December 12, 2014 Issue

Transcription

The Pepperbox
December
BOX BRIEFS
December 11-13th: AIBT
December 13th: ACT Test Date
December 19th: Winter Assembly
Dec 21st-Jan 4th: Winter Break
January 12-16th: Finals
January 16th: End of Semester 1
January 19th: MLK Day, No School
January 20th: THRIVE Day, No School
January 24th: SAT Test Date
January 24th: Junior Prom
February 3-4th: CASHEE Testing
February 7th: ACT Test Date
February 11th: Blood Drive
February 16-20th: President’s Break
Want to advertise or buy a mail subscription to the Pepperbox? Email
Business Manager Alyssa Day at ahs.pepperbox@gmail.com!
Follow us on Twitter: @ahspepperbox
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Visit us on the web: www.thepepperbox.com
EDITORIAL STAFF
Gillen Martin Editor-In-Chief
Zoe Ziegler Editor-In-Chief
Sara Davis Managing Editor
Terra Clarke News Editor
Kaeyln Tuermer-Lee News Editor
Hannah Finley Feature Editor
Alley Perry Feature Editor
Neel Rao Sports Editor
Craig Broadman Sports Editor
CJ Gray Opinion Editor
Ryan Ghisetti A&E Editor
Carson McHaney Art Director
Alyssa Day Business Manager
Izzy Ensminger Online Editor
Claire Robinson Copy Editor
Alec Perrone Executive Producer
Bodie Yonts Assistant Producer
Indigo Davis Photo Editor
Jesse Bareilles Assistant Photo Editor
Caitlyn Patterson Social Media Director
REPORTERS
Mozara Abdalla
Amanda Andrews
Scott Ballinger
Taylor Camp
Isaiah DuFresne
Marlena Tavernier
Darik Gaston
Emma Harris
Gabe Hunt
Isabel Luu
Ellen Keil
Claire Rockwood
Anna Nelson
Solo O’Neill
Triston Pigg
Josh Winter
Peter Shao
The Pepperbox would like to thank Western Web, based in Samoa, for printing at-cost. Western Web supports student journalism throughout Humboldt
County and has made publications like the Pepperbox possible for decades. We
appreciate their dedication to keeping print media alive.
Western Web
IN THE BOX
Bocce Ball Club. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Maker Workshop. . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Upperclassmen Weekends . . . 8
PB Club. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Arcata A’s. . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 & 11
Homeless Students . . . . .12 & 13
Vaccinations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Girls Soccer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Fall Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 & 17
Alternative Sports . . . . . . . . . .18
Crowds vs. Gender. . . . . . . . . . 19
Through a Child’s Eyes. . .20-21
Sixth Men. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Cheerleader Perspective. . . . .23
AIBT Rosters. . . . . . . . . . . . 24-27
WAIBT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Day in the Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Drug Testing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Socks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Bracket. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Questions regarding editorial content of the Pepperbox should be directed toward its editors. Opinions
expressed in this paper are
not necessarily those of
Arcata High School.
Adviser
Danielle Lehman
Letters to the Editors
10/28/14
Dear Pepperbox Editors,
Recently, I was contacted by a few friends and fellow Arcata High School alumni regarding an article that was published in the October edition
of The Pepperbox. The article addressed the lack of “football culture” at Arcata High and stated that the solution to this problem is to have the
cheerleaders each adopt a football player and subsequently perform tasks for their player because it is “part of what cheerleaders sign up for”.
Upon reading it, there were many aspects of this article that I did not agree with, but the most disappointing thing for me to read was the obvious lack of respect for these cheerleaders. Although what was said in the article was wrong and inappropriate, I do not believe that the writer
of the article is completely at fault for these statements. I instead look at the football culture and it’s values as the main source of the problem.
Because of football’s vast popularity all over the country, these ideas of “you have to be a man to play football” or “only girls feel pain” are drilled
into the minds of our children and young adults, creating a misogynistic mindset in many of our young football players and fans that they carry
with them throughout their lives. This lack of understanding and respect for women is not only at the high school level, either. As a collegiate
football player, I have seen first hand these ideals of men being superior to women in my own life in both the locker room and campus. Even on
the highest possible level for a football player, the NFL, the problem still appears often. The incident that happened with Ray Rice, a Pro Bowl
running back who is looked up to by millions of young and ambitious football players and fans is a perfect example. The video of Rice physically
abusing his then fiance was even shown on national television, allowing these young people to literally watch their role model perform the acts
that are subliminally endorsed by this football culture. Although Rice’s actions were terribly nasty, positives can be taken out of the situation as
the NFL decided to ban him from participation. Although a very small step in the overwhelming problem that the sport of football is facing, the
ban showed the nation that actions like these are intolerable. What is mentioned in the article published in The Pepperbox is nowhere near the
magnitude of the Ray Rice situation and in no way am I attempting to compare the two, but both situations share the misogynistic ideals that
the football culture is currently endorsing. I would like to encourage the Arcata High football team to attempt to change this culture. Instead of
assuming that it is the cheerleader’s duty to do things for the team, I challenge the Arcata High football team to turn the table and instead bring
the cheer team cupcakes and candy for the support and effort they put into being there every friday night. There is no question that football is
a sport that requires incredible physicality and aggression in order to succeed. However, it is possible and necessary to demonstrate these traits
by blocking hard, making big tackles and scoring touchdowns, which leads to success and winning games, while also finding a balance between
football and life, leaving the ideals of superiority and aggression on the football field.
Things to consider,
Andrew DeHart
10/16/14
Dear Editors of the Pepperbox,
In is apparent to me and the rest of Arcata High that after the recent publication of a certain article on cheerleaders and team morale of the team football
team that the Pepperbox, and in particular the reporter who wrote the article, are receiving some backlash. I personally would like to commend you
for publishing the article even though the opinion it expressed is controversial. I think the latest issue shows, more than ever, the Pepperbox to be an
exemplary publication committed to freedom of speech and the fair coverage of all viewpoints and opinions, regardless of public opinion.
I look forward, as always, to your next issue.
Elise Ford
Quotable.
“Yak rescued in Redwood Park, will live out
days in loving sanctuary.”
-A very Humboldt Mad River Union headline from late October
“I’ve been interested in acquiring a
human skull for some time.”
-English teacher Alex Kantner contemplating a Hamlet Halloween costume idea
“Sooner or later, people will be calling them,
‘Hello, I’d like to order a Kim K. butt!’”
-Social Studies teacher Dave Filippini to his 4th period class regarding the
recent media excitement over photographs released of Kim Kardashian
“We’re going to conquer the world.
And we’re going to change all of
the countries’ names to names we
can pronounce.”
-Social Studies teacher Doug Johnson to his 3rd period
U.S. History class
13 | 5
Days until Christmas,
days of school until Winter Break
4
Varsity league championship fall sports teams: boy’s
& girl’s cross country, volleyball, and girl’s soccer (see
full fall sports wrap-ups on
pages 16 & 17)
128 | 10
Number of goals scored
by and against our girl’s
varsity soccer team (read
more about their “perfect
season” on page 14)
11.5 | 105
The height difference (in)
and weight difference (lbs)
between varsity basketball
players Luke Graves (cover)
and Tristan Espy (left)
The Pepperbox | Page 6
News
Friday, December 12th, 2014
Bocce ball takes the spotlight
Solo O’Neill
Reporter
S
ports teams, clubs, and classes show their tiger pride with
floats decked out in elaborate decorations, screaming
high school students, with top forty hits echoing through downtown
Arcata. Although this years floats
did not disappoint, there was one
that stood out among the rest; the
Arcata High Bocce Ball float. Bocce
ball came to California in 1989 and
has gained popularity since. Bocce
Ball is traditionally played on natural soil or asphalt courts 90 ft. in
length and 8 to 13 ft. wide. Bocce
balls can be made of metal or various kinds of plastic. A bocce ball
Community
events, like Special
Olympics, are one
of the highlights
of the school year
for many life skills
students. Special
Olympics is hugely
supportive of the
Arcata High Bocce
Ball program.
game typically includes two players, or sometimes two teams of two,
three, or four. With the Humboldt
State Bocce Ball tournament approaching, the Arcata High team is
working hard to prepare for com-
petition. The team is coached by
AHS Athletic Director, Troy Ghisetti, and consists of mainly Life
Skills students with a couple general education students helping
out the team. The team practices
their skills during 3rd period P.E.
...the Arcata High team
is working hard to prepare for competition.
“Our special education program has a bocce ball and a basketball unit every year. The
units culminate with a Special
Olympics tournament hosted by
Humboldt State,” Ghisetti said.
Humboldt State University has
been hosting this annual Bocce
ball tournament for the last three
years with great success. The tournament gives students the opportunity to work as a team and compete with their peers. The Arcata
High team competes with Eureka
High, Fortuna High, McKinleyville
High, and the Glenn Paul Center
teams. The Arcata High team has
won the tournament in past years
and looks to continue its winning
tradition. Community events like
Special Olympics are one of the
highlights of the school year for
many life skills students. Special
Olympics is hugely supportive of
the Arcata High bocce ball program.
“The people from Special Olympics donated all our practice
equipment, the City of Arcata donated all game equipment,” stated
Athletic Director Troy Ghisetti.
Because of the support of Special Olympics and Humboldt State
University Arcata High life skills,
students are able to participate in
this friendly competition and learn
valuable skills, like teamwork.
Zoe Ziegler/PEPPERBOX
Seniors Coleton Allmon and Jared Olson present their bocce
balls.
News
Maker: an authentic way to learn
Zoe Ziegler
Editor-in-Chief
E
xcept for the twenty-orso students who take the
class, third period Maker
Workshop seems virtually
unknown to the Arcata High student body. Mentions of the class
are usually answered with blank
faces, which is understandable
due to its novelty, but also because
of its location. Nestled in the Ag
room, between the Metal and Auto
shops, on the northern side of
campus, it’s easy to be oblivious to
the all the amazing things happening behind those tall cement walls.
