Category: News

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis launches presidential campaign amid controversy

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By SPENCER MOORE

Preceded by a litany of controversy and speculation, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis officially declared his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election on May 24. The announcement was met with mixed reactions within political circles, as DeSantis attempts to establish himself as a contender in an already highly intense Republican race.

Governor DeSantis made the announcement alongside his wife, Casey DeSantis, and his two children. (Gage Skidmore/CREATIVE COMMONS)

Governor DeSantis made the announcement at a rally in Orlando, where he was surrounded by a fervent legion of supporters, waving campaign signs and donning “DeSantis 2024” merchandise, expressing their excitement. However, critics argue that his divisive policies and controversial handling of the COVID-19 pandemic raise concerns about his viability as a presidential candidate.

During his speech, DeSantis touted his conservative credentials, emphasizing his accomplishments as Florida’s governor. He touted his approach to the COVID-19 crisis, which garnered both praise and criticism for prioritizing business interests over public health. His commitment to limited government intervention and deregulation formed the cornerstone of his economic growth plan, while his stances on law and order appealed to conservative voters.

Yet, opponents point to DeSantis’s refusal to implement effective measures to curb the spread of COVID-19, which contributed to high infection rates and strained healthcare systems. Critics have brought up that his prioritization of individual liberties over public safety could raise some questions about his ability to lead effectively on a national scale.

As DeSantis embarks on his presidential campaign, he faces formidable challenges. Including but not limited to, a crowded field of Republican contenders, including both established figures and rising stars within the party and the addressing of criticism of his handling of the pandemic, which has garnered national attention.

Many wonder if Florida’s reputation for unruliness will carry over to the national scale, should DeSantis be elected to the office of president. (Oleksii Liskonih/ GETTY IMAGES)

DeSantis’s announcement has also prompted speculation about his choice of running mate. Analysts suggest that he may select a VP who would help broaden his appeal and consolidate support across the Republican base, as he faces potential obstacles in gaining traction among a wider demographic. Due to Trump’s base’s fierce loyalty to the former president, DeSantis certainly has his work cut out for him.

Political observers anticipate that DeSantis will target key conservative groups, such as evangelical Christians, Second Amendment advocates, and immigration hardliners, as a key  part of his campaign strategy. However, his close association with former President Donald Trump, who continues to wield significant influence within the Republican Party, may serve as a crucial challenge in his bid for the presidency.

As the 2024 presidential race gains momentum, Ron DeSantis’s entrance into the campaign injects a new level of intensity and controversy. With his polarizing policies, strong conservative stance, and ties to Trump, DeSantis aims to energize the Republican base. However, his ability to garner broad support and articulate a compelling vision for the nation remains uncertain. The coming months will test his ability to navigate the challenges and gain traction in a competitive and divisive political landscape.

Citrus Valley lockdown brings about support in many forms

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By MONIQUE VARELA and MARSHALL SCOTT 

Citrus Valley High School was put on lockdown during lunch on May 12 in response to an explosion-like sound that went off in the quad by the E-building during lunch. 

Students who were around quickly evacuated the premises into nearby classrooms, off campus, or the library. 

According to the Redlands Police Department School Safety Reports on the City of Redlands website, “RPD responded to calls of a sound like an explosion on campus at Citrus Valley High School during lunch period Friday afternoon. The campus was placed on lockdown until shortly before 3 p.m.” 

Citrus Valley acted fast by putting students on lockdown and calling the Redlands Police Department to come investigate what happened. Parents were alerted when the lockdown happened and were given updates once information was found out through the Aeries parents portal. 

Once police arrived K-9s were brought to Citrus Valley to do a sweep of the school to make sure there were no other threats inside the school. 

The School Safety Report investigation process states, “Officers arrived and determined that two students had set off a firework. Both students are in custody. No injuries or damage were reported. There is no threat to the school, students or staff.”

Image of Citrus Valley High School after the lockdown was lifted near where the incident occurred. (Marshall Scott//Ethic News photo)

The next day, an instagram page by the name of cv_neverforgetmay12 with a link to a google site was made. The page served the purpose for students to anonymously submit what they were feeling during the lockdown. The account made students feel heard and as if they were not alone in what they were feeling during the lockdown.

Karen Ravelo, a sophomore at Citrus Valley said, “I felt as though the account helped me feel more understood. Seeing other students having the same experiences and feelings as I did made me more comfortable to open up about my own feelings during that time.” 

The creator of cv_neverforgetmay12 said that they “originally made the account to collect stories from the event. It was also to be able to have recorded experiences that wouldn’t be lost over time. For any change being pushed there’s always going to be naysayers pushing back.” 

The creator of cv_neverforgetmay12 also emphasized that their main intent when first creating the account was to have the stories shared by fellow students to help create change and said, “I’m also now hoping it caused some changes in people’s hearts as well,” when referring to the lockdown seriousness.

The account was also made to help movements such as Citrus Valley sophomore Raylene Mejias’ petition to change the hallway policy. 

After the incident some parents and students were worried about the new hallway school policy that was put into effect on April 4. The policy made it for the buildings to be locked during lunch and with one entrance to this building. Students are allowed in if they have a ticket which they get from teachers.

Sophomore Hadiel Hamad said, “Yeah, I wish things could’ve gone different. It hurt seeing all those scared people, including myself run from an unknown force. The hallway policy should definitely not be abandoned but rather edited.” 

The lockdown started conversations about updating the hallway policy in order to safely get students into classrooms in dangerous situations. The hallways restricted students to be able to enter the buildings to get to safety without security guards or staff opening the doors. Many people expressed concern that if there was a more severe situation lives would be in danger. 

Isabella Beaumont, a sophomore at Citrus Valley, said, “I think it was a good thought. I understand why they enforced it. However, I don’t believe that anyone was there to open the doors to let students in during the lockdown. So, I feel that it needs to be updated and modified.” 

At the time of the publishing of this article, the hallway policy petition had 642 signatures.

To support students who were feeling upset and uneasy after the incident, Citrus Valley invited therapy dogs on May 15 to be at the school and offered counseling services throughout the day.

The therapy dogs were offered before school through the first period and lunch. The therapy dogs were brought in by the organization, Inland Empire Therapy Dogs. IETD is a non-profit organization that is local and very active in the Inland Empire. IETD arranges for the dogs to be at local schools, hospitals and more community settings. 

Extra help by District Crisis Response team counselors was offered in A-114 for students who needed support. 

Jake the dog, a new addition to the Inland Empire Therapy Dogs family, visits Citrus Valley High School on May 12, 2023. Jake is a cock-a-poo and recently got his license to be a therapy dog. (Marshall Scott/ Ethic News photo)

At the time of the publishing of this article, both the instagram cv_neverforgetmay12 and google site had a statement that they were no longer updating content.

Photos: Leadership hosts lunch carnival at Orangewood

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By AIDEN MARTINEZ, ESTEBAN ROBLES and JESUS PACHECO

Orangewood High school’s hosted a carnival during extended lunch on May 26. Leadership students and advisor Caleb Allen organized the event for both Orangewood students and staff to enjoy.

The traditional 30-minute lunch for Orangewood High School students was extended to 45 minutes on May 26, 2023 for students to have time to eat and participate in carnival activities. The carnival was organized by the Orangewood Leadership class. (ESTEBAN ROBLES/ Ethic News photo)

They had cup pong, cornhole, pin the tail on the dragon, cup stacking, tug-of-war, photo booths, and many other games to win candy. It was a social event for everyone to meet and talk to new people. Many of Orangewood teachers participated as well. 

Orangewood juniors Christian Rolle, Julianna Talavera and Kai Moyle try their turn at cup pong at the lunch carnival on May 26, 2023. (JESUS PACHECO/Ethic News photo)

Many students liked the games and prizes that were given out.

“It was litty and hype” said Orangewood student Persephonie Lopez

Orangewood junior Madalyn Higham plays a round of corn hole at the lunch carnival on May 26, 2023. (ESTEBAN ROBLES/ Ethic News photo)

Junior Daniel Garcia Salas said it was “fun and entertaining” but needed more staff involved in the activities. 

Orangewood juniors Aiyanah Johnson and K Bonna Dancy with sophomore Haniyyah McCovery host the “Guess How Many” table, with three jars filled with candy. The participant who has the closest guess for each jar wins that jar of candy. (ESTBAN ROBLES/Ethic News photo)

Many teachers thought the festival was great and liked how leadership set it up.

“I thought it was great, seeing everyone socialize and play the games” said Orangewood math teacher Louise Gonzales.

“Lots of options, lots of people playing. Favorite activity was cup-pong,” said Orangewood coach and physical education teacher Mark Perkins.

Orangewood teacher Matthew Stewart. says, “It was the best thing I’ve seen at this campus in six years.”

All students and staff received free popsicles at the lunch carnival at Orangewood High School on May 26, 2023. (JESUS PACHECO/Ethic News photo)

Citrus Valley High School saves lives through biannual blood drive

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

BY MARSHALL SCOTT AND MIA CALIVA

Citrus Valley junior students Rylie Grames and Riley Brossia posing before a poster which reads “I saved a life” at the CV biannual blood drive (Mia Caliva/Ethic News Photo).

Every school year semester, Citrus Valley high school hosts a blood drive. The CV Associative student body had been advertising the blood drive on their official Instagram account. The blood drive ran from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 4 in the school gymnasium.

Blood donations are typically a process in which a licensed staff will first clean the area where they insert the sterile needle to collect blood. The process typically takes about 8-10 minutes. During this time you will be sitting down while the staff takes a pint of your blood. After the donation has been made, the staff will bandage you up and you are given water and a snack to regain energy. 

The blood drive is being run by LifeStream, a nonprofit blood bank in the state of California, who aims to collect 500 blood donations daily to help patients in need. They provide 80 different hospitals and six medical facilities in Southern California. They have donor sites in San Bernardino, Riverside, Hemet, Placentia, Ontario, Victorville, Murrieta, La Quinta, and Rancho Mirage. 

For weeks approaching the blood drive, ASB advertises the blood drive in the daily morning bulletin as well. As encouragement to students signing up, ASB says “this is a time to do some good in our community and help those in need.” 

When asked the question, “Why do you think donating blood is a good thing to do” ASB Director, Christopher Galloway said, “Well I think it’s kind of something you can do for your community. It’s almost like a civic duty at some level. We all need to give back to the community. Some people can give back in other ways that some people can’t. I think giving blood is a great way to help people that need it the most.”

A sign that reads “Blood drive enter here” which lets students know that they have to check in and wait to be called back. (Marshall Scott/Ethic News Photo)

Students who are giving blood have to feel well before donations, have to maintain high iron levels, be at least 17 years or have parental consent, haven’t donated in 58 days and weigh up to or more than 110 pounds. 

Blood donors were given prizes for their generous donations and students also received Community Service credit if they brought their Community Service Form. Lifestream provided each donor with a coupon for two free tacos at fast food restaurant Jack in the Box, along with a Lifestream branded towel saying “Thank you” for their donation.

Sophomore ASB student, Zane Palacios and Freshman ASB student, Tegan Naoum pose in front of their snack stand students can grab on their way out. (Mia Caliva//Ethic News)

Wildcats spread awareness through the Mental Health Fair

Published on by Ethic News1 Comment

By KENDRA BURDICK and ALEX VERDUZCO

WARNING: This article talks about some sensitive topics involving mental health

Redlands East Valley High School is actively raising awareness and trying to dismantle the false stigma surrounding mental health through an annual fair. The Mental Health Awareness Club on campus hosted a mental health fair from 10:30 a.m. to 1:09 p.m. on May 3 in the main quad. This Mental Health Fair was available to all REV students and welcomed teachers to bring their classes for a walk-through of the booths and what they had to offer. Booths from different clubs and organizations dedicated to informing high school students about mental health are scattered around the outskirts of the textbook room and library stairs.

Wildcat Pride Association

Jaylene Tuazon, the club’s secretary is pictured running the booth during the fair in Redlands, California. (KENDRA BURDICK/ Ethic News Photo)

The campus pride club, Wildcat Pride Association, sets up its booth for the fair to help students understand the fake myths and the real truths behind the LGBTQ+ community and their mental health. 

They informed the students and staff that wanted to know more about the facts and myths involving the LGBTQ+ community.

