRANE funding BY EMMA CARLSON

emma.carlson@eyeofthetigernews.com

In partnership with 21 school districts in seven counties, the Roseville Joint Union High School is working toward improving career-oriented learning through increased professional development programs and curriculum. The Capital Region Academies for the Next Economy (CRANE) implementation will facilitate this advancement, focusing particularly on six industry clusters. They are Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing, Energy and the Environment, Healthcare and Bioscience, Public Service, Education, Computer Technology and Agriculture and Food industries. This program includes allocated funds from the California Career Pathways Trust delegated by Section 86 of Assembly Bill 86. CRANE goals originate from NextEd, a Capital Area P-20 council that will serve as the intermediary organization in the application of California legislation. RJUHSD is beginning the competitive application process for these one-time CRANE grants that would assist district high schools in establishing col-

laborative relationships and partnerships with business entities, community organizations and local institutions of post-secondary education. John Montgomery, the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction for RJUHSD believes the program’s details remain in progress. “The effect is not yet known because there is little information to indicate how much or if RJUHSD will actually receive funds,” Montgomery said. “It is an application process that may be done at a higher regional level such as CRANE (Capital Region) over which RJUHSD has little influence.” CRANE will continue the NextEd for the Capital Region’s mission of building upon regional career research, establishing a basis for resources and Linked Learning training. RHS offers several career technical education classes that CRANE may affect in the future. These include Culinary Arts, Fashion and Merchandising, Geometry in Construction, Computer Science and professional studies in the Regional Operational Program (ROP). RHS culinary teacher Angela

Ash is optimistic for the future of the RHS culinary program with potential funding from CRANE. “Public and private funding is critical to developing strong training and education,” Ash said. “Students need to know the best type of training and education to seek after high school in order to prepare for the career they envision.” At RHS, culinary students gain experience by meeting with several food and hospitality industry professionals. RHS guidance counselor Graciela Fernandez supports the expansion of career-oriented learning, hoping it will provide both flexibility and focus for students’ future aspirations. “The earlier we get students to start exploring their career interests, the better it’s going to be for them to make that match beyond high school,” Fernandez said. “They get to connect what they are learning in the classroom to the real world.” As CRANE specifics undergo construction and revision, RJUHSD will continue to learn more about its partnership on the local level of program discussion. “RJUHSD does have a voice in the room,” Montgomery said.

COURTESY RJUHSD

District appoints Monetti’s replacement BY ROBBIE SHORT

robbie.short@eyeofthetigernews.com

MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER

A member of the Tiger Cafe prepares a meal. RJUHSD is applying for CRANE funding to augment the budgets of its CTE programs, including Culinary.

Renewed Parents Club gears up with new goals, ideas BY ANNA PORRETTA

anna.porretta@eyeofthetigernews.com

MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER

Parents Club co-vice president Karen Cooper leads a discussion at the club’s last meeting last Monday, Dec. 9. The group aims to serve as a kind of “academic booster club” for the school and wants to organize activities for each class, including an SAT prep course for juniors and seniors.

The Roseville High School Parents Club is looking to have a bigger presence on campus by supporting the different class levels in a number of ways. Last Monday, the Parents Club voted and approved two initiatives for the classes. An on-campus SAT prep class, that would cost $10 to enroll and $20 for materials, has been approved as the academic initiative for the junior and senior classes. “We plan to raise money to pay for the teachers to teach the course,” said Karen Cooper, the Parents Club co-vice president. “All the students would have to do is purchase the SAT book and pay a small enrollment fee.” They also have approved the initiative for the freshman class, which will be class shirts. As for the sophomore class, they intended to sponsor an ACT course, but the course they intended to sponsor may not exist next year. A preliminary SAT prep class may replace the initiative for the sophomore class, but it has yet to be decided. “ACT Aspire has to be used on a regular computer,” assistant principal Matt Pipitone said. “Ju-

niors would be participating in state testing online at the same time as the sophomores would be doing ACT Aspire. We don’t know if we have the capacity to accommodate both programs.” These initiatives will be for the 2014-2015 school year. The main goal of the RHS Parents Club is to keep parents connected and involved with the school. They want to create a community where parents can get information and receive support from each other. They also intend to have people, such as resource officers, come and speak at Parents Club meetings and inform parents of issues that affect teens adversely, such as cyberbullying and peer pressure. Another goal is to keep parents informed on how to get their student college-ready. The Parents Club also aims to become a fundraising powerhouse. They want to support the school academically akin to how booster clubs support athletics. “We are looking to sponsor an academic initiative for each class,” Parent Club co-president Marie Ortega said. As well as funding academic initiatives for each class, the RHS Parents Club also intends to host

and pay for a teacher appreciation lunch and raise money to benefit Art Club. In order to accomplish these goals, the club is applying for the Roseville Employees Annual Charitable Hearts (REACH) grant, which distributes money to organizations benefitting youth in Placer County, and will be fundraising. In order to fundraise, the club needs to increase their membership. They aim to do so by reaching out to coaches, parents and teachers, especially through their Facebook page and other social media networks. They hope to encourage parents to join and to be active in the club by offering scholarship money as an incentive. Every time a parent attends a meeting, their name is put into a drawing for $200 worth of scholarship money for their child. The more meetings one attends, the more likely it is they will win the scholarship money. On Back to School Night in January, the club will be having a membership drive to encourage parents to join the club. The membership fee is $20 per family, and all fees and donations to the RHS Parents Club are taxdeductible, as the Parents Club is a non-profit.

Common Core standards arrive in middle schools BY MARC CHAPPELLE

marc.chappelle@eyeofthetigernews.com

Middle and elementary schools across California have begun to adopt Common Core standards, which includes Roseville High School’s partner school Buljan Middle School. This in turn affects the future of RHS. RHS assistant principal Judi Daniels is aware of the efforts made by middle and elementary schools and thinks that those efforts are of great benefit and importance to students at RHS. “I’ve been talking to teachers who have kids in elementary school, and their kids are getting Common Core-type lessons in class,” Daniels said. “They are doing deeper thinking, answering questions that cause them to make connections.” Daniels claims that the goal of adopting Common Core standards is to help students produce independent meaning. “When you have to solve a completely original problem, you’ll have the skills to do it,” Daniels said. Daniels also described a vertical team between middle and high schools, where teachers of the same subject group collaborate, but does not know when it might happen.

Buljan’s administration is currently implementing the new common Core standards. Buljan’s assistant principal Stephanie Brown believes that Common Core will prepare middle school students for higher-level high school courses. Buljan is increasing student readiness and academics through an increased emphasis on writing and critical thinking in class. “Our end-of-unit exams require students to read a primary source document or non-fiction article and respond in not just a short answer, multiple choice or truefalse format, but writing to explain knowledge or apply knowledge,” Brown said. Brown thinks that as a school, Buljan is more prepared and better positioned to tackle the Common Core standards than last year. She reports that the school has a better approach and the teachers have received more training and exposure. However, she acknowledges the challenges of adopting the new standards. “I think it’s not going to be an overnight success, and that people need to be patient,” Brown said. “This is going to take some time to train students to think differently than they have in the past.”

At RHS, teachers and administrators are also working to integrate the standard. English teacher and co-English department coordinator Denise Weis also sees the value in adopting Common Core at the middle school level. “I would have to assume that as kids come in with more and more background in the Common Core strategies that they’ll be more ready for high school,” Weis said. Although, she still thinks that there will be kids that are not prepared for the rigor associated with the new standards. “Common Core is set so high in terms of what the lexile [the numeric representation of a text’s readability] is of the reading that the kids will have to do,” Weis said. Weis anticipates that with the increasing foundational skills and preparation, incoming RHS students will be ready to tackle Common Core. “It’s just a total shift in what we teach, how we teach it and what we expect kids to do,” Weis said. “[I] hope [Common Core] works better than the CSTs did and it makes our kids more ready to tackle the challenges of college, work and what they need to do in the real world.”

news| page 3

MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER

A freshman is ready to learn in Amy Mowrer’s CP English 9 class. Future freshman classes should be more prepared for high-school level reading and writing due to the integration of Common Core strategies in middle schools, according to Buljan Middle School assistant principal Stephanie Brown.

In lieu of the standard district hiring process – and much earlier than expected – the Roseville Joint Union High School District board recently appointed Ron Severson, current deputy superintendent of personnel services, as superintendent Tony Monetti’s replacement come the latter’s retirement next June. Generally, the board elects to go through a standard candidate search using both internal and external means of attracting applicants for the job, and then conducting an interview process to select the best one whenever an administrative position opens up. However, at the board’s meeting last Tuesday, Dec. 10, when the discussion turned to the agenda item 13-161 – which was, based on the information presented on the public agenda, supposed to be simply the approval of the hiring contract for the district’s next superintendent – board member Paige Stauss announced that they decided to simply fill the contract with Severson. “There are so many things that are going right here, and this is a time of a lot of change in the education world, with Common Core State Standards and the Local Control Funding formula,” Stauss said at the meeting. “Our education world has been turned upside-down financially and curricular-wise, so we felt that it is best for our district to stay with someone who is familiar with the district, with staff, with our community.” According to Roseville High School principal Brad Basham, the board members did not even feel conducting an interview was necessary. “They had made up their mind already: this was the person for the job,” Basham said. Severson first came to RJUHSD in July 1995, when he served as principal for and helped open then-new Granite Bay High School. He stay at GBHS for 11 years, during which he led the school to selection as a National Blue Ribbon School – a distinction bestowed by the US Department of Education on schools that showcase and encourage very high achievement. Severson then worked himself up the ranks of district leadership to the position of assistant superintendent of personnel services, a job he began in July 2009, and then to his current position of deputy superintendent of that same department about two months ago. “I just want to thank [the board] for giving me this opportunity to serve in this role for the Roseville Joint Union High School District,” Severson said at the meeting. “I’m honored, I’m humbled, but mostly I’m just really appreciative of this chance.” Severson will take over from Monetti July 1of next year, and expects to learn a lot from the current superintendent – who will have held the position 14 years at the time of his scheduled retirement – in the meantime. Monetti has full confidence in Severson to run the district after he’s gone. “One of the things, when you move on, you’re concerned about the future,” Monetti said. “I’m not concerned. I am thrilled.”


december 16, 2013

page 4 | news

CAHSEE prep starts early BY MICHELLE IM

michelle.im@eyeofthetigernews.com

Roseville High School has started its California high School Exit Examination prep three weeks earlier than usual. Instead of the usual threeweek period of prep, this time it is six weeks. According to learning support specialist Jenny Bang, the change was brought on because more time was needed to prepare for the real exam in February. “In the past, we have had it three weeks prior to the CAHSEE exam,” Bang said. This gives students more time to practice and affords them extra time for study sessions in

the computer lab. Tuesdays and Thursdays after school, students can meet to answer English and Math questions. Attendants are given accounts and passwords to an online study site. According to English teacher Denise Weis, who also aids students in the CAHSEE prep, glitches have been present due to the school not possessing enough site licenses. “There is only so many slots you can have,” Weis said. “We have [filled] all our slots.” This is because of the number of students attending the study sessions. According to Weis, many are

attending in comparison to past study sessions. “This is the biggest group we have had through turnout to practice before the test, so I hope that means better test scores for these kids,” Weis said. One of these students includes sophomore Isabella Gargano. According to Gargano, the CAHSEE prep has been helpful and informative. This correlates with Bang’s reasoning for the CAHSEE prep sessions. “It is just to give them more support that way they know the type of questions they ask, so they can practice as well,” Bang said.

ART SHOW

MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER

College and Career Technician Kim Moses helps a student use Naviance. The program is meant to help students to find a college and career by giving them information about, among other things, potential majors and career paths.

Counseling staff uses Naviance to help students pick colleges, careers BY MICHELLE IM

michelle.im@eyeofthetigernews.com

MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER

Art 2 and 3 classes held shows at RHS on Thursday, Dec. 5, and Thursday, Dec. 12, to showcase their artwork.

