Eye of the Tiger (Issue 8, Volume 13)

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Dirty Dingos Hot Shots team inspires hotbed of student spirit

Cost for AP exams prohibitive before this year’s increase

A Most Violent Year paints “gloriously dark” picture of 1980s New York

With season all but over, varsity Tigers look ahead to next year

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FEBRUARY 17, 2015 | ISSUE 8, VOLUME 13

Title IX halts baseball upgrades Team must wait for softball fields to catch up

BY DEVIN ORR

d.orr@eyeofthetigernews.com

Although Roseville High School’s softball fields are currently in the process of beginning a major set of renovations, baseball coaches and players are frustrated that their own field renovations are put on hold due to Title IX regulations.

Over the last few months baseball has been given donations to renovate the batting cages, but no work can commence until the

treat male and female students equally, the softball field improvements have to be finished before baseball can start any of their own improvements.

“The fields have to retain a sort of equity between them,” assistant principal Jason Wilson said.

Plans for improvements have been in work over the past year. According to Wil-

softball fields have finished their improvements.

“It’s frustrating that we have the materials to get it done but we can’t because of the rules,” senior Spencer Bracco said. “These renovations [would] help out our field a lot.”

Due to Title IX, a United States ed code that requires programs in public schools to  TITLE IX | Page 2

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

Teachers begin prep for SBAC Common Core lessons come to English, math

BY RACHEL BARBER

r.barber@eyeofthetigernews.com

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

GOOGLE SUMMIT: ONE YEAR LATER

In a year, many changes A look back at growth of RHS, RJUHSD tech

BY ROBBIE SHORT

r.short@eyeofthetigernews.com

Two weekends ago, Roseville High School hosted the Roseville Google Summit, an event similar to the Google Festival it hosted almost exactly a year before.

Like last year’s Festival, the Summit featured 480 educators from around the state, all of whom came to RHS to learn strategies for integrating technology into an educational setting. Like last year, sessions ranged along the spectrum of instructional technology, covering everything from tried-and-true plans for professional development

to the apps students have found most useful in the classroom. Like last year, it rained.

Unlike last year, though, RHS wasn’t shocked by the “firehouse” one organizer calls the Google events. It’d been a year since the Festival, and it’d been a growing year for the school. Teachers began to catch up, and technology started to appear more and more frequently in RHS’ classrooms.

Here’s an in-depth look at what went on during that year.  TECH | Page 3

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

Above, RHS Spanish teacher Maria Pitts listens during a session at the Roseville Google Summit Sunday, Feb. 8.

Program different, difficult

BY GEORGE HUGHES

g.hughes@eyeofthetigernews.com

A student works during Miguel Quinonez’s second-period IM1 class.

Econ to join RHS AP offerings

Provided requests, will pair with AP Gov next year

IM teachers, students struggle ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

Roseville High School’s junior English and math classes are currently working to prepare their students for Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) testing in the spring.

RHS piloted the exams, which will THE TEST provide a ComWHEN: mon Core-aligned Early April replacement for the WHAT: now-defunct CaliCommon Core fornia State Test replacement for (CST) and StanSTAR dardized Test for the Assessment of Reading (STAR), during a trial run last April. Administrators view that testing a success and have since encouraged faculty to integrate the critical thinking strategies that both Common Core and the SBAC promote into their classes.

Though CST and STAR were traditional pencil-and-Scantron, multiple-choice tests,  SBAC | Page 2

Now that the Integrated Math curriculum has made its debut at Roseville High School, some teachers are concerned about the understanding and retention of students in the program.

The program was instituted in effort to better help students meet the Common Core standards put in place by the Roseville Joint Union High School District.

Because this is the first year that RHS teachers

have taught the course, both teachers and students had to adapt to new teaching and learning styles to cope with the course.

RHS Integrated Math 1 teacher Cory Fukumon said that the students are having a hard time because the methods of teaching and learning are very different from the math classes that they are used to.

“They are struggling,” Fukumon said. “I think the biggest struggle is adjusting to how we teach the course, and I think the struggle is that there is a lot of reading, there is a lot of writing, there is a lot of collaborative learning and  IM | Page 2

BY MARC CHAPPELLE

m.chappelle@eyeofthetigernews.com

Heading into the 2015-16 school year, seniors enrolling in AP Government will now have to take an additional course, AP Microeconomics, to satisfy their economics graduation requirement. The change will occur if enough students enroll in the AP Gov/Econ classes..

The course would take place of the existing quarter-long College Preparatory Economics class. It effectively expands the current quarter-long AP Government and CP Economics courses into two separate semesters.

RHS administration felt motivated to push the course out to students in light of its recent efforts to assess the status of RHS students in AP courses through Equal Opportunity Schools surveys. “[We want to] support the EOS partnership we have and try to make offerings to students,” AP coordinator Jason Wilson  ECON | Page 3

INSIDE: Upcoming Events......2 | News......2-3 | Español......4 | Features......5-6 | Opinion......7-8 | Entertainment......9-10 | Sports......11-12 | Read more at eyeofthetigernews.com.

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Eye of the Tiger ROSEVILLE HIGH SCHOOL 1 TIGER WAY ROSEVILLE, CA 95678 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Robbie Short NEWS EDITOR Isabel Fajardo FEATURES EDITOR Marian Abdelmalek OPINION EDITOR Olivia Hillman ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Marc Chappelle SPORTS EDITOR Nick Espino Daniel Ryan COPY EDITOR Rachel Barber Mikayla Stearns ONLINE EDITOR Awfa Al-Rakabi Marc Chappelle ESPAñOL EDITOR Elizabeth Morin BUSINESS MANAGER Grant Esparza FACULTY ADVISER Bobby Ritter

STAFF WRITERS Ryan Andrada Logan Ash Catherine Barber Amran Bisla Chase Blatnick Matt Brackmann Joslyn Carrell Marina Efstathiu Adam Erickson Luz Flores Haley Guardino Eve Hill George Hughes Michelle Im Brad James Delphine Kyubwa Lauren Leal Max Modeste Sophia Mogannam Devin Orr Netzy Ortega Seiénna Papini Carlie Reader Cesar Sanchez Nick Sapp Haylee Sex Andrew Smith Arturo Sotomayor Madie Whalen CONTRIBUTING CARTOONIST Catherine Barber

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?

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Write to us at info@eyeofthetigernews.com

february 17, 2015

TITLE IX: Baseball, softball must ‘retain a sort of equity,’ Wilson said CONTINUED FROM FRONT

treat male and female students equally, the softball field improvements have to be finished before baseball can start any of their own improvements.

“The fields have to retain a sort of equity between them,” assistant principal Jason Wilson said.

Plans for improvements have been in work over the past year.

According to Wilson, the reason for the delay was the step-by-step process it takes for improvements to be done and has nothing to do with the recent coaching changes made after former softball coach Nicole Wallace left the team last season.

Whenever work is formally proposed, plans will need to be submitted with the District Buildings & Grounds Modifications Approval Form 7111. Proposed projects are then considered by

the Board of Trustees where code compliance issues exist, and if required DSA plan approval is a condition for the start of construction.

Plans must comply with the requirements of the California Building Code, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Title IX. When work is constructed that does not meet the requirements of code, those improvements are generally demolished to preclude enforcement action and liability for the district.

Any work on the softball field, currently at this time, will be involved with the pathway to the field and parts that won’t conflict with games or practices. Major construction won’t take place until the end of the season.

“I’m excited that they’re finally working on our field because they’ve been talking about it for so long,” senior softball player Katie Edgar.

Head baseball coach Lance Fischer, however, is annoyed by his program having to delay the remodel when they already have the money in place.

“It’s frustrating, but I understand the process the district has to go through because they have had issues with Title IX,” Fischer said.

Over the last 10 years, the Roseville Joint Union High School District planned to renovate several high school softball fields.

Projects include getting a baseball net at Oakmont High School, a bullpen for Antelope High School’s softball teams and an outfield fence for Granite Bay’s varsity softball team.

Plans for the varsity softball field is anticipated to be approved by the Division of the State Architect (DSA) around the last week of February, and completed

by August 2015.

SBAC: Teachers prep with criticalthinking techniques CONTINUED FROM FRONT

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

Third-year decathlete Brigit McAnlis marks her answer during the Academic Decathlon SuperQuiz at Inderkum High School. RHS’ team won its third consecutive county championship two weeks ago and will advance to the state level.

AcaDeca team secures third win

by SEIéNNA PAPINI

s.papini@eyeofthetigernews.com

Roseville High School’s Academic Decathlon team is bringing back the Placer County champion title and trophy for the third year in a row, and is looking forward to competing in the state competition in March.

RHS was announced as the champion for Placer County at a banquet last Tuesday, Feb. 9, with an overall score of 37,169, beating runner-up Western Sierra Collegiate Academy by more than 5,000 points.

RHS, along with two other schools from Placer County, competed alongside 23 schools from Sacramento last Saturday, Feb. 7, at the 35th Annual Sacramento County Academic Decathlon at Inderkum High School.

Due to the cancellation of the Placer County Academic Decathlon in late 2014, the teams from Placer County moved to the other county. RHS’ only competition,

however, was Western Sierra and Rocklin High School, because those were the only schools in the original county, but Western Sierra was RHS’ “team to beat”.

The team is divided into three categories: varsity, scholastic and honors. These are divided to represent students from GPAs of all levels (‘A’ students, ‘B’ students and ‘C’ students). Out of those levels, some prominent decathletes were Brigit McAnlis (varsity), RJ Henkel (scholastic) and Robbie Short (honors).

Competing in the Sacramento County Academic Decathlon was a different experience for all of RHS’ decathletes.

Senior Brigit McAnlis’ experience this year differed from last year’s because the team did not have the support of their county.

However, McAnlis was grateful for the opportunity to compete alongside Sacramento County nonetheless.

“It was fun to compete at the

Sacramento meet because there was so much energy with all of the teams there, but I am glad that Placer County got to hold their own awards ceremony,” McAnlis said.

The theme for this year’s decathlon was “New Alternatives in Energy: Ingenuity and Innovation,” which RHS’ decathletes Antonio Arreola took a liking to. “[This year’s theme] was really relevant because it focused on global issues, like global warming, air pollution, water contamination and the things we hear about in the news all the time, so the tests had a real-world application,” Arreola said.

McAnlis is satisfied and happy with her participation and accomplishments.

“I was really proud when we won because we all put in a lot of effort to succeed, so it felt really satisfying that we accomplished what we had been working on for so long,” McAnlis said.

juniors will take the SBAC on a computer, using a program that adjusts question types based on answers to earlier questions.

Some questions will be multiplechoice, but the exam is geared toward targeting more of the critical-thinking strategies RHS principal David Byrd said students need to have For instance, the exam features a performance-based section, during which students receive an authentic writing assignment and have to demonstrate research, organizational, critical-thinking and communicative skills in their response to it.

Although the details are not completely clear to everyone, most are excited about the administration of the test and are eager to see how RHS students will score.

“We will see with the execution and results,” Byrd said. “It will be a learning process for everyone.

But I believe more critical thinking and real world applications and less rote memorization in school is a step in the right direction.”

According to Byrd, the main focus for teachers is that they need to just do their best to teach their subject area and teach students how to think critically and communicate effectively in their subject area. The goal is not to “teach to the test.”

Rather, Byrd said, it is to make sure the classroom environment

remains a rigorous and relevant one for all students. He believes that giving students plenty of practice at thinking and communicating is the best preparation.

“We’re working out of Common Core books trying to get students to think for themselves but we really don’t know what the Common Core test is going to look like,” Integrated Math teacher Paul Stewart said. “We have ideas, but kids haven’t been going through it for a while, so we’re trying to prep them the best we can.”

As all subjects are affected, English teacher Deborah Sidler said is preparing her students for the SBAC by implementing more writing- and discussion-based assignments and use of the Chromebooks for writing in class.

“I embrace the idea of the SBAC since in post-high school life students will be required to problem-solve, think critically, respond creatively and give rationales for their assertions – that’s life,” Sidler said. “Life isn’t a multiple-choice exam.”

RHS administration has not yet settled on exact dates for the SBAC, though they expect the results of the Common Core strategies to show through students’ scores.

Teachers and staff mainly believe that students will rise to the occasion and, they hope, test well.

“I think our students are RHS will take it seriously and try their best to show what they can do,” Byrd said.

IM: Teachers concerned about student comprehension CONTINUED FROM FRONT

sometimes they have to discover new concepts themselves.”

RHS teacher Paul Stewart, who also teaches Integrated Math 1, is worried about the depth of knowledge that the students will gain from the class. He said that students will come out of the class with a shallow understanding for a wide variety of topics rather than a deep understanding for a single topic.

Both Stewart and fellow math teacher Miguel Quinonez said that the pass rates for their Integrated 1 classes were almost exactly the same as their previous Algebra 1 classes. Both said that around 70 percent of the students in both classes passed, while the remaining 30 percent failed.

Fukumon believes that the program requires collaboration and teamwork between students to

solve problems.

“I think our old text was more traditional,” Fukumon said. “This one is more geared towards Common Core. It requires [students] to mainly work with each other instead of me just teaching them.”

Integrated Math mixes together elements of algebra, geometry and statistics at different levels in a single class. Because of this, the Integrated program replaced the Algebra 1 class that was previously available, and will replace Geometry next year. This year, the only level of the Integrated system offered at RHS is Integrated Math 1 and is taught by multiple teachers.

There are two more levels of the curriculum that will be available next year at RHS – Integrated Math 2 and Integrated Math 3. Integrated Math 2 will be taught by Quinonez, while Integrated Math 3 will be taught by math teacher

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

Though the Integrated curriculum has both teachers and students worried about comprehension, current Integrated Math 1 teacher Miguel Quinonez (above) believes that “where this is no struggle, there is no growth.”

Michelle Walton.

Quinonez expressed that he would like to follow his students through their learning by teaching Integrated Math 2 next year, and then Integrated Math 3 the following year. He said that, al-

though adapting to the program is difficult, he expects to see success from the program and the students in the future.

“Where there is no struggle, there is no growth,” Quinonez said. “I expect this to be a dy-

namic program that is changing with the needs of our students. I expect teachers and students to be equally challenged and as both struggle, we will have growth.”

However, some students have had trouble transitioning. Integrated Math 1 student Emily Jones said that the class is difficult, mainly because it jumps around between different types of math constantly.

