By; Preetika Chaudhary

A while back I use to watch a reality show called The Real World. In one of the episodes I had seen a girl who went to a club one day at night and drank so much that she passed out. In The Real World shows things like that always happen. That’s how I think it affects many teens now days.

Many young people see real life people like themselves on T.V acting crazy and inappropriate behavior in public so then many think its ok to do what they see on T.V.
Reality shows like The Hills, The Real World, Tila Tequila, Flavor Flav and etc., feature interesting topics that take place in real life. Due to their popularity, it would be easy to assume that reality shows have had a major impact on young people. But is this really true?

Junior Brenda Delgadillo doesn’t think so. “By high school, kids already know what is wrong and right.” She believes high school students should already know the difference. This is somewhat true. By high school, kids learn that not all the behavior they see on reality shows is right.
Senior David Yakin has a different opinion. The media is strong and has influence on high school kids.

“In my opinion, some kids want to escape their reality lives,” he said. So what do they do? They watch someone else’s reality lives.
Bart, the security guard, also seems to agree that reality shows have an impact on kids. “Monkey see, monkey do,” he said. He believes that kids will do what they see on T.V.

However, he feels different about Tennyson High students. He said, “Our kids don’t do that, but different schools might try.”

Sophomore Ruth Hernandez agrees with Bart’s monkey philosophy. “The way the T.V. actors influence the youth is by dressing sexual. They provoke kids. To make them want to dress like that,” Ruth explained. “Kids think its all cool and stuff.”

Reality shows have an impact on many of the youth now days. The media is so strong that they influence many people to dress or act a certain way however some kids are strong enough not to fall for it.

By: Andres Munoz

The CAHSEE or as many of us know it as the high school exit exam, takes place every march for sophomores and several dates after that for the students that didn’t pass it the first time and for students new to the U.S. For those that are not familiar wit this exam, there is a math and an English part that you have to score a 350 on each part to pass, and you have to pass both parts. The exit exam is required to pass to receive a high school diploma, if UN able to pass both parts of the exam those students will receive a certificate of completeness, which is not a diploma and doesn’t have the same value.

For students that just have a short amount of time living in the U.S, they are E.L.D (English learning department) students that have a foreign language as their first language and they are learning English. Its un fair for these students to take the English part of the CAHSEE (exit exam) and be required to pass it, because they don’t have the level of English to take the test.” Students don’t struggle as much with the math as with the English part,” said Counselor Ms. Vasquez.” they should take a test depending on their time living I the U.S and based on their CELDT level.” Added Vasquez.” These students should wait at least one year before taking the test so they could get some language back round, because when students take the test and fail they

For these students that just arrive to the U.S, are put in all year English shelter classes and all year algebra classes to help them prepare well for the exit exam. There is also nigh classes at Chabot College and after school classes that help them prepare for the exit exam but results have prove in that it is not enough. “Placing these students in the same category is a disadvantage, that causes frustration, dropping out, doing poor, and just performing with negative attitude in general. This is because the students feel the disadvantage”. Said E.L.D Specialist Ms.DeLeon. There are 5 levels of E.L.D; level 1 is for those students that are living in the United States for their first year or that are new to the language. For those that pass, they go on to levels 2-5 as they go on passing each level one by one. Each term the students have the opportunity to pass a level and go on to the next, so students regularly take two to two and a half years to pass the E.L.D program. There are like 450 English learners and more than half have not pass the CAHSEE.
Taking the CAHSEE your first year as a English learner its a disadvantage and unfair, these students should be able to take the test when they are ready, if not they will do more than just fail the exam, they will give up on high school and fail in general.

By: Preetika Chaudhary

There has been a rumor around school that our freedom, the very little amount that we still have, may be taken away from us. I’m talking about the freedom to use our phones and electronic devices at lunch. Have students really pushed it to the limit that Tennyson high’s administration wants to change the rule so that we cant use phones and electronic devices at school including lunch?

