Tri-Color Times 2013-12

Granger high school

Tri-Color TimesAn open forum for student opinion and expression TRICOLORTIMES.COM December 2013 LVI-4

Want more Granger High School news? Check articles at tricolortimes.com or add us on twitter.com/tricolortimes.

Winter has arrived and with it comes Christmas

By Gage WintersHOLLYWOOD has been basing a good amount of recent movies upon books that were, until re-cently, just books. The books that have been made into movies range widely from genre to author, from perspective to length, but they all share the fact that the movie industry has made an effort to adapt what is on the printed page to what is on the silver screen. Movies and books are obviously different mediums of entertain-ment, but people still believe that if a book is made into a movie that it should hold true to the original. Although they don’t always get it right, many people agree that the second film in the Hunger Games series, Catching Fire, is

worth watching even if it’s a fa-vorite. “I think they did a great job with the movie of the Hunger Games,” library secretary Ms. Judy said. “They got a lot of the main points in the book, but Katniss’s interac-tions with Gale and Peeta seem like they mean more and feel more emotional in the book,” Ms. Judy said. Catching Fire had a $300 Mil-lion dollar opening weekend. The third book, Mockingjay, will be split into a two-part conclusion. “Mockingjay doesn’t really need to be broken into two parts, it is about the same size as the rest of the series, but they could be trying to elaborate on the end-ing,” Ms. Judy said. Many Lancers conclude that

when the author is involved in the making of the motion picture depicting the book, the movie is represented and nurtured better than without that advice. “I think that when authors are involved in the movie, it makes a world of difference. Suzanne Col-lins was a producer for the Hun-ger Games, and I think it made it more accurate,” Ms. Judy said. One of the positives of movies is that they give easy exposure to some literary works that other-wise would seem too intimidat-ing, because they require such an investment of time. “I saw the Lord of the Rings movies first, then I finally read the books, because I figured that they were worth reading and giv-ing a shot,” Preston Neilson (9)

said. The books can mean more to people, because books have more time to introduce characters, and utilize readers’ imagination, which creates an intimate connec-tion with the book and story. “I got more out of the book than the movies, because the books had more time to build charac-ters, although the movies did give them more of a humanity and per-sonality than the book did,” Neil-son said. Whether it’s reading and analyz-ing the pages of a book, or watch-ing the depictions on screen, there’s a lot to take from books, and there’s ideas that can’t fit into movies. And with books, the amount of effort put in makes the book more rewarding.

Good books don’t always make good movies

By Melany Rivera WINTER break is the main thing Granger students are thinking about right now, that and being around family on Christmas day. Christmas is one of the most fa-vored holidays of the whole year. There are many ways Granger students like to celebrate this special day like having a huge party or going on a vacation to a warmer climate, and some just like staying home and spending time with family. “My family gets together on the twenty-fourth of December. We wait until the clock strikes mid-night, and than we start celebrat-ing Christmas,” Jenny Vega (10) said. Not everyone has Christmas as one of their favorite holidays; some simply just don’t enjoy it. Some prefer to watch a movie or

have a simple dinner with their family and then enjoy some alone time. “I usually like being alone, but I will go and eat whatever my fam-ily makes for us,” Brenda Valen-zuela (9) said. Besides just celebrating Christ-mas, some students actually have some Christmas traditions in their families that they eagerly wait for every year. “Every Christmas Eve, my dad takes me and my sisters out to watch a movie or just out any-where,” Marina Ricks (9) said. Other students like to stay true to the more common Christmas traditions like staying up late with their younger siblings to wait for Santa Claus or waking up early on Christmas day and opening presents or sharing a kiss under the mistletoe with that special

person or maybe just sitting by the fireplace while eating cookies and drinking milk. “I love putting the Christmas tree up with my family; it’s my fa-vorite part of Christmas, because I get to spend time with them,” Alejandra Vazque (9) said. Many students have a favor-ite part about Christmas. There are a lot of things to love about Christmas time like when every-one hands each other presents and when the family gets together and others are extremely happy for when it’s time to dig into all the food. “My favorite thing about Christ-mas would have to be the food because it’s so good. My favorite food is the enchiladas my family makes,” Jennifer Sepulveda (9) said. Utah has a very cold climate

during winter and some students hate the cold and decide they’d rather have some time in the sun than be covered up in five layers of clothing. They pack up and take a family trip to a warmer place to enjoy a Christmas that includes sunscreen and bathing suits. “I usually stay here, but when my family wants to get away from the cold, we take a trip to Cali-fornia once in a while,” Lizeth Ramirez (9) said. From staying here and enjoy-ing the cold weather to going on a sunny trip, from staying true to Christmas traditions or creat-ing new ones, Granger students are counting down the days to Christmas break. They’re ready to spend time with their families and eat all that amazing Christ-mas food.

Lizeth Ramirez will be laughing all the way to the beach this break.Marina Ricks hopes to go to Florida this holiday break.

