The MCHS Explorer

THE

Expl rer Moreau Catholic High School --- 27170 Mission Blvd Hayward, CA 94544 ---- Vol. 43. Issue 3. ---- Nov. 2011

KMAC dj, junior Darien Rivera, fills the halls of Moreau with smooth jazz during passing period Friday, Nov. 18.

K-Music Appreciation Club

By Seth Borneman Features Editor

Music. Throughout history and around the globe it has shaped society and culture. The Music Appreciation Club hopes to continue this trend by adding music to our Friday break periods. “Currently, the Music Appreciation Club is accepting both song dedications and song requests through our Facebook group ‘KMAC - K Music Appreciation Club.’ We’d ask that Mariners join our group and help KMAC grow into something the MCHS community comes to celebrate -- perhaps even allows to become traditional over the years,” KMAC club moderator Tony Rodriguez said. » See K-MAC on Page 6

Be wise, be EarthWise

Operation Christmas Child

By Seth Borneman Features Editor

Moreau’s Interact club has a reputation for being one of the most active clubs on campus. Every year it hosts several bake sales, provide service opportunities, and holding activities such as trick-or-canning.

While these events are important in their own ways, all leading to the betterment of society, there is one that is a bit different from the rest. Operation Christmas Child touches the hearts of many as it is one of the most sentimental ways to give back.

Operation Christmas Child is a project run by the Samaritan’s Purse, a Christian organization that’s mission is to “demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ,” according to the organization’s website.

Their aims are achieved by Christmas Child through the collection and distribution of donated shoe boxes. Inside of these shoe boxes are small gifts ranging from toys, to hygienics, or possibly even candy.

Each box is designated both by age and as as a boy box, or a girl box. This designation is indicated with a label that is easily printed from the Operation Christmas Child. Christmas Child provides thousands of gifts to children all around the world.

“Operation Christmas Child was introduced by last year’s Interact presidents … So it’s a fairly new activity, but we hope that it remains as an Interact tradition,” president of Interact Samhita Nanduri said.

By Kathy Parra Staff Writter

EarthWise. Helping the world become a greener place, one compost bin at a time.

What exactly is compost? It’s organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil enhancer.

Composting is not the only thing that’s been different, the club itself has also been changing, in terms of the amount of members.

“Last year, our president was Jennifer Rillamas, and there were only 3 other members, including myself,” EarthWise Co-President, and junior Sahaj Patel said.

“Now we have around 30-40 members, and approximately 7 officers,” EarthWise moderator and Spanish teacher, Serena Maniscalco said.

» See Christmas Child on Page 11

news

opinions

sports

Tom Hyland Joins IA

Kim Kardashian

Atheletes of the Month

pg. 11

pg. 2

» See EarthWise on Page 11

entertainment features The Walking Dead pg. 16

pg. 12

Modern Language Department pg. 9

OPINIONS

2

November 2011

Christmas . . . In November?

By Karra Gardin A&E Editor

Christmas has officially taken over.

If you’ve been shopping lately, you’ve probably noticed the arrival of Christmas decorations, Santa, and sales.

With advertising for Christmas starting as soon as Halloween ends, it seems that the Holiday season has now turned into solely Christmas season.

People have become so wrapped up in Christmas that they have forgotten that ‘the Holidays’ is plural, meaning Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“I saw Christmas decorations at the end of August,” librarian Connie Stanton said.

Though most stores aren’t as extreme as that, Christmas merchandise seems to appear earlier and earlier each year.

“The earlier they advertise, the more people will buy stuff full price rather than on sale last minute,” sophomore Akhila Nanduri said.

Unfortunately, shopping fever has clouded our minds to the point that the joys of Thanksgiving, family, thankfulness, and of course

People have become so wrapped up in Christmas that they have forgotten that ‘the Holidays’ is plural, meaning Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“My favorite part of the holidays is being with family and doing fun activities that bring you closer together” senior Alicia Garcia said.

THE EXPLORER Editor-In-Chief Athenie Galvez

A&E Editor Karra Gardin

News Editor Arianna Cruz

Sports Editor Jon Vivet

Opinions Editor Josie Jayme

Health Editor Matt Comandante

Features Editor Seth Borneman

Copy Editor Dana McCall

Statement of Purpose The Explorer is an open forum committed to honest and fair coverage of news and information for the students of Moreau Catholic High School and its community.

Students produce the newspaper and make primary decisions, making every effort to distribute a high-quality publication.

Staff Writers Jaipal Kaur Matt Ramson Elise Reyes Michael Tacchella Katy Carscadden Anton Cardenas Jatin Kumar Elissa Joseph Karanvir Singh Kathy Parra

Letters to the Editors Policy: -Letters must be signed. Anonymous letters will not be printed.

-Letters will be printed as is except in the case of obscenity, libel, personal attack, or excessive length.

-The Explorer will edit minor grammar/ spelling mistakes without altering content.

Adviser: Dave Baptist

The holiday season makes Christmas songs!

-Senior Zach de Castro me feel warm inside.

-Sophomore Corrina Sanding I like Thanksgiving because of the food, family and friends. Plus, Black Friday is the next day.

-Senior Michael Truong I feel like Thanksgiving is sort of an underdog holiday.

-Junior Micahel Pacheco I love it!

-Junior Lisa Machado

I find the holiday season to be joyous, wondrous, and delightful!

-Senior Tynan Otts Holly and jolly!

-Senior Amanda Ang I feel like Thanksgiving is neglected because of the Christmas hype.

-Sophomore Chris Castro

Kim Kardashian love story

By Elissa Joseph Staff Writer

August 20th. Hundreds of family and friends gathered at a lavish country estate to watch as Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries exchanged vows and dedicated their lives to each other.

October 9th and 10th, the “Fairytale Wedding” aired, in a two part installment, on E! and millions of viewers worldwide immersed themselves into the life of Kim and Kris on their special day.

November 8th. Just a mere 3 months, 18 weeks, 72 days after they tied the knot the Humphries-Kardashian duo announced their divorce.

Actually, technically Kim Kardashian announced her divorce from Humphries.

The two got engaged very quickly, the television rights to the wedding were sold for a large sum of money, and she somehow ended up making 18 million dollars. Her marriage must definitely be fake now right? Probably right.

“I didn’t think they were going to last because they got married so soon,” sophomore Christina Gaumer said.

If you think about it long & hard, like I have for the past couple of days while doing research about the wonderful Kim herself you will soon come to learn that everything Kim does is “for the camera.”

“Even the show set it up to make it look like Kim and Kris were always fighting,” sophomore Robert Peña said.

The Kardashian family are stars of a show on a reality television channel. What do you expect from them?

They are going to do things, that society finds questionable, like getting a divorce after being married for 72 days, it’s kind of their job.

People will want to watch the show to see what Kim does with her life now that she’s single again. Therefore the amount of people who watch the show will go up. They will buy gossip magazines with her picture on the front, and take her name to the Internet where it will be used more

Photos courtesy of Google Images

food, are lost.

“It takes away from Thanksgiving because people feel they don’t have to get together for both holidays,” Stanton said.

That being said, never look at the cup half empty right? There are some benefits to getting a head start on Christmas.

“It somewhat adds spirit because it makes it seem like Christmas is coming faster and it’s just another time to be with family,” sophomore Alicia Hernandez said.

Also, employment increases during the Holidays because there is a lot of commercial activity, meaning more people are needed to work the extended hours. “[Businesses] want to hire more people during the November and December seasons because [of the] steady stream of people shopping in their stores as early as November,” senior Anuraag Kumar said.

Well, we looked at the glass half full. Now, back to half empty.

I just wanted to personally thank all those who have stayed true to the true meaning of the Holidays. Christmas shopping and gifts are a treat, but they are not the true meaning of Christmas.

Mariners sound off on the holidays

Humphries and Kardashian on their wedding day.

than ever. She’ll be the trending topic on twitter, and now people will Google her. Fans will come up with opinions they have on her, good or bad.

She will be the talk of the town, all towns.

“The media made such a big deal out of her marriage, that it didn’t even seem real,” junior Michael Sharp said.

At the end of the day, it’s the public that has been fooled. Who makes 40,000 dollars for an episode alone? Whose family show is the #1 reality show on TV right now? Kim Kardashian’s that’s who.

Let’s say we find out the wedding was fake.

