The Bluffer - Red Bluff, CA
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/205089
The Bluffer Volume CXV Issue 5 November 1, 2013 Serving Red Bluff High School since 1901 93.1 Varisity Football-Page 5 Weekend Forecast Spartan Radio -Page 3 'Bad Grandpa'-Page 4 Headline right here, bullying School combats YAY YAY Friday: High 79 ° Low 44° Saturday: High 76 ° Low 46° Sunday: High 67° Low 43 ° Challenge Day Challenge Day is returning to Red Bluff High and will be on Wednesday, November 13 and Thursday, November 14. Challenge Day is designed to deal with particular issues seen at high schools while sparking a positive and compassionate outlook in students. In order to participate, students must pick up and turn in a permission slip. Space is limited and students should turn them in as soon as posssible. Snack Bar The snack bar by the library is reopening for breakfast, snack and lunch on Monday, November 4. This will allow for shorter lines for students during the snack and lunch times. This is also more convenient for students who ride the bus in the mornings or have classes near the AG building. Yearbook Deadlines Ads for Grads forms are availabe in room 312 and need to be turned in by today, November 1. In addition to this, senior quotes are also due in room 312 before November 15. Yearbooks are all on sale in the Student Store for 70 dollars with ASB and 75 dollars without. The price will continue to rise throughout the year. The next time the price goes up will be December 1. believe will be very effective "Iespeciallythe websitepranks die down." in preventing bullying, after the -John Schwabauer Marissa Chase Editor-in-Chief For the past two weeks, Red Bluff High's website has been home to a new, completely confidential addition: a way to report bullying and other school related crimes anonymously. Located just off the website's homepage, this recent update contains a section for the type of crime (bullying, theft, vandalism, assault or other), the date, and description. After clicking submit, the report is then sent directly to the emails of Ron Fisher, the principal, Jody Brownfield and Miguel Barriga, both associate principals, and John Schwabauer, the new Dean of Students. The report is then read by each individual and carefully examined. Schwabauer said, "Anything that seems remotely real, we pursue." As of Monday, October 27, the school had only received a total of 29 reports. However, after going through proper protocol and following up on each of the presented instances, it was found that only two were legitimate reports. The rest were pranks and false accounts of crimes sent in by students. According to Schwabauer, it wasn't a surprise to receive inauthentic reports due to the fact that it was a novelty for students. "Up until now," stated Schwabauer, "the vast majority have been pranks...the hope is, eventually, when students do need something, it will be an avenue they can use." Students can report a crime at any time of the day as long as they have access to the school's website. In spite of that, the school can only deal with issues that affect what happens during school hours. This does not necessarily mean the crime has to happen during school hours. Over the years, bullying has changed forms and, according to Schwabauer, has become much more relentless, especially when it pertains to online bullying. Although bullying is not unique to any one generation or school, he commented that it has increased a great deal because of the cyber aspect. With bullying being much more prevalent than ever, specifically cyberbullying, the effectiveness of these anonymous reports comes into question. Juanita VanMeter, sophomore at Red Bluff High, stated that, due to computers, bullying is a much bigger problem. VanMeter said, "I don't know if it will be effective, but it will be able to help the person being bullied; it's a stress reliever that allows them to release whatever they have pent up inside." Another sophomore student, Donovan Turley, said, "I think it will help and it's a good add on to the website." Although he thinks it will alleviate some incidents of bullying, his only critique is that the school should not have any say in reports that happen outside of school. "They don't have any jurisdiction," said Turley. Along with this, the school is also participating in Challenge Day on Nov. 13 and 14. On these days, sophomores and juniors visit the Community Center and work to eliminate common issues seen at high schools. One of the issues they touch on is bullying. As the school works to decrease the amount of bullying in and outside of school, Schwabauer believes that both Challenge Day and this new addition to the school's website will help in accomplishing this goal. "I believe the website will be very effective in preventing bullying, especially after the pranks die down." Italian Exchange makes a comeback After financial difficulties, Calamandrei finds money for exchange Grey Grotke Staff Writer The Italian foreign exchange student program is back up and running. Red Bluff High students will be leaving for Italy on March seventh. The trip will last approximately 2 weeks, and the students will be coming back on March twentyfirst. Our students will be staying in Florence mostly, but they will be visiting Rome, Venice, Siena, and Pisa. In the past, Red Bluff High School has had the exchange program with the Italian School, Calamandrei, but due to the economic troubles that struck the world, and especially Italy, our graduating class of 2010 had been the last class to have the opportunity to partake in the experience until now. Italy had been thrown into economic and social distress for a period of time. The entire educational system had been being reset, and foreign exchange was one of the programs that suffered the most. Since the situation has been improving and is already significantly better, the schools have reopened the program. Normally the exchange program tries to avoid sending seniors and will give higher priority to juniors or other grades. This year, however, the program has been opened to seniors because they haven't had the opportunity yet to go on the trip. The Italians don't come until next October, and this has opened a hosting problem for those who hosted seniors. Many of the seniors who are going on the trip won't be here next year because they will be enrolled in college. Those who hosted get to see " Wethe world's some of best architecture , and we make lifelong friends." -Pam Disibio these students will have to find new hosts, so the program management is looking for anyone who is willing and can host the students next year, and encourages anyone who wants to open their doors to an exchange student. Mrs. DiSibio, who is running the program this year with Ms. Pelanconi, wanted students to know that, "If they want to open themselves to the world, it's [The Exchange Program] a great opportunity to gain life experience, not through a text book," She added that, "We get to see some of the world's best art and architecture, and we make lifelong friends." Ms. Benton, who went on the exchange as a high school student, made statements in agreement with Mrs. DiSibio, saying "It was a great experience, it was eye-opening in how other cultures operate," She also added that it taught her how to use different transportation methods and how to bridge communication gaps. When asked why she was going to Italy, Senior Adrien Steijar joked "Oh my God-the food," but then went on to say she was actually going because she was interested in the architecture, saying she was going "to see the Parthenon, the Coliseum, and the David," Mrs. DiSibio said anyone who was interested in the program for next year should look for the applications after spring break, and that the program costs twenty-one hundred dollars, and that she encourages students to take advantage of the opportunity. B