Volume 10, Issue 3 DECEMBER 2014ROAR

giving something

A WHITNEY HIGH STUDENT MEDIA PUBLICATION

whitneyupdate.com @whitneyupdate @detailsyearbook

PAGE 4

PAGE 15

the truth about flu shots

snowboards vs. skis

PAGE 8How can you help the less fortunate?

more

THE

The Roar is a student publication produced by Whitney High Student Media. The news magazine is an open forum for student expression. Student editors make all content decisions. Columns represent the viewpoints of individual writers and are not representative of the opinions of the student body, faculty or administration of Whitney High School or Rocklin Unified School District. Staff members of The Roar practice ethical student journalism by providing fair and balanced coverage as determined by community standards. Students working to publish each issue strive to achieve accuracy by checking sources, spelling and quotes as well as obtaining a variety of credible sources. The staff regrets any errors or omissions. For information about advertising, contact The Roar at theroar@rocklin.k12.ca.us. Visit www.whitneyupdate.com for news, sports, opinion, entertainment and more.

THE ROAR staffmissiE cARAcuT

sElEnA cERvAnTEs

cAmEliA cOffmAn

kRisTEn ElsAyEgH

RylEA gillis

OliviA gRAHl

AmAndA jOHnsOn

lily jOnEs

sARAH mARTinEz

RAcHEl mARquARdT

dEsiREE sTOnE

jOEl Timms

miRAndA wOOllEy

siERRA yOung

advisersARAH nicHOls, mjE

Whitney high School 701 Wildcat Blvd. Rocklin, calif. 95765

916-632-6500

ARiEllA ApplEby

Abi bROOks

HARmOny REilly

cARsEn vAn dER lindEn

editors-in-chief

In this issue

UP CLOSEpage 12 “Religious appropriation” Is it crossing the line?page 13 “Foster care at the holidays” A look at the spage 14 “Meet Elliott” ROTC student battles muscular dystrophy.

14

12

11

On the cover: Photo ilustration by Ariella Appleby

ROARTHE

SPENDpage 5 “The fitting-in age” Teens are caught between two worlds. Students share whether they identify with emerging adulthood or prefer to stay as a kid.page 6 “Prepping for perfection” Culinary students prepare for upcoming competitions by practicing at home.page 7 “Non-traditional Christmas” Celebrations differ, for some, from the stereotypical versions.

ON CAMPUSpage 10 “Debating in language arts” How do students feel about the controversial debates and their educational value?page 11 “Mr. WHS Competition” Male students compete to win the title in this annual January event.

15

For all the latest news, sports, entertainment and more, visit us online

in a world of privilege

In this small, protective bubble we call Rocklin, it can be hard to see the real-world problems that plague the world. It all seems so far away. But these real-world problems are not from some far-off land. They’re happening right under our nose. Most families don’t make outrageous amounts of money a year. The

average income rate in Rocklin might be slightly more or slightly less than the national average of $44,888.16, but one fact remains the same: regardless of how much your family makes, there’s people out in our community who have never known that kind of money. Humans as a whole have a tendency to splurge on things they don’t really have a life or death need for. Do you really need that new pair of $160 Uggs? Maybe the answer is yes, but maybe you could spend half as much on equally comfy shoes and spend the other half on buying shoes for someone who doesn’t have the money to buy new clothing. The biggest problem is not that there’s a homeless and poverty problem. It’s that we don’t even notice it. We’re too busy comparing our name brands to other people’s name brands when it doesn’t matter. We think about who’s Miss Me jeans are cuter and fail to take a look around to notice students who aren’t even able to wear clean clothes to school each day. Teachers have expressed concern over students who appear hungry in class from not having adequate provisions at home, and the occasional curious whispers on campus discuss students who are “between houses” or living in their cars due to tough times. But the real issue to many students still seems to be getting their hands on the newest generation of gaming consoles. It’s okay to want things, and it’s okay to want to appear “put together” for our peers. But if we’re sacrificing our common decency and humanity for materialistic things, we’re not going to evolve anywhere in the world, especially not on campus.

This isn’t some wild call-to-arms to donate every Michael Kors purse or gaming console you own. It’s simply a reminder that we all need to pay a little more attention to those around us. Although the contribution of Kids Can donations this year has improved from last year’s 5 full boxes of cans to 20 boxes, it still isn’t a good enough ratio compared to the amount of students who attend our school. A school filled with 1900 students should easily be able to come up with more. Seeing the empty, ignored boxes for the Kids Can Drive in class is a little embarrassing. We walk out of stores like Walmart and Costco with bags full to the brim of food, and we can’t give to those less fortunate than us? It’s absolutely inconsiderate to walk past the Salvation Army volunteers taking donations, or ignore the fact that the giant cans exist to donate food. We find ourselves in too much of a hurry all the time to be bothered donating, when in reality, it takes less than a minute to actually donate something. Food, which is something a lot of us take for granted, is as easy as buying three extra cans and putting them in the donation box after leaving the store. Helping people out doesn’t have to be elaborate, it just has to be real. Being more aware of what you have will automatically make you more aware of what others don’t have. Instead of buying your fifth seasonal starbucks drink just to get your sixth free, it would give you the same exhilaration and warmth to spend some of your time listening to the situations your peers at school go through, and figuring out a way to help. Something as simple as donating an old jacket could make a world of difference to someone who simply cannot afford to stay warm and dry during the winter months. It only takes one kind and action. Check out our cover story on page 8, wehre we have taken an in depth approach at this topic in hopes of bringing to light the situation.

