the linestaggMarch 6, 2015Vol. 58 Issue 6

A.A Stagg High1621 Brookside

Stockton, CA 95207

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In order to attend a public school in the state of Cali-fornia, students must have their immunization records up to date. A section of the California Health and Safety Code clearly states that children cannot attend a public school if they do not show proof of all of their immunizations. This includes vaccines they were supposed to receive as infants and the most recent ones, as well. Vaccinations are important to keep track of because that is what keeps diseases from spreading. If all or most students within a school have received their vaccinations, then there isn’t much wiggle room for a disease like mumps or measles to crawl up on the population and strike. Despite the requirements, one in seven public schools currently have student bodies with immunization rates be-low 90 percent. That may sound like a good percentage lev-el for any public school to be at, but 90 percent is actually not high enough to ensure immunity within the schools, according to studies recorded by a USA TODAY data anal-ysis unit. Even if a few students do not have their immunization records up to date, the fact that everyone else around them does protects those few students. Sophomore Kyle Hightower believes that it is a must for people to get their vaccinations. “You don’t just get vac-cinated for yourself, you also get vaccinated to not get other people around you sick from disease.” However, Hightower’s father does not like the idea of people receiving their immunizations. His father thinks that vaccines are harmful for people and that if they are taken, they will cause various side effects. “Most people who don’t believe that the vaccine is ef-fective are those who grew up in the time when the con-troversy of them came up.” Hightower’s father was against vaccinating him, but in the end he did receive them under

the demand of his mother. Kyle said a reason his father believes that vaccines are harmful is because of some false reports that were released indicating the possible linkage of vaccines and diseases. The most popular of these reports included the suspected link-age of vaccinated children and the development of autism. Despite the facts that the reports have been determined false by several medical organizations, people still think vaccinations lead to autism. Some parents may sign exempt forms releasing their children of having up-to-date vaccinations. However, it is a law that doctors must also provide a doctor’s note to the exempt form so it is clear that students are exempt for med-ical reasons. Judy Rauzi, who is the head of Healthy Start, said, “You have to have a medical reason now” for an exempt form to be effective. “You need a doctor’s note.” The pur-pose of the doctor’s note is to serve as proof that a student cannot receive a vaccine because they may be allergic to an ingredient in it or not have a strong enough immune sys-tem to form the necessary antibodies needed to fight off a certain disease in the future. Senior James Newman said, “It depends on how your body reacts to the vaccine because, for example, some peo-ple get sick from the flu shot when they get it.” Newman only believes in getting vaccines when they are necessary to prevent any of the more serious diseases from breaking out. “I would say go for them because they are important to stay healthy but not if you’re allergic to them.” The fact that public schools require students to be vac-cinated indicates the importance of the issue. Even public universities have their own vaccination requirements. The requirements still have to meet those outlined in the Cal-ifornia Health and Safety Code in order to prevent out-breaks in the United States.

Fall break set a chain reaction for cop-per theft on campus this year. Since the original theft back in October, two recent break-ins have left instructional days a mess for teachers and students and raised ques-tions about security in general. During the fall break, copper wire from the electrical system was stolen from the cafeteria and H-wing classrooms, including the Campus Cafe. On Thursday, Feb. 12, copper wire was stolen from the A-wing, and a week later from the C-wing and M-wing. Preparations were made to other areas of the campus as if the thieves were planning to return. In hopes of catching the trespassers, ad-ministration reviewed security footage but were left hopeless when cameras described as “low budget” by Principal Andre Phillips revealed nothing more than shadows of fig-ures. “We can see them moving around,” he said. “All we see is figures, we can’t make out any faces.” Phillips recalls incidents from prior years including vandals covering the school in toilet paper and another involving the swimming pool. “We don’t have night secu-rity,” Phillips said. “Who would stand out here at midnight without a weapon?... Be-cause that is what we would need but can’t have because of policy.” Various police reports were filed after the incidents occurred, serving as the only thing that can really be done. “Police patrol now come and shine the lights in the roof, so I think that will help,” Phillips said. Averaging about $1.40 a pound, cop-per wire is the moneymaker in recycling. The most common occurrence is that the copper wire is exchanged for cash at recy-cling centers in another county in order to avoid questioning of the wire’s origin. “It happens all the time, everywhere, not just Stagg,” district electrician John Buck said. However, in some cases, the cameras are able to immediately identify a suspect by clothing items. While teachers and other students were

Security being testedRecent

break-ins lead to

questions

relocated to rooms with electricity, students in M-1 remained in the dark. Although ASC supervisor Robert Torres was filling in as an assistant principal, he says that “it was cold and dark, for him (the sub for ASC) it was inconvenient.” The same rules applied, but when entering, students had to sign in on paper instead of checking in on the computer. “When we have a discrepancy, we look at (the security cameras) to the time of day and see every image where a person shows up,” Phillips said. Since the cameras are only checked upon notification of misbehavior, students found wandering aimlessly around the halls from a few of the same classrooms receive no punishment unless caught by campus security monitors. The theft proved to be inconvenient when the assistant principal secretary Tyre-sha Sasaki was immobile for the day and could not access files and “constantly had

to go back and forth” to access her system. She and Torres shared an office during the repair work. Students are no strangers to the uni-form exiting the black and white police car that is parked daily in the front of the F-wing. During the day, there are district police on campus, many whom students know by name and who scold students for doing inappropriate things. With the lack of manpower, security cameras have “been a positive,” according to assistant principal Linda Roberts. “We’ve been able to identify property damage during and after school.” She did acknowledge that “it makes it tougher because we didn’t have lights avail-able.” Now that the district has made the de-cision to leave the lights on 24/7 Roberts hopes that it helps to deter theft and en-hance the visibility of the fairly new security cameras.

Stockton Unified electricians work on Wednesday, Feb. 18, to restore power to the C and M wings, bringing new wire to replace the severe copper wire theft. It was the second time in a week’s span that they had to come to the site.

photo by Andrew Muthart

veronicavargo

District to support AP classes,students

High school costs go beyond new pens, notebooks, and a comfortable backpack. For those wanting the best college preparation, late night studying and Ad-vanced Placement classes aren’t the only paths to get there. There are also financial commitments involved. For those expecting to pay a large amount for every AP test, Stockton Uni-fied School District has smoothed that path quite a bit. The district has announced that it will be paying $77 of the $82 required to be paid for each AP test, to College Board. As a re-sult, every student will only be paying $5 as part of a reimbursement. For previous years, students who qualify for fee waivers had the opportunity to take the test discounted, only having to pay $5, while the remaining cost was covered by the district, the state of California, and College Board. This time all students, including those who don’t qualify for a waiver, like senior Sofia Rodriguez, are being helped out and have a little less strain out of their own pock-ets. “It will be really helpful,” said Rodri-guez. “Expenses add up.” Rodriguez has been paying for her SAT’s and other tests since junior year, and, during the season of college applications, she was required to pay for every school she applied to. With two California State University applications along with three colleges out of state, Rodriguez spent around $210, where-as a student who is taken care of under fee waivers can apply to four CSU and Univer-sity of California colleges for free. Currently, she is taking two AP courses and plans to take the American Government and English literature tests in May. AP Government teacher Tara Hayes be-lieves that this change will encourage more students to take AP classes and the tests in the future. “I wish (students) would’ve known earlier because they would’ve stud-ied more.” Chan Sam, head counselor, describes the transactions among the student, district, the state, and College Board as a business. “It will definitely help students who don’t qual-ify for fee waivers,” Sam said. “Thanks to the district.”

nuviacervantes

micheallafoules

Daylight savings timeDaylight saving time begins Sunday, March 8. Don’t forget to set clocks ahead one hour.

Spring breakThere will be no school Monday, March 23 through Friday, March 27 because of spring break. School will resume Mon-day, March 30. There will also be no school on Mon-day, April 6. School will resume the next day.

YearbookThose interested in pur-chasing a yearbook for $70 should go to room B-2 at lunch.