“Electronic devices are prohibited during instructional hours from 8 AM to 3:15 PM, but what Tennyson has done in the past is bend the rule, we understand that our students love to be in communication with their friends. Texting, talking, gossiping, you name it. All the fun stuff about being a teenager,” said A.P. Ms. Ortiz.
Will it even be possible to enforce this rule? If the school administration wants to stop phone and electronic use then money will be a big issue. With the little money that we get will go to our school but not our education, meaning books and supplies.
In a week, the AP’s picked up around seventy hats, fifty-three cell phones, forty-nine ipods, seventeen red shirts, and five blue garments. This is the reason that they might not allow it next year. “The teachers are having a hard time enforcing those rules. They’re taking a lot of instructional time away from the students because they have to micro manage these students by telling them ‘put it away’. Its just ridiculous to be spending all that time on something that is not learning,” said Ms. Ortiz.

Students don’t feel that it’s fair that they might not be able to use their electronic devices at lunch. An anonymous student said, “I think it’s horrible. I feel like something is missing out of me. Like I am nothing.”
Will this rule really be enforced next school year? What can we do so that it doesn’t happen? Well just have to wait and see.

By: Yesenia Cardenas

As you sit there in the bed wondering what his next move will be, your body starts shaking in fear. He forcefully approaches your body and you don’t know what to do. You wake up the next day asking was I raped?
Date rape is when someone you know closely makes you have sex when you don’t want to. It can be someone you met at school, a party, or even someone you love and trust like your boyfriend. Many of us believe that date rape could never happen between a couple that loves each other and has spent so much time together. We think that people are only raped by a stranger in the middle of a dark alley or a park. “It’s so amazing to think that there can be people in this world who would take advantage of someone they’ve known for so long and say that they love” said freshman Adriana Lopez. But, unfortunately, date rape victims are typically between the ages of 15 through age 25. The largest groups of offenders are from age 17 through age 30.
There are many forms of abuse that occur before date rape. Emotional abuse includes name calling, putting down, stopping you from seeing your own friends and family, and checking what your doing all the time. Physical abuse includes hitting, pushing, punching you, smashing things or driving dangerously to scare you. The last common abuse in date rape is Sexual abuse. Sexual abuse happens when you are being forced to engage in any kind of physical intimacy against your will. All three abuses are against the law for your partner (or anybody else). “To me, all of these forms of abuse are harmful to anyone that goes through them,” said freshmen Maria Lopez. “It must be difficult to ever overcome any of these abuses since you know that the person is or can be someone you love very much.” She added.
For men, it can be hard to admit that you have been date raped. Society doesn’t want to admit male rape can happen. Being a victim of rape is hard to handle for men and they may want to punish themselves with self-destructive behavior like drugs and suicide. Date rape can be frightening for anyone who has experienced it. You can feel shame, self-blame, helplessness and fear of not being believed.
But there is help provided for those who have been a victim. “ Here at the health center we offer health ed,” said Xiomara from the health center. “ We try to help in much as possible,” she added.
To avoid things like this, remember that, a good relationship is one based on respect for each other. “I think that respect is one of the main things in a relationship because if there is no respect from the beginning then there will be no respect afterwards,” said Adriana Whenever you feel like some one is treating you with no respect, you should feel free to say no to things you don’t want to do.
www.uwstout.edu

Ever since I was young, I’ve dreamed big, of reach the stars. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking of how I would like my life to be when I grow up and the things that I want to do.

But unfortunately I didn’t have the childhood that I dreamed of. I’m one of those kids who were brought up on violence. I’ve seen people get beat over the littlest thing. My life through my eyes was never easy.

Once I got to the age where I could make my own decisions I realized that the streets weren’t for me. I can do something better with my life and, that I was put on this earth for a purpose. I believe that when its time my purpose will reveal itself.

I was five years old when I found the Boys and Girls Club, the place that would shape me and push me towards my dreams. I have been a member at the Boys and Girls Club for 13 years, and I have been an employee for two and a half years. The staff at the Boys and Girls Club has truly become my second family. Through all the hardship in my life, the staff has helped me to persevere.

I was once told that I wasn’t smart that everyone in my family was smart but me. Most people would let things like that bring them down. Instead, I stood my own and proved to people that I am smart, that I am someone, and I received two 4.0s. Having negative people around me, people who didn’t believe in me, was my motivation.

All of this led me to become Youth Of The Year of the Boys and Girls Club of Oakland. Being in this program and helping my community I have received Nemours scholarships which is almost enough for me to pay for all four years of college. I have competed in and won two competitions in order to hold the spot that I do now. These competitions weren’t easy. I wrote over eleven essays on different things I didn’t give up.

