The Bluffer - Red Bluff, CA
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/114196
O Staff Editorial pinion Page 2 March 8, 2013 Community comes together in remembering Marysa "We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival." -Winston Churchill Over this past week most people in our small community, including The Bluffer Staff, have changed their opinions on the way they view Red Bluff and life itself. For most, it stems from the fact that they never knew such horrific events could truly take place in our sacred little town. With this realization came emotions of surprise and bewilderment. How could something so awful take place just yards away from our school? How could anything bad happen in this close knit community? It is impossible to try to make sense of the events that happened on Feb. 27, 2013 to Marysa Nichols; however, with this tragic event came the opportunity for the people of Red Bluff to not only come together as one, but to truly help and support each other. With this being said, we are grateful and absolutely appreciative of the town we live in. As it has been exhibited countless times over the course of this week, students have stepped up and acted responsibly, helping their peers in a time where darkness seemed to prevail without a shadow of a doubt. The night of Marysa's death, two candlelight memorial vigils were held- one at Red Bluff High and one at the Tehama County Courthouse. In addition to these, an additional vigil was held at Red Bluff High on Friday night, where over a thousand community members could be found holding candles and sitting in silence or speaking about Marysa in memory. The turnout at all three of these events was incredible, and it proved just how supportive and cohesive the community of Red Bluff can be in tragic times like these. However, the purpose of this staff editorial is not to report on the events that have taken place and the unsettling news you have already heard countless times. Since most people living in Red Bluff know all there is to know about the case, we, The Bluffer Staff, decided to dedicate our next issue to remembering Marysa's life and helping her family. This way, we will be able to inform our readers on what they can do to actually help the Nichols' family, and report all of the fundraisers that community businesses and families are creating for them. This is, without a doubt, one of the most terrible, sickening things to ever occur in Red Bluff's history. Coming together like we have is exactly what needed to be done, because as long as we are all here for each other, we will heal and grow. In the midst of all this tragic news, all we can do is focus on cherishing the memory of Marysa's life, and recognize the fact that we should never take anything or anyone for granted, because life is fragile, and every moment is a miracle. Electives aid school safety Flu shots improve on Electives benefit schools and reduce community violence the H ave you ever thought to yourself, "Where would I be if I didn't take the elective I have right now?" Well, what if you didn't have that subject in your life? What would you do? Some people don't have the chance to come to school and do what they love in a class. Read this with an open mind and don't judge a book by its cover. I compared Red Bluff High School to a school in Vallejo called, Jesse Bethel High School. The information I got from both schools were how many students they have, suspensions, and how many electives and ROP programs they have. Jesse Bethel High School has about 2235 students and has over 234 suspensions with about 85% being violent. Red Bluff High School has around 1340 students with 54 suspensions and only about half of them are for violence. Before you start to judge people you don't even know, compare the schools. Jesse Bethel High School has only seven electives and two ROP programs. Red Bluff High has 33 electives and 16 ROP programs as of this year. I think that the reason Jesse Bethel has had so many suspensions is because of how many people they have in the school, but also because their electives don't offer a variety of choices for the diverse population of the school. Therefore, they don't want to come to school because they have nothing to look forward to so they get out of school by violence. really love, think about this. What would you do if it was never in your life? For example, Music Appreciation, it's a class that teaches you how complicated being an artist can be and the genres of music with what people went though. To all the music lovers out there ask yourself this; what would you do without music? Some people like me would be lost without music. There is nothing better than music to help you go to your own little world and forget about everything else, you know what I'm talking about if you have your own little world. As I said before, I think electives can make a big impact on someone's record. If you can't have fun at school then why come? That is exactly how the students that go to Jesse Bethel High School consider it. So, simple as that, they get in trouble and just don't go. Red Bluff High School students are lucky because we can pick a class that we want to take instead of just taking what the state requires us too. We get to have a class we can actually look forward to. Some people pick random electives just because they don't like the other options or the classes that they want are full. If you have an elective that you Julia Liebert Staff Writer S recipient's health hould you or should you not get the flu vaccine? This seems to be a popular question that has been going around more recently. Researchers are