This class is founded on the
ideals of the Maker Movement,
which is a technological offshoot
Maker is more
of a workshop
than it is a class.
of the do-it-yourself (DIY) culture.
The Maker Movement Manifesto, a book by Mark
Hatch, emphasizes
creativity, collaboration
w i t h
other makers, and flexibility to any change that may come.
A project-driven class, Maker
Workshop gives students practical applications to the things they
We made really tight robots
that can flip other robots over.
That was definitely the highlight
so far.” In addition to robots, students have had the opportunity to
work with a 3D printer. “You can
actually make real stuff with it,”
Robins said. But for now, most of
the 3D projects have been introductory, such as a plastic rabbit.
Maker is more of a workshop
than it is a class--maker student
senior Salix Bair called it “selfdriven”--yet it remains still a
very educational experience. “Research shows that ‘authentic experience’ is one of the most powerful ways for people to learn,”
Sidell said. “That is what I am
trying to create with this class.”
- Canyon Robins
learn in school. Jason Sidell, Arcata’s Maker teacher, said, “A maker is someone who can identify a
problem or need, design a solution
to the problem, and produce that
solution for use in the real world.
For example, a person who has
trouble remembering to water her
plants might design an electronic
device that detects the moisture
in the soil and texts her a message
from the plant, ‘Please water me!’”
But Maker is not just for the
practical. “They work on a series
of projects that satisfy a need or
solve a problem,” Sidell stated. But
some of those projects are
for entertainment purposes. “We made really tight robots that
can flip other robots
over,” Maker student
Canyon Robins said,
“We fight them
and
win.
Seniors Cormac Crowley and Westin McHaney work on their robot.
Maker students can download designs, like the one for this bunny, from the internet and ‘bring them to life’ using a 3D printer.
Westin McHaney/PEPPERBOX
A magnifying tool shows a close-up of a project using an LED matrix.
Feature
Not all teenagers are up to no good
Ellen Keil
A
Reporter
s the final bell rings
at the end of a long
and challenging week
of school, students
everywhere race out of their
classrooms to kick off the greatly
anticipated weekend. Some upperclassmen flee to the parking lot
where they immediately jump into
their car or a friends car and speed
out of the school zone, while others loiter around in the parking lot
or at the front bench talking with
friends and waiting for the never
ending traffic to cease. But what
happens next? Where do we all go
after school hours? How do upperclassmen enjoy their weekends?
Of course we are all different individuals with various friend groups
and preferred activities. And with
over 400 upperclassmen, it would
be difficult to find out what we
all do. Some have a school sport
after school, and some prefer to
workout either at the gym or on
their own time and place. Others simply go home and relax.
I mainly just hang
out with a group of
friends and have
small get-togethers.
Or we will go out
and do something.”
- Ion Rasmussen
Hannah Finley/PEPPERBOX
Arcata High seniors, Josiah Ennis, Luke Graves, Jay Larson, Lakota Camp,
and Ben Albright (left to right) have good, clean fun blowing bubbles.
Like most teenagers, senior Ion
Rasmussen, enjoys her friends’
company during the weekend.
Other than working an extensive
amount of hours as a Bounce-aPalooza employee, she still manages to find time for fun adventures
and down time away from school
and work. From going to the
beach, hiking, watching Netflix,
and spending time with friends, I
would say its a weekend well-spent.
“I mainly just hang out with a
group of friends and have small gettogethers. Or we will go out and do
something,” Rasmussen explained.
“If we get hungry we go to APD (Arcata Pizza and Deli) or Sushi Tao.”
Junior Collin Townsend claims
that on a Friday after school he
will usually go to his friend Nathan Heidrick’s house and “ beat
him at FIFA...like really bad.” Then
possibly go out to a party or just
hangout with friends at Nathan’s.
“If we feel like it we’ll go
to APD or Don’s Donuts
for a snack later,” he added.
On an early Saturday or Sunday,
he and his friends like to go surfing
at Moonstone or Trinidad. After
catching some waves, Collin goes
home, beats Nathan again, and eats.
I start off my wekend
by beating Collin in
FIFA, then we usually just hangout and
hotutb or hike.
-Nathan Heidrick
PB Club
Freshmen likes and dislikes
came with being a high school
student. For the first time, stuIsabel Luu
dents can leave school to get
Reporter
lunch, instead of staying at
school eating packed lunches.
s the first few months Scott Ballinger, a freshman Pepof school pass, fresh- perbox member, said, “We’re
men have started to not forced to sit in a crowded
get some idea about cafeteria anymore. Now we can
what high school is all about. leave and basically do whatever
After leaving middle school, we want.”
students have learned new
In most middle schools, stuthings educationally and social- dents do not have much say
ly. They have many opinions on in the classes they take. Freshtheir views of high school, both man Gabe Hunt said, “There are
negative and positive.
more class options so that I can
Several freshmen were inter- actually choose what I want to
viewed to find out how they feel learn.”
about high school, comparing
Freshmen also like the social
it to middle school. They listed environment in high school.
many things that they liked and Students feel like they are not
things that they disliked.
compared as much as they were
Most freshmen agreed that in middle school, and that poputhey liked the freedom that larity is not as important as it
A
used to be. “There is no major
social pyramid anymore. You
just hang out with the people
you fit in with,” said Isaiah DuFresne.
Going to a bigger school
with more people was both a
good thing and a bad thing to
many freshmen. “I’ve made
new friends and there are more
people to hang out with, but the
school is more crowed so I can’t
find people I’m looking for as
easily as I could last year,” said
Emma Harris. Also, students
who came from smaller school
dislike how the teachers do not
know most of the students very
well because having a stronger
connection with your teachers
sometimes made school easier
and more enjoyable.
Hardly anyone likes to do
extra work after school. “Well,
there’s definitely a lot more
homework and the expectations
are a lot higher,” said freshman
Taj O’Barr. Students agreed they
wish there was less homework.
At Arcata High, classes start
at 8:15AM. At some middle
schools, school starts later. “I
don’t think I should have to
wake up when it’s still dark to
get ready for school,” said Clare
Rockwood.
In general high school can
very different than middle
school. Students start doing
things on their own with less
help from their parents, and
their teachers no longer remind
them to do their work. Emma
Harris said, “Everything is now
our responsibility. Our teachers
and parents don’t make most of
the decisions about what we do
anymore.”
What’s for lunch, AHS?
Marley Tavernier-Fine
Reporter
L
unch is a big part of
school; it’s a time to socialize, to catch up, and
to make sure you get
something good to eat. But not
every high school has the same
policies surrounding what freedoms students have for their
lunch period. Arcata High students are lucky; we have a
lot of freedom with an open
campus for lunch, something
not all schools offer. There
are also many choices that are
available for lunches such as
Wildberries, Redwood Yogurt, and many more that are
close, affordable, and pretty
darn good. What about some
of the other high schools in
the area? At
McKinleyville
High
there is also an open campus
Arcata high students are lucky;
we have a lot of
freedom.
for lunch, but one of the only
places that students can walk
to eat is the 76 gas station in
town. Without a car the options are pretty limited “I wish
there were places closer to the
school that freshmen could
walk to,” McKinleyville high
freshman Kara Burman said.
Even though they cannot
get to as many places easily,
McKinleyville might just make
up for it with having an affordable student store. “There
are lots of good choices at the
school, stuff that people actually want to eat, and we’re not
forced to eat all of the “healthy”
There
are
also many
choices that
are available
for lunches...
food like in middle school”,
says Burman. Still, all schools
have their pros and cons and
no place is perfect, but what
we’ve got is good enough for us.
Feature
Feature students: the Arcata A’s
The Activist: Chris Killian
Ryan Ghisetti
The Artist: Kyri Cossolotto
Hannah Finley
Feature Editor
A&E Editor
F
rom the shadows of students a voice spoke up for
change. When you think
of an activist a boisterous
image of protesters with signs and
petitions comes to mind. But
Chris Killian has revised
the old way of thinking. Coming into the
spotlight his senior
year as a Homecoming nominee, in
a short few months
he has brought an
epidemic to Arcata
High: acceptance."It
was a disappointment
during Homecoming
when I found out that
the school wouldn't
allow two Kings or
Queens to win, but I'm
very happy petitions
have been signed
to reverse this." As a
predominant member
the the Gay Straight
Alliance club and
identifying as an
advocate of the LGBTQIA community,
Chris isn't just introducing diversity,
he's
challenging
the gender specific stereotypes
at the school.
T
hough most people may recognize junior Kyri Cossolotto as an amazing volleyball player, a smooth dancer, a member of leadership, or the girls who rocks windbreakers, it may come as a surprise to many
that Cossolotto is a talented artist as well. Cossolotto
joined the Arcata Arts Institute this year. Though
her favorite art form is visual dynamics, it certainly
does not stop there. Aside from visual dynamics,
Cossolotto also enjoys knitting, crocheting, and
just about any other craft making activity under the sun. While Cossolotto enjoys sporting her own creations, she even makes
money by selling her art. For example,
she crochets booties for infants and attaches a small Nike swoosh, “giving little kids everywhere mad swag.” In addition to the adorable booties, she also
makes scarves, hats, leg warmers, and
boot cuffs. Cossolotto’s artistic ability
is truly broad. Cossolotto claimed, “My
dream is to own a high-end thrift shop
when I’m older and sell my own clothing
there.” While her creative crafts and art on paper may be impressive, Cossolotto’s style and
perfectly applied makeup should be revered
as an artform as well! According to Cossolotto, she spends 15 minutes in the car applying her flawless eye shadow and eyeliner.
Only to enhance her makeup, she dresses
adorably, keeping up with the latest fashion trends and adopting new ones of her
own. Cossolotto hopes that Windbreaker
Wednesday will soon catch on and the
vibrant colors of the ‘80s will be revived.
She claims that she flaunts colorful windbreakers simply because she enjoys it and
likes to stand out. “I consider myself somewhat of a peacock,” Cossolotto stated about
her unique style. The hidden talents of
Kyri Cossolotto have now been revealed.
If you’re interested in purchasing adorable booties or sporting a windbreaker
on wednesday, send a “hello” in Cossolotto’s direction and a resoundingly enthusiastic greeting will be reciprocated.
