Opening night of Little Shop of Horrors Next Thursday March 22nd at 7 P.M at Arcata High School

Additional Shows are Friday March 23, Saturday March 24, Thursday March 29, Friday March 30, and Saturday March 31.

$5 for students and $8 for adults

Doors at 7 P.M and the show starts at 7:30 PM

- WASC

- New vaccine packet

- Measure Q

- McKinleyville track construction

- Valentunes

- THRIVE

- Dan Johnson texted during the meeting

Editor’s Note: The version of this article that went to print had many errors, such as the spelling of Jerry Brown. The corrections have been made in this current article.

In the past decade, a desperate attempt to preserve America’s first-world superpower status has transformed public K-12 education to a more data-driven institution. In 1999, the California Department of Education started ranking schools on the 200-1000 scale Academic Performance Index (API). The API is heavily reliant on STAR and CAHSEE testing. To put it simply…Actually, API is anything but simple. Many question its validity especially in its ability to compare “similar” schools. Even in our local district, the T.H.R.I.V.E. grant aims to collect increasing amounts of data in a desperate attempt to quantify quality instruction.

The merit and longevity of this shift toward “data-driven instruction” is much debated. On Oct. 10, 2011 Jerry Brown vetoed Bill SB 547, which would have added even more factors to the API, quoting Einstein in his letter, that “not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”

Arcata High Principal Dave Navarre adds, “I feel that if the tests actually mattered to [students], that standardized testing would accurately reflect student performance, there should be some way to combine tests so that it can be done more efficiently.”

It isn’t just small town school districts and large bureaucratic government agencies that try to derive quality from quantification. Gigantic news agencies like U.S. News, Newsweek, and the Washington Post all evaluate statistics in order to compare and ultimately rank schools.

In a recent Washington Post article, Northcoast Preparatory Academy (NPA) ranked 13th in the while Arcata High ranked 1,807th. But before you sulk back into the tigers den, let’s consider how these rankings are derived and how different numbers tell different stories.

How can two completely dissimilar schools, like Arcata and NPA, be measured with the same gauge?

The Washington Post calculates the rankings based the percentage of seniors who pass at least one or more IB or AP exam. That’s it. One number.

So NPA has less than 100 students. Arcata High has roughly 800. The number of seniors passing an IB or AP exam at NPA is 100%. At AHS, the number passing an AP exam is 24.7%. It doesn’t take much statistical analysis to realize that much is missing from this picture.

At NPA, students enjoy the personalized attention of a small school. “Teachers teach on a very personal level not offered with anonymity of a thirty five person class at Arcata High,” Arie Jorritsma, NPA senior and former Arcata High student said, “I don’t think the rankings represent college readiness, as we kind of live in a dream world here.”

At Arcata High, students enjoy the advantages of a bigger school. “I decided to come mainly for three reasons: Sports, Lab, Wood and Auto shop opportunities, and because of the amount of people that go here,” said senior Andrea Conti, an Italian AFS exchange student who transferred to Arcata High from NPA two weeks into the school year.

Dave Navarre adds, “Public school is about bringing in a diverse group of people, and giving them as many opportunities as possible, that’s what we’re all about. Look at our sports, look at all our school trips, look at our arts and music programs, I don’t think that they could do that at this scale.”

Even with Jerry Brown’s staunch disapproval, we continue to be rated on a more-less arbitrary basis.  If high schools were consumer products like vacuum cleaners, restaurants, or even music albums, it would make sense to systematically evaluate them in the way they are now. However, benefits of school are much more subjective, holistic, and student specific. In a society where we seek to find meaningful work in an ever-evolving economy, shouldn’t we spend less time entrapping ourselves with such superficial goals?

As I prepared myself to see the American version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” I wondered about why there seems to be an obsession with remaking European films. Has the United States completely lost all inspiration? The most recent remake of a Swedish film was the horror flick, “Let Me In,” which in my opinion was a total disaster. It is literally one of the worst movies I have ever seen. The director obviously missed the point of the story, and decided to create another pulpy, gore-filled junk pile to add amongst the buckets of them that already exist.

The Swedish version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was a little too graphic for me personally, mostly because of the explicit rape scene. However, I really do like the main character Lisbeth. You really end up empathizing with her, and her character means a lot, despite her faults. The plot line is a little bit confusing, and the movie itself is a bit long.