Christmas images byRebecca Bramall

December 2013, page 2

By April CabreraHERE AT Granger something new has come and it’s tardy tick-ets. There’s lots of conflict for these tickets. “Yea, they should be used be-cause lots of kids are failing,” Rose Lopez (9) said. Therefore, she thinks these tickets will hope-fully decrease the number of stu-dents getting tardies. These tardy tickets aren’t to just make Lancers pay fees; it’s to keep everyone on track. Getting to class is important, and gradu-ating means attending all classes and passing. However, there are lots of stu-dents that don’t think it’s neces-sary to have these in the school. “I don’t really like them, because most kids won’t go to class just because they’re going to have to pay for being late,” Ashley Ailua (9) said. There are two different sides for tardy tickets, students either like the idea and or they don’t. Just because they’re passing out tardy tickets, doesn’t mean not paying is an option. Prices for these tickets are three to five dol-lars. “I think they should lower the prices because they start add-ing up a lot and sometimes you can’t be early all the time or you can’t pay them that moment,” Di-ana Moreno (12) said. She asked why does it have to be that much for just a tardy tick-et, not a parking ticket? She thinks they should lower the prices for these tickets. Other students said it should be a dol-lar, because they’re paying three dollars just for being late to class. At some point, tardy tickets be-come important here at Granger. However, the school shouldn’t be so strict about them. Winter is here, and it takes time to come to school, but it shouldn’t take to long to get to class. Lots of students don’t come to school just for these tickets. “No cause there dumb they need to give us a break,” Will Sika (9) said. Seeing many kids being called over when they enter the door in their classrooms, that’s not a problem. Therefore, tardy tickets have both good and bad comments. It is just Granger trying to get more students to their classrooms to help them to graduate and get into good colleges in the future.

Lancers react to Tardy Tickets

By Aide HurtadoSOME SAY young love isn’t true and that it doesn’t last very long, but these students have proved otherwise. Luis Avila (12) and Nancy Ramirez (10) said they have had their ups and downs, but in the end they can always make it work. “All our fights that we have been through only make our rela-tionship stronger,” Avila said. They advise other couples not to get mad over little things, be-cause a tiny thing can create big damage in a relationship. They also said not to lose hope after every fight. “We never get bored of each other because we keep our rela-tionship fun,” Ramirez said. They go dancing, to the movies and

they cuddle. Avila said he loves when she cooks for him. When they do fight, they both agreed that Luis is the one who tries to fix things, but she is mad and he keeps on trying to fix things. She doesn’t budge, so he gives up and by then she is happy and he is mad. “I don’t like Luis buying me stuff, I’d rather he take me on a date or hug me because money doesn’t buy love,” she said. Another couple that has been to-gether for quite a while is Vicente Lucena (12) and Leslie Oropeza (10). They’ve been together for three years and three months. “I think we have lasted so long because I love being around him and spending time with him,” Oropeza said. She said that when

they fight, she is usually the one who tries to work things out. He just wants to drop it and forget it, but she wants to talk it out. Lucena’s advice is: “Make it fun don’t let it get boring, and don’t let jealousy get between you, but most of all trust each other.” Oropeza’s advice is: “Treat each other well, because one of you might get tired of getting treated badly. Treat each other with re-spect and love.” For fun, they play soccer, go to the gym and go to the movies. She says he buys her necklaces because she doesn’t like flow-ers and she buys him chocolates, shoes, shirts and sweaters. Then there is Edgar Yaret Nunez (12) and Jennifer Porto-carrero (10). For both of them,

Making relationships work takes compassionthis is their longest relationship. “Our relationship has lasted as much as it has because we love each other and we believe in each other and they don’t believe what others have to say they have trust in each other,” she said.

Many think Freshmen are too young to date By Lucia UrcinoHERE AT Granger, students like to date starting from freshmen up to seniors. There are some students and teachers that think that the freshmen are too young to date. Trust health teachers to be cau-tious: “Don’t date, have fun. The younger you date the more situ-ations you’ll go through,” Ms. Turner said. Ms. Mills also thinks it is a bad idea to start dating that soon. “Stick to friends or group dates, and don’t get too serious,” Mills said. Teachers think that the freshmen get too serious too quickly and they are too young to be dating. The freshmen here at Granger have their own opinions. “Fresh-men are too young to date because

they still act like little kids,” Dai-sy Tovar (9) said. “I believe freshmen need to fo-cus more on school. Also since we are young, we tend to make mistakes as teenagers,” Noe Gar-cia (9) said. Still, some freshmen at Granger are dating seniors. “Them saying, ‘Age doesn’t matter when it comes to love,’ is an opinion, but in reality age mat-ters. If a freshmen girl gets too attached to her senior boyfriend, it may cause her to lose focus in school and other important things as well,” Garcia said. “It’s wrong for seniors to date freshmen because they’re older and take things serious,” Junior Garcia (9) said. Some freshmen fight for their relationship or for someone. Stu-

dents don’t think its worth to fight for someone that is not worth your time. “Why fight for some one who’s not worth it? There’s someone one out there better,” Lisbeth Perez (9) said. Freshmen date because they know, or think they know, about dating. If freshmen haven’t start-ed dating yet then they should wait a little bit longer. If they have dated in the past, then they probably know a few things about relationships. Freshmen should not be pres-sured into a relationship; they should make their own decisions and choose who they want to be with. Some freshmen parents are not OK with their kid dating. Some students find themselves having to lie to their parents just to go on

a date. “I believe that we shouldn’t lie to our parents about dating. Dat-ing can get serious if you don’t know what you’re getting your-self into. Our parents are older and wiser, so we should take the time to ask them questions to be sure about any doubts we have,” Noe Garcia said. Some advise for the freshmen has been given by kids their own age. Maybe it is advise that ev-eryone should try to follow. “My advice to all freshmen out there is: if you’re going to be dat-ing, make sure you know that per-son as well as you know the back of your hand,” Noe Garcia said. Granger has done a great job of welcoming the freshmen, now it needs to make sure they know how to succeed in high school.

