Issue of May 9, 2003
Volume 86, No. 11
Click on a story title to view the story
News
Outstanding Counseling staff recognized
Senior McGinnis shines at speech finals
Testing weeks turn Colton upside downOpinions
Do nice guys suck? NO!
Do nice guys suck? YES!
My One and a half cents (Column)
War protest story brings response...and a rebuttal
Would you like a heart attack with those fries?Features
House of 1,000 boring corpses (film review)
Bored at Wal Mart? Try this
Fake smiles hide depression
Prom equation equals sex?
Suicide a growing problem...get help
Quentin Tarantino returns to filmdomDiversions
Making your prom night more affordable
Anger Management (film review)
Sports
Badminton takes league title
Baseball, softball look to finish season on high note
Swimming
Oustanding counseling staff finally recognized
by Julia Arenas
May 9, 2003Colton High's counseling department has been honored with the Academy Award, an award given by the Department of Education to the top counseling staffs in the state. On Friday April 25, The California Department of Education and Los Angeles County Office of Education recognized the great deal of effort and caring the support team has shown and conferred the award at the Hyatt Regency at Long Beach.
This is something big for the school; this means that we are being recognized as a school that is efficient and organized. Counselors are a big part of everyday life at the Colton High School. Always busy, and every day there is something that needs to be done. In such a business usually it's every man/women for him/her self, but not with Colton High's counselors. For our counselors, it's always a team effort to get things done and to help any one who may need it. Every one is included when they get congratulated for their efforts: the secretaries, the people they contact, and the counselors.
Sometimes it may seem like the counselors are too busy to care enough to take the time to really look at you, but it's just that they are trying to concentrate on every thing and every one at the same time so that way every thing will work out the way that we want or the way that it was supposed to.
Not only do the counselors check with each other to see what they can do but they also consult different people outside of the school, such as psychologists, aides, shelter specialists, and rape victim specialists. And of course there are the many teams at the school able to help; this team includes the Crisis Management team, The Threat Assessment team, a School Resource Officer, and a Probation Officer. If they themselves cannot help you, they always try to find someone else to help you. It delves deeper into seeing if they can help you at home and find out what is going on with your personal life; it may seem a bit like prying but they just want to help.
Colton High's head counselor, , Ken Clark, is very proud of his job, and the way that his fellow counselors try to help the troubled students at this school. According to Clark, "We are not teachers, but yes, we do guide any way we can." All of the counselors that come to Colton High always have some experience in the way of teens and children. To name a few, there are two Records Technicians, (6 years experience), four secretaries (62 years), Nurses Aid (8 years) Career Center Coordinator (13 yrs) Colton Police Officer (21 years) and finally the probation officer (10 years).
There are a lot of people that are important to the school, from the principal to the secretaries. It is a cycle, everything and every one does their part. And now it seems that all the hard work paid off. Good job, counselors, and keep up the good work!
Senior McGinnis shines at state speech finals, takes first place
by Adriana Hernandez
May 9, 2003Senior Tim McGinnis took a first place in the category "Presiding Officer" at the annual state speech finals held last weekend at Cal State San Bernardino. Junior Vanessa Tarango joined McGinnis in qualifying for the state finals hosted this year by the Inland Empire League (Colton, Redlands, Yucaipa, Claremont, San Gregornio, Redlands East Valley, and Hesperia). Tarango qualified in the category of "Original Prose Poetry." Although she did not place in the finals, just getting to the state finals was a feat unto itself.
Now you ask yourself, what is speech? Speech is a class here on campus where students learn to develop public speaking skills for the future; their teacher is Bob Degroff (affectionately known as "big Daddy D"); he's been teaching this class for 14 years now and as president of the Inland Empire League is especially proud this year to be hosting it.
Throughout the year these students go to various competitions and debate certain topics or simply perform speeches. Tarango, in the Original Prose Poetry category, decided to write a dramatic story about the hardships of going through the foster home system. She performed her speech at several competitions and competed against schools around the Inland Empire. Only the top four of the I.E. league qualify for state finals and go on to compete against other leagues all over the state of California.
Tarango placed third in the qualifying rounds and was happy to have gotten to go to finals. McGinnis was in a completely different category called Student Congress, where you learn about politics and decision making; they form a miniature congress just like the U.S. congress. Student Congress takes on controversial issues happening in the world today and debate and talk about what they should do. McGinnis started out as a senator then was nominated for Presiding Officer. As Presiding Officer what he did was keep the congress in order and makes sure none of the topics being debated got out of hand. All the hard work paid off as Tarango and McGinnis were proud to have been apart of state finals this year.
Testing weeks transform Colton into beehive of activity
by Sara Robbin
May 9, 2003The bell rings. Students scurry like ants (well, maybe buzz like Yellowjackets) as they try to figure out where their testing room is. Who am I with? Do I know the teacher? I ate a good breakfast like they said (OK, so it was McDonald's, but that counts, doesn't it?). I need to do well on these tests!