Herff JonesNext Thursday, March 12, is the last day for seniors to order anything from Herff Jones. This includes cap and gown.

Not all choose to vaccinate

VaricellaVaccine to protect against the varicella-zoster virus better known as chickenpox which causes fever, bumps, redness, and itchiness.

Hep B A series of three shots to defend against Hepatitis B, which is a serious infection caused by a virus that attacks the liver. The virus is transmitted through blood and other bodily fluids.

TDapBooster shot for children 11 to 12 for immunity from diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough.

HPVVaccination to protect against human papillomavirus infection.

HPV can cause cervical cancer in females and

penile cancer in males. About 14

million people, including teens,

become infected with HPV each year.

MeningococcalVaccination blocking the bacterial infection meningococcal disease, which may lead to meningitis and septicemia.

Source: CDC.gov info

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by A

ngel

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Source: California Department of Fish and

Wildlife website

The time has come for

fishermen to capture the

catch of the day.

Crab season started Nov. 1, 2014,

and continues all the way through

July 30, 2015.

Fishermen must follow the follow-ing regulations:• Fishermen can

only bring in 10 crabs a day

• The smallest a crab can be is 5.75 inches

• No more than 60 traps can be used

graphic by Jenifer Flores

opinionthe linestagg2 March 6, 2015

Editorial

Substitutes don’t fix problem A.A Stagg High1621 Brookside

Stockton, CA 95207

Editorial PolicyThe Stagg Line newspaper is published monthly and distributed free to students and staff members. Our website staggonline.net is updated regularly with online exclusives.

The Stagg Line is a long-standing open forum for free student expression. That means, student editors and reporters make content and style decisions, with the adviser offering guidance.

The staff editorial, which appears at the top of this page, reflects the opinion of the entire staff and therefore is not signed. A person-al column is signed and reflects the writer’s point of view.

Readers are welcome to submit letters for publi-cation regarding a story published or any school issue. We will make every effort to print any letter that is not libelous. Letters longer than 250 words may be edited for length. Letters must be signed to be print-ed. Letters may be given to a staff member, delivered to A-10 or emailed to dbott@stocktonusd.net

Awards/RecognitionsThe Stagg Line is a member of National Scholastic Press Association, whose awards and recognitions include the following:

f 20 consecutive All American rankings

f Hall of Fame f First Place Best of Show

five times f National Newspaper

Pacemaker Award seven times

Stagg Line journalists over the years have won many awards and scholarships, including California Jour-nalist of the Year, National Story of the Year and Na-tional Photo of the Year.

EditorsJada Johnson

Devin Wickstromco editors in chiefVeronica Vargo

web editorMarcella Hawkins

news editorMichealla Foules

opinion editorAlexus Plascencia

features editorBaylin Moran

entertainment editorAraceli Valencia

sports editorEsmeralda Mascorro

photo editorMarleene Pheavgraphics editor

Angel Gonzalezvideo editor

Nuvia Cervantescopy editor

ReportersMatteo Danforth

Jenifer FloresSathina FloresLouis Fuentez

Fernando GonzalezJonathon IvyCeline Lopez

My’Kayla MooreTrisha NewmanEstefany NunezArriana Smith

Luci TomasPhillicity Uriarte-Jones

Follow usFacebook: Stagg LineTwitter: @staggonline & @stagg_sportsWeb: staggonline.netPDFs: issuu.com/staggline

Students in a Chemistry 1-2 class shout in unison that they’ve seen “too many” subs

come in to fill the vacant spot. One student estimates that 12 substitutes have filled in the po-sition, with only two long-term subs, each teaching for about three weeks at a time.

“Too many” may be an un-derstatement. Currently, teaching positions in three science classes, one English class, and one math class have not been filled. The instability of not having a perma-nent teacher results in students not taking the class seriously, thus ignoring the work. With most of these subjects being a-g courses, required for graduation and UC and CSU admission, it is import-ant for students to have a teacher, or at least a long-term sub who knows the material, to teach them.

Some subs have background in the subject. Annie McDonald has been the long term sub for an English 5-6 class for the last three weeks. She follows a lesson plan that she makes herself and en-

gages the class in understanding the material. However, she says she’s not sure how long she’ll stay. Learning these core subjects can be hard enough for students, even with a teacher going over the material. Imagine having to teach the material to yourself without any background knowledge or even confirmation that you’re un-derstanding it. Questions are left unanswered leaving uncertainty and confusion.

The problem originates at the district level. When hiring people at the beginning of each year to fill in vacant spots, the district hires teachers late and only con-siders teachers within the state. Whereas other districts are hiring in the spring, the Stockton Uni-fied School District usually hires in July. This creates the problem where many positions must be filled but not enough teachers are available to fill them.

Taking the matter into their own hands, Marcus Sherman, Science Department chair, and chemistry teacher Bill Lorentz

have teamed up with Principal Andre Phillips to come up with a better way for students to learn the science material. The plan is use the period as an Apex course at a computer lab on campus. Students would also perform labs with Sherman or Lorentz to gain the hands-on experience of the subject that they’ve been deprived of as of now. The district has not approved the plan, saying there is not money in the budget to fund the added Apex courses.

This idea would be an efficient remedy to the problem, and is definitely better for the students than how they’re currently being taught — or not taught. The question is: What is the district doing to address the lack of teachers in a way that most effec-tively benefits the students?

So far, not enough. Except continuing to hire subs to replace other subs and prolonging the neverending chain of unfamiliar faces to babysit a class every day.

Letter to the editor For the most part, you’re right. It’s true that exchanges between clubs/students and ASB stu-dents often turn into “us vs. them.” But how are we supposed to get students to buy tickets? We fill the hallways with posters, and announce events on the intercom and students still don’t buy tickets. Are we expected to hold the students’ hand, walk them to ticket booths, and force them to buy tickets? No, the students have to involve themselves. Just like the group of students that informed the prom committee function with-out adult assistance, the students can clearly involve themselves if they want to. Maybe that shows that the students only care about certain events and couldn’t care less about what happens throughout the rest of the year. We are all to blame for this problem because we are all Stagg students.Andres AndradeSenior Class Secretary

See more letters from ASB online at staggonline.net

Young people have responsibilities to respect the environment

It rained earlier this week, so that means I

can take a long shower, wash my car and water the grass. If this is the mindset citizens have during the time of extreme drought, then all possibilities of comfortable and responsible living are nonexistent. To the rest of the nation and even the rest of the world, California is a haven filled with cool cars, celebrities and green lawns. Actual residents know the real truth: this state is in peril because of the water demand system it has created during the past several decades. Or do they? Seeing what seems like endless shelves of bottled water in stores doesn’t help citizens see the reality of what California is facing: water is running out. Fast.From 1994 to 2013, the

state has exported an average of about 1.6 bil-lion gallons of water a year from the Delta, according to Mac Taylor, who is an analyst for California’s

legislature. Without going into specifics, this amount is considered too much. Here’s why: The bulk of California’s water projects were built a few decades ago, before any student here was born, and in an unusually wet period. This only worsened the current drought because there is a big water export system built during a time of consistent rain and a surplus of water; now, since that surplus is gone, the state must drastically change its water usage habits to save itself from drought, which can last for decades because it has in

the past. But it’s not just the state or water exporters that are hurting water conserva-tion. Citizens, who water their lawns and commit other wasteful acts during this time of crisis, are only hurting their future in terms of water usage. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are about 38.8 million people living in California as of 2014. If everyone in the state took a five minute shower, about 77.6 million gallons of water will be used. And that’s if each person has a more modern shower that uses two gal-lons of water per minute. Of course, this is hypothetical, but this falls into the safe zone of what water exporters send out of lakes and wetlands. So this means we have a surplus in water, right? No. Don’t forget drought. In Stockton, most of us have grown up in a suburban neighborhood or

apartments. Some don’t see where the water from the tap comes from so it gives people the false sense that there is an infinite amount. This is a dangerous mindset because everyday citizens use much more water than what comes in through rain or lakes. In order for this gen-eration of teens to be ready for these serious problems, they must take initiative in learning about this drought and how to approach it. This isn’t to say that all

adults are aware of these important issues; everyone must take this drought, and the projects that concern it, seriously because it isn’t going to go away anytime soon. The state can’t wait for rain. California residents need to change their water usage habits to conform to this desperate time of water deprivation because we live in this environment and we must be the ones to take responsibility and act in this crisis.