TALK

staff editorial

Staff editoRial Vote: 15-2

Sometimes I get mad at my dad. He yells, I yell back, add a foot stomp for good measure, and get sent to my room. I go on my phone and text my friends about how I’m mad and how I wish I could just leave my house for somewhere, anywhere else. But I don’t really mean it. I might say I want to be with a different family,

but when it comes down to it, I’m appreciative of the fact that I have a family I can come home to every day. My mom might live in another state, but I still have a mom. I know who she is. I don’t have to worry about where I’m spending my birthday, or what school I have to choose. I have a family who has been with me since I was born and sometimes I take that for granted. I’m not a foster child in a system that can be dark and scary at times. I don’t worry about where I’m spending the holidays with. I don’t have to worry about if a new family’s kids will get along with me. The foster care system does what it can to help thousands of children and young adults live with people who can support them. Yet here I am, not thinking it through and finding myself wishing I lived with another family, one without parents who argue with me. Yeah, of course they’re sometimes annoying. But they’re my family, and I have never once been afraidof moving to another state with another new family. I’ve never had to worry about that, but now is the time of year when I find myself even more aware of the fact that there are people out there, people at this school, who have been a part of the foster care system for years. And I have unbelievable respect for them. They’ve dealt with the worry about if their new parents will get along with them or not. They’ve moved countless times whereas I’ve moved about as much as the average family does. And to remember that there are people out there who actually have confronted these situations is humbling. We need to be more thankful, that’s what we need to do. I

The way it’s depicted on TV, it seems like the foster care system is a terrifying place for a small child to be. So, to all foster care children, teenagers, adults: thank you. Thank you for showing me both literally and figuratively that the simple things matter most. Gifts and ribbons only go so far. I know not everyone has a complete family, or the “perfect” family. But to everyone who has a family, I urge you to be a little more thankful, a little more helpful. Because as much as they might get on your nerves and as much as you might think you wish you lived somewhere else, you don’t. You don’t really wish you went through families like some people go through shoes. You probably have your address memorized, or you at least know where you live. Imagine being given a new address eight times a year and more parents than there are teachers at this school. Imagine seeing your friend get picked up and feeling a pang of jealousy that they have both their parents and the perfect 2.5 siblings. This is the time of the year to be thankful, to be aware, and to be loving to others. You never know what someone else has gone through or is going through. Sometimes all people really need is a hug, a stable friend in their life when everything else is confusing and temporary. So when you next get angry at your mom for misunderstanding you, take a step back, breathe in, and remember: sure, she’s not perfect, but she’s your mom. I don’t act like I know what each and every one of you are feeling or your unique family situations, but for the most part, I would say we all love our families and would do anything for them. Some people don’t have a family to run to when times get tough. Just keep that in mind when you next find yourself wishing you lived “anywhere else.”

BY HARMONY REILLY

the flu vaccine is available by a shot or nasal spray, approved for people 2 through 49 years old. the flu shot contains killed viruses, whereas the nasal spray contains weakened viruses.

it takes your body two weeks after initial vaccination for antibodies to develop and provide protection against the influenza virus. Meanwhile, you’re still at risk for catching the flu. getting your flu shot early in the fall before the flu season gets started is optimal.

getting the flu shot sometimes includes getting mild side effects, which last one to two days. Possible side effects are soreness at the injection site, fainting, headaches, fever and nausea.

“i’ve never gotten the flu shot ever since i was a child, my family’s never gotten a flu shot, and especially once i learned that the flu shot they give is from last year’s virus; it does nothing to help you this year because it’s not the same virus. So there’s no point in getting the shot because it doesn’t help you.” — JacoB RoBeRtS

“it started off just ‘cause my dad told me to, but then [i took] aP Biology and learn[ed] about how vaccines actually work, and about how they actually help you and they’re not there to hurt you, they’re there to provide you with antibodies for the next flu.” — BRenna gittinS

4THE ROAR

BO

DY

fl

u sh

ot

BY HARMONY REILLY

The truth about the

FLU SHOT There’s lots of myth surrounding the flu shot. While some students opt to go without it and others get a shot each time the flu season arrives, it can be confusing to understand exactly what it is and what to expect. The seasonal influenza, more commonly referred to as the flu, is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. The seasonal flu shot protects against three to four different viruses that research suggests will be most common during the flu season.

• the flu season can begin as early as october and last as late as May.• if you have a severe allergy to chicken eggs, you should talk to your health care provider before getting

vaccinated. • you shouldn’t get the vaccine while you’re sick. it’s better to wait until you’re better to get vaccinated.

quick facts

do you get the flu shot every year?

• Walgreens ($32 without insurance) 2177 SUnSet Blvd, Rocklin, ca

• Walmart ($25 without insurance) 900 PleaSant gRove Blvd, RoSeville, ca

• costco ($15 without insurance) 6750 StanfoRd Ranch Rd, RoSeville, ca

• your doctor’s office ($15-$30; most take walk-ins,)

get vaccinated

did you know...you cannot get the flu from the vaccine. the flu shot is made with inactivated (killed) flu viruses that cannot cause you to catch the flu.

the Big deal?what’s

• the reason you feel a little sore after getting the flu vaccine is because your body is beginning to make protective antibodies.

• according to the centers for disease control and Prevention, everyone over the age of six months should get vaccinated.

