April 1, 2011 - Modesto City Schools

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Page 2 - OPINIONS - THE PANTHER PRESS - April 1, 2011 Revolutions youthful Editorial Throughout the past month or so, both melancholy groans and gleeful yips have been erupting from high school seniors across the country. Major universities have been revealing their admissions decisions to record-breaking hordes of eager applicants. Despondent Facebook statuses, elated phone calls to relatives, and tears of joy, anger, and/or sadness have all paid testament to this bipolar spectrum of emotions. No, it’s not the end of the world. Nor is it some glimmering, herculean achievement.Whether rejected or accepted to that dream school, students should keep in mind that their next institution of learning is a gateway—not an intrinsic marker of failure or success. Converted 3-D movies not worth the cost Noelle Souza Today, many movies have the words “3-D” added to the title. These extra words seem to highlight the additional costs that go hand-in-hand with these types of movies. The movie industry is a scavenger hunt for ways to make more profit. 3-D tickets cost $5-10 more than a normal 2-D ticket. Film companies say that the added cost helps to pay for the upkeep and price of the cameras and projectors involved in the making and showing of 3-D films. This is not the case, however. It is true that some of the projectors in movie theatres are made only for 2-D films, but a majority of the projectors can show both Students should respect bi-weekly pledge Ryan Perry Dress code hat ban limits self-expression Evan Mason types of movies. When a movie is filmed in 2-D and converted, the conversion process takes an extended period of time. During this time, 3-D effects are added to a movie that was initially made to be shown in 2-D. When this happens, moviegoers are not paying for quality, just the trend of 3-D itself. Movies such as Avatar, Tangled and Tron Legacy were filmed in 3-D and required no conversion. This made for a higher quality 3-D experience for the moviegoer. The type of 3-D in these movies is worth seeing, but converted 3-D is not worth seeing. When it comes to choosing 3-D movies, one must know that they need to choose quality over the sake of paying extra for 3-D. This would make for a more affordable and enjoyable movie experience. Every Tuesday and Thursday MHS awaits their biweekly announcements over the speaker phone from a member of the MHS leadership class. This important task usually includes the announcements for clubs, sports and activities at MHS and almost always begins with the United States Pledge of Allegiance. Students all stand together for the pledge, yet mess the words up on purpose in an attempt to be seen as funny or comical by their classmates, while others are messing around not taking it seriously. This lack of seriousness for the flag and the country is disrespectful and should not go unpunished. The Pledge of Allegiance shows our respect for those who have dedicated their lives to the development, preservation and defense of our country, and many students do not realize this. There are soldiers around the world dying every day to defend right and yet students continue to mock such a sacred sign of respect. Students aren’t forced to say the pledge at MHS but are rather encouraged. If a student does not wish to participate in the pledge of allegiance, or they want to mock what liberties they are given, then so be it. They shouldn’t participate in the pledge at all if all they want to do is disrupt the class. Teachers need to be harsher on students who cause problems during the pledge of allegiance, and the consequences for such rude actions need to be higher. It shouldn’t just be students trying to show more respect to the flag, and all of the liberties that are associated with it, but every single person at MHS. According to the MHS dress code policy, students are not allowed to wear hats of any kind on campus. Hats aren’t allowed on campus because they can be affiliated with gangs and gang violence however, other schools in the area allow hats within the school perimeter. Hats are one of the most widely used articles of clothing outside of school. A reason for this popularity is that hats, as well as any clothing, are a way to express oneself. Hats are used to support favorite teams, organizations, and colors. Prohibiting hats on campus is a restriction on self-expression. The main reason for this restriction on hats is their affiliation with gangs. Hats of certain professional teams, as well as colors, can represent certain gangs. Although this problem persists in many parts of the area, not all schools have banned hat-wearing on campus. Schools such as Ripon High, allow students to wear hats that do not represent a professional team or have certain gang affiliated colors. This solution could also work here at MHS. Students would be required to wear hats that show no gang affiliation, in logo or color. This policy would be enforced just as other policies regarding color appropriate clothes are enforced. Students who wore inappropriate hats would be asked to remove them, and repeated offenders would have their hats confiscated until the end of the school week. What is your favorite movie of all time