Being the backbone of any school’s personality, a mascot is what produces school spirit, motivates sports teams and ultimately affects the way people view the school.

So what do the students here at GBHS think of the ever-so-humble grizzly that belongs to our school?
Most of the students here would agree that this beast of an animal does an accurate job at reflecting our school’s character.

“I think the grizzly is a great animal to reflect GBHS’ sports life,” sophomore Michael Geraghty said. “It shows we are very fierce and want to win, and as you can see from our tribe, we love to cheer like the wild grizzlies that we are. Plus it has the same logo as California, which is cool because that’s where we live.”

The competitive edge that the grizzly bear has in the wild is also reflective of out athletic performance over other schools.

“Being the grizzlies means that we’re fierce mammals,” sophomore Marc Ellis said. “They’re at the top of the food chain, just like us as a school, plus they are very intimidating.”

The fact is, a school’s mascot is a major factor in stimulating a school’s spirit, a competitive quality that GBHS seems to have quite a lot of recently.

“Regardless of the occasion,” Geraghty said. “If it’s a school sports event, I’m always down to unleash my inner Grizzly. If we were any other animal, I wouldn’t get nearly as fired up.”
That is the purpose of a mascot after all, to inspire school spirit and get students excited about school events.
“A good mascot has to really fire you up,” sophomore Owen McNiff said. “You have to want to be that mascot. You have to feel it, and the grizzly makes me do that.”

Without the Grizzly, some students would venture to say that we would lose a lot of our drive, that the spirit which pushes our sports teams to victory just wouldn’t be there.

“Mascots are 100% important. It’s … the symbol of our school, and it’s the life and breath of our spirit,”
Geraghty said. “I really don’t think we would be as aggressive if we didn’t have the mascot we do.”

Not only does the mascot get students more excited about school events, it also helps athletes perform at their best by increasing crowd support.

“I was in the grizzly bear mascot costume on Sports-A-Rama night,” sophomore Jackson Rodriguez said. “I definitely would say that the way people get fired up over the mascot makes the people in the event try harder.”

Lots of Granite Bay High sports fans even think that the effect of the grizzly goes beyond that of a conventional mascot.

“It’s more of a community rather than just an animal,” sophomore Owen McNiff said. “I feel like everyone who cheers for Granite Bay is part of an association of people who are automatically friends with one another. Like a secret clan of GBHS fans.”

Although most students are proud to be a part of the grizzly community, some still see room for improvement when it comes to our mascot.

“I’m happy being the Grizzlies, but if I could be any mascot, I would definitely be the dolphins,” Marc Ellis said. “They are … as dominant as grizzlies, only they live in water and are way smarter.”

Mascots are generally either ‘hit or miss’ when it comes to selecting a good one. Although we seem to be on the lucky side, some other local schools’ aren’t as popular as our grizzly.

“The Rocklin Thunder is literally the saddest excuse for a mascot I’ve ever heard of,” Ellis said. “How are you supposed to get intimidated by a mascot that isn’t even tangible? It’s a sound, and it’s not even dangerous.”

Ellis isn’t the only GBHS student to find some local schools’ mascots to be uninspiring.

“The Del Oro eagles are pretty lame,” McNiff said. “What are you going to do, fly all over me?”

Overall, the students and surrounding community of Granite Bay are, for the most part, happy to be considered Grizzlies, and wouldn’t settle for anything less when it comes to what represents our school.

“Having the grizzly as our mascot makes it easy to have pride in our school,” said Ellis, “How can’t you when you have such a powerful animal.”

However, when it happened to senior Sam Holzer, the cautionary remark was perceived as hurtful and offensive.

Holzer is of the Jewish faith, and the comment had been made by a would-be comedic fellow student who meant to reference the gas chambers and subsequent cremation tactics used by Nazis during the Holocaust.

Some might find this joke merely distasteful; many would find it downright appalling.

To Holzer, however, the joke, while upsetting, was of a quite familiar nature to him.

“I’ve had money thrown on the ground in front of me (by) people who told me not to pick it up,” he said. “They felt like I’d be tempted to. That was the joke.”

Holzer has tolerated comments about his socioeconomic status, his faith’s history or something as commonplace as his nose since seventh grade, when he missed a day of school for Yom Kippur, a Jewish holiday of prayer and fasting.