“I don’t like how it is set up,” Jones said. “It’s really confusing and hard to understand, so it takes more work on your part to understand it.”

However, freshman Morgan Tindall views the program as a growing experience for students.

“I love the class academically, as well as the atmosphere,” Tindall said. “Everyone helps each other and the class helps us grow individually ... [by] preparing us for higher courses.”

news | page 3

february 17, 2015

ECON: AP offering dependent on student sign-ups CONTINUED FROM FRONT

said. “We figured, well, what better time to see the interest and try to launch something?”

As it stands now, students enrolled in AP Government must enroll in AP Microeconomics, so as to fulfill both government and economics graduation requirements. However, student response will guide the proposed course’s placement in the master schedule.

“Much like we do with our AP European History and AP United States History courses, if you choose one, you choose the other,” Wilson said. “We have to determine if we have the enrollment to offer the course and so on.”

Unlike AP European History and AP United States History though, the two courses will not be integrated into a block schedule.

According to counselor Graciela Fernandez, AP Microeconomics will likely fall in the spring semester.

Offering students the ability to enroll in one course and not the other, opting for either CP Government or CP Economics, would create conflict within the master schedule, leaving some students with a deficit of a quarter without proper curriculum.

“The difficulty here is figuring out how to strike that balance of doing what’s best for the students, but then also not creating a scheduling nightmare that we aren’t prepared to handle,” AP Government teacher Dana Dooley said.

As RHS counseling staff meets one-on-one with juniors entering senior year over the following weeks, they will gauge both student perception of and interest in AP Microeconomics. Fernandez said response from these individual meetings has been positive and thinks the course is likely to get off the ground for next school year.

While on transcripts, seniors spend nine weeks learning CP Economics curriculum, in reality, Dooley uses five of those weeks to round off government curriculum so as to adequately prepare her students for the AP exam. Extending AP Government and AP Microeconomics across whole semesters will free up instructional time for Dooley.

“We do a remaining four-week kind of ‘baby econ’ taught in a way to support the government curriculum,” Dooley said. “We technically fulfill that government requirement, but students who select into AP Government end up getting a smaller or disadvantageous experience with their economics requirement compared to what’s offered at the CP level, so it kind of feels like a punishment for selecting into AP.” Junior Kevin Carlson believes that the new course will enrich student learning in the fields of both economics and government. “[A separate semester of AP Microeconomics] gives students a more in-depth lesson on economics, and allows the government teachers to use the whole semester

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

Depending on how many juniors registered for the class, AP Microeconomics may be offered at RHS for the 2015-16 school year. The course would be paired, but not blocked, with AP Government, and would span over a full semester. It would most likely be taught by math teacher Kevin Fagan (above). on government,” Carlson said. “I think it’ll help students who need that extra time in government to understand the material – also in economics – and possibly raise the passing rates for Government and Econ.”

Carlson thinks that the prospect of AP Microeconomics coming into fruition next school year is good.

“From what I’ve heard, a lot of juniors plan on taking it,” Carlson said.

Wilson cites math teacher Kevin Fagan as the teacher most inter-

ested in taking on AP Microeconomics and going through both the professional development and AP course audit process. According to Fagan, the relevance of economics to adulthood should be a draw to senior students. “[Economics] is a stepping stone for a lot of diff careers,” Fagan said. “Even if the student is not going to go on and become a business major or economics major or use economics a whole lot in college, there are a lot of skills that it does teach, broader skills that are still really important. I

use economics all the time when I’m trying to make good decisions for me and my family.”

Dooley sees studying both government and economics as a valuable practice for senior students that have immediate applications beyond high school.

“The really cool thing about the government and economics curriculum is that this stuff is going on right now, in the real world surrounding you, which is why in part that it’s taught senior year,” Dooley said. “Taking AP Gov and AP Microecon in combination is a

great opportunity to get real world relevance, and you will be able to build such a conceptual toolkit that you could apply in the real world as soon as you graduate.”

Microeconomics as a field has a more direct connection to the logistics of business on varying levels, whereas Macroeconomics concerns economics on a large scale – across international borders.

Both Fagan and administration have been drawn initially to AP Microeconomics for its application at local scales.

“For kids who think they may want to become a business major or start a business, I think Micro has a more direct connection to that and therefore might lead to a little more interest,” Fagan said.

While AP Microeconomics is RHS target for next school year, Fagan doesn’t see AP Macroeconomics as out of the question.

“I would actually love for one day to possibly offer both [courses],” Fagan said. “I hope that’s what the program is building to.”

Wilson views the process of bringing AP Microeconomics as tentative and dependent on student response in regards to its configuration in the master schedule in the coming years.

“It’s a learning process, its not meant to exclude anyone or single anything out,” Wilson said. “You start somewhere – I always like to start small and build from there, figure out what works and what doesn’t work and continue to improve and build from there.”

TECH: Some steps forward, but also some challenges CONTINUED FROM FRONT

From Festival to Summit When the Google EdTechTeam (the group that runs Google Summits) visited RHS last year, it visited a campus very new to the concept of instructional technology.

RHS began its major foray into the world of classroom tech at the beginning of the 2013-14 school year, when Marie Criste, then RHS’ site technology coordinator, worked with RHS administrators to purchase 272 Chromebooks for the school using Title I funds.

By the time the Festival rolled around in February, RHS and the Roseville Joint Union High School District had also tapped into Common Core funding, and that site Chromebook number had increased to more than 800.

The school also hosted several hundred Apple iPads and a beefed-up Wi-Fi system capable of handling the demands of both the Festival’s attendees and RHS’ juniors when they took the mock Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) exam that April.

What RHS didn’t have was a staff well or consistently trained in using technology in their classrooms.

Most teachers had only used Chromebooks a handful of times, if ever, by the time of the Google Festival, and many went into the event with only a limited knowledge of what the devices were capable of.

This year, though, most attendees walked into the Google Summit with a pretty good idea of what they could and wanted to get out of it.

“Last year, I was just kind of, like, hit-and-miss,” RHS psychology teacher Mark Andreatta, who attended both events, said. “This year, I was like boom-boomboom. I pointed out a couple weeks in advance which sessions I was going to.”

Criste, who now serves as RJUHSD’s coordinator of instructional technology, said Andreatta’s experience is not unique.

Since moving into her district position a month after the Google

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

In the year since last February’s Google Festival, both RHS and RJUHSD made various advancements in their use of instructional technology in the classroom. As teacher proficiency continues to increase, both RJUHSD coordinator of instructional technology Marie Criste and RHS site technology coordinator Mike Purvines (above) hope to balance the challenges of growth with more consistent and effective use of technology at all levels.

Festival, she has worked with leadership teams at the site and district level to incorporate technology training into almost all phases of professional development.

At RJUHSD’s first two professional development days this year, Criste had administrators model different uses of Google’s Apps for Education, which include programs like Google Hangouts and Google Drive. She has also worked to orient the District Technology Team (DTT), which has historically had a technical bent, toward professional development and established an Instructional Technology Team (ITT) at each site.

“Really, it blows me away when I stop and think about how far and hard we’ve gone,” Criste said. “The next piece to this now is keeping that momentum going and following up with what they learned here and how they can be powerful leaders at their sites.”

Part of that will involve the continuing development of exemplar lessons plans, which site and district leaders began to develop this year as models for teachers just learning to use instructional technology.

Criste and her tech staff also used the past year to further push

paperless strategies and give each site minor upgrades in the way of additional Chromebooks and Windows hardware.

At RHS, the year also brought a new allocation system for the school’s Chromebooks, which now number more than 900.

Though RHS initially operated under the static model, in which carts are assigned to teachers and don’t move from room to room, RHS now uses a sharing system that lets teachers sign up to use the devices whenever they plan to use them in class.

This new system was engineered by Mike Purvines, who took over as RHS’ site tech coordinator when Criste moved to the district office.

“I didn’t want it to be ‘those who have’ and ‘those who are starving for it on the outside, even if they had the training and wanted to use it,’” Purvines said.

According to Purvines, the check-out model has increased accessibility to the devices, putting them in the hands of more teachers and more students. This, in turn, he said, has resulted in a greater comfort level for both groups, and he said demand for the carts has been consistently rising since the first Google event.

However, though teachers are

now getting more comfortable and better at using the devices in their classrooms, the past year of instructional technology growth has not come without some challenges for RHS and RJUHSD. Growing pains As more and more teachers are beginning to feel the effects of the district’s tech investment, two needs have become clear: one, for more professional development, and two, for more devices.

According to Criste, though many teachers are now becoming proficient at incorporating technology into their lesson plans, many still need a significant amount of professional development to get up to speed.

“We have a long way to go,” she said. “You can have all the devices in the world, and if you don’t have the teachers getting the training… We have a lot of teachers that still need to see how to use it.”

One of the biggest issues, Criste said, is teachers being able to find time to fit learning how to use tech into their day.

Many are busy keeping up with the minutiae of daily classes, and deviating from a curriculum they believe to be tried, true and easier is a stopping point for many of

them.

To get around this, Criste has begun working with the site ITTs to develop model lessons to show teachers examples of how instructional technology can be meaningful.

“Last Google Fest, there were a handful of people that got super inspired and just, like, ran with it, and then there were people who, like, took it in and got into their classroom the next day and were like, ‘Eh, okay – back to my old ways,’” said RHS government and economics teacher Dana Dooley, who serves on RHS’ ITT. “We’re trying to figure out right now how we keep that motivation going.”

Though RHS’ ITT, on which Purvines and teachers Bradlee Crockett and Levi Fletcher also serve, is still working to solidify its goals for the school, Criste and Dooley both referenced the development of a set of basic tasks all teachers should be able to complete as a starting point.

Dooley said these could be reinforced with refresher sessions during Collaboration time and staff meetings, beginning with the one taking place after school today.

The other major issue RHS faces involves the physical limitations of its technology. Though the school now hosts more mobile devices than it ever has before, demand is outpacing supply, and RHS’ sharing system, though “generally effective,” according to Purvines, means teachers sometimes have to wait to get devices in their classrooms.

Criste, Purvines, Dooley and Andreatta agree that a future onedevice-per-student set-up may be the only way to fix that particular shortage problem.

“I think, to really, really transform things, we do have to get to 1:1, where you can count on the device being there for everybody at all times,” Purvines said. “I think that’s when the most transformation will occur.”

However, according to Purvines, the purchase of that many devices is a long way off. He’s currently more concerned about the ability of RHS to maintain the technology it already has.

RHS receives about $55,000 a year in tech funds, which Purvines said is not enough to cover the upkeep of the approximately $1 million worth of equipment the school hosts.

Though he works on maintenance and delegation during his daily release period, the only other support comes from Tiger Tech, a student-tech program that started just this year, and a district technician who has other responsibilities.

“Honestly, it’s a full-time position, and no one has full time for it,” Purvines said. “We really don’t have a good support system, and I think we need to find ways of making a support system better with time, finances and training.”

What’s next Though RHS and RJUHSD’s jump into the world of instructional technology hasn’t come without hiccups, the tech staff interviewed for this article expressed a belief that both the school and district have bright futures ahead.

“We are still in our infancy,” Criste said. “We know we have lots of advanced, amazing talent in our district, but it’s now, how do we team to train the rest of the folks, the rest of the teachers, to get them moving forward?”

Neither Criste nor her staff is sure of the exact path RHS and RJUHSD will take in the coming months, but common goals include increased tech proficiency for all teachers, the development of a portal of exemplar tech lesson plans, the incorporation of social media and digital citizenship into classes and the exploration of mobile devices besides Chromebooks.

Major projects like achieving a 1:1 ratio districtwide are still likely years off, but Criste is confident that major changes can still take place before next year’s Google event, which the district now plans to host annually.

“I just want to change the culture to be more of a risk-taker,” Criste said. “That, to me, is a challenge, but a very good challenge – a goal of, ‘Let’s change the culture.’ Let’s get some more risk-takers. Let’s get some more disrupters.”

el 17 de FEBRERO de 2015

NOTICIAS Título IX detiene renovaciones de béisbol POR DEVIN ORR

d.orr@eyeofthetigernews.com

Aunque el campo de softbol está en el proceso de inicio de sus renovaciones, los entrenadores de béisbol y los jugadores se sienten frustrados de que sus renovaciones de campo se ponen en espera.

En los últimos meses el béisbol se ha dado donaciones para renovar las jaulas de bateo, pero ningún trabajo puede comenzar hasta que los campos de softbol han terminado sus mejoras.

Debido al Título IX, que exige tanto masculinos como femeninos deportes que se consideran iguales, las mejoras en campo de

softbol tienen que ser terminado antes de béisbol puede iniciar cualquiera de sus propias mejoras.

Cuando se propuso formalmente el trabajo, se necesitan planes que deben presentar con los District Edificios y Terrenos Modificaciones Formulario de Aprobación de 7111. Los proyectos propuestos son entonces considerados por la Junta de Síndicos en los que existen problemas de cumplimiento del código, y si se requiere la aprobación del plan DSA es una condición para el Inicio de la construcción.

Los planes para el campo de softbol del equipo varsity se prevé que ser aprobado por la DSA en torno a la última semana de febrero y finalizado en agosto de 2015.

El equipo de Decatlón Académico de RHS gana la competición del condado de nuevo POR SEIÉNNA PAPINI

s.papini@eyeofthetigernews.com

Equipo de Decatlón Académico de Roseville High School está trayendo de nuevo el título de campeón del Condado de Placer y el trofeo por tercer año consecutivo, y está a la espera para competir en la competencia estatal en marzo.

RHS fue anunciado como el campeón para el Condado de Placer en un banquete el pasado martes, 9 de febrero, con una puntuación total de 37.169, superando Western Sierra subcampeón en más de 5.000 puntos.

REPORTAJES

RHS, junto con otras dos escuelas del condado de Placer, compitió junto a 23 escuelas de Sacramento el pasado sábado, 7 de febrero, en la 35 ª Anual de Sacramento Condado de Decatlón Académico en Inderkum. Debido a la cancelación del Condado de Placer Decatlón Académico a finales de 2014, los equipos del Condado de Placer se trasladaron a otro condado. RHS única competencia, sin embargo, era Western Sierra y Rocklin, porque esas eran las únicas escuelas en el condado original, pero Sierra fue RHS’ “equipo a vencer.”