FRESHMEN: Too early to gauge pathways’ effect CONTINUED FROM FRONT they choose next year, they will come into that class having a better idea of how to organize themselves,” Jones said. However, she also does not solely attribute this year’s freshman class’ increased academic performance to the pathways program. “I think it’s too early to tell what all of the reasons might be, but I know Ms. Sidler and I have made an concerted effort to ensure that the freshmen made a Homelink account, that they access it, that they set goals as far as grades go,” Jones said. “We’ve tried to keep them organized … and give them a chance to get into those routines that are good for all students, but early on, right when they start school.” Basham believes that all of the Freshman Pathways classes are particularly helpful in terms

of catering to students’ support needs. “We’ve met kids where they’re at,” Basham said. “We’re just helping support those literacy skills and those organizational skills and those analytical thinking skills that they need to be successful.” Honors English 10 teacher Amy Mowrer also teaches the pre-AP English class for Freshman Pathways. Mowrer appreciates the students’ work and academic performance. “The pathway might not be all of it, because from all accounts, they are just a really strong class,” Mowrer said. “But I do think that the conversations that the teachers are having in the pathways about students and student performance definitely helps us keep the fact that we have kids who are struggling in our view and reminds us to be touching

base with those students.” Basham considered the impact of the upcoming Common Core testing on the freshman class when deciding to move forward with the pathways program last year. “Right now, this freshman class is getting some additional supports that others didn’t have, but this freshman class is also going to have to take the Common Core exam that the others haven’t taken,” Basham said. “So we don’t know exactly what that’s going to look like.” In addition, Basham is anticipating the outcome of this semester’s grading period. “We’ll have to see at the end of the semester what those final grades are going to look like, especially in the Geography/preAP English class,” Basham said. “They’ve been okay, and we’ll see if it sticks.”

AP: Addition of writing assignments infringes on already-limited time CONTINUED FROM FRONT -atta is worried about fitting in a lot of new material into the already tight time restrictions in AP classrooms. “Because of the periods, the way they’re set up, which is [a 4x4] block, we are already kind of restricted on what we can teach,” Andreatta said. According to Basham, this time restriction, combined with Common Core standards, will not be an issue for AP classes. Basham thinks that the AP program is already undergoing large changes. “AP right now is revamping their own curriculum, so you’ll see the AP courses gradually change from what they are now to more in alignment with Common Core,” Basham said. In contrast, Andreatta feels that this change may not be as

significant as many expect. “There’s been some talk of the AP curriculum shifting to be more of a Common Core focus,” Andreatta said. “I really don’t see that at this point right now, but again that’s all going to depend on what colleges do. AP is going to be driven by what colleges want, not by what high schools want, so there is a different focus.” While AP teachers overall think that the new Common Core standards will have a positive effect on their classes, there are slight concerns regarding the ways in which it will be implemented. Andreatta fears that with the new push for literacy standards, his social science class will become undervalued and merely a support class. “What I’m afraid of – and

I don’t think this is going to happen – but that somehow non-English or social studies and science classes now all of a sudden become support classes for English and math,” Andreatta said. “My fear is that somehow there is no intrinsic value in social sciences for social science’s sake. If we just focus on reading and writing strategies, somehow content for us is lost.” AP Chemistry teacher Robert Mahlman feels that science classes are already implementing the standards the Common Core calls for, but he expressed concern over its potential. “I might have an issue with them having our students write a whole essay,” Mahlman said. “I don’t know if that’s realistic, but being able to read and write and analyze are just things that we’ve done in science all along.”

A new college preparation program, called Naviance, is now available for Roseville High School students and counselors to use. The program features a career search, a college search and several graphs and charts meant to assist students in finding a college that is right for them. Naviance is also capable of holding information about graduates, so current RHS students will be able to compare their academic profile to those of college students who attend the school that they want to apply to. Counselor Philomena Crone believes that Naviance will be helpful for students throughout

their high school career and in finding potential majors in college. “We have introduced it to our tenth grade students so far,” Crone said. “Our goal is to bring them back next year and connect those career clusters and list of careers that come up this year to develop potential college majors and colleges for next year to develop a college list,” In order to help improve the Naviance program, the state of California is working toward establishing SIS (Student Information System) tracking numbers for its students. Students would be assigned a number that, starting as early as kindergarten, follows them until graduation and records their per-

formances in order to accurately track their progress. “That number sticks with you as a student,” principal Brad Basham said. “Ideally, it goes beyond high school and continues into secondary education.” However, the plan to integrate SIS tracking numbers in the state of California has been put on hold for several years due to financial constraints. Sophomore Nick Neal has benefited from Naviance. “It gave me an idea of what I want to be,” Neal said. However, sophomore Jared Bechthold believes that he has already been prepared enough. “Well, I mean I am in AVID, so I already did stuff like that,” Bechthold said.


DECEMBER 16, 2013

NOTICIAS Cambios en ELD tienen reacciones y efectos BY ROBBIE SHORT

robbie.short@eyeofthetigernews.com

En RHS, el programa del inglés (EL) está pasando esfuerzos para el tiempo de graduación de los estudiantes de EL. Con la adición de estos programas en el región y otras escuelas en RJUHSD, el programa ha pasado algunos problemas de estandarizas y números de graduación. Estos esfuerzos fueron una razón principal para los cambios a adaptar una organización de tres clases ELD. En el pasado, había una organización de cinco clases ELD que fueron correspondidas con los cinco niveles del examen del idioma ingles progreso (CELDT). Con esta organización, el distrito espera a apoyar involucrado de los estudiantes en el programa en otras clases principales. Maestra de ELD 3 Crystal Buskirk piensa que estos esfuerzos para mejorar la rapidez de compleción de clases son beneficiales para el programa.

“El meta en total incluye que usted va a alcanzar y continuar trabajo mientras comprensión mejore”, Buskirk dijo. El mejor énfasis en el tiempo de estudiantes en el programa está visto como una cosa buena y mala. Maestra de ELD 2 Suzanne Sharif no está de acuerdo en todo de la presión a completar cursos en un pequeño total de tiempo. “En el pasado, el edad de estudiantes no fue importe”, Sharif dijo. “Ahora, es como ‘tienes estos años y nosotros estamos terminados contigo.’” Basham piensa que la progresión de estudiantes en el programa está apoyando por los consejeros y también alienta independencia de estudiantes. Hay oportunidades para estudiantes después sus años en RHS en la escuela secundaria de Independencia y la escuela para adultos en Roseville. “Los estudiantes simplemente necesita la alienta. Hay otros programas para sus futuros”, Basham dijo.

La clase de 2018 enseña mejora

ECS y Tiger Tech han creado en RHS

marc.chappelle@eyeofthetigernews.com

isabel.fajardo@eyeofthetigernews.com

BY MARC CHAPPELLE

Estudiantes de primer año en RHS tiene un menor cuantiad de estudiantes que están obteniendo al menos de una D o F en algunas de sus clases. Esta es significante en comparación a los años pasados. Normalmente 25 a 30 por ciento de los estudiantes de primer año tienen al menos de una D o F, por lo general en matemáticas o inglés. Este porcentaje se redujo. Director Brad Basham cree que esto se debe en parte a los de primer año Pathways.

BY ISABEL FAJARDO

En el próximo año escolar RHS introducirá las clases de Explorando Informática (ECS) y Tecnología Educativa (IT) Essentials que se llama en corta, Tiger Tech. Estas clases serán en un bloque durante todo el año escolar con días alternos. Maestro Mike Fischer y coordinador de tecnología Marie Criste trajeron ambas clases a la atención del director Brad Basham. ECS y Tiger Tech incluyen conceptos de aplicaciones, sistemas operativos y partes en los computadores.

REPORTAJES

Domek jubila después de 28 años

BY MARIAN ABDELMALEK

marian.abdelmalek@eyeofthetigernews.com

En enero próximo, maestro de biología Gene Domek ya no hará su viaje del día de Sacramento a RHS. Domek se jubila al final del semestre de otoño después de haber pasado años 28 y medio de la enseñanza en RHS. Domek se interesó en la enseñanza después de que se le ofreció un trabajo de maestro en la escuela de San Joaquín Memorial de K- 8 en Fresno. Poco después, fue un maestro en la escuela media de St. Francis por seis años y

la escuela secundaria de Christian Brothers por siete años, hasta que fue contratado en RHS. Los estudiantes siempre ven a Domek alrededor de jardinería del campus, y muchos están tristes que no van a llegar a verlo todos los días después de que termine el plazo. Aunque la fecha de jubilación del Domek se establece, sus planes no son. “En realidad estoy deseando que llegue [jubilarse]”, Domek dijo. “Es hora de salir y hacer algunas otras cosas.”

Español RHS club de padres crea un mayor presencia en campus BY ANNA PORRETTA

anna.porretta@eyeofthetigernews.com

El Club de Padres de RHS está buscando tener una mayor presencia en el campus para apoya en los diferentes niveles de clase en maneras diferentes. El lunes pasado, el club de padres votó y aprobó dos iniciativas

Common Core en las clases AP BY SAMANTHA PAUL

samantha.paul@eyeofthetigernews.com

La transición a Common Core en RHS está causando preocupaciones de algunos maestros de los niveles avanzados (AP). La preocupación en común es que los maestros de AP no podrán dar el tiempo necesitado para completar tareas nuevas en los horarios presentes. Los maestros dudan la habilidad para prepararse estudiantes para el examen AP mientras dando atención a Common Core. Mientras currículo cambia a Common Core durante el año

para las clases. RHS ofrecerá una clase de preparación del SAT que costaría $10 al matricularse y $20 para los materiales. Esta ayudará la iniciativa académica para las estudiantes de tercer año y último año. También han aprobado la iniciativa para la clase de primer año, que será camisas de clase. Estas iniciativas serán para el año escolar 2014-2015. próximo, habrá muchos cambios a los ambientes de habitaciones educacionales. Common Core activación incluye más lectura y escrita en cada clase. Aunque en general maestros AP apoyan Common Core y sus principales, maestros AP Mark Andreatta y Robert Mahlman piensan que los requisitos no relatan buena con los de AP. “AP va a ser impulsado por los deseos de los colegios, no por lo que las escuelas secundarias quieren, así que hay un enfoque diferente”, Andreatta dijo. A pesar de estas opiniones, las expectaciones de Common Core son positivas.

RJUHSD aumenta los fondos para tecnología

BY OLIVIA HILLMAN

Para el final de este año escolar, los estudiantes de RHS deberían ver más tecnología en sus aulas, gracias a un recientemente aprobado $1.700.000 gasto distrito. El aumento de fondos mejorara Wi -Fi y los teléfonos móviles en el campus de RHS. La financiación, que fue aprobado por RJUHSD en su reunión del pasado martes, se utilizará para la compra de más de 2700 Google Chromebooks y aumentar potencialmente la cobertura de Wi -Fi por 900 por ciento de las escuelas del distrito. Las adquisiciones serán parte

de todo el distrito pero RHS es la escuela principal para la tecnología nueva. Profesor RHS Marie Criste y Google EdTechTeam trabajaron juntos para coordinar las aplicaciones de Google para el Festival de la Educación en RHS en el 8 de febrero y 9. Esta traerá RJUHSD más cerca de la aplicación de tecnología en todo el distrito. En RHS los dispositivos usarán primero en clases principales como matemáticas. “Estoy contenta de tener un tablero de apoyo que realmente por la inversión en tecnología para las clases”, Criste dijo.

Las clases de económica con un Bite of Reality

El club de Red Cross recaudó 1.485 dolores

catherine.barber@eyeofthetigernews.com

sydney.valenzuela@eyeofthetigernews.com

olivia.hillman@eyeofthetigernews.com

BY CATHERINE BARBER

trónico en el viernes pasado. Chappelle se sorprendió de que él fue aprobado en Stanford. A pesar de que cree que sus ensayos dieron su aplicación mucha personalidad. Chappelle cree que todos los estudiantes tratando de entrar en su número uno de la universidad y esforzarse al máximo.