“Someone asked me the next day when I came to class, ‘how was your Jew day?’” Holzer said. “It was the first time comments (about my faith) hadn’t been kind of inquisitive. They were more hurtful.”

Holzer usually tries to laugh off the jokes, but he notices that the stereotyping he experiences at GBHS isn’t a universal occurrence. He attributes this discrepancy to the fact that he is one of few Jewish people in a primarily Christian, conservative area.

Junior Mariam Bereket-Ab, a student of African American descent, experiences similar treatment, in her case for the color of her skin.

“I don’t like running, so people are sometimes like, ‘well that’s surprising,’” Bereket-Ab said.

Bereket-Ab doesn’t let these types of comments bother her, but it strikes her as strange that people use them so liberally.

“Not every black person is the same,” she said. “If someone (says), ‘oh, obviously you can’t swim,’ I think it’s weird, but I just kind of laugh.”

Like Holzer, Bereket-Ab feels that because she is part of such an underrepresented minority, some students feel it is more acceptable to racially profile her. Most of her cousins live in the Bay Area, and she notices a distinct difference in the social acceptability of those comments when she visits them.

“When I go there, (I notice) white people don’t usually say that stuff to black people, because there’s so many of them,” Bereket-Ab said.

Sophomore Cesar Sanchez is of Mexican descent. His family’s taqueria, El Sombrero, is a popular eatery for Granite Bay families. Like Holzer, Sanchez noticed that stereotypical comments about his race became more common once he got to junior high.

“If we see grass or something, (people) will (say), ‘hey Cesar, you should mow that,’” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said most comments he hears reference the stereotyped low socioeconomic status of Mexicans as well as certain jobs that they are perceived as most dominant in.

Senior Gabby Cho is half Korean and feels she does not fit the typical Asian stereotype that many students apply to her. She said that oftentimes people assume her parents are very strict, and that she will be severely disciplined for not achieving the best grades.

“Actually, (my mom) is white, and she’s the one who asks how I’m doing in my classes,” Cho said. “My dad doesn’t even know what classes I’m taking, and he’s Asian.”

English teacher Katrina Wachs previously taught at a more diverse school than GBHS and feels that without exposure to those kinds of diverse environments, students at GBHS cannot comprehend the true weight of their seemingly innocent remarks. At her former school, many of the jokes made by GBHS students were offenses worthy of suspension.

“As educators, we’re doing a disservice to our students if we don’t talk about it with them, because once they leave here and (enter) a more diverse environment… they are going to get misrepresented as bad people (for making those jokes),” Wachs said.

Wachs believes that because the majority of GBHS students have not been truly prejudiced against, they cannot realistically grasp the gravity of the “jokes” they inflict on others from different backgrounds.

Because this type of offensive language has been integrated into most students’ everyday speech, it has become more and more difficult to distinguish the humorous from the hurtful.

“It’s this accepted cultural language, and I don’t believe it’s acceptable,” Wachs said. “Granite Bay (is) behind this curtain, and people do and say these things that outside the curtain wouldn’t be okay.”

This distinct lack of diversity does not go unnoticed by students from other schools, as GBHS has adopted its own stereotype.

“I think that Granite Bay High School is obviously stereotyped as this very rich, kind of affluent neighborhood where everyone drives an Escalade to school and throws these elaborate parties,” Holzer said.

This generalization cannot be applied to all students, however. Holzer, who has heard the views of his friends from schools such as Bella Vista High School and Mira Loma High School, notes that because a few more socially active students embody this image, outsiders perceive them as representative of the entire student body of more than two thousand.

Bereket-Ab tends to hear the racial aspect of the stereotype from people she knows.

“If I tell someone I go to Granite Bay, they say things like, ‘oh, Granite Bay, you must be whitewashed,’” she said. “They think everyone here is (a) stuck-up, bratty white person.”

Sanchez believes the stereotype is a result of jealousy felt by students from other schools.

“I think… it has a lot to do with our athletics,” Sanchez said. “(Nearly) everyone who (plays) a sport here is white and tends to be actually good, so people just get angry about the fact that we’re beating other schools that (in their opinion) should be winning.”

Cho has heard several implications that GBHS students take advantage of the privileges they’re given, which she thinks is a little far-fetched.

