Making the World Beautiful

by Ray Celaya

Fresno High hosted a neighborhood clean-up in collaboration with FUSD (Fresno Unified School District). Students involved in sports and other FHS clubs and classes were asked to come out on Saturday September 11 to clean up trash with their team.  

Baseball was the most excited to participate in and had the greatest number of people in their group. Proof of participation was a sign-up sheet that was kept on the table in the front. Participants picked up plastics, trash, and recyclables.  

At the end of their task, all kids returned to cold ice water being kept in the water jugs and were given cups for them to drink out of. At the end of the scheduled activity, all the students gathered in front of Royce Hall to take a group picture. They were also recorded singing their Fresno High Fight Song and yelling Fresno chants.  

Everyone was thanked for the help they gave and appreciated giving up their personal time. Over 300 kids participated in this event and helped the district with their personal issues.  

Unique Opportunity for Students Seeking College

by Conor Hustedde

On September 16, students from Fresno High headed north to participate in a college tour. The students went to two colleges and had the opportunity to see a live play in Sacramento. The program, Bridge2College, was started by a retired high school counselor who felt that schools were not sufficiently preparing their students for the college experience. The program provided college tours, workshops, and service opportunities to the participating students. During this excursion, students visited UC (University of California) Merced and University of Silicon Valley. 

The first stop was UC Merced, where students were given a brief history of the school and a tour around campus. UC Merced, the newest school in the UC system. The school had just completed construction on a new street and living spaces. The college’s most developed programs are within the stem fields. Students were given tours by an anthropology major and a psychology major. Students also attended two lectures from administrators on campus. 

Later that day, after traveling to Sacramento, the group attended a production of Hamilton at Broadway Sacramento, by the California state capital. 

On the second day, students finished the trip by touring the University of Silicon Valley, previously Cogswell Polytechnical College. The small college focuses on technology and graphic design and gave students an insight into the unique opportunities presented there. 

Fun Times at Club Expo September 1 and 2, 2021

Photos take by Nick Bonilla

Car of the Month

by Isaac Bernal

This is Luis Antonio Carlos Ramirez and his competition orange 2017 Mustang Cyclone 3.7-liter stock tuned with flow master pipes e-85 tuned and six straight performance plugs.  

Luis is a senior here at Fresno High and he says he loves his car because it is light and fast. Luis was able to buy the car five months ago at a car event and has been driving it ever since. One thing he makes sure to do at least twice a week is detail his car. Unfortunately, people do try to take advantage of the fact that he has a car, but he is always more than willing to give a ride.  

Since he got his car, he has had a lot more freedom to go anywhere he wants because he covers all the expenses that come with a car, he is also able to pay these expenses because of his job at Wendy’s. The farthest he has traveled in the car is Pismo beach for a car meet where he said that he ran into his dream car a 2021 GT 40.  

Cheer

by Jazzy Alvarado

After everything that happened with COVID-19, schools and sports were excited to get things running and back to normal. The cheerleaders have been practicing at full force since May when they selected their new teams for the 2021-2022 school year. The JV cheer team consists of 14 members, all freshman and sophomores, while the Varsity team consists of 24 members mostly juniors and seniors.  

The way cheer is supposed work is that JV cheers for JV football and Varsity cheers for Varsity football. However, due to the pandemic, coaches weren’t able create a JV football team, and now, with football in full swing and no JV team, Fresno High’s cheer coaches faced a dilemma. They decided to combine the JV and Varsity teams until football figured out their situation. They didn’t completely merge them, but they would both be cheering at the Varsity games.  

There were a lot of questions at first because obviously it wasn’t exactly fair since everyone made a certain squad at tryouts. But both teams have adjusted, and everything seems to be working very smoothly. “At first, I wasn’t a fan of JV and Varsity cheer combining together to cheer at football games, but over time and after our last two games, I feel that combining our two teams benefits us all as a whole. JV having Varsity cheerleaders to look up to and learn from helps with the skill and attitude needed to be a great cheerleader,” explained Frankiemarie Anguiano Varsity cheerleader. 

While it may seem like one big team, there are still quite a few distinctions between the two squads. For example, each team has their own uniform, bow, and poms and each team still does their own separate routines and stunts. The combined aspect of the team is visible at the games because everyone cheers together, when stunts are called there are two lines of groups where JV is in front, and Varsity is behind them. 

The cheer program doesn’t know how long things will be this way but they are prepared for whatever comes their way. The team looks forward to improving in all their skills.  

Navigating the Transition from High School to College

by Conor Hustedde

Mrs. Gina Sandoval gave an interview to Fresno High’s Journalists on Friday, September 5. She gave insight into the best ways for seniors to maneuver through their last year in high school and the college application process. 

Mrs. Sandoval explained the pros and cons of both community college and a four-year college. “If you go to a four-year, you are more likely to get scheduled into the necessary college to graduate,” she explained. Getting accepted into a college that has a program specialized in a specific major will give more opportunities for students to enroll in the necessary classes. This will allow graduates to be more focused on their major. Now, she made clear that a four-year university will on average cost more than a city college. In fact, Fresno City College gives the first two years to high school graduates for free, but Mrs. Sandoval also mentioned a common pitfall for those going to community college. “The biggest problem is I have a lot of kids that don’t finish in two years.” She clarified, “You have to be motivated.” It was also mentioned that a four-year university will have a more distinct campus culture compared to a two-year college. Hearing that a four-year costs a lot more than a community college may frighten some, but luckily there are ways to get assistance. 

FASFA is a fantastic opportunity for anyone and everyone. It is important to remember: FASFA applications open October 1, so if students want the most financial aid possible, they should sign up early. Signing up for FASFA will also give access to Cal Grant and other scholarships based on merit. When asked about other scholarship opportunities, Mrs. Sandoval made clear that there are many scholarships online that can assist students and their unique situations (just remember to apply). 

Most scholarships and all college applications will require an essay. Mrs. Sandoval recommends when applying to both CSUs (California State Universities) and private universities, seniors focus on what sets them apart from the crowd. Also, “Start early and revamp, revamp, revamp.” Editing is the most crucial when writing essays; seniors should get input from those around them on how to improve their applications. 

Community College has no deadline for applications, but Mrs. Sandoval recommends seniors aim for September 30 as a goal. California State University applications begin on October 1 and end on November 30, while the private Universities, like Stanford and Harvard, each have different deadlines. 

For a senior who is missing credits, there are a few options. There is the JE Young credit recovery program during school or night school. It is important to know that there is no deadline for credit recovery. The Cesar Chavez Adult School can also assist in the process. Its recommended seniors don’t recover credits in summer school during their senior year, as they won’t graduate on time, being a “summer graduate.” But, if a senior fails a class in their second semester, they’ll have to finish during the summer. 

Finally, Mrs. Sandoval was asked one of the most important questions for a graduating senior's future: What study habits are essential for college? Her answer? “Don’t procrastinate! Do not wait until the last minute for anything because you’ll be stressed, and it will take its toll on you. Do your best to stay on track.”