Myths:

  1. Homosexuality is a choice.
  2. Being LGBTQ+ is an issue and can be cured
  3. Teaching students about this subject makes them gay
  4. LGBTQ+ people make bad parents
  5. You can identify an LGBTQ+ person by their mannerisms, clothing, and physical appearance

Facts:

  1. One out of every two people a part of the LGBTQ+ community experience depression
  2. Three out of every five people a part of the LGBTQ+ community experience anxiety
  3. One out of every eight members of the LGBTQ+ community experience unequal treatment from health care staff because they are LGBTIQ+. One in seven have avoided treatment for fear of discrimination
  4. Homosexual behavior occurs in over 500 species of animals

Such as koala bears, penguins, seagulls, etc.

  1. One of every two transgendered individuals has considered taking their own life
  2. Members of the LGBTQ+ community are at a greater risk of experiencing hate crime compared to heterosexual people
  3. Sexual orientation is caused by factors such as genetics and the sociology of the brain

Coping Skills

  • This booth was giving out sensory stickers that stick to phone cases along with galaxy-printed stress balls which gives people who like to fidget the outlet they need for school or day-to-day life. They also provided different stickers that spread different messages of positivity and pencils that had, “support mental health awareness” printed on the side. (KENDRA BURDICK/ Ethic News Photo)
  • The booth had a couple of interactive coping skills including an activity called Butterfly Breathing where one inhales and exhales while following a path on the table with their fingers. For completing the activity, students received candy, a pencil or a sensory sticker.(KENDRA BURDICK/Ethic News Photo)

The main thing that this booth was handing out was sheets of paper with a list of different coping skills which were divided into three main categories, distractions, cognitive coping, and tension releasers.

Distractions:

  • Clean or organize environment
  • Dance
  • Doodle on paper
  • Read

Cognitive coping:

  • Brainstorm solutions
  • Think of something funny
  • Write a list of goals
  • Visualize your favorite place

Tension Releasers:

  • Chew gum
  • Cry
  • Laugh
  • Stretch

Mariana Cota, a senior in charge of the ‘Coping Skills’ booth states, “I think that this fair is definitely helping people such as our booth which helps to inform people about different coping techniques so that no one does anything negative because of their mental health. I believe that coping skills help people who take care of their mental health or not, though it’s really bad if they don’t. This whole fair is to promote mental health and the stigma around it because there’s a lot of stigma.”

BSU

BSU stands for “Black Student Union” and they have a booth to help spread awareness of mental health within the black community. (KENDRA BURDICK/Ethic News Photo)

“Our booth is talking about how mental health in the black community is very stigmatized and has a very negative connotation around it. So our goal is to bring some light on it and normalize it because I personally feel that it’s not normalized right now even though it should be because it’s something that everyone goes through. It’s also very toxic to push people down because they have mental issues.” Reymarr Bernier, the senior president of BSU continues to talk about the thoughts behind the school’s help in promoting mental health.

“I feel like the mental health club is doing a lot to help bring awareness and to help mental health but that’s not really a part of the school so I don’t really think that the school’s doing stuff about it, more so the students are trying to help each other,” states Bernier.

Mental Health Awareness Club

The president of the Mental Health Club Amélie Palacios is standing next to Isabella Olmos, both of them are working together and with others to help students be as informed as possible about the subject of mental health. (KENDRA BURDICK/Ethic News Photo)

“Personally, I found out things about mental health that I’ve never known before simply just walking around the quad and visiting other people’s booths. I think it’s good for everyone to be informed and know that everyone is going through something and everyone has different struggles but there are ways to help. I also feel that there should be other ways to get people informed about mental health and ways to cope through social media. I believe that venting and communicating is the best way to help your mental health and having support groups to talk to.” Olmos is a senior and a proud member of and attending the Mental Health Awareness Club’s booth.

  • Nicky, another therapy dog poses with a volunteer from the Inland Empire Therapy Dogs and hands out stickers of the therapy dogs for students to collect. (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News Photo)
  • Visitors from the Inland Empire Therapy Dogs bring service dogs to the Redlands East Valley campus to alleviate stress among the students and show the benefits of interacting with the therapy dogs. This therapy dog is named Pepsi. (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News Photo)
  • A sign of the Inland Empire Therapy Dogs welcomes students that are walking around the booths of the Mental Health Fair on May 3. (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News Photo)
  • Wildcats 4 Change President Nicole Samaan (senior) and Social Media Director Pearl Solis (junior) strive to “Stop the Stigma” surrounding mental health at their table in Redlands, California. (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News Photo)
  • Visitors from San Bernardino County run a table and provide educational resources, bracelets, candies, and more to inform students about mental health. (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News Photo)
  • Pamphlets and other informational paper resources as well as motivational stickers offered to students at the San Bernardino County’s booth during the Mental Health Fair. (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News Photo)
  • A close-up of San Bernardino County’s booth and all it offers.(ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News Photo)

Citrus Valley implements new hallway restrictions

Published on by Ethic News1 Comment

By MONIQUE VARELA and MARSHALL SCOTT

Citrus Valley High School students received an email from the Citrus Valley administration team on March 31 explaining the new hallway policy during lunch. On the first day back from spring break, students would no longer be allowed inside of the buildings during lunch. This new rule was due to the amount of trash students were leaving in the hallways which caused many teachers to complain about the messes.

This image shows that there is spilt milk and a meat looking patty on the floor of a hallway, as well as other trash. (Monique Varela/Ethic News)

The new hallway expectation became  active on April 4. Only one entrance from every building would be opened and have a security guard at the entrance. The guards look for tickets given to students to prove they have somewhere to be rather than loitering in the hallways. 

The ticket shows that this ticket is assigned to the C-building and Mr. Howard’s classroom. (Marshall Scott/Ethic News)

The tickets are different colors depending on the building, name of the teacher and ‘lunch pass’ on the top. Teachers were given these tickets in order to let their students into the building after the grace period. These lunch passes are only to be given for educational purposes such as tutoring, test retakes, quiz corrections and club meetings.

Becky Gidcumb, environmental science teacher at Citrus Valley, said, “I’m in favor of the hallway policy at lunch because we get too many kids in here. They run around, they make a mess, they disrupt the teachers. This is supposed to be our duty free time. We can choose whether or not we have students that come into our classrooms to get help. It can be very distracting when there’s many kids in the hallway creating a mess, and havoc.” 

Students got this privilege revoked because of the amount of trash that was left in the hallways, such as chip wrappers, candy wrappers, food, etc. The messes were mainly in the E building. 

Within the email that to students and parents, there were written consequences if students were to be found in the hallway without a ticket. These consequences include lunch detention, after school detention, campus cleanup and more. 

Karen Ravelo, a sophomore at Citrus Valley, is not in favor of the rule and said this, “not all of us have a place to sit during lunch time. It’s nice to have a place where we feel comfortable to have lunch.” 

There are specified checkpoints for students to go to in order to be let into the building after the five minute grace period. Students show the ticket checker the designated ticket for that building. (Marshall Scott//Ethic News Photo) 

Students who do not have a ticket but need to talk to a teacher must be accompanied by security or admin. These hallway expectations are to exclude inclement weather, such as heatwaves, rain and other potentially dangerous weather. 

Though there is a way to still enter these buildings with the five minute grace period. The grace period allows students to enter the buildings after the bell rings. If students do not make it within this grace period they will need to have a ticket to enter the building.

Former President Donald Trump pleads not guilty in historic indictment

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By ETHIC NEWS STAFF

A New York grand jury voted to indict the former United States president, Donald J. Trump, on 34 counts of felony falsification of business records on March 30, 2023. These unprecedented proceedings led to Trump’s appearance before the Manhattan district court in an arraignment held on April 4. Trump pled not guilty to all charges placed against him. As of April 5, Trump has returned to his Florida residency, as all parties involved wait for pretrial hearings to be held.

Former United States President Donald Trump, the first former president to face charges, faces a “34-count felony indictment” for alleged “falsified New York business records” in order to hide damaging information before the 2016 presidential election, according to a report by NPR.

A timeline explaining the continuity of Trump’s legal proceedings, and how it may impact a theoretical spot on the 2024 presidential ticket. (NALEIAH MILLER/ Ethic News Photo)

So far, Trump has pleaded not guilty to all 34 counts, and has been released from court and allowed to fly back to his home in Florida. A gag order has not been put in place, nor was he required to post bail, and as a result, Trump has heavily criticized the trial in both live speeches and online, through the social media platform, “Truth Social.”

Much misinformation has been spread about what some of the specific legal terms are, causing confusion and disarray as to what the truth of former president Trump’s proceedings actually entail. One major term that has been victim of this misinformation is indictment, which Oxford Dictionary defines as, “A formal charge or accusation of a serious crime.” In this case, Trump’s alleged business fraud being the crime he is being called to answer for. Another major term that has had widespread confusion is arraignment, which according to Oxford Dictionary, is, “Call or bring (someone) before court to answer a criminal charge.” Meaning, that for Trump, it was the purpose of his bringing to the Manhattan district courthouse.

The main reason for Trump’s indictment, and later arraignment, was due to his behavior regarding an extramarital affair he had with actress Stormy Daniels. According to reports from the BBC, in denying the affair with Daniels, $130,000 was transferred to her by Trump’s lawyer in an attempt to silence the actress, 12 days preceding the 2016 Presidential election. 

The unprecedented nature of the indictment is wide reaching, prompting reactions from all sides. For example, in Redlands, on April 4, 2023, some of the community came together to support the former president. The group gathered near the intersection of Lugonia Avenue and Alabama Street, near the Redlands Citrus Plaza shopping center. This created a disruption in traffic flow and, eventually, the police were called on the supporters. The protesters refused to leave when confronted by police, yet did not continue their earlier disturbances.

Andrew Winter, a junior at Redlands High School, states, “President Trump is in quite a predicament, especially being charged with a plethora of felonies. This record-breaking news astounds me, and while I’m not too educated on the situation, it’s making history and will shape the upcoming election greatly.”

Citrus Valley High School office secretary, Melanie Myer says, “I believe if you do something wrong you should pay for it.” 

A photograph of Trump surrounded by headlines and articles regarding his current legal struggles. (MIA CALIVA/ Ethic News Photo)

Trump’s arraignment will greatly affect the next presidential election in 2024. According to Nathan L. Gonzales, an elections analyst for the political news site, Roll Call,  “Even if legal problems don’t hinder former President Donald Trump’s political comeback attempt, they could hurt other Republican candidates on the ballot in 2024.” 

Gonzales goes on to explain that Trump’s voter base may still believe that he’s innocent and fit for being elected as president, but there’s a strong chance that they will want someone else to represent the Republicans and that they will take the next presidential election, as opposed to President Biden.

If former President Donald Trump were to be convicted “it is unclear, as of now” if he would face jail time. This is also partly due to the fact that it is uncertain if Judge Juan Merchan and the prosecutors would impose any prison time if Trump were to be convicted. Given the legal complexities of the allegations a conviction is not a sure outcome and it would also take the prosecutors’ reliance on a key witness.

Much uncertainty has been felt throughout these proceedings, and as time has progressed, it seems as though Trump has decided to not comment too heavily on his legal proceedings, as many have advised him. Moving forward, it will remain to be seen how impactful these events will be on the upcoming election in 2024.

New Wildcat Sanctuary focuses on student mental health

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By ALEX VERDUZCO

The Wildcat Sanctuary located in F-101/106 is now open to all Redlands East Valley high school students as of April 5. This resource offers a calm space for students to take a break from school stressors and partake in creative activities such as coloring, puzzle building, and even a quiet place to sit down and relax.

  • The door and window of the Wildcat Sanctuary was decorated and labeled to direct students seeking a mental health break in between the G and E buildings of the Redlands East Valley campus in Redlands, California on April 11, 2023. (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News Photo)
  • A room with chairs intended for moments of mindfulness and tranquility, where yoga and art therapy are scheduled to take place. (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News Photo)
  • An unfinished puzzle of the Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, is placed on the counter displaying an example of the activities that can be done in the Sanctuary. (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News Photo)
  • On the other side of the blue chairs, is this seating arrangement to further inspire mindful activities and inviting stillness. (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News Photo)
  • An up-close shot of the chairs, mindful message, and zen garden. (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News Photo)
  • A tea station at the entrance of the Wildcat Sanctuary with cubbies underneath for incoming students to place their belongings and relax inside the building. (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News Photo)
  • An overview of one of the rooms featuring puzzles and activities for students to participate in, a seating area, and a desk to color and draw (not pictured above). (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News Photo)
  • These shelves hold art supplies, puzzles, and other creative activities to engage students. (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News Photo)
Video of the interior of the Wildcat Sanctuary located in F-101/106. (SPENCER MOORE/ Ethic News)

REV junior, Amanda Gold, says, “I’m actually really excited about this. It feels like it’s going to be a safe space to recuperate and take a breather.”