“A lot of people (from other schools) think kids at Granite Bay all do drugs like cocaine,” Cho said. “I (also) feel like people think our grades are handed to us, and everything’s a smooth path and we don’t have adversity.”

GBHS may be stereotyped for financial privilege, but Wachs feels that the prevailing advantage of attending GBHS is the allowance of ignorant comments to go unpunished.

“I think the privilege is because there’s not as much diversity here, not (feeling) like you have to be sensitive about what you say, just because that group may or may not be represented on this campus,” Wachs said.

Senior Ian Fitzgerald displays the aftermath of his pie eating techniques.

Pumpkin pies can be a delicious fall favorite, or turn into a pretty nasty dish in a pie eating competition.

Needless to say, the Gazette’s first ever “Gazette vs.” challenge was a hilarious success.

For the first challenge the Gazette staff took on the yearbook staff in a fall pumpkin pie eating contest.

The girls started off our competition, with female Gazette representatives junior Brooklyn Klepl and senior Olivia Cornell pitted against yearbook senior Bridgette Galarza and junior Jenny Woo.

Thanks to the supersized Costco pumpkin pies, the girls were horrified and shocked, giving them a hesitant start.

The girls took a lady-like approach, using their hands to try and eat their pie as cleanly as humanly possible given their pumpkin-y predicament.

Cornell took a careful but steady pace, giving the Gazette girls an edge on the competition.

Klepl got off to a strong start as well, making some solid pie-eating progress.

Woo and Galarza had no trouble keeping up, matching the other girls bite for bite.

By the end of their match, the girls had all eaten around a third of their massive pies.

While all did well, the Gazette had a slight lead, ending with the Gazette for the female win.

On the guys’ side, the contest turned into a messy brawl.

The boys decided to step it up and show the girls how pie eating is done, in cannibal-like fashion.

The stage was set for Gazette senior Kyle Pawlak, yearbook senior Ian Fitzgerald, yearbook senior Taylor Ito and Gazette junior Austin Downs, to chow down for the championship.

Wasting no time, Fitzgerald assaulted his pie with a fast head-into-pie entry.

Fitzgerald continued to eat his pie like a crazed animal, shocking his team, the competitors and the audience.

Little did they know, the sight would get even scarier, as Fitzgerald picked his head up for a short breath.

Every scrap of skin, hair and neck was covered in a pumpkin and cool whip mess.

Sideburns, beard, mustache, eyelashes, eyebrows and everything else was covered, giving him a ghastly, crusty facial glow.

Pawlak’s approach was the complete opposite. He was slow and deliberate, wiping his face between bites.

Downs made a decent start, but didn’t make it very far before making gagging sounds.

He repeatedly mentioned how he hates pie and was disqualified from the competition by Gazette senior ShinEui Park for playing with his food and turning it into a pumpkin pie volcano mountain.

After going to the bathroom, Downs allegedly threw-up, proclaiming once more how foul pumpkin pie is to him.

Ito stayed in the competition nearly to the end, but dropped out as he believed it was not physically possible for someone, in one sitting, to eat an entire Costco monster pie.

Down to the final two, Fitzgerald’s eating slowed, allowing Pawlak to catch up.

Pawlak made steady effort all the way to the finish, and rejected many truce offerings from Fitzgerald before finally accepting after both had eaten most of their now unrecognizable pumpkin pies.

In the end, the Gazette may have won the contest, but yearbook’s Fitzgerald stole the show with his enthusiastic effort.

All in all, the Gazette looks forward to more “Gazette vs.” challenges in the future.

Yet much of what the public has been exposed to is filled with misconceptions and bias.

Even the name Mormon is technically incorrect, according to Granite Bay High School senior Daniel Flinders.

“The actual name of our church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,” Flinders said.

Senior Chloe Shaw also believes that the student body at GBHS is largely uninformed about Mormon policies and basic beliefs.

“(A) common misconception (is) that Mormons aren’t Christians, but we believe in Christ,” Shaw said.

The fact that such a basic tenant of the religion is largely unknown illustrates just how little most students know about one of the most commonly practiced religions in America.

“I feel like people have a vague understanding (of Mormonism) and they (draw) conclusions about the reasons why we do things,” Flinders said. “(People) tend to stereotype us.”

Mormons study from three different sources: the Bible, the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants.

With so much scripture to study, the list of rules practicing Mormons adhere to is extensive.

