The Bluffer - Red Bluff, CA
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/479941
Page 2 March 13, 2015 Staff Editorial Oklahoma tires to ban AP US History... Editorial Policy: Opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the district, staff, or student body. We welcome signed letters to the editor. Names may be withheld upon request. We also reserve the right to edit submission based on length and/or clarity. THE BLU FFER STA FF Ryan Fisher Editor-in-Chief Ryan Fisher News Editors Jay Boone Brianna Tackmier Kaylie Capps Opinions Editor Ceighlee Fennel Features Editor Tymberlyn Bealer Lexi Prtichard Sports Editor Savannah Sutliff Topics Editor Rebecca Blanchard Editor-in-Chief Julia Liebert Advertising Director Alisa Pelanconi Adviser Cartoonist Karla Nowicki Leslie Soto Staff Writers Josiah Vasey Hailie Willey Julissa Villalobos Brittany Lawley Kourtney Sanders Shania Prieto Nichole Valdez Tessa Jones Britney Miranda Illeana Hilsee Rebecca Frey Sophia Cumpton Opinions Rebecca Blanchard Sophia Cumpton Staff Writer A & E Editor Hailie Willey Staff Writer "High school should be a time when teenagers figure out who we want to become." In the past few months there have been talks of schools not teaching Advanced Placement United States History, because it " Makes the United States look bad". In the state of Oklahoma, a legislative committee is trying to pass a bill to prohibit schools from teaching AP US history because it is not patriotic enough. This bill was first introduced by state representative, Daniel Fischer. Fischer said that the AP history course focuses on "what is bad about America" and fails to teach "American exceptionalism". If the bill passes the bill would cut funding for the class throughout the state. We ,the Bluffer class, firmly disagrees with the banning of said class due to the fact that America has made a lot of poor choices throughout its entirety and that people don't like the truth. Teaching students about what actually happened Staff Writer Britney Miranda Kylie Jenner continually receives unfair criticism amidst alleged plastic surgery should not be conceived as " Unpatriotic" but teaching them that the United States has made some wrongs and we had to pay back those wrongs and there's no sense in censoring it because its messed up. People only focus on the bad in the world and not the good, because their is the same amount of right doings as their are wrong doings. Censoring the truth is something we as journalists don't approve of because what matters to us is to tell the truth and nothing other than the truth. And the fact that people want to ban an entire class because we as a country made some mistakes is plain wrong, patriotic or not. Linda Hampton president of the Oklahoma Education Association said, "We are a wonderfully diverse state. But the Tulsa race riots, the Trail of Tears—those things happened. We can't sanitize history." Concerts amplify the bonds formed by music I 'm pretty sure we all may be familiar with the last name "Kardashian," some of us not to fond of the three stars Kourtney, Kim, and Khloe or their two little sisters, Kendall and Kylie Jenner. On the opposite side of all the hate towards the five celebs, I'm a fan of the show "Keeping up with the Kardashians" and an admirer of the girls. Kourtney who is 35, has three kids, is the oldest and, of course, is the one who takes the most responsibility and has a little bit more of a tough spine than the others. Kim who is 34, has a new baby, is obviously full of herself, but is always on top with her good looks. Khloe who is 30, and of course my favorite, is the most silly and is always the one her family turns to when they need a helping hand. Kendall's a 19 year old, who is following in the footsteps of I would say all of her sisters. Then Kylie, a 17-year- old who has been the media's most talked about celeb on social websites such as Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr and more. The five stars all being models, being on the show and other jobs that they have lifted off on make their living that way. But let's skip to the part where we talk about all the gossip on the youngest of them all, Kylie Jenner. Why is she the one "breaking the internet" meaning being all there is to gossip about on any social media; this time instead of her older sister Kim? It all started with her now famous "Kylie Jenner lips." How did they get so big!? Now it's normal or shall I say common for celebrities getting plastic surgery. If it isn't hurting anybody else then why not? Yes she's still minor, but its her choice as long as her mother is okay with it. This situation is so big on the media still, professional makeup artists or makeup designers on youtube have even been making lip tutorials on how Jenner creates this look without the plastic surgery. It's all about the overlapping and highlighting! Moving on to even bigger news and more recent news about Jenner. She recently bought a $2.7 million dollar mansion, but rumors have been flying that maybe she just got her own pad to mess around with her new supposed lover "Tyga," a succeeding rapper. Now people have definitely been making a big deal over this new boyfriend act with