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Reporter: Clarissa Martinez

Dinh Thi is a junior at Richmond High School (RHS). She is an artist, specifically an anime artist. She is the kind of artist that randomly starts drawing whenever or wherever she might be located . “My brain never stops working,” she says, images continuously come to her mind and form the basis of her drawings. After, these images come to her, she starts drawing, she works with about anything that comes to her. Many times she produces her beautiful drawings on random pieces of paper. Her talent seems to run in the family seeing that her grandfather was a famous artist in Japan. Though she spends a lot of time drawing she has been able to hold a G.P.A at 3.8. Apparently it was her aunt that inspired her to start drawing. Other than drawing she loves math and she is able to solve a rubiks cube in a very short amount of time.

Her artwork is featured and on display on the website, http://vansora.deviantart.com/. Through this website she receives hundreds of fan letters and comments, praising her art and many fans attest to loving her work. In spite of all the praise she receives, Ms. Thi has remained humble and says that her work only makes her “want to try harder.” Additionally, she uses digital art technology when she feels really bored or inspired. Ironically, she has not taken any art classes at school but is still capable of drawing. She started off drawing stick figures when she was very young and from that she has progressed to drawing complex and ingenious pieces, some inspired by her own friends. If she gets into UC Berkeley she will be very happy and interested in continuing on into medical school. For Ms. Thi drawing is just a simple hobby and pass-time, therefore, she doesn’t feel her talent will lead her into a career in art. However, her love for the arts will not end and she will continue drawing what ever comes to her mind.

Reporter: Kelsey Chew

         It has come to the attention of many residents of California that this year in November, marijuana might be legalized. Marijuana comes from two plants that are so closely related they are probably the same species. According to this website www.thebody.com/content/art6068.html, the plants are Cannabissativa (marijuana/hemp), and Cannabis indica,a bushier variety grown simply for its psychoactive (brain-altering) qualities. Cannabis produces male and female plants, and both of them contain delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol .Female plants, especially those that are not allowed to pollinate, or fertilize another plant, contain the highest concentrations of THC. Marijuana was later found to have other health benefits. It can lower pressure within the eye. This helps treat glaucoma, an eye disease which can cause blindness. Marijuana also reduces nausea and vomiting in patients taking chemotherapy treatment for cancer. It reduces muscle spasms in people with nerve problems like multiple sclerosis and can help treat some types of pain. These uses led to the development of the drug dronabinol Marinol, a synthetic version of THC. For example, a senior Roberto Lainez from RHS  stated ” I think legalizing marijuana is a good thing for people who are sick, but at the same time its a bad influence for young teens.  43% of high school seniors reported that they have tried is at least once. Now there is synthetic marijuana a product legally marketed as herbal incense that will reportedly get you high if you smoke it. Erick Almaraz, a senior from RHS stated “I think if marijuana was legalized it would help decrease drug related conviction cases where many people go to jail just for smoking pot” . According to the state of California when you are caught with pot you are suppose to be arrested and taken to jail, depending on the amount you are caught with.  Jose Loera, a junior from RHS stated “Im not really for it because its bad for you and i really dont like the smell, it makes my head hurt and I don’t think it would be smart to legalize something that is bad for you.”

 Reporter: Selene Calderón

Recently, Michael Canavan, a Latin and ELD teacher at Richmond High School (RHS), became a father once again.   Mr. Canavan already had three children from a previous marriage and this new baby boy is his fourth child and second son. He said he is “very happy” and glad about the baby’s arrival.  The baby was born at the Kaiser in Oakland on March 31 at 4:30pm,  weighing six pounds and five ounces.  The baby came six weeks earlier than expected. According to Mr. Canavan his other children were “in shock” with the baby’s arrival and happy with the addition of a new member to their family.  When Mr. Canavan and his wife learned that they were going to have a child, they decided that they would keep the baby’s gender a secret and await its birth to learn what it was.  This is the reason they struggled to find the adequate name for the baby once they learned that the baby would be coming earlier than they had known.  For much time after this, Mr. Canavan debated on what would be the most suitable name for his new baby. The name Michael  came to him in a dream where he saw a friend of his whom he has not seen for long time. His friend’s name is Michael and so he saw it as a sign that that was the most suitable name for  the baby. Furthermore, the baby was named James in honor of Mr. Canavan’s grandfather. Due to the fact Mr. Canavan’s name is also Michael,  he says it has caused him a bit of confusion when his wife calls for Michael because he does not know whether she means him or the baby.  Many people at RHS have seen pictures of the baby and like everyone Teresa L. Boardman, an English, Computer, and Journalism teacher, said “It is one of the most beautiful babies I have ever seen.”

Congratulations Mr. Canavan!

When or if to have sex is the question a great majority of our youth ponder; however, the true question is how to practice safe sex.  Not only do youth have to think about pregnancy, but they must also think about disease they can catch by having unprotected sex.  The safest and most inexpensive method for staying protected is abstinence. Abstinence is basically not having sex at all and restraining from intercourse. By using this method a person can have 100% certainty that they have not contracted any sort of STD (sexually transmitted disease) or are going to become a parent soon. Abstinence, is something that everyone can practice by saying no.  This is sometimes hard to do in the moment. 

On the other hand, for those that choose to be sexually active, there are various methods to prevent pregnancy and/or disease.   Teens have the possibility of using  several methods of birth control. 

In any relationship, both partners share equal amounts of responsibility for anything that they choose to do together, however if either partner is aware that the other is not using any form of protection, then it is their responsibility to make sure to use some. 