With it, are groups that will be organized with the intention of benefitting students such as the Stress Management Group and the RestorARTive Art Therapy group. The Stress Management Group is set to meet during lunchtime on the following Fridays: April 14, 21, 28, and lastly, May 12. The Art Therapy group is still collecting information on what time would work best for students to meet such as in-person after school, virtual sessions, and more through the Google Form.

Shana Delmonico, Redlands East Valley counselor explains, “Redlands Unified School District recognizes and hears our students and staff when they express that they are having feelings of anxiety and stress over social and emotional issues. It is important here at REV that we acknowledge that these feelings are valid and respond by working toward students/staff having access to the Wildcat Sanctuary.”

As time goes on, it is expected that more groups will form depending on the student feedback and needs expressed to the counselors.

Ian Catren, a REV junior adds, “It’s an admirable concept and it’s nice to see the school trying to address growing stress amongst the students.”

Students are welcome to visit the Sanctuary Monday through Friday except during the fifth period and not during the second period on Tuesdays.

Delmonico says, “The goal is providing resources for students/staff about self-care, self-awareness, social anxiety, and interactions, offering opportunities to deal or cope with stress through providing space for a mental time out, calming space for students in distress, interactive lessons (empowerment/educational), referrals, and resources.”

Advanced Placement English Teacher at REV, Mr. Sean Molloy shares, “The Wildcat Sanctuary is a brilliant idea from our counselors here at REV. Too long have students come to school in need of real help with their mental health. We need to remove any stigmas around mental health and remember that it is perfectly ok for anyone to say, “I’m not okay.” Taking this first step into the Sanctuary might be exactly what we all need in doing that. Please remember to take care of yourselves!”

“Wellness centers can significantly reduce the stigma associated with seeking mental health services, as well as increase attendance and the likelihood of graduation for our students,” says Delmonico.

Citrus Valley High School hosts annual ‘Becoming a Blackhawk’ day

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By CITRUS VALLEY ETHIC NEWS STAFF

Citrus Valley High School invited incoming freshmen to the CV campus on Monday, March 6, 2023, for ‘Becoming a Blackhawk Day’. Hundreds of eighth grade students from middle schools including Beattie, Moore and Cope Middle Schools toured the CV campus and were introduced to the many extracurricular clubs and classes provided at CV. After a brief welcome by the Citrus Valley Cheer team, choir and counselors, students were released to explore the club booths and discover clubs that indulged their interests.  The event featured 25 booths, including but not limited to, ASB, AVID, Theatre Arts, Mock Trial, Choir, Concert Band and, of course, Ethic News. 

Soon to be freshmen were allowed to roam for nearly 30 minutes before taking a tour of CV’s campus. (MeAnna Smith/ Ethic News photo)

CV’s staff prepare their booth for visiting 8th graders from local middle schools to advertise journalism in hopes of recruiting future writers (Meanna Smith/Ethic News)

Hallee Resendez and Melina Bline pose for a picture at their booth for ASB. (Meanna Smith/ Ethic News Photo)

Junior Riley Houser, representing the Latin class, said “I’m very excited to welcome the new Blackhawks, they’re so small and have so much potential.” While representing the art class, Serena Almanza said “art is such a fun class and we’re so excited to welcome in the new freshman.”

A visiting eighth grader and soon to be Citrus Valley High School freshman, Braylon Smith said, “it’s really cool to see my future high school and so far I’m happy with what I see.”

The production and design class presented their different show props, clothing, and equipment used to put on their creative shows. (Mia Caliva/ Ethic News Photo)

While the event was being held there were two different groups of students doing different activities. One of the groups was in the gym where many booths were held for different classes and clubs. All of the eighth grade students were given a bingo card which they had to get stamped throughout the day. There were many classes on the card and were stamped after they visited different booths. These bingo cards were needed for the counselors to see which classes they had to choose from to apply for the students future schedules. Students were to visit different booths and get their bingo cards stamped. The other group was being toured around the school and shown different elective classes. 

CV’s Editor-in-Chief, Destiny Ramos, talks to the soon to be freshman about Ethic News. (MeAnna Smith/ Ethic News photo)

Mia Caliva, MeAnna Smith and Destiny Ramos pose in front of their booth with the mascots Bubby and Bubbet. (Meanna Smith/ Ethic News Photo)

“Becoming a Blackhawk” provided an opportunity for incoming freshmen to get an idea of what to expect from their high school. Instead of figuring it out along the way, students got the chance to plan ahead in which classes and clubs they would like to participate in. Middle schoolers chatted with students that attend Citrus Valley to get a student perspective and connect with their soon-to-be peers. 

Southern California snow leaves local mountain towns stranded

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

BY MIA CALIVA

A view of the San Bernardino mountains from Tennessee street, where the mountains are covered fully in snow (MIA CALIVA/ Ethic News Photo)

In sunny Southern California, the last kind of weather one would expect during the winter months, shockingly, is several inches of snow. 

A Saturday morning on Feb. 25, 2023, slurry rain quickly turned to heavy snowfall, coating the streets in soft snow. Most Inland Empire cities, including Loma Linda, Redlands, Highland, and Beaumont, got to experience this snow for the first time in years.

Many Redlands Unified School District students shared updates on Instagram about their experience in the snow. The snow even interrupted the Redlands High School football team’s pancake breakfast.

Citrus Valley High School student-athlete Elysa Loraine Lebig says, “seeing the snow was really fun, my dog especially loved to play in it” but while still having to attend swimming practice she says “I hated swimming in the snow”. 

For a few brief hours, families could build snowmen or have snowball fights right in their front yard until afternoon rain soon melted all the snow away. 

However, the snow was not a pleasant experience for many others like it was for the valley people. In the San Bernardino mountains, in towns such as Lake Arrowhead and Running Springs, several feet of snow have left people trapped in their homes. 

The San Bernardino mountains are no stranger to a few inches of snow, however, this winter the snowfall has reached a point extreme. Feet upon feet of snow kept gathering as the week following brought more rain and snowfall. Reportedly, over eight feet of snow has fallen on these mountain towns and has yet to melt, causing many dangerous consequences including power outages and collapsing roofs. 

A lady shoveling through several feet of snow in her driveway in her San Bernardino mountain home (Photo Courtesy of  Ashley Ranabauer)

A reminder of the humanitarianism that arises in crisis situations, Citrus Valley math teacher Craig Phillips is one of the hundreds of people stuck in the mountains and has reached out to CV teachers and staff about initiating a food drive to assist impaired families. 

“I have been helping in the community from day one. I have several elderly on my street so I make sure they are taken care of,” says Phillips. 

As a result of the snow storms, families are left stranded in their homes, all in dire need of food, medicine, and warmth. Great progress has already been made with this food drive with CV student Damien Andrews donating over 300 water bottles to families in need. 

Phillips also shares his experiences about the intense labor that goes into snow removal. He says, “[it’s] hard labor removing a week or more of old snow that has thawed and refrozen, often into ice.” 

In quick response to the disaster, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared an emergency in 13 counties and the National Guard was deployed to aid recovery. However, “the county was unable to keep up with snow removal and our street was shut down,” says Phillips.

Most roads and highways leading into the San Bernardino mountains have been closed by officials which prevents volunteers from delivering food and supplies to their neighbors and other hard-to-reach mountain communities. In some areas, communities are left to tough-out the snow and limited resources themselves. In Crestline, the community works together to deliver wood and hot water to neighbors whose electricity and pipes have been destroyed by the snow. 

A sign which says “American Red Cross” leads people in the direction of the disaster relief center at Redlands East Valley High School (Mauricio Pliego/ Ethic News Photo)

Help arrives for residents at Redlands East Valley High School and Rim of the World High School, where the Red Cross has set up a disaster evacuation center for families. According to the Red Cross, families or people affected by the snow will be provided with a safe place to stay, along with meals and snacks, hydration, health services, and more. 

Despite a few days of sunshine, the snow still remains a major problem. Visitors are excited to visit the snow, however, mountain residents don’t feel the same. Phillips asks “please wait another week or two weeks to visit” because of the risks of icy and snow-covered roads. 

What was initially an astonishing winter wonderland experience, had quickly become a disastrous emergency for many, still Phillips concludes, “thank you to those who donated and have supported us.”

Orangewood assembly announces graduation requirement reduction

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By MELANIE PEREZ, XIOMARA SANCHEZ and JULIANNA TALAVERA

JULIETA ROBLES, PAIGE SAILOR and LEON JUAREZ contributed to this article

Orangewood High School students received big news concerning graduation credit requirements today. 

An afternoon assembly notified seniors of the Redlands School Board’s passage of Emergency Resolution No. 25, which modifies the requirements for high school graduation. With this resolution, the Redlands Unified School District credit requirement for the 2023 and 2024 graduating classes changed from 225 to 200 by reducing 25 elective credits.

Seniors at Orangewood were called to an assembly today by Principal Carli Norris for the surprise announcement.

“They just called all the seniors up through the speakers and that was pretty much it,” says Orangewood senior Natalie Lopez.

Orangewood senior Kamren Shackles said that walking into the assembly, “it was like nothing really changed. Like you were walking into lunch or something.”

Orangewood High School senior Kamren Shackles learned that he would be graduating much sooner than expected due to Redlands School Board Resolution No. 25 reducing elective graduation credit requirements. “School really goes by fast when you’re at the end,” says Shackles. (Photo courtesy of Natalie Lopez)

At the assembly it was revealed that this resolution had passed and graduation requirements were dropped by 25 elective credits.

The resolution states, “This flexibility will reduce all RUSD High School Graduation Credits from the required 225 Credits to a required 200 credits, equating to a reduction of twenty-five (25) elective credits…”

Lopez says, “Everyone processed it differently, but like everyone was happy and shocked, cause everyone had different credits. And a lot of people graduated at that time.”

According to the resolution, the decision was made “due to the statewide emergency concerning the coronavirus (COVID-19).”

This resolution applies district-wide. High schools affected are Citrus Valley High School, Redlands High School, Redlands East Valley High School, Orangewood High School and eAcademy.

It additionally modifies graduation requirements for the Adult Education Program to 180, while it was previously 200.

The resolution states that “the Modified Graduation Course Requirements for the Adult Education program will be reduced from the required 200 credits to a required 180 credits, equating to a reduction of twenty (20) elective credits for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years.”

At an Orangewood High School assembly on Feb. 23, 2023, seniors received transcripts showing the change in their graduation credit requirements before and after Emergency Resolution No. 25. The graduation credit requirement changes to 200 from 225 for high school students in the Redlands Unified School District for the classes of 2023 and 2024, current juniors and seniors. (Photos courtesy of Kamren Shackles)

With this resolution, students at Orangewood have been given an advantage. Many seniors at Orangewood have been put ahead on their graduation status and others will now be able to graduate within the 2022-23 school year. Select students are able to graduate earlier than expected or on time.

Some students were notified today that they would be graduating this grading block which ends on March 10.

Lopez, who just this morning was on track to graduate in June learned that she will be graduating this block.

“I’m sad because I’m leaving friends, but I’m ready to get out of here. It’s still exciting,” says Lopez.

Although Shackles was not expecting the announcement, he does not feel that it changes his plans or feel unprepared.

“It’s more like you’re being brought up to the plate earlier than you expected,” says Shackles, “So you gotta just think of your plan and solidify it more than you did before.”

This resolution also has impacts for juniors at Orangewood who want to go back to their comprehensive high schools.

For Orangewood students to return to their home schools at the beginning of their senior year, they have to have 60 or less credits left to complete. For some Orangewood juniors, this puts them on track to do that.

The current resolution is not one-size-fits-all, however, and may not help all students who were struggling.

The resolution specifies that “the prescribed course of study may not accommodate the needs of some students.”

Shackles says that at the assembly some students received transcripts stating that they would need to go to adult school.

“You’re kindof, I guess, not satisfied, but relieved,” says Shackles, “It’s like, ‘Okay, well at least I know. It’s not like in limbo if I’m going to graduate or if I’m not.’ So I think the assembly was definitely a good push for people to know where they’re going now.”

For Orangewood seniors starting their next steps sooner than expected, there are a range of emotions.

Shackles says, “For me, I know I would have liked it [comprehensive high school] more, but this is for the better. So I’m definitely not mad about where I’m at or where I’ve been taken to. And I hope it continues in a good way. So, no regrets.”

For Lopez, it feels like a flashback.

“I just remember being in middle school and elementary school and now I’m graduating this block,” says Lopez. “I remember being at REV with like all my friends, and then like out of nowhere I’m being sent to Orangewood and now I’m graduating early.”