“A lot of people just find it kind of cute the way we have all these rules,” Flinders said.

He feels that many students fail to see Mormonism as a lifestyle and don’t understand the need for for so many rules dictating the appropriate standards for dress, language, music, dancing, dating, physical health and more.

“They refer to us as ‘Are you one of those Mormons?’ which sort of has a negative connotation,” Flinders said.

Perhaps the most widely acknowledged misconception about Mormonism is the belief that Mormons traditionally practice polygamy. This is in fact a myth; LDS banned the practice when Utah became a state in 1896.

“The guys always get the jokes like ‘How many wives can you have?’” Shaw said.

Mike Sebesta, a prominent local Mormon authority, had much insight to offer on the issue. As a local LDS bishop and father of two GBHS graduates and one current GBHS student, he has experience working with the youth in his church and is very familiar with the way young Mormons are treated in school.

“My own kids have gone to the high school and they have had comments made about what we believe or don’t believe,” Sebesta said. “In high school it can be fairly harsh… I don’t think out of (a desire to cause) direct harm of an individual but out of lack of knowledge or lack of understanding.”

Despite this, Sebesta believes that the public is becoming more informed about LDS practices and, as a result, young Mormons are being treated with more respect in their schools than in the past.

The Mormon Church encourages community involvement, tolerance and leadership, which plays a significant role in helping the church to successfully establish itself as a major religion.

“We try to be a very big part of the community … and we have the opportunity to be a great example and hopefully just let people know that we are just like everyone else,” Sebesta said.

And yet many young LDS members feel they are not viewed as normal high school students.
“I feel like (our peers) treat us differently,” Flinders said.

While GBHS has not had any serious issues with harassment or bullying of Mormon students, LDS members are sometimes subjected to ridicule and judgment by their peers.

However, according to Sebesta, young members of LDS rarely let this treatment affect their religious beliefs.

“I have heard of situations where some unkind words have been said, but I don’t think it has ever affected the attitudes … of our youth because we believe what we believe,” Sebesta said. “Hopefully when you believe in something strongly enough … you strongly adhere to it.”

While many Mormons feel they are viewed differently because of their religious views, they refuse to reciprocate any judgment passed upon them.

Both Flinders and Sebesta expressed that while they may not agree with the beliefs of other religions, they are taught through the policies of the Mormon Church to view others with tolerance and respect.

This live and let live attitude provides a strong basis for the church and makes members of LDS more accessible to the outside world.

“I don’t focus on what people think we do or don’t believe,” Sebesta said. “We claim the privilege of worshipping the almighty God … and allow all men the same privilege to let them worship how, where and what they may.”

Braly owns a total of about 110 metal lunchboxes that he has collected over the past ten years and rotates his lunchboxes for lunch everyday.

He keeps his lunchboxes on shelves, which cover two walls of his office area at home. When packing his lunch for the day, he simply grabs the next lunchbox in the sequence.

“I have them in order on the shelves and when I get to the end, I go back,” Braly said.

When he gets a new lunchbox, it gets a spot in the front of the line. Braly has enough lunchboxes to get him through a semester of lunches without any repeats.

With such a large collection, Braly has spent an estimated $2,000 on lunchboxes. The average price he pays for one is $25, and the most expensive lunchbox he has is $45. This is his orbit lunchbox, which has a book value of a couple hundred dollars.

This particular lunchbox is expensive because it was made during one of the early Apollo missions and the company who produced it used a picture from the National Geographic magazine on the display without permission, causing manufacture to cease. There are only a few of these orbit lunchboxes in circulation and Braly is in possession of one.

Braly’s favorite lunchbox, also his first lunchbox which got him into collecting, is his dome top Grizzly Adams.
“That’s the holy grail of my lunchboxes,” Braly said.

He remembers carrying lunchboxes to school as a kid: his Land of the Giants, Hot wheels and Land of the Lost lunchboxes. But he was always jealous of his friend with the Grizzly Adams lunchbox. It was one of his favorite TV shows in the 70s.

10 years ago, when Braly spotted the exact lunchbox, it brought back memories from his childhood and he knew he had to have it.

Outside of teaching, Braly and his wife used to work with antique dealings on the weekends. In the business of collectables, he had booths neighbored by other dealers who sold lunchboxes.

