Opinion - Editorial
A-G for graduation a misstep
By Samantha Salek
SVUSD has instated a new policy
that will require every student at the
SVHS to meet the A-G requirements
in order to graduate. This change is
set to come into effect for next year’s
incoming freshman.
A-G requires students to com-
plete courses up through certain
levels in each subject. The system
is limited to courses that meet the
requirements for admission at UC
and CSU campuses.
A-G minimum requirements differ
from the current SVHS graduation
requirements in many ways. For ex-
ample, 3 years of math are required
by A-G, whereas only 2 are currently
required to receive a diploma. 2 years
of foreign language are required in-
stead of 1 year of language or fine
arts, and under A-G, each class must
be passed with a C- grade or higher
for it to count for credits while cur-
rent graduation requirements count
D’s as passing grades.
The shift to tougher graduation
rules is the cause of much concern.
Many people have expressed worries
Oops, BP did it again
By Shannon Murphy
Downplaying crises is something
of a specialty for the oil jugger-
naut British Petroleum, more com-
monly known as BP; most recently
they covered up their closure of the
Alaska pipeline following an oil
spill in Prudhoe Bay.
The company gained much no-
toriety following the Deepwater
Horizon explosion and oil spill
last April, where 11 workers went
missing and were later declared
dead with another 17 requiring
medical attention. The damage it
did to the ecosystem was irrevers-
ible; the spill killed countless num-
bers of local flora and fauna and it
is estimated that over 75 percent of
the oil remains in the Gulf.
This was only one incident, how-
ever, in a series of both environ-
mental and ecological disasters.
Only five years before the Gulf
of Mexico oil spill, a BP refinery
in Texas City, TX, exploded and
killed 15 workers. After this less
than well-known incident, the
company promised to address the
safety hazards that plagued many
of their operations.
To say this tragedy was preventable
is a vast understatement; over 700
regulatory violations were found at
the refinery, many of which were
pertaining to faulty valves. These
violations resulted in a record fine
~Dragon’s Tale Staff~
ADVISER - Alison Manchester
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF - Caity Tremblay
COPY EDITOR - Luther Cenci
NEWS EDITORS - Caity Tremblay, Jamie Ballard, Grace Bon
OP/ED EDITOR - Samantha Salek
FEATURE EDITORS - Caity Tremblay, Lindsey Jasperse, Arianna
Maysonave
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR - Luther Cenci
PHOTO EDITOR - Thomas Perot
SPORTS EDITORS - Adam Kohut, KC Jeppesen
BUSINESS MANAGER - Emily Wood
REPORTERS - Arianna Maysonave, KC Jeppesen, Luther Cenci, Lindsey
Jasperse, Emily Wood, Jamie Ballard, Adam Kohut, Grace Bon, Thomas
Perot, Jessica Marioni, Liam Casey, Samantha Salek, Caity Tremblay,
Shannon Murphy
PHOTOGRAPHERS - Thomas Perot, Arianna Maysonave, Lindsey Japerse,
Emily Wood, Jamie Ballard, Jordan Albertson, Jessica Marioni
ART AND GRAPHICS - Liam Casey, Sebastian Amara, Jessica Marioni
Dragon’s Tale
about what might happen when the
plan goes into effect.
Some have argued that the dropout
rate will rise if struggling students
have no other options to receive a
diploma than to pass A-G courses.
Others worry that elective and career
Current Graduation
Requirements
History -- 2 years
English -- 4 years
Math -- 2 years
Lab Science -- 2 years
Foreign Language or Fine Arts -- 1 year
Physical Education -- 2 years
Civics/Economics -- 1 year
Living Skills/Intro to Technology -- 1 year
education classes will have to be for-
feited under the new system.
While valid arguments, those
opinions avoid the painful truth:
not every student has the skills nec-
essary to complete college prepa-
ratory classes. Some may be more
scholarly than others, while others
are more oriented towards skills
from the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) of
87.4 million dollars -- more than 4
times the previous record, which
was also held by BP.
Even after Tony Hayward became
chief executive of the company in
2007 and settled with the families
of the workers, little improvements
were seen in their safety precau-
tions. This indifference, however,
was attributed to a pressure to
maximize profits and greatly de-
layed “routine” inspections by the
last administration.
So then this begs the question:
What will change the attitude that the
oil industry has for its workers and
the environment? Perhaps criminal
action should be taken, as would be
for anyone else demonstrating his or
her disregard for life.
When a person kills someone,
it is considered murder. When a
government kills someone, it is
considered justice. When an in-
dustry kills someone, it is consid-
ered grounds for a lawsuit.
They measure losses not in lives
or hours of sleep lost, but in fig-
ures of profit.
British Petroleum’s blatant dis-
regard for human life and environ-
mental wellbeing is atrocious and
deserves to be prosecuted, not only
civilly but also criminally. Until
then, do not expect to see a change
in an oil company fueled by greed.
outside of academia. This does not committed to implementing these standards for graduation and, there-
mean that these students should not grad rules, everyone involved with fore, does not graduate with his or her
be able to receive a diploma. the redesign as well as all students, class or if a student drops out because
Due to the stricter standards, SVHS parents and teachers affected by the he or she feels hopeless under the
administrators anticipate a need to change, must be fully informed about new system, there is no easy do-over.
hire new teachers to meet the needs what is to be expected of students. Something like that can impact a per-
of students and decrease the student- In the Press Democrat article about son’s life in a major way. Students
cannot be the school’s guinea pigs.