El club de Red Cross en RHS ayudó a las personas que son afectados por el Tifón Haiyan. Esta pasó en un juego de basquetbol de Kings y el evento se llamaban “Shake the Can.” Había más de 6,019 muertos en resultado del desastre durante 10 días. El club de Red Cross conjuntó con la Universidad del Estado California, Sacramento (CSUS) en el 19 de noviembre para un total de dinero de $1.485. Los miembros del club estaban en las entradas del estadio con tazas para donativos. También, una representante del club regional habló enfrente de todo el estadio de los esfuerzos de Red Cross. El club venderá penedores para la iniciativa de Measles y Rubella durante los juegos de basquetbol en RHS en diciembre y enero por un dolor para cada penedor.

La clase de Peer Helping en RHS está dando vuelta a la comunidad. Peer Helping maestra Valerie Erb dio $100 a cada uno de sus clases para encontrar una forma innovadora de utilizar el dinero para devolver a la comunidad y ayudar a los necesitados.

Erb ayudó a sus clases a adquirir habilidades de comunicación y trabajo en un equipo a través de este proyecto. La clase de primer periodo de Erb organizó un día de actividades para los niños en riesgo en el 22 de noviembre. Llevaron a cabo el evento en el Centro Recreativo del Norte Roseville. Peer Helpers organizaron actividades de formación de equipos, juegos, pintura de caras, mesas de artesanía y decoración de galletas.

También ellos dieron pizza, bebidas, patatas fritas y postres a los niños. El cuarto período de Peer Helping organizó una recaudación espaguetis de fondos que se llamaba “Feast to Feed.” Esta pasó en el 4 de diciembre en la casa de campo de los alces en Roseville. En este evento, los Peer Helpers celebró una rifa, ven Peer Helping vídeos y estudiantes hablaron sobre la importancia de ayudar a los demás.

“Se alimentaban al menos 100 personas e hizo 700 dólares”, Erb dijo. “Le dieron el dinero para el Ejército de Salvación local para mantener a sus esfuerzos en la alimentación de las personas sin hogar y garantizar su banco de alimentos, etc.” El tercer período de Peer Helping era incapaz de organizar un evento para la fecha límite del proyecto, por lo Erb planea usar los $100 para el Peer Helping fiesta de Navidad anual.

RHS ganó contra Oakmont en baloncesto

Las tigres tienen su primera victoria

marissa.stone@eyeofthetigernews.com

will.white@eyeofthetigernews.com

Pioneer. Ellas no ganaron, 44-53. Ellas obtuvieron su ganado primero en el 7 de diciembre contra la escuela secundaria de North Valley. Los puntos finales fueron 60-46.

de sus temporadas jugando en la Academia de Fútbol Club San Juan. Panganiban está muy emocionado para su futuro en UCSD.

BY MARIAN ABDELMALEK

marian.abdelmalek@eyeofthetigernews.com

Por la primera vez en cuatro años, RHS enviará a un estudiante a la Universidad de Stanford. Estudiante de último año Kevin Chappelle solicitó plaza de la intervención temprana restrictiva a la Universidad de Stanford y fue informado de que fue aceptado cuando se vio en su correo elec-

Peer Helping complete proyectos para la comunidad

BY HANA ZAREA

hana.zarea@eyeofthetigernews.com

DEPORTES BY MARISSA STONE

BY WILL WHITE

El martes pasado, el equipo de baloncesto universitario de hombres tuvo una victoria muy cerca del equipo de la escuela secundaria de Oakmont. En el cuarto parte del juego, ellos estaban bajando de 11 puntos pero regresaron enfrente y ganaron el juego 59-57. En el último tiempo en el juego, jugadores de último año Matt Tawlks y Will White marcaron 15 puntos juntos.

En el 2 de diciembre, el equipo de baloncesto universitario de mujeres en RHS jugo contra la escuela secundaria de Placer para el juego de fundación. Este juego no contribuye a su record pero fue una recaudación de fondos para la Federación Interescolar de California. Las tigres no ganaron y los puntos finales fueron 32-55. El equipo tuvo su primero juego para su record en el 4 de diciembre en la escuela secundaria de

Panganiban firma con UCSD por fútbol BY MORGAN SIMPSON

morgan.simpson@eyeofthetigernews.com

Estudiante de último año Kyle Panganiban se ha comprometido a la Universidad de California en San Diego, y está caminando sobre su equipo de fútbol. Jugó en el equipo de RHS en sus dos primeros años y el resto

NOTICIAS

BY SYDNEY VALENZUELA

Las clases económicas de RHS participaron en una programa que se llama Bite of Reality. Esta es una simulación dada por los voluntarios de uniones créditos locales. En primero, estudiantes fueron dados una situación financiera y luego tuvieron que crear un plan de gastos y ahorros. Cada estudiante recibió una carta de información que incluyeron su carrera, esposo o esposa, niños, deuda y otras obligaciones. Entonces, los estudiantes usaron su información financiera para decidir en gastos vivienda, transporte, entretenimiento, muebles, ropa, quiere, las comidas y los niños puestos. El objetivo de la simulación incluye introducir estudiantes a vida real y todos estudiantes de último ano tendrán esta oportunidad durante el curso económica.

Estudiante irá a Stanford el año próximo

page 5

EVELINA KISLYANKA EYE OF THE TIGER

Steve Williams, director ejecutivo RJUHSD de servicios de personal, utiliza un iPad en la reunión del distrito el pasado martes, 10 de diciembre. La junta aprobó un gasto de $1.700.000 para la instalación de una mayor cobertura Wi-Fi gratuita y la compra de los dispositivos móviles para los estudiantes y maestros.

REPORTAJES

MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER

Domek explica las propiedades de la clorofila en la fotosíntesis para su primer periodo de clases de Biología. Domek ha sido muy involucrado en el departamento de ciencias en RHS con el club de ciencias y Science Olympiad. Esta semana es la última semana Domek estará enseñando en RHS como él planea jubilarse al final del semestre de otoño.

DEPORTES

Powless compete en la competición estatal

BY LOGAN ASH

logan.ash@eyeofthetigernews.com

Estudiante de tercera ano en RHS Neilson Powless, terminó en octavo lugar en la competición estatal de corriendo. Powless corrió en el 30 de noviembre en Clovis, California Para el año próximo él aspira a mejorar en el ámbito estatal.

MARIAN ABDELMALEK EYE OF THE TIGER

Estudiante de último año Matt Tawlks da un pase a su compañero de equipo. Los jugadores jugaron contra Oakmont en el martes pasado en Oakmont. Tawlks lideró al equipo con 20 puntos, seguido de Will White con 17 puntos y Dillon Bortmas con 10 puntos.


page 6 | sponsored

december 16, 2013

According to Operation Lifesaver, about every three hours a person or vehicle is hit by a train. Don’t be one of them. Visit www.oli.org for more information on how to be safe around the rails.

(Public service announcement sponsored by Union Pacific)

GRAPHIC BY HANA ZAREA TEXT BY ROBBIE SHORT


F eatures Gene Domek says goodbye to RHS after 28 years

page 7

december 16, 2013

by MARIAN ABDELMALEK

marian.abdelmalek@eyeofthetigernews.com

Next January, biology teacher Gene Domek will no longer be making his daily trip from Sacramento to Roseville High School. Domek is retiring at the end of the fall term after spending 28 and a half years teaching at RHS. “I won’t miss the drive,” Domek chuckled. Domek became interested in teaching 42 and half years ago after he was offered a teaching position at San Joaquin Memorial K-8 School in Fresno. Soon afterward, he taught at St. Francis Junior High School for six years and Christian Brothers High School for seven years – both in Sacramento – until he was hired at RHS. Domek has been able to see various improvements made to the century-old buildings at RHS during his long stay at the school. “We’ve got new buildings,” Domek said. “The science building was remodeled, we’ve added two big buildings, they added the dance building. It’s nice that [the Roseville Joint Union High School District] has enough money to put in facilities to keep up with the place.” Domek himself has contributed to the campus developments by gardening flowers and carrots with different students over the years. “The influence that he’s had on this campus over all those years is hard to measure in all the different things,” science teacher

Mike Purvines said. “There [are] things that people sometimes even take for granted and you can trace it back to what he did. It’s kinda cool. There are objects and trees that he planted with science clubs that are still in existence that nobody really knows [about].” Domek planted the 12-yearold oak tree in Senior Square with a science club. “The more trees the better,” Domek said. “I think on campus or anywhere that you can have trees it’s a really valuable resource.” Students always see Domek around campus gardening, and many are saddened that they will not get to see him every day after the term ends. “It’s sad,” said junior Taylor LeDang, who had Domek her freshman year. “It’s so sad. I’m gonna miss him, like seeing him make his carrots and come out and garden. It’s gonna be sad not seeing him.” Senior Hannah Vicente had Domek her freshman year and noticed that he had an influence on her class and the campus. “He was a great teacher,” Vicente said. “I think one of the better teachers I had at Roseville [because] he was really passionate about his job and he knew a lot about biology because he taught it for so long. I think he really grabbed the attention of students. [If] most students maybe didn’t like science, he really got everyone engaged

COURTESY RHS YEARBOOK

and through his [hands-on] labs. Everyone could participate and get into it just because it was exciting.” Domek has also contributed to RHS’ science department. “I think he’s one of the veteran teachers that creates that culture of ‘we get along, we share, we help out,’ and then we get to know each other in our personal lives a little bit too,” Purvines said. “He’s one of the foundations of that.” Biology teacher Darcee Durham has enjoyed working and socializing with Domek. “He’s always been around socially and supports his fellow teachers and is always on board for whatever we do in the program,” Durham said. “He’s a good guy.” As Domek prepares to leave, many agree that they will miss having him and seeing him on campus.

MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER

Domek explains the properties of chlorophyll in photosynthesis to his first-period Biology class. This week will be Domek’s final week as a teacher at RHS, as he will retire Friday after 28 and a half years at the school. “Someone who’s been teaching as long as he has and has a very positive attitude about it and some really neat things is quite admirable,” Purvines said. “He has some lore and some knowledge of this campus that no one else seems to really have. He has a really interesting outlook on life and things in general and it’s kind of fun to talk to him and he

has unique perspectives and he’s just a very kind and intelligent person.” Though Domek’s retirement date is set, his plans are not. “I’m actually looking forward to [retiring],” Domek said. “It’s time to go out and do some other stuff. [I] haven’t set any firm plans yet, but I’ll figure out something to do.”

Domek has enjoyed his time at RHS and will miss the staff and students. “I’ve always had a good time at [RHS],” Domek said. “The friends I’ve had teaching for sure, the people I’ve worked for have always been fun to work with and the students, of course, have been a lot of fun. It’s been a wonderful life.”