• if you get the flu vaccine, you’re 60% less likely to need treatment for the flu by a health care provider.

Where Do You Fit In? Students share their opinion of either wanting to stay a kid or wanting to be an adult

5 WHITNEYUPDATE.COM

LIFEST

YLE fitting in

BY SARAH MARTINEZ

I would be a child because as a child you don’t have to worry about anything and you are so care free. Whereas adults and teens are faced with reality and are forced to make tough decisions.

— Caeli SoliS

I would be an adult because you have more freedom to do things you want without others permission.

— Midori GarMan

I would be an adult. That way you don’t have to be dependent on anyone and you have way more freedom. You can also live on your own terms.

— alySSa eppler

Every high schooler has faced the dilemma of finding something to do on that Friday night. Teens are either deemed too old or too young for the activities they want to do. Movies like Frozen or Guardians of the Galaxy are geared towards children and not meant specifically for the enjoyment of teens or adults. These kid movies are considered childish and beneath them. The opposite is also true. Teenagers want to be treated like adults; they want to go out late, go to clubs, be free. Check out what these students have to say about this issue.

There are plenty of options for teens through the school and community. I would be a child though because there are not as many expectations for kids compared to adults or teens.

— Connor Bart

This time of year, houses covered in lights and plastic snowmen with trees inside await Old Saint Nick. But what about those people that go to the extreme and decorate every inch of grass and roof they can? How much does it all cost? How much work goes into making the holidays that much more special? “Tech houses” or houses with lights that not only light up but are synchronized to “Jingle Bells” or “Frosty the Snowman.” It may seem easy enough, but it is costly. On average, the controller box to hook up everything to be synchronized together alone can be $139 at Home Depot. That’s just for the controller, but then you have to buy the lights, and the blow-ups, and all the extra decorations to make everything tie together. You never know how many control boxes you may need. “We have wood cutouts and for the plywood it cost us about $20 and to paint

them and cut out the plywood it cost about $45. The lights cost us around $80 and we have been using them for the past three Christmases. Our electric bill also increases $60. We usually buy the decorations in store and buy the lights at Costco,” Emma Thomas said. You could make your life easier by buying a package with controllers, cables, light sequences, trees and santas on www.wowlights.com. A 16 output package comes to a total of $479.99, and that’s the cheapest. 128 output packages come to $5,899.99. Decorating the house can take a while to do, making sure everything looks together and perfect can take a lot of time. “It usually takes multiple days to decorate, we start after Thanksgiving and take about four to five hours in a span of multiple days,” Thomas said.

BY MIRANDA WOOLLEY

Christmas decorating goes techTech houses take seasonal tadition to a new level

M.W

OO

LLEY

M.W

OO

LLEY

M.W

OO

LLEY

BY CAMELIA COFFMAN

6THE ROAR

SP

END

c

ulin

ary

The culinary program has directed students to look towards their future career rather than just a class. “Students in my Culinary ROP class learn foundational skills for a bakery

or pastry career, or prepare themselves to go to culinary school,” Mrs. Carissa McCrory said. In order to be prepared for catering or competitions students are recommended to practice knife cuts at home. “I cook at home at least five days a week, not necessarily a full course dinner, but I will be practicing my knife cuts on potatoes, or bake for my friends or parties,” Chahin said. Being a part of the culinary program carves a lot of time out of students’ schedules due to preparing for the next catering event or for meetings. “I’m in culinary every day during lunch and most days at intervention, I practice my knife cuts and other skills we have to know for our competition. If we’re catering I will be prepping by doing the dishes or finish making food after school practice,” Chahin said. The culinary program has gone through different catering jobs, and there is at least three

to four catering opportunities per month. “Catering takes a lot of work, but all in all it’s worth it in the end because it is going towards a special event,” Paige Rafferty said. Multiple accidents have happened in the culinary kitchen before catering for events. “The most recent accident that happened in the kitchen was when we making pumpkin cupcakes. [McCrory] said that everything was put into place, but I didn’t realize there were two 30 oz. cans of pumpkin instead of just two 15 oz. cans of pumpkin. I didn’t realize it until after I put them into the oven so they came out and they were dense,” Chahin said. Culinary is not just a class to Rafferty, because she likes to make people happy by giving them something she created from culinary. Rafety said, “Everyone can cook but only the ones who have the patience and passion to go beyond the basics will make it their own art.”

prepping for perfectionCulinary takes place at home to practice for future competitions

BY SIERRA YOUNG

Winter

Monica Martinez in the ear warmer availible at Forvever 21 for $8

Lily Jones in the pom beanie availble at Target for $17

Marcus Tejeda in the Santa hat availible at Walmart for $8

Missie Caracut in the slouchy beanie availible at Forever 21 for $8

Hans Alber in the traditional beanie availible at Zumeiz for $20

What winter accessories are students’ favorites to bundle up this season?

Camelia Coffman in the trapper availble at Urban Outfitters for $50

headgear

Find other winter hats on our Pinterest board.

Chahin rolls red velvet cookie dough.

BY MISSIE CARACUT AND KRISTEN EL SAYEGH

7 WHITNEYUPDATE.COM

SP

END

untraditional christmas

Holidays

“Since I’ve been born, my family and I celebrate a holiday called Eid due to my religion. It doesn’t come at the same time as Christmas, because it goes back 10 days every year and it comes twice a year. Although it’ll be hard to continue this holiday in the next couple of years because of the people I’ll be around, I’ll try my hardest to celebrate this holiday.”