VOL. LVI Issue 4

full of talented players. Every-one seems to wonder why they haven’t been champions yet. “We need good sportsmanship and better control of the ball,” Angel Rivera (10) said. It seems that it’s a communication problem among the players “We need to talk more to each other,” Luis Lucena (11) said. They are great, talented play-ers who don’t trust each other. It’s exactly why coming to con-

ditioning, tryouts and practices is so important. Whether to build trust, strengthen bonds, and gain friendships with the rest of the players. Behind every great team there has to be a great coach. The boys soccer team is no different. Coach Okeson is a very talented soccer player and teacher who has been

coaching Granger for ten years. “ I like coaching because it is easier than teaching a class -- they love the sport,” Okeson said. He is a really strict coach ac-cording to the players who al-ready assent to conditioning. “He is really strict when it comes to grades. He is strict, but for a good reason,” Kevyn Robles (12) said. Others think that he is not strict and more of a laid-back coach. “I think he is out-going,” Daniel

Anguiano (12) said. Something that a lot of the play-ers look forward to is playing with their friends “I like how everybody gets along. Some of us play on the same team outside of school, too,” Brandon Blanco (11) said. Soccer has helped them create bonds and friendships that will

last and reflect in their gameplay when the team shows trust and confidence. Playing for other teams outside of school can help for the upcom-ing tryouts. Being ready for try-out is something that the players work on all year long. They go to the gym, go running, and do all kinds of workouts to make sure they are pushing their bodies to the max. “I play for another team, go to the gym and I also go running,” Rivera said. Everybody expects this season to be a great one, all the players are motivated and excited for what they hope will be the year that they win region champions. “I think the hardest team to play against will be Hunter, they are really good and won region last year. They have really good players that have been playing to-gether for a long time,” Thomas Hereida (10) said. Tryout dates have not been an-nounced yet but they will be some time in February. All the

students that are trying out should try to start getting in condition to be prepared, make sure they have good grades at least a 2.0 GPA and good CPA. “We are going to be region champions this year. I GUARAN-TEE!” Anguiano said. With so much confidence in the players, this season will rock.

By Nicole GarciaSOCCER season is still months away, but some of the most tal-ented boys seem to never give up on training. All year long, the Granger High School soccer boys practice, con-dition and get ready for the hard work they need to put in to bring home a trophy. Soccer is a beautiful sport played worldwide. It’s entertaining to watch and fun to play. Whether a hobby or a passion, soccer brings nations together during this time of year. Every country has fans watch-ing the games and cheering on teams before the World Cup that will be hosted by Brazil. Some fans are so passionate, they will reserve tickets months before to fly to Brazil and support their country in person. It is no wonder that some of the Granger High students are so pas-sionate about soccer. “What I like the most about soc-cer is how I get to play with all types of different people from different places in the world,” Aureliano Rubio (11) said. It’s crazy how completely dif-ferent cultures can leave all their traditions and different views aside and come to the field where every country plays with the same ball by the same rules. A lot is said about Granger’s team, which is a strong team

International fans and local Lancers love soccer

Thomas Hereida has a lot of enthusiasm for the soccer team.

Luis Avila and Nancy Ramirez might fight, but their relationship stays strong.

Nunez has advice for boys just starting relationships. “Love her and show her you love her as much as you can. Treat her like a princess, and don’t let anything or anyone get between you and her,” he said.

December 2013, page 3VOL. LVI Issue 4

EditorKelly SanmiguelOnline Editor Kaitlin Cluff

Managing EditorSummer JuddPhoto Editor

Nathan Hubner

Tri-Color Times Staff

Brenda AguilarYamilex Apocada

Maria AvilaDaryan BauerApril CabreraNaz CamachoYuriti De Leon

Victoria EspinozaYessica EstradaAngel Figueroa

Fernando GarciaShannon GarciaNicole CarciaMisty GarlickTina Huynh

Cassidy HunterAide Hurtado

Halina Johnson

The Tri-Color Times serves as a student forum for student opinion and student expression.

The views expressed herein reflect neither the opinions of Adviser John Carlisle and Granger High School, nor those of Granite School District. The Tri-Color Times invites

and publishes letters to its editorial board; all letters will be edited for taste, length and legality.

