$$$ OVER $11,500 in items $$$

Tahoe Condos • Spa and Beauty Services Galore • Wine and Gourmet Baskets
Hotel and Restaurant Packages • Yoga and Sports Lessons • Tax and Contracting Services
• Collectable Artwork and Jewelry • Fun and Fresh Gift Baskets

Bid on 2 dozen baskets worth $200 – $1400 in the Silent Auction
Early and Midway Raffles with baskets and items worth up to $500 each!
Raffle Tickets are just $1 each or 12 for $10

TREAT YOURSELF, OR GET YOUR GIFT SHOPPING DONE EARLY!!

PLUS, MEET THE CANDIDATES RUNNING IN THE JUNE PRIMARY

 THE CIVITAS PANCAKES N’ POLITICS BREAKFAST,
SATURDAY MAY 19, 8 AM – 12 PM RIO CAFETERIA
Tickets Just $7 for All You Can Eat Breakfast,
available from Civitas students or
Linda Reed at lreed@sanjuan.edu

The El Dorado Union High and San Juan Unified school districts have the most public high schools with high average SAT scores in the four-county Sacramento area, according to state statistics.

Each district has four schools among the top 25. Placer Union High School District placed third, with three schools on the list.

Slideshow: Region’s smartest high schools by SAT scores

Scores are for public high schools in the 2009-2010 school year, the latest for which data are available. Scores range up to 2400 points, with 800 each drawn from tests of mathematical, critical reading and writing ability.

In the case of ties, the ranking was determined by percentage of students who received a score over 1500.

Rio took fourth place overall, the highest we have ever placed. Our kids were absolutely amazing. They received a long standing ovation, and garnered quite a bit of attention, from all corners of the country and beyond. Here’s a link to the performances- http://deeper.io/jalc-edu/Default.aspx?mg=5b4420c6-30a5-4057-9d16-a9ca2cd1becf&ti Once Rio’s cued up, just hit the play button on the small screen.

Individual awards were won by four Rio students-
Michael Wang (senior), outstanding trombone
Paul Slater (junior), outstanding drums
Andrew Stephens (sophomore), outstanding trumpet
Emery Mesich (sophomore), honorable mention outstanding alto sax

We all had a great time, but it’s good to be back home.
Josh and Max

This year’s Junior Prom, with the theme “Under the Big Top,” provided a fun atmosphere and was an exciting night for all attendees.

Held on April 21, the dance took place at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex outdoors in one of their event tents. The dance floor, DJ, and refreshments were under the tent, while photos were taken outside. This gave students a break from the heat inside the tent and provided the opportunity to cool off during the dance.

“It was righteous,” said junior Chris Carlson. “The tent made me feel like I was in a French circus.”

Many other students enjoyed the venue as well.

“Compared to last year’s prom it was a lot hotter inside, but it was neat how they opened up the tent and had pictures outside,” said senior Nolan Mistchenko.

Student government did a great job with decorations and incorporating the overall theme, Carnival, into the dance. The floor was filled with flashing lights and stuffed animals were handed out as souvenirs.

“Prom was bomb, I got 12 stuffies (stuffed animals) from my friends,” said junior Frankie MacLaughlin.

For many students, the formal dress code was one of the best parts of the dance. It’s not often that high school students get to dress up formally, so that was certainly a highlight for them.

“I liked getting dressed up in a tux,” said junior Tyler Reeves. “That was fun and definitely a new experience.”

Even the teacher chaperones seemed to be having a good time.

“I loved seeing my students all dressed up,” said French teacher Ms. Murray.

“It was a lot of fun, and the music was good,” said teacher Gary Blenner, who was another one of the chaperones at the dance.

Junior Prom was certainly a night to remember for all the students who attended.

“The swim team is doing great right now,” said sophomore Stuart Samoville. “We haven’t lost a single league meet this season.”

The team is doing well despite the obstacles it has faced this year.

“Many of the juniors and seniors quit, so our team has a majority of freshmen and sophomores, many of whom are not swimming varsity,” said sophomore Alec Anderson.

The team has been working hard this year. At a typical practice, the swimmers start out with a 400 freestyle, then move onto other sets.

“We usually swim laps back and forth across the pool,” said Samoville, whose favorite race is the 200 free and whose best stroke is the freestyle. “On some lucky days our coaches Chris and Tyson try to make it fun by asking us trivia questions or by letting us swim against each other in relays.”

The coaches also try to mix up the routines so the swimmers can practice all races and strokes.

“The coach makes us do different stuff every day,” said sophomore Will Sieving.

At one practice, the swimmers had to do their warm up, then three 600s, five 200s (50 breast, 50 free, then repeat), followed by twelve 100 freestyles.

At the meets, most swimmers only spend a couple minutes actually racing. “We spend a lot of time hanging out and cheering for each other,” said Anderson.

Sieving, who has been swimming for three years but just joined Rio’s swim team this spring, says that swimming is challenging but rewarding.

“It’s always fun to try to test your limits at the meets,” he said. “Although they can be exhausting, all the hard work pays off.”

Sieving’s favorite stroke is freestyle, and his favorite race is the 50 free.

“I like freestyle because it’s the fastest stroke,” he said. “It makes you feel like a fish.”

Anderson, who is on the varsity team, is best at the 100 free with a 54.29 seconds as his personal best.

“I live to ride, and ride to live” said junior James Arbios

Fast speeds, high jumps, and unpredictable wins make motocross enjoyed by many.

