By: Peter Ingleby Graduation is coming up on Thursday, June 3 and seniors have to decide if they will walk during the ceremony or not. Some people have the answer of “Yes. I'm going to walk because that is what everyone else does.” Other people say, “No. I'm not going to walk because there is no point.” Students have to buy or rent a cap and gown if they are going to walk and some just don’t see the expense worthwhile.
Some students simply don’t care to walk. Taten Gage, a graduate who is choosing not to walk, said, “Walking is nothing crazy in my opinion. It is ‘Congratulations! You did what all other Americans do and did school.’” Some who are not walking choose this because they have alternative plans such as a family party. Some who would have otherwise walked are choosing not to this year because things are different than the usual ceremony. Even though many COVID restrictions have eased, graduation is still being affected. Seniors have to schedule a time to walk across the stage and not everyone will be gathered at the same time to see students receive their diplomas. Gage considered walking, but isn’t a fan of how they are doing things. Aburee Rowley, on the other hand, is excited to participate in walking at graduation. She is very involved and enjoys attending dance and parties and also plans to do the motorcade. Rowley stated, “My brother walked and now I want to walk to see how it feels...Walking is going to be a nice douse of closure like an end to high school.” Whether seniors choose to walk at graduation or not is a personal decision, but either way, we congratulate all of the 2021 graduating seniors.
0 Comments
By: Peter Ingleby It's the end of year so the tests are rolling in. Juniors had the ACT the beginning of March, sophomores had the ASPIRE Test the end of April, and now AP (advanced placement) students have their AP exams. Bear River offers three AP programs and each recently had their exam: AP Calculus Tuesday, May 4; AP Literature & Composition Wednesday, May 5; and AP U.S. History Thursday, May 6.
The AP Calculus course, taught by Mrs. Hawkes, is usually taken by seniors. The test is three hours long and very grueling. Aurelia Castillo, an AP Calculus student, said of the exam, “I think the test was more mentally taxing than hard. It was difficult to recall all that I had learned.” Castillo felt she had learned all she needed, but struggled to recall everything. Another difficult part of the test is that some sections do not allow the use of a calculator and students must really know their math. AP Literature, taught by Mrs. Stapley, is typically taken by juniors and replaces eleventh grade language arts. The exam has two sections: multiple choice questions regarding passages and poems and an essay section. Students write three essays: one on a poem, one on a prose passage, and then one on an entire novel or play. Charlie Campbell, an AP Lit student, said “the essay portion is what I was most worried about because of the prose section.” Passages can be difficult to read and understand and then you have to come up with a way to answer the prompt. AP U.S. History, taught by Coach Rasmussen, is also typically taken by juniors in place of their eleventh grade history. Campbell also took the AP U.S. History exam and stated, “I was less nervous about the AP History test than I was about the AP Literature test, but I was still nervous.” AP U.S. History contains multiple choice questions as well as essays called DBQs or document based questions. AP courses and exams are all very difficult and students work really hard to pass with the hope of gaining college credit. Colleges throughout the country award students varying amounts of college credit depending on scores. Some may be put off by the challenge, but many students enjoy courses that are more rigorous and are grateful for the opportunity to prepare for college By: Oaklee Crowell One whole week of activities to help bond and prevent suicide were held at Bear River on May 3rd-7th. This was all possible with the help of the Hope Squad and Bear River’s student council. There were activities throughout the week at lunch and before school, with an assembly on Friday, with a guest speaker, BRHS’ favorite substitute teacher, Mrs. Cindy Parry.
Hope Week included many activities to help prevent suicide and show the students at Bear River that they’re not alone. Each day had a different activity before and after school to spread awareness. Every morning throughout the week, students could grab a sticky note that contained an encouraging message from the student council. During lunch on Monday, May 3, there was the opportunity to write a letter to a fellow classmate. On Tuesday, the student council provided a coloring station at lunch. Wednesday, there was four-square during lunch and “ashtray day” after school to collect money that was then donated to Bear River Mental Health. Thursday, everyone was encouraged to wear red and the student council played music that could be altered by the student body. And finally, on Friday, students were encouraged to wear white and come get chocolate milk and donuts in the commons before school. This was all followed by the assembly Friday morning. Phillip Gallegos, a member of the Hope Squad, said his favorite part of being a part of the group “is spreading positivity to the school and making another person's day.” The Hope Squad has around 12-24 members in it who are nominated to join the squad and Mr. Ben Wiley, one of school counselors, serves as the advisor. When planning everything for Hope Week, Gallegos said, “the purpose of Hope Week is to recognize and address suicide. Getting the word out to the school or local community, ensuring that everyone knows that they are not alone, and help is always offered.” The Hope Week assembly was held the morning of May 7 (after second hour). Student council and the Hope Squad worked together to run the assembly. Mrs. Parry, the guest speaker, shared her personal connection to suicide. Her nephew died by suicide on her birthday and wanted to share this in hopes of letting people know it’s okay to reach out, and that people are here for you. The student council then took over and played games with the audience: beach ball race, dodgeball, and musical chairs, while also throwing some giveaways in there too. The theme for Hope Week was “Be Someone’s Reason To Stay” which was advertised with colored bracelets. The Hope Squad and student council did an amazing job of planning everything. They want students to know that they’re not alone and can always get help from one of the many sources Bear River High School has to offer. |