Granger High School3580 South 3600 West

West Valley, UT 84119(385) 646-5320

Dominique JosphesSamantha LopezRigoberto LopezYaqueline LopezAntonio Loredo

Taylor MolisAdilene Montelongo

Brenda NguyJennifer Ochoa

Yohnathan RivasMariana RiveraMelany RiveraMaria TavaresMarisol Torres

Aaron TuchawenaLucia UrcinoGage WintersLyndsey Xa

Reporters Reporters

Granger’s automotive students visit Weber StateBy Yohnathan RivasTHE WEBER State University Automotive Competition is held once every year. To enter, students must first complete a written test. After the tests are finished, the students tests are scored then put together with every other student from the school. Once all the scores are in, they will know if their school qualified. Jonathan Mejia (12), Chayton Petersen (12) and Yohnathan Rivas (12) had the top scores, so they are the students that will attend the hands-on competition. Surprisingly they all received the same score. Over 150 schools were invited, but only 24 schools were chosen. After they find out if their school qualified, only the two top scor-ing students are able to compete in the hands-on competition. Before December 5, the day of the written test for Weber State, Mr. Ballew was doing his best helping the Granger students qualify for the competition. The students were practicing with old tests from past com-petitions. Students also studied

in their free time. Granger auto-motive students did their best to qualify for this competition, and students studied as much as pos-sible to make Mr. Ballew proud. Mr. Ballew was confident that the Granger students were going to qualify. He was confident in his students because he knew that he trained them well. In the past, Granger has ap-proached qualification for the hands-on competition for We-ber State, but has not had suc-cess. This year was different, and Granger went to Weber State with confidence, because everyone knew that Granger would qualify this year. They arrived at Weber State University and walked straight into the automotive room. They were all separated and put into rooms to take the written test. Once everyone was finished, all the students met together and went to the food court. Mr. Ballew bought every student a hamburger meal. “The food here is amazing! I wouldn’t mind going to college if it was with all of you guys,” Riley

Carlson (12) said. After all the students were fin-ished eating, it was time to enter the assembly room. During the Weber State assem-bly, students were put together with their schools. The assem-bly started and they started nam-ing the schools that qualified for the hands-on competition. The schools that qualified were called

After many disappointing years, Granger’s automotive students passed written tests at Weber. Then they ate burgers.

Getting to school in the snowBy Samantha LopezLIVING in Utah in the winter means a lot of snow. Many have a hard time driving in snow, and it usually is very scary. Going to school in the snow also can be scary whether walking, driving, or even taking the bus. Students driving usually are getting to school in a rush, which isn’t very safe when driving in the snow. For many students, this may have been the first time driving in the snow, which can also be scary for them and other people on the road. “This was my first time driv-ing in the snow and I slid while pulling out,” Nicole Garcia (12) said. While some Lancers are afraid of black ice and slipping on the snowy roads, others are scared of the drivers. “I prefer walking rather than driving, I don’t trust drivers — especial-ly high school students,” Mr. Quist said. Utah has a reputation for hav-ing some of the worst drivers, but with snow on the ground they get even worse. Traffic gets backed up, and drivers all slow down to 10 miles per hour. For some people, the snow barely affected them. “I was okay driving in the snow; it didn’t do much to me than it did most people,” Chey-anne Riley (12) said.

Some students have a hard time getting to school with no ice on the ground and clear roads. With the snow just starting and students not knowing what could possibly happen on the road, it just makes it harder to get here on time.

“It took me ten more minutes to get to school today then on nor-mal days when the roads are bet-ter,” Michelle Bueno (11) said.

Many students depend on a school bus to get to school. The bus should make them feel safe and secure to be on it even when it is snowing, but that’s not al-ways the case. “The bus is a little scary when

it’s snowing, the ground has black ice and there’s also a lot of students on the bus,” Yovani Avilla (10) said. When there is snow on the ground many drivers go slow. They know that there is a possi-bility that there might be black ice on the ground, and that can result in bad consequences if they aren’t careful. This also results in more traffic on the roads. Traffic is usually caused by accidents that happened. Acci-dents can be scary to be in and also witness when driving on scary roads. “I witnessed an ac-cident while driving. It scared me so much that I almost got into an accident myself,” Meli-sa Saxton (12) said. There will be a lot of snowy days this winter. Be care-ful when out on the roads — whether driving, walking, or even taking the bus. Drivers need to drive slowly and watch out for pedestrians.

Students should be responsible while they are on the bus, and not be a distraction for the bus drivers who are trying to keep everyone safe.

Icy roads create dangerous driving conditions.

Want more Granger High School news? Check articles at tricolortimes.com or add us on twitter.com/tricolortimes.

in alphabetical order. Waiting for the announcement was an intense moment for the Granger students. “YES!” Mr. Ballew yelled af-ter Granger High School was an-nounced. All the Granger students were happy. They were clapping in excitement. “Once they called Granger High School, I was so happy that

I zoned out from everything else, and I wasn’t able to hear anything else for a minute or two,” Chris Lopez (12) said. Now that Mr. Ballew knows that Granger qualified, he must train the top scorers who will now en-ter the hands-on competition. Mr. Ballew is teaching them as much as he can to prepare them for February 14.

Photo: Weston Colton

FREE

LIKE

STUFF?

Enter to winexclusive items from SLUG!Mag’s advertisers at slugmag.com/promos

I LIKE

FREE

STUFF...

December 2013, page 4 VOL. LVI Issue 4

Granger Lancers go big, and they don’t go home.

December 2013, page 5VOL. LVI Issue 4

Granger Lancers go big, and they don’t go home.

December 2013, page 6 VOL. LVI Issue 4

By Antonio LoredoSTUDENTS interested in cabinet making or any woodworking job should consider the cabinet mak-ing tour is for you. The cabinet making tour visits three places: SLCC’s wood shop, Fetzer’s furnishing company and Crown Cabinets. They each show their skills in wood work like furniture, tables, cabinets, etc. Girls who admire woodwork-ing and have a burning desire to make great furnitire and other as-sociated stuff, then don’t be afraid to join. “At SLCC, 20% of the wood working classes we have are filled with women,” SLCC’s wood shop teacher said. That may not seem like much, but it actually is considering how many women actually go into woodworking. “Most women in woodworking excel in cer-tain things,” SLCC’s wood shop teacher said.