and why? FRESHMEN Megan Anderson - Up because of its soundtrack. Breanna Elliott - Inception because it was very mind-blowing. Juan Razo - Battle LA because it had very good action. Oscar Labra - Friday because it was very similar to my life. SOPHOMORES Johnathan Capato - Toy Story 3 because it made me cry. Nicole Gaman - Last Samurai because it taught me about Asian heritage. Blake Perez - Fire it Up because it was hilarious. Rafael Carrazco - Transformers because of how stunning and realistic the computer effects were. JUNIORS Melissa Gaines - Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants because its funny. Frances Malaca - Spirited Away because Hayao Miyazaki creates the best animated movies. Jeremy Nielson - The Breakfast Club because it shows that everyone has flaws. Sneha Modi - The Parent Trap because I always wanted to go to camp and do ridiculous things. SENIORS Elaine Resso - The Lion King because it’s something every kid should watch. Tiffany Cho - The Devil Wears Prada because its such a unique story. Karen Chaidez - The Titanic because its really romantic and it has a good plot. Jose Parra - Die Hard because it has a lot of acting and is thrilling. Editor-in-Chief.......................................................Michael Lee News Editor.....................................................Rehana Franklin Features Editors........................Alan Lee, Angelene Shewfelt Sports Editor........................................................Love Grewal Assistant Editors..........................................Mehnoor Haseeb, Moujtaba Kasmani, Gary Shmorgon, Sophia Wong Copy Editor.................................................................Lily Shen Reporters..........................Alexander Anvari, Pauline Cepeda, Morgan Krueger, Joan Mante, Evan Mason, Ian Mason, Chansophia Ouk, Elizabeth Paiva, Ryan Perry, William Shewfelt, Arianna Silva, Noelle Souza Photographers..............................................Mehnoor Haseeb, Angelene Shewfelt, William Shewfelt Illustrators.......................................Eugene Kim, Zoe Toscano Business Manager.........................................Stephanie Ochoa Adviser...................................................................Kevin Olson *Indicates ad sales The Panther Press is produced by the Journalism 3-4 class at Modesto High School, 1st & H Sts., Modesto Calif. 95351. It can also be accessed at http://modesto.monet.k12.ca.us. Letters may be mailed to MHS or submitted to Kevin Olson’s mailbox in the main office.
April 1, 2011 - THE PANTHER PRESS - OPINIONS - Page 3 Top Top 5: Good 5: Causes omens Senior Michael Lee 1. Internet neutrality – Back when radio broadcasting was new, anyone with a shortwave radio could transmit his own amateur programming. Now, radio broadcasting is dominated by large stations. This same process is occuring to the Internet. Though currently anyone can host his own website on privately owned servers, Internet service providers are increasingly regulating content. Net neutrality is a principle that aims to prevent such monopolizing. Through it, open access can be ensured in the future. 2. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital 3. Save the Children 4. Books for Africa 5. AmeriCares Senior Angelene Shewfelt 1. Catholic Relief Services – This is a worldwide organization that provides many different types of support to those overseas. They help public policy, agriculture, education, emergency response, food donation, health issues, sanitary water and social support. They take on each mission with the goal of aiding those in most need, with respect to human dignity and a Christian initiative. They want to strenghthen comunities to the point where they can support one another and live with self sufficience. 2. Salvation Army 3. Catholic Charities 4. Save the Children 5. American Life League Senior Love Grewal 1. American Red Cross Disaster Relief – I think this is a great cause to support, especially now because of the recent events in Japan. The tsunami has left coastal Japan devastated. Thousands of people are dead and many more are still missing or injured; almost half a million people are homeless. Japan also faces a horrible nuclear crisis as well. It’s heart-wrenching, and one can only imagine the great pain and sorrow many Japanese are feeling. Japan donated when Hurricane Katrina impacted the United States. Now, it’s our turn to help Japan get back on its feet. 2. American Cancer Society 3. Feeding America 4. PETA 5. Salvation Army Junior Rehana Franklin 1. New Community Project– It is a grassroots organization that is dedicated to social and environmental justice. Every donation goes directly to a wealth of programs, such as Give a Girl a Chance, in which girls from around the world are sponsored to get an education. This program was built off of evidence that proves “when you educate a woman, you educate an entire village” as women tend to pass on their skills and knowledge to their children and communities. Their diversity and accountability draws me to this particular organization. 