Zac Estrada Rosales
News Editor
Prom season is still months away, but there are recent developments on that front. Senior Class President Karl Sandrich said that the 2008 prom has been moved from its usual post at Fess Parker’s DoubleTree resort to the exhibit building at Earl Warren Showgrounds.
The change in location has prompted a change in date as well. While Santa Barbara High School has in recent years held its prom over the Memorial Day weekend, this year’s will take place on June 7, the Saturday prior to the graduation ceremony.
ASB and the DoubleTree had trouble reaching an agreement about noise and price concerns. “We felt that the DoubleTree was a bad fit. They were charging $32,000 and most of that for food that in years past was rarely eaten,” said Sandrich.
He points out that the DoubleTree’s policy on noise levels posed problems for the dance itself. “We found out that when dances were held there in the past few people danced because no one could really hear the music,” he said.
The hotel’s management also required the dance end by 11 p.m. At Earl Warren, the dance will now end at midnight.
The biggest benefit to the dance’s change in venue, according to Sandrich, is that the room at the showgrounds will be significantly cheaper. “Now we have more than $25,000 to spend on things such as decorations so we can have a really loud dance,” said Sandrich.
However the largest hurdle to overcome in prom planning for ASB was the lack of funds that burden this year’s senior class. “We have raised a large sum of money, but we still have a way to go before we reach our goal,” said Sandrich.
Money for the senior class has come from the sales of senior shirts and money from the student store, as well as the raffling off of a parking space in the senior lot and fundraising letters students were asked to send off to friends and relatives. “We’re still working with our current fundraisers,” he said. “If necessary we will explore other ideas.”
ASB President Jackie Zupsic said students have nothing to fear about the state of their event. “No one should think that Earl Warren is going to be super lame,” she said. “Prom is going to be awesome.”
Showing posts with label February 29 issue. Show all posts
Showing posts with label February 29 issue. Show all posts
Monday, March 3, 2008
CERT training teaches Dons how to stay safe in crises
Danny Langhorne
Editor-in-Chief
In November, the Santa Barbara Fire Department approached the administration in forming a teen branch of the Community Emergency Response Team.
It is led by members of the fire department. This semester it is being taught by firemen Matt McBride and Rich Grigouli. “It’s a really good mix of students that represents great aspects of SBHS,” said the program’s coordinator Assistant Principal Dave Meister.
According to McBride the program’s main goal is to train teenagers to help be more prepared in the event of a disaster. He also hopes it will teach them to react safely and do as much good as they can.
The fire department is hoping to create a team of students on campus who can help secure it in the event of a fire or earthquake. Among the tasks they would help with include turning off gas and water mains and assisting in basic first aid. “If we’re overwhelmed because there’s a building collapsed or something, we need you to do the most amount of good in the least amount of time,” Grigouli said to his students recently.
It is a 20 week class that meets on Tuesdays for two hours starting at 2 p.m. Students are able to receive 20 hours of community service for their work. On February 12 the class got some hands-on training when members of the Fire Department came to SBHS to teach students how to properly use fire extinguishers. Under the supervision of the officers students put out fires in a metal container on the senior lawn. In the following week’s class students also learned how to properly check a victim’s airway and breathing. In this particular class they also learned how to turn off the school’s gas mains to prevent a major fire in the event of an earthquake.
The ultimate test of the various skills that they have learned will be used in a school wide disaster drill towards the end of the year. Students will be delegated specific tasks that they would undertake in the event of a real disaster on campus. Mock victims will be spread throughout the campus and it will be the job of CERT students to react to the injuries of each victim.
“The program gives a first hand look at the emergency services and the community and certainly can get students thinking about a future career as an EMT or fire services,” said McBride.
Although the program is looking for interested students to join its class in the fall, McBride said it would be impossible for someone to jump into the program now in time to graduate from the program. CERT is exclusively taught at SBHS, the only school that plans to have one for the near future.
The adult CERT program was developed and implemented by Los Angeles County in 1985. However, it was Whittier Narrows Earthquake of 1987 that alerted emergency services in California of the need to train civilians to respond to disasters.
Editor-in-Chief
In November, the Santa Barbara Fire Department approached the administration in forming a teen branch of the Community Emergency Response Team.
It is led by members of the fire department. This semester it is being taught by firemen Matt McBride and Rich Grigouli. “It’s a really good mix of students that represents great aspects of SBHS,” said the program’s coordinator Assistant Principal Dave Meister.