STAR testing (aka the CAT 6) took over Colton High like a tornado last week. The tests are based on what you learn in school to see how much you have accomplished. These tests also affect your competency. If you happen to miss a day, don't worry because there will be make-ups. The class that you were put in for testing was arranged for you to be in a comfortable environment. When the administration was setting up the classes, they tried to put students in a class that consists of the teachers that they know and are used to.
Behind the scenes of testing is a lot of work. The staff is trying their best to keep everything under control. Room 255 is where all the stress is going on. Teachers and staff have to sign out materials, make sure it gets back the way it was given out, re-count the text, and put everything back where it belongs. At the end of the day everything is double-checked. For example, The math survey that was given was checked many times to make sure that each student is taking the test that corresponds to the course that they are assigned to.
Sharon Taylor, who is main administrator of this test said, "It has been running very, very smoothly." She also implies that so far things have been going better than expected. Taylor says that things are better because Principal Jerry Almendarez does announcements and lets the students know what test they are taking. Principal Almendarez also assures the students that there will be enough time to take each test and encourages them to take their time so they can do well. Taylor continues with, "There have been an incredible number of staff members working to make testing successful this year."
Oh, by the way, if you are a senior, you need to stop ditching and report to Whitmer Auditorium.
BSN-Do nice guys suck really bad? Con
Marissa Cortez
May 9, 2003Respect is essential in every good relationship. No one likes to be treated badly or taken for granted. You're with someone because you enjoy spending time with then and the way they make you feel. You never get tired of them or bored and if you ever do, then maybe you're with the wrong person. It seems to me that girls like to be with guys who treat them badly and disrespect them because they want to complain about it and make people feel sympathy towards them. I fail to see the fun in arguing all the time and fighting with a person you care about. And obviously if you're with this person you do care about them somewhat, so why would you want to hurt a person you care about? How would this make things interesting? It only hurts the both of you. Instead why not show them how you feel about them. I'm not saying that flowers, candies, and stuffed animals are always the answer, but it's nice every once and a while for your boyfriend to make a nice gesture to show you how he feels. What is so wrong with that? Can a boyfriend and girlfriend get along? God forbid!
Let's be honest though, poetry isn't for everyone, and I'm not saying it should be. There are other ways to show how you feel. Hey, if you want to argue and act like you hate each other go right on ahead, who am I to stop you.
But if that's all you have to keep a relationship interesting then you've got bigger problems. If you're with the right person it always will be exciting. Now of course you don't want to agree on every little thing all the time. A few disagreements are healthy and you should have your own opinons and ideas. Why can't you have excitement and adventure without arguing? When it comes to relationships, I'm not into playing games, it's extremely childish. I don't want to be confused: say what you mean! Tell them how you feel, tell them what you want. Otherwise how are you ever going to get it? Life is too short not to show people how you really feel.
Love isn't supposed to be some difficult challenge, it should be the one thing that isn't. It shouldn't be complicated. You love them or you don't. I don't want head games and honestly who in their right mind would? I'm not saying relationships don't take work sometimes because Lord knows they do, but if it seems l;ike you're constantly working at it then maybe it's time to seriously rethink your relationship.
Most girls want a good guy who treats them well, but let's be honest, the sad fact is that there aren't many out there. So if you find a guy like this make sure you appreciate him.
BSN- Do nice guys suck really bad? Pro
Kerry Ortloff
May 9, 2003Flowers? No. Candy? Not even. Poetry? No way! C'mon guys, the way to a girl's heart isn't through any of these, the best way to win the girl of your dreams? Act like a jerk. Seriously, any person with any sense at all should know that trivial love tokens like the ones above are useless. So what should girls want? A guy with different ideas then their own, someone nice won't keep you interested, neither will someone cute, but someone insane? Someone who you disagree with and can't help but go back to again and again to try and figure out what the devil is going on in their head? That is better than all the diamonds and love songs in the world. People need excitement! Adventure! The occasional complication! Ladies, if you choose a "nice guy", how boring will your life be? I'm not saying that nice translates into boring, (well, yes actually I am). For starters, "nice" is such a dull, weak word to begin with. Who wants a guy who is so nice he always surprises you with gifts, and always calls to say he's thinking of you, and is so whipped he is constantly telling you how much he cares, how beautiful you are, blah, blah, blah, I mean really, call me crazy, but that would be like hell. No one wants to go out with a doormat; you can't respect someone like that, and if you can't respect them, how can you love them? I don't ever want a guy so eager to please that he would say what he thinks I want to hear, or avoid fighting with me. Fights are good! Arguing is great! (Maybe I should have joined the debate team.)