“Every winter my family takes a road trip down to Los Angeles, and if we’re able to, we either visit Disneyland or Universal Studios sometimes around or on Christmas day. We’ve been doing this for five years, because each year we have family outside of California visit us every winter and we love taking them out to Los Angeles since it’s one of my families favorite places plus the views at the theme park look amazing during

the holidays.”

Tips for the holidaysGO CULTURAL : Pick a country that everyone agrees on and celebrate the season the way that country does it.GIFT OF GIVING : Instead of the traditional gift exchange, opt for donating to local charities and hospitals to help the less fortunate TAKE A TRIP : Go on a vacation; do not spend your holidays at home but rather, have it some-where else. MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Volunteer at a homeless shelter or church.CHANGE UP THE MAIN COURSE: Try a different dinner with Chinese, Indian, or seafood cuisine. GET CRAFTY: Change up your Christmas tree by creating it with books, cans, etc.

Mohammed Serrieh

Beenish Farooqi

Gabby Barquet

with a

“My family and I have been going down to my grandma’s church ever since I was five to feed the homeless. All of my relatives come together to make the food from scratch and we set out tables and have some of the homeless come in and eat; they also stay the night to sleep. My grandma started doing this because she’s really involved in her church and we did it because we want others that aren’t so fortunate to have a good Christmas and we can bond with our family at the same time.”

TWIST

“My family and I have been going to the movies on Christmas for three years now. We chose to do this because it was something my family and I could all do together and it was cheap. I’m looking forward to doing it this year and hopefully

the next couple of years.”Toby Martinez

Students spend their holidays in untraditional ways

BY ABI BROOKS & CARSEN VAN DER LINDEN

Blissful ignorance in the holiday season exposes a largely unseen issue in our community

After gazing over all the gifts in the toy store and going through each and every aisle searching for the perfect toys, the girl picks out a few of her favorites. Her parents buy them and then they happily drive home, fully enjoying the holidays.

The gifts are not for Hannah, though. In the spirit of Christmas, Hannah Peck and her family decided last month that they would buy some gifts and donate them to a local toy drive. “So many kids are in need of Christmas gifts so me and my family wanted to help them out,” Peck said. Despite the low 4.2 percent unemployment rate in the city of Rocklin, there are people throughout the community who are in need of essential items. Jordan Blackwell and her family help bring the holidays to friends who need it more than they do. “We buy our friends who aren’t as well-off Christmas presents, and one year we bought them a tree. It felt really good to help them out,” Blackwell said. In Rocklin, the median family income is $88,966 which is high compared to the median U.S. family income of $64,585. “I don’t think most people realize there are many people not as well of as they are. I think they often get stuck in their own situation and forget,” Blackwell said. There are different ways that people can assist the less fortunate. Peck feels there are many things people do not need that can be used to help. “When people buy Starbucks and stuff, they don’t think about others they could be helping instead that don’t even have money for bills, food and other essentials,” Peck said. As a whole, the state of California has the overall highest poverty rate at 23.4 percent, according to a new Census Bureau report. “Many people don’t realize this because people around here aren’t poor and they don’t see that other people around here don’t have as much,” Peck said. Students like Jacob Watson feel like no matter how much we would like to blame others for ignoring such a large problem, the responsibility falls on each person to make the community better

for those who are less fortunate. “I think we are all guilty of ignoring [the problem] at least a little,” Watson said, “Rocklin, being an upper middle class area, seems to be rather blind to the plight of the poor. It tends to be a bit more conservative as well, so I think a lot of the holiday spirit of giving gets lost in the consumerism.” But Watson feels that it is never too late to begin giving back to the community, and that people should use their elevated position in society to help mend these problems. “Things this area does have, with its many nonprofits, religious organizations and other volunteer groups, provides ample opportunity to give around this time,” Watson said, “The school system especially, with its mandated volunteer hours, gives people that first push for students to see how much joy helping others can bring.” One teacher on campus, English and French teacher Mrs. Kimberly Karver, is spearheading a movement to get those around her involved in actively helping community members in and around our school. This began from her personal experiences giving aid to students who truly needed support.

THEY

WHEREARE

ARE

YOU?

OFF

CA

MP

US

g

ivin

g

OFF C

AM

PU

S giving

9 WHITNEYUPDATE.COM

“A few years ago, I noticed one of my Junior Honors Student was wearing the same clothes a lot and seemed tired all the time. I found out, after talking with her many times, that she was living out of her car. Her family did not have enough money to pay their rent, so the electricity and heat was turned off. The month after, they were evicted from their apartment, and all three family members, and two cats, were living in the family car,” Karver said, “With the help of Mrs. Simpson, our registrar, and several fellow English teachers, especially Mrs. Davis, I spent a week putting together bags of food, clothes, and other supplies. Mrs. Simpson, through some local charities, was able to get a few gift certificates. The last day of break, I took my student shopping to buy some clothes. It was an amazing experience, and yet a sad one. My student did not even know her size; she had not bought anything new in two years.”