Feature
The Athlete: Iona Mahony-Moyer
The Academic: Evan Green
Indigo Davis
Photo Editor
E
van Green is not just a cute 5’3”
freshman, jumping off the walls
and sprinting between classes;
he’s actually kind of smart.One
of Green’s accomplishments includes going to the state science fair in 8th grade.
This may seem like a decade ago to some
of us, but we have to remember that he is
only a freshman. He got a 3rd place medal
in the aerodynamics and hydrodynamics
category in the State Science Fair. What is
aerodynamics and hydrodynamics? Good
question. Aerodynamics is the study of the
motion of air, particularly when it interacts
with a solid object. Hydrodynamics deals
with forces acting on or exerted by liquids.
As an 8th grader, Green clearly knew more
than all of us. Evan was also a national science Broadcom Master nominee. Broadcom
Master’s is a premier middle school science
and engineering competition. Broadcom only
nominates the top 10% of 6th, 7th, and 8th
graders to enter their competition. “I really
like chemistry,” Green said. Evan isn’t just
a genius mind, he also has a thriving social
life, and some hidden talents. Evan was on
the Arcata High School JV soccer team. He
doesn’t seem to have a hard time balancing
his social life because he’s just that smart.
In his free time, aside from soccer and
homework, Green also enjoys launching
rockets, a hobby possessed by few. “I play
soccer and launch rockets...” Green said,
sounding incredibly enthusiastic. Evan
Green is a mystery to most students on
campus, but don’t be intimidated by
his mind, because he’s just like you
and I...except smarter.
Kaelyn Tuermer-Lee
News Editor
T
here’s something about the stride in her step
and the pure determination on her face, always
putting forth her best effort and never settling
for less. Sophomore track and cross-country
star Iona Mahony-Moyer has always loved to run. Her
inspiration to first start running was her brother Evan,
who ran cross-country in high school. Now, her brother
is in college. Iona chose to follow in his footsteps, and
has been running for four years--two seasons of crosscountry and four seasons of track. At cross-country practices, the AHS team runs approximately
one and a half hours per day, with many runs
on the trails through the forest. Although she
loves both sports, Iona favors cross- country
over track because of her love
for
long-distance. When asked what
the
best part about each sport was,
she answered with, “The best part
about track was the MOCs [Meet
of Champions] at Berkeley, and the
best part of cross-country was...
well...everything.” The cross-country
team is also very close, and finds
motivation through supporting each other.
“We’re all kind of like a big cross-country
team and I love everyone. We support
each other a lot. A lot of my motivation
comes from wanting to do well for the
team.” Goals for next year would include
upholding previous team traditions, such
as using spirited hair ribbons, and having a closely-knit team. Any traditions or
routines before meets? “Eating sunflower
butter on rice cakes with bananas. Oh,
and also hanging out with teammates,”
Mahony-Moyer replied. What a good prerace ritual to get a star runner in the zone
and prepared to tear up the course.
Feature
Finding hope for homeless youth
Sara Davis
Managing Editor
&
Zoe Ziegler
Editor-in-Chief
Imagine waking up from a cold
and restless night on the unforgiving ground. Rain has left you
soaked and you have no other
clothes to change into. With no
place to shower or get ready for
school, your only option is the
nearby gas station bathroom.
Feeling heavy-hearted, you realize your last full meal was two
days ago---a stolen supermarket
chicken. As you walk to school in
the brisk winter air you hear your
peers complain about the various
luxuries you lack. Throughout
the day it is difficult to step away
from the reality of being a homeless youth. After school that night
there is no warm meal or warm bed
waiting for you. If you’re lucky,
you’ll find a tarp, tent, or empty
breeze-way, but, like all aspects of
homeless life, nothing is reliable.
America is often seen as a
symbol of abundance and opportunity, a country of second
chances and helping hands.
Yet for the 2.5 million youth
who are considered homeless
in the United States (according to America’s Youngest Outcasts), the red and white stripes
of the U.S. flag have faded to
look like the dull stripes of a
prison uniform that traps some
youths in the oppressive cycle
of homelessness. That number
means that about one in every
thirty children in the U.S. under
the age of 18 that experiences
homelessness. And, California
is ranked third worst among the
fifty states, with over 500,000
homeless children living within
its borders. In Humboldt county, last year there were 1,027
documented homeless youth.
As the numbers show, youth
homelessness is a real issue that
affects people in our own community. Unfortunately, the situation may be even more dire as
these numbers are too often underreported. Because of this under-reporting, many students
go without help. For example,
last year only eight students
were identified as homeless in
the Northern Humboldt High
School District, even though
Jack Bareilles, the local homeless education liaison, identified
around 75 homeless youth last
year in Arcata High alone. Thus
much of the underreporting is
due to flaws in how the data is
collected. According to Roger
Golec of the Humboldt County
Office of Education however,
many numbers may be lower
due to lack of self-identification
from the students themselves.
At least with the older students,
many do not want to be identified, or simply do not know what
qualifies as homeless. Thankfully, there is a law that clearly
outlines the qualifications for
homelessness. The McKinneyVento Homeless Assistance
Act identifies a wide range of
situations, from living in public
places or abandoned buildings
to sharing a home with another
family due to having lost one’s
own, and sleeping in vehicles.
Numbers, however, do not
capture the experience of
stay in her mother’s tent, she
and her boyfriend are left to
sleep out in the open, often in
the rain. Allen*, formerly homeless with his mother and sister,
now lives with his father in a
trailer. When they were unable to pay for the rent Allen,
“I’ve seen a his mother, and his sister were
forced to leave their residence
lot of home- of fifteen years. Now, Allen
less teens in the With his Allen is able to depend
on his father for transportation,
last few years food, and shelter. As for getready for school, gas staand I would ting
tion bathrooms, friends’ homes
not wish that or simply standing outside with
small hand-held mirror are
upon anyone.” athese
students’ only options.
Often, Naomi will do household
- Naomi
chores in exchange for showers.
Fortunately, school has been
Naomi*, a homeless youth for
a
safe
haven for these students.
four years, has been living with
her boyfriend after couchsurf- To Helen it is “somewhere to go
ing for six months. Previously, during the day.” Naomi and Allen
she “was sleeping outside in view school in a different light.
bushes, on friend’s floors, and Naomi, after almost becoming
in cars,” using her feet and the an alcoholic because “that’s all
Arcata and Mad River Transit [she] had to do”, is motivated to
System buses as her only sourc- stay in school because she does
es of transportation. Another not want to be “stupid and end
self-identified homeless stu- up like [her] dad, on drugs and
dent, Helen*, after being forced homeless.” Allen, like Naomi,
to leave the house of her boy- also does not want to “end up
friend’s grandmother, has found like [his] mom and struggle with
‘home’ with her boyfriend in [his] kids.” Peers on campus are
a tent used by her mother and relatively understanding of the
her mother’s boyfriend as shel- homeless youth situation, but
ter. During the colder winter Helen believes “they view it
months of the year, Naomi uses as a choice when it’s not .” Alcoffee shops to get warm and to though Allen has friends who
use their free wifi. There she is have been homeless or know
able to check Facebook, watch someone who is, he thinks
YouTube videos, and catch up that “some [of his peers] would
on what is trending on the In- think I’m just poor and not care
ternet among teenagers. Hel- but I think some would be sad.”
en’s life does not change to suit Possibly because the adults of
the weather. If she is unable to Arcata High are not aware of
homelessness as well as personal stories do. A few students
currently attending AHS who
self-identify under the McKinney-Vento Act courageously
put faces behind the numbers.
which students are homeless,
Helen, Naomi, and Allen felt
that the teachers and staff are
“only sometimes” supportive.
Outside of school, though,
these teens are forced to face
the reality of their situation.
“The hardest thing is finding
somewhere to stay and wondering if you’re going to be
okay and safe that night,” Helen said, “...getting showers is
something I really worry about.”
Due to the long chilly months
during much of the year in this
area, sickness is a major concern for homeless youth. Sometimes, their parents are part of
the problem in these students
getting medical care. Although
the Teen Clinic is open for their
use, many medications for winter-time illnesses are only available through parent signature
release. Naomi experienced this
hands-on last winter when she
hoped to receive medication, but
was denied due to lack of a parent’s signature. Often, parents
of homeless youth are no longer
associated with their child or do
not feel the need to help their
child. To Naomi, the hardest aspect of being a homeless youth
is her father’s neglect and “not
being able to sit down to a warm
meal with your family or being
in a warm bed. I couldn’t even
enroll myself into school because I was underage and my
dad cared more about his drug
use. [He] even gave my homeless
friend $20 for a pair of shoes,
when he knew I needed shoes.”
Helen, Allen, and Naomi’s
experience with the struggles
and setbacks of homelessness
have influenced them to aspire to achieve greater and better for themselves. “I feel like
this is making me more prepared for unexpected life situ-
Feature
ations, but I’m not very happy
with my dad neglecting me
for drugs,” reflects Naomi, “I’ve
seen a lot of homeless teens in
the last few years and I would
not wish that upon anyone.”
These three students should
not be blamed for their circumstance. They did not choose to
that AHS organizes, the office is
also in possession of backpacks
filled with personal supplies. At
the beginning of this year, Betty Chin donated ten backpacks
to the school, each filled with
school supplies, toiletries, a
towel, and a pair of socks. There
are still five left, which can be
campus can do to help out our
fellow classmates in need. The
Oh Snap! Food Pantry at Humboldt State is a great example
of how we could provide staple
foods for students when the
price of their next meal exceeds
what their pockets can afford.
In addition to the Coats-for-
Photo courtesy of Naomi
An example of where a homeless student and his/her family might live in place of a stable home
be evicted from their housing
situations or to have to ask for
change from strangers be their
only way to get a decent meal.
Unfortunately, according to a
America’s Youngest Outcasts
report, California is the second
worst state in the U.S. for homelessness policy and prevention
planning, and lacks a state Interagency Council on Homelessness. There is hope, however, in
services that can be found on
the local level, especially here at
Arcata High. Along with the annual Coats-for-the-Cold drive
picked up in the office from
Rene Campbell, Associate Principal Jim Monge’s secretary.