Senior Kevin Chappelle headed to Stanford University Applied early action, plans to major in computer science by marian abdelmalek

marian.abdelmalek@eyeofthetigernews.com

COURTESY KEVIN CHAPPELLE

For the first time in four years, Roseville High School will send a student to Stanford University. Senior Kevin Chappelle applied for restrictive early action to Stanford University and found out he was accepted into his top college choice when he checked his email after coming home from school last Friday. “Beforehand, I was trying to prepare myself for [the worst] so that I wouldn’t get disappointed if I didn’t get in,” Chappelle said. “I was like ‘Stanford is a really tough school and you really can’t expect to get into a school with such a low acceptance rate.’ But, then again, because it has such

a low acceptance rate I’m really grateful that I was chosen out of all the super smart people that applied.” Chappelle was surprised that he got into Stanford considering how prestigious the school is and how few people get accepted. “I thought getting into Stanford was kinda like having a birthday,” Chappelle. “I recognized that it happened and I know that it was good, but I don’t feel a drastic change as a person.” Travis Chappelle is very proud of his son. “I [am] extremely excited and happy for Kevin,” Travis Chappelle said. “Words can’t even describe it. We know that this was Kevin’s dream, and we know that this meant a lot to Kevin and our family.” Though he is not positive on the reason on why he was accepted, he believes that his good grades and test scores helped, but his essays were what made his application unique. “I definitely think that they were looking for more than just

[good grades and test scores],” Chappelle said. “Probably the strongest part of my application was the essays. At first, I was a little nervous because my essay had an overall colloquial tone. But, in retrospect, I think that gave my application a lot of character.” Though he believes that his essays gave his application a unique voice, he found that the personal statement essay was difficult to write. “Writing my personal statement was very hard because it’s just always hard to express who you are, who you truly are, in a way that will actually impress a school like Stanford,” Chappelle said. Chappelle had teacher recommendations from his art teacher Patricia Leong, Advanced Placement English Language and Composition teacher Paige Powell and physics teacher Mike Purvines. “[I chose that group of teachers because] I really liked those teachers and I thought that they would be able to talk about me

on a personal level,” Chappelle said. Freshman Marc Chappelle is ecstatic for his brother. “I’m overwhelmingly proud of him and I’m excited to see what he will accomplish in the future,” Marc Chappelle said. “I hope he makes the best out of the opportunities presented to him when he goes to Stanford.” Chappelle plans to major in computer science, as he sees a future in the field. “I’ve always liked video games and computer games,” Chappelle said. “I also see a good prospect in the computer sciences.” Chappelle believes that all students trying to get into their number-one college should fully commit themselves and try their best. “Don’t underestimate yourself, and try your best in school and your extracurriculars and your sports because, in the long run, it will really help you,” Chappelle said. “It will help you develop a passion for something.”

Senior Sam Courville and sophomore Marcus Wells perform in Disneyland by HANA ZAREA

hana.zarea@eyeofthetigernews.com

Roseville High School senior Sam Courville and sophomore Marcus Wells recently performed at the happiest place on Earth. During Thanksgiving break, Courville and Wells performed at Disneyland in Anaheim. Courville performed with Stand Out Talent’s Roseville performance group, and Wells performed with Flying Monkey Productions, a Sacramento theater group. Throughout the year, Disney’s California Adventure Park invites performers of all ages to hold a show on their Backlot Stage. “You have to send in an audition tape and [a] list of the songs [you want to sing] and all of the lyrics,” Courville said. “[Stand Out Talent] had done it the year before, so we sent in a video of that [performance] and told them the songs we wanted to do this year. We found out we were

accepted and we wanted to go around the holiday season so that ended up working out well.” The day before the show, performers participated in a workshop hosted by Sjaan Trowbridge, a Disney audition evaluator, which gave them a look into what it would be like to be a Disney character in the theme park. “[We] got to do a workshop after that [went] through what it would be like to have a Disney audition and work there and stuff like that,” Wells said. Flying Monkey Productions held their show on the weekend before Thanksgiving break and performed a set of pop songs for the Disney guests. “[We did] a medley of songs and we sang and danced,” Wells said. “I sang ‘Boyfriend’ by Justin Bieber, but I was kind of sick. I had laryngitis, so I didn’t really have a voice, so my friend had to come in and help me out.”

COURTESY MARCUS WELLS

COURTESY SAM COURVILLE

Sophomore Marcus Wells (left) performs a set of pop songs with Flying Monkey Productions in Disneyland. Senior Sam Courville (right) stands with five other members from her performance group, Stand Out Talent, showing their Disney jackets. Both students performed at the park over Thanksgiving break. Stand Out Talent performed a similar musical show, but focused on singing holiday songs and Disney movie soundtracks. Courville sang a solo version of Mariah Carey’s “All I want for Christmas is You.”

“This time we did more Christmas-y stuff,” Courville said. “Our group probably had around 10 songs. I had a solo and I was in various group numbers.” Both Wells and Courville have had previous experience

performing at Disneyland. Stand Out Talent held a Halloween show in 2012 and Flying Monkey Productions performed this past February. “It was a great time,” Courville said. “I think it’s a great op-

portunity for teaching purposes. [You’re] performing under more pressure than just the people you’re used to seeing. They explained to us that you’re trying to make it a magical experience for everyone that enters the park.”


december 16, 2013

page 8 | features

Ska band performs in JB Gale Theater

TOYS FOR TOTS

MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER

The ska band from Folsom Lake College plays their set to fourth-period band and guitar classes. The performance took place last Wednesday in the JB Gale Theater. by HANA ZAREA

hana.zarea@eyeofthetigernews.com

Last Wednesday, a Folsom Lake College ska band performed for fourth-period band and guitar classes in the JB Gale Theater. The college’s music department offers a class that groups students in bands that perform at a variety of places. Philip Angove, a Roseville High School alumnus, is a professor in the music department at Folsom Lake College and was the main organizor of Wednesday’s performance. “[It was] the Caribbean Jazz Collective that we brought to perform here at Roseville,” Angove said. “And it’s our newest group on campus. It’s basically a jazz ensemble, built on a jazz band but we actually play [cultural] Caribbean music such as ska [and] reggae. [We play the music of] different artists from different eras and different countries and we also do original tunes that we write ourselves.” The band performed “Aargh Street” by Filibuster, “Spiderwebs” by No Doubt, “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” by Jummu Claff, “I Can’t Stand Losing You” by the Police. They also played one of their original songs “Put it in the Back of the Net,” which is about their school’s soccer team. “I thought the performance was really good,” junior Sabrina Cucu said. “I was very interested

in seeing [the] different instruments being played all together and the different genres of music they had. I’m definitely encouraged [to pursue music in my career] because I love the sound of it.” The college’s music program encourages students to perform at local schools like RHS for a variety of reasons. “One of the reasons we come is to let the students here know about the college and the music program and to find students that might be interested in pursuing college at the [college] level, and letting them know about our program in case they’re interested,” Angove said. Last year, Folsom Lake’s Afro-Cuban Funk Band performed at RHS. The positive reaction from the audience inspired Angove not only to perform again, but to start up a band that plays primarily ska music. “[The] Afro-Cuban Funk band did play one ska tune and that was the song that everyone here at Roseville went crazy for,” Angove said. “And I was like, ‘man, they liked the ska that much’. It was definitely a big factor in me determining that I was going to put a Ska band on campus.” Angove often performs at RHS in particular because he is an alumnus of the school. He enjoys seeing the changes that the school has gone through since he graduated in 1994. “It’s always exciting to come

back and see all the changes and developments because it’s very different from when I was here,” Angove said. “There is faculty still here like Mr. Hack and Mr. Toffelmier. But a lot of faculty now are retired or gone out [to] different places, so I wouldn’t know 80 percent of the people here. But it’s always nice to come back and see familiar faces.” Students enjoyed the performance and were happy to see some returning performers from last year. “I was really excited to see [a flute player] again because I knew he was going to do a jazz flute and I liked it a lot,” sophomore Perina Vallejo said. “I haven’t heard a lot of [this kind of music], so it’s kind of cool to hear it live and from people who really [love] music too. It definitely is an eye-opener because I am in band, so when you see other people perform, it’s really nice to see and you can really get somewhere with it.” Angove appreciates RHS’ enthusiasm during performances and hopes. “I love how freaking amazing the audience always is at Roseville High,” Angrove said. “It makes me proud to be alumni back here. It doesn’t mean that what we’re playing is everybody’s favorite type of music but to listen to them you’d think it is because they’re such [a great] audience every time we come, so that’s why we keep coming back.”

FASHION COLUMN

Junior Thomas Ensley inspired by the arts by HANA ZAREA

hana.zarea@eyeofthetigernews.com

What inspires your style? The music I listen to: rap music. Like J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar [because] he’s a natural-born stud. I’m [also] inspired by what they wear in music videos. They dress with class, street class. Would you call Kendrick Lamar your role model? Heck yes. Why? Because Kendrick is real, with real-life music; [he’s] not fake. He also wears nice clothes, but also stays casual. How would you describe street class? Urban but classy. Does being in art and fashion inspire your style? I get inspired by my art because I do a lot of street art. That flows into the clothes I wear. Where do you buy your clothes? Thrift Shops, Ross, Target and H&M. How much do you pay for your clothes? Anything more than $40 is too much. What’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever bought? The most expensive thing I’ve ever bought would have to be my Nike Blazers. They were $150. What do you think about trends around Roseville High School? I feel like a lot of the [fashion] is the same. I see a lot of Nike and a lot of sagging. There’s also a lot of skater influence and Diamond. I’m digging the trends but I’ve got to say, be original, be

yourself. Start your own style. How would you describe your style? My style is street urban but I still keep it classy. I don’t wanna look like a scrubba. What would you say is a scrubba? Someone who doesn’t care about what they wear. I care. Do you take risks with fashion? Yes, but as long as the one wearing the clothes likes their own style, nothing else should matter. Do you have any fashion advice? Just do you: keep it classy, not trashy.

MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER

Ensley wears blue jeans, a light blue and white button-up and a black peacoat. He completes his look with a pair of Converse.

MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER

Top, a student from Noralto Elementary School in Sacramento clutches the skateboard he received at Student Government’s annual Toys for Toys event last Thursday, Dec. 12. Bottom, an SG student hands another child a gift at the event. SG accepted gift donations from students, parents and staff during the weeks leading up to the event, and every Noralto student who attended left with a present. The kids also got the chance to meet Santa Claus and make ornaments at a crafting station with their SG helper-elves.


december 16, 2013

Top 10 biggest moments of 2013 at RHS

Opinion

page 9

6) Basketball

Last season, the RHS boys basketball team made it to the first round of the playoffs, losing in a heartbreaking loss with seconds to go at home to the El Camino Eagles.

5) Rivalry win

BY NICK TREZZA AND LOGAN ASH nick.trezza@eyeofthetigernews.com logan.ash@eyeofthetigernews.com

As we head toward a new year, it seems appropriate to reflect on some of the highlights for Roseville High School during 2013. These events were high points for RHS, and these 10 events showcase how great our school really is.

10) Victory for girls soccer

Last season, the varsity girls soccer team advanced to the playoffs by clinching their playoff berth with a last minute goal by Lindsay Anderson. The team advanced to the second round of playoffs before losing to the Ponderosa Bruins.

9) Relay team sets a record

The 4x400 girls relay team broke the school record for the fastest time with Morgan Simpson, Paige Crouch, Chanisse Hendrix and Marissa Dumford. The squad ended up breaking the record two times last season.

8) Graduation broadcast

For the first time in RHS’ history, the Eye of the Tiger news organization live-broadcasted the promotion ceremonies so families or friends unable to attend could see their student walk the stage.

7) News team broadcasting

The RHS news organization began producing more broadcasts, increasing from one every other week to every single week so as to better inform the students about happenings at RHS.

The RHS football team beat the Woodcreek Timberwolves this year at Woodcreek in the last game of the season in a down-tothe-wire finish. Sadly, the Tigers still did not make it to the playoffs.

4) Academic Decathlon

In February, the RHS Academic Decathlon team won the Placer County competition and qualified to advance to the state competition. In the Placer County competition, RHS scored higher than all of the other schools that competed.

3) Live-stream sports games

The RHS news organization live-streamed a variety of different games from football to basketball and even volleyball. Our flawless commentators included William White, Matt Tawlks and various others to help make the program possible.

2) Sleep Train Arena game

This year, the RHS Tiger basketball team has the opportunity to play the Yuba City Honkers at the Sleep Train Arena. This game will be held today at the arena for the first time in RHS’ history.