Ever since that first experience, Karver began to notice that the incident was not isolated. The issue of students struggling just to get by, largely unnoticed before, seemed to become clearer to her as time went on. “I have learned of many, many hardships my students endure. Many are homeless at times, many live in group foster homes. And many go days without eating,” Karver said, “I decided, since I am a coupon diva, to ask staff members to donate coupons to me, so that I can buy food to house in my classroom.” And eventually, Karver’s desire to help developed her hopes for the future. “I would like my classroom to be a safe place for students to come who need help. I work with Mrs. Simpson to get aid for students in need, I personally buy items for students struggling, and I try my best to make sure my students are safe. I would love to do more,” Karver said. Karver believes that the more informed our campus becomes, the more students will be willing to give needed assistance to their less-fortunate peers. “I think our WHS family would want to help if they knew how many of our students suffer. I honestly do not think most of the student body and most of the staff know exactly how deprived many of our students are,” Karver said.

35%of the homeless population are families with kids

1 in 4homeless people are under the age of 18

3,500,000in the U.S. experience homelessness each year

And once students become informed, Karver hopes that students will rise to the occasion to make a difference. “I really think that our community does not have the facts. They do not know the problems our students and families face,” Karver said, “I would love to have a club that sponsors a family, all anonymous, each month. I know a group of heartfelt students could come up with fundraisers and a ton of ideas to help our fellow WHS students.” And through her experiences, Karver’s life was impacted as much as the lives of the students she and her fellow teachers were able to assist. Karver said, “The relationships I am able to build by helping students in need is rewarding and blesses me with many I consider my extended family.”

Information provided by: http://www.studentsagainsthunger.org/page/hhp/overview-homelessness-america

Debates have always been a method when deciding the best way forward on certain topics. Now, in Advanced Language Arts II classes, students face a new assignment: creating an opinion and debating their side,

either supporting or going against a controversial topic relevant to today’s world. For this project, students have to choose a topic from an approved list, decide what side they would like to present on the topic; research, and give a 10-minute argument with evidence supporting their claims. With topics ranging from abortion to racial profiling and police use of excessive force, each student has a chance to bring up a point of view to others that may have not been as evident or clear before. While in the past every student would individually get a topic and then defend or protect the idea, this year students are paired up per topic, going against each other in more of a debate-like scenario. This allows more points of view, and students can grasp different ideas and views about each controversial topic. These controversial debates will affect many students in multiple ways. “When you write an essay, there is so much pressure. When you [debate], it’s so much more hands on,” Kennedy Krogh said. However, other factors come into play with this assignment. Just like any other assignment with multiple topics, students have to choose their own controversial issues, the side they will take, and no issue can be chosen twice. To do this, the teacher will pull a student’s number randomly from a basket, and that student will get to choose a topic. This process

will go on until every student has chosen an issue and side, and all the spots have been filled. Students have multiple contrasting opinions on this system. Also, for the new system to be a debate against another student, students had to be paired in order to debate against each other. “If [Mrs. Emily Zenoni] would have done it any other way, it wouldn’t have been fair,” Krogh said. Because of this, some students have gotten unwanted topics that they are uncomfortable with. Students in this position believe that choosing topics could have been approached differently.

“I feel that [the students] should have had a second chance, and I feel that multiple people should be able to be on one topic,” Keegan Mclean said. Mclean was one of the last students in his class chosen, and consequently was forced to support racial profiling in his presentation. He believes he will not win the debate just based off of the side he received. “The class as an audience is going to generally and naturally lean to one side no matter how good the speaker is at persuading the class. There is a natural tendency to disagree with pro racial profiling. It’s how society works,” Mclean said. While students may like or dislike the assignment based on their topic and opportunity to debate, the language arts teachers believe there are hidden benefits to this system. “Because we had to pair [the students] up, there

was no way that everybody could get their top choice, and so I think that the lesson for the long haul here is that even if you are in a situation [where you do not have] your top choice, you do have to make the best of it,” Zenoni said. Although topics are chosen at random teachers want to stress that there is a lot more to this assignment than just the debate. “[Students] are getting practice with research, which is important because most of [students’] sources are coming from the Internet, which then helps [them] with distinguishing a trustworthy source from one that will mislead,” Zenoni said. By adding this new twist to an already existing assignment, Zenoni and Mrs. Tiffiny Feuerbach want to create an element where students have to interact with each other. “By adding the debate component, now [the assignment] isn’t just a presentation where you are reading off of flashcards, but you have to think on your feet,” Zenoni said. Overall, Zenoni and Feuerbach share the belief this assignment allows for students to develop valuable deep-thinking skills, practice researching and create opinions based on evidences and facts. From the reaserch to the debate itself, students are now being taught and graded not just on their reaserch development but on their persuasive power, as added in the new development to this old assignment. Although some students are frustrated with the random picking of topics, it overall provides a new and hands-on experience that students will be able to dive deep into. Zenoni said, “It’s one of those assignments where students are going to get as much out of it as they put into it, and it has the potential to inspire a lot of people to take advantage of the opportunities you have in high school.”