“Once you’ve gotten a few, it plants the bug and you start looking for them more seriously,” Braly said.
Braly has accumulated a great deal of his lunchboxes from bidding on eBay and now has a third of all existing metal lunchboxes in production.

His collection is still growing but he is no longer avidly on the hunt for lunch boxes. He still collects today, but not as seriously as when he first started his collection. He finds new lunch boxes at the occasional garage sale and he and his family enjoy going to antique street fairs every month or so.

The last metal lunch boxes were produced in 1985 and Braly likes to collect them because they are memorabilia of the past and they give him opportunities to connect with his students as well as other teachers.

“(Lunch boxes) are a blast from the past and a picture of culture,” Braly said. “It’s nostalgic for a lot of adults to look at them. I’m using (my collection), I’m enjoying it, I’m sharing it with other people and not just putting it on a shelf and leaving it at home.”

Junior Brandon Borjon is in Braly’s Fish and Wildlife class and was also in his Biology class. Borjon said that students found out about his collection because on the way in from lunch, he stands at the door holding his lunch box and makes comments about them everyday.

“I think his collection is awesome and I wish I had the confidence to talk about a lunch box collection openly with other people,” Borjon said. “I bought Mr. Braly a Captain America (lunch box) … and the next time we pass out notes for staff appreciation I’m going to give it to him.”

Braly has received lunch boxes as gifts from other people. Graduate Kevin Hollingshead, a former student and friend of Braly, surprised him with the 1964 NFL lunch box last year, just before graduating. He and Braly had had multiple conversations about his lunch boxes and when Hollingshead asked about NFL lunch boxes one day, Braly told him he had three of the four existing ones in his collection but had never been able to get a hold of the 1964 make.

Braly said that with the economy being down, people are selling their collectables because they are not a necessity. He said collectables are “red hot” and as inexpensive as ever and that now is the perfect time to get into collecting.

“I invite any students (or staff members) who have any interest in (lunch boxes) to stop by,” Braly said. “I’d be happy to talk about them any time.”

Decavel-Bueff suffers from the spinal condition scoliosis. Her vertebrae are shaped into an “s” and the curvature in her lumbar is more dramatic than in a healthy spine. Like many other students with scoliosis at Granite Bay High School, she was first diagnosed in middle school.

The family didn’t act upon her condition until a day in the pool when Decavel-Bueff was in her swimsuit and her mother noticed her hip protruding out.

She would have to wear a brace for six months, which she would only escape from during PE when her doctor allowed her to take it off.

“I was really embarrassed at first because I had to wear baggy clothes because I didn’t want anyone to see it,” Decavel-Bueff said.

The brace’s function wasn’t to correct the curvature, but to keep it from worsening through her growth spurt.
She now takes palates once a week to strengthen the muscles in her back for support to treat her scoliosis.
Lynda Farley, the nurse at Olympus Junior High School who first identified Decavel-Bueff’s condition, aims to catch as many cases of scoliosis as she possibly can.

She and a coworker perform a screening on the 7th grade girls and 8th grade boys once a year. She does it this way because most girls reach puberty earlier than most boys. A small curvature can become much more ill shapen during a growth spurt.

Farley has the middle schoolers remove their shirts and carefully inspects the alignment of their shoulders, scapulas and hips to make sure they are even. She then has them bend over to check for a lump on either side of their backs.

Kids who don’t pass the exam receive a phone call from Farley recommending them for a follow-up appointment with a doctor.

Farley finds signs of scoliosis in a very small percentage of students and gives only five or six referrals between both middle schools annually. However, she thinks the screenings are well worth the effort for the cases they do diagnose.

Junior Olivia Nasir also suffers from the spinal affliction. Her scoliosis was caught by a doctor in elementary school and in sixth grade she wore a brace all day and all night. Nasir, like Decavel-Bueff, was embarrassed of her brace and after the first year of wearing it, switched to only wearing it at night.

“My ribs were grinding against my hipbone, so it was really painful,” Nasir said.

As she got older, Nasir began to notice the pain more and more as the curve got worse.

For three years she slept in a back brace, up until freshmen year when her doctor informed her that the treatment wasn’t working and surgery would be the only option.

