The Bluffer - Red Bluff, CA
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/68603
Opinion Page 2 June 1, 2012 T here are so many little things that make our class, the class of 2012, especially unique. First of all, not many classes can boast that the world was predicted to end the same year that they graduated high school, and the last number of every year matches the grade we are in (we are in 12th grade and it's 2012), something that happens to only one class every hundred years. And finally, most of us will be able to vote in a presidential election in the same year that we graduate. I feel lucky to be part of such a good class, and such a unique high school experience. I have known so many others from our class for years, going back even to elementary school at Antelope, and it is weird to think about how much everyone has changed. I remember being a puny freshman almost four years ago and being in awe of how huge the high school seemed to be, and I couldn't figure out how anyone found his or her classes. And now, as a semi-puny senior, everything about our high school and Red Bluff as a whole seems so very small. I've learned so much about my class over the years, including the fact that we don't cheat very much, compared to the other classes, and that there are numerous kids in our class that will definitely go very far in life. Even though there are certain aspects of Red Bluff High School that frustrate me, such as bad teachers, I choose to focus on the parts that shine a positive light on my high school experience. I will never forget so many of the great teachers I've had, and so many of the things I've learned. I'll always remember every time I heard Mr. Hendricks yell, "Minus five!" or Mr. Evans' weird and incredibly dry sense of humor. Or best of all, the sound effects Mr. Fox makes as he teaches us Calculus. NEEEEEOOOOWWW. My biggest connection to high school is all of the work I've done with the Bluffer, and how many incredible memories it has given, along with helping me develop as a person. I took the class my freshman year because I thought it would be easy- a class to slack off in, however, it became my hardest class year after year. The work was rewarding, and the Bluffer family is so entertaining; it is the one class I have always looked forward to every day. Today is our last day of high school! It's so weird to say. I can barely remember a time when I wasn't in school and now my entire high school career is over. And the thing that excites me the most out of all of this is what changes will come in the next four years of our lives, and how so many of our worlds will completely change. And some of us may even change the world. Aaron Vasey Bluffer Seniors A M y biggest regret from my high school career is that, while I was very accepting to other social, ethnic, alternative lifestyle groups, I was never truly open to them, or at least I never allowed myself to be open to them. It seemed that everyone had one and only one place to belong. This mindset prevented me from experiencing the many diverse and enlightening experiences that high school has to offer. Truth be told with the right mindset anyone can find a niche in any social group. The first person to begin breaking the ice and getting me to let go of my constant worry about image was Mrs. Haase. being that I knew her way before high school she thought it would be an amazing idea to trash can me my first week on campus. I owe her a huge debt of gratitude for that. Nothing changes and image like the bottom of a trashcan. One thing high school is riddled with is diversity. Every step you take through these halls is a step from the turf of one clique and onto the turf of another. There are even some parts of campus we avoid due to the groups there. Now, at this point I know what you're thinking "This is just another cliché article about teen cliques". In fact, that's not what I'm trying to portray at all. Cliques, I believe, are a healthy part of high school. While some are all inclusive welcoming anyone willing to brave new waters, some are exclusive, shunning anyone casting a ripple in their all but tranquil pool. Either way members of cliques have a place among people sharing a common interest or skill, thus allowing them to communicate and confide in each other. Now don't get me wrong, not every clique has the best interests in mind, but almost every clique has a place on this campus. In wishing that I had been more open to cliques throughout high school, I mean that I wish I would have braved the waters of more than a handful of them. Like most teens entering high school I quickly found an easy place to belong and developed a safety net of friends. One problem, as comfortable as that safety net was I couldn't take it with me when braving the waters of a new group. It took me till I was an upperclassman to realize that that safety net I cherished so much, was actually an anchor holding me back from experiencing new and exciting things that make high school the great experience that it is. The more you