Estudiantes crean una banda de pop punk POR DELPHINE KYUBWA d.kyubwa@eyeofthetigernews.com

Tres estudiantes de tercer año y uno del último año de la escuela secundaria de Roseville han formado una banda de pop punk se llama AddaLemmon.

Inspirado por la banda Green Day, estudiante de tercer año Karren formuló la banda. “[Green Day] comenzó su banda en la escuela secundaria, así que era como ¿por qué no podemos hacer eso,” dijo Karren.

Karren procedió buscar a la gente a unirse a la que más tarde dio lugar a la adición de Pecha y eventualmente McGehee. Karren se familiarizó con sus habilidades musicales a través de la clase de guitarra de Brian Hack ofrecida en RHS. Pecha se unió como bajista hace aproximadamente seis meses, mientras McGehee se unió como baterista hace sólo numerosas semanas.

AddaLemon está en el proceso de grabación de su primer demo en el estudio y están considerando

incluyendo cinco a seis canciones en él.

Los compañeros de banda suelen grabar en la casa de Karren porque tiene un sistema de grabación de cuatro pistas que son capaces de utilizar.

AddaLemon está inspirado por la banda local se llama Fall From Grace, que se compone de ex alumnos de Roseville. El bajista de FFG inspiró Pecha para convertirse en un bajista también.

FFG representó en el anfiteatro de RHS durante el año escolar 20132014 y AddaLemon podría considerar hacer lo mismo.

“Si se presentó la oportunidad, ¿por qué no?” dijo Pecha.

Las prácticas de la banda por lo menos una vez a la semana durante dos o tres horas.

“Me gusta tocar con estos chicos, ambos tipo de tienen sus propios talentos que solo mallas bien juntos,” dijo McGehee. “Vamos a combinar [las canciones] y espero que hagamos algo después de la secundaria con él. Así nos ven pronto.”

Español Matemática Integrada

Ahora que el currículo de Matemática Integrada 1 ha hecho su debut en la escuela secundaria de Roseville, algunos profesores están preocupados por la comprensión y la retención de los estudiantes en el programa. El programa fue instituido en el esfuerzo para ayudar a los estudiantes mejores cumplen con los estándares básicos comunes establecidos por el distrito.

Debido a que este es el primer año que los profesores de RHS han impartido el curso, los profesores y los estudiantes tuvieron que adaptarse a los nuevos estilos de enseñanza y aprendizaje para hacer frente al curso.

Maestro de Matemática Integrada 1 Cory Fukumon dijo que los estudiantes están teniendo un momento difícil debido a que los métodos de enseñanza y aprendizaje son muy diferentes de las clases de matemáticas que ellos están acostumbrados.

Maestro Paul Stewart, quien también enseña Matemática Integrada 1, está preocupado por la profundidad de los conocimientos que los estudiantes se beneficiarán de la clase. Dijo que los estudiantes saldrán de la clase con una comprensión poco profunda para una amplia variedad de temas en lugar de un profundo conocimiento de un solo tema.

Los dos maestros Stewart y Miguel Quiñonez dijo que las tasas de aprobación para sus clases Integrado 1 eran casi exactamente lo mismo que sus Álgebra 1 clases anteriores. Ambos dijeron que alrededor del 70 por ciento de los estudiantes en ambas clases aprobadas.

Fukumon cree que el programa requiere colaboración para resolver problemas.

Hay dos niveles más del currículo que estará disponible el próximo año en RHS - Matemática Integrada 2 y Matemáticas Integradas 3. Matemática Integrada 2 será impartido por Quiñonez, mientras Matemática Integrada 3 será impartido por el profesor de matemáticas Michelle Walton.

Quiñonez manifestó que le gustaría seguir sus estudiantes a través de su aprendizaje mediante la enseñanza de Matemática Integrada 2 el próximo año, y luego Matemática Integrada 3 al año siguiente. Dijo que, si bien la adaptación al programa es difícil, que espera ver el éxito del programa en el futuro.

“Donde no hay lucha, no hay crecimiento,” dijo Quiñonez. “Espero que esto sea un programa dinámico que está cambiando con las necesidades de nuestros estudiantes. Espero que los profesores y estudiantes a ser igualmente desafiado y que tanto lucha, vamos a tener un crecimiento.”

Vendiendo pinturas para pagar por la universidad

Equipo de Hot Shots obtiene popularidad

POR LUZ FLORES

POR MIKAYLA STEARNS

Estudiante de último Andrew Rocha está vendiendo sus propias creaciones con el fin de pagar una ruta de acceso a la universidad.

Rocha comenzó a utilizar sus pinturas como una fuente de ingresos para parte de sus fondos de la universidad en su primer año de la escuela secundaria cuando fue inspirado por el arte muestra que la clase de arte tomaría parte en.

Dado que las muestras de arte son un evento de tiempo limitado, Rocha también vende su arte preguntando a la gente si les gustaría comprar sus pinturas.

Su estilo implementa muchos colores brillantes utilizando pintura acrílica y lápiz de color.

Entre sus pinturas favoritas que él ha hecho es una pintura llamada “Candy Girl,” que emplea a su tema de colores brillantes por tener rayas brillantes del caramelo en el fondo.

Rocha vendió “Candy Girl” por aproximadamente $60, pero en promedio vende por $40.

Jugadores de la escuela secundaria de Roseville están atrayendo grandes multitudes de sus compañeros de estudios a las canchas de baloncesto, pero los jugadores no están llevando jerseys de RHS. El equipo de Hot Shots está compuesto por siete estudiantes de tercer año y tres estudiantes de último año que se hacen llamar los “Dirty Dingos.”

“La mayoría de los equipos de Hot Shots están formados por niños sólo registrarse y luego ser elegidos para un equipo al azar,” dijo el centro de los Dingos Bryce Kasch. “Pero yo sólo tengo un montón de amigos de mi equipo de fútbol y todos nos acaba de crear un equipo.”

Los estrados se llenaron muy rápidamente para los Dingos con amigos y estudiantes una vez que el equipo se establecieron.

Los partidos se reunieron con entusiasmo intenso por parte de la sección de los fanáticos para los Dingos.

da, los jugadores más jóvenes se han mantenido optimista para la próxima temporada y están esperando a ver lo que pueden lograr el próximo año volver a la CVC. “No estábamos realmente capaces de hacer las cosas que se mueven en la dirección que queríamos este año. Teníamos un montón de nuevos chicos que juegan juntos en un nivel que no habíamos visto hasta ahora,” dijo el estudiante de segundo año Jimmy Jaggers.

Aunque luchando para llenar el roster esta temporada, Granucci siente como si él ha puesto a sí mismo con un futuro prometedor, apilado a su equipo con talento joven y trabajador, listo para prosperar en el nivel varsity.

Granucci también se animó con lo que vio de los estudiantes de segundo año jugando a nivel JV este año.

“Tenemos un montón de buen talento abajo en el nivel de riesgo compartido en este momento,” dijo Granucci. “Creo que sólo tenemos que esperar y ver qué tipo de alojamiento que tendremos al final de la temporada para el próximo año.”

Russell tiene confianza que pueden llegar a ser aún más competitivo el próximo año.

Baloncesto varsity chicas

POR GEORGE HUGHES g.hughes@eyeofthetigernews.com

l.flores@eyeofthetigernews.com

Baloncesto varsity

POR CHASE BLATNICK

POR BRAD JAMES

El equipo baloncesto de la escuela secundaria de Roseville JV de chicos tenía una temporada muy difícil este año. Tienen muchas lesiones como jugador empezando Alex Gonzalez.. En los primeros juegos del año se lesionó y no podían jugar por fin el año. Pero eso no era la única cosa que esta dificil este año, también durante de los juegos muchos jugadores consiguió expulsado o suspendido y teniendo una ofensa diferentes con nuevo posiciones.

El equipo entró ayer con su último juego con un récord de 1610 y estaban competitivo en todos los partidos de esta temporada.

Con todo que el equipo dudo, Los Tigres tenían unas jugadores que enseñadon liderazgo.

En una nueva liga ninguno de los chicos sabía qué esperar teniendo en cuenta el hecho de que nunca había jugado en contra de algunos de los niños antes de CVC. “La CVC tiene algo de competencia. No victoria viene fácil,” dijo el centro de Cam Anderson.

“Estoy orgulloso de la forma en que nuestros chicos se han reunido juntos.”

Entrando al final de la temporada de la noche anterior con Oakmont, el equipo de la escuela secundaria de Roseville 2014-2015 tenía un récord de la liga de 1-12 y un récord total de 6-20.

Los Tigres no estarán llegando a la post temporadas por la segunda temporada consecutiva, ya que su última aparición fue hace apenas dos temporadas.

Los Tigres estaban en contra de todas las probabilidades en esta temporada van desde entrar en una nueva liga CVC marca frente a los nuevos talentos, para tener todos menos dos ancianos caen a las lesiones, dejando a una alineación sin experiencia de segundo y tercer año.

“Cada vez que se pierde jugadores debido a lesiones ya sean personas mayores o no, va a ser difícil,” dijo Granucci. “Son dos personas mayores (Bryce Crouch y Zach Delgado) que han estado en nuestro programa de antes, que aportan una gran cantidad de liderazgo y de mucha habilidad a lo que hacemos, pero hemos tenido que adaptarse a eso y lo hicimos.”

A pesar de la mala tempora-

c.blatnick@eyeofthetigernews.com

b.james@eyeofthetigernews.com

NOTICIAS

m.stearns@eyeofthetigernews.com

DEPORTES Baloncesto JV

pÁgina 4

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

La clase de Matemática Integrada fue introducida para avanzar los principios de Common Core y razonamiento analítico, pero hay algunos preocupaciones por los maestros sobre el progreso del programa.

REPORTAJES

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

Muchos fanáticos vienen para apoyar al equipo de Hot Shots se llama los Dirty Dingos. Sus partidos ocurren después de los partidos del equipo varsity de RHS. El equipo ha incremendo mucho en popularidad en medio de estudiantes.

DEPORTES

POR CESAR SANCHEZ

c.sanchez@eyeofthetigernews.com

Jugando su último juego del año contra Oakmont el equipo varsity de mujeres de RHS tenían un récord de liga 2-11 y un récord total de 8-17. En el último juego contra Oakmont las mujeres ganaron con una puntuación de 48-42.

A pesar de que terminaron la temporada con un récord negativo, muchos de los jugadores y el entrenador creían que ellos jugaron mejor que pudieron.

“Jugamos muy bien dado el hecho de que jugamos con mucho talento joven que incluyó tres estudiantes de segundo año en la línea de salida hasta,” dijo el entrenador de dos años Josh Errecart. “Las chicas eran simplemente increíble muy trabajadores que estaban plenamente comprometidas con el programa.”

Con la temporada llegando al fin entrenador Josh Errecart va a perder dos jugadores de sus último años Krystal Garcia y Michelle Dobler que han contribuido en gran medida al equipo.

“El año que viene vamos a tener una gran cantidad de jóvenes que entrarán en el nivel varsity que puede ayudar a contribuir a las victorias,” dijo Errecart.

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

Después de su esperanza de llegar a las post-temporadas fue rechazada, el equipo está siguiendo adelante con la esperanza que el talento del equipo JV les ayudarán el año que viene. Tommy Edwards es uno de los chicos talentosos.

“Sabemos que pueden aportar su talento junto con ellos en años del equipo varsity, pero podemos utilizar sus talentos para ayudarnos a competir?”

Esta temporada ha sido difícil por de los errores sólo pequeñas.

“Hemos perdido partidos en la temporada debido a pequeños errores, como pases horribles, mala ejecución juego, y el hecho de que no pudimos mantener el balón bajo control sin nuestros dos jugadores de alto nivel en el juego,” dijo Errecart.

Baloncesto JV chicas POR MAX MODESTE

m.modeste@eyeofthetigernews.com

A medida que la temporada llega a su fin, el equipo de JV baloncesto de chicas terminó con un récord invicto en la liga. Además de ser invicto también son los campeones de JV en su primer año entre la liga CVC. Entrenador de su primer año Sean Seymour dice que se divirtió esta temporada. Estaba contento con ganando los dos equipos más mejores en la liga.

Features

february 17, 2015

page 5

Dirty Dingos fire up Roseville audience Rec team draws big crowds, high-energy atmosphere

by MIKAYLA STEARNS

m.stearns@eyeofthetigernews.com

Roseville High School players are drawing huge crowds of their fellow students to the basketball courts, but the players aren’t wearing RHS jerseys. The immensely popular Hot Shots team is comprised of seven RHS juniors and three seniors who call themselves the “Dirty Dingos.”

“Most Hot Shots teams are formed by kids just signing up and then them getting selected for a random team,” senior and Dirty Dingos center Bryce Kasch said. “But I just got a bunch of friends from my football team and we all just created a team.”

Hot Shots usually holds a tryout for hopeful players, but the Dingos creators finalized their team early in the process.

“There usually is a tryout, but since we just created our team and added every player on the team, we didn’t have to do any tryouts,” Kasch said, “We have everyone from Roseville on our team that way.”

The stands very quickly filled up for the Dingos with friends and students once the team established themselves.

“At all the Dingos games that

I have been able to go to, we’ve had at least like 50 people,” Kasch said.

Games are met with intense enthusiasm from the fan section for the Dingos. Thier most avid fans are known to dress up in spirit.

“It’s always alive,” junior and self-appointed spirit leader for the Dingos Kobie Ortiz said.

“Everyone is always really hyped up and the game is usually pretty close. Like, last week, it went into double overtime and Orius [Sall] hit like two buzzer beaters so we were going really crazy.”

Hot Shots’ fun atmosphere proves to be one of the key aspects that attracts players and fans.

“It’s kind of like a funny environment,” senior Fouad El-Chemali, who plays for a Hot Shots team in spring, said.

“People don’t take it too seriously and we’re just having fun at Hot Shots games. You are always looking forward to a win, but its not too much about the winning.”

A greater freedom of speech during games entices attendees to Dingos games.

“When we are at school it’s limited, as in the stuff we can say,” Ortiz said. “But at Dingos

games, it doesn’t really matter because nobody is trying to control us and we don’t have to worry about getting in too much trouble if we say things that we’re not supposed to.”

The cheering, and sometimes jeering, fan section pushes the Dingos though each quarter.

“It helps if you can get into the other teammates heads and say anything you want – within reason,” Ortiz said.

