V A C A V I L L E H I G H S C H O O L

“We are the voice of the Bulldogs” Vacaville High School December 2016 Issue 3 Volume 53

TheBark

Table of ContentsNews & Local II&IIIEditorial IV&VHoliday VIEntertainment VII Sports VIII

What’s Inside:

The Hall of Fame added six new inductees: Page 2

The football team advanced to the playoffs: Page 8

By Samy Long, Editor-in-Chief On November 8th, 2016, Republican nominee Donald Trump was elected as the 45th President of the United States much to the shock of both liberals and conservatives alike. Leading up to Election Day, most polls and political analysts pre-dicted a Clinton win. Trump won the Electoral College, while Clinton won the popular vote by over 2,000,000 votes. Thousands of Americans have taken to the streets to, for the most part, peacefully protest the contro-versial nature of Trump and his cam-paign. Major cities like San Francisco and New York City garnered a large amount of media attention, but small cities are taking part too. On November 10th, 2016, at 7:00 pm, a group of about 50 gathered in downtown Vacaville to protest president-elect Trump and his ideals. The protest was started by Vaca High Junior, Sonya Garay, with the purpose that “we need to be heard, and all we can really do right now is protest.” The group gathered at the end of the bridge near An-drew’s park and The Point on Main Street and travelled down highly pop-ulated streets for about two hours. As the protesters marched, they chanted a variety of phrases such as “Not my president”, “Love trumps hate” and “We reject the President-elect”. The protest was met with some support. Some people drove by and honked

in support or blasted “FDT” by YG on their stereos. A man on Merchant Street waited outside his house to give all the marchers high fives. The small Trump protest wasn’t supported by all. Many people rushed out of restaurants to see the demonstration and give their opinion. A few opposing remarks included “Get a job you lazy Mexicans” and “Hillary for prison” from passersby. A 4x4 truck and a small car with a Trump flag followed the group around and the owners of the 4x4 left their car to intimidate the dem-onstrators. A man on a bike followed and yelled at the protesters that they were “un-American”. Many of the protests across the country have been met with con-troversy because those who are satis-fied with the election believe that the protesters are fighting a losing battle. Vaca High Senior, Shawn Scholey, remarked, “Be thankful you live in a country where you are allowed to vote. So quit complaining.” Howev-er, to some, the protests are more than just Democrats vs. Republicans, or liberalism versus conservatism. According to Ms. Garay: “These protests are allowing disenfranchised groups to have a voice because right now that’s all we have. We can’t stop him from being president, but we need to be heard. We need to stand up for our rights and what we believe in.”

Anti-Trump March

By Kennedy Vaughan, Social Media Editor After 19 years of being an English and Social Studies teacher, a Student Council advisor, and an administrator for the past 12 years at Vacaville High school, Mr. Alongi will be leaving us at the end of the semester. From leading freshman orientation to attending all school events, Mr. Alongi has always been very dedicated to our school and serious about his work. When asked what his favorite memory from his time at VHS was, he replied, “I have too many great memories to pick a single favorite. I really enjoyed working hard with student leaders in Link Crew and Student Council to put on great events for the school. I can remember late nights after exhausting long days where we were all so tired and punchy that we couldn’t stop laughing.” Mr. Alongi mentioned some things he will miss at Vaca High, and he stated, “Without question it’s the people I’ll miss most. Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the best teachers and students on the planet. I’ve watched teachers change the lives of their students, and I’ve seen students go on to become, among many other things, rock stars, profes-sional athletes, neuroscience researchers, professors and

fantastic teachers in their own right. I’ll definitely miss getting to watch that happen from a front row seat.” Mr. Alongi is the heart and soul of our school and the impact he has had on Vaca High is tremendous. All staff, teach-ers, and students will miss him terribly. Thank you Mr. Alongi for all that you have done for Vacaville High School!

Goodbye to the Man, the Myth, the Legend... Mr. Alongi!

By Matthew Whitehouse, Web Editor 2016 is winding down, which means it’s time to look back at all the things that have affected this country and the lives of its citizens. The first major event that took place was Super Bowl 50 on February 7th. The Broncos beat the Panthers, 24-10. 2 days later, Mardi Gras took place in New Orleans. The Kentucky Derby took place on May 7th. Adele toured from July to September with her album, “25”. The world famous San Diego Comic Con took place from July 21-24. The Olympic Games started August 5th and ended August 21st, and the U.S. brought home 46 gold medals. Later in August, on the 28th, Burning Man started in Black Rock City, Nevada. The Tex-

as Renaissance

Festival took place in Houston, Texas from October to November. Some notable movies that were re-leased included “Mechanic: Ressurection”, “Now You See Me 2”, “The Angry Birds Movie”, “Sausage Party”, “Don’t Breathe”, “Kubo and the Two Strings”, “Deadpool”, “Zootopia”, and many others. Tragedy struck the entertainment industry with the deaths of many stars. Among the losses were David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Muhammad Ali, Leonard Cohen, and Nancy Reagan.

Probably most notable was the election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. President. With the election going on, 2016 was a very chaotic year, and so much more happened than you may know about. With the chaotic whirlwind of 2016, one thing is for certain - 2017 is bound to be an interesting year.