Science should not be politicizedFirst, let it be known that global warm-

ing and climate change are not the same thing.

Global warming is the gradual increase of the Earth’s temperature over time, the title originating from studies conducted by NASA. According to SkepticalScience.com, the phrase climate change came from a 1977 journal of the same name. The journal details the reasoning behind Earth’s sensitivity to a constantly shifting climate that results in conditions such as the drought we are currently enduring. Either way, climate change or global warming, there should be no debate in politics whether the cause was because of man or nature. There should be no sides on whether it exists, because science has clearly proven that both do. The phrases can be used interchangeably since they are related, yet by many politicians they are used only to have a negative or positive connotation with possibly no care given about the words literal definition. Multiple theories and countless studies have been dedicated to helping the Earth reach a point where it is no longer at risk of dying, but politicians have turned it into a bargaining chip to win the next election. What’s even worse is that the people pick a side and are victims to politicians’ deceit.

President Barack Obama acknowledges the existence of climate change, the threat it poses, and is moving forward in aid. He does this by trying to figure out a more efficient, cost effective way to live that does not contaminate the ecosystem as much as current practices do.It seems to be that emphasis on the “non-exis-

tent” environmental problems and “disease caus-ing” vaccinations has left citizens in a split. These claims are mainly made by money hungry white men of Wash-ington whose real interests are in political gain and not in the best interest of the planet, nor its inhabitants. It’s another form of corruption, elected officials and government peoples exercising their power over citizens to influence us in not vaccinating our children and avoid buying hybrid cars.It’s bologna. The same people who are adamant about not do-ing something are the ones are doing it. A senator who basically said that vaccinations are a joke and otherwise useless, that they cause attention deficit disorder, went to get vaccinated. Multiple senators and members of the government own

hybrid cars, own stocks in the market of producing eco friendly materials, or even donate to the cause. More and more are we seeing scientists and other specialist on news channels agreeing or arguing with the views and statements of poli-ticians, when their real job is not to be a commenter, but to provide the facts on what

exactly the topic is and what precautions should be taken. It makes no sense that politicians turn these factual and proven scientific discoveries into social matters that are meant to be argued for or against. Yes, one can be pro-choice or pro-life, but that does not mean that abortions are a myth; they are scientifically proven to remove the fetus and terminate the pregnancy. All medications have side effects and we acknowledge them as as we purchase Advil at the local drug counter; we would not have medications or vaccinations if they did not serve their purpose. Instead of wagging a finger and taking a side, politi-cians should work together, no matter the party, to adjust actions of the people for the betterment of the Earth and the health of the people as a whole. If you don’t win the election, it’s not the Earth’s fault for being round and not square.

Annie McDonald has been substitut-ing substi-tuting in the English 5-6 class, for the last three weeks. She discusses current events with her students.

photo by Araceli Valencia

photo by Michealla Foules

devinwickstrom

veronicavargo

Senior Devin Wickstrom leads the Friends of the River walk on the levee by the Calaveras River.

“One can be pro-choice or pro-life, but that does mean that abortions are a myth.”

the linestagg 3March 6, 2015 opinion

DEALING WITH LOSSTwo stories tell different perspectives on losing loved ones

Boys, girls should not be trapped by traditionOne night,

during my daily

cruise of Twitter, I came across a girl tweeting, “Wow, bae didn’t bring my morning Starbucks and it completely ruined my day,” followed by an an-noyed emoji and all I could think was, “Can you get your own Star-bucks, or nah?” And a couple of weeks ago I was on the computer around some friends who were looking up wedding proposals and we happened to stumble upon an article about a girl proposing to a guy. The response was some-what disapproving. Today it remains common for men to do things first in relationships — ask the girl to prom, buy her gifts, or even something as simple as texting her first. Over time specific gen-der roles have begun to die out, and some may even say they’re gone. So, why is it so common for men to do everything? Sure, it may be radical for a girl to ask her boyfriend to marry her, but why is it so uncommon? Because it’s not traditional? Because it’s just the man’s job to do everything? If women are doing everything a

man does in the so-cioeconomic world, then women should be doing everything men do in rela-tionships. Women should be proposing to men, opening doors, and texting first. Men and women may seem equal in relation-ships, but honestly

they’re not. Boys and girls don’t understand the essence of good relationships because we haven’t had the proper examples. How many of us go home to only one parent or even a guardian? Because we don’t see solid relationships at home, we have gotten to the point where tra-ditional gender roles are promi-nent and we lack proper exam-ples of what makes a healthy modern relationship. That has caused our generation to turn toward movies, and “relationship goal” accounts on Twitter for guidandce. In today’s society, there’s this idea of what “normal” is when in reality, it isn’t likely that anyone will bring us Starbucks because we posted on Twitter that a Carmel Frappuccino sounds delicious. But more importantly, why would we expect them to? Wouldn’t you feel insulted if “bae” asked you for Starbucks

rather than company? The ideal couple used to be a man that buys his girlfriend something every anniversary, gets her flowers any and every occasion, texts her goodmorning and goodnight every day and waits with her until her practice gets out, etc. Meanwhile, the perfect girl-friend remains consistently nice, supportive, always beautiful, healthy and athletic. Times have changed in this sense. Couples will often go to the gym together — perhaps a possible “relationship goal” photo op. Our generation has evolved into begging drones craving so much from our significant others that relationships become false pretenses. Every now and then, we see those ridiculous fourth grade couples that throw around the complicated words “I love you,” and while this may seem comical, it really shows how confused our generation is about relationships. It’s our time as a generation to come together and set an ex-ample for future generations, to show that we can actually be in a relationship without googling what the ideal one is, and that men and women in relationships share the same amount of love so there is no need for it to be one-sided.

Screams of agony surrounded

my home that morning. My sister rushed into the living room where my mom lay on the ground with his body in her arms. She cried out for someone to call the ambu-lance, but it was too late. Strangers held my hand and walked me into the funeral home, the last place I wanted to be at. They expressed their sympathy and tried to comfort me, but the only embrace I was searching for was lying lifeless in a blue-colored coffin across the room. Resentment for my mom grew after that day for making me go. I wanted to remember my dad alive and well ... not dead. His death was sudden. He passed from a stroke in his sleep. Flashbacks to that day happen when I think about him. It’s like I’m at that scene again. His skin was ice cold. He was gone for a while then, while we had been asleep in the next room. Doctors suggested I go into therapy because I never grieved for my dad. Appointments filled my days, but I never attended. What I felt wasn’t “curable.” I wasn’t depressed. I took it upon myself to move on and not think about his death. I knew he was gone, but a part of me still wait-ed for him to walk through the door at 7 o’clock after work. I waited for the person that gave me piggy-back rides even when he was at his worst. He used every opportunity to teach me something new. I followed him everywhere, sometimes I even faked being ill just to hang out with him. He’d take me to his work and teach me about the different tools and their func-tions, but honestly I never really listened. I just wanted to hear his excitement about something he loved to do. He was my best friend. He was perfect in my eyes and that is why I was in shock for what seemed like forever. Until some-one triggered it last year. I attended a League of United Latin American Citizens

convention at La Paz, where Cesar Chavez’s son, Paul, spoke to us about his father and how even though the world saw him as a hero, he was still dad to him. He spoke about his father with such admiration and love, I felt every word. Paul looked around the room and paused as soon as he saw me. Both

of our eyes filled with tears, I felt his loss and he felt mine. I walked head down past the exit and made my way through the open doors where the moun-tains stretched and I can only see the clear sky. I cried like I’ve never cried before because he’ll never have the chance to walk me down the aisle nor hug me when I graduate. He won’t be in the crowd cheering me on. I didn’t understand how there were still tears rolling down my cheeks. I cried until I was tired of crying. I thought about question-ing God, “Why me? Why my dad?” But I understood that if he were still alive, he would be paralyzed from the neck down. That alone would be devastat-ing for everyone. To this day, I can’t talk about my dad without crying because no matter how many years have passed, it never stops hurting. I miss him everyday. But I can feel his presence at times, reminding me to keep going and thrive because I have big shoes to fill as a role model to my younger siblings. I want what every daughter or son wants, to make their parents proud. Sobbing and mourning — this is what allows us to let go of pain so we can heal. Repressed feelings of grief don’t just disappear. Repressing them is unhealthy. After holding in pain for so long and finally be-ing able express my sorrow, I’ve allowed myself to love and be loved, even though sometimes I’m still hesitant. Grief allows us to experience the loss and tests our strength. I’ve learned that it’s okay to relieve the pressures from inside. It’s not a sign of weakness, it proves that the love we felt was real.