a 25-year-old. Yes it's a little crazy! But it's her life and her decisions with her mother's consent, of course. I t seems like every generation has grown closer and closer to music and bands, and why shouldn't people love music? It has the power to change your mood and mind set in just one sentence or guitar riff. Music also can help you express yourself and help you figure out exactly how you feel. Concerts especially have that power, over myself at least, to make you feel on top of the world. I do not know if it is the adrenaline of the crowd, the excitement of seeing your favorite band, or a combination of many things, but it feels amazing. It's quite amazing how a certain band or genre of music can bring together so many diverse people. If you saw me, you would think I would like some pop band like One Direction—I'm not hating on 1D, don't fret Directioners. If you got to know me, though, you'd find out I'm really a punk and rock junkie. I won't go into depth of all the bands I listen to or it will take up too much space. Last summer I attended Van's Warped Tour and it showed me how a huge group of people could be so supportive and inviting of you no matter what you looked like, your past, or where you came from. At concerts everyone has one thing in common—the band. This is why fan bases are so close together and so quick to stand up for a fellow 'fan girl' or 'fan boy.' When you're around people like that, you can't help feeling comfortable, welcomed and accepted, which is a pretty good feeling by the way. I also recently went to another concert and the same experience happened. A girl who looked to be about twelve and was very short could not see the performers. About three of her friends and a group of strangers lifted her up so she could see her inspiration singing his heart out. The look on her face was the epitome of happiness. She held a huge smile on her face that lasted as long as she was held up. Next to my mom, and my boyfriend, and me was a pretty big mosh pit. A mosh pit is basically a circle of people play-fighting. In between songs, the singer of Memphis May Fire, one of the bands performing, stopped singing. He said that he was going to play a song he wrote for his wife. Everyone in the mosh pit stopped fighting and gave their full attention to the vocalist singing his heart out in a ballad to his wife. In between other songs, the singer of Black Veil Brides also talked about how "if you don't feel loved at home…if you don't fit in at school, forget about all that and remember that we all love you!" He and the members of his band and the other bands stopped in between songs and said other things along the lines of this. The Black Veil Brides singer announced that morning he was extremely sick and could barely speak. When he heard the whole building chanting for his band, the vocalist knew he could not quit the performance. This is why I personally love attending concerts. They make you feel like you belong somewhere, and they make you want to love yourself for who you are. A s a junior at Red Bluff High School, it was my goal to prepare myself for college. When choosing my classes for next year, I have the same goal in mind. I want to choose classes that will help me later in life no matter what career I decide upon. High school courses should prepare you for college, but should also prepare you for the real world. It should be a time where you construct your path to success. The classes that are taken allow you to show your potential in any field of study. While looking over the list of courses offered at Red Bluff High School, I realized that not a lot of electives help you in choosing a career. Yes, there are classes if you want to be a nurse or, even, a mechanic. But there are not a lot of options, and for me, as an upcoming senior, I am able to have three or four electives, and trying to find classes that I am interested in is difficult. Schools should offer electives that fall under every career option – not just select choices. There are selected classes at Red Bluff High School that are considered "college prep" classes. Students, including myself, have been taking these classes in hope that it will help them when they take a college class. After having taken a Shasta College class, I realized that nothing from my "college prep" classes actually prepared me. When I imagined college classes, I thought that it would be slightly similar to my classes now, but I was mistaken. My Shasta College class is nothing compared to my high school classes. I know that not all college classes are the same and it depends on which teacher you have, but the point is college is not like high school. "College prep" classes should be like an actual college class. High school should be a time when teenagers figure out who we want to become. We should be preparing ourselves to become adults and be on our own in the real world. I want to be able to choose high school courses that will be able to help in life. As a junior at Red Bluff High School, it was my goal to prepare myself for college, and also, for the real world. College prep classes lack substance Emotions become intensified in situations where individuals may bond over bands