Nasir had the surgery this past summer. Doctors made an incision from the side of her back to her shoulder blade, removed a rib and inserted it in her back and put metal rods in between her vertebrae. After a bed ridden week in the hospital drugged up on pain medication, Nasir would have to wear yet another back brace.
For the first two months following her surgery, she would wear the brace 24/7. Afterwards, the brace would be worn only when she went out, for caution. This meant she would have to wear a brace at school again.
“I think most people ignore it because they don’t want to be rude,” Nasir said.

However, she didn’t let the brace bother her.

“It (was) only temporary,” Nasir said.

Wearing a brace wasn’t a big deal for her. The only down side was not being able to wear anything sleeveless because it would cause irritation.

Although Nasir is now free of scoliosis, her children may not be. There is proof that scoliosis is hereditary. Nasir’s mom had the condition, and Decavel-Bueff’s brother suffers from it as well.

Sept. 30 was the last day Nasir had to wear any kind of brace forever and she will never have to worry about her scoliosis again.

“It’s nice not to have to worry about scoliosis anymore,” Nasir said.

Class of 2011 graduate Elyse Fulcher, recently completed her experience through the GBHS art program.
Fulcher is one of the few individuals who has taken art to the next level and has been able to use her talent in order to create new opportunities beyond high school. She was accepted into UC Santa Barbara, where she has received many benefits due to her art work.
“UCSB offers me my own studio space, unlimited classes without prerequisites and the ability to drop classes when I need, without penalty,” said Fulcher in an email.
UCSB offers resources for information and guidance. Art teacher, Myron Stephens, was one of the peoplewho had the greatest impact on Fulcher as an artist.
“I owe almost all of my training to him,” Fulcher said. “He taught me everything I know about painting.”
Fulcher completed four years of art, including Advanced Placement Studio Art.
The art program begins with Basic Art, taught by teachers Brad Cordell and Amelie Rider, where students learn the basics of sketching as well as an introduction into different types of mediums such as oil pastels and tempera paint.
After Basic Art is Advanced Art, which continues the application of basic skills as well as an introduction to graphite, airbrush and acrylic painting on canvas.
Once students have completed Advanced Art, they can continue on to Art 3, 4, 5 and 6. These classes are structured around the completion of a certain number of paintings while still learning new techniques and skills.
In addition to taking those classes, students can also choose another route by taking either AP Studio Art or International Baccalaureate Art.
Junior Chloe Pan is a current IB Art student who has taken both Basic and Advanced Art with Stephens.
“In the IB program, it’s more about connecting to worldly experiences,” Pan said. “The art isn’t as much about your feelings personally, it is more about global problems or connecting to history, so other people around the world can relate to the art.”
The art program has the ability to enhance a student’s skills, if he or she is willing to work for it.
“Elyse was one of the more naturally talented students,” Stephens said. “She was really exciting to have as a student because I could show her something and she would absorb it like a sponge.”
For some such as Fulcher, these skills and a desire to pursue art have been existent since childhood.
“I grew up in art museums with a crayon in my hand,” Fulcher said. “Art has always been a pivotal part of my life.”
Fulcher said that Stephens really changed her attitude towards art.
“I really became serious about art as a career,” Fulcher said.
In addition to her new journey at UCSB, Fulcher stumbled across a once in a lifetime opportunity. On a trip to Las Vegas, she visited an art gallery, where artist Vladimir Kush was coincidentally in attendance.
Kush is a Russian surrealist painter and sculptor who sells his work for tens of thousands of dollars.
“After several minutes of conversation, he looked at my portfolio on my phone and took my card,” Fulcher said. “Months later, he contacted me and I apprenticed him in (Las) Vegas where I helped him embellish paintings.”
While she is currently in school, Fulcher says that Kush continues to check up on her progress and offer critique and encouragement.
While Fulcher’s situation is one in a million, Stephens tries to awaken students to the fact that success in art isn’t always based on natural born talent.
“We always believe that anyone can learn how to be a successful artist or painter,” Stephens said. “You don’t have to be talented to be good at it, you just have to be able to follow directions.”
Due to their experience in the program, many of the students have the ability to enter and excel in competitions and galleries that are open to all professional artists in the area.
“I don’t know of any other art program that offers website making, how to approach galleries and how to have their own shows.” Stephens said. “All of these things are pretty unique to the program.”
The idea of making money isn’t so far fetched either.
“Generally the low end (of student work) is about $250-$300 and then up to $600 or $800,” said Stephens. Some of the even larger paintings can even sell for around $2,000.
Cole Chapman, a senior and current student of Stephens, has also experienced his own personal success in art.
Chapman entered into Sacramento’s Blue Line Gallery and won best of show and also entered into the 16-18 age group of the California State Fair where he won best of show, best of class, and first place.
“Stephens has changed my life as a student,” Chapman said. “He forces students to become above and beyond the artist that most people can be.”
Even though there are many students enrolled in art classes, some still stick with the notion that they are simply not creative or talented enough.
“Cordell and Rider do an excellent job (teaching Basic Art) and everyone that (begins with) the program realizes that they can be successful,” Stephens said.
Because of Fulcher’s success and passion for art, she hopes that art will be part of her future.
“I’m aiming to be an animator for Pixar, but I’m keeping an open mind to opportunities,” Fulcher said. “Wherever art takes me, I’m sure I’ll be content, whether I’m a gallery artist, or a muralist or a kid doing sketches on Venice Beach.”