2016 Wrap-up

Graphic Made By: Matthew Whitehouse

Photo By: Kennedy Vaughan

By Kennedy Vaughan, Social Media Editor Wouldn’t you like to learn about your culture and the background of other cultures? Don’t you think it would be inter-esting to gain more knowledge on where you and others derived from? Golden Pryor sure thinks so. Golden Pryor, a Junior here at Vacaville High School, came up with the idea of the creation of a culturally informative class to give students more insight into their backgrounds and the histories of their ancestors. This thought was raised when his peers were misinformed on things about their past, which shocked Pryor. “In today’s world I think it is really important for kids to be informed on the backgrounds of their peers,” Golden stated. “It is a shame when they don’t know where they came from.” Pryor has big plans for this class. The intent is to use the same curriculum that some schools are already using in Davis. The elective class would be split into two or three levels, since the topics are very extensive and complicated. The creation of this class is not yet set in stone, but the plans are under consideration. The students at Davis High School already have this class. They have had lots of success with the

results. The implementation of this class will only be successful if the students in favor of it are dedicated. If you want this class at Vacaville High School, make your voice heard to strengthen the chances of the creation of it. We are not positive if this class will be implemented at our school, but if it is, it will surely be interesting. The Bark will keep you posted about any new information about this class.

December 2016 Page IINews & Local

New History Class?

By Kennedy Vaughan, Social Media Editor During the 2015-2016 school year, Vacaville High School decided to create a Hall of Fame to honor those who have had a significant impact on the school. Vaca High inducts new members once every year. They hold a ceremony at a home football game during halftime, and there is also a dinner party in their honor as well. The honorary dinner took place this year on Sunday, Novem-ber 27 at the Vacaville Opera House. During the dinner, the jazz ensemble played and The first members were inducted during the football season of 2015, and there were eleven total inductees. This year, there were six total inductees at the ceremony. There are three categories a nominee can fall into; alumni, faculty/staff, or friends/helpful people of Vacaville High School. Any-one can nominate someone into the Hall of Fame through the school’s website, and the nominations are reviewed and selected at the beginning of the school year in August. There currently is no physical “hall” where the members are hon-

ored because of the school’s construction status, but finding a room or place of honor is

one of the first items of busi-ness following the reconstruc-tion of our school. Stu Clary explained, “This year’s inductees are friends, alumni, and previous staff at Vacaville High School. Here is a little bit of informa-tion about each member. Dave Nelson: A 1972 graduate of Vaca High and former wres-

tling coach. He holds a spot in the Solano Community College Athletic Hall of Fame. Our

wrestling room is dedicated to him as well. Mark Zunino: A 1981 graduate of Vaca High who is now a well- known fashion designer. He attended Pepperdine University after high school. He has designed clothes for major celebrities such as Angelina Jolie, Halle Berry, and Courtney Cox. Bob Biggs: A 1969 graduate of

Vaca High and a well known high school athlete. After high school, he attended UC Davis

as their quarterback and went on to play professional foot-ball in Canada and the World Football League. Karl Sand-ers: A well-known supporter and volunteer for Vaca High. For over 50 years, Karl has been contributing and volun-teering to the school to see it improve. For many years he has been president of the quarterback club, equipment supervisor, coach, advisor, and the biggest Bulldog fan. Dave Sells: A 1964 graduate of Vaca High. During his years in high school, he was a basketball and baseball star. After pitching on Solano Community College’s baseball team, he was signed to the San Francisco Giants, with a two year stint in the army as

well. Jody Wara: An educator at Vaca High beginning in 1973. Jody was an economics teacher who had tremendously high expectations for herself and her students. She was a softball coach for Vaca High for many years as well. Her impact on the school and her students is unforgettable.

Vaca High Student SpecialBring this ad and receive a free soft drink with a minimum purchase of

$7.00(Call your order in for pick up)

Vaca High Hall of Fame Question of the Month:“What is your

favorite part of the holidays?”

Senior, Cria Decious: “I love the food and family, but mostly the food.”

Junior, Kennedy Arellano: “I like being with my family and friends.”

Sophomore, Cayetano Myrick-Smith: “My favorite part of the holidays is getting to stay home and spend time with my family.

Freshman, Adrian Cabezas: “I like giving food to friends and family”

Photos By: Sabrina Vital and M

atthew W

hitehousePhoto By: Ms. Kamman

Photo By: Kennedy Vaughan

By Courtney McGraw, Staff Writer

December 2016 Page IIINews & Local

By Phoenix Carter, Staff Writer The year of 2016 has been filled with crazy moments that some want to remember and some don’t. While many of these moments, like the presidential debates and election, received extensive media coverage, other important topics, like the many propositions put on the ballot in California, did not. In California, politicians and citizens can propose propositions that, if passed, can lead to a change in laws and procedures governing life in the state. During this election, a number of proposi-tions were created and placed on the ballot. On election day, November 8th, the public voted on solutions they thought was best for California as a whole. Proposition 51 related to edu-cation. If passed, it would distribute $9 billion to K-12 schools and com-munity colleges. The proposition result-ed in the majority voting yes to put it in place. Therefore, schools were award-ed the money. This supplied them with enough money to improve the edu-cation of children, teens, and young adults in college. Construction of new schools will soon go underway now that they have this money. Many education related propositions had been put on the ballot in past years but Proposition 51 was the first ballot initiative in 10 years. A ballot initiative is when a petition gets signed by the needed amount of registered voters which allows for a public vote. Three billion was given to construct new school facilities, five hundred million was for the building of charter schools,

three million to modernize schools, five hundred million was put toward building facilities for career techni-cal education programs, and finally two billion was given to community colleges to reconstruct and renovate them. Two death penalty propo-sitions appeared on the ballot this year, proposition 62 and proposi-tion 66. Proposition 62 would have revoked the death penalty making prisoners serve life in prison with-out any possibility of parole. Many people were quick to say no to this proposition due to personal opin-ions, others felt empathy towards prisoners whose lives were being taken because of the death penalty.