Everyone should use protection whenever engaging in sexual activity. There are many different birth control methods that could be used. You could always use condoms but they don’t always work. There are many options. Many girls are afraid to use these methods, because all of them could have side effects. It’s important to address the issue of birth control when students are sexually active. Many teens don’t and they end up with unwanted or untimely pregnancies. Birth control is a way for men and women to prevent pregnancy. There are many different methods of birth control, including hormonal contraception such as “the pill.” There is also the ring and the injection. All these methods could prevent pregnancy but also it regulates your period. It has other side effects. Eduardo Cacho stated “It made my ex loose her hair.” Also many girls are afraid to use birth control so they just go with condoms. I’m scare to use it” as Jennifer Vasquez stated. She has never tried birth control pills and does not plan to. The pill is taken by mouth by the woman to prevent pregnancy, and when taken correctly, is up to 99.9% effective. The injection known as the Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate, is a hormone injection that lasts for 3 months to prevent pregnancy. The hormones in the ring affect the ovaries and the uterus in order to prevent pregnancy. Well these are some methods of birth control but if you want to know more about birth control go to the CIS building to get further information.

Maria Fincher, the station manager for Univision Santa
Rosa, would like us to get the word out about this scholarship, as it is
for students who live in the Bay Area. Students from our District have a good chance at getting it.
Information and application is attached. It is due May 7th.
             
                Montgomery High, An Internat’l Baccalaureate High School

                1250 Hahman Drive

                Santa Rosa, CA 95405

                 (707) 528-5512

Recycling at Richmond High School (RHS) is something that simply did not occur before. Previously such groups as Youth 4 Environmental Power attempted to start a recycling program. In the end, their attempts were simply ineffective because no one followed up the year after the program was set up. The ironic thing about the situation is that though many students showed interest in their environment, something as simple as separating recyclable materials from everyday trash, did not happen. José Loera, a junior at RHS, for example stated that he thinks that recycling is”good for the environment and that it’s part of the circle of life.”

Luckily, this year the Leadership class that is taught by Joshua Hastings, a Cultural Geography and World History teacher, decided that they would work on creating a recycling program as an entire class. The Leadership class concentrates on teaching students about how to become leaders and help their community. The class takes part in all of the schools activities like assemblies and rallies. At these events, they help usher, organize, clean up, etc.

The class was motivated to start a recycling program by their own personal desires to improve their school and community.  Unanimously, they came to the consensus that this year it would be necessary to tackle an environmental issue because recycling would help the school look better and it would create a more ”Green” environment for everyone in the school. Students not only planned and helped design the recycling program, but they also learned about the topic and its benefits. After, acquiring the necessary facts, they planned ways to use them to help other students and teachers recycle. To start their project it was necessary for the students to get administration to work with them, which did not take much time. Then, they had to go door-by-door asking teachers if they had recycling in their classrooms and if not if they would be interested in receiving a recycle bin. Dariel Escobar, a senior, reported that due to the lack of recycle bins before he had seen many “teachers using cardboard boxes as an initiative for recycling, the good thing was that the box could also be recycled.” Luckily, thanks to the efforts of the Leadership students now any teacher wanting to recycle has been able to acquire a bin. Many teachers not only wanted to start recycling in their classrooms, but asked that the Leadership students make quick informational presentations to their classes and share some of the benefits that recycling produces. Selene Calderon, a junior at RHS and part of Leadership, said, “I feel that it’s important to take care of the environment and its time for Richmond High to increase its efforts even more.”

Recycling is a good thing to do when a person wants to help their community and environment. By recycling a person can really make a difference according to www.recycling-revolution.com, “Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours — or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.” The recycling craze has really taken off for example now companies are starting to produce hats from recyclable materials among other things.

Leadership students will be picking up the recycling from all classes on Mondays during third period. This is one small step for students and one big step for Richmond High.

Reporter: Danny Mclane

“B*!#%!!!” It can be heard in the halls, on the streets, or anywhere else were conflict can be found but not as a reference to a female dog like its denotation. Most people use this word in an informal manner with their friends, but most of the time it can be attributed to conflicts.  Some take this word as a joke, saying it is “ just playing!” and nothing more. Others don’t take the use of this word so lightly, but this word’s meaning and effect varies from person to person. “It’s more than just a word…” explained Regine Pittman, a sophomore student who attended the assembly that was recently held in the Little Theater of Richmond High School (RHS). The assembly was devoted to the  documentary, Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes . Pittman went on to state that the word is “…just plain disrespectful.”  Insulting as the word may seem to some, words like this one don’t disappear from society. This word according to wikipedia.org, has been in use “As a derogatory term for women… since the fourteenth or fifteenth century.”

 The documentary was shown in two separate assemblies, one for the girls and another for the boys. The whole school attended (about 2,000 students and staff members). After the movie was shown, in each session, a heated discussion was held between the panel members and many RHS students. The panel included RHS student Abel Pineda, and other faculty members. During the all boys session, an argument arose due to the disagreement of whether or not there exists a need to change the ways and habits of young men in society. When asked how teenagers these days could change, a freshman answered “This is just how we are, we can’t change.” Although the students made a good case for themselves, the assumption that change is the way to go came with good reason.

The documentary gave an inside look into the world of Hip-Hop. Director Byron Hurt addresses many hot topics in the documentary about today’s society from the issue of violence to homophobia in hip-hop culture, . Surprisingly, these problems weren’t the topic of conversation. The conversation surrounded the topics of the repeated use of the B word and the degrading of women . Many students questioned the reasons of why the movie was shown. “We were dealing with a lot of issues at the time…” explained  Jen Bender, an instructional specialist, “…we needed something relevant that students could relate to in some way. We would have preferred something more diverse, but we were limited.”