   Spirited, smart, athletic and talented—these are just some of the adjectives used to describe the “perfect” senior Class of 2011. After a successful last year at Granite Bay High School, the graduates have begun to leave for college. What they have left at GBHS is what some students and faculty members call a legacy.

   Class of 2011 graduate Ethan Mendoza, one of the students who began the acclaimed “Tribe” and also won Mr. Grizzly for the 2010 to 2011 school year, participated in many school activities with the spirit of seniority.
   “I think the class before us thought they were too cool for school spirit, but I think our class really prided ourselves with having it,” Mendoza said. “I may be a little biased, but I think this class was the best class that I’ve witnessed throughout high school.”

   Last year, the Class of 2011 won first place for floats during Homecoming, achieved the first ever three-peat in Sports-a-Rama, won the Powderpuff game against the juniors, and every school rally and had many students accepted into prestigious colleges.

   However, whether or not this now graduated senior class is the best class that has come through GBHS is still a matter of opinion, however.

“(The) Class of 2011 was one of the best classes I’ve seen… they were just thoroughly amazing in academics, sports, ASB support and spirit. But even though I think of them as (being great), I still believe that the Class of 2012 has the potential to be equally as good as them,” Assistant Principal Cathy Raycraft said.

   Though there are many different views on this class, not all of these views are of praise. The current senior class president, Danielle McFarland, regards this moment as a moment of improvement in contrast of the previous class.

   “I can agree with everyone that they were a really good and spirited class, but I think all the success of winning inflated their heads a bit. When the Class of 2012 wins events this year, I want to do it with good sportsmanship,” McFarland said.

   But as the year goes on, the Class of 2011 waves their goodbyes as the new senior class of 2012 realizes they have roles to fill.

   Brie Shimada, a Class of 2011 graduate who also participated in many school activities and was part of Student Government, said, “The Class of 2012 has some really inspirational and hard working leaders leading their class… I cannot wait to see how this class improves school spirit and culture.”

   Although they are two different classes and are in two different school years, seniors will always be seniors. Except has the Class of 2011’s legacy set the bar too high?

   The Academic Merit Awards (AMAs) are given to the senior and junior class at the end of every year. The medals are for recognition of students who have excelled in school work. Last year, 322 seniors were given the AMA while 303 juniors were given the same award. With a 19 student gap, new opinions form between the two classes.

   Raycraft said, “Every class is different, but the standards stay the same. Maybe Class of 2011 was just more competitive with one another.”

   This competitive incentive is what people often think drives this graduated class to perform highly in academics. Although this does not mean the Class of 2012 aren’t as hardworking.

   “I don’t think that the class of 2012 is a bunch of underachievers. I just think that class of 2011 had a lot of overachievers,” Mendoza said.

   Senior Alex Nacht thinks there is another reason for this gap, however.

   “I remember going to the junior AMA ceremony and a lot of classmates being there. I don’t think there’s any reason for having fewer students receiving the award besides the previous seniors having more people in their class,” Nacht said.

   Not only was there a difference in the amount of students who received the AMA, but there are differences in the amount of students signing up for certain senior courses as well.

   As required courses, seniors need to take government, economics and English 12. Instead of taking College Prep courses, there are alternative choices in taking higher leveled academic courses such as the Advanced Placement (AP) Government with AP Microeconomics, AP Macroeconomics and Law and Justice block course, and AP Literature and AP Language.