2. Doctors Without Borders 3.Heifer Project 4. Make Poverty History 5. SERRV Junior Alan Lee 1. End world hunger – I’m not a communist, but I believe that every person in the world should be entitled to a share of food. In 2010, an estimated 1 billion people were considered undernourished. Evidently, world hunger is a pressing problem, but it is easily remedied. It is estimated that it would only take about $50 billion, a small sum, to feed the 1 billion malnourished people in this world. Why does it continue? 2. Cure cancer 3. End wars 4. Better education in undeveloped countries 5. Create religious peace Credit cards vital to teens’ financial growth Gary Shmorgon Currently, many teens enjoy going to different hot spots, such as the movies or the mall, in stores such as Macy’s. All these places offer services that require the payment of money, whether it is to pay for movie tickets or to purchase different items. Thus, many teens have to carry a wad of cash with them in their purses, wallets or pants. This creates problems, such as not having enough money to purchase a good. If a teen had a credit card, he would be able to purchase anything he wanted without having to worry if he had enough money on his person; the hassle of carrying money and change is eliminated. A teen could purchase an item by pulling out his card and charging it. Mature novels rightfully chosen for class Rehana Franklin Many great works of literature are notable for the authors’ craft of depicting the lives of their characters and providing a broader message or universal truths that contribute to the readers’ understanding of life. Many of these works are also mature, both in the messages expressed and the manner in which they are conveyed. The books that are selected for English classes at MHS are carefully reviewed by the district board and are included in the courses because of their literary value. Before the reading of any work, students are given forms that list all of the materials to be studied that year, and the parents are made aware of the reading list. If any work on the list is deemed objectionable by Photo and art classes taken advantage of Mehnoor Haseeb MHS has many electives that students can fill up their schedules with. These schedule fillers range from “easy” to “difficult” classes. Oftentimes, students choose classes that don’t require much commitment for an easy “A” and have an easy-going environment, such as photography and art classes. These classes are often abused and taken advantage of. Students begin to believe they can pass the classes without putting forth effort. The lack of commitment that takes place hurts the academic state of the student due to carelessness. The purpose of the photography and art classes offered at MHS is to spark an imaginative escape for the students. They offer students time to explore Another positive aspect that results from allowing a teen to own a credit card is that it teaches the teen important financial skills. For example, the parents could agree to pay a certain amount of money on the bill. If the teen went over the limit, he or she would have to pay the rest of the money on the bill. By using this system, the problem of overspending could be avoided, as a teen would be unwilling to spend too much, knowing that he would be responsable for the amount. Teens would learn to manage the money on their accounts, and would gain valuable insight for the future. Teens should be able to have credit cards. This would not only eliminate some problems and make a teen’s life easier and more convenient, but allow the teen to accquire financial skills as well. the parents of a student, then the student is provided with the opportunity to study an alternate assignment without any damage to the student’s class grade. Each work read in English classes is not only internationally acclaimed, but has also been specifically chosen by learned professionals and has been reviewed by numerous educators to insure that it enhances the learning experience of the students in the best possible ways. If a student feels uncomfortable with one of the selected works, they have every right to opt out of studying it and will be given a different assignment that is oftentimes easier than the class assignment. In no way will a student’s grade be compromised for their choice, yet they are still encouraged to read the assigned material as it was specifically chosen for the educational value it holds. their creative sides and succeed in subjects other than strictly academic ones. The classes have a relaxed and lenient policy, and therefore students can turn in assignments until the semester ends without being marked down. However, students generally let procrastination get in the way. They are then flooded with assignments to finish at the last minute. Thus, students do not work to the best of their abilities or make use of time given in class. The policies in these classes are designed to help students, and students should start appreciating them. They should understand that these offered classes are a privilege that they should be lucky to have. Instead of procrastinating on their work, they should keep up with the assignments for the betterment of themselves and their teachers.
Page 1: Vol. 98, No. 7 Modesto High School
Page 5 and 6: By Evan Mason In recent weeks, MHS
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April 1, 2011 - Modesto City Schools

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