This proposition was shut down by 53.93% of voters who believed we need to keep the death penalty in place. Proposition 66 promised to keep the death penalty in place but offered different constructive changes to it so things would speed up. Criminals that have been put on death row have years more to live because of how slow the death pen-alty system is, which is why proposi-tion 66 was proposed. The proposi-tion would establish a time frame for a death penalty review, thereby not allowing the case to take years and have no justice served. The proposi-

tion also requires all cases to have an appointed attorney to work on each case itself. Optimists believe this will work, while pessimists don’t believe anything that this proposition has promised. Proposition 64, the legal-ization of Marijuana has been long awaited. Protests have been held for years to legalize marijuana. On November 9th, 2016 it was finally announced that marijuana had been legalized making people cheer with triumph. Although there was a big win, 43.86% of people still want-ed marijuana to be illegal, but the 56.14% gained the victory. The legal age to use marijuana for recreational use will be 21 years or older. Certain

conditions come with the legalization of marijuana such as it being illegal to possess any mari-juana while minors are present on the grounds of a youth center, daycare, or school. People will be allowed to grow up to six plants in one’s household, but the area which they are grown must be

locked and not visible to others. It is hoped that underage population will not use marijuana but if they do then there will be consequenc-es; anyone using it illegally will have to attend drug education or a counseling program and par-take in community service. Selling marijuana illegally has much more serious consequences such as up to 6 months in county jail and a fine of $500. This is a big change for California and with the right laws in place proposition 64 could positively affect everyone involved.

Propositions of 2016

By Victoria Lomeli, Photo Editor Mr. Morgan has recently been titled “Tireless Teacher” by the student body here at Vacaville High School! This contest was created by Ms. Nothstine to recognize and appreciate the teachers here on campus In order to have won this contest, many of his students must have voted for him because of his dedication and exceptional teaching skills. Mr. Morgan stated, “I feel honored that the students see me that way but I’m sure that other teachers are more tireless, kinda feel undeserving but flattered! I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing and putting the stu-dents first, but I think Vaca High will do a good job of choosing another teacher to recognize.” Congratulations to Mr. Morgan. If you would like to nominate your favorite teacher that you think deserves a lit-tle more recognition, head over to the school website and click the link of the main page. Make sure to use your student google log-in to vote!

By Caroline Infante, Staff Writer The beloved social media outlet, Vine, was the father of countless trends and funny videos shared all over the internet. It quickly became the king of memes and up and coming Vine stars who brought so many people to tears, while laughing, and rolling on the ground. However, it has reached and surpassed its peak, and unfortunately it’s long reign is coming to a sad ending. If you didn’t have Vine, you have proba-bly heard of it at one point or another. Vine was a short video service in which users could share 6 second video clips with each other. It was an experimental app founded in June 2012, then bought by Twitter during October of the same year. It was officially launched on Janu-ary 24, 2013. Spiking to a net worth of millions, Vine has deteriorated down to almost nothing. Now nothing but a financial burden to Twitter, they’ve decided to let it end. Who is accredited with the down-fall? Though not directly, Instagram has taken thousands of followers from Vine, with their new capability to post

videos. With a longer time span than Vine’s, there’s really no wonder as to why people decided to switch. Though Twitter will remain active, it’s also hav-ing some struggles. It’s been dying since as far back as 2009. It hasn’t exactly been outright declared when, but don’t expect Twitter to be around much lon-ger. Much like MySpace, it’s surpassed it’s prime. Hopefully it’s got a few more good years in it, and sometimes hope can build empires. However no amount of wishful thinking can stop the world from turning. #R.I.PTwitter#R.I.PVine

Tireless Teacher:

Mr. Morgan

#R.I.P. VineBy Shelby Kay, Copy Editor Every single year, Vacaville High School holds Prom in May. Prom is always held in different buildings in San Francisco. Every year seniors save up like crazy to pay for the tickets, the party bus and the fancy dinner before the big night. It has always been a very important day for everyone. It is one of those things you wish you had done in High School if you miss it because it is truly the last event you have with your class besides the reunion you have after so many years. The girls get all fancied up with their hair, makeup and accessories, and you cannot forget the beautiful dresses! The boys get their nice suits on for the wonder-ful night and get the girls the corsages (small flower arrangement that typically adorns a girl’s wrist or collar), while the girls get the boutonnier (floral design

worn by guys on their tuxes) for

their date. It is supposed to match the colors of the Prom dress and tux that people usually pick beforehand. Some common questions that come up about Prom are, ‘What wrist do you wear your corsage on?’, It is generally recognized

as proper etiquette to wear the wrist corsage on the left, although a left-handed date may prefer the corsage worn on the right arm. ‘Do the boutonniere and corsage have to match?’. Not nec-essarily, but it looks more put together. Some places to go party bus shopping are Five Star Limo, Ambassador Limousine, and Vacaville Limousines. Prom dress and tux stores are Lucero

Boutique, David’s Bridal, Nordstrom, Dillard’s, Burlington, and many more. Prom tickets every year cost $90, and luckily, seniors are allowed to invite anyone from any class they want. You as the senior just has to get the money from the person or pay for it yourself, the lower classman can’t buy it.