expose yourself to at this age, your developing years, the more you'll understand when that door to the real world opens. For instance if you don't share the same belief or value as another group, get to know it, find out why they have an opposing view. The knowledge you gain could strengthen your opinion or change it all together, but either way you became smarter. My overall goal of this article is to say that while finding one place where you belong is a good asset to have, finding a dozen other places where you don't and learning about them as you go is an even bigger asset. Break out of your shell, go be adventurous and get anything and everything you can out of high school, you only get this once. Seize your day. t the beginning of my senior year, I could not wait for it to be over. I was so excited at the thought of graduating, the thought of leaving Red Bluff. However, I never knew how naïve this thought was until now. Today is my last day of school at RBHS, the last time I will walk down the halls as a student and the last time I can live as freely as I did for four years; it is my last time as a high school student. I strongly recommend you soak up every week, day, hour, minute, bell, and school event because when the end comes you will regret all the times you took RBHS for granted. Unfortunately a lot of things in life are that way; they can't be seen when you look in, only when you look back; only after they are already over. The only thing I can compare high school to is an hour glass. It's an hour glass that contains all of the wonderful things our school has to offer. The thing about the hour glass, though, is that it is highly deceiving. At first glance, the hour glass could not have been fuller of the grains of memories. It was filled to the top with every single thing I would do in high school. Freshmen year started, the grains began to race through the hour glass faster than I ever imagined they could. I dealt with the initial shock of high school, the adjustment stage, and I began to develop. With that, a quarter of my hour glass was empty and freshmen year was over before I knew it. With the start of sophomore year, the glass was tipped vertical again. The grains began to race so quickly that they almost all blurred together, racing through the hourglass as if they were a solid line. I began to develop the ability to see things with respect to the future, I became comfortable with high school, and I had a blast with the newspaper, sports, and I hosted an exchange student. My hour glass was now half empty. Junior year began and the hour glass did not let up from spilling its sand. I was now an upper classmen, I began to take AP classes, I got a driver's license, I completed the hardest year of high school with respect to academics. With this, my hour glass only had a quarter of its valuable, brown grains. Senior year rolled around and as I said, I was ecstatic. High school was almost over. The soccer season ended, Homecoming flew by and took Christmas break with it, Holiday classic did the same with Winter Formal, and then came Mr. Spartan, Prom, and senior trip. With graduation next week, I cannot be more scared. At first, there wasn't enough time in the world that would empty my hour glass, but I have come to the overwhelming awakening that I am down to my last few grains. They have begun to bounce around the funnel, spinning ever so close to falling right through to the other side. I can honestly say that there is nothing in the world like Red Bluff. My only advice to you is that you soak up all the time you have in this small town. I will miss the faculty, the school days, and walking through the halls; I will miss RBHS. The beautiful thing about hour glasses is they flip over and the sand begins to race all over again Carson Dunbar THE BLUFFER Editorial Staff News Editors Egan Meagher Marissa Chase Viewpoint Editor Laurel Shoop Rebecca Blanchard A&E Editors Connor Ross Josiah Vasey Features Editors Natalie Almond Ashlan Brunello Bailey Patchen Nick Reinhardt Sports Editors Brittany Villa Topic Editors Shelby Keeler Alaina Rudnick Andrea Hveem Illustrator 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. Editor-In-Chief Austin Chase Aaron Vasey Xarayna Sekscenski Carson Dunbar Veronica Smith Laura DeFonte Claire Samay The voice of Red Bluff High School since 1901 Editor-In-Chief Advertising Director Shantell Estrada Staff Writers KC Jacobsen Payton Cumpton Armando Aguilar Ryan Fisher Eddie Spidle Alisa Pelanconi Adviser SPARTAN THUMBS • Farmer's Market The summer Farmerʼs Market in downtown Red Bluff has started. • Unexpected yearbooks The students love the cover and like that they are distributed this week. • Next week finals begin Students are not looking forward to finals next week. • The reduction of homework Even though students are dreading finals, they do like the reduction of homework. • Summer vacation Everyone is getting excited and prepared for a nice long summer vacation. *These thumbs came from Mr. Vossiʼs and Ms. Pelanconiʼs 6th period Austin Chase