The resolution states that it “shall become effective immediately upon its adoption and shall remain in effect until the end of the 2023-24 school year.”

“You gotta do life now though,” says Shackles. “Someone was like, ‘you ready to get out there and like do actual things?’ It’s like, no. But I’ll try. I’ll for sure try.”

Gun violence rises in America

Published on by Ethic News1 Comment

By SERENITY PALMERIN

Note: This article references gun violence by suicide.

The total number of deaths by gun violence in America has reached past 6,000 as of mid-February. (Gun Violence Archive) 

More lives were claimed by gun violence in 2020 than in any other year recorded in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Nations around the world have criticized our application of the Second Amendment. “China has issued a new report analyzing the human rights record of the U.S. throughout the past year, looking specifically at reports of racial injustice, gun violence, and the country’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” as stated in an article written by Tom O’Connor of Newsweek. 

As shown by the latest Marist Poll on gun control, “(45% definitely vote for, to 48% definitely vote against) on the proposal to ban the sale of semi-automatic weapons.” Americans are divided on how gun control should be monitored and the necessity of a complete ban on semi-automatic weapons. 

According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), as of mid-February, there have been 80 mass shootings in the United States so far. In total, there have been over 6,000 gun-violence-related deaths as of January first. Over half of these deaths, 3,432, have been by suicide and this fact has not changed since the new year. 31 children ages 0-11 have been killed and 79 have been injured, 222 teenagers ages 12-17 have been killed, and 501 have been injured. These numbers have only continued to rise since previous years. 

As reported by the GVA, from 2014-2020, there has been a 7,000 increase in overall gun violence-related deaths. There has also been a 400 increase in young children injured or killed yearly, for teenagers their statistics have doubled. Of widespread gun violence including death and injuries numbers have gone up by over 17,000.

As stated by Amnesty International, “In the U.S.  alone from 2009-2016 156 mass shootings killed 848 and left 339 people injured. “Public mass shootings account for less than 1% of gun deaths in the U.S.”

Minorities are often disproportionately affected by these mass shootings and gun violence in particular. “In the USA, firearm homicide disproportionately impacts African American communities, particularly young black men. 14,542 people in the USA lost their lives in gun homicides in 2017. African Americans accounted for 58.5% of these nationwide, despite making up just 13% of the US population.”

According to Amnesty International, “Most children who are victims of firearm killings in the USA are from minority communities. Homicide is the second leading cause of death among black children and 65% of those killings are committed with guns.” 

Women in difficult situations, such as women with abusive partners are also disproportionately affected by gun violence. As written by Amnesty International, “In 2017, some 87,000 women were intentionally killed around the world. More than half of them, 50,000 (58%) were killed by intimate partners or family members.” Globally over a hundred women are intentionally killed by a family member including intimate partners every day. 

 Since this is a global occurrence people often make the mistake of thinking that the U.S. has lower levels of gender-based gun violence. However, as reported by the Chicago Policy Review, “Of all femicide cases in the high-income world, 70% are committed in the U.S.” Femicide is a type of hate crime in which women are intentionally killed based on their gender. Although women with difficult lives are disproportionately affected, every woman living in America is at risk of femicide. 

Children have also been at extreme risk for gun violence in recent years. “For more than 60 years, motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of injury-related death among young people. Beginning in 2017, however, firearm-related injuries took their place to become the most common cause of death from injury”, according to a study done by The New England Journal of Medicine. 

As children grow more at risk of gun violence more children have been losing their lives. “In 2021 3,597 children died by gunfire, according to provisional statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The death rate from guns was the highest it has been in more than 20 years,” according to the New York Times. 

As gun violence rises, some states have chosen to tighten restrictions while other states remain loosely regulated. “Carrying a gun openly is against state law or is legal only in limited circumstances (e.g., while hunting) or when legally used for self-defense (includes the District of Columbia, New York, and South Carolina).” While complete open carry of a firearm without a permit is allowed in over half of U.S. states, “including Alaska, New Mexico, West Virginia, and Utah.” As reported by the USCCA. 

Several organizations have been created to advocate for stricter gun laws or for protecting the Second Amendment. The National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America, and the Second Amendment Foundation are organizations in support of the Second Amendment. Gun Free Kids, Third Way, and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence are all organizations in support of tightening gun control. Individuals can donate to any of these six organizations that support their opinion in the way that best suits their needs.

Multi-school dance Genesis unites high school students for a night of fun

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By ALEX VERDUZCO

Genesis, a school dance hosted on the Yucaipa Performing Arts Center property, invited high school students from Orangewood, Grove, Citrus Valley, Redlands High, and Redlands East Valley High for a fun night on Feb. 10.

This event lasted from 7-11 p.m. and offered an array of entertainment ranging from a maze, a video game truck, concession stands, outdoor photo booths, and a DJ with a large outdoor space allocated for dancing. Inside the YPAC building were virtual reality stations, a stage for karaoke, a nacho bar, and various other game tables.

RHS junior Andrew Winter says, “The karaoke was the best part. Singing with friends and a cheering audience was amazing.”

Eva Valtierrez a REV senior says, “It was very entertaining and fun. A good chance to reconnect with old friends.”

Citrus Valley junior Kylie McCue says, “I think that it went really well with all the schools. All of the games made it really inclusive and always made it so there was something to do for everyone, but I ended up in the karaoke room a lot because it was really fun.”

An RHS sophomore Tristan Eubanks says, “Doing karaoke with my friends was the highlight of my night. The snacks were great.”

An overview of the outdoor concession stands, photo booths, and the crowd can be seen here. (ALEX VERDUZCO/Ethic News photo)

The Yucaipa Performing Arts Center illuminated by lights with the Genesis color scheme welcomes in high school students by the designated Redlands High School entrance on Feb. 10, 2023 in Yucaipa, California. (ALEX VERDUZCO/Ethic News photo)

A sign of the dance greets students walking by the stage on Feb. 10, 2023. (SPENCER MOORE/Ethic News photo)

Purple and blue lights surround the main stage highlighting the crowd and area for dancing. (ALEX VERDUZCO/Ethic News photo)

The main stage is illuminated by blue lights while the DJ entertains the lively crowd with popular songs and remixes. (SPENCER MOORE/Ethic News photo)

Orangewood High School hosts quarter awards assembly

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By JULIANNA TALAVERA

The Orangewood High School students accepting awards, along with their families, were invited to the school’s multi-purpose room the morning of Jan. 20. 

Greeted and welcomed by the school’s principal, counselors, and other school staff, the second quarter awards assembly of the school year started promptly.

First, announcing the Honor Roll students. Second, the Students of the Quarter, who were selected by their teachers for various class subjects. And lastly, those with perfect attendance. 

When the students’ names were called, they walked up to the front of the stage to their principal, Carli Norris. There, she shook hands with and congratulated each student as she handed them their awards. 

Claudia Ramirez, a senior at Orangewood, said, “I’m thankful for the awards that I got.”

After all the awards were handed out and received, students and parents were treated to lunch. School staff handed out tacos and burritos from Del Taco. Students and their families were able to share a meal together and hang out until the bell rang for their school’s lunch. 

Eunice Rodriguez, a parent of one of the students who received an award, stated, “I appreciated that they thought about the students and the parents and were kind enough to feed us lunch.”

Orangewood High School counselors Jason Knight and Georgina Pinto participate in the quarter awards assembly on Jan. 20, 2023. (ANGEL LEON/ Ethic News photo)

Orangewood High School senior Grace Martinez shows her award, surrounded with family and her friend Senior Ceerra Toliver after the quarter awards assembly on Jan. 20, 2023. (ANGEL LEON/ Ethic News photo)

Orangewood High School senior Carolina Cadena stands with her parents and shows her award after the quarter awards assembly on Jan. 20, 2023. (ANGEL LEON/ Ethic News photo)

Orangewood High School seniors Siniva Tuaumu and Azaraiah Williams enjoy the Del Taco lunch provided to students and families after the quarter awards assembly on Jan. 20, 2023. (ANGEL LEON/ Ethic News photo)

Orangewood High School seniors Giovanni Galvan, Rachel Jacobo Aries and Mya Trujillo show their awards after the quarter awards assembly on Jan. 20, 2023. (ANGEL LEON/ Ethic News photo)

Citrus Valley Counselors encourage spreading love with Kindness Week

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

BY MIA CALIVA

A random act of kindness card handed out during Kindness Week at Citrus Valley High School with the words “text a friend that you are happy to see them today” (MIA CALIVA/ Ethic News Photo).

The week of Feb. 6, 2023, Citrus Valley High School enters the new month on a note of love and kindness. 

Perhaps in the spirit of Valentine’s Day and Counselor Appreciation Week counselors at CVHS take the extra step to spend a week encouraging kindness in students. 

CV counselors introduced “Kindness Week” to students on Monday morning by passing out cards with random acts of kindness on them. Students are meant to complete the random act and pass it on to a friend for them to complete as well. 

These colorful cards included “text your friend that you are happy to see them today” and “hold the door open for someone and say hi” as well as many others.  

On Tuesday, counselors walked around campus handing out candy to students who completed their random act of kindness. 

On Wednesday, posters were put up all around campus asking students to sign if they “pledge to be together against bullying and united for kindness, acceptance and inclusion”. The posters were filled with signatures and posted on CV’s office doors as a reminder to practice kindness. 

A poster that reads “pledge to be together against bullying and united for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion” filled with several student signatures at Citrus Valley High School (MIA CALIVA/ Ethic News Photo). 

On Friday, students expressed their appreciation for their counselors, in theme for Counselor Appreciation Week, by answering one fun fact about their counselor and were rewarded with a piece of candy. 

Inspired by National Bullying Prevention Day which happened in January, Citrus Valley counselor Helga Reese organized Kindness Week with the other counselors. 

Reese says she “realized [kindness] is something we need to bring more attention to” on campus. 

Reese reminds us of the importance of kindness when she says “kindness is a small thing, that still does take a little effort, but it can really change your day.”

Photos: Citrus Valley hosts spirit week leading up to ‘Genesis’

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

BY MONIQUE VARELA AND MARSHALL SCOTT

Citrus Valley High School hosted spirit week Feb. 6 to 10 leading up to the Genesis dance. 

Genesis is a dance that happens annually where all three high schools can participate in its festivities. Themes for this spirit week include, “School Swap Day,” “Zoom Day,” “Shades Day,” “Favorite Teacher Day,” and “Color War.” 

MONDAY

Monday’s theme was “School Swap.” Students of Citrus Valley had to dress up in the other district high school’s merchandise or school colors.

Juniors Jonathan Ontiveros and Finnian Fry posing with each other while wearing different Redlands Unified School District school colors. (Monique Varela/Ethic News)

Freshman students, Isabella Amodor, Isaiah Stockon, Julian Dolgado, Ryan Monterio, Gunnar Ochoa, Audrianna Reveles, pose together sporting Redlands East Valley High, Orangewood and Redlands High School merchandise. (Monique Varela/Ethic News)

Isabella Amodor, a freshman at Citrus Valley, wore a Redlands East Valley High hoodie for Monday’s spirit day, “School Swap.” (Monique Varela/Ethic News)

TUESDAY

The theme Tuesday had was “Zoom day.” COVID had impacted all students who then had to go online due to safety. On “Zoom day”, students had to wear something formal on top while their bottoms were pajamas.

Sophomore Zane Palacios is wearing plaid pajama bottoms and a button up shirt for Tuesday’s Spirit day. (Marshall Scott/Ethic News)

Lizzette Contreras, a sophomore at Citrus Valley is wearing Heart pajama pants with a tie for “Zoom Day.” (Marshall Scott/Ethic News)

Freshman Evelin Gallardo-Diaz is wearing polar bear skiing pajama pants and a classy dress shirt on top. (Marshall Scott/Ethic News)

WEDNESDAY

On Wednesday it was “Shades day”, where students needed to wear their favorite pair of sunglasses.

Freshman students, Bronix Aiono, Makayla Washington, Tyler Bookman, Noah Vaiaoga all pose together while wearing shades in honor of “Shades day” (Marshall Scott/Ethic News).

Makayla Washington, a ninth grader, wears her favorite pair of shades for Thursday’s spirit week (Marshall Scott/Ethic News).

Bronix Aiono holds his hoodie up while showing off his favorite sunglasses for the Genesis spirit week (Marshall Scott/Ethic News).

THURSDAY

Thurday’s spirit day was “Favorite Teacher day”, on this day students needed to dress up as their favorite teacher.

