The Bluffer - Red Bluff, CA
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/205089
Staff Editorial Opinion Page 2 November 1, 2013 Dance Policy... T here was a pretty big change at homecoming dance this year. It was still a lot of fun, but many students felt that their fun was subdued by the stricter enforcement of the dance policy. There was quite a bit of buzz at school. Lots of kids were mad, some even saying they would not be attending Winter Formal. Was this anger at the school just? Or was it just the typical "fight the system" attitude? While we can understand that the school wants less grinding at our school, we think the school's approach is ineefective. We were stunned at homecoming when they actually turned the lights on. There was a collective, "Seriously!?!" We are highschoolers. This won't make highschoolers stop grinding at dances; it will keep them from going to dances at all. There were fewer people at homecoming just due to the rumors of the stricter enforcement of the dance policy. Even fewer will attend Winter Formal if they think that they will just get scolded for dancing "inappropriately". The school is trying to shame kids into dancing cleanly and that is definitely not the way to go about it. This battle between youth and authority is not new. In the 1950s when Elvis was first becoming popular, his hip-thrusts were deemed too erotic for T.V. audiences and he was only filmed from the waist up. In the late 19th century, people supposedly had heart attacks upon seeing ballet for the first time. New forms of dance have always been controversial. Grinding is no different. But, what if more teachers came to the dance? If teachers were among the crowd showing off some "alternative" dance moves, perhaps students would feel less inclined to grind on each other. The school is making a mistake in prohibiting grinding by turning on lights and yelling at students. While we understand the school's disdain with dirty dancing, this is not the way to stop grinding at the dances. It will just make people not want to go. How to talk to girls with adult authority Teenagers struggle W omen are generally very mean. Ladies and gentlemen, these are the wise words from my grandfather, and even after a small argument over the many exceptions to this idea, I found myself giving up in the futile attempts to change his mind. As most of you know, I am afraid of talking to boys. This, we've covered. But talking to girls? That's an uncharted territory which I'd like to take a moment to share with you. Females of my own age group, (and especially a little below) terrify me to no end. For some reason, as I'm carefully browsing the animal sweaters alone at Forever 21, if a group of gaggling teenage girls were to pass by me, I'd slowly put down the current raccoon garment I'm examining and exit the store carefully, so as not to draw attention to myself. Why? I could spend forever looking through biological facts and figures concerning female-tofemale contact, and I'd never find a truer evaluation than this: Girls are scary. For all I know, that group of teenage girls could be laughing at me. Call it insecurity, call it the inability to grow the heck up, but in reality, females tend to give off a vicious vibe now and again, more often than not when travelling in packs. How do I overcome this Starbucks. (While Frappuccinos aren't exactly my cup of tea, [no pun intended] I have learned that a Caramel Frappucino is the beverage form of a bridge to a female's heart. [Or iMessage chat friendship circle offered at any high school.) 4. Males. (Knowing about boys is crucial, who's hot, and who's not. As a side note, do not ever refer to the lead singer of Fall Out Boy as attractive because almost every female in a five foot radius will immediately disagree and then begin talking about the fellow from the Vampire Diaries or whatever.) Friends, with just a few hours perusing the World Wide Web on the simple topics listed above, you'll be on your way to befriending the seemingly never ending group of females that crowds the hallways of the high school. You don't actually have to like penguins or boys, just remember to always show the appropriate amount of interest. Thank you all. Maggie Tallan stutter-causing fear of talking to females in my age group? I've found that basic knowledge on these subjects has helped me to create long-lasting friendships with my peers: 1. One Direction ("Oh, I like the British one!") 2. group, I suppose.]) 