Stephanie's Blog

            Here is a reality check for everyone complaining and bad mouthing The Ranch.

Let’s step into the real world here… EVERY HIGH SCHOOL HAS ISSUES! I am a student at Rancho in my senior year, and I have many friends at the other high schools in the area, including Montgomery, Newman, Ursuline, Piner, Elsie Allen, St. Vincent, Petaluma, and Casa Grande. At every one of these schools, there are students that slack off, smoke weed, and have “organized fights”. It is not our teachers’ fault for the students not wanting to learn or apply themselves. But, there are plenty of students that do.

There are no gangs at The Ranch, and if the administration hears about any weapons or usage of prohibited items, the kids are sent to the office and are searched. And here is another point, if the community has such a huge problem with The Ranch being “unsuitable” for the teens in their own neighborhood, then why don’t they do something to help? Talking badly about the school doesn’t solve any of the “problems” that many people think we have… It only helps the rumors spread.

Here are some important events that happen at The Ranch that benefit the community that just so happen to be over-looked.

1)      The Rancho blood drive has collected more pints of blood and volunteers than all the other schools in this area.

2)      The canned food drive that we hold every year brings in thousands of cans that are immediately donated to benefit those in need.

3)      Our school spirit is overwhelmingly powerful compared to other schools that visit us in athletics, as well as us visiting them. We have many spirit weeks throughout the year and have an up-beat competition between the classes that result in being able to obtain bragging rights and rewards at the end of the year.

4)      We have many students that continue on to college after graduating from Rancho Cotate High School with their diplomas, whether they go on to the Santa Rosa Junior College or other Junior Colleges or State Universities.

Here is another issue that many people believe is a huge problem at Rancho: Drugs. Why is everyone acting like Rancho is the only high school that has people who smoke cigarettes, weed, drink, and do other activities of those sorts? I know many people that go to Ursuline and Newman who do more drugs and alcohol than you can even imagine, and yet those are the two schools that everyone praises as being the best school to send you child to. The only difference between the kids that do drugs there and the kids that do drugs here, is that the kids at Newman and Ursuline get the money from their parents because they can afford that.The parents may not know what their children are doing with the money that they give them, but don’t they wonder where their children go during the weekend?

Now lets move on to talking about the teachers. Every school is going to have teachers that a student is not going to like, and there are also going to be teachers that are very good at what they do. But, unless you have personally taken the class with the same teacher that your child is taking, you have no right to comment on how that teacher runs their classroom. Did you ever consider that your child is just lazy and does not want to do the work that the teacher is assigning?

Also, if you went to The Ranch 20 years ago, then how would you know how the school has improved over the years, or even how much it has not in your mind. Whenever any kid asks their parents what things were like back when they were teenagers, all of them would answer that it was different and that things have changed. That applies to the school systems too!!

Everyone needs to face the facts and accept that Rancho is just like all the other high schools in Sonoma County. Yeah, it has its problems, but what high school doesn’t? And unless you are going to do something to help this “situation”, you have no room to talk.

Ivan Pavlov, a russian scientist born in 1849, made a great impact in the field of physiology by studying the mechanisms underlying the digestive system in animals. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1904, while also studying the laws of formations of conditioned reflexes until he died in 1936.

While Ivan Pavlov worked to reviel the secrets of the digestive system, he also studied what signals triggered  the output of saliva. When a dog encounters food, drool starts to pour from the salivary glands located in the back of the mouth. The drool contains enzymes that break down certain compounds in the food, but that is aside from the point.

Pavlov started to be interested in studying reflexes when he saw that the dogs drooled without the proper stimulus. Although no food was in sight, they would still drool. It turned out that the dogs were reacting to the lab coats that the scientists wear. Every time the dogs were served food, the person who served the food was wearing a lab coat. Therefore, the dogs reacted as if food was on its way whenever they saw one of the scientists in a lab coat.

Pavlov started to perform a series of experiments to figure out how these were linked. For example, he would strike a bell when the dogs were fed. If the bell was rung around the time their meal was being served, the dogs would learn that the sound of the bell means their food is going to be served. After a while,they would start to drool at the sound of a bell.

     If you go to Rancho, then you mostly know about the cell phone restrictions around the school. The rules are that you are not allowed any cell phone use at all, even during lunch and break.

     Now, i understand the rule of no cell phone use during class. That actually makes sense because in class you are supposed to be learning and working and such things like that. But, during lunch and break, we should be permitted the use of electronic devices. Being on our phone during break and lunch is not disturbing anything school related or academic. Break and lunch is our time during the day to take a break from school and academics. I do not see anything wrong using your cell phone to text or make a call to someone during those times.

Many people have experienced, heard, or learned about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. December 7, 1941 was the day that shock struck America as the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor. Many who did not experience the even first hand may often wonder what happened, why it happened, and what people’s reactions were. 