Every bit of it. From the engagement to the vows themselves. That the two were never in love, and it was planned from the beginning that they were going to get a divorce. Was it worth it in the end?

Now all Kim’s left with is a lack of pride, and a thicker wallet.

November 2011

Novembeard

Dress Codes vs Uniforms

By Jon Vivet

Sports Editor

By Arianna Cruz News Editor

Wake up, throw on a skirt or pants, a white polo, and a Assumption School sweatshirt. This was the daily routine for nine years of my life. When I came into high school wearing dress code was the ultimate freedom.

As of now, wearing dress code has been the ultimate hassle. When I wake up in the morning, I want to throw on whatever is closest and be able to wear that and not worry about how I look.

Do not get me wrong, I love having the freedom to wear whatever I want as long as it is still in the guidelines of the dress code policy, but at the same time, when you’re tired and don’t want to worry about matching in the morning, a uniform is such a easy fix because you’re being told what you have to exactly wear.

Though some are open minded about if there was a uniform being put into Moreau, others have their own opinion.

Many people think that getting a uniform is a negative thing but there are both advantages and disadvantages to having it.

“I don’t think Moreau should get a uniform because we already have a dress code, that is enough of a limitation to what we can and cannot wear,” sophomore Erin DeLeon said.

“Yes, it would be easier because you won’t have to pick out clothes in the morning but at the same time it would be kind of bad because we would lose originality,” junior Larry Maya said.

“Even if Moreau were to get more a uniform, I personally think we should get polos like O’Dowd because it is simple and we can wear whatever bottoms we want and still have that freedom,” junior Cassidy Lyon said.

Sure, there is the freedom that everyone wants to have when they go to school, but it is not just freedom, it is convenience.

“I don’t know if I would be totally against uniforms, sure we are all going to be wearing the same thing, but it would be easier to get ready,” sophomore Alexandra Rebosura said.

“If we were to get uniforms, I think there would be less stress for everyone,” junior Erika Mendoza said. “Also I think there would be less pressure of trying to impress people and look nice all the time.”

or Justin Bieber teen dad?

By Kathy Parra Staff Writer

“(That’s not my) Baby, baby, baby, nooo.”

Justin Bieber, everyone has heard of him, everyone has his or her own opinions of him. Either they like him or not. Since this is my opinion, I’m proud to call myself a ‘Belieber.’

Being a ‘Belieber,’ means that you are a huge fan of Justin Bieber, and that you will always support him and be there for him no matter what he does or goes through.

About a month ago, there were reports going around, that 17 year old, Justin Bieber, got 20 year old, Mariah Yeater, pregnant last year. Of course, when I heard this, I knew this wasn’t true, and that she just wanted to get attention and publicity time.

Yeater, filed a paternity lawsuit against Bieber on Halloween, but quietly “withdrew it due to death threats,” her lawyer told the Daily News. Of course, Bieber is one of the celebrities who has one of the largest fan base, and even though fans had to send death threats to get rid of her, Bieber knows that he has fans who believe in him, and who will play a special part in his life.

Bieber, has repeatedly denied he’s not the dad, telling ‘Good Morning America,’ that, “after every show, I leave straight to my car; I don’t know this woman, I never even met her.”

It was obvious to me that Yeater was lying, and I didn’t think it was right for her to do this.

I felt like she was taking this opportunity of fame too far, but it hasn’t been tearing his fans apart, this situation has made us stronger.

Bieber was supposed to attend court on December 15, to take the DNA test and possibly sue her, but since Yeater dropped the case, Bieber and her are trying to come to an

outside agreement. However, if Bieber does go to court, fellow fans, please wear purple on that day! Show your support for Justin.

Justin Bieber presenting his new perfume

Beards. Unappealing facial hair, or cozy face sweater?

If you’ve noticed a growth in the amount of senior guys sporting facial hair, you’re not going crazy. The beginning of the month signaled the start of No-Shave November. The rules are flexible, and it’s pretty self-explanatory. The challenge is to grow one’s beard for the duration of the month.

Originally started in New Zealand and Australia, the tradition stems from Movember, a practice that encouraged growing moustaches to support Prostate Cancer awareness.

Eventually, American men joined in with the facial-hair fest. Novembeard has commenced.

For those with the skill, November offers the rare opportunity to test social boundaries with your beard.

Some of the greatest men in the history of mankind have sported beards! Could Lincoln have confidently given the Gettysburg Address without the safety barrier of his beard?

How would Chuck Norris look as Walker, Texas Ranger ... clean-shaven?

Surely, Dumbledore couldn’t rule over Hogwarts without the help of his intimidating beard.

The face is the perfect canvas for any man seeking creative expression. From the Soul Patch, Goatee, Mutton Chops, Handlebars, or even the Fu Manchu, beards offer a unique opportunity to change a man’s identity and image.

“It makes me look more manly,” senior Clayton Raber said, “plus it keeps my face warm in the winter.”

A full, well-groomed beard that adheres to appearance code gives off a sense of confidence and wisdom well beyond someone’s actual age.

Although this in no way, shape or form means you are, in fact, wise, first impressions are important.

In fact, a study of human behavior done by the Journal of Marketing Communications found that those with a medium-length beard were the most credible and trustworthy.

Senior guys, maybe it is a little late for you to join in on the No-Shave-November challenge, but with winter in full stride and break right around the corner, why not give it a go?

Maybe you’ll use it as a security blanket, a canvas for your rugged individualism, or simply to make a good impression.

Even if it doesn’t work out, you’re a quick shave from reclaiming your normal self.

What do you think?

“I think she’s ridiculous and she just wants publicity. Recking such a nice you man’s reputation is messed up,” senior Johanna Olson said.

“I feel like a lot of peole do that to stars. They defame them just to get known and get some money,” sophomore Chris Castro said.

“I’m so glad that he is suing her because she obviously has some problems to say that Justin Bieber is the father of her child,” senior Dzul Iscandari.

Mariah Yeater, with son, Tristyn.

OPINIONS

4

November 2011

Extra boost, is it even worth it?

Images courtesy of Flickr

Steroids in sports

By Elise Reyes Staff Writer

Athletes, riddle me this: if there was a magic supplement made to help you do better in your sport, be faster and stronger, and achieve the title of being “the best”, you’d take it without hesitation, right? I’m guessing, more than likely, you would.

Now, what if I told you that this so-called magic supplement already existed? It just so happens to be extremely popular and also known for causing horrible health risks and side effects for both men and women. Add all of those elements together and the resulting product gives you the “magic supplement” of steroids.

Athletes, and regular people alike, often decide to use steroids in order to improve their athletic performance and give their bodies more sculpted and powerfully built physiques.

These people are so caught up with becoming elite that they tend to pay little attention to the consequences involved with steroid use. Physically, steroids progressively deteriorate your body, but they also run the chance of you losing your athletic and personal credibility. Why would you want to not only damage your body, but your reputation too?

Take Barry Bonds, for example. He was considered among the best of the best in the world of Major League Baseball.

He was a phenomenal leftfielder with a powerhouse hitting ability, and in 2003, he was found guilty of steroid usage. To this day, Bonds is still viewed as a cheater and looked down upon for holding the MLB record of most homeruns, all because he used steroids.

“There was a time in baseball when steroids were popular and people only complained about the players taking steroids who were doing well,” sophomore Marisa Paquette said, “A lot of people think of [steroid use] as cheating, but I just see it as improving [an athlete’s] game.”

Steroids are commonly used to gain a competitive advantage in both amateur and professional sports. “I think using steroids is stupid. Athletic competition should be kept equal and fair,” senior Aaron Acosta said.

Varying views and opinions on steroid usage can be argued, but one constant, unchanging fact remains: steroids cause a multitude of health issues. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), anabolic steroids are responsible for the disruption of the normal production of hormones in the body. Changes in males include: gynecomastia, also known as the development of breasts, and baldness.

Although men are the most common users, women have also been found to use the drug as well. Masculinization and decreases of breast size and body fat are only two of many side effects attributed to women who partake in steroid usage.

With more negative than positive points related to steroids, it really makes you question the thought process of some people and why they believe it is morally and ethically right to take them. I believe one thing is for sure: you shouldn’t need to rely on a shortcut with a synthetically produced substance in order to better yourself, athletically or personally.

Photos Courtesy of Elise Reyes

Sophomore Marisa Paquette and senior Aaron Acosta weigh in on the issue of steroids.