1) Woodcreek Powder Game

Back in January, the very beginning of 2013, we had the legenday powder game. During the warm-ups at Woodcreek High School, the “Black Mob” imitated a LeBron James stunt by throwing baby powder into the air. The baby powder caused the court to be slippery and it became unplayable. The game was then transferred to RHS where the Tigers went on to defeat the Timberwolves on their Aurora game

Overlapping school activities cause eclipsing of events BY MICHAELA PAUL

michaela.paul@eyeofthetigernews.com

The term is coming to an end, and for the more artistically inclined classes, this gives us students an opportunity to shine. It gives us a chance to show an accumulation of our talent and expertise to loved ones and friends, and to maybe even show off a little bit, because we’ve worked hard for it. Unfortunately, this accumulation becomes a little too diverse. It seems as though, in an effort to save time and energy, our school decides to pile multiple events into one night. For example, a guitar show, an art show and a basket-

ball game all on the same night, coinciding with the same times. I suppose I can see the benefits – allowing the school to shine collectively and affordably instead of allowing students their personal moments to shine, or maybe having one of the basketball players direct a struggling parent to the correct venue of the art show. But instead of emphasizing everyone collectively, can’t we allow them to all have their individual moment? And heaven forbid someone may possibly want to see or be a part of more than one event. Which is better: art or guitar? What student is more important? Everyone believes his or her event is the most important, but a little consideration or in the very least acknowledgement should be put into practice. The students of this school work hard to hone the skills they possess and each event should exemplify that. I can understand time constraints, but personal recognition should be distributed equally.

Common courtesy crucial in cinemas BY SYDNEY VALENZUELA

sydney.valenzuela@eyeofthetigernews.com

We’ve all had unpleasant movie theater experiences. One would think that after so many years of going to the theater, people would develop some common courtesy when viewing a new film with a theater full of strangers trying to enjoy the film themselves. However, this doesn’t seem to be the case. Cell phones. Everyone knows the irritating “please be courteous to others and silence your cell phones now” spiel – some to the point of reciting the entire script. (We’ll get to that one later.) One would think that with the idea so ingrained in moviegoers’ heads, people would actually silence their cell phones. Alas, at the most suspenseful (or

quiet) part of the film, the chorus from “The Fox” by Ylvis renders the scene rather anti-climactic. A slip-up here and there is understandable, of course, but in the event that your phone does begin to ring in the middle of the theater, for God’s sake, don’t answer it. You’ve already caused enough of a distraction, and the person who’s calling you doesn’t really need to be told that you can’t talk right at that moment. Just set your phone to silent and ignore it. Unless you’re a world-renowned surgeon and need to be in surgery in 10 minutes, it’s not that important. However, the ringing shouldn’t just be ignored either. You know it’s your phone that’s sounding and so does everyone else. No one is impressed by your poorly timed musical interjection and we don’t want to hear more – it’s probably an overplayed usedto-be popular song anyways. One of the biggies is talking during the film. Please don’t. Odds are, you don’t have anything intelligent to contribute anyways. No one cares if you can’t comprehend the movie or if you think that part right there is the best in the en-

tire film. Just don’t do it. There’s really no excuse for this one. More on the topic of untimely noises is eating. If you happen to buy a box of Skittles, don’t wait for the most quiet part in the entire film to shuffle the noisy little candies around the box and into your hand. You’re not going to die if you don’t eat them right away. It can wait. Honestly, it can. It should also be mentioned that once your drink is empty, it’s empty. Sucking on the straw obnoxiously to get that last drop of water from a melted ice cube isn’t going to get you anywhere but on other peoples’ nerves. The most common culprits are people with Icees. There comes a point when there’s nothing left but ice and you making a lot of noise trying to get your $7-for-a-small cup of ice and diluted syrup. It’s distracting and, honestly, it just makes you look like a fool. Kids and PG-13 movies, and babies in movies in general, shouldn’t be a thing. Obviously there are exceptions to kids seeing PG-13 films, but parents should emphasize the ‘no talking’ rule. Important scenes con-

stantly being interrupted with questions of “what’s that?” or “what’s happening?” or, even worse, “but why?” become awfully grating after a while. While it’s okay at home, it’s not okay in a theater full of other people trying to enjoy the film. On the topic of babies, just hire a babysitter. You’re not fooling anyone by reassuring them that they’ll sleep through the entire film. Odds are, as soon as the loud noises start, that baby is going to wake up and make an awful fuss that usually equates to crying loudly. Do yourself and others a favor and leave the kid with Grandma. What is quite possibly more irritating than anything else are people who insist on sitting right in front of you in a scarcely populated theater. Obviously with new and popular movies, this is unavoidable. However, when it’s 10 o’clock at night and there’s only two other people in the theater, there is absolutely no reason for you to sit right in front of them. Odds are, if decide to be a jerk, people aren’t going to hesitate to “accidentally” kick your seat throughout the entire film.

in order to run a stable country. It isn’t the taxes themselves that I am disturbed by; I am troubled by the fact that I have absolutely no say in where any of the money deducted from my check ends up. Those of us teenagers who have paying jobs are currently paying taxes. Every check we receive has money deducted for Social Security, Federal and State taxes. I certainly do not recall being asked my opinion on where my hard-earned money is being spent. If those of us who are not 18 are paying taxes, shouldn’t we have a say in where that money goes? Wouldn’t this lack of say in our financial ordeals be an example of taxation without representation? Is taxation without representation not the very idea that our country was founded against 200 years ago? In actuality, all of these questions bring up interesting points. While I realize that I wouldn’t have a direct say in where my tax money is spent anyways, like the rest of America, I think that it is frankly unjust for my tax money to be distributed when I wasn’t given the opportunity to vote on where I think that it should go. As drastic as it sounds, this is an example of taxation without representation. If us teenagers are considered old enough to have a job and pay taxes, then we are

old enough to vote on where our hard-earned money is distributed, or at least vote people into office who make these decisions. There is much opposition to the idea of youth suffrage in America. Many adults have hesitations because they feel that the American youth is not capable of effectively voting as a whole. Others consider teenagers too ignorant, immature and mentally underqualified to help make decisions that would have such a significant impact on the country. To be frank; if we are going to base our criteria for voting off intelligence and mental capacity, then many adults should not be allowed to vote either. If the argument is that teenagers are not smart enough, then why doesn’t the government issue a nationwide test in order to establish who is and who isn’t intelligent enough to vote? I am fairly positive that a significant percentage of adults would not be qualified to vote due to their lack of intelligence. Many adults feel that teenagers are not mature enough to vote, but that is quite untrue. Riddle me this: Teenagers can legally drive, sign up to be in the military, become employed, pay taxes out of their paychecks, drop out of high school, be tried as an adult for murder, have sex, and see R rated movies. Why are we con-

sidered “mature” enough to participate in all of these activities, yet we aren’t “mature” enough to make an informed decision about our country? Age does not define maturity; it is quite a frivolous argument to say that it does. Others say that teenagers will vote solely based on their parents’ views, on looks or on other superficial criteria instead of understanding the actual issues. Could we not replace “teenagers” with “adults” and the same statement will still be true? Classifying an entire group of citizens as too immature, too easily influenced and too stupid to make educated decisions is quite unfair. All of the reasons that adults are hesitant regarding youth suffrage can be deemed as ignorant generalizations. While some teenagers may be unintelligent and immature, as in every demographic in America, it is not true for the entirety of the group. It is quite unfair to place such a negative generalization on the generation of citizens that will, before we know it, become leaders of our country. The injustice of taxation without representation that 16 and 17 year-old employees face should be stopped. After all, the voting age has been lowered once. Why shouldn’t it be lowered again?

“Taxation without representation” for the employed youth of America

BY SAMANTHA PAUL

samantha.paul@eyeofthetigernews.com

As soon as teenagers reach a certain age, the pressure to become employed is placed upon our shoulders. One of the best parts of getting a job, besides the priceless experience and the skills that are in turn developed, is when the hard work at your job results in a hefty paycheck. However exciting this may be, I have noticed something that is slightly puzzling through my employment experiences. I find it quite troubling that every time I pick up my paycheck, the amount of money that I receive is significantly less than expected, due to the multiple tax deductions. I know what you are thinking, “Of course there are taxes! You can’t complain about something that’s inevitable.” Yes, I am aware that everyone has to deal with taxes


december 16, 2013

opinion | page 10

Morning bulletin both outdated and inefficient

BY HANA ZAREA

hana.zarea@eyeofthetigernews.com

Every morning at the beginning of second period, students at Roseville High School begin with a routine. The bell rings, students will meander into their seats, the intercom will chime, students will stand up and say the pledge of allegiance. After we sit down once again, a voice will promptly list the events of the upcoming school day. Despite how simple this system appears, the way we announce the bulletin at RHS is outdated and practically useless. First of all, because of the un-

Christmas decorations have only become a competition between “kind” neighbors BY KATELYN ROLEN AND AARON SOUZA katelyn.rolen@eyeofthetigernews.com aaron.souza@eyeofthetigernews.com

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and people are lining up in mobs to replace their burned-out Christmas lights. Let’s face it, Christmas lights mean less about Christmas than ever. They have turned. They have become tools of neighborhood rivalry that symbolize the long buried battles of Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Jones over the burnt lemon squares at the PTA meeting three years back. Behind every

light there’s a petty disagreement between neighbors. Husbands and fathers climb their longest ladders and untangle masses of multi-colored icicles, cursing under their breath to make their houses sparkle. “Not this year,” he mutters as he releases his 1000-watt instruments of celebration. But, they don’t symbolize the Savior’s birth. He must be brighter than the house across the street. It’s all about who can be the best. Wives flood their lawns with inflatable Santas and Rudolphs. People of the neighborhood raid convenience stores to purchase the darkest sleep masks they can find to shield their eyes from the burning glory of their across-thestreet-pal’s Christmas extravaganza. These light-riddled roof tops can be seen from space. There’s no point to decorate your house on Christmas

anymore. You aren’t spreading Christmas cheer any longer, you’re making the Joneses down the street grit their teeth and frown because their hearts are three sizes too small, and they want the win. Somewhere along the line, people forgot what Christmas is all about. Forget about the relatives flying in from who-knows-where, and just buy the ham already cooked and prepared from Whole Foods. People need to drop their neighborhood rivalries and remember that there’s no competition in Christmas. The whole point of the holiday is to make it look as though we enjoy spending time with our families, and we can’t even keep that farce up anymore. Forget about your petty showmanship – they are just cheap LED lights. It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year.

avoidable roar of classroom conversation, it is nearly impossible for most students to hear the daily bulletin. Secondly, the morning speakers often present the information quickly, not allowing students enough time to memorize the complicated dates and times of events. Because of this inefficient system, most students give up trying to hear the announcements, missing important information. The morning announcements are actually a valuable source of information for students and shouldn’t remain muffled by student conversations. Most clubs rely on the daily bulletin to bring members to spontaneous meetings. Sports fans must listen to the announcements in order to hear about upcoming games, since we don’t have them written in our planners (for lack thereof). Scholarship opportunities, ticket-buying deadlines, schedule changes … the list goes on and on. Ultimately, every announcement on the bulletin is important but students rarely are able to hear them. There is an easy way to fix this problem, and it doesn’t include

forcing the student body to shut up. Many high schools around the area have already adopted the technique of presenting announcements in a visual format, similar to the way we already present the Eye of the Tiger Today. Teachers could go to the high school website and put the bulletin on a projector for a few minutes a day, allowing students enough time to gather the information they need. This format would attract the attention of students, bringing more people to school events, giving important reminders and ultimately improving student involvement in school. It is a well-known fact among both students and faculty that the auditory morning announcements are useless. If a student really wants to get information about the day, he or she will go to the school website. In all honesty, I don’t remember the last time I actually listened to the auditory version. Announcements over the intercom have been a high school tradition for decades, but it’s time to let go. There are more efficient ways to communicate with students.