SLCC’s wood shop is great in many ways. Their equipment is both old and new. The college also has a 3D printer and a laser cutter. They have many great ma-chines, and if students want more, then they’re just going to have to join. Now students who want to work for a great wood furnishing company should work for Fetzer Inc. It’s a hundred-year-old com-pany started by Kaspar Fetzer, a German immigrant who came to America with no money. He built a multi-million dollar company, which is run by the third genera-tion of Fetzers. “In Fetzer HQ, there is over $22 million worth of wood,” Fetzer’s spokesman said. He also showed touring students around the fa-cility of Fetzer Inc., which had big industrial equipment, lots of wood and furniture. “Fetzer is one of the most expen-

sive wood working companies, but you will get the best quality,” Fetzer’s spokesman said. Grang-er’s veneers come from Fetzer, which is known for it’s veneers. For those who don’t know what a veneer is, it is a thin sheet of wood which would usually be glued on top of a wood panel. So Granger gets the best veneers in the country from Fetzer. The next place they visited was called Crown Cabinet, which is know for cabinets, of course. It’s a local company that sells and makes cabinetry for kitchens, bathrooms, and such. “We have nothing but the high-est quality cabinetry in Utah,” Crown’s spokesman said.They have a wonderful store and factory, which has great equip-ment and devoted workers. These are all great places to visit and the tour was a great experi-ence for future woods workers.

Woods students take cabinet making tour

How to ask a girl outBy Shannon Garcia ASKING a girl out should be easy. What guys have to do is ask, but it is not that simple. Guys get nervous or shy. Other guys are like that because they are scared of what the girl is going to say. They don’t want to get rejected by a girl that they like, and maybe they don’t want friends to make fun because she said ‘No.’ And some guys don’t just know how to ask a girl out. Well, here is some advice. Write a note asking her out and put it in an envelope with her name on the front and then tape it to her locker or put it inside her locker or can give it to her and wait for her to open it and wait for her to give you an answer. “I would let her know how I feel by telling her, ‘You know, I’ve been wanting to tell you some-thing very important, and well honestly, I think you’re such an amazing girl, and you’re beauti-ful and unique in your own way,’” Omar Diaz (9) said. It doesn’t always have to be ro-mantic or a cute way to ask, but then sometimes a girl will like it when a boy asks her in a cute way. All the girls would like that, but some girls don’t get asked out in cute ways. So it’s not a big deal. A cute way to ask a girl out is bake some cookies then decorate one of the cookies saying, “Will

you go out with me,” then give it to her. Make sure she gets the cookie. This is probably not the cutest or the coolest way, but it is sure to get a ‘Yes.’ “I would go up to her, then I would ask her if she wanted to be mine. If I like know she would say ‘yes’, then I’ll take her some flowers,” Manuel Herrera (10) said. The best way for a guy to ask a girl out would be in front of her friends because it shows he’s not scared to be with her. But those guys that are nervous or shy can pull her away from the group and start talking with her and bring up the question casually. Before a guy asks a girl out, he should get to know her first. He could ask her to go somewhere with a group of friends like to the movies, hangout at the mall, go double date as friends, go out to eat. Whatever plan works. Then he should just spend time with her and get to know her. If it doesn’t work, he shouldn’t hate her or stop talking to her be-cause later on she is going to no-tice that he at least tried to go out with her and she might see that she is missing out. It’s best to be friendly, because there’s no way to know what will happen in the future. He should just take it one step at a time.

Manuel Herrera knows that flowers are always welcomed as a gift.

By Mariana RiveraGRANGER High School has many things to offer before school and after school, too. There are a lot of things hap-pening after school like practic-es, dances, clubs, plays, games and night school classes that the school offers like guitar classes, English classes etc. Some of the sports that have practice after school are swim-ming, drill, basketball, wrestling and many more. There are sports like wrestling that practice every day after school (when they don’t have meets). “Wrestling practice goes from 2:30-4:30. The coaches are atten-tive and the wrestlers are dedi-cated and hard working. I see our boys going to state,” Nafanua Pa’u Leota (10) said. “One fun part of being a wrestling manager is you get out of class early and go to competitions with them. I keep the score and support them in any way possible,” Pa’u Leota said. The wrestlers are committed to their teammates. “Wrestling builds character, it teaches you how to work as a

team because you wrestle alone but you support your team. It’s the hardest sport I have played and probably the hardest out there. Anybody who hasn’t tried wrestling should come check it out. It’s a team sport, but also an individual one, too,” Jordan Mortensen (11) said. Swimming is also one of the sports that practices every day after school if there isn’t a meet. “We have a good team this year. I really like it. Everyone is really friendly, and we are more than just a team. We are a family. During the practices coach Mary makes us work hard so we can be prepared for the meets, she helps us with everything we need to work on. Our competitions are held after school from 3:30 un-til we finish,” Jayde Holloway Brown (9) said. “This year we are doing some-thing new for the swim team. Coach Mary made like a chart on where we have to run a mile every day. She is really fast on track, and that motivates us to do our mile too,” Brown said. There are also different prac-tices. Not just sport practices, but a dance practice too.