A week off! Oh wait, never mind

By Jaipal Kaur Staff Writer

In the month of November one of the top things most of us look forward to is Thanksgiving. Our four-day break gives most of us enough time to catch up with our busy lives and relax. Though I personally love the rest we get, I have always questioned why we never got a whole week off like most schools around our area.

Despite the fact some students might not be so fond of the idea of only having four days off, most of them understand.

“I am nonchalant about changing the duration of Thanksgiving break,” senior Lauren Pagtoconan said. “But if I have to choose between having a four day week and a whole week off, I would choose a four day weekend because getting out of school earlier than other people has a more favorable effect and it has its advantages.”

Coming from a public school, I’ve always had week off for Thanksgiving. To find out why Moreau doesn’t, I went to go talk to Principal Lauren Lek who explained why we have a slightly more condensed break than other schools.

She explained how one of the reasons why was to balance out the semesters. At Moreau Catholic, there are a certain number of school days we must attend, and it’s only fair to have the same amount of those days each semester.

“More time is always more fun,” science teacher Paul Johnson said. “It’s [just] hard to fit in all of the academic days we need before Christmas.”

Another interesting point Lek made was how this would affect our finals schedule.

“Love that fact that you can go on Christmas break and have a true Christmas break because when I was here, I didn’t get that. I spent [it] studying and finishing up projects and then came back and took my finals, that’s not fun,” Lek said.

Going to a Catholic school, we get the privilege of getting extra days off that public schools don’t get. By attending Moreau, we get the advantage of getting out a little earlier than the schools around us.

With a lot of us leading busy lives filled with different things like school, sports, and jobs, a week off sounds perfect, but we’ll just have to wait until summer for that week.

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NEWS

November 2011

5

Google pays a visit to Moreau Catholic

By Karanvir Singh Staff Writer At a movie theater, which armrest is yours? What is another word for “thesaurus?” Do prison buses have emergency exits? For sophisticated questions like these, there is a very logical method to find answers. Google it! However, just recently, Link leaders were given the opportunity to teach freshmen even more about Google than searching.

Representatives from Google conducted a two-hour seminar on the search engine’s many functions in the MCHS library on Wednesday, November 9.

“I think the frosh realized how cool Google really is,” senior Link leader Samhita Nanduri said. “There were a lot of ‘OH!’ and ‘AHA!’ moments.”

With these “AHA” tools, it becomes much less tedious to search Google on difficult topics. The coordinators of it all, Moreau librarians Anne Arriaga and Susan Geiger, realized the importance of teaching these skills to freshmen as they begin to deal with more complex research.

The focus of the semimar was predictive searching. This new technology helps fulfill the need to constantly bring information to users faster.

“These are considered advanced searches,” said Arriaga. “It’s nice to have frosh at this higher level.”

And the folks from Google took notice. Not only were the librar-

By Athenie Galvez Editor in Chief

At only 16 years old, Marco Del Rio was one of the youngest contestants on the Spanish talent show “Tengo Talento, Mucho Talento.” He made it to the semi-final, but sadly didn’t advance to the final round of competition.

Knowing that he still has a lot of room to grow and develop as a singer, Del Rio didn’t let this loss bring him down.

“I will continue to pursue my dreams and I know I will achieve my goal one day,” he said. “I’ll never forget the lifechanging experience that has opened many doors for me.”

Even though Del Rio didn’t win, the Moreau community knows that his talent and passion for singing will take him far in life.

“Marco has so much potential and this show helped launch his success for the future,” senior Karina Sanchez said.

Junior Jesus Arechiga has complete confidence in Del Rio’s capabilities as a singer.

“With a voice like that, I know he has an excellent chance of making it in the big leagues.”

With the whole Moreau community supporting him, Sanchez knows Del Rio will continue to thrive and mature as a singer.

“While still in high school, his voice is already amazing and he’s already getting publicity, so I feel that it won’t be very long until we all hear about Marco as a successful artist in the music

By Katy Carscadden Staff Writer

Oh Hail Mary!

In a matter of weeks, the festival area went from an eating-place to a construction zone.

The school has decided to redo the area surrounding the Mary statue with the money collected from the student fundraiser.

“The area will be a mix of all natural resources; it will have earth, wind, and fire,” principal Lauren Lek said.

The new area will contain a waterfall, an arbor, a variety of flowers, and much more. They are planning to have lights shining on Mary, along with candles along the wall behind her.

Construction workers from the Hernandez Landscaping Company are working hard everyday to create a one of a kind piece of art.

“It may only take two weeks, but I don’t really know. Putting it together artistically takes longer than usual,” worker Victor Garcia said.

Garcia is constantly editing his project and revising to it in order to make it more artistic.

“The flagstone around the ground wasn’t originally supposed to be there, but we added it to make it look better,” Garcia said.

Even though the original plans have been modified, the school is still with the outcome.

“It’s better than I envisioned,” Lek said. “My favorite part is that the Mary statue will be in California slate and there will be a redwood cross in front of her.”

Many students have noticed the construction and are glad to see the area getting beautified.

“The new Mary shrine will bring a good mood to the festival area,” freshman Peter Brown said. “It will also be a great area for football players to pray before a game.”

Katy Carscadden/ The Explorer

Marco’s Got Talent

ians excited, but Link Crew was also thrilled to work with the Class of 2015 in something so fascinating.

“I myself learned so much by just attending the training [given to Link Crew] for the seminar and was surprised by the many useful tools,” senior Amala John said.

John and her three partners had the privilege of being filmed by Google in the classroom as they taught the frosh.

“I was pretty nervous when they were filming us, especially when they did close-ups,” John said. “But I just tried to pretend that they weren’t in the room.”

Nanduri was also plenty nervous when she got a one-on-one interview with the Google production crew.

“I was excited,” she said. “At the same time, I was pretty nervous, because I thought I’d start rambling.”

Essentially, the nerve-wracking day paid off. The freshmen came away with a better understanding of how Google can help them in the classroom.

“I actually learned a lot,” freshmen Kayla Halili said. “It ususally takes me a long time to do my homeowork but now I know you can search based on the date And Link Crew got a chance to do what it does best.

“I think that it was a great success,” said Arriaga. “Link Crew was the perfect group to do this because they model what it is to be a leader.”

Workers from the Hernandez Landscaping Company continue their hardwork on the statue of Mary

NEWS

6

November 2011

In our community; outside our walls: Bowman Elementary

integrate young children into an English-speaking environment.

One of the main methods used to help out these kids is English Language Development, more widely known as ELD. This deals with improving students’ English skills, which includes listening, speaking and writing.

“It’s a systematic program to teach students not only playground English but academic English so that they have a strong basis for learning their subject matter later,” Wag-

Seniors: one last chance to take CRUSH the SAT

By Jatin Kumar Features Editor

It’s almost December. The beginning of winter, the smooth crystal air of Christmas, the holidays are just around the river bend.

But that’s not what some seniors are thinking about.

December 3, 2011 is the last chance for seniors to take the SAT’s. UC’s and CSU’s applications are all due by the end of November. However the scores for the SAT’s will be extended to the January 1. So this will be a great opportunity for seniors to raise their scores before acceptance letters come out.

But why are seniors taking the SAT’s, especially after the application process?

“Last SAT I took, I got a pretty decent score, and this December I hope to improve that score and get into a higher range,” Daron True said. Seniors will be given one final opportunity to raise their test scores before they apply to some colleges.

“My parents say that my [SAT] score isn’t the level that they were expecting, and I also disliked my score.

Since I took it before, I am going to use my prior experience to enhance my score,” Anmol Singh said.

“I want to improve my [SAT] score to get into my primary college, I have done a lot of self-studying for english, math and writing, and I have also utilized the help of some friends so that we may compare answers, to insure accuracy, because I want to go all out in this final SAT,” Ryan Ma said.

Some students have never taken the SAT’s before, and this last SAT would be the first for some seniors.

Nervousness clouds the minds of these students.

“Just be calm and make sure that you know what you are doing and try not to cram the day before the test, take your time to soak up the knowledge, Remember to think back to prior tests and organize yourself from there,” True said. “In the end, it’s all about how much you can deal with and how well you pace yourself through the test.”

ner said.

Though these kids are still relatively young, they have quite a lot on their plate.

“The expectations are very high because by third grade they need to be bilingual and bi-literate,” Wagner said. “So they have to be able to do half of their day in English and half of it in Spanish.”