I remember the people who said that I wasn’t nerve smart and I look at them now and say, “ My purpose has come out.”

People constantly make the assumption that special ed students are helpless and cannot go on by themselves. However, this does not stand 100% true. Stubborn teens and even adults around campus find difficulties associating themselves with these students.

Students in room A-3 often stand out more than others at Tennyson, especially in the quad during lunch. They may be seen dancing or simply laughing and having fun, but some thoughtless students choose to belittle them. Few students often encourage the special ed kids, mocking them as if they are there to put on some sort of show. Others pity them as if they don’t deserve to be treated “normally”. Truth of the matter is, they are like everyone else. They do not need pity or cruelty.

People may have the impression that these students don’t do much in their classes, but that impression is wrong. Special ed teacher, Martha Wojno, argues that these students show change and improvement throughout their years in high school. “Day by day it doesn’t seem like they make much improvement, but data shows that improvement has been made. Whether it’s that they’ve learned a couple of numbers, it’s a difference.” Collected data shows improvements that students make. Within the four years that they stay here, the data shows what they have learned and how much.

There are up to fifteen students in A-3, each with different needs and necessities. Due to these different necessities, each student has an Individual Education Plan (I.E.P.) In these education plans, are the student’s goals to be met.

The special ed students are each different and therefore have different goals and/or necessities. They are at different levels of math such as addition, subtraction, and even simple multiplication and division. The same concept goes for English. There are a couple of students who cannot speak and have voice boxes made by Ms. Wojno. “The voice boxes let them communicate and answer questions. If they want to go outside or put on their coat, they can just push a button.” The boxes have diagrams on them, which make it easier for the students to communicate. Ms. Wojno also asks a lot of yes/no questions, but don’t think that these special ed students aren’t like any other, because they use the boxes humorously and talk back. “If I tell them to get out their homework, they’ll look at the box and push ‘no’.”

Special ed students become trained in recreational skills (activities including current events and news), self-help opportunities, and more. “We want them to be able to make their own choices, go into a movie store and check out a movie on their own,” said Ms. Wojno.

All students here really are the same; we’re all here for one purpose, to get prepared for our future after high school, whether it’s furthering our education or getting a job.

“Keep it real, there is no point in lying and making things hard. Be straight up and tell truth, I can’t stand fake people.” Real is a word that can be defined in two ways, brutal honesty and loyalty. These are the two most important things we look for in a relationship and most definitely in a friendship.

“Somebody who is real is someone who keeps their word,” said Freshmen Eric Johnson. People who keep it real are the ones we confide in and trust. They’re the people we want to be surrounded by, but it is hard when you know for a fact that people aren’t always trustworthy, not even yourself. Go ahead and say you’re not fake because we all know there is a little bit of fakeness in everybody.

“In some situations, it is ok to lie because that‘s how you survive,” said Senior A.J Latimer. Problem is, the truth always comes out in the end, so I see no point in lying when you have the chance to tell the truth right then and there. Senior Jorge Rivas said, “some people are afraid to know the truth about things,” and yet people complain about others not keeping it real. If you’re going to ask someone to keep it real with you, then you got to be able to handle the truth. Yeah, we all know the truth hurts, but it’s better knowing the truth than being lied to right?

Being honest and trustworthy has a lot to do with respect too. Tell the truth and keep it solid, you gain respect. Lie and act phony, you get the boot. And that person you said was your friend, does it movin’.
“When I’m lied to by a so called friend I feel like moving on, because I don’t like dealing with that kind of drama,” explained Senior A.J. Latimer, “A person who’s real is a person who doesn’t lie.” he added. Nobody likes to deal with a liar; all it does is create more and more drama, and drama is so unnecessary. Just get over it.

“All you got to do is be true to yourself, and when you do that to me means you keepin’ it real,” said Freshmen Kumar Stephens. It is hard to find people to trust, and we’re tired of all the fakeness, I know, but sometimes you just have to deal with it and move on. We can’t change people if that’s the lifestyle they chose.

But then again, it’s not that hard to tell the truth and be loyal, people.

This world is a win some, lose some game. To play it right and easy, just keep it real and be you. I guarantee you you’ll go all the way without any trouble.