The Bluffer - Red Bluff, CA
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/797667
"... and is another international holiday that gives adults and adventurous high schoolers a reason to drink ..." Features Page 3 March 10, 2017 Larissa Capps (11) "Yes, teachers wouldn't have to call the office or take away phones, but at the same time, students get bored a lot." Brendon Thomas (12) "No because everyone will just be on their phones anyway." Sara Bushnell (9) "Probably not because some people worry about their phones so they'd be more concentrated on that." Gabriel Officer (10) "I think it would during class hours but not in between classes." Would students be more productive if cell phones were banned during school hours? Sound Off/ Britney Miranda Mr. Culp (Teacher) "If they spent half as much time trying to figure out how to do class work instead of trying to sneak on the phone, there'd be a positive rise in overall GPA." Mrs. DiSibio (Teacher) "Yes, because students are more connected to their phones rather than participating in class discussions." partan ound S off The Black Light Rally, a high energy event filled with strobe lights, glow sticks, and lots of neon clothes as each class competes against each other is back. The rally, which showcases the senior vs. junior girls in the Powder Puff game is unlike any other. The Black Light Rally is the final rally of the school year, and for seniors it is one Marissa Mills Staff Writer of the last times they will all be together as a class, adding to the sentimental value. Senior and rally emcee, Rena Fox, said, "What sets this rally apart from other ones is that it's the last rally of the school year, so everybody is eager for it.." Senior Julia Brandt added, "I'm really excited about the rally because it's the last rally for the seniors and everyone is ready to come together for one last time to cheer for our class." Megan Boone is the rally Outside the Box Rebeccah Smith Staff Writer Everyday, people find their significant other; however, not all romantic relationships are healthy for one's body or spirit. Relationship abuse and v i o l e n c e occurs all around us, and the people in u n h e a l t h y relationships s o m e t i m e s don't realize the danger of the situation they're in. T h i s year at Red Bluff High School, the organization Alternatives to Violence t h r o u g h the Love = Respect club put on the Healthy Relationships event, and through the course of one week speakers and students came together to acknowledge awareness to teen dating violence and abuse. Students had the opportunity Love = Respect campaign inspires Katie Louisell Staff Writer awards and ranks. Conferences in an event where people learn to better their leadership skills and themselves. Conference students must go through an application process that asks why they wish to go and what they'll get from the conference; it's followed by a grade check and a series of deposits in order to attend. Reed Pritchard, an FFA Officer, has attended State Conference for three years. He stated, "State Conference is a very wholesome trip. It really inspires the FFA members to continue with FFA and just personal things in general. You leave with more lessons learned than what comes with the program, as well as bonds you could never break. I would recommend going to State Conference to anyone. Especially joining FFA in general. It's a family you'll never lose." State Conference is something everyone can benefit from. It's a fun school event that only a select few get to attend, but a worth it one. Brittany Wright, another FFA Officer, has been attending State Conference for two years, and also showed her deep appreciation of the event. FFA has been busy in their Field Days, being winners and showing the skills they possess. Most of them being rewarded with praise, as they should, for their dedication to the program. get to participate in workshops, listen to keynote speakers, and are given scholarships and awards based off performance throughout their FFA career. Our own Officer Daniel Crispino will be playing in the state band. Madison McCarthy is also an honorable mention. She may be getting Star State Reporter which means best reporter in the state. The difference between a Field Day and a Conference is that a Field Day is meant for C.D.E (Career Development Events) In order to get chosen for State compete, and win FFA demonstrates family like love during competition Aly Smith Staff Writer Miscellaneous pictures from the Healthy Relationships campaign that was at the Red Bluff High school Campus and was put on by the Love = Respect club Courtesy Photo / RBHS Facebook FFA has some big events coming up within these next months. During the month of March, which will be held next weekend, FFA members will be heading to Chico State for the Chico State Field Day where they will compete against the state as a whole. Seven teams will participate and hopefully pull through on top, as they typically do. In April, FFA had the wonderful opportunity of State Conference. At State Conference, the students always been paired with Saint Patrick's Day, but even before this holiday, it was relevant in Ireland's history. Ireland's music holds