Sophomore Abigail Landa dresses up as freshman English teacher Stephen Howard for “Dress as your favorite teacher day”. (Monique Varela/Ethic News).

Sophomore Tim Obillo holds a clipboard pretending to be Amber Tygart, a PE teacher for Thursday’s spirit day. (Monique Varela/ Ethic News).

Freshman Chloe Malloy dresses up as Kate Fonken-Stoker and poses next to each other in honor of “Dress as your favorite teacher day”. (Monique Varela/Ethic News).

FRIDAY

The spirit-week for Friday was “Color War”, students needed to wear their assigned color based on their grade. The freshman’s assigned color was black, sophomores color was blue, juniors were to wear purple, and seniors were pink.

Olivia Wortley wears blue for their sophomore color on Friday’s spirit week “Color Wars day” (Marshall Scott/Ethic News).

Sophomore, AJ Roderos is wearing a blue Adidas shirt for “color war” day. (Monique Varela/Ethic News)

Sophomore Journey Parrott is wearing a blue collared shirt showing what grade level she’s in. (Marshall Scott/Ethic News)

Freshmen, Alyssa Camacho, Kylie White, and Julia Pollard wear black showing their color pride Sophomore student Danica Tometich wears blue to show her sophomore color. Junior, Brooklyn Sandoval wears purple as her class color. (Marshall Scott/Ethic News)

This spirit week would be the last Genesis themed spirit week for the sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Genesis spirit week was very exciting for some of these specific individuals and was a definite success.

Drug dogs visit Citrus Valley campus

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

BY EMMITT MURPHY

One of Interquest’s dogs is in the process of searching a classroom. (Interquest Detection Canines)

Interquest Detection Canines, a nationwide detection canine service, had its first patrol on campus on Jan. 10, 2023. They used canines to search the area for drugs, such as marajuana or cocaine, as well as gunpowder, pyrotechnics, and fireworks. The Redlands Unified School District had originally utilized the Redlands Police department for these services, but due to capacity limits, are no longer able to. This caused RUSD to look into Interquest, which leaves students and staff that knew Interquest was contracted, wondering who they are and what to expect.

Interquest’s main purpose, as stated before, is to find drugs and gunpowder related substances on someone’s person. They operate on school campuses and workplace environments as well as giving services as counseling and comfort dogs. Interquest utilizes non-aggressive, retriever, dog breeds, most notably being the golden and Labrador retrievers which have been extensively trained to detect the listed substances. Interquest has provided successful services for over 1,200 different school districts and private schools as well. 

Interquest uses an extensive process in order to locate contraband items and Cameron Nabhan, Vice Principal at Citrus Valley High School, has provided detailed information of that process. According to Nabhan, the entire visit is completely unannounced in order to be “completely random” and avoid “any accusations of unfairness or profiling or anything like that.” The search “started with the E building” with a classroom that is “randomly selected.” From that point, all “the students are asked to wait outside” as the “dog goes in and does multiple sweeps of all the bags and backpacks in the room, and if the dog has a cue to alert the handler if there’s something that they smell and they identify, the handler will instruct the dog to continue searching other things and then reroute them and have them come back to it.” After the bag is checked by the handler to make sure a substance has been found, one of the “campus security officers” present will place the bag “on a table just so, as the dog continues to search, [they] grab the right bag” after the search is completed. Once the search is complete, students are allowed to return to the classroom, and if a student is marked with a substance, they are taken “into a room that is not being used” and are questioned regarding the marked bag, away from other students.

Nabhan has said that “each student was cooperative ” and had no problems answering all questions asked by school security. This is most likely because most students have nothing to hide, as of the “five classrooms” searched, “seven bags were identified by the canine and of those seven bags, only one was found to be in possession of illegal substance.” Most of the bags identified were identified due to residual odor, which is a smell that remains after the source has been removed. This is most likely from an older relative or friend smoking drugs of some sort, around the student, which then gets the scent on their bag.

Nabhan says that this project comes from the goal “to be proactive about campus safety and to promote, as a part of the campus community, that administration and safety will take any preventative measures and proactive measures that we can take to kind of ensure the safety of every student.” The project spawned from observations from campus security, the most prevalent one being the frequent bathroom visits by individual students, who are even skipping class to do so. This has even caused security to close the girls bathroom in the B building during passing periods and lunch.

Students at CV haven’t had the most positive reaction to the canine searches on campus, with sophomore Marcus Perry saying, “It’s a little bit scary having them search us sometimes” and that “it should probably be a little bit more of a last resort kind of thing cause they’re a little spooky.” 

CV sophomore, Noah Jaffer, put his thoughts out simply and clearly, saying that he thinks the program is “not gonna stop people from doing drugs.”

Due to their unpredictable nature, it is unknown when Interquest is going to return to Citrus Valley. Nabhan says that “3 [or 4] more visits” are scheduled with Interquest this semester, giving them more time to show the school, and the district as a whole, what value they can bring and how effective they are at keeping schools safe.

News Brief: Redlands superintendent accepts new position at San Bernardino Unified School District

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By: DESTINY RAMOS AND MEANNA SMITH

Mauricio Arellano, the current Superintendent of the RUSD. (Redlands Unified School District)

As of 9:00 am on February 8 2023, Mauricio Arellano, the Superintendent of Redlands Unified School District, announced that he will be leaving his position with RUSD. 

In Arellano’s letter to RUSD parents and staff, he states that he has “accepted the position of Superintendent for the San Bernardino Unified School District” and will be leaving within the next few months. The plans moving forward have not yet been released. 

The Board of Education president, Melissa Ayala-Quintero, also sent out an email to RUSD families saying “Although we will surely miss him, we will not forget the positive and profound impact he has made in our District these past years.”

Information regarding the new change will be released at a later date.

NEWS BRIEF: Jeremy Renner Gets Into Snow Accident 

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

BY NADIA CENICEROS

Actor Jeremy Renner had gotten into a snow plowing accident, On Jan. 1, 2023, outside of his home in Reno, Nevada. Jeremy Renner is a 52-year-old American actor who is known as the beloved Marvel character “Hawkeye”.  

Renner was crushed by his snow plow machine on new years day when he was clearing snow on his driveway. Once he had gotten out of the snowplow to help someone with their vehicle, the machine started to roll and ran over Renner, causing him deadly injuries. Fortunately, his neighbor, who is a doctor, was available to treat his leg and other injuries until he was airlifted to the hospital. After the accident, Renner suffered blunt chest trauma and other orthopedic injuries.

Actor Jeremy Renner at a premiere. (File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI)

The 911 call was later released, saying how he was crushed under the vehicle, had breathing difficulties, and that he was in “rough shape”. It was also said that the right side of his chest had collapsed and his upper torso was crushed. Renner’s neighbor had called 911 which lasted over twenty minutes. During the call, Renner’s breathing was becoming shallow and he kept drifting off. Emergency services came and he was flown to the hospital by a helicopter.

Renner’s hospital selfie responding to all questions and love being sent from all over the world. (Jeremy Renner/Instagram)

On Jan. 3, 2023, Renner posted on his Instagram account that he was well and expressed his gratitude to everyone sending their regards saying, “Too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all.” Renner had spent his 52nd birthday in the hospital and was in the intensive care unit after he had undergone two surgeries. He would often post himself near his family, friends, and his doctors. Sophomore Mandy Espinoza stated, “ I was very surprised when I found out about the accident” when asked about her reaction to finding out about the accident. She also said that she was “happy and glad” that Renner was okay and healing.

 On Jan. 16, 2023, he posted on his Twitter account stating, “Outside my brain fog in recovery, I was very excited to watch episode 201 with my family at home” revealing that he was released from the hospital. Renner is now healing in his home with his family.

Citrus Valley’s Brings “Throwback” Spirit Week

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

BY MONIQUE VALERA AND MARSHALL SCOTT

Citrus Valley’s first spirit week of Jan. 17-20 2023 consisted of the student body’s favorite spirit weeks from previous years. The spirit days were leading up to the rally of the 2023 year. The Associated Study Body (ASB) of Citrus Valley brought back “Anything but a backpack,” “Barbecue dads versus Soccer Moms,” “White Lies,” and “2000’s day.”

TUESDAY

Tuesday’s theme was “Anything but a backpack.” Students were to bring items that could hold their school supplies that was ‘anything but a backpack’.  

Image 1: Freshman Iris Price holds a store bag with her school supplies for ‘Anything but a Backpack’ day. (Marshall Scott/ Ethic News Photo)

Image 2: Sophomore Taylor Baumann poses with a suitcase for spirit day. (Marshall Scott/ Ethics News Photo)

Image 3: Freshman Alexander Carreon holds a child’s Lightning McQueen ride-on for spirit week. (Marshall Scott/ Ethic News Photo)

WEDNESDAY

The theme for Wednesday was “BBQ dads vs Soccer Moms.” Students had to dress as their interpretations of what Barbeque dads and Soccer moms meant.

Image 1: Madison Sauerbrun, a freshman at CV poses as a ‘soccer mom’ for spirit-week. (Marshall Scott/ Ethic News Photo)

Image 2: Micheal Carballo, a Freshman, dresses as a barbecue dad for CV’s ‘Throwback’ spirit-week. (Marshall Scott/Ethic News Photo).

Elliot Anderson, a Math teacher at CV dresses as a barbecue dad with his big smile for Wednesday’s ‘BBQ Dads vs Soccer Moms.’ (Marshall Scott/ Ethic News Photo).

THURSDAY

The theme students had to follow for Thursday was “White Lies or Wear White.” Students had to write untrue statements on white shirts/papers/paper plates and wear them around campus. 

Image 1: Freshman, Monserrat Barrera, poses with her white lie ‘I am 6′ 1’ for spirit-week. (Marshall Scott/ Ethic News Photo)

Image 2: Juniors, Riley Houser and Julian Ramos wear white for Thursday’s ‘White Lies’ spirit-week. (Marshall Scott/ Ethic News Photo)

Image 3: Martin Lopez, a Junior, wore a shirt saying “School security can catch me.” for “White Lies” spirit day. (Marshall Scott/ Ethic News Photo)

FRIDAY

The last day of Spirit week went back in time as students dressed up in 2000’s clothing trends. The official theme being “2000’s day or wear black and gold.” Students had the choice of wearing CV gear or 2000’s clothing. 

Image 1: Junior Jazz Daughtrey poses in her Britney Spears inspired 2000’s outfit. (Monique Valera/Ethic News Photo)

Image 2: Sophomores Abigail Landa, Mackayla Herrera, and Amaya Pantaleon pose with Junior Leila Clemons in their CV and black and gold attire. (Monique Valera/Ethic News Photo)

Image 3: Sophomores Todd Hessell and Elise pose together wearing 2000’s wear for Friday’s “2000’s day” theme. (Monique Varela/Ethic News Photo)

News brief: Redlands Community Scholarship Foundation deadline approaches for seniors

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By NATALIE LOPEZ

The Redlands Scholarship Foundation application process is being offered at each Redlands Unified School District high school to give seniors the chance to earn money for their education.

The applications opened Friday, Jan. 30, at 6 a.m. The deadline to submit applications is Feb. 6.

Students may use scholarships towards community college, university and maybe even trade school.

The scholarship foundation was created as a memorial in 1966. On the RCSF website it states that  “inspired community members created the first scholarship  to honor Mr. Kenneth Hurlbert, Assistant Superintendent”.  

 According to RCSF website, they have been “supporting over 131 community, business,educational, and individual donors who desire to make a positive impact on students’ lives.” 

Seniors have a week to prepare their main essay and any additional essays for a chance to earn a scholarship at whichever high school the senior attends.

News brief: Citrus Valley High School’s mock trial team wins semi finals

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By MEANNA SMITH

Citrus Valley High School’s mock trial team won the semi finals against Oak Hills Red on Jan. 12. 

After winning against Oak Hills Red, Citrus Valley mock trial became the top team in San Bernardino County. 

Acuna states, “This is my first time winning semi finals and I’m nervous but more excited.”

The mock trial team’s teacher coaches are Kathryn Fonken-Stoker and Debbie Muniz. 

Fonken-Stoker states, “The team is very slightly nervous, but we’re excited.”

The team will compete in the finals on Saturday, Jan. 14. If the team wins this match, they will advance to state finals and compete to win the title of mock trial state champions. 

Juliana Acuna, senior at Citrus Valley, was awarded the MVP title for her role as witness. (MEANNA SMITH/ETHIC NEWS)

High schools in Redlands host hot cocoa competition

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By ANNETTE ALFARO

High Schools across Redlands competed in a hot cocoa competition. The competition tookplace on Dec. 9 between Citrus Valley High School, Redlands East Valley High School and Redlands High School. 