Junior Orius Sall enjoys being on a team with friends and having a supportive crowd cheer them on.

“It’s cool seeing all the people that support the Dingos,” Orius said. “I feel it brings the intensity of the game up and it pumps up the players on our team.”

According to Kasch, some have complained that the support for the Dingos may be hurting the attendance at Friday night home games for the Roseville Tigers. Still, he notes that the Dingo games often occur after the varsity games and several fans attend both.

“I try to go to most of the games because I’m good friends with Bryce Crouch so I try to support him, you know,” Kasch said.

The switch to CVC from SFL may have had an effect on the Roseville attendance as well, according to Dirty Dingos fan junior Isaiah Woods. The old rival-

ries with other high schools were stopped by the league change.

“We had all those rivalries against Woodcreek, Del Oro, Granite Bay, and we played those schools for a long time so, since we changed divisions I could see how not that many people would want to go for [Roseville],” Woods said.

Several Dirty Dingos players still have spirit for Roseville, even if they don’t attend the games.

“I love rooting for my school, but I didn’t try out for Roseville basketball and I just wanted to be able to play with my friends,” junior Blake Rayback said.

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

Dirty Dingos fan section leader Kobie Ortiz cheers on the team to victory last Friday (top) while three RHS seniors take a break from the game.

Freshman Brayden Thompson hits Canadian ice for tournament

by CATHERINE BARBER

c.barber@eyeofthetigernews.com

A Roseville High School freshman and his hockey team, Capital Thunder from California, ventured all the way across the border to compete in Canada’s most popular sport.

Brayden Thompson traveled to Newmarket, Thompson Ontario with his team for a week to participate in a hockey tournament. There, he got learn more about the sport and bond with his teammates in a new setting.

Thompson started playing hockey when he was eight years old and grew to love the sport ever since. A few months ago he joined the Capital Thunder Midget 16 team. After winning a tournament in December, the team advanced to play in the tournament in Canada.

“We are the only team that has made it that far from this area in years,” Thompson said.

In addition to it being the first competition outside the country for Capital Thunder, it was also Thompson’s first time out of the United States. He enjoyed the picturesque scenery, but was surprised by the drastic change of weather – which included below-zero temperatures.

The team came into the competition strong winning their first match. However, their winning streak came to an end as they tied two games and lost another.

Having gone to a country whose most popular sport is hockey, Thompson believed his team was at a slight disadvantage.

“I think we matched up pretty well, but the teams there train differently,” Thompson said.

“They have more time to practice so they are way harder to play against than the teams here.”

The tournament brought

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

Sophomore Andrew Jones began playing tennis his freshman year, his background in baseball leading to an easy transition to the sport. Jones hopes to continue improving in order to follow in his great-grandfather’s footsteps.

Andrew Jones chases legacy Hopes to compete in US Open like great-grandfather

by CATHERINE BARBER

c.barber@eyeofthetigernews.com

COURTESY BRAYDEN THOMPSON

Above, freshman Brayden Thompson takes the ice before a competition. His team, Capital Thunder, was the only team from California to travel to Newmarket, Ontario to participate in a hockey tournament. together multiple teams from across the country to represent their state, and while there were was more than one team from each state, Capital Thunder was the only team from California.

During their first game, the team competed against one of the top teams.

“We were outsiders at first, but we did so well in the first game against Delaware who was the number one team,” Brayden’s father, Shane Thompson, said.“It was neat to see the coaches see how good we were and say that we were worthy of being there.”

During their time in Canada, the team members were stereotyped as typical Californians, however the remarks did not get in the way of the team’s ability to play.

“When we went there they thought we were a bunch of surfers,” Thompson said. “It actually brought us together knowing that our team was the only one from California there.”

Thompson believes the experience taught him and his team that even though they may be the best in the area, there is always room to improve. Capital Thunder will soon play in the Northern California playoffs and if they do well enough, they will be bumped into the state level competition.

“They are a pretty good team and the kids are really good at playing hockey,” Shane Thompson said. “The team gives Brayden an opportunity to play at a higher level and become better.”

One of the biggest achievements for a competitive tennis player is having the opportunity to compete in the US Open, an achievement that sophomore Andrew Jones’ great-grandfather fulfilled as a 19-year-old. Although his great-grandfather did not make it to the later stages of the competition, making it there was enough to encourage Jones to follow in his footsteps.

Jones’s background in baseball helped him to make the transition into tennis, as both sports required athletic ability and a strong swing. Many people told Jones that he wouldn’t succeed in baseball – these comments fueled his fire to prove them wrong.

“Everyone told me I wasn’t going to make the freshman baseball team and that I was too weak,”Jones said. “So I said ‘you know what, I am going to try out for varsity tennis and prove you guys wrong.’”

At a young age, Jones was introduced to tennis but didn’t develop a passion for the sport

until the beginning of his freshman year. It all started when his friend, sophomore Oliver Magsakay, encouraged him to try out for tennis at RHS in effort to recruit new players. After trying out, Jones was told he made the varsity team.

“At first he had tendencies to do a baseball swing but we helped him and he caught on really fast,” Magsakay said. “He just plays and it comes natural him.”

RHS tennis coach Dallas Guerrero was impressed by Jones’s ability to be coached and learn from other members on the team.

“His attitude towards tennis and competition is what I look for in players,” Guerrero said.

“We have seen great strides over just one season in his skill level and hope to see more this spring.”

Jones’ style of playing is unique for the sport. Unlike many tennis players, Jones doesn’t hit with a backhand, he instead uses both hands to hit, just like his great-grandfather.

“Most people think it is kind of weird, but I have never been able to hit a backhand in my life,” Jones said. “I feel like really great when people compliment me on how I play different than anyone else.”

With hard work and determination Jones hopes to become a better tennis player and hopefully get a college scholarship for the sport. As for his career, he hopes to make a living as a professional tennis player.

Friends of Jones believe that he can achieve his goal of making it to the U.S. Open, as long as he continues to practice and test his abilities.

“It is possible, he improves really fast,” Magsakay said. “He learns from other people and people follow him as an example.”

The ones who helped Jones achieve a love for tennis and encouraged him to follow his dream were his teammates.

“I am trying to follow in my great-grandfather’s footsteps, but I am mostly inspired by my own motivation to get better and achieve something,” Jones said.

page 6 | features

february 17, 2015

LASTING LOVERS Valentine’s Day was last Saturday, but here are three couples who’ve made through more than just one season of love.

by JOSLYN CARRELL

j.carrell@eyeofthetigernews.com

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

Juniors Cameron Karren (right) and Ethan Pecha (left), along with senior Marshell McGehee, rehearse a mix of covers and original songs during a rehearsal last Wednesday. The band is currently recording their first demo and collaborating on original songs.

Trio teams up on pop punk demo Karren, McGehee, Pecha form band Addalemon

by DELPHINE KYUBWA

d.kyubwa@eyeofthetigernews.com

Three Roseville High School students have recently come together to share their passion for playing and creating music.

Inspired by Green Day, juniors Cameron Karren and Ethan Pecha, alongside senior Marshell McGehee, formed a pop punk band, Addalemon. “[Green Day] started their band in high school, so I was like ‘Why can’t we do that?’” Karren said.

Karren proceeded to seek out people to join, which later resulted in the addition of Pecha, and eventually McGehee. Karren became familiar with their musical abilities through Brian Hack’s guitar class offered at Roseville High School.

Pecha joined as the bass player approximately six months ago.

McGehee joined as the drummer

only a few weeks ago.

Pecha describes their genre as punk with some rock.

“We’re not like overly ‘popy,’ but we have like rock roots,” Karren said.

Addalemon is in the process of recording their first demo in the studio and are considering including five to six songs on it.

The bandmates typically record at Karren’s house because he has a four-track recording system they are able to use.

Pecha considers recording professionally for the demo a learning experience for him and his bandmates.

“When we usually record it doesn’t really have a professional sound, there isn’t an ability to sync things together,” Pecha said.

“But in the studio it’s easy and there’s usually assistance with it as well.”

Addalemon is inspired by the local band Fall From Grace,

which consists of Roseville alumni. The bass player in FFG inspired Pecha to become a bass player as well.

Karren is acquainted with their drummer and bass player who have expressed wanting to perform a show one day with Addalemon. FFG performed at Roseville High School’s amphitheater during the 2013-2014 school year and Addalemon would consider doing the same sometime later this year or possibly next.

“If the opportunity presented itself, why not?” Pecha said.

The band practices at least once a week for two to three hours. Besides jamming out together at practice, the members indulge in the creation of original songs.

“We just sit down together as a band and start making riffs with lyrics that fit, ” Pecha said.“Some bands go through a lot of people

FASHION COLUMN

Senior bargains to craft unique style

by MICHELLE IM

m.im@eyeofthetigernews.com

How would you describe your style?

My style… I’d say it’s unique because I don’t follow really like a set of… I’d just say it’s unique…

I don’t know.

Do you have any specific patterns or colors you like to wear? How do you dress in the morning?

I like stripes. I really like stripes.

I’m not wearing any at the moment, but stripes are my favorite.

Catch me wearing stripes like fours days a week.

Why do you like stripes so much?

I don’t know. I feel like they’re classy, yet casual. You can dress it up. You can wear it around the house.

How do you dress up or down your stripes and your whole outfit?

It really depends. I’d say a good lipstick color dresses things up.

Do you have other favorite accessories?

I really love this necklace. And I’d just say that any … if you want to dress something up, I’d say bright lipsticks and like a big statement necklace.

Where did you get all of your clothes and accessories?

I’m actually a big thrift shopper.

I got each of my rings for under five bucks. I got this necklace for five dollars at this little town in Grass Valley. Forever 21 shoes for $10. [My dress] is Forever 21 for five bucks. I’m a bargainer.

What do you think is a good budget for clothes?

I’d say that I don’t like to spend a lot of money. I like to get as many things as I can for like a cheap budget. It kind of depends.

I got this jacket for $100, but

its a Michael Kors. It’s usually $500, so it’s kind of expensive, but I got it for a good price.

Do you have any pieces that you’ve been eyeing lately?

I really like black jackets [like] a winter coat [with] thick materials ... Peacoats. I think they’re so classy and so pretty. You can dress them up, and it looks amazing. I feel like [peacoats] make people look older.

Oh, you were mentioning that you got most of your jewelry from Grass Valley… How is it there?

That’s where I used to live. It’s sort of 45 minutes away, and there’s so many tiny, little shops that sell really cute clothes for really cheap. I’m down there often.

Do you notice anything about overall RHS fashion and how it compares to Grass Valley’s?

I’d say the fashion here is definitely more city-chic, like it’s kind of hard to explain but in Grass Valley, it’s more like relaxed. You can catch people wearing pajamas to school like everyday.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

I’d say a lot of people ... who really want to instill their passion

MARC CHAPPELLE EYE OF THE TIGER

Senior Amanda Visger wears a white-polka-dotted black dress with a light cardigan and a bright statement necklace to complete her look. She enjoys shopping in thrift stores. in fashion are so concerned in what other people are wearing and what the style is now ... but I think they should be concerned on what they like and what they enjoy and what they feel good in.

because of creative differences but if everyone in the band has the same drive you do, you’re gonna go far in it,” Karren said.

Through being a part of the band, Pecha is able to express himself.

“Being able to make music with my friends and express myself through it is what’s the most fun about it,” Pecha said.

All three members hope to further improve and continue pursuing a music career after high school.

“We’re all friends just trying to make music and make it big I guess,” Pecha said.

McGehee has 14 to 15 songs that he created before he was joined the band. Pecha and Karren have a few as well.

“I like playing with these guys, they both kind of have their own talents that just meshes together well,” McGehee said.

“We’re gonna combine [the songs] and hopefully do something after high school with it.

You’ll see us soon.”

Sophomores Izzy Bautista and Cameron Anderson have grown up together and been in a relationship for four years.

They met and started dating in the sixth grade, and said they’ve never had a dull moment.

“Her eyes are amazing, and I love the way they sparkle when I go into kiss her,” Anderson said. “We can talk about anything and I never have to keep anything in.”

Whenever Bautista goes on a trip either for sports or family related reasons, Anderson has always told her: “Be safe.” It’s their tradition.

Jake Kellar and Lexi Vasquez

Cameron Anderson and Izzy Bautista

Seniors Lexi Vasquez and Jake Kellar have been dating a little over a year.

“He always knows how to make me laugh no matter what’s going on in our lives,” Vasquez said.

The couple has corresponding rings from their favorite TV show, Game of Thrones. Vasquez’s ring says “moon of my life” and Kellar’s says “my sun and stars.”

Besides her humor and personality, Kellar’s favorite thing about Vasquez is her voice.

“I fall in love a little bit more every time I hear her sing,” Kellar said.

Seniors Brooke Major and Sam Herron have been dating for a little over two years now. They met in their history class sophomore year.

“She sat in front of me, and I would chew gum in class and I would pull it out of my mouth and then look at her and be like ‘Hey, how are you?’” Herron said. “It was, like, a connection.”

The couple are always able to have a great time together.

“I love his smile,” Major said. “It definitely brightens up my day. We always have each other’s back and try to laugh a lot.”

Sam Herron and Brooke Major

Opinion

february 17, 2015

page 7

Lower AP cost for more access, less stress

R

ecently, College Board raised the price of AP exams to $91. The increase comes as no surprise to students who previously heard of the planned jump in cost last year.

Despite the warning, any increase in the price, even one as small as $1, will result in problems for the majority of the students at RHS who plan to take AP exams in the spring.

The original $90 price has already kept several of the students we asked from taking exams in the past. Any increase will only drive students who don’t qualify for fee waivers to not take these exams in the spring. This increase also goes against the school’s recent efforts to not only encourage students to enroll in AP classes, but to also add more AP courses to RHS. The price of the test will only serve to discourage many students who are already unsure about enrolling in theses classes.

If anything, the price should go down. Many sophomores are obtaining their licenses, along with the cost of gas and car insurance. These students are just getting accustomed to these financial responsibilities and the cost of AP exams should not be added to their list. Although some students have their parents pay for the exam, several are expected to pay for the exams themselves. The money they have collected in the past or currently earn from jobs is expected to cover the costs of these exams, as many parents see

BY SOPHIA MOGANNAM & NETZY ORTEGA opinion@eyeofthetigernews.com

this as an optional and personal cost.