Despite the obstacles in the way, Wagner makes the class fun by playing games and singing songs. She explained how the kids might not even realize that when they are singing certain songs or playing games they are essentially learning new things.

Many people know being a teacher is a tough job, but

luckily for Wagner, she has help. Parents of students willingly volunteer their time.

“The parents are right there with me,” Wagner said. “At the end of the year, [the students] just feel so confident and I feel like we worked together to bring them to this point.”

It’s common for students to enter their first years of school as native speakers of other languages besides English. So to have a bilingual class, with a supportive teacher, gives these students the essential tools to succeed in the future.

“It’s a wonderful thing to be bilingual, but to actually become bilingual and bi-literate, it’s difficult,” Wagner said.

Photo by Jaipal Kaur

Reminiscing back to our kindergarten days, most of us remember playtime, singing songs, learning the alphabet, counting, eating glue and starting many friendships.

For Alice Wagner’s kindergarten class at Bowman Elementary it’s all fun and games with a little twist.

For those of you who don’t know,

By Jaipal Kaur Bowman elementary is located about Features Editor two blocks west of our campus, just behind the paint and body shop.

Wagner begins her day like any other teacher, setting up her class and bringing in her kids. The thing that is special about her class is that she is one of the few teachers who runs a bilingual class, essentially for students who do not speak English as their first language.

All of her students are Spanish-speakers with varying levels of English fluency. Since it is difficult to learn a new language, they start off in Spanish and slowly mix in English.

The motive is not to forget or replace Spanish, but to

Kindergarten teacher Alice Wagner spends a typical fun afternoon with her class at Bowman elementary.

K-MAC: its music hits you, so hard, makes you wanna say ...

» KMAC from Page1 The Music Appreciation Club is expanding its campus presence this year under the direction of moderator Rodriguez.

The club’s weekly broadcasts have become a staple during Friday morning passing periods, and the club is looking to build its brand.

The concept of an intramural club focused on a shared love of music is not new to Moreau. But this current incarnation is the first to take its appreciation “on air” with regularly scheduled radio broadcasts catering to specific formats.

The last MCHS “live” music broadcast was in 2009. “The Shouts,” a local band mostly comprised of Moreau seniors, did a three-song concert which MCTV aired from its A-Hall studio.

This year, student DJ’s have taken control of the airwaves.

K-MAC deejay, junior Shannon Vingo, went Shannon V (junior Shannon Vingo), brought Santa Barbara Ska with “Heart Like a Lion“ by Rebelution.

Ska kings, Rebelution, to the halls.

KMAC DJ’s typically incorporate Holy Cross pillars and ESLR’s during their broadcasts. Vingo noted the band exemplifies ESLR 2.2: “learning how to live ethically and morally while taking responsibility for their actions.”

These broadcasts represent a grassroots effort to reach more students with diverse tastes in music.

“We’re a new club, and building a campus presence hasn’t been easy,” Rodriguez said. “We’re in dire need of building a better public relations program, some various platforms that will better utilize how our information reaches our MCHS community.”

So the question is how to find a greater cross-section of students who are passionate about music.

“We’ve talked about having school-wide karaoke events, as well as student-band concerts,” Rodriguez said.

“Our long-term goal, should the MCHS community support the idea, is to at some point in the future extend our broadcasts to every day of the school week, as opposed to just the last day of the week. We’re hoping to broadcast a different Christmas song every day during our last week MCHS is in session before Christmas Break.”

KMAC leadership thinks a potential deejay is sitting in every classroom.

“Anyone can be a DJ for KMAC,” Rodriguez said. “In fact, even our faculty and staff can take over the airwaves and contribute to this hopeful tradition. We’ve already slated a couple of teachers to play some tracks for future broadcasts. We want this to be a MCHS community project, as this is the community KMAC serves.”

-- Seth Borneman aka “Comcast” K-MAC Club Moderator Tony Rodriguez sips on his coffee as he rocks out to some of the newest additions to his Itunes collection. The shades are an essential part of this musical experience.

NEWS

November 2011

Moreau Catholic opens its home for all to see

7

Rounding-up Moreau’s annual Open House, a review of what went down in our town

By Jatin Kumar Staff Writer

Photos courtesy of Christine Kosmicki

Moreau hosted its annual Open House November 5, organized and managed by the Office of Admissions and Communications.

“This is my first year at Moreau and my first open house [here]. Before I came to Moreau I was in charge of freshman admissions and open houses at the University of San Francisco,” AP of Admissions Belinda Sandoval said.

Teachers, faculty, and students contributed by showcasing the many activities and opportunities that Moreau has to offer throughout the school year.

“Each department displayed their vast amount of skills with artwork and class work exhibits from the drama department, choir department, and many others,” Sandoval said.

“I set up three tables that showed the different aspects of computer science that I am teaching, Gaming, Java and AP Computer Science, and Robotics. I also put out a previous Explorer article, which showed the parents the different colleges that students from Moreau entered last year, just to get a feel about what Moreau has to offer,” computer science and math teacher Gary Gongwer said.

“I thought that the choir program was pretty successful, and I was also part of the Chinese program, where we served dumplings and cookies to the parents and kids that explored our department,” junior Reed Flores said.

The Visual Arts department conducted a gallery walk on the second floor. Similarly, the dance program presented an open rehearsal in their third floor studio.

MCTV broadcast a mock newscast to parents and potential students, allowing some of the middle-schoolers to use the switchboard and read old scripts from the teleprompter.

The main gym served as a stage for the athletics department. Mariner coaches and athletes talked about the different sports that are offered at Moreau and encouraged many of the kids to try out and experience Mariner athletics.

Student government and the business office set up shop in the student center.

ASB and Student Council discussed their roles on campus, while the business office answered questions about the fee-structure for the upcoming year.

Moreau put its best foot forward, leaving parents and prospective students with a motley array of memories.

“The great thing about this open house is that the whole Mariner community came together to ensure the success of this event,” Sandoval said. “I was very happy to see everyone doing their part.”

A prospective family, excited about the oppurtunities and events that Moreau offers through its school year.

Mr. Gongwer sets up an exhibition to show his robotics class, and how student learn hands on how to build and program robots.

The Modern Language department displays a cultural dance and sends a hearty message from thier sign.

Coach and teacher, Tony Rodriguez represented the Boys and Girls tennis squad, at the main gym.

By Elissa Joseph Staff Writer

move from pointing out the problem to pointing out the solutions,” president of organization, Rebuild the Dream, Van Jones said. “What you’re going to see now is you have the Occupy movement at the center, that’s the beating heart.”

On the other side of this are the public figures that feel protesters are protesting for all the wrong reasons In many places where the Occupy movement is taking place, a countless number of arrests have been made. Shootings have taken place, there have been reports of assaults, and other crimes in the campsites.

“It feels like undisciplined, unfocused, unintellectual anger,” said Mark Kirk, U.S Senator in a recent speech.

Police have had to interfere on multiple occasions.

Hundreds of arrests have been made and campsites have been cleared out with tear gas.

It also appears that the mayors of many cities have been working in a coordinated national effort to crackdown on the Occupy Movement.

“I was recently on a conference call with 18 cities across the country who had the same situation where what had started as a political movement and a political encampment ended up being an encampment that was no longer in control of the people who started them,” Mayor Jean Quad of Oakland said in a recent interview with BBC. Posters and riots shown above, were common scenes at To put it in simpler terms, things seem to just be the occupy Oakland event that has taken place in the past heating up. The real battle has not yet begun. couple months.

Photos coutesy of FlickR and Google Images.

Occupy the nation The Occupy Movement originally started in Manhattan’s Financial District and has spread to more than 100 cities in the United States. Going on for a little more than two months now, this people-powered movement has taken a unique approach to fighting against major banks and corporations.

“People are occupying Wall Street because Wall Street has occupied the Country,” Bill Moyers said in a speech excerpted on thenation.com. Moyers is the president of the Schuman Center of Media and Democracy.

The movement also focuses on exposing how only the richest 1% of Americans benefit from the U.S political system. The protesters, or “99%”, blame Wall Street for the current recession.

On one side you have a large group of people in their late 20’s and early 30’s who want a government that’s more interested in creating jobs than in politics. They want equal and fair representation in the government, a chance to have their voices heard.

But according to the 99%, the only voice heard by the government is the money talking.