Citrus Valley High School, Redlands High School and Redlands East Valley High School each promoted the hot cocoa competition on their instagram accounts. (Instagram screenshots/ Ethic News media)

The competition was also named the “Mug-of-War” contest.

Kylie McCue, a Citrus Valley junior, said,”It was good. Participation was good and hopefully it will be an annual thing.”

At each high school, the student government representatives scanned identification cards, filled cups with water, and provided hot chocolate packets. Students had to come before school to have their cups filled. Citrus Valley also went out of their way to provide disposable cups to anyone who did not bring their own cup. 

The winner was announced at the end of lunch. The results were posted on Instagram announcing that RHS had won the competition by 45 cups with Citrus Valley coming in second and REV placing third.

Citrus Valley junior Riley Brossia said,”Even though we lost, I think it really rallied our school spirit.”

All three high schools posted the results of the “Mug-of-War” on their instagram accounts. Citrus Valley High School and Redlands East Valley High School congratulated Redlands High School for their win. (Instagram screenshot/ Ethic News media)

Overall the competition was a big success with Citrus Valley, REV and RHS all receiving high participation in the first “Mug-of-War” hot cocoa challenge. 

It was announced that this was going to be an annual tradition and this year was the first. 

Photos: Hot Topic opens in Mountain Grove shopping center

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By ALEX VERDUZCO

Upon entering, to the left is a display of outfits showing what can be put together based on what the store offers. The third mannequin has on a shirt from the popular Netflix show, Stranger Things, and its season three character, Eddie Munson’s Dungeons and Dragons campaign long sleeved tee shirt. (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News photo)

One of the newest locations of the popular retailer Hot Topic has launched and officially opened during the week of Nov. 18. This Hot Topic is located in Redlands in the Mountain Grove shopping center near popular retailers such as Tilly’s, Ulta and GAP. On the other side are restaurants like Mod Pizza, Chipotle and Waba Grill. With this new addition, it is expected to add to the teenage audience and broaden the selection of stores available in the shopping center. 

In the first photo, a display case shows merchandise highlighting the Kirby character from a video game company, Nintendo. On the left a selection of shirts can be seen. Featured on their right is a little bit of their Funko Pop collectible toys that are for sale. In the second photo, a different view of the shirt selection offered at Hot Topic is shown. This specific angle features television shows, movies and characters.(ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News photo)

Giavonna Galloway, a Redlands East Valley sophomore says, “I am intrigued but I’m not really excited because I don’t normally like what they sell. I’m probably going to check it out anyway because I like some of the jewelry.”


The Redlands Hot Topic location offers a replica of the Byers’ home from season one of Netflix original, Stranger Things. In this scene, Joyce Byers hangs up Christmas lights on her living room wall to communicate with her son.

(ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News photo)

REV senior Eva Valtierrez says, “I think the new Hot Topic is a really cool place to shop at and it has a lot of merchandise that I really enjoy liking and purchasing. I admire the amount of accessories I’m interested in and I like that they sell little elements from my favorite movies, tv shows and bands.”

This section of Hot Topic houses a display case of horror movie merchandise such as, Halloween, that stands in front of the character tee shirts, Kirby display, and selection of Funko Pop collectibles. (ALEX VERDUZCO/ Ethic News photo)

REV junior, Brittany Arreola adds, “I like that they cater to niche interests.”

Kelly Welch, REV senior, says,  “I think Hot Topic and their fanbase have shifted a lot from the 2010’s. I used to shop there religiously, but it still holds a special place in my heart.”

Hot Topic carries apparel as well as accessories such as keychains, blankets and bags ranging from Loungefly character backpacks to totebags and more. Along with the array of shirts, there is an assortment of sweaters and hoodies with character and brand merchandise.

News brief: Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout go home in prisoner exchange

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By RYAN VENEGAS

The United States and Russia made a prisoner exchange on Dec. 8. 

Brittney Griner is a professional basketball player who was captured by Russian forces in Russia. Victor Bout is an arms dealer  captured by U.S. forces.

The U.S tried to include Paul Whelan in the trade but couldn’t do so. Paul Whellan is a former veteran who was captured by the Russians. 

“Everything is possible,”Putin said when communicating with American officials. 

He is talking about possibly trading someone else we have for Paull Whellan. The Russians really want Vadim Krasikov.

When he heard the news that he would not be included in the prisoner exchange, Whellan told CNN that he is “greatly disappointed…I don’t understand why I’m still sitting here.”

Paul Whellan has been captured and held in Russia for four years. While Griner hasn’t been there for less than one year.

The prisoner exchange has given people mixed feelings towards the decision government officials made. Some are happy that the U.S. got back an American from Russia custody. Others are upset that we gave away an arms dealer nicknamed “The Merchant of Death.”

Many people are happy to see Brittney Griner return to her home. MAny people also are upset and think the U.S. got the worst part of the deal.

Arrow Rail service begins

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By JOHNATHAN GHAZAL

The new Arrow line service opened for commuters to ride starting Oct. 24. As an extension of the MetroLink lines through San Bernardino’s transit hub, the Arrow train will connect the East Valley of San Bernardino to the rest of the Metrolink network via the San Bernardino Downtown station. It is also referred to as “The Redlands Passenger Rail Project” with most of the stops along the line being located in Redlands.

People fill the Redlands Downtown station during the ribbon cutting ceremony next to one of the Arrow trains which was open to the public for viewing on Oct. 21. (JOHNATHAN GHAZAL/Ethic News photo)

The rail project “has been more than a decade in the making, featuring new tracks, enhanced street crossings, quiet zones, and five stations along the nine mile route between downtown San Bernardino and downtown Redlands,” according to the San Bernardino County Rail Authority. 

A dedication ceremony was held to mark the opening of the Arrow Rail line to the public on Oct. 21. Representative Pete Aguilar was one of the speakers at the event who spoke about the importance of new infrastructure in our community and the use of energy-efficient trains in its rolling stock.

Many important figures, including California Representative Pete Aguilar, D-California 31, participated in the ribbon-cutting event during the dedication ceremony on Oct. 21 to commemorate the opening of the Arrow rail line at the Redlands Downtown station. (JOHNATHAN GHAZAL/Ethic News photo)

Afterward, attendees were permitted to tour one of the new Arrow trains, which was displayed at the Redlands Downtown station. They had the opportunity to walk through coaches and get a glimpse of the experience of coming onboard the train and feeling the modern design inside. 

One of the new Arrow trains arrived at the Downtown Redlands station in the early morning for the first day of revenue service on Monday, Oct. 24. (JOHNATHAN GHAZAL/Ethic News photo)

The line was officially opened for revenue service on Monday, Oct. 24. The first trains arrived in Redlands around 6 a.m. Small crowds were grouped together in the frigid temperatures to watch the train, now open to the public. It was a mostly uneventful morning with fewer people boarding the train than standing on the platforms. To commemorate the opening of the Redlands University station, the University of Redlands offered refreshments to onlookers and passengers at the station. 

All the trains in the rolling stock are all energy efficient by utilizing hybrid engines which will later be replaced by fully electric engines in years to come.

As Congressman Aguilar said, “until those oil companies stop gouging us at the pump, we’re going to have to get more creative with what we do. Investments in transit… one way we can do that.” The trains were originally meant to be light rail vehicles, but it would have surpassed the budget given by the state grant. Instead, the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority opted for heavy diesel trains.  

Passengers wait for the Sante Fe passenger train as seen in this historic photograph from more than 90 years ago. (Credit: Redlands Area Historical Society)

The historic Sante Fe train line ran through Redlands starting with the construction of the original Redlands Sante Fe Depot in 1888, but the building we are familiar with today as the Redlands Downtown station was built in 1909 to replace the former structure, according to the National Register of Historical Places. Service of the Sante Fe line ended its passenger service in 1938. The introduction of the train was vital to the city’s export of oranges, as can be seen with the last operating packing house located along the train route. 

The opening of the station to passengers after more than 80 years is a momentous occasion for the City of Redlands and its residents. Redlanders will now have access to the large Metrolink network, connecting commuters across Southern California. 

News brief: Donald trump announces presidential campaign

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By RYAN VENEGAS

With the end of the midterm elections Donald Trump announced his 2024 presidential campaign. 

On Tuesday night Trump presented a speech with the announcement at one of his estates in Florida which will be the head office for his campaign.

“In order to make America great and glorious again, I am tonight announcing my candidacy for president of the United States,” Trump stated.

In Trump’s speech he recalls his first-term as president and states all of the accomplishments he made. While also contrasting those accomplishments with the economy and current policies with Biden’s presidency.

Trump claimed about inflation, “As we speak, inflation is the highest in over 50 years.”

Trump referred to the withdrawal from Afghanistan as “perhaps the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country, where we lost lives, left Americans behind and surrendered $85 billion worth of the finest military equipment anywhere in the world.”

Though the United States did leave lots of military equipment worth billions, Trump’s criticism with the US withdrawal of Afghanistan is false. Estimated by the Defense Department it was actually estimated to be about $7.1 billion.

In Trump’s speech he also comments on the high prices of gas.

“We were $1.87 a gallon for gasoline, and now it’s sitting at five, six, seven and even eight dollars, and it’s gonna go really bad.”

The 2024 election will be the first presidential election after electoral votes are redistributed with the 2020 census.

Video: Skills USA students from Orangewood visit Redlands Animal Shelter

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By JUSTEN NGUYEN

Participating students from Stephen Plumb’s SkillsUSA class went to the Redlands Animal Shelter on Oct. 27. Students were taken on a tour around the facility and donated dog and cat toys to the animal shelter.

Animal control officer Kaitlyn Giroux answers questions about animals at Redlands Animal Shelter. Video recorded by Ethan Bounthavy, interview and video editing by Justen Nguyen.

Hurricane Fiona hits Puerto Rico ruining healing progress of Hurricane Maria

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

BY MONIQUE VARELA

Days before the anniversary of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico which was on Sept. 16, 2016, Hurricane Fiona aroused attention on Sept. 17, 2022, coming to hit the south and central regions of Puerto Rico, which were still recovering from the destruction of Maria before Fiona hit.

Fiona has caused flooding on the streets, mudslides, and has caused hundreds and thousands of people to go without power and water. Up to 20 inches of rain flood the streets, and even in some places, reaching up to 35 inches of rain. 

Hurricane Fiona, currently a category four, hit Puerto Rico causing over 20 inches of rain and destroying many homes and roads. Transportation of water, food and fuel has been difficult because of the amount of damage that Fiona has caused and it has also been hard for people who have lost their homes and have no shelter. (Elijah Nouvelage from CNN)

Fiona had been considered a category one hurricane until it began heading to Bermuda and Canada, causing an abundance of damage, and quickly becoming a category four hurricane. President Biden has since declared Fiona a federal disaster.

Ponce, a city in Puerto Rico, has received more than 32 inches of rain and has caused emergency crews to save over 400 people from the flooding. The amount of rain created by Fiona has caused roads to be flooded and has also made mudslides covering the roads and streets of Puerto Rico. This has created a lack of food and water in places that have flooded the most. 

Not only is there a shortage of food and water, Fiona has caused hundreds and thousands of citizens to go without power. More than 900,000 people are without power and it is still unknown when power will be brought back to them. 

Fiona has caused eight deaths and many people having to be saved by troops. Nearly 150 New Jersey police officers are heading to Puerto Rico to help with the recovery process. 

Two waves of 74 troops and one medical doctor are also being sent to Puerto Rico, specifically to the town Vega Baja. It is to help those who were injured during the hurricane. 

From Puerto Rico itself, more than 400 members of the Puerto Rico National Guard are helping the government by holding a search and rescue. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is also helping by sending 700 of their staff members to Puerto Rico to help with the recovery efforts.

Hurricane Fiona has caused a devastating amount of damage and is also going to hit Canada. The Washington Post claims Fiona is being considered ‘a storm everybody will remember’ and may be the worst storm Canada has faced. This hurricane may take a while for Puerto Rico to recover and the economy of Puerto Rico will face a multibillion-dollar hit. 

News brief: Halloween candy prices spike with inflation

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By MEANNA SMITH

Every year on Halloween day, children go door to door collecting various types of candy which typically last a few weeks. This year many people wonder if Halloween candy will last children more than a few days.

Inflation has been on a heavy increase since early last year and is now carrying noticeable effects in citizens everyday lives. Inflation has been on an 8.2 percent increase since September of last year, vastly exceeding the Federal Reserve’s target of 2 percent. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Halloween candy prices are now 13 percent higher than last year. This marks the highest yearly jump the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has ever recorded. To understand the magnitude of this jump, it is necessary to note that in the past it has taken nine years for candy prices to jump 13 percent.