Funerals are for the living.

Loved ones come and loved ones go, but in the end everything will continue because the world does not pause for any single person. These princi-ples have helped me stay strong through difficult times. Understanding has allowed the acceptance process to come almost immediately after finding out a loved one has passed away. My biological mother died when I was 11 years old, and I was fine. It was the first time in years our entire family had actually gathered and that made me happy in what should’ve been an unfortunate event. It’s been seven years and I’m still fine. I know she’s gone and I’ll never see her, hug her, or even say goodbye, but that was practically the situation already considering I had been living with my adoptive mom starting at age 4. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bitter toward her nor have I ever been, but it’s hard to cry over the loss of someone you hardly knew. Some people after a death go into shock, and my adoptive mother thought that perhaps I was in disbelief. That has never been the case. Unlike the situation with my mother, I was very close to the man whom I saw as a father figure. He had also come into my life at age 4 and we almost instantly got along. Even in his late 30’s to early 40’s he had the humor of a child and because of that we had a bond that could not be cut by the strongest pair of scissors or scratched by the sharpest knife. In fact, because I never knew my biological father, I have always felt that this man is my father. Feb. 7, the only man I had to depend on died and yet I still felt fine. There were no tears shed, no anger, no pain. My life has continued on as if nothing has happened. I felt

inhuman for feeling the way I did. Shouldn’t there be some sort of emotion to the news of losing your father? I then realized that I have always felt the need to be there for others. When my birth mom died, I knew my adoptive mom, sister, and everyone else would need someone to

lean on. That was me. I knew when my father died, my adoptive mom would need me, and so I accepted the loss and dealt with the living. Growing up has been tough and there have been many things that had to be dealt with so it wasn’t anything new to me. I was able to adapt and I was able to see that the dead were gone, but the living remained and suffered over the loss and it became my job to comfort and care for those that needed the support. Life has gotten easier over time but there are always those bumps along the way that try to slow me down so that’s when I remind myself that life doesn’t pause for anyone. There are many nights when my adoptive mom is under the false impression that my ears are safe from the sounds of a broken woman weeping softly, or of her sleepless empty nights. There is so much that I wish I could do to help and in the end there is very little that we can do. While I sympathize with her methods, I know personally that crying doesn’t bring back the dead. Being in pain, falling into depression, or giving up is not how a person should give their respects to the deceased. Rather they would want that person to thrive, work hard, and flourish into something great. The loved ones I have lost and will lose will be acknowl-edged not by me becoming weak, but instead by me using that loss for strength in pursuing happiness. My life will become an epic journey of the world’s wonders for everyone who cannot experi-ence them.

“(Couples) can do what they want to do. They decide on stuff together.”

Juan Thunandersophomore

Are roles in relationships equal?

“Guys are sup-posed to be the protector and provider. I don’t like girls having to pay.”

Troy Williamssenior

“Relationships are supposed to be 50-50. I wouldn’t mind paying for a date.”

Alexis Villagomezjunior

(Left) Jenifer’s father holds her, as the family celebrates her second birthday, in Mexico. (Below) At a conven-tion last year as a junior in La Paz, Cali-fornia, she meets Paul Chavez, who in-spired her.

Baylin Moran, at age 13, attends a KISS tribute concert with

her father figure in 2010. Moran, now a senior, keeps this

photo as a relic of memory.

Past generations have maintained standards for both genders. However, it seems with social me-dia and the overflow of #relationshipgoals, some students are questioning whether both genders are giving the amount of effort they’re asking for even with simple tasks like paying the bill.

jonathonivy

jeniferflores baylinmoran

photos courtesy of Jenifer Flores and Baylin Moran

featuresthe linestagg 54 March 6, 2015

The car flipped upside down and began to roll off the freeway. It came to an abrupt stop when it smashed into a tree. Flames appeared and smoke bil-lowed out of the windows. Oct. 20 is vivid for senior Devin Burnett who was in the car at the time of the accident. He remembers coming in and out of consciousness — his body in shock. Attempting to stand, but his legs wouldn’t allow him to. His friend pulled him out of the car before he could be burned too se-verely. “When I first got in the car I got a bad feeling in my gut,” Bur-nett said. “Looking back, I think it was a sign.” He didn’t even realize they were going to crash until the car actually flipped upside down. Burnett was in the car with three other people. “They had been drinking,” he said. There was music playing. The driver, mess-ing around, began to drift. His ex-pression changes as he remembers the fear he felt. Waking up a week later in a hospital room, he discovered wires and cords attached to his body, his hand cuffed to the bed. He had a desperate need for water. The only nourishment his body was receiv-ing was through the IV. “I remember panicking when I woke up because I thought my best friend was dead,” Burnett

said. “My mom, stepdad and best friend were there to calm me down.” They helped him remem-ber what had happened and why he was in the hospital. Showing his scars, Burnett said the injuries he suffered from the crash were a broken leg, arm and a severe foot injury. All of the injuries were caused from a tree piercing his flesh. He recalls the nurse telling him that he could have died in the car from the smoke causing his lungs to ex-

pand or the amount of blood he had lost. He felt lucky to even be alive. Burnett’s mother attempt-ed to stop the blood transplant he desperately needed, since it is against Jehovah Witnesses’ belief to give or receive blood. However, he had just turned 18 so the hospi-tal proceeded with the transplant anyway. “I feel like God was with me in the car that day,” he said. He credits the tree that stopped him from being plunged into the river Burnett was the only one injured

from the crash. The driver is cur-rently in prison, and he has since lost contact with the other passen-gers. “Everyone thought I had died,” he said. That assumption made coming back to school hard. He worried that people would make fun of his casts and the fact he was walking with crutches. After the accident, Burnett ex-perienced a recurring dream. “I would go through a normal day at school,” he said. “Then after school I would get in that car and relive the accident over and over.” Burnett continues to experience a lot of anxiety while riding in a car since the accident. He would take a deep breath at every turn and driving on the freeway was diffi-cult. Looking back at the accident, Burnett regrets getting in the car that day and swears to use better judgment next time. He hopes his story will change other’s perspec-tive of drinking and or getting in the car with someone who has. He wouldn’t have been “goofing” off with his friends. “Everyone in the car was dis-tracted,” said Burnett. “If I could redo that day, I would make sure we were more focused on the road.” Having been through so much during and after the accident, Bur-nett manages to stay positive and look on the bright side of things.“I thought I was going to die,” he said. “I am so thankful to still be alive.”

Two years ago, John, whose family wishes to keep their last name off the record, took his last breath. Although John and his friends had planned to drink that night, they found a designated driver. Little did they suspect he would die that night because of his friend’s indiscretion. They had only been driving for 10 minutes before the driver began texting and not long after that, he drove through a red light and was hit by a truck from the right side by oncoming traffic.