Additionally, many juniors and seniors are also taking the SAT and ACT exams, which utilizes a large amount of their time and money. Other costs, such as Junior Prom, Senior Ball, and overall graduation expenses come along around the same time at the end of the year, and an increase in cost for these exams will only aggravate these situations.

Many students, especially seniors, who enroll in AP courses along with the corresponding exams are making an attempt to succeed after high school. By taking AP tests, there is a chance that a student might not have to pay for a future college course in the event that they pass the test.

Therefore, it can be argued that

students are essentially making an investment in their future, which requires spending $90-plus while in high school, rather than a larger amount in the future.

But if a perk of taking the AP exams is potentially saving money, why are the exams so costly in the first place? The money spent on taking the test could be used toward other expenses that come with being a junior or senior, or even be saved for when students actually go to college. It’s no secret that college courses are expensive, so the school should be helping us save.

After all, even with large amounts of studying, there is no guarantee that a student will pass his or her exam. Many students don’t receive any help from their teachers when preparing for the exam, so attempting to relearn material from a fall term class can be stressful and discouraging to some.

We feel that all students should be given the opportunity to take multiple AP tests, if they choose to do so. This means that there should be some sort of compromise on the exam price that permits the fee waiver price and the full price to meet somewhere in the middle for those who do not qualify for a waived fee, but cannot actually afford to take three or even one AP test for the current price.

In addition, students should not have to feel pressured by their teachers to take the exam simply

CATHERINE BARBER EYE OF THE TIGER

because if they don’t, they will suffer the consequence of taking the class final and receiving a significantly lower grade for the class.

Two problems stand out in this type of situation: some teachers are encouraging students to take the AP test, without being aware of the financial weight that it will bring to the student’s family, and students are being shown that it is okay not to try their best in an AP class, because eventually, they might get the opportunity to literally pay for their grade.

If part of the reason that tests are so expensive is due to needing to pay for test proctors, then a new system should be established.

This might require that staff

members administer an AP test as part of a volunteering opportunity for the school. If this were the case, students would benefit even more greatly while taking the test, as there would be an element of comfort added to the idea that a stranger isn’t managing the exam, but rather a known teacher from RHS. An incentive for students going into AP classes would be that if they demonstrate their efforts in the class, along with their consistent improvement, they will be given a fee waiver for the exam in May. If students do not work hard or show their efforts to succeed, such as failing to do homework constantly, then they will not have the gratification of attaining a fee

waiver. This will allow both the students who qualify and don’t qualify to have an equal and fair chance of taking the test with a limited fee.

By taking into consideration the cost of AP exams, there is a higher chance that students won’t feel threatened or pressured to score a perfect 5 on the test, for fear that a lot of money will be going down the drain if they don’t.

Students should not be expected to pay a price that will burn a hole in their pockets for a test booklet that may or may not be of importance in their futures. Everyone deserves an equal chance to succeed and lowering the cost of AP testing would be a large step in the right direction.

Take back RHS from Hot Shots

P

CATHERINE BARBER EYE OF THE TIGER

Baseball needs renovations, not Title IX-induced delay

W

hen does one field from one sport affect a completely different field for a different sport? In order to improve the baseball field, the softball field must be renovated first. However, it’s our money and we want it now.

Title IX rules state that girls sports must receive the same amount of money as the boys sports, which makes complete sense, but when the boys sports make more money that they can’t use to improve their field it’s senseless.

The boys baseball field is in line for improvements, yet there is a fear that the improvements will be halted or even stopped due to the current conditions of the softball field.

The baseball team was swimming in mud during batting practice after the rain. Cement batting cages and handicap access are on the list of improvements and need to happen soon.

Softball and baseball are two different sports; one should not affect the other, especially in field changes.

We strive constantly for equal-

BY ADAM ERICKSON

a.erickson@eyeofthetigernews.com

ity when, truthfully, sports are not equal. The reality is that baseball and softball use different bats, different balls, different pitchers and different fields. Softball has some aspects that baseball will never cover, such as their pitching, which looks crazy and unhittable, and baseball has aspects that softball couldn’t use, like a far fence due to the easier flight of the ball.

The contrasts outweigh the comparison.

This Title IX situation is only focusing on the guys versus girls part of the story instead of the fact that the sports aren’t connected.

Title IX should affect sports that have a girls team and a boys team but should not affect two different sports.

It is unfair to compare the two

based on money intake when both teams don’t receive money from ticket sales because the games are free. The income for both teams is based solely on fundraisers and district funds and only one of those numbers can be controlled.

The fields are in comparison for no good reason and it downplays the work that coaches and athletes put into the fields.

Softball needs a new field with new dugouts and an actual fence in the outfield, and they are working toward that need, but baseball is in line for field changes. Why must they wait?

The programs are currently making moves to fix the fields, so let them fix it regardless of what the other sport is doing.

They shouldn’t have to wait for the other sport to decide they’re ready for updates. The money is allocated separately and they should spend it when and how they please. Is there some dumb rule where only one field can be fixed at a time? No. So why don’t we fix both as soon as possible?

RHS, let’s fix some fields and leave Title IX where it belongs: the last spot on the bench.

icture walking into the gym, the sounds of persistent chatter and basketballs swishing into the net filling your ears.

The stands are a sea of orange and black, filled top to bottom and overflowing onto the court.

Leaders chanting, gathering the attention of the crowd and creating an intoxicating energy the entire gym can feel, and the team responds. Basketball players rushing by so close you can feel the air shift, hoping a ball doesn’t come flying in your direction.

This is a basketball game.

Last year, Roseville High School was just this, a gym full of excitement and energy every Wednesday and Friday night.

This year, however, there’s been a change. Stands are only filled up barely a quarter of the way and only in one section. Attendance is low, leaders are scarce and excitement is lacking. What has changed to provoke such an immense change in atmosphere?

A variety of things have contributed to this decrease in spirit.

This is RHS’ first year in a new league, the CVC. Meaning, we have begun to play all new teams that are new to the students.

Previously, we have been playing high-energy, high-talent teams in our area that we all know and love, such as Rocklin, Granite Bay and Del Oro, not to mention our previous – and some still say current – known rival, Woodcreek.

We were all accustomed to these schools, these students, these teams, and with this shift, a lack of that previous excitement to see old friends and rival with intense student sections has occured.

Also, a majority of these teams are farther away than previous years, with a few exceptions, and not many people are willing to make the longer commute.

Another possible reason RHS’ spirit is suffering could be the student section leaders. They seem to be feeling the lack of energy, too.

BY EVE HILL

e.hill@eyeofthetigernews.com

The chants are scarce, understandable considering there are very few audience members to yell along with them and often no student section to cheer against.

The leaders are in charge of hyping up games and bringing everyone together, and maybe this lull in positive atmosphere can be cured with the leaders getting together and recruiting students to make a comeback.

Along with these reasons, there are of course factors including the actual basketball team that affect these games.

There are a total of five seniors on the team, and currently only two are playing. The majority of the team is comprised of sophomores, with a few juniors scattered in as well. This, naturally, would cause the majority of fans to be sophomores, with juniors and seniors coming second.

Without people to cheer for, many students don’t feel the need to show up, when they don’t have any friends to cheer on. While this is not a reflection on the team or even a fraction of their fault, it is still, sadly, a large contributor to the lack of attendance.

And finally, the fact that when people initially don’t show up, more and more follow, until eventually barely anyone goes. This is a change that is extremely hard to reverse.

Once nobody goes, it spreads that energy and makes it almost impossible to get people to come back because they believe nobody will show, creating a domino effect down the line.

We still have this energy, just displacing it to games held outside of school. At organizations such as Hardwood Palace’s Hot

Shots, stands are full to the point of overflow and people from all different schools dress up according to theme to show their support. Students from RHS stand up and chant. The energy is ecstatic.

We know the factors pushing people away, but what can we do to get them back? There’s plenty of time for students to make both high school and Hot Shots games.

RHS students need to dig deep and remember that attending school games isn’t just about the people on the team or the score, it’s about supporting our school we used to take so much pride in.

We can find a new rival, bringing back those intense, competitive feelings that fueled students to show and teammates to push themselves to do amazing things.

Woodcreek was our rival for a long time, but at this point, we need to adjust to our new situation and support the team against whatever rival we so choose.

By showing up at these games we don’t realize the impact we make by supporting our team and the positive changes that may bring.

The teams thrive off the crowds and their energy increases when the Tiger Cage is full and screaming. Our teams will ultimately do so much better in league if we make an effort to go out and support them.

We need to take this spirit and put it back into the games, regardless of the teams or if our best friends aren’t playing.

We can be spirited just to be there and support our teams, channeling the previous years’ environment and keeping the energy high. We shouldn’t cut off our school spirit because Hardwood Palace is hosting a game afterward. RHS is our home, and we should cherish the time we have here by supporting our sports teams and making our school a better place through our spirit in the Tiger Cage.

Without this spirit, our community and family that we call Roseville High School can begin to fade away.

opinion | page 8

february 17, 2015

Employers: Judge us on ability, not appearance A

bout a month ago, I decided that I wanted to get my nose pierced. My parents allowed it, but not without a lecture.

My dad told me that I would have to get something small and that I would have to be careful as to what image I portrayed to those around me, especially in a professional setting.

I currently hold a job that I have been working at for just around eight months. My managers, as well as my store’s general manager, have taken an extreme liking toward me, saying in my employee reviews that I am “reliable,” “their go-to girl” and that I have “an amazing work ethic.”

Of course, when you get a nose piercing, you cannot take it out for a long period of time without the risk of the hole closing up, especially within the first month or so of getting the piercing.

For the first few days, I thought that maybe my nose piercing just wasn’t that noticeable, because none of my managers had said anything about it.

Finally, after a few days, my general manager told me, “You need to do something about the nose thing.” I explained to him that I couldn’t take it out because the hole would close up and that would mean that I had wasted $40

BY SEIÉNNA PAPINI

s.papini@eyeofthetigernews.com

for nothing. He went into the office and grabbed me a Band-Aid and told me to cover it up.

At first, I was so confused. Was I supposed to put the whole thing over my nose? How did he want me to position it?

But instead, I grabbed some scissors and cut a teeny-tiny piece of Band-Aid to cover my teenytiny nose piercing.

I covered it up and I decided that a little piece of Band-Aid was so much more noticeable than a little nose piercing and that placing a little piece of Band-Aid on your nose to cover a nose piercing is tacky. If anything, it attracts more attention.

However, it is not the fact that I have to take precious time out of my day to cut a half-centimeter by half-centimeter piece of BandAid to cover up my nose piercing every day so that I conform to “the type of professional environment [my workplace] wants to

create.”

It is the principle of such.

I recognize my privilege in the fact that I already hold a job and a nose piercing is something that can be easily fixed as opposed to someone with a tattoo in a visible spot on their body or even an unusual hair style who perhaps cannot even get a job because their appearance overrides their professionalism, potential performance and ability to grasp new skills.

One of my very good friends has somewhat of a “different hairstyle” that most do not possess and is currently in search of a job.

My friend has been passive-aggressively turned away by countless employers with comments such as, “Would you change your hair to work here?” and “If you want to work here, you’d have to change your hair.”

Although this hairstyle is merely a choice of style, how do these employers know that this hairstyle is not a part of this prospective employee’s religion or family tradition?

They don’t, which, in turn, straddles a fine line between dress code and discrimination.

However, as someone who does currently hold a job, it still strikes me odd that my employer believes that one aspect of my appearance may impede the kind of

CATHERINE BARBER EYE OF THE TIGER

job I do at my workplace, as well as the kind of work ethic I possess and how I interact with our guests.

Although employers are entitled to create and enforce dress code and appearance guidelines, it is unfortunate that most employers will miss out on countless assets to their company, based merely upon appearance.

And on the contrary, I believe that allowing employees to express themselves through their appearance is important and cre-

ates a more relatable, real staff.

My best friend works at a retail store that prides itself on letting employees express themselves in whatever way they choose – whether that be dying their hair purple or having visible tattoos or having five piercings in five different visible places – or, of course, not, if you choose not to.

Not only does this create an environment where employees are more comfortable in the workplace, but it also serves to humanize the staff, instead of having

20-something employees with the same outfit on, who all look frighteningly similar to one another because they have no freedom to bring their individuality into the workplace.

I hope for a better future where employers look past outward appearance and judge a prospective employee based on the potential they see, as well a future where piercings, tattoos and appearance different than the majority do not eradicate an employer’s opinion of any certain employee.

Don’t like parody accounts? Don’t RT them. One-size-fits-all absence limit unfair T witter is an ever-changing and diverse form of social media that relies heavily on its users for the growth in its most popular accounts. For example, there has been a controversy stirring between the meninists and the feminists over Twitter.

The meninists are those males that believe that men are taken advantage of and need more respect.

One of the biggest complaints the account has is the fact that women have a tendency to strike men off their radar as soon as they hear that they are not six feet tall.

Meanwhile, men are called very vulgar names just because they do not want to talk to a girl. In my opinion, these meninist accounts are humorous, and even though many females dislike this account, they are the ones who keep these types of accounts popular by replying to their sarcastic tweets going againsts the feminists.

Feminists on the other hand fight for women everywhere that are “mistreated.” As a general rule of thumb, most of the tweets on parody accounts are sarcastic and are meant to strike a nerve with a variety of audiences to gain popularity, and quite often they excel of off the reactions from fellow Twitter users.

For instance, the feminists always complain how they don’t need help opening the door or picking up a check when they go on a date with a guy when, in real-

M

BY LOGAN ASH

l.ash@eyeofthetigernews.com

ity, it is just the right thing to do in order to be a man.

One of the main reasons that these radicalist accounts exist is due to the response that they get from the other Twitter users. By getting the responses from other people, they are able to respond to the tweet and get more comedy by having someone have a reaction to their post. Simply by having people reply to their tweet they get more responses and ultimately more popularity.

Another popular Twitter icon is the redneck cartoon, Cloyd Rivers, which displays very conservative and pro-National Rifle Association. Time and time again he talks about the liberals’ agenda and President Barack Obama, which always leads to an uproar of people calling him a racist since he does not like the president even though he does not mention his skin color, just his political agenda.

This particular account rarely tweets just what he posts; it is mainly responses to people’s

CATHERINE BARBER EYE OF THE TIGER

reactions to his original tweets proving him or her wrong with logical and historical responses relating to America’s short history or the famous date of its creation in 1776.