Big Night Coming Soon

Photo by Arianna Fox

Photo by nymag.com

December 2016 Page IVHoliday

By Grace Lee, Social Media Editor Candy Cane and Lollipop Lane has now started for this years jolly Christmas season. For those who do not know about this event, it is two streets in Vacaville where everyone decorates their houses all out with lights, Santas, deer, and lighted presents. It is a great way to bond with your family, drink hot cocoa, and get in the perfect Christmas

spirit. It is better to attend Candy Cane Lane in the evening when it’s dark for the enhancement of the beautiful show of lights, and to walk it instead of driving. To do so you will need layers on layers of clothing though because it’s fairly cold. It has been a tradition for over 10 years, and if one is looking to buy a house on either street they are required to decorate their house. Make sure you and your family visit this year.

By Carly Martin, Staff Writer It is beginning

to look a lot like Christmas in downtown Va-caville. Towns-people from far and near came to watch this year’s Christmas tree light up Main Street on November 29th at 5 o’clock. This year our tree is a whop-ping 50 feet tall decorated with

red and green lights and the brightest star. While the tree is the main attraction, there were other sources of holiday cheer. Carolers voices filled the streets. A live nativity scene play was put on by Crossroads Community Church to share the biblical meaning of Christmas and birth of Jesus Christ. Santa Claus was also present for the children to take pictures with and share their Christmas wish with. “It was great to see so many people from the community come together down-town, it’s the only time something like this happens all year, I couldn’t miss it.” said Matthew White-house. The most wonderful time of the year always creates a homey atmosphere in the heart of the city. Merry Christmas Vacaville!

Candy Cane Lane

By Carly Martin, Staff Writer The Festival of Trees occurs every year. It is a three day event which was held from Tuesday, Novem-ber 29th to Thursday, December 1st. It happened at the Vacaville Skating Center. Many people came to view the 50 Christmas trees and 50 mini table top trees made by various businesses. The trees were all individually deco-rated, typically with a theme. Not only were there trees, but also baked goods and crafts like wreaths, centerpieces, and ornaments. This is all for charity and is hosted by the Opportunity House. The Opportunity House gives the homeless and the needy a chance to get back on their feet and stay successful. Entry was a donation of any amount. A semi-formal dinner and a live auction was held to auction off the trees to benefit Opportu-nity House. Many groups came to contribute. Local churches and mul-tiple school choirs and bands per-formed to fill the air with holiday cheer. Even Santa and Mrs. Claus were there for photo opportuni-ties for the little (and big) ones.

Festival of Trees for a Good Cause

Merriment on Main

Photo by: sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com

December 2016 Page VEntertainment

By Destiny Breukers, Staff Writer Nerve is a thrill-ing movie that stars Emma Roberts as “Vee” and Dave Franco as “Ian”. Nerve circles around a recurring setting that most teen movies have, and that’s high school. This movie uses the lives of high school students to make it more inter-esting. In other words, Nerve is a technology-obsessed teen movie and that makes it stand out compared to some older movies. The movie focus-es on what is now possible with technology. While I was watching this movie parts of it reminded me of the app Pokemon Go. The fact that Nerve was a new app/game that many people began play-ing in the movie and that the app had access to the player’s location is what really made me think of Pokemon Go. Nerve is a truth or dare game minus the truth. When you sign up for the

game you have the choice of being a watcher or a player. As a player, the watchers choose your dare and if you’re able to complete your dare while recording it on your phone you receive money (amount depending on the dare). When the movie began, the truth or dare game was set out to be a fun game that everyone wanted to play. As the movie went on it began to show its true colors. The game was not as fun as it seemed, in fact it was dangerous. It really keeps you engaged the whole time, wondering whether or not the characters will be able to com-plete the dare or not. In the movie, each character is briefly introduced but you never get their full story. In my opinion, if they went more in depth into some of the characters’ lives, it could make the movie stronger. Even though the movie lacked detail it was still an overall good idea and it was produced well.

Nerve

Fantastic Beasts

By Deiondra Montano, Ad Editor Wilco is an Ameri-can alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1994. The band still continues to blow everyone’s mind after them being together after 22 years. The band consists of Jeff Tweedy (lead vocals), John Stirratt (bass), Glenn Kotche (drums), Mikael Jorgensen (keyboards and synthesizers), Nels Cline (lead guitar) and Pat Sansone (keyboards and backing vocals). They have released ten studio albums through the labels Reprise, Nonesuch and dBpm Records. The band’s most recent album, Wil-co Schmilco, was released on September 9th and placed 11th on the US Billboard 200. The band’s lyrics are wistful and carefree over straightforward, bittersweet melodies. When lead singer Jeff Tweedy was interviewed by Consequence of Sound, he was asked about the quirky album title and replied with,“I don’t really know when it originated, but when I think about it, I think, Why would you do that? But for me, I just

can’t in good conscience do A Moon Shaped Pool (album by Radiohead) right now. I mean, all due respect, that’s a beautiful title and a beautiful album cover and rollout and everything. I just feel way less