A passenger from John’s vehi-cle died on impact. John, however, was not so lucky. Coroners say he died from blood loss moments before the ambulance arrived. “I blamed everyone for it,” Eva, his younger sister and also a former Stagg student, said. She remembers the funeral vividly and more specifically, seeing the driver. She had met him before, but seeing him there stirred up emotions she could hardly contain. “I thought he wouldn’t show up. I was furious when I didn’t see him in the front row.” She later realized he actually was in

attendance when they began to leave and saw him in the back row. “He was crying harder than I was, it looked like he could hardly breathe.” Putting herself in his shoes, she thought of how guilty he must have felt and the hatred she had begun to develop dissipated. Eva admits to having a diffi-cult time coping with her broth-er’s death, identifying him as one of her best friends. People did not know how to approach her when she returned to school and many of her friends avoided her because they did not know her mental state.

“It made it harder. I needed them more than I realized I did.” Meredith, the youngest of the siblings, found the death had less of an impact on her than her sister. “I loved him, I know that, but I feel myself forgetting things I wish I wouldn’t.” Her memories of her broth-er remain limited so she watches videos of him that are posted on social media and looks at old pic-tures to try and keep his face and voice fresh in her mind. “It feels like I’m trying to remember some-one I barely even knew, like I’m barely getting to know him after he’s already dead.”

Now that Eva is a junior, she will be driving soon and is already saving up for a car. “I still can’t wait to drive; it makes me feel like I’m becoming an adult (now that I) am responsi-ble for my own transportation.” Eva is wary of other driv-ers but, with being cautious and mindful, hopes she will be safe on the road. She has used her brother’s death as a lesson and wishes others would be mindful of themselves because of instances like this. “Accidents happen, don’t be the person that robs someone of their life. You can’t say sorry and fix that mistake.”

A long time ago in a school that’s still here, there was a class that taught the rules of the road to all students for free. Lessons that were not only a grad-uation requirement, but also helped students under-stand the common sense all citizens must have in or-der to decrease the number of vehicle accidents and fatalities. The class was Driver’s Education. A former Stockton Unified School District grad-uation requirement, the class was combined with Health and Computer Education but was retired a few years ago. Although a multitude of online classes exist for those who want to get their permit, Tony Espinoza, former Driver’s Education teacher, believes that the class provided a better learning environment for the students than that of the online courses. “In the class, there is discussion and demonstra-tion of important material.” He also said the inter-

action between the students made them accountable for themselves. The online classes are not mandatory. Anyone can wait until they’re 17 and a half to get their per-mit without having a Driver’s Education and driver training certificate; they must wait until they are 18 to get a license, but the point is that there is still vital information being missed because students are not going through the class and training. Both of these courses were free at one point, but now both have a cost. The online courses can sometimes be free, to those who have a coupon or a fee waiver, or can range up to $20, while the behind-the-wheel training can be as much as $300. This can make some students want to wait until they’re 18 so they can skip those costs. Or worse — teenagers will drive by themselves without their license. And there are students here that do. Now, these aren’t necessarily bad students who constantly break the law. Two students, who asked for their names to be concealed, say they must drive to school because their parents’ schedules restrict them from driving their kids to school. One even said that they must drive their sibling to school because their parents can’t. “My parents always get on me about being care-ful,” one said. “And I do freak out when I pass by police.” Although the students say they’re only allowed by parents to drive in town, this still exposes them to the repercussions of driving illegally. Espinoza be-lieves part of the reason why there are several students driving without licenses is because they don’t learn the consequences in Driver’s Education. “Now the classes are around $400, which is probably the rea-son why we have so many unlicensed drivers. It’s not something people should pay for.” Mariana Gonzalez, a senior, says she is waiting until she is 18 to get her license. “It’s not only because of the high costs, but it’s because I just don’t want to have to deal with the courses and money.” The Driver’s Education class hasn’t been a gradu-ation requirement for a few years and this lack of vital information can lead to unlicensed drivers making simple, yet consequential, mistakes.

Make sure to put your seatbelt on and to always check your mirrors before driving to know you are in the most comfortable situation. These words are the first you hear before you get into a car as a first-time driver, but as time goes on these words go away. Young drivers are left to remember the rules of the road and the responsibility of driving. When people have been on the road for more than 20 years, they know whether or not to change lanes, or to go ahead and stop at a red light because of their experience. If you were to ask someone if they knew whether or not the pedestrian has the right of way, they would most likely know the answer to it. It’s locked in for some because they know the simplest rules of driving, or either from past occurrences. For some drivers they can remember their first experience through many different feelings. “It was scary as hell because my dad really just threw it on me my first time and it was a $50,000 car,” Joseph Updegraff, music teacher, said. “And I did not want to wreck that.” Updegraff likes to work on and fix cars himself because he likes to be a hands-on type of guy. He learned how to work on his cars when he was in college because he sometimes got into little “fender benders” and really got into fixing them himself. Though he has been on the road for more than 20 years, he still follows even the most basic rules of the road. James Griffin is the auto tech teacher,

and he has about a 35 minute drive both ways, coming from his home to Stagg. So he spends quite amount of time on the road. “When I was a bit younger I would drive from Lodi to Fremont, which is about an hour, to take a class and I would have to stop and take a rest because I was so tired.” Being tired can be as bad as driving while under the influence, which is also a distraction. But with that he was responsible enough know whether to stop, and take a rest, or to keep driving until he got tired. Many young people start out on the road focused on the basics of driving. To be able to have the rules of the road locked in is a sign of experience. “I am not your poster child when it comes to driving,” Terry Welch, social studies teacher, said. “I have some distractions.” She admits to tending to her children while on the road only to remind them of the dangers of their behavior. “It’s almost impossible for me not to be distracted when interacting with my kids,” she said. When they begin to become a distraction she pulls the car over so that she doesn’t acknowledge them with moving cars surrounding her. Otherwise, she said, “I’d be focused on them and not my driving.” For some of the drivers the biggest distraction is really not a problem for them. All three teachers said that checking their phone was not a main priority while driving. So with experience comes wisdom, especially when it comes to driving and knowing what the distractions are and how to cope with them.

Senior Devin Burnett uses his tragic accident as a life lesson and also a lesson to those around him, in hopes of encourag-ing safe driving.

photo courtesy of Devin Burnett

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Tony Espinoza, the former Driver’s Ed instruc-tor, expresses how crucial it is for students to be aware of the rules and regulation of driving.

graphic by Jerry Garcia, Fernando Gonzalez and Baylin Moran

photo by Alexus Plascencia

graphic by Marleene Pheav

graphic by Veronica Vargo

phillicityuriarte-jones

arrianasmith

Experienced drivers become comfortable over time

Elimination of Driver’s Ed course leaves students on their own

Driving while EXPERIENCED OR NOT, some thinkthey can multitask while driving — replying to a text, eating fast food, even applying makeup. Simple actions like these can lead to fatal consequences. No matter the years of experience, or simplicity of the action, taking one’s hands off the wheel and eyes off the road for a split second is all it takes to shatter hundreds of lives into thousands of pieces.

“My dad said, ‘Let’s drive home’ and I looked at him and said ‘Are you kidding?’”

