PegasusMonthly

The Rancho Solano Preparatory School Student Newspaper Volume II, Edition 1

September 2018

Editor-In-ChiefIsabella Rose

Assistant Editor-In-Chief Myra Kamal

Jumping Into the IB!

After the first full month of school, the incoming junior class has had a chance to begin the infamous IB Diploma Program. But what exactly is the IBDP and what is required of its students? The International Baccalaureate (IB) program is a two year program beginning junior year, continuing to the end of senior year. It’s designed to proper-ly prepare its students for success in college. However, IB students can take one of two routes: the full Diploma or Certificates in preferred courses. Full Diploma students are required to take three higher level (HL) classes, three standard level (SL) classes, must complete a set amount of creativity, action and service (CAS) hours, in addition to an internal assessment (IA) for each class at the end of senior year, a 4,000 word extended essay (EE) concerning a topic of the student’s choice, and a set of cumulative exams at the end of senior year cov-ering the material learned in each class. Currently, the class of 2020 consists of 12 full Diploma stu-dents, while the class of 2019 also has 12 full Diploma students.

With all of the listed requirements, the rising IB students are wonder-ing: how has the senior class man-aged to get through an entire year?

Rafaella Rocha, year one full Di-ploma student, stated, “The IB is a lot more demanding than I thought it would be after only a month, it’s really challenged me to improve my time management skills. However, I’m glad I’m pushing myself into going above and beyond to make the best out of my education!” Kait-len von Colditz, second year Diplo-ma student, responded, “Learning to balance the new workload with my extra-curricular activities was definitely the hardest learning curve of the IB for me my junior year. If I had advice for any new Diploma students struggling with time management, it would be to do homework the day it is assigned in order to avoid the work catch-ing up with you!” Dhruv Khosla, second year full Diploma student,

also responded, “Don’t be afraid to communicate with your teachers if you’re overwhelmed with work! They understand your workload and are often understanding. If you work hard, your GPA will remain intact.” Matisse de Roo, second year diploma student, said, “How-ever, don’t let the workload intim-idate you. I’m happy I held myself to a higher standard and decided to take the full Diploma as opposed to only Certificates. The classes I chose to take have challenged me in a way to where I can feel confident entering college next year.” The IBDP undeniably holds its students to an extremely high standard. Hopefully, the seniors’ advice can aid the rising Diploma students for a year guaranteed to challenge them intellectually, creatively, and strengthen their character.

Year 1 IBDP students start off year hopeful! Photo by Kiimani Holt

Seniors smile since they only have 1 year left! Photo by Isabella Rose

By: Isabella Rose

lonely without knowing where to go. But by the end of the first week, we hope they all feel like the new-est iPhone! Nothing is more exciting than meeting new people, hearing their stories, and being inspired. The new students all are amazing and they have delightful stories to tell. New incoming student, Eloise Menard, said “I have had a great experience the first few weeks at Rancho Solano. My favorite thing about Rancho is all of the teachers ... They all are so nice!” Returning Rancho student, Lana Arikat, com-mented “I am so happy to return to Rancho and see all of my friends again!” Eloise Menard said that she likes all of her new friends at school and her new classes. All of the new students at Rancho Solano have fascinating interests and talents that they pursue out-side of school. Eloise and Lauri Menard, twins, run Triathlons, which are races of 6.2 miles. Lana Arikat loves to draw, play soccer, and play volleyball. She is also on one of Rancho’s volleyball teams.

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MS Spotlight on New Students!By: Sejal Patel

Eloise Menard is excited for the new school year! Photo by Sejal Patel

Not only do these new students have amazing interests and hob-bies, all of the newer students have something special to offer our student body. Every student needs someone to talk with to help the day go smoothly, and you can be that person to the newer students on campus. We, the Rancho students, know how to be kind and caring: it’s part of our school culture. So today, in keeping with our Mid-dle School Stand Up campaign, I encourage you to talk to someone new that you usually don’t talk to. You never know, it might make their day a lot better, or you might make a new best friend. I was once a new student at Rancho and now I come home smiling every day talking about what I did at school! My advice to new students is that, here, you always have someone who is looking out for you, wheth-er that is a teacher, student, or staff member. Always remember that nothing is more exciting than meeting new people, hearing their stories, and being inspired.