“It’s just a matter of time until we actually bring democracy--true democracy--to this country,”American filmmaker Michael Moore said at a recent Oakland rally.

As the year goes on, the protests will start to expand into politics. Politicians of every party will have to start paying attention to the movement’s message.

“Phase two, you move from anger to answers. You

Above Patricia Bevilacqua answers questions about the upcoming school year’s fees and changes. Meanwhile (below) two students from the Drama department show onlookers a preview their Fall Production for this year, performing a scene from their play.

Photo Credit: Stefanie Saflor, Samhita Nanduri and Athenie Galvez

INTERACT

CLUB FEATURE

8

FEATURES

“A lot of people don’t know that Interact is not only unique to Moreau. Interact is a worldwide organization, a part of Rotary, but it’s the high school level. All the clubs are collected into “districts” and then into smaller “areas”. Moreau is a part of Area 2 of District 5170, the largest district in the world. We work with Arroyo, Redwood Christian, San Leadro, Kipp King, and Castro Valley high schools on a monthly basis!”

-Interact President Samhita Nanduri

November 2011

FEATURES

November 2011

9

¡Hola!

Ni Hao. Bonjour.

From the Modern Language Department “I use music and dance in my class because I love music and believe music and dance is an important way to get to know a culture. Culture and language are inextricably connected in my opinion.”

-Señor Gonzales

Señor Gonzales

Spanish

Of course, there’s also Señor Gonzales, who by virtue of his involvement in his brother’s band, will bust out a song or a dance move to keep his class entertained and interested. “I use music because it is a part of the curriculum, as well as a part of me. The standards say that music can be used, and so I do. Music not only helps with listening, but also pronunciation,” Gonzales said.

Señora Moran

Señora Patterson

If you’re a swimmer, you’ve already made yourself known to Señora Patterson. Her signature, “¡Ay, chamacos!” cry is well known among Moreau students. Patterson also moderates the Water Polo Club, hoping to develop a varsity level team by 2013.

Señora Maniscalco

Señora Moran generally keeps it old school, teaching her Spanish classes out of the textbook, but with a little bit of her own style mixed in.

Who is that heading Earthwise’s surge promoting recycling and proper disposal of waste at Moreau? ¡Señora Maniscalco!

One of four Spanish teacher’s at Moreau, Maniscalco stresses the spoken aspect of learning a language, only speaking to her classes in Spanish.

French

Chinese

Don’t think we forgot about our trilingual Ms. Chen utilizes one of the few French instructor Madame Schroeder. Schro- SMART Boards on campus for her eder, on top of teaching her French classes, Mandarin Chinese classes. “From also moderates the French Club, dedicated to spreading the French culture around Moreau my perspective, any useful tools will (which, if you didn’t realize, has a very strong become a cool toy, only if the teachFrench history and connection). “I coordinate ers do not integrate it into teaching the French exchange which takes a larger bulk and students’ learning.” of my time and is Holy Cross affiliated.”

Madame Schroeder

Miss Chen

10

“art brings hope”

LIVING

MCHS artists showcase pleases the eye and soothes the soul

Students of Visual Arts presented a multi-media exposition November 18 in the new Br. Steven Walsh Memorial Gallery on the 2nd floor, adjacent to the library. Artists were tasked to capture the idea of hope in whatever form they felt best captured the motif.

Energy in a bottle?

November 2011

By Jatin Kumar Staff Writer

So sleepy. You must wake up. You can’t fall into the trance, snap out of it. You need something to keep you up.

What do you do?

“I would have a Noss, duh!” senior Dzul Iscandari said.

65% of high school teenagers admit to drinking energy drinks to staying awake in school, finishing homework, or other activities requiring physical or mental stress. But why do more than half of high school students choose to intake such highpowered drinks?

“I drink Gatorade, and other energy drinks like Rock Star, so that I perform well in sports, like soccer,” senior Jasray Atwal said.

Energy drinks laced with caffeine are not good for sports that require stamina. But wait don’t most sports require stamina?

According to the Nutrition Research Center, guarana, taurine, and caffeine, are the most common ingredients in energy drinks like Nos, Red Bull, and Rock Star.

Guarana is a fruit-like seed, the size of a coffee bean, which packs a strong, lethal, dose of caffeine, twice that of a regular coffee bean. And taurine is an organic acid that is found in animal tissue that helps the cardiovascular and development of the skeletal function. But when you combine the duo, you get one super reactive result that could potentially harm you.

Don’t worry; companies avoid that by adding more caffeine to offset the chemical balance of the guarana and the taurine causing a more stable version of the concoction.

Well picture yourself as someone who has never had an energy dink in your life, look at the chemicals and acids that are in your stomach. Pepsin, rennin, and lipase are the most common acids found in the bowel of your body.

Your body works normally, churning the food and reacting with carbs and lipids. When the body is introduced to the chemicals of the energy drinks, it doubles in speed. But over a long period of time, your body gets used to the long term efPhotos from Google Images fects of the super chemicals in the energy drinks and causes extreme fatigue and drowsiness to users.

But how do you stay active throughout the day?

What are healthy alternatives to energy drinks?

There is one drink that has proven to be effective against fatigue and drowsiness and has absolutely zero harmful chemicals. It’s a super-charged natural combination of hydrogen atoms welded with oxygen.

Today we call this organic mixture of elements, water. When you’re tired, drink water. When you want to be better at sports, drink water. When all else fails, drink water. It is the only perfect alternate to any drink.

If you do not agree, according to the Nutrition Research Center, “Energy drinks are by no means food and by no means natural!”

Dealing with Winter Colds

By Anton Cardenas Staff Writer

Risks of Sharing Food

‘are you gonna finish that?’ may end up finishing you

By Josie Jayme

Opinions Editor

Pretend that one day you’re rushing to school and you forget to grab your lunch out of the fridge. At lunchtime, you open your wallet only to find it empty, so what should you do now?

Steal half of your friend’s sandwich and French fries, of course.

Most of us enjoy sharing our food with our friends. It is the easiest, cheapest way to get more food to eat without paying or wasting half of your lunch in line at the cafeteria.

At the same time, is it worth to share that bag of Doritos or bottle of water just to save time or money?

Probably not.

It’s usually suggested that the only time we should not be friendly with others and share our lunches with them is when they are sick.

Sure, that’s one way to protect yourself, but it’s not the only way.

The best medicine is to never assume your friends are completely healthy just by the way they look.

The reality is, every time people exchange food with each other, they are making themselves susceptible to each other’s bacteria.

That bacteria can produce a variety of different infections that aren’t very pleasant to deal with it.

If you’re the kind of person who enjoys sipping other people’s drinks, you may want to reconsider that habit. It’s the best way to catch Mononucleosis, a contagious viral infection that can cause sore throat and discomfort in the neck.

Not only is sharing food questionable, but also the way it’s shared can cause potential hazards. Eating out of the same container or using the same fork and spoon can cost you strep throat, a bacterial infection that can inflame one’s tonsils, causing them to have a sore throat for a few days.

Sharing isn’t so caring after all.

The winter months are coming in, and with winter comes the winter cold. In addition, no one likes to have goosebumps and shiver until their blue in the face.

So what is the solution? I went out and asked some familiar names around Moreau what they thought about the winter months and how they stay warm. Maybe you can pick up a tip or two from their ideas on how to deal with the winter cold.

Connie Stanton, offers her thoughts were on winter and its weather. “I don’t like it,” Stanton said, “I’d rather have it stay warm and sunny like the summer all year round!”.

Being a Californian native, the warmth and sun are things that she really enjoys. But now, she must also find ways to keep warm when the temperatures get a little too cold for comfort.

“On my couch at home, I have a lot of blankets that I just pile up. We rarely turn on the heater because it’s expensive. If you want to be warm in my house, bundle up with some blankets!” said Stanton. Bundling up and using blankets is not only cozy and warm, but it also saves money on your electricity bill!

“The most important thing though is to layer up with clothes. That’s the most important,” Stanton said. I totally agree with her. I am currently writing this article right now with multiple layers on to keep warm.

I then asked Katie Teekell, AP of Student Life, what her input was on staying toasty during these cold months.

“I’ve been raised in California all my life. I love the cold weather here, but in soccer season, being outdoors in the cold can get tough,” said Teekell. “I strongly suggest using hand warmers if you are outside and doing activities in the cold!”