Latinos In Action is one of the clubs that is also a class because they have become so popular among the Latino students. They practice a dance to show at the L.I.A conference that is going to be hold in Weber State. “The dances we see each year are good, and this year is my first year that we are going to perform in the conference. The dancers put excitement into their dances, and they give everything to bring out their culture in them and to show the moves. We prepared really hard and practice every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:15-3:15. We always try to work as hard as we can and give our best in every practice,” Guadalupe Orozco (12) said. That’s not the only thing that Latinos In Action does. When they don’t have dance practice they do community service after school. They translate if parents or teachers need help, and LIA goes to events that happen after school and do as much as they can to help their community. Granger has so many activities after school that anyone can join them or try for the teams. Other activities will start later on.

Kids like to participate at G-house after school

Jordan Mortensen recommends wrestling as an after school activity.

Woodworking students enjoyed their whirlwind tour of shops in Salt Lake.

December 2013, page 7VOL. LVI Issue 4

Lancers have fun without the sunBy Misty GarlickLANCERS don’t need any sun to have some fun. Finding ways to entertain themselves, they are happy to go sledding or sit all cuddled up next to a fire. And for most Lancers, winter means Christmas. “My favorite thing to do during the winter is stay inside with my favorite blanket and some yum-my hot chocolate with whipped cream on top watching movies,” Aiza Higley (10) said. She also loves to build forts and have snowball fights with her friends to create memories that will last a lifetime. “When I was in seventh grade I was asked by some friends if I still believed in Santa Claus. I said ‘Yes,’ of course. And then they told me that he wasn’t real. It was really sad.” Although, most Lancers no

longer believe in Santa, there are some who choose to keep the Christmas sprit alive. “I haven’t stopped believing in Santa Claus. It is what keeps the Christmas sprit alive and if no one believes in him. What is the point of Christmas?” Eric Jara (10) said. Jara loves to go to his family’s house and eat a lot of food and en-joy presents, happiness and most importantly memories. One of his scariest memories was when he went sledding and went all the way down the mountain and landed in the road and almost got hit by a car. Some Lancers hate winter. “Snow is fine to look at, but not to touch or to walk in,” Alex Page (12) said. He loves Christmas, though. He enjoys going to his family Christmas party because he gets to see all of his family

and they hand out presents. “It’s awesome,” Page said. And he loves going sledding with his big brother. For some Lancers, getting pres-ents is the best part. “I like staying home because it is way too cold outside to do any-thing,” Mason Walkins (10) said. His favorite thing about Christ-mas is the presents of course. He does a lot with his family, like, going to a family member’s house and hanging out and just talking for a while. And some dream big. “Although I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was in the fifth grade, I still want a pony for Christmas,” Niky Guapi (10) said. Guapi goes to her grand-mother’s house for Christmas and then makes tamales and eats a lot of other food, hangs out, and opens gifts. Mason Walkins would rather open presents than play in the snow.

Students should take Auto Tech for hands-on skillsBy Angel G. FigueroaAUTO TECH is a hands-on class that teaches valuable skills for use in the future: oil changes, tire changes, spark plugs changes, etc. “I took this class because I just love cars,” Keaton Nuismer (12) said. “I actually have this class for five periods out of eight because I want to learn as much as I can to be ready for the real world before this year is over,” Nuismer said. “What Auto Tech is to me is... well... my future career when I get older. What I learn is pretty much how to make fast cars and see if enjoy working in a group of people working with my hands or stuff like that. It’s a good reason to join the class, because that’s what we what we do,” he said. “Another reason I love this class is that you get to learn how to search and find the problem and fixing them the first time,” Nuis-mer said. “Students should join this class because it’s a good class to start getting a really good feel for a

new line of work,” Leo Sanches (11) said. “Auto Tech is learning about cars and how to fix them, and cur-rently we are learning about the electricity of the vehicle like how it works and where it goes, no pun intended,” Sanches said. “The main reason I took this class is to complete my credits for graduation and my second reason is to learn the basics like change the oil of my car or giving it a tune-up if I had a car,” he said. “I have learned how to do some ba-sic stuff like tire rotations, change oil, check simple things in the motor, and spark plugs and like I said before we are learning about electricity.” “I’m taking Automotive 2 next year because I feel what we a learning right now is pretty easy for me and Automotive 2 seems more challenging to me,” Sanch-es said. “I started teaching 17 years ago, and the reason I started to teach auto tech is because I wanted to make a difference in young lives

-- to help them make a decision that will be beneficial to their lives,” automotive teacher Mr. Ballew said. “When I was younger it was all about to get a four year degree to be successful in the industry but now it looks like the industry wants more and more of people with these types of skills like auto motive, wood work, 3D design, etc,” Mr. Ballew said. “Yeah it’s really good to have a four-year degree and you can get really wealthy and successful, but the industry is so flooded with people that have four-year de-grees that it seems like they aren’t seeking people like that,” he said. “That’s where I think the indus-try is heading. Now it’s hard to find a job even with a four-year degree because like I said before, the industry had been flooded and people now go to get a higher education for a job that’s not re-ally in demand at the time while others have skills that they get here... skills that are in demand,” Mr. Ballew said. Auto Tech provides recession-proof mechanical skills.