Imagine walking into a new school on the first day with people that you have never seen before. This can be a very uneasy feeling. Everyone might seem to have their own little group and you just don’t know where to fit in. All students go through this feeling at some time in their life, whether it is in elementary, middle, high school, or even college. This year at Rancho we have had 25 new students in the Middle School join us! When those new students first walked into our school, they may have felt

US Spotlight on New Students!By: Jena VandenbergRancho Solano is a school which prides itself in its diverse and inter-national community and students. This past year we have received 37 new Upper School students, with a majority being international students from all around the world. Jinyao Xu from China says that Rancho has “challenging but man-ageable classwork, welcoming and inclusive cultural atmosphere—it is a great pleasure to be in this school and this ‘international fam-ily’. Rancho does have a rigorous curriculum and requires students to pay attention and keep up on their homework. This can be difficult for new students to become accus-tomed to but as Shuichiro Naito from Japan says, “All teachers are very kind and teach well.” The staff at Rancho Solano makes the transi-tion from their previous academic experiences easier. We also have received a generous amount of stu-

dents from Europe. Elliot Quinney, from Switzerland, says “my classes are fun and interesting. Coming from Switzerland I am fluent in French and enjoy speaking French amongst my French peers. I enjoy Mr. Berman’s math class, he is quite funny.” Satya Pstll came from France and says “coming from France has been quite the adjust-

ment, but Rancho has made it very easy. I enjoy Mrs. McCarty’s class and my math class. I also love our soccer team. And I enjoy spending time with my friend Elliot.” Our school is very excited about the new international students and we hope to grow our community and we are excited to see what the fu-ture has in store for us.

New US students (left to right) top row: Ossas Xu (11), Eliott Quinney (9), Brandon White (11), Nicholas Bleyens (10), Skylar Le (10), Neils Hertel (11), Esmée Breece (9), Lucas Velasco (11). Bottom row: Mi-chelle Cai (11), Christina Li (11), Satya Pstll (9), Manami Kaneko (11), Dannie Tran (11) Photo by: Isabella Rose

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New Tri-M Chapter at Rancho!By: Yuna SchprecherThis year, Rancho Solano is starting its own chapter of the honor soci-ety known as Tri- M in its Upper School. Tri- M is a nationwide mid-dle and high school honor society specifically for students in grades 6-12 with a passion for music — the only one of its kind. Across the country, a total of 84,000 students are members of the unique club dedicated to young musicians. Named Tri-M, which stands for “Modern Music Masters,” offers members a plethora of options to give back in a creative, musical way. Students can host concerts in the efforts to raise money, give free mu-sic lessons at local nursing homes, or arrange instrument donation drives, just to name a few activities in which members can participate. There are also opportunities for students to win prestigious awards,

and even scholarships and grants.

Mr. Zale, who will be supervising the new club, explained why he’s thrilled at the introduction of the music honor society at Rancho, saying, “Tri-M offers our music students a great opportunity to give back, both to Rancho and to the local community.” In addition to this, he expanded its benefits to the students themselves. “It’s also a great way to recognize our com-mitted and talented music students, particularly at the Upper School level.” Mr. Zale was largely aided by 11th grader Jena Vandenberg, an IB Music student, who brought to his attention the absence at Rancho of a music- oriented honor society. Jena elaborated, “I initially was interested in starting this club due to my love of music and interest in

giving music a larger presence at the school.” Her passion for music can be explained by the many years it has been a part of her life. In addition to playing the cello since she was eight years old, she has “been a member of Rancho Solano’s orchestra program for ten years.” In the end, Jena hopes that start-ing a chapter of Tri-M will lead to Rancho’s musical program growing and becoming more well known on campus. Wendy Zheng, a fellow IB Music student and member of the new honor society, explained why she’s excited to be a part of Tri- M, saying, “I didn’t learn music profes-sionally like a lot of other students, but I’ve always been interested in it. When I listen to it, I feel relaxed, and I always enjoy it.” The joy Wendy associates with music is the reason why it’s so important. Music is incredibly undervalued for the power it has. It is versatile, both in that there are so many versions of it, and that it holds the unique ability to make the listener feel an entire range of complex emotions. Regardless of who you are or where you come from, everyone’s life is impacted by music, and by creat-ing a music honor society here at Rancho, we will be able to fully rec-ognize this. We’re all so excited for what the future holds for Rancho’s chapter of Tri-M!