In addition to these backpacks, the lunch program at
AHS provides consistently
healthy and interesting food
at a low price, especially if you
qualify for free or reduced
($0.40) lunch. “Unfortunately,
there is a stigma [towards the
program],” Campbell said. “ But
there shouldn’t be. I am telling
you, the salad bar is to die for!”
While these options are great,
there is still so much that our
the-Cold and the backpack
program, National Honors Society hopes to organize a drive
for sleeping material and rain
gear for homeless students.
One of the most important
messages from the students
interviewed, however, did not
call for donations, but proposed a change in attitude.
Allen put it simply when he
stated that people just need
to “appreciate what they got.”
*Names have been changed
to protect the privacy of individuals.
Feature
Wake up Humboldt [The real public health crisis]
Carson McHaney
Art Director
A
s a Nation, we tend
to fixate on the novel
and the sensational.
We sometimes trade
the alluring for the important, often resulting in unforeseen and adverse consequences.
America has become consumed
by a whirlwind of incessant media
coverage and anxiety over the recent outbreaks of ebola around the
world. We at times lose sight of the
fact that, in the entire history of ebola, there have been a total of four
cases in the US, resulting in only
one death. The public has become
seemingly oblivious to much older
and far more detrimental culprits
to the American health. Society is
ravaged with morbidity and mortality at the hands of everything
from alcoholism and tobacco addiction to cancer and heart disease,
even the deceptive seasonal flu.
Everyone catches the occasional
flu, but according to the Center for
Disease Control (CDC), in the past
year, there have been 9,632 hospitalizations related to influenza
in the United States. The proportion of flu-related deaths during
the 2013-2014 flu season hovered
around 6 percent of all deaths,
and as of August 2014, more than
105 children died over the past
season from flu-related illnesses.
Even these staggering statistics
illustrating the devastating potential of the “flu” aren’t enough to persuade most of the American public
to get their vaccinations, as only
46% of Americans had received
a vaccination protecting against
influenza in 2014. The truly saddening thing about this particular situation is that many of these
deaths could have been prevented.
The unfortunate ramifications
of the low levels of vaccination has
contributed to widespread illness in
California. On June 13th, 2014, the
California Department of Public
Health (CDPH) declared a whooping cough epidemic where a total of
8,749 cases of have been reported,
312 of those cases have been hospitalized, and 3 infants have died.
Humboldt County is especially impacted, with 95 cases and
the 4th highest rate of whooping cough of all the counties
in California, coming behind
only Sonoma, Napa, and Marin.
“Vaccinations have been one of
the most important things in preventing disease starting at the beginning of the 20th century,” said
Ron Largosa, an epidemiologist for
the Humboldt County Department
of Health and Human Services.
“Diseases that were common players and related to causes of death
and illness, one hundred years
later are virtually nonexistent.”
However, increasingly low
levels of vaccination stymy efforts to reduce the threats of
preventable diseases even further. This trend in vaccinations
is extreme in Humboldt County,
with increasing amounts of parents deciding not to vaccinate.
Following the development of
vaccines to prevent harmful diseases, children entering the school
system would largely be vaccinated. In fact, there were “vaccination
drives” at schools. However, since
2000, the vaccination rate amongst
Kindergarteners in Humboldt
county has dramatically declined.
At the beginning of this school
year only 73.3 percent of kids
had received all the vaccines
required by the California Department of Public Health. Only
Nevada County was worse,
with a rate of 72.3 percent.
While the vaccination rate
statewide
has
declined
by
roughly
two
percent
since
2000, Humboldt County’s
fell
by more than 18 percent.
Why the substantial drop? Vaccines, after all, are considered to
be one of the important and successful medical achievements in
human history. And yet, according to the California Department
of Public Health, there has been
a dramatic rise in “Personal Belief Exemptions.” That is, when
parents choose to not vaccinate
their children because vaccines
are against their personal beliefs.
However, an individual exercising
their personal beliefs can affect
the health of an entire community.
“Herd Immunity” is the idea
that when a critical portion of a
community is immunized against
a contagious disease, most members of the community are protected against that disease because
there is little opportunity for an
outbreak. This can help protect
individuals who are not eligible
to receive certain vaccinations;
like infants and pregnant women.
It is estimated by the CDC that
an 85 to 90 percent rate of vacci-
nation is considered the threshold
for herd immunity for diseases
as measles, smallpox, diphtheria,
and rubella. Other diseases, like
whooping cough, require an even
higher immunization rate to keep
the whole community safe. Due
to the rates of vaccination below
the Herd Immunity threshold,
Humboldt County is at an increased risk for possible outbreak
of debilitating and fatal diseases.
“The students who are not immunized are actually depending on
the students who are immunized
to keep them safe,” AHS School
Nurse Marilyn Thibeau said.
There are many causes of declining rates of immunizations.
These can include misinformation, a lack of education of the
dangers of these preventable diseases, and people feeling that it
is simply unnecessary because
we have not recently had a major
outbreak publicized by the media.
AHS School Nurse explains,
“We know that when the population hasn’t seen the devastation of
these diseases, they’re not as worried about them ever happening.”
Immunizations are fundamental to modern public health management and the future of youth.
If we don’t see a reversal of the
current downward immunization trend, it is inevitable that we
will see an increase in destructive yet preventable diseases.
If you are not up to date on
your required vaccinations, here
are two places that you can go to
get them:
Humboldt Open Door Teen
Clinic: (707) 826-8610
Eureka Community
Health & Wellness center:
(707) 441-1624
Humboldt Open Door Teen
Sports
Girls soccer: perfect score of...zero?
Kaelyn Tuermer-Lee
News Editor
Z
ero losses. Zero goals scored
against. With a season of
14 games, the Arcata High
Girls’ varsity soccer team
has come back with a perfect record.
Majority of the team played together last season as well, which
has greatly helped with team coherence and play. “Last year, many
separate club teams came together
to play as one,” junior Cait Parker
said. “This year, having played together, our teamwork has greatly
improved, and it helps to know
each other’s skills.” As for the
season itself, there has been little
change. “The season this year is
basically the same as last year, although we have more workouts-so it’s more intense on the condi-
We started off
so strong and
carried that intensity throughout
league.
tioning perspective. Even though
our league isn’t as competitive, we
still work really hard for sections,”
sophomore Vanessa Holland said.
Throughout league, the girls’ soccer varsity squad has been preparing to achieve their primary goal:
the second round in sections. “Our
motivation this season was to get
to third round in sections, since
we had never gotten there before.
Next year, our motivation will basically be the same, winning league
with all shutouts and making it to
second or third round of sections,”
Holland said. As for other inspiration from fellow teammates, freshman Marin Maple credits her fellow defenders, “I want to be like
[the defense]--they inspire me, especially the two center defenders.
They always have my back.” And
that’s exactly how the team works!
Teammates, as well as Coach Patrick Stranahan, push each other
to obtain the highest possible
level of play. Stranahan, excited
about the team’s achievements,
said, “I think it is an awesome accomplishment for any team in any
sport to go undefeated and not
give up a single point in league
play. We get to say that for the
rest of our lives. How cool is that?!”
Since the girls’ soccer team successfully made it to sections in the
top five teams, they have a bye
for the first round. In the last four
years, the Arcata High team has
not had a bye in sections, so there
were some mixed feelings. While
some were fine with it, happy to
make it to second round, others felt
differently. “It’s kind of disappointing since we don’t have a home
game, but it’s also nice to get to the
second round of sections,” freshman Marin Maple said. According to Maple, who is experiencing
her first year on the AHS soccer
team, sections will be exciting with
Max Gambin/PEPPERBOX
Sophomore Claire Bareilles, winding up to take a shot on goal
a good expected outcome due to
the fact that the team did well in
pre-season tournaments, in which
there was better competition. “I’m
excited to play a higher level team-we have a good chance in advancing to third round if we play well,”
junior Hannah Pomerantz said.
As the season nears its end, sad
faces ponder the fact that this will
be the last time playing with this
particular squad--and for seniors,
the last time they will play high
school soccer. “It was a great season,” described junior Cait Parker,
“We started off so strong and carried that intensity throughout
league.” And the best part of the
season? “Definitely the Eye of the
Tiger tournament in pre-season--it
inspired us for the season,” Parker
said, “it was memorable making it
to the championship in the tour-
nament because it had never been
done before. Even though we lost,
it was inspiring to get that far.” The
team has made vast improvements
since the following season and
will only continue to thrive, taking play to the next level. “We’ve
done really well as a team by pushing ourselves,” sophomore Vanessa Holland said, “we’re all close
together and know each other
well.” Sophomores Eva Abrey and
Ashley Quigley agree. Coherence
and team bonding are part of what
made the team work so well together and push each other to do
their best. As said by Mia Hamm,
a former player for the U.S. women's’ national team, “I am a member of a team, and I rely on the
team, I defer to it and sacrifice for
it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion.”
I want to be like [the defense]--they inspire me,
especially the two center defenders. They always have
my back.
- Marin Maple
TIGERS TAKE THE TOP: FALL SPORTS
Cross Country amazed us again this season. The girl’s team won every league meet this season, and the boys only lost one. At sections, the girls
placed second and the boys placed third on a muddy and challenging course. A week later, both teams participated at the state meet.
Girls varsity soccer went 14-0 in league, and were never scored on. They had a perfect season, with only two pre-season losses. They made it to the
second round of sections. The girls varsity soccer team had only three seniors, so they will probably continue to another winning season next year!
Varsity volleyball had another successful season. They tied for first in league with Del Norte, claiming their 4th consecutive league championship.
The volleyball team made it to the second round of sections. The team had five seniors this year, and will struggle to recover from the loss.
Cheerleading had another awesome season with more sensational routines. They will miss their eight seniors next year.
Arcata High’s varsity football team had a tough season, but kept everyone constantly impressed by their love and dedication for the game. Seniors
Ayden Mazzotti, Solo O’Neill, and Connor Cox lead the team in touchdowns. They will be hard to replace next year.