According to McBride the program’s main goal is to train teenagers to help be more prepared in the event of a disaster. He also hopes it will teach them to react safely and do as much good as they can.
The fire department is hoping to create a team of students on campus who can help secure it in the event of a fire or earthquake. Among the tasks they would help with include turning off gas and water mains and assisting in basic first aid. “If we’re overwhelmed because there’s a building collapsed or something, we need you to do the most amount of good in the least amount of time,” Grigouli said to his students recently.
It is a 20 week class that meets on Tuesdays for two hours starting at 2 p.m. Students are able to receive 20 hours of community service for their work. On February 12 the class got some hands-on training when members of the Fire Department came to SBHS to teach students how to properly use fire extinguishers. Under the supervision of the officers students put out fires in a metal container on the senior lawn. In the following week’s class students also learned how to properly check a victim’s airway and breathing. In this particular class they also learned how to turn off the school’s gas mains to prevent a major fire in the event of an earthquake.
The ultimate test of the various skills that they have learned will be used in a school wide disaster drill towards the end of the year. Students will be delegated specific tasks that they would undertake in the event of a real disaster on campus. Mock victims will be spread throughout the campus and it will be the job of CERT students to react to the injuries of each victim.
“The program gives a first hand look at the emergency services and the community and certainly can get students thinking about a future career as an EMT or fire services,” said McBride.
Although the program is looking for interested students to join its class in the fall, McBride said it would be impossible for someone to jump into the program now in time to graduate from the program. CERT is exclusively taught at SBHS, the only school that plans to have one for the near future.
The adult CERT program was developed and implemented by Los Angeles County in 1985. However, it was Whittier Narrows Earthquake of 1987 that alerted emergency services in California of the need to train civilians to respond to disasters.
Brief: Tardy bell under review, new truancy policy
Principal Mark Capritto, amid many student requests, promised at assemblies held with each class in December to reinstate the two-minute tardy bell during passing periods. Since the start of the second semester the bells have been back.
The school’s administration, however, is reconsidering its reinstatement. Capritto said that a query will be conducted after the end of the third quarter on March 21 into whether or not the bell has been an effective incentive in getting students to improve their attendance.
One of the factors that will be taken into account is the implementation of a new policy of dropping students from classes based on attendance. “What I can say is that once a student has been dropped from the class and everybody understands it can happen, the number [of students being tardy or truant] should go down,” said Capritto.
Students were told at the December assemblies that if tardies went back up that the bell would be taken away again.
Dr. Capritto is sticking to his argument that he was making at the beginning of the year, that students need to be responsible for their time in school.
“The idea is to get students to get to class on time. This, while it may appear new to students at SBHS, is not a new concept; holding students accountable for their time evidently is,” said Capritto.
Capritto said there are a group of students that are within days of being dropped from a class.
-Danny Langhorne
The school’s administration, however, is reconsidering its reinstatement. Capritto said that a query will be conducted after the end of the third quarter on March 21 into whether or not the bell has been an effective incentive in getting students to improve their attendance.
One of the factors that will be taken into account is the implementation of a new policy of dropping students from classes based on attendance. “What I can say is that once a student has been dropped from the class and everybody understands it can happen, the number [of students being tardy or truant] should go down,” said Capritto.
Students were told at the December assemblies that if tardies went back up that the bell would be taken away again.
Dr. Capritto is sticking to his argument that he was making at the beginning of the year, that students need to be responsible for their time in school.
“The idea is to get students to get to class on time. This, while it may appear new to students at SBHS, is not a new concept; holding students accountable for their time evidently is,” said Capritto.
Capritto said there are a group of students that are within days of being dropped from a class.
-Danny Langhorne
Editorial: Senior prom's move causes unrest
A common discussion among seniors this week is where our prom will be hosted. I, and many other seniors, strongly disagree with where our ASB representatives have decided to host prom this spring. They have changed the location to the Earl Warren Show Grounds.
In the past, it has been common, and almost a tradition, to have our senior prom at the Fess Parker DoubleTree. This hotel has a very scenic landscape. The landscape is surrounded with tall beautiful palm tress, the sound of the ocean waves crashing, great outside lighting in the courtyard area, and a gorgeous sunset in the evening. Fess Parker’s DoubleTree is also walking distance to the pier and is near Chase Palm Park which is a great location for taking pictures. Roberts Photography will also be set up on the beach to take our prom pictures. This is a huge convenience to us and eliminates back tracking or going back and forth from locations.