So athletes, If you are outside in the cold, warm your hands up with hand warmers! Cold hands are never comfortable, but when your hands are warm, your whole body feels a little better.

“In my office, I also use a small space heater. Since the heating system is broken in my office, it really is the key,” said Teekell. Having a heater will also be very affective. It saves you money from turning on your house heater, and it can keep you more warm buy the heat being directed just to you.

“I think the main thing for students to keep warm in school though, is to wear layers. But don’t forget your collar!” said Teekell. So it sounds like layers are becoming more recommended. It definitely works for me.

Lastly, I talked with Moreau’s President, Terry Lee, on his thoughts about the winter cold here. “To me, this cold is nothing. I was born and raised in Boston, and believe me, the winters here are nothing compared to the ones in Boston,” said Lee. “Going from point A to point B, would be so much harder and colder due to the snow and terrain. Honestly, I love the weather here so much more.”

For Mr. Lee, the winters here are nothing compared to the ones back in Boston. “Layers!

Back and Boston, and even here, layers are the most important thing to keeping warm!” said Lee. So obviously, layers are the number one thing to keeping warm during this cold season.

You can layer up and still look good too! I hope these tips on how to face the cold weather this winter season will help.

NEWS

November 2011

New faces at MCHS:

Interact joins the Xmas mission

11

Courtesy of Samaritan’s Purse

Hyland takes over as Director of Institutional Advancement

Children in impoverished countries receive shoe boxes filled with gifts for Christmas. » Christmas Child from Page 1 a community to make a difference both on a global scale and a local scale.

“In the end, it’s not about how many boxes we make, or what records we’re able to break. The students who participate in OCC are contributing to a noble cause, and these boxes will go to children all over the world.” Nanduri said

National Collection Week is November 14-21, but you may send completed boxes yearround to Samaritan’s Purse:

Operation Christmas Child Samaritan's Purse P.O. Box 3000 801 Bamboo Road Boone, NC 28607

» EarthWise from Page 1

EarthWise brings composting to Moreau From bake sales to video promos, this club certainly wants more student involvement.

Site supervisor, Tom Alcott, says, “I like how they’re branching out to more kids for awareness.”

This composting project is helping reduce the amount of trash in landfills.

“Even though students can’t see the trash, I see the amount of food that goes to waste, and I think that this composting really is help-

The new composting bins located in the cafeteria

SETH BORNEMAN/THE EXPLORER

ing,” Alcott said.

So much is happening in society, that we may forget how many resources in our planet are limited, and that they’re being used at high rates.

“Within fifty years, our rain forests could be gone, many animals that we know and love today can become extinct, and many resources that we rely on, including petroleum, could be extremely rare,” Patel said.

The EarthWise moderator has definitely helped the club be better, “Ms. Maniscalco works endlessly to help make Moreau a greener place and EarthWise would not be anywhere near where it is today without her,” Patel said.

Composting process has began to get into full swing.

“We are off to a slow start, but so far we have gotten good feedback from others,” Maniscalco said.

Even though it took a while to make this happen, “we can already see how much the trash has been reduced and how much composting has gone up,” Patel said.

“It took time; there were meetings including me, as well as the principal,” Alcott said.

One of the main messages sent

by EarthWise is to make people un-

News Editor

Often times we wonder how we generate money for our school to improve our facility. Thankfully, we have a new Director of Institutional Advancement, also known as IA, that is primarily concerned with “Inviting people into our mission,” as newlyappointed director, Tom Hyland, likes to put it.

Hyland has taken on the IA Director’s position, taking over for Kristin Delaney-Wiggins, who has relocated with her family to Boston.

Although we were sad to see Delaney-Wiggins go, we wish her the best and welcome Hyland to the Moreau community with open arms.

For those that do not know, the Office of Institutional Adavancement for Moreau is responsible for the school’s capital funding campaign, assembling fundraisers and other revenue opportunitites for the improvement of Moreau.

Such opportunities take many forms--the one students are most familiar with is the fall fundraising campaign which aided the Teves Theatre renovation two years ago along with this year’s “Hopes and Dreams” project which will provide tech tools to all academic departments.

Hyland may be new to Moreau, but he certainly knows what he is doing.Working at Bishop O’Dowd for seven years and leading their campaign for their new Art Center was just one of his many great accomplishments.

The National Brain Tumor Society is another organization where Hyland played a key role in fundraising for the society’s research program.

Coming to a new place is hard, but, “Everybody has been especially welcoming and I am very glad to be here,” Hyland said.

Hyland, orginally from Ohio, majored in journalism. In his free time he likes to do yoga and play racketball.

One thing that Hyland would love is to have more people visit him. So when you’re on the third floor, feel free to stop by and get to know him.

derstand that as a school, we have the ability and opportunity to make this community more clean and green.

“Many resources that we rely on, including petroleum, could be extremely rare,”-- Sahaj Patel.

Not everything has been successful with this new change.

“Out of the 500 sets of utensils we got, about 60 of them have either gone missing or people have thrown them away,” Maniscalco said.

“I think once the composting project is well underway, it will definitely be worth it,” Patel said.

This change, is a huge one, and it will take time getting used to it.

“It definitely has educated people on campus, and the students are doing what they’re supposed to do,” Alcott said.

“I can already see the progress!”

Patel said.

Still, there may be questions about the new program. EarthWise invites all students and faculty to take attend meetings to learn more about composting efforts.

THE EXPLORER/SETH BORNEMAN

While Christmas Child does not directly require funding, one way to donate if you don’t have the desire or time to fill up a box, is to donate as much or as little as possible to help pay for the cost of shipping boxes globally.

If there is low participation it makes it difficult to have incentives like those provided this year

by Interact. Interact Club, and its officers in particular have spent more time than ever trying to promote the operation.

“Interact has put countless hours into Christmas Child. I planned for OCC in early October, and had other officers do their share of research.

Then there was “In the end, it’s not about the publicizing, how many boxes we and the homeroom organization. We make, or what records even hosted a colwe’re able to break. The laboration session students who participate to teach students in OCC are contributhow to make their ing to a noble cause, boxes,” Nanduri said. and these boxes will go Operation to children all over the Christmas Child world.” Samhita Nanduri allows Moreau as

By Arianna Cruz

New Director of Instutional Advancement, Tom Hyland, smiles broadly for the camera.

A&E

12

November 2011

MCHS Theatre and their thrilling short productions Talented ensemble performs 9/11-themed skit

By Elise Reyes Staff Writer

It’s Monday morning and you’re in first period. the skit were a bit hard because of the high level of emotion that needed You’re sitting in class, trying your hardest not to fall asleep, and to be captured. wishing you could be anywhere but your seat. Sounds like an average “It wasn’t a necessarily sad story, but I definitely felt honored to repschool day, right? resent the people and how their decision to jump wasn’t a bad choice,” Well, not if you were in Ms. Galloway’s Mass Media class the McCaffrey said. morning when a theatre troupe performed their five-minute production All in all, it sounds like everyone enjoyed the final product of the theatre troupe’s efforts. It’s hard to think of a better way to spend your entitled, “Falling”. morning than to watch a gripping and enthralling story about something The short skit was inspired by the events of 9/11 and the collapse of so important to our country’s history. the World Trade Center.

The group portrayed the occurrences as three people contemplating the decision on whether or not to jump out of the 107th floor of the World Trade Center, instead of being enveloped in flames and burning to death.

Both Ms. Galloway and her students found the play to be very riveting and well put-together.

“I thought it was wonderful,” Ms. Galloway said, “It tied into the curriculum really well and the production gave us another perspective in terms of content.”

“It was cute and it was really good,” senior Maddy Pruneda said, “I liked how they took something so serious and made it into a mini love story.”

Senior Maddy Pruneda really appreciated One of the people involved in the minithe chance to watch the performance. production included junior Anna McCaffrey, who shared that practices and preparations for Photo Courtesy of Google Images Ms. Galloway and her students were quite impressed and enthusiastic about the performance of Falling.

Three people contemplated the decision on whether or not to jump out of the 107th floor of the World Trade Center, instead of being enveloped in flames and burning to death.

Walking Dead: more than your average zombie show

By Jonathan Vivet Sports Editor

Survival, with a large order of zombies please.

AMC’s The Walking Dead made a huge splash this October with the premiere of its second season.

Living in a zombie infested world, a small group of survivors attempts to cope with life after the apocalypse. The action packed drama, based on Frank Darabont’s popular comic book series, became widely popular after it’s first season.