Controversial issue debate assignment in Advanced LA II takes on changes, gets mixed reactions

ON

CA

MP

US

c

ontr

over

sal t

opic

s

A debate on the debates

The class as an audience is going to generally and naturally lean to one side no matter how good the speaker is at persuading the class.” — KEEGAN MCLEAN

“

BY JOEL TIMMS & RACHEL MARQUARDT

11 WHITNEYUPDATE.COM

ON

CA

MP

US

mr. w

hs

TIME AND PLACEJan. 22 7 p.m.-9 p.m.WHS Theater TICKETS Jan. 12-21 in C-2: $5Jan. 22 at the door: $8

JUDGES Three teacher judgesAudience judge which changes each roundCOIN VOTING1 penny = 1 point$1= -100 pointsAvailable before show at lunch,in the amphitheater the week of the show, and during intermission

CONTESTANTS 15-20 student male volunteers WINNERSMr. WHS1st Runner-Up2nd Runner-UpTalent Trophy

#MrWHS2015

TALENTThree minutes Singing, dancing, comedy, instruments, etc. GROUP DANCE Choreographed by studentsINTERVIEWTwo questionsSTYLEOutfit of choice and music

BY SELENA CERVANTES AND OLIVIA GRAHL

an inside look at the upcoming Mr. WHS Competition

“You can’t be shy and [you] have to go all out or it’s not even worth the time. It’s a super fun experience, I wish I had done it all four years.”— MARCUS TEJADA

“Go crazy during your routine because life’s a playground an you should play as long as you can.”— ZACH WYNNE

the EXPERIENCED

were THEY manenough?

“I loved all the talents. Everyone looked like they were having fun and that made it fun to watch.”— ABBY ROMANO

“I think it’s just a fun thing to go to, to have a laugh with your friends. [My favorite memory] from last year was when Zach Wynne did wrecking ball or [Matthew Scriabin] played the piano, blindfolded.”— ANNIE JACKSON

“It was really cool to watch my friends make fools out of themselves dancing on the stage and I found out that some actually had some pretty cool talents.”—BRENNA CROSSER

“Watching the talents is my favorite time, especially when it’s something most people wouldn’t be able to do, like when my friend Matthew [Scriabin] played the piano, blindfolded.”— IVY CONDE

Michael Binford plays the electric guitar with a violin bow during the talent portion on Jan. 24. Photo by J. Holt

On Jan. 24 Kyen Balzer celebrates with fellow contestants after winning the Mr. WHS competition. Photo by J. Holt

On Jan.24 Contestants persuade people to vote for them during lunch in the amphitheater. Photo by L. Takigawa

On Jan. 24 Hans Alber, Michael Binford, Max Swerdlow practice their dance routine. Photo by J. Holt

Zach Wynne performs “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus on Jan. 24. Photo by M. Aaron

getting AROUND togetting the CROWN

12THE ROAR

UP

CLO

SE

cu

ltura

l app

ropr

iatio

n

BY LILY JONES

Cultural APPRECIATION or Cultural APPROPRIATION?

Angela Thapa tells her story

Cultural diffusion is common and often encouraged, but often times people are accused of crossing the line. “Crossing the line” with cultures is known as cultural appropriation. Cultural appropriation is the adoption of elements of one culture by members of a different cultural group. People wear culturally inappropriate clothes usually for fashion or

entertainment purposes. “My family originated from Nepal. It’s located right in between India and China so our culture is a mixture of both, but I would say we’re more similar to India. My heritage is 100% Nepali but I don’t practice all things Nepali. I like bands like One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer and wear American brands” Angela Thapa said. Often times cultural appropriation is spotted at music festivals, raves or on a regular basis like in pictures or for a normal day out. Wearing items from another culture is a controversial action because it could be considered disrespectful or offensive to people in that culture. Wearing materials such as bindi’s, head dresses, henna tattoo’s or war bonnets are common forms of cultural appropriation. “The thing that makes cultural appropriation debatable all over Twitter is there’s a difference of trends and beliefs. Like if a person who wasn’t Hindu was wearing a bindi it’s more extreme than a non-French person wearing a beret because it is a symbol of religion status as well as culture. Where as the beret is a popular item that mainly tourists wear. Both are acting like another culture and ethnicity even if it wasn’t intentional,” Thapa said. This subject is vastly debatable because there are various ways cultural appropriation is interpreted. People can find wearing others cultures clothes as an welcoming and appreciation of the culture for example the Native American head dress is a symbol of power and obedience. Others find it offensive because they believe that someone should have to earn the right to wear such a meaningful piece of clothing because only chiefs of the tribe were supposed to wear them. “Cultural appropriation is a serious issue but I’ve noticed a lot of people tend to cry wolf and I feel like it trivializes the times that people are being really offensive,” Kiera DeWitt said. Celebrities like Vanessa Hudgens, Katy Perry, Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner and Miley Cyrus are commonly accused of wearing culturally inappropriate clothes for entertainment purposes. At music festivals like “Coachella” and “OutsideLands” it is nowhere near uncommon to see people wearing Native American head dresses, South Asian bindi’s and Egyptian henna tattoos. It’s also vastly popular to spot this behavior in popular music videos like “Come and Get It” by Selena Gomez, “This is How we Do” by Katy Perry and “Burqa” by Lady Gaga. “As long as you can wear a cultural article of clothing, rock it and still be confident, while still maintaining the cultural significance and symbolism behind it, wear it but dont be an idiot,” Jonah Petty said. Major name brands like Chanel, W Magazine, and American Apparel have been guilty of following this trend. Chanel’s new line “Cowboys and Indians” had a pre-fall collection “Native” that has been sporting fashionable Native American War bonnets. Thapa said, “I’ve seen people at school wear bindi’s, not at school but just in selfies, really. I think it’s okay like it doesn’t offend me because they aren’t meaning to do any harm, most of the time I’m cool with it. Maybe if they said or did something that was meant to be insulting like making fun of my language it’s offensive.”