The show grounds is not a convenient location. There is also not a lot of elegant restaurants near the show grounds. How do our ASB representatives expect us to turn a place where horses trot around all day into an elegant enough place for our senior prom?
No matter how many decorations are thrown up, it will still be the Earl Warren Show Grounds which is where we do not want our senior prom!
-Tahjanae Valteau, Senior
In the past, it has been common, and almost a tradition, to have our senior prom at the Fess Parker DoubleTree. This hotel has a very scenic landscape. The landscape is surrounded with tall beautiful palm tress, the sound of the ocean waves crashing, great outside lighting in the courtyard area, and a gorgeous sunset in the evening. Fess Parker’s DoubleTree is also walking distance to the pier and is near Chase Palm Park which is a great location for taking pictures. Roberts Photography will also be set up on the beach to take our prom pictures. This is a huge convenience to us and eliminates back tracking or going back and forth from locations.
The show grounds is not a convenient location. There is also not a lot of elegant restaurants near the show grounds. How do our ASB representatives expect us to turn a place where horses trot around all day into an elegant enough place for our senior prom?
No matter how many decorations are thrown up, it will still be the Earl Warren Show Grounds which is where we do not want our senior prom!
-Tahjanae Valteau, Senior
Staff Editorial: No place for hate on any school campus
The tragic shooting of 8th grader Lawrence King at E.O Green Junior High in Oxnard is a reminder of how, despite school districts and schools’ attempts across the country to address diversity and acceptance, prejudice still is very prevalent in our schools.
Fourteen-year-old Brandon David McInerney walked into King’s first period English class and shot him in front of two dozen other students. McInerney was later taken into custody by police; prosecutors are seeking to try him as an adult. He is looking at a minimum of twenty-five years in prison with another 25-year firearms enhancement and a one to three year addition for a hate crime.
However this crime was not racially, religiously, or gang motivated. It is suspected that King was shot because he was openly gay and wore feminine clothing. This is the result of the prejudice and hatred that our society casually permits to exist towards the gay community. While the Santa Barbara School District clearly states that it will not tolerate put downs or slurs towards gays, lesbians, trans-gender, or bisexual students, derogatory remarks and chuckling is still heard in the hallways and classrooms at SBHS.
A banner was recently hung in the main hall with a quote from Dorothy Parker Love, “Heterosexuality is not normal it’s just common.” It was part of a campaign by Dons for Change as part of Diversity Month to help inspire students to be tolerant. A few days after the banner was put up it was torn down by a group of students.
Members of the religious right have perverted the Bible to justify banning of same sex marriages, gay adoption, and bigoted violence and hate. While this might not be what motivated these students to do this it certainly shows that some of our religious and political leaders who claim to be role models are putting kids on a potentially lethal path.
For our parents’ generation it was the struggle for civil rights. People in Citizen Councils and other white supremacist groups across the country (including in Santa Barbara) were as open about hating people based on the color of their skin as people openly are to gays today.
As a part of diversity month The Forge would like to remind students to take heed of the school shooting in Oxnard, that our words can have very real repercussions.
The kind of blind hate that drove the junior high school student to walk into a class and shoot a schoolmate is an indicator that hatred and prejudice is still keeping many people from the American Dream of life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.
Fourteen-year-old Brandon David McInerney walked into King’s first period English class and shot him in front of two dozen other students. McInerney was later taken into custody by police; prosecutors are seeking to try him as an adult. He is looking at a minimum of twenty-five years in prison with another 25-year firearms enhancement and a one to three year addition for a hate crime.
However this crime was not racially, religiously, or gang motivated. It is suspected that King was shot because he was openly gay and wore feminine clothing. This is the result of the prejudice and hatred that our society casually permits to exist towards the gay community. While the Santa Barbara School District clearly states that it will not tolerate put downs or slurs towards gays, lesbians, trans-gender, or bisexual students, derogatory remarks and chuckling is still heard in the hallways and classrooms at SBHS.
A banner was recently hung in the main hall with a quote from Dorothy Parker Love, “Heterosexuality is not normal it’s just common.” It was part of a campaign by Dons for Change as part of Diversity Month to help inspire students to be tolerant. A few days after the banner was put up it was torn down by a group of students.
Members of the religious right have perverted the Bible to justify banning of same sex marriages, gay adoption, and bigoted violence and hate. While this might not be what motivated these students to do this it certainly shows that some of our religious and political leaders who claim to be role models are putting kids on a potentially lethal path.