          The Pearl Harbor attack was an unannounced military strike conducted by the Japanese navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It was a major engagement of World War II, and took place before the formal declaration of war by Japan. The attack on Pearl Harbor was intended as an action to prevent the United States Pacific Fleet from influencing the war. The empire of Japan was planning to take over the Southeast Asia and pacific islands, and did not want any American interference. They were also going against the British and the Netherlands, as well as the United States and the Philippines. The attack was planned for means to buy time for Japan to consolidate their position and increase their naval forces. The attack in all was a blow against the American morale. 
The Japanese planned to attack in two waves. The first wave was to be the primary attack, while the second wave was to finish whatever tasks remained. The first wave contained the bulk of the weapons to attack capital ships, mainly specially adapted Type 91 aerial torpedoes which were designed with an anti-roll mechanism and a rudder extension that let them operate in shallow water. The aircrews were ordered to select the highest value targets, such as battleships and aircraft carriers. If either were not present, any other high value ships such as cruisers and destroyers were also targets. Dive bombers were to attack ground targets. Fighters were ordered to strafe and destroy as many parked aircraft as possible to ensure they did not get into the air to counterattack the bombers, especially in the first wave. When the fighters’ fuel got low they were to refuel at the aircraft carriers and return to combat. 

            The attack was on a Sunday morning at around 8:00 a.m. Hawaii Time, and ended around 10:00 a.m.Quickly recovering from the initial shock of surprise, the Americans fought back vigorously with antiaircraft fire. Devastation of the airfields was so quick and thorough that only a few American planes were able to participate in the counterattack.The Japanese were successful in accomplishing their principal mission, which was to cripple the Pacific Fleet. They sunk three battleships, caused another to capsize, and severely damaged the other four. All together, the Japanese sank or severely damaged 18 ships, destroyed 161 American planes, and seriously damaged 102 American planes. A total of 2,896 casualties were recorded. 

            On December 8, the day after the attack, American citizens were crowded around their radios to hear President Roosevelt delivered his Day of Infamy speech. Roosevelt’s speech had an immediate and long-lasting impact on American politics. The Speech was broadcast on live radio and drew in the largest audience in radio history, having over 81% of the Nation listening. The response was overwhelmingly positive, both within and outside of Congress. The White House was flooded with telegrams praising the President’s speech. 

The attack of Pearl Harbor was a shock to all American citizens and the allies in the Pacific. The shock and disbelief of all was soon turned into anger. Japanese American residents and citizens were relocated to Japanese American internment camps. Hundreds were rounded up and brought to the camps within hours of the attack. A total of 110,000 Japanese Americans were brought to the internment camps. 

            In conclusion, the attack on Pearl Harbor was a devastating blow to American morale. A memorial was built in the USS Arizona Memorial’s Museum & Visitor Center to honor all of the men who died in this devastating attack. In , 16 Medals of Honor, 51 Navy Crosses, 53 Silver Crosses, four Navy and Marine Corps Medals, one Distinguished Flying Cross, four Distinguished Service Crosses, one Distinguished Service Medal, and three Bronze Stars were awarded to the American servicemen who distinguished themselves in combat at Pearl Harbor.

          Many say that the older you are the wiser you get and the more mature you act… Do you really believe that? Do you really think that the older you are the more mature and responsible you are? I do not believe that is entirely true. I think that the more you grow and the more you experience, the more you learn. A teenager can travel the world and experience everything there is to experience, where as a 40 year old man can sit around all day and do nothing. Now who do you think the more wise one would be?

          So, i think that many people can argue that your age does not determine how smart or wise or even responsible you are. It is about how you go about your life and what you make of it. It isn’t how old you are, it is how much you know. You could live for 100 years and still not know as much as a 14 year old.

          I guess what im trying to say is that your age does not determine how smart you are… Its just what people judge.

          Lawrence Kohlberg, a well respected psychologist, came up with 5 stages of moral development. Many people think that the following stages are true, and are good to follow and try to live up to.

          Stage one, a preconventional stage, is when your moral decisions are based on the consequences of the action. So, if you are thinking of maybe skipping school to go to a basketball game or something like that, but you decide not to go because you do not want to deal with the punishment, your moral thinking is in the first stage.

          Stage two, also a preconventional stage, is when your moral decisions are decided on the benefits derived from the action. It is like a “you scratch my back I’ll scratch yours” type of deal. In this stage, decisions are also made on the principal of reciprocity. So, if you did not study for a french test, but you think about how you have let your neighbor cheat off of one of your ttests before. You are thinking that you can just copy off your neighbor’s test as a favor he owes to you. You are thinking that since you helped your classmate, not they have to help you.