“It’s packed with tons action, blood, very intense, emotional scenes, and best of all: plenty of zombie walkers,” senior Michael Truong said.

The Walking Dead’s in depth storyline has kept fans coming back every Sunday night aching for more zombies.

“A lot of zombie movies are kind of dumb because they only focus on the actual zombie,” senior Rachel Velasco said, “But [the show] combines the excitement of zombies with a good storyline that actually makes you care about the characters.”

Rick Grimes, a small town sheriff, awakes from a coma to discover an undead apocalypse has happened in his absence. Worried for the safety of his family, Grimes stumbles out into a world totally foreign to the one he had once known. With infected zombies possibly lurking at every turn, Grimes struggles to understand how society as he knows it has changed and eventually joins a survivalist group.

“I feel like i’m on the edge of my seat every single episode,” senior Miguel Angeles said, “Each episode is just so full of suspense. Sometimes I just want to see zombies eat people.”

The Walking Dead creates a unique drama centered more on the relationship between survivors than the zombies themselves. With visually graphic scenes, AMC struck gold and revitalized a genre dead on its feet.

“It’s a fantastic series,” Velasco said, “do yourself a favor and check it out.”

Photos Courtesy of Flickr

The Walking Dead and its cast have become a popular hit among today’s generation.

Black Friday: the modern way to celebrate Thanksgiving For some, the most wonderful time of the year begins when they’re sitting at the table with loved ones enjoying an appetizing turkey feast.

However, others would beg to differ—the Holidays don’t start until mall workers unlock the entrance to sales hungry shoppers at 11 p.m. hoping to score that plasma TV for cheap.

Welcome to Black Friday.

Normally occurring the day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday is known to be the busiest shopping day of the entire year. With constant commercials airing in between TV programs, and excessive coupons conveniently tucked inside the Sunday newspaper, there’s no way anyone could go through their Thanksgiving Break without seeing or hearing that Target is opening their doors at 1 in the morning.

“My favorite place to go shopping on Black Friday is Westfield Mall because the clothing stores offer really good deals that you won’t see at any other time during the year,” senior Lauren Pagtaconan said.

It may not be an official holiday, but that doesn’t stop thousands of shoppers from establishing tents outside large national retailer stores on Thanksgiving Day.

By Josie Jayme Opinions Editor

“I feel the media tends to favor more of Black Friday than Thanksgiving in terms of what they advertise,” senior Percival Perlas said, “It seems that they don’t publicize much of the meaning and purpose of Thanksgiving anymore, other than a ‘Thanksgiving sale’ is coming up.”

This is true. According to Reuters, this year, retail giant Wal-Mart is planning to open its doors to the public at 10 p.m. Thanksgiving night.

Black Friday’s skyrocketed popularity has created a shift on how people spend their Thanksgiving Break. Northernstar.info says Black Friday’s popularity is due to the increased interest in Christmas shopping right after Thanksgiving, which takes away the purpose of Thanksgiving.

Regardless if you are the kind of person who enjoys family time or shopping time, Black Friday is now the modern way to spend your Thanksgiving Break (or even Thanksgiving Day) if you are really that passionate about big savings. It may not be for everyone, but at least you have the choice between packing on the pounds and packing on major savings.

A&E

13

9 things to do during

By Katy Carscadden Staff writer

Trim & Fit Blazer

-Throw on over a collared shirt for the perfect mass look

Thanksgiving

Skinny Tie

-It’s a church must-have!

Scarf

-Accessorize and stay warm at the same time

Vest

-Take your look to the next level by adding an aditional layer.

break ...

By Karanvir Singh Staff Writer

[1] Ca tch up on slee p

Watch

-Tells you the time and is fashionable

Shoes

-Ditch the sneakers and wear top-siders Photo credits: Katy Carscadden

Show some class at mass

November 2011

Model: Brandon English

[3] Stomp over someone as you run into a store on Black Friday

Choreographic Collage dancers unveil artistic impressions on the Teves canvas during MCHS fall concert

not rip, but ays t d a o r na rd [2] Go o u only have fou yo too far,

[4] Email your teachers and ask them what will be on their finals [5] Buy an amazing collared shirt

ue r et g h t n n ivi i er ksg e nt an u ol f Th V ] it o 6 [ ir sp

[7] Make the wildes t turkey in the wor ld

ever [8] It’s n

Photos: Christine Kosmicki

good watch a o t e m i t a bad

movie

[9] Try to make up with friends you stopped talking to and be thankful for them ... and take time to thank the friends you’ve never stopped talking to ... or better yet, just take time to listen.

Happy Thanksgiving, Mariners and Marinettes

SPORTS

14

November 2011

WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW

By Matthew Comandante Sports Editor

BOYS SOCCER JV/VAR

GIRLS SOCCER JV/VAR

“My goals are to get first team, and help finish the process of turning the soccer program around.”

- Clayton Raber ‘12

“My own personal expectations for the team is to be stronger than last year. Even though we’ve lost two very good seniors we gained a lot of new talent.”

- Sofie Aguirre ‘12

“We are a lot closer this year and we have improved on our games in general and how we play as a team.”

- Christina Gaumer ‘14

“I think we have stronger communication this year because of the amount of seniors on the team. We’ve known each other for a long time, it works in our favor.”

- Carlos Cueva ‘12

BOYS BASKETBALL FROSH/JV/VAR

GIRLS BASKETBALL JV/VAR “I’m definitely excited.

It’ll be interesting to see who steps up to make up for losing our top two leading scorers. It’ll also be fun build a bond with this new team.”

- Remy Puou ‘13

“We want to go further in playoffs and leave a memorable legacy at Moreau for Varsity basketball.”

“I’m really excited for everyone to grow together as a team and win some games that could take us to NCS.”

- Deryck Ylanan ‘12

- Wyatt Carscadden ‘14

“My personal goals are to score at least double digits every game, and help encourage all of my teammates.”

- Haley Joly ‘14

November 2011

SPORTS

Girl’s Basketball

By Anton Cardenas Sports Editor

The Moreau Catholic Mariner’s girl basketball team is entering the new year with many changes and many new adjustments to make.

Last season, the Mariners ended the season with a 19-6 record, earning their way to a top spot in the league and a bid in the NCS playoffs.

Although they were very successful last season, many key players have departed from the team as they were part of the class of 2011.

With new faces, attitudes, and playing styles on the team, adjustment and flexibility will be key to a successful season.

“It’s going to be all about teamwork and chemistry this year,” said senior Dania Delfino.

“Returning players are going to have to step up to fill roles that we have lost from this previous season,” said Delfino.

The girls basketball team has always been a team to mesh and have good team chemistry in the previous years, so for them to mesh and cooperate this season shouldn’t be a problem.

From new incoming players, to players being on the team for all four years, working together as one will be crucial.

“Being a freshman on the team last year, the seniors really made me feel welcome and part of the basketball family,” said sophomore Haley Joly. “Once again, leadership from our returning and older players towards the team will be necessary and I don’t doubt them one bit,” said Joly.

Obviously, the main key to success this year, will not be only in putting the ball in the basket, but leadership up and down the bench. From seniors to freshman, teamwork is needed to excel.

Besides having an almost new line up, senior point guard Krissy Segismundo is also injured with a long term ACL injury.

She has been on varsity for all of her four years at Moreau, and being that it’s her final year to play high school basketball, she is really hoping that her team will step up and fill her role.

“Being sidelined was not part of my plan by any means. Players will have to step up and take leadership now. I know they can do it though,” said Segismundo. “Being injured doesn’t mean that I will not be a part of the team though. I will help out at practices and push my teammates to the next level. The longer our season goes, the better chance I have at getting back into play.”

The girls basketball team all around is in for a season of new challenges and experiences, neither of which is to big for this successful program. Be sure to be there to support our Mariners as they take on the season, game in to game out, all the way to a desired NCS championship.

Locked out, they won’t let me in

15

By Athenie Galvez Editor In-Chief

Money is power. And in this case, the desire for money is even more powerful.

The fourth NBA lockout in league history began on July 1. With revenue sharing and salary caps as the main issues, meetings have been held periodically between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) to try to resolve them.

Unable to resolve these issues, all of preseason and all league games through December 15 have been cancelled. Nationwide, hundreds of players and staff have been left unemployed and thousands more fans left disheartened.