For our parents’ generation it was the struggle for civil rights. People in Citizen Councils and other white supremacist groups across the country (including in Santa Barbara) were as open about hating people based on the color of their skin as people openly are to gays today.
As a part of diversity month The Forge would like to remind students to take heed of the school shooting in Oxnard, that our words can have very real repercussions.
The kind of blind hate that drove the junior high school student to walk into a class and shoot a schoolmate is an indicator that hatred and prejudice is still keeping many people from the American Dream of life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.
29th of February brings with it an odd history
James Yee
Associate Editor
There is a strange occurrence that happens only once every four years. It happens in years evenly divisible by four, like 2000 and 2004. Most would jump up and yell, “presidential elections,” citing years President Bush was elected Yet this occurrence has nothing to do with presidential elections. This strange occurrence is Leap Year, in which we have 366 days in the calendar year instead of 365 days. This is because our usual year is not exactly 365 days, but rather 365 days and six hours each. To make up for this, we add an extra day every four years and call it Leap Year.
This additional year, which lands between February 28 and March 1, has sparked many crazy traditions. In 13th Century Scotland. Queen Margaret, Queen of Scotland at the time, made it legal for women to offer a proposal of marriage to men on February 29 every Leap Year. If a man rejected her, he had to soften the blow by giving her a kiss, one pound currency, and a pair of gloves. This tradition also grew in popularity in countries like France and Switzerland.
This day has also been the date of interesting events. Christopher Columbus used his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to get supplies from Native Americans on February 29, 1504. In 1916, South Carolina raised their minimum working age in factories, mines, and mills from twelve to fourteen years old. When Leap Day 1940 rolled around, Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Academy Award for her role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind.
February 29 also was the birthday of plenty of interesting people. Ann Lee, American founder of the Shakers, was born on February 29, 1736. Chilean-American novelist Gonzalo Lira was born in 1968. American rapper Ja Rule was also born on a leap year in 1976. Chris Conley, an American musician/songwriter active in bringing Crohn’s Disease to light, took his first breath in 1980.
February 29 is sometimes seen as having a coat of superstition. Because February 29 happens only once every four years, some feel that it breaks the normal pattern which allows things that don’t ordinarily happen to take place. They link February 29 to particularly perilous events because of a notion of “betwixt and between.” This is probably in the same vein of superstitions about ghosts coming into our world at midnight, when believers fear being haunted by ghosts in that “dark hour.”
Associate Editor
There is a strange occurrence that happens only once every four years. It happens in years evenly divisible by four, like 2000 and 2004. Most would jump up and yell, “presidential elections,” citing years President Bush was elected Yet this occurrence has nothing to do with presidential elections. This strange occurrence is Leap Year, in which we have 366 days in the calendar year instead of 365 days. This is because our usual year is not exactly 365 days, but rather 365 days and six hours each. To make up for this, we add an extra day every four years and call it Leap Year.
This additional year, which lands between February 28 and March 1, has sparked many crazy traditions. In 13th Century Scotland. Queen Margaret, Queen of Scotland at the time, made it legal for women to offer a proposal of marriage to men on February 29 every Leap Year. If a man rejected her, he had to soften the blow by giving her a kiss, one pound currency, and a pair of gloves. This tradition also grew in popularity in countries like France and Switzerland.
This day has also been the date of interesting events. Christopher Columbus used his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to get supplies from Native Americans on February 29, 1504. In 1916, South Carolina raised their minimum working age in factories, mines, and mills from twelve to fourteen years old. When Leap Day 1940 rolled around, Hattie McDaniel became the first African American to win an Academy Award for her role as Mammy in Gone With the Wind.
February 29 also was the birthday of plenty of interesting people. Ann Lee, American founder of the Shakers, was born on February 29, 1736. Chilean-American novelist Gonzalo Lira was born in 1968. American rapper Ja Rule was also born on a leap year in 1976. Chris Conley, an American musician/songwriter active in bringing Crohn’s Disease to light, took his first breath in 1980.
February 29 is sometimes seen as having a coat of superstition. Because February 29 happens only once every four years, some feel that it breaks the normal pattern which allows things that don’t ordinarily happen to take place. They link February 29 to particularly perilous events because of a notion of “betwixt and between.” This is probably in the same vein of superstitions about ghosts coming into our world at midnight, when believers fear being haunted by ghosts in that “dark hour.”
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