Don't get me wrong, I do not want to be disrespected by a guy, I don't want to be treated like less than his equal, I do not want some dirty wife-beater, I do not want some chauvinistic macho guy. The opposite of nice does not have to be mean, I don't want someone who is cruel and rude, but to be a jerk occasionally is ok; in fact, it's awesome! I want someone with opinions! I want someone who knows how to play head games! Confusing is fun, you need mystery in life!
Someone I know once told me a pretty good philosophy: don't talk too often to someone you like, the reason being, you'll get bored quicker. I think I've improved on that idea: talk as much as you like, just don't be nice, don't be obvious about your intentions, or if you even have any, be contradictory, don't make things easy! And that is the main problem with nice guys, they make life too easy, they make the game of love simple to win, and who wants relationships to be uncomplicated? If love (or deep like) was suppose to be effortless, then there is no way Shakespeare (sorry, I'm an AP nerd) could have written so many plays dealing with the subject. Love triangles, deception, unrequited love--this is great stuff, that is how this wild world is meant to work. I say embrace it!
finis (the end ) My 1 and 1/2 cents
by Lisa Namnath
May 9, 2003At 17 I am disillusioned with the world, with humanity in general. That is not to say that life is horrible, it is actually better more often than not than one expects. Take this high school for instance: when I was in junior high, so many people transferred out of the district just so they didn't have to go here. I always thought, wow, what's so wrong with Colton that people would try at any cost to not go here? This scared me, so I showed up to my first day of high school scared. So what? Most freshmen are scared, you say. Well, I don't know, it was just that, in my four years here, I've only seen drugs twice, and both times it was only marijuana. I've never seen a gun or knife (well at least not being used in an altercation.) Honestly, after the first day, I haven't ever been scared of going to school each day. It's Colton, it's not that bad.
That said, I have a few things to say about stuff in general.
The things in this life that are new are not always the best things. They show no wear, have no personality, reflect nothing of what life really is. Whether we like it or not, life leaves wear upon our minds and bodies; no one dies without being storm-tossed. Mortal things all feel the way time presses upon them. Those who have really lived have a greater appreciation for the small and simple things in life. They are more inclined to enjoy what they are given for they know what it is to have nothing.
Think about driftwood, it has been places, it is like imagining where a penny has been and what hands it has passed through. Driftwood has floated in many seas, been through trials, seen many things, it has more personality than a plain unknotted piece of lumber could ever have. These different types of wood symbolize something greater; they symbolize the results of the trials of life. It is saying through all our lives we accumulate mars, but it is the mars that make us beautiful as people. Everyone is original in their own way and thats what makes us all different in our special ways. Imagine the world if everyone was the same: what would that be like? No originality, nothing that differs from anyone else can we really handle a universe with no diversity. I know I can't.
As many of us know the year is almost over which means one more set of seniors to leave and one more set of juniors to take their place in this big high-school "cycle." What do we really leave with though? Is senior year just a big waste of our time?
I know I am leaving with a whole new group of ideas and thoughts I didn't have last year. This year has probably changed me the most becuase the end is near and we all know it so we start to appreciate each other just that much more. I tend to value the time with my friends because everyone is going to different places and finding their niche in life, but that doesn't have to mean it's all over. We will always have high school, we will always have the memories. That said, I end my reign and this column will never be graced with my words again.
War protest story brings response...and rebuttal
May 9, 2003Dear Editor:
The article "War: Colton students speak out," by Nick Taylor (March 20) is unfair and misleading. The article accounts for the anti-war and the so called "pro-war" rallies on that occurred February 28, 2003.
The article states that the group opposed to the Anti-war is "Pro-war". Being one of the two leaders of this so called "Pro-war" movement, I can say we are most certainly not "Pro-war", but we are Pro-Country. By this I mean we support the country and its decisions.
Mr. Taylor states in the article, "Other than basically annoying the anti-war group, the pro-war group did nothing to influence anyone to the pro-war side." If your esteemed reporter had been paying attention, he would have noticed that we started with five Patriots and by the end, we outnumbered the Anti-war protesters, clearly making us the majority.
The article makes it seem as if we were just a bunch of troublemakers with no reason to be there. In fact we are an organized group that goes out and tells fellow patriots to not be ashamed of their patriotism and support our flag! We feel if others have the right to protest against the country, then we all have the right to support it.
"I should say that sixty percent of U.S. is not for the war so being for the war would actually be non-supportive of the U.S." says Mr. Taylor. Well, I'm not sure what sources Mr. Taylor obtained this information from, but I have never seen any number like that in nationwide polls. According to a CBS/New York Times poll, seventy-six percent of Americans approved of the war; some polls have even shown that eighty percent of Americans are in favor of the war. This means that the Anti-war protesters are non-supportive, not us Patriots.
