Teens Accelerate in Toyota Video Contest
Juniors Grant Webster, Ethan Webster, Ben Wilson, Walker Hershey and Charles Fries, a Jesuit friend, recently created a video on safe teen driving and entered it into the Toyota Teen Driver Short Film Competition, placing in the top ten of the contest. Waiting for the online vote to be tallied is all... Read more »
Students Prepare for Trip to France
Connor Jang, News Editor
April 12, 2013
This summer, students in the French program will engage in the most effective means of learning the French language by actually going to France. On June 14, students will board a flight and cross the Atlantic. 26 students will spend 16 days abroad, travelling across France and gathering cultural and... Read more »
Mirada to Expand Online Presence Next Year
John Ferrannini, Editor-in-Chief
April 12, 2013
The Mirada is planning to expand its online presence in the 2013-2014 with a new multimedia class and multiple staff roles exclusively devoted to online reporting and editing and audio visual storytelling. Mirada adviser Michael Mahoney hopes that Rio will offer a new Journalism class on campus that... Read more »
Fashion Club Brings Style to Clothing Drive
Jaden Perez, Sport Editor
April 12, 2013
It’s the season to go through your closets and clean out last year’s trends and replace them with the styles of the new year. By donating the trends of yesteryear, you can help Rio Americano’s Fashion Club support the homeless teenagers in Sacramento. All items will be donated to the Wind Youth... Read more »
Students make Physics Experiments for Elementary Kids
Briana Smith, Sport Editor
April 12, 2013
The 19th annual ExploratoRio in B8 last Wednesday taught elementary school students from across the Sacramento area the wonders of physics through exhibits made in Dean Baird’s Physics class. Preparation for the exhibits began before February Break. “We started planning before Ski Week,” Baird... Read more »
Interact Club Interacts with World
Kayla McArdle and Ashton Nazeri
April 12, 2013
The Interact club is one of the most well-respected and longest running clubs on campus and is dedicated to serving people not only throughout the community, but throughout the world as well. “A friend introduced me to this club,” sophomore Blythe Nishi said. “I love helping the community. We have... Read more »
New Theater Proposal for Band Gains Traction
Wally Harmon, Editor-in-Chief
April 12, 2013
Rio Americano Band Boosters have proposed that some of the money the school will be receiving from Measure N go towards building a new band performance room called the House of Music next to the existing band room. “The band room is just a wish right now and it’s in its first stages,” Principal... Read more »
Teens Take Big Risks Behind the Wheel
Kayla McArdle, Staff Writer
April 12, 2013
A Mirada survey of juniors and seniors who have their driver’s licenses found that Rio students are more likely to engage in risky behaviors while driving than teenagers nationally. Nationally, only 13 percent of teens said that they send and respond to texts while driving. 32 percent, almost one third,... Read more »
Flash Mob Club Pepares For a Fun, Thrilling Experience
Kayla McArdle, Staff Writer
April 12, 2013
Flash mobs are fun to see and a joy to watch. However, for others, the thrill is participating in one. The president of the Flash Mob club, senior Macaulay Porter, couldn’t wait to make and join the club. “I wanted to make the Flash Mob club because I thought it would be a fun activity for everyone... Read more »
Planet of the APES: AP Environmental Science Talks Wetlands
Cian O’Neill, Opinion Editor
March 9, 2013
Joyce Dibble’s AP Environmental Science class has just entered a competition that could put $1,000 in a lucky students pocket, and $10,000 towards a wetlands recovery program. The competition asks students to submit ideas of how to improve or restore California’s wetlands regions. These areas include... Read more »
Club Holds ‘Key’ To Volunteering, Fun
Alyssa Campbell, Staff Writter
March 9, 2013
Volunteering not only allows people to give back and help those in need, but it is a way to have fun and bring people together. One of the many clubs on campus is Key Club, which is dedicated to volunteer work and community service. Key Club has been at Rio for several years and while much of its volunteer... Read more »
Should Algebra be a Graduation Requirement?
Rachel Moseley, Staff Writter
March 9, 2013
Algebra has become a rite of passage and a requirement for graduation, but an op-ed article that appeared in the New York Times questioned whether it’s all worth it. The author is Andrew Hacker, who has taught political science at the City University of New York since 1971. He wrote that making algebra... Read more »
Teachers Not Flipping for Flipped Classes
Connor Jang, News Editor
March 9, 2013
Flipped teaching, in which students watch videos of lectures at home so the teacher can spend more time interacting with students during class, has been gaining momentum across the country as a way of improving instruction and engaging students who grew up watching YouTube videos, according to supporters. But... Read more »
Newly Completed Band Mural is in Tune With Music History
Rachel Moseley, Staff Writter
March 9, 2013
Markos Egure has been painting the mural on the band room since late 2010 and after much work it is finally complete. The mural includes many elaborate details, such as great musicians of the past. Initially, the painting was going to be less than half of the size it is now. “After the donation and... Read more »
Band Goes to New York…Again
John Ferrannini, Editor-in-Chief
March 9, 2013
Frank Sinatra sang about New York City that “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” Well, the Rio Jazz Band can make it anywhere. The band made off with first place in the public high school competition at the prestigious Charles Mingus Festival at the Manhattan School of Music and made... Read more »
Guns in Schools
John Ferrannini and RaeAnna Reynolds
February 1, 2013
In the wake of the tragic Sandy Hook school shooting that left 20 children and six adults dead, educators and lawmakers are looking for ways to ensure schools are safe. Legislators in several states, including California, have proposed laws that would allow teachers to carry guns on campus. The Obama... Read more »
Teen Sleeping Habits a Nightmare
Valana Stiles and Kayla McArdle
February 1, 2013
You see them dragging themselves late to first period, draped in comfy sweats that may have been slept in, clutching a Starbucks’ Venti Macchiato, sleep still in their eyes. But they are wide awake doing homework or watching TV at midnight, long after experts say they should be in bed to get the recommended... Read more »
Christian Club Shares Fellowship at Lunch
Hanna Despard, Staff Writter
February 1, 2013
Religion can be a very controversial topic, but for the Christian club that prays every Wednesday at the flagpole, it is a source of strength. “The Christian club has been an awesome new way to share my faith and get to know more people who have the same views as me,” club Vice President Erik Anderson... Read more »
Happier Teens More Successful in Long Run, Study Says
Grant Webster, Grant Webster
February 1, 2013
Bad news for pessimists – a new study shows that happier teens are more successful in the long run. A study by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health followed 10,000 teens from high school to 29 years of age, and they found that income was linked with happiness. Students who had said... Read more »
Alum Obtains Fame, But only for up to 10 seconds
Whitney Tyler, Staff Writter
February 1, 2013
One of the creators of the popular Snapchat phone application, David Kravitz, is a Rio alumni. “My friends Evan and Bobby worked on the first version of Snapchat for a number of months and it was finally released on the App Store in late 2011,” Kravitz told the Mirada. “Evan and I were the same... Read more »