“The NBA is something you grow up with and something you look forward too.

The fact that the season may not happen is just sad,” senior Dzul Iscandari said.

During the lockout, teams can’t trade, sign or contact players by any means and in turn players can’t access team facilities, trainers or staff personnel. But for some, the lockout hasn’t stopped them from playing the game they love.

More than 80 players including Deron Williams of the New Jersey Nets and Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs have signed contracts to play overseas during the lockout.

Others who continue to play in the U.S. participate in anything from local pickup games to organized exhibition tournaments like the Drew League in Los Angeles and the Pro-Am in San Fransisco.

Many players and organizations have also organized charity games to show fans that they really do care about the game and not just the money. Even though these games are a great source of entertainment, fans know nothing will compare to the NBA. “I was lucky enough to attend one of these games and it made me realize how boring this year will be without a legitimate season,” senior Allison Delos Angeles said.

Knowing that some players had million dollar contracts, some fans don’t see why they’re asking for more money. “Players already make so much already. It feels like money is what is motivating some of the players to play basketball now, and it really takes away from the game,” senior Carlos Briones said.

The lockout will remain in effect until the NBPA can reach an agreement with the NBA owners regarding revenue sharing. Because of the lockout, NBA fans like senior Anmol Singh feel like their lives are kind of incomplete.

“It’s like there’s not as much to look forward to. Sure there are other shows on television, but thing can compare to watching the NBA.”

Mariner football makes NCS for the first time in 15 years 6-4 season record earns Division IV playoff bid vs Berean Christian

By Anton Cardenas Sports Editor NCS Playoffs. The Moreau Catholic varsity football team hasn’t seen that on their schedule for almost 15 years, but now they have earned their right to be playing in the NCS Playoffs vs Berean Christian.

Senior running back Jordan Jabson said, “We are a lot faster this year then other years and we all know our specific roles and duties on the team. This has really improved us as a whole”.

Last week however, in their game against Encinal, the Mariners suffered from big injuries to key players, limiting their roster.

Adam Sagapolu, Nick Kinast, and Francis Delfino all suffered from injuries.

“Its really disappointing having to be injured for the first NCS game”, said senior line backer Francis Delfino. “I will still encourage my team though, and push General Jordan Jabson to his full potential this week for the upcoming game,” Delfino concluded.

Even though the team will be short for their NCS game, they still are very confident. Senior offensive tackle Sean Godfrey said, “Injuries won’t really mean that we will have a tougher time. Other players will step up and fill their roles. I believe in my team.” The strong confidence of the team is sure to be a key strong point for their NCS game.

Finally, the team chemistry this year is much greater and much more evident this season. Junior line backer Malcom Solomon said, “One of the main reasons why we have come this far is due to the chemistry and team bonding that we have had this year. We really have worked together through everything and we can definitely work together to be successful in out game this weekend.”

NCS PLAYOFF RECAP: Though the Mariners came up short, 27-10, against the host Eagles of Berean Christian, the regular season ended with a 6-4 record, the second year in a row the team has had a winning season. This bodes well for the impending 2012 jump to the MVAL. The Mariners held a 10-7 halftime lead on Saturday against Berean Christian, but gave up 20 unanswered second half points in losing its NCS Division IV playoff contest.

Shahin Marzband connected on a 32-yard field goal in the first quarter of Saturday’s game, and Jabson found the end zone with a 9-yard run in the second quarter to complete the scoring for the Mariners. Jabson led the Mariner offense with 74 yards rushing.

SPORTS

16

November 2011

ATHLETES OF THE MONTH

By Michael Tacchella Sports Editor

Nicole Dawang

Varsity Women’s Tennis

Q: How did it feel making varsity and then NCS? A: Making varsity and NCS was great! It’s always an honor, especially being so young. It’s always fun meeting new people and creating all these new experiences with the team.

Q: How long have you played tennis and how did you start playing?

A: I’ve been playing for about seven years now.

It’s funny actually, I only tried tennis out because I was bored one summer and I decided to take advantage of the courts by my house Q: Do you have any role model to play like and why them?

A: I don’t have just one role model. I see people on the courts and there are always different aspects I like about their game that I try to incorporate into mine. For example, if I like their serve or their mentality on the court, I try to imitate it. I guess that means everyone, in some little way, is my role model.

Q:Do you have any pregame rituals?

A: As far as pregame rituals or traditions go, I don’t necessarily have one. I just try to get everything cleared out of my mind and get my body warmed up by jogging or stretching.

Christine Marzan

Varsity Women’s Golf

Q: Where you surprised you were able to make it to NCS this year?

A: I was actually really surprised when I made it to NCS this year because it meant that I improved during the last year and how hard I worked to be able to qualify again from last year.

Q: How do you feel that golf brings the team together?

A: I feel that golf brings the team together by always cheering people on during the good or the bad. During practice, we are always laughing and giving the rest of the team good advice and positive phrases whenever any of us are feeling down.

Hanging out with the team makes it feel like we are sisters who can talk about anything and everything!

Q: Have you ever wanted to play a different sport besides golf?

A: Over the years, I’ve played a lot of sports in my life, but I find that golf is something that I can really dedicate myself too. Sometimes I wish I could try other sports like badminton or tennis but the seasons don’t fit with my schedule, and for me, golf training season never ends.

Brandon Smith

Varsity Cross Country

Q: What are you most proud with about your team?

A: I am proud of how the varsity boys team has come together this year making it a possibility to make state. I am also proud of how all the summer training and hard work has payed off so far.

Q: What was the most fun thing you did all season?

A: The most fun stuff would probably be going to Hawaii and to the largest nationwide Cross Country Invite at Mt. San Antonio College. Cross Country gives you a chance to travel and compete which is definitely cool.

Q: Do you think you’ll continue to run Cross Country in college?

A: I plan on running in college. I’m not quite sure where yet, but I definitely will continue to run.

Q: What does it feel like to place high in a race?

A: Placing high in a race is definitely a good feeling, and it shows that all the hard work has payed off. You get a good feeling of accomplishment and it makes you work that much harder toward the next race to repeat what just happened previously.

Dylan Mackin

Frosh Football

Q: What was your most memorable game? What happened to make it so memorable?

A: The very first game was the most memorable because it was my first ever football game and I scored my first touchdown.

Q: How had playing football affected your Freshman year?

A: It made my freshman year fun to start off with and now I can’t wait to see what’s in the future for high school.

Q: Do you play any other sports than football? Do you like them more or less than football?

A: I play basketball and baseball too but I like them less than football.

Q: How and when did you get into playing football?

A: Well I’ve been wanting to play football for a long time but I never had the chance to so I thought it would be good to start in high school so over this past summer I started coming to the football workouts and decided whether it was for me, or not. I made my decision to stay and play and I’m glad i did it.

Football or family? What about both?

By Michael Tacchella Sports Editor

Thanksgiving. A day for eating tons of food, being with family, and football?

I doubt our founding fathers figured that Thanksgiving would turn into a day where we sit on the couch and watch football while dazing in and out of a food coma. For many however, watching the game has become a big part of Thanksgiving for a lot of people.

“The thanksgiving game is a part of Thanksgiving. The turkey is a Thanksgiving tradition for almost all families, but the Thanksgiving game is a part of the tradition as well,” Senior Kevin Murray said.

Football is obviously one of the traditional past times of the American people and watching the game has become a huge part of people’s Sundays and Monday agendas so why not put a game on Thanksgiving too?

Over the years, like everything else, Thanksgiving football has changed. It’s gone from being just another ordinary game to something a bit more intense. “[Thanksgiving football] has become a lot more competitive,” said sophomore JC Maroun.

The traditional games involve the Dallas Cowboys playing against another team as well as the Detroit Lions playing too. These games usually aren’t very special but they follow the annual tradition of playing on Thanksgiving and, to many, that’s special enough.

Having the game on all day is tradition for some, but it may not be the best idea when you have an opportunity to be with family. It’s probably best to have a good balance between family and football.

“Watching the game makes the people who are more into football in my family much closer, but the day shouldn’t be Photo credits to Flickr.com focused only on football. It’s best when it’s watched in moderation,” said theology teacher James Hannon.

This year, Detroit will play Green Bay and Dallas will be playing Miami in the afternoon. Later in the day once everybody has eaten and are ready to just vegetate on the couch, San Francisco will be playing Baltimore. A day full of football, food, and family.