We who support our country are disappointed and insulted by this article. It is very biased and misleading. I am not saying that Mr. Taylor's opinion is wrong and mine is right, I am simply saying that everyone has the right to be heard fairly. This biased article violated our rights. Thank you for your time.Jesse Mendoza, Colton High Student, Patriot...
Now for the Pepperbough's rebuttal:
In the letter above, senior Jesse Mendoza says, "As being one of the two leaders of these so called pro-war movements I can say we are most certainly not pro-war but rather pro-country." This is a very ignorant thing to say considering pictures have been shown of your group holding signs saying, "We want war!" which is contradicting of the statement above. As being a "leader" of this group you must have had some say or knowledge of such a banner, making you directly tied with the pro-war movement.
Mr. Mendoza then goes on to say that the pro-war group outnumbered the anti-war group. In my opinion this is also false because there were around thirty or so anti-war and around 10 to 15 pro-war, the majority of people were merely spectators watching your group's amusing antics.
Another point from Mr. Mendoza is that 66% of Americans approve of the war and after checking this I can say it is semi true because according to msnbc.com it is actually around 57%, but that number can fluctuate depending on which source you look at. In America the pro-war sentiment might be the majority but the anti-war movement is not small in numbers because based on the statistics from the same site around 37% of those polled are against the war in Iraq.
Finally I would like to address a misconception placed upon all people against this war, that being that all who are against the war are against America. But in fact I love my country; I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I love my freedom and do not take it for granted. It is because I do not take my free speech for granted that I openly oppose such a war.
I want to end this article saying that judging by the amount of times he says it Mr. Mendoza thinks of himself as a patriot. I consider myself one as well in the way I love my country and do not take my rights for granted. But I am not a patriot in the way Mr. Mendoza is because I am not compliant and silent and I do not allow George W. Bush to think for me.Nick Taylor, Colton High School, Super Patriot
Would you like a heart attack with that order of fries?
by Sandra Brown
May 9, 2003Today's society, especially activities involving teenagers, is built around going out and eating fast food. What makes this fast food eating habit occur? Is it T.V. and the way it advertises fast food, is it addiction to the taste of the greasy foods, or is it just simply laziness, in which you don't feel like cooking something for yourself to eat? Maybe it is just a mixture of them all.
To most people, eating fast food is so easy and convenient, and of course tastes good. If you are ever hungry you can just get in the car and go pick something up. It is so much easier than actually trying to cook yourself something to eat. Most of the time fast food tastes way better than what you would make yourself anyways. This is not the way it should be. Even though fast food may be convenient, that doesn't make it a good thing for you and your body to eat everyday. Fast food definitely does not provide your body with all the nutrients and vitamins that it needs. While not providing you with enough nutrition, it also provides your body with a lot of calories, fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol. With too much of all of these things your body can become very unhealthy. Some fast foods also obtain a lot of sodium, which in having too much can cause heart problems. Fast food doesn't provide the vegetables and vitamins that a person should take in to their body everyday. That also can make you become unhealthy, if you eat it everyday and do not get the vitamins needed to keep your body healthy. Of course people are going to eat fast food every once in a while, that's ok, its just when you over do it you are putting your body at risk of not being healthy.
T.V. advertisements promote fast food as being the greatest. They make fast food seem so convenient and great tasting, which most people agree with, so therefore, they eat it. McDonalds uses the phrase, "We love to see you smile." But in reality, if you think about it, if you eat McDonalds often you are pretty much destined to become overweight and unhealthy. Do you really think you will be smiling when you are unhealthy and over weight?
'Corpses' die of boredom
by Victor Valdez
May 9, 2003Rob Zombie makes his directorial debut in the film House of 1000 Corpses. There is so much wrong about this movie it's hard to tell where to start. To begin with the movie had been pushed back for the reason that a couple different production companies dropped it because of its content. It originally had an NC-17 rating for its violence and gore, but seeing the final version it leaves me wondering if they cut out all the good parts..
The movie is not as gory as I thought. Actually I think I must have slept through it because there was a real lack of any violence. Whenever someone is going to be killed it goes to some weird camera angle so you can't really tell what's going on or they just cut the scene before it happens. Maybe when the DVD comes out you will see what really happens.
The film was missing any real story. Before you can start to figure out what is going on something else happens, but then you realize that nothing is happening. The story goes that some kids (one of whom is the host of that show Shipmates, a laugh in itself) meet some dumb clown at a gas station attraction and he tells them about the legend of Dr. Satan and they go in search of his grave. On the way there, they pick up a hitchhiker and then they get a flat tire. It's raining and they are stuck so the girl offers to have her brother tow their truck. When they get their truck towed they go to the girls house and meet her creepy family. The bad hillbilly accents don't help their bad acting. After the mother of the bunch sits them down to dinner they start realizing something is really weird about this family. They stay for the families nightly "show" and then one of the girls gets in a fight with the hitchhiker. That is when they get trapped because the family won't let them go and they have to find a way to escape. Sounds interesting, doesn't it? Trust me, its not.
