Brendan is a sophomore, and this is his second year on the Gazette staff.
After hearing about a nearby pizza place called Old Town Pizza that he hasn’t tried yet, Brendan Alders, a sophomore at Granite Bay High School, eagerly orders one of their pepperoni pizzas in order to assess the quality of it.
He takes a bite, and as he chews, he evaluates each of the three main components of the pizza: the dough, the sauce, and the cheese.
The simplicity of pizza is the main factor that prompts Alders to consider it his favorite food. He rates it a 5.4/10 and leaves a review online.
Although he doesn’t usually make pizza at home, he would consider himself an expert in the pizza department, having reviewed a grand total of 38 pizza places.
While he’s at school, Alders enjoys sharing conversations with his friends between class periods. Every semester, he tries to make friends with the students around him.
Outside of school, Alders enjoys going to the mall with his friends to just walk around and spend some money on some graphic tees from Tilly’s, his favorite store.
When he isn’t with his friends at school or out of the house, he usually has a lot of time to spare. He unwinds by playing with his two dogs: a Yorkie named Scruffy and a Black Labrador named Buster.
In addition, he listens to his favorite artist, Eminem, and other types of arbitrary music while relaxing in his room.
One of his main goals is to become a hard-worker.
“My role model is my dad, and he also inspires me because he worked very hard,” Alders said.
He also aspires to have a well-paying job that is either related to business or sports.
Earning a salary isn’t something unfamiliar to Alders. He has previously worked as an ice hockey referee. He described the experience of having a job as a responsibility that made him proud to uphold despite his sacrifices, and he regards having a job at a young age as a great achievement.
“(It felt like) having a responsibility,” Alders said. “I did lose some weekends, but I liked it.”
Alders can relate his duty as a referee to his duty as a staff writer in Advanced Journalism, which he is both proud of due to his role in how he assists the community.
After joining Intro to Journalism last year, he was able to establish friendships with multiple students.
In particular, he met one student named Antonio Sperandeo, and he continues to share a close friendship with him until this day.
During a long day of school, he always looks forward to his fourth period Advanced Journalism class.
“It’s pretty fun because it’s just a pretty chill environment,” Alders said. “You’re just writing some stories and doing interviews. You’re just having fun.”