“I wouldn’t like motocross that much if it wasn’t so intense and risky. The danger from the speeds and jumps is what makes it fun and what makes you push harder” said senior Preston Danford.

While motocross can be intense and dangerous, it can also be enjoyed by anyone interested in the sport.

Riders have to be in their best shape and state of mind to overcome the hardships and injuries. One slip of a rider’s focus can cause a lot of pain and suffering. One crash can put anyone out for the rest of the season, or in some cases life.

New riders start out in a beginner class, and after outperforming in races, they move up to C class. This is the class where most racers start to get committed, most get sponsored by big companies.

The next and highest class is class A. This is the hardest class to advance to because it takes extreme skill and the racers on the podium are some of the fastest in the district. This is the top class, once you get here you either go pro or go home. Riders who are in the top 5 every race tend to go to arenacross, some even skipping all the way to AMA supercross.

Riders in the A class are sponsored by some of the biggest companies possible. Some get sponsored by their bike companies, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha, or KTM.

Motocross is an extremely expensive sport.

Racers need to be able to buy gear, parts for their bikes, tires, fluids, and track entry fees. Sponsors help minimize the cost of everything, having more time to focus on what’s ahead.

Motocross is a big part of sophomore Gunnar Hatzenbiler’s life. He goes to practice or race every weekend. Hatzenbiler is in the 450 C class with his Kawasaki KX250f, moving up to a KX450f soon.“Motocross is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me and I want to be the greatest thing that ever happened to it” said Hatzenbiler.

The supercross season is one race from over, Las Vegas. This is the biggest race of the year and the winner of this race wins a one million dollar award. With top riders like Villopoto out with a twisted knee, and Dungey who had been off the bike for too long, the racers who have a chance are Andrew Short, Ken Roczen, Davi Millsaps, and Justin Brayton.

A guess of the win will be hard, these riders are all in good shape physically and mentally.

The wrap of the supercross season will bring the beginning of the outdoor motocross season. The first race of the outdoor seasons is at Hangtown on May 13, and it’s outside of Sacramento, near Folsom.

“It’s going to be an exciting year. There a lot of fast guys and a lot of guys coming back from injuries so it will be interesting to see how they stack up” said Danford.

“Everyone has been setting personal records and getting good scores” senior Darci Nishi said . “It’s been difficult though with the unpredictable weather.”

With the recent erratic weather, practice has gotten harder and the team has had to adapt. “One day it’s raining so the shot putters can’t find a dry surface to practice on and the next day it’s 85 degrees out so runners get heat stroke,” senior Devyn Andrews explained.

Even with the crazy April weather, the team has stayed focused and found a way to set personal records as well as succeed against other track teams. At the Woody Wilson Invitational, their most recent meet which was against some of the best track athletes in Northern California, the team had several competitors place in different events.

“Our distance medley team did really well getting 4th place at the Woody Wilson Invitational” Nishi said. “And Bobby Keenan got 5th place in discus.”

While many are succeeding greatly, the track team still faces challenges.

“This year we have had a lack of upperclassmen” Nishi said.

With the absence of upperclassmen comes a lack of leadership, so the few upperclassmen on the team have had to step up and fill roles they might normally have more help with.

“We don’t have many seniors on the team this year but we are all close, so that makes being captain easy and fun.” Andrews said.

Despite these difficulties, the team’s leadership has excelled.

This weekend is the Meet of Champions at Whitney High School where many of our competitors plan to take home victories. The Meet of Champions may be the most difficult and exciting track meet of the year, so everyone should go out and support the team as they face many rivals.

The recent erratic weather has taken its toll on all of the members of the team, but the shot putters specifically have suffered greatly.

“We have a lot of really good freshman and sophomores” blah said.

their next meet is today and it’s the Sheldon Distance Carnival at Sheldon High School 5pm

And league trials begin Wednesday May 9th

Despite this intense opposition, the girls remain united as a team. The girls treat each other with respect and admiration on and off the field. Senior goalie, Michaela Milesi says, “My favorite part about being on the team is getting to play with talented, great people each year.” This attitude keeps the team close, no matter what difficulties they face.

Twenty-four girls were chosen to play on the team and all of them have crucial roles in the success of the team. All of the girls are looking forward to playoffs and hopefully going all the way to sections again. Sophomore Emily Hansen said, “It was an unforgettable experience winning last year, and I would definitely like to do it again.” With the help of her fellow teammates, Hansen plans on repeating history.

While every aspect of playing soccer holds immense excitement for the girls, nothing surpasses the feeling of a victory. “The excitement of winning games makes it a fun experience,” Milesi says of their 5-0-1 record. The team has excelled this season, not yet taking a loss. With the superstar lineup we have this year, this streak could continue for a long time.

The returning four year varsity players Michaela Milesi and Samantha Carpenter are definite powerhouses for the team and keep the girls energized and in the zone. They also mentor the younger girls, imbuing them with the skills they need not only to be better players, but also better teammates.

Alexa Heinzer is an all-star on the field as well; she is one of their star forwards and a big scorer for the team. She acts as another leader and excels at offensive play.

In preparation for the school season, some of the girls play in competitive leagues like Cap FC and Boca in the off-season and during the school season. This helps them to keep their skills sharp and stay in shape when they aren’t representing the school.

Their last league game is Tuesday, May 1 at El Camino at 4:00. It’s sure to be an exciting rival match, and the team expects a strong showing. Go out and support your Lady Raiders as they fight for their position in the playoffs and league champions! Playoffs begin Thursday May 12, so be ready to get rowdy for this season’s all-star varsity soccer team.