Girls Volleyball SET off for a Great Season!By: Isabella Rose

Official Logo for the Tri-M Music Honor Society

Ludovica Bianchi serves 13 aces in a row! This year’s Rancho Solano Junior Varsity and Varsity Volleyball team started the season off strong with a win! With the JV team winning 2-0

and the Varsity winning 3-0 against the Heritage Academy Heroes, it looks as if the Lady Mustangs are set up for a good season. JV mem-ber Ludovica Bianchi started the set off strong with over 10 consecu-tive unreturned serves. She com-mented, “I’m really happy to have started the season off on a high note, it’s really fun playing with my team. I’m looking forward to the rest of our season.”

As for the Girls Varsity Volleyball team, Allie Payne, team captain, said, “I’m really proud of our first win of the season, I hope that we

continue upon this same path!” With the second set ending with a resounding score of 25-5, the Mus-tangs dominated the match. Be sure to come support your Girls Vol-leyball teams at their home game today, September 10th. JV will be at 5 and Varsity will be at 6!

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A New Orchestra: A New CanvasBy: Myra Kamal

As Dr. Kerbey once said, “The silence before the orchestra plays is like a can-vas before the artist paints.” Now there are more opportu-nities for Rancho students to show-case and practice their artistic ability with a new Middle School Orchestra class! Middle School Chamber Orchestra is one of the newest additions to Ran-cho’s fine arts de-partment and a great option for students who play most string instruments. Mid-dle School Chamber Orchestra was created because multiple students had signed up for the Chamber Orchestra class and this new class provides a solution in spreading out the number of students. Rancho also had to split the class into Up-per School Chamber Orchestra and Middle School Chamber Orches-tra for scheduling purposes, giving younger students an excellent al-ternative! This new orchestra will be playing most of the same pieces as the Upper School Chamber Or-

chestra, as well as performing many others, particularly from All State.

What is All State you may ask? All State is a state wide competition or-chestra students are able to partic-ipate in from all across the state. A contestant of All State will be given a specific number of pieces to prac-tice before attending the competi-tion in the coming months. After preparing for their pieces, and once at All State, contestants compete for placement chairs for their instru-ments. Multiple Orchestra students from Rancho have participated in All State in previous years. Abby DiSalvo, who attaineed a high chair in All State two years ago, and a student in the new Orchestra class, told me, “I’m so excited for Middle School Chamber Orchestra! We are playing some challenging pieces, but I think they will sound amazing with the large group that we have this year. I am so excited that the Middle and Upper School chamber orchestras are coming together to play! I can’t wait to see what we can accomplish!” In addition, the Mid-dle School Chamber Orchestra will play many concerts with the Upper School Chamber Orchestra in one combined performance. This is a concert many parents, teachers, and

staff members can look forward to in the coming months. With five violins, three violas, two cellos, and one bass, this orchestra is an ex-traordinary size to produce beau-tiful music while focusing on each student’s own talent and progress. Dr. Kerbey teaches both Chamber Orchestra classes and provides new, creative, and diverse pieces for both groups. Lastly, I asked Dr. Kerbey to tell me what she thought of her new class. She said, “I think it’s a great idea that worked out well for the students and schedule. Both classes are essentially the same group with a bit of variation of what pieces they play and the grade levels. It would have become very hectic with so many students in one class. Also, Chamber Orchestra means an orchestra playing without a conductor, so it is important for each student to be listening to each other, andCharlie2014 in smaller sizes, it makes it easi-er to play together. I am looking forward to what we accomplish!” Overall, the new Middle School Chamber Orchestra Class is a fab-ulous opportunity for Rancho stu-dents to take Orchestra at a more advanced level and a new canvas for their artistic abilities!