precious about it than that. I care about it immensely. It’s my life but taking it so serious-ly is really difficult for me at this point in my life. And it’s really, to me, inhibiting to take it so seriously, to treat it like it’s so precious. I guess that’s just a way to illustrate that, to some degree. Like, ‘Hey, Wilco Schmilco, [heck], I just wanna keep moving.”One of my favorite songs from the album, “Normal American Kids” conveys a suburban

boyhood that was spent awkward, uneasy and intoxi-cated. Tweedy starts off the song with “I remind myself of myself long ago/’Fore I could drive, ‘fore I could vote/All of the time, hold-

ing a grudge/’Fore I knew people could die just because”. This narrative explains that holding grudges won’t get you anywhere and you shouldn’t dwell on past conflicts because anything could happen at any given moment so you should always cherish what or who you have in your life. Tweedy continues with,“Oh, all of my spirit leaked like a cut/I knew what I needed would never

be enough/I was too high to change my bid/Always afraid to be a normal American kid” meaning that he would feel down because he thought he’d never be able to fit in with the “normal American kids”. If you’re interested in the English singer-songwrit-er, Billy Bragg, the English rock band, Radiohead and the American indie rock band, Warpaint then you should most definitely check out this band.

By Destiny Breukers, Staff Writer Local Natives is an American indie rock band that orig-inated in Los Angeles, California in 2009. They dropped their debut album, Gorilla Manor in November 2009 in the UK. They recently released their third album Sunlit Youth on September 9, 2016. It’s much more uplifting and youthful compared to their previous work. Many of the songs on their new album offer a powerful buildup that makes them catchy and easy to listen to. While listening to Local Natives first two albums you get a calm relaxing feeling but while listening to their newest album you get a more exciting feeling. You can definitely tell that the band experimented with more electronic sounds especially in the tracks “Villainy” and “Jellyfish”. While the track “Psycho Lovers” has a stronger guitar presence, each song features different tones that makes them each stand out from the others. It’s amazing how you can tell just how passionate they are in each song.“Fountain of Youth” stands out more than any other song on the album by focusing on their vocals more than anything.. The singles that were released are amazing, some of the best songs by the band. Every song is unique and you can connect with each of them in a different way. By the time the final song on the album comes on you’re ready to hear more. You can check out Local Natives new album Sunlit Youth on Spotify, Itunes, Youtube, or purchase it in stores.

Sunlit YouthWilco Schmilco

By Grace Lee and Caroline Infante, Staff Writers Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them by J.K Rowling is a story set in the wizarding world, give or take 80 years before Harry Potter. The movie follows Rowling’s character, Newt Scamander, who is what you’d consider a misfit. After being expelled from Hogwarts, for reasons unknown, and traveling the world extensively to collect his case of magical beasts, Newt finds himself in New York. You see, Newt is in a rush to get where he is going, but the beasts in his case have other ideas. Constantly escaping and causing quite a ruckus, they catch the attention of some very unhappy wizarding ministers. Captivating in endless drama and mystery as his story unfolds, Newt is an enthusiastic wizard who never gives up, no matter what trouble he faces. The movie has been received very posi-tively by its viewers and Rowling has even come out saying that there are to be five more movies. The new series is an invigorating return and step forward to magic, while also being a step back in time. Harry Potter is the amazing creation,

after Newt, in the magic world that intermixes with the human world, or as they say, Muggle world. And though Harry Potter hasn’t been born in the timeline of this movie, which takes place in the 1920s, it’s not without a memorable and relatable protagonist. Not to mention how different everything we already know about the wizarding world will be, exclusively because the movie takes place in America. We get a hint at familiarity, but not only are the laws different, but the people themselves. We get to learn new slang used by the American wizards, hopefully leading into more backstory so we can under-stand more about the wizarding world itself. It’ll be interesting to see how Rowling contin-ues Newt’s story in the future. This movie was outstanding and, by the end, you’re either blown away, satisfied, or waiting twenty minutes after the movie ends, hoping for a clip after the cred-its. Anyone can enjoy this movie, whether they love Harry Potter or not. It’s sure to be a family favorite in many households, and wizards across America and beyond. It’s an adventure you’ll never forget.

December 2016 Page IVOpinion

By McKenzie Ivie, Copy Editor The death penalty remains a very controversial topic in American politics. Some states have repealed it, while others decided to keep it. California recently had the chance to repeal the death penalty for our state, but the citizens voted to keep it with Proposition 62. The United States is the only industrialized nation in the world who still has the death penalty. The Supreme Court ruled in the case of Gregg v. Georgia that the death penalty does not violate the “cruel and unusual punishment” clause of the 8th Amend-ment to the Constitution. Different states have different rules in place for the death penalty. In some states, prisoners can choose how they want to be executed, while in others they are only given the option of le-thal injection. Some states still use the electric chair, or a gas chamber, as the ultimate punishment. The most updated procedure is the process of three shots in a row. The first shot is supposedly a numbing chemical that causes the entire body to engulf into a numbing state. The second shot causes the body to go into a state of paralysis, where all of the cells in the body are supposed to rapidly begin to shut down, to make the individual become slightly unconscious. The third, and final shot is the actual lethal part of the three-step process. This is considered to be the most humane process because the prisoner essentially does not feel the injections or the paralysis. The reason why this is a per-fectly applicable process to use for such major crimes is because, if the person who committed the crime is able to

spend a couple years in prison and be free post-containment, that is completely unjustified for the victims of their crime. For example in 2006, in North Dakota, Alfonso Rodriguez Jr. was convicted of kidnapping and murdering a college student. Imagine how the parents of that college student must have felt; that their child is now deceased and that prisoner has the right, after just a few years of containment, to be free in the world. An-other example is Thomas Sanders who was convicted in 2014 for kidnapping and murdering a 12 year old girl in LA. The people who are committing these crimes are not only sick, to begin with, but definitely do not deserve to live after murdering other innocent citizens and causing so much harm to those victims families because of their lost loved ones. All in all the death penalty is, essentially, a justified consequence for such terrible crimes that a prisoner has been convicted of.