Boys varsity soccer went 8-2, losing to Fortuna. The boys also made it to sections, and were seeded 15th. With five seniors leaving, their team will
have to re-build after this season. Overall, the boys soccer team was very successful.
The girls tennis team ended the season second in league. Hannah Matthew, number one on the ladder, will be greatly missed next year, as she has
led our tennis team since her freshman year.
Girls golf struggled with getting a hole-in-one this season, but did their best with what they had. The girls golf team will miss their four seniors next
year, but hopefully the underclassman will step up!
Photos courtesy of Paul Swenson
Wrap-ups written by Photo Editor Indigo Davis
Sports
Trampolines and swimming pools
Assistant Photo Editor
&
Indigo Davis
D
Photo Editor
on’t you think Arcata
High could offer a better variety of schoolsponsored sports? There
is a national initiative to get kids
off the couch and onto the field,
court, or track. It seems that, with
a larger range of sports to choose
from, more kids would be involved
in school sports. Here are just
a couple of sports that students
should look into. How else are we
supposed to be the next Olympians if most Olympic sports aren’t
offered as school sports? How are
we supposed to be the next Joey
“Jaws” Chestnut, if schools don’t
offer competitive eating?
Race walking: Race walking can
simply be described as gyrating
hips and legs that appear to defy
the normal motion of the human
body. A sport plagued with shorter-than-necessary shorts, visors
Judo: The only key difference between judo and other Olympic
sports it that the judges wear socks.
In this sport, holding hands isn’t
just a sign of friendship or courtly
love, it’s a key tactic in forcing your
opponent to the ground. The objective is to look as assassinlike as
possible in your thick cotton bath
robes and maneuver around the
mat in an attempt to forcefully flip
your opponent onto the ground
and hold them there. Clearly, this
sport is meant for the bravest of
the brave.
Flag Football: Flag Football has
quietly become one of the fastestgrowing varsity sports for high
school girls in Florida. In a state
like many others, struggling to
close the gender gap in high school
athletics, California should consider flag football a varsity sport. Flag
football now is considered a varsity girls sport in Alaska and Florida. I mean, who wouldn’t wanna
play Powderpuff for a full season?
I’m quite positive that Arcata High
could field a flag football team of
their own if given the chance.
Synchronized Swimming: This
sport is chock full of slender men
and women squeezed into sequined
swimming apparel, splish-splashing around in swirls of sparkling
water, possibly due to their grace-
Jesse Bareilles & Indigo Davis/PEPPERBOX
Pictured above, seniors Jesse Bareilles and Indigo Davis experiment with synchronized swimming.
ful aqua-gymnastics or their excessive amount of makeup. These
athletes have the lung capacity of
grey whales and the flexibility of
cats. With legs at unimaginable
angles, and athletes flying through
the water at insane speeds, this is
not a sport you should try at home.
Fencing: Fencing was one of the
original sports from the Olympic
Games in ancient Greece. Athletes all over the world still fence
competitively. Our own Humboldt
State University has a Fencing
Club full of avid and aggressive
fencers. Please try not to wear the
all-white uniform after Labor Day.
Competitive Eating:
Although
gross, this sport is extremely impressive. With Joey Chestnut ingesting 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes,
you have to ask yourself, “How
many hot dogs could I eat in 12
minutes?” Surprisingly, competitive eating has two major leagues,
the International Federation of
Competitive Eating (Major League
Eating) and the Association of Independent Competitive Eaters.
Don’t think this is only a sport for
men, because women make up
nearly a quarter of the IFOCE’s
membership. Anyone can become
a competitive eater if they have
the willpower and stomach capacity, and if they just believe.
n
t
E
erpr
e
n
i
l
is
e
d
es
Trampoline: Surprisingly, trampoline is an Olympic sport. With
too-tight tank tops and awkwardly
baggy leggings, these male Olympic athletes are at the top of their
game. With their coaches furiously
rubbing their backs to warm their
muscles for the jumping, twirling, and flipping that will soon
ensue, the tension that the trampoliners feel prior to their turn
to fly through the thick air of the
arena is intense. A sport new to
the Olympics and a little startling
to the Olympic viewers, trampolining, with average heights of 25
feet reached, on a surface no bigger than the one in backyards everywhere, should definitely be on
your bucket list.
up the wazoo, and aerodynamic
sunglasses, racewalking must
be seen to be believed. The emotion that is visible on the athletes’
faces as they cross the finish line,
or the sorrow when one of the
many of judges who line the race
course throws you out when they
see a violation of the strict rules
of the sport, is intense. With race
lengths ranging from 20 km to 50
km (for males only), these athletes
are as devoted as any other.
E
Jesse Bareilles
(707) 826-0559
P.O. Box 2041, McKinleyville CA,
95519
Sports
Searching for the difference
Alley Perry
Feature Editor
&
Neel Rao
Sports Editor
P
icture this: it is a brisk Friday evening. Even from
down the street, you can
hear the roar of the crowd
emanating from the arena during
a heated basketball game. As you
get closer, your excitement builds.
This is what you have been looking forward to for months. You’ve
been saving money to buy these
Finals tickets, and you are about
to witness firsthand the game of a
lifetime. It’s game three, an elimination game, and these tickets
are worth more to you than your
own life. At the end of the quarter, the score is 25-17. Your team,
the Minnesota Lynx, is on its way
to winning the WNBA championship over the Atlanta Dream.
Unfortunately, this excitement
is not a reality for the majority of
WNBA teams, and the same holds
true for many other women’s
sports. But the question remains,
why? Why is the difference between the two genders’ crowds so
great? Is it because men’s games
are more interesting to watch? Junior Bryce Sprague has his own
opinion on this topic. “I know a few
years ago when we had that really
good girls team a lot of people went
to the games, because they were
good. I don’t think it’s so much
about whether girls or guys are better, but its more about whether the
team itself is good in competition.”
The team Sprague is referring
to is the 2012-2013 girls varsity
basketball team, whose record was
21-4, 7-1 in league play. The same
year, the boys basketball team
went 24-8, 7-2 in league. Although
both teams were comparable and
played similarly well, the support
for the boys’ teams was perceived
to be much higher. “I feel like a lot
more people come to guys games to
watch a more competitive sport, not
really many people go to the girls
games,” Junior KC Grandfield said.
This disparity in support is
seen across the board in different sports. Although both teams
were successful, why is it that
some fans favor boys’ games over
girls’ games? Junior Delaney
Rice, a three-year varsity soccer
player and two-year basketball
player, has taken notice of the
difference in the games played.
“The pace of guys games is faster;
its more interesting to watch.”
Could this be the reason that
crowds flock to boys games? This
idea is reflected in the Arcata
High varsity basketball attendance for both genders. In February of last year, approximately
41 people attended a girls varsity
basketball game. The next boys
varsity game brought in roughly
174 fans. As the season went on,
the disparity between crowds
only increased; girls crowds got
smaller, and boys crowds grew.
That’s not to say girls aren’t
making their mark on the National
level. Recently, 13 year old baseball
player Mo’ne Davis made headlines
for being the first girl to pitch a shutout game in Little League World
Series History, and high school
girls are starting to take notice.
Junior Michala Pelren appreciates girls representation in media.“ I
think with Mo’ne Davis and what’s
going on right now it’s really important that girls sports are just as
important as guys. There's a lot of
girls out there where sports is their
life,” Pelren said. “It’s just as important for them to be able to express
that, as it is for guys. Just because
you’re a guy doesn’t mean you
have any more rights than a girl.”
So does the difference in popu-
larity of sports come from deep
rooted nationwide sexist attitudes or does it come down to the
sheer skill and competitiveness of
the players regardless of gender?
“I think that a lot of people take
womens sports less seriously than
they do mens sports, at every level
from high school up until professional level,” senior and Women
Advocacy Club president Claire
Robinson said. “I think a lot of it
stems from our society's perception that women have less physical
strength or capability than men, or
that they’re not as entertaining.”
Stereotypically, women are often
perceived to be the weaker and less
physically capable sex, but men’s
role as the dominant is often stigmatized as well. This is depicted in
domestic violence cases throughout the media with the trial of Hope
Solo and the Ray Rice controversy.
“I feel like the public thinks it’s
horrible if a man hits a woman,
and he should go to jail, but it’s
okay if a woman hits a man, he just
needs to man up,” Granfield said.
Robinson expands on this idea.
“This is a whole feminist concept
called toxic masculinity which is
basically saying that because femininity is shamed by our society,
women can’t be too feminine and
also men can’t be too feminine, so
it puts this pressure on men to be
super buff and violent, and that’s
unhealthy for boys and girls.”
Although gender stigmas are
still a prominent issue in society
today, athletes of every gender
continue to compete to the highest of their capability. In the end,
it’s not about who’s playing the
game, but how the game is played.
As junior Michael MartinKunkle simply explained, “everyone should just have fun
with their own sport, because
thats why we’re playing them.”
slinging
bagels all
day everyday
Two-for-Tuesday!
follow us on
&
@los_bagels
AIBT
From the bleachers [AIBT through the eyes of a child]
CJ Gray
Opinion Editor
I
was an elementary school
kid, just learning how to make
a simple layup. My shorts
were too long, and my hair
was a short buzz cut done by my
mom. I only dreamt of the skills a
high school basketball player
possesed. But even with my limited personal skills, I had the opportunity to experience the excellence of Arcata High athletes
at AIBT. I did not have the slightest idea of what AIBT stood for.
All I knew was that it meant I got
to see the Arcata High greats like
Jordan Semple and Timmy Couch
play for a whole weekend. I also
knew that someday I wanted to
play in the tournament, but in
that moment I had to be content
with watching from the bleachers.
As it always had, the tournament started on Thursday. I had
to wait anxiously all day. Being
at school was just uncomfortable, as all I really wanted to do
was let loose and roam around
the gigantic basketball gym at the
high school. I wanted to get there
early, before the Arcata game
and all the fans. I wanted to run
and climb and jump around the
bleachers that would be packed
full in only a few hours.