   Last school year signaled the introduction of the new all-year AP Government block, and the estimated number of seniors from the Class of 2011 that signed up for this block was around 135. With the second year of the block progressing, only an estimated 90 students from the Class of 2012 are enrolled.

   “As a whole, I think it’s harder for kids to fit it into their schedules because it’s hard to keep one period locked in for the whole year,” AP Government teacher Jarrod Westberg said.

   Having less students signing up for a course does not necessarily imply anything about one class being more intelligent over the other. But what about when a whole block class becomes cancelled altogether?

   For the 2011-2012 year, seniors from the Class of 2012 had the option to sign up for AP Literature, AP Language or the AP Literature and Language Block. There were 36 seniors enrolled in the block the previous year but due to having only 23 students’ sign up this year, the block was gotten rid of.

   There was one point where the block class could have passed and gone through, but while looking through other classes with 40 students enrolled, Ramona Drury, English teacher and last year’s AP Language teacher for the AP Literature and AP Language block, felt it was unreasonable to run a class of such small size and cancelled it altogether.

   “I credit that year long block for being phenomenal,” Drury said. “I did a lot of work last year in creating the curriculum for that course. I really liked what I did and I would have been excited to improve what I did. But I’ll teach almost anything.”

   Even though the English block class was cancelled, Drury’s thoughts about the Class of 2011 and 2012 are still unaltered.

   “(The) Class of 2012 seems like any other class I’ve always had… and I enjoyed the Class of 2011 immensely. But in truth, at the end of every year (once) I have got a little distance, I find that I enjoy every class anyways, so I kind of suspect that I just like the kids here,” Drury said.

   If enrollment in courses do not mean anything at all, whether they are canceled or not, then perhaps test scores can show many aspects of a class.

   Last year, the AP test score results for AP Government, AP Microeconomics and AP Macroeconomics were some of the highest percentages the school has seen. An estimated 80% of students passed the AP Government exam itself, and the numbers of fours and fives were almost half of all the scores.

   “(The) Class of 2011 is one of the hardest working senior classes I’ve ever seen,” Westberg said. “They also had one of the biggest drop-offs I have ever seen in terms of once the end of the year rolled around.”

   As their last year of high school starting heading closer to the finish line, they were struck with the infamous disease: senioritis.

   “I think they just realized that they could ease off a little bit and it wasn’t going to hurt them too much,” Westberg said.

   Studious, yet lazy. No class can actually be perfect, right?

   Besides the academic aspects, there are other impacts that the Class of 2011 left behind.

   Nacht, who is involved in media and producing the morning bulletins, has grown close relationships with some of last year’s graduates who have played a key role in media such as John Holway, Jimmy Jack and Priti Donde. But even though they have departed, he still expects the bulletins to be just as good, or even better.

   “I looked up to them and they did well, but I think we have really talented people this year who definitely have some unique qualities,” Nacht said. “The difference between this year and last year is that the expectations are set and everyone knows what to strive for.”

   As for the Class of 2012, they still have a long way until they reach the end of high school. There are many events to come and many opportunities to make lasting memories.

   Getting involved and living out senior year to its fullest potential is what makes every senior class memorable, whether it’s Class of 2011 or 2012.

   “Hang out with the people who make you the happiest and bring out the best in you as much as you can. Don’t sweat the small stuff because in the end, everyone ends up exactly where they’re supposed to be,” Shimada said. “Senior year goes by fast, so enjoy it.”

The aorta of a blue whale is big enough for the average grown man to fit inside it.

Prince William and Kate Middleton got married on the same day as Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun.

The first non-human to win an Oscar was Mickey Mouse.

Every time you create a text message you increase your chances of arthritis.

The “sixth sick sheik’s sixth sheep’s sick” is said to be the toughest tongue twister in the English language.

A cat’s urine glows under a black light.

Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.

Statistically, you are more likely to be killed by a cow attack than a shark attack.

The largest toy distributor in the world is McDonald’s.

The only letter not appearing on the Periodic Table is the letter “J”.

Extras just in case you need them:

Camels have three eyelids to protect themselves from blowing sand.

Canada eats the most macaroni and cheese per capita out of every other country in the world.