I expected a lot more from Zombie since he has that whole "Hellbilly Deluxe" thing going on. The only things that are scary about this movie are its horrible acting and it's beaten-to-death plot. Do yourself a favor, if you really want to see a cheesy horror film, save some money and go rent the classic Evil Dead. Ebert and Ropert don't have enough thumbs to point down, so I'll do it for them. House of a 1000 Corpses gets a thousand thumbs down.
Ever been bored at Wal-Mart? Try these
by Claudia Gonzalez
May 9, 2003Have you ever been stuck in a situation when you're at Wal-Mart and you're bored, but don't know what to do in order to keep yourself busy and forget that you're there? Have you taken a moment to think about what you can do at Wal-Mart while your parents are shopping or when you're there with your friends and get a little bored and want to have some fun? We know that some of us have done one or two things that we thought that were fun, but realize at the end that you've made a mess and then take off and not picking anything up. Many people think that when they go shopping it's not fun, but what they don't know is that you can make it fun by doing one of the following things that appear on this list .. Here are some of the things that people tend to do while they are shopping at Wal-Mart:
1) Take shopping carts for the express purpose of filling them and stranding them at strategic locations. 2) Start playing Calvin ball; see how many people you can get to join in. 3) Challenge other customers to duels with tubes of gift-wrap. 4) Tune all the radios to a polka station; then turn them all off and turn the volumes to "10". 5) Walk up to complete strangers and say, "Hi! I haven't seen you in so long..." etc. See if they play along to avoid embarrassment. 6) While walking through the clothing department, ask yourself loud enough for all to hear, "Who BUYS this crap, anyway?" 7) While walking through the jewelry department, ask yourself loud enough for all to hear, "Who BUYS this crap, anyway?" 8) Ride a display bicycle through the store; claim you're taking it for a "test drive." 9) Play soccer with a group of friends, using the entire store as your playing field. 10) As the cashier runs your purchases over the scanner, and look mesmerized and say, "Wow. Magic!" 11) Put M&M's on layaway. 12) Set up a tent in the camping department; tell others you'll only invite them in if they bring pillows from Bed and Bath. 13) Test the fishing rods and see what you can "catch" from the other aisles. 14) Ask other customers if they have any Grey Poupon. 15) TP as much of the store as possible. 16) When two or three people are walking ahead of you, run between them, yelling, "Red Rover!" 17) Make up nonsense products and ask newly hired employees if there are any in stock, i.e., "Do you have any Shnerples here?" 18) Take up an entire aisle in Toys by setting up a full-scale battlefield with G.I. Joes vs. the X-Men and then take bets on the battle. 19) In the auto department, practice your "Madonna" look with various funnels.
Fake smiles: The happiest people could be secretly depressed
by Latoya Brookins
May 9, 2003You know the kind of person I'm talking about. The one that, to the naked eye, seems like they have it all. Supporting friends, a loving family, good grades, and a cool image. They make you believe that there could not be a single reason for them to be anything but happy. At first glance they are nothing more than nicely dressed, well-adjusted members of society. Take a closer look. If you do you will be able to see the real person that lies beneath the façade of smiley calmness and unflappable perfection. The one that cries themself to sleep, wanting desperately to tell people the truth, that they are not fine. They pretend that they are happy and that nothing is wrong, hoping that someday they will be able to convince themselves that it is the truth.
Their energetic demeanor is so convincingly earnest to the outside world that you cannot tell that inside they are spiraling out of control. They have so many conflicting emotions, questions left unanswered. Questions they wouldn't dare to ask. Why do I feel like this? Is there something wrong with me? Why can't I be content with my life? They try to make their feelings of hopelessness and self doubt go away but they can't. It is always there, making them feel isolated from everyone, like they will never be a part of normal life. There are moments when the uncertainty that each day brings becomes so unbearably frustrating that they start to contemplate suicide.
And yet they feel the need to hide their unhappiness from the ones they love, fearing that they would not understand. Or even worse, that they would view them differently, looking down on them with sympathy or disgust. They find themselves wondering how they would react if they knew the truth. If they knew the thoughts that went through their head. Would they still love me? They could not possibly understand what I am going through when I'm not even sure that I understand. When people ask you if you are fine, do they really want to know? Do they really care or are they just being polite? What if the answer is the latter and they are only asking because they think it is the right thing to do. That does not make you eager to share your feelings with the world. Infact, it makes you want to pretend that everything is okay because you do not want to burden anyone with your problems or be an inconvenience. You start to believe that it is better to just conceal your pain.