Joseph Updegraffmusic teacher

“I am probably your poster child for what not to do (when

driving with distractions).”Terry Welch

social studies teacher

entertainmentthe linestagg6 March 6, 2015

My heart can’t take it anymore. The possible deaths, the marriages with halting interruptions, the births with no promise of a beginning. A new way of keeping viewers on their toes has emerged. The plague of mid-season finales has taken the TV world by storm. I hate every second of it. I watch enough soap operas to have my daily dosage of cliff-hangers. Those in the TV show world have doubled up over the past few years and I am definite-ly overdosing. Why the sudden switch up, anyway? What happened to the good ol’ days when December didn’t mean watching 25 Days of Christmas on ABC Family because producers like those of “Scandal” decided it would be best to leave us off wondering how in the hell someone could kidnap Olivia Pope. As I ate tur-

key, I heartily pondered where Olivia could be. Rather than conversing with the family I rarely see, I was busy wondering about Olivia freaking Pope. I mean during the Christ-mas season and over summer is when I have the most time to watch TV. I’m on break with little to no homework, absolute-ly no awareness of time. I could easily stay up until 10 p.m. to watch what would be the continuous season of my favorite show on earth. It would have graced my soul to have spent the gloriousness of #TGIT on the serendipitous date of Dec. 18, the day before winter break for millions of high schoolers, with Olivia, Jake, Fitz, Mellie, Cyrus and gladiators. Why, it would have been the perfect early gift this last Christmas. But instead, I was left to think about where in the world Ms. Pope was. “Scandal” is one of the many

shows that has been subject to the woman in the saw box trick. Finished with the act after the recent premiere, the bitten have exited the box and risen as wholes in “The Walking Dead.” Perhaps being the prime example of the reason for the switch, the return of the dead went up from 14.8 million viewers on its Nov. 30 mid-season finale to 15.6 on its Feb. 8 mid-sea-son premiere. Still, the cutoffs make no sense to me. Despite the spike in viewers after the holiday season, the show was down from about 17 mil-lion viewers at the premiere of the show. If first episode premieres receive the high-est amount of viewers, why butcher the season, leaving viewers hanging and walking around like zombies wonder-ing what will happen next

more than once a year? Some shows like “Pretty Little Liars,” from which I have cut myself off because of the in-ability to find another cliffhang-er other than the predictable revelation of the text message tyrant known as “-A” or Mona or Shawna or confused as Ezra or Toby, all of these cases being a finale, make viewers wait two seasons for a continuation of the same season. What is the objective in sawing a season in half? To toy with viewers as though they aremembers in the audience of a magic show? Well, my brain hurts and I’m tired of the games. It’s confusing as hell when it should be simple. A season of a show should continue through the duration of an actual season. Whatever the season, shows should continue to have the po-etic representation of beginnings and endings.

Shows cut in half frustrate viewersjadajohnson

‘McFarland’ provides

inspiration “Every team that’s here deserves to be, including you,” coach Jim White said. I knew that when he said these words they had deeper roots; they had reached to mine. Walt Disney’s “Mcfarland, USA,” which premiered Feb. 20, isn’t just about a race. It is about finding a home in a place where you are needed. “McFarland, USA” is a great movie and I would recommend it to any person with a passion. Pickers are what the runners in the movie defined themselves and their families as. Their parents had come to America in hope of a better life. They worked hard for their earnings and were good, honest people. They didn’t rely on the government for help or com-plain about how cruel life was to them. Instead, they did what was needed in order to survive and live happy. They deserved to be here in America more than anybody else. As a result, they raised young men who would take on their heart and work ethic and go on to become champions. These young men would go on to form a winning cross country team of seven. They would soon change the lives of those around them, including coach White who only went to McFarland because he couldn’t find other work. They would transform the meaning of home for White and his family. It was truly amazing to see how humble Thomas, Jose, Johnny, David, Danny, Victor, and Damacio were. They weren’t only humble but high spirited, hungry for more, brave and strong. They were the perfect example of a success story. These boys had everything to lose. The odds were stacked against them. Every day of their lives as they made their way to school, they were reminded that they were noth-ing more than a liability. At their first meet, the lead runner, Thomas Valles, was dominating in the race then he encountered his first hill. He had never run hills before so he was unable to keep up and ended up coming in with a high time which is bad in cross country. The loss hurt, it stung deep down. They knew they were better. They knew that this was about more than the race. It meant finding their self confidence and sense of belonging. When it all comes down to it, I believe that is what the directors really wanted to amplify. The most exciting moment in the movie was when Danny Diaz, the anchor runner who was fairly larger than most, sprinted the last 800 meters in his race. Danny was the heart of the team. He ran just as much as the other boys despite his size and stature, and he never gave up. He might come slower than others but he never gave up. McFarland had so many symbolic features. It was truly a movie to see. Filled with hope, joy and excitement. Every person deserves to belong and McFarland gave that sense of belonging back to me. The movie reminded me that it’s okay to be different and not be the most wealthy. No matter where one comes from, success is always an option as long as a heart of work is at hand. A heart like Danny Diaz, the chubby boy who didn’t give up because he wasn’t fast enough. A heart like Thomas Valles, the boy who barely had anything because his father couldn’t find work. A heart like coach White, who didn’t walk away from his boys when they needed him.

esmeraldamascorro

Movies have been around for about 125 years and during this time they have made us laugh, cry, scream, and even dream. However, with all these emotions that movies make us feel, what have they been based on? Some have been based on rehashed ideas. For example, the movie “Annabelle.” It was a good movie, but many scenes I had seen before. This movie took a lot of inspiration from the 1968 film “Rosemary’s Baby.” The basement scene was the most prominent. Both leading women go into the basement to retrieve an item and end up getting stuck down there while an evil spirit is tormenting them, until finally they escape. “Rosemary’s Baby” serves as an inspiration to many other movies. The movie “Devil’s Due” screams “Rosemary’s Baby” and unfortunately it only provides a mediocre performance. Another way movies are trying to get by with new ideas is by taking a successful mov-ie like “Halloween” and just turning them into remakes or just continuing the story. After

the original movie came out in 1978, 10 more were made before the original was remade in 2007. Similarly with “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” after the original movie in 1984, eight more mov-ies continued the story before the remake in 2010. I under-

stand remakes and I appreciate them very much, especially in the horror genre. The purpose of remakes are to keep that beloved character going and popular. It is also just to update the movie to make the imagery and effects match the time frame. Horror films aren’t the only ones that share this likeness with other movies.

Action movies like “Olym-pus has Fallen” and “White House Down” have very similar plots. One involves a man who formerly worked as a guard for the president and the other was just denied the job. Both men, however, must race to save a child, the presi-

dent, and their country from terrorists who attack the White House. These two movies were both released in 2013 about three months apart. Rumors about movies come out frequently so it’s not like

the other producer wouldn’t have known, especially since they themselves are likely to know more about it than the public. If I was the producer, I wouldn’t really want to put out a movie that was basically just released three months prior. Creativity is not limited, but plotlines are. There are obviously going to be cases where movies overlap, but this is because there

is a system to this movie mad-ness. Every movie has to have a conflict and resolution and so it’s kind of easy for problems to repeat themselves, but the way they play out is where the creativity can occur and just how the events unfold. One horror movie that follows the basic structure, but still manages to surprise, is “As Above So Below.” A simple plotline of a girl getting trapped while searching for a precious stone is turned into greatness when she must go through the horrors she faced coming in again, in order to escape. “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” is another movie that follows structure and manages to shake things up. This movie shows the characters’ serious mental problems through the use of light-hearted comedy. By using comedy it allows the viewer to not just see the illness of the character, but their true identity. Movies have been around a long time and there are only so many stories to tell. It’s understandable to have similar plotlines, but it’s all about an original execution of the movie as a whole.

Slacking in originalityNew movies consist of many remakes

“There are obviously going to be cases where movies overlap, but this is because there is a system to this movie madness.”

marcellahawkins

Inspiring movie great for the whole familyChampions get a chance of having their story told.

Overall, the movie is fantastic, exceeding expectations. The acting, the picture and the emotion was all a perfect representation of a great movie.

art by Celine Lopez and Marleene Pheav

art by Nuvia Cervantes

sports the linestagg 7March 6, 2015

For sports like football, volleyball and baseball, athletes are po-sitioned on the field or court to play a certain role for the team. For wrestling, weight classes are just as important as positions; they are categorized into a weight class with other wrestlers. These classes range from 98 pounds to 237 pounds and because of the extreme attention to weight, some have lost up to 40 pounds from the beginning of the season to the end. In wrestling, they compete with different schools in tournaments.