Time and time again people complain about the meninist, feminist and Cloyd Rivers accounts on Twitter, but the only reason they thrive is because the same

people that give them life are the ones that publicly denounce them.

If people are sick of the tweets from these accounts and disagree with the messages they’re trying to send, why retweet them to eternalize their popularity? Things get popular by being funny, sparking a reaction, and one reason why I am on Twitter is to be entertained by these types of accounts.

Early grad option should belong to seniors, too

G

raduating early is a really big decision for some people and it can offer seniors a chance to get a head start in college.

Unfortunately, Roseville High School has a policy where students must sign up to graduate early within thier junior year or else they will have to stay in school for the entire senior year.

Honestly, I think this rule is very unfair because people change their minds all the time, and when senior year rolls around, some just start thinking about graduating. I can personally say that this happens a lot to many seniors because I am one of them.

When I was a junior, I never thought about graduating early because I wasn’t even thinking about graduating yet. It seemed so far away to me. People hardly think about how long they’re

BY LAUREN LEAL

l.leal@eyeofthetigernews.com

planning on staying senior year when they’re balancing classes and extracurriculars junior year, arguably one of the most stressful years of high school.

Most seniors only need two classes to graduate: Government and Economics, and English 12.

I had both of those classes in the first term of my senior year, so all of my classes for the second term of my senior year were electives that I didn’t need to take.

If I could have signed up to

graduate early while I was a senior, I definitely would have.

Since I couldn’t, I am stuck here basically wasting my time.

Instead of being at school I could be starting college a semester early or I could be working full time to save up money.

I feel like I’m wasting so many opportunities by going to school for just three elective classes that I’m not very interested in. I already have all of the credits that I need to graduate and start college, but I’m stuck here taking irrelevant classes that aren’t going to help me in the future.

If I could have signed up to graduate early within the first term of my senior year, I could have spent this time getting ahead in college, working more hours, traveling, bettering myself and the community, instead of just taking up a seat.

I don’t think there are very many juniors that know what they want to do or where they want to go to college, so how can they expect a junior to be able to plan ahead for when they want to graduate?

You don’t really know what you want with your future or where you want to go until you actually get into your senior year. I thought that I would never want to graduate early because everyone said that senior year is the best year of high school, but honestly it’s not as fun as it sounds. Once you start senior year, it’s much easier to make the decision about leaving sooner or not. Juniors shouldn’t have to decide that.

RHS needs to let first-term seniors sign up to graduate early so more seniors can start their future when they want to on their own terms.

any students have already used up the amount of absences they’re allotted before facing truancy.

Whether it be from illness, family vacation or educational travels, every student has his or her reasons for not showing up to school. However, the people who have already missed 10 or more days of school cannot miss another day of school without a doctor’s note.

With the cold weather comes the flu. Students are constantly sneezing and coughing in class, clearly spreading their illness to other students. It is hard not to ask why a student with such a vicious cough even decided to show up.

The reason may be because they have to attend school either because they have already missed too much or are scared of missing too much.

Imagine waking up with a terrible migraine or stomach ache, then driving to school and sitting in a desk for six or so hours. How much would you learn? Would being in class make up for the physical pain? The answer is no.

A student should not threaten the health of other students or themselves by attending school.

When one is sick it is important to rest and avoid any physical straining activities such as driving and walking around campus in the cold.

Of course, a sick student could go to their doctor and get a note to be excused from school, but most of the time it is not worth the trip or effort.

If one has a stomach ache or a migraine it is not necessary to go to the doctor. These common illnesses are recognizable to any therefore an expensive diagnosis of a common cold would be a waste of time.

Though the limit of absences may be a burden to many, the rule does make sense for the students who choose to abuse the privilege of missing school.

The kids who abuse the system are those who don’t care about school and miss it for no reason.

However, the kids who actually do have high grades and extracurriculars should not be punished for missing a day. As long as they have decent grades and aren’t missing every week, students should be allowed to miss a few

BY CATHERINE BARBER c.barber@eyeofthetigernews.com

days over the permitted amount.

I missed the first week of school because I was doing volunteer work in another country. Then in October I missed three days for a family vacation. With two sick days in between, I reached the limit for absences.

I received a letter in the mail warning me of the consequences if I miss any more days. But what had I done? All of my absences were excused and my grades were not even close to being in danger.

Starting the second term with no allowed sick days is terrifying. There have already been a few days where I dragged myself to school with some sort of cold.

And let me tell you, there was no way I was going to pay an expensive visit to my doctor to tell me what I already know.

It is up to the student to be in control of their lives. If the absences get in the way of their grades, it is the student’s job to make sure they fix the problem.

If they don’t, their consequences will be reflected in their grades.

However, if a student has control of his or her grades, they can effectively manage missing additional days of school.

At this point in our scholastic careers, students deemed responsible enough to succeed in school and manage extracurriculars should be trusted to use absences wisely and not abuse them.

These qualified students know better than to miss too many days and fall behind for risk of dropping grades and missing extracurricular activities. So long as they can manage those, some students should be permitted to exceed the allotted absences.

As long as a student’s grades are kept up and he or she regularly attends school, they should be able to miss more days than the limit established.

This would save students from suffering at school when they’d perform better at home and prevent viruses from spreading.

february 17, 2015

Entertainment

page 9

Violent Year pits wealth against morality

BY MARC CHAPPELLE

m.chappelle@eyeofthetigernews.com

Packed with grit, raw emotion and crime-driven drama, J.C. Chandor’s A Most Violent Year keeps moviegoers on their toes.

It’s a gloriously dark film that explores crooked morality in an unrelenting 1981 New York City.

I can’t get over how hard A Most Violent Year hits you with its presentation and execution.

A chilling soundtrack laden with the sense of both explosive success and damning struggle.

Cinematography highlighting the dynamism of a bustling, brutal city that both giveth and taketh away. I can’t ask any more of the movie’s visual and audial execution – it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. New York seemed both ordinary and epic at the same time. All of this came together, and made me think about the millions of diverse livelihoods and experiences forming one dysfunctional whole of a culture that I’ll never really, truly understand.

The glory isn’t just in what I saw on screen and heard throughout the theater. A Most Violent Year accomplishes with poise the daunting task of capturing critical aspects of New York culture through the lens of one family that represents what was (and maybe still is) the foundation of the city’s experience.

Head of Standard Heating Oil Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) bites off more of the Big Apple than he can chew, and faces the dilemma of growing his business in an environment that gears toward crime and dirty business.

Abel, grounded in his morals, doesn’t want to become a gangster. This is the struggle of the movie’s entire 125-minute span.

Abel’s struggle feels completely legitimate, and I felt engaged and invested in his development.

There’s incredible pressure on Abel to protect his family in the face of impending danger due to his company’s explosive growth.

He has to grow not only his business, but his family and maintain it in such a violent (duh) and dangerous time and place. This pressure puts him at odds with

Drake adopts new outlook

BY RACHEL BARBER

r.barber@eyeofthetigernews.com

his wife, Anna (Jessica Chastain) in poignant, striking moments that really showcase Isaac and Chastain’s acting, Chandor’s writing and Bradford Young’s cinematic chops. The three come together in an impactful way.

Anna, vicious, relentless and incredibly willing to go to lengths to protect the success and security of her family when Abel does not, is a shining bastion of the woman’s rising status in society throughout the 80s.

Chastain’s portrayal of such a determined woman is breathtaking, and it truly is Anna who I rooted for throughout the movie. She hungers for power, and works both with and against Abel to get what she wants. And she does.

Anna’s most visible method of procuring influence comes in the form of her fashion. Historically consistent and reflecting her struggles (both personal and otherwise), her fashion not only looked straight-up classy, but spoke to the power of perception in A Most Violent Year.

Her and Abel’s seemingly acute attention to fashion are telling of the world in which they operate: they have to be conscious of how they present

themselves. They have to manage perception, or fall off the train.

It’s at times like these when I realize how aware this movie is of itself that I grow to enjoy what it stands for and all of its nuances more and more. These people do what it takes to survive.

Anna and Abel’s shared interest in perception is one of the few instances of the couple staying on the same page. I’m glad the movie was exceedingly authentic here, but beyond that, they mirror the continued dichotomy throughout A Most Violent Year.

They’re both a team, a unit and opponents in that they clash when it comes to their approach to problem solving. Abel prefers the guide of his strong moral compass, but Anna surveys the field and considers all her options, reactionary and fearless.

Their team dynamic is really intriguing, and when their differences come to head, I’m on the edge of my seat.

Unsurprisingly, given New York’s status as an international center of diplomacy, trade and culture, an element of race colors A Most Violent Year. It manifests itself both positively and negatively in that the police force

COURTESY A24

A Most Violent Year combines stellar acting, writing and directing to create an engaging story of a couple climbing the business ladder in 1981 New York. is dominated by white males and and white system of justice, but the primary face of the judicial presence is a black one, played

by Selma’s David Oyelowo.

More significant though, is Abel’s status as a Latino male that doesn’t exist solely as a token or stereotype, but as a multifaceted character. By the end of all Abel and Anna’s troubles, I feel like I know where they’re coming from, where they are and where they set out to go.

These are complex characters that become increasingly so as

time goes on: the couple have obligations (moral and familial), and goals. These two are rarely harmonious.

A Most Violent Year is a movie of moral dilemma, and paired with industry-leading acting, directing and writing conveyed through beautifully composed cinematics, it’s one that I urge anyone to watch. It takes the intense, gritty story of one couple and grants it universal appeal.

With this film, I see into a dirty, bustling New York and hope to never close my eyes.

Kingsman fails to take spy genre seriously

BY GEORGE HUGHES

g.hughes@eyeofthetigernews.com

Do not go in to see Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Secret Service expecting to watch an Oscar-worthy spy film. If you are looking for a good laugh and some ridiculously cheesy yet entertaining fight scenes, then this is the movie for you.

To my surprise, the movie is highly comical rather than serious. It features Taron Egerton as roughed up teenager Gary “Eggsy” Unwin who lives in London. After his father died in an undercover operation, Eggsy lives at home with his mother and abusive step-dad.

Eggsy later discovers that his dad was once a member of the Kingsman Secret Service and died while on a mission. Eggsy is offered the chance to become a Kingsman Knight after his dad’s old partner, Harry Hart, or Agent Galahad (Colin Firth) comes to visit him.

The Kingsman Knights’ task is to stop multi-billionaire tech genius Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) from activating deadly devices he has implanted in the heads of billions of people around the world.

Sound ridiculous yet? Oh, and I forgot to mention Valentine’s female assistant who has what could only be described as metal skewers for feet. She uses these

COURTESY JAAP BUITENDIJK/TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX FILM CORPORATION

Kingsman tells the tale of a young man looking to follow in his father’s footsteps as a spy, but it goes so over the top in its plot sequences that the so-called action movie comes across as more of a comedy. odd weapons to to a variety of things, from slicing people in half, to simply just stabbing them in their eyes.

This movie is just too farfetched for me. Although I believe its true intentions are to actually take the mickey of good spy films such as the 007 and Bourne series, it still was not as enjoyable as it could have been.

There are so many things that a director can do with spy mov-

ies, but Vaughn failed to take advantage of this. I expect a strong main protagonist and an evil, twisted super villain, neither of which Kingsman delivers fully.

Yes, he included a few interesting tools and weapons, but many were ones that the we have seen in past secret agent movies.

Above all, however, there is one scene that really stood out above the rest. Agent Galahad sits in a church packed with

people when something very unexpected happens: everybody gets up from their seats and begins trying to brutally murder each other.

As expected, Galahad manages to kill everyone he face in the church and gets out alive. The scene was very unbelievable, and extremely violent and gory.

These types of scenes are quite common throughout the movie, just maybe not as ex-

travagant. I guess that if Vaughn aimed for a cheesy film on purpose, then these types of scenes do just the trick.

The movie’s cast also included Michael Caine as the Kingsman’s leader, Arthur, and Mark Strong as Merlin, the Kingsman’s computer hacker. Both played their roles pretty well, assisting Eggsy with his mission to save the world. Egerton pulled off Eggy’s role in the movie with ease was refreshingly believable when not in the midst of an insane battle or gunfight.

Eggsy’s life at home was far from perfect before he was offered the chance to join the Kingsmen, and the audience feels for the character’s complicated past, helped by Egerton’s convincing performance.

Samuel L. Jackson’s Valentine spoke with quite a hilarious lisp which made his villain role pretty funny and far from serious. The lisp was the only thing that was special about Valentine. He is not your typical movie villain, and does not actually seem like much of a bad guy in the film, which was kind of disappointing.

Even the appearances of some pretty well-known actors were not enough to make Kingsman: The Secret Service a top-notch spy movie. Although the Kingsmen were able to save the world, they struggled to save the movie.

After listening to Drake’s new mixtape, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late, I think it is safe to say that Drake is over whoever his ex-girlfriend was.

After months of small hints from different ends of the hip-hop world, Drake himself, other rappers, and even NBA basketball players, Drake finally released his new music on Thursday, Feb. 12.

2014 was a quiet year for Drake, the only thing he released was the title of his album that will soon be released in the spring, Views from the 6.

It’s a title and idea that holds tremendous importance for him, representing his commitment to his hometown of Toronto. Most of Drake’s music places tremendous value on the perspective that growing up in the city has granted him, and this mixtape is no different.

If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late is a complete polar opposite from Drake’s last album Nothing Was the Same. The new mixtape seemed to have taken the whole world by storm overnight.

The rap world exploded an hour before midnight on Thursday when Drake tweeted the link to his new collection of 17 songs on iTunes. Nothing Was the Same is known as one of the greatest breakup albums of all time, Adele’s 21 of hip-hop.

This collection could not be more different. The theme of the album seems to be Drake’s prior dependence (emotionally) upon others and his return to his carefree, confident self. It marks a transitional period for Drake since the collection has a much more cold-hearted feel to it compared to his releases prior.

Although the tracks have a cold-hearted feel compared to Drake’s past works, they are far from stripped of emotion. Each song seems to feature an underlying tone or feeling, varying from triumph to liberation. I love that I can usually find a faint piano melody underneath most tracks.

“Jungle” is the most sensitive of the tracks bringing light and a few sexual innuendos to the mixtape, whereas “Know Yourself” slaps together like a downtown anthem.