Weary of the judgment that they would receive if they revealed their true emotions, they have decided to pretend to be something that they are not. They laugh at all of the jokes and dance to all of the songs, when in their heart there is no humor or music. They keep their innermost feelings bottled up in a dark corner of their mind. However, when they are alone they can't stop the tears from spilling or ignore their emotions as they claw their way out. So they make sure that they are never alone. They fill their life with meaningless activities and surround themselves with people who have no clue of the agony they are in every day. If you could experience life from their perspective, through their eyes, you would be dumbfounded by the secrets that you never even guessed they held.
Every moment of their lives they are fighting a personal battle for fullfillment. A fullfillment that is painfully out of reach. All they want is to be one of the shiny, happy people. Maybe someday they will be. Unfortunately, someday isn't soon enough. His or her only help will come when someone is able to see past the act. When people stop letting themselves be fooled. When we take a closer look.
Prom equation: Girl + Boy w/Corsage (minus supervision) + nine months = stork visit?
By Narmin Shahin
May 9, 2003Lights flashing, music pounding in your ears, prom memories fresh in your mind, as you stand in a rented room watching your date look as good as they can, there is something... something weighing in at the back of your mind.
As everyone knows we are in high school and that means our hormones are in overdrive. Does is really imply that we make the right decisions? Many of us are currently having unprotected sex and we don’t understand the consequences. It seems that in our school there aren’t many people waiting or practicing abstinence and the ones who are don’t want to admit it. Sex has become so common that the effect of it doesn’t seem to affect us as they once did. I wanted to see the other side of the story by actually speaking to a teen mom and seeing it through her point of view.
Jennica Barrueta is a junior with one little girl to take care of. “I regret having unprotected sex because if you’re not going to protect yourself, you are going to have a baby,” says Jennica. She will never regret having her baby, but hopes other girls will see that it isn’t worth it because sex will not benefit you in any way. Being a mother is a greater responsibility than most of us can handle. Having a kid will change your life forever and you can see it in any teen mother’s eyes. There so many things at stake when you take the chance by having unprotected sex with a sexual partner that you barely know anything about. When you’re thinking about the “act” these things don’t cross your mind; but when you become a teen mom that’s all you can think about. The guilt is enough to make you think twice about having unprotected sex.
There are so many sexually transmitted diseases you can get from your partner: HIV, AIDS and incurable genital herpes that you spread to anyone you sleep with. So if you are going to do it, make sure you know who else your partner has slept with and take the time to go get tested. You can get a lot of sexualy transmitted diseases by having too many sexual partners so if you are going to commit yourself, make sure you only have one partner and they are not sleeping around as well. “I can barely take care of myself, let alone another person” says senior Paula Kassouf. Which produces the question are we mature or ready to take care of another life along with ours? Most teen moms drop out of school and start working most of the day to try and raise enough money for their son or daughter. “Everything you do effects her and you need to be on top of everything, it’s not just your life anymore,” says Jennica. She knows what it’s like to have a baby and the only advice for everyone else having unprotected sex is that you think he’s the one but in the end he will leave you. So next time you’re thinking it’s not that big of a deal to have unprotected sex think about the consequences you would suffer and if it is even really worth it. I dont think it is and most teen mothers don’t think so either.
Prom is tomorrow night and that usually means hotel rooms and long nights. Even though it seems that it is expected to have sex at prom. remember that you don’t have to be one of the crowd. Just because everyone else is going to do it doesn’t mean you have to too, it might not be worth it in the end, take time to think about the consequences
Suicide: Colton High Under the Scope
By Gabriel Jorrin
May 9, 2003"Every year, at least 30,000 suicide deaths occur nationally," as explained by SA/VE (Suicide Awareness: Voices of Education) an organization dedicated to suicide prevention and provide education on the facts of suicide. To many, the subject of suicide is taboo or a subject that is avoided in society. This allows myths to form about suicide that keep people misinformed, which blocks out chances to prevent a possible suicide. Despite its unpleasantness, it is a topic that should be taken seriously and never be ignored.
The #1 cause of suicide is untreated depression. This is true in most cases since the Journal of the American Medical Association has reported that 95% of all suicides occur at the peak of a depressive episode. Another study in SA/VE said, "Of the many millions of Americans who suffer from depression in any given year, 80% can be effectively treated, but only 30% seek help and of that number, slightly more than half are accurately diagnosed and receive appropriate treatment." Depression is the long-term illness that affects over 19 million people each year in the U.S. In fact, more teenagers and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza, and chronic lung disease combined as a study showed in the Oklahoma Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force. Like suicide, depression is a misunderstood concept, but some seem to think that it's a problem that can be fixed with the touch of a button. A depressive illness is not much different from a disease since it affects people not only on the outside, but the inside as well causing medical problems and complications in health.