I sat down to watch this movie, and made an effort to keep an open mind. The opening for the American version was smoother, and the characters were introduced in a manner less muddled. The quick pace was one of the only positive changes in comparison to the original. However, Lisbeth is a pretty big disappointment. She is essentially portrayed as an unintelligent brute, only capable of violence. In general, I felt that there was poor character development throughout the entire movie. Lisbeth also wears makeup in this version; which goes entirely against one of the key points of the story: her participation in the feminist movement. A lot of the costumes on the extras, and minor characters were neat, but I was unimpressed with the outfits for Lisbeth. The soundtrack, when listened to by itself, is a wonderful work of art, which is to be expected from Reznor, but I don’t feel that it worked for this movie. The music did not fit well with the transitions, and at some points was nearly nonexistent, leaving a silent gap.

I also had faith that the American version would at least tone down the horrifying rape scene; most viewers are rightfully unsettled after witnessing it. About thirty minutes into the movie I found out that my hopes were useless, and I regretted every single piece of candy that I had just consumed seconds before. If that display of violence and nudity isn’t exciting enough for you, there are plenty of gratuitous sex scenes to compensate for the lack of personality instilled in the main character. Hollywood was too easily distracted from the point of the story, and let an oversized budget consume the purpose of what the book was originally written for. For a movie intended on bringing awareness to violence against women, all I got from this film is that there are a thousand more places to have piercings than you think, and it is extremely easy to get your hands on a cheap tattoo gun.

Junior Prom: a night filled with dancing, decorations, and fun. A high point for many Arcata High School students; they remember it as a glorious night spent with their friends, but do they give enough credit to the person that sets the musical mood? Chris Grossman, also known as DJ Itchie Fingaz, is the DJ for Arcata High School’s 2012 Junior Prom. He has previously played at the Arcata High School’s 2011 Sophomore Dance, which was a success. “I had fun, and everybody seemed to be having a blast,” Grossman said. “I believe that Junior Prom will be another great night.” He plans on rocking the crowd, having fun, and interacting with the audience.

Grossman has a strong passion for music. “Listening to music, finding new music, playing music, making music, all that. It’s all I think about,” Grossman stated. He has always had an interest in DJing from when he grew up in Tampa, Florida, to when he moved to California. He bought his first tables and mixer when he moved to California and that is when his Djing got serious. Though he plays no instruments, he does make his own music. “I make hip hop, glitch hop and dubstep. Nasty music,” Grossman said with a passion. Depending on the show, Grossman will incorporate some of his own music into his DJ sets. From his first DJ set at a house party, Grossman has known that DJing is what he wants to do. He plans on staying a DJ and doing the thing he loves for as long as he possibly can. His family and friends are major supporters of what he does and have been since the beginning. “I think my dad’s a little jealous I get to do what I love for a living,” Grossman said while laughing.

Grossman has mostly played in Humboldt County, but has also played out of the area a couple times. He recently won an award for being The Best Club DJ on the North Coast. When asked how it felt to win the award, Grossman responded, “Awesome, but I got to continually step it up! I need to bring my A game every time.”

Grossman is very dedicated to what he does, and is proud to say that after a lot of hard work and time, DJing is his only job and he is able to make a living off it. When he first started DJing, he was a DJ for Emcees. He played their beats, scratched their songs, and controlled the flow of the sets. After a while, he started having the opportunities to open for well known acts as they came through town. He was able to open for various artists that he listened to growing up and admired. Even a couple times, impressed with Grossman’s set, the headliners asked him to DJ with them. He has shared the stage with artists such as E-40, Cypress Hill, Mos Def, and Lyrics Born. His shows are said to be energetic and exciting.

When Grossman was a kid, he loved to draw cartoons. He had a character he drew that he called “Itchie” and once he started DJing and scratching music he figured it could be Itchie Fingaz, and that stuck as his DJ name. Though some of his friends mess with him about it, Grossman thinks the name is funny. Grossman has a DJ group called BossLevelz who he plays with depending on the event, which consists of himself, and his partner Masta Shredda. “We play Glitch-Dubstep-Bass music with hip-hop a capellas at the same time,” said Grossman. It takes him about an hour to set up for each set and they last for about three to five hours generally. When Grossman is DJing he looks to entertain and interact with the audience but not bore them with him constant talking. The most important thing to him during a set is to have the audience having fun and to play energetic music. He has a West Coast Tour planned for this spring and he plans to have fun and make sure to bring his A game.