saying that this year is the worst flu season in decades. So far, there are 47 states have been affected by the flu this year alone. To protect people from getting this bug, the CDC recommends that everyone over the age of six months get a flu vaccine. The flu vaccine is a mix of three different dead flu viruses based on a best estimate by scientists about which strains will circulate each year. Numbers of people think that the flu vaccine does not help and in fact it's what gets you sick in the first place. It has been found that the venerable flu shot is only 62 percent effective in reducing symptoms of the disease. This means for every 100 people who get the flu shot, 38 of them will get the flu anyway. However, these 38 people who still got sick may have had something that this certain flu shot didn't prevent against, this includes unidentified symptoms or another type of flu all together, some may be misdiagnosing their illness by stating it is the flu when in fact it is something that is either worse than the assumed flu or in fact less harmful to the individuals immune system. I believe that everyone who has checked with a doctor first and is able to get the flu vaccine should get it. The doctor has gone to school for many years so that they could correctly tell you what the best option is, and they are likely correct and know better. Even though the vaccine may get people sick the chances are low. Also, more people will benefit from getting the flu vaccine then not getting it. If it were me I would get that vaccine just to play it safe. The vaccine is supposed to help your body get immune to the viruses. Although the vaccine fails sometimes, the chances are low and in the end the flu vaccine will most likely help you. I would recommend the flu vaccine to everyone and I think not getting it will cause more damage. Not only are you stuck being sick for an undetermined amount of days, but you also miss a lot of what is happening in your daily environment. The flu is often preventable if you take the precaution to take advantage of modern medicine rather than deal with things in the same mannerism people did during the era of the plague. Tymberlyn Bealer Staff Writer Budget cuts do not rescue the mass majority at all T here has been a lot of talking going on lately about budget cuts in the United States. Millions of people, everyday, are losing their jobs because of the economical problems happening on this planet. Have you ever thought where you would be now if you didn't have all the resources your parents provide you with? That means no cell phone, IPod, IPad, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and any other social media apps that you have. That also means you wouldn't have a television or power. Having electricity costs money, sadly, so we would have to learn and do things the way people did back in the day. Parents go through a lot having to work too support their family and put food on the table. Not having nearly as much money as you are used to will be tragic. Recently, President Barack Obama called GOP Senators to talk about the Sequester fix. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other congressional leaders met with the President at the White House last Friday to discuss sequestration. Even though their discussion did not lead to the framework of a deal. Due too Federal budget cuts, the Army will have to let go more than 3,000 temporary and contract employees. It will cancel maintenance at depots which will force 5,000 more layoffs. The Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy's THE BLUFFER Editorial Staff News Editors Marissa Chase Laurel Shoop Viewpoint Editor Becca Blanchard A & E Editors Connor Ross Josiah Vasey Features Editors Ashlan Brunello Bailey Patchen Sports Editors Egan Meagher Garrett Sandow Ryan Fisher Topics Editor Shelby Keeler Editor-In-Chief Marissa Chase Veronica Smith Mitch Fox Sarah Bartlett Claire Samay Sam Rodriguez Tymberlyn Bealer Rodrigo Sanchez Mark Criss Alexis Simpkins Ceighlee Fennel Aleczander X. B. Sims Hunter Latham Zachary Smith Aaron Lewis Sahvanna Rice Julia Liebert Owen Ritter global economic problem that is going on all over the world, not just the US. That is just doesn't happen in one area of the world. Budget cuts are definitely a depressing problem when it happens. Aaron Lewis Staff Writer SPARTAN THUMBS Adviser Editor-In-Chief Advertising Director Natalie Almond Alisa Pelanconi Laurel Shoop Staff Writers Blue Angels will have to cancel some of their air show appearances. I would recommend that you all just take a minute to stop and think, if this ever happens to your family, do not blame your parents. Also, it would not be so bad if you had to live a little while without electronics, because this generation depends on electricity too much. Some people do not even know how to function without it. That is really bad if you are. Would it be such a bad thing if you go outside for at least an hour a day? No I do not think it is that bad. It is 100% not their fault that this budget cuts problem has happened. Remember it all happened because of "budget cuts" in the year of 2013. It's a big Cartoonist Andrea Hveem Karla Nowicki 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. Spring sports are here The spring sports have finally arrived at the high school. The weather is nice The weather has improved and is sunnier. Mr. Spartan was a big success Mr. Spartan was an enjoyable experience There is twitter drama The social media website is filled with drama. Driving under the influence Many people are driving under various influences. *These Thumbs came from Mr. Carreras's 4th period class.