Proposed Graduation Requirements If SVUSD wants to implement
History --2 years A-G as a requirement for graduation,
English -- 4 years school officials need to be absolutely
Math -- 3 years certain that every possible measure
is being taken to meet the needs of
Lab Science -- 2 years
struggling students. Alternative op-
Foreign Language -- 2 years tions to the A-G requirements need
Fine Arts -- 1 year to be offered for students in need to
College Prep Elective -- 1 year receive diplomas.
Physical Education -- 2 years Ideally, these new, overly idealistic
graduation requirements should not
Civics/Economics -- 1 year
be put into effect. There is way too
Living Skills/Intro to Technology -- 1 year much room for error, and students
to-teacher ratio. This brings yet an- the new policy, Nicole Duccaroz, that aren’t as academically-oriented
other question to the table. With ever- school board president, is quoted as will likely suffer. However, if the
increasing budget cuts plaguing the saying that “part of [the process of school is truly set on implementing
district, how might a public school grad rule redesign] will be trial and this change, then questions about
find the funding to hire teachers to error.” This statement raises some the new policy need to be answered
meet new needs? It appears that, fi- concern. Can students’ high school before the school rushes into this
nancially, this new grad idea could educations really be the subject of potentially harmful program. Stu-
not come at a worse time. “trial and error?” dents cannot be sacrificed as part of
High price of beauty
One thing is clear: if SVUSD is If a student doesn’t meet the high “trial and error.”
By Caity Tremblay America think they shouldn’t American culture, resulting in
have hair anywhere except their unhealthy dieting, surgical risks,
Clear skin: $300. Attractive head, where their hair is lavishly and the dangerous absorption or
nails: $200. Cover-up, founda- treated with shampoos, condition- inhalation of chemicals through
tion, blush, eye-shadow, eye-lin- ers, straighteners, curlers, sprays cosmetics. Despite their close
er, mascara, eyebrow tweezers, and various other goops. Young contact with the human body,
eyebrow pencils, lip pencils, lip- women are expected to care about cosmetics are among the least
stick, lip stain, lip gloss -- $7 bil- how they look, as if fitting into the regulated products on the market.
lion dollars are spent in America conventional standard of beauty The FDA does not regulate the
every year on cosmetics. Not will improve who they are, while ingredients put in cosmetic prod-
only is this an economic eye- in reality it often destroys their ucts; cosmetic firms are the only
opener, it’s a shocking comment self-image. ones testing the safety of their
on American women’s percep- This is not to say that all women products.
tions of themselves. who wear makeup have poor self- Multiple ingredients in com-
Cosmetics are mon cosmetic
overused be- products such
cause women as hair sprays,
hold their phys- perfumes, and
ical image up to nail polishes
the unattainable contain phtha-
ideal of beauty lates, which
portrayed in the have been
media. The im- linked to liver
ages of celebri- and reproduc-
ties and other tive system
people in the damage, even
media are often using known
Photoshopped carcinogens.
to remove any Not held to the
blemish, to same standard
make women as food prod-
look thinner or ucts, cosmetic
more buxom. companies can
Unsurprisingly, use almost any
the number label without
of cosmetic Cartoon by Sebastian Amara regard to verac-
surgeries for ity. Words like
women (and men) of all ages has esteem. However, many women “pure,” “natural,” and “organic”
increased drastically concurrent use cosmetics to displace their in- are used as marketing gimmicks
with the advent of Photoshop. securities: the uglier they feel, the while the product actually con-
However, media only partially more makeup is desired. Many tains synthetic chemicals that are
determines social and emotional women are ashamed to be seen toxic at any level of exposure.
conceptions of beauty. There is a without cosmetics, investing an Worn occasionally, cosmetics
psychological tendency for wom- exorbitant amount of time and can add to a special experience,
en to compare themselves to other resources to fix their perceived but when worn all the time an
women based on physical image. imperfections. This emotional unhealthy dependence develops
Self-ridicule and the self-torture dependency is as addictive as a that has physical, mental, and
of a full physical makeover are not drug. emotional costs. A healthy self-
only condoned but encouraged The use of artificial enhanc- esteem, unlike a made-up face, is
in American culture. Women in ers is particularly pronounced in priceless.
~Editorial Policy~
The Dragon’s Tale is a public forum newspaper produced by the Sonoma Valley High School Newspaper
class. The newspaper attempts to inform its audience in a broad, fair and accurate manner on all subjects, and
to encourage an exchange of ideas and opinions on issues of prominence to the readers.
The newspaper staff encourages letters for opinions and responses on the content of the publication. Only
signed letters will be considered for publication. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit all letters for
content.
No material, opinionated or otherwise, will be printed which is libelous, irresponsible, advocates an illegal
activity or which the editorial staff deems in poor taste.
Editorials reflect the collective views of the staff and will not contain bylines. Other opinionated pieces will
include editor’s columns, feature columns, letters-to-the-editor, and entertainment reviews.
If the staff discovers that a mistake has eluded the editors, a correction will be printed in the next issue.
Page 2 January 2011