PHOTO BY L. JONES

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DESIREE STONE

BY DESIREE STONE

13 WHITNEYUPDATE.COM

Five different homes in two years. Five different guardians in two years. Two different schools in two years. Fourty percent of foster children are between the ages of 13 and 21. Moving

around is nothing new for Monica Wagner, who entered the foster care system when she was 14 years old. “My dad died from lung cancer when I was 12, and my mom just could not handle losing him. I had no other suitable guardian so I had to go to foster care,” Wagner said. Wagner was first sent to a receiving home in Sacramento. From there she would go to four different foster homes in four different cities: Rio Linda, Natomas, Rocklin and finally, her current home, Penryn. “Luckily I did not have to switch schools except for the time that I moved from Sacramento County to Placer County. In foster care you get to choose what school you go to,” Wagner said. There are some instances where she had to find a new home to live in. Being told to leave in an argument or just too much drama in the home are some reasons that results in a foster child being relocated to a different foster family. “Once one of my foster parents tried to take away my phone that I paid for and it ended up being a huge fight that ended in me leaving,” Wagner said. Wagner had to adjust to living with complete

strangers and not knowing how they would react to having her in their home. Some of her foster parents had children so she needed to make sure her there was a balance between them being able to provide for her while still being active in their own childrens’ lives. “One of the hardest thing about being a foster kid is feeling like you are intruding. After all, you are moving in with someone you don’t know. Its especially difficult when they have kids of their own because the kids often get irritated with you,” Wagner said. Monica’s social worker is responsible for checking in with her from time to time to make sure everything is going smoothly in her home. “My social worker Cindy is super intense but I know she only wants what’s best for me. She’s like the strict parent I never had,” Wagner said. According to Foster Club and Children Uniting Nations, over 510,000 American children are currently in foster care and more than 10.5 million will spend time in foster care. The state of California has the largest foster care population rate with close to 59,000. This number has tripled in the last 20 years. Many children would “age out” of the foster care program when they turned 18. Now they have created the Assembly Bill 12 which took effect in January of 2012. It allows youth to stay in foster care until age 20 if they meet the requirements of having a high school diploma or GED, work at least 80 hours a month and enroll in college. Wagner plans to fulfill all of the

expectations so she can continue to be in foster care. “I’m on track to graduate this June and I will go to college and continue to work at McDonald’s. Hopefully I will be able to move into my own spot,” Wagner said. Monica admits the holidays can be extremely tough. “The holidays are all about spending time with your family. It all starts with Thanksgiving which is about being thankful for what you have. It is hard to be thankful when you do not have much and you can’t spend that day with who you want to spend it with. Then it starts getting cold and you are supposed to sit around the fire and drink hot cocoa with your parents and your sibilings. I can’t do that. I’ve always wanted to and I can’t,” Wagner said. The foster child and his or her social worker work together to decided whether it is safe to spend the holidays with your family.“You never know if you will be able to go home for the holidays. When I do get to go home, I go hang out with my mom and we go to my grandma’s. My foster families never included us kids in their activities,” Wagner said. Thousands of children do not receive gifts for the holiday, or even extra items in general, so the community puts on certain events to help them out, especially during this time of year. There are multiple toy drives and Sleep Train Mattress Center is always accepting donations for clothing, shoes, toys, etc. for foster children.

Holidays Monica Wagner explains the difficulties of being a foster child durring the holiday season

in the system

UP

CLO

SE foster care

14THE ROAR

UP

CLO

SE

el

liott

str

oope

Imagine never being able to walk on your own, or only being able to hear with the use of hearing aids. Imagine undergoing 45

surgeries in just 14 years, for procedures such as spinal fusion. Imagine having not one, but two near-death experiences as the result of surgical infections. Now imagine that someone at your school has gone through all of this in his short life. Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disease that affects over 50,000 Americans, specifically young boys. Elliott Stroope is one of them, and he’s had to deal with these exact hardships and much more in his lifetime. His mother, Claire Stroope, gave birth to her son during an emergency C-section in July of 2000 in San Jose, California. He was immediately placed in the intensive care unit, where he stayed for the first month of his life without a known prognosis. The unsurety of his condition continued as the Stanford Medical Center, a nationally-ranked hospital, could not put their finger on the problem. Elliott used a walker to assist him until he was 4 years old, when he was put in a manual wheelchair, and later switched to a motorized wheelchair. Finally, in 2007, when Stroope was 7, he was diagnosed with Bethlem myopathy, a congenital and nondegenerative form of muscular dystrophy that his younger sister Taylor also has. This means he was born with the disease, and it does not progressively get worse, like most other forms of muscular dystrophy. "The diagnosis was actually a relief because we had spent seven years trying to find out what [his disease] was. When we were at Stanford, we were given three different diagnoses, two of which were life-threatening, so finding out he had muscular dystrophy was a relief," Mrs. Stroope said. Stroope’s parents would describe raising him as a “wild ride.” While his childhood had its ups and downs, Stroope made the best of his situation. As a boy, he participated in a sports program with other mentally and physically disabled kids where he excelled in baseball and basketball. Another big part of his life was fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. The Stroopes have raised thousands of dollars through events like the MDA Muscle Walk—last year they raised $13,000 at the walk, which is