You show up, weigh in, and if you’re even an ounce over, you are bumped into the next weight class, drastically chang-

ing the rest of the tournament for you. Junior Christian Gray was one of the many wrestlers who battled temptations throughout their wrestling season. He said it was difficult to cut back on food such as bread and red meat. Gray was one

of the athletes who found himself losing weight and gaining it back constantly. “I like to eat a lot,” Gray said, “and it’s harder when we have burritos and snacks just around the corner.” He once put several layers of clothing on during a hot day so he would sweat more. Wrestlers push themselves to extreme lengths in order to lose or gain weight. For five days out of the week, they’re in the sauna-like wrestling room, sweating every last drop of water weight. For two to three hours, they complete their dai-ly three mile run and do whatever the coaches throw at them, ranging from bear crawls, non-stop timed sprinting, backward roles, etc., leav-ing them soaking in their own sweat.

As the week comes to an end, some wrestlers begin to have paranoia of meeting their weight class that they inhabitant themselves in some outrageous tricks to lose those pestering extra pounds. Senior varsity wrestler Darryn Penry was also someone who had frustration when it came to “making weight.”

He said that water weight was especially crucial. “You can’t just drink a bottle of water,” Penry said. “You have to watch yourself that much.” A 16 ounce water bottle is equivalent to one pound, which is why wrestlers often stay away from drinking water constantly because wa-ter weight is crucial. They go on their days with a bag of Jolly Ranchers and an empty bottle to spit their collected saliva, knowing that if they filled up the bottle they would have prevented a pound. Some resort to drastic measures to make the weight class they so desperately desire even though it’s highly discouraged. This was a common problem for the whole team. When their weekly tournament comes around, they expect the weight they vigor-ously worked for. Despite their fierce determination, sometimes they don’t “make weight.” It’s a very strict concept. A wrestler cannot even be an ounce over their weight class or they are bumped up to the next highest weight class. This automatically makes you unprepared to a match you were not ready for. It can both be an advantage with being thinner and having more agility or putting you in a position where you have to wrestle people much bigger than you. Either way, this is the reason why wrestlers always make sure to stay in their weight class. A few days prior to his last tournament, sophomore Chris-tian-John Salmasan allowed himself a few treats that made him fall off the wagon. It caused him to be two ounces overweight. When he found out he was bumped up to the next weight class, he was met with feelings of disappointment and regret. It hindered his mindset and had him in a hurry to remember the many advantages he had on his most likely larger opponents. Salmasan said, “I tried to pull every single move that I learned from my coach but I still lost by two points.” After the match he admitted that he felt as if he failed himself and his coach. He’s stuck now with questions in head such as “What if I didn’t eat that?” or “Would things be different?” Overall, wrestling is demanding and it requires determination, time, effort and sacrifice. As head coach Dao Tep said, “If there’s ever a group of kids who want to send those bad foods away and make that effort, it’s wrestlers.”

Wrestlers go to the extreme to meet class requirementWhatever it takes to make weight

estefanynunez

NOT SHORT OF TALENT

They say great players go after every rebound on both ends of the floor. Great players run the floor as fast as possible. Great players get game time. They might even be born for that sport, especially if they are tall and the sport is basketball. Except that’s not the case for Andres Andrade. The senior is 5’3.” He chose basketball a sport that is played by two teams of five players on a rectangular court. The objective is to shoot a ball through a hoop. Andrade said it’s hard playing a sport where height is so import-ant. “You can’t make up height,” he said, “and you can’t teach it.” The passion for basketball came to him when he was scrolling through the TV guide. He said, “I was watching the Bulls play and there was this dude, I just watched them play. This dude amazed me and I just fell in love with basketball.” Being shorter than the other guys on the team has its advantages. “I keep my dribble really low,” he said, “so when people try to reach in and take the ball from me it’s hard because they have to get lower then me and that’s close to impossible.” He said for his height he has long arms in order to play defense against people that are taller than him. “I can play the best defense in the world but if you can shoot over me then you can shoot over me.” Having a height difference against the opposing team is a disad-vantage for him.

“You can drive at me but you won’t get past me,” Andrade said. “But if you can pull up and shoot over me and I can’t reach then that’s a huge disadvantage.” Andrade said he loves basketball because he is shorter than every-one else on the team. He said it is competition to him. Andrade doesn’t mind when people count him out because for him, “It’s a sport I’m never really going to get.” A lot of people focus their attention on him and think “Oh he can’t play, he’s too small,” but he disregards the thoughts of others and just plays. Andrade tries to compete as much as he can and when he does he scores seven points. But outside of organized basketball he’d go to parks and shoot hoops with friends or family; one on one, 21, five on five. Whatever they know they’ll just play. Andrade just has fun with the sport. He said he didn’t actually start playing basketball until his sophomore year. “I had to make up for all this,” he said, “this skill set that I missed growing up.” When he first started playing basketball he had a really hard time not fouling people because he said, “In soccer you can use a little bit of body contact but in basketball if you reach and you hit them it’s a foul.” And it seemed he would always get three fouls in two seconds. “If you love doing it then just keep doing it,” Andrade said. “Even if you are the smallest person on court or if you are too tall to play a sport it doesn’t matter.”

sathinaflores

Senior Andres Andrade is escorted by senior Giovanni Guti-errez on his last basketball game against Bear Creek.

photo by Trisha Newman

Senior Andres Andrade shows skill despite facing taller opponents

Highlights from winter sports award banquet / Varsity teamsBoys basketball (2-8) Girls basketball (5-5) Wrestling Cheerleading

Most Valuable Player Robert Garcia Jasmine Pharms Zariah Gonzales Perla Gonzalez

Most Improved Kyle Watts Charmaigne Gresham Aurora Zamora

Coach’s Award Cutrell Haywood

Jasmine Mahanand

Claudette CaceresDarryn Penry

Most Inspirational Christina Martinez

During practice, wrestler Darryn Penry attempts to hold his grip as teammate Leo Leon grabs his fingers in a scurry to escape.

photo by Michealla Foules

newsthe linestagg8 March 6, 2015

Self-induced insomnia

Jessica Gonzalez’s face lit up as she remembered the moment she received her first letter. “Everybody was so excited to receive the let-ters,” the senior said. “They also included their Twit-ter and Instagram names.” A pen pal project with students in Spain has just started here involv-ing Raquel Chavez’s Spanish classes. These classes are in-teracting with their pen pals as an edu-cational experience where students will be sending letters in the language they are learning. They are communicating with students attending Ikasbidea Ikastola, a school in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. “It’s interesting to me,” junior Ferdie Montoya said.“It’s great to expand our culture and learn about their lifestyle.” The idea of pen pal came from Ana Laura Gon-zalez-Coria, a teacher in Spain who is also a Stagg alumnus. After hearing about this project in De-cember, Chavez really liked the idea and decided to implement it into her curriculum. Soon after, the actual writing of letters by the students in Spain started in the beginning of Janu-ary. AP Spanish and Spanish 5-6 students received their first letters on Feb. 19. Sending the letters took

two months because of a shipping mishap. The main reason Gonzalez-Coria started the pen pal project is so students can have an oppor-tunity to interact by practicing the language they’re learning. “I thought it would be a great way to get my students interested in the English language,” Gonzalez-Coria said in an email. “It’s also a great way for them to learn about the American culture.”

“It’s kind of interesting to see how they’re learning our language as we learn theirs,” Montoya said. Although Gonzalez-Coria thinks Skyping would be an-other option for students to connect with their pen pals, they wouldn’t be able to, due to the nine-hour time dif-ference from California to Spain. Chavez mentioned the students in Spain are inter-

ested in two types of American candy: Hershey’s Kisses and Jolly Ranchers. Chavez’s students have already written their letters back to their pen pals, and Chavez has sent some candies to go along. They will write back multiple times, each time counting towards her students’ grades. Despite the shipping delay, students in both countries look forward to conversing more with each other in the near future. “I don’t know how many letters will be exchanged this year,” Gonza-lez-Coria said. “I would hope maybe four, just so the students can exchange letters more than once.”