Pro Death PenaltyBy Abby Antoniou, Freelance Writer The death penalty has existed one way or another since the begin-ning of history, making its introduc-tion with the commonly heard “eye for an eye” theology. In modern times, the death penalty is carried out in 31 of the 50 United States, under that same “eye for an eye” theology that arose in “Hammurabi’s Code” in 2400 BCE, well over 4000 years prior to today. If nothing else, it is outdated. To many, it means justice for an innocent life lost and it is a just response to such a heinous crime. However, many feel that taking someone’s life should be unconstitutional in any regard, since the the 8th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states that, amongst other things, cruel or unusual punishment is prohibited. The Supreme Court ruled differently in Gregg v. Georgia, essen-tially allowing the death penalty. Clearly, whether the death penalty is constitutional or not is debatable, but there have been many instances where the accused have been sentenced to death only to be proven innocent. Regardless of whether one feels it is constitutional or unconstitu-tional, the reasoning that capital pun-ishment is justice is odd in a sense—under this theology, any wrongdoer must receive a punishment equal to the crime committed; murder is the only crime punishable in this respect. When one is arrested for assault they are not assaulted in return. When one is arrested for stealing they are not stolen from. These will result in differing

sentences, but their crimes will result in the same thing: incarceration. Not to mention the emotion-al damage inflicted upon those who carry out these “humane” murders. Those carrying out the capital punish-ment, as well as those watching, are subjected to an intense and warrying trauma that has the capability to reap intense psychological effects. Perhaps the convicted deserves to die, but that is not for the government to decide, especially with the damage it inflicts on those who must experience/carry out these “eye for an eye” punishments. The U.S. is always speaking out on the way other countries violate the human rights of their people by wrongly utilizing capital punishment—the Philippines punishing drug use by death and China having 46 (only re-cently going down from 55, and 68 be-fore that) crimes punishable by death, including tax evasion—for example. It is hypocritical to publicly frown upon clear violations of human rights in foreign countries but to condone it in our own. In the past 25 years or so, the majority of executions took place in China, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. One of these things is not like the others, or is it? The U.S. is considered to be highly developed, yet falls into this category alongside countries with governments that fail to protect the human rights of their people. If the U.S. is going to truly consider itself a developed and civilized country, the death penalty must be outlawed in all 50 states.

Anti Death Penalty

By David Hargrove, Staff Writer Video games are made for entertainment, relieving stress, and for fun, but some people believe that vio-lent games increase violence in the real world. According a study undertaken by a research team led by psychologist Alessandro Gabbiadini: “Many real-world decisions require self-regulation of moral behavior. Our study indicates that playing violent video games can interfere with this ability.” Some people played video games so much it turned a time killer into a complete obsession, such as the 15 year old boy who killed his parents for simply taking away his game; Halo 3. What people agree on about vid-eo games, is that some players can’t tell the difference between fake and reality. John Bingham, a social affairs editor in the UK, states that “Research involving British primary schoolchildren found that the length of time young people spend playing games, rather than their content, could have an effect on their behaviour or school performance – and even then only slightly so.” Sometimes video games

have a constructive nature, for example, a game called Counter-Strike saved 3 local kids in the Philippines. These children were found playing with live grenades in Barangay Looc, Mandaue City. A 12-year-old, Jose Darwin Garciano, warned his friends not to play with grenades that can explode and kill them, just like it happens in Counter-Strike. But it must be said that some kids shouldn’t play these games until they’re older. The example of a child who stole his parent’s car to mimic the actions in the game Grand theft Auto, should suffice.. Overall, it solely depends on the person who plays the video games. People that play violent games from time to time, tend to be less likely to wild-ness. However, people that play liberally should at least have a break in the middle. Additionally, it’s a bit crude to just believe that violent games are the reason for every crime. Therefore you can play these games, as long as you remain responsible.

Violent Video Games

The Editorial Page is a place where opinions, ideas, complaints, and grievances can be aired. If you would like to share your thoughts with the school, go to Room 23 and book your spot here.

The opinions on this page do not reflect the opnions of The Bark or Vacaville High School.