many important events, and tells of their heritage and history. Shamrocks are a popular item of Saint Patrick's Day because it represents the rebirth of spring in Ireland. Shamrocks are also a symbol of Irish pride. Finally, parades represent a big part of Saint Patrick's Day because they celebrate the works of Saint Patrick and what he did for the Irish people by c o n v e r t i n g them to Christianity. However, despite all of these good e l e m e n t s to Saint P a t r i c k ' s Day, in the past decades, celebrations of Saint Patrick's Day have been criticized due to the amount of public intoxication and disorder that comes with it. Others say that the festivities have steered away from honoring Saint Patrick and people instead use the holiday to drink and get wild. While the criticism of Saint Patrick's Day will always be around, family sometimes won't. So take the time to spend Saint Patrick's Day with family and remember a few traditions. Saint Patrick's Day is celebrated every year on March 17, and is another international holiday that gives adults and adventurous high schoolers a reason to drink. It originated from an Ireland dweller named Saint Patrick. Patrick was a Romano- British Christian bishop in Ireland who converted the Irish to Christianity. Saint Patrick's p r e s u m e d death date was March 17, which is why Saint P a t r i c k ' s Day is celebr ated on that day. On Saint P a t r i c k ' s Day, a number of t r a d i t i o n s are held. These traditions include: the wearing of green, eating corned beef and cabbage, listening to Irish music, picking shamrocks, and city parades. The wearing of green comes from associating Ireland with Saint Patrick's Day as that is the country's most popular color. Eating corned beef and cabbage came from saving money. Irish bacon and cabbage was the original dinner for Saint Patrick's Day, but when money started getting tight in Ireland, the Irish bacon was switched for corned beef, Irish music has when asked about the rally. Sophomores Stephanie Mills and Jesse Miller, who are both in the Sophomore Leadership class, have been preparing for the rally as well. "Even though we can't participate in the powder puff game yet, it's still a lot of fun to have a rally that recognizes the girl athletes and gets them pumped up for their big game," said Stephanie. The rally is scheduled for March 31st in the large gym. Light Rally. "Since the lights in the gym are off, we have to focus on different things that add special effects to the rally so people don't get bored. There's a lot of techno music and strobe lights to help keep the energy level high during the rally," said Megan. One of the benefits of having no lights on is, "nobody can really be seen, so they don't have to worry about embarrassing themselves and can just have fun," is what Rena Fox said commissioner and is optimistic about the success of the Black Red Bluff High School FFA members with their awards from a competition. to express themselves and show their talent through a contest of art, social media, writing and video film. Countless students were inspired to participate in the contest, including the first place winners from the video film category: Hannah Huhn, Nichole Valdez, and Shay Gleason. At first, the group formed from a Spanish project about the event that was due in the class. They were truly inspired to work hard on the project from watching a video about a girl in an abusive relationship who thought her boyfriend beat her for love. As the three collaborated they got more into the project, and the video became an outside of class undertaking that made an impact supporting teen dating violence awareness. With a cousin who works for Alternatives to Violence, Shay felt more inspired to put his work out there, stating, "It's really good to be aware about the violence and it needs to be talked about. A famous author once said that if you don't talk about the truth, they become dirty secrets." Another student who was inspired to participate in the event was third place winner Mercy White from the visual art category. Mercy's drawing depicts a happy couple embracing one another, surrounded by words supporting healthy relationships. Drawn at the bottom is a banner with the words, "Love = Respect" inscribed on it. As for why Mercy decided to participate, she was inspired by the greater good of bringing the violence and abuse to light. Mercy also believes a truly healthy relationship is dependent upon whether one is happy or not in the relationship. With awe- i n s p i r i n g r e s u l t s , Alternatives to Violence b r o u g h t high school s t u d e n t s and adults together to reveal the truths about teen dating abuse and its cruelty, and with the help of the c ont e st a nt s t h e organization was able to show kids what genuine relationships look like. Alternatives to Violence showed that a healthy relationship consists of trust, understanding, friendship, loyalty and above all, love = respect. "...It's the last rally for the seniors and everyone is ready to come together for one last time to cheer for our class." -Julia Brandt Black Light announced as last rally of year Red Bluff High School students Courtesy Photo Courtesy Photo