Lil Wayne, Travi$ Scott and PARTYNEXTDOOR all make appearances throughout the mixtape, adding their own standout styles to Drake’s already bold tone. PARTYNEXTDOOR is the real MVP on the collection, especially in “Preach,” more than any other track, contributing memorable vocal runs and harmonies.

Ultimately, If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late stands as a token of Drake’s growth and discovery in the past year. The tape is full of refreshingly confident tracks from the newly transformed artist. Although there is no confirmed release date, the hype this mixtape stirs makes me look forward to Views From the 6’s spring release.

page 10 | entertainment

february 17, 2015

Almanac stays true to teen sci-fi course

BY ANDREW SMITH

a.smith@eyeofthetigernews.com

COURTESY WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Jupiter Jones (Mila Kunis) finds herself at the center of intergalactic family politics in Jupiter Ascending. The movie offers plenty of visual appeal but ultimately has more bad than good thanks to its weak, underdeveloped plotline.

Jupiter prioritizes form over function

BY DELPHINE KYUBWA d.kyubwa@eyeofthetigernews.com

Jupiter Jones’ (Mila Kunis) reality consists of cleaning other people’s apartments which is far from the greatness predicted of her under her astrological sign.

Caine Wise (Channing Tatum), a genetically engineered hunter from space, whisks Jupiter to another galaxy, leading to the awareness of her genetic signature that marks her as the rightful heir to a planet and a decision that could alter the lives of millions. Before long, Jupiter learns she’s become a pawn in a longstanding scheme involving three siblings (Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, Tuppence Middleton) from an ancient royal family, who have intentions of harvesting the Earth for human genetic material.

The positive aspects of the film mainly involve its aesthetic appeal. It was a visually dazzling movie. The costumes were

THE APP PULSE

stunning and detailed. The 3D effects were intricate and realistic.

The Wachowskis successfully transported viewers into a bright and colorful depiction of a whole other world world using dramatic colors and striking scenery. Visually, it was breathtaking. If the film’s prowess in terms of aesthetics could equate other aspects of the film, it wouldn’t have been so unsatisfactory overall.

The negative aspects of the film far outweigh the positive.

The plot was drawn out longer than necessary, which only heightened my anticipation for the movie’s end. When Jupiter overcame the first villain, I foresaw the credits rolling, not a whole other villain for her to defeat. Because the plot ventured into unnecessary areas, it lost value and the attention span of the majority of viewers.

The dialogue lacked value as well and failed to establish a genuine connection between the

main characters. The expression of interest in Caine was abrupt because there was no dialogue that would foreshadow such sentiments. Their “relationship” was underdeveloped, which left me confused as to why and how it began. It was as if the filmmakers assumed that Jupiter being saved

by Caine (in an unnecessarily long action scene) inevitably meant that feelings were evident.

I found certain scenes quite humorous, but I imagine that comedy was not the filmmakers’ intention. Conversations were often absurd, which lead to exchanges such as Tatum telling Kunis, “I have more in common with a dog than I have with you,” to which Kunis replies in a voice laced with romance, “I love dogs.” Conversations were cut with comical abruptness, which was confusing because it wasn’t a comedy, but its ridiculousness lead me to almost believe it was.

The action scenes were also

long enough to lull me to sleep.

I’m never one to dislike action scenes – they can be exhilarating – but the film featured pointlessly lengthy action scenes, and no amount of excessively climatic music could distract from that.

The star-studded cast gave the movie incredible potential, but there is a total lack of delivery. I’m not a huge sci-fi fanatic, so I suppose that should be taken into consideration but I wasn’t expecting to dislike the movie.

The whole girl being whisked off into another world concept seemed intriguing, but the scripts delivery failed to live up to these expectations. There also seemed to be an attempt on critiquing the dangers of greed and capitalism, which could have been a theme better highlighted had the final product been coherent. The film’s quantity in terms of visual appeal was nullified by its lack of quality in terms of meaningful dialogue.

If director Dean Israelite went back in time three decades and released Project Almanac, I have no doubt it would have been a much greater success. Regardless of its somewhat played-out plot including time-traveling teens, the film is extremely entertaining and is one of the must-see movies of early 2015.

The movie stars Jonny Weston as high school academic prodigee David Raskin and his group of friends as they discover the past project of Raskin’s late father – a time machine. Rather predictably, they go back in time, meddle around too much and start to change the normal path of history for the worst.

The concept of time travel is quite interesting and places films like this firmly into the suburban sci-fi genre. If I had no experience with other movies of this genre, I would consider Project Almanac a fairly original film, but this is not the case.

More recent movies like the Hot Tub Time Machine series, along with other, more groundbreaking titles like E.T. and the granddaddy of them all, Back to the Future, are all part of this established genre. This is simply a very tough league of movies to compete with, and Project Almanac predictably has trouble separating itself in a meaningful way.

One of the few significant differences from these classics is its modern setting and new rendition of the teenage stereotype. MTV’s production stamp on the movie is noticeable, especially when the teens enjoy a couple of cameo performances from popular bands Imagine Dragons and Vampire Weekend at Lollapalooza.

However, I do have to respect

Black Sea mediocre entry in submarine genre

BY DEVIN ORR

d.orr@eyeofthetigernews.com

CLASH OF CLANS

If you’re looking for a strategic, time-consuming, “free to play” game for your phone, look no further than Clash of Clans.

It provides a wealth of areas to level up and realistic ways to get around spending real money in-game, a feature lost in almost all free-to-plays. Don’t waste your time with others like the complete cash guzzler Game of War: Fire Age, no matter what pop-ups and Super Bowl commercials of Kate Upton might tell you.

that MTV would go through with making a movie outside of their comfort zone with a (still teen) sci-fi flick instead of the typical cheap reality drama.

Despite MTV’s venturing into new territories, Project Almanac still fails to pull off an air of originality other than a few more time-travel paradoxes.

These paradoxes were complex enough to prompt some second thought on my part about the chain of events, but they wrapped themselves up enough to provide closure. For better or worse, I was happy that I don’t feel the need to watch the movie again in order understand what happened, unlike the notoriously confusing Inception.

Though the movie is lacking in terms of originality, I did find it entertaining enough.

The characters themselves were decently engaging, and they were involved in a few interesting and hilarious moments that the twisted timelines created.

Sam Lerner stars as Raskin’s close friend Quinn Goldberg, who takes full advantage of the perks of unchecked time travel, and he delivers a great purely comedic performance. Whoever wrote the script definitely wanted for him to be an influential factor in the movie, and I, along with the rest of the theater, totally bought into it.

There is enough to like here that the movie deserves some praise, but I don’t think there is enough value for me to want to watch it again. This does not need to be an innovation in anyway in order to entertain moviegoers, so in this respect, it’s successful. Project Almanac is one movie definitely worth your time, because while unoriginal, its plot is sound and its premise interesting.

A rogue submarine captain (Jude Law) pulls together a misfit crew to go after a sunken treasure rumored to be lost in the depths of the Black Sea. As greed and desperation take control on their claustrophobic vessel, the men to turn on each other to fight for their own survival in the aptlynamed thriller Black Sea. To be honest, I came into the theater without any expectations. When I found out it was a submarine movie, I became even less interested. Submarine movies are like World War II movies: mediocre unless they present something new. I am a big fan of submarine hits like Crimson Tide and The Hunt for Red October for their great performances, big name actors and all-around sus-

COURTESY FOCUS FEATURES/TNS

Together, the submarine crew exemplifies the malevolent side of humanity under taxing, claustrophobic conditions. pense. Black Sea doesn’t come through with any of these things.

The whole plot sounds like an underwater Ocean’s Eleven, trying to perform a heist that will leave everyone rich. Submerging the setting doesn’t make the premise new.

The movie classifies itself

as action, but there’s little of it.

It is entertaining at times to see the downfall of the crew, but it follows the same predictable plotline. There are a few nailbiting scenes, but other than that, it’s not worth the time.

The best thing this movie does is reveal the close quarters that

submarines experience. Granted, the effect seems a tad overdone, but is ultimately for the best.

The big name actor is Jude Law, his most recent role was a small character in Guardians of the Galaxy. The part wasn’t out of his acting range – he has performed well in stressful scenes,

but all his dialogue was distracting due to his Aberdeen accent.

I had to look that up: I initially thought it was a Russian accent.

Every character can be considered an anti-hero. The whole atmosphere of the movie is depressing, with not even a tad of hope put in to make things worth investing in. You can argue it reveals the true, greedy side of humanity, but I would just say that the movie’s writers were lazy.

Black Sea proves that the submarine-suspense genre is a dying one with little innovation nor little interest. The fact that there were no advertisements for the film might mean the directors care as much as the audience does: little. That is, unless you pay too much to see this movie on HBO or later on Netflix.

MICHELLE’S FOOD JOURNAL

Bloom’s coffee appealing to hurried high-schoolers Each issue, senior Michelle Im will scout out the best local eateries. On the way, she finds the good, bad, and in-between of a particular dining scene.

This issue’s target: Breakfast.

GOOGLE TRANSLATE Easily one of the most useful updated apps, Google Translate operates in spectacular ways.

The new Word Lens feature allows for the translation of common European text in real-time.

It seemed far-fetched to me, but if you don’t believe me, see for yourself. And as long as this is used responsibly, we should continue enjoy Google’s gifts from the future.

- Andrew Smith

Dear food journal, If you’re as hurried as I am in the morning, then you know that there is no time for breakfast.

And to all the other high schoolers in a hurry, I’ll make this entry go in order of time-consumption. *wink* (I hope everyone got this food pun).

But anyhow. Coffee. Very good. It is the quintessential part of everyone’s morning and an inevitable step in those long nights spent not studying for a government test and not doing

BY MICHELLE IM

m.im@eyeofthetigernews.com

your geography project, but having to wake up in the wee hours for school. And a place with good coffee and good snacks always seems hard to come by, but have I got a place for you, food journal.

Bloom’s Coffee and Tea amazes with their creamy, wonderful coffee. Granted, the selection is very small – espe-

cially in comparison to megacorporation Starbucks – because there can never be too much of a good thing, but the taste makes up for it tenfold. Some coffee drinks tend to overdo it with their flavors and taste overwhelmingly like syrup, but Bloom’s is the chosen one in all of the good sense. Their vanilla latte was professional and in good taste, and to top it all off literally, the barista added a white heart that just made my day and my coffee.

Dear food journal, I know I’m rambling, but this place is definitely a hipster, coffee-addict’s dream come true. The earthy tones and supposedly DIY – but probably not – regardless, the decorations add the perfect flair to a peaceful stop in your day’s

journey. breakfast desserts, but the next If you have the money and may be considered a little bit time to spare, however, Four Sismore wholesome. ter’s Cafe is the place to be. The Peg’s Glorified Ham n’ Eggs paradise waffle truly is a tasteis definitely the place to go with bud’s paradise. Nothing your family, especially can go wrong with your papa – the crunchy, sweet name says it all. All macadamia nuts the most noteworin the middle of thy breakfast foods Belgian waffles, full packed into one super of fluffy goodness. The breakfast make up the essential assorted fruit half Peg’s ham steak and powdered sugar was and eggs dish. However, a very nice touch that sang it was too much. Too to my heart, and everyone much of a good thing. I knows sugar and coffee take my previous stateis the key to every Vanilla Latte ($4.00) ment back; Peg’s had problem. But wow, too much good food these food entries have been stacked into one monstrous dish that is impossible to eat in one very unhealthy. First cupcakes sitting. Go for brunch. and sweets, and now coffee and

Sports

february 17, 2015

page 11

Eleven of 13 wrestlers advance to divisional round

BY NICK SAPP

n.sapp@eyeofthetigernews.com

The Roseville High School wrestling team rolled out the mats one last time in Moeller Gym last Thursday, as they hosted the CVC league finals.

Roseville had a strong showing, as 11 of the 13 varsity wrestlers qualified to go on to divisional round this weekend, with eight of those automatically wrestling and the other three being alternates.

Only Ponderosa and Bella Vista qualified more wrestlers.

The wrestlers to qualify for next week’s tourney are seniors Mike Mulligan, Logan Ash, Zack Farr, Eddy Ortega and Robert Stella, junior Elijah Dustin, and sophomores Hayden Simpson and Johnny Mulligan.

According to head coach Doug Ash, they had to book another hotel room because they did so well.

Simpson and Johnny Mulligan placed the highest for the Tigers, receiving second place.

In league, Mulligan only won one match out of all the teams they wrestled. He placed second in finals, where he got a second chance to compete against guys he lost to.

Logan Ash and Farr both

FILE PHOTO ROBBIE SHORT

Sophomore Hayden Simpson will accompany a slew of notable senior wrestlers to the divisional round next week. fought through injuries. Farr had an injury to his back and Ash had an injury to his shoulder. They both ended up placing third, despite their injuries.

“Both of them were hurting bad, and for them to fight through

the pain and still place high is a testament to their internal fortitude,” Doug Ash said.

This was the first time the Tigers hosted league finals for the CVC and, according to Doug Ash, the tournament went smoothly

with few issues.

“We had tons of compliments from coaches and parents at the tournament, and we received great support from parents, teachers, and administration,” Doug Ash said.

Many students were in the gym supporting their Tigers as they wrestled.

“It was great seeing the students come out and support us,” Farr said. “It gave us a great boost of energy.”

For many wrestlers at RHS, this was their last tournament of the season. The Tigers finished fourth in league, but could have placed higher according to Doug Ash. The Tigers pulled out wins against Antelope, Whitney, and Cosumnes Oaks and lost to Bella Vista, Oakmont, Del Campo, and Ponderosa. “[The season] started off slow and if we had any luck it was bad luck,” Doug Ash said.

Injuries and sickness were the downfall to the beginning of their season. Six freshmen had to step up and fill the open spots on varsity until the regular wrestlers recovered in the first dual meets.

“If we had our full compliment of wrestlers we would have finished third [in league],” Doug Ash said.

RHS lost two dual matches against Oakmont and Del Campo, which, according to Doug Ash, they would have won if they were not missing wrestlers.

Injuries and illnesses were not the only reason the team had less members. Some wrestlers moved out of the district and others were on academic probation and thus unable to compete.

If an athlete does not meet grade requirements on grade checks they are not allowed to compete in matches but can practice with the team until next grade checks.

After RHS’ two losses at the beginning of the season, the Tigers regained most of their team back and went the rest of the season 3-2.