When asked who Mason Bell is, most Arcata High students know the basic facts. He is attending Arcata High School as a junior. He goes to class, sits through various lessons, and gets homework. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Upon further inspection one will discover something that sets Mason Bell apart from the status quo: his music.

“He’s the next big thing,” Latrell Wilson, Arcata High junior, said about Bell’s music. A bold claim considering the many artists that attempt to make it in today’s music industry. “Ever since I was little, hip-hop has just been big for me,” Bell said, naming his favorite genre of music. “The ability to say something that has meaning while retaining a musical element and expose things that most people don’t know about has always drawn me in.”

Starting his music career as a DJ, Bell played music at middle school dances for money until setting his sights upon his current forte: rap. For a year and a half now, Bell has shouldered the title of “rapper,” and by doing so has demonstrated his feelings for hip-hop.

“My week consists of just writing music,” Bell said. “Sometimes I just come up with random words; it’s all about the first line.” Since starting, Bell has performed in three local shows, and has released his first mixtape, “M^2.” In terms of his performances on stage, Bell described them as, “nerve wracking ahead of time, but once I’m on stage I just like to smile and be positive.”

Those who have seen him perform on stage share similar sentiments. Both Latrell Wilson and Sarah Bradbury, also a junior at AHS, described Mason Bell’s performances as, “amazing.” While remaining positive, the specific impressions vary:

“It was awesome because I didn’t know what to expect,” Wilson said. “He’s legit.”

“It’s so cool to see a really good friend of yours up there doing something he loves, and sharing his music and thoughts with the local community,” Bradbury added.

Mason Bell already has a growing fan base, but there are still those who have never heard one of his songs, and have no idea what it is like. To describe his music, Bell said, “I try to expose situations for what they are, talk about what I see, and give my opinion on it.”

“He flows well, and he raps about relevant subjects,” Wilson said. With each of Bell’s songs, a depth in subject manner can be heard that veers away from the stereotypical topics that many critique rappers upon. “His music is real. It’s life. It’s poetic, ” Bradbury said.

Attributing his influences to artists such as Drake, Big K.R.I.T., Kendrick Lamar, and many others, Bell plans to continue making music into his life, hopefully making it big as a rapper someday. “I swear I’ll do whatever it takes to get not just myself but my family to a higher place.” Bell said.

On the last Sunday of Winter Break, I chose to spend the remainder of my freedom indulging myself in one of America’s favorite past times: watching “Saw VI.” While feasting my eyes upon one the more beautiful wonders of the world, I encountered myself falling into the bottomless depths of an epiphany. So many wonderful masterpieces in the entertainment world have the number six in them. Seriously, just think about it. “Lion King 6.” “Snow White and the Six Dwarfs.” “The Godfather: Part VI.” “Nitendo 66.” And of course, “Saw VI.” The sixth installment of the seven piece series is the most bloody and mind thwarping of all. The special effects look so life-like that I, personally being an only cry in two out of twelve movies person, was brought to tears. Big salty petrified tears. The film starts off where “Saw V” ended. The main victim’s fate is revealed and a beat is not skipped when the next scene involves two predatory lenders unwillingly in a challenge of who can cut off the most flesh in one minute. Although Jigsaw, the primary antagonist and killer of the “Saw” franchise, has been dead since the third movie, the games carry on through his apprentice Mark Hoffman and wife Jill Tuck. Since Jigsaw’s death Hoffman and Jill have been working together in the execution of the games. In the fifth “Saw” film Jill is given information for the next games, left to her in Jigsaw’s will. The games of “Saw VI” begin in a way that Jigsaw had not anticipated them to. Hoffman demands the information for the next games from Jill, insisting that he does these games alone. Left to Jill in Jigsaw’s will are five envelopes containing five photographs of who will be tested. The death traps are created for Will Easton, a health insurance executive who revoked a dying man’s insurance policy. Throughout the games he must play God, choosing which of his employees get to live and die. The most intense and difficult death trap is saved for the final test. Six of his staff members are chained to a spinning carousel with a shotgun set up to kill each of them one at a time. Will can only save two out of the six staff members, and each time he reaches to stop the gun from shooting, spikes are driven into his hand in return. This is a representation of how each time Hoffman makes a decision on who can get insurance coverage or not, he and his company are affected by that decision. The sixth “Saw” film expands from being single minded death trap scenes. The plot focuses on the background of Jigsaw and his wife, the reason why Will was chosen for the sixth game, leading up to the twisted discovering of a sixth photograph of an unexpected victim to be killed. Six being the number of the film also plays a big part in symbolism, from there being a sixth photograph to six staff members on the spinning carousel. If you don’t believe me that many entertainment masterpieces inlude the number six in them, then I recommend you don’t watch “Saw IV.” On the other hand, if you can recall just one memory of how fantastic “Lion King 6” was, I’m sure you will change your mind.