To address the harsh realities of suicide, Colton High is offering the SOS (Signs of Suicide) High School Suicide Prevention Program. This program has been used in hundreds of schools in the past two years nation wide and has been successful in increasing help seeking by students concerned about themselves or a friend. Contact your counselor for more information. They care.
Tarantino makes long awaited return to Cinema
by Mitch Rector
May 9, 2003Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, and now - Kill Bill. That's right! The king of crime, director/screenwriter/actor/producer Quentin Tarantino, is about to make his long-awaited comeback with his fourth film Kill Bill, which stars Uma Thurman and is due to release October 10th of this year. After Kill Bill hits theaters, Tarantino will be working on a line up of projects that will include Glorious Bastards, a World War II flick, and the Pulp Fiction/Reservoir Dogs prequel The Vega Brothers, which will star John Travolta and Michael Madsen as the gangster driven brothers Vincent and Vic Vega.
This is the time to get caught up for those of you that don't know who Quentin "The Man" Tarantino is. "Q.T." was probably the most distinctive talents to emerge from the early 90's. Tarantino initially starting his career as an actor in such sitcoms like The Golden Girls and then developed a keen sense of filmmaking that would prove to be original and untouched. The funny thing is he learned his brilliantly outlandish craft, which combines clever, twisting dialogues with violent storylines, from working as a video clerk in Manhattan Beach, CA, . During his time at the movie place, he began writing screenplays. He first completed the script True Romance in 1987, and with the help of his co-worker, Roger Avery (also now a director), he attempted to get financial backing to make the movie.
After years of negotiations, he finally decided to just sell the script, which wound up in the hands of director Tony Scott. During that time, he wrote the screenplay Natural Born Killers, but again was unable to come up with the financial support to make a movie so he gave the script to his partner, Rand Vossler. Tarantino then used the money he made from True Romance to begin pre-production on his story Reservoir Dogs, which caught the attention of actor Harvey Keitel who agreed to act in it as well as produce it. The film grew at the Sundance Film Festival and received critical acclaim, making it a surprise hit. In 1994, director Oliver Stone took Tarantino's script and warped it into an artsy and extremely controversial film. However, shortly after Natural Born Killers hit theaters, the instant cult classic Pulp Fiction also made its way in, surpassing Natural Born Killers in money and popularity by far. Pulp Fiction paved the way for Tarantino's follow-up film Jackie Brown, which failed to live up to the Pulp Fiction tradition.
After that, Tarantino just hid away from the spotlight, giving him time to write his script Kill Bill. Now that Tarantino has a huge line of movies to go to work on, I have a feeling that he will blow up even bigger than he already is, so it's not too late to get in on the Tarantino experience.
Making your prom more affordable
by Sara Robbin
May 9, 2003There are many ways to make prom fun without having to spend so much money. Top five dos and don'ts…
DosBuy your dress at a vintage/discount store (or look for big sales).
Rent a tuxedo instead of buying one (or you can use the clothes you already have to put an outfit together).
Do your own hair, nails, and make-up.
If you usually wear you hair up, wear it down, if you wear your hair curly, wear it straight, etc.
Buy a disposable camera for the Kodak moments.Don'ts
Don't pay for a limo when there is a car that you can use.
Don't take pictures at prom when you can take them at the mall for cheaper
Don't spend the night at a hotel.
Don't spend too much on the matching shoes you saw in the magazine.
Do not borrow daddy's credit card to pay for everything.If all else fails, you could always make your date pay for everything (or refuse to go with them). There are other options if you don't have enough money: DON'T GO!!! At least you can spend another Saturday at home playing board games with your mom, seeing as how all your friends are out having fun without you. Or you could always go to the movies, go to a club, or even make popcorn for the movies you rented. While you do that, you can think about what you could be doing if you had gone to prom.
Need anger mangement? Call Buddy Rydell!
by Julia Arenas
May 9, 2003Adam Sandler, the king of laughter, nowadays, has done it again: His latest movie, Anger Management, which came out Friday, April 11th, is a classical laugh-your butt-off movie. This is a comedy that was rated PG-13 for crude sexual content and language, obviously intended for those who were 13 and over. The theater, Cinema Star, had Anger Management in a huge theater, number nine; but sadly not even half was filled. Although there were a lot of people, this theater was extremely big. At 1:00 on a Saturday, there were not many teenagers seen there until later.
The movie was rather long in length, which the plot fit correctly. It had an unhurried and laid back type of way of showing what was happening in the movie. Sandler, who plays Dave Buznik, a man who is wrongly of accused of needing anger management, plays opposite of Jack Nicholson, who plays Buddy Rydell, a psychotic teacher who is soon to make his student lose his temper than help him. Co-Star Marisa Tomei plays the concerned girlfriend who wants Dave to get help. The movie has an easy plot, one where laughs come easily, and surprise is around every corner. The director, Peter Segal, did a wonderful job of directing this movie. Other movies by Segal include but are definitely not limited to The Nutty Professor, Monster's Ball, and It's my Party. Critics gave this movie a poor grade, a low B to a high C. I give Anger Management an B+.