Safe drivers buckle their beltsBy Rigo LopezTHIS WINTER, Lancers will be driving to school and can expect all sorts of dangers on the road. “Don’t drive stupid,” Michael Manu (12) said. This is why it is important that Lancers keep each other safe on the road. This month, Granger’s SBOs are prompting students to buckle up and drive safely. It is important for students to re-member that when they drive out there, not only are they at risk but also mothers, fathers and other people’s families. “Don’t Drive Stupid” is a foun-dation that promotes safe driving primarily among teenagers. They collect data on high schools, like the percentage of students that use seatbelts. Last year, Granger had the low-est percentage of students who use their seatbelts. The highest was Alta High School. Now it is up to the SBOs to change this per-centage. This month SBOs checked for seatbelts in the parking lot.

“We are teenagers and some-times we make stupid decisions influenced by friends or vice versa,” Vivian Nguyen (12) said. “I consider myself to be a good driver.” Nguyen also has a few tips that she says really help her when driving. “If you know you can’t do some-thing like parallel-park or back-ing up, don’t do it. Buckle-up and drive defensively, especially with this snowy weather,” she said. The results for the Buckle-Up day are still being counted, but the SBOs assure us that we did much better than last year, despite the fact that some students didn’t take the experiment seriously and opted to take off their seat belts. “As SBOs, we hope we did well, because I don’t want pie in my face,” Manu said, referring to a friendly challenge against Hunt-er High School for who can raise their Buckle-Up ratio the most. Granger students say it is im-portant to wear seatbelts. “It can save your life and that is a good

enough reason to wear it,” Manu said. “Even if there wasn’t any law against not wearing your seat belt, I would still wear it because I value my life,” Davion Jones (12) said. Winter is very dangerous in Utah and drivers, especially teen-agers, should be really careful when driving. Last year one half of the teen-agers killed in car accidents were not wearing their seatbelts ac-cording to the Don’t Drive Stupid website. Even if students consider them-selves to be good drivers, there might always be someone out there who is driving while dis-tracted, and wearing a seatbelt might just save a life. While Lancers have improved over time, they should always take any safety precautions pos-sible while driving. Lancers hope to beat Hunter by improving their Buckle-Up ratio, help out while also driving safely on the roads this holiday season. Davion Jones keeps safety first while riding with his seat belt locked.

November 2013, page 8 VOL. LVI Issue 3

By Cassidy HunterIT’S THE most wonderful time of the year; the lights are up and the Christmas music has begun. While some students have al-ready started the sledding and the shopping, the Madrigals have started caroling. “My favorite time is Christmas time because we have lots of con-certs,” Andrew Perkes (12) said. “And I love Christmas songs.” “I don’t really like Christmas music as much as I should, but there are no Halloween choir songs. They are fun to sing,” Cece Mendiola (12) said. Some of the favorites consist of “O Nata Lux”, “All I Want for Christmas is You”, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” and, of course, “Fruitcake”. Fruitcake has long been a Mad-rigal tradition, even before Ms. Spujte became the advisor. They sing it during December. It’s a “fun, laughable, and enjoyable piece.” The elementary children are especially fond of it because

sometimes the Madrigals wear pajamas while performing it. “They did it when my sister was in [Madrigals],” Mendiola said. December is definitely the busi-est time of the year for the Mad-rigals. They have a performance almost every day during this spe-cial season. Whether it is at an Elementary school, retirement home, a business, University of Utah hospital, or a church, they are always somewhere singing Christmas songs for anyone who will listen. “I like performing for little kids because they treat us like celebri-ties,” Mendiola said. “I love how much we perform. I’m excited to perform in public places, because, no offence, but old people really aren’t that live-ly,” Ryanna Chandler (11) said. Preparations for Christmas sea-son started in September; but they weren’t just preparing vocally, they had to prepare mentally as well. This time of year is a stress-ful time for Madrigals. Trying to

juggle homework, school, and all their performances puts a lot of weight on their shoulders. “Just decide not to sleep, that’s how you have to do it,” Perkes said. Although it’s hard to manage, singing is something that the Madrigals love to do, and they are all willing to sacrifice a little bit of sleep or spare time. Chandler understands how Madrigals has helped her in all ways with music. She has learned so much in such a short period of time. “It’s harder than I thought, there is no spare time, but it is totally worth it,” she said. The Madrigals this year have way more students than it has ever had before, and according to Spujte, it’s a really good thing. “They’re starting out really strong. It helps with balance and confidence to have a big group,” she said. “They are a great group of kids that work well together, it makes me excited for festival.”

Lancers enjoyed Catching Fire By Tina HuynhGOING to see movies is probably everyone’s favorite things to do to pass time. Whether it’s family night, date night, or just a night where you want to go out, movies always spark an interest and kids always find themselves going back to the cinema. But the movies that every-one’s dying to see are those box-office movies that ev-eryone’s been talking about for months and the critics absolutely love. Especially those movies that sell $160 million on the first weekend it’s out. Obviously, Catching Fire is kind of a big deal. The Harry Potter and Twilight series are officially over, and The Hunger Games are taking their place with absolute ease, and no one’s been complaining. “It was so awesome! It was the best movie. I wanted to cry while watching it, honestly. But I didn’t, I swear. My favorite part was the ending because it really pissed me off. But it got me more excit-ed for the next movie,”Stephen Bachem (11) said. “I liked Catching Fire better than The Hunger Games because it has more for me to work with. The second book is also better

than the first, too. It holds more emotion to it,” Bachem said. The Hunger Games trilogy is definitely dramatic. It’s a clev-erly written story that no one else could even think of, and it plays out on screen very well. Everybody has, or wants to go see it.