Most wonderful time of year is finally here BY CATHERINE BARBER

catherine.barber@eyeofthetigernews.com

Christmastime has finally come. There are several reasons that make the holiday season the best time of the year. For one, everyone is in a good spirit. The sound of laughter fills the air while jolly tunes are sung and hummed. People are also thoughtful, and joyous gifts are exchanged. You can see the happiness within people wherever you go. Whether it be the mall or school, the joy within people is apparent. Along with this, everything is beautiful. Lights are strung every-

where, creating a glowing wonderland. Brightly lit trees fill both living rooms and public places. This creates a happy Christmas environment wherever you may go. Food is also delicious around Christmastime. Sweets fill stockings and hot chocolate is a daily treat. Feasts on Christmas Day are also very filling and enjoyable. A lot of food establishments have special holiday treats, such as the infamous Starbucks coffees. These treats are only available for a short time, so take the opportunity while you can. I mean, who doesn’t enjoy peppermint flavored things? Along with all this, a Christmas float goes around my neighborhood every year that also spreads cheer. During the evening, sirens go off and alert families to come outside and see the annual tradition. The mini-parade features a decorated moving float that Santa is on, along with some elves that pass out candy canes. The look on all of the kids’ faces is priceless when they see their imagination come to life. Even the parents get into the spirit of things and appreciate all this parade does for the

community. Presents also add to the Christmas excitement. Shoppi ng for gifts for friends is fun, and giving gifts makes people feel happy. Receiving gifts is also enjoyable because you get surprised with something new. Christmas movies also make Christmastime more enjoyable. “Elf” is definitely my favorite and is always hilarious. In addition, “Santa Clause 1” and “Santa Clause 2” are classics. Classics such as “The Grinch” and “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” are also great holiday movies. The “Home Alone” series is also perfect to watch during the holiday season. In addition, everything is cozy. Sitting by the fire or bundling up in blankets, the winter weather brings the perfect opportunity to get comfortable. It also allows you to break out your winter clothes. Scarves are always a holiday favorite. With Christmastime comes opportunity to spend time with friends and family. The twoweek-long break from school also allows students to relax and catch up on much-needed sleep, so enjoy it.

Celebrity deaths don’t need excessive media coverage Introducing high-schoolers to Common Core is unfair BY NICK SAPP

nick.sapp@eyeofthetigernews.com

Within the past year, the teaching method of Common Core has been implemented into Roseville High School’s curriculum. This method is very different than the previous way we

have been taught. Instead of just learning the material and getting an explanation for why that answer was right, now you have to explain how you got your answer after you already know it’s right. Students have been taught their whole lives how to take multiple-choice tests, but now students are being forced to produce an explanation as to how they got an answer. Why should a student have to explain something that they already know? I have the right answer; isn’t that what matters? This entire program either shouldn’t have been implemented or should have been implemented when we were younger. This way of teaching has only caused struggles for many students and

has even affected many students’ grades at the end of it all. Students do not know how to explain how they got the answer because they have not learned that way. This causes all around confusion. On top of all of this, teachers have to miss many days to go to trainings about Common Core. In addition, most of the time, the teachers go at the worst time to these trainings, such as the day before tests when you need to ask questions about said test. The whole Common Core system should be reviewed and should be slowly and gradually applied to the learning system. It should not just be dumped onto students who have learned a certain way their whole life and now have to change the way they learn.

BY SARAH LOOPER

sarah.looper@eyeofthetigernews.com

Many students around Roseville High School have probably heard an abundance of talk about the recently deceased movie actor Paul Walker. Most everyone will probably recognize Walker from “The Fast and the Furious” franchise. With any celebrity’s passing there is going to be an obviously large amount of publicity show-

casing all of the good things that he or she had accomplished in their life. However, sometimes it can be a bit overdone. Yes, Walker’s passing was a tragedy, but publicizing it for more than a day or two on every television channel or radio station can be overload on the matter. Walker passed away in a fatal car crash, adding to the irony of the movie and franchise he promoted. The driver was a close friend, Roger Rodas, who also passed in the crash. Rodas was nowhere near as popular as Walker, but still just as important. I cannot seem to fathom why celebrity deaths appear more tragic and upsetting compared to an everyday man or woman. I do understand that a celebrity is better known and able to advertise him or herself on an everyday basis. However, why should a celebrity get better treatment because of their passing compared

to some ordinary person? Both leave tragedy for their friends and family. I am by no means saying that a celebrity death is not important or should not be made known to the public, but I do believe that if someone is going to get a three-page spread in a magazine, then why shouldn’t everyone? A perfect example of this was made known the minute Walker and Rodas passed. Walker, who has starred in many hit movies, got quite a few days on television with his story broadcasted, whereas Rodas passed that same day and got hardly any recognition, at least none to compare to Walker’s. In conclusion, I do understand that a well-known celebrity or person will receive more recognition than the everyday man, but I don’t think they need a whole week of it on every possible media outlet.


december 16, 2013

Entertainment

page 11

COURTESY LIVE 105, RADIO 94.7 AND DANIEL WETTER

Clockwise on left: Cage the Elephant, MS MR (Electric Christmas) and Lorde (Not So Silent Night). Clockwise on right: Bastille (Not So Silent Night), The Neighbourhood (Not So Silent Night) and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts (Electric Christmas).

Alternative bands rock regional concerts Electric Christmas enthralls audience with perfomances

BY ANNA PORRETTA AND NIKAYA SOUTHWORTH

anna.porretta@eyeofthetigernews.com nikaya.southworth@eyeofthetigernews.com

It was Dec. 4 and we had just rolled into the parking lot in front of the infamous Sleep Train Arena. The air was frigid and barely tolerable, but we hardly noticed in the midst of our overpowering excitement. We had been waiting for this glorious night ever since we bought our floor-seat tickets months before this show, 94.7’s Electric Christmas. Though we arrived on the scene minutes past seven, we missed the first act entirely. Oops. After a little while, The Features, best known for their song “This Disorder,” came out on stage and played their set. Though their set was short, they were great and really got the crowd pumped up for the rest of the night. They closed with their hit single and received a hearty round of applause from the audience. They came on and destroyed their set, in a good way. They sounded just as good as their recorded music and played a life changing mash up of “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees and “Sweater Song” by Weezer, which made even the middleaged people in the crowd get down with their bad selves. As far as we knew, Grouplove was supposed to come on next. So when the projectors displayed two big hearts, we were not expecting Joan Jett and the Blackhearts to come out and play. We didn’t even know she was still alive, but we assure you that woman is nothing short of amazing. They played classics alongside their newer music. Everyone went crazy, including us youngsters, and danced and sang along.

After we managed to get away from a dancing gray-haired couple – who, may I add, weren’t leaving any room for Jesus whatsoever – Grouplove burst onto a stage in a whirlwind of dyed hair and electronic music. Discounting the tone-deaf girl screaming the lyrics behind us, they were awesome. They played a few mellow songs in the beginning, upped the tempo toward the middle of their set, and then slowed it down toward the end. Regardless, they sounded phenomenal live. Somehow, between Grouplove and the next act, we managed to shift to the other side of the crowd entirely. Triangles appeared on the screen and the crowd roared – everyone was clearly ready to tessellate – and Alt J came out onto the stage. Much to everyone’s (Fitz)pleasure, they are English and great live. The entire crowd was moving and singing along even though no one has a clue what the lyrics are to any of their songs. Much to our disappointment, a large quantity of people left after their set, being that it was late and most people wanted to just see Alt J and not the headlining band, Cage the Elephant. Finally, Cage graced the stage, opening with “Spiderhead” off their new album Melophobia. We went crazy and started headbanging and screaming the lyrics. And the crowd went… mild. For some reason everyone, aside from us and a few other groups of fans, decided to videotape the performance and nod thoughtfully with their hands in their pockets. We think that the people were put off by front man, Matt Shultz, and his eccentric performance style. Shultz ended up crowd surfing several times, while singing

perfectly, might we add. They finished their set around one in the morning and we went home with our ears pleasantly ringing. This concert sounded amazing. All the acts sounded just as good if not better than they do on their records. We had previously seen some of the bands live and had high expectations which were met and exceeded. Every band performed great and engaged with the crowd in their own way; Capital Cities taught the crowd a dance called the Capital Cities Shuffle, and Matt Shultz of Cage the Elephant chatted the audience up like old friends. Performance and music-wise, this show was heaven. 94.7 also did a fun little thing where you could text in a message to their radio station’s number and have it displayed on the big screens between acts. While the music was great, a few things went wrong. First off, it took forever for the roadie crew to change over the sets. When the headliner went on, they were over an hour behind schedule. Other venues such as Ace of Spades and The Fillmore are very on top of things when it comes to changing sets, but the crew at Sleep Train was subpar. Also, during Cage the Elephant’s set, you couldn’t hear the lead guitar at times or the singer, which isn’t the band’s fault, it’s the crew’s fault. Being huge fans of the band, we found this extremely frustrating. Overall, the music was fantastic and the lineup was great. The bands that played were very different but still managed to be cohesive. All of the bands played fantastically and we would encourage you to see all of them live if you’re presented with the chance to do so.

Lorde, Phoenix dominate night two of Not So Silent Night BY ROBBIE SHORT

robbie.short@eyeofthetigernews.com

Not So Silent Night is an annual two-day concert put on by Bay Area-based radio station LIVE 105 featuring a variable line-up of bands performing at Oakland’s Oracle Arena. This is a review of Night 2 of this year’s show. THE NEIGHBOURHOOD Not personally being a huge fan of or knowing much about The Neighbourhood, an alternative rock band from the slums of Newbury Park, my concert experience began in a somewhat toned-down way – yeah, I’ve heard “Sweater Weather,” but just what were those other songs they were playing? However, despite forcing me into the awkward position of a concert-goer not totally informed of a band’s establish song, style or set-list, the group performed admirably, especially vocalist Jesse Rutherford, whose performance of their aforementioned hit restored some of my faith in genuine human vocal ability that had been lost in today’s world of looping, splicing and auto-tuning to one’s heart’s content. BASTILLE Unfortunately, here again was the tragedy of the unaware concert-goer – a malady, I admit, I brought upon myself. Though, as with The Neighbourhood, I wasn’t totally schooled in Bastille’s track record (or their sound) before hearing their performance, the group’s dynamism and raw, upbeat energy inspired me to make a note to check out some more of their stuff when I got home. Of particular note was journeyman performer Kyle Jonathan Simmons, whose taiko-like drumming was both strange and captivating.

LORDE If every other artist (save Phoenix) merely maimed their performances at NSSN, Lorde, music’s newest and brightest crown jewel, completed massacred hers. Despite initial sound difficulties – the handling of which on the 17-year-old New Zealander’s part showed a remarkable degree of composure for someone young enough to be a classmate of almost everyone reading this – she completely blew away her performance, at once demonstrating her precocious talent and her fondness and aptitude for endearing, spastic jerking around a stage. Her cover of Kanye West’s “Hold My Liquor” was, in both musical and performance terms, the best moment of the night: faster, faster, faster, faster, faster, until suddenly – nothing. Just her silhouette and an echo. A beautifully tragic echo. ALT-J Poor Alt-J: cursed with the bad luck of being forced to rouse listeners out of the downswing of their post-Lorde bipolar depression. Though allotted perhaps the single most undesirable spot in the line-up for any band looking to leave any kind of impression – and being forced to deal with the concert’s most prolific abuse of marijuana during their set – the indie rock band from across the pond was able to leave a rather indelible mark on me, the casual listener, mainly through the infectious, pulsing rhythm lifted it into the night’s upper echelon of individual musical performances. PHOENIX Were it not against the policy of Eye of the Tiger to put expletives into print, rest assured that there would have already been

quite a few in my description of how freaking amazing Phoenix was. Of all the bands that performed, the French rock band was probably the one with which I had the most prior listening experience. I’d already fallen a bit in love with several of their songs, particularly “Litszomania” and “1901” by the time I arrived at NSSN. Suffice to say, I was blown away. At first, I thought the band sounded merely as good as it did on the record. I was wrong. It was so, so much better. I still don’t quite understand how real human being can perform so true-to-song in that kind of a high-energy, high-motion environment. Wow. They were even good enough to make the stoned concert-goers put down their paraphernalia long enough to listen. (Even if lead singer Thomas Mars’ belly-flop-crowd-surfmash-up was the most awkward thing any human has ever done or attempted.) ARCADE FIRE Though perhaps the most popular band of the night – or, at the very least, the most recognized – Arcade Fire fell into the same PTSPD (post-traumaticallyspectacular-performance disorder) trap that Alt-J did. The trouble was that this band did a worse job of getting out of it. Maybe it was the high standards set by its preceding band. Maybe it was the end-of-show billing. Maybe it was a generally lackluster performance. More likely, it was a combination of all three. Regardless, Arcade Fire, though still certainly good enough to warrant paying their portion of the ticket price, was simply a good band during a night of great ones.