Hidden in the shadow of Arcata’s basketball season, one sport is continuously overlooked. The sweat and turmoil of a small, dedicated group of Arcata High athletes, without cheerleaders, crowds, and the need for any extra balls, is wrestling.

Wrestling takes skill, determination, focus and the mentality to stick with it. “This sport tests you in everything; it pushes you to limits you did not think you could reach; it pushes you both mentally and physically,” senior Will Kauffman said. “It’s a mental game, with the physical aspects following.”

Savanna Nickols has been Wrestling since she could walk. “It’s all I have done since I can remember,” she said. Nickols’s dedication has obviously paid off, as she constantly places first in regional tournaments, is ranked first in the state, and plans to take first in Nationals.

“I have seen her make boys cry,” former teammate Kauffman said. “Not gonna lie, she used to throw me around a lot.” Kauffman was a recognized wrestler in Humboldt County but recent shoulder injuries have put him out of the sport.

In some sports, size and weight really matter, but 4-foot-11 sophomore Michael Lefuel has found that wrestling makes up for his size, although it can tough. “The weight loss sucks sometimes when you can’t eat,” Lefuel said, “but it’s totally worth it in the end.” Lefuel plans on wrestling the rest of his high school career and plans on becoming a coach later on in life. “I would like to take my skills and share them with wrestlers who are determined and want to succeed,” Lefuel said.

Students that wrestle feel that the sport helps their academics. “I felt better physically, and I just felt smarter, it changed me,” Kauffman said.

Nickols, Lefuel and Kauffman have all learned important skills from this sport that they incorporate into their lives. “At the end of the day, you are your own coach,” Kauffman said.

The winter controversial issue: skiing or snowboarding. I look at it this way— if you like to have fun, fall down and have some good laughs, then strap on a board. If you like screaming ankles and high-waisted snow pants with suspenders, then clip into some skis.

Any time someone attempts to convince you that skiing is more fun, they’re wrong. The one and only upside to skiing is that you don’t have to clip in at the top of the lift. However, even someone ineptwouldn’t recognize that the 30 seconds it takes to tighten down your bindings is easily worth the 20 minutes of complete and udder joy. Now snowboarders that are exceptionally bright rock their FLOW bindings and pull their board up to themselves while on the lift to clip in their other foot. This way they can head straight to the bottom of the mountain directly off the lift. “I started skiing, tried snowboarding and stuck with snowboarding because it’s better,” Mark Hertz, teacher at Six Rivers Charter High School, commented.

I can recognize why some people of the older generation would choose to ski—it can be more relaxing and possible to have a mellow ride. But believe it or not, in some cases, skiers are actually the ones causing the injuries. Exhibit A: A jump was falsely advertised to Pearse Narum, junior, by skier/friend Connor Bradshaw. As a result, Narum broke his back. Clearly skiers cannot be trusted.

The amount of tricks that are possible on a snowboard are far greater than those on skis. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty to do on skis, and hats off to the people who can successfully land such tricks (i.e. Connor Bradshaw).

“Anyone can be a snowboarder, but it takes the best to ski,” Bradshaw claimed. Since Bradshaw is capable of landing a 540˚, I will refrain from degrading him. As for the rest of the skiers who drearily slide down the mountain and appear to take the reasonable time to arrive back at the lift: You might as well stay at home and watch reruns of “Everybody Loves Raymond.”

I know I am bashing on skiers, but I am only trying to help convince some of you out there who choose to ski to stop, because I want you to have fun. When you say you are a snowboarder you will instantly get more high fives. I am still nice to skiers: Last winter, I broke through the trees off of a path to find a couple of skiers, one huddled over in misery and the other calling, “HELP!” I still did the right thing and raced down the mountain to ski patrol to ease the pain of the skier with the broken ribs. Now, being the nice person that I am, I chose to help a skier out, but keep in mind that not everyone has a kind soul like me.

Now I know I’m getting awfully preachy, but remember, I am only attempting to create more joy on the mountain.