I got my chance and my mom
took me to the gym right after school. She got me my AIBT
shirt, which was black with a
dope orange tiger on the front
and I quickly put it on. It was
too big, but it had to work since
it was the smallest size they had.
I sprinted through the foyer and
onto the wooden floor of the
gym. Even though I’d been there
before, I had to stop and just look
around in awe. I could still not
believe how big the gym seemed.
I couldn’t imagine playing in Tiger Territory.
Fast forward a couple hours,
and the orange and black began to flow in while the 6:00
game was being played. (I believe
Mckinleyville was playing, and
losing). I went and bought a pack
of Skittles and a bag of popcorn
from the snack bar and went
back in the gym to find a seat before they were all taken. My little
brother and I wanted to get the
best seats in the house, which
were obviously the ones at the
top of the bleachers, right behind
the spirited and energetic student section. (You’d think I would
take courtside seats, but I knew
that those were reserved for the
legendary 6th men.) My brother
and I sat idly and watched as the
big ‘ol high school students filled
the bleachers, the front row still
empty.
The Mack game ended after
they had gotten smacked. Then,
right on cue, a hip-hop music
warm up mix blaired through
the loudspeakers. The first white
uniform could be seen running
onto the court and a smile bigger than my face spread out. The
boys were running onto the court
with all the power and speed I
had expected. They were so tall!
Something I so greatly wanted to
be. They ran and jumped in their
warm up lines, practically dropping the ball in the hoop when
they laid it in. I couldn’t even
touch the net! When they shot
jump shots i was just blown away
at how easy they made it look.
Swish. Swish. Swish. I had images
in my head of myself one day being able to play like the big boys.
As I was watching the players,
the 6th men rolled into the gym.
Unlike the players who came out
one-by-one in a line, the sixth
men came in a mob. They all
wore bright orange prison jumpsuits. Some had on face paint and
orange hair. Some held in their
hands orange towels and foam
fingers. And they all had the
same goal. They were all there
to get everyone more excited to
watch the game and cheer for
their team. They were positive
AIBT
and upbeat which caused me to
mimick their enthusiasm and
their cheers.
My focus suddenly shifted
when the loudspeaker again
blaired out. They were announcing the teams--away team first.
The gym stayed mostly silent, except for the few parents from the
other team clapping. Then the
Arcata players had their names
called out. The gym became the
most exciting place in the world.
After each player’s name and
number was called out, the crowd
roared with thunderous cheers
and claps. I yelled as loud as I
could with my shrieking little kid
voice, believing that the players
could hear me specifically from all
the way up in the bleachers. The
players seemed equally excited
since they were jumping up and
down, bumping chests with each
other. I had already eaten all my
popcorn and candy, so the only
thing I could do with my hands
and all my energy was clench my
hands into fists and shake them
up and down in excitement. Oh
how I wished I could be the one
having my name called and have
people cheer for me and my team.
After the roster had been announced, the game would begin,
but not before the team circled
up in a huddle at mid court. They
laced their arms around eachothers’ shoulders. They swayed
back and forth chanting. Slowly
at first, then speeding up, until
the beat was so fast that it just
sounded like a yell. The boys put
their fists in the air, and ended
with a final “Tigers!”. It was almost scary because I could feel
the boom of their voices vibrate
in my tiny chest.
The teams hustled to their
benches, leaving their starting
lineups on the floor. The players
set up for the jump ball, flexing
their muscles, already beginning
to sweat. My eyes were on the
referee, who threw the jump ball
into the air to start the game, signaling that Arcata’s weekend at
AIBT had officially begun.
Looking back on those weekends of watching AIBT from the
stands, I am excited for when the
ref throws the ball into the air
this year.
But I also have to give many
thanks to those former players
for the inspiration they gave me
to work hard to get my opportunity to play in the tournament.
Because of that, I now have a different perspective. I am now the
one looking into the bleachers
from the floor. I see young kids
in the stands every game full of
excitement, and I hope that I will
be an inspiration for some young
kid out there, who, for now, is
just watching from the bleachers.
AIBT
Sixth man: back in action
tain Morgan Brown feels that
last year was an “embarrassTaylor Camp
ment” compared to past years.
Reporter
In an effort to improve, co-captain Matthew Mayer noted that
t’s a dark winter night with they “are testing one's ability
the smell of rain in the air. to yell and scream, along with
From a distance, you hear a fitness test.” This year they
a roar that echoes through want to make history. So basithe campus. It’s the sixth man, a cally, things are about to get real.
The sixth man is just the
raucous group of students that
attend a large portion of Arcata start of a healthy fan base. The
crowd is fueled by the sixth
man’s intensity. To be an effecThis year’s sixth
tive sixth man member it takes
Photo courtesy of KIEM Sports
man squad is
a special type of person, one The 2014-2015 sixth men crowd at this year’s Mckinleyville tip-off tourthat knows the game and will nament.
looking to take a
not hesitate under any circumstep up from last
stances, to do whatever it takes
to benefit the team as much as
year, using newly
possible. Senior shooting guard/
founded tactics.
small forward Ben Albright has
a simple plan for the sixth man
this year: “Get Mo’ Hyphy.” If
High’s basketball games. The Matthew Mayer could describe
chants, the intensity, the heart, sixth men in one word it would
and let’s not forget those amaz- be “testosterone.” Along with all
ing outfits they rock every game the ball players, it will fill the
makes a serious impact that oth- gym. Many sixth man memers would not understand un- bers stated that they are going
til witnessed. This year’s sixth to “get wild” this season, and
man squad is looking to take that it will be one to remember.
Gillen Martin/PEPPERBOX
a step up from last year using
Enthusiasm inspires the
newly founded tactics. Co-cap- crowd, but the sixth man also Arcata High’s sixth men at last year’s Mckinleyville Tip-Off Tournament
impacts the visiting team. Se- president, reminds the Sixth
nior shooting guard/small for- Men the true purpose is to help
ward Logan Rooney believes the team win games. “This year
that when done correctly sixth needs to be more about the basman makes a huge impact by ketball team, not the sixth man
getting into the opposing teams getting seen,” Brown added.
heads. He also added that they
Look forward to seeing these
need to “stick with the team sixth men (and women) try new
through thick and thin.” Rooney things and get a fresh start. If
was asked what he wanted to you are unsure where to place
see from the sixth man this yourself on a cold winter night,
year, and he replied, “It would consider backing the sixth man
be cool to have the loudest fans.” up by following the chants
Morgan Brown, also ASB and joining the excitement.
I
AIBT
The unseen perspective [AIBT’s cheerleaders]
Alyssa Day
Business Manager
H
ave you ever thrown
someone 10 to 15 feet
into the air? How about
catching someone from
that height while they’re doing
multiple twists on the way down?
That may sound difficult, but
those are daily activities for any
AHS cheerleader.
Of course, that’s just a regular
basket toss. Other parts of cheer
involve dancing, motions, tumbling, jumps, specialty stunts,
group stunts, and pyramids.
Now take all of those elements,
put them together, and you’ve got
a cheer routine. Simple, right?
We wish.
Each element in a routine has
its own counts, timing, and formations, which vary by where an individual is in a routine, and what
their place in a stunt is.
One of the most challenging
things about cheerleading is that
we don’t get subs like football or
basketball; cheerleading takes everyone knowing their specific part
well to make a routine work.
“They only get one shot to show
what they can do, not a whole
game,” coach Collene Cossey said.
If even just one person is in the
wrong place at the wrong time,
that whole portion of a routine
could potentially be ruined. “If
even just one person is gone, it
isn’t possible to do our routine. We
have to completely change it,” senior Jordan Patterson said.
Cheerleading is commonly said
to be one of the most dangerous
sports, and the AHS cheer team
has had its fair share of injuries
over the past few years. Some of
these injuries include three confirmed concussions, many different kinds of sprains, broken bones,
a fractured jaw (in two different
places), and few broken noses.
Though widely controversial in
the past few years, many people
and cheerleading organizations
want cheerleading to be put into
the Olympics.
Believe it or not, there isn’t really an official definition of what
a sport is, only guidelines. As it
stands, cheerleading meets all of
those guidelines. So that’s the answer to the, “Cheerleading isn’t a
sport!” comments every cheerleader so commonly receives.
Along with a two-hour practice
every day, a lot of individuals on
the team take tumbling classes.
Tumbling is a special skill that
most all of us are working on. An
advanced tumbler, Junior Karin
Finney said, “tumbling takes a lot
of time, strength and focus to learn
and get new skills. Almost every
tumbler has fallen on their face
before... hard! I’ve been tumbling
for 6 years and the best part is the
feeling of accomplishment of getting a new skill that you’ve been
working on for a long time.”
Something most people don’t
know about cheerleading is that it
was originally created and popularized by men. Even though now
the sport is dominated by females,
male cheerleaders aren’t uncommon. Most competitive cheer
teams are co-ed. At AHS, we have
one male cheerleader, Jesse McGee. “Cheerleading is a lot harder
than it seems! I thought it’d be a lot
easier to pick up, but being precise
with motions and cheers is a lot of
effort. Being the only guy kinda
sucks, but it’s really funny watching everyone mess around.”
Though cheerleading is challenging, everyone on the team
loves cheerleading and is dedicated
to it. If we didn’t love it, it wouldn’t
be worth the amount of time and
effort we put in. A lot of the girls
on the team, including myself,
Carson McHaney/PEPPERBOX
The cheerleaders show their tiger spirit during the Homecoming
assembly.
have been doing cheer since we
were five or six. Senior Zoey Buchanon explains, “Cheer to me is
my life. Cheer has been a part of
me for so long and it’s something I
am very proud of. I wake up every
day involved in it somehow and go
to bed thinking of what I can do to
improve myself and my team. This
years Arcata high cheer team is so
amazing and I take so much pride
in being apart of it. We work so
hard to be where we are like any
other sport and that’s why it’s such
a big deal to us. We are a family.”
The most important part, is the
spirit we have for cheering our
boys be it football or basketball.