          The third stage, a conventional stage, is when your moral decisions are determined by evaluating the action in terms of love and approval of family and friends. For instance, if you were doing basketball as an extra curricular activity outside of school, but your family was getting mad at you because they wanted you to be home studying and concentrating more on school. If you chose to quit basketball and stay home and study instead, you would be thinking of getting approval from your family. In that case, you are thinking of if you do something, will your family approve or get mad at you?

          Stage four, also a conventional stage is when your moral decisions are based on precepts of the law, and even religion. An example of this is, if you so happen to be at the mall with your friends and your friends pressure you to drink, or even steal, you say no because what they are doing is against the law, and you do not want to break the law. In this stage, your thinking is based on rules and regulations set forth by authorities and such higher peoples.

          The fifth and final stage, which is a postconventional stage, is when your moral decisions are based on fairness, justice, and truth. In many cases, civil law is superceded by higher moral law as determined by conscience. In your mind, you will be thinking if there is a higher good that can come from what you are doing. You do things based on your own moral standards.

          I think that these stages are very accurate. Many decisions and actions that people make can be put into these stages. The way people think and what they think when they make decisions can be categorized into these stages.

          Bigger is rarely considered better when it comes to class sizes. Smaller class sizes are an atvantage for teachers because it reduces their work load and their stress. Smaller class sizes is an advantage for students because their is a better student to teacher ratio, so there is more one-on-one time for each student.  

          But, argument is saying that having a bigger class size and have less teachers with more pay would be more beneficial, supplimented with a healthy dose of online learning. But here is a question, is online learning really a good tool to use??

          I feel that doing online classes is not a good choice because on the computer, there are too many distractions, and your not in a structured learning environment. It just not logical. Sitting in a class room with other student learning from your teacher or mentor is what needs to happen. And the smaller the class size the better.

http://www.edutopia.org/poll-teacher-pay-class-size?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EdutopiaNewContent+%28Edutopia%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo

          Nature is heredity, as in the genetics of your physical and psychological characteristics given to you by your parents. Heredity determines eye color, hair color, and resistance to some diseases. Heredity influences height, weight, body shape, intelligence, athletic potential, and even personality. Some heredity begins right away. Genetic disorders are inherited by parents, such as sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, muscular distrophy, and some forms of mental retardation.

          Nurture is environment, as in the external factors that effect a person. Congenital problems, or birth defects, are caused by environmental influences such as poor nutrition and teratogens like radiation, drugs, tobacco, and pesticides. Deprivation, or lack of normal stimulation, nutrition, comfort or love, can be done in severe acts like being locked in closets can result in mental retardation, mute, or emotional damage. Moderate acts of deprivation can result in lower IQ levels, more fearful, unhappy, hostile or aggressive attitudes.

          Many people believe that only one has a factor in a child’s life, and that you have to choose whick to rely on most. Many say that nature is what brings up a child right, and vice versa. What many don’t know is that heredity and environment, Nature and Nurture, are both important. Heredity gives a variety of potentials and limitations which are affected by environmental influences. THEY WORK TOGETHER.

What do you think postmodernism is? If you were to look it up on Dictionary.com, you would read that postmodernism is “any number of trends or movements in the arts and literature developing in the 1970s in reaction to or rejection of the dogma, principles, or practices of the established modernism, especially a movement in architecture and the decorative arts running counter to the practice and influence of the International Style and encouraging the use of elements from historical vernacular styles and often playful illusion, decoration and complexity.”

Now if you ask me, that is one really long definition when you could only need to use one work… UNIQUE. That is was postmodernism is all about! It’s about doing something different, and breaking away from what is classified as normal. A well known example of a postmodern architectural monument would be the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia. When you see it, you can’t help but look. Its amazing features and unique look makes it the perfect example of postmodernism.

Do you think that public safety is more important than the privacy given to you by the constitution? In an article in The New York Times Upfront magazine (Dec. 14, 2009) that there are cases going to the Supreme Court about having the police track your cell phone goes against the 4th amendment and invades and violates your privacy. Some are saying that soon, the might not even need a warrant to be ale to access and track someone’s cell phone.

In my opinion, the police should be able to access and track people’s cell phones, but it should have to be under lawful means and should require a warrant. If you are not breaking the law or doing anything wrong, then you should have nothing to worry about. “Investigators have used cell phone tracking in a variety of ways: to trace a fugitive… to seek a suspected serial killer… to trace a ransom call…” so far, the police have not accessed anyones phone under unlawful means.

But, in the article  it said that a father of a teenage girl was able to call the phone company and trace her phone. In this case, it really was a father tracking his daughter, but what if a criminal called your phone company pretending to be a “concerned family member” and asked to put a trace on your phone? and the company said yes. Now, a criminal knows where you are. I think that only tho police should be able to trace your phone. If putting a trace on someone’s phone could be accessed by anyone, would ou feel safe carrying your cell phone?