The inflation surrounding Halloween candy is largely due to the increase of prices on sugar and flour. The price of flour alone has gone up by 24 percent in just the last year. 

Many US citizens are wondering how these large percent increases directly affect the prices of candy in a way that is relevant to them. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans are predicted to collectively spend about 3.1 billion on Halloween candy during this year’s Halloween season. At a 13% increase, a fifteen dollar bag of the most popular assorted Halloween candy adds about two dollars onto the price.

Each classic Halloween candy has been affected in price differently by inflation. Here are the updated prices of some frequently purchased Halloween candy packs according to the US addition of Bloomberg:

Twix: $7.60

Skittles: $4.43

M&M: $4.62

Reses’s Peanut Butter Cups: $8.01

The prices of these candies are extremely expensive compared to the price of the same candy last year. The candy with the highest price jump is Recese’s Peanut Butter Cups jumping from $5.92 to this year’s price of $8.01. 

Feature image: MIA CALIVA/Ethic News image

News brief: Adidas drops Ye after his antisemitic comments

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By RYAN VENEGAS

Adidas has ended their partnership officially with Kanye West.

After the recent antisemitic comments said by Kanye West, Adidas and other companies such as Balenciaga and Gap also ended their partnership with him.

On Tuesday, Oct. 25 Adidas released a statement as to why they dropped Kanye West.

“Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness,” said the statemente released by the company.

With the end of their partnership Adidas has also stated that they will stop production on all Yeezy products and stop payment to companies owned by Kanye West immediately. 

 “After a thorough review, the company has taken the decision to terminate the partnership with Ye immediately, end production of Yeezy branded products and stop all payments to Ye and his companies,” read the statement by Adidas.

Kanye’s remarks toward the Jewish community have brought plenty of backlash and Adidas ending their partnership is just one of the consequences Kanye is facing currently. 

Last week Kanye West was a guest on the podcast Drink Champs and stated “The thing about me and Adidas is like…I can say antisemitic things and Adidas can’t drop me. Now what?” 

According to Forbes, with the partnership loss with Adidas Kanye West will no longer be a billionaire. Kanye West is estimated to lose $1.5 billion of his net worth.

News brief: The world’s first successful planetary defense test

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

BY MEANNA SMITH

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s first launch of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission was a success. The DART mission’s goal of testing a method of planetary defense against near-Earth objects was achieved. 

According to NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office, DART was designed to prevent a potential doomsday meteorite collision with Earth. This space mission was not only NASA’s first planetary defense test, but also the world’s first successful planetary defense test.

The spacecraft was roughly the same size of a standard vending machine. The spacecraft crashed into an asteroid called Dimorphous on Sept. 26 at 7:14 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). 

This photo taken by the DART spacecraft pictures Didymos (a larger body which Dimorphous orbits) in the top left and Dimorphous in the bottom right corner. This photo was taken about two and a half minutes before the collision. (NASA John Hopkins APL)

Asteroid Dimorphous is about the same size as two football fields. Dimorphous is estimated by NASA officials to weigh roughly 11 billion pounds.

DART was first launched on Nov. 24 of 2021 weighing a total of 1,260 lbs. Although DART was significantly smaller than Dimorphous, speed is more important than size in space. DART was traveling at hypersonic speed when it crashed into the distant asteroid Dimorphous. 

The collision was videotaped by NASA’s Demonstration Rocket For Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) satellite camera. DRACO was able to record minutes before and minutes after the collision. 

Dimorphous posed no real threat to Earth however it provided the perfect opportunity to test the abilities of DART. Although it can’t be determined for another two months whether DART was actually able to alter the path of the asteroid or not, the collision is still considered a huge success because it hit its intended target. 

The success of the DART mission creates protection for Earth against the possibility of a tragic asteroid impact. Although this first-time success is only a small step in the direction of total safety, it proves that humanity is no longer powerless in the event of an asteroid and Earth collision natural disaster.   

Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade after fifty years

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By NADIA CENICEROS AND MARSHALL SCOTT

The Supreme Court confirmed the right to have an abortion in the case of Roe v Wade on Jan. 22, 1973. On June 20, 2022, it was overturned. 

The vote

Five out of the nine supreme justices chose to overturn the law for abortions. The members of the Court who voted on the overturn included Samuel Alito, Clarence Thoman, Niel Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. 

State variations

According to politico.news out of the 50 states in the United States,  California, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, Illinois, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Maine have protections for abortions. The remaining states have either already decided to ban or are in the decision to. 

The reproductiverights.org has an interactive map that shows different state policies on abortion.

Consequences

The states that have implanted the no abortion laws have varying consequences for the mother who was found guilty of having an abortion. 

Ohio and Alabama have a penalty of jail time up to one year. 

South Dakota and South Carolina have jail time for up to two years. 

North Carolina has a three year jail sentence with an unknown fine. 

Idaho, North Dakota, Arizona, Kentucky and Oklahoma have up to five years. States with up to ten years are Mississipi, Louisiana, Arkansas, West Virginia and Georgia. States with up to 14 years are Wyoming. 

States with up to 15 years are Utah, Wisconsin, Missouri and Tennessee. 

In Texas, a person can serve up to life for having and abortion. 

Across state lines

In many instances, pregnant people who want to terminate their pregnancy but are in a state that does not allow abortions have to cross state lines into a state that does allow abortions. 

According to NPR, one example of this is the ten-year old from Ohio, who was pregnant, and had to go to Indiana to terminate her pregnancy. The doctor was then harassed for preforming the abortion. 

Terms to know

The Supreme Court is a court that is in charge of ensuring the American people the promise of equal justice under the law. The Supreme Court is made up of nine people. The chief justice, John Roberts, and the eight associate justices, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Elena Kargan, Sonia Sotomayor, Neil Gorsuch, Bret Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

An abortion is a medical procedure to terminate a fetus, typically done within the first trimester of a pregnancy. Many things can effect the choices of having an abortion, in some choices it may not even be what the mother wants. One of many examples of needing an abortion, is an ectopic pregnancy, in which the fertilized egg grows outside the mother’s womb, leading to major health issues and a potential death of both the mother and fetus.

From the beginning of legalizing abortions, there have been two separate groups, pro-choice and pro-life. 

Pro-choice means you advocate on the decision whether mothers can choose to go through with a pregnancy or the choice to terminate the fetus. 

Pro-life is when you advocate against the idea of abortions, you protest for the life of the fetus growing within the womb. The ban of abortions was ultimately decided by the supreme court.

Feature image: NADIA CENICEROS/Ethic News image

News brief: Hurricane Ian devastates Florida residents

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By RYAN VENEGAS

This past week Hurricane Ian flooded Florida, destroying resident’s homes and causing people to feel through boats and air transportation.   

As many rescuers search for survivors Florida counts the death toll. According to Florida’s Medical Examiners Commission the death toll has risen up to at least 100 as of Oct. 3. 

“It’s just not the coast of Florida that’s been impacted. We’ve got impacts all the way through Orlando, up to the East Coast. Places like St. Augustine had devastating flooding,” said Craig Fugate, agent of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Florida is not the only place to be hit by Hurricane Ian as Fuagte stated. North and South Carolina have also contributed to the death toll from the hurricane.

“Ian could financially ruin thousands of families in Florida. There’s no better way to say it,” said Mark Friedlander of the Insurance Information Institute.

There are 1.8 million households in the counties of Florida and 1.3 of them do not have federal flood insurance. This means the Hurricane will financially affect Floridians in a very negative way.

The Insurance Information Institute, an industry-funded research group, estimates that Ian has caused at least $30 billion in damage. That would make it roughly the 12th-costliest U.S. disaster since 1980, according to the Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters.

Featured image is from the United States Census Bureau website.

Citrus Valley Homecoming ‘lights’ up the night

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By CITRUS VALLEY ETHIC STAFF

Citrus Valley High School had their 2022 Homecoming dance on Sep.17 on campus. According to a video posted by the Citrus Valley Associated Student Body (ASB)  class on instagram, it was their “best one yet.” The event had many activities like pool tables, a photo booth, a 360 camera, casino-style game tables, and a fro-yo truck. 

ASB stuck to their word, as there was a DJ set up with screens, lasers, fog, and music to fit the theme of the night, “All of the Lights.” The dance floor was set up in front of the E-builidng in the center of the quad. A stage set up housed the DJ with five different screens, numerous laser beams aiming in all different directions, colorful spotlights, disco balls and fog machines. These special effects combined were able to transform a normal lunch area into an unrecognizable dance floor. 

This year’s homecoming dance offered a few different options of sweet treats and finger food for all students, included in the price of the dance ticket. A frozen yogurt truck offered free, and technically unlimited, frozen yogurt in four different flavors: vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream and strawberry along with both fruit and candy toppings. Other food items included french fries and hot grilled cheese sandwiches, which provided students with some vegetarian options. 

Elysa Lebig, Citrus Valley junior, said that “everything except the french fries was good, but not worth the $75 ticket.” 

The majority of attendees enjoyed the fro-yo truck and food stands despite the long lines.

The line was long for the 360 camera, but Citrus Valley Senior Brooklyn Timm said “it was awesome” and rated it a “10/10.”

The photo booth also had a long line and Citrus Valley Senior Lily Florez enjoyed the picture quality. 

Florez also preferred the digital version “so [she] wouldn’t have to hold the physical copy of it.”

Although some students preferred the physical photos, they were still enjoyed and popular among attendees.

The commonly used game tables reappeared at this year’s Homecoming. The game tables at this year’s dance included pool, blackjack and poker. Even though there were many more tables at this year’s dance in comparison to last year, they were still packed with students who were both eager to play and eager to learn.

Hailey Barrios, Citrus Valley freshman, said, “It was very fun, very fun!”

Featured image: Citrus Valley presented their 2022 homecoming ‘All of the Lights’ on Sept. 17, 2022. (MIA CALIVA/ Ethic News Photo)

Queen Elizabeth II’s reign comes to an end

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

BY NADIA CENICEROS

Former England ruler Queen Elizabeth II died on Sep. 8 at the age of 96.  The announcement was made to the public a few hours after her death by Buckingham Palace, Scotland. According to the palace, she had died peacefully at Balmoral Castle earlier that afternoon from natural causes after being bed sick just a few days earlier. The queen’s eldest son, Charles Windsor, acceded the throne that same day becoming King Charles III of England. 

Illustration of Queen Elizabeth’s II crown (Nadia Ceniceros/Ethic News Photo)

Queen Elizabeth II was born Apr. 21, 1926 and became queen of England Feb. 6, 1952 at the age of 27 until her death this year. Queen Elizabeth II reigned for over 70 years, becoming the longest serving British monarch in history. Just a year before in April of 2021, Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth’s husband, passed away due to his age.

Her funeral was held on Sept. 19, twelve days after her death for operation “London Bridge is Down”. The operation is a plan that once the queen passes, there would be an announcement of her death by Buckingham Palace, ten days for the people of Britain to mourn her death, and her funeral.

The funeral was held in the late morning. Members of the Royal family, such as her children and all of her grandchildren, attended the funeral. United States President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden attended the funeral along with many more countries’ royals and presidents. 

Many people said their last goodbyes to the queen and honored her and what she did for England and her people. During the funeral, her casket was carried by the courtage twenty-eight miles from London to Windsor in a car and was carried out by guards with her crown resting on top to get as many people to gather and say their final goodbyes.

French Exchange student joins Wildcat community

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By SPENCER MOORE

On Sept. 8, 2022, Spanish teacher Michael Celano hosted a luncheon commemorating the French exchange student Adèle Morin and her experiences living with Jennifer Baldwin, Redlands East Valley High School’s French Teacher. The luncheon began with introductions of everyone in attendance, including ASB advisor Jennifer Garret, a number of teachers from the foreign language department, and various student body representatives.

Students and staff gathered in Michael Celano’s classroom on Sept. 8 for a luncheon commemorating the French exchange student, Adèle Morin (Spencer Moore/ETHIC News).

Morin had an arduous journey to the United States, which began with her landing in New York City, where she and other foreign exchange students explored Times Square as their tour guide assisted them in acclimating to the different cultural and societal expectations of the United States. After their original flight to New York, the students went their separate ways, with Morin flying into the Ontario International Airport, but not before she was hit with a 12 hour delay.

Fortunately for Morin, she had been taking English language classes since the beginning of 6th grade, as per French standard. To expand her linguistic knowledge, Morin began studying the English language in her personal time, beginning with her favorite English-Language television shows on Netflix.