Win or lose, we’ll always stand by
them and cheer them on until the
end.
Our amazing cheer team and all
of our success wouldn’t be possible
without our amazing coaches, Collene Cossey, Ashley Cossey, and
Chelsea Jones, and two wonderful
assistant volunteers and past AHS
cheerleaders, Shelby Sobol and
Maci Moser. We appreciate all of
them greatly for their time, effort,
and everything they’ve taught us.
They’re not just coaches, but individuals that we can look up to, and
for that we’re all very grateful.
They only get
one shot to show
what they can do,
not a whole game.
- Coach Collene Cossey
AIBT
Franklin Wildcats
Franklin High School Information
City: Elk Grove
Total Enrollment: 2729
Colors: Purple, Black, Silver
League: Delta Valley Conference
Section: Sac-Joaquin
CIF Division: 1
Last year’s record: 15-14
Last year won AIBT: 2012
ROSTER
#
NameYearHt.
0
Austin PayneSr.6-3
1Malik FrenchJr.5-8
3
Christian AllenSr.6-2
5
Reeshahr Crawford Jr.
6-0
10 Bryan Domondon
Jr.
5-7
11 Christian Tactacan
Sr.
5-7
15
Ashton QuanSr.6-0
20
Isiah FordSr.5-6
21
DeAndre WiltzSr.6-0
22
Clayton DavisSo.6-1
23 Ifeanyi Onwuazo
Sr.
6-3
25
Phillip FayneSr.6-6
Coach: Jesse Formaker
Piner Prospectors
Piner High School Information
City: Santa Rosa
Colors: Maroon, Gold, White
League: Sonoma County
Section: North Coast
CIF Division: 3
F
P
ROSTER
#
Name YearHt
11 Isiah Carter
Jr.
5-11
12 Michael Tran Jr.
5-9 Coach: Mike Erickson
14 Joe Mogges
Jr.
5-11
15 Keith Adams Jr.
6-0 Asst. Coach: Bill Schalich
20 Daniel LaTourelle
Sr.
5-11
21 Levani Dominiko Sr.
5-10
22 Mike Nguyen Sr.
6-0
24 Sam Dominiko Sr.
5-10
25 Jacob RocaSr.6-1
30 Yobe Solomon Sr.
6-0
31 Henry AhChing Sr.
6-0
32 Levi Lloyd Sr.
5-10
33
Adam KuzmickiSr.6-5
AIBT
Fortuna Huskies
Fortuna High School Information
City: Fortuna
Colors: Blue, White
League: Humboldt-Del Norte
CIF Division: 4
ROSTER
#
Name
Year Height
3
Daniel Teasley
Sr. 6-1
5
Issac Drake So. 6-0
10 Frankie Calderon
Sr. 5-10
11 Noah Sears Sr. 5-10
12 Dylan Kepon
Jr. 5-10
13 Lane Sotomayor
Jr. 6-3
15
Zach HughSr.
5-11
20 Cody Smith
Sr. 6-2
21 Dalton Cleveland
Sr. 6-2
22 Jared Hugh
Jr. 6-1
23 Robbie Yates
Jr. 6-2
24 Kokko Figueirdo
Jr. 5-11
32 Gannon Chapman
Sr. 6-1
F
Coach: Brian Franklin
Assistant Coach: Steve Wipf
Red Bluff Spartans RB
ROSTER
#
NameYearHt
3
Will Macdonald Sr. 5-8
Red Bluff School Information 4 Cory Twitchell Sr.
5-10
City: Red Bluff
5
KJ Hinkston Sr.
6-0
10 Emilio SotoSr.5-9
Colors: Green, Gold
15 Ryan Henderson
Jr. 5-9
League: Eastern-South
21 Owen Swarthout Sr.
6-2
Section: Northern
22 Joseph BosettSr.6-5
CIF Division: 2
23 Lane Pritchard Jr.
5-11
Last year won AIBT: 2nd in 24 Joey Knight Jr. 6-1
2006
33 Sage McNeil Jr.
6-1
44 Wyatt Clement Sr.
6-4
Coach: Stan Twichell
Asst. Coach: Andy Redfield,
Ethan Darnell
Stats: Sam Hendricks
AIBT
Arcata Tigers
Arcata High School Information
City: Arcata
Mascot: Tigers
Colors: Orange, Black
CIF Division: 4
ROSTER
#
NameYearHt
10
Sam SpinosaJr.5-10
11
Luke GravesSr.5-6
12
Ben AlbrightSr.6-4
21
Nathan HeidrickJr.6-3
22 Jordan Chasecott
Jr.
5-11
24
Logan RooneySr.6-4
32
Russ TaylorSr.6-4
33
Lakota CampSr.6-0
40
Tab HeinzJr.6-3
42
CJ GrayJr.6-5
44
Connor CoxSr.6-3
55
Tristan EspyJr.6-8
A
Coach: Ryan Bisio
McKinleyville Panthers
Head Coach: Sonny Trip
Athletic Director: Dustin Dutra
M
ROSTER
#NameYear
4Travis NickolsSr.
5
Keegan Barsuglia
Jr.
11Bernal RojasSr.
12Will IngersollSr. McKinleyville School Information
13Leroy TrippSr. City: McKinleyville
14Daniel LaBelleJr. Total Enrollment: 614
15Ringo BurgessSr. Colors: Red, Black
20
Trevor Garrison
Jr. 21Shane PalmeroSr. Section: North Coast
22Ryann BaumanJr. CIF Division: 4
23Garrett NickolsSr. Last year’s record: 9-16
31Kyle SpaldingJr. Last year won AIBT: 2nd Place in
2001
32
Tanner Mattingly
Jr.
33Gavin RowleySr.
34Wade IngersollSr.
AIBT
St. Bernards Crusaders
ROSTER
#
NameYear
Ht.
3
Kaden LawFr.5-7
10
Heath FrancisSr.6-2
Anderson School Information 11
Sean GardnerSr.6-5
City: Eureka
12 Colton Stokesberry Sr.
6-2
13
Carter JohnsonSr.6-2
Colors: Green, White
14
Cade McNamaraSr.6-0
League: Humboldt-Del Norte 15
Logan CliffordJr.6-1
20
Daniel KortusSo.6-6
CIF Division: 4
21
Tyus FrancisJr.6-0
22
Noah DavisSo.6-1
Last year won AIBT:
23
Logan ThrapJr.6-5
Consolation in 2000
32
Matt PechacekSr.6-3
Coach: Steve Thrapp
Assistant Coaches:
Mark Gardner
Kevin Law
Karl Falk-Carlson
Eureka Loggers
Eureka High School Information
City: Eureka
Colors: Red, Green
CIF Division: 3
ROSTER
#
Name
Year
Position
5
Nick Bartlett Sr.
Guard
10
Ishmael OronaSr.Guard
11
Bryce DunawaySr.Guard
12
Mascio LatimerSr.Center
14 Michael Dorigoni
Sr.
Forward
21
Brandon PunchJr.Forward
22
Jordan ThayerSr.Forward
23
Marcus FinneySr.Guard
24
T.Y. LatimerJr.Guard
31
Matt MeyerJr.Guard
32
Trey SundquistJr.Forward
34
Aaron ThissellJr.Forward
E
Coach: Ed Houseworth
Assistant Coach: Joe
Kencke
AIBT
Lady tigers make their mark
Amanda Andrews
Reporter
T
his is one small step for
Arcata High School,
one giant leap for girls
varsity basketball team.
AHS’s girls basketball team
is having their first WAIBT
in the school year of 2014.
Coach Dusty Scofield, the
girls Varsity basketball coach,
is the first coach to form the
WAIBT tournament. Not only
is it hard work for the girls,
but also for the coach having to set it all up and make it
to so they have a tournament.
"It's a ton of work and the AIBT
has a community to help and
outside help and right now it's
just me with the teams, refs,
score keepers, ect.," Dusty said.
Not only is it hard to start a
tournament, but it is also difficult making it into an everlasting tradition. Another part of
starting a tournament is finding enough teams who want
to come and play. It’s hard
finding teams because “You
don't want to travel and play
two bad teams and one good
team so its important to find
good teams willing to travel.”
The teams that will be facing the AHS girls Varsity team
are: Liberty from Brentwood,
Div. 1; Chico, Div. 1; and Foothill, Div. 3 from Redding. Like
all the girls on the Varsity team,
head coach Dusty hopes that,
although this is going to be a
small tournament, “we hope to
see that teams want to come
back and slowly build from
there.” Dusty’s expectations
from the girls on his team are “to
always play hard and have fun.”
Not only is this a milestone
for the coach, Dusty Scofield,
but also or the girls on the var-
the tournament by practicing
whenever she can. Although
they see it as a challenge she
hopes to see her team win.
This is the beginning for these
young athletes, but it is also the
end of some of their high school
careers, seniors Ella Holland
One thing we and Anna Nelson. Ella Holland
can hope to see has been practicing for her last
year of basketball season by
not only for this “playing by my self before trytournament but outs.” Knowing her team is playing Div. 1 schools and has never
for the whole sea- seen them play, she thinks they
son is hard work, will play their hardest to try to
win. The key component for her
dedication, team- to win is “communication, and
work, and victo- just working hard in general
like sprinting back and forth.”
ries for our very Anna Nelson is excited for the
own lady tigers. tournament, but is nervous to
play Div.1 schools knowing they
are Div.4. She sees her team as
sity basketball team. When all a, “young and still learning how
of the seniors are graduated, the to play together.” Even though
team will search for young tal- they practice hard in practicent. It is freshman Alana Dun- es she still does “shooting and
phys first year on a Varsity team some weights.” To her the most
and she is excited to work with important things for the team
these lady tigers. To prepare are “grit, hard work, and teamfor this tournament she is go- work.” She also sees this time
ing to practice her plays “work not only to train for the tournahard with my team and have ment but for the whole season.
good team support.” Before and
With the tournament being
still during basketball season a new and exciting thing all
she lifts weights. With tough the girls hope to see their team
competition ahead she thinks win. They know what it takes
it will be great. To her, win- to be the best they can be. All
ning a game involves, “work- in all this is not just a time to
ing hard and working together.” learn for the girls, but also for
Sophomore Ashley Quigley the coach. Some things we can
says she is “excited about it, and hope to see, not only for this
it should be fun.” Not only is tournament, but for the whole
she excited for the tournament season is hard work, dedicabut sees it as a new experience. tion, teamwork, and victories
She sees herself preparing for for our very own lady tigers.