Teens distracted by technology end up losing sleep With so many teenagers de-pendent on their smartphone, it is hard to turn it off. Even when it is time to go to sleep. One such student is Ernesto Harwell. The sophomore would much rather stay up with his cell phone than go to bed counting sheep. In preparation for his late night shenanigans, he sleeps for the most part during the day, almost as soon as he gets home from school. Once he wakes up, around 7 at night, his mind goes to ac-tivities that entertain him rather than those he feels he is obligat-ed to do. “I procrastinate a lot,” he says. “I can’t help it, I (want to) do something fun; not home-work.” From various social media sites, text messages, YouTube vid-eos and video games, teenagers are exposed to a high concentra-tion of blue light. Blue light especially, but any light for that matter, suppress-es the production of melatonin, which is a light-sensitive hor-mone. Melatonin promotes sleep and acts as a sort of biological clock, signaling the time of day

by how much light exposure there is. This hormone is pro-duced during the evening and during the night, but production can easily be disrupted by using an electronic device such as a cell phone around bedtime. Typically, teenagers are go-ing through extreme hormonal fluctuations and already begin producing melatonin much later than others, at around 11 p.m. or later. Because of this, it is not unusual for teens to be extremely sleep deprived but rather the op-posite. Currently, less than 8 percent of American high school students are getting enough sleep. Not receiving enough sleep can lead teens to sleep excessively on the weekends, further disrupt-ing their sleep schedules and in-ducing a permanent jet lag. Harwell finds he is extreme-ly susceptible to electronic dis-tractions such as his cell phone and finds his cellular device even more desirable when someone else is trying to contact him. “If no one is texting me, I’ll go to bed.” Harwell normally goes back to sleep at around 5 in the morning and wakes up at around 6:50 a.m., barely enough time to get ready for school.

Despite this sleep depriva-tion epidemic, Junior Alejandro Figueroa finds sleep is of much more importance to him than to his peers. Unlike Harwell, Figueroa must fall asleep before the time his body naturally would, 11 p.m., as he wakes up at around 6:30 a.m. in order to get to school on time. When he does not get enough sleep, he feels groggy and disoriented all day. The side ef-fects that one experiences when sleep deprived are similar if not identical to the impairments that drinking around three to four beers has on people. This places a huge risk on drivers who think they are not doing any harm by driving while exhausted or fueled by excessive amounts of caffeine. Figueroa explicitly remem-bers a time when he did not sleep at all, describing it as one of the worst days of his life. That day he did not bring anything but his skateboard as that is his transportation to school. He fell asleep in most of his classes as well as during wres-tling practice. Despite his deep need for sleep, Figueroa would go without it if he could.

“It’s... interesting to see how they’re learning our lan-guage as we learn theirs.”

Ferdie Montoyajunior

Teens learn gun safety through family

Spanish classes learn from pen pals

When most people think of a gun, they think of its capability to cause mass chaos and destruc-tion. They think of the fatal injuries and deaths that it has the potential to cause. However, for Amber Talent, it’s more of a tool to bond with her father. “Since I was young, my dad has taught me how to handle and use a gun properly,” she said. The junior has been slowly weaned into the world of self de-fense and firearms since she was a little girl. Students like Talent are strong gun enthusiasts because of their families. This is also the case for senior Vincent Grayson. Grayson passed his safety course to get his gun license when he was 10 years old and went on his first hunting trip with his fami-ly later that same year. “I was taught since I was able to walk and talk how to handle a weapon safely,” the senior said, “but people still don’t really trust me.” According to Child Trends Data Bank, 280,000 firearm related deaths were recorded among teens in the mid 1990s. In 2013, the number of record-ed deaths significantly decreased to half of that at

100,000, thanks to the help of new Child Access Laws and safety programs that were implemented across the country. “I attended a program called Front Sight,” Tal-ent said. “The program teaches young kids how

to use a firearm correctly and even hand to hand combat when a gun isn’t an option for self defense.” Although the program is open to young children, safety is of the utmost important at the facility, the junior said. For Grayson, he received his hunting license through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “The course wasn’t too difficult but it pre-pares you for this 100 question quiz you have to pass without missing more than five of the ques-tions,” he said. Although courses are offered to young children, they do have restrictions. Children younger than 16 are only allowed to hunt small an-imals while those who are 16 and over are basically unrestricted. However, some students on campus have be-come such strong supporters of the Second Amend-ment because of the military. Senior Jordan Farmer aspires to join the Marines as an infantryman. “I shoot right now with my dad but the Ma-rines opens up the range of guns you can shoot,” Farmer said. “I shoot a lot with Vincent, too, but I want to shoot more high caliber guns with the mil-itary.”

Farmer has always been a firearms aficionado because of his father but it became more of a pre-requisite for the Marines. “I think where people are scared is because they think we are too immature and too clumsy to han-dle the recoil of a rifle,” Grayson said. “I know my limits with my weapon. “I learned that the first time I shot it when it left a bruise on my shoulder.” The highest caliber rifle he shoots is a 7 mm hunting rifle that has a “pretty nasty kick back when you first shoot it.” “I can do a lot with a handgun,” Talent said. “I can fire it, handle it, even disarm from some-one who is attacking me.” Although Talent cannot legally buy a gun until she is 21, she continues to learn from her father and attend Front Sight to be prepared for that responsibility. “People need to realize someone under 21 can-not fire a weapon without going through training,” said Farmer. “We are trained on what to do and we have to practice that every day on the range or in the woods. We know what we are doing even if we aren’t as old or experienced.”

Vincent Grayson frequently visits the shoot-ing range and has been shooting since he was 10 years old.

photo courtesy of Vincent Grayson

lucitomas

New classes open for enrollment next year

“A field trip every month,” Lowell Tuckerman, English teacher, said about the future classes he will be adding to his workload. A class where there are “no right answers,” said Marc Glassberg, drama teacher. These are not part of the core classes. Video Production, the expansion of the drama classes, and the new option of taking an Advanced Placement Physics class are going to be available next year. Students should have already pre-registered, but there is still

time to talk to their counselor and request to be put in one of these classes. Glassberg said that in his stu-dents he’s “looking to expand on raw talent, expand on desire.” He is looking for a student to come into his class, having that internal drive to do something. His class-es have already put on a produc-tion based on “Grease” and on April 24 they hope to amaze with their production of “The Break-fast Club.” He said that he al-ways leads by example, always by drawing as much as he can out of the student and wanting it back. He has an extensive back-ground in many productions such as a writing, directing, act-ing, producing, you name it. He has been on Broadway, off Broadway, in regional theater, in-dependent films, and television. “I’ve learned a lot in my lifetime and I want to impart that to my students,” said Glassberg. “I think that it’s going to be one of the best electives that we are going to have here at Stagg,” said Tuckerman. His class, which will be new altogether, will have a hands on approach to the video production career. “I think that if (students) can see TV studios in

the Bay Area, Sacramento and in Stockton and get to go to a mov-ie studio, then that might fire them up and get them excited,” he said. “Let’s be honest, once in a while it’s nice to get off of cam-pus and see that world outside of Stagg and outside of Stockton.” The new AP Physics class will be taught by Bill Lorentz, who has taught physics for 23 years. “It’s designed to be a first year physics class,” Lorentz said. “Pretty much any student that puts in the effort that they should in an honors class should be able to succeed.” He said that for most students, it will be really beneficial because it will be get-ting into a lot of the key concepts that would be covered in a col-lege introductory class. “We are going to be cover-ing very serious topics,” Lorentz said. “It will be a good applica-tion of math because math is the language of physics.” Finally, Lorentz wanted to tell his future students, “It’s going to be a tough class. It’s not going to be a cake-walk but you should have a lot of fun,” Lorentz said. “I haven’t done it before and I’m kind of anxious of what will come out of it.”

mattdanforth

angelgonzalez

phillicityuriarte-jones

photo by Celine LopezFuture students came to last Sat-urday’s freshman pre-registration. Before registering, eighth graders got to look and talk to teachers to help get a better idea of what classes they can take next year. This volunteer from Delta Col-lege helped out video production teacher Lowell Tuckerman.

graphic by Marleene Pheav and Phillicity Uriarte-Jones