Should California have the Death Penalty?Soapbox

The BarkEditor-in-ChiEf: Samy Long

ContEnt Editor: Sam PEarCE aSSoCiatE Editor: arianna fox

CoPy EditorS: mCKEnziE iviE & ShELby Kay

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December 2016 Page VIIOpinion

By Samy Long, Edi-tor-in-Chief As a Liberal in the United States, post-election America has been a scary time for those of us who feel like our country’s new Presi-dent-elect does not represent our rights, lives, and values. I include myself in that group. After eight years of having our first black President, who would have thought history would rewind and America would elect a KKK-endorsed, neo-Nazi approved, conspiracy theorist (e.g. Obama was not born in America), and corrupt businessman? To women, LGBT+ folks, people of color, immigrants, non-Christians, refugees, and disabled people who are afraid - your fear, an-ger, and sadness is completely justified and rational because even if some of Trump’s alleged plans do not turn into actions, he still awakened a once socially-unacceptable and evil group of Americans, and allowed these racist, sexist, ho-mophobic, Islamophobic, and xenophobic ideas to become normalized. Do not let this become normal. Reject maga-zines and news sources that try to show “25 Cutest Pics of the First Family” or “Fashion Tips from Ivanka” because acting like this election and upcom-ing presidency is anything but abnormal is absurd. This is way bigger than Democrats versus Republicans or even Liberalism versus Conserva-tism. People’s lives are at stake because Trump ran a campaign fueled by fear and hate allow-ing white-nationalist neo-Nazis to feel entitled to their bigoted behavior. This should not and should never be normal. The leader of our country should not cause so much fear. If you are struggling and fearful please know that you are not alone. We cannot let hate win, and now more than ever must fight for the equal rights we all deserve. Now you must take action and get involved. Many protests occurred following the results

of the 2016 Presidential Elec-tion, but there are still more in the future. Check Facebook for your nearest inauguration protest happening anytime during the week of Trump’s inauguration in January (for Bay Area locals, marches are being organized for Janu-ary 21st from 4pm to 9pm in San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose). These nation-wide protests are a means of solidarity for those margin-alized, and a way of showing the rest of the world that the majority, yes majority because Clinton leads the popular vote currently by 2 million votes and many others who voted for third-party candidates, of Americans do not stand by the ideals put forth by the Trump campaign. In a country where the majority voted for the losing candidate, you begin to question the functionality of the Electoral College after nu-merous losses for Candidates who won the Popular Vote. Outrage against the Electoral College is rampant and right-fully so if the candidate who got the most votes still loses. Voter Suppression was also a proponent of why states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Florida after months of being blue turned surprisingly red. This was the first presidential election in half a century that wasn’t fully protected under the Voting Rights Act of 1965 where thousands of voters were turned down because they did not provide the correct identification to vote. I would go on about the absurdity of voter identification laws, but that’s an issue for another time. We the people may not be able to stop his Presidency, but we are passionately going to fight it. If you are fearful for the future of the environment and the planet donate to the Dakota Access Pipeline pro-tests at Standing Rock (stand-ingrock.org), the Union of Concerned Scientists (ucsusa.org), or the National Resource Defense Council (nrdc.org). If

you are concerned for women’s health rights donate to Planned Parenthood (plannedparent-hood.org) or the Center for Reproductive Rights (reproduc-tiverights.org) and/or volunteer at your local abortion clinic by assisting women who may be afraid of anti-choice protesters outside. If you want to support refugees donate to the Interna-tional Refugee Assistance Proj-ect (refugeerights.org). If you want to protect the legal rights of our Mexican brothers and sisters from Trump’s heinous immigration plan donate to the Mexican Legal Defense and Education Fund (maldef.org). If you are afraid of homopho-bic Vice-President-elect Mike Pence’s favors for conversion therapy for LGBT+ folks donate to the Trevor Project (thetrevorproject.org) or the Human Rights Campaign (hrc.org). If your are tired of the racial injustices in America support movements like Black Lives Matter (blacklivesmatter.com) or donate to the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (naacpldf.org). And lastly support journalism. The media came under fire during Trump’s campaign and free-dom of press is being threat-ened. Support your local news-paper, like this one, and buy subscriptions to help preserve the freedom of speech and press. Or donate and support ProPublica (propublica.org), an independent and non-profit investigative journalism site. Making a call to your local representative can help in the process of blocking some of Trump’s extreme and unconsti-tutional policies, so please, get involved. Now is not the time to sit idly by as we survive the next four years. We cannot assume that everything will be just fine when America’s next President has promised to dismantle the freedoms and rights women, LGBT+ folk, people of color, immigrants, refugees, non-Christians, and disabled people deserve and have fought so long for.

What Happens Next?By Caroline Infante, Staff Writer Recently there has been a surge of riots and vi-olence throughout the Unit-ed States. Started by people of every gender. Involving people of every color. These outburst have arguably been caused only by the election of Donald Trump. You probably don’t care what I think, but I’m going to tell you anyway. Thousands, dare I say millions of people have been enraged by the outcome of this elec-tion. Burning flags, beating voters, threatening to kick their children out of their homes. Senseless actions caused by desperate people, who fear for the future of the country. I know we’ve all heard it before, but a peaceful protest is better than a violent one. Man has been violent since the dawn of time, and while war can be more effective than peace, this isn’t a war. Burning, and trashing people’s homes, stores, and life investments, is an act of terrorism. Whether you’re a native of the country, or an im-migrant. No matter what your race or gender is, it’s wrong to rampage through the country destroying things. Enough. What is more deadly? A gun? Or a thought. A gun can kill a man, but a thought can change the world. We don’t need any more death. We need to, for once, be at peace. Trump might have started this outcry for justice, but he says that we are violent. He says that we need help. If we act in this way, he will be right. Don’t give him the satisfaction. This brings me to the topic of this article. For some unknown reason to me, it has become a fad to burn the American flag. Whatever you think you might be doing if you support