“My friends have been telling me that it’s really good. I heard the books are pretty good too,” Amy Tran (10) said. And then there’s the cast. It seems like every girl in America has been drooling over the hot male leads. They’ve officially made it on their list for “Man Crush Monday.” “I thought the movie was all right, I didn’t really like the end-ing. But I like Catching Fire more than The Hunger Games because it’s more exciting, and it has a lot more awesomeness in it. My fa-vorite part would have to be when Katniss helps Gale when he’s

being whipped,” Isaac Romano (10) said. That’s probably the most neg-ative thing you’ll hear about Catching Fire. Although Catching Fire has been in the spotlight a lot and for a long time, it still doesn’t stop kids from preferring the first

movie. “I liked it. It’s similar to the book, but at the same time, it’s not. My favorite part is when they get back into the games. Even though I do like the first movie better, I really like them both,” Jocelyne Palacios (11) said. The Hunger Games series is both buzz-worthy and talk-

worthy. Kids literally can’t get enough of it. “It was very nice. When the mist fog came out was my favor-ite part. Catching Fire is better than The Hunger Games because it’s not all about the actual games, but also the uprising of Panem,” Devin Rock (9) said. “I loved it because there’s so much action. My favorite part was when she came out in the wedding dress. It was awesome. I loved Catching Fire more be-cause it makes more sense to me. I’m definitely going to read the books after that movie.” Shey-Leigh Hayes (10) said.

It’s a holly jolly Madrigals Christmas

By Adilene MontelongoTECHNOLOGY is an important thing in the world today. It has improved lives in many ways. Advanced technology like cars, cell phones, and the Internet change lives every day. Since technology has a big impact in lives, it can change things by making them more productive or fun and exciting. For example cell phones changed the way people communicate with others and in the way they get their information. Communication technology is cru-cial today. The Internet’s primary reason is to transmit information. Cell phones have helped people stay connected to each other and the Internet all over the world. Before, cell phones could only be used to make phone calls and get in contact with people nearby. Now these devices can be used to make long distance calls, access the Internet, send messages and take pictures or video. They can

also be used as navigation devic-es, music players, or even gaming platforms. “A touch screen phone would be one of the coolest things in-vented, because it went from be-ing a huge phone with just but-tons to a thin small phone that

is a touch screen,” Andres Rodriguez (9) said. “Technology can be bad or good, bad because the per-son could be using technology to plan a bombing or good because it can help them in school, or help them get in

contact with friends and family,” Rodri-

guez said. Edwin Rodriguez (11) agreed that cell phones were one of the coolest things ever invented. “It is useful to me, because I can call my parents in case of an emer-gency.” Everyone has his or her own opinion of technology, but many people agree that cell phones are one of the greatest inventions of all time.

Cell phones changing world

Andres Rodriguez admires touch screen technology.

Spanish speakers learn more SpanishBy Jennifer Lopez STUDENTS take Spanish class-es although they already know Spanish. There are students who speak Spanish and write Spanish, but still want to learn more. “I take Spanish to know more and understand better,’’ Martin Gomez (9) said. It helps students to learn more because some people come from Spanish-speaking countries, but don’t know the language. Students also want to learn the language because it’s popular. They like to speak in the language because they feel more comfort-able. Spanish-speaking students mostly talk in Spanish at home because their parents speak it. There are many reasons why students want to learn more. Stu-dents know that they are from a Spanish speaking state, and they should know more about their own language. “It helps for giv-ing better answers when speaking to people,” Gomez said. Communication skills are im-portant especially if another lan-guage is spoken at home. “The goals that I have for my stu-dents are to use target language, to speak 605 in Spanish during class, to be passionate about the class, and to learn about the cul-ture,” Spanish teacher Ms. Stowe said. When students know how to do these things, it will be easier for them to communicate in many

ways. Students who know a little, but want to learn more usually take the class again to gain more skills. “[Spanish-speaking] stu-dents should take Spanish classes to improve skill, improve writing skills, improve speaking, and im-prove pronunciation,” she said. Ms. Stowe learned Spanish when she lived in Mexico, when she majored in Spanish in college and when she studied the lan-guage on her own. Some people don’t realize how important it is to learn two lan-guages, because it can help get a better job or career. “Someone can get a better job or career,” Gomez said. Most of the Spanish speakers know Spanish already because they lived there or their parents taught them. Some people want to learn about the culture and how to spell better. Spanish speakers know more things about Mexico because they use the language all the time. “There are other ways to learn Spanish, but for now, this is all they have,” Gomez said. Most students at Granger speak Span-ish and/or English because those are the most common languages here. Spanish is also a good language to learn for English speakers be-cause the letters mean the same thing.

Martin Gomez knows that his Spanish skills will help him succeed.

The Madrigals perform their holiday favorite “Fruitcake” at Fresh Market to a crowd of surprised shoppers.