Badminton takes league title again
Ashley Elllison
May 9, 2003The undefeated Colton badminton team ended their season proud and strong, with a victory over Redlands East Valley on May 1. By the end of the spring 2003 badminton season, their record was 15-0 in league. They now hold the title as the San Andreas League Champions title.
"Varsity and JV did a great job this season," commented sophomore Amanda Carlstrom. "I hope we can fill their shoes and hold the San Andreas league title next year and the many years to come. We had some great seniors as members of our team this year and we will miss them all very much."
The CIF finals were held this past week.The mixed doubles finals were held on Wednesday, May 7 at Etiwanda High School. Singles and doubles were held on Thursday, May 8 at Colton. Results will be available in the next Pepperbough.
Captains Valerie Perez and Bayu Setyawan were very proud leaders of the undefeated badminton team this season. "Badminton is a fun and exciting sport. It is also very competitive. I look forward to winning league individuals," commented senior and captain Valerie Perez.
Coach Guidi has lead her badminton league championship players. They were strong and aggressive from the beginning, to the very last match of the season. Every player on the badminton team is very talented. They always play their very best, which granted them thier San Andreas League title this season and hopefully many seasons to come.
Baseball, Softball look to finish strong
Paul Heredia
May 9, 2003The Colton Baseball and Softball teams are heading into the end of the season, and are trying to pull out all the victories they can get. The season has been a long one for both teams and are hoping to finish off strong.
Baseball has started to come around, but they are still looking for more wins. The team has started to come together and have showed what they are capable of doing. In the last few games they have played strong, and showed that their record shows nothing about them. In the game against Yucaipa, Colton showed that they can play with a league leader, even though they lost 4-1. With a bit of confidence and momentum they went on to blowout Arroyo Valley 7-0, with a 14 strikeout performance by sophomore Anthony Carrillo. The baseball team then went head to head with top ranked San G. Colton took them into extra innings with a 2-2 tie, but lost in the 10th inning 4-2. After a devastating loss they beat Pacific 8-5, bettering their league record to 2-6, with an overall record of 5-13. The next game is Saturday May 10, at the Arrowhead Credit Union Park against Cajon.
The softball team has been having another winning season, hoping for another playoff birth. They have proven to be a top team as they dominate the league, playing for that league title that is in their reach. The girls are playing hard and are running over teams, looking to bring back that league title to Colton. A 10-0 victory over Yucaipa shows that the team has a strong position in league. The softball team has only one team they can't seem to get past, and that is San G. The girls lost to them 4-3 in what was only their second league loss. They bounced back and blew out Pacific with an 11-1 victory. Junior Heather Jacobsen has been leading Colton in pitching along with senior Jennifer Gonzales behind the plate. The teams league record is 5-2, and are in second place. Their next game is Wednesday May 14, at SBHS.
Swimmers pulling together; Tennis qualifies for CIF
by Nicole Miller
May 9, 2003The swim team has had its ups and downs, but now they are kicking it up a notch. With a new coach, Shannon Welch, and a few new players, the team is expecting to finish league with a bang! With about 15 to 20 new swimmers, and about 10 returning, the team was able to pull off a couple wins; the closest match was against Cajon. Leading the team with some victories were captains Melissa Nicks, Adam Welch, Chad Cunningham, Hector Garcia, and Jeff Slaczka. "We started with new players who really didn't know the strokes, but now we are pulling together, we are closer to a victory every meet," says Nicks. The girls team is coming really close to qualifying for CIF, however the boy's team have already qualified for the 200-meter relay for CIF. The swim team's finals are being held on May 7 at Arroyo Valley High School.
T is for tennis. Right now tennis is a really popular sport, and now it is catching on at Colton. The team started the year out with coach Terry Urban and leading captains Tim Mcginnis and Jake Magnant. So far the season has been productive and has been a good learning experience. They started with a young team basically made up of lower classmen. At the end of the season the team is losing two all star seniors off their team. Although their records aren't all that outstanding they managed to win 2 of 16 meets. Jake Magnant was 52-2 and Tim Mcginnis was 51-3. The team started out with a shaky start because of all the new players but now they are unifying and progressing as a team. Tim and Jake are going to finals for San Andreas League in doubles and plan to place both in singles and as a team.
"Hard work may pay off sooner or later I think it will pay off when we win finals at the SAL," says McGinnis. This team has really worked hard and proved they can make it through this year, although they are losing two good players, hopefully they will still come together next year.