To her, winning a game
involves,
“working hard
and
working together.”
AIBT
A day in the life: Luke “Lil’ Gravy” Graves
from the
COVER
Neel Rao
Sports Editor
&
Alley Perry
I
Feature Editor
f a velociraptor, sabor-tooth tiger, and anaconda merged in a
freak accident involving a vat of
toxic waste and a mad scientist,
it wouldn’t be Luke Graves, but it’d be
pretty close. Just like his spirit animals, Luke Graves is an unstoppable
combination of speed, ferocity, and
athleticism. At 5’7 and 135 pounds
he speeds up and down the court, a
lean, mean, basketball machine. But
who is the real Luke Graves, what
are his hopes, his dreams, and more
importantly what does he think of
the newest Kim Kardashian magazine cover? The Pepperbox sat down
with senior varsity point-guard
Luke “Lil’ Gravy” Graves to meet
the man/ana-raptor toothed tiger.
Pepperbox: How long have you
played basketball? What other
sports do you play? What is your
favorite sport?
Luke Graves: I played basketball
since I was a baby. I also play football, snowboard and surf, my favorite sport is probably basketball or snowboarding.
PB: What do you like to do in
your free time?
LG: Hangout with friends, skate,
and surf.
PB: Favorite basketball
memory?
LG: The Jaycees
tournament in
eighth grade.
PB: What do
you think of
the upcoming
season?
LG: I’m really excited about it, I
think it should be a good one.
PB: What do you plan on doing after high school?
LG: I plan on going to college and
studying architecture.
PB: If you could be one rapper for a
day, who and why?
LG: I’d probably be Juicy J, because he looks like he has
a lot of fun.
PB: What would
your last meal be?
LG:
Thanksgiving
dinner, lots of pie.
PB: Celebrity crush?
LG: Kate Upton is
hands down my
number one celebrity
crush.
PB: What do you think
about the Kim Kardashian magazine
cover?
LG: DAMN
PB: Describe
your
team
i n
three words
LG: Athletic, thesquad, abunchoffunguys
PB: What’s a typical practice like?
How does it compare to other
sports you’ve played?
LG: This year practice has been a lot
harder than previous years, there’s
a lot more running. We still get to
play a lot of 5 on 5 and stuff,
so its still fun. Compared
to football, it’s a lot
more tiring, I feel
like I’m in a lot better shape.
PB: What’s your
favorite spot on
the court to shoot
from?
LG: That three, top
of the key
PB: If you were stuck
on an island, what
three things
w o u l d
you
bring with you?
LG: Step Brothers the movie, The
Mall of America, and a zoo.
PB: What overplayed radio song do
you hate the most?
LG: “Fancy,” I hate that song
PB: Do you have any pre-game rituals/superstitions?
LG: Go home. eat a BLT sandwich
or two, nap time, shower, eat a banana, show up to the game an hour
early and watch the team we’re
playing. I get all ready and listen
to some pump jams, (strictly Waka
Flocka), get on the court and play.
PB: What is your idea of a perfect
weekend?
LG: Play by Play: school gets out
and everyone's all hyped up for
the big game, I go home, do my pre
game rituals. It’s a home game and
we destroy Mack. Post game with
the squad in the locker room, we
do our post win rituals: poppin’
bottles of champagne (non-alcoholic of course), blasting victory
music and obviously we invite the
cheerleaders in to come celebrate
the win with us. We then take
a team shower, like every team
should, get all dressed up and
fancy and get picked up by
a limo to eat a dank post
game meal at Tempanyaki where I order the
steak and lobster cause
it’s clout. After dinner
we’re all tanked (food
tanked) up and ready for the
night to begin. We hop in the limo
and off into the night we go, where
anything and everything can happen. Of course we’re done with all
the postgame festivities and cozy
tucked into bed by 11 pm sharp so
we are all rested up for practice the
next day. After practice Saturday the post game festivities
continue. And Sunday is
homework day to try and
get those A’s up boiiii.
Opinion
Drug testing student athletes
CJ Gray
Opinion Editor
Disclaimer: Arcata does not
currently have os is considering installing a student
drug testing policy in place.
I
t’s Friday night and your
team just won the big game,
and you want to go out and
celebrate, but what could
the consequences be? Will the
school drug test you if you decide to take part in risky activities? What can the school do?
What should the school be able
to?
Arcata High has a great tradition of athletics at school. But alcohol and illicit drugs can tempt
student athletes. Yet those athletes are held to a higher standard. All student athletes are reminded of the rules when they
sign the athletic code of conduct. 1. No drinking 2. No smoking 3. No alternative drugs.
If a student is under the in-
fluence it is imperative to test
them to keep them and other
students out of harms way.
Students can potentially harm
themselves and others when
drunk or intoxicated. Violence
and accidents caused by students being under the influence
should be kept off the campus.
Although being under the
influence at school is obviously
wrong and dangerous, student
athlete drug use in their free
time is their own business. The
school should not infringe on
students’ privacy and the decisions they make off campus.
Many may ask if it is even le-
Student athletes should
not be specifically targeted for drug
testing.
gal for Arcata High to test athletes. It is legal because in a Supreme Court case in June 2002,
this would cost over $12,000 for
sweep of the school. This
Violence
and one
would only put greater strain
accidents caused on the school’s tight budget. ArHigh is not and should not
by students be- cata
consider this as a way to stop
ing under the in- student drug use.
Even though athletes should
fluence should be follow
the rules stated in their
kept off the cam- athletic code of conduct, sometimes they slip up, and make
pus.
mistakes. The school should not
be able to drug test students,
unless the student seems to be
public schools gained greater
under the influence of an illicit
authority to test students for
substance.
illegal drugs. Voting 5 to 4 in
Arcata high does not curPottawatomie County v. Earls,
rently have a drug testing polthe court ruled to allow random
icy in place. Drug testing takes
drug tests for all middle and
place on a case-by-case basis.
high school students participatAlthough Arcata High student
ing in competitive extracurricuathletes should not currently
lar activities. These extracurricbe worried about having their
ular activities also include after
privacy infringed upon with
school clubs.
drug testing, they should also
Student athletes should not
remember that the school could
be specifically targeted for drug
create a new policy, if the need
testing. If student athletes are
arises. But in the end, student
drug tested, then so should
athletes must make their own
everyone at the school. This
decisions about drinking and
would include ASB officers, club
drug use. Athletes should also
leaders, and even Pepperbox
remember, when you're on a
editors.
team, you represent your team
But testing everyone at school
and your entire school. Always
is unrealistic, since the average
take a look at yourself and think
drug test costs $15 to $35. For
about how you are portraying
a school of over 800 students,
yourself to the public.
Athletes should also remember, when you’re on a team, you represent your team and your entire school. Always take a look at yourself and
think about how you are portraying yourself to the public.
A&E
High fashion or highly offensive?
Ryan Ghisetti
A&E Editor
S
ocks: one size fits most,
but activism fits ALL? The
teenage years seem to be
all about civil disobedience,
talking back to your parents, staying out late, and speeding around
the parking lot. But one small act
has people HUFfing and puffing.
Huf clothing: you might not
know them by name, but these
cheeky, brightly colored socks feature the recognizable iconography
of marijuana leaves. When seen
walking down the hall, heads of
students are turned to the sight the
these socks, which have us begging to ask the question: Are they
a stance toward the government's
intolerance for the substance,
or simply a fashion statement?
Trends have become a cliché to
discuss. Oddly enough bare midriffs and short skirts seem to be
more regulated in the high school
than Huf socks. But on
the rare occasion when
students
are asked to
change out of
them, they become speechless. This could
be due to a loss
of words or a
mouth full of
food to satisfy
their
cravings,
but none the less
they're disgruntled. The common
argument is that
someone wearing a shirt with,
say, a redwood
tree or sunflower
wouldn't be asked
to change, but
marijuana (a natural growing plant,
also) is taboo.
Students
are
highly opinionated on
Maya O’Brien
this isler
sue. Take junior SkyTrout, whom can
frequently
be
seen with the
horticultural
socks in the
hallways.
“I under-
stand
why[teachers]
have an issue
[with them], but kids
should be able to wear
what they want. Also,
I'm not saying I'm smoking
weed when I wear them. They
are just really comfortable,
you know,” Trout said. Opposing
opinions have come out against
Mr. Trout; for instance, take senior
Maya O’Brien. This boisterous,
anti-weed activist is quite irked
by the trend. “When I'm forced to
see them [Huf socks] around the
school or town I feel like the marijuana culture in Humboldt is forced
upon me. If you really smoke weed
you don't need to tell everyone
through a pair of socks. I've seen
people fall under the effects of this
dangerous drug and don't want to
see this happen to anyone else.”
Are these socks just a trend or a
catalyst for the real issue at hand:
the legalization of marijuana? In a
recent study conducted by Gallup
concluded that in 2013 58% of the
American population was in favor of the legalization. This
number of supporters increased by 10% from 2012's
48%. All students interviewed that frequent wearing Huf socks all agreed with
the legalization, but, oddly
enough, each one also
stated that when wearing the socks it was for
the joy of the graphic,
appeal of look, and the
comfort of the socks. If
these socks are so comfortable and take such a strong
stance, why don't we all have them?
In the air lingers a smell...
rebellion or something else...?
VS. Skyler Trout
Words on Weed
“I’ve seen people fall under the effects of this
dangerous
drug and
don’t want to see this
happen to anyone else.”
“Im not saying im
smoking weed when
I wear them [Huf
socks]. They are just
really comfortable.”
Ryan Ghisetti/PEPPERBOX

December 12, 2014 Issue

Transcription

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