more than any family has ever raised. Now, Stroope is a 14-year-old high school student who finds himself just trying to do well in school and fit in. But sometimes, he doesn’t have it as easy as his peers. His biology teacher Mr. Erich Means explains the problems that appear for his student in the classroom. “Some of his issues on the school-side of things are that he's not able to grip a pencil as well, which makes note-taking a struggle that he has to overcome. Since he's in a wheelchair, mobility around the room is also a problem," Means said. Stroope, having dealt with this disease for 14 years now has found ways to succeed in the classroom regardless of his condition. He has an aide that assists him in tasks, such as taking notes so he can keep up with the fast pace of his teacher’s lectures. He’s also enrolled in a study skills class so he can get a head start on work from other classes and maintain his grades. Just like he pushes past the academic challenges he runs into, Stroope doesn’t let anything stop him from engaging in the activities that make him happy. One of his passions is the United States Armed Forces—Stroope’s dream is to go to college at a military academy and eventually make it to the Air Force. He got a head start on this goal by joining the ROTC program this year, but it wasn’t easy getting into the class for him as it might be for other students. “They told us for a couple years that he could not be in the program because they hadn’t ever had anyone like him in it. So he wrote a letter to the number two guy at the Pentagon arguing that people with disabilities are just as patriotic as able-bodied people, and that helped him get accepted into the program,” Mrs. Stroope said. As if the Stroopes hadn’t faced enough challenges over the years, a new curveball was thrown at them earlier this year. About six months ago, they got a call from a doctor who said he no longer believed Stroope had Bethlem myopathy, but could possibly have a disease that has never been seen before. The National Institute of Health also contacted the Stroopes to show their interest in doing research on a possible new condition that might be unique to Stroope. While the exact details of his condition

BY RYLEA GILLIS & AMANDA JOHNSON may not be fully understood for a while, it is known that Stroope serves as a role model for kids everywhere who face challenges in life. He always tries to keep a positive attitude by minimizing his disabilities and focusing on his abilities. He realizes while his problems may be more serious than others’, they can use the same strategy to overcome them that he does. Stroope said, “People underestimate themselves. My main message to them is to never give up, and to live for something rather than die for nothing.”

OVERCOMINGThe story of TRAGEDY

Elliott Stroope:

15 WHITNEYUPDATE.COM

MO

VE snow

sports

SNOWBOARDING

THE ICY DUElFans compare popular winter sports

BY ARIELLA APPLEBY

The ice cold slopes carry a fresh powder. Skiers and snowboarders hit the slopes to break in the snow. Movies like “Johnny Tsunami” have portrayed skiers and snowboarders as rivals for years. But underneath all the Hollywood-made icy feelings, skiers and snowboarders, like Owen Descheemaeker

and Adriana Raass, just do it for the thrills. "I feel like there's nothing but me and my board. All I can hear is the wind, so it's kind of like mind clearing for me — unless I'm racing my dad. Then all I feel is the cold air hitting my face or the flurries of snow if I fall," Raass said. For Raass skiing, was the first snow sport she tried. At 3 she began private lessons to work her up to the big slopes. But two years ago, she wanted a change of scenery. "I decided to try snowboarding about two years ago and my first experience was the worst one. I took one lesson and thought I could go on the same big hills as I did skiing, but I was wrong. It got to a point where in my frustration I just carried my board the rest of the way and felt defeated," Raass said. Despite the difficulties of her first trip, Raass tried again and soon fell in love with snowboarding. "My favorite part is that you can go as fast as possible and not worry too much about getting banged up when I fall. With skiing, if you make a bad fall your legs are separated and can get twisted up and get hurt. I've done that before, and it's not fun. I just feel that snowboarding is a good change and it's something my dad and I can bond over," Raass said. Descheemaeker has been skiing since he was 3. He chose skiing over snowboarding for a few reasons. “I prefer skiing because I like to be different than my brother, and he snowboards. Also since most kids [my] age snowboard, it's fun to do something different,” Descheemaeker said. Raass and Descheemaeker agree that snow sports are a great way to have fun with family and friends. “Usually I go up with my friends. Typically it's a one-day trip but sometimes we stay for the weekend,” Descheemaeker said. Marcus Tejeda is new to snow sports. He started about two years ago, and said it’s the best thing he has ever done. “I went up to Tahoe with my family for winter break. My cousin had an extra snowboard and asked me if i wanted to go. So, I went and had a blast. Now I have my own snowboard and try to go every season,” Tejeda said. Tejeda respects skiers but he does not want to try skiing himself. “I’m not interested in skiing because snowboarding is still new. I’m just getting the hang of it, so I don’t want to change [too soon],” Tejeda said. Despite differences in technique and in gear, Raass feels the skiers and snowboarders have respect for each other. She said, “We’re both out there to have fun. I snowboard while my older sisters ski. Basically we’re all the same in our pursuit of having a great time in the snow.”

SKIING:vs.

It’s all in your 2015 Details yearbook

THIS is what

Thousands of photos, memories and more in 248 pages of pure color to capture the year on campus with activities, sports, club events, classes, music, art, performances, spirit and more.

THIS is why

Final orders are submitted at the end of January, so this is your last official chance to order and guarantee a copy!

THIS is where

www.jostensyearbooks.com

Or print an order form online at whs.rocklinusd.org orwww.whitneyupdate.com and mailto WHS. Come to C-2 for order forms or if you have questions.

THIS is the life

16THE ROAR

Jesus is the reason

AD PAID FOR BY IMAGINATIVE BEADWORK

Go Mongo BBQ

6661 Standford Ranch Rd., Suite Q(916)632-8828jjsmongolian@hotmail.com

Free 20 oz. soda with Whitney High School student ID card

... for the season