Initially negative, students now actually prefer new policy

Tahquitz High School has implemented a new rule to prevent students from using their cell phones in class. The idea behind this rule is that if all the students in the school can’t access their cell phones. Without access to their cell phones students won’t develop what the kids nowadays are calling “FOMO” or Fear Of Missing Out. Students won’t be as tempted to check their social media or text each other. Most importantly their number one tool to cheat in class is now taken out of their hands. 

Hemet Unified School District (HUSD) claims that their original case study, initiated last year, showed great improvement in students’ behavior/test scores. This led to school-widen implementation of the rule.

Although Tahquitz and the HUSD claim that they are already seeing improvements, there are Pros & Cons to this rule. At least the HUSD is doing everything they can to help students learn with ease. Classrooms can be tricky environments. Classrooms are becoming harder to manage, with kids attention spans shrinking and having various learning styles. Teachers struggle to remain in control. Taking cellphones out of the classroom will help the teacher obtain the students’ undivided attention, but we will have to wait and see how this turns out for Tahquitz to find out if other schools will follow their lead.

Right now, two other schools have followed Tahquitz’s lead in limiting cell phone usage. Acacia Middle School has adopted a zero tolerance rule, basically outlawing cell phone usage at school. Teachers at the school claim that it’s been an adjustment, but that students are starting to comply. They don’t hand out detentions for cell phone usage: teachers simply issue the students a simple reminder to put their cell phones away. Acacia has noticed a significant difference in the classroom since enforcing this rule. Students pay more attention in class and are willing to learn, and that’s a surprise in and of itself.

Alessandro Continuation HS (ACHS) has also adopted the no cell phone policy, but it’s only during class periods. Teachers at ACHS have even set up charging stations for students for use during class times. 

We spoke to Tahquitz High School junior Iran Estrada and asked her views on the policy at Tahquitz.  “Honestly, I don’t mind the new rules. In my opinion, they have made a change, because i’ve noticed students getting more work done in class than they did before, when they had contact with their phones.”

Some wondered if the fact that the new policy might lead to cell-phone theft, but Miss Estrada finds that’s not the case.”No phones have been stolen that I’m aware of, but some teachers do stand where the phones are placed at the end of class when the bell rings to make sure everyone only grabs one phone. It’s not mandatory that teachers do this, but some do it for the students,” she says, adding, “There was a lot of negative responses to these new rules at first. Most students didn’t like the policies and they complained about them a lot. The majority of the students have adjusted now. You don’t even notice that you don’t have your phone anymore!” she smiles.  “I would highly recommend other schools adopt this policy. A lot of students will complain in the beginning, but it will only benefit the school as a whole.

Most students seem to be taking the new policy in stride.. Tahquitz just needs to implement a safer protocol that prevents cell-phone theft, such as a a check-in system: you get a card with a number on it when you turn in your phone and you have to turn in that card at the end of class to get your phone back.  Other school districts have implemented such precautions and have done so with great success.

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(Ready For The Season) The Mountain Pass League, Which Consists of; Beaumont, Citrus Hills, San Jacinto, Tahquitz, Hemet, and West Valley High Schools are starting their season next week. Although they won’t play each other until week five these matchups are circled on everyone’s calendars because the winner of the league is guaranteed a spot in the playoffs. Last year Citrus Hill (5-0 league record 12-1 overall) claimed the league title but was eliminated in the playoffs. San Jacinto was right behind them finishing league play with a 4-1 record and a very respectable 12-2 record at the end of the season. These two teams will match up Oct. 25th, It will be the second to last game of the season and could hold some serious weight in the playoff picture for both teams. 

Hemet and Beaumont both shared an overall 8-5 record last season with Hemet edging Beaumont in league record (3-2 for Hemet, 2-3 for Beaumont.) This season Hemet has a new head coach, Jason Thronburg (Longtime coach in this Valley who coached at West Valley and Hemet) retired. Dennis Gregovich will be taking over the program. Not much is known about this coach or his playbook so it should be an exciting season to keep an eye out in Hemet. They could either shock the league or have some growing pains with the system changing. An interesting game to keep an eye on is Nov. 1st when Hemet takes on West Valley at West Valley. The games are always fun and filled with drama when these two teams play each other

Tahquitz also finished with a 6-4 overall record but went 1-4 in league play. Things are changing for the Titans this year as well, after some questions about the coaching staff. It appears the Stephen Pace is making a return as the coach this season, but Tahquitz lost their leading Receiver ( Antoine Sullivan, 407 total yards, 81 yards per game, and 8 touchdowns ) who transferred to San Jacinto after a very disappointing 2018 season. Speaking with him, he said, “it was just the best decision for me at this time.” Antoine will be available to play when San Jacinto takes on Tahquitz in the last game of the season which will be a very emotional game for him. 

Oh, how the mighty have fallen, West Valley was once considered the powerhouse in the Valley, it had a state of the art facility and field that all the local kids wanted to play in. Things have changed. West Valley went 0-5 in league play last year and finished the season with a 1-9 record, losing eight straight games. Matt Willard is returning as the coach this season and will be looking into getting the Mustangs back where they feel they belong, at the top of the division. He will have a new Quarterback at the helm this season, so let’s see what he is able to do with it.

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 Let’s begin from the beginning.  Esai Rodriguez is 17 and is heard on guitar, drums and back-up vocals.  Esia is probably the self-proclaimed leader and no one doubts that because stands out with humor and originality as the speaker for the group.  Esia is a San Jacinto original and graduated from Tahquitz High where he multi-tasked in the school’s jazz, symphonic and marching bands. 