3. Penguins. (I'm really more of a moose kind of human, but if you have anything, and I mean anything pertaining to penguins or an item with a penguin featured on it, you're practically in every to leave a worse planet for future generations, and that we are slowly making the planet uninhabitable. Of course this is a bad thing, but is it what species before in history, but the planet is still going. Sure, if we do nothing to stop global warming, it is very likely that we will reach a point where we cannot live on Earth anymore, but could this actually be unavoidable? Humans are constantly producing waste, and destroying the things around them. No amount of convservation will ever stop this: it is just human nature. We are continually moving forawrd towards a future where the planet is uninhabitable, so why would we try and stop it? Nature has Staff Writer Global warming is a consequence of the actions of the human race N owadays, there is no one around who isn't aware of the problem that seems to be on the forefront of every debate or argument: global warming. Now there isn't anyone that can deny that global warming is a bad thing, as we have been continually told we are ruining the planet. This is true; we are polluting the earth and causes global warming, but in the large scheme of things, is global warming really bad? The argument against global warming is that we are going Humans constantly " producingarewaste, and destroying the things around them." is really best in the long run? Nature has a way of completing cycles. There have been ice ages and mass extinctions of THE BLUFFER News Editors Marissa Chase Josiah Vasey Editor-in-Chief Marissa Chase Staff Writers Julia Liebert Tymberlyn Bealer River Mist Grey Grotke Maggie Tallan Garrett Ward A & E Editor Owen Ritter River Mist Staff Writer o, is it just me or are there a lot more fights and violence this year? Last year there were 26 fights, or around two or three fights per month, if you divide that number by how many months we are in school. So far, there have been seven fights both on and off campus. To me, it appears that the school is focusing more on dress code than fights when it should be the other way around. Mr. Schwabauer, Dean of Students said, "We have explained to students that any fights will result in suspension and citation from the police. More importantly we are talking with students gathering information and trying to intervene between students before fights occur." With that said, not many student are going to want to talk about their problems with another person, especially to an adult, because we are teenagers.We handle things our own way. Some students would say that the school isn't doing much when it comes to this subject, but most of the work is done behind the scenes. Also, it seems administration is more about the schools appearance, as some of the rules that have been applied now weren't that big of a problem before. Yes, some of the dress code is necessary, but if you are going to change something that everyone does, you might as well make it worthwhile. In my opinion, the dress code is more pointed at what girls wear because of what the fashion is now. Instead of pointing out everything wrong, why not point out everything right and instead of a lot of discipline; make it somewhat fun and enjoyable? Until a little while ago I thought that all Mr. Schwabauer was doing was mainly caring about dress code because that's all we see: him and other teachers telling students to go to the office because their "shorts are too short." I understand where they are coming from because high school is only four years of our lives, and what we do in these four years matter for the rest of our lives. But that is something that we are going to have to learn ourselves. Our appearance and how we present ourselves to others is our decision to make, and if someone wants to look like a tramp, let them. Maybe later in life they will think back and say to themselves that it was a bad idea, but like I keep saying, that is their choice to make. Isn't it strange how not only my parents approved, but the only people who are bothered by the length are adults who seem to be staring? Sometimes I feel that adults don't really care about our age and still treat us the same as a five year old. Except the fact that our punishment is different than five year olds, I don't think adults really understand that even if we make mistakes, we know and we will learn from it. Hopefully. Yes, I know, I am my mother's child and I always will be, but I hate it when my mom treats me like I am still a little kid. I don't know about you, but I am always told something that starts off like, "In the real world…" and those conversations are so annoying. As an example, an "in" thing that kids do is lie. So, if in the real world you lie, the consequences that you get for that are yours to learn from. Julia Liebert Viewpiont Editor SPARTAN THUMBS Adviser Editor-in-Chief Advertising Director Kellie Rodriguez Alisa Pelanconi Josiah Vasey Viewpoint Editors caused things to come to and end, and new things to start, and maybe that's just what humans are. An era of inhabitance with an unavoidable end. Global warming, although seemingly bad, is possibly just nature's own way of ending the cycle of human inheritance on Earth. S Cartoonist Karla Nowicki Features Editor Ceighlee Fennel Sports Editor Ryan Fisher Topics Editors Bailey Patchen Becca Blanchard 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. Football won Homecoming Both JV and Varsity football teams won their homecoming games. Fights on campus There have been more fights on campus as of late. Homecoming dance Students had fun at the homecoming dance. Anti-bullying The school's website now has a feature to report bullying. No pajama day There was no pajama day this yearf. *These Thumbs came from Mr. Norton's 4th period class.