The much anticipated annual Recreational Basketball League, known around the court simply as “Rec,” tipped off the morning of January 7, 2012. For those of you who are not familiar with this tradition, Arcata High School senior Thomas Souza calls Rec, “The place where all the real basketball players come to play.”

This season brings about one dramatic change. Quinn Rice, Arcata High School sophomore and son of City of Arcata Recreational Supervisor Mike Rice, has organized an online Fantasy Rec League with his friends to follow and track certain players’ performances throughout the year. The idea of a Fantasy Rec League stems from a hobby known as Fantasy Sports in which participants build an imaginary team of professional players and enter their team into an online league with their peers which gives “Fantasy Points” to the team based on how the players did in their most recent game. “I’ve done Fantasy Rec for the last few years” said Rice. “It used to just be me and my dad and we did it for fun. It was simple; we chose players and kept track of their points. But we’re expanding this year – we’re now tracking rebounds and assists, allowing other fans to create teams, and publishing the results online weekly (see for yourself at http://www.arcatafrec.netau.net/quinn.html).

Sophomore Alex Yeoman is among the lucky few who was invited to compete in the first ever Fantasy Rec League draft. “It all started at Porter Street” said Yeoman. “The Fantasy Rec owners met and had some random guy pick our names out of a hat. Quinn (Rice) was drawn first, guaranteeing him first draft pick, and if I recall correctly, I’m pretty sure he got up and started dancing.”

Rice did not hesitate to choose legendary Rec League baller Alex Puzz to be the first member of his Fantasy Rec team. “To tell you the truth, I really wasn’t surprised at all about Rice’s choice” said Varsity Captain Will Taylor. “I’ve been around the court a few years, and I know you can count on Puzz for twenty every Saturday.”

When the stats came in from opening weekend, Puzz did not let his teammates or his Fantasy owner down. Beasting it up with 26 monster points, 4 assists, and 8 rebounds, Puzz led the entire Rec League with 38 Fantasy points going into week two. “He started off the season good, pressing everybody” said Rice. “It’s his senior year, he’s gotta do it. He’s gotta own up.”

Puzz led his team, the Nuggets, to a 48-40 victory over the Mavericks. “Puzz got lucky because we didn’t have our star forward Kasey Cather at the game” said Mavericks’ Point Guard Sam Winter. “But our team held them close until he (Puzz) went off in the fourth quarter. I’ve never seen a player so clutch.”

Ranked 2nd in the Fantasy League after week one was senior Thomas Souza. When asked if he believed he had the potential to beat Puzz in the long run, he responded, “Of course I can beat Puzz. He’s not even good!”

Rice surprised his fellow Fantasy members by picking up junior Tyus Bryson for his Fantasy Team. “I have German with him,” said Rice, “and he used to always look over and say ‘Quinn you’ve got to pick me.’ So I did. And I’m not disappointed.” Bryson finished the opening weekend with 19 Fantasy points, including 8 solid rebounds.

In addition to Fantasy teams, the website also ranks what they call, “Top Rated Free Agents.” After week one, Owen Scofield led the category with 25 Fantasy Points. “I’m finally with a team I can work with,” said Scofield. “After losing every game last season, I’m ready to make a big comeback this year.” Fantasy owner Alex Yeoman quickly noticed Scofield’s performance, and drafted him onto his team to start week 2, where Scofield continued to impress with 18 Fantasy points.

Rec League ranges from people who have never touched a basketball in their lives to junior Aleric Stone who made the Varsity basketball team and quit after two weeks to play Rec. “Varsity just wasn’t offering me the competition that I needed,” said Stone. “I’m proud of my decision, I see myself improving every day.”

Senior Luis Bressoud might not have played basketball since his career came to an abrupt end in 8th grade, but that did not stop him from quickly rising through the ranks of the Fantasy league. Most recently, he was drafted to sophomore Cayman Durham-Vance’s Fantasy team where has been averaging in the double digits. “I fiend for competitive atmospheres,” Bressoud said, “and nothing delivers more then Rec. Most intense league I’ve ever played in.

The end of January unfortunately marked the half-way point of the 2012 Rec Season, but it also brought about a big surprise: the release of unprecedented Fantasy Rec league t-shirts designed by none other than the father of Fantasy Rec, Quinn Rice. They feature a basketball growing out of a tree, with “Are you part of my Fantasy?” printed on the back. Rice is seeking interested buyers, so contact him before they sell out. In the meantime, make sure you catch a Rec game before they are all over. The more fans, the merrier.