Middle School Chamber Orchestra pose with their string instruments. Photo by Myra Kamal

Zaarya Alvi practices her sheet music on viola! Photo by Isabella Rose

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Editorial: Is it Possible to BEAT the HEAT? By Amelie Clark

Surface temperature in 2000 vs 2018During this recent summer heat, many of us have experienced a change in weather conditions. This summer especially, there has been a huge escalation in the amount of wildfire warnings and droughts.

Globally, this summer and year have seen an increase in the tem-peratures compared with years before. The annual temperature abnormality for the year of 2018 has been an entire degree Celsius warmer than the norm for the Earth’s surface temperature, accord-ing to NASA. There has also been a spike in the number of deadly heat waves. This has left many tropical and subtropical areas with higher death rates than previous years. Monash University in Melbourne, Austrailia, has dedicated a large portion of their time to study these heat waves. Researcher Fuming Guo says that “future heatwaves in particular will be more frequent, more intense, and will last much longer.” In Japan alone, last summer over 65 people died because of heat

related illnesses, which were com-pletely avoidable, and thousands were hospitalized.

Globally, things seem to be get-ting much more extreme in terms of the climate, and in the Unit-ed States, not much seems to be improving either. 2018 has been the 4th hottest year on record. For us, in Arizona, we have suffered an extremely dreadful summer, with temperatures reaching 118 degrees in Phoenix. However, that has not even been the highest temperature in the US this summer. Over only one state away from us, in Death Valley, California, it reached 127 degrees on multiple days. Califor-nia has had over 40 wildfires this summer that were larger than 1,000 acres or caused serious structural damage or death. In Arizona, we have 12 active wildfires of our own, even though they aren’t as serious as those in California. Many areas have had wildfire warnings and places, such as campsites, have not allowed campfires because of how

dry certain areas have been.

With all of these alarming con-cerns, it is also important to stay aware of the effect it can not only have on you and your safety, but also your dog’s. Hundreds of dogs die every year from being left in the car, and the probability of those numbers will only increase with the increase in temperatures. When the temperature outside is 85 degrees, it takes less than 10 minutes to reach over 100 degrees inside the car, and can reach 130 degrees in an hour. When the outside temperature is 95 degrees it can reach 130 degrees in less than half an hour.

As a whole, there has been a large increase in temperature over the years, with many dangerous con-cerns coming along with it. This alarming heat and the amount of wildfires has us questioning the cause. Will next summer be even more intense? Could it be linked to global warming? And can we make a difference?

Weather Conditions Summer 2018

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Diallah Athari

In a rough situation? Not sure what to do? Send your requests for advice to “Dear Diallah” by email atPegasus@ranchosolano.comDiallah will answer one to two questions per month.

DEAR DIALLAH

Is your boyfriend OBSESSED with Fortnite?

Pegasus MonthlyComic Strip

Rancho Duck Dives Back Into School!By: Michael DeBarros

Dear Diallah, What should I do if all my boy-friend wants to do is to play Fort-nite? When we go on a date, all he talks about is how effectively he avoided the storm. I am just tired of dressing up to be merely under-mined by a video game. When I dress up, I expect for him to de-clare his love for me. Not to tell me to #squadup, he keeps telling me to download the mobile version of fortnite. I want a birthday gift, not kills on this stupid game. I don’t want to break up with him because I like him and homecoming is around the corner. But oh Diallah, please give me some assistance on how to be more captivating than an idiotic videogame… please!

Xoxo, A Girl Whose Relationship is on a Thread.

Dear Girl Whose Relationship is on a Thread, I get that you may feel like you are feeling underappreciated, and that can be really difficult, especially when you’re in a relationship. The most important aspect to having a healthy relationship is communica-tion. If you think that your issues can be solved with a discussion, I suggest you open up and tell your boyfriend how you feel. This may shift your relationship’s dynamic in a positive direction, but you must keep in mind that this could also shift your relationship in a negative way. You need to do what is best for you, because at the end of the day, you should be your number one priority! Remember to keep yourself happy and love yourself first. Love, Diallah