or have burned the flag, you’re wrong. It is your right, but why would you burn the flag of the country in which you abide? That flag does not represent Trump or anything he stands for. The flag represents all the soldiers of every race and gender who have died for this country. Every protester, or heroic pagan which we idolize and praise who has sadly been lost to the world. Every person who’s ever fought for what they be-lieve in, like you might do, is in that flag. It represents what this country should be. The rights of every man and woman. Gay, hetero, black white, all of us are represented with the Amer-ican flag. It’s the goal of the country. Everything it should be. We’ve fallen. We’ve fallen time and time again, but the flag has stood tall to remind of us of how much we’ve lost and abandon, and what we need to get back. I know this fight is focused on the suppressed and the downtrod, but let’s raise the flag, not burn it. Burning the flag is against our values, not America. America is our country. Let’s fix it, not burn the only thing about it that has remained pure. We’ve forgot-ten who we are. Let’s remind ourselves what we want to be. What we need to be. Hillary is just one woman. Trump is just one man. Neither one can fix the country. Only we, the people can do that. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.- Martin Luther King Jr. By the way, I know some of you are being peace-ful, and that you are passionate about what you’re fighting for. I’m thankful you are one of the good ones.

The Editorial Page is a place where opinions, ideas, complaints, and grievances can be aired. If you would like to share your thoughts with the school, go to Room 23 and book your spot here.

The opinions on this page do not reflect the opnions of The Bark or Vacaville High School.

Respect the Flag

Photo By: Paper Masters

By Macenzie Toscano, Staff Writer On November 11th, Vaca High played Roseville in their first playoff game this season. Vaca High took the win with a score of 52-20 on Roseville’s home field. Zach Myers scored the first touchdown of the game with 29-yards. Troy Claunch made a pass to Zack Lew-is to make the score 14-7. In the second quarter, Brandon Talton made a field goal and Timothy Jackson scored with 3-yards. Claunch, once again, made a pass to Myers which resulted in another touchdown to wrap up the first half at 31-14. In the third quarter, Jackson earned his second and third touch

downs with a 15-yard run and a 57-yard run. Vincent Pace scored a 4-yard touchdown to make the score 52-14. Roseville was able to get in a final score before the Bulldogs won. Vaca High’s football season ended on November 18th with a losing score of 54-13 to the Del Oro Gold-en Eagles. The Bulldogs were able to score within the first two minutes of the game, earning the first touchdown of the night by Jon Donaldson. Gunner Bagos brought the score to 33-13 with a 69-yard touchdown, the last of the season, in the third quarter.

December 2016 Page VIIISportsAthlete of the Month

By Macenzie Toscano, Staff Writer For the month of November, The Bark would like to recognize Jurnee Wood-ward as Athlete of the Month. As a CIF (California Interscholastic Federation) state champion, Jurnee shows incredible skill as an athlete on Track & Field. Jurnee is ranked number 6 in the 100m hurdles at 13.52, number 4 in the 400m hurdles at 59.23, and has a 300m hurdle time at 40.01 which earned her the second fastest hurdle time within the nation that season. Jurnee

has recently signed with Louisiana State Uni-versity. Jurnee stated, “To be an athlete to

me is to be a student first. I make sure I’m succeeding in school first so that I can also succeed in track”. When asked how she feels compared to past seasons, she stated, “ I feel like I’ve improved a bunch! Over these past years as a club athlete for track and field and making the transition into high school and at last, my senior year, I feel like I’ve been very successful. All my hard work is paying off, and I’ve been putting in a lot!”

Bulldogs Go To Playoffs

By Samantha Pearce, Content Editor At Vacaville High School on November 9th, 9 athletes signed contracts to promise their attendance to certain colleges. The athletes were as follows, Keiana Smith, who is going to the Uni-versity of Delaware, playing softball, Bailey Aguigui, going to East Bay, also playing softball, Alyse Rojas, headed to University of Davis, softball as well, Braden Alterfor, going to the Air Force, playing baseball, Troy Claunch, going to Oregon State University, playing baseball, Libby Christensen, going to Montana State, Playing volleyball, Michelle Taynton, going to Seattle Univer-

sity, playing volleyball, and last but not least Tyler Bosetti, going to Nevada, playing baseball. Pub-lic signings were originally cele-brated for college athletes being signed onto professional teams but now people celebrate ath-

letes and scholars alike be-ing given scholar-ships and monetary assis-tance. The contracts they sign promise their allegiance to these colleges that offer them spe-cial things that other less success-

ful people don’t get. We at Vaca High are very pleased to see so many of our students earning the scholarship they have been acknowledged for.

Athlete Signing

Photo by Jurnee Woodward

Oops! He did it again! Mr. Kutz lost another bet to Mr. Morgan. The two beloved teachers continued their

annual tradition of betting on the outcome of the Chicago

vs. San Francisco football game. The loser has to wear

the winning team’s jersey. For the third year in a row, Mr. Kutz was forced to wear a

Bears jersey. Also, Mr. Kutz lost a bet against Mr. Santo-padre when the 49ers played the Jets and lost. Hopefully he learned his lesson this

year...

Photo By Samantha Pearce

Mr. K Keeps Losing Bets

Photo By: Mr. Kutz

Photos By: Ms. Nothstine