“Unfortunately we got off to a slow start but we ended the season as a strong team all around,” Farr said.

According to Doug Ash, as the season progressed, he was happy with how they did. It was what he is looking for.

RHS wrestlers will take on divisionals and if they place high enough will qualify for the masters tournament. Then, if they place high enough there, they will qualify for the state tournament.

“I am excited to take on this tournament; hopefully some of our wrestlers qualify for the masters tournament,” Mike Mulligan said.

BRIGHT FUTURE FOR BASKETBALL JV Girls

BY MARINA EFSTATHIU

m.efstathiu@eyeofthetigernews.com

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

Frosh Boys

BY NICK SAPP

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

JV Boys

BY CHASE BLATNICK

FILE PHOTO ROBBIE SHORT

Frosh Girls

BY MATT BRACKMANN

n.sapp@eyeofthetigernews.com

c.blatnick@eyeofthetigernews.com

m.brackmann@eyeofthetigernews.com

Roseville High School freshman boys basketball season has been a roller coaster. The team entered last night’s season finale at Oakmont with a 7-6 record in the Capital Valley Conference.

The first two games of league were loses, then following those games were two wins and that sequence continued for the next four games.

“We have been pretty inconsistent, but we kept trying to fix that,” said freshman Blake Beamen.

The season though has not been a disappointment according to Beamen. It was what they expected to play.

According to Beamman, the team has shown great improvement in team chemistry and that is there biggest improvement and they plan to take that team chemistry to their JV year next year.

The worst loss the season was against Cosumnes Oaks on February 2nd.

According to freshman point guard Jase Gorgi, the team came in playing well, but just fell apart.

“We learned from that game and learned what not to do as we continue to play,” said Gorgi.

The Tigers would bounce back the next game and beat the Antelope Titans to turn their loss against Cosumnes Oaks around.

“We played with heart the whole game and found a way to come out on top,” said Beamen.

According to Beamen their key player was freshman Joe Cirrincione because he was a stud on defense and he brought the teams energy up.

The Roseville High School JV boys basketball team has been through it all this year. They have faced adversity with losing starting center Cam Anderson and starting point guard Alex Gonzalez to injury. They also had to deal with ejections and suspensions stemming from altercations at Ponderosa. At the same time, they have had players running a new offense and often playing new positions or roles on the team. Despite the obstacles, the team entered last nights season finale with a record of 16-10 and were competitive in every game this season.

“We have had a few setbacks this year, but we still manage to play with a lot of heart,” point guard Sean Granucci said.

Regardless of all the hardships faced this season, the Tigers had some significant players step up and play huge roles. A lot of them had rarely played during their middle school years and some hadn’t play at all, but they stepped up when it mattered.

According to coach Ritter, the team played hard and had very strong on-court chemistry.

According to center Bennie Garcia, the team learned to play together despite what odds they were up against and never counted themselves out at any point.

“We have played hard and fought every game, regardless of what our record may show,” Garcia said.

Players like Sean Granucci, Aaron Rai, and Josh Carson were the leaders of the team.

Heading into Monday’s game against Oakmont high school, the Roseville high school freshman girls basketball team has an overall record of 12-1 in league play and are currently tied for first place in league.

This season, the Lady Tigers exceeded their beginning goals as they took two tournament championships and are hopeful for a league championship according to head coach Randy Wright.

“We really exceeded our expectations this season. We ended up with a great record and hopefully we will take the league championship,” said freshman Maddie Amos. “I’m excited to move up to the jv level. I think we will all perform really well up there.”

The Lady Tigers won the majority of their games by a large margin. One of their biggest wins was against Davis High School by a score of 49-9.

“I’m proud that we played well together that game and came out with a big win. We played hard throughout the entire game,” said freshman Ashley Beam A closer game for the girls was against Vacaville high school when the game ended in a 44-41 victory for the Lady Tigers.

“Vacaville was a really solid team and it made for an exciting game,” said Amos.

According to Wright, Amos and Beam are two stand out players who stepped up this season.

“I think we’ve had a great season so far and I am confident we will come out on top in league” said Beam

As the season comes to an end, the JV Lady Tigers basketball team have finished their season with an undefeated record in league. Along with being undefeated they also are the champions for Junior Varsity in their first year among the CVC league.

First year head coach Sean Seymour felt the season was a lot of fun and he enjoyed watching the girls play and grow as a team all season long. He was especially happy to sweep the team’s two most difficult league opponents.

“The two most challenging teams we played, Bella Vista and Cosumnes Oaks,” Seymour said.

“We’re the most challenging, but also the most exciting to watch.”

According to Seymour, these teams are going to be the girls rivals in the next couple years as they continue to play because of how close the scores of the games were. Throughout the season, Seymour counted on contributions from all of his players and notes that none of the girls stood out statistically and there wasn’t an overwhelming individual on the court.

“It didn’t matter the mix of the five players on the floor, everybody knew their role and they came together to win,” Seymour said.

This year’s JV team was compiled of five freshman and four sophomores. Sophomore Anna Ostrom felt the freshmen on the team were able to bring a lot of athleticism and skill that added to the success of their season.

“It would have been a tough season without them,” Ostrom said. “And we would have lost a lot more games if we did not have their stamina and ability to make shots.”

Team unity was a big part of the reason they had success.

According to McCurry, the fact that they never got down on a single player that made a mistake, is a true representation of how close and uplifting they were.

“When somebody messes up a lay-up or misses a free-throw, we always support each other a lot and always cheer each other on no matter what, ” McCurry said.

Sports

page 12

feburary 17, 2015

Why Little League matters Title-stripping raises transfer question

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

Despite the return of senior Bryce Crouch (right), the varsity Tigers’ play wasn’t good enough to secure them a spot in the CVC playoffs. The team is now focusing on preparing its young players, including sophomore Tommy Edwards (above), to return stronger next year.

BY LOGAN ASH

l.ash@eyeofthetigernews.com

ROBBIE SHORT EYE OF THE TIGER

Out of playoffs, Tigers look ahead Sophomores will lead way next season

BY BRAD JAMES

b.james@eyeofthetigernews.com

Heading into last night’s season finale with Oakmont, the 20142015 Roseville High School’s varsity boys basketball team had a league record of 1-12 and an overall record of 6-20 overall.

The Tigers will not be making playoffs again for the second straight season, as their last appearance came just two seasons ago. The Tigers were up against all the odds this season ranging from entering a brand new CVC league facing new talent, to having all but two seniors fall to injuries, leaving it up to an inexperienced lineup of sophomores and juniors.

Still, coach Greg Granucci is happy to see how well his younger players transitioned into the varsity level this year and is looking forward to see all the great possible outcomes that will come next season with the gained experience from the sophomores and

juniors.

“Anytime you lose players because of injury whether they are seniors or not, it’s going to be tough,” Granucci said. “They’re two seniors (Bryce Crouch and Zach Delgado) who’ve been in our program before, they bring a lot of leadership and a lot of skill to what we do, but we had to adapt to that and we did.”

Although the future looks very promising for the Tigers, the adversity that arose from the team this year was too much for the boys to be able to gain any serious momentum at any point in the season.

The Tigers began a six-game losing streak starting Jan. 7, but ended quickly, yet shortly, as they could only manage the one win against an 0-11 Oakmont Vikings before falling into another six game losing streak.

Despite the rough season, the younger players have remained optimistic for the next season and

are looking forward to see what they can accomplish next year returning to the CVC. “We weren’t really able to get things moving in the direction we wanted to this year. We had a whole bunch of new guys playing together at a level we hadn’t really seen yet,” sophomore Jimmy Jaggers said. “Although it was unfortunate seeing some of our leaders and better players go down, I think it was a good opportunity for all of us younger guys to experience this level.”

Still, the experience this year has Jaggers very excited for next year.

“With most of us looking to come back next year I think we’re ready to move forward and hope for a better outcome next season,” Jaggers said.

Although struggling to fill the roster this season, Granucci feels as though he has set himself up with a promising future, stacking his team with young, hardwork-

ing talent, ready to prosper at the varsity level.

From the beginning of the season, Granucci was put into a position lacking senior talent as there was a meager five seniors on the team this season.

As a result, Granucci decided to bring up a total of six sophomores to try and help fill the necessary roles, hoping they would be able to handle the pressure that come along with playing at such a higher level and looking to prepare them for the near future.

Next season the Tigers will have nine upcoming juniors and seniors from this season, eligible to return to play for Coach Granucci going into the 20152016 season. He said that much experience should help the Tigers win more than a few games, but that he’ll have to wait and see.

“Kids develop differently over periods of time. I remember having not so great sophomores who eight months later really developed into better basketball players and who we can trust is really going to help us out later,” Granucci said. “I’m just going

to have to sit and evaluate what I thought the sophomores did and our young guys did.”

Granucci is also encouraged with what he saw from the sophomores playing at the JV level this year.

“We have a lot of good talent down at the JV level right now,” Granucci said. “I think we just have to wait and see what type of accommodations we’ll have at the end of the season for next year.”

Sophomore Jason Russell was an impact player this season for the Tigers as he shared most of the minutes at the point guard position.

According to Russell, being apart of the team this year and being so welcomed in a new environment by the few seniors and coaches, really helped the sophomores feel more comfortable and took loads of pressure and nerves off of their shoulders.

Russell remains confident that they can become even more competitive next year as they have gained much needed knowledge they can use to their advantage in future seasons.

Varsity Lady Tigers also put stock in future

BY CESAR SANCHEZ

c.sanchez@eyeofthetigernews.com

FILE PHOTO ROBBIE SHORT

Though RHS’ varsity girls basketball team will lose a talent in senior Krystal Garcia (above) next year, coach Josh Errecart is excited to see what the returning and new young players will be able to accomplish.

Heading into the final game of the season against Oakmont, the Roseville High School girl’s varsity team has an overall record of 8-17 and a league record of In the last matchup against Oakmont the girls won 48-42. Despite ending the season with a losing record, many of the players and head coach believed that they played the best they could.

“We performed so well given the fact that we played with a lot of young talent that included three sophomores in the starting line up,” said two-year head coach Josh Errecart. “The girls were just amazing hard workers who were fully committed to the program.”

With the season coming to an end Josh Errecart will be losing his senior players Krystal Garcia and Michelle Dobler who have contributed greatly to to the varsity team.

Due to his seniors leaving head coach Josh Errecart will be looking to put a lot of young talent in the varsity team next year.

The JV girls basketball team took the CVC league title this year, and many of those players will be headed up to varsity the next year.

“Next year we will have a lot of youth coming into the varsity level who can help contribute to wins,” said Errecart. “We know

that they can bring their talent along with them into varsity year, but can we utilize their talents to help us compete?”

With the girls season coming to an end and them knowing that they cannot win the league title, the girls are focusing on strengthening the offense for the future.

“There is a lot of talent in the under class level as well in the upper class level, so it will be interesting to see how the players will work together. We will also have to guide them and show them how the varsity level is played compared to the JV and freshman levels.” Junior player Havanah Seymour said.

According to the coaches and players on the team, throughout the season the girls were not performing to the max potential that they all knew they could play at.

“We all saw in the middle of the season that we were going through a slump and that we weren’t performing to our max potential,” said sophomore player Shelbie Mckay. “But we have been gradually picking up the pace and have started to perform better as a team.”

The Roseville High School varsity girls basketball team experienced a slump in their performance at the start of their first CVC season.

“We lost games in season due to little mistakes such as horrible passes, bad play execution, and

the fact that we couldn’t keep the ball under control without our two senior players in the game.” Errecart said.

As the sesaon progressed, one of the best and biggest inprovements that the team had came from the deffensive side of the ball. According to McKay, the team chemistry showed a lot of improvement throughtout the season as well.

A pretty common contest for the Lady Tigers typically resulted in their deffense holding teams that would usualy score in the 70’s , to below 60 points.

“Defense has helped a lot over the course of the season. Holding teams that would usually score in the mid 70’s below 60 points is a huge accomplishment,” McKay said. “And not many teams can say that they can do that.”

According to Mckay, the style of basketball the Lady Tigers will be playing in the upcoming years should be rather exciting, whihch leaves her looking forweard to the coming season.

“I ‘m looking forward to the type of basketball we will be playing in the upcoming years” McKay said. “with all the athleticism coming up we will be a fast pace, running defensive team. That will be pretty exciting.”

The Lady Tigers closed out their season last night against the Oakmont Vikings, a team they previously beat 48-42.

Last week, the Little League World Series board stripped the Chicago based Jackie Robinson West Little League of their banner as the United States Little League World Series Champions in 2014.

The reasoning behind the confiscation of the title is due to the fact that the team had players that were outside of their district.

At first, I thought that it was ridiculous that the Board of Directors for the Little League World Series dethroned the team just because they had a players that were outside of their boundaries, but the more I thought the more I realized at how big of an advantage that it offers for their team.

After I had time to think through this scenario clearly, I thought of all the athletes that have gone to a different high school in our area that they claim is for the schools academics or a special program.

Being in the wrestling community, I know a ridiculous amount of people that were supposed to go to Roseville or Woodcreek and they transferred to the wrestling powerhouse, Del Oro. When I compare these two situations, they seem to be similar in many ways by taking these superior athletes and moving them to a higher profile program to get them to a better team.

However, it is completely legal for anyone to transfer within the district in high school just because they want to get to a better team and they have to sit out a measly 30 days until they can play.

Most of the time, these athletes do not have a say in the decision to transfer, as their parents force them to do what they say because they have a grudge against a coach or they have the common thought of “the grass is greener at this school.”

I have talked to countless people who have transferred schools forcedly by their parents and they tend to always say they miss their old friends and they wished they were back at their high school they were meant to attend. For those kids, the athletic programs just aren’t worth it.

Time and time again parents think they are doing their children a favor by taking them to to a finer institution when in reality they have pushed their kid farther away from them.

In addition, the kids have a tendency to stray away and rebel against their parents ideals and core beliefs.

Not only are you taken out of your group of friends, you are distanced from the community in which you grew up in missing all the events that are directed towards your local high school.

By not being involved in your local community events, you are distancing yourself from childhood memories and your closest friends all to get a better coach or a better team which in reality, only about five percent of all high school athletes will advance to the next level by playing a collegiate sport and less than .05 percent will advance into the pros so in the long run the odds of the better coach making that big of a difference is very, very slim.