 Ethan Case is 18, a Hemet native, beats it out on base.  He attended Tahquitz with Esai where he played lead trombone with the jazz band.  With music in his heart and soul, he welcomed the opportunely to be part of the beat and be part of the MOPS.

 Patrick Payne, aged 22, the old man of the group is lead vocalist.  Born and raised in Hemet he graduated several years ahead of the others was bit part of any school band but had previously been with an earlier band and when MOPS needed a singer he came on board and as he said, “here I am now,” and is he here – in ever since of the word. I’ve listened to a lot of young rock bands in my day but his voice is more than rock.  He has what we used to call a “black voice,” which means that he leans toward a blues and jazz style.  As some may have called it in the old days, gut-bucket raw blues quality.

 Carson Ramos, at 15 the baby in the band was born in Westchester and moved to San Jacinto where he is a student. “I’ve played jazz guitar in the jazz band and clarinet in the symphonic band.

 Last, but far from least, Giovanni Jouregui, 16, stands out on both drums and guitar.  Also born in Westminister at the same hospital has Carson although they moved here at separate times and were not acquainted until his family moved to the San Jacinto Valley, also a TAHQUITZ student. “Carson and I alternate on drums. And we are close friends as all of us are. We’re a tight-knit group.”

 They all have loose senses of humor and seem to play off each other in a goofy way as brothers might, but when it comes to their music these guys are dead serious.  Instead of the name they have chosen for their band they might easily be named “2 MAJORS and 3 MINORS.”

 What do they call their style?

 They’re in agreement on that. “Alternative, Indy Jazz Rock. We’re inspired from an alternative rock sound but we are heavily influenced and inspired by jazz.” 

 Elia explains, “The chords are jazz, the sound rock and the alternative is kind of indy-produced sound.”

 Carson adds, “We blend different kinds of music together.”

 I observed that they clearly put forth a sort of melodious, soft jazzy rock and it comes out with a sound I’ve never quite heard before.  Their rock is not harsh, except in a couple of vocals, but they are working on that. 

 You would be surprised at who their primary influences are: Duke Ellington, Pat Matheny, Count Basie Maynard Ferguson and believe it or not, husky-voiced singer and trombonist from the 1930’s Jack Teagarden.  Trust me, this group is not age restrictive and for me, most importantly, I understood every word of their lyrics.  How many times have your ears been unable to pick out the lyrics of a shout it out rock singer?  Huh?

 Oh yes they made it clear they’re open for engagements and low and behold I just received a press lease about an hour ago.  They will be playing their first professional gig at The Derby Bar and Grill at 2860 West Florida Avenue in Hemet on Friday, August 2nd at 7:30 PM which, Lo and Behold is our date of publication.  If you love rock, you will like 3MOP and if you’ve avoided it, maybe this might be your initiation.  Just sayin’.

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“We were renting a Presbyterian Church, gymnasium, but we moved out of it.  In 2013, we bought this abandoned school.  We’ve continued to grow.  Our next expansion will be an almost-15,000 square foot building the plans of which are being drawn-up now,” says Harris, adding “this has been a community effort from the beginning, and the community helps these kids whenever they need it,” says the Pastor as he points to a magnificently-stocked music room that’s always packed with instruments-and students. “Julio from Harvard Music Exchange has been incredibly kind and helpful.”

The school/hang-out/youth center has a recording studio as well…they just need someone to run it.  “It’s ready to go, we just need someone with the know-how,” says Harris. 

Police, Firefighters, volunteers, and concerned residents meet here every Tuesday for free coffee and donuts at the My City Cafe from 8 am to 11 am to discuss the Center and its mission.  City Council member Karlee Meyer attends almost every Tuesday.

Left to their own devices, many of these kids would fall through the cracks of society…and the Center uses whatever it can to keep them on a positive path. “We hold dance classes, we hold cooking classes-we have 10 art classes, 8 children per-class…and the kids want more.” 

Harris says that they’d like to add automotive classes as well, for older students.  “We need these kids to learn to dream again,” says Harris who is always shocked when he asks newcomers about their dreams:  “The younger kids are always excited-life hasn’t beaten them down yet, which is a good thing. But it’s sad when I ask 20 and 30-something-year-olds, “What do you want to be in the future?”  They just look at me.  They’ve stopped learning how to dream: they have no hopes, no ambitions.  We give that back to them,” says Harris pointing to a wall where children post their life-goals.  “We want to fill this wall with the hopes and dreams of every child that comes here.”

The Center is not only helping to fulfill the hopes and dreams of many of the children who enroll here, but it’d also tending to the hopes and dreams of the children they’re carrying.  “Teen pregnancy is something we knew we had to address, so we started “The mommy shop.”  In this special part of the Center, expectant teen mothers can shop for all their needs.  They earn “Mommy bucks” by staying in school, getting good grades, attending mothering classes…and father’s who otherwise may have been absent, are now learning the need for responsibility as well, by earning bucks for many of the same things.  “We try and instill personal responsibility for actions that many of these children haven’t learned in their homes,” says Harris, who estimates that mothers spend approximately $600 each month on their newborns.

The Center has big plans to go along with its big expansion.  “Eventually, we’d like to have a vocational school where young people ages 16 to 30 can learn how to work with their hands, get a job, fill out a resume, and learn proper techniques on how to conduct themselves in a job interview.”  It’s a tall order, but My City Youth Center certainly seems up to the task.  For those interested in donating their time or talent, contact the My City Youth Center at 951-652-0647.

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