Track team member and REV Junior Adèle Morin, focal point of Celano’s luncheon. (Spencer Moore/ETHIC News).

For American classes, Morin stated, “My favorite class would probably be AP Psych because the teacher, Mr. Brown, is very funny”.

After high school, Morin does plan to attend a four year university, and when prompted on whether she would prefer scholarship in France or the United States, Morin said, ”I don’t know, I have the ability to do either, and in Germany as well”.

Morin further stated about schooling in France versus schooling in the United States, “For school, I definitely prefer here, because of all of the teams and clubs, it’s really cool”.

Overall, the luncheon allowed for Morin to share her story as a French exchange student, and further introduced both students and staff to a foreign culture.

News Brief: Citrus Valley’s 2022 Homecoming Fashion Show

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

BY ELIZABETH MOLLOY

Citrus Valley High School’s Homecoming dance is quickly approaching. In order to get students excited for the dance, as well as giving them inspiration for attire, ASB held a Homecoming fashion show. The fashion show was held during lunch in front of the E-building on Monday, Aug. 29th. Students gathered around the stage watching as pairs of friends and couples walked down the catwalk showcasing their handshakes and outfits. Students from all grades participated in the fashion show and had a blast. This year’s homecoming theme is “All of the Lights”, and is being held at Citrus Valley High School from 7-11pm on September 17th.

Photo 1: All fashion show participants gather on the stage as the show comes to an end. (ELIZABETH MOLLOY/ Ethic News Photo)

Photo 2: Sophomore Lucas Teeter grabs phone to take a point-five picture with the crowd. (ELIZABETH MOLLOY/ Ethic News Photo)

Photo 3: The freshman prince, Teagan, shows off the his blue suit. (ELIZABETH MOLLOY/ Ethic News Photo)

Photo 4: Freshman Teagan and Tori give their special handshake for the crowd. (ELIZABETH MOLLOY/ Ethic News Photo)

Photo 5: Seniors Kaelynn and David show the crowd their homecoming outfits. (ELIZABETH MOLLOY/ Ethic News Photo)

Photo 6: Fashion show participants prepare for grand finale. (ELIZABETH MOLLOY/ Ethic News Photo)

News brief: Redlands East Valley High School’s Mental Health Awareness Club holds a suicide prevention event

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By AILEEN JANEE CORPUS

The Redlands East Valley High School Mental Health Awareness Club held a suicide prevention event during lunch on Thursday Sept. 8, 2022.

The booth was held in observance of National Suicide Prevention Week which is from Sept. 4 to Sept. 10. 

“I think that it’s good that more people are talking about mental health and the stigma around it,” said sophomore Eliana Campa, “So, the booth was really cool because people were able to talk about what mental health is and why it’s important.”

At the booth, there were pins with green ribbons for mental health awareness, candy for students, and a positive affirmation station. There students were able to write positive anecdotes on notes or on a poster that will be hung up at REV. Finally, an interactive mental health check was available where students could have placed a paint dot for how they were doing in a certain section. 

“I was in charge of the positive affirmation notes,” said Mental Health Awareness Club Vice President and senior Amélie Palacios, “and I saw that many students were more than happy to leave a kind note for a student that would need it in the future.”

“[Mental Health Awareness Club’s] goal is to provide a safe space to learn, talk and listen to each other,” said Mental Health Awareness Club President and senior Sarinna Schwendiman. 

Mental Health Awareness Club’s next event is their annual Mental Health Fair where multiple clubs from REV and organizations from the county hold educational booths with games, giveaways or resources. 

On Sept. 8, 2022 during lunch time, Wildcats came by the Mental Health Awareness Club’s booth dedicated to suicide prevention. There were many activities at the booth including an interactive mental health check and a positive affirmation station. Among the Wildcats, sophomore Eliana Campa picks up a pin and reads the table cover which shows that National Suicide Prevention Week and a crisis hotline: 988. (Credit / Amélie Palacios)

News brief: Orangewood High School hosts first Black Student Union meeting of the year

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By DIAMOND STONE

Orangewood High School hosted their first Black Student Union meeting this year on Aug.31 at lunch.  

The staff who attended the meeting were Orangewood AVID Coordinator and teacher LouAnn Perry, Family and Community Liaison and BSU advisor LaRena Garcia and Orangewood teacher and BSU advisor Vanessa Aranda.  

There were around 35 students and pizza was provided for all the kids that attended.

“The meeting was an introduction about BSU and it was also enjoyable and entertaining,” said Orangewood senior Blessen Thomas. 

At the meeting they talked about upcoming events like the Soul Food Fest on Sept. 11 at Ed Hales Park and the Historical Black College and University Fair.

“This was a good time and it was for students who wanted to join BSU. It’s a new club at Orangewood,” said Orangewood senior Anniyah Allison.

The City of Redlands introduces a new shopping center

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By JOHNATHAN GHAZAL

A rendering of the state street village project with a view of how state street would be connected through the ceremonial arch in the center. (Credit / Zimmerman Visual)

With close collaboration with the city and community, Village Partners Incorporated had success at the approval of their project to develop the Redlands Mall at a joint meeting between the City Council and the Planning Commission on Tuesday, May 10, 2022. For about five hours, the developers presented the design to the city officials and held discussions regarding suggestions and revisions the city council wanted to make.

A look at both sides of the split state street in an old newspaper when the construction for the Redlands Mall was to begin in 1977. (Credit / Newspapers.com)

Before its construction in the 1970s, State Street connected between the now east and west portions of the road. There were six standard city blocks that were demolished, including the historic La Posada Hotel, to make way for a new mall that would bring new business into the city. With two stories, the other being underground, stores such as Gottshalks and Harris’ occupied the building.

Its popularity began to wane in the nineties and early 2000s once the more popular stores that occupied the mall began to be replaced by lesser known companies. In 2009, Gottshalks permanently closed their store which led to the whole mall’s closure in 2010.

Since then, the building has been rendered vacant with the exception of CVS, the only remaining tenant. Though there has been controversy surrounding the appearance of the mall, its commercial parking lot has been utilized for special events such as the Redlands Bowl, the Bicycle Classic, and the Redlands Christmas Parade, just to name a few.

The new State Street Village project began with the acquisition of the mall by the private real estate investment firm, Brixton Capital Limited Partnership in July of 2014. They worked with the land developing company, Village Partners Inc., to transform the Redlands Mall into a more modern and lively space. A sample of their previous projects include the Village at Montclair and Tierra del Rey. In 2018, early designs were conceived to reconnect both sides of State Street with commercial and residential buildings on either side.

Another visual rendering of how people may spend their time around the stores and residential units. (Credit / Zimmerman Visual)

People in Redlands have been divided on whether they want new developments and high buildings or not. Mr. Macomber, an English teacher at Redlands East Valley felt, “It’s time for it to move on, it’s been abandoned for far too long.” 

This future for the new look of Redlands will transform downtown for a new generation of Redlanders to experience by 2025. The reconstruction of the mall area will bring newer, modern spaces and commercial business to the community, just as the Redlands Mall did in the 80s.

News brief: Citrus Valley High School hosts Club Rush

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By ETHIC NEWS STAFF

Citrus Valley’s annual club rush took place on Aug. 26, 2022. Club rush is when most of the CV clubs gather together in CV’s quad to give out information about their club. This is especially helpful for incoming freshmen who want to join a club but don’t exactly know what their new school has to offer.

Club Rush was held in the quad during lunch. Some of the popular clubs at club rush included Blackhawks for Change, Asian student union, Cars and Coffee, Auto Shop, Black Student Union, Multicultural Dance, Possibilities, Hispanic Heritage, and Interact club.

In total, thirty-four Citrus Valley Clubs attended club rush. Club rush gives many students the opportunity to join a club, socialize, and to develop many skills that the clubs at Citrus Valley offer to students.

The multitude of clubs gave many options to this year’s arriving freshman.

Freshman Karla Ziga Ortega said, “I’m looking to join the Hispanic Heritage club because I love my Mexican pride and supporting people, and I’m already in Yearbook, but it would be nice to see everyone coming together and to unite.”

Freshman Ellie Caliva said, “I want to join the Asian Student Union.” The Asian Student Union is a very popular club at CV that celebrates many aspects of Asian culture.

Club Rush was considered a success by many freshmen, including Caliva, who said that “It was good, I had fun,” and Ortega, who said that she “[liked] all the free stuff, [everything] looked good. I don’t know if I can commit to everything but I’ll try to join at least one club.”

Photo 1: Students gather around the Black Student Union tent to learn more about the club. (ELIZABETH MOLLOY/ Ethic News Photo)

Photo 2: Students flood the quad during lunch time, walking around with friends and peers as they learn about the clubs at Citrus Valley. (ELIZABETH MOLLOY/ Ethic News Photo)

Photo 3: Students stop by the Environmental Club table to learn about the club. (ELIZABETH MOLLOY/ Ethic News Photo)

Photo 4: Amber Sibbett, a sophomore at CV, passes out flyers to by passers reeling people in to join the Improv club on campus. (ELIZABETH MOLLOY/ Ethic News Photo)

Photo 5: Trevor Lam, a junior at CV poses for a picture holding up a sign advertising for the Asian Student Union (ASU) at club rush (ELIZABETH MOLLOY/ Ethic News Photo)

News brief: Redlands East Valley kicks off the year

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By MAURICIO PLIEGO, ALEXANDRA VERDUZCO and GEFFREY ACOSTA

The Associative Student Body, opened up the new school year for students at Redlands East Valley High School with a rally in the Wildcat Gym on August 19. Senior Pep Commissioners Emma Guerrero, Seth Bruer and Ruben Villanueva introduced Fall sports captains and the new sports student section, the Redzone.

Jahir Garcia, a senior at REV, said, “the best one yet to start off senior year.”

Throughout the rally, various REV student groups performed, such as the Colorguard, Junior Varsity, Varsity, and Songie Cheerleaders.

Three total games were played, the first two by the students and the third by the teachers. The first was a game called “Disney Musical Chairs” where students wore distortion goggles and had to find a chair when the music was over, but the third was a tug-o-war between teachers from various departments and the loser would be “slimed” as the famous Nickelodeon game show works.

Finally, the Pep Commissioners introduced the freshman class of 2026 to “class calls” where students attempt to be the loudest to yell their graduation year.

Carey Rowan, a sophomore, said “ I liked the enthusiasm and class calls, I wish they had more seating.”

Senior Brooke Rowan said, “It was fun and went well, minimal mistakes and really hot. More seating would be nice.”

From left to right: Redlands East Valley Fall sports captains, Brooklynn Rios (12), Aliyah Maciel (12), Aubrey Rivas (12), Celine Hill (12), Analicia Swanson (12), Charlize Munar (12), Maryn Strong (12), Abigail Washburn (12), Vivian Bosch (11) and Ainsley Zercher (11). Team captains introduce themselves to the crowds of students and the sport they represent and lead. (GEFFREY ACOSTA/ Ethic News).

Senior Pep Commissioner Seth Bruer encourages the last remaining players as they wait for the music to end and run for the remaining chair in the game at rally in the Redlands East Valley High School gym. (GEFFREY ACOSTA / Ethic News)

Players from each grade are waiting for the music to end to run and find a chair to stay in the game and continue to the next round. The rally includes a variety of games, performances, and introductions by various students and organizations at Redlands East Valley High School. (GEFFREY ACOSTA / Ethic News)

News brief : California gas prices are falling, demand is one reason

Published on by Ethic NewsLeave a comment

By RYAN VENEGAS

California’s gas prices are going down everyday and it seems like it’s going to keep lowering.

California’s gas prices have been one of the highest in the nation, but it seems like car owners are finally getting a sense of relief.

According to the Automobile Association of America, the overall national average gas price per gallon has dropped to $4, which means it has been the lowest since March of this year. On August 12 the average U.S. price for a gallon of gas was $3.98.

Other than the national average price for gasoline, California’s average regular gas price has gone down by 11.5% compared to last month’s average.

There are a couple of reasons why gas prices are falling. 

AAA spokesperson John Treanor has said “Prices in California, Like the rest of the country, are dropping due to decrease of demand.”

According to Treanor, AAA has done a survey on drivers and learned that 67% of drivers have changed how much they drive due to gas prices being on the rise. 

“The demand for gas goes down as people drive less, thereby lowering the overall cost of gas,” said Treanor.

The decrease in gas prices are not officially set since the demand for gas can go high at any moment which means gas prices can go up again. 

Gas prices can be very flexible and can change fast depending on the demand.