Hobbit sequel makes up for dull first

BY SIMIRON DHADDA

simiron.dhadda@eyeofthetigernews.com

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug hit theaters last Friday to a tune of 8.8 million viewers, while having to compete with both the Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Frozen. The movie clocked in at about three hours of screen time, yet, due to the pacing, it leaves you wanting more. The Desolation of Smaug is part two of director Peter Jackson’s movie trilogy of the book The Hobbit, written by J.R.R. Tolkien. The movie takes place after the first, An Unexpected Adventure, and has a nice interlude to help connect plot points from both movies. Bilbo Baggins is still on his adventure after leaving his home (the Shire) with a company of dwarves on their way to reclaim

their homeland from the dragon of tales, Smaug, and reunite the dwarfen race. Throughout the movie, Bilbo and the dwarves encounter elves, take refuge in barrels and make it to their homeland The characters stand out from another and mesh well for a movie that lasts three hours. The main protagonist, Bilbo, played by Martin Freeman, is charming as ever from the last movie. Freeman does a good job of portraying Bilbo, and plays his part incredibly well. The same goes to all of the other actors, who have a great presence within the movie. The animation in this movie was phenomenal, as with the special effects. The pinnacle of the animation in this movie is the dragon Smaug, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. He is showcased incredibly well, even though he has a

short screen-time compared to the overall movie time. No expense was spared in order to animate the almost life-like dragon who tries to outwit the main characters. It’s hard not to lose yourself in the scope of the movie as a dragon is trying to eat a hobbit for breakfast. The brief instances of magic are also grand in the movie and are visually striking. The soundtrack was great and memorable throughout the movie. All of the tracks sounded amazing and did well to reflect what was happening at the time. For a movie as long as this one, adventure is peppered within the movie and doesn’t leave the watcher bored. If you enjoyed the last movie, then you must watch The Desolation of Smaug; it builds on the last one without suffering from a lack of adventure that second movies and books in a trilogy tend to do.

COURTESY MCT

The adventure of Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) is continued in the sequel to the original Hobbit film, The Desolation of Smaug. The sequel adds more adventurous scenes to the series and features stunning animation and acting.


december 16, 2013

page 12 | entertainment

Dust Off the Reel

Christmas Vacation imitates relatable holiday chaos

BY KEVIN CHAPPELLE

kevin.chappelle@eyeofthetigernews.com

COURTESY ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER/MCT

Britney Spears, performing above, recently released her new album, Britney Jean, which overuses her old sounds.

Britney Spears’ tune has not changed BY MARC CHAPPELLE

marc.chappelle@eyeofthetigernews.com

BY ANNA PORRETTA

anna.porretta@eyeofthetigernews.com

Watching classic movies widens your cinematic literacy and allows you to enjoy stories and visuals that you might otherwise overlook. “Dust Off the Reel,” recommends classics that Kevin Chappelle or Anna Porretta enjoy, and that you will too. Well, it’s that time of year again. That’s right, it’s the holiday season. The glorious time of year when 107.9 plays “Dominic the Christmas Donkey” on repeat and mall traffic clots the artery that is East Roseville Parkway. If you’re anything like me you’ll be too irritable to brave the cold and horrible driving conditions and you’ll find yourself parked in front of the television watching mind-numbing ABC Family Christmas Specials. Alas, one can only tolerate It’s A Wonderful Life so many times. So to help you guys get into the Christmas spirit, I combed Netflix for an under-appreciated holiday gem and came across a little diddy, a part of the National Lampoon franchise. Brace yourself for some background info, kids. A magazine called National Lampoon was founded in 1969 and ran from 1970 to 1998. It was created as a spinoff from the Havard Lampoon and made waves in the media. With its controversial covers and subject matter, often featuring nudity and lewd humor, National Lampoon was an instant hit with the public. The magazine was considered ground-breaking for its time, being that it crossed lines and opened doors which had never been touched before. National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation is the third installment in the series that follows the Griswald family. In this movie, Clark Griswald (Chevy Chase), family man and Christmas spirit enthusiast, is determined to have the best family Christmas possible. The movie opens on the family driving through a frozen landscape on their way to chop down a Christmas tree. Clark and his wife are singing Christmas carols while their daughter and son Russ – played by Johnny Galecki, who is best known for his role as Leonard in The Big Bang Theory – sit irritated in the back seat. By the time they trek through the snow and find what Clark describes as the “perfect tree,” they realize they failed to bring an axe. And from there hilarity ensues. I, myself, am not a fan of Christmas movies, with the exception of Charlie Brown’s Christmas Special. Now, that movie’s a masterpiece. Despite my distaste for holiday specials, I actually didn’t mind this movie at all. I found myself comparing my holiday experiences with those of the Griswalds, and much to my amusement – and horror – found them pretty similar. The directors and actors did a good job of accurately depicting the special brand of chaos that arises during the holiday season, right down to the mental breaks. Though some of the jokes featured in this movie are cheesy and dated, it’s not a bad film at all. In fact, that’s where some if it’s allure comes from. If you’re going to be forced into watching one holiday movie with your family, let it be National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. It’s barely politically correct fun for the whole family.

Bagaan caters to vegan diet

We all know Britney Spears, the pop star, the Mouseketeer who would later produce several huge pop hits. We’ve yet to see the real Spears beyond the one who shaved her head and ruled the covers of tabloids a few years ago. So, with an album title of her own name, I would expect her to reveal a part of the true Britney Jean. In theory. After listening to the album, I learned nothing about the real Britney Spears. I learned that electronic pop is what sells in the 2010s. I learned that she’s capable of churning out radio-ready pop songs. They’re catchy. However, Britney Jean is far from her finest musical work, with its overuse of simple electronic riffs and melodies. Spears

has said before that she’s lost control over her music, so I’ll blame her producers for that. To Spears’ credit, the album makes for a relatively easy listening experience, with each song blending into the next, because they all sound the same. If you’re really wanting to sit down and just listen to an uninspiring, somewhat rough pop-electronic, then, by all means, go out and purchase Britney Jean. Her team seems to have kept Britney on a tight leash, letting her music take no risks whatsoever. It’s sad to see this happen to the pop star, because I know there’s, at the very least, a remnant of a voice buried deep below the pile of auto-tune and generic lyrics. Not all pop songs come off as weak as Spears’ new set have, with her voice seemingly compressed and compacted into

a new form that left me wanting to listen to something else. “It Should Be Easy” is a lyrical disaster. It’s a convoluted mess of song, as Spears’ singing seems super unnatural and unfitting. Fortunately, certain songs stand out from the pack. “Chillin’ With You” actually features her younger sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, from Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101. I want to see her with a voice and actual creative control. Right now, she’s really just a manufactured pop star with manufactured songs. I want to see Britney Spears make a strong comeback from the failure to create a more personable image found in Britney Jean. But by the looks of her newest release, I’m afraid it could be too late for Spears ‒ the pop business isn’t what it used to be.

As an ex-pescetarian, I appreciate the fact that there is a local vegan restaurant in Roseville. Baagan isn’t new, but it’s definitely new in terms of Roseville’s vegan scene. Upon opening the door, I could smell the aroma of spices and seeds. Suspended glass shelves on two walls are stocked with bags of Bagaan-branded product. Among these organic products are cheesy kale chips, chili sunflower seeds and organic spice blends. However, I went straight for the primary menu items. They sell a variety of salads, sandwiches, soups, and drinks – all of which are vegan. Some of the menu items are quite pricey, but I settled for the quinoa wrap ($6.99) and the chai smoothie ($5.99). The quinoa wrap had a surprisingly large amount of ingredients combined into a single item. It was a spiced mix of quinoa grains, chipotle spread, fresh greens, tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, red bell pepper and pea sprouts, all wrapped together in a spinach herb tortilla.

I really liked the flavor of the wrap; it was pretty spicy and the vegetables worked well together. What really made it for me was the thin layer of chipotle sauce. It gave a lot of punch and flavor to an otherwise simple vegetable mix. The chai drink was alright, too. Although I’m accustomed to more strongly flavored chai, Baagan’s chai wasn’t bad, but rather, fell short in comparison to the drinks of other stores like Starbucks or Lollicup. The spices were a bit on the weak side, but still good, nonetheless. It could just use a bit more of a punch. Overall, I was impressed by the organic, neo-hippie vibe that the store creates. Also worthy of note is that Baagan sells health-promoting products like yoga mats in the store. There was definitely an additional health focus in the restaurant, shown by their use of raw, organic ingredients grown themselves or bought from local farms. The food at Baagan is great. It’s healthy, it’s filling and it’s flavorful, though perhaps not very accessible for certain people’s budgets.


S ports Wrestling teams defeat Rio Linda in first meet december 16, 2013

BY DEAN SIDERIS

dean.sideris@eyeofthetigernews.com

The Roseville High School varsity wrestling team has gotten off to a good start for the 20132014 season. The team defeated the Rio Linda Knights 45-30 in their first meet of the season, winning seven out of 10 matches. First year head coach Doug Ash was pleased with his wrestlers’ performances. “They came out pretty strong and wrestled well; six out of our seven wins were pins,” Ash said. The weekend before last, the varsity team headed over to Vista del Lago High School for the first tournament of the season. As a team, they took eighth place out of 27 teams, including Rocklin and Nevada Union. Senior wrestlers Logan Runner and Robert Ferry placed second, while Graeson Leach and Noah Honeycutt took third and fifth. “It was a super fun day,” Run-

Soccer phenom on way to UCSD

page 13

ner said. The varsity wrestlers are enjoying the new mat room dedicated for wrestling only. Four-year varsity wrestler Jonathan Maroon is excited to have a wrestling room for his final season. “It’s nice not having to roll out mats every day or practicing in the cafeteria,” Maroon said. “We also get to listen to music now while we practice which makes it better and go by faster. I go off while listening to harmonic music.” Many varsity wrestlers are also happy to have their former middle school coach, Doug Ash, back with them. “Having Ash coaching us again is great because he’s known a lot of us for years and he knows our individual wrestling styles so that chemistry is already there,” Ferry said. The junior varsity wrestling team is also starting off strong for the upcoming season.

A Roseville wrestler grapples with a Rio Linda opponent during the team’s first meet. The Tigers defeated the Knights 45-30. They traveled to the Folsom Duals for their first tournament this year. They went 3-2 as a team. “They did well, we just have a couple of things to work on,” Ash said.

JV wrestlers Mike Mulligan and Joe Evans went undefeated for the day, winning their five matches. Senior wrestler Joe Evans was happy with the team’s perfor-

Young JV team adjusts to game speed Freshman boys lose

six players to JV team BY GABE LIRA

gabe.lira@eyeofthetigernews.com

Freshman JV player Brandon Del Rosario attempts a layup against the Oakmont Vikings. The game ended in a 54-62 loss. BY BRYCE CROUCH

bryce.crouch@eyeofthetigernews.com

Kyle Panganiban looks to advance the ball down the field during a game with his club team. BY MORGAN SIMPSON

morgan.simpson@eyeofthetigernews.com

Kyle Panganiban has recently committed to the University of California at San Diego, and is walking on to their soccer team. He played on Roseville High School’s junior varsity team as a freshmen, varsity as a sophomore, and the rest of his seasons playing on for the San Juan Academy Soccer Club. It has been his dream to go to UCSD ever since he went to one of their College ID & Development camps for soccer his sophomore year. “Ever since their ID camp, the coach and I had been contacting each other,” Panganiban said. “I’m really excited that the coach wanted me to play for them because ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to play college soccer.” RHS coach Pablo Gutierrez, Panganiban’s old coach, has high expectations for him at UCSD. Even though Panganiban only played for him one year, he saw a lot of positive qualities about the soccer player. “Kyle will do an excellent job at any university he attends,” Gutierrez said. “He is a natural playmaker that instantly makes a positive contribution to which team he plays for. He is an excellent player, but more important, he is a great kid.” Panganiban will not be getting any money out of the recruitment due to the lack of scholarships the school can offer. He hopes that he will start getting money in the future. “Since the school doesn’t have the money for the soccer program, I won’t be getting any money for playing soccer, but hopefully in later years I will,” Panganiban said.

team this year.” The varsity team participated in the tournament at Oakdale High School last weekend and the JV team played at the tournament at Bradshaw Christian High School.

Basketball program sees potential in lower levels

MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER

COURTESY KYLE PANGANIBAN

mance at Folsom. “It was a good day; a lot of our guys got medals,” Evans said. “Mike Mulligan went undefeated as a first-year wrestler, so that was cool too see. We have a solid JV

COURTESY LOGAN ASH

The Roseville High School junior varsity boys basketball team is very different this year than it has been in the past. This year’s team is very young and unexperienced at the high school level. The team has six freshmen – all of whom receive significant playing time. Brandon Del Rosario, Zack Mancha, Tommy Edwards, Jason Russel, Grant Baer and Josh Carson are the six freshmen on the team. “We have gotten better with every game and every practice, but we are a very young JV team so we are still behind a lot of teams we will be playing against with development and experience,” head coach Bobby Ritter said. “The good news is we should

have a quicker learning curve against our competition and improve more quickly.” Ritter acknowledged that having such a young team can be challenging at times. “Obviously, playing a lot of freshmen presents some challenges,” Ritter said. “They are less experienced than the sophomores and are often times not as physical. Two major goals are to improve the team’s basketball IQ and to make them stronger individual players as well.” The team recently played in Ponderosa-El Dorado Gold Dust Tournament and finished third overall. Freshman Mancha received all-tourney honors, finishing with 15 points. According to Ritter, Mancha helped the team out defensively. “I am excited and nervous that

I’m playing JV and I appreciate the coaches pulling me up,” Mancha said. Last Tuesday, the team played against the Oakmont Vikings, but lost 54-62 in a closely contested game. Leading scorer of the game was Mancha with 19 points. Last year, the freshman team finished 0-27. Sophomore Gustavo Divincenzo was a part of that team and feels that this year’s JV team has taken huge steps forward from that squad. “It’s a big improvement from last year,” Divincenzo said. “ I feel more comfortable on the court playing with these teammates.” This past weekend, the team played in the Woodland Buck Bailey Tournament and will play Yuba City High School at Sleep Train Arena today.

This year, the Roseville High School boys basketball program hosted summer workouts to improve the skills of their new incoming players. The boys from Cooley Middle School and Buljan Middle School combined to practice at Roseville High School. Six freshmen were moved up to the junior varsity level as a result of their improved skillsets. On Dec. 5-7, the RHS freshman boys basketball team played in a three-day tournament at Ponderosa High School. In the tournament, the RHS Tigers only won one game. The Tigers lost to their first opponent of South Lake Tahoe 32-27, lost to Ponderosa 72-36 and beat El Dorado 44-40. On Dec. 10, the Tigers played against the Oakmont Vikings. RHS came into the game with one win and two losses and were determined to try to get a win. It was a home game for the Vikings, so the Tigers had to travel to a loud gym at Oakmont. RHS was struggling in the first half offensively. “I thought we battled, played

hard on the defensive end, but had our struggles on offense,” head coach Brandon DeLeo said. “We were also dealing with foul trouble with multiple players early in the game that definitely hurt us.” In the second half, the Tigers came out trying to come back in the game, but ended up losing the game by 20 points, 44-64. “There’s a lot of room to grow to play well with each other,” guard Jeremy Oh said. The Tigers’ next tournament will be on Dec. 12 at Woodland High School. According to DeLeo, the Tigers have hard work and motivation on their side and will try to bounce back and win in the tournament. “I am feeling good about it and excited to see what adjustments we can make from our last game at Oakmont,” DeLeo said. Center Bryce Nelson also sees specific areas the team needs to work on. “I think we need to rebound better and have more of a team effort and be stronger with the ball,” Nelson said. The Freshman team will play at Sleep Train Arena tonight along with the junior varsitty and varsity teams.


S ports Varsity boys pull out close win against Oakmont page 14

BY MARISSA STONE

marissa.stone@eyeofthetigernews.com

Last Tuesday, Roseville High School’s varsity boys basketball team had a very close win against the Oakmont Vikings. They went into the fourth quarter trailing by 11, but were able to make a comeback and win the game 59-57. In the fourth quarter, seniors Matt Tawlks and Will White scored a combined 15 points, giving RHS a chance at victory. Senior power forward Matt Grashoff scored a three-pointer to put RHS up by two points with four seconds left in the game. Although RHS won, the team struggled on both sides of the ball. Offensively, they had a hard time making free-throws and three-pointers. Senior Gabe Lira felt that they lacked a team effort and Tawlks agreed. According to these team members, rebounding is the team’s

december 16, 2013

main defensive struggle. “I feel like we did a little better on defense, only allowing 57 points,” Tawlks said. “But we still need to work on it.” The fourth quarter is when the team really overcame its struggles, outscoring Oakmont 24-11. Tawlks led the team with 20 points, followed by White with 17 points and Dillon Bortmas with 10 points. Over Dec. 5-7, RHS played three games in the tournament at Elk Grove High School and ended up having a rough start. The RHS Tigers lost their first game 64-79 to McClatchy High School. They had a close second game, but were unable to come out with the victory and ended up losing 52-56 to Yuba City High School. The boys finished the tournament with a blowout victory 7636 against Excel Academy.

Several players were missing due to SAT tests and personal commitments, which added on disadvantages for the Tigers, but the team was able to come out with one win and two losses. Bortmas received the All-Tourney award. The Tigers will have a chance to avenge their loss to Yuba tonight at the Sleep Train Arena. Tickets are on sale for $25, which includes a ticket for a Sacramento Kings game in January as well, and students also have the option of paying $10 extra for transportation to the game and pizza beforehand. Coach Greg Granucci thinks his team is doing better, and although they didn’t play well their first few games, they are still progressing. MARIAN ABDELMALEK EYE OF THE TIGER “I think we just need to work through it and keep on going,” Junior Bryce Crouch plays defense against Oakmont point guard Jared Flowers in the Tigers’ win over the Vikings 59-57 last Tuesday. Granucci said.

Lady Tigers get better during first weeks, coach says BY WILL WHITE

will.white@eyeofthetigernews.com

MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER

Left, a Lady Tiger goes up for a layup during one of the team’s games at the Oakmont Rotary Tournament two weekends ago. Left, another player battles a Fairfield Falcon for the ball during a Dec. 9 home game.

The Roseville High School varsity girls basketball team hosted Placer High School for their annual foundation game on Dec. 2. The game did not count toward either team’s record, but was a fundraiser game to earn money for the California Interscholastic Federation. The Lady Tigers, unfortunately, did not prevail, losing 32-55. “I think we have things to work on, but we’re getting better day by day,” freshman Shelbie McKay said. “When we made a mistake, we talked about it to try and correct it. Also, we had spurts where we played good defense, so we just got to be more consistent with it.” The Lady Tigers’ next game was their first official game of the season as they went to Woodland to play Pioneer High School on Dec. 4. After a long, strenuous game, the Lady Tigers were unable to get a win, losing to the Patriots 44-53. Standout players were senior power forward Lindsay Anderson who racked a double-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Freshman pull-up Shelbie McKay scored 14 points, along with seven rebounds and four steals. On Dec. 7, the Lady Tigers

played their first home game as they faced off against North Valley High School. After what head coach Josh Errecart called a ‘below par first quarter,’ the Lady Tigers picked up their effort and played well for their first win of the season, beating the Panthers 60-46. “It was good to get our first win,” Errecart said. “It’s just a testament to the hard work we put in during the summer and spring.” Standout players were power forward Anderson and shooting gaurd McKay. Anderson scored 21 points with seven rebounds and McKay scored 10 points with nine rebounds. Another key player was senior Baylee Spencer, who scored 12 points. “I think we are playing very well and playing hard,” Anderson said. “The improvement of our team is good, so I think it’s going to be a good year.” The weekend before last, the team went to Oakmont High and participated in the Oakmont Rotary Tournament. On Dec. 9, the Lady Tigers took on the Fairfield Falcons. To add to their efforts, they won 50-15. Anderson also scored 20 points in the game, as well as rebound the ball nine times. McKay made 10 of the points, had seven rebounds and nine assists during the game.

Athlete Atmosphere

Every issue of Eye of the Tiger, the sports department will feature a male and female athlete from a variety of different sports.

Jimmy Jaggers - Varsity Basketball Shelbie McKay - Varsity Basketball BY NICK ESPINO AND MATT TAWLKS

BY NICK ESPINO AND MATT TAWLKS

With our fifth Athlete Atmosphere, we are keying in on Roseville High School freshman Jimmy Jaggers. Jagger was asked to play on the varsity basketball team earlier this year. The varsity coaches got a chance to see him play during the summer league games, determining to see if the talented and potential-filled 6’4” center would be a good suit for their team. Sure enough, Jaggers fit right in. In only his third year of playing organized basketball, Jaggers has found his way into a rotation that is very competitive. As of now, he competes with senior center Spencer Hammond in backing up senior center Dillon Bortmas. Through seven games, Jaggers has appeared in situations when the RHS Tigers need help rebounding or defending around the basket.

For the girls’ Athlete Atmosphere this issue, Shelbie McKay will be in the spotlight. McKay, along with Jaggers, is also a freshman on a varsity basketball team. McKay has fit right in the lineup. In fact, McKay has been one of the standout players on the team. Along with senior teammate Lindsay Anderson, Mckay has led the team in both scoring and rebounding. As a freshman on a team filled with juniors and seniors, that is something that can’t go unnoticed. McKay has been playing basketball for nine years now, and has used it as her escape away from the world. According to McKay, it helps her get away from her everyday stress. Some season goals for McKay on the season are to have a winning record, but to also average double digits throughout the season. When Mckay first found out

nick.espino@eyeofthetigernews.com matt.tawlks@eyeofthetigernews.com

nick.espino@eyeofthetigernews.com matt.tawlks@eyeofthetigernews.com

COURTESY JIMMY JAGGER

On game days, Jaggers wears his Nike Elite socks at school and keeps them on until the end of the game later that night. Along with that superstition is one in which he eats a banana before every game. He likes that it provides potassium, but he also just enjoys the flavor. Jaggers’ favorite part of playing basketball in high school is how fast-paced, and up-tempo the game is. When he first received the news that he would be pulled up to varsity level, he was excited to

play and get started. According to Jaggers, the varsity basketball team is a really fun team to be around, and they love giving him a hard time about being a freshman. Along with supportive teammates, Jaggers parents always have his back. They are at every game up in the stands supporting him and the team. Jaggers’ biggest goal this year is to make playoffs. As far as personal goals, Jaggers wants to get a dunk during a game – preferably at home in Moeller Gymnasium.

she was going to be pulled up to the varsity team, she was excited but also nervous. She was worried that the other girls would judge her coming up on the team as a freshman. However, now, McKay loves her team and the players she plays with. There is certainly no judging, just laughter and fun. McKay’s parents are very supportive of her, as they come to ev-

MADISON MACHA EYE OF THE TIGER

ery game. She says it goes a long way having parents there for each game. However, McKay’s biggest fan is her boyfriend Jay Razzano, who also comes to every game, and is usually the loudest one there, cheering her on. Before every game, McKay